Showing posts with label Poultry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poultry. Show all posts
Chicken Cutlets with Sage, Lemon & Butter. This is a delicious recipe to make using fried chicken cutlets.
We eat a lot of chicken in this house. It's fairly in-expensive, and we just like it. We don't eat a lot of red meat actually, saving it for a rare treat like the odd pork chop, lamb chop or steak . . .
I only buy free range chicken. I made a conscious decision several years back that I would only eat responsibly reared and sourced meat, fish and poultry.
I only buy free range chicken. I made a conscious decision several years back that I would only eat responsibly reared and sourced meat, fish and poultry.
It means that we have really cut down our consumption of those things because well . . . responsibly reared and sourced products cost more, and I would rather pay a bit more and eat protein like that a little less often.
This is a chicken that has really come home to roost in recent weeks (no pun intended) as we have come to learn that a great deal of our meat products, specifically those used in ready meals, beef burgers, etc. have been contaminated with horse meat and who knows what else . . .
This is a chicken that has really come home to roost in recent weeks (no pun intended) as we have come to learn that a great deal of our meat products, specifically those used in ready meals, beef burgers, etc. have been contaminated with horse meat and who knows what else . . .
Its a nasty business all round. I have nothing against eating horse if that is what you choose to do . . . but when I pay for beef, I expect to be eating beef. In France you see dedicated horse meat sections in the grocery shops. That's great if that's what you want to eat.
I don't really want to eat it and I don't like thinking that we have been tricked into doing so without our knowledge. Not that I eat a lot of grocery store beef. I don't. All the more reason not to.
This recipe here today is a delicious way to make two large single chicken breasts stretch to deliciously feed four people.
This recipe here today is a delicious way to make two large single chicken breasts stretch to deliciously feed four people.
Yes, four people, and nobody will feel like they have been shortchanged, just so long as you use decently sized chicken breasts.
The magic happens when you slice each breast into two pieces and then gently pound them out flat.
The magic happens when you slice each breast into two pieces and then gently pound them out flat.
They are then simply pan grilled and a delicious sauce is made using quite simply . . . sage, butter and lemon.
Delicious served with rice and peas. I cheated today and used a pouch of mushroom rice, but any rice will do.
Delicious served with rice and peas. I cheated today and used a pouch of mushroom rice, but any rice will do.
Really I'd love to have them with pasta, but you know . . . the Toddster, he's not so fond . . .
*Chicken Cutlets with Sage, Lemon & Butter*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Quick, simple and delicious. One of my favourite ways to prepare chicken.
4 TBS plain flour
2 large chicken breasts cut into 4 escallopes
(Cut them in half lengthwise through the middle into two
long thin pieces)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS butter
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 tsp freeze dried sage leaves
the juice of half a lemon
Place your chicken cutlets between two sheets of cling film and bash them gently to flatten them out a bit. Dust them lightly with flour, patting it on and shaking off any excess. Heat the oil and 1/2 of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
*Chicken Cutlets with Sage, Lemon & Butter*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Quick, simple and delicious. One of my favourite ways to prepare chicken.
4 TBS plain flour
2 large chicken breasts cut into 4 escallopes
(Cut them in half lengthwise through the middle into two
long thin pieces)
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 TBS olive oil
2 TBS butter
1 fat clove of garlic, peeled and bruised
1 tsp freeze dried sage leaves
the juice of half a lemon
Place your chicken cutlets between two sheets of cling film and bash them gently to flatten them out a bit. Dust them lightly with flour, patting it on and shaking off any excess. Heat the oil and 1/2 of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat.
Once it begins to
foam, add the chicken and brown lightly on both sides, seasoning it to
taste with some salt and black pepper.
Add the garlic and the sage to
the pan along with the remaining butter. Squeeze in the lemon juice
and let it bubble up a minute. Serve immediately with some of the
lemony juices spooned over each cutlet.
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.
I cooked a turkey at the weekend . . . some might say somewhat of an indulgence, but I was so unwell at Christmas this year we hadn't really enjoyed our Christmas Dinner very much and so . . . I wanted roast turkey. Nothing special . . . just the same way I always roast it . . . my favourite way . . . which you can see here. Simple and delicious.
I wanted to use up some of the leftovers today in a casserole. I wanted something completely different than the usual turkey curry or pot pie . . . and so I went searching and I found this delicious recipe on Clover Lane. I thought it sounded very different . . . and quite, quite delicious.
