Showing posts with label Chicken breasts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken breasts. Show all posts
We are having a very wintery/cold day as I am writing this. (Sunday) To my way of thinking, this is a perfect soup day. Also, one of my friends was feeling a bit under the weather, so I wanted to make some soup to take over to her.
I had seen this recipe for Brodo di Pollo con Pastina (Chicken Soup with Pastina) on the New York Times site the other day, attributed to Naz Deravian. I was intrigues and immediately printed it out.
It was quite a bit different than your typical chicken noodle soup. Using very simple ingredients and a very simple method of preparation.
There was no need to make a stock or even to use chicken stock. Everything was prepared simply and in one pan. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked simply in water with aromatics (onion, celery, carrots, garlic) and some olive oil.
I was intrigued. A soup which doesn't start off with a stock??? Would this be as delicious as it sounded?????? Would it be as delicious as my normal chicken noodle soup??????
I had to try it and today was the day! I did cut the quantities in half and I will say even cut in half it was very generous!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN SOUP WITH PASTINI
The list could not be simpler.
- 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1/2 pound)
- 1 medium yellow onion, cut in half and then thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 1/2 TBS extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 TBS kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼-inch half moons
- 1 1/2 large celery ribs, sliced into ¼-inch half moons
- 1 fat garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 teaspoons tomato paste/puree
- 1/4 cup pastina, such as Acini di Pepe, or orzo (about 2 ounces)
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
- Grated Parmesan, for serving
Pastina is Italian for "tiny pasta." It is something which Italian children grow up with and is generally cooked in broth. You can get it in star shapes, rounds, etc.
You can use any tiny pasta for this, or even noodles broken into tiny pieces. I used Acini de Pepi because I actually had some in my cupboard. You could use orzo, or even Ditalini. Just so long as it is small.
I loved that it used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I always have those in my freezer. They come in handy for all sorts. I also always have the aromatics on hand.
Aromatics are vegetables which add flavor and aroma to a dish. Vegetables such as celery, onions, carrots, etc. When cooked together these ingredients help to create delicious layers of flavor in your food.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SOUP WITH PASTINA
You begin by cooking your chicken. Place the chicken into a large saucepan with a quantity of cold water. (5 cups) Partially cover the saucepan and bring to the boil over high heat.
Keep an eye on it so that it doesn't boil over. A scum or foam will rise to the top. Just skim that off and discard it. (A metal spoon works wonders here.)
Add the sliced onion, the olive oil, salt, garlic powder and pepper to the soup. Give it a good stir and bring back to a low boil. Cover completely and then reduce the heat to medium low and allow to simmer for a good 10 minutes.
At the end of that time add the carrots, celery, garlic and tomato paste. Give everything another good stir to help to dissolve the tomato paste into the broth.
Bring the soup back to a gentle boil, then reduce to medium low, cover and cook for a full half an hour. Stir occasionally.
Taste and adjust seasoning as required with salt and pepper. Remove the chicken breast to a bowl.
Add the pastini to the soup, stir and bring back to a gentle boil, then cover and reduce to medium low again and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Give it a stir every now and then to make sure it isn't sticking.
While the pasta is cooking, shred the chicken with two forks. At the end of the pasta cooking time, return the chicken to the saucepan along with the parsley.
Cover and simmer for a further 2 minutes to heat through.
And that's it! Your soup is done. Ladle it into heated bowls and pass the parmesan. Freshly grated please!
I know that's not always possible, but if you can get it and grate your own please do!
I would think this is one of those soups that you could add a cheese rind to when the soup is cooking and that would also add some fabulous flavors!!!
Do you save your cheese rinds? I do. I have them in a baggie in the freezer! Just waiting to be added to sauces and soups. I break them into smaller pieces before freezing. That way they go further.
I dare say we both enjoyed it very much. Especially on a day that was cold and blustery. It went down a real treat!
Chicken Soup with Pastina
Yield: 3
Cook time: 1 H & 10 MTotal time: 1 H & 10 M
The Italian name for this soup is Brodo di Pollo con Pastina, or chicken soup with tiny pasta. Its simple to make, delicious and cooks all in one pot for a simple and easy to clean up meal.
