Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Chicken/Poultry’

68 Days of Gourmet: Spiced Chicken

Posted in 68 days of Gourmet, Blogging Events, Chicken/Poultry, Healthy, Quick and Easy, Special Occasion, Tried and True, tagged , , , on November 11, 2009| 10 Comments »

68 Days of Gourmet: Day 2

spicedchicken2

This is my new favorite easy dinner to add to our regular rotation. First thing first, I apologize for the less than stellar photo. I don’t have a lightbox and it gets dark at 5:30. Considering that we never eat until 8 p.m., there’s just no hope for decent dinner shots during the winter.

I have been so eager to make this Spiced Chicken after hearing Gourmet Editor-in-Chief Ruth Reichl say it was one of her favorite weeknight family dinners. The chicken was so simple, so juicy and a breeze to prepare. And the house smelled amazing while it was baking. It’s also very economical. We used legs and thighs but you can also use bone-in breasts – both are very affordable, especially if you can catch them on sale. It is insane to me how much the grocery charges for skinless, boneless chicken breasts. It’s a total rip off! I only buy them on sale and freeze. Otherwise, I buy bone-in and skin and bone myself. It’s very simple.

But I digress…back the Spiced Chicken. I told Brandon at least five times during dinner, “this is so good.” I can’t wait to share the recipe with my mom and dad. I know they will love this one! This is an awesome weeknight dish and would also be perfect for someone looking for an easy but delicious entertaining recipe.

I doubled the amount of spices for the chicken (so I could really coat it on) and substituted a wine/chicken broth mixture for the water in the pan sauce.

Try this for a new spin on chicken. I know everyone is always looking for new and easy chicken dishes!

Spiced Chicken
(Recipe adapted from Gourmet, April 2000)

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for the pan
2 bone-in chicken breasts or 2 leg/thigh combos
1/2 cup white wine, chicken broth or water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rinse and pat dry chicken.

Stir together spices, salt and 1 tablespoon of oil. Rub all over chicken. Heat another two tablespoons of oil in an ovenproof heavy skillet (preferably not non-stick) over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and brown on both sides, about 6 minutes (3 minutes per side).

Transfer skillet to middle rack of oven and roast, skin side up, until just cooked through, 20-25 minutes. The internal temperature should read 160 for breasts and 170 for legs or thighs. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Place skillet over medium-high heat. Add water, wine or stock and deglaze, scraping up brown bits. Let reduce for 2 or 3 minutes. Pour pan juices over chicken and serve.

Yield: 2 servings

Advertisement

Read Full Post »

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken

Posted in Asian, Chicken/Poultry, Ethnic, Healthy, One Dish, Rice, tagged , , , , , , , , on October 20, 2009| 5 Comments »

thaibasilchicken

We visited my family in Atlanta last weekend. While we were there we stopped by the Dekalb Farmer’s Market. It’s not really a farmer’s market but it is a mecca for foodies. They have a huge and varied selection of vegetables, fruits, seafood, cheeses, meats…the list goes on and on. This was Brandon’s first trip and he was taken in by the chili selection. We ended up coming home with four or five different types of chili peppers so you’ll notice a recurring theme in my next few blog posts as I try to find inventive ways to use them.

Today I decided to use the Thai Chilies (also known as prik kee noo). I did some research this morning and landed on Spicy Thai Basil Chicken. This is a pretty basic Thai dish but I thought it’d be fun to make at home with our chilies. I ended up using a combination of two recipes and was pleased with the outcome. I was pretty scared that this dish would be over the top spicy (since I used about 8 chilies and they’re supposed to be a 9 in hotness on a 1-10 scale) but the spice was very manageable. It was a nice slow and constant burn.

If you’re a fan of Thai stir fries and like a little spice I highly recommend this recipe for an easy weeknight meal. I served it over jasmine rice.

Spicy Thai Basil Chicken
(Recipe inspired by Andrea Meyers and Thai Food and Travel)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 bell pepper, diced (red, yellow, green – whatever you have)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
8 Thai chilies, sliced into then rounds (can substitute serrano or jalepeno if necessary)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
15 basil leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon water
Jasmine rice, for serving

Directions:

Heat a large skilled over medium-high heat. Add oil and heat until shimmering. Add garlic, shallots and peppers and saute for about 1 minute. Add chicken and chilies and continue to cook for about 5 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Add fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, water and basil leaves and cook for another minute or two. Stir in cornstarch/water mixture and cook for another minute, until thickened.

