Chicken

Chicken recipes

Oven Roasted Chicken
by

Oven Roasted Chicken

Two Sundays ago Lyn and I were driving around doing our errands when I made the announced that I had a craving for roasted chicken. We pulled into the Stop and Shop, not our usual choice for meats Whole Foods is, but they have Natures Prides which is not that bad, definitely less expensive. Anyway I grabbed a 5 pound chicken and a Cara Cara Orange*, you can use any kind of orange but I never noticed a Cara Cara orange before so what the heck I took a chance.  The orange was actually good when I cut it open and saw the reddish color my first reaction was grapefruit but it was sweet and more like a naval orange. I would buy again.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 pound roasting chicken
  • 1 Cara Cara orange sliced in eights
    • I like to add a fruit in the cavity it adds some moisture and flavor so whether it is lime, lemon, orange or a combination does not matter.
  • 1 small to medium red onion sliced in eights
  • 4-5 cloves of garlic gently crushed just a little
  • A handful of fresh thyme
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • Kosher Salt and pepper
  • Your favorite poultry rub I used mine which I made a long time ago and can’t remember what exactly is in it.
    • Williams-Sonoma makes a good one. We’ve combined kosher salt, black pepper and garlic with traditional herbs and spices, including fennel, thyme and cayenne. Hints of tangy lemon and aromatic mustard add a lively finishing touch.
    • 3-4 thicker carrots slice in 1 inch pieces
    • 3-4 potatoes quartered or smaller depending on size
    • 2-3 red onions quartered
    • Whole garlic cloves if you want

How

Preheat oven to 4500

Remove the giblets etc. and set aside to make a chicken broth future use or toss it. Rinse the chicken inside and out and dry with a paper towel. Optional with handle side of regular dinning knife or fingers loosen the skin from the breast and place a sage leaf on both sides or push some butter mixed with some of the poultry rub.  I usually do something like this but not this time. Lyn says too much fat……

Fold the wings under

Season the cavity with salt and pepper.

Stuff with onion, garlic, orange and thyme.

Sprinkle the rub on the bottom side of chicken, drizzle some olive oil and give it a good massage, do the same to the other side and then grind some pepper all over the top. Tie the legs together to hold the stuffing in and give the chicken a more uniformed shape.

Place in roasting pan on middle rack and roast for 30 minutes. Take out and close the oven door. Drain about half of dripping add the vegetables making sure that the potatoes are cut side down.

Return to oven reduce heat to 3250  roast for 30-40 minutes more until juices run clear and temps is about 160-1650

Remove from oven place on platter cover loosely with tin foil for about 15 minutes before carving.

Now decide how crispy you want the vegetables and whether you want to drain the drippings out of not. So depending on what you decide either turn off the oven now or not…

I wrote this recipe from memory I do not think I forgot anything but I feel every cooking experience should have a little experimentation in it how else can we/you discover new taste treats.

Roasted Chicken with Onions, Carrots and Potatoes                  Roasted Chicken with Onions, Carrots and Potatoes

Cara-Cara-Naval * The Cara cara navel, or red navel orange is an early-to-midseason navel orange believed to have developed as a cross between the Washington navel and the Brazilian Bahia navel. Discovered at the Hacienda de Cara Cara in Valencia, Venezuela in 1976, the parentage is apparently uncertain enough to occasionally warrant the distinction of a mutation, with only the tree on which it was found—the Washington navel—being an accepted progenitor. Cara caras did not enter the U.S consumer produce market until the late 1980s and were carried only by specialty markets for many years thereafter. From Wikipedia

Thyme, Celantro, Oregano, Garlic Grilled Chicken
by

Thyme, Celantro, Oregano, Garlic Grilled Chicken

The spring brings some of my favorite things asparagus, winter hardy herbs popping into life. I love cooking a whole chicken stuffed, no jammed packed, with fresh thyme, orange, garlic and lemon wedges. I love cooking with the fresh herbs and have no objection to picking out the leaves and stems before using. So I was off to the garden to pick a handful of this and that.  This is the kind of meal you can use over and over in salads, sandwiches and other dishes throughout the week you can even freeze a chicken breast or two for a quick meal later on.

