Succulent Chicken in a Pot
I love dishes that sort of cook themselves. There's nothing worse than dry overcooked chicken... so if you haven't yet, give this recipe a shot. An oldie but a goodie.
Shhh, this time I added a tbs of butter to finish the sauce... so good over the potatoes!!
I haven't made Karen's No-Fry Fried Chicken in a while so I busted it out last night along with some Cumin & Lime Roasted Corn on the Cob. This would've probably been ten times better with Cotija (Queso Anejado) Cheese but I didn't have any and couldn't be bothered to go outside again.
I dropped the corn into some boiling water and cooked it for about 3.5 minutes. I kept them into a strainer and allowed them to dry for about an hour (probably not necessary). I then cranked up the broiler and in the meantime melted about 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter, and added to it... a couple pinches of salt, a pinch or two of cumin, and a dash of cayenne pepper.
Brush the cobs with a tiny bit of the butter mixture (reserve the rest) and broil the corn until nicely charred (turning to get even charring). Squeeze in about 1/2 lime into the butter mixture and mix. Drizzle remaining butter/lime mixture over grilled corn. Yum.
No Fry Fried Chicken:
I've changed a couple of things on the original recipe.
I allow the drumsticks to sit in some buttermilk for a couple of hours
Panko breading gives it a crunchier crust - mix about 2 cups of Panko with 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese (you can use the pre-grated stuff, but Karen thinks you get a better browning if you use freshly grounded) - I haven't tried the pre-grated stuff, so I'm not sure. Add whatever dry spices you have - I added about a teaspoon and a half of salt, pinch of pepper, two teaspoons of dried parsley, oregano, thyme, pinch of garlic powder, and a pinch of paprika.
Probably not necessary since they've been sitting in buttermilk all afternoon (in the fridge), but I dipped the chicken in egg then coated it with the panko mixture. Really piling it on. I press the breading into the chicken with my palms to make sure I get an ice thick layer.
It's important to use a rack so the chicken can crisp up all around. Transfer into a preheated 400 F degree oven. Cook for about an hour, depending on how big your pieces are. I like to turn the pieces every 25 minutes, giving them a nice even tan.
I love tom kha soup, although I usually like to eat it as a main course with rice. My sister Cheryl told me that I could actually use tamarind powder (same one I used last week) to make some of my favorite Thai soups. So I gave it a shot and of course she was right! I wish I had some lemongrass on hand but I couldn't convince myself to go outside yesterday so I just used whatever I had around. Slices of red bell peppers and button mushrooms would be perfect in this dish.
I first sautéed ginger and shallots, then added chunks of chicken breast, salt, fish sauce and cooked it until slightly browned.
I added a can of coconut milk and about a tablespoon of tamarind powder and lowered the heat to a simmer, covered it and cooked it for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, I boiled my veggies (eggplant, string beans, carrots and onions) in chicken stock until tender. I decided that I wanted something less soupy so I didn't add the stock to the end dish - but if you wanted, I suppose you could add the broth to the coconut milk and chicken.
I added a bit of it this for some heat, but I think I was a little too shy with it and should've added more than I did. Calamansi looks like a mini lime but tastes like a cross between a lemon and a mandarin orange.
If you don't have tamarind powder, you can try experimenting and adding white vinegar instead - I've seen some recipes for tom kha using vinegar.
Then just add the veggies to the chicken, taste for seasoning - you many need to add more salt, fish sauce, or tamarind powder.
I love this flavorful dish. I love how the red grapes off-set the tanginess of the stone-ground mustard based sauce. It kind of reminds me of Chicken Francais but with a little more ooomph. A definite must-try. It's perfect over cous cous or black wild rice (as served last night).
You'll need:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves, stripped from 6 to 7 sprigs
Coarse salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, eyeball it
2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 cup white wine, eyeball it
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grainy, stone-ground mustard
1 1/2 cups, about 1/2 pound, seedless red grapes, halved
step 1. Heat a large skillet over medium to medium high heat; add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, and 2 tablespoons butter to the pan.
step 2. Place flour in a shallow dish.
step 3. Season chicken with salt and pepper then dredge the tenders in flour and add it to the pan.
step 4. Cook chicken 7 to 8 minutes until browned. I had to do a double batch so I placed the cooked ones on a paper towel. Transfer all of the cooked chicken back into the pan and add wine and scrape up browned bits as wine cooks down and bubbles, 30 seconds. You'll notice that the sauce will start to thicken once the alcohol evaporates. The flour coating on the chicken actually helps thicken the sauce, creating somewhat of a roux.
