10.04.08
Chicken, Corn & Black Bean Stoup
Chicken, Corn & Black Bean Stoup
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 Lbs chicken tenders, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1 ½ Tablespoon ground coriander
1 Chipotle chili pepper in adobo sauce, chopped
1 Large onion, chopped
4 Ears of corn, kernels cut from cob
1 Red bell pepper, cored seeded and chopped
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 Quart chicken stock or broth
1 15oz can black beans, drained
2 Tablespoons lime juice
¼ Cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1. Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the vegetable oil. Add the chicken and season with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander. Amd chipotle pepper. Cook the chicken until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the onions, corn kernels and red bell peppers. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 3 minutes.
3. Dust the chicken and veggies with flour, stir, and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
4. Turn up the heat to high and add the chicken stock. Bring the stew up to a simmer and then add the black beans. Simmer the stew for 15 minutes
5. Add the lime juice and cilantro, and stir to combine. Taste and check for seasoning; adjust with salt, pepper and a little hot sauce if you like the heat.
6. Serve garnished with a little sour cream and a little bit of chopped cilantro.
03.15.08
Dirty Rice
Since I was born in N’arlins I will proclaim this to be real Louisiana cookin. I guess somewhere years ago I started with a recipe from somewhere but I don’t remember where (maybe Justin Wilson) but now I just do it from memory.
Because there is no fixed recipe or measurements, this nearly always tastes a little different each time – but always very tasty.
this will make enough for about 3 people.
start two cups of white rice (see another post) when you start chopping this stuff up. Have everything chopped and ready to go before beginning to cook.
12 oz pkg of country ham
or
6 oz pkg country ham and 1 or 2 chicken breasts (1 of the hormone monsters or 2 normal ones) in 1/2″ cubes
olive oil – cooking quality not dipping quality.
1/2 to 1 bell pepper – in 3/8″ cubes
1 bunch green onion (thumb diameter best but pinkie sized ok) – 1/8″ slices from the white to about about the green tops in 3/8″ slices.
3 or 4 stalks celery in 1/4″ slices
3 or 4 good sized garlic cloves chopped fine (do your own not prechopped)
can or jar of mushrooms if you’ve got them and like them
red pepper
white pepper
oregano
butter
white wine
In a big skillet (2 – 3 in deep) cook the ham (med to med hi heat)- I’ll add a little olive oil to get it crispier. Remove the ham to paper towels when done but not overdone. If you are doing the chicken thing, add a little oil to the ham drippings and then throw in the chicken and cook till browned. Remove the chicken to paper towels.
Add a little more oil to the pan and throw in the pepper, onion, garilic and celery – should be med high by now (the pan and you if you’ve been drinking properly). Cook this for a little while (5 minutes??) while scraping the bottom of the skillet to mix in the ham drippings. Toss in the mushrooms. Put about 1/3 stick of (real) butter in and stir it around til melted – the heat may get lowered just a bit here if that is the correct feel. Add the red and white pepper – you’re on your own here. My ball and chain does not like as much heat as I – I use my palm for a measuring device but I just went and measured what I generally use – about 1/8 teaspoon of each or a little more. Then some oregano – looks like about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Stir that around and add some white wine – I generally use a 6 oz bottle but a little more from a 750 ml opened for the meal would be better. Tear the ham into bite size pieces and put that in along with the chicken if you included it. At this point you’ve got all the dirty stuff simmering in wine and butter. The longer you cook this the more even the spices are distributed – not necessarily better or worse than quickly adding the rice – just another variable.
Add about 1/2 the rice and stir well. Continue adding the rice but stop before it absorbs all the moisture and gets too dry. Spoon onto a plate and eat with a piece of garlic bread and (hopefully) a glass of that white wine.
03.09.08
Chicken Chili
Here’s a good chicken chili recipe from my coworker, Alvin Garrison, and is really darn tasty. It’s pretty much copy and pasted from the e-mail he sent with only minor modifications.
- 1-2lbs boneless chicken breasts cubed
- 1 medium onion chopped (add more or less for your taste I usually add a little more)
- 1 can chicken broth
- 2 cloves garlic
- 4x 15oz cans white beans (Great Northern or Cannellini). I use Great Northern
- 2-3 jalapeno peppers chopped
- Other peppers that amount to 1-2 bell peppers chopped, or you can use bell peppers which is what the original recipe calls for. When I chop the peppers I remove all of the seeds and don’t add them to the chili.
- 1/2 Tbs Black Pepper
- 1/2 Tbs Crushed Red Pepper
Cook in a 4 to 6 quart crock pot as follows:
- Combine chicken, onions, garlic, black pepper, crushed red pepper and chicken broth
- Cook on low 3-5 hours, don’t stir
- Add drained beans(I usually just drain the juice off the top) and peppers, and stir the chili mixing the ingredients.
- Cook on low 1 to 2 more hours until chili is heated as you are just reheating the beans and softening up the peppers.
03.08.08
Chicken Crunch
I haven’t made this in quite a while, but I think I used a lot more butter. If I remember correctly, if the stuffing was not adequately buttered, it tended to burn before the chicken was done.
- 1 can Cream of Chicken soup
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 2 Tbs. flour
- 2 Tbs. butter, melted
- 1-1/2 cups herb seasoned stuffing, finely crushed
- 1 tsp. dried parsley flakes, optional
- 1/2 tsp. lemon juice, optional
In shallow dish, combine 1/3 cup soup and 1/4 cup milk and set aside. Lightly coat chicken with flour and dip into soup mixture. Coat chicken with stuffing. On baking sheet, arrange chicken and drizzle with butter. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes of until chicken is no longer pink. In 1 qt. saucepan, combine remaining soup, 1/4 cup milk, parsley, and lemon juice. Over low heat, heat thoroughly stirring occasionally. Serve with chicken.
Golden Chicken Nuggets
Basic, but still really good, quick and easy. Excellent with Honey Mustard, of course.
- 3 whole chicken breasts
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. sesame seeds
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
- 1/2 cup water
- Hot vegetable oil
Cut chicken into 1″ x 1-1/2″ pieces; set aside. Combine next 5 ingredients. Dip chicken into batter, and fry in hot oil until golden brown (Oil needs to be really hot so nuggets can cook quickly and not dry out) Drain on paper towels.
Chicken Pot Pie
For those looking to go all out for chicken pot pie, this is an excellent recipe. From The Best Recipe. (I also highly recommend this cookbook – it has great basic recipes (even different methods for cooking bacon) and explains why certain ingredients/methods are better than others and how they affect the recipe, etc)
- 1 Package Biscuits Mix
- 1½ Lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 2 Cups Homemade Chicken Broth OR 1 Can (15 Oz) Low-Sodium Chicken Broth with Water Added to Equal 2 Cups
- 1½ Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1 Medium/Large Onion, Chopped Fine
- 3 Medium Carrots, Peeled and Cut Crosswise ¼ Inch Thick
- 2 Small Celery Stalks, Cut Crosswise ¼ Inch Thick
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- ½ Cup Flour
- 1½ Cup Milk
- ½ Teaspoon Dried Thyme Leaves
- 3 Tablespoons Dry Sherry
- ¾ Cup Frozen Peas, Thawed
- 3 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Parsley Leaves
1. Make biscuit topping and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. Adjust oven rack to low-center position; heat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken and broth in a small Dutch oven or soup kettle over medium heat. Cover, bring to simmer; simmer until chicken is just done (8-10 minutes). Transfer meat to a large bowl, reserving broth in a measuring cup.
3. Increase heat to medium-high; heat oil in now empty pan. Add onion, carrots, and celery; sauté until just tender (about 5 minutes). Season to taste with salt and pepper. While vegetables are sautéing, shred meat into bite sized pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with chicken; set aside.
4. Heat butter over medium heat in again-empty skillet. When foaming subsides, add flour; cook about 1 minute. Whisk in chicken broth, milk, any accumulated chicken juices, and thyme. Bring to simmer, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens (about 1 minute). Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in sherry.
5. Pour sauce over chicken mixture; stir to combine. Stir in peas and parsley. Adjust seasonings. (Can be covered and stored overnight; reheat before topping with pastry) Pour mixture into 13×9 inch pan or any shallow baking dish of similar size. Top with dough; bake until pastry is golden brow and filling is bubbly (20-30 minutes)
Chicken Pomodoro
Similar to the Chicken Piccata. I have made just the sauce and used it with couscous for a delicious side for other dishes. This also serves 2 and came from Cuisine at Home.
- 4 Chicken Cutlets (cutlet = 1/2 chicken breast, flattened to 1/4 inch thickness)
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- 1/4 Cup Vodka
- 1/2 Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 1/2 Cup Tomatoes, Chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1/3 Cup Scallions, Minced (Garnish, optional)
Season cutlets with salt & pepper and dust with flour. Saute cutlets in oil. Transfer to a platter; pour off fat from pan. Deglaze pan with vodka (away from flame) and cook until vodka is nearly gone. Add broth and lemon juice. Return cutlets to pan and cook each side 1 minute. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate. Finish the sauce with tomatoes and cream. Heat through, then pour over cutlets. Garnish with scallions.
Chicken Piccata
A lovely recipe for two. Very lemony, very rich & very tasty. From Cuisine at Home.
- 4 Chicken Cutlets (Cutlet = 1/2 chicken breast , flattened to 1/4 inch thickness)
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
- ¼ Cup Dry White Wine
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic, Minced
- ½ Cup Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Capers, Drained
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- Fresh Lemon Slices
Season cutlets with salt & pepper, then dust with flour. Spray a sauté pan with nonstick spray, add vegetable oil, and heat over medium-high. Sauté cutlets 2-3 minutes on one side, flip the cutlets over and sauté the other side 1-2 minutes with the pan covered. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate; pour off fat from the pan. Deglaze pan with wine and add minced garlic. Cook until garlic is slightly brown and liquid is nearly gone, about 2 minutes. Add broth, lemon juice, and capers. Return cutlets to pan and cook on each side 1 minute. Transfer cutlets to a warm plate. Finish with butter and lemon slices. Once butter melts pour sauce over cutlets.
02.12.08
Firecracker Chicken
I got this recipe from cooking.com and made it the other night, with some changes.
1 1/2 – 2 pounds chicken thighs
2-3 tablespoons black bean paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
4 large cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (instead of salt)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Remove skin from chicken thighs. Score meat on both sides by making shallow diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart.
In a large mixing bowl stir together bean paste, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Pour into a plastic bag; add chicken thighs. Seal bag; turn bag to coat chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove chicken, scraping off excess marinade. Reserve marinade.
Place chicken on the grill rack of an uncovered grill. Grill directly over medium coals for 15 minutes. Turn chicken over and grill for 10-15 minutes more. Baste both sides with reserved marinade and grill for 5 minutes more, or till chicken is tender and no pink remains, turning once. Discard any remaining marinade.
01.21.08
Chicken Taco Filling
I think this one originally came from AllRecipes, but we’ve modified it to make it go a little faster than the original.
Ingredients:
- Two 10 oz cans of chunk chicken breast (cooked, packed in water)
- 4 oz can of tomato sauce (I can only find 8oz cans.
) - 1/4 cup salsa (Try to pick a “wet” salsa, not a chunky one)
- 1 packet taco seasoning (We use the low sodium… which still isn’t all that low!)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (We use the stuff in the jar!)
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/4 cup of water (If it looks a little dry – not required)
- Tortillas or taco shells
Directions:
- Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and stir.
- Heat until warm.
- Serve with favorite taco/burrito add-ons.
Makes 8 (ish) tacos. It all depends on how you portion it…
We’ve successfully doubled the recipe with success. It also works well as a nacho topping, too.
