Archive for the ‘Chicken’ Category
Cashew-Crusted Chicken Pita
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010
Before we go on, I just have one thing to say. I am writing you this outside. I’m on our rusty patio furniture, outside and happy as a clam in shorts and short sleeves. Judge me for being mean all you want.
While you’re judging me for being mean, you might as well know that I also love chicken nuggets. Though I appreciate the beauty and taste of fried chicken, in reality, I would more often go for breaded chicken nuggets or patties, you know all the parts that naturally appear on a chicken. Sometimes I am so stuck in little kid mode, I can’t help but desire those little circles of goodness. The weird thing is, I’m not that into the fried stuff. Shove it in the oven and after twenty minutes or so, I am happily chomping.
Since I’m grown up now, I now know that those little nuggets are no good for me, but I didn’t want to leave it completely behind. Here’s my take on chicken nuggets, grown up and in a healthy, delicious sammich!
Cashew-Crusted Chicken Pita
(serves four | about twenty minutes prep and twenty minutes cooking time)
Cashew-Crusted Chicken
two chicken breast halves (I did mine in nuggets, but was much more time consuming)
1/2c flour
two large eggs
3/4c of roasted, unsalted cashews
1/2c of panko bread crumbs
1t of salt
1t of pepper
1 t of garlic powder
cooking spray
four pocketless pita/flatbread
1/2c of tahini hummus
olive oil
handful of spinach and cherry tomatoes per person
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and coat a 9 x 13 baking pan thoroughly with baking spray.
First, grind 1/2c of cashews very finely in a small food processor. Add panko and grind for 15-30 seconds.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup of cashews and pulse for 15 seconds (this will get a great cashew texture.)
Cut chicken breasts in half so there are four strips all together. In a shallow dish (like tupperware), combine flour, salt, pepper, and garlic. Mix well. In a second shallow dish, crack two eggs and beat well. In a third shallow dish (or a large freezer bag), dump the cashew/panko mix.
One by one, dip a strip (rhyme!) in the flour until well coated, then egg, then roll in the cashew/panko mix (if you choose to use the freezer bag, reserve all the strip to shake in the freezer bag at the end) then set in the baking pan. Once all strips are well coated, place in the oven for ten minutes, spray with cooking spray then flip and bake for another ten minutes.
About three minutes before the chicken is done, stick the four pieces of flatbread in the oven to warm up. Remove from oven, slather a layer of hummus, then the spinach and cherry tomatoes, add the chicken and drizzle a little olive oil with a pinch or two of salt and pepper.
EAT!
Posted in Chicken, Recipes | 2 Comments »
Cilantro-Lime Roast Chicken with Rice
Thursday, March 18th, 2010
I’m a big old quitter.
Yup, I went out and I ate cheese and some toast a day early. It was just too nice to snub a drink with friends. Sorry detox, but sitting outside and eating are my two favorite things. I caved in and got a quality beer, a couple slices of cheese, and a four slices of tiny toast.
Mm… I’m okay with quitting earlier than planned. It’s barely a day and the last thing I want to do is go into some sort of coma after stuffing my face at the Bellagio buffet. I didn’t eat anything super greasy or bad, and for that I’m proud of. I didn’t realize I would make it this far, but 48 cupcakes and four loaves of bread later, I am free of some of my food dependence.
Now, I have a few more detox meals to post and this is one of them. Yeaaah, it’s Mexican which I’m finding can be very flavorful without being high sugar and fats. If you’re looking for an easy crowd pleaser, this is definitely a go to recipe. IT’s even easy clean up– ONE pan! One pan!
Cilantro-Lime Roasted Chicken
serves 4 | 5 minutes prep and 40 minutes cooking time
1 chicken (about three pounds) cut into six pieces, defrosted and deskinned
2 T of olive oil
1t of chile powder
1t of ground cumin
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 lime
1t of salt
1t of black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c of fresh cilantro, chopped
8 shallots, halved
Preheat the the oven to 425.
