Chicken Variation #3: Simplicity

Sometimes you'll see a recipe that called for pre-cooked chicken. This is a simple way to do it. Cook a bunch, and keep them in your freezer. This way you'll always have a base you can build on. (Or just squeeze a little lemon over it, and eat as it is. Nothing wrong with simple!)

Start with:
Chicken Breasts

Rub with:
Olive Oil

Dust with:
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder

Bake in a 425 degree oven for 14 minutes, turning once.
Or grill it. High heat, same timing.

Great for:
Really Easy Soup
Penne Pesto with Chicken

 

Garlic Broccoli

It's no wonder so many people hate broccoli. The superdupermega vitamin-packed vegetable is almost always prepared as if it were old shoes. Boiled to death, steamed soft and mushy. Well, no more.

Add, to a hot pan:
One Teaspoon Clarified Butter or Vegetable Oil

Give the oil 30 seconds to heat up, and then add:
1/2 Pound Broccoli Florets

Saute for about 4 minutes, until sides of broccoli begin to brown.
Add:
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

Saute one minute.
Add:
1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Teaspoon Rice Wine Vinegar
Pinch Salt
Pinch Fresh Nutmeg (Optional)

Cook two minutes, or until liquids reduce by half.

Lemony Leftover Chicken

 What do you do when you grill/bake/fry too many chicken breasts? Sure, you could eat the leftovers as they are--cold chicken is great. Or, you could take five minutes and transform your leftovers into something totally new.

Cut, into chunks:
Leftover Chicken Breast

Add chicken to a hot pan with:
One Clove Garlic, chopped
Two Tablespoons Fresh Meyer Lemon Juice
One Tablespoon Honey
Cook for two minutes.

Add:
Two teaspoons butter
Cook one more minute.


Finish with:
Handful Chopped Italian Parsley

*If you can't find Meyer lemons, use the citrus juice of your choice. Oranges are especially nice with this.
 

Really Easy Soup

Add to a pot:
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup Pureed Tomato
2 Carrots, diced
1 Onion, diced
1 Cup Broccoli Florets 
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Two Cooked Chicken Breasts, diced 

Simmer for 30 minutes. 
Add salt and pepper as desired.

Roasted Butternut Squash

One of the things I miss most about living in the east coast is having some kind of winter. Not a full winter or anything, just a little bit of cold. In Los Angeles, that hardly happens. Since it's early December, I decided to make it feel like winter a little bit by roasting the ultimate winter vegetable, squash. Added bonus- this side dish is stupidly easy to make.

Split in half, and then seed:
One Butternut Squash

Place squash on a roasting pan.
Roast in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes, until squash is tender.

Remove flesh from squash, and mix in:
2 Teaspoons Butter
1 Teaspoon Pure Maple Syrup
1 Teaspoon Salt
Fresh Grated Nutmeg (about 1/4 teaspoon)

If you want to get all fancy-pants, you can return the squash to its shell and serve it like that.

Simple Wicked Good Potatoes

So what if this dish has spent many a night as part of a buffet line. It's wicked good, and very easy to make.

Boil, for 20 minutes:
One Pound Fingerling Potatoes

Drain potatoes, and allow to cool slightly.
Sliced potatoes into 1/2 inch slices.
Set aside.

In a hot pan, add:
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

Once butter and garlic begin to brown remove from heat.
Stir in:
Sliced Potatoes
1/4 Cup Italian Parsley, chopped
2 Pinches Salt

Minty Glazed Carrots

Add, to a hot pan:
1 Tbs Butter
2 Carrots, sliced to about 1/4 inch
1 Shallot, Diced

Cook one minute, then add:
1 Tbs Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbs Agave or Honey
1 Tbs Fresh Mint, chopped
Pinch Salt

Cook for one more minute.
Serve hot or cold.

Curried Potatoes

These were the tastiest potatoes I’ve ever made.

In a large pot, boil until tender:
Two Pounds New Potatoes

Drain Potatoes. Cut them in half.

Add to pan:
1/2 Cup Butter 1 ½ Tsp. Curry Powder 1 ½ Tsp. Masala Powder

Stir for one minute.
Return potatoes to pan.

Add:
One Cup Fresh Tomatoes, diced

Serves 5 people.

*You can find masala powder at any Indian grocery. If you can’t/don’t want to find it, use 1 extra tsp. curry powder, and ½ tsp. chili powder.

Chili Lime Chicken

This is an easy to make grilled chicken that has a bit of a kick. Eat it as is, or add some cheese and make it part of a killer grilled chicken sandwich.

