Tag Archives: Chicken

May 31 2012
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Greek Chicken Salad

Easy, but still delicious, dinners are the best. Last night was one of those nights where I was hungry coming home from work, but not in the mood to make a huge meal. Additionally, I had a rotisserie chicken left over from the day before that I wanted to use up. Solution? Clean all the meat off the chicken, and create something tasty with ingredients already in my pantry! If you ask any of my friends, they will tell you Mediterranean is by far my favorite genre of food. This means I always have staple ingredients such as Greek yogurt, feta, or olives in the house (this recipe could’ve used some kalamata olives but I was out!). Therefore, my rotisserie chicken was transformed into my version of Greek chicken salad!

Greek Chicken Salad:

3 tablespoons EVOO

Juice of half a lemon

Kosher salt and pepper

Leftover chicken meat from rotisserie chicken (I had everything left but the breasts and drumsticks), in chunks or shredded

2 mini cucumbers, very thinly sliced into half-moons

1/2 a small Vidalia onion

2 tablespoons of dill

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (you may need more)

Block of feta cut into chunks

Pita pockets

Arugula for garnish

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Fold in the chicken, cucumbers, onion, dill, and yogurt. Taste and adjust seasonings and add yogurt if it is too dry. Cut pita pockets in half, stuff with shards of feta, then chicken salad. Top with arugula and enjoy!

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Jan 08 2012
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Recipes

Recipe Exchange: Chicken Sausage, White Bean, & Cabbage Soup

The other day while at work (before Christmas), I received an email with the subject line “Recipe Exchange”. I opened it and read:

Hi friends!

We are participating in a collective, constructive, and hopefully TASTY experiment. As such, you have been invited to be part of a recipe exchange concept. We hope you will participate. We have picked those we think would make this fun. Please send a recipe to the person whose name is in position 1 (even if you don’t know him/her) and it should be something quick, easy and without rare ingredients. Actually, the best one is the one you know in your head and can type right now. Don’t agonize over it, it is one you make when you are short of time.

After you’ve sent the recipe to the person in position 1 below and only to that person, copy this letter into a new email, move my name to position 1 and put your name in position 2. Only my and your name should show when you send your email. Send to 20 friends BCC (blind copy). If you cannot do this within 5 days, let us know so it will be fair to those participating. You should receive 36 recipes. It’s fun to see where they come from! Seldom does anyone drop out because we all need new ideas. The turnaround is fast as there are only 2 names on the list and you only have to do it once.

1. xxx      2. xxx

Happy Holidays!

Naturally, I was very excited about this! I immediately responded with my Chocolate Chocolate Chip Candy Cane Cookies recipe which I felt was appropriate since 1. I had just made them the night before and 2. it was the holiday season. I proceded to forward the email to 20 friends and waited my turn to receive recipes in return. So far, I’ve gotten a few interesting ideas but have only made one: chicken sausage, white bean, and cabbage soup.

Chicken Sausage, White bean, and Cabbage Soup:

  • Olive oil
  • 12 ounces fully cooked andouille chicken sausages cut crosswise into bit sized pieces (about 4 sausages, I used portobello mushroom chicken sausage which added another layer of flavor)
  • 3 cups thinly sliced green cabbage (about 1/2 large head or 1 whole small)
  • 3 leeks or 5 shallots thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste (1/2 small can)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed, drained
Heat  olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage slices and saute until brown around edges, about 5 minutes. Add cabbage; cook 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Add olive oil to same pot and heat over medium heat. Add leeks or shallots and cook until soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, parsley, and rosemary and stir 1 minute. Add broth, sausage-cabbage mixture, and beans and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 40 minutes.
This soup is very hearty and delicious. Simple and easy, this is a great dish to make ahead for dinner or lunches throughout the week. I was able to get about 8 servings (give or take on portion size) out of the recipe. I highly recommend trying this soup to warm up during the cold winter months!
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Jul 19 2011
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Tabbouleh with Chicken (Or Tofu)

What is Tabbouleh? I bet most of you have no idea what I am even talking about. Well, let me tell you. Tabbouleh is a Levantine (originally from Lebanon) wheat salad. I have traveled to the middle east and have always had many friends from the region, so this is a dish I started enjoying early on. It is super simple, and the light lemony flavor is GREAT for summer time!