Serve over rice.

Yield: 4 servings.

Read Full Post »

Incredulada Enchiladas

Posted in Cheese, Chicken/Poultry, Ethnic, Mexican, One Dish, Tried and True, tagged , , , , on September 21, 2009| 14 Comments »

increduladaenchiladas

These Incredulada Enchiladas have gained quite a fan base. Once you scroll down and read the ingredients to the recipe I guarantee you’ll think, “Are you kidding me?” They are a splurge but always a crowd pleaser.

My mother in law introduced us to Incredulada Enchiladas and they are well, incredible. I’ve shared the recipe with friends, served them at parties, taken them to expecting mothers and they’re always a hit. What’s not to love about the creamy chicken filling topped with cream and cheese? Garnish with sour cream and salsa and you’re in for a treat!

Incredulada Enchiladas
(Recipe adapted from A Third Course: More Cooking with Class from Charlotte Latin School)

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (about 3 chicken breasts)
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
1/4 cup diced jalapeno peppers
8 ounce block cream cheese, softened
Salt and pepper, to taste
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas (soft taco size)
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese (or your choice, this time I used the Mexican blend)
Cooking spray
Salsa
Sour cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 glass baking dish with cooking spray.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet and sautee onions until they begin to soften and become translucent. Add garlic, chilies and peppers and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese and chicken. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon mixture into tortillas, roll and place seam side down in baking dish. Pour cream over enchiladas and cover with cheese. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until cream thickens and cheese is bubbly.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Yield: 6-8 servings

increduladapan

Read Full Post »

Moroccan Chicken

Posted in Chicken/Poultry, Ethnic, tagged , , , on July 2, 2009| 2 Comments »

moroccanchicken

I’m not going to lie when I tell you that the inspiration for this dinner was my husband requesting sangria this week. Yes, when I said “what do you want for dinner this week?” his answer was, “something that goes with sangria.” Nice. Off I went in search of something Spanish or Moroccan flavored. It doesn’t take much to encourage me to seek out tasty new ethnic recipes. I looked and looked and kept coming back to this recipe for Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives from Epicurious.

I love making dishes like this. There’s something about browning the chicken, cooking the onions, adding the spices and simmering everything together that just makes me happy. The house smelled amazing and I didn’t even have to turn on the oven on this hot day.

This was delicious and according to Epicurious, healthy and relatively low in fat. I thought the flavors were really fresh and great for summer. I also love this method of preparing chicken because it always turns out so tender and flavorful.

Moroccan Chicken
(Recipe heavily adapted from epicurious.com)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large sweet onion, thinly slice
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup green olives, sliced in half

Directions:

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken in pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side, until browned. Work in two batches if necessary. Do not crowd the pan. Remove chicken from pan and place on plate.

Add onions to the pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add in garlic, lemon wedges and spices and cook for about 1 more minute. Add in chicken broth and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add chicken browned chicken pieces back to the pan, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer for about 2o-25 minutes, or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 160 when measured close to the bone.

Remove chicken from pan and place on plate. Add olives to sauce mixture and bring to a boil. Cook for about 5 minutes or until reduced and thickened slightly. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve. I recommend serving over rice or cous cous.

Yield: 4 servings

Read Full Post »

Chicken Gyros

Posted in Chicken/Poultry, Ethnic, Greek, Healthy, Sandwiches, tagged , , , , on June 26, 2009| 1 Comment »

chickengyropita

If you read my blog regularly you’ve probably noticed that I love Greek foods and flavors. When I read Annie from Annie’s Eats rave about this being her new favorite recipe I knew I had to try it.  We don’t do a lot of sandwichy things for dinner so this was a nice change for us. I love tzatziki sauce and smothered my pita in it (which is why you probably aren’t seeing the chicken in the photo above).

The only complaint I had was not having time to make homemade pita bread and all they had at the grocery was very wheaty and dense pitas. I look forward to trying this again with a more traditional pita.

Chicken Gyros
(Recipe heavily adapted from Annie’s Eats)

Ingredients:

FOR THE TZATZIKI SAUCE
16 ounces plain lowfat yogurt
1/2 hothouse cucumber or 1 regular cucumber, peeled and seeded
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste
Juice of about 1/4 a lemon
Extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE CHICKEN
2 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons plain lowfat yogurt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced

TO ASSEMBLE
3 pita bread rounds
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced

Directions:

FOR THE TZATZIKI SAUCE

If you want a thicker tzatziki sauce you can strain your yogurt. I actually prefer mine a little thinner (I know I’m in the minority here) so I skipped this step.