Ingredients
- 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast portion
- 1 medium onion, peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced into half moons
- 1 1/2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- 1 TBS kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 2 medium carrots, peeled, sliced and cut into 1/4 inch thick half moons
- 1 1/2 large celery sticks trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch thick half moons
- 1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tsp tomato puree/paste
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces) pastini such as Acini di Pepe or Orzo
- 2 TBS chopped minced fresh parsley
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve
Instructions
- Place the chicken into a saucepan along with 5 cups of water (1.1 litre/1182.9 ml) Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce. Skim off any foam and discard. Add the onion, olive oil, salt, garlic powder and pepper. Stir, bring back to a slight boil, reduce to medium low, cover. and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the carrots, celery, garlic and tomato paste, giving it all a good stir to blend in the tomato paste. Bring to a gentle boil. Reduce to low, cover, and simmer on medium low for 30 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- Remove chicken to a bowl. Add the pasta and bring to a gentle boil. Cover and cook on medium low for the time required as per the package of pasta.
- Shred the chicken. Return to the soup along with the parsley. Stir, cover, and simmer for a few minutes.
- Serve ladled into heated bowls, topped with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
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I do eat a lot of chicken it seems. More often than not it is on the menu. That is probably for a variety of reasons!
One it is reasonably affordable, and two its a pretty versatile protein to prepare. It goes with just about anything and adapts to many flavors and cooking methods!
I never run out of interesting and delicious ways to prepare this healthy source of protein!
I especially love to use Chicken breasts. With their mild flavor they provide a canvas upon which to layer many other textures and flavors.
I love to play with them and come up with delicious ways of preparing them. This is one of my favorite things I have ever done with them.
You end up being able to get in several of your five a day, as well as some tender moist and flavor filled chicken. The cheesy sauce and crispy topping is the icing on a very tasty cake!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CHICKEN WITH CHEESE, LEEKS & SPINACH
There is nothing much out of the ordinary here. It might seem like a long list, but its a really simple list.
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (try to get them as evenly sized as possible)
baby spinach leaves
Leeks (you will only need the white and light green parts
butter (I use salted)
flour (all purpose, plain)
salt and pepper
dry mustard powder
milk (I use whole milk, but feel free to use semi-skimmed or 2%)
a good strong cheddar cheese
some stale bread
HOW TO CLEAN LEEKS
Leeks are a hugely versatile and delicious vegetable that is pretty much available to us all year round these days. They can be somewhat gritty however and do require thorough cleaning to get rid of that grit.
Because leeks grow for the most part under ground, much like an onion, they often accumulate sand and sediment in their layers. Some people can find it very troublesome to remove this, but if you follow my instructions that won't be a problem.
First you will need to cut off the root end and the tougher dark green tops. You can easily do this using a sharp chef’s knife. You’ll have the light green and white stalk left.
Slice this lengthwise down the middle to form two long, skinny halves. This will expose all the layers in the middle of the leek.
Soak the stalks in a bowl of cold water for 10 minutes or so, then rinse under cold running water in the sink. The long soak allows the water to penetrate the leek’s many layers, clearing out all the bits of debris.
You are now ready to go! Simply slice or dice, etc. as per the recipe requirement. In this case you will be slicing them into half moons.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN WITH CHEESE, LEEKS & SPINACH
It might seem complicated, but really if you break it down into parts you will find that this is really a simple dish that goes together very quickly.
One of the components of this dish is a lush cheese béchamel sauce. This is very similar to make as you would a sauce for macaroni and cheese.
Melt the butter, whisk in the flour and dry mustard powder. Cook for a minute or so to cook out any flour taste and then slowly whisk in the milk, whisking constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. You can taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Set aside.
You could always sauté the leeks in some butter to soften them, but I like to soften them in the microwave, which saves on fat and calories.
Just pop them into a glass measure/dish and add a bit of water. Cover with plastic cling film and microwave on high for about a minute, then set aside to cool.
You can melt the butter in the microwave as well, which will be mixed with bread crumbs for the crispy topping. I usually make my own bread crumbs by whirring some stale bread in a food processor, but you can use any bread crumb you like. Panko gives a nice crispy finish.
You can lightly pound your chicken pieces between some cling film to even them out so that they are all one thickness. Once you have done that it is simply a matter of layering things in a baking dish.
