Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
I confess to being a huge fan of chicken wings. Back home at the local Chinese buffet the chicken wings were always my favourite dish on the menu, and I think everyone else's as well because between them and the sweet and sour chicken balls it was always hard to get any because the dish would empty almost as soon as it was filled!
We are a small family, Todd and I. Just the two of us and our Mitzie Doodle doggie who isn't supposed to eat human food. After having cooked for a huge family for many years, I now find myself facing the challenge of cooking for just the two of us. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind leftovers and I am an expert at using them up and making them interesting, but dishes built for two are also a good way to go in my kitchen.
I confess I have only ever really had Cassoulet once. It was when we were visiting my son in Canada and it was delicious. He's a good cook, and he's not afraid to try new things. He's always been that way. Normally Cassoulet contains duck and takes hours to prepare. This delicious casserole uses chicken thighs and tinned beans and uses only a fraction of the time of this traditional French stew.
Capers are an ingredient that I always, always have either in my larder or in the refrigerator. I just adore their tangy flavour and the flavour boost they give to dishes that they are used in! I had never ever heard of them prior to moving over here to the UK.
Mind you I hadn't discovered pizza until my late teens, nor Chinese food! I had a really limited experience with food when I was growing up.
It was all simple but good. Nothing fancy smancy, and I guess I carried that somewhat into my adulthood . . . with a few new discoveries along the way, of course!
Capers are the small flower buds of a Mediterranean shrub called Capparis . They are picked by hand which means they can be fairly pricey but they're a versatile store cupboard ingredient, and are good for adding a distinctive sour/salty flavour to many savoury dishes.
Also a little goes a long, long way flavour wise, so they are not a bad investment as they will keep virtually forever in the refrigerator so long as you keep the berries submerged in the pickling liquid if you have bought the pickled ones and salt is a natural preservative so the salted ones keep virtually forever as well.
Really small, peppercorn-sized capers, called 'nonpareille' are available, but the slightly larger ones are more common. Capers are preserved a number of ways - either in salt, wine vinegar, brine or olive oil. The brine-pickled type has the sharpest flavour and is slightly less versatile than the salted type. For a more sophisticated caper flavour, you can try the elegantly stemmed caper berries, which are a little milder and sweeter than the standard type. I have a bottle of those in the larder, which I have yet to use.
I have become so fond of them that I could eat them all on their own, like a pickle . . . it is handy to note that if you can't get capers, sour gerkins make a great substitute.
Really small, peppercorn-sized capers, called 'nonpareille' are available, but the slightly larger ones are more common. Capers are preserved a number of ways - either in salt, wine vinegar, brine or olive oil. The brine-pickled type has the sharpest flavour and is slightly less versatile than the salted type. For a more sophisticated caper flavour, you can try the elegantly stemmed caper berries, which are a little milder and sweeter than the standard type. I have a bottle of those in the larder, which I have yet to use.
I have become so fond of them that I could eat them all on their own, like a pickle . . . it is handy to note that if you can't get capers, sour gerkins make a great substitute.
They go really well with mild flavoured proteins such as chicken and mild flavoured fish . . . and they are great in tartar sauce! They actually help to bring out the best in these things . . . and when you mix them with lemon, it's a combination that just goes WOWSA in your mouth!
This dish here today is one of my absolute all time favourite chicken dishes. I could seriously eat it every night of the week . . . well, maybe not every night, but fairly often anyways!
The chicken is so tender in this . . . because it cooks so quickly and that sauce is just to die for. Buttery and lemony . . . with just the right amount of salty piquancy!
I just adore this and I think you will too. It's quick and easy and just fancy enough to be considered special . . . special enough for dinner party fare, I do declare!!
*Chicken Filets with a Lemon and Caper Sauce*
Serves 4
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces, divided
2 Tbsp finely chopped onion onion
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
75ml Chicken stock (1/3 cup
1 tsp sugar
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp parsley flakes
Kosher salt
pepper
2 heaped dessertspoons of non pareil capers, rinsed and drained
Chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (or use cutlets)
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
45g flour (about 1/3 cup)
Salt and pepper
olive oil
8 oz angel hair pasta, cooked and drained to serve.