This can actually be made with rosemary or any other herbs you might have ready to pick.

Ingredients

  • 6 skinless boneless chicken breast
  • A handful of oregano maybe 1/4 cup chopped
  • A bunch of sprigs of thyme leaves only
  • A handful of celantro about 1/2 cup chopped
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic smashed in 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • Juice of one lemon
  • Juice of one lime
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
  • Fresh ground pepper

How

In a plastic bag combine all ingredients and cover chicken

Place in refrigerator for at least at an hour turning occasionally

Grill on medium heat for about 6-8 minutes preside until it is about 164-50

Remove from heat loosely cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes before slicing or severing.

Ingredients  Let's Eat

We served this with mashed sweet potatoes, broccoli. and apples and cinnamon roasted on the grill in tin foil.

We go about 4 oz. of protein about half a breast each and pile up on the veggies.

Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast with Red Wine Sauce
by

Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast with Red Wine Sauce

What does one do with a chicken breast that you took out of the freezer and had no plans for. My wife had mentioned stuffing chicken with feta last week so I guess that was my main influence. This was a real cook from the gut, open the frig and see what I have kind of creation. Boy you would think that with our new plan of a theme a day cooking I would be a little more organized but then some of my better meals came from the gut. Ok feta, red pepper, onions, mushroom, red wine, lemon and cherry tomatoes. Here we go!

Ingredients

  • 1 Chicken breast bone in with skin
  • About ¼ cup minced red bell pepper
  • About ½ cup feta crumbled
  • About 1 Tbsp. Dried Greek oregano
  • About 3-4 mushrooms roughly chopped
  • Fresh ground pepper (for my wife the pepper head)
  • 1 small onion quartered
  • 12 cherry tomatoes
  • 2 Tbsp. Lemon juice
  • About 1 cup red wine
  • Cornstarch and water combined.

How

Preheat oven with rake in middle to 450◦

In a small bowl mix pepper, feta, oregano, pepper together well.*

Rinse and thoroughly dry chicken

Sprinkle salt (lightly) and pepper all over the chicken

Gently loosen the skin on chicken with finger or fat end of butter knife to create a pocket.

Stuff the feta mixture into the pocket and then stick mushroom under skin on top of the feta.

Place in roasting pan (I used a corning ware dish) and drizzle olive oil over chicken.

Add the onions and tomatoes, enough red wine to cover the bottom and lemon juice.

Place in oven and turn heat down to 350◦

Cook until instant thermometer reads about 165◦ about 40 minutes. I started checking around 20 minutes because I was paranoid of drying out the chicken.

I crisped the skin by turning on the broiler for about 8-10 minutes still on middle rack.

Watch it though I kind of…what do they call it now on TV when the burn something. Oh ya look how beautifully caramelized it is!

Set chicken aside, pour the drippings into sauce pan add cornstarch bring to boil reduce heat slightly and simmer until thicken.  When it boiled I had to add more cornstarch to thicken a little more. Pour over chicken when plated.

Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast Prep 1  Feta Stuffed Chicken Breast Prep 2   Feta stuffed chicken breast prep 3

*Steve note: You could mince the mushroom and mix with feta but to tell you the truth I forgot them and stuck them in after. That’s what happens when you empty from frig to counter then move to preparation area and forget something.

Orange Flavored Chicken but Healthier
by

Orange Flavored Chicken but Healthier

When I first tasted orange flavored chicken in Texas I loved it, goodbye General Tso’s chicken and swore I would master making it. I kept orange peels in the freezer at all times to add to the dish. I was never able to master it, came close but then I found Trader Joe’s Orange flavored chicken and for a frozen brand it was pretty darn good and yes I became lazy. You could add peppers, stir fried vegetables with a bed of brown rice and you had an instant meal well almost instant it took about 40 minutes to cook. My wife showed me Hungry Girl’s recipe the other day and I liked what I saw I was always looking for healthier alternatives.  So here it is heavily influenced by Hungry Girl who has inspired me many times in the past.

