Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
This is a recipe I had bookmarked a long time ago in a little cookery book I have from the BBC Good Food people, entitled 101 Storecupboard Suppers. I love the little BBC Good Food Books. They are not that expensive and are usually chocker block full of recipes that I want to cook. I know . . . I know . . . I have enough cookbooks, but as any food enthusiast knows, you can never have too many! (Todd doth protest!)
We have a very much beloved Cocker Spaniel in our house. She has a rather ticky tummy, so I don't give her dog food anymore, it always upsets her stomach. It's real chicken and rice and vegetables all the way with her and that helps to keep her healthy and when she is feeling well, we are happy too. I cooked some extra chicken yesterday when I was cooking hers, so that we could have this delicious casserole for our dinner today. (You don't think I would cook my dog anything I wouldn't eat myself do you???)
One of the things I have learned to embrace over here in the UK, and which I had very little experience with prior to moving over here was curries. I think my sum experience of eating curry had been when, living on a British Army training base in Canada back in the early 1980's, a British friend of ours cooked us a curry. I really enjoyed it, but I couldn't tell you now or then if it was authentic or not.
"Curries with their vast partioned platters of curious condiments to lackey them, speak for themselves. They sting like serpents, stimulate like strychnine, they are subtle, sensual like Chinese courtesans, sublime and sacred, inscrutably inspiring and intelligently illuminating like Cambodian carvings."
~Alistair Crowley (1875-1947)
This is one of those family supper dishes that will come in really handy on these last few days before Christmas when you are short on time and hands and yet everyone is home from work and school and absolutely starving! It basically cooks itself with very little attention, leaving your hands free to do the stuff that you really have to get on with!
One of the challenges I enjoy from receiving my Degustabox every month is coming up with unique and delicious ways to use the contents! My mother always said that was one thing I excelled at!
Taking whatever ingredients were thrown at me and coming up with something delicious! I think you will agree that this month I came up with something incredibly delicious.
I received a packet of the Salsa & Mesquite chips and I decided they would be the perfect ingredient to use in this months Degusta Box recipe! (I forgot to take a photograph of the bag of crisps with the chicken, sorry!)
I received a packet of the Salsa & Mesquite chips and I decided they would be the perfect ingredient to use in this months Degusta Box recipe! (I forgot to take a photograph of the bag of crisps with the chicken, sorry!)
Who doesn't love fried chicken? Not me, that's who! I adore the stuff, and if I can cut down the fat and hassle a tiny bit by oven frying it, so much the better.
I know that any calories saved by deep frying will have been absorbed by the use of potato chips in the coating, but . . . meh! It's Christmas!
This is sooooo easy to make as well. It's as simple as dipping the chicken in egg and milk and then shaking it in a bag of crush potato chips. Onto the baking tray . . .
And in due course you are rewarded with the most delicious oven fried chicken ever! Of course you can use any flavour of potato chips you wish, but these Salsa & Mesquite ones added an extra dose of spice and flavour to this delightfully tasty chicken!
It was sooooooooo GOOD! Tasty! Tasty!
Potato crisps/chips make the perfect crispy topping for oven fried chicken. I have used the new Kettle Cooked Salsa and Mesquite potato chips here for a nice and smoky tex mex flavour, but you can use whatever flavour of potato chips you wish! They're all decadently gorgeous!
1 large free range eggs, beaten with 2 TBS milk
150g bag of potato chips, crushed (about 2 cups crumbs)
8 pieces of chicken thighs/drumsticks
salt and black pepper to taste
cooking spray/mister
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ gas mark 5. Line a baking sheet with aluminium foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
Place the beaten egg and milk into a bowl and the potato chip crumbs into a bag for shaking. Roll the chicken pieces in the egg/milk and then shake them in the bag of potato chips to coat. Place presentation side down on the baking tray. Spritz with some cooking spray. Discard any beaten egg mixture and leftover crisp crumbs. (Alternately, save the remaining crumbs and sprinkle them over the chicken when you flip it over halfway through the baking time. You must still discard the egg.)
