Chimichurri Sauce may not be a sauce you are familiar with. Its a lovely lush and spicy sauce which hails from Argentina.
Its deliciously created from fresh herbs, vinegar, seasonings, red pepper flakes and plenty of garlic, and there is not much it doesn't go with!
Today I created Chimichurri chicken breast, but it goes with all sorts of grilled meats. Steak is a real favorite with me as well!
I adapted this recipe from one found in the cookbook entitled Seriously Simple, by Diane Rossen Worthington. Its a great book filled with lovely seriously simple recipes. I really enjoy my copy.
Most require nothing more than simple ingredients, cooking methods and cooking equipment. Simple flavors and foods done really well in a very simple way.
It doesn't get much better than that in my opinion!
Of course the star of this is the chimichurri recipe. Such a simple sauce, but the flavors are just wowza! I am sure once you have made it and tasted it, you will be able to think of all sorts of applications for it.
It is not only great as a sauce, but makes an excellent marinade as this recipe today expertly illustrates!
You do need to be fond of garlic however and a little bit of sauce goes a very long way as it is rather spicy. Because the garlic isn't cooked it has a bit of a bite! But trust me when I say it totally works just as is!
Diane says that the sauce got its name from the legend that British laborers working in Argentina saw bowls of this sauce and would say, "Give me curry," which over the years evolved into (as things do) "Chimichurri!" Makes sense to me!
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MAKE CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
First of all, the most important ingredient here is the food processor. You could use a mortar and pestle as well if you have one, but you can't beat a food processor for its ease of preparation!
- garlic cloves, peeled
- flat leaf parsley
- olive oil
- white wine vinegar
- water or chicken broth
- dried oregano
- dried parsley
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes (crushed chilies)
HOW TO MAKE CHIMICHURRI SAUCE
Nothing could be easier, especially with a food processor.
You will need to puree the garlic first. Simply peel it and pop it into the food processor. You then pulse it until it is very fine or as fine as you can get it. You then add the parsley leaves and pulse until they are finely chopped.
The original recipe called for a whole bunch of flat leaf parsley, just the leaves. I used approximately 1/2 a bunch, and yes, stripped the leaves from the stems. It doesn't really take that long.
Once you have the garlic and parsley minced, it is a simple matter of whisking in the remaining ingredients. You can also give them a quick whisk in by pulsing them in a few times in the food processor.
That's it your marinade and sauce is done! Do taste it to make sure you have enough seasoning.
HOW TO CUT UP A WHOLE CHICKEN
Cutting up your own chicken is a lot cheaper than buying store cut chicken and its really easy to do if you have a sharp boning knife and a set of kitchen scissors.
1. Lay the bird on its back. Wiggle a wing to determine where the joint attaches to the breast. To separate the wing from the breast, use a sharp knife to cut through the ball joint where it meets the breast. Repeat with the other wing.
2.Pull a leg away from the body to see where it attaches. To remove the whole leg, first cut through the skin between the thigh and the breast.
3. Continue to pull on the leg and wiggle it a bit to determine where the thigh meets the socket in the back. Use a boning knife or paring knife to cut through that joint. Repeat with the other leg.
4. Place each leg skin-side down. With your hand and knife, bend the leg to feel for the ball joint. That's where the drumstick and thigh are connected. Then, look for the thin line of fat that runs along the ball joint. Cut through the line of fat to separate the thigh and drumstick. Wiggle the joint as needed so it's easy to cut. Repeat with the other leg. I often just keep the thigh and drumstick together as a chicken quarter joint. Its up to you.
5. To remove the backbone, start at the head end of the bird and cut through the rib cage on one side of the backbone with kitchen shears or a sharp knife. Repeat on the other side of the backbone to remove it completely. (I like to reserve the backbone and neck for chicken stock.)
6.Now cut the breast into two halves. Place the breast skin-side down. To protect your hand, fold a kitchen towel and place it on top of a heavy, sharp knife. Use your weight to cut through the breast bone and cartilage down the center of the breast.
7. Now that you have two breast halves, if you think they are overly large, you can cut each breast half in half again, crosswise. The wishbone is located at the thick part of the breast. If you want, you can tease the meat away from the two pieces of wishbone using your hands and/or a sharp knife to scrape the meat from the bone.
The first time you cut up your own chicken it can be a bit intimidating, but once you have done it you will see how easy it is and each time you do it, it becomes that much easier.
It just makes sense to cut up your own when chicken is so expensive to buy already cut up. Why not line your own pockets with the cash rather than the grocery shop's!
I marinated and grilled skin on chicken breasts for this and I did push a bit of the marinade in between the skin and the breast as well when I was marinating them. This really got the flavors right in there.