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour
  • 10 oz. raw boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 1/8 tsp. each salt and black pepper
  • 1 small egg or 1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
  • —
  • 1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
  • 1 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. sugar-free orange marmalade
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp. maple sugar or she suggests Splenda (granulated)
  • 1 tbsp. reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce
  • —
  • 1 tsp. chopped garlic
  • 1 tsp. chopped ginger
  • Dash red pepper flakes
  • —
  • 2-3 chopped scallions, whites and crisper greens  about ¼ to ½” size

How:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

Place flour in a plastic bag or shallow dish. (See below for optional directions)

Place chicken in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Top with egg substitute and toss to coat.

Place flour in plastic bag and divide chicken into 3 portions, shake chicken pieces to remove excess egg and place in bag and shake to coat with flour. Shake off excess flour and evenly lay chicken pieces on the baking sheet. You can fold some flatter pieces in half so cooking in even

or

Place flour on shallow dish and a few pieces at a time shake chicken pieces to remove excess egg and coat with flour. Shake off excess flour and evenly lay chicken pieces on the baking sheet. You can fold some flatter pieces in half so cooking in even.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

In a medium bowl, whisk broth with cornstarch until cornstarch has dissolved. Add marmalade, vinegar, sweetener, and soy sauce, and thoroughly whisk.

Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium heat. Cook and stir garlic and ginger until slightly softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Add broth mixture and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until well mixed and slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

Remove skillet from heat, add chicken, and toss to coat. Serve topped with scallions.

    Orange Chicken

Chicken Soup with Black Rice
by

Chicken Soup with Black Rice

Friday was coming to a close and the coughs that had been spreading through the office had found me. The boss started this and like in any great organization the rest of us had followed our leader. I was getting ready to leave and he was coming down the hall he heard me cough, stuck his head in my door and asked if I got it too. With a humorous jester I shock my fist in his direction and coughed. By Saturday afternoon I was in rough shape and I was ready for that all time cure Jewish Penicillin, Chicken Soup. I had to use what I had on hand, there was no way I was going out it had been switching from sunny and bright to near white out conditions all day. So I stuck my head in the cupboards and freezer to see what I had.

Ingredients

  • I frozen chicken breast bone in.
  • 3 carrots cut into bite size pieces.
  • ½ larger sweet onion roughly chopped.
  • 3-4 sprigs of celery cut into bite size pieces.
  • 2 cloves of garlic.
  • A little bit of bell seasons. Looked like maybe ¼ teaspoon
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil.
  • Salt and Pepper to taste.
  • Couple of good pinches dried of oregano maybe 1 Tbsp.
  • Couple of good pinches of dried cilantro maybe 1 Tbsp.
  • 2 bay leaves.
  • 6 cups of water ( I had no broth, what kind of house do I keep).
  • Good couple of pinches of red hot pepper flakes I wanted something to clear the sinuses.
  •  I cup black rice
  • 1 ¾ cup water

How:

Heat the oil in large pot and add onions, carrots and celery sauté about 5 minutes add garlic and the pinch of bell seasoning stir for a few seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer. When the chicken appears to be cooked remove to a cutting board, peel chicken off bone cut into bite size pieces return chicken and bone to pot and continue to simmer. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Cook the rice according to directions and always store outside of soup. A word about the rice I was using what I had on hand. I had used the rest of my wild rice for a batch 2 weeks ago for Lyn after her operation. So the type of rice is your choice but the package said forbidden rice how could I resist?

BTW I feel so much better now!

by

Fried Chicken Szechwan Style

This is a dish that I usually cook on bachelor night since Lyn feels there might be too much oil. Steam some broccoli or asparagus for a side dish and you are good to go. Fairly easy and uncomplicated and for me…. I just like it.

