Easy Chicken and Veggie Stir-Fry

Dice one sweet onion, and cook, stirring occasionally in about 3T of Olive oil

One bag of Crimini mushrooms, pre-sliced, that you will add to the onions, when the tips are golden brown.  Add a touch more Olive oil

Pre-cut veggies

Chicken - cut into small strips.  I did about half the package.

Here are the onions and mushrooms, cooking.  After done, take out of this pan and set aside in a bowl.  Add more Olive oil and cook the chicken strips, till done all of the way through. It should only take about 10 minutes.

Add the onions, mushroom, and veggies to the chicken.  You can always microwave the veggies ahead of time, to save time.  Saute, so that the veggies are tender.

Add some stir fry sauce.  I like Trader Joe's General Tsao's Stir Fry Sauce.  You can also add in some teriyaki sauce to this sauce for a thinner sauce.  

Serve over your favorite rice or noodles and you've got dinner!

Vinegar Braised Chicken

This is the second recipe I tested from the Michael Pollan article in Oprah magazine (April 2013).  This recipe was implemented exactly as it was written in the book.  It was later I improvised, but I'll get to that!

Note:  Mr. Pollan suggests seasoning the chicken with salt a day in advance.  I did it for about 6 hours and it worked great.

Ingredients:
One 3.5 pound chicken, cut into pieces
2.5 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided use
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1.5 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup shallots, finely chopped
1.5 cups red wine vinegar (no, that is not a typo)
1 cup chicken stock (or broth)
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup canned whole packed plum tomatoes, drained (I used chopped fire-roasted tomatoes because it is what I had on hand)
8 cloves garlic
4 sprigs thyme
3 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley

1. Preheat oven to 300.  Season chicken with 2 teaspoons of salt (or omit if you have already done this in advance) and pepper.  Heat oil in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven or wide, overnproof pot over medium-high heat.  Arrange half the chicken in pot in a single layer and cook, turning once, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes.  Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining chicken.  Transfer the chicken to the same plate.
2.  Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 2 minutes.  Add vinegar and cook until much of teh acrid aroma has dissipated, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add broth and 1/2 cup water, bring to a vigorous simmer, and cook until slightly reduced, 3 to 5 minutes.
3.  Whisk in tomato paste and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.  Add tomatoes, then arrange chicken in pot, skin side up, pouring over any accumulated juices from the plate.  Tuck garlic, thyme, and bay leaves in liquid.  Cover pot snugly with foil, then lid, and transfer to the oven.  cook 1 hour and 15 minutes, until chicken is very tender.
4. Let rest 30 minutes.  Discard thyme and bayleaves.  Scatter parsley on top and serve.

chicken is browned in the Dutch oven

First batch transferred to a plate

After chicken is browned and removed from the Dutch oven,

the shallots, vinegar, and tomato paste are added

chicken is placed back into the liquid ingredients

garlic, thyme, and bay leaves are added

base is covered with foil, lid applied

Dutch oven is placed in oven to braise at 300 degrees for 75 to 90 minutes

Result:  tender, flavorful (tangy!) chicken.

Yum!

*I reserved the liquid ingredients in a separate container and chilled.
The leftover chicken was chilled separately.
The following day, I removed the chicken meat from the bone, skin and bones discarded.

I heated the liquid ingredients at a low to medium setting in a deep pan.  After allowing the mixture to reduce about 30% I removed about 1/4 cup into a jar to make a slurry by adding 3 tablespoons cream and one teaspoon corn starch.  This was shaken to mix and added back into the liquid to thicken.
I added the chicken (that I tore into shredded pieces) back into the mixture.  I added one tablespoon of my homemade Garam Masala (at the end of that post).  After allowing the mixture to heat through until steaming, I served it.  This mixture would be PERFECT served with rice.  Yummy delicious!  I think this was even better than the original dish, but it was the first dish that got me to this one and it is a great way to use the leftovers.
Try it!!