Bake for 20 minutes. Flip them over and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
Note: I did drumsticks and thighs. Breasts would not require the same amount of cooking time. I would cut it in approximately half the time. Chicken is done, once again, when the juices run clear.
*Salsa and Mesquite Oven Fried Chicken*
Serves 4 to 6salt and black pepper to taste
Note: I did drumsticks and thighs. Breasts would not require the same amount of cooking time. I would cut it in approximately half the time. Chicken is done, once again, when the juices run clear.
I have always had a love affair with Buffalo Chicken Wings! I just love those flavours . . . the spiciness of the hot sauce, the richness of the chicken . . . the slight vinegar tang, the butter . . . the blue cheese. What's NOT to like about all that??? I can't find anything not to like either!
I confess I am a really naughty girl and I just adore fried chicken. Thankfully it is not something which we have very often, even though I do love it so, and I find that more often than not we have it in the form of this oven fried chicken, which isn't necessarily less fattening, but a lot less trouble. I think it's every bit as tasty. Seriously. My kids used to love it when I made this when they were growing up.
One of the things I like most about chicken is that it's a beautiful canvas for just about anything you put with it, lending itself to all sorts of flavor combinations. One of my favourites is this maple and mustard glaze, which melds with the chicken juices to create a sauce that is finger licking/lip smacking delicious!
I was going through my old tin recipe boxes the other day and found this recipe for a Chicken Pot Pie that someone had written down for me years and years ago but which I had never tried. I think it may have been the little old lady that I boarded with when I first left home to go out to work, but I can't be sure. I only know that it was tucked away in the old tin recipe box that she had given me when I left her boarding house to get married.
This may not look like much, but don't let the way it looks put you off. If you only make one chicken dish this week . . . let this be the one! It is absolutely wonderful!
I've been food blogging for about 10 years now I reckon. I did a number of years on AOL Journals, moving over to blogger and my blog called A Year From Oak Cottage when they closed the AOL Journals in 2007. That blog was food for the soul and the tummy. It is now called And Then We All Had Tea. (Tales from an almost Island)
In 2009, I began the English Kitchen, wanting a separate spot for my cooking and recipes that was totally dedicated to food and all things foodie alone and nothing else. The rest is history.
I love the food blogging community. I have made some really brilliant friends via this medium. Sharing food with people has always been like one of the ultimate ways of sharing the love with one another, breaking bread together.
One of my favourite food blogging friends is April, who has the sweetest blog called Dimples and Delights. She always calls me her mentor, but I have to say it's always worked both ways because . . . just as I may have inspired her at times, she always inspires me too.
I was on her page the other day and she had this fabulous recipe for Baked Honey Mustard Chicken and as soon as I saw it I knew it was something I just had to cook and so I did.
Her's called for cooking some onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil first and then putting them in the casserole dish as a bed for the chicken pieces.
It worked wonderfully. I lay the chicken on top of it, poured that lovely honey mustard sauce over top, covered it with foil and baked it as per April's instructions.
The end result was utterly fabulous. Delicious moist chicken, with wonderful pan juices that are fabulous spooned over top . . . tasting of honey and mustard, with a slight onion and garlic and herby undertone that was oh so delicious.
Adapted from a recipe found on Dimples and Delights who was inspired by Good Life Eats. This is delicious.
2 1/2 to 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast fillets, cut in half crosswise
4 tsp melted butter, divided
85g of grainy Dijon mustard (1/3 cup)
85g of smooth Dijon mustard (1/3 cup)
115g of liquid honey, plus 2 TBS (1/3 cup plus 2 TBS)
1 medium red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into half moons
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
a few springs of fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat
the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Place the onions into a large
glass baking dish, along with the chopped garlic and thyme. Drizzle 2
tsp of butter over top. Cover with cling film and cook on high in the
microwave for 2 and a half minutes. Remove, uncover and set aside.
