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

 

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.
 

Turkey Stew

It gets "cold" and rainy in Los Angeles just a few times per year. Today is one of those days. So I decided to try something new, and make a turkey stew. Had some fun playing with flavors, especially the apple notes. It turned out pretty terrific.

Cut into good-sized chunks, and then brown:
2 Pounds Turkey, white, dark, or mixed

Remove turkey from pot.
Immediately add:
3 Carrots, quartered
3 Ribs Celery, quartered
1 Onion, quartered
2 Green Apples, quartered (remove core!)
3 Cloves Garlic, smashed
Pinch Salt

Roast veggies for 4-5 minutes, and then remove from pot.

Add:
2 Tablespoons Butter or Chicken Fat
2 Tablespoons Flour
Cook fat & flour for 3 minutes. Whisk constantly.

Whisk in:
1.5 Cups Chicken Stock
1/2 Cup White Wine
1/2 Cup Apple Juice
1/2 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Dried Sage

Allow the liquid to come to boil.
Return turkey and vegetables to the pot.

Cover, and transfer to a 300 degree oven.
Cook 1.5 hours.

Grilled Chicken, Variation 235

Chicken Breast

Season with a pinch of:
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder

Grill for approximately 6 minutes per side. Remove from grill, and top with:
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice
2 Teaspoons Diced Fresh Tomato
1-2 Teaspoons Chopped Fresh Parsley

*This recipe only works with really fresh, ripe tomatoes. Avoid, at all costs, the cheap grocery store tomato. Only attempt during summer.

*If you don't have access to a grill, bake chicken at 425 degrees for 6 minutes per side.

Chicken Parmesan

In a small bowl, mix:
One Egg
1/4 Cup Milk

Pound, to even thickness, then lightly dust in flour:
Chicken Breast

Dip pounded chicken into egg mix, then coat with:
Bread Crumbs

Add Two Tablespoons Oil to a hot pan, wait 30 seconds, then add breaded chicken. Cook for two minutes, flip, and cook for another two minutes. Chicken should be golden brown on both sides.

Pat excess oil from browned chicken, place on a baking sheet, then top with:
Two Tablespoons Tomato Sauce
1/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Clove Garlic, thinly sliced
1/8 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Bake at 450 degrees until cheese is bubbly and brown, about 5 minutes.

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.

Deep Fried Bacon Stuffed Chicken

I've been eating so much "healthy" food recently, I nearly forgot what's really healthy. Bacon! So, I thought- "How can I make bacon really HEALTHY". Deep fry it, of course. I've already used wonton skins for such a thing, and I wanted to do something different. That's when the lightbulb turned on. What if I stuffed the bacon inside chicken? What if I also added cheese, and some spiced jam? What if I took all that, rolled it up, then breaded it in a cornflake crust? That sounds healthy to me.

Chicken Breast
Bacon, pre-cooked
Apricot Jam
mixed with a small amount of crushed hot pepper
Smoked Gouda Cheese
2 Tbs. Flour
4 Tbs. Milk
Cornflake Crumbs

Pound a chicken breast to about 1/4 inch thickness. Spread a bit of the spiced jam on top of chicken, then a layer of cheese, and finally, top with pre-cooked bacon. Roll the chicken tightly, and hold together with toothpicks.

In a small bowl, combine flour and milk. Dip rolled chicken in mix, then roll in cornflake crumbs. If you have time, let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Fry at 365 for 6-8 minutes, depending on how thick your roll is.

*If you don't have corn flake crumbs, you can use bread crumbs. Add a bit of salt and sugar to flour mix if you do.

Pineapple Chicken

2 Chicken Breasts, thinly sliced

2 Tablespoons Pineapple Juice

1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce

1 Clove Garlic, minced

Approx. 1/2 Teaspoon Minced Ginger

32oz. Can Pineapple, drained

Reserve juice for marinade/sauce

1 Sweet Bell Pepper

1 Small Onion

1 Carrot

1/2 Cup Pineapple Juice

3 Tablespoons Chicken Stock

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 Teaspoons Ginger, minced

1 Teaspoon Corn Starch

Combine chicken with rest of marinade, and set aside for up to an hour.