Plus it had the added benefit of using up a lot of my other leftovers . . . such as mashed potatoes, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. I do so love cranberry sauce in a casserole . . . and stuffing.
You layer half of the leftover stuffing on the bottom and the other half on the top . . . in between are sandwiched chopped cooked turkey, spread with a delicious cranberry mayonnaise.
On top of the turkey meat and sauce goes a delicious mixture of leftover mashed potatoes, mayonnaise and mozzarella cheese . . . then of course the finalopping of stuffing.
It is an unusual combination to be sure . . . but it works together beautifully. Perhaps it is not so pretty to look at, but I can promise you that in this case, looks are very deceiving . . . as this is probably one of the most delicious turkey casseroles I have ever tasted!
It's probably a little bit of bad timing now . . . as it's not Christmas or Thanksgiving . . . but this is one you will want to bookmark for sometime when you do have these kinds of leftovers . . . or of course, you could always use the leftovers from a tasty roast chicken dinner, which would also taste very well done this way.
Enjoy.
*Turkey Casserole*
Serves 4 to 6, depending on appetites
Printable Recipe
A delicious casserole which is easy to put together and helps to use up leftovers from your roast dinners.
4 cups of prepared stuffing, divided
4 cups of coarsely chopped leftover cooked turkey (about one pound)
3/4 cup of good quality mayonnaise, divided
1/4 cup of whole berry cranberry sauce
2 cups of leftover mashed potatoes
1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 190*C/375*F/ Butter an 8 inch square casserole dish. Spoon half of the stuffing mixture into the bottom of the dish and spread it out to cover. Sprinkle with the turkey pieces. Whisk together 1/4 cup of the mayonnaise and all of the cranberry sauce. Spread this mixture over top of the turkey. Beat together the remaining mayonnaise, the mashed potatoes and the mozzarella cheese. Spoon this over top of the turkey, spreading it over to cover. Sprinkle the remaining stuffing over top.
Bake for 40 minutes, or until bubbling and heated through. Allow to stand for 10 minutes or so before serving. Delicious!
I think that the one protein we eat most of all in this house is chicken, followed closely by fish and then only rarely do we eat red meat. Quite the opposite of when I was growing up where beef was the protein of choice and fish and chicken only rare treats.
I can still remember how excited we would be when my mother would make us Maryland Fried Chicken Breasts for supper, an occasion which happened at the very most possibly twice during the year. Oh my, how delicious it was . . . she would dip the chicken breasts into egg and cracker crumbs and then fry it until it was golden brown and oh so tasty. We always had it with mashed potatoes and gravy. Luvy Jubbly, as Del Boy would say.
I think chicken is much more affordable now than it was when I was growing up. I believe it was Herbert Hoover who promised Americans that if he became President there would be a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage. This was back before the Great Depression. I know not if he succeeded in putting a chicken in every pot . . . but he did become President. I strongly suspect that he didn't, as the great Stock Market Crash of 1929 plunged the world into financial chaos just seven months later, and he was not elected for a second term. Oh the fickleness of politics.
I do so love chicken though . . . It's incredibly versatile and so easy to prepare. It lends itself to a multitude of flavours and methods of preparation. Most of all I love it roasted . . . so that the skin gets all crisp and somewhat sticky . . . whilst the meat inside stays moist and tender.
This is a fabulous method of roasting chicken quickly. It involves removing the back bone and flattening it prior to roasting at a high temperature. The lemon flavour comes in via a rub of lemon zest, sugar and salt which you gently rub beneath the skin of the breast and the thigh . . . and in the delicious braising liquid which is poured around the chicken as it roasts.
The braising liquid is then defatted, reduced and slightly thickened to produce a delicious sauce which is spooned over this tender chicken to serve. Do not mistake it for gravy. Gravy it is not. It is a rich and luscious sauce which just makes something which is so very simple . . . extraordinary!
*Roast Lemon Chicken*
Serves 3 to 4
Printable Recipe
Bake this in an enamel roasting pan, as using an aluminum pan may cause an off flavour from the lemon juice. Deliciously tender chicken with bright fresh flavours.