Easy Lemon Chicken

Before making the chicken, I went out to my garden to pick some fresh rosemary and thyme.  And some swiss chard for a veggie medley side dish.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

The sauce:  1/4 cup olive oil, 8 cloves of garlic - crushed, 1/3 cup white wine, 1 T grated lemon zest, 2 T lemon juice, 1-1/2 t oregano, 1 t fresh thyme - minced, Kosher salt and pepper.  In a saucepan, heat oil on medium heat, and add the garlic and let it cook for about one minute.  Add the remaining ingredients, and move pan off the burner.  Slice a lemon.  Pour the sauce in the bottom of a glass baking pan, chicken on top, and arrange lemon slices around.

Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the juices in the middle run clear (no pink).  You can see that I sliced on in half to check for doneness.  Note:  chicken breasts could be pounded before cooking, and would be done in less than 30 minutes.

What's for Dinner:  Lemon chicken, wild rice with currants, a medley of sauteed veggies - Asparagus, swiss chard and spinach.  Adapted from a recipe from Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa.

Sage Chicken

Sage Chicken

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 t sea salt and black pepper
Olive oil
½ C all-purpose flour
1-2 T chicken broth
3 T butter
2 sage sprigs
1 T minced shallots
1 t chopped fresh thyme
2 T lemon juice
It takes less than 45 minutes to make:  I served it with a variety of roasted vegetables and rice.

Place each breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap (I used 2 thin plastic cutting boards) and pound to 1/4 inch thickness.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sage springs - chop and set aside.  The recipe said to take out the sage leaves after cooking, but I decided to leave them in, for more flavor

Yes, you are thinking that there are more than 4 breasts here on the plate - I made this dish for 12 people on a beautiful Spring day.   Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Coat the chicken with flour.  Add olive oil to pan to cook the chicken, say a swig of it to coat the pan.

Saute for 4 minutes on each side or until done.  Then remove from pan.

Add butter, chicken broth and sage sprigs to the pan.  Cook over medium heat until the butter browns.  Add shallots and thyme and cook for 30 seconds.  Add lemon juice and cook for another 30 seconds.  Serve with chicken.  Garnish with sage leaves, if you want to.  Original recipe from my recipes.com

Easy BBQ Chicken

I found this recipe quite by accident, when Sue Tincher Maib left a comment on my Twisted Sister blog.  She had created a piece for the blog They Draw They Cook .  It only has 3 ingredients; 1 can of Diet Dr. Pepper, 1 cup of Catsup and 4 boneless chicken breasts.  Put everything in a covered skillet and simmer for 45 minutes.  It is amazing - great flavor and tender chicken. Yummy delicious and easy!  Pair it with some baked beans and a green veggie and you have dinner!  Variation on the theme; saute a chopped sweet onion in the skillet first with a smidge of olive oil, add chicken, Dr. Pepper and Catsup, half way through cooking add your favorite pre-cooked veggie, like peas and then some pre-cooked rice.  Let it simmer till all of the flavors mix together.

Green Chicken Chili with Truffle-oiled croutons

This is a quick and wonderful meal to use for leftover chicken or turkey, as well as a rotisserie chicken from the store.

Ingredients:

cooked chicken or turkey, shredded or cubed

cooked bacon or speck, chopped

onion, chopped,

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

one jar green chili stew

olive oil, 1-2 tablespoons

Optional:

shredded cheese

sour cream

avocado, cut into large chunks

croutons

To prepare:

Sautee onion and garlic in olive oil in a large soup pan or stockpot.  Add chopped bacon and heat through.  Add chicken or turkey, then add green chili stew.  Heat approximately 15 minutes on medium heat.

In the meantime, prepare croutons.

