Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
This is a chicken recipe which I have had to adapt since I moved over here to the UK. My kids always loved this chicken. It has wow flavours and is moist and tender, with a lovely crisp and flavourful skin.
The original recipe used dried Italian salad dressing mix (in its unmixed, dry form) along with brown sugar and some butter for dotting. We don't have dried Italian salad dressing mixes over here. It is possible to get it at a premium price from some sites which carry North American goods, but generally speaking it doesn't exist.
This chicken is really, really good however, and so I had to come up with a way to adapt it to what I could get over here because it is a chicken I just crave every now and then!
I combined a mix of herbs and powders to approximate the same flavours I might get from the dressing mix . . . garlic and onion powders, basil, oregano, thyme, salt and cracked black pepper . . . a bit of dried pepper flakes for some heat. All the flavour, but none of the preservatives.
It actually might even be better than using the dry mix because of that. This mixture gets mixed with some brown sugar and then sprinkled over bone in, skin on chicken thighs, dotted with butter and baked until all those flavours penetrate the chicken and that skin gets all sticky crisp and finger licking good!
Sure, it's not a low fat kind of a dish, but once in a blue moon this makes a really tasty treat. You could use chicken breasts if you really wanted to, but be sure to cut the bake time way down, and of course you won't get that lovely crispy skin. You can also use one package of dry Italian Salad Dressing Mix if you want to instead of my combination of flavours. Just mix it in with the brown sugar as per the recipe and leave my additions out.
*Sweet and Spicy Chicken Thighs*
Serves 4 - 6
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a baking dish large enough to hold all your chicken pieces.
Mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, salt and black pepper. Rub this mixture into the brown sugar. Place the chicken pieces, skin side up into the baking dish. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture evenly over top. Dot with butter.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the skin is nicely crisped and the juices run clear. Serve hot with your favourite side dishes. We like rice and a green vegetable with this.
I think this is sure to become one of your favourites as well. If it doesn't well . . . there is just no accounting for taste eh? We are all different. Bon Appetit!
Oh dear, chicken two days in a row. Forgive me! I had some chicken breasts that I wanted to use up and I did not want to freeze them, so here you go, chicken two days in a row. Two very different prepartions however! But, this is also somewhat light and healthy and perfect for a light summer supper!
I don't know how it works, but slicing chicken breasts in half horizontally always seems to tenderize them, and of course it quickens the cook time, so this is also a supper that is very quick to put on the table!
The only faffy part is the pané-ing of the chicken. ( A fancy French word for breading.) But even that isn't too difficult.
I use a vegetable peeler to cut my carrots into ribbons. They give a nice look. I also de-seed the tomatoes for this type of salad, when you don't want the tomato seed/juices diluting the dressing.
There's plenty of Parmesan cheese in the breading and then again in the dressing . . . giving it a lovely creaminess that goes very well with the tartness of the lemon. Lemon and Parmesan . . . a brautiful combination.
You can really stream-line things by using store bought breaded chicken if you wanted something really fast, but I happen to think those types of things are pretty tasteless. I would rather bread my own . . . .
You can also use a ready-mix of salad leaves, but again . . . I mix my own. I would rather do it myself, wash it myself, mix it myself. I find those store mixed leaves have a rather odd taste to them, and they don't last very long either. It seems you no sooner open a pack and they are going off! In any case. Give this a go. I think you will really like it.
*Crispy Chicken Salad*
Serves 4
Cut the chicken breasts horizontally into two pieces each. Pound lightly between some cling film. Season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the flour for the chicken into a shallow bowl. Whisk the egg in another shallow bowl. Combine the bread crumbs and cheese in another shallow bowl. Dip each chicken first into the flour, shaking off any excess, then into the egg and then into the breadcrumb mixture, pressing firmly to coat well on each side.
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a baking sheet.
Heat
half of the oil and butter together in a large skillet. Once the
butter begins to foam, add half of the chicken pieces. Fry until golden
brown on both sides, taking about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the
baking tray. Wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining chicken
and oil/butter. When all have been browned and placed onto the baking
tray, pop the tray into the heated oven and cook for a further 6 to 8
minutes until cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Make
the dressing by whiksing the lemon juice, garlic, cream, cheese and
seasoning together until smooth. Whisk in the olive oil slowly until
creamy. Set aside.
Mix the salad ingredients together
in a bowl. Add half of the dressing and toss to coat. Divide between 4
chilled plates. Top each with a portion of chicken and drizzle the
chicken with a bit more dressing. Serve immediately.