In a hot pan, cook pineapple and vegetables for about two minutes. Remove from pan, then cook chicken for about two minutes too. Return veggies to pan. Combine sauce ingredients, add to pan, and cook for another minute. Let rest about 30 seconds, stir, and serve.

Chicken with Snow Peas

Once again, my efforts in the garden were successful.  Previous attempts at growing snow peas resulted in just a few pods.  This time, thanks to cooler weather (don't grow snow peas in the summer, my friends!), I had a pretty decent harvest.  

2 Chicken Breasts, thinly sliced

3 Tbs. Soy Sauce

1 Tbs. Mirin

1 Clove Garlic, crushed

2 Tbs. Corn Starch

1 Tsp. Sesame Oil

2 Cups Snow Peas

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

Small Pat of Butter

1/4 Cup Chicken Stock

1/2 Tbs. Hoisin Sauce

sub. 1 Tbs. Soy if you don't have it

1 Tsp. Fresh Ginger, crushed

Marinate chicken for 1/2 hour in soy, mirin, garlic, sesame oil, and corn starch.

Heat pan to medium-high, add butter, and saute snow peas & garlic for about 30 seconds.  Remove from pan, raise heat to high, and cook chicken for 2 minutes.  Return peas/garlic to pan, and add stock/sauce/ginger.  Cook for one minute.

Chicken Soup (Of the Jews)

I hadn't been planning on posting two recipes in a row, but I have a feeling the cold spell won't last.  Yup, it's actually cold enough in Los Angeles to make soup.  (Note: It is NOT cold enough to wear a parka.  If you are an Angeleno who breaks out the mittens and scarves when the temperature drops below 65, please email me.  We're going to take a little field trip.  To Canada.)

I thought this recipe was pretty timeless, but, this time around, I actually found a way to improve it.  Amazing.

1 Big Old Chicken

5 Carrots

5 Stalks Celery, including leaves

1 Onion

2 Parsnips

1 Turnip

Salt

Big old chicken?  Indeed.  The older the bird, the more flavor in the bones.  So look for a chicken labeled 'roaster'.  

Rinse the chicken.  Place it in a large stock pot, and cover with cold water.  Bring to a boil, and let the scum rise to the top.  Remove chicken, and rinse both the bird and the pot.  Return the chicken, add remaining ingredients.  Cover with more cold water.

Simmer for about 4 hours.  Simmer, my friends, not boil.  Strain broth.  Save the chicken and carrots, they're good eating.  Compost the rest.  

If you want a really clear broth, you can return the strained soup to the pan, and add two lightly beaten egg whites. Allow to boil for a few minutes, and the extra junk will be picked up by the congealing protein in the egg.  Strain this through a cheese cloth.  The result will be a nice clear broth.  For me, the work/flavor/beauty ratio favors work waaaay to much to make this worthwhile.  But, if this sort of thing matters to you, do it!

Now for something special: Right before serving, I chopped a small handful of celery leaves and added them to the soup.  Balls.  I enjoyed this much more than adding chopped dill, which is the traditional garnish.

Citrus Chicken

The farmers' market is overflowing with citrus.  So, I thought I'd go a little crazy and mix a few together.  The result is similar to a Cuban mojo, but even more...citrusy!

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 Oranges

2 Lemons

2 Limes

4 Cloves Garlic, smashed

1 Small Hot Pepper, seeded and chopped

1 Tbs. Mustard

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

2 Pinches Salt & a Wee Bit Fresh Cracked Pepper

1/8 Cup Olive Oil

Juice the citrus.  Add remaining ingredients, except olive oil.  Using either a hand blender or whisk, slowly add olive oil.  You want to go slow in order to incorporate the oil completely.  Add chicken to marinade, and refrigerate for about 3 hours.  Don't leave it in too long (more than 12 hours), or the acid in the fruit will do very bad things to the texture of the chicken.  Like turn it to mush.  Bad.

