Category: Main Dish: Poultry

Fried Chicken

 

I haven’t had much luck with making fried chicken, until this recipe. I found this recipe in the book Secrets of the Best Chefs by Adam Roberts. This is Angelish Wilson’s recipe and I can’t get over how simple it is.

 

Ingredients;
1 to 2 (4 pounds) chickens cut into pieces
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart vegetable oil

Directions;
3 hours before you want to fry, clean the chicken, pat dry and season with salt and pepper.
Cover and refrigerate. 1 hour before frying remove from fridge and bring to room temperature.
Set up 2 bowls. One of room temperature water and the other of flour. Heat the oil. In large stock pot or dutch oven , pour in the vegetable oil and do not fill it more than halfway. Heat until it reaches 370 degrees. Dip each piece in water than the flour than place in oil. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, turning every so often.

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

 

 

This recipe is from Jamie’s Food Revolution cookbook. This book has healthy and low-cost meals. If you were able to watch his Food Revolution show you know how he went into homes within the USA and tried to coax them into eating healthier. He is truly an inspiration. Loved this recipe but I recommend adding more spice.

A note from Jamie;

“The crumbing technique is so versatile – you can prepare pork, turkey or even cod in exactly the same way. As there is olive oil in the crumb mixture, you can grill, fry, roast, or bake the meat dry in the oven and it will go lovely and golden.”

Ingredients;

  • 2 skinless chicken breast fillets (about 8 ounces each)
  • 3 cloves of garlic
  • 2 lemons
  • 15 Saltine crackers (preferably unsalted tops)
  • 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
  • 8 sprigs of fresh Italian parsley
  • 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large egg plus one egg white
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions:

Cut each chicken breast into 2 equal pieces. Put a square of plastic wrap over each one and pound a few times with a mallet until they are more or less the same thickness. Peel the garlic and zest the lemons. Put your crackers into a food processor with the oil, garlic, parsley sprigs, lemon zest, and the salt and pepper. Blend until the mixture is very fine, then pour these crumbs onto a plate. (If using a blender, leave out the oil and chop the parsley roughly and the garlic finely. Add the garlic and parsley after the crackers are pretty much blitzed and mix in the oil once you’ve dumped the mixture onto a plate.)

Sprinkle the flour on to a second plate. Crack the egg into a small bowl, add the white, and beat with a fork. Lightly score the underside of the chicken breasts. Dip the chicken into the flour until both sides are completely coated, then dip into the egg and finally into the flavored crumbs. Push the crumbs on to the chicken breasts so they stick – you want the meat to be totally coated.

To cook your chicken:

Preheat your oven to its highest temperature (475°F). Place your chicken on a nonstick sheet pan. Cook for 10 minutes, flip the chicken and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, golden and crisp (no trace of pink at the center of the thickest part). You can check by making a small cut in a piece or two.

 

Chicken Parmesan

 

 

IMG_3459

I made this the other night and my son devoured it like he was a paramedic, it was funny. Our favorite restaurant in Brentwood, Cap’s, serves an outstanding chicken parm and I have tweaked the sauce to resemble there’s. This means I add a bit more sugar while trying to get the delicate salty and sweet balance a chicken parm should have. Recipe is Tyler Florence’s.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted
  • 1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
  • 2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed ( I uses pureed tomatoes to make this step easier)
  • Pinch sugar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 TBS water
  • 1 cup dried bread crumbs
  • 1 (8-ounce) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained
  • Freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Directions

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

Delectable Marinated Chicken Thighs

 

I was looking for a marinade for the boneless, skinless, chicken thighs that I wanted to BBQ later. I came across this one on Allrecipes.com I did not have the smoke flavoring or sesame seeds and my son dislikes teriyaki sauce so I omitted all three ingredients. Also, I used olive oil instead of canola oil. The children devoured the chicken and my son’s friend, who joined us for dinner, asked me to let him know the next time I am making these so he can join us again. It was a hit.