Chop the chicken and remove skin. Place in a baking pan that fits everything in one layer snuggly (I used a 9×13 pan) Add everything into the pan toss, coating everything well. Toss the pan into oven, it’s okay if the oven is not completely pre-heated. Cook the chicken for about twenty minutes, turn the chicken around and leave it in the oven for twenty more minutes. Once chicken is done, turn off the oven and serve!
Lime-Cilantro Rice
I used a rice cooker, so when I made the rice, I put the juice of a lime in with the cooking water. Once done, throw in a quarter cup of fresh cilantro and a couple pinches of salt and pepper!
Chicken Tortilla Soup (Minus Tortillas)
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
Hello dears,
It’s been a few days so you’re probably wondering if I’ve starved to death and/or fallen off the wagon. I’m happy to report no to both. I’m starting to get into the rhythm, finding things I can eat, and making smart choices. I’ve already caught myself trying to nibble on things I’m not supposed to, but I’m going strong. Here’s the status of my fruit bowl:
Ok, so most of those are limes and lemons, but I plan on cooking a bunch with them. I’m going to make a fantastic meal tomorrow that will just knock your socks off.
Now, as you can see, I have the perfect ingredients for some delicious Mexican food. In fact, I made some sloppy guacamole while cooking.
I would be lying if I did not admit that one of my favorite genres of food is Mexican food. Though I’m pretty sensitive to spicy foods, I can navigate my way around any menu to find the exact craving I have. After all, what isn’t to love about warm tortillas, heaping piles of cheese, and succulent shredded beef. Now now now, I’m sure you’re going to tell me, “That isn’t REAL Mexican.”
Maybe, but I eat cilantro lime rice and black beans and a quesadilla at least once a week. It’s a staple in my diet. A lot of Mexican food is. I blame it on the time I spent in Colorado, the late night dashes to the 24/7 drive-thrus or the warm tortillas you could buy from La Casita which were made on site. They just fell into my diet.
And a lot of Mexican food is really off limits for my detox right now. Stupid detox that’s going to help me for the better.
Flour. Dairy. White rice. Just a few of the “no-no” foods. At first, I was a little upset, but then I forgot about my favorite meal using Mexican flavors.
Now, I highly doubt tortilla soup is eaten in Mexico; however, it does combine the basics of Mexican cuisine– onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. It has a nice kick and even without the tortillas, it gave me a great satisfaction. You can add some things like cheese, rice and tortilla strips to this soup to give it a little extra somethin’ somethin’.
I apologize for the quality of this picture. I was falling asleep while making this, I was just that tired for some reason:
Tortilla Soup
- serves 4 -
adapted from Serious Eats
Ingredients
For the soup:
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon for cooking the chicken
1/3 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, diced
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
6 cups chicken broth
12 ounces boneless skinless chicken, thigh or breast
For garnishes:
Small handful cilantro leaves, chopped
1 avocado, cut into chunks
1 cup chopped stemmed spinach
In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat then sautee the onions until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute longer. Add tomatoes, salt, and oregano and cook for another minute. Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for about thirty minutes until the majority of the tomatoes are melted (I never got mine to fully melt, but I was kind of crazy in the ktichen.)
About fifteen minutes before the soup is done, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat in a saucepan. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown on both sides. Don’t worry about if it’s completely cooked through as you will now add it ti the soup and for about three minutes.
Serve and garnish with avacado, spinach and cilantro leaves.
For an additional spice, you can toast chiles and add them or add some cayenne pepper. be very careful when adding cayenne, as you don’t want to make it too spicy.
As pictured, I added some black beans in the soup.
Posted in Chicken, Detoxing, Recipes, Soup | 1 Comment »
One Chicken and Whatever and Whoever: I’m Sick of Chicken Thursday (Late Post!)
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
So, I caught up on some things and I double checked my blog and realized that what posted was the unfinished version of the post. I really took a while to re-do this post, because I had some other things that were more pressing. Though, my blog should be much higher on the priority list.