If you're able to, grill the chicken, because grilled chicken just tastes better.  If you can't grill (it is, despite being 70 degrees today in Los Angeles, the middle of winter), broil chicken for about 6 minutes per side.

While that's happening, bring marinade to a boil, and cook for 5 minutes.  Stir in 1/8 cup olive oil.  No need to be quite as careful this time- it's ok if the sauce breaks a little bit.  Spoon over chicken while it's cooking, then spoon more when it's finished.

Any leftover chicken makes for a killer addition to salad.  The marinade (one boiled) makes for a great dressing.  So make extra.

Chicken in Peppered Tomato Sauce

1 Lb. Chicken Breast, sliced fairly thin

32 oz Can Crushed Tomatoes

1 Green Bell Pepper, sliced

1 Medium Yellow Onion, sliced

4 Cloves Garlic, smashed

1 Tsp. Chili Powder

or your favorite dried, ground hot pepper

1 Tsp. Sugar

1/4 Tsp. Fresh Grated Nutmeg

1/4 Cup Olive Oil

Flour

Begin by seasoning chicken with salt & pepper.  Then dust with a thin coat flour.  Very thin.  Just a tad.  Don't overdo it.  Brown on both sides.  Remove.

Drain oil from pan, add bell pepper, onion, garlic, nutmeg, & chili.  Stir for about a minute, then add tomato, sugar, & chicken.  Simmer over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes.  Remove from heat, stir in olive oil, and serve.  It's nice over angel hair pasta.

Chicken Lew Cashew

Maybe it's not the smartest idea to try to make a traditional style Chicken with Cashews without doing much research.  Or, maybe it is.  Whatever I made, it didn't quite match what you'd expect from the dish.  Nonetheless, it was pretty damn good.

2 Chicken Breasts, diced

1 Carrot, diced

1 Small Onion, diced

2 Ribs Celery, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Small Nug Ginger, chopped

1 Small Chili Pepper of Fire, seeded and chopped

1 Cup Raw Cashews

1 Tbs. Soy Sauce

1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

2 Tbs Hoisin Sauce

2 Tbs. Mirin

2 Tbs. Soy Sauce

1 Tbs. Rice Wine Vinegar

1 Tbs. Corn Starch

Marinate chicken in soy sauce for 15 minutes to an hour.

Quickly brown chicken, say for about 2 minutes.  Remove from pan.  Add cashews and cook for about two minutes.  Add the veggies and cook for another minute.  Return chicken to pan, cook for...another minute!  Add sauce, and cook till it thickens, about...a minute!  Serve.

Technique: How to Render Duck Fat

Let's begin by talking about the giant elephant in the room. Cooking with duck fat is not for everyday cooking. Duck fat is not healthy, at least in the unclogged artery sense of the word. It is, however, amazingly flavorful, and nice to have on hand to add something special from time to time. Also, if you're going to cook duck, might as well keep the fat!

If you're roasting duck, you can add trimmed fat/skin to the bottom of the roasting pan, and cover that with water. Excess fat will drain from the duck, adding to the mix. Make sure that the fat remains covered with water. When duck is finished cooking, strain the fat/water mixture into a smaller pot.

*If you're not roasting duck, and just happen to have trimmed fat/skin from previous duck cooking in the freezer, place directly into a small pot, and cover with water.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Allow water to cook out. This will take about 45 minutes. The mixture will gradually become more golden as the water evaporates. It will bubble, slowly at first, then increasing. Once the bubbles bubble at a steady quick pace, remove from heat. Strain through a fine sieve, and store in an airtight jar.

Duck fat will keep in the fridge for at least a year. Sweet! You'll know it's turned bad when it smells...bad. Before that happens, it's going to smell like heaven.

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.

A Chicken Curry: Early Attempt

I was unsure of what to do with a bunch of late season tomatoes from my garden.  I've sauced, sliced, made salad of them, and, frankly, was starting to get bored.  Rather than walk into the complex and girlie world of canning, I decided to turn up the heat a bit.  Thus, my first curry adventure was born.