Ingredients:

  • 2 TBS Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 TBS low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 TBS teriyaki sauce
  • 1 tsp liquid smoke flavoring
  • 1 TBS molasses
  • 1 TBS sesame seeds
  • 1 TBS brown sugar
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic pepper
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Directions:

Mix together Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, liquid smoke, and molasses in a resealable plastic bag until the molasses has dissolved. Add sesame seeds, brown sugar, paprika, garlic salt, garlic pepper, minced garlic, and canola oil; mix well. Coat chicken thighs with the marinade, seal, and marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator, redistributing the chicken in the marinade occasionally.

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat.

Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess. Grill on preheated grill until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F (75 degrees C), and is firm and opaque, about 12 minutes per side. Discard any remaining marinade.

Chicken Fajitas

I finally bought my first Jamie Oliver cookbook. I choose The Food Revolution because it is full of healthy recipes. This is the first recipe I made from it and it was so simple and delicious. I really admire the things Jamie has done for schools across the USA; he has tried to make school lunches healthier with much push back from the bureaucracy.
I have altered the recipe but the basic ingredient’s are from Jamie’s book.
Ingredients:
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 medium red onion – you can use yellow if you prefer
  • 8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets
  • Smoked paprika to taste
  • Cumin to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 limes
  • Olive oil
  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Flour tortillas
  • Shredded cheddar cheese
  • Cilantro, chopped

Directions:

Halve and seed bell pepper and cut into thin strips. Peel, halve and finely slice the onion. Slice the chicken length ways into long strips. Put bell pepper and onion in one bowl and chicken into another bowl. Season both mixtures with paprika, cumin, salt,  and  lime with a finishing of olive oil. Mix well and marinate for a bit.

Preheat sauté pan with oil and first add vegetable mixture for 5-6 minutes and then add chicken mixture, cook for another 6-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Once cooked through, add more juice of lime to finished dish.
Warm your tortillas, grate your cheese and serve it all together with cilantro.

Chicken Marsala

 

I had forgotten to look up a recipe for dinner and wanted to try something new so I just got onto the epicurious app and found this gem of a meal. Very delicious and rich in flavor. I had never tasted Marsala wine and, of course, a chef must taste the vino they are putting into the recipe. It has a very unusual consistency, almost like a liqueur. This is the recipe my son and I made together in Canada when he wanted to start learning to cook.

Ingredients:

  • 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
  • 2 Tbs finely chopped shallot
  • 5 Tbs unsalted butter
  • 10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh sage
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb total)
  • 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
  • 2/3 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 200°F.

Bring broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, then boil, uncovered, until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Cook shallot in 3 tablespoons butter in an 8- to 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until shallot begins to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, 1 tsp sage, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated and mushrooms begin to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat.

Put flour in a wide shallow bowl. Gently pound chicken to 1/4 inch thick between 2 sheets of plastic wrap using the flat side of a meat pounder or a rolling pin. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper, then dredge in flour, 1 piece at a time, shaking off excess. Transfer to sheets of wax paper, arranging chicken in 1 layer. Heat 1 Tbs each of oil and butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté half of chicken, turning over once, until golden and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked chicken to a large heatproof platter, arranging in 1 layer, then put platter in oven to keep warm. Wipe out skillet with paper towels and cook remaining chicken in same manner, then transfer to oven, arranging in 1 layer. Add 1/2 cup wine to skillet and boil over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, about 30 seconds. Add reduced broth, cream, and mushrooms, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons wine and 1/2 tsp sage.

Serve chicken with sauce.

Wine Pairing: Sauvignon Blanc

 

 

Breast of Chicken with Duxelles Stuffing

I bought my first $50.00 app on my iPad the other day. The Professional Chef, which is the Culinary Institute of America’s textbook. I am very pleased with it and this is the first recipe I tried. Mouthwatering delicious! I had no idea what duxelle was until I attempted this recipe. I have a feeling this app will be teaching me a lot.