The uncooked baby spinach goes on the bottom of the baking dish. Don't worry, it will cook in the heat of the oven to perfection. You place the chicken on top of the spinach.
Spoon the leeks over the chicken and the top with the cheese sauce and buttered crumbs. That's it. Your dish is now ready to bake to perfection!
Half an hour later you are rewarded with some tender and juicy pieces of chicken, bathed in those lovely leeks and that rich cheese sauce, all bubbly and scrumptious, with a crispy, buttery, crumb topping.
What's not to love about that!! This is quite simply delicious!
I served it with some steamed baby potatoes and a mix of frozen grilled Mediterranean style vegetables. They were very easy to warm up in the microwave. You can dress them with a bit of balsamic if you want.
This was one very delicious Mid-week supper!
Chicken with Cheese, Leeks & Spinach
Yield: 4
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 45 Min
This makes for a delicious supper, midweek. All you need on the side is some rice or potato and a vegetable, or salad. Simple and hassle-free, my kind of cooking. Use good quality chicken breasts for this.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
- 2 leeks, washed and thinly sliced (White and light green parts only)
- a small bag of baby spinach leaves, washed and dried and de-stemmed (about 4 handfuls)
- 2 TBS butter
- 2 TBS flour
- 1/2 tsp dried mustard powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 cups (300ml) whole milk
- 1 generous cup (125g) grated strong cheddar cheese
To top:
- 2 sliced of stale bread made into crumbs
- 1 TBS melted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Butter a shallow baking dish large enough to hold the chicken in one layer. Set aside.
- Make the cheese sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour and mustard powder. Cook for a minute, whisking constantly, then slowly whisk in the milk.
- Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cheese to melt. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Put the leeks into a large bowl with 1 TBS of water. Cover with plastic cling film. Microwave on high for 1 minute until well wilted. Set aside to cool.
- Melt the butter and toss with the bread crumbs. Set aside.
- Place the spinach into the baking dish in a single layer. Lay the chicken breasts on top of the spinach.
- Divide the wilted leeks equally between the chicken breasts, laying them on top of the chicken. Pour the cheese sauce evenly over all. Top with the buttered crumbs.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through. The juices should run clear. Delicious!
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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Chimichurri Sauce may not be a sauce you are familiar with. Its a lovely lush and spicy sauce which hails from Argentina.
Its deliciously created from fresh herbs, vinegar, seasonings, red pepper flakes and plenty of garlic, and there is not much it doesn't go with!
Today I created Chimichurri chicken breast, but it goes with all sorts of grilled meats. Steak is a real favorite with me as well!
I adapted this recipe from one found in the cookbook entitled Seriously Simple, by Diane Rossen Worthington. Its a great book filled with lovely seriously simple recipes. I really enjoy my copy.
Most require nothing more than simple ingredients, cooking methods and cooking equipment. Simple flavors and foods done really well in a very simple way.
It doesn't get much better than that in my opinion!
Of course the star of this is the chimichurri recipe. Such a simple sauce, but the flavors are just wowza! I am sure once you have made it and tasted it, you will be able to think of all sorts of applications for it.
It is not only great as a sauce, but makes an excellent marinade as this recipe today expertly illustrates!
You do need to be fond of garlic however and a little bit of sauce goes a very long way as it is rather spicy. Because the garlic isn't cooked it has a bit of a bite! But trust me when I say it totally works just as is!
Diane says that the sauce got its name from the legend that British laborers working in Argentina saw bowls of this sauce and would say, "Give me curry," which over the years evolved into (as things do) "Chimichurri!" Makes sense to me!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
First of all, the most important ingredient here is the food processor. You could use a mortar and pestle as well if you have one, but you can't beat a food processor for its ease of preparation!
- garlic cloves, peeled
- flat leaf parsley
- olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- water or chicken broth
- dried oregano
- dried parsley
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes (crushed chilies)
HOW TO MAKE CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Nothing could be easier, especially with a food processor.
You will need to puree the garlic first. Simply peel it and pop it into the food processor. You then pulse it until it is very fine or as fine as you can get it. You then add the parsley leaves and pulse until they are finely chopped.
The original recipe called for a whole bunch of flat leaf parsley, just the leaves. I used approximately 1/2 a bunch, and yes, stripped the leaves from the stems. It doesn't really take that long.