Cut
the chicken breasts in half horizontally through the middle so that you
have 8 fillets. Put them in a plastic baggie, one at a time and pound
lightly to 1/4 inch thickness throughout. Season liberally all over
with salt and pepper. Mix together the parmesan cheese and flour.
Dredge the pieces of chicken in this until well coated. Set aside.
Heat
a swirl of olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Once it is
hot add the chicken and brown well on each side. (About 3 minutes per
side. Don't overcook) Remove to a plate and then keep warm in a low
oven.
Add
1 TBS of the butter to the pan. Reduce the pan to low heat. Add the
onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, add the garlic and stir
for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the chicken stock, sugar,
parsley flakes and lemon juice. Increase the heat and bring to the
boil. Cook until the liquid is reduced by about half. Turn the heat
down to very low. Start whisking in the butter a bit at a time, letting
it melt before adding more. The sauce should form a thick silky
emulsion. Stir in the capers. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
There is a definitive nip in the air these days. We are getting to the end of autumn days now and its time to break out the throws and light the fires.
These kinds of days call for comforting sustaining dishes like this delicious chicken stew, Chicken with Leeks & Butternut Squash. It's British Leek season now as well, so there really is no better time to cook this simple supper!
This is such a simple dish . . . with plenty of leeks and butternut squash. I have used chicken thighs which are perfect for oven braising.
There is also stock, herbs and barley. This is a really beautiful combination to be sure.
You just bang it all into a casserole and then let the oven do the work. I love meals like this.
Meals that you can just throw together and then cook in a casserole, or slow cooker, etc.
The chicken gets all tender and succulent. You can cut it with a fork.
It is juicy and so flavourful after having braised in the oven, soaking up all of those lucious flavours.
All you need on the side is a nice pot of buttery mashed potatoes and a nice pile of lightly herbed green beans.
I love these kinds of suppers, don't you? This is the colour and flavour of Autumn, right here. Soak it up.
*Chicken and Leeks with Butternut Squash*
Serves 6
Printable Recipe
Chicken and autumn vegetables simmered together in one deliciously hearty pot!
1 TBS olive oil
plain flour, salt and pepper
1 kg of boneless, skinless chicken thighs, each one cut into four chunks
1 pound of butternut squash (Peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks)
4 leeks, washed trimmed and thickly sliced
hot chicken stock
two small handfuls of pearl barley
2 small bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp savoury crumbled
Heat the olive oil in a large stove top/oven proof casserole dish over medium heat. Toss the chicken bits with the flour and seasoning to taste. Brown them all over in the hot oil. Add the butternut squash and leeks. Cook and stir until the leeks begin to soften. Add hot chicken stock to barely cover and the pearl barley. Add the seasonings. Bring to the boil, then cover and cook for several hours in a moderate oven, (180*C/350*F/ gas mark4) until the chicken, vegetables and barley are tender and the liquid has deliciously thickened. (About an hour and a half.) Remove the bayleaves and serve hot spooned out onto heated plates along with some buttery mashed potatoes and a green vegetable on the side.
This would make a great one pot meal for Bon Fire Night! Bon Appetit!
I had some leftover chicken to use up the other day, so I must apologise in advance for showing you yet another chicken recipe. I am sure you will soon tire of me and all my chicken.
Its just so affordable and in all honesty we each more chicken in this house than anything else. It's adaptable and makes for a delicious variety of delicious dishes like this tasty casserole!
I found the original recipe on Pinterest, attributed to Delicious as it Looks, but there are about a bazillion of these recipes floating about.
I made a few adaptations and changes to suit our tastes and to make it a tiny bit less calorific and fatty.
I added some cubed sweet potato. We like sweet potatoes and they are quite good for you, being filled with beta carotine and anti oxidents.