Ingredients:

  • 4 boneless chicken breast
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 2 lb. duxelles stuffing (recipe follows)
  • 5 oz all-purpose flour
  • 6 fl oz egg wash (recipe follows)
  • 12 oz dried bread crumbs
  • 24 fl oz clarified butter or oil, or as needed

Directions:

Trim the chicken breast and remove the skin if desired. Butterfly each breast portion and pound between sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to even thickness.

Blot dry the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Spread each breast with a portion of the duxelles stuffing and roll the breast around the stuffing. Overlap the edges to form a seam.

Apply a standard breading: dredge the chicken in flour, dip in egg wash, and roll in bread crumbs.

Heat about 1/2in/1cm butter to about 350 degrees in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the chicken to the butter, seam side down first, and pan fry until golden brown and crisp, 2-3 minutes. Turn once and finish pan frying on the second side until the chicken reaches an internal temp of 170 degrees, about 3 more minutes. Finish cooking in a 350 degrees oven once the crust is properly browned, if preferred.

Duxelles Stuffing

Ingredients:

  • 6 oz minced shallot
  • 2 oz butter
  • 2 lb small dice mushrooms
  • 1 Tbls salt
  • 2 tsp ground black pepper
  • 8 fl oz heavy cream that has been reduced by half
  • 8 oz bread crumbs
  • 1 Tbls chopped parsley

Sweat the shallots in the butter in a sautoir over medium-high heat until translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté them until dry to create a duxelles. Season the duxelles with some of the salt and pepper.

Add the cream, breadcrumbs, and parsley and mix well.

Egg Wash

Ingredients:

  • 5 eggs
  • 5 oz milk
  • Pinch salt

Directions:

Combine using a wire whip.

Chicken Cacciatore Easy Version

I just wanted to try something new for the children and I was not sure they would eat chicken with a tomato sauce. My son had his friend over and I served this dish. His friend asked me to give the recipe to his mom and my son said “please make this again.” Success! Even my daughter, who is a picky eater, ate dinner that night. This recipe is very easy and found in the February 2012 issue of Food and Wine magazine.

Ingredients:

  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 oz Cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 tsp finely chopped rosemary
  • 2 Tbs tomato paste
  • 1 can peeled Italian tomatoes, pureed, 28 oz
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar

If you like; Crusty bread for serving or noodles.

Directions:

In a large, deep skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to skillet and cook over high heat until browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and rosemary to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper and cook until softened and lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the pureed tomatoes and ¼ cup of water. Add the chicken and any juices and bring to a boil.

Cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and serve with crusty bread.

Wine pairing: Earthy, spiced Chianti: 2009 Coltibuono RS Chianti Classico.

 

Spicy Oven Fried Chicken

My best friend Dawn gave me the Bon Appetit Fast Easy Fresh cookbook for my last birthday.

My favorite recipe in this book is this Spicy Oven Fried Chicken. It is very simple to make and bursting with flavors. My children love the taste. I have used boneless chicken breast with or without skin. You can reduce the cayenne pepper if you want it less spicy as it does have a kick. Don’t omit the melted butter because that adds crisp to the final dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
  • 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 4 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 2 Tbsp salt, divided
  • 1 ½ tsp cayenne pepper, divided
  • 12 chicken pieces with skin and bones (4 breasts, 4 thighs, and 4 drumsticks)
  • 1 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp paprika
  • 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Whisk buttermilk, mustard, garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp cayenne in large bowl. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place 1 rack on each of 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Mix breadcrumbs, cheese, flour, thyme, paprika, remaining 1 tsp of salt, and ½ tsp cayenne in medium bowl. Remove chicken from buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Working in batches, add chicken to breadcrumb mixture; turn to coat. Arrange chicken pieces, skin side up, on racks. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature. Drizzle butter over chicken; bake until crisp, brown, and cooked through, about 50 minutes.