You can use the chimichurri sauce on any cut of chicken however, so don't limit yourself. If you prefer thighs, then use them! I would do them boneless as well. I do like to keep the skin on when grilling as it helps to keep the chicken from drying out too much.
In any case I hope you will try this simple and delicious recipe. I would serve these with some lovely boiled and crushed potatoes and a vegetable on the side, or even rice. Something that will absorb all of those tasty juices! 😋
Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chimichurri Sauce
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 Mininactive time: 30 MinTotal time: 1 Hour
A wonderfully herby garlic sauce serves as both marinade and condiment to these delicious grilled chicken breasts. Amounts are for two, but can be doubled or tripled. You will need a food processor to make the sauce.
Ingredients
For the sauce and marinade:
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled
- a large handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves only
- 1/3 cup (80ml) olive oil
- 2 TBS white wine vinegar
- 2 TBS water or chicken broth
- 1/3 tsp dried oregano
- 1/3 tsp dried basil
- pinch of red pepper flakes
- salt and black pepper to taste
For the chicken:
- Two skin on boneless chicken breasts
- 1 1/2 TBS of the chimichurri sauce
- 1 TBS olive oil
Instructions
- First make the chimichurri sauce. You will need a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the garlic cloves and puree. Add the parsley and chop finely. Add the oil, vinegar, water or broth and seasonings. Process to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. It will be garlicky and spicy.
- Combine 1 1/2 TBS of the sauce with the olive oil in a bowl. Add the chicken breast to the bowl, turning to coat them. Marinate for half an hour at room temperature. (Alternately they can marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.)
- Preheat an outdoor grill, a grill pan, or an electric grill for medium heat grilling.
- Remove the chicken from the marinade and place onto the grill, presentation side down (skin side). Grill for 7 to 10 minutes. Flip over and grill for a further 7 to 10 minutes, until the chicken juices run clear. Timings depend on the size and thickness of your chicken breasts.
- Serve the breasts hot with the sauce on the side, ready for drizzling over them.
Notes:
This very versatile sauce goes with grilled steaks, lamb, pork or fish. It will keep for a few days, covered, in the refrigerator, but the parsley will not be as brightly coloured.
One of my favorite parts of any turkey dinner has been using up the leftovers. As a family we always enjoy a repeat of the dinner itself, with all of the trimmings the next day, but after that our interest wanes slightly in a further repeat.
That is when you need to get inventive. The sky is the limit. There is really no need to serve boring turkey leftovers!
One thing which my family always loved for me to make them after the holiday dinner was Turkey Enchiladas. You can find a recipe for my Green Chili Turkey Enchiladas here.
They are excellent although the ones I always made my children were red enchiladas and it was so simple to make them. I can't believe that I don't have a recipe on here for them.
It was an idea I got from an old Sunset Magazine many moons ago. They were pretty standard in our home after Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners!
The filling was really simple. You just sautéed a medium sized chopped onion and a clove of garlic in a tiny bit of oil and then added a can of chopped green chilis undrained and a large tin of chopped tomatoes, and about 3 to 4 cups of leftover chopped cooked turkey. Seasoned with some salt and pepper, that got simmered for about half an hour.
I used 8 inch round flour tortillas. I used to make my own and I would divide the sauce between about 10 of those, rolling them up. I always tried to leave a bit of sauce to spoon over top at the end.
The rolled tortillas got placed into a roasting/lasagna tin and I would spoon the remaining sauce over top and sprinkle lots of cheese over everything.
I covered the dish with tinfoil and baked them for about half an hour or so at about 350*F/180*C, uncovered and baked for about 15 minutes longer.
Oh boy but they were some good, served hot with some sour cream spooned over top and a sprinkle of chopped spring onion. My children loved them.
I never did make this recipe I am sharing with you today for them, but I am betting they would have loved this turkey chili recipe.
I used to make a vegetarian chili that they really liked, but I am sure they would have really enjoyed this rich and creamy white turkey chili even more! The appeal of it would have been heightened knowing it was only available twice a year!
This easy chili is creamy, rich, hearty and a tad bit spicy. You can adjust the spice according to how many green chilis you choose to add. I always like to add the whole can for 3 servings and if I double it well then, I add two!
If you can't get cans of roasted green chilis (and I couldn't in the UK) then you can roast a couple of green chilis in a hot oven and then peel and chop them. Alternately you can just trim and chop a couple of fresh green chilis and add them with the onion at the beginning!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE RICH & CREAMY WHITE TURKEY CHILI
Its very simple really. I bet you most likely have everything you need in the kitchen right now!
- onions
- garlic
- chicken stock/broth
- chopped green chilis
- fresh coriander/cilantro
- dried cumin and oregano
- cooked turkey meat
- tinned cannellini beans
- evaporated milk (NOT to be confused with sweetened condensed milk)
- cornstarch (corn flour)
- salt and pepper
As you can see really simple ingredients altogether.