I’m happy to mention for the first time I’ll be transferring the blog to its own domain with a better set up.
Anyway, on the fourth day I made a few pot pies with the leftover chicken.
Here’s where I’m going to tell you right now what a food blogger I am not. Since I lost the previous post, I also lost my recipe…
I barely had a recipe to begin with since I know all I needed was a pie crust and filling. I’ve been reading “Ratio” by Michael Ruhlman and splurged and bought the $4.99 app for the iPhone. I’ve used it to make many things and I really like the liberation it give me.
Anyway, I grabbed my handy dandy Ratio app on my iPhone and plugged away. I made enough pie dough for a 9inch pie and threw it in the fridge. Physically. It made a thud. Just kidding.
I took the left over chicken, a quarter of a bag frozen veggies, and the leftover broth I had from the soup the night before and kept it handy. I made some hot roux (three parts flour, two parts fat) and slowly poured the leftover broth in until I got about the desired thickness. I like a thick sauce for pot pie, so it was quite a bit. Add the veggies and chicken. Heat for ten minutes or so, until everything is warm. While the filling is heating, take the pie dough from the fridge (should be in the fridge at least half an hour) and fill the pie pan. I used ramekins and muffin tins to make little, portable pies. Fill each tin/ramekin/pan, and top. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes (until the crust is a nice golden brown.)
Tags: chicken, Recipes, under $10
Posted in Chicken, Uncategorized | No Comments »
One Chicken Week: Broth and Tuesday (RIP Blue Bowl)
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010
I think the universe wants Chickenmania to die. Elizabeth and I thought our fridge light had kicked the bucket on Monday night, not worried, we continued on our kitchen travels. In the morning, she called up the stairs, “The meat is defrosting.” Turns out, one of us (probably Clumsy McClumserson— me) hit the power switch and the fridge turned off… eep.
Ok, as stated in Monday, I had about 120g of chicken leftover from the chicken, so I threw together some chicken salad. I like to make things from scratch, but I didn’t feel like messing with mayonnaise as last time it did not end well. Anyway, that’s just my “I won’t judge you if you won’t judge me” disclaimer.
Chicken Salad
(makes two sandwiches)
3/4 cup of cooked, diced chicken
2 T of mayo
1/4 tsp of dijon mustard
1 T of green onions
1 T of parsley
1/2 tsp of sugar (optional, to taste)
1/4 tsp of salt (optional, to taste)
1/4 tsp of pepper (optional, to taste)
Combine all the ingredients well. Add whatever else looks good. Put it in a sandwich or avacado or eat it plain. See, I give you SO many options.
Sorry for not posting this ON Tuesday. I didn’t really establish rules, so you can’t be THAT mad, can you? I really was feeling loopy all day and out of it.
*This post is dedicated to my blue bowl that died a couple weeks ago, just because I’m feeling silly.*
One Chicken. One Week: Girl Versus Chicken Monday.
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Day One of Chick-Chick Week, almost caused this whole week to come to a screeching halt. See, I forgot a piece of advice my mother told me. ”Be careful buying a whole chicken from the Asian market.” Just to let you know, when the label says, whole chicken, it doesn’t mean just the breast, thighs, and wings. It doesn’t mean most of the body parts and the giblets. It means WHOLE chicken.
Right down to the beak and feet.
Because I am admittedly a lame ass, I almost gave up on Chicken-o-Rama right there. Jeon women are very sensitive to dismembering parts of animals. It was why my mother wouldn’t eat chicken and red meat in Korea. It was why I (remember I’m a lame ass) didn’t eat anything other than boneless meat up until a few years ago.
Then I remembered how I’m supposed to be a tough modern-day meets traditional lady and I can’t be afraid of looking my food in the face… But seriously, tip people, don’t name it. Then you’ll be thinking of Jimmy the chicken from Brooklyn’s sad face as you eat your delicious taco. I couldn’t even take a picture. I’m a lameass, I know.
Well, I roasted this baby at 400 degrees for about an hour and threw in some garlic and shallots.
Salt, pepper, and some olive oil. At the end I put some fresh parsley on the top of it. Doing this, I realized I should have put together a grocery list yesterday so that all two readers could cook this with me.
I was going to eat just the chicken but I ended up making a taco salad:
Once everything was cool, I split the leftover chicken into two piles. Tuesday and Thursday will have chicken in them, Wednesday I’m going to use the the broth I started tonight. Friday I’ll be eating leftovers or maybe out. I only plan my meals for Monday-Thursday. I should have said that…
Anyway, I took the bones, free from as much meat as possible, I threw some scraps from Wednesday’s Recipe (I tried it last week!), parsley, thyme, salt, and peppercorns and some water in the pot then put it on the lowest heat on the burner and left it for a couple hours while I cleaned the kitchen, caught up on e-mails, etc. When I get home tomorrow, I’ll skim it some more, and put it on very low heat again. Then I will have some broth for Wednesday (then some!) Yay for trying to use all parts of the chicken!
Except… I didn’t even try to find a use for the head and legs. I’m a wasteful person. Sorry, Jimmy.
One Chicken. One(ish) Person. One Week. Preparation Sunday.
Sunday, January 10th, 2010
This is the state of my desk right now.
Beautiful, eh? I cleared the desk for a special occasion. A very special occasion. See, I’m hungry and I really want a nice salmon for dinner. Or maybe a fabulous London Broil. Hrm, maybe I’ll go out for some sushi, but like many people, I’m on a budget. Those lovely little extras are saved for special occasions. I want more wiggle room in my budget for those.
This is well timed with my fascination with chicken. Is that weird?
There are many parts to a chicken and by no surprise, all useable, but I find myself buying a couple chicken breasts or thighs. Reading books like Ratio by Michael Ruhlman and How to Eat by Nigella Lawson, I’ve found there are too many creative uses for chicken to limit just pieces.
This week, I’m grabbing my pen, paper, and books to plan out my menu and test my theory that one chicken can last me a week. If one chicken can last me a week, I can buy a whole, better quality chicken. I’ll be blogging my progress during the week.
P.S. I have an even bigger obsession with post-its and lists, so this is clearly a fun project for me.
Bungalow Chicken Pie (Savory Meat Pie)
Monday, December 14th, 2009
Living with three other people, it’s typical for us to have a slew of visitors in and out of the home. The couch is permanently set up with a blanket and pillow for anyone who needs to crash. Usually it’s one of my friends visiting from Colorado, but our most recent visitor was Adrian.
This is Adrian. As you can see from his confused face, he is from England where things are not like America and it’s okay to make this face in my camera while I am distracted by kneading bread. Dragging him to yet another bar with greasy food (don’t get me wrong though, Philadelphia has amazing bar food), I asked him what he typically ate at home. Shy-Adrian replied, “Pies.” then opened his iPhone and showed me pictures of pies you can purchase on the street. I was immediately taken back to the delicious, flaky savory pies I would have every year at the Highlands/Scottish & Irish Heritage Festival in Estes Park, Colorado and the quick and easy pies my British paternal grandmother taught my mother. Earlier this week a Martha Stewart recipe hit my e-mail and I went straight to work.
Now I mention my new friend Adrian, because we playfully argue about the correct words for things. Chips versus fries. Crisps versus chips. Cottage pie versus shepherd’s pie. There isn’t really a “pie” guide, but using ground poultry disqualifies it from a traditional cottage pie or shepherd’s pie. Though Martha Stewart calls these “Italian Pot Pies,” I was thinking of Britain when tweaking this recipe so, in one of our few agreements, Adrian and I came up with a name we much prefer— “Bungalow Pies.”
I already love this recipe because it combines quick with a simple, full-bodied taste. One ramekin is enough for a good dinner without the overstuffed feeling. Look out for more pies to be made soon.
Bungalow Pie
Serves 4 | inspired by Martha Stewart’s Italian Pot Pies
Ingredients
1T olive oil
1 med onion, finely chopped
1 cup of mixed vegetables (I use a carrot/green bean/pea medley)
1/2 tsp of thyme
2 cups tomato soup
1 pound of ground chicken, thawed
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup of Romano cheese (sorry Ed, I stole some cheese)
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
1/4 tsp of crushed dried rosemary
4T butter, melted
1/2 c whole milk
Salt and pepper
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add onion and vegetables, season with thyme, salt and pepper. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add ground chicken and cook until no longer pink.
3. Add tomato soup, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally until mixture has thickened. Set aside.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, Romano, baking powder, rosemary, and 1/2 tsp of salt; add butter and milk. Stir until dough comes together.
5. Evenly portion the meat mixture into four 8-ounce ramekins and mound dough on top. Place a large rimmed baking sheet and bake until dough is golden brown and passes the toothpick test, about ten to twelve minutes.
Tip: Don’t forget the large-rimmed baking sheet. Otherwise the meat mix will boil over and make your entire oven fill with smoke which will leak out and set a fire alarm off which will in turn get tweets and texts from roommates that say, “Are you setting the house on fire?”
Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Before I moved to Philadelphia, I lived alone in an apartment in the suburbs of Colorado. There were very few local restaurants in the area, much less in walking distance, but one day the rancid Chinese restaurant about two blocks from my place closed and signs for a Thai restaurant started to appear. It was Christmas the first time I entered NaRai Thai. Every dish a present revealing its hidden flavors with each bite AND it was only a five minute walk. I was in love.
Now, in Northern Liberties, Asian food is scarce. The best Asian cuisine is in Chinatown, and as the temperature drops the likelihood of taking the journey is rare. Ok, let’s face it, I don’t make it to Chinatown even if it’s 75 degrees outside and rainbows are shooting from everyone’s ass. Not having a car makes me pretty damn lazy. The few times we have gone out for Thai, it just hasn’t been the same. I finally decided to take matters into my own hands and give this recipe a try.
I’m so glad I did. Not only was this delicious and very close to NaRai’s (there are some ideas I have about the recipe below), it was done in under 30 minutes and with all the ingredients, it ended up being under $10.
Reviews were as follows: Ed, who doesn’t like coconut, gobbled it up. Elizabeth, who was in the kitchen making her own delicious looking meal, kept tasting it and Steve, our half roommate/Elizabeth’s boyfriend/son of a Thai woman, gave it a thumbs up. I definitely am going to add this to my “arsenal” of recipes.
yum, raw chicken!
Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
(adapted from The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook)
4 oz (125 g) Thai curry paste (massaman)
4 cups coconut milk, divided in half
2 T fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
6 medium Yukon gold potatoes cut in fourths
1 skinless, chicken breast, thinly sliced (I don’t use boneless, so I can use bones for broth!)
½ red onion, sliced
½ c basil
1 lime, cut into wedges.
Next time I am going to toast the following spices and add them as well, based on this recipe by Rasa Malaysai:
10 green cardamom seeds
2 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise
1. In a medium-large pot, heat curry paste on medium-low. Heating it faster may burn the paste, so stay patient. Once it becomes fragrant and the pot is hot, whisk half of the coconut milk. Turn the heat to high.
2. When the paste and first half of the coconut milk are well blended, put in the remaining coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar, and spices. Bring the curry to a gentle boil. Add potatoes and cook for about five minutes, until the potatoes are slightly tender.
3. Add chicken and red onion. Stir well and simir until the chicken has been cooked through (3-5 minutes). Turn off the heat, stir in basil.
4. Top with a lime and serve with rice (Jasmine rice is traditional). Shu mai, a Thai dumpling, is a tasty appetizer.
Tags: 10 dollars, 30 minutes, chicken, coconut, one pot, Recipes, soup, steamy kitchen, thai, under $10
Posted in Chicken, Recipes | No Comments »
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About Me
Hi! My name is Christine. I'm pretty excited about all this baking and cooking going on in my kitchen lately and I want to share these adventures with you.
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