1 (3 1/2 to 4 pound) whole chicken, giblets removed and discarded
the finely grated zest of 3 large lemons, plus 80ml of lemon juice (1/3 cup)
1 tsp sugar
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
500ml of low sodium chicken broth
water
1 tsp corn flour
3 TBS butter
1 TBS finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Preheat the oven to 230*C/475*F/ gas mark 8. Have ready a large enamel roasting tin.
Pat the chicken dry and then using sharp kitchen scissors, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. Flatten out with the palm of your hand, pressing it down firmly, and tucking the wing tips behind the back. Using your fingers, very carefully loosen the skin covering the breast and thighs. Combine the lemon zest, sugar, and 1 tsp of salt in a small bowl. Rub 2 TBS of the zest mixture beneath the skin of the chicken. Season all over with salt and pepper on the outsides and transfer to the roasting tin.
Whisk the broth, 1 cup of water and the remaining lemon zest mixture together in a beaker. Pour into the roasting tin around the chicken. If the liquid doesn't reach the skin of the thighs, then add a bit more water. Roast in the heated oven until the skin is golden brown and the meat juices run clean when gently pricked with a fork. This will take 40 to 45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
Pour the liquid from the pan along with any chicken juices into a saucepan. (you should have about 375ml/1 1/2 cups) Skim off any fat and discard. Cook over medium high heat until it reduces to about 250ml/1 cup. Whisk the corn flour together with 1 TBS of water and whisk into the saucepan, whisking constantly and simmering until it thickens slightly. Remove from the heat, whisk in the butter and parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. Carve the chicken and serve, passing the sauce at the table.
This past weekend I picked up a beautiful roasting chicken at the Chester City Indoor Market. We are so lucky to have an indoor market here in our lovely city.
I decided to roast it using my favourite recipe for roasting chicken, which is one that I have adapted from a recipe I found in Rachel Allen's book, Rachel's Food for Living.
*Lemon and Herb Stuffed Roast Chicken*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe
A moist and delicious perfectly roasted chicken, stuffed with a fabulous lemony herb bread stuffing. Fabulous.
1 large free range roasting chicken (between 3 1/2 and 5 pounds in weight)
a knob of softened butter
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few thyme leaves
the juice of half a lemon
375ml of chicken stock (1 1/2 cups)
For the Stuffing:
2 TBS butter
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves
the finely grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
the juice of 1/2 lemon
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
100g of fresh soft white bread crumbs (about 1 3/4 cup)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
6 medium potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
2 TBS flour
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a nice deep roasting pan.
Melt the butter for the stuffing in a skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring over low heat, without browning, until it is meltingly soft, about 10 minutes. Tip in the herbs, lemon zest, lemon juice and bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to cool completely. (Safe the squeezed lemon carcass)
Place your chicken into the roasting pan. Stuff the cavity lightly with the bread stuffing. Slather the chicken breast all over with a knob of softened butter. Sprinkle with some sea salt and black pepper and a few thyme leaves. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over top. Place the lemon carcass into the roasting pan around the chicken along with the one you used for the stuffing. Scatter the peeled vegetables around the base of the chicken. Sprinkle lightly with some salt and herbs. Pour about half the chicken stock around the chicken and vegetables.
Roast for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, basting with the pan juices and turning the vegetables over halfway through the baking time. When done the juices should run clear from the chicken when pierces between the thigh and the breast and the legs should feel quite loose when gently twisted. Remove from the oven. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pan to a serving platter. Loosely tent with foil to keep warm. You will want it to rest for about 20 minutes now, while you make the gravy and cook any additional vegetables.
To make the gravy, pour the pan juices out into a measuring jug. Pour a bit of boiling water in the pan and scrape up any juicy browned bits. Pour this into the measuring jug. Spoon about 2 TBS of the fat from the jug into a saucepan. Discard the remainder of the fat. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the pan juices, whisking until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly. Season to taste. Allow to simmer over low heat for a few minutes to get rid of any flour taste.
Serve the chicken sliced, along with some of the gravy, stuffing and roasted vegetables, and of course any other vegetables you have prepared.
We love to have carrots and peas with this! Boring I know, but very tasty.
Other than a few odds and sods, there is not much you can't get there . . . cheeses, eggs, fresh produce, baked goods, fish, meats and poultry. There is literally everything there and all reasonably priced and all out of the elements, dry and warm.