3-4 Chicken Breasts
Juice of 2 Limes
1/8 Cup Olive Oil
1 Tsp. Dijon Mustard
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Fresh Cracked Pepper
1/4 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1/4 Tsp. Onion Powder
1/4 Tsp. Chili Powder
1/4 Tsp. Cumin
1/4 Tsp. Ground Coriander

Juice limes. Whisk in mustard. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Whisk in spices. Stop using word whisk.

Coat both sides of chicken with mixture. Let stand, at room temperature, one to two hours. Grill over high heat, 7 minutes per side.

Easy Meat Sauce

This is an easy to make, stripped down meat sauce. Not a lot of hard work involved in this one!

28oz. Can Ground Tomato
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
4 Cloves Garlic
1 Tsp. Onion Powder
1 Tsp. Sugar
1 Tsp. Dried Oregano or Italian Seasoning
Salt

1Lb. Ground Beef
15% Fat, Grass-fed preferred
1 Tbsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Garlic Powder
1 Tsp. Onion Powder

Season ground beef. Brown for about 3 minutes in a large pan. Drain fat, add remaining ingredients. Simmer at least 30 minutes, preferably for one hour.

Spicy Apricot Dippin' Sauce

This sauce is a perfect example of what you can do when you're feeling creative. I had no idea I was going to make this until just before I did.

2 Tbls. Apricot Jam
1.5 Tsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1/4 Tsp. Chili Powder
Chives or Scallions
Pinch of Salt

Snip a couple of chives or scallions into small piece. Mix everything.

*The combination of apricot jam & cider vinegar does not smell very good. Be prepared! Luckily, it tastes fantastic.

Steamy Buttered Asparagus

I am not a member of the Cult of Asparagus. It's good, for sure, but not as good as french fries. Still, the stuff is pretty damn healthy, and it does taste like springtime (though not as much as now peas).

1 Bunch Asparagus
2 Tbs. Butter
Lemon
Salt

Remove woody bottom from asparagus. This can be done by either: holding both ends and snapping -or- looking for the part on the stem where the color changes from a pale white green to a deeper shade of green and cutting just above that. Clearly, the second one will leave you with more to eat. With thick asparagus, you should also use a vegetable peeler to peel the stem.

Steam asparagus until just tender. Don't overdo it. Don't. For thin asparagus, 2.5 minutes should do it, thick asparagus 5 minutes.

Add butter to a warm pan, and heat until it just begins to turn brown. Toss in steamed asparagus and a pinch or two of salt. Cook 30 seconds. Squeeze lemon, toss again, serve.

Sweet Sweet Kielbasa

I'm told that this quick and tasty appetizer is popular among the Russian folk. I can see why- it's complex in flavor, easy to make, and really good.

Kielbasa
Brown Sugar
Spicy Mustard

Slice the kielbasa at a 45 degree angle. Top with a sprinkling of brown sugar. Bake at 450 for about 8 minutes, until sugar is melted and top is golden brown. Serve with mustard.

Since this dish is so simple, quality of ingredients is extra-important here. Take the time to read the label.

Roasted Broccoli Raab

I'm not sure why I decided to grow broccoli raab (also known as rapini) in my garden, but I'm glad I did.  It's a nutty, earthy, and very good.  Also, it's closer botanically to the turnip than to broccoli, which I find pretty nifty.  Rapini is an excellent source of vitamins a/c/k, as well as potassium, calcium, and iron.

1 Bunch Broccoli Raab

4 Cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Small Hot Pepper (optional)

Olive Oil

Toss ingredients.  Roast at 375 for 5 minutes.  Easy.

*There are two varieties; Italian and Chinese.  The Chinese variety is much less bitter.

Turkey Leftover Hot Sandwich

Everyone loves a hot sandwich.  They're even better when you're a bit hammered.  And they're best when you're a bit hammered and you have leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Leftover Turkey

Good Bread

BBQ Sauce

Pesto

Your Favorite Cheese

Bell Pepper, sliced thin

Onion or Shallot, sliced real thin

It's pretty easy to assemble.  Slather a thin layer of BBQ sauce on the bread.  Turkey on top of that.  Pesto sauce (I made my own quick sauce from frozen basil, olive oil, garlic, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese) on turkey.  Thin slices of bell pepper & onion atop the pesto.  Finally, a layer of cheese to top it off.  I used swiss.

Place the sandwich in the oven.  Bake until cheese is bubbly and golden.  Note: This would make a wicked good panini, too.