Whisk
together both mustards, the honey and the remaining 2 tsp melted
butter. Place the chicken breasts on top of the sliced onions. Season
to taste with some sea salt and black pepper. Spoon the honey mustard
mixture over top of the chicken. Cover tightly with foil and roast in
the oven for 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and uncover.
Baste the chicken with the honey mixture. Return to the oven,
uncovered and cook for a further 20 to 25 minutes, basting every 8
minutes or so, until the chicken tests cooked through and is nicely
glazed. Serve hot with some of the sauce spooned over top.
I love the food blogging community. I have made some really brilliant friends via this medium. Sharing food with people has always been like one of the ultimate ways of sharing the love with one another, breaking bread together.
Whilst we may not actually sit together at a table (unless we are very lucky and can afford to travel or live close to each other) we do kind of the same thing with each other when we share our recipes and cooking experiences together.
One of my favourite food blogging friends is April, who has the sweetest blog called Dimples and Delights. She always calls me her mentor, but I have to say it's always worked both ways because . . . just as I may have inspired her at times, she always inspires me too.
I may be old enough to be her mother, but we share so many things in common . . . the Gospel, our love of family, gardening, travel and Cockers . . . and that ultimate loving experience . . . food and recipes.
I was on her page the other day and she had this fabulous recipe for Baked Honey Mustard Chicken and as soon as I saw it I knew it was something I just had to cook and so I did.
She was inspired to cook hers by another food blogger . . . she inspired me to cook it . . . and like all things we always tweak the recipes a tiny bit don't we. So here is April's inspired recipe tweaked by me into quite a tasty dish indeed.
Her's called for cooking some onions and garlic in a bit of olive oil first and then putting them in the casserole dish as a bed for the chicken pieces.
I am a tad bit lazy and so I just put the onions and garlic in the baking dish, along with the herbs and a knob of butter, cut into bits, covered it with some cling film and microwaved it for a minute or so.
That way I saved on the washing up and stove mess . . . and it was all done in the one dish.
It worked wonderfully. I lay the chicken on top of it, poured that lovely honey mustard sauce over top, covered it with foil and baked it as per April's instructions.
The end result was utterly fabulous. Delicious moist chicken, with wonderful pan juices that are fabulous spooned over top . . . tasting of honey and mustard, with a slight onion and garlic and herby undertone that was oh so delicious.
I served this with rice and a veg on the side and we were all really pleased with the results, so much so that what I thought was going to last us for two meals only lasted us for one. Some things are just that tasty. C'est la vie!!
a few springs of fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Following on from yesterday's post on a Chinese Combo Plate Number Nine, here are the delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls which went along with the Beef and Broccoli which I cooked for us the other day.
If you go to a Chinese Buffet (in Canada at least ) these are the first things to disappear! Followed closely by the won tons and the chicken wings!
I have been making these delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls since the late 1970's, which reminds me of a really funny story about them.
I have been making these delicious Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls since the late 1970's, which reminds me of a really funny story about them.
Haha funny, not the other kind. My ex used to love these chicken balls and I often made them for him.
We had an electric deep fat fryer which I used to cook them in, and I used to use a paper grocery sack to shake them in and get rid of any excess fat when they were done.
We had an electric deep fat fryer which I used to cook them in, and I used to use a paper grocery sack to shake them in and get rid of any excess fat when they were done.
One night I was making some of these for a snack. When you are in your early 20's you can eat almost anything for a snack without gaining weight. Well we could at any rate.
We often made a pizza or a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese as a snack in the evening. We would eat it all and then go to bed without any indigestion keeping us up all night.
Imagine that!
Back to the chicken balls.
Back to the chicken balls.
I had just shook them in the paper sack when the young lad from a couple of doors down came in. We used to organize teen dances with him for charity, so he often came over to talk to my husband.