Optional ingredients may be added as garnish just prior to serving.  Enjoy!

chicken, roasted in the slow-cooker (not recommended!)

speck, oven-cooked and chopped

onion and garlic sauteing in a stock pot

roasted chicken is chopped and added to pot

green chili stew is added to pot

add chicken broth to desired consistency

ingredients finish heating

 For croutons:

mix small amount truffle oil with grapeseed or other plain olive oil

use a pastry brush to add oil to surface of bread

"paint" the bread with the oil mixture, then cube the bread prior to sauteing in pan

add to sautee pan.  Cook on medium heat until croutons are toasted on all sides.  Turn frequently.

Roast Chicken with Blood Oranges and pan-reduction

I'm so happy that I have, at least in my kitchen, perfected the art of a perfectly roasted chicken.  To me, a perfectly roasted chicken is crispy on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside.  In my convection oven, it means staging the temperature throughout the cooking time.
I divide the temperature in equal increments, depending on the weight of the bird.  For this bird, which weighed a bit over 4 pounds, I did the following:
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Take the bird out of the refrigerator and allow it to warm up slightly.
Place the prepared bird in oven, roast at 500 (on convect) for 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature, still convection-mode, to 350.  Roast another 20 minutes.
Turn off convection and continue roasting for another 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 300-325, roast another 20 minutes.
Turn oven off, leave bird in for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Remove from oven.
Allow bird to rest for at least 10 minutes prior to serving.  Remove a portion of pan drippings and add to pan for reduction.

If you go by the 20 minutes per pound rule, this works better than any other method I have tried.  Much longer at the high temp and the bird gets over-cooked on the outside, but inadequately cooked in the interior.  This method seems to solve all these issues.  Try it and see if you find you get a better bird.  If no convection, simply add a bit longer at the higher temp, then leave the majority of the cooking time @ 350.  Watch the bird but resist the temptation to puncture the skin for internal temperature until you get close to the end.  If still unsure, an internal temp of at least 165 degrees F is done, and another way to know is to slice between the leg and thigh.  The juice should run clear if cooked through.

the beautiful color of a blood orange.

The tart flavor of these is a perfect accompaniment to chicken.

The chicken is prepped in the following way:  

Remove giblets, rinse exterior and cavity with water & pat dry with paper towel.

Rub exterior of bird with oil.  I prefer grapeseed oil because it has a high flashpoint.

Season with herbs, if desired.

I thinly sliced several cross-sections of the blood orange, along with several thinly sliced sections of garlic clove, and slipped them between the skin and breast of the bird (see above).

I placed 2-3 whole garlic cloves, and half onion cut into large chunks, inside the cavity to add flavor during roasting.

I roasted the chicken in an enamel-coated cast iron roasting pan.  Any deep-sided pan will do.

I love this product!  A bit pricier than other brands, but worth it if you don't have your own stock.

I added this to a cup of water, 1/4 cup white wine (optional), and about 1/4-1/2 cup pan drippings.

Place in skillet or saucepan on medium-high, and cook until the ingredients reduce in volume and become slightly thickened.

I added zest from the blood orange, and about 4 tablespoons of freshly squeezed juice.

The pan reduction goes from this (above) to this (below).  Do not add salt.  

Slices of roast chicken (above) served with fall vegetable medley of golden beets, eggplant, and onion.

The next day you can make yummy chicken salad with the leftover meat:

chicken meat, chopped or shredded

mayonnaise 

craisins

sliced almonds

In bowl, combine chicken with enough mayo to coat.  Add craisins, sliced almonds, and season with salt & pepper.  I like to use a "Creole" seasoning.  Toss.  Serve as a sandwich, or over a bed of lettuce.

A simple "comfort food" dinner

My daughter's former college roommate is visiting from New York.  He requested some homemade macaroni and cheese.  Since we are watching carbs (usually) I don't prepare much pasta, but I made an exception this evening.
The menu:
Roast Chicken stuffed with garlic, lemon and onion wedges
Baked Macaroni and 4-cheeses
Roasted Vegetables

My favorite strategy for perfectly roasted chicken:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.  Bring chicken to room temp before roasting.  To prepare chicken,

rinse bird with tap water and pat dry.  Be sure to remove any giblets from cavity!  Rub grapeseed or olive oil over skin.  I like to put some Herbs de Provence over the skin.  You can make your own dry rub with anything on hand.  Don't salt the bird, as it pulls juice from the meat.  

