Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Delicious Mains. Show all posts
At the weekend I thawed out what I thought was some chicken leg quarters, but what ended up to be chicken drum sticks. I remember when I first moved into my place there was a good special on whole roasting chickens so I bought a couple of them and cut them up into pieces for freezing.
This is actually quite an economical way to buy and eat chicken. $15 might seem like a lot to pay for a chicken, but when you break it down into pieces it becomes much more reasonable.
One small roasting chicken will give you four chicken breast quarters, two drumsticks, two thighs, two whole unsplit wings and pieces to make soup such as the back and center breast.
For a person living on their own, that equates to about 6 meals, which is a great economy. Anyways, I must have cut up two chickens so when I thawed the package out there were four drumsticks in the package. Just enough for two hungry eaters, or four small eaters. (depending on what you choose to serve with them)
I confess the drumstick itself has never been one of my favorite parts of the chicken. I favor the thigh or the breast, and always the wing. I am not sure why that is.
I had to cook them though. I was actually really pleased with the results. They were tender, juicy and flavorful. Perfectly cooked. I ate two on the day and then stripped the other two to make Chicken Fried Rice the day after.
They really were perfectly cooked. The skin nice and crisp. The meat juicy.
They were also very well flavored with a nice mix of seasonings and spices. Garlic, onion, paprika, oregano, salt, pepper and chipotle chili for a bit of a spark. I would even go to far as to call them finger licking good!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BAKED CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS
Its very simple really. There is nothing complicated here. You can amp everything up to feed more if you wish, but quantities are given for four drumsticks, enough to feed two people.
- 4 chicken drum sticks (bone in, skin on)
- 1/2 TBS paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp oregano flakes
- 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 TBS light olive oil
Do make sure you use the powders for the onion and garlic, and not the salt. Using salt would make them far too salty. I did use sweet paprika.
Chipotle chili powder is a bit smoky, which is a nice touch, but you can use regular chili powder if that is all you have. I used leaf oregano. If you have powdered oregano, cut the quantity in half at least.
It truly is much cheaper to buy whole chickens and cut them up yourself. I have been doing this for years. Its really very easy when you have a good pair of kitchen scissors and some good knives.
I keep saying I am going to do a tutorial here on how to do that and I never get to it. Watch this space! It is something which I learned how to do in college and I have been doing it ever since.
Once you learn how to cut up your own chickens you will never look back. Trust me on this. In the meantime you can get some excellent instructions on how to do that here.
There is even a video, which is more than you will get here. I wish I did know how to do videos, but alas, I don't.
HOW TO MAKE BAKED CHICKEN DRUMSTICKS.
Nothing could be easier really. You could apply this method to any cut of chicken although the times would vary greatly.
Small bone in chicken breasts will take 40 minutes (large 50).
Small bone in thighs will take 35 minutes (large 45)
Small bone in legs will take 40 minutes (large 55)
The important thing is that the inside temperature measures 165*F/74*C at its thickest point, and the juices run clear.
For this recipe I am using just the drumstick portion. Begin by preheating your oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6.
Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
Mix together all of the seasonings and the oil. Rub this mixture into the chicken pieces, pushing some of the mixture underneath the skin where possible so that the flavors really penetrate.
Put the chicken onto the lined baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, turning them over at the halfway point.
They are done when they are golden brown and the juices run clear. They will measure a temperature of 165*F/74*C. The skin should be nice and crisp.
Serve whilst hot with your favorite side dishes.
On this particular day I had sweet potatoes and a mix of cauliflower and broccoli. It really was delicious. That is saying something coming from me who normally doesn't like this cut of chicken.
I really hope you will be inspired to want to try cooking your chicken pieces in this way. I think it will become a meal that your family requests often!
Baked Chicken Drumsticks (for two)
Yield: 2
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 45 Min
These chicken drumsticks are a nicely spiced, baked in the oven, and make for a delicious dinner option. Serve with your favorite vegetables for a simple and easy supper for two.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken drum sticks (bone in, skin on)
- 1/2 TBS paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
- 1/2 tsp oregano flakes
- 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 TBS light olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/200*C/ gas mark 6. Line a small baking tray with aluminum foil.
- Mix the oil and spices together. Rub these into the chicken all over. I use my hands and I try to get some under the skin without tearing the skin, making sure that all of the flavors really penetrate the chicken.
- Place the chicken drum sticks on the baking sheet and pop into the preheated oven.
- Roast for 40 minutes, turning the drumsticks over halfway through the bake time. When done they will be golden brown and the juices will run clear. Serve hot with your favorite vegetables on the side.
Have a wonderful day! Happy Cooking!
One thing which I always try to keep in my freezer are flat breads of some sort. You can get rectangular ones (like you see here) or round ones. I also like Lebanese Pita breads and Indian Naan.
Not only do they come in handy to serve with meals, especially soups, stews and tagines, but they also make fabulous pizza bases!
Today I used a rectangular one to make a Peanut Chicken Flatbread Pizza. I am not sure if this would be considered fusion cooking or not, but I like to think that it combines something Italian with something Thai.
I adore pizza. I adore Peanut Chicken. The two together? Fantabulous!