Add 1/2 cup stock and thyme to skillet.
step 5. Combine cream and mustard and add to stock. Add grapes to the pan and turn chicken and grapes to coat and combine with the sauce. Simmer 5 minutes over low heat.
My apartment smells so good right now - it smells like chicken noodle soup! This is by far one of the best (if not THE BEST) chicken recipes that I have ever cooked.
It's hard to explain, but the chicken flavor was extraordinary. The meat was tender and the white meat, unconventionally flavorful (and I don't usually like white meat). A knockout simple dish and perfect with grilled potatoes and carrots. Love love love, this one is definitely a keeper.
This recipe uses a dry cooking technique. Unlike braising, where you cook the meat with wine or broth and other vegetables - this technique allows the chicken to cook in its own juices, allowing the flavors to be reabsorbed thus giving it a really concentrated flavor.
Succulent French Chicken in a Pot
From Cook's Illustrated
You'll need:
5-8 quart dutch oven is recommended
1 whole roasting chicken, giblets removed (mine was about 3.5 pounds)
1 small onion coarsely chopped
1 small celery stalk coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bay leaf
A couple sprigs of thyme or rosemary if you have some around
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
1 tbs olive or grapeseed oil
Heat the oven to 250F degrees
Heat up oil in the dutch oven over medium heat (stovetop). Once you see the oil smoking, add chicken breast-side down. Add onion, celery, bay leaf and herbs around the chicken. After about 5 minutes, turn the bird over.
Cook for another 6 minutes or so until the chicken and veggies are well browned. I also browned the sides of the bird. Mix the veggies every now and then to get an even browning.
Remove from heat and cover your pot with aluminum foil then cover tightly with the lid. Transfer pot to the oven, on the lowest rack possible. Cook for about one hour and fifteen minutes (3.0 - 3.5 pounds) or 80 to 110 minutes for 5.0 - 6.0 pounds. Be careful not to overcook.
Insert a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast - it should read 175 F degrees.
Transfer chicken to a cutting board and loosely cover with foil (let rest for 20 minutes). Carve chicken and save carcass for chicken soup or make some homemade chicken broth.
In the meantime, strain the juices through a fine sieve or strainer. Separate the fat if you have a fat separator or transfer the juice into a small container and stick it in the fridge. The chicken fat will rise and solidify at the top - you'll be able to easily scoop it out with a spoon.
Pour the juices into a pan, add lemon juice and salt (if necessary) to taste. Drizzle juice over chicken.
I served it with grilled baby potatoes and carrots.
Ooops I lied, one more for the road...
It sounds like the weather is about to dip down to winter levels by this weekend. So what can be better than a nice hot bowl of chicken noodle soup?
This recipe is pretty flexible and the quantities can be adjusted according to your taste. Elbow pasta is traditionally used but I prefer to use small pasta shells. You can also use whole milk, half and half, evaporated milk or heavy cream - I just don't recommend 2% or skim. Again, you can adjust how much cream to add - obviously, the more the better!!
Serves 2
You'll need:
1/4 onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
1/4 head cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into 1/4" rounds
1/2 stick of celery, chopped
1/4 whole red bell pepper, chopped
1 pint of half and half
2 to 3 cups of small pasta shells
1 tbs of oil
salt, patis and black pepper to taste
Homemade Broth:
1 chicken breast (skinless, bone-in)
4 to 5 cups chicken broth, low sodium
1 carrot cut in half
1/2 stick of celery
1/2 onion
3 cloves of garlic (whole and skin on)
1 tsp of kosher salt (more or less to taste)
dash of pepper
step 1. Add all of the ingredients under "Home-made Broth" in a large pot and cook on high until it boils. Once it boils, lower the heat and simmer for approx 30-40 mins. Just make sure your heat is low enough or keep the lid slightly off the pot so it doesn't boil over. Remove chicken and allow to cool. Set aside. You can get rid of the boiled veggies. Save the broth. If the broth is cloudy, go ahead and strain it through a sieve. My broth was still cloudy after I strained it, so I strained it again using a coffee filter + sieve, which did the trick. It should be nice and clear. Set aside.
step 2. Once the chicken has cooled, shred and set aside.
step 3. Heat up a tablespoon of oil and sautée onion, garlic, carrots, celery, cabbage and peppers. Add a dash of patis. Cook until onions are translucent. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Add broth. Taste and season accordingly - add patis, salt, pepper as needed. Boil until carrots are just about tender.
step 4. Add 2 to 3 cups of shell pasta (depending on how much pasta you want). It should take 6 to 8 minutes to cook, follow box instructions.
step 5. At this point, you can add the half and half. If you mix it in, make sure that you stir as you add the milk. You don't want it to clot up. I prefer to put the milk in the serving bowls so each person can control how much they want. I use a 50/50 milk to broth ratio. So I pour the milk in each bowl, top it with chicken and a mixture of veggies (this quickly brings the temperature of the milk up) then I scoop in some broth and mix.
I love this stuff, it reminds me of my childhood - specifically having to stay indoors during the rainy season and visiting my aunt Ruth (back in the Philippines).
Adobong Manok Sa Gata (Chicken Adobo in Coconut Milk)
This dish is a variation of a Filipino classic - Adobong Manok (Chicken Adobo). It's basically adding coconut milk to the traditional Adobo recipe.
Prep: 10 mins
Total: 40 mins
The addition of coconut milk makes a milder and less acidic base. The soy sauce and vinegar take a backseat in this version, but linger in the background as a gentle reminder that you are in fact still eating Adobo. The addition of fish sauce, salt and the dash of brown or palm sugar at the very end bind all of the different elements into one inexplicable balanced roller-coaster ride of flavors. It starts out sweet then hits a high note as the vinegar shines and quickly descends into a rich, perfectly rounded saltiness - oh and that's just the broth!
You'll need:
2 split chicken breasts (skinless), cut into large cubes
3 cloves of garlic, smacked and coarsely chopped
1 potato or 2 chayote or green papaya, peeled and cut into large cubes
1/4 cup soysauce
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon brown or palm sugar
2 cups of coconut milk (1 can)
1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
salt and patis to taste
1 tbs of canola or vegetable oil
step 1. Boil potato or chayote until tender.
step 2. Clean chicken and cut into large cubes (leaving bones on). Add pepper and a pinch of salt to chicken and set aside.
step 3. Heat up oil and add chicken, bayleaf and garlic. Mix well to make sure garlic doesn't burn. Add a dash of patis. Cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is browned on both sides.
step 4. Add soysauce and wait until it starts to boil. Once you see it boiling add vinegar (don't mix). Once you see it boiling then mix. Mix in sugar.
step 5. Add coconut milk, wait until it boils before mixing.
step 6. At this point, you want to lower the heat and allow to simmer until the chicken is fully cooked.
step 7. Once the chicken is cooked, taste the broth to make sure that the seasoning is right. You may need to add more salt, patis or sugar. You can adjust the acidity by adding more coconut milk or by adding chicken broth (you can also add a little water if you don't have chicken broth - just adjust your seasoning). Add in potato or chayote, allow to simmer so it can absorb some of the flavors. Serve over rice.
Filipino week has been extended because there are a few more recipes I'd like to test out and share.
Last night's dish was a first for me. I don't remember ever eating it, let alone cooking it. I'm also starting to realize that most Filipino dishes are orange in color and have a tendency to all look alike, even though each one has a very distinct flavor.
The use of plantain and anatto seed powder really sets this dish apart. I love how the sweetness of the plantains cuts right through the tomato base giving it a really round and robust flavor. I also love the potatoes and cabbage, making it unnecessary to whip up a side dish. Like most Filipino dishes, this one throws in a whole bunch ingredients so when you get bored with the chicken, you can dive right into the cabbage, or the plantain or the potato. However, the best way to eat this dish is to take a little bit of everything with every bite.
After cooking Filipino food for over a week now, I can finally understand why my sister has a hard time translating the recipes into precise measurements. It's a very forgiving cuisine, that really allows the cook to sense and taste their way to perfection. Of course I'll provide detailed instructions, but the best way is to really just provide you with a list of ingredients, some basic guidelines and then allow you to explore your taste buds. Which to me, is the true joy of cooking!
You'll need:
5 chicken thighs (preferably with skin/bone on)
1/2 teaspoon anatto powder
1 tbs of patis (fish sauce), more or less according to taste
1/2 tomato or a handful of grape tomatoes cut into chunks
2 tbs of tomato paste
4 cups of low sodium chicken broth
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into quarters
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 riped plantains, boiled with skin on then skinned and cut into 3" pieces then cut lengthwise
1 potato, peeled and cut into big chunks
freshly ground black pepper to taste
kosher salt to taste
Basic Guidelines:
Boil chicken, bacon and vegetables separately in chicken stock until tender. Set aside. Brown chicken in oil and set aside. Sauté onion, garlic, tomatoes, anatto powder, tomato paste and add broth. Add chicken and vegetables back in. Season well with patis and salt. Serve over rice.
Detailed instructions:
step 1. Boil water and add plantains with skin on. Boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from water and set aside. Once cooled, peel and cut.
Add broth, chicken and bacon to a pot. Once the broth boils, lower heat to a simmer and continue to boil for 30 minutes or so. Remove chicken and bacon and place in a strainer to drain. Cut bacon into 1/2" pieces. Add potatoes and increase heat to medium. Boil for 10 minutes then add cabbage and boil until potatoes are fork tender. Remove vegetables and set broth aside.
step 2. In a separate large pot, heat up a tablespoon of canola, grapeseed or vegetable oil. Add chicken skin down and brown both sides. Remove and set aside.
step 3. [image "1"] Add onions and garlic. Add anatto powder and stir. Cook for 2 minutes then add bacon pieces. If you notice that the garlic is burning, immediately add tomatoes. Cook for a couple of seconds then add about 1 cup of the reserved broth. Scrape bottom of pan and mix well. Once it starts to dry up, mix in tomato paste.
step 4. [image "2"] Once that starts to dry up, add remaining broth and mix well. Add chicken pieces back in. At this point, you want to season with both salt and fish sauce. I say start with 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and about 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce. You'll more than likely need to adjust according to taste. Don't be shy with the seasoning since you will be serving this over rice. I thought that I had gone over the salty threshold but once served, I realized that I could've seasoned it better (oh well!) - so don't be afraid to season your food. The perfect amount of saltiness can make or break your cooking. Turn the pepper grinder a couple of times (the coarser the better).
step 5. [image "3"] Add plantains and potatoes - cook for 5 minutes then add cabbage. Serve over rice.
OK, it's officially Filipino food week here at Lifeflix and to kick it off I made Chicken Caldereta (well, my version of it). Caldereta [kahl-dah-reh-tah] is traditionally cooked with lamb, but since I hate lamb I made it with chicken. The chicken is slowly braised in a tomato-based sauce with potatoes, red bell peppers, green olives, and garbanzo beans.
You won't believe how many different versions there are of this recipe floating around out there - so I decided to give my sister Cheryl a call for some basic tips and just basically wing it. I've been following Batali recipes for the past week, so this is a nice departure.
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POINTERS: 
If you're seriously going to attempt to cook Filipino food, there is one thing you need to invest in - PATIS (aka fish sauce). I believe it's the cornerstone of Filipino cooking... like pancetta is to the Italians, sesame oil soysauce to the Chinese, butter to the French. Fortunately, it's readily available in most supermarkets. You'll most likely find the THAI KITCHEN brand in the Asian/international aisle. Honestly, this is my favorite brand/kind because it's a lower grade fish sauce and a lot milder and smells less like fermented fish - the main reason why non-Filipinos are so turned off by the stuff in the first place. So if you're new to the world of fish sauce, definitely start with this one! Once you have a bottle of this stuff, you're pretty much ready to roll.
Filipino food gets better as it marinates in its own juices - so if you can wait unti the next day to serve it, do so. If not, enjoy the leftovers - it's even better the second time around.
Most Filipino dishes start off with sauteeing onions and garlic and a splash of patis (we use this stuff like salt). Interestingly enough, the addition of ginger to any dish automatically turns it into another well known dish!
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Chicken Caldereta
Prep: 10 mins
Total: 40 mins
Difficulty: Medium
You'll need:
- a small package of chicken thighs (4 or 5 pieces) bone-in, boneless, skinless - whatever you prefer
- 1/2 can of garbanzo beans
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 tbs of tomato paste *optional but it does make the sauce thicker
- 1 tbs of white vinegar plus 1 tsp
- 2 tbs of patis (fish sauce) or more depending on your taste buds
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 potato, peeled and cut into fairly big cubes
- 1/2 carrot, cut into 1/4 disks
- 1 red bell pepper, cut into strips
- 6 or so large green olives cut in half
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 tbs of ketchup *optional
- 4 or 5 caper berries *optional (definitely NOT a Filipino ingredient but I thought it would be a nice addition)
- handful of frozen peas *optional
- salt and freshly grounded pepper
- 1 tbs canola oil (you can use olive if that's all you have)
step 1. Prep all of the ingredients above (i.e. cut veggies)
step 2. Wash and drain chicken. Season both sides well with salt and pepper. Drizzle one teaspoon of white vinegar over the chicken and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
step 3. In a fairly large pot, heat up oil and brown both sides of the chicken. Don't worry about the chicken not being cooked all the way through, it will have plenty of time to cook later. Remove from pot and set aside.
step 4. Add onions & garlic to the pot and sautée for 5 minutes until translucent. Add a dash of salt, pepper, and patis. Add bay leaf.
step 5. Add potatoes, carrots peppers and olives (caper berries, if using) and stir for another minute or two.