This was beautiful enjoyed out on the patio beneath the umbrella with a nice breeze ruffling the hair. Todd is not such a salad freak, but I added a baked potato for him and he was happy. Bon Appetit!
There is magazine I have been buying recently called Food to Love. Its filled with triple tested recipes from the Australian Women's Weekly. I love the recipes in it. They're interesting and to be honest, delicious. In the June issue they had a recipe for Spicy Chicken Burgers that was ticking all my boxes!
It uses mini chicken fillets (chicken tenders) which have been marinated in some harissa paste. Well, actually . . . the original recipe doesn't really marinate them, but I wanted the flavour to stick, so I let them stand for half an hour after I mixed them with the paste so that the flavours really got into the meat.
You could also use boneless chicken breast cut into strips . . . or even boneless chicken thighs. Both would work very well.
Then again, it might not be something that bothers you. So easy peasy, just leave it on. The marinated chicken is quickly fried in a lightly greased skillet until golden brown on both sides. Make sure you don't over cook them. They only need about 2 1/2to 3 minutes per side, if that. They will continue to cook for a bit when you take them out of the pan.
Other than that you only need some toasted brioche buns . . . some beetroot hummus. (I LOVE HUMMUS!) some fresh baby spinach leaves and some ribboned cucumber.
The hummus gets topped with some fresh baby spinach leaves and then you pile on the cooked chicken filets and the thinly ribboned cucumber. I use my potato peeled to cut the cucumber into thin strips. Altogether this was quite, quite delicious and so quick and simple to make!
*Spicy Chicken Burgers*
Serves 4
(Remember harissa is quite spicy)
1 tsp olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
4 burger buns, split (I like brioche buns)
A dollop of garlic mayonnaise also goes well on top of the chicken and cucumber, or even sweet chili mayo if you are feeling really adventurous!!!
Now that's what I call one heck of a delicious burger! Todd ate his with a knife and fork. Me . . . I'm common, I just piled on the top bun, picked it up and dug in. Yum! YUM! Bon Appetit!
I love chicken wings and I know I am not alone in this. They are always the first thing to disappear on buffet tables, and I know that at the Chinese All You Can Eat Buffet back home, they are really hard to get your hands on. People just inhale them!
Chicken wings are a relatively inexpensive cut of chicken to buy. You can usually but big packs of them for not a lot in comparison to other cuts. Mind you they are mostly bone, but that's okay. The meat on them is succulent and delicious.
I used to buy lots of large packs of chicken wings when my children were growing up. It was one way of feeding my hungry lot for not a lot of dosh! I used to just season them all over and bake them long and slow and they were delectable.
This recipe here today is a simple one, and so tasty. It makes a great starter for those summer get togethers with your friends and family. The chicken has a lovely zippy flavour that goes wonderfully with that creamy blue cheese dressing.
You do need to start them the wings marinating the night before you make them to impregnate them with the most flavour that you can. They are spicy but not overly so. I would say they are just right.
I am not a fan of food that bites back. Your food should never be so hot or spicy that you can't tastte what you are actually eating.
These are just right. You get a nice amount of heat and spice without it being over the top. Of course if you want yours even hotter, you can add more spice if you like.
*Spicy Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing*
A starter for 4
Put the chicken into a large zip lock bag. Combine the
marinade ingredients and pour over the chicken in the bag. Zip the bag
closed and squelch the chicken around in the bag to coat. Place on a
plate and leave in the refrigerator to marinate overnight, giving them a
squelch around every now and then.
Whick all of the ingredients together for the dressing. Be judicious with the salt as the cheese is salty. Taste and adjust as required. Place into a covered dish and chill until needed.
When you are ready to cook, bring the chicken to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 140*C/300*F/ gas mark 1. LIne a large baking tray with a double layer of foil. Tip the wings out onto the tray in a single layer and poru over the marinade. Cook for 2 hours, turning them every now and again to make sure they don't stick and dry out.
Serve heaped on a platter with the bowl of dressing so everyone can help themselves.
You can also use minced a minced fresh red chili pepper if you want, just discard the ribs and seeds, prior to mincing (and wear gloves!), or you can use crushed chili pepper flakes. All work well. Bon Appetit!
We had the best news ever yesterday about my husband's cancer. The radiation did its job and it has been eradicated.
We celebrated after seeing the specialist by enjoying an egg custard tart a piece in the hospital cafe, and then we came home and I made my husband one of his favourite dinners. Chicken and Dumplings!