You could of course make your own pizza base or flatbread from scratch and there are no end to the recipes available to do just that. It all depends on what you are looking for.
For ease and speed, I highly recommend a good store bought one. This one is Presidents Choice Original flatbread. It is plain and simple and just the right size to feed four.
From there I slathered it with a delicious homemade Thai peanut sauce, topped it with some mozzarella cheese and a scattering of chicken breast cubes I had marinated and cooked in a Thai marinade.
I baked it and then finished it off with a scattering of chopped roasted peanuts and spring onions and I have to say, it was very delicious! Not to mention, very quick and easy to make!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PEANUT CHICKEN FLATBREAD PIZZA
The ingredients for this are actually quite simple, and if you are like me and keep an assortment of oriental condiments, etc. in your store cupboard, it won't take a special trip to the shops, but if it does, trust me when I say it is worth it.
For the chicken:
- 1 large free range boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp liquid honey
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
For the peanut sauce:
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 TBS sweet chili sauce
- 1 TBS hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup (80ml) water
- 1 1/2 TBS smooth peanut butter
In a pinch you can sub powders for the fresh garlic and ginger. I would use 1/4 tsp each of powdered ginger and garlic powder (not salt).
Also if you don't have sweet chili sauce, then you can make a suitable substitute by subbing 1 TBS plum sauce whisked together with 1/2 TBS sriracha sauce. It is pretty hard to find a substitute for hoisin sauce. I would try equal parts of BBQ sauce, molasses and dark soy sauce.
You will also need:
- 1 4-serving sized prepared flat bread (you can also use 2 medium naan bread)
- 2 TBS light olive oil
- 8 ounces (225g) grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 spring onion, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
- 3 TBS chopped roasted peanuts
You could use chopped coriander instead of the spring onions. (Cilantro) I happen to think that spring onion works perfectly here. I think also you want the mild flavor of the mozzarella cheese rather than another cheese. It melts beautifully, quickly and won't take away from the flavors of the other ingredients.
HOW TO MAKE PEANUT CHICKEN FLATBREAD PIZZA
This goes together very quickly and simply once you get each element sorted. You will have more peanut sauce than you need, but trust me when I say that you can drizzle the leftover sauce over the cooked pizza as desired and nobody will be complaining.
I could eat that sauce with a spoon and be quite happy.
Begin by preparing your chicken. Cut it into cubes. This is best done if the chicken is semi-frozen. You can get nice clean cuts. I cut mine into a 1/2 inch dice.
Whisk together the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl and pop the diced chicken into it. Leave to sit for about 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook until quite fragrant.
Whisk in the remaining ingredients, bring to the boil, and then simmer until it has thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the marinated chicken and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and cooked through.
Preheat your oven to 375*F. 190*C/ gas mark 5. Place your flat bread onto a baking sheet. Brush around the edges with the olive oil.
Spoon about 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce in the middle of the flat bread and spread it around up to the edges. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the peanut sauce. Scatter the cooked chicken pieces over top of the cheese.
Pop the baking tray into the preheated oven and bake until the cheese has melted, the crust is crisp and golden brown and the chicken is heated through.
While the pizza is baking chop your spring onions and peanuts for the topping.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let sit for a few minutes, then sprinkle the chopped peanuts and spring onions over top.
Cut into wedges to serve! Prepare yourself for praise and accolade, because you will surely receive them!! This is some good!!
Like I said, you can serve any additional peanut sauce for people to dip their pizza slices in, or you can drizzle it over top.
You could also cut it into smaller squares and serve it as appetizers or game night bites for your friends and family with sauce for dipping.
No matter how you decide to serve this one thing is for certain, everyone is going to love, Love, LOVE it!! I guarantee!!
Peanut Chicken Flatbread Pizza
Yield: 4
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 28 Min
Favorite Thai Peanut Chicken flavors on a flatbread pizza. This is incredibly deliciously moreish.
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- 1 large free range boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp liquid honey
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
For the peanut sauce:
- 1 tsp cooking oil
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 TBS sweet chili sauce
- 1 TBS hoisin sauce
- 1/3 cup (80ml) water
- 1 1/2 TBS smooth peanut butter
You will also need:
- 1 4-serving sized prepared flat bread (you can also use 2 medium naan bread)
- 2 TBS light olive oil
- 8 ounces (225g) grated mozzarella cheese
- 1 spring onion, trimmed, washed and finely chopped
- 3 TBS chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- First prepare and marinate your chicken. Whisk the soy sauce, honey and cornstarch together in a bowl. Cut the chicken into bite sized cubes. Add to the marinade in the bowl and leave to sit on the counter for about 10 minutes.
- To make the peanut sauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook until very fragrant. Add the sweet chili sauce, hoisin sauce, water and peanut butter. Whisk together until smooth. Simmer until thickened.
- Preheat your oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5.
- Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken. Sauté the chicken pieces until cooked through and golden brown. Set aside.
- Place the flat bread (naans) onto a baking sheet. Brush the edges with the olive oil. Spread about 1/2 cup of the peanut sauce over top of the bread evenly.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the peanut sauce. Scatter the cooked chicken over top of the cheese.
- Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven until the cheese has melted, everything is heated through, and the crust is golden brown around the edges.
- Remove from the oven. Scatter the spring onion and chopped peanuts over top. Cut into wedges to serve. Serve hot with or without additional peanut sauce for dipping if desired.
Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you come again!
I have to say that I am enjoying only having myself to cook for. I cook what I want to eat and eat when I want to eat.
If somedays I am really hungry I can cook something more hearty and on other days I can cook simple. I am happy both ways. I just hope that I am not being spoilt for being able to cook for larger groups of people or getting lazy in that respect!!
One thing I really enjoy making myself from time to time is this delicious Bread & Cheese Omelet. It is simple and yet in its simplicity it is magnificent!
One of the things I fell in love with when I first moved to the UK was fried bread. Bread fried in dripping or butter or deep fat. There was a restaurant in Chester where we would go sometimes for breakfast and fried bread was always on the plate.
Very naughty, but oh my word so delicious! I know it doesn't sound nice, but it is fabulous!
This simple Bread & Cheese Omelet is a bit of a riff on that idea, but not near as naughty. Very delicious though. I always love to enjoy a slice of hot buttered toast with my eggs, this omelet makes sure that you can!
Small cubes of a farmhouse style/rustic bread are fried in butter until golden brown and then incorporated into the omelet with some really good strong cheddar and finely chopped spring onion. Very simple ingredients, but done very well.
So well in fact that just looking at these photos today I am hungry to make myself another one today!! Oh boy!!
I won't of course, but I am sorely tempted. This is just so very delicious!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE BREAD & CHEESE OMELET
I can assure you nothing too far out of the ordinary at all, and if you choose quality ingredients to begin with, this really can't be beaten for taste satisfaction!
- a little butter
- 1 thick slice of farmhouse style bread
- (remove crusts and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1 TBS cold water
- dash of white pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 2 TBS grated strong cheddar cheese
I haven't specifically said how much butter to use. With the bread I used maybe 2 tsp. Just enough to coat the bread lightly and enable it to brown.
The bread itself, I used a sourdough white bread. But you can use any farmhouse type of a rustic loaf. I always remove the crusts.
I always like to use free range eggs, and brown eggs if I can find them. I refuse to support an inhumane industry. If you can buy them direct from a farmer you know for a fact treats his animals humanely so much the better.
You can't really trust 100% when eggs say that they are free range on the packages. Ideas of just what is free range differ greatly. Just do the best that you can. I think we bear a huge responsibility towards the food that we choose to put into our bodies.
We must be as kind when rearing our meat/eggs/milk as possible. We will one day be held accountable for not doing so. And as consumers we must do our part and need to support producers who rear/produce with a conscience as much as possible.
You can use minced chives instead of the spring onions, or even herbs but I like the sharpness of the spring onion.
Use a good cheddar. One that is filled with flavor. A good farmhouse one is best, but always a sharp or strong cheddar. There is only a tiny bit in this omelet, so you want one which will give you the best flavor that it can.
HOW TO MAKE BREAD & CHEESE OMELET
There was a cooking show over in the UK ( and indeed when I went for my screen test for a cooking how one time) where they had all the participants prepare a plain egg omelet. People overthink omelets. They really are quite easy to make.
Especially plain omelets.
If you follow the directions precisely you can be assured of success. Just don't try to hurry it. I think the worse mistake a person can make is to rush an omelet and have the heat up too high.
Make sure you heat is only high enough to make the butter foam and then add your egg. Your omelet will be perfect!
Melt a knob of butter in a small frying pan. Add the bread and cook, stirring occasionally until golden and crispy brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to some paper toweling and keep warm.
Beat the eggs with a little cold water, some white pepper and some of the onion. Melt some more butter in the heated pan.
Once it begins to foam, tip in the egg mixture. Add the fried bread and grated cheese.
Cook gently until set, and the bottom is lightly browned. Fold in half and slide onto a warm dish. Garnish with a bit more chopped onion if desired.
A simple supper yes, but in its simplicity one of the most delicious one you could cook. It needs no bells and whistles. This is perfect just as it is.
To round it out I would suggest serving a lovely green salad on the side with a simple vinaigrette dressing. You could not ask for a better meal than this!
Bread & Cheese Omelet
Yield: 1
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 20 Min
Simple supper fare. All you need is a salad to complete this tasty meal. Fluffy and delicious!
Ingredients
- a little butter (you decide how naughty you want to be)
- 1 thick slice of farmhouse style bread
- (remove crusts and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1 TBS cold water
- dash of white pepper
- salt to taste
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 2 TBS grated strong cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Melt a knob of butter in a small frying pan. Add the bread and cook, stirring occasionally until golden and crispy brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to some paper toweling and keep warm.
- Beat the eggs with a little cold water, some white pepper and some of the onion.
- Melt some more butter in the heated pan. Once it begins to foam, tip in the egg mixture.
- Add the fried bread and grated cheese. Cook gently until set, and the bottom is lightly browned.
- Fold in half and slide onto a warm plate. Garnish with a bit more chopped onion if desired. Serve immediately.
Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you come again!
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