Ingredients

  • 1 lbs. of boneless chicken breast or thighs

 Coating

  • 2 Tbsp. corn flour
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ½ teaspoon five spice powder

 Sauce

  • ½ cup chicken broth
  • 2 tsp. sugar
  • 1 Tbsp. light soy sauce
  • ½ tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 tsp. vinegar
  • 2 tsps. chinese wine or dry sherry
  • Extra ¼ tsp. five spice powder
  • ½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

 Thickener

  • 2 tsps. Corn flour
  • 1 Tbsp. cold water

Cooking

  • ½ cup peanut or other oil for frying. You could use less oil if you wanted that keeps my wife happy.

 Spice

  • 15 dried red chilies, seeded
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 2 tsps. Finely chopped fresh ginger.  Fresh is best but I always have some whole ginger in the freezer
  • 3 scallions, cut into 2 inch long pieces (white and greens).

How:

Cut chicken into bite size pieces (sometimes partially freezing make the cutting easier)

In a plastic bag mix together the corn flour, salt, and five spice powder. Shake to mix. Add chicken and shake to coat.  Remove chicken from bag, shaking off excess corn flour mixture and place chicken aside. This can be done in a glass bowl instead of a plastic bag that keeps my wife happy.

In another bowl mix together chicken stock, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar, wine, ¼ tsp. five spice and pepper together.

In another small bowl mix the corn flour and cold water.

Heat the oil in a wok and when VERY hot add chicken pieces, in 3 batches and fry on high heat tossing to brown all over.  Batches allow the chicken to cook rather than steam if oil gets to cool. Allow the oil to heat up again between batches. Place each batch on absorbent paper towel that are on a dish or tray so counter does not get all oily, ok ok I learned a lesson way back when.  When all the chicken has been fried pour off all but about 2 Tbsp. of the oil.

With the exhaust vent on add the chilies, garlic and ginger and fry until the garlic and ginger are golden and the chilies turn dark. Does not take long.

Add the scallions and toss a few seconds then add the stock mixture and bring to a boil. Stir in the corn flour mixture again to mix smoothly and add to the pan, stirring constantly until it boils and thickens. Add the chicken and toss to coat and heat through.

Serve immediately with steam brown or white rice.

Twist that I have done over the years

  • Added fresh red or mix color peppers or substitute just peppers for chilies, a milder dish
  • Left the chilies seeds in for a spicier dish
  • Add unsalted peanuts or raw cashews
Related articles
Five Spice Chicken in Lettuce wraps
by

Five Spice Chicken in Lettuce wraps

A long time ago when my sister was managing the new Joyce Chen’s Restaurant in the Transportation Building in the theatre district downtown Boston I was served minced chicken or pork in lettuce wraps it was out of this world. Years later in San Jose my boss took me to a friend’s restaurant and he gave me what he called Chinese tacos, essentially the same tastes and style. Ever since I have grabbed a bottle of hoisin sauce now and then, minced chicken or pork and came up with something like this, always slightly different always depending what I have lying around.

Ingredients:

Remember I eyeball most times but I have been eyeballing into spoons and cups for the blog, at least for now.

  • 1 Tbsp. Peanut Oil.
  •  About 1 ½ chicken diced 1/2 “or smaller this time I used breast was on hand but is better with thigh (dark). (If you have partially frozen chicken it makes the dicing much easier).
  • 1 small onion 1 diced about 1/3 “or smaller.
  • 1 carrot diced small.
  • 1 stalk celery strings removed and diced small.
  • ¾ tsp. Chinese Five Spice.
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped water chestnuts.
  • 3 Tbsp. chicken broth (water is fine if you don’t have).
  • 2 ½ to 3 tsps. Hoisin sauce.
  •  About 2 Tbsp. roughly chopped fresh cilantro (could fresh basil).
  • 2 scallions white and greens sliced thin.
  • ½ tsp. sesame oil (use light colored not dark)
  • Kosher salt and pepper to taste
  • Boston bib Lettuce romaine or iceberg would work in a pinch

How:

IN large skillet, heat the peanut oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and stir fry over high heat until just cook through about 5 minutes. Use slotted spoon to remove the chicken and put aside.