I can remember him standing in the kitchen talking to my ex and knocking the ashes off the end of his cigarette into the paper sack holding the chicken balls. Of course I was so shy and hesitant in those days I didn't have the courage to tell him what he was doing.
So my ex did not get his chicken balls that night at any rate!
This was the same young lad whom my husband caught sitting in our car in our garage necking with his girl friend one night as well.
This was the same young lad whom my husband caught sitting in our car in our garage necking with his girl friend one night as well.
You know those days . . . nobody locked anything. We were not afraid of being robbed or stabbed in our sleep . . . we were so trusting.
Now . . . again . . . back to the chicken balls.
These might look like they are a lot of work, but really they are not.
These might look like they are a lot of work, but really they are not.
There is a simple sauce that you can make well ahead of time if you wish.
Then there is a simple batter that you just mix your chicken breast chunks in.
It's quite a thick batter, and it may not look like it's going to do anything, but trust me, once those balls hit the hot fat it balloons out and you end up with lovely crisp coated little bites of chicken.
It's quite a thick batter, and it may not look like it's going to do anything, but trust me, once those balls hit the hot fat it balloons out and you end up with lovely crisp coated little bites of chicken.
Each crisp batter balloon contains moist little nuggets of chicken breast.
The batter is light, fluffy and delicious. Oh, so yummy.
This sauce is perfect . . . with just the right balance of sweet and sour and a nice colour.
This sauce is perfect . . . with just the right balance of sweet and sour and a nice colour.
It would go well with won tons and other things also . . . dumplings, spring rolls, etc.
It's just a really nice sauce. I think you will like it.
The two together are just gorgeous, and when you combine these with that lovely Chinese Beef and Broccoli which I showed you yesterday . . .
The two together are just gorgeous, and when you combine these with that lovely Chinese Beef and Broccoli which I showed you yesterday . . .
Well, you have a fabulous meal indeed! Inexpensive and easy to make and one which is a real family pleaser.
*Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
This may seem a bit convuluted and lengthy, but if you are organized, it happens quite quickly and it worth every ounce of effort. These are as good as any you might find in a restaurant. You can make the sauce the day before and just reheat it when you need it.
For the sauce:This may seem a bit convuluted and lengthy, but if you are organized, it happens quite quickly and it worth every ounce of effort. These are as good as any you might find in a restaurant. You can make the sauce the day before and just reheat it when you need it.
1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
You will also need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
oil for frying
To
make the sauce, whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar and both
sugars in a saucepan. Whisk together the water/juice and the corn
flour until well blended. Whisk this vigorously into the ketchup
mixture. Place over medium high heat and cook, whisking constantly
until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Cook for several minutes, then
set aside and keep warm. If you are making it the day before or
earlier in the day, pour it into a sealable container and refrigerate.
Reheat gently when you are ready to serve.
Combine
the flour and corn flour for the chicken balls in a bowl, along with the
baking powder, soda, seasoning salt, garlic powder and sugar. Whisk
in the water to make a thick batter, whisking vigorously. You want a
thick batter which will cling to the pieces of chicken, but you don't
want it too thick., it should flow somewhat. If you need to you may
add a little bit more water at a time to get the right consistency. It
should be like extra tacky glue. Add the chicken pieces, stirring them
in with your hand and making sure that all are well coated with the
mixture.
Heat about 4 inches of oil in a large heavy
saucepan or a deep fat fryer, to 190*C/375*F. Carefully add the coated
chicken pieces a few at a time (I add about 12) and fry them in the hot
oil, stirring occasionally until they are golden brown, about 4 to 5
minutes. If they are browning quicker than that your oil is too hot.
Scoop them out onto some kitchen paper toweling and keep warm while you
cook the rest.
For the egg fried rice, I simply followed this recipe, leaving out the pineapple and the chicken.
Serve immediately with the warm sweet and sour sauce. For the egg fried rice, I simply followed this recipe, leaving out the pineapple and the chicken.
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@aol.com
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