Finely shred the cucumber and wrap in paper towels to remove as much water as possible. Whisk together yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic, white wine vinegar, salt, pepper and lemon juice.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to develop.

FOR THE CHICKEN
Whisk together garlic, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil, yogurt, oregano and salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Add the sliced chicken and coat well with marinade mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat the broiler to high. Place a wire rack coated with cooking spray over a jelly roll pan. Line chicken slices on rack. Cook chicken for about 4-5 minutes. Remove pan from oven and flip chicken. Continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes or until the internal temperature has reached 160 degrees.

TO ASSEMBLE
Heat pitas (by wrapping and placing in microwave or oven). To serve, layer a few chicken pieces over pita, drizzle (or in my case drench) with tzatziki and top with tomatoes and cucumber.

Yield: 3 servings

Read Full Post »

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Posted in Cheese, Chicken/Poultry, One Dish, Pizza, Quick and Easy, Tried and True, tagged , , , on June 8, 2009| 6 Comments »

bbqchickenpizzaafter

Homemade pizza is one of our favorite easy dinners and BBQ chicken pizza is one of our favorite ways to use leftover chicken. You use BBQ sauce for the base, shredded cooked chicken, caramelized onions and cheese. It’s a different taste than your traditional pizza but we think it’s delicous!

BBQ Chicken Pizza
(Recipe source Bakin’ and Eggs)

Ingredients:

1 ball pizza dough (homemade or we recommend Publix or Trader Joe’s)
1/4 cup bbq sauce (we recommend a mix of a sweet BBQ sauce and this hot BBQ sauce)
1/2 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1/4 cup caramelized onions
1-2 cups shredded cheese (depending on how cheesy you like it, we recommend a mix of Mozzarella and cheddar)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425-450 degrees (follow directions on dough).

Working on a floured work surface, roll the pizza dough out into about a 12-inch round circle. Spread a layer of the BBQ sauce over the surface, leaving about 1/4-inch border around the edges. Evenly spread the onions and chicken over the sauce and top with cheese.

Place in oven (on a pizza stone or a baking sheet) and bake for about 18-22 minutes. Start checking it at about 15 minutes.

bbqchickenpizza

Read Full Post »

Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

Posted in Big Green Egg, Chicken/Poultry, Dizzy Pig, Tried and True, tagged , , , , , , , on May 25, 2009| 1 Comment »

chickendrumsticks

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Unfortunately, I will be traveling most of the day…in the rain so I won’t be able to enjoy a cookout. But if you’re lucky enough to be planning one, why not throw some drumsticks on the grill? Drumsticks are one of Brandon’s favorite things to grill and they’re great because you can use whatever seasoning you’re in the mood for – marinade, bbq sauce, spice rub, etc.

We decided to use seasoning rubs on our chicken (which is very common for us if you haven’t noticed). We had some Caribbean Curry Seasoning that we bought on our cruise a couple months ago from a great little spice store in Tortola,  Sunny Caribbee. We used Jamaican Firewalk from The Dizzy Pig on the other half of the chicken.

Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
(Recipe source Bakin’ and Eggs)

Ingredients:

Chicken drumsticks (with skin still on, however many you want to grill)
Olive oil
Seasoning rub of your choice
Cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat grill to 350.

Coat chicken in olive oil and generously apply spice rub. Spray grill grate with cooking spray and place chicken on grill. Cook for about 45-50 minutes, turning the chicken every 10-15 minutes. Check internal temperature of chicken, close to the bone. Drumsticks are done when they have reached 170 degrees.

Read Full Post »

Stuffed Chicken with Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Basil

Posted in Cheese, Chicken/Poultry, Special Occasion, tagged , , , , , on May 4, 2009| 16 Comments »

goatcheesestuffedchicken

Last week the stars aligned and I found my kitchen stocked with all the ingredients to make a killer stuffed chicken. The beauty of stuffed chicken is that it’s fairly easy to put together but looks impressive when sliced and plated. It’s a great option for dinner for two at home or entertaining (and relatively affordable). Also, it’s customizable based on what you have in your kitchen and what you like. Try out different filling combinations once you get comfortable with the method of preparing it.

Stuffed Chicken with Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Basil
(Recipe source Bakin’ and Eggs)
Printable Recipe: Stuffed Chicken with Goat Cheese, Sundried Tomatoes and Basil

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces goat cheese
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
3-4 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons flour, separated
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place sundried tomatoes in a bowl and pour about 1 cup of boiling water over them. Let stand for 10 minutes to rehydrate and soften.