Add the onion, carrot and celery to the skillet cook over medium or slightly lower heat until soften about 4 minutes. Add the 5 spice and stir cook about 20-30 seconds you will smell it. Stir in the chestnuts, chicken stock and Hoisin sauce. Return the chicken to pan stirring to coat evenly about 1 minute.  Hint, you may have to remove pan from heat if it is too hot so it does not thicken up too much. YA YA I had the heat to high so be quiet! Now remove from heat add the Cilantro, scallions and Sesame seed oil and mix thoroughly. Spoon the mixture into lettuce leaves for wrapping.

 

          

by

Oven-fried Chicken Cutlets

This is a healthier version of my pan-fried chicken cutlets. I also like to use the tenders the same way to make chicken fingers.

Oven-fried Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

  • Boneless skinless chicken breast split and tenders removed. (depends on how many you are feeding or cooking to freeze)
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 2 eggs to start
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Tabasco or hot sauce per 2 eggs (optional). Note: I add, it does not give the heat but adds to the flavor.
  • 2 cups whole wheat Italian bread crumbs to start. Note: You can actually use whatever type of breadcrumbs season yourself does not have to be Italian.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Olive oil 3 Tbsp. to start

To start you may have to add more of these items depending on the batch size.

How

Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap to about ¼ inch and cut in half

Set up the assembly line in three shallow dishes (pie plates), flour in one, lightly beaten eggs with optional tabasco sauce in another, bread crumbs in the last.

Preheat oven to 350°

Dredge a chicken cutlet in flour shake off excess place in egg covering wiggle around to cover flip over and wiggle, move to bread crumbs cover completely all side and place on a plate. Repeat.

  • Note: I use one hand to do this it does cake up on the fingers.
  • Depending on the batch size. I believe if you have a bowl of water next to you can rinse then dry your hand after each piece but heck I just go for it washing my hands every once in a while.

Place in a single layer on baking sheet, lightly spray  the tops of cutlets and back until golden brown about 20-25 minutes (with or without parchment paper). The cutlet will feel firm when done and you can always cut one open to get an idea of time/doneness got to feed the chef right? No wonder I am not hungry when it hits the table.

There are so many ways to serve these, plain, with sauce, use to make quick chicken parmesan, in a sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and roasted peppers…….

by

Pan-fried Chicken Cutlets

I remember going to my in-laws and Sunday dinner where mounds of homemade lasagna, meatballs, pasta, brasciol, mineste soup little meatballs, greens OMG all those Italian delights covering every open inch of the table. Mom would be up at 4 AM pans clanging, blender whirling and soon that sauce was simmering it was not long before you woke to the smells and you snuck in dipped a piece of bread into the sauce for a quick breakfast appetizer.   I must have gained 5 lbs. every time we ventured to Maine for the weekend.

Although a small part of the meal it is something that stuck with me and became a staple of our diet only to be modified when we had to get healthier see Oven-baked Chicken fried cutlets.

Pan-fried Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients

  • Boneless skinless chicken breast split and tenders removed. (depends on how many you are feeding or cooking to freeze)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 eggs to start
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Tabasco or hot sauce per 2 eggs (optional). Note: I add, it does not give the heat but adds to the flavor.
  • 2 cups Italian bread crumbs to start. Note: You can actually use whatever type of breadcrumbs season yourself does not have to be Italian.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Olive oil 3 Tbsp. to start

How

Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap to about ¼ inch and cut in half

Set up the assembly line in three shallow dishes (pie plates), flour in one, lightly beaten eggs with optional tabasco sauce in another, bread crumbs in the last.

Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in fry pan over medium heat then lower slightly we you add the chicken.

Dredge a chicken cutlet in flour shake off excess place in egg covering wiggle around to cover flip over and wiggle, move to bread crumbs cover completely all side and place on a plate. Repeat.

  • Note: I use one hand to do this it does cake up on the fingers.
  • Depending on the batch size. I believe if you have a bowl of water next to you can rinse then dry your hand after each piece but heck I just go for it washing my hands every once in a while.

Anyway when you get 4 ready add to the heated oil and fry about 2-3 minutes per side depending on the thickness until golden brown. The cutlet will feel firm when done and you can always cut one open to get an idea of time/doneness got to feed the chef right? You will mostly likely want to turn the heat lower after the 1st or 2nd batch. Depending on batch side you can clean the pan out from time to time with a wad of paper towels.

Place cook cutlets on a paper towel to absorb excess oil.

There are so many ways to serve these, plain, with sauce, use to make quick chicken parmesan, in a sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and roasted peppers…….

Jelly Bean Chicken Wings aka Oven-roasted Spiced Chicken.
by

Jelly Bean Chicken Wings aka Oven-roasted Spiced Chicken.

Sometimes it was so hard to get your kid to eat something you would try anything, airplane, train in the station whatever well Lyn and I were into an Asian phase and mike was having no part of it. He was still into the stage that nothing could touch on the plate yet he would gobble down shepherd’s pie Anyway one of us told him it was chicken made with jelly beans and he bought it, notice how I protected whoever said this. It is funny because they are not sweet in any form whatsoever. These have been a hit whenever I have made them jellybean or not.This came from a book that I bought maybe 25-30+ years ago and stuck the recipe has change a little but not much. Try them I think you will like.

Jelly Bean Chicken Wings aka Oven-roasted Spiced Chicken.

You can use the whole wing – separating tip from drumette but we prefer just the drumettes, it is worth it to us to spend a little extra buy just the drumette.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. chicken pieces.  Note: If I am using less I still make the same amount of marinade.
  • 1/3 cup light soy sauce.
  • ¼ cup peanut oil.
  • 1 Tbsp. Chinese wine if you don’t have I have used dry sherry.
  • 1 clove garlic.
  • ½ tsp. kosher salt.
  • ½ tsp. finely grated fresh ginger I have used ¼ tsp. powered in a pinch but really prefer the fresh.
  • 2 tsp. five spice powder.

How

Wash the chicken and dry well with paper towels. In large shallow dish (something you can use to marinade in) mix soy sauce, oil and wine. Using a broad flat knife crush the garlic to a pulp with the salt and add to the soy mixture with the ginger and five spice. Mix well. Add the chicken and turn to coat all sides. Cover and marinade for at least an hour. Again as mentioned in other recipes, I like to marinade overnight or at least 6 hours fix in the Am ready for dinner.

Preheat the oven to 350°

Remove chicken from marinade put in single layer in roasting pan that has tin foil covering bottom and sides( help with clean up). I find that laying tip to bottom tip to bottom allows you to fit more in a pan, they nestle together. Spoon about 2 Tbsp. of the marinade over the chicken. Roast about 45-50 minutes turning once half way until the chicken is brown and crisp. Basting every 20 minutes or so with the marinade.  Finish off quickly under the broiler to get that extra crispy finish but watch them so they do not burn.

Variation use whole drumsticks need a little longer to cook 50-55 or even thighs take about an hour. I tried but did not like it as much using a whole chicken rub the marinade over the chicken spoons some inside the cavity. Wrapped in plastic wrap for about 1-2 hours then roasted as above on a rack. The flavor did not carry as well as the wings so wings it was.

Had to have some for the game, just a taste!

  Had to have some for the game, just a taste!

100_1334

Oh don’t tell Mike about this!

Interesting fact crushing the garlic to a pulp in the salt mellows the intensity of the flavor or at least I read that the other day. Does one believe everything one reads?