2 Cups Tomato, pureed

1 Cup Coconut Milk

1 lb. Chicken, cubed

1 Tbs. Curry Powder

1 Clove Garlic, diced

1 Small Onion, diced

1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

2 Tbs. Ghee

Begin by heating ghee in a saucepan over medium fire.  If you don't have ghee handy, you can substitute 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs olive oil.  Add your favorite curry powder.  I used a masala blend, which, as it turned out, was really hot!  The flavor, however, was amazing.  You can find good curry blends at most groceries.  If you have the chance, check out a local Indian food market- you'll find a wide range of choice!

Heat powder for one minute, then add garlic and onion.  Continue to cook for another minute.  Your kitchen will smell fragrant and fantastic, as it will throughout the cooking process.

Add tomato puree and coconut milk.  Add pinch of salt.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Allow to simmer for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, get to work on your chicken.  Cut into one inch (approximately) cubes.  Season with salt & pepper.  You have several choices on how to proceed.  You could simply, after sauce cooks for 15 minutes, drop in chicken and cook for another 15.  Easy peasy.  

For a greater depth of flavor, brown all sides over high heat.  Or grill chicken.  Or, go a little crazy.  Lightly bread and quickly deep fry the cubes.  That's badass!  You could also marinate chicken overnight in a yogurt/spice blend, then cook.  However you do it, add the chicken to the sauce and cook for 15 minutes.

Finally, add chopped cilantro.  Serve.

Chicken Croquettes

1 lb. Ground Chicken,  white dark or combination

1 Medium Shallot, finely chopped

2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 Egg

1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

Bread Crumbs

Combine all ingredients except bread crumbs.  Form four patties.  Coat patties in breadcrumbs.  Shallow fry in a few tablespoons oil for about 3 minutes, flip, add more oil as needed, and fry another three minutes.

Panko Fried Chicken

Chicken Breast, pounded to medium thickness
3 Tablespoons Flour
6 Tablespoons Milk
1 Teaspoon Each Salt & Sugar
Panko
Lemon
Italian Parsley, chopped

Panko is a wonderful, course, Japaneese breadcrumb. Light and lovely, it provides a killer texture to breaded dishes. You should be able to find it at nearly every supermarket.

Begin by mixing flour, salt, sugar, and milk. Dip chicken into mixture, then dip coated chicken into panko. Coat evenly. Let rest 15 minutes, then fry at 360 for about 6 minutes. Use your eyes and ears to tell you when it's done.

Remove chicken to cooling rack or paper towel, let cool for 2-3 minutes. Squeeze lemon onto crispy chicken, then top with chopped Italian parsley.

Smoked Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts

Italian Dressing

Wood Chips

Simple, healthy, and excellent.  All you need is smoke.

Marinate chicken for 3-24 hours in your favorite italian dressing.  Transfer to grill and smoke over indirect heat for 35 minutes.  The fire should be around 300 degrees.  If you don't have a smoker attachment, soak wood chips for one hour, wrap in foil, poke some holes in it.  Then, make a fire on the opposite side of the grill from where you're going to place your chicken.  Put chip packet on fire at same time as chicken.

Add salt as needed.

Garlic Chicken Delight

Two Chicken Breasts, sliced very thinly
4 Cloves Garlic, crushed and chopped
1/4 Cup Mirin
1/8 Cup Soy Sauce
1/4 Cup Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Oil

I like this one. It's tasty and, while the garlic is pronounced, it's sweet and mild. The key is to find garlic as fresh as can be. This is a tough task, as grocery store garlic tends to have sat around for awhile. Best bet, as always, is the farmers' market. If you get it there, and you're lucky enough to find heads with stems attached, you're stoked. The innermost part of the stem is edible and wonderfully sweet. Chop that and only use two cloves of the sweet sweet garlic. If you purchase at a supermarket, look for garlic with really tight skin, that will be the freshest.



Begin by sauteing garlic in the oil over medium heat for a minute. Turn heat to high, and add the chicken. Cook for about three minutes, till chicken is done. Add all the other ingredients, and cook two minutes. Thicken with 1/4 cup cornstarch slurry.



For the uninitiated, mirin is a sweet cooking wine made from rice. It has a swell flavor.