I thinly sliced a garlic clove, and zested one lemon, then thinly sliced for cross-sections of the lemon.  I like to insert these under the skin of the breast.  It adds flavor and moisture to the meat of the breast.

I coarsely chopped the remainder of the lemon into wedges, and about 1/3 of an onion, and placed these in the cavity.  It adds flavor and aroma to the roasting bird.

Once that has been accomplished place the bird in a good roasting pan.  My favorite is my LeCrueset roasting pan, which is an enameled iron pan.  I like it because it retains heat while minimizing the splatter in the oven.  

Put the bird in the oven and roast for 30 minutes at 500 degrees.  I titer the timing and temperature according to size.  For example, I cook the bird 20 minutes per pound.  The first 20-30 are at 500 degrees, which sears in the juices, then I turn the temp down to 350 for the next 40 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 300-325 for the remainder of the roasting time.  Check internal temperature of the bird toward the end of the 350 degree roasting period.  You should be close to finished.  I like to let the bird remain in the oven at a lower temp for that last period.  I have been getting much better results with my birds this way:  perfectly cooked, juicy, and tender!  Yum!

Reduction of pan juices

I take the roast chicken out of the large roasting pan and plate it on a platter, putting it back in the oven on warm.  In the meantime, I use the pan drippings, and sometimes I will add a bit of white wine or extra chicken stock, and do a nice pan reduction to serve over the roast chicken.  Nothing else is needed.  Do not add salt.  Salting should be reserved for the table.  The salt will intensify as the moisture evaporates.

This is easy and wonderful.  

My mac and cheese and roasted veggies, in progress

Baked 4-cheese macaroni casserole

I used Jerusalem Artichoke pasta, which is gluten-free, high in fiber, and has a probiotic that is really good for the digestion.  It supposedly has a much lower glycemic impact than traditional pasta.  This was an experiment, and fortunately for everyone, it turned out very well!

Ingredients for a large casserole:

-box elbow macaroni (I cooked it but only used about 2/3 the cooked pasta).  Cook until just al dente, then drain.  By leaving some of the cooking time the pasta will absorb some of the moisture from the other ingredients during the baking.

-4-5 eggs, room temperature, beaten

-1/4 cup cream

-spice mixture to taste (I used a bit of my dry curry mix, a tsp of salt, white pepper, and about 1/2 tsp chili powder), but you could season to your own taste.  I really like a hint of allspice in this dish:  it is subtle but adds some interesting depth.  Maybe I have weird taste!

-approximately 1 cup of 4 types of cheese.  I used chevre (melted into the drained pasta while still hot),

cheddar, manchego, and parmesan.  Any combination of cheeses will add a lot of depth to the taste of the dish.  Trust me.

-Panko crumbs for topping, optional

Drain cooked pasta, mix soft goat cheese to allow melting.  Let the pasta cool.  Temper the egg mixture gradually with some of the warm ingredients.  Once the ingredients are approximately the same temperature, mix together the egg mixture and the pasta.  Add the grated cheeses, reserving a bit of the parmesan for the topping.

Pour into a greased casserole dish.  Top with remaining parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs.

Bake at approximately 375 for 30 minutes.  If the dish isn't browning on the top, turn the broiler on and watch carefully.  Finish it to a light golden brown on top.  Serve immediately.

This was sooooo good!  

Roasted onions, asparagus, and okra

A note about okra:  I never liked okra until I prepared it this way.  The only experience I had with okra was the nasty (sorry) slimy stuff my best friend's father (who was from the deep South) served us in the summer.  Maybe I was horrified by the stuff because I was a kid, and I thought it was a bit too close to, well, uh, other slimy stuff.  I tried roasting it for the first time last summer because I was getting a lot of it in my farm box.  I actually like it!  Try it and let me know if you like it.