Once you have the garlic and parsley minced, it is a simple matter of whisking in the remaining ingredients. You can also give them a quick whisk in by pulsing them in a few times in the food processor.
That's it your marinade and sauce is done! Do taste it to make sure you have enough seasoning.
HOW TO CUT UP A WHOLE CHICKEN
Cutting up your own chicken is a lot cheaper than buying store cut chicken and its really easy to do if you have a sharp boning knife and a set of kitchen scissors.
1. Lay the bird on its back. Wiggle a wing to determine where the joint attaches to the breast. To separate the wing from the breast, use a sharp knife to cut through the ball joint where it meets the breast. Repeat with the other wing.
2.Pull a leg away from the body to see where it attaches. To remove the whole leg, first cut through the skin between the thigh and the breast.
3. Continue to pull on the leg and wiggle it a bit to determine where the thigh meets the socket in the back. Use a boning knife or paring knife to cut through that joint. Repeat with the other leg.
4. Place each leg skin-side down. With your hand and knife, bend the leg to feel for the ball joint. That's where the drumstick and thigh are connected. Then, look for the thin line of fat that runs along the ball joint. Cut through the line of fat to separate the thigh and drumstick. Wiggle the joint as needed so it's easy to cut. Repeat with the other leg. I often just keep the thigh and drumstick together as a chicken quarter joint. Its up to you.
5. To remove the backbone, start at the head end of the bird and cut through the rib cage on one side of the backbone with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Repeat on the other side of the backbone to remove it completely. (I like to reserve the backbone and neck for chicken stock.)
6.Now cut the breast into two halves. Place the breast skin-side down. To protect your hand, fold a kitchen towel and place it on top of a heavy, sharp knife. Use your weight to cut through the breast bone and cartilage down the center of the breast.
7. Now that you have two breast halves, if you think they are overly large, you can cut each breast half in half again, crosswise. The wishbone is located at the thick part of the breast. If you want, you can tease the meat away from the two pieces of wishbone using your hands and/or a sharp knife to scrape the meat from the bone.
The first time you cut up your own chicken it can be a bit intimidating, but once you have done it you will see how easy it is and each time you do it, it becomes that much easier.
It just makes sense to cut up your own when chicken is so expensive to buy already cut up. Why not line your own pockets with the cash rather than the grocery shop's!
I marinated and grilled skin on chicken breasts for this and I did push a bit of the marinade in between the skin and the breast as well when I was marinating them. This really got the flavors right in there.
You can use the chimichurri sauce on any cut of chicken however, so don't limit yourself. If you prefer thighs, then use them! I would do them boneless as well. I do like to keep the skin on when grilling as it helps to keep the chicken from drying out too much.
In any case I hope you will try this simple and delicious recipe. I would serve these with some lovely boiled and crushed potatoes and a vegetable on the side, or even rice. Something that will absorb all of those tasty juices! 😋
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chimichurri Sauce
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 Mininactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
A wonderfully herby garlic sauce serves as both marinade and condiment to these delicious grilled chicken breasts. Amounts are for two, but can be doubled or tripled. You will need a food processor to make the sauce.
Ingredients
For the sauce and marinade:
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- a large handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
- 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
- 2 TBS white wine vinegar
- 2 TBS water or chicken broth
- 1/3 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 tsp dried basil
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the chicken:
- Two skin on boneless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 TBS of the chimichurri sauce
- 1 TBS olive oil
Instructions
- First make the chimichurri sauce. You will need a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the garlic cloves and puree. Add the parsley and chop finely. Add the oil, vinegar, water or broth and seasonings. Process to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. It will be garlicky and spicy.
- Combine 1 1/2 TBS of the sauce with the olive oil in a bowl. Add the chicken breast to the bowl, turning to coat them. Marinate for half an hour at room temperature. (Alternately they can marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.)
- Preheat an outdoor grill, a grill pan, or an electric grill for medium heat grilling.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place onto the grill, presentation side down (skin side). Grill for 7 to 10 minutes. Flip over and grill for a further 7 to 10 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear. Timings depend on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts.
- Serve the breasts hot with the sauce on the side, ready for drizzling over them.
Notes:
This very versatile sauce goes with grilled steaks, lamb, pork or fish. It will keep for a few days, covered, in the refrigerator, but the parsley will not be as brightly coloured.
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