If you haven't got evaporated milk you can use half and half or cream, but it will be a lot richer. I always keep tins of evaporated milk in my larder and often use it to replace cream in recipes.
You get the same amount of creaminess with way less fat and calories. I try to cut those back when and as I can!
HOW TO MAKE RICH & CREAMY WHITE TURKEY CHILI
Nothing could be easier or quicker to make for a midweek supper than this delicious chili! You begin by heating a small amount of oil in a saucepan. To this you add the onions and saute them just until they are softened.
You do not want them to color, just soften. The goal is to keep this rich soup/stew as white as possible. Once they have softened you can add your garlic. Again, don't color it, just soften it. You will know it is right when you can really smell that garlic fragrance. It doesn't take long!
Once you have softened the onions and garlic it is time to add your stock or broth, all of your herbs and seasonings, along with your canned green chilis. Of course if you haven't been able to procure the canned ones and need to use the fresh, you should add them with the onions.
For the broth I always use the Knorr gel stock pots. You can get them in chicken, beef or vegetable . They taste really good and are very convenient to have on hand. A stock concentrate, you just mix them with boiling water and reconstitute them.
You cook all of this for about 10 minutes to meld all the flavors and then you add the turkey and the beans, heating them through.
The evaporated milk lends the rich creaminess to this chili. Some of that gets mixed with a bit of cornstarch to be used as a thickener, which you stir into the chili and then you just add the rest. I like to cook it for a further 5 to 10 minutes just to make sure you have cooked all the taste of the cornstarch out.
You can of course enjoy it just as it is with cornbread or crackers or both, but I like to serve it with some rice and grated cheese, which makes it just that tiny bit more substantial. I can promise you ain't nobody going to be complaining about these leftovers!!
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Rich & Creamy White Turkey Chili
Yield: 3-4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 35 Min
Leftovers never tasted so good. Thick, creamy and delicious. If you don't have leftover cooked turkey, feel free to use cooked chicken.
Ingredients
- 1 TBS canola oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups (600ml) chicken broth
- 1 can of chopped green chilies, undrained
- 1 TBS fresh chopped coriander (cilantro)
- 1/2 TBS ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano
- 1 pound (about 2 cups) chopped cooked turkey meat
- 1 1/2 cups (345g)cooked cannellini beans
- about 1/2 cup of frozen corn kernels
- 1/2 cup of evaporated milk
- 1 1/2 TBS cornstarch
- salt and black pepper to taste
Suggested accompaniments:
- Cooked rice
- grated cheddar or Jack cheese
- chopped spring onions/scallions
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium sized saucepan. Add the onion and sauté until softened without coloring over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant and then add the stock, green chilies, cilantro, cumin and oregano. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes to allow the flavors to melt.
- Add the turkey, corn, and the beans. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.
- Whisk together 1/4 cup (60ml) of the evaporated milk and the cornstarch until smooth. Stir this mixture into the chili. Add the remaining milk and stir to blend in well. Cook for about 5 minutes bringing everything just to the boil.
- Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Serve not with your favorite accompaniments.
When I was a child, one of the favorite things that my mother would bake for us as a real treat would be a lovely homemade apple pie. I was looking on here for my mom's apple pie recipe at the weekend and I couldn't believe I had never shared it.
Being one not to let the grass grow under my feet, I decided to rectify that omission right away! You won't find a much better apple pie than this one.
It has always been a favorite pie with all of us, not only because it is delicious but for me also because it is a really easy apple pie recipe.
It is a recipe that she learned how to make at her own mother's knee so I guess you could also consider this to be just like Grandma's old fashioned apple pie. Apple pie really doesn't get much better than this.
For me this is the best apple pie because not only is it delicious, but it is also quick and easy to make and doesn't require any faffing about.
Pure and simple ingredients done well. That's always been my promise to you. I made my own crust for this, but you can also use a good store bought ready-rolled pastry if you wish, which makes it even easier.
When we were children my mother would make several of these in the autumn when the apples were ripe and ready to be picked. One would be eaten on the day and the other one would be frozen for us to enjoy later in the year.
You can't beat having something tasty like a baked apple pie in the freezer ready to haul out when you are in need of a dessert but can't be asked to cook! When you are ready to serve it, just take it out of the freezer and leave it on the counter to thaw out. You can reheat it gently in a moderate oven (350*F/180*C) to freshen it up a bit.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE AN APPLE PIE FROM SCRATCH
Simple, simple, simple . . . .
- peeled and sliced apples
- granulated sugar
- brown sugar
- cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves
- flour
- lemon juice
- butter to dot
- pastry for a 9-inch two crust pie
Some people like to add ginger to their apple pies. I don't and mom never did. Just plain old cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
WHAT KIND OF APPLES TO USE FOR AN APPLE PIE
Ideally you will want to use a combination of apples. I like to mix a tart cooking apple with a semi tart crisp eating apple. You don't want to use a really sweet apple or an apple that falls apart when it bakes. That lets out anything like a red delicious apple. They simply do not cook well.
My favorite combination are Granny Smith and Gravenstein. But you can also use Jonagolds, McIntosh, Cortlands, Honey crisp, Fuji, Braeburns, and Golden Delicious. All hold their shape well.
Combining several different kinds is your best bet. This makes for the optimum flavor when it comes to an apple pie. Granny Smith's can often turn to mush however, although I love their sweet tartness.
So do use Granny Smith, but don't allow it to be any more than 1/3 of the apples in your pie. So 2/3 one other kind and 1/3 Granny Smith.
HOW TO MAKE THE FILLING FOR AN APPLE PIE
There is no extraordinary skill needed. If you can peel core and slice an apple, you can make this filling.
Some people have fancy apple peeler/corers. I don't. I favor a good old fashioned paring knife. Yes, I am one of those people who tries to pare off as much apple in one go as I can. Its an old childhood game I have never lost touch with.
Once you have the apples pared and cored you will need to slice them into wedges no larger than 1/2 inch thick. I vary from 1/3 to 1/2. Variety is the spice of life.
Place them into a large bowl and toss them together with some lemon juice. The acid in the lemon juice helps to prevent them from turning brown. It does not make the pie sour. There is enough sugar in an apple pie to prevent that from happening.
I like to use two kinds of sugar, a granulated white sugar and light brown sugar. The two together give a wonderful flavor to the apples. You need to mix that with some flour and then the spices.
Mom never used ginger as I said. I don't think I would like ginger in an apple pie. I think ginger is far too strong a flavor and would upset the balance of flavors. You could add a touch of ground cardamom if you want. Cardamom has a slight lemon flavor to it that goes very well with apples.
This mixture gets tossed together with your apples in the bowl. The apples will give off a fair amount of juice while they are baking and the flour helps to thicken the juices for a much better finish and to help prevent a soggy bottom on your pie.
Nobody wants a soggy bottom on their pie.
I also like to dot butter over the top of the filling once I get it all into the crust. It adds an element of richness to the filling.
You may think that it is an awful lot of apples for the filling, but trust me when I say it is just right. They will cook down to roughly half the size, so it is much better to start off with it looking quite generous.
I always use my butter and lard pastry for pies like this. It is such a lovely flakey pastry that works wonderfully here. You can find that recipe here. You will have to scroll down the page about halfway.
Some people like their apple pie served warm. Some people like it served ice cold. I am somewhere in the middle. Room temperature works for me.
In the UK they eat their apple pie warm with custard sauce. In North America it is usually a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream. I love apple pie with a thin wedge of a good cheddar cheese. Oh my but that is heavenly bliss.
This is a pie that keeps very well at room temperature for several days. Any longer than that and I would refrigerate it, and of course it freezes very well.
When I bake an apple pie, it always makes me think of mom. Her favorite pie was coconut cream, but she only ever very rarely made that. My father loved apple pies, and her wish was to please him. That and lemon meringue.
Those were the two pies we had most often. Sometimes she would make a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, but always with another kind because our father didn't really like pumpkin pie.
Me . . . I like pie, and would not turn down any kind! But then again, I am a bit of a glutton when it comes to pie!
Mom's Best Apple Pie
Yield: 8
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 4 M
Ingredients
- Pastry for a two crust pie (See my butter & lard pastry)
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 3 TBS all purpose plain flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 6 to 7 thinly sliced peeled tart medium to large cooking apples (Granny Smith, Gravensteins, etc.)
- 1 TBS lemon juice
- 1 TBS butter
- sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/ 195*C/ gas mark 5.
- Toss the apples together with the lemon juice in a large bowl. Mix the spices and flour together with both sugars. Toss the apples together with this mixture to coat. Set aside.
- Roll half of the pastry out on a lightly floured surface to a circle large enough to line a 9-inch pie plate. (about 12 inches round, 1/4 inch thick) Carefully transfer to the pie plate.
- Fill the pastry lined pie plate with the apple mixture. Dot with butter.
- Roll the remaining pastry out to a round large enough to cover the apples in the pie dish. Place over the filling. Trim any excess pastry from around the edges of the pie. Press the edges tightly closed with the tines of a fork. Cut some slits in top of the pie to vent.
- Sprinkle with additional granulated sugar. Cover the edges loosely with aluminum foil. Place onto a baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown and the filling is bubbling up through the pie vents.
- Cool on a wire rack before serving.
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