In the meantime, clean and rinse chicken. Pat dry. Working one breast at a time, place chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap (or in a gallon ziploc bag) and pound to about 1/4 inch thickness.

Place pounded chicken on a large cutting board. The chicken breasts should be the shape of a large oval (more or less). You’ll want to place the filling across the breast so it goes across the bottom half of the longest part of the oval. Place one ounce of goat cheese across each breast. Top with sundried tomatoes and basil. Roll chicken tightly (starting at the end with your filling) and secure with about 4-5 toothpicks. Like so…

chickenexample

Season with salt and pepper and dredge in 2 tablespoons of flour. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully place chicken in skillet and saute for about 5-6 minutes, turning frequently, until browned. Don’t worry if you lose a little bit of your filling (the cheese may ooze a little). You’ll have to work around the toothpicks but it’s doable.

Remove chicken from skillet and place in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Place dish in oven and bake for about 5-10 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.

While chicken is in the oven, keep your skillet over medium heat. Melt butter in pan drippings from chicken and add 1 tablespoon of flour. Whisk to combine. Add wine and let simmer a minute or two. Add chicken broth and let simmer until thickened and reduced a little (about 3-5 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To plate, remove toothpicks and slice chicken into medallions. Arrange on a plate and drizzle with sauce.

Yield: 2 servings

Read Full Post »

Curry and Yogurt Braised Chicken

Posted in Asian, Chicken/Poultry, Ethnic, One Dish, Rice, tagged , , , on April 27, 2009| 3 Comments »

curryyogurtchicken

I cut this recipe out of Food and Wine several months ago. I finally added it to our menu last week and all I can say is that I wish I’d have tried it sooner! The quick braising method results in very tender chicken and the flavors in this dish are great for something that comes together so quickly.

If you’re a fan of ethnic flavors, I definitely suggest you try this one out!

Curry and Yogurt Braised Chicken
(Recipe heavily adapted from Food and Wine)

Ingredients:

3-4 tablespoons canola oil
3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
All-purpose flour, for dusting
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 serrano chile, minced (I used jalapeno)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder (add up to an extra tablespoon if you’re a curry lover)
1 pound tomatoes, cored and coarsely chopped, or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1/2 cup water
Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions:

Trim chicken breasts and season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge in flour and shake off excess. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about three minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

Add the garlic, ginger, chile and bell pepper to the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, yogurt and water and stir until smooth.

Return the chicken to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the chicken is tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle the chicken with cilantro and serve over rice.

Yield: 3-4 servings

Read Full Post »

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Posted in Big Green Egg, Cheese, Chicken/Poultry, Dizzy Pig, Pork, Tried and True, tagged , , , , , , , on April 21, 2009| 19 Comments »

baconwrappedchicken

Bacon…cheese…chicken…BBQ sauce…all wrapped up together and grilled. What’s not to love about that combination? Brandon got the idea for this chicken from the Egghead forum a few months ago when I put him in charge of figuring out what to do with chicken breasts for dinner. I was super impressed by how great he did creating this. If you’re a bacon lover, this is a MUST try on the grill during the upcoming warm months.

Grilled Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Chicken
(Recipes source Bakin’ and Eggs, inspired by the Egghead forum)
Printable Recipe: Grilled Bacon Wrapped Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 slices of bacon
6-8 slices of cheese – mozzarella, cheddar, colby jack – anything you like! (off of a block of cheese, if you’re using pre-sliced for sandwiches 2 slices)
2 tsp barbecue sauce, plus extra for serving
Grilling rub of your choice (we use the Dizzy Pig’s Raging River)
Toothpicks, soaked in water (optional, to prevent excessive  burning while grilling)

Directions:

Preheat grill to 350 degrees.

Pound out chicken breasts (in a plastic bag or between two sheets of wax paper) to about 1/4 inch thickness. Coat the top of chicken with grill rub. Turn over so rub side is down on work surface. Spread one teaspoon of barbeque sauce in a thin layer over each chicken breast. Layer cheese in the middle of the chicken. Roll chicken tightly. Wrap with bacon, using as many slices of bacon as you need and using toothpicks to hold bacon in place.

Grill for 20-25 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken breast has reached 165 degrees.

Remove toothpicks and serve with barbecue sauce on the side.

Yield: 2 servings

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »