JBug's Kitchen Antics

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

I know what you're thinking! Another repeat? When you've been apart from your main squeeze for a while or otherwise finding reasons not to cook, a quick swing through the memory book for favorites is high on the list. A craving for Mexican food along with leftover rotisserie bird from Big Guy's Monday BBQ session and the die was cast. Dinner's served!

As you might have figured, there's several different recipes on this site for chicken enchiladas but for some reason cooler temperatures and sandy beaches equate to the necessity for a calorie laden creamy version...that's if you need an excuse. This one's adapted from one of my favorite books, Idaho a la CArte, but I promise I'll promote a more calorically responsible version next time like maybe another favorite from Cooking Light. 

However, I have to say last night's version is far superior in our books so be sure you give it a try. Incidentlaly, Big Guy was reading the Food Network magazine this morning and mentioned to me that flour tortillas have tons more calories in them than the corn version, so if you're so inclined you can always substitute the latter for the former. 

Personally I think it's kinda' like eating the whole half gallon of ice cream today so I can diet tomorrow - in the great scheme of things, it doesn't really make a whole lot of sense does it?

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas (adapted from Idaho a la CArte)

1 cup chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced

1 – 6 ounce can green chiles

3/4 cup hot salsa

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon hot chile powder (optional)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

3/4 cup whipping cream

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

8 large flour tortillas

1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 – 10 ounce can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

Heat vegetable oil in a large sauté pan. Add onion, garlic and chicken and cook until onion is soft and chicken is no longer pink. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in green chiles, salsa, salt, pepper, chile powder, red pepper flakes and whipping cream.  Mix together until well combined. Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Spoon  approximately 1/2 cup of chicken mixture onto large flour tortilla and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Roll to enclose the filling and place seam side down into casserole dish. Repeat until all filling is used. In a small bowl combine shredded cheddar, chicken soup and sour cream. Spread on top of enchiladas and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes at 350. Remove foil and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with additional salsa and/or guacamole.

 A year ago - Baked Eggs

Two year's ago - Making Bacon - Pancetta

 

Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese

This is another in what seems to have become a series in JBug's Kitchen and boy oh boy, I'm not sure why we haven't tried it here before.

Courtesty of myrecipes.com and Cooking Light magazine, this one is simply crumbled sausage links (I used spicy Chicken Parmesan) cooked up in a skillet then joined by cheater bechamel makin's, grated cheese, cream cheese and spices. It cooks up all rich and creamy before the cooked pasta hits the pot and a few minutes later you've got a pot of creamy, gooey, cheesy goodness. 

It's quite delicious though in our case it could have used a little more seasoning, but honestly it puts the blue box stuff all to shame. The possibilities are endless too for hiding vegetables in it and this particular version could have used a little color with the addition of spinach, or kale or even green peas, or roasted red peppers or mushrooms...well you get the picture, right? 

Give it a try next time you're looking for a quick family pleasing pasta dish and let your imagination be your sous chef. 

Stovetop Sausage Mac and Cheese (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from myrecipes.com)

1/2 pound crumbled sausage (I used spicy Chicken parmesan but Italian would be good too)

1-1/4 cups milk

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup grated cheese (I used Trader Joe’s Mexican blend)

1/4 cup cream cheese

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

8 ounces hot cooked pasta (I used orchiette)

Reserved pasta water as needed

Place a large skillet over medium high heat and when hot crumble in sausage. Cook, continuing to crumble with a fork until browned. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, flour, onion and garlic powders and add to skillet. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and add cheeses. Cook for an additional 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in pasta. Cook for a minute more so pasta has a chance to absorb some sauce, adding pasta water if required for a creamy sauce. Serves 4.

A year ago - Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Two year's ago - Ginger Mint Lamb Chops and Cauliflower with Pinenuts and Raisins

Three year's ago - White Bean and Asparagus Salad

Our First Shot at Paella

We're such risotto fans around here, we thought we'd go another direction and visit Spain to see what all the curfuffle's about with their famous rice dish, never mind that Big Guy bought me a coveted paella pan for my birthday this year and it needed a test drive.

Inspired by a recipe I found on the web at La Tienda, The Best of Spain, I followed the method but cut the quantities in half so we wouldn't be eating leftovers for the next month. Of course I had to make some adjustments based on the availability of ingredients too - nixed the chorizo and used fresh linguica instead, jarred pimentos instead of piquillo and left out the lobster entirely, but hey isn't that what cooking's all about?

The paella flavor party began with extra strength chicken stock seasoned with smoked paprika and saffron reducing on the stove top and chicken browning in the pan and moved on to slices of fresh linguica sausage browned up till crispy too. Garlic, yellow and green onions, and pimentos add to the layers of flavor followed by arborio rice, parsley, bay leaves and wine.

Now, if you're thinking there's a ton of prep involved - uh, you'd be right. It is far from an easy on the cook effort, and a word of warning - it makes a tremendous mess of your stove top, but the end result is all rather impressive if I do say so myself. We topped our paella with shrimp, mussells, awesome huge cherrystone clams and snow crab claws too. It was absolutely delicious, not perfect, but delicious!

In this particular case, the paella's finished in the oven which made it much easier to deal with; however, I goofed up and added a little more liquid to the rice because I was afraid it would be dry but as a result, the dish didn't get the lovely crusty bottom common in a perfectly made paella. It was certainly more than passable however, as a first effort. 

I can't wait to make it all again using nature's bounty from the Pacific Northwest. It really is a perfect way to showcase fresh seafood never mind it'll make tremendously delicious party food, cooked outside in the outdoor kitchen while guests mill around getting sloshed on sangria. That's quite the scenario isn't it? 

Chicken and Seafood Paella (adapted from La Tienda.com)

3 cups low sodium chicken stock

3 packages chicken concentrate (like Flavor Boost)

1/2 large yellow onion

1/4 teaspoon saffron

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 cup good quality olive oil

1 pound assorted chicken pieces – I used 2 wings, 2 small thighs, and 2 drumsticks with “knuckle” removed

2 links fresh linguica, sliced into quarter inch pieces

1/2 yellow onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 green onions, chopped

1 small jar pimentos, drained

1/2 pound large shrimp, deveined but shells left intact

3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 bay leaf, crumbled

1-1/2 cups Arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine or vermouth

1/2 cup frozen peas (optional in our case)

9 large clams

9 mussels

4 ounces fresh snow crab claws (optional)

Lemon wedges for garnish

In a small pot over medium heat, heat broth with saffron, smoked paprika and onion. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the onion and measure broth. You will need 2-3/4 cups exactly – return broth to pot to keep warm.

Preheat oven to 325.

Heat olive oil in paella pan until almost smoking. Meanwhile wash and dry chicken pieces well and sprinkle with coarse salt. Add chicken to hot pan and fry until golden brown on all sides. Remove to a platter and keep warm. Add linguica and cook until browned and crisp – about 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, green onions and pimento and cook, stirring constantly until onion is softened. Add the shrimp and sauté just until they start to turn pink – about 1 minute. Remove shrimp from pan and keep warm along with the chicken. Add parsley, bay leaf, and rice to the pan and cook, stirring to coat the rice with oil. Stir in white wine and add hot broth. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered over medium high heat for 10 minutes. Add peas. Bury the shrimp and chicken in the rice. Add clams and mussels with the edge of the shell that will open facing up. Decorate top of pan with snow crab claws. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cover with foil for 10 minutes. Serve garnished with lemon wedges and more chopped parsley. Makes 6 servings.

A year ago - Bloody Mary Shrimp Sauce with Lobster Ravioli

Two year's ago - Cheater Chili

Three year's ago - Creamy Tortellini Primavera

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Herbs

Another winner adapted from the Oregonian Cookbook, this one's the perfect choice for the cook that doesn't cook. You know who you are but I'll give you a little hint anyway.

You're the fabulous friend who's been a part of my life for over 30 years; the one who's there solid as a rock during the good times and the mean ones too; the one who always remembers my annual milestone (birthday); the one who has a laugh that lights up the world; and the one who never fails to get a chuckle outa' yours truly - this time with a confession that she visits JBug's Kitchen Antics regularly not for the recipes because she doesn't cook, but to see what's happening in her old pal's life. Now that's a friend, eh?

Well, Judy - here's a perfect solution for one of your family night Saturday dinners - simple bone in chicken thighs, seasoned up with salt, pepper and roasted in a shallow pan along with onion, lots of garlic and cherry tomatoes jazzed up with herbs and a dusting of red pepper flakes. It's simple to make, incredibly easy on the cook and just so you know, the secret is to spread everything out on a shallow pan so there isn't any crowding. A hot oven does the rest of the work.

The cookbook cautioned against allowing the vegetables to overcook and char but I'm here to tell you those caramelized ossified hunks of garlic, onion and tomatoes are like candy...sweet, crisp and oh so darned delicious. I cooked up a mess of packaged gnocchi and finished it in in a saute pan with a little butter, dried sage and parmesan cheese to go with our roasted bird, but pasta, noodles or roasted potatoes would be fabulous too.

Just make a salad, warm up some bread and be prepared for the compliments because they'll be coming your way at the speed of light. Oh, and if you really want to blow their socks off, how about whipping up a little Blueberry Cream Pie like the one I made at the beach this summer? Substitute a can of prepared blueberry pie filling, or even cherry or peach for that matter and you'll have 'em all wondering what other secrets you've been keeping from them. 

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Tomatoes and Herbs (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Oregonian Cookbook)

Cooking spray

1 medium onion, peeled and sliced into quarter inch thick pieces

6 to 8 cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

1-1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2-1/2 to 3 pounds bone in chicken thighs, skin left intact (approx. 6 to 8 thighs)

Preheat oven to 450. Spray a shallow baking dish or large sheet pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl combine garlic, tomatoes, onion, olive oil, red pepper flakes and thyme. Season well with salt and pepper. Toss to coat vegetables with oil.

Wash and dry chicken thighs well. Season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Place in prepared pan, leaving as much room as possible between pieces of chicken – in fact, you can use 2 sheet pans instead of one if you wish. Place tomato mixture around chicken thighs but not on top.

Roast uncovered for 45 to 50 minutes until chicken thighs are golden brown and cooked through. Serve chicken with vegetables and juices. Serves 4. 

A year ago - Chili from Leftover Prime Rib

Two year's ago - Ham and Cheese Quiche

Three Year's Ago - Failure...Flounder with Tomatoes and Olives in Parchment

Chicken Salad or Chicken Soup

We had some leftover chicken hiding in the refrigerator from the roasted bird the other night and while its soup weather here in the deep southwest, Big Guy had a yen for salad because he says I make the best. I don't know about that when it is really all about making use of what you have in your pantry and veggie drawer and building on the flavors used when you roasted the bird in the first place. Am I being too modest here?

Last night I simply used chopped celery, sweet onion and diced carrots and added zest from 2 meyer lemons and the juice of one, picked fresh off our tree. (I sure am going to miss that tree!) Combined with lots of mayonnaise and fresh tarragon from the herb pots going strong on the patio, for a second there I thought I'd gone overboard with the lemon juice but solved the issue by adding some meyer lemon marmalade that I made last year. 

Served with some of the dough boy's croissants hot from the oven and slathered in butter, it was a dinner without pretense if you know what I mean. Best of all, there's lots of salad left to pile into a couple of soft rolls, or between two pieces of crusty toast. It'll come in handy while we're packing boxes this afternoon. 

 

 
In case you're wondering, personally I had a yen for this Chicken and Wild Rice Soup we enjoyed a while ago, or the Chicken Pot Pie soup from 2009, or especially a pot of Mulligatawny full of curry and apples and all those good things, but they'll have to wait for another time. 

Related articles

Grilled Lemon Chicken Pasta

Chicken Tostadas

Roast Chicken With Meyer Lemon Shallot Sauce

Autumn Chicken Salad

Roast Chicken With Meyer Lemon Shallot Sauce

OMG! I thought I'd found my new favorite roasted chicken method when I came across Ina Garten's plucky lemon flavored bird on croutons, but I'm here to say this version from Sunset magazine via myrecipes.com is every bit as delicious, if not better.

Salted and left to "dry brine" for 3 hours before cooking, lemon zest and thyme are placed under the skin and in the cavity along with sliced lemons and the bird is roasted along with a whole pound of shallots.

Now I know you're thinking how much of a pain it is to prep a whole pound of shallots, but the interesting thing is the shallots go into the pan unpeeled to roast and get all caramelized for an hour kinda' like you'd roast whole bulbs of garlic and when they're done, you simply squeeze the flavorful innards into a blender along with the pan juices and wine and stock and give it all a whizz. (I actually used my immersion blender). Returned to the roasting pan to warm up, all the good brown fond is scraped off the bottom and the shallots turn into an incomparable lemon flavored sauce.

I served our chicken along side yukon gold potatoes, parsnip and carrots all roasted in a cast iron pan in the oven during the last hour the chicken was cooking, and it was fabulous but honestly I'd be inclined to mash the potatoes and parsnip together next time so the sauce is put to its best uses. I mean really, what's better than chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy? 

Hit the link for the recipe and have at 'er. I only changed one thing - I didn't have any chicken stock in my pantry...I know, can you believe it...and the only wine I had was a blush, but I used a whole cup of it anyway and you know what? It was just fine, in fact it was a lovely kinda' pink tinged spoonful of bliss. 

 

Related articles

Chicken Quarters Roasted in Hard Cider Sauce

Nonna's Chicken Scallopini

Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon

Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon

I saw a recipe on another blog  I visit regularly that looked fabulous and then I realized I'd made it before several months ago. One of the negatives about posting daily on a blog is that it becomes a challenge finding new and different things to showcase; however, this chicken dish loaded with lemon and green olives is certainly good enough for a repeat.

As you can imagine, it has been an incredibly busy week and with the final of 3 moving quotes taking place last night at the same time I should have been preparing dinner, something quick and tasty was the order of the day.

This one includes skinless boneless chicken thighs seasoned with salt and pepper, dredged in flour and browned until golden brown, joined by golden sauteed onions, lemon wedges and chicken stock. Seasoned with all manner of exotic spices and finished with green olives and a dusting of cilantro and parsley, it was absolutely perfect nestled into a bowl along with a scoop of whole wheat couscous. 

The bonus of course, is that it all took a mere 30 minutes to hit the table and it is absolutely delicious. Period! Hit the link here and head to epicurious.com for the official recipe if you wish, but my lowly version is listed below. It's not different than the original by much except that by dredging the chicken thighs in flour before browning them, gives more flavor to the end result and better sauce too.

By the way if there's just 2 of you, feel free to cut the recipe in half. I did last night, but I did put in the whole onion as well as 2 really small Meyer lemons from our tree. Just sayin!

Moroccan Chicken With Green Olives and Lemon (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from epicurious.com)

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 skinless boneless chicken thighs cut in half

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

Flour for dredging

2 lemons, 1 cut into 8 wedges and the other juiced

1 large onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1/2 cup green olives

Chopped parsley and cilantro for garnish

Heat oil in a Dutch oven until shimmering. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Brown well on all sides in batches. Remove from pot and set aside. Add onions and sauté until golden brown – about 5 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, and ginger and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken stock and return chicken to the pot. Add lemon wedges. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover from pot and simmer for 5 minutes to reduce liquid slightly. Stir in olives and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required. Garnish with parsley and cilantro. Serve with rice or couscous. Serves 4 to 6

A year ago - Shredded Apple Pie

 

Grilled Lemon Chicken Pasta

Last night's dinner was inspired by two recipes, one for lemon chicken from Taste of the Territory a Service League cookbook from Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and the second for lemon pasta from The Best of the Best, Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks. Hey, with two great sources like that failure's not likely to be an option.

Our Meyer's lemons (at least that's what they started out to be but they've morphed into a cross between Meyer's and Eureka's) are coming on strong right now and a ton of them are ready for picking which means any recipe with lemon in it is fair game. I made good use of 4 of them in this tasty lemon loaded dish.

The chicken's marinated in a mixture of vinegar, Dijon, black pepper, sliced whole lemons and olive oil for a minimum 6 hours before it hits the grill, resulting in tender moist morsels of lemon flavored bird. I had half a mind to grill the lemon slices too, but was afraid to because of the fear of contamination so I discarded the zip bag of marinade instead. 

As for the pasta, you could use almost anything; in fact, the recipe calls for fettucine, but I used Barilla's Campanelle because of their unique trumpet like shape (Big Guy picked 'em out). Anyway, the boiled pasta's combined with sauteed onion and garlic, then tossed in the zest and juice of a whole lemon, followed by half and half and grated Parmesan. The key to this one is to make sure the pasta's absorbed the lemon juice before the cream hits the pot otherwise you'll end up with a curdled mess. As you'll notice I didn't do that, so in order to disguise the curdled look I threw in a handful of fresh mozzarella. Oh I forgot to mention I added a little dried tarragon along with some fresh from our herb garden too, but it's been planted quite recently and I didn't want to steal too much of it. 

Once I got over lamenting the fact that I'd curdled the darned sauce, I realized we really liked this dish. Of course by then Big Guy was giving me the "look" because he was well into his bowl of lemony goodness and steering towards his salad - all without uttering one word. I guess sometimes it's a good sign when the dinner conversation's a trifle limited, huh?

Incidentally, if snow, rain, wind and/or some other excuse like maybe flying insects or a shortage of propane are keeping you from your grill, you can certainly cook the chicken in a saute pan or shove it under the broiler. Just sayin'. 

Grilled Lemon Chicken Pasta (from JBug’s Kitchen, inspired by Taste of the Territory, Flair and Flavor of Oklahoma and Best of the Best, Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks)

Chicken:

1.25 pounds chicken tenders

2 tablespoons white or tarragon vinegar

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

2 whole lemons, sliced (seeds removed)

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Combine ingredients in a zip bag, seal and massage to distribute ingredients evenly in chicken. Place into a container to catch drips, if any, and refrigerate for 6 hours (or longer if you can). To cook, remove chicken from zip bag and discard marinade. Heat grill to medium hot, and cook chicken approximately 7 to 9 minutes, turning often. Remove from grill when cooked through and allow to rest to distribute juices. Slice each tender into thirds. Set aside (keep warm or reheat in microwave when needed).

Pasta:

8 ounces pasta of your choice

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 lemon, juice and grated rind

1 cup half and half or heavy cream

1/4 cup pine nuts

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 cup fresh mozzarella (optional)

1 lemon, cut into wedges (seeds removed)

Fresh tarragon for garnish

Cook pasta per package directions. Drain well. Meanwhile in a large sauté pan heat butter and olive oil until butter has melted. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until onion is softened. Stir in tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Add cooked pasta and lemon zest and juice. Toss pasta until lemon juice is absorbed, then add cream. Toss pasta to coat well and allow to absorb cream. Add pine nuts, parmesan cheese and mozzarella if using. Toss in warmed chicken pieces. Garnish with additional grated parmesan, lemon wedges and fresh tarragon. Serves 4.  

A year ago - Turkey and Stuffing Hand Pies

Two year's ago - Pumpkin Charlotte with Bourbon

Chicken and Smoked Andouille Gumbo

A lot of people are turned off making gumbo because of the effort involved in making a roux but I'm here to tell you that a passible roux is possible in about 10 minutes. All you need is a cast iron pot, a wooden spoon and a glass of wine. 

A hot pot with equal parts oil and all-purpose flour and wine to pass the time for the cook will darn near guarantee perfection. Just make sure you've prepped all the other ingredients before you start because the first 5 to 10 minutes of cooking time is crucial. Last night's perfect chocolate brown roux took exactly 6 minutes so quite honestly I barely had time to put a dent in the wine. Darn.

In less than an hour the gumbo was simmering, the rice cooked and the cook relaxing, waiting for Big Guy to come home. We've had this pot of gloriousness before, so I'm sending you to the previous post for more information, but for your convenience I've listed the recipe below.

Incidentally, I can't miss the opportunity to brag now can I - the smoked andouille sausage is Big Guy's handiwork and absolutely delicious. I daresay during his retirement on the Oregon coast there will be a heck of a lot more of that coming our way. Just sayin'. 

Chicken and Smoked Andouille Gumbo (adapted from Bon Appetit)

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup all purpose flour

2 stalks of celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne depending on taste

1 teaspoon garlic granules

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

2-1/2 cups seafood or chicken stock (low sodium)

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

1 pound smoked andouille sausage cut into 1/2 inch thick slices

1 pound chicken, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces (I used chicken tenders)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Flour for dredging

Freshly cooked long grain rice

Prep all ingredients before you start. Heat oil in heavy cast iron Dutch oven over high heat until almost smoking. Add flour, lower heat to medium high and stir being careful not to splash, cook stirring constantly until dark reddish brown in color (takes 4 to 6 minutes stirring constantly). Do not under any circumstances leave the pot unattended.

When the roux is a rich reddish chocolate brown, immediately add chopped celery, onion and bell peppers and stir well to combine. Lower heat to medium and cook until vegetables are softened – about 5 minutes. Add spices and cook for additional minute. Add stock and canned tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile add vegetable oil to a large skillet and heat over high heat until oil is hot. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off the excess. Sauté in hot oil until browned on all sides. Set aside. In same pan, add andouille slices and fry until andouille is browned on the outside. Add sautéed chicken and andouille to Dutch oven and simmer for additional 15 minutes. Serve with rice.  Makes 6 large servings.

A year ago - Shepherd's Pie with Mashed Taters and 'snips

Two year's ago - Cheesy Cauliflower Soup

Autumn Chicken Salad

We had some chicken left over from Monday night's bird in hard cider sauce that needed to be put to good use one way or another. Since Tucson's still enjoying 80 degree temperatures, I figured a salad would be quite appropriate even though the Northerner in me's craving a good hot bowl of soup and a snow shovel. (I know...call me crazy!)

We love chicken salad around here as you can gather from the many versions on this site and I enjoy experimenting with different flavors and textures because when you put chicken into a salad, there's no reason on earth not to experiement.

For example, when you've chicken that's been roasted with lemon and thyme, take advantage of the flavors by adding  green olives, fresh lemon zest, sundried tomatoes and a fresh basil garnish for a Mediterranean twist. On the other hand if your cooked bird is a smidgen on the bland side, spice it up with a curry mayonnaise, add a little honey, some fresh cantalope balls and a few pecan pieces for added crunch and you've created something memorable.  

In this case because the chicken was cooked in hard cider with onions and garlic, it made sense to take advantage of the autumn flavors. Beginning with sweet onion and celery, I added some diced Granny Smith apple and a handful of dried cranberries to the chunked up chicken and devised a dressing from mayonnaise, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar. So far so good, right?

My plan was to enhance the texture by adding a handful of toasted walnuts which as you can see, I forgot, as well as some crispy, salty crunchy bacon but the bacon didn't make it either. I burnt it...yup, I did.  Five slices of beautiful home cured bacon up in smoke quick as you please. Stinkin' up the house and messin' up the microwave. What can I say. When I fail, I fail big. 

Autumn Chicken Salad (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

3 cups leftover roasted chicken, cut into chunks

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries

2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and cut into half inch pieces

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup real maple syrup

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

5 slices bacon, cooked until crisp and crumbled

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

Toss together chicken, onion, celery, cranberries and apple. Season well with salt and coarse ground black pepper. In a small bowl whisk together mayonnaise, maple syrup and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Pour over salad and toss well to coat. Garnish with crumbled bacon and toasted walnuts. Makes 4 servings. 

A year ago - Mango Chicken Curry

Two year's ago -  Pasta Salad with Green Olivada

Chicken Quarters Roasted in Hard Cider Sauce

When you're craving a down home old fashioned kinda' meal, then chicken's the one to go to. Last night's version started with a whole bird that was earmarked for Sunday's dinner but the cook(s) ran out of steam. No matter, because it tasted darned fine last night.

I cut the chicken in quarters using my trusty kitchen shears because in my opinion they work much better than a knife for this particular job. I took the back bone right out by cutting down each side which isn't hard to do; however, remember to cut about a half inch away from each side of the spinal column or you'll end up with a bunch of little iddy biddy back bone bones in your chicken pieces. I should know because I didn't listen to my own advice but I will next time because it's pretty good advice (from a fairly reliable source). Ha. 

Anyway, the quarters were seasoned well with lots of salt and pepper, then dredged in flour and browned on all sides then removed from the pot. An onion, garlic cloves and thyme hit the pot until the onions were softened, then I added a bottle of Woodchuck Amber Cider along with a little chicken stock,  and re-introduced the chicken. After an hour uncovered in the oven, I flamed the bird with some warmed Apple Jack brandy and finished the sauce with a touch of instant blending flour to thicken it along with some cream for richness.

Served with a parsnip/potato mash and some broccoli slaw loaded with cranberries, pecans, Granny Smith apple and a maple mayonnaise dressing, it was a hit on the homefront. Don't you love when that happens?

Roasted Chicken Quarters in Hard Cider Sauce (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Helen Brody’s New Hampshire: From Farm to Kitchen)

1 2-1/2 to 2 pound chicken, cut into quarters

Kosher Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bottle hard cider (I used Woodchuck Amber)

1/2 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup apple brandy (I used Apple Jack)

2 tablespoons Wondra instant blending flour (more or less as required)

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Wash and dry chicken quarters and season well with salt and pepper. Place flour into a zip bag and add chicken pieces one at a time, shaking to coat and shaking pieces to remove excess flour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350.

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add butter and olive oil and when hot, brown dredged chicken pieces on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, garlic and thyme to pot and cook, stirring constantly until onion is softened – about 3 to 4 minutes. Add cider and chicken stock and return chicken to pot, arranging it in a single layer. Bring to a simmer then place pot in oven and roast chicken, uncovered for 1 hour or until very tender.

Remove pot from the oven and place on low heat. Microwave brandy for 5 to 6 seconds to warm slightly and carefully pour over chicken, lighting with a match. When flames no longer glow, remove chicken from pot to a platter and keep warm.

Increase heat to medium and whisk flour into sauce to thicken to desired consistency. Whisk in heavy cream. Taste for seasoning adding more salt and pepper as required. Serve sauce with chicken. Makes 4 servings. 

A year ago - Holiday Ideas for Turkey Phobics

Two year's ago - Lemon Chicken Wings

Nonna's Chicken Scallopini

During what I call my informative years as a teenager, I worked in the kitchen at a local resort on the shores of Lake Nipissing in Northern Ontario Canada. At the time, the resort was owned by an Italian couple whose matriarch cooked magnificent specialties for the weekly Sunday night buffet and Chicken Scallopini was my favorite of all the fabulous mouth watering things she made. Although her command of the English language was limited, I like to think I learned a lot from her simply by osmosis. 

Loaded with garlic, shallots, golden browned mushrooms, marsala wine and kissed with sage and a touch of nutmeg, this version also known as chicken marsala is made from skinless, boneless chicken thighs instead of the usual chicken breast. Cut into pieces and pounded to a quarter inch thickness, seasoned and dredged in flour before browning in a combination of olive oil and butter, the thighs simmer in marsala and chicken stock until cooked through before they're finished with a touch of cream and a little lemon zest (which I forgot last night). They're moist, tender and oh so delicious. 

Served on a bed of noodles, pasta, or polenta, chicken scallopini is a downright decadent week night meal ...or any night for that matter as it takes almost no time to put together, can hold practically indefinitely on low heat and reheats beautifully too. 

I have no doubt Nonna is happily spending hours over simmering pots of gloriousness feeding the angels in heaven at this very moment.  Hopefully she'd be pleased with this tribute. 

Chicken Scallopini with Mushrooms and Marsala (an original from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Nonna)

1/4 cup butter, divided

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1-1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut in pieces & pounded to a 1/4 “ thick

Sea salt and coarse ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 cup dry Marsala wine

3/4 cup extra strength chicken stock (I used 2 envelopes of Swanson’s Chicken Flavor Boost)

1/2 cup heavy cream

Zest of 1 lemon

Chopped parsley as garnish

Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally until mushrooms are browned. Add garlic and shallots and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Add remaining butter and olive oil to pan and heat until butter is melted. Meanwhile, season pounded chicken thigh pieces on both sides with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Cook until golden brown on both sides. Add sage and nutmeg and return mushrooms to the pan. Season with coarse ground black pepper. Add marsala wine and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid from pan and stir in heavy cream. Bring back to a boil, sprinkle with lemon zest.  Serve immediately over noodles. Garnish with parsley. Makes 4 servings. 

 A year ago - Israeli Couscous Salad with Apples, Cranberries & Herbs

Two year's ago - Chorizo Potato Tacos

King Ranch Casserole

Can't believe we've lived in the Southwest for 10 years and this is my first attempt at a King Ranch Casserole. It certainly isn't that I haven't wanted to try it before now. I mean really, it's got everything in it that we love including lots of ooey gooey goodness.

 

We must have been exceptionally anxious to chow down on this casserole last night, because this is the only picture we got. Sorry!

I took my inspiration from a "light" version via myrecipes.com but added a few more calories - hey, heaven forbid anything should be too light around here and while I know there's scratch versions out there like the one at Homesick Texan, since JBug's Kitchen is all about every day cooking, I went ahead and used a couple of Campbell's products in the form of fat free cream of chicken soup and cream of mushroom too. I'm sure I'll hear from you "gourmand's" out there who take issue with using convenience foods, but so be it. 

I threw in extra garlic powder, a touch of cumin and some of our favorite chipotle chile powder as well as just a touch of sour cream and a little chicken stock too. Good thing the sour cream was in it because Big Guy picked up Rotel with Habenero peppers in it for a little extra kick. Just can't trust him can I?

As for the chicken, I raided the freezer for the rest of the bird we roasted a few weeks ago which means we enjoyed 3 totally different meals plus leftovers from that one little bird. Not bad, eh? Oh, in case you're wondering whether we liked the casserole - heck yes. What's not to like? Rich creamy flavorful soul satisifying good grub that's a cross between chicken enchiladas and chilequilas... no way you can go wrong with that!

Lighter King Ranch Chicken Casserole (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from myrecipes.com)

1 large onion, chopped

5 assorted mini sweet peppers, chopped

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 – 10 ounce can fat free cream of chicken soup

1 – 10 ounce can fat free cream of mushroom soup

1 – 10 ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes with habanero peppers

1/3 cup chicken stock

1/2 cup lite sour cream

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1 -1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

10 – 6 inch corn tortillas cut into quarters

2 cups chopped leftover roasted chicken

4 ounce grated Pepper Jack cheese (or Monterey Jack)

2 ounce grated sharp cheddar

Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole with cooking spray and set aside.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until onion is softened – about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together undiluted cream soups, tomatoes, chicken stock, sour cream, pepper, garlic, chile powder and cumin until well mixed. Pour a third of the mixture onto the bottom of the casserole dish. Top with one third of the tortilla pieces, followed by half the chicken, half of the onion pepper mixture and a third of the cheese. Add a third of the sauce and repeat layers, ending in sauce and cheese. Bake uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes until the casserole is bubbling. Serves 6 to 8.

 A year ago - New Orleans Style BBQ Shrimp

Two year's ago - Magic Banana Caramel Pudding

Chicken Tostadas

I was in a real fix yesterday trying to decide what to do with some of the leftover roast chicken from Saturday night's dinner. I was thinking enchiladas since we haven't had them for a while and of course there's always one of my favorites, chicken pot pie but we've had plenty of those in the past. 

Instead I took a page out of Marcela Valladolid's book at Food Network and put together a platter of goodies as toppers on small corn tortillas that I fried until crisp and golden. The tostada's are a cinch to make so there's no need to buy the shells because they take all of about a minute total to get crisp and puffy. A little oil in a large cast iron pan, a pair of tongs and that's it.

Next time you've some leftover pork, beef, chicken or even fish or shrimp, take an imaginary trip to margarita land and cook up this simple Mexican version of an open face sandwich.  I bet your family will have a blast choosing how to build their masterpieces never mind enjoying the crisp and flavorful results of their labors. I know we sure did!

The simple version...uh dainty isn't it?

 

The manly kind. Dainty? NOT

A year ago - Grilled Tri Tip with Tequila Marinade

Two year's ago - Shaker Lemon Bars

 

Maple Chicken Wings

Oh boy! I could just leave it at that and hope you'll make 'em really soon, because honestly these maple flavored chicken wings, loaded with garlic, salty from soy and teriyaki and sweetened with real maple syrup are darn near addictive.

They'll be perfect for any of you football fanatics because if you put 'em in the oven just before the game starts, by half time you'll be chowing down on their tender deliciousness. All they need is a couple of hours in the oven with a shake up every now and then and they're done but for goodness sake, make them in a disposable pan or there's no doubt you'll be cursing me big time.

We enjoyed our wings on a bed of spicy peanut noodles loaded with crunchy veggies and a touch of spicy Sriracha heat. Oh so good!

Maple Chicken Wings (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from foodnetwork.com)

3 pounds chicken wings

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper

1 cup real maple syrup

Wash and dry chicken wings. Arrange in a large disposable aluminum foil pan. Preheat oven to 350. In a small container with a tight fitting lid combine teriyaki, soy sauce, garlic, spices and maple syrup, secure cover and shake to combine ingredients. Pour over chicken wings and toss to coat. Bake for 1 hour, turning wings half way during baking period. Increase oven temperature to 425 and bake for another 45 minutes or until sauce is reduced and wings are a rich color. Give wings a stir every 15 minutes so they brown evenly.  

A year ago - Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese

Two year's ago -  Creamy Buffalo Chicken Salad

Cheesy Chicken Chowder

Last night's dinner would be perfect after that first big snowfall. You know the one I mean where every moron in the world including you has put off exchanging their summer tires for winter ones and can't keep their jittney on the road; and/or can't see a darn thing because they couldn't find a snow brush in the car and scraped a mere 4 inch spot on the windshield with their Triple A card. Oh, and there's always the ones that forgot how to drive in the stuff to begin with. You know what I'm talkin' 'bout right?

Well a hot and fragrant pot of spicy rich chowder like this one's guaranteed to add some sunshine to an other wise cheerless day. We've bragged about it before (hit the link you'll see it here), but this time I used skinless boneless chicken thighs, left out the flour because the soup definitely didn't need to be thicker, added more chicken stock and used Orzo pasta instead of potatoes. Actually I wish I had used a bigger pasta for a better bite, but hey there's always next time. 

Incidentally, the scenario described in the first paragraph is purely from memory. We hit the 90's again yesterday, but I can always dream can't I. It doesn't snow very often here in Tucson and since the Christmas decorations are already out in the stores, I figure it must be winter somewhere.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Chowder (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Taste of the Territory Cookbook)

2 pounds diced skinless boneless chicken thighs (about 5 large)

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onions, chopped

4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 jalapeno minced (leave seeds and membranes intact if you want a spicier soup)

2 teaspoons mixed Italian dried herbs

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

4 cups low sodium chicken stock 

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice (optional)

1/2 cup Orzo pasta (or 1 cup elbow macroni) uncooked

2 cans cream of chicken (or cream of mushroom) soup

8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add onions, and carrots and jalapeno and sauté until onions are softened. Move vegetables over to one side of pot. Add cubed chicken thighs, season lightly with salt and pepper and sauté until no longer pink – about 5 minutes. Add Italian dried herbs, chili powder, cayenne and garlic powder and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes. Add stock, diced tomatoes and pasta. Stir well and bring to a high boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until pasta is cooked and chicken is tender. Stir in cream of chicken soup and cheese. Cook stirring constantly until cheese is melted and soup is hot. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Serve with crusty bread or crackers. Makes 6 to 8 large servings. 

A year ago -  Raspberry Lemon Thumbprint Cookies

Two year's ago -   Making Munchies with Won Ton Wrappers

Thai Chicken Curry with Butternut Squash

In case you're tired of roasting squash, pureeing it in soup or heaven forbid sick of baking pies, here's a great way to have your squash and eat it too. Sorry! I couldn't resist. 

Loaded with the subtle heat of Thai red curry paste and mellowed with unsweetened coconut milk, this recipe from Williams-Sonoma is just about ideal, although I'll admit to making some changes in cooking method and ingredient quantities. You know we don't do "pansy" flavors in this house so I had to add more oomph and I didn't see the point in throwing out all the nutrients from the squash by cooking it separately then adding it to the chicken, never mind having to wash another pot.

Check out the original recipe by hitting the link above, but for convenience I've included my version below. Naturally, in addition to the significant increase in the amount of spices, you'll notice I substituted butternut squash for the Sugar Pie pumpkin. They wanted an arm and a leg for that little sucker, and I wasn't about to pay the price. I also combined fresh cilantro, mint and basil together, sprinkled some into the bottom of the bowl before I put the curry on top and garnished with the rest. It adds an incredible amount of flavor to the dish as does the addition of shredded coconut to the rice. I'm thinking it might be a tad bland without it and who wants that? 

Anyway, give it a try and let me know what you think. We rather enjoyed the flavors and texture of the tender, moist chicken and slight firm bite of the squash. Just be careful with your heat after you've added the coconut milk so the mixture doesn't curdle and please don't overcook the squash, OK?

Thai Chicken Curry with Butternut Squash (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Williams-Sonoma)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs cut into bite sized pieces

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1-1/2 pounds peeled and diced butternut squash (half of a medium squash cut into half inch cubes)

1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock

3 shallots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

2 heaping tablespoons Thai red curry paste

1 teaspoon Thai Chili paste

2 tablespoons water

1 – 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Coconut rice

Fresh limes as garnish

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and sprinkle with cornstarch. Mix to combine and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat until shimmering. Add chicken to pan and cook until chicken starts to turn golden in color – about 3 to 4 minutes. Add squash to pan along with chicken stock. Cover pan, lower heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove cover and continue to cook for 4 more minutes until liquid has reduced and squash is tender but still crisp.

In a food processor combine shallots, garlic, Thai curry paste and chili paste along with 2 tablespoons water and pulse until mixture is almost smooth. Move chicken/squash mixture to one side of sauté pan and add puree. Bring to a boil then combine with chicken, squash mixture and cook for additional 5 minutes. In a small bowl combine fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar and coconut milk. Add to sauté pan, lower heat to a slow simmer and cook, stirring occasionally until mixture is warmed through. To serve - Combine basil, cilantro and fresh mint together. Sprinkle some on the bottom of each serving, then ladle curry on top. Serve with coconut rice and garnish with fresh lime. Serves 4. 

 A year ago - Thai Shrimp Curry

Two year's ago - Apple Pear Cake with Hazelnuts and Butterscotch

Apple Cider Chicken

Autumn is upon us, although here in Tucson it means we're still dealing with temperatures in the 90's but we can't let that stop us from cooking up something seasonal.

Inspired by Sunny Anderson's recipe on Foodnetwork, never mind by the pork and cider stew we had a year ago, this is a much better use of the treasured hard cider nestled amongst the beer in our refrigerator than the brined pork turned out to be - at least in my opinion. Of course, I don't think there's a bad way to cook chicken anyway but braising it's darn near the best and adding apple cider...well, shut the front door! In fact, deadbolt it while you're there because the aroma is so amazing you'll have to keep the neighbors out somehow!

I seasoned and floured some skinless boneless chicken thighs and browned them till golden, after which the usual onions and garlic hit the pot for added flavor. With the golden brown thighs removed, it's a perfect opportunity to scrape up all the flavor bits on the bottom of the pot too. Followed by wedges of Granny Smith apples, fresh thyme, bay leaf and a touch of rosemary, the chicken was re-introduced and nestled in a mixture of hard cider and chicken stock. Simmered until tender, I thickened the gravy slightly with a slurry of flour mixed with a jigger or two of Apple Jack Brandy for an added je ne sais quoi.

Piled into a nature made bowl of the finest roasted Kabocha squash along with a mix of long grain and wild rice courtesy of Rice a Roni, (yup, JBug's not adverse to using convenience foods ya' know)  dinner was indeed a treat and relatively healthy too. 

Naturally a pile of creamy mashed potatoes or lovely flakey biscuits, or even wild rice waffles or fritters would be a fabulous way to sop up all that incredible gravy, but we'll have to go there again so we can tell you all about it another day. 

Apple Cider Chicken (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Sunny Anderson, Foodnetwork.com)

3 tablespoons canola oil

2.5 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs (approx. 9)

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into wedges

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1 bay leaf

1 – 12 ounce bottle hard cider (I used Woodchuck)

1 cup low sodium chicken stock

1/4 cup Apple Jack brandy (or water)

1-1/2 tablespoons flour (I used Wondra instant blending flour)

Heat oil over medium high in a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper then coat in flour, shaking off the excess. Brown in batches without crowding the pan until chicken is golden on all sides. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add onion, garlic, apples, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf to the pan and cook until onion is softened, stirring up browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return chicken to the pot along with any accumulated juices. Add cider and chicken stock. Heat to a boil, then lower heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove cover and cook for additional 15 minutes to reduce liquid. Make a slurry from the brandy and flour and thicken gravy to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes (or biscuits) to soak up all that good gravy. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Ina's Plum Cake Tatin

Two year's ago -  Sole Almondine

 

Oven Fried Chicken Revisited

Take plump free-range chicken drumsticks; soak 'em in a spiced up buttermilk mixture; let 'em ruminate and get happy in the refrigerator for a while, then coat 'em in a mixture of cracker crumbs and flour;  let 'em settle in for a minute then fry 'em in a little butter and oil and finish 'em in the oven and what have you got?  

The best darn chicken you'll ever make - honest. Incredibly crispy and crunchy outside crust with tender moist and incredibly flavorful meat - it is absolutely utterly amazing and well worth repeating on a regular basis.

That's what I just did and I apologize if I'm boring you but it's just the way it's got to be. You see, this blogging business can be tough because the things that you end up really loving shouldn't be repeated very often for the sake of your regular readers; however, there are times exceptions must be made.

Now make a list of the ingredients and head to your local market. Your loved ones are gonna' thank you big time. 

Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken (inspired by  myrecipes.com)

2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Franks)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds chicken pieces (approx.. 6 pieces) (I used drumsticks, but thighs are great too)

Whisk together buttermilk, dry mustard, hot sauce, cayenne, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Pour into a deep bowl or large zip bag and add chicken pieces. Marinate in refrigerator overnight or for a minimum 12 hours.

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup cracker crumbs (I used crushed saltines)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425. Place flour, cracker meal, salt and pepper into a zip bag. Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and coat one piece of chicken at a time with flour/cracker meal, shaking off excess. Place onto a wire rack and allow to sit for 10 minutes before continuing. Meanwhile heat butter and oil in a large oven proof skillet. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on one side – 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Flip chicken over and immediately place into oven. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165. 

A year ago -   Black Plum Cobbler

Two year's ago -  Cuban Sandwich

Chicken with Green Mole

One thing we've discovered during our ten years in Tucson is that Mexican cuisine is a lot more than tacos and burritos. I've learned a tremendous amount about the diversity of the food thanks to the internet, some fabulous local restaurants as well as books by Rick Bayless and Diana Kennedy; however, we can thank Marcela Valladolid of Food Network's Mexican Made Easy for introducing us to a green pipian sauce also known as green mole. Watching her make it on her show made me really anxious to give it a try.

Of course, I'm never satisfied unless I do a ton of exploring before I try a new recipe and my research brought me to a recipe from New Mexico Magazine, so I combined Marcela's and Chef Fernando Olea's from Epazote in Santa Fe to come up with my version. 

I seasoned skinless boneless chicken thighs with sea salt, pepper and chipotle chile powder then dusted them lightly in flour before they hit my favorite cast iron Dutch oven and came out golden brown and glistening. Onions and garlic got a quick saute in all those lovely chicken juices before they hit the food processor along with par boiled tomatillos, a serrano pepper and unsalted roasted pumpkin seeds (pipian), that were lightly toasted until golden brown. Joined by a little chicken stock, I whizzed the ingredients resulting in a sauce with a relatively coarse texture.

The sauce returned to the pot along with the chicken and more chicken broth and simmered slowly for 45 minutes until the chicken was tender. Finished with chopped cilantro and served with rice, tortillas and a squeeze of lime, the end result is absolutely not to be believed.

The flavors are rich and nutty with a very subtle hint of heat from the serrano that just hits the back of your throat and says howdy...I'm here. It's so good, I can't wait to make it again... maybe with pork next time and I might even add some Hatch green chile to the mix! Man, don't ya' just love cooking?

Chicken with Green Mole (from JBug’s Kitchen Antics inspired by Chef Marcela Valladolid, Food Network and Chef Fernando Olea of Epazote in Santa Fe via New Mexico Magazine)

2 pounds skinless boneless chicken thighs

Salt & coarse ground black pepper

1 teaspoon Chipotle chile powder

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons olive oil

Sauce:

1 pound tomatillos

1-1/2 cups unsalted roasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

4 cloves garlic

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 Serrano pepper, with seeds (stem removed)

1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth or more as needed

1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh limes

Fill a medium sized pot with water and heat until boiling. Meanwhile remove papery outer husk of tomatillos and wash tomatillos well until no longer sticky. Add to pot of boiling water, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, until color changes to a deep olive green and they are soft. Remove from pot and drain well. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile in a large nonstick skillet, toast pumpkin seeds over medium heat, stirring constantly until lightly browned. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Wash and dry chicken thighs. Cut each thigh in half and place into a large bowl. Season well with salt, pepper and chipotle chile powder and toss to coat. Sprinkle in flour and toss again so that chicken pieces are evenly coated.

Heat oil in heavy Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chicken pieces and cook until browned on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside.

Add onion and garlic to pot and sauté until onion is softened. Remove to a food processor. Remove cores from prepared tomatillos and add to food processor along with Serrano pepper, toasted pumpkin seeds and a half cup of chicken broth. Process until sauce is fairly smooth (it will be slightly coarse because of the pumpkin seeds).

Return chicken to the pot and pour sauce over top. Add an additional cup of chicken stock, then season sauce with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, slightly covered for 40 minutes or until chicken is very tender. Add chopped cilantro during last 5 minutes of cooking. Serve with rice and garnish with lime wedges. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Homemade Hamburger Buns & Leftover Pork

Two year's ago -  Peach Crumble Pie

Chicken 'n Stuffing Pot Pie

Not just any old chicken pot pie, this one's about to be repeated several times over the next couple of days as we have leftovers of leftovers. There's not likely to be any complaints about it because last night's effort was pretty darn tasty.

Purely made up as I went along, the main deal's about the leftover lemon rosemary rotisserie roasted chicken courtesy of Big Guy about 10 days ago and recovered from the freezer. Feel free to use a store bought pre-cooked bird but for heaven's sake hit the link and you may be enticed to make one all by your lonesome.

Joined by sauteed carrots, celery, garlic and onion, along with a touch of fresh tarragon and a dash of poultry seasoning, the sauce is fashioned from white wine, concentrated chicken stock like Swanson's flavor boost (I used Trader Joe's version) as well as a can of cream of mushroom soup. Hey I didn't say it was gourmet, now did I? All mixed up together, I'd have added some frozen peas but didn't want to hear the reaction from you know who.

The cruncher occurred when I realized I only had enough pastry dough for a single nine inch pie and since I was looking at 4 rather significant ramekins, I figured my goose was cooked. That's when a foraging trip into the pantry resulted in a package of Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix and a new idea was born.

I mixed some dry stuffing mix with a little melted butter and a splash of white wine, then topped each ramekin with stuffing and pastry. Baked in a 400 oven for 40 minutes, the pot pies came out bubbling and looking right handsome, if I do say so myself. 

It kind of left me wondering what other brilliant ideas are hiding in this brain of mine. As you can see we had our individual pot pies with a side of creamy slaw with chunks of green apple and dried cranberries. Perfect!

Chicken ‘n Stuffing Pot Pies (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

3 tablespoons butter

1 cup finely chopped onion (about half a large yellow onion)

1 cup chopped celery (about 3 stalks)

1 cup chopped carrots (about 2 large)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped

1 teaspoon dried poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons instant blending flour (Wondra)

2 packages chicken broth concentrate (like Stouffer’s Flavor Boost)

1/2 cup water

2/3 cup dry white wine

1 – 10 ounce can cream of mushroom soup

Salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

3 cups leftover roast chicken, cut into bite size pieces

 

Pastry for a single crust pie

2 cups dried stuffing mix

2 tablespoons melted butter

3 tablespoons dry white wine

Melt butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic and cook until vegetables soften and onion turns transparent – about 5 to 8 minutes. Add tarragon, poultry seasoning and instant blending flour. Cook stirring for 1 minute, then add white wine. Cook for 30 seconds until wine has partially reduced and mixture is thickening. In a small bowl, stir together water and chicken broth concentrate, and then add to sauté pan. Cook until mixture comes to a boil then remove from heat. Cool slightly.

Meanwhile spray 4 ramekins or 1 medium sized casserole with cooking spray. Preheat oven to 400. In a large bowl mix together cream of mushroom soup, peas (if using) and roast chicken pieces. Fold in cooled vegetable/sauce mixture. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required. Transfer mixture to ramekins. Toss together stuffing mix, butter and white wine. Place lightly on half of each ramekin, covering the remaining half with pastry. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until filling is bubbling and topping is browned. Serves 4 to 6.

A year ago - Deviled Chicken 

Two year's ago - Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad (Bo Bun)

Chipotle Chicken Salad with Peaches and Walnuts

We hit the MO Club (Mountain Oyster) last night for an amazing Hawaiian Luau and of all the stupidity I forgot to bring a camera so I could share the event. You'll have to be content with hearing about the salad we cooked up for Monday's night's dinner instead. 

The incredible thing about cooking your own rotisserie chicken other than the fact that it's delicious of course, is that you also know what's in it. The spices you've used and flavor you've added can be enhanced in whatever you're making from the leftovers. Take Big Guy's Chipotle bird for example. You had to know we'd pick that one first, now didn't ya!

The spicy southwestern flavors combined beautifully with cool peaches, crunchy toasted walnuts and a touch of orange juice to calm the heat and create a darn tasty salad. Of course the usual chopped celery, tangy red onion and crunchy colorful carrots helped too, never mind a creamy dressing made a tad lighter by a combination of mayonnaise and  yogurt and brightened with the addition of orange juice, and a smidgen of orange marmalade to calm the aggressive chile heat. It really did the trick and married beautifully with the peaches too.

Just remember to think outside the box next time you're whipping up a chicken salad, or any salad for that matter. Use your imagination and add dried or fresh fruit including pineapple, mango, grapes, fresh or dried apricots and even dried cranberries or sour cherries to the mix and of course your nut choices are unlimited too. 

What do ya' mean  you're not inspired yet? Hit the links for a few more unique and tasty chicken salads we've enjoyed here in JBug's Kitchen. 

 With Asparagus              Pasta and Pesto          Curry and Toasted Almonds  

Orange and Tarragon       Potatoes and Dill        Buffalo Style

Chipotle Chicken Salad with Peaches and Walnuts (an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

2-1/2 cups diced leftover cooked chicken

1/2 cup finely diced raw carrot

2 ribs celery, finely diced

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup plain yogurt (I used no fat Greek)

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried ground Chipotle chile seasoning

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

Salt and pepper to taste

1 14 ounce can sliced peaches, drained

1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted

Combine chicken, carrot, celery, and red onion in a medium sized bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, yogurt, garlic powder, ground Chipotle chile, orange marmalade and orange juice. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as required. Mix with chicken, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to blend flavors. Just before serving garnish with peaches and toasted walnuts. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

A year ago - Creamy Hominy Gratin

Two year's ago - Corn and Basil Cakes

BBQ Chipotle Chicken and BBQ Lemon Rosemary Chicken

Barbecue Chipotle Chicken and Barbecue Lemon Rosemary Chicken - cooked on the rotisserie with your own two hands. How's that for a story for the day...and don't let me hear you say you can't do it!

You see, Big Guy put some birds on the barbecue on Sunday and agreed to part with his secrets. It's only taken years and years of nagging on my part but here you go and believe me, you're in for a treat. 

As you likely know, that man of mine can cook up a storm and barbecuing and/or grilling's his forte; in fact, he's known in some parts as the "Perfessor of BBQ". There's not much he can't do with charcoal, assorted wood chips and the 3 different pieces of equipment he has in his outdoor kitchen - 5 if you count the little red gas grill and his massive propane powered flat top. Anyway, this weekend's efforts resulted in absolutely amazing rotisseried birds loaded with flavor and drippin' with juice.

The chipotle flavored bird was stuffed with onion and celery, then rubbed outside and under the skin with a paste made from unsalted softened butter, dried chipotle chile powder, cayenne, chopped cilantro and prickly pear jelly. Now, I know it's unlikely you'll run across much in the way of prickly pear jelly unless you're somewhere close to a desert but bear with me. I'm about to brag again because BIg Guy made jars of it with his own hands a while ago, but you can always substitute apple or red currant jelly instead. 

As for the Lemon Rosemary, it's made up of unsalted softened butter, lemon zest, garlic, and minced fresh rosemary and stuffed with fresh lemons and rosemary. Both birds were tied onto the same rotisserie and hit the Weber for a little over an hour when they came off looking like this.

Incredibly tender, extremely moist and absolutely full of flavor.  The Chipotle version is loaded with Southwestern flavor with a relatively assertive chipotle oomph while the Lemon Rosemary has a fairly pronounced lemon flavor with the slight tang of garlic and rosemary. Both are absolutely incredible and made for a fabulous Sunday night dinner, with tons of leftovers earmarked for other super summer supper solutions.  Keep coming by JBug's Kitchen Antics and you'll see what I mean. 

Incidentally, in case you're wondering where one finds such a thing as a Weber rotisserie - check out this link to Amazon and it'll give you the goods. If you own a 22-1/2 inch Weber kettle, you've just got to purchase this attachment. Honestly, it's more than paid for itself by producing fabulous rotisserie chicken, never mind the duck and turkey Big Guy's cooked on it. Why, you can even cook roast beef or pork on it too. It's the bomb! Of course, you'll have to master the cooking times/methods like Big Guy has, but believe me, a chimney of charcoal, a lovely chicken or two and Big Guy's recipes are all you need to produce stellar results. You can quote me on that.

 Big Guy’s Flavored Butters for Rotisserie BBQ Chicken (from JBug’s Kitchen, a Big Guy original)

Chipotle BBQ Chicken:

 1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

2 teaspoons dried Chipotle Chile powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 teaspoons prickly pear jelly (or apple jelly or red current)

1 – 2-1/2 to 3 pound chicken

1 small onion, peeled cut into wedges

1 rib celery, cut into large pieces

Combine butter,Chipotle chile powder, cayenne, cilantro and prickly pear jelly together in a small container and mix until smooth.

Wash and dry chicken inside and out. Stuff inside with onion and celery. Rub bird with butter mixture, including getting as much as possible under the skin onto the breasts and up onto the thighs. Be careful not to tear the skin.  Place chicken onto rotisserie and roast over medium coals for 60 to 70 minutes or until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 165. Remove from barbecue and let bird rest for 10 minutes before carving.  

Lemon Rosemary Chicken:

1/2 cup butter at room temperature

1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced

1 large clove garlic, finely minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon rind

1 – 2-1/2 to 3 pound chicken

1 lemon cut into wedges

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Combine butter, rosemary, garlic, salt and lemon rind and mix until smooth. Wash and dry chicken inside and out. Stuff inside with lemon and rosemary. Rub bird with butter mixture, including getting as much as possible under the skin onto the breasts and up onto the thighs. Be careful not to tear the skin.  Place chicken onto rotisserie and roast over medium coals for 60 to 70 minutes or until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 165. Remove from barbecue and let bird rest for 10 minutes before carving.  

A year ago - Southwestern Corn and Sausage Soup

Two year's ago - Roast Beef Panini

Gazpacho Chicken Salad

Ah chicken! I don't know about you but we never get tired of it, no doubt because there's an unlimited number of ways it can be prepared. That goes for chicken salad too and this recipe from Food Network Magazine is a great example. 

Incredibly  calorically responsible, the dressing is made from some of the vegetables that go into the salad including English cucumber and tomatoes. Rather brilliant, isn't it? It reeks of summer time, when ingredients are at their best fresh from the fields. 

Of course I made changes and left out the bread because we're trying to limit our carbs somewhat. I also added more garlic, chopped red onion and red pepper flakes for a little zing. I left out the arugula too because I already had a container of spring mix in the refrigerator that I wanted to use, so I merely plated the salad on the lettuce instead of mixing it all in. As for the chicken, I figured it needed some spicing up as well, but I've said it before so I'll say it again - recipes are only guidelines, so make changes to suit your personal taste or pantry shelves and knock yourself out. Go for the gusto!

So what did we think of the salad? Well, it's good enough and it certainly was a way to get Big Guy to eat chickPEAS aka garbanzo beans, but I don't think I'll make it again. Quite honestly I thought the flavors were kinda subtle even with the red pepper flakes and extra garlic (and pepperocini garnish). It's almost like there was something missing. Possibly adding some diced up bell peppers, fresh basil and a couple of kalamata olives might do the trick and take it to a higher level. What do you think?

Chicken Gazpacho Salad (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Food Network Magazine via foodnetwork.com)

1 pound chicken tenders

Garlic powder, salt, pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 English cucumber, diced with seeds removed

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup fresh parsley, divided

1/3 cup toasted almonds

1/3 cup chopped red onion

1 – 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

Assorted mixed greens

Rinse and dry chicken tenders. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper and grill until cooked through – approximately 4 minutes a side. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes as soon as tenders come off the grill. Set aside.

In a food processor combine garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, half the cucumber, half the cherry tomatoes and half the parsley along with the almonds. Process until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper.

In a large salad bowl, combine chopped onion along with remaining cucumber, tomatoes, and parsley. Add drained chick peas and toss to combine. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Cut chicken pieces into bite sized chunks and add to salad along with ingredients from food processor. Toss well to combine. Serve over mixed greens. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

A year ago - Show off Tortellini Salad

Three year's ago -  Chicken Thighs with Creole Mustard Orange Sauce and Moroccan Couscous

Makai Wide Eyed Arizonafied Chicken Chili

In case you’re wondering about the name of last night’s pot of gloriousness, Big Guy named this one so that means it must logical, right?

To clarify, Makai is the name of the community where we’re staying on the Oregon coast …wide eyed’s for the fact the chicken we used was leftover from our previous night’s dinner when Big Guy butterflied, deboned and  cooked the bird outside on the gas grill, slathering the whole glorious mess a’ meat in some of our Kicky Kumquat Marmalade. The habanero peppers hidden amongst the sweet marmalade can cause one to be rather wide eyed if you know what I mean.

As for the rest of the moniker, this chili includes lots of green chiles along with a chopped jalapeno and other assorted herbs and spices and there’s absolutely nothing pansy about it.  Garnished with sour cream to tame it a tadd along with a quesadilla made with corn tortillas stuffed with pepper jack and cheddar cheeses and fried till crisp, it fills the requirement for quick easy no fuss utterly delicious vacation grub.

Makai Wide Eyed Arizonafied Chicken Chili (inspired by Best of the Best from Arizona Cookbook)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large shallot, finely chopped

1 large yellow onion, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon oregano

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

1/2 cup white wine

2 – 10 ounce cans Rotel tomatoes with green chiles 

1 – 14 ounce can whole tomatoes

3 packages Swanson’s Chicken Flavor Boost

2 cups water

1 6 ounce can diced green chiles

1 large jalapeno, finely chopped

4 cups chopped cooked chicken

2  16 ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed

Sour cream as garnish

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add shallot, onion and garlic and cook until onion is softened. Add oregano, chili powder, cumin, coriander, black pepper and red chili flakes and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add wine and cook, stirring for an additional minute, scraping fond from the bottom of the pot. Add Rotel tomatoes, whole tomatoes, chicken flavor boost, water, green chiles and jalapeno as well as chopped chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Stir in rinsed beans and simmer for an additional 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream. Serves 8.

 

Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken

There's at least a b'zillion ways to cook chicken and we could never get tired of any of them because personally I believe it's darn near impossible to mess it up; however, last night's feast may just top all the other fried versions we've had before by a country mile. No kidding!

I soaked the chicken drumsticks for 24 hours in a spiced up buttermilk mixture, then coated them in a mixture of equal parts saltine cracker crumbs and all purpose flour. After the coated drumsticks sit for a few minutes to set the coating, they're browned on one side in a mixture of butter and oil then finished in a hot 425 oven. 

Ohhh baby, these cluck parts are sooo tasty and the coating's so crisp, you'd swear they were deep fried but they're not. We can thank myrecipes.com for the inspiration so check out their version to see the original. I'm posting mine because naturally I had to spice it up more than a bit but any less hot sauce, cayenne or dry mustard just won't be enough. 

We're on the road for 3 days and when you travel in the summer heat with two canine furballs in the back of the car, it's impossible to stop at restaurants to eat. That's one excuse but to be honest, we just like to keep going and get the day's driving done early so we can settle in and relax over a glass of bubbly and a great dinner. Last night's dinner was a repeated theme from a year ago when we had chicken drumsticks too, but they were done with much less finesse than what you're looking at and tonight's going to be another repeat too. Hey we're creatures of habit. It'll be dinner courtesy of Cattleman's. 

Incidentally, last night Big Guy said he really liked the purple carrots in the potato salad until I reminded him they were potatoes not carrots. I got the look! That's how come sometimes you just have to let the gin do the talkin'. 

Buttermilk Oven Fried Chicken (inspired by  myrecipes.com)

2 cups buttermilk

1 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Franks)

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 pounds chicken pieces (approx. 6 pieces) (I used drumsticks, but thighs are great too)

Whisk together buttermilk, dry mustard, hot sauce, cayenne, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Pour into a deep bowl or large zip bag and add chicken pieces. Marinate in refrigerator overnight or for a minimum 12 hours.

2/3 cup all purpose flour

2/3 cup cracker crumbs (I used crushed saltines)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425. Place flour, cracker meal, salt and pepper into a zip bag. Remove chicken from marinade (discard marinade) and coat one piece of chicken at a time with flour/cracker meal, shaking off excess. Place onto a wire rack and allow to sit for 10 minutes before continuing. Meanwhile heat butter and oil in a large oven proof skillet. Add chicken and cook until golden brown on one side – 4 to 5 minutes over medium heat. Flip chicken over and immediately place into oven. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165. 

 

 

Honeydew Salad with Chicken Paillards and Chili Glaze

Talk about a cool salad and I mean that in every way possible. Cool to make, cool looking and cool to the palate - that is if you don't go overboard with the chile. I knew I had when I looked over at Big Guy and saw beads of sweat forming on his forehead, but then again it could have been due to the rest of the menu.

Bet you never thought you'd hear it from me, but I may be guilty of overkill last night as far as spicy heat goes. 

This Melon Salad is a repeat from way back in 2009 when I used what we had on hand in the refrigerator at the time to make this cool summertime treat. A cross between a salad and salsa, it's a real keeper and includes cubes of honeydew melon and peeled, seeded English cucumber along with red onion and fresh ginger in a lime juice brown sugar dressing.

The only issue is it also includes a jalapeno which are much, much milder than the sorrano I had on hand and used last night... holy hotstuff Batman, that salad was HOT when it should have been cool. Well at least it looked cool.

How was I to know that the chili glaze I cooked up to go with chicken paillards would be dynamite too? When you take a look at the recipe from myrecipes.com, you'll be thinking "What is she, crazy? With a teaspoon of red pepper flakes, of course it's gonna' be hot".

Well honestly, I figured we were kind of immune to that kind of heat but obviously not. It had me in tears and running for the tums, so you might want to reduce the amount of red pepper flakes to better suit your palate. I know I will next time and I'll simply dip the chicken in the sauce instead of pouring it all over the place. I mean you can always add more heat but you sure can't take it away! Yup, I musta' been taking stupid pills. 

Regardless of the excess in the scoville department, it was all extremely delicious - at least to the cement mouth man of the house. In fact, he's asking for a repeat of it all tonight but he'll just have to keep on asking because I'm thinking I'll be putting "milque toast" on tonight's menu. Just sayin'. 

By the way, the chicken paillards are simply a butterflied chicken breast, cut in half and pounded thin, seasoned well with salt and pepper, coated in an egg wash and dusted in all purpose flour. Fried in a quarter inch of oil in a hot skillet for about 3 minutes total, they're a super quick way to cook up a hunk of cluck and can be dressed up with darn near anything. Put 'em on a caesar salad, or cover with a pile of salsa, or load 'em into a bun along with some barbecue sauce and coleslaw and you'll have your family moaning in glee. 

Honeydew  Salad

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

4 cups cubed honeydew melon

1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded & chopped

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

Salt & pepper to taste

Combine lime juice and sugar in a bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate until serving time. 

A year ago - Easy 5 Hour Stew 

Indian Spiced Chicken Burgers

We're kind of on a burger kick these days, no doubt because the one we had the other night at the Parish was darn near sinful. Anyway, we put some ground chicken on the shopping list yesterday because I was anxious to try a recipe I'd seen recently on myrecipes.com. 

I made a ton of changes because Big Guy and I like flavor with a capital "F", but before I tell you about it, I've got to brag about the screaming deal we got on our chicken. For some reason the already ground version was priced at a whopping $4.29 a pound, but right beside it in the cooler were several large packages of chicken breasts marked at $1.09 a pound so being the frugalists we are, Big Guy was volunteered to be the one to bone 'em and put them through our trusty Kitchen Aid's grinding attachment. The result - super cheap ground chicken as well as two huge paillards that we'll have later in the week, never mind the bones for stock. Bonus eh?

Oh, before I forget, while Big Guy was putting the chicken through the grinder, he also put the onion through as well as a slice of bread for crumbs, then we spiced up the ground meat with cayenne, curry, cumin, garam masala and minced fresh ginger along with salt and pepper and an egg to bind it.

Formed into good sized patties, they took about 15 minutes to cook on our little red grill outside and then the fun really began. Sprinkled with the juice of a lime as soon as they left the grill, we topped them with a greek yogurt/mint "schmear", mango chutney, and a thin slice of sweet onion, all on a bed of crisp fresh spinach, Garnished with cool cucumber slices, it might have been a touch of overkill. Ya think? Not bad for a pair of amateurs huh?

Indian Spiced Chicken Burgers (Inspired by Cooking Light via myrecipes.com)

1 pound ground chicken

2 green onions, minced

1-1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon curry powder (optional)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1/4 cup panko crumbs

1 large egg, beaten

1 tablespoon butter

Combine all ingredients together and form into patties. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum half an hour to blend flavors and bind ingredients. Spray grill with cooking spray and preheat over medium high. Cook patties for approximately 7 minutes on one side. Flip over, top each with a cube of butter, then cook for another 7 minutes or until done.

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 cup plain Greek style yogurt, mixed with 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped mint

Mango Chutney

Sliced sweet onions

Cucumber slices

Fresh spinach leaves

Hamburger buns

Sprinkle cooked chicken patties with lime juice as soon as they come off the grill. Place on a bed of lettuce on a grilled hamburger bun, and top with yogurt mixture, chutney, sweet onion, and cucumber.  Makes 4 servings.

 A year ago - Crazy Shrimp

Two year's ago - Mahi Mahi Tacos

Braised Chicken with Lemon on Croutons

There isn't much doubt that we like chicken around here. Just look at the number of recipes under poultry on this blog and you'll see the proof. I'm particularly fond of skinless boneless thighs as they take almost no time to cook and have a lot more flavor than breasts. They can be fried or grilled and take beautifully to braising too as you'll see below.

Last night's version of lemon chicken is loosely based on a Bon Appetit recipe from epicurious.com but I used thighs instead of breasts and changed the quantities and method to better suit our preferences as well as the fact that chicken thighs take longer to cook than breasts do.

I seasoned these thighs with some of Trader Joe's "Everyday Seasoning" although lemon pepper will do the trick along with some seasoning salt if you're TJ's deprived, then I coated them in flour and browned them well in my favorite cast iron pan. 

After they were all golden colored and crisp on the outside, I removed them from the pan, poured off most of the fat and sauteed onion and garlic until softened to make a nice bed for the chicken as it returned to the pan to finish cooking. White wine and chicken stock hit the pan and it all simmered for 15 minutes until the lemon juice and zest were added just before the thighs hit the plate. For that ultra lemon boost, be sure to add the juice and zest just before serving otherwise the lemon flavor will disappear.  

Of course, as you'll see, the plate held a lovely large thin and crispy crouton that I prepared before I even started cooking the chicken thighs, making this dinner the proverbial one pot delight. The croutons take seconds to get all brown and crispy and were finished with more of that "Everyday Seasoning" and rubbed in garlic right after they came out of the pan. They're a fabulous bed for the saucey lemon chicken instead of the usual rice, noodles or potatoes but if you'd rather have another starch, goodness knows there's enough gravy for both. 

Served with a mound of ratatouille and a green salad on the side, there wasn't a whole lot o' talking going on, at least not until the plates were emptied. 

Braised Lemon Chicken on Croutons (Adapted from Bon Appetit via epicurious.com)

 2 tablespoons oil

1 tablespoons butter

4 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Trader Joe’s Everyday Seasoning, or a combination of lemon pepper and seasoning salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

2/3 cup low sodium chicken stock

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of half a lemon

Croutons:

1 large Panini roll, sliced into 4 thin pieces

Olive oil for frying

TJ’s Everyday seasoning

1 clove garlic, smashed

Grated parmesan cheese

For croutons – heat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat and quickly brown bread slices on both sides. Watch carefully because they’ll burn quickly. Remove from pan when browned and immediately sprinkle with seasoning, rub with garlic and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. Set aside on a wire rack.

For Chicken: add oil and butter to skillet and heat over medium high heat. Season chicken thighs well on both sides and coat with flour, shaking off excess. Cook chicken thighs on both sides until well browned – about 8 minutes total. Remove to a plate and set aside. Pour most of the oil out of the pan and discard. Return to heat and add onion and garlic. Sauté until onion is softened, then return chicken to pan. Add white wine and cook for 30 seconds to reduce slightly, and then add chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and sauce has reduced. Add lemon zest and lemon juice just before serving. To serve – place crouton on a plate and place a chicken thigh on top. Spoon sauce over top. Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Summer Salmon with Corn Relish and Basil Vinaigrette 

Grilled Spicy Citrus Chicken With Corn and Green Onions

We made this for the first time way back in 2009 on one of our beach vacations (see here) and I'm not quite sure why we haven't had it since except there's just so many things to cook, and so little time. 

If time is an issue for you, then chicken on the grill is a great solution. The only thing with this one is you need to be a little on the ball because it has to marinate a minimum of 4 hours ...but the longer the better. Best of all, the corn hangs out in the same marinade but a different zip bag, so not only is your main course taken care of, but so's the side dish. 

Serve it with a tossed salad or simple sliced tomatoes fresh from your garden and I'm pretty sure you won't hear anyone complaining. Actually it's so orangie, limey and garlicky delicious, I doubt you'll hear much of anything until the plate's empty.   Oh and a word from the unwise - for heaven's sake, double the marinade and throw in a bunch of extra corn because it's so special, you'll want more...and more...and more. 

Be sure to have your water bottle standing ready by the grill to take care of any flare-ups. Sure wish I'd listen to my own advice. I darn near lost all the hair on my chin again. Guess I'd better leave the grillin' to the Big Guy from now on!

Grilled Spicy Chicken with Corn and Green Onions (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Epicurious.com)

Marinade:

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

8 large chicken thighs, with skin and bones

8 green onions

4 ears of corn, husked

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, and hot pepper sauce into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake to combine well.

Wash and dry chicken thighs well, and clean excess fat from them. Place chicken thighs into a large zip bag. Place corn and green onions into another large zip bag. Divide sliced garlic, cilantro and crushed red pepper between the two bags and divide prepared marinade between the two as well. Season contents of bags well with salt and pepper, close zippers and place into a large bowl or plastic container to catch any leaks. Refrigerate for a minimum of 4 hours, turning bags occasionally.

To cook – heat grill to medium hot. Remove chicken and vegetables from marinade and discard marinade. Grill chicken over direct heat until nicely browned – about 15 minutes, turning often, then move to indirect heat and finish cooking (approximately another 15 minutes or until juices run clear). Place corn and onions over direct heat (medium low) and cook covered for 6 to 10 minutes. Move corn and onions around often to prevent burning. Serve with slices of oranges and limes as garnish.  Makes 4 servings.

A year ago - Bacon and Blue Potato Salad

 

Cheater Chicken and Dumplings

There's nothing difficult about making chicken and dumplings although if you're going to make it the way your grandma did, it'll likely take a while. This one takes no time at all and no doubt has a lot more flavor than plain old stewed chicken anyway.

One of those make it up as you go meals from JBug's Kitchen, this one includes skinless boneless chicken thighs, seasoned well, dusted in flour and browned in a hot pan. Once given that ultimate "golden glow", they're removed from the pot for a minute while onion, celery, anaheim pepper and garlic get a quick saute. Seasoned with the usual poultry herbs, I de-glazed the pan with sherry and then returned the chicken to the pot along with a can of golden mushroom soup and chicken stock. Topped with chunks of parsnip and carrots, the covered pot simmered on the stove for a mere 25 minutes until the chicken finished cooking and dinner was almost ready, except for the dumplings.

My problem - I couldn't make a decision about what kind to make. We're rather partial to the cornmeal dumplings we've had before on top of chicken chile verde and then again, we absolutely love the feather light version that graced the chicken and vegetable stew we had a while ago. While I was ruminating my conundrum, time kind of got away from me so in the interest of getting dinner on the table before bedtime, I thought "darn, I'm just gonna' think outside the box."

I simply boiled a big pot of water and cooked up some ready made gnocchi. Simple eh? Afterall gnocchi are just little Italian style potato dumplings anyway and although some people might be stumped on how to serve the little beauties, I'm not one of those people. Simply boiled till they float, drained and sauteed in browned butter, or topped with sausage and marinara or covered in bechamel and baked in the oven, I don't think there's a bad way to eat 'em but for certain, gnocchi couldn't taste any better than when covered in chicken and gravy. Them's good eats, especially since my serving including some lovely little green peas. 

Cheater Chicken and Dumplings ( an original from JBug’s Kitchen)

5 skinless boneless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt, pepper

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3 ribs of celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Anaheim pepper, chopped (optional)

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried sage

1/3 cup medium dry sherry

1 can golden mushroom soup

2/3 cup chicken stock

1 cup carrots, peeled cut into large dice

1 large parsnip, peeled cut into large dice

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 package prepared gnocchi, cooked per package directions and drained

Chopped parsley, or fresh rosemary as garnish

Heat oil in sauté pan over medium high heat. Cut chicken thighs in half, season well with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Brown chicken on all sides until deep golden in color. Remove from pan and set aside. Add onion, celery, garlic and Anaheim pepper to pan and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened – about 8 to 10 minutes. Stir poultry seasoning, rosemary, and sage into vegetables and cook for additional minute. Stir in sherry, and when slightly reduced, add golden mushroom soup and chicken stock. Mix well to combine. Return chicken to pot and add carrots and parsnip. Bring pot to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is tender. If adding frozen peas, add during last 5 minutes of cooking. Taste for seasoning adding salt and pepper as required. To serve, place a spoonful of cooked gnocchi into bowl and scoop chicken, vegetables and gravy over top. Sprinkle with parsley or rosemary. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

A year ago - Mango and Spicy Shrimp Salad 

Two year's ago - Antipasti Platter