step 6. Add tomato sauce (and tomato paste if using) stir well. Add another dash of salt and patis.
step 7. Add chicken broth and stir. Taste to see if it needs another dash of salt and patis.
step 8. Add chicken back into the pot. Add garbanzo beans. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes or so until potatoes are fork-tender. Don't worry about overcooking the chicken - it will be moist no matter what because of the sauce.
step 9. Taste to see if you've got the seasoning right. At this point you should've used up all of the measured patis (if not more). Add the ketchup, I know it sounds strange, but it gives it a slight tanginess/sweetness. Make sure you've added enough black pepper. Crushed peppercorns works best
step 10. Add the peas if using and boil for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve over rice.
I attempted to make two antipasti dishes from Simple Italian Food and they were both very disappointing.
Although I'm not a fan of chicken liver or any other type of liver, I thought hey why not? I'm all about trying new things. Turns out that I truly dislike liver. The Chicken Livers with leeks, balsamic vinegar, and dried apricots (served with curly endive) was way too deep and rich for me. Too many "flat" flavors going on.
I also tried making Spiedini of Sea Scallops with marinated red onions, lemon and baby spinach, but that too fell pretty flat. Other than the marinated onions, there wasn't much going on in the dish.
But why do I have a feeling that if Batali prepared these dishes I would probably be singing a different tune?
Roasted Chicken with Lemon Oregano Sauce
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart/Everyday Food
Difficulty: Easy-Medium
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 45-50 mins
You'll need:
2 chicken halves
Salt and pepper
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
3/4 cup canned reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp corn starch
2 tbs butter
1 chicken bouillon cube
Preheat oven to 450F degrees.
Not the best day to have an oven at 450F degrees
step 1. Clean chicken and season well with salt and pepper. On a roasting pan with a rack, cook chicken, skin side up,for about 35 mins. You want the outside crisp and the inside can still be a little undercooked - you'll finish cooking it in the pan. Set chicken aside. Save juices from the pan.
"Poach" chicken in sauce for five minutes or so to absorb the flavor of the sauce
step 2. Make the sauce. Pour roasting juices in a pan over med-high heat until it boils. Drop bouillon cube and stir until it fully dissolves. Add wine and continue to stir. Allow to reduce by a fourth. Add chicken broth and reduce by a fourth. Stir in butter. Add lemon juice and 1/2 of the oregano. Place chicken skin side up in the pan and allow to simmer for 5 minutes or less (until chicken is cooked - be careful about overcooking the chicken). Remove chicken and place on serving plates.
step 3. Mix corn starch with 1 tbs of water and slowly add (while stirring) to the sauce to thicken. Once thick, add remaining oregano and turn off the heat. Drizzle the chicken with sauce and serve.
Side Dish: Roasted tomatoes and artichokes
I served it with roasted tomatoes and artichokes. Take tomato halves (4) and thawed frozen artichokes (jarred artichokes would work just as well) and season well with salt, pepper, dried basil and drizzle with olive oil. Cook in the oven while the chicken cooks for about 40 mins. Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar before serving.
Coq Au Vin inspired Braised Chicken
Prep Time: 30 mins.
Cook Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: Medium
As you know, Top Chef is one of my favorite shows and last week Casey inspired me to attempt Coq Au Vin. I will not, however, make the same mistake she did and call mine Coq Au Vin since I'm using good ol' chicken as opposed to an old rooster. There are millions of recipes out there (see links below) for this traditional French dish and I didn't really follow just one. I modified and modified like I'm sure you will. Since this is the first time I made this, I don't exactly have a recipe that I can share since I completely winged it - adding a little bit of this a little bit of that. So, the next time I make this, I'll definitely share the recipe.
I had to be mentally prepared to make this dish because like all things French, it was a little intimidating at first (requiring 10-12 hours - you have to let the chicken sit in wine overnight and then slowly cook it for 2 hours) but if you prepare properly, it really isn't that bad. Now that the ordeal is over, I can truly say that it was surprisingly easy.
Marinate chicken in wine and herbs overnight
Caramelize cipollinis (water, butter, pinch of salt and sugar)
I also made some fluffly whipped potatoes to serve as a side dish. I wish I had a loaf of French bread to sop up the sauce!
Next time I'll use less tomato paste and use Côtes du Rhône (a fuller bodied wine). Other than that it was perfect, you could really taste the wine and flavors in the chicken. It's definitely a dish worth perfecting! So get yourself mentally prepared and give it a shot.
Here are some of the recipes that I referenced:
cuisine-france.com
leitesculinaria.com
bravotv.com
marthastewart.com