Easy Roast Chicken Breast

4 Bone-In Chicken Breasts, skin on

4 Cloves Garlic, chopped

1/4 Cup Fresh Thyme Leaves, chopped

1 Small Red Onion, chopped

1 Tbls. Poultry Seasoning

1 Tsp. Salt

1/4 Cup Butter (Melted) or Olive Oil

Combine everything except chicken.  With the back of a spoon, press the seasonings into butter or oil.  Butter is better for the soul, oil is better for the heart.  You choose.  Or don't- I went half and half and that worked pretty well.  Regardless of the fat you choose, this should smell all fragrant and savory.

Preheat oven to 375.  Rub the rub under the chicken skin.  Drip remaining fat and rub onto top of skin.  Place on roasting rack, and cook until internal temp reaches 165- approximately 45 minutes.  If skin isn't crispy by the time temp reaches 160, raise oven temp to 450.

Let chicken rest for 5-10 minutes.

Idea: Frozen Basil

I'm normally a big fan of fresh over convenient.  From time to time, I find something exciting that changes my mind, at least for a minute.  Well friends, meet frozen basil.

Some herbs freeze brilliantly.  Basil is one of them.  Packed into tidy little cubes, frozen basil comes in handy from time to time.  If you find yourself with not much in the cupboard but a jar of tomato sauce, you can open the freezer and pop one in for a little extra flavor.  

This won't work if you're making a pesto sauce.  You're not going to get the brightest fresh basil flavor from it.  But, you're going to have another tool in your chest to rock your dinner with some excitement.  

Sometimes it's nice to have an easy helper in the freezer.

Parmesan Crackers

This is crazy simple, and yet, people will be really impressed.  Parmesan crackers are like the Rice Krispies treat of high class eating.  You can serve them just about anytime- football game snack to fancy pants garnish- these little treats are perfect.  All you need is one thing: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Don't screw it up, buddy.  Avoid the green canned 'parmesan cheese'.  Notice that can is nowhere near a refrigerator?  That, my friend, is a red flag.  See, cheese, as you probably know by now, if refrigerated.  Thus, green can product does not equal cheese.

Now, you might be tempted to by a lower cost parmesan cheese that's located near the good stuff.  Well, it's refrigerated at least, so we know it's some kind of cheese.  In certain cases, this cheese might even do, especially if you're on a budged.  But since we're making a one ingredient dish, it's best to get the best.  So go for the real stuff.

I'm not trying to be super snotty here, either.  The flavor of cheese is very affected by the specific diet of the cows, as well as the manner that the milk is processed.  This process has been the same in the Parma region of Italy for centuries, thus, we enjoy the specific flavor of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

To make, simply grate the cheese.  On a non-stick baking tray/silpat/parchment paper/anything else that won't stick, form into cookie size blobs, packing the cheese together slightly.  Place in a 425 degree oven, and bake until the crackers turn a sweet golden brown.  This should take about 5 minutes, but keep an eye out after 4 to make sure they don't burn.  Allow to cool. 

Whole Grain Tabouli

I didn't realize it then, but this recipe started several months ago when I bought a 'Sweet Pea' tomato seedling.  The other day, as I pondered what to do with hundreds of pea sized tomatoes, the idea came to fruition.  It's a wonderful, healthy summer side dish.

1/3 Cup Dry:

Brown Rice, Quinoa, Bulgar

1/3 Cup Chopped Fresh Mint

1/2 Cup Chopped Italian Parsley

3/4 Cup Diced Fresh Tomatoes 

Or, if you happen to have tiny ones, use them whole for bursts of flavor!

1 Cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced

2 Teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar

Juice of One Lemon

1/2 Cup Apple Juice

Salt & Pepper

Cook grains as directed.  I cooked the quinoa & bulgar together to save time and dish doing.  Once grains are cooked, rinse with cold water and place in large bowl.  Add everything else.  Mix.  Let sit at least one hour, longer is better.  Can be kept in the refrigerator for about a week.

Here are the tiny tomatoes.  Yup, that's three of them on a dime.

Simple Grilled Pork Chops

I picked up some really nice looking pork chops from the Hollywood Farmers' Market yesterday. Since they looked so good to begin with, I went with a very simple preparation.

In a medium sized bowl, combine:
2 Cups Warm Water
1/4 Cup Sea Salt
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
2 Tablespoons Cinnamon
1/8 Cup Bourbon

Add:
1 Cup Ice Cubes
2-4 Bone-In Pork Chops

Leave on counter for two hours, or refrigerate for up to 24.

Grill chops over hot direct heat for 5 minutes per side.

Easy as pie. Hell, much easier than pie. Pie making is hard.