I decided to roast it using my favourite recipe for roasting chicken, which is one that I have adapted from a recipe I found in Rachel Allen's book, Rachel's Food for Living.
I just love Rachel Allen's recipes. They are not too fiddly and well written, and I have always been able to adapt them to my own methods and tastes.
It helps when you are going to roast a chicken to have a really good chicken to begin with. I love buying my roasting chickens from a butcher.
They are normally air dried which means that the skin gets really crisp and flavourful . . . not like a grocery store chicken which has spent days sweating under plastic cling film.
They may not be as pretty to look at as the grocery shop chicken . . . but there is no real comparison when it comes to taste . . . a free range Butcher's chicken just plain tastes better. It tastes like chicken is supposed to taste.
I don't change a thing when it comes to Rachel's lemon and herb stuffing.
It is her mother's recipe and pretty hard to beat . . . soft bread crumbs, gently softened onion, butter, herbs . . .
lemon, both the zest and the juice . . . and of course salt and pepper. It doesn't get much better than that.
I love to rub my roasting chickens with lots and lots of butter. It just gives it a nice colour and flavour and I sprinkle it with plenty of sea salt, black pepper and some more of the thyme which was used in the stuffing.
Now here's where I vary from her method. I like to cut up potatoes and sweet potatoes (if I have them) and lay them around the chicken in the roasting dish.
I dot them with some of the fat which I have pulled out from the inside of the chicken . . . and of course season once again with more salt and pepper and a few sprigs of herbs.
A few hours later we are rewarded with a beautifully roasted chicken, with lovely crisp skin and meltingly tender roasted potatoes . . . not to mention that delicious lemon and herb stuffing.
You can't get much better than that!
You can't get much better than that!
*Lemon and Herb Stuffed Roast Chicken*
Serves 4 to 6
Printable Recipe
A moist and delicious perfectly roasted chicken, stuffed with a fabulous lemony herb bread stuffing. Fabulous.
1 large free range roasting chicken (between 3 1/2 and 5 pounds in weight)
a knob of softened butter
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a few thyme leaves
the juice of half a lemon
375ml of chicken stock (1 1/2 cups)
For the Stuffing:
2 TBS butter
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tsp chopped fresh sage leaves
the finely grated zest of one unwaxed lemon
the juice of 1/2 lemon
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
100g of fresh soft white bread crumbs (about 1 3/4 cup)
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks
6 medium potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
2 TBS flour
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Have ready a nice deep roasting pan.
Melt the butter for the stuffing in a skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring over low heat, without browning, until it is meltingly soft, about 10 minutes. Tip in the herbs, lemon zest, lemon juice and bread crumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow to cool completely. (Safe the squeezed lemon carcass)
Place your chicken into the roasting pan. Stuff the cavity lightly with the bread stuffing. Slather the chicken breast all over with a knob of softened butter. Sprinkle with some sea salt and black pepper and a few thyme leaves. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over top. Place the lemon carcass into the roasting pan around the chicken along with the one you used for the stuffing. Scatter the peeled vegetables around the base of the chicken. Sprinkle lightly with some salt and herbs. Pour about half the chicken stock around the chicken and vegetables.
Roast for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, basting with the pan juices and turning the vegetables over halfway through the baking time. When done the juices should run clear from the chicken when pierces between the thigh and the breast and the legs should feel quite loose when gently twisted. Remove from the oven. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pan to a serving platter. Loosely tent with foil to keep warm. You will want it to rest for about 20 minutes now, while you make the gravy and cook any additional vegetables.
To make the gravy, pour the pan juices out into a measuring jug. Pour a bit of boiling water in the pan and scrape up any juicy browned bits. Pour this into the measuring jug. Spoon about 2 TBS of the fat from the jug into a saucepan. Discard the remainder of the fat. Heat over medium heat until bubbling. Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute. Slowly whisk in the pan juices, whisking until the mixture begins to bubble and thicken slightly. Season to taste. Allow to simmer over low heat for a few minutes to get rid of any flour taste.
Serve the chicken sliced, along with some of the gravy, stuffing and roasted vegetables, and of course any other vegetables you have prepared.
We love to have carrots and peas with this! Boring I know, but very tasty.