You will need cooked chicken to make these. I had actually roasted a chicken the day before so that I would have plenty to make this dish, just in case!
You could also poach some chicken breasts, use a rotisserie chicken, whatever works for you!
My husband is not a hard man to please. He is a simple man with simple tastes and he was in heaven when I set a bowl of this in front of him.
Literal heaven. He just loves chicken and dumplings!
I love them too, and not just because they are delicious. I also love them because they are a really simple supper to make.
You just make a simple chicken stock gravy and drop in the cooked chicken, and then drop buttery dumplings on top, cover and steam. Easy peasy.
The hardest part really IS keeping yourself from peeking while the dumplings are cooking. Trust me when I tell you that is the quickest and easiest way to ruin a good dumpling.
Just throw caution to the wind, pop that lid on and have patience and faith that they will turn out!
Remember . . . If you be looking the dumplings ain't cooking! Its a total truth. DON'T look, not even for a second.
Your patience and self control will be rewarded by light and fluffy dumplings . . . so tasty nestled in a bowl of that delicious chicken stew. Dig in! Supper is served!
*Chicken & Dumplings*
Serves 4 Stir in the flour
and cook for a few minutes to cook out the flour taste. Slowly whisk
in the warm stock, and cook, stirring until the mixture bubbles and
thickens. Let cook on a slow simmer for about 15 minutes at which time
the vegetables should have softened nicely. Taste and adjust seasoning
with salt and black pepper.
I can't think of a better reason to celebrate than the good news we got from the hospital, can you? We were both well over the moon.
This was the perfect celebratory meal. Much nicer than anything we could have found in a restaurant and a heck of a lot cheaper! Bon Appetit!
Warming temperatures call for skillet suppers! You know the kind I mean. Suppers that you can cook all in one skillet on top of the stove. Suppers that don't heat up the whole kitchen, but will still satisfy hungry appetites! This dish today fits the bill perfectly.
Not only is everything cooked in the one skillet on top of the stove, but it is also done in about half an hour, which makes it a perfect weeknight supper, for those evenings when you have a lot going on, but not a lot of time to cook.
Colourful and delicious, this goes together in a flash and uses simple and uncomplicated ingredients. Chicken thighs . . . sure you could use breasts instead, they would work fine, but the thighs have so much more flavour . . .
Bacon lardons . . . chunk of smoked dry cured bacon. You could also use chopped streaky bacon if you wanted to, but I like the lardons . . . less fat.
Sliced baby leeks . . . frozen peas, tarragon . . . parsley. A bit of chicken stock and some seasoning. You can also use a bit of white wine if you have it, but if you don't that's okay, just use additional stock in it's place . . .
A touch of grainy mustard almost makes the sauce creamy . . . and a secret ingredient . . . finely shredded baby gem lettuce. Colour, colour, colour . . . I would call this green chicken, but that doesn't really sound as appealing as Skillet Chicken with Peas, Leeks and Bacon.
Quick. Easy. Colourful. Delicous. Well . . . what are you waiting for? Get cooking!
*Skillet Chicken with Peas, Leeks and Bacon*
Serves 4 generously
fine seasalt and coarse black pepper to taste
100g smoked bacon lardons (3 1/2 ounces)
60ml white wine (1/4 cup)
300g frozen baby peas (2 1/4 cups)
1/2 TBS grainy Dijon mustard
1 baby gem lettuce, shredded
a large handful of fresh tarragon, chopped
a large handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Heat the oil in a large flame proof casserole dish, or a skillet with a
lid over medium high heat. Season the chicken with salt and black
pepper. Add to the pan in batches and brown all over, removing the
pieces as they brown. Add the bacon and cook until crispy. Lower the
heat and add the leeks and cook until they begin to soften. Return the
chicken to the pan. Pour over the warm chicken stock and white wine.
Stir together and bring to a simmer. Cover and leave to simmer for
about 10 minutes, stirring after five minutes.
Uncover and add the frozen peas. Stir and cover. Leave to simmer
for a further 5 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through by now.
Stir in the mustard, lettuce, tarragon and parsley. Adjust seasoning
as required. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for several
minutes to wilt the lettuce and then serve immediately.
Note - you could also use other vegetables if you prefer, or if you have them. Asparagus cuts, green beans, sliced courgettes (zucchini), all will work very well. Its a very forgiving dish, and a great way to get in several of your five a day! Bon Appetit!
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