I cut waaaaay down on the butter used. The original recipe called for about 3 times the amount I used, and in all truth, I think (after having made it) you could cut it out all together.
I don't see that it really adds much of anything other than fat.
I had some baked ham in the fridge and so I added some of that chopped instead of bacon or Canadian bacon. Again, lower in salt and fat. Also instead of cream I used low fat evaporated milk.
It worked very well. I added some hot pepper sauce for extra flavour and used a lower fat cheese which helped to keep the fat content down as well. I chose to use all of the spring onion, for flavour, instead of just the tops.
Altogether this was really, really delicious. I served green beans with it and it went down a real treat! It felt and tasted indulgent.
Next time I may add a few other vegetables as well and cut down on the potatoes. Scrummy yummy!
*Loaded Chicken and Potato Casserole*
Serves 2 - 3
A delicious potato casserole that I adapted from another site. I tried to cut down on the fat and make it a bit healthier.
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 heaping teaspoon sugar
3 heavy dashes ground black pepper
1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/4 (60ml) cup heavy whipping cream (Or 1/4 cup (60ml) low fat evaporated milk)
2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes2 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, poached and cut into cubes
2 TBS chopped baked ham or Canadian Bacon, or bacon bits
1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese (120g)
1 heaping cup shredded cheddar cheese (120g)
2 spring onions, sliced
Butter
a 9 inch square baking dish. Lightly spray with low fat cooking
spray. Place the cubed potatoes and sweet potatoes into the dish in an
even layer. Cover with plastic cling film. Microwave for about 3
minutes. Remove from the microwave. Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/
gas mark 4. Sprinkle the chicken over top of the potatoes. Sprinkle
on the Canadian bacon/ham/bacon bits.
Sprinkle with the
spring onions and half of the cheese. Whisk together the salt, sugar,
black pepper, hot pepper sauce and cream/evaporated milk. Drizzle with
the cream mixture. Cover tightly with foil. Bake in the preheated
oven for 35 to 40 minutes and then uncover and sprinkle with the
remaining cheese. Bake for a further 10 to 15 minutes, until the
potatoes are fork tender and the cheese is nicely melted. Serve hot.
I hope you will forgive me for showing you yet again another chicken casserole. If you are like me you probably don't think you can ever have too many chicken casserole recipes or tasty ways to use up leftovers! Bon Appetit!
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After his hospital procedure today I wanted to make Todd something he would really enjoy for his tea. Apparently he was talking about stew and dumplings in the operating theatre and how good my stew is that I make. I didn't have any stewing beef or lamb in the house, and no way of getting to the shops to get any, but I did have some leftover cooked chicken, and another of Todd's favourites is a nice and creamy soup. I had found this recipe on the net the other day and thought it looked pretty good and so I decided to make it, but with a few adaptions.
I thought I would make us some chicken tacos for tea the other night. But not just any Chicken Tacos. Thai Chicken Tacos. They are one of our favourites!
I love Thai food. I was introduced to it by my friends Jo and Colin one time when they were visiting. I fell in love at first bite!
This a tasty recipe I adapted from an issue of Canadian Living Magazine, which my friend Monique sent me a few years back.
The picture on the cover of the magazine was a variety of fresh tacos and I could not wait to get stuck into making at least one of them.
The first time I made these Tacos was when I was in Canada and I made them for my daughter and myself. It was love at first bite!
I love a good taco and these were no exception.
The original recipe was actually called Lemongrass Chicken Tacos and likened them to Vietnamese, but I felt they were more like Thai flavours.
I have adapted it a bit to what I am able to get ingredient wise and what we like to eat. The flavour is fresh and clean and well . . . quite scrummy!!
The chicken is first marinated in a tasty mixture of herbs and other ingredients and then flash grilled until it is nicely crisped and browned on the outside . . . and moist and tender on the insides.
Topping them is a deliciously fresh cucumber salad, which was fabulous in it's own right, adding a beautiful touch of crunch and colour. I like crunch and colour, don't you?