 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 cup bulgur wheat

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

Olive oil

Kosher salt

1 whole (2 split) chicken breast, bone in, skin on

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup minced scallions, white and green parts (1 bunch)

1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves (2 bunches)

1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (1 bunch)

1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and medium-diced

2 cups halved cherry tomatoes

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare the bulgur wheat according to package directions. Add the lemon juice, 1/4 cup of olive oil, and 1.5 teaspoons of salt to the bulgur as it sits and cooks. Set aside for about an hour to let cook through.

*Next, rub chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the over for 35 minutes, or until just cooked. Again, set aside and let cool off.

Remove chicken meat and dice into medium pieces and add to the bulgur wheat. Then add scallions, mint, parsley, cucumber, tomatoes, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. At this point, you MUST taste the dish to see if it needs more seasoning! The most important thing when cooking is to taste your food! Make sure it is seasoned to tasted. You can either serve immediately or refrigerate and serve cold. The longer the Tabbouleh mixture sits, the flavors will intensify and improve.

 

Cool, refreshing Tabbouleh can be used as a side dish or a main dish. When I know I am cooking for a vegetarian and meat eating audience, I love to use this dish! Follow the same directions, but serve the chicken or tofu on the side and allow guests to help themselves.

*This step is easily replaced with Tofu! Cut extra firm tofu into cubes and sprinkle with the same seasonings. Roast in the oven until crispy and use in place of the chicken.

My interpretation of Ina Garten’s Chicken with Tabbouleh

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Jul 13 2011
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Recipes

Show-Stopper Roast Chicken

There is nothing more impressive to guests, or your stomach, than a perfectly roasted chicken. What seems like a complicated feat is actually one of the easiest and best recipes to have in your repertoire. This particular recipe is great to serve to your special guy (can you say new *engagement chicken!?) because it is wrapped in BACON! Who doesn’t love bacon? Ok, my roommate doesn’t like bacon, but I don’t need to make this for her. But any single, hungry guys out there are welcome to come over for dinner!
But seriously, how amazing does that look? Lets get into making it. You will need the following ingredients:
1 roasting chicken, about 6 lbs
Kosher salt and pepper
1 bunch of fresh thyme
4 lemons
3 heads of garlic cut in half
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1/2 lbs of sliced bacon
1 cup of white wine
1/2 cup of chicken stock
First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove chicken giblets (anything inside of the chicken) and rinse the entire chicken both inside and out. Pat the outside dry and place the chicken in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with the thyme (saving enough to garnish the dish later), 1 halved lemon, and 2 halves of garlic. Brush the outside of the chicken with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string (or, if you are like me and forget to buy kitchen string every time you go to the store, don’t tie them) and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Quarter 2 of the remaining lemons and place around the chicken with the rest of the garlic. Lastly, lay slices of bacon over chicken until it is covered (this is obviously the best part!).

Put chicken in the oven and roast for 1 hour. After this time, remove the bacon from the chicken and set aside. Finishing roasting the chicken for another 1/2 hour, or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and thigh. When the chicken is done, set aside and cover to keep warm so you can make the gravy.

Using the fat drippings at the bottom of the roasting pan, add the wine and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until reduced by half.

Everything is now ready to come together! Place the chicken on a nice serving dish and garnish with the bacon, roasted garlic, reserved fresh thyme, and the remaining lemon sliced. Serve the gravy on the side and enjoy!

As you can see above, I served the chicken with sides of sautéed zucchini and small roasted potatoes. The zucchini is one of my go-to vegetable sides that is easy to make and very delicious. The cute little potatoes are also great with the chicken because not only are the tasty (and of course every good chicken meal needs a potato side) but they are fun to eat because they are so small! When making small potatoes like this, the key is to buy them all in similar size so they cook evenly.

Slice up the chicken, load up the plates, and enjoy! I lucked out and the chicken breasts were perfectly juicy and moist. Ladle some gravy on your plate for a little extra flavor (I found it to be dominantly wine flavored, which I enjoyed). This simple but delicious meal will wow guests and provide ample leftovers for you to enjoy later! Enjoy your Show-Stopper Roast Chicken!

*For those of you who don’t know what engagement chicken is, it basically is a simple but amazing recipe for roast chicken. The story goes that a girl who makes this roast chicken for her significant other will soon after be proposed to because it is just that good. Hence, engagement chicken!
**This recipe is my version of Ina Garten’s Lemon & Garlic Roast Chicken
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Jun 26 2011
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Easy Lemon Chicken Pasta

Ingredients

·         1 pound dried penne

·         2 chicken cutlets, cut into fingers

·         Salt and freshly ground black pepper

·         3 cloves garlic, sliced

·         1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

·         3 tablespoons olive oil

·         3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

·         2 lemons, juiced

·         1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, until al dente. Drain well.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large grill pan over medium high and add chicken. Grill until golden and completely cooked. Remove to a plate and slice.

Add the garlic and red pepper flakes to a saute pan with 3 tablespoons of olive oil and saute until fragrant. Add the cooked pasta and turn heat off. Mix all together.

Remove pasta to a large bowl. Add chicken to the warm pasta and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle in chopped parsley. Add the juice of 2 lemons and mix. Before serving top with Parmesan.

Found at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/down-home-with-the-neelys/easy-lemon-pasta-with-chicken-recipe/index.html

By far this recipe is one of the easiest I have ever made. I did a few things differently than the recipe calls for. First off, I sliced the chicken before cooking it so each individual piece would cook a bit faster. I also used a few tablespoons of EVOO to cook the chicken. I did not have any garlic cloves so I used some garlic powder, which worked fine. On the same note I did not have any fresh parsley so I used dry parsley. Using dry seasonings makes this an easy dish to pull together without having to go to the grocery store. A nice way to make this dish a little healthier is to use whole wheat penne which also adds a nice flavor. Lastly, I added a package of frozen spinach to add some green to the dish. Microwave a package of frozen spinach, wring out any water, and add to the olive oil mixture before adding the pasta. Overall this was a super delicious and easy dish to make!

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Jun 26 2011
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Chicken Baked with Red Onions, Potatoes, and Rosemary


2 red onions, each cut into 10 wedges

1 1/4 lbs new potatoes, not peeled

2 bulbs garlic, separated into cloves, but not peeled

salt and pepper

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

about 5 sprigs rosemary

1 (4lb) roasting chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or 8 chicken thighs, rubbed with sea salt to crisp the skin

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spread the vegetables and garlic in a single layer over the bottom of a huge roasting pan so that they will crisp and brown beautifully. Season with salt and pepper, pour over the oil and balsamic vinegar, and add the rosemary, leaving some sprigs whole and stripping the leaves off the rest. Toss the vegetables with your hand and tuck the chicken pieces in among them. Bake for 45 minutes, until cooked through

This recipe comes from the cookbook Pure Simple Cooking by Diana Henry. The recipe is extremely delicious and flavorful. It was very easy to prepare because everything cooks together in one pan. This recipe is also great because it goes with most vegetables. For this dinner I made sautéed spinach and roasted asparagus. I used chicken thighs which were very moist, and rubbing salt on the skin made it perfectly crispy. I highly recommend this recipe, as I am sure my friends who I prepared it for would agree!

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Jun 26 2011
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Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

·          4 slices whole-wheat bread (1-ounce each)

·         1 teaspoon dried oregano

·         1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

·         4 teaspoons paprika

·         1/2 teaspoon salt

·         1/2 teaspoon black pepper

·         2 egg whites

·         1/2 cup skim milk

·         1/2 cup all-purpose flour

·         4 (6 ounce) skinless boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness

·         Olive oil cooking spray

·         1 jar good-quality marinara sauce (about 3 1/2 cups)

·         3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

·         2 tablespoons (1/2-ounce) shredded Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the bread in the bowl of a food processor and process until fine crumbs are formed, about 25 to 30 seconds. Put the crumbs on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes, until golden. (You will wind up with about 1 1/3 cups toasted crumbs.)

In a medium bowl, toss the crumbs with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. In another bowl, whisk the egg whites and milk together. In a third bowl stir together the flour, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Dip each piece of chicken, 1 piece at a time, in flour, shaking off excess, then egg, then bread crumbs, shaking off excess.

Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place breaded breasts in a glass baking dish and spray on each side with cooking spray, about 5 seconds total per side. Bake breasts until cooked though and crumbs are browned, about 15 minutes. Top with marinara sauce, mozzarella and parmesan and return to oven for an additional 10 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

This recipe was WONDERFUL! I honestly think this is one of the most delicious dinners I have ever made! It was simple and so rewarding. To make things simpler, rather than making my own bread crumbs I bought Italian style Panko bread crumbs. Though they are seasoned I still added the seasoning from the recipe. A tip for breading the chicken: use one hand as a wet hand, and the other as a dry hand. This means only touch the egg with one and the flour and bread crumbs with the other. Also, I did not add milk to the egg mixture. Lastly, I used 2 cups of shredded mozzarella rather than the amount in the recipe. Highly recommended, this is a must-make recipe!

Recipe found at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/chicken-parmesan-recipe/index.html

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Jun 26 2011
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Greek Baked Chicken in Yogurt

I went home this weekend and Meemah (my grandmother) bought be a cookbook! The book is called Pure Simple Cooking by Diana Henry. Just looking through the book got me very excited because so many of the recipes sound wonderful! The first recipe I made is as follows:

Greek Baked Chicken in Yogurt

4 large chicken breasts, skin removed

salt and pepper

olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

16 oz greek yogurt

2 large egss, beaten

2 tbsp all purpose flour

2 oz feta cheese, crumbled

2 tbsp chopped fresh dill

leaves from 2 to 3 mint sprigs, torn

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. preheat the over to 350 degrees F. season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and quickly brown them in a couple of tbsp of olive oil over medium heat- you just want a good outside color, not to cook the chicken through. remove these and set aside. saute the onion in the same pan- ass a little more oil if needed- until soft and just turning golden.

2. combine yogurt, eggs, flour, feta, dill, mint, and garlic in a large bowl and mix well.

3. lay the onion and the chicken in the bottom of an overproof dish into which everything will fit snugly. spread the yogurt mixture evenly on top and sprinkle with parmesan.

4. bake for 45 minutes. the yogurt will have set, and the chicken should be cooked through.

This was a very interesting recipe to try. I love Greek food, so I was really excited to make some myself. First off, I used 4 oz of Feta, which I don’t believe made too much of a difference. The dish came out great. I will admit at first when I saw it I thought visually it looked gross. But when I and my friends dug in, it was surprisingly good! I am used to having Greek food with regular yogurt, not baked. The yogurt topping on the chicken gets a very interesting texture, which took me a few bites to get used to. Overall, I really enjoyed this dish and would make it again! As a side dish I made sauteed spinach which went great because spinach is used in a lot of Greek food!

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Jun 26 2011
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Braised Chicken Thighs with Button Mushrooms

This recipe was delicious! But warning: it is hard work. There are a lot of steps in this recipe that makes the cooking time a little long, but it is well worth it! Rice is the perfect side for this dish because its great to mix together with the sauce. This is a very rich dish and very satisfying.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 chicken thighs
  • 1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 16 ounces button mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup sliced yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 cups dark chicken stock
  • 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 4 cups steamed white rice
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Set a 10-inch, straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat and add the oil. Season the chicken thighs with the Essence, salt and pepper. Place the chicken, skin side down in the pan and sear until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and sear on the second side for another 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and add the butter and mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until browned and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic to the pan and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring often to make a light brown roux, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, stock and rosemary to the pan, bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, skin side down and cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until the meat is very tender, about 30 minutes. Serve the chicken over rice and garnish with the chopped parsley.

Emeril’s ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Found at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/braised-chicken-thighs-with-button-mushrooms-recipe/index.html

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Jun 26 2011
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Chicken Stir Fry

Chicken Stir Fry

Stir fry is a great quick and easy meal to make. The best part is you can add or take out any vegetables you do or do not like. I mostly followed the recipe below but added waterchestnuts and took out the bok choy (due to poor selection in the super market). To make this meal even easier you can buy prepackaged vegatables that have already been cut up in the fresh produce department at the super market. A great side to serve with this dish is brown rice.

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons dark sesame oil, divided
  • 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
  • 2 pounds chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
  • 1 head broccoli, stems removed
  • 1 dozen mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 carrots, peeled and julienned
  • 1/4 pound green beans, diced
  • 1 head bok choy, chopped
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons teriyaki sauce

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add garlic and stir. Place the chicken in the pan and brown 4 minutes on each side. Remove from pan, slice into strips, set aside.

Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the vegetables and teriyaki sauce. Stir-fry quickly until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the chicken strips, combine well and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Found at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-stir-fry-recipe/index.html

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