Crispy Chicken Breasts with a Honey Garlic Sauce. When I was a much younger woman, I was very fond of the Honey Garlic Chicken Wings and Spareribs at our local Chinese Restaurant. The flavour of the sauce was delicious and the wings and ribs just seemed to soak it up.
Not so healthy for you though . . . all that fat from the chicken skin and the pork spareribs . . . it makes me shudder to think of it now.
I have come up with a delicious alternative, and whilst they are still fried, I believe them to be a somewhat healthier alternative to the original.
I have come up with a delicious alternative, and whilst they are still fried, I believe them to be a somewhat healthier alternative to the original.
Please don't burst my bubble.
They have a delicious spicy coating.
They have a delicious spicy coating.
You double dip them into the spiced flour and beaten egg, which helps to make the coating nice and crisp, yet keeping the chicken inside moist and tender.
The sauce is a perfect balance of sweet, hot, salty and garlic. We love it.
The two together are absolutely delicious. You could of course cut your breasts into fingers or use tenders instead, but this would increase the fat content considerably.
The two together are absolutely delicious. You could of course cut your breasts into fingers or use tenders instead, but this would increase the fat content considerably.
We like these just the way they are.
Sticky rice and a green vegetable are wonderful partners.
*Crispy Chicken Breasts with a Honey Garlic Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Crispy coated moist chicken breasts served with a restaurant quality honey garlic sauce. Delicious!
4 free range boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the coating:
100g plain flour (1 cup)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 TBS ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme ( grind 2 tsp thyme with a mortar and pestle)
1 tsp powdered sage
1 TBS sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
You will also need:
2 medium free range eggs, beaten
2 TBS water
oil for frying
For the sauce:
250ml of liquid honey (1 cup)
60ml of low salt soy sauce (1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 tsp gourmet garden garlic paste
(alternately use 3 cloves of garlic, crushed)
Take your chicken breasts. Rinse them in running water, dry and then pound each of them to an even 1/2 inch thickness between two sheets of plastic cling film.
Whisk together all of the coating ingredients. Place them into a shallow pie pan. Beat together the eggs and water in another shallow pie pan. Dip the chicken breasts into the flour mixture, patting it to help it adhere. Dip them into the egg mixture and then into the flour mixture again, pressing so that the flour sticks well. Set aside to dry while you coat all the chicken breasts.
Place the liquid honey, soy sauce, pepper and garlic paste into a small saucepan. Heat gently to a low simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then keep warm.
Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet until quite hot. Fry the chicken breasts two at a time in the hot oil, frying them for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp, and yet still moist inside. Place on paper kitchen toweling to help to absorb any excess fat. Keep warm while you cook the other two chicken breasts. Drain them on paper toweling as well.
Serve the Crispy Chicken hot with some of the honey garlic sauce spooned over top. We like this with a green vegetable and some sticky rice.
*Crispy Chicken Breasts with a Honey Garlic Sauce*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
Crispy coated moist chicken breasts served with a restaurant quality honey garlic sauce. Delicious!
4 free range boneless, skinless chicken breasts
For the coating:
100g plain flour (1 cup)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 TBS ground ginger
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme ( grind 2 tsp thyme with a mortar and pestle)
1 tsp powdered sage
1 TBS sweet paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
You will also need:
2 medium free range eggs, beaten
2 TBS water
oil for frying
For the sauce:
250ml of liquid honey (1 cup)
60ml of low salt soy sauce (1/4 cup)
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 tsp gourmet garden garlic paste
(alternately use 3 cloves of garlic, crushed)
Take your chicken breasts. Rinse them in running water, dry and then pound each of them to an even 1/2 inch thickness between two sheets of plastic cling film.
Whisk together all of the coating ingredients. Place them into a shallow pie pan. Beat together the eggs and water in another shallow pie pan. Dip the chicken breasts into the flour mixture, patting it to help it adhere. Dip them into the egg mixture and then into the flour mixture again, pressing so that the flour sticks well. Set aside to dry while you coat all the chicken breasts.
Place the liquid honey, soy sauce, pepper and garlic paste into a small saucepan. Heat gently to a low simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then keep warm.
Heat 1/2 inch of vegetable oil over medium-low heat in a large skillet until quite hot. Fry the chicken breasts two at a time in the hot oil, frying them for about 4 minutes per side, until golden brown and crisp, and yet still moist inside. Place on paper kitchen toweling to help to absorb any excess fat. Keep warm while you cook the other two chicken breasts. Drain them on paper toweling as well.
Serve the Crispy Chicken hot with some of the honey garlic sauce spooned over top. We like this with a green vegetable and some sticky rice.
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
There is something intrinsically soul enriching about a pot of homemade chicken soup. Something which speaks to the very essence of our being and at once nourishes as much as it comforts. Homemade chicken soup is like a nice warm hug in a bowl. I love it.
My mom has always been the consummate soup maker in the family. She has always been able to make soup out of absolutely anything . . . and it's always fabulous. Everything I know about making soup . . . I learned holding on to her apron strings. When my marriage broke up some 14 years ago . . . I was living in a rented room in a strangers house . . . not a very nice time for me. I was feeling very much unloved and estranged from my family. It was early in the Canadian Winter . . . and I had a horrible cold. I was sick, sick, sick. My mom showed up with some of her homemade chicken soup and a hug and I instantly felt better. Mom's and chicken soups . . . they just go together . . . kinda like peas and carrots.
They be perfect medicine for whatever ails you. December this year has been a challenging month in many ways, not the least of which has been my mother being diagnosed with Lung Cancer . . . I'll be flying home to be with her soon . . . but in the mean time it is really hard to be so far away. She who has always sustained me . . . is in need of some sustenance herself. I am entering that stage of life which we all have to go through . . . that time where the child now becomes the parent . . .
My good friend April posted this fabulous soup recipe on her blog, Dimples & Delights the other day, and it was just the perfect thing for me to fall upon . . . just like a warm hug from a friend, which I very badly needed. Sustenance for the soul. It looked so good. I just knew I had to make it . . . April is like a breath of fresh air to me. We have never met in person, but I just adore her. We have become kindred spirit friends, and even though I am old enough to be her mother . . . the scales of age just fell away from the get go . . . we be sistas! I love it when that happens . . . it is a rare and beautiful thing, that instant connection.
I made her soup for us yesterday and . . . at the risk of sounding like a mama bear . . . it was just right . . . it was delicious . . . and very much like a warm hug. I felt the love . . . beautiful. The best part of all is it's delicious AND easy . . . and as you all know by now . . . I am a rather lazy person. I had to make a few adaptions due to a lack of availability of ingredients here in the UK. We don't get frozen egg noodles here, in fact . . . I have never seen any kind of egg noodles here. I used potato gnocchi in stead.
They enabled me to keep the integrity of the original recipe and also please my pasta hating husband. Somehow he doesn't see gnocci as being pasta . . . and he loves a thick soup and this is just thick enough to be very pleasing to him.
In all to me . . . it was just like chicken pot pie . . . in soup form. Wonderfully comforting and beautifully tasty! Thanks April! I know you think I could teach you a thing or two about cooking . . . but I want you to know that you have a few tricks up your beautiful sleeve to teach me too.
I love it when a friendship is a give/give thing, don't you? Friendship, love . . . and comfort in a bowl. What a fabulous combination!
*Chicken and Gnocchi Soup*
Serves 4
Printable Recipe
A delicious soup based on a recipe from my good friend April. It's mostly her recipe but with a few twists of my own due to unavailability of certain ingredients.
2 to 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 large brown onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 to 3 sticks of celery, washed, de-stringed and chopped
3 to 4 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds, about 1/4 inch thick
1 medium leek, trimmed, washed and cut into rounds (white and light green parts)
6 to 8 cups of chicken broth (I used the Knorr chicken stock pots, 3 in number plus 1 1/2 litre of boiling water)
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour
1/2 tsp dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper
salt to taste (probably not necessary)
fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
a couple large handfuls of potato gnocchi (1/2 of a 500g (1 1/4 lb) packet)
Place the chicken breasts in a pot along with the chicken stock pots and water. Bring back to the boil, then reduce to a slow simmer and simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, just until cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside. Strain the broth through to a clean jug. Shred the cooked chicken and reserve. Wash the pot and then return to the stove. Add the butter and allow it to melt over medium low heat. Add all of the vegetables, the dried thyme and some black pepper and a bit of salt. Give it all a good stir, Cover tightly and sweat over low heat until the vegetables are becoming tender. It may be necessary to add a TBS of the reserved stock from time to time. You do not want the vegetables to brown, just soften. Once the vegetables are softened, sprinkle the flour over top and stir it around. Cook for about 1 minutes and then ladle in the remainder of the reserved stock, stirring as you go. Bring back to the boil and then throw in the potato gnocchi as well as the shredded chicken. Simmer until the potato gnocchi float to the top. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary. Scatter with some chopped parsley and serve in heated bowls to enjoy! We had ours with some crusty bread. Scrummo! Thanks April!
Do hop on over and give her a nod! Tell her I sent you! I guarantee you will love what you find. Dimples & Delights
These next few weeks are going to be very busy for most people. There's always a need for quick, and simple entrees that you can put together in a jiffy, and that don't cost a bomb to put together.
Quick and easy has to be better than a ready meal. You can have this delicious chicken dish on the table in about 20 minutes, so that's not bad at all.
I always have chicken thighs and breasts in the freezer. There is no reason you couldn't use boneless breasts for this.
I always have chicken thighs and breasts in the freezer. There is no reason you couldn't use boneless breasts for this.
Just know that they will cook a lot quicker, so you may have to remove them and keep them warm while you thicken the sauce up. Breasts cook in about half the time.
I am kind of partial to thighs though . . . they are quite flavorful and inexpensive, and they always come up tender and moist.
The sauce for this is simple. Just honey, lemon and chicken broth, cooked down to a sticky glaze, and while the chicken is cooking you can cook some bulgar (cracked wheat) which is not only healthy but goes perfectly with the chicken, adding extra fibre to the meal and a touch of nuttiness.
Honey . . . lemon . . . chicken . . . bulgar . . . simple, easy and tasty. All you need is a vegetable or salad on the side and dinners ready!
*Sticky Honey and Lemon Chicken*
serves 4
Printable Recipe
Fast and delicious.
8 boneless skinless chicken thigh portions
a knob of butter
flour to dust
the grated zest and juice of one lemon
300ml of hot chicken stock (1 1/4 cups)
100g of clear runny honey (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
150g of bulgar wheat (about 3/4 cup)
2 TBS chopped flat leaf parsley
Season the chicken pieces to taste and dust with flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the butter in a frying pan until it begins to foam. Add the chicken thighs and cook over medium heat until nicely browned on both sides about 5 minutes. Stir the lemon juice, half of the zest and the honey into the chicken stock. Pour this around the chicken pieces. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a quick simmer. Cook, flipping the pieces over now and then until cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. While the chicken is cooking add the bulgar into a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well, pressing out any excess water. Stir in the flat leaf parsley and season to taste. Divide between 4 heated plates and top each serving with two chicken thighs and some of the sauce. spooned over top. Sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest to garnish. Green beans are nice with this.
I am kind of partial to thighs though . . . they are quite flavorful and inexpensive, and they always come up tender and moist.
The sauce for this is simple. Just honey, lemon and chicken broth, cooked down to a sticky glaze, and while the chicken is cooking you can cook some bulgar (cracked wheat) which is not only healthy but goes perfectly with the chicken, adding extra fibre to the meal and a touch of nuttiness.
Honey . . . lemon . . . chicken . . . bulgar . . . simple, easy and tasty. All you need is a vegetable or salad on the side and dinners ready!
*Sticky Honey and Lemon Chicken*
serves 4
Printable Recipe
Fast and delicious.
8 boneless skinless chicken thigh portions
a knob of butter
flour to dust
the grated zest and juice of one lemon
300ml of hot chicken stock (1 1/4 cups)
100g of clear runny honey (1/4 cup)
salt and pepper to taste
150g of bulgar wheat (about 3/4 cup)
2 TBS chopped flat leaf parsley
Season the chicken pieces to taste and dust with flour, shaking off any excess. Heat the butter in a frying pan until it begins to foam. Add the chicken thighs and cook over medium heat until nicely browned on both sides about 5 minutes. Stir the lemon juice, half of the zest and the honey into the chicken stock. Pour this around the chicken pieces. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a quick simmer. Cook, flipping the pieces over now and then until cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. While the chicken is cooking add the bulgar into a saucepan of lightly salted boiling water. Simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well, pressing out any excess water. Stir in the flat leaf parsley and season to taste. Divide between 4 heated plates and top each serving with two chicken thighs and some of the sauce. spooned over top. Sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest to garnish. Green beans are nice with this.
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