We just love these. They are tasty, different and colourful. They are also quite healthy, easy to make and dare I say it . . . quite addictive. You can't eat just one!
Enjoy!
For the Tacos:
2 TBS lemon grass paste (Or freshly grated lemon grass)
2 TBS packed light brown muscovado sugar
1 TBS Thai fish sauce
1 TBS canola oil 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp garlic paste (or 2 cloves, minced)
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 TBS coriander paste (or to taste)
8 soft flour tortillas (6 inch)
a handful of chopped roasted peanuts
For the Cucumber Salad:
2 tsp seasoned rice wine vinegar1 tsp granulated sugar
1/2 of an English cucumber, sliced into thin half moons
2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
Whisk the lemon grass, brown sugar, fish sauce, half of the canola oil, the sesame oil and garlic paste together in a large bowl. Wipe the chicken thighs and remove any visible fat. Place them into the bowl with the lemon grass mixture, turning them to coat on all sides. Allow to marinate for about 20 minutes. Heat the remaining oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, turning once, cooking until the juices run clear. Cut into slices diagonally.
While the chicken is cooking whisk together the vinegar and sugar. Toss in the cucumber and carrot sticks. Set aside. Heat the tortillas according to the package directions. Add the coriander paste to the chicken and toss to distribute it evenly. Divide the chicken mixture evenly amongst the heated tortillas, topping with the cucumber salad and some chopped peanuts. Serve immediately.
Bon Appetit!!
Sometimes you just crave the flavours of a roast chicken dinner, but you don't want to wait to roast a whole chicken in order to get it. Or maybe you are only a few people and you want a roast dinner, but don't want all of the hassle of it and the leftovers. This recipe today solves both of those issues and is totally delicious, simple to do and a very easy and economical dinner fix!
This is a delicious dish that I like to make every now and again. My husband really loves it, but then again he is somewhat of a pie man.
I like to make my own pies and whilst this isn't like your traditional type of pie, it is still very satisfying and quite, quite tasty!
It uses a ready made baking mix. You can of course buy the store bought kind, but I tend to make my own and keep it on hand in the freezer. (I bring it to room temperature prior to using) I will give you the recipe for it below.
It also uses a tin of condensed cream soup. You can also make that from scratch if it bothers you to use a tin, but as for me, I am not really bothered.
The soup makes a delicious gravy for this and I like it. I'm not a tinned soup snob like some people are. It was something that I had as a child and it never killed me yet!
In fact, I would go so far as to say that I love some tinned soups better than homemade . . . specifically Heinz Tomato Soup.
To me that tastes of comfort and home and my childhood and there just is no substitute for that!
This chicken pie is so much easier than a conventional chicken pie. The ingredients are simply layered in a buttered casserole dish and baked.
First on the bottom there is shredded cooked chicken, which gets topped by some minced onion and then some cheese . . .
Next comes a layer of vegetables. I always use a frozen mix, but you can cook fresh if you are not pressed for time.
I like the country mix which has peas, carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, but you use whatever is your favourite.
I can't eat corn so I have to avoid any vegetable mix with corn in it.
The vegetables are topped with a batter that you make with the baking mix and then a mix of soup and stock is poured over all. You don't need to stir anything together.
Just layer it and then pop it into the oven. About three quarters of an hour later and presto chango, just like magic you got a delicious chicken pie!
One good thing to note also is that this recipe can successfully be cut in half. Because there are only two of us I do that all the time and it works great.
Cut in half it makes enough for us to enjoy together for one meal and then my husband enjoys the leftovers the day after.
Its really delicious, simple and easy to make. I hope you'll give it a go! We love it! All you need is a salad or something like a salad on the side!
*Magic Chicken Pie*
Serves 6 
This is so easy to make. I like to keep mine in the freezer, but you can keep it at room temperature for several months.
700g plain flour (5 cups, all purpose)
This makes a great midweek, family pleasing supper! Bon Appetit!
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