Hungarian Chicken Paprika

Here is a recipe of an old favorite I hadn't made in some time.  It is from The Fannie Farmer Cookbook by Marion Cunningham.  This is one of the cookbooks I refer to often and its recipes never fail me.  Many good old American standards plus a variety of recipes from other countries such as this one.

I did vary the recipe somewhat this time by using chicken tenders I had in the freezer instead of using whole pieces of chicken.  I must say that not only did it save immensely on cooking time, but the flavor was not compromised one bit.  I had this meal cooked in about 30 minutes as opposed to the 50-60 minutes called for, and it was a most satisfying Sunday dinner.

Of course, partaking in a crisp, dry vodka martini on the rocks while I worked certainly didn't hurt!

Hungarian Chicken Paprika

3 pound chicken, cut in quarters

4 Tbsp butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika

1 tomato, chopped

1/2-1 cup chicken broth

3 Tbsp flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup sour cream

Rinse the chicken and pat it dry. melt the butter in a heavy pan. Cook the onion until lightly browned, then add the chicken and sprinkle with the salt.  When the chicken pieces are browned, remove them from the pan and set aside.  Mix in the paprika and cook for 1 minute; add the tomato and 1/2 cup chicken broth, lower the heat, and simmer for 7 minutes.  Return the chicken to the pan, cover, and cook 30-40 minutes.  Remove the chicken to a warm platter.  Sprinkle the flour over the pan drippings, whisking briskly to smoth and blend, and cook for 3 minutes.  Gradually add enough chicken broth to make 1 cup of liquid, then sitr in the heavy cream.  When it is heated through, turn off the heat and whisk in the sour cream until well combined.  Spoon over the chicken pieces and serve over wide egg noodles.  (Serves 4).

Pad See Ew

That's right, you heard me. Pad See Ew.  My favorite Thai dish.  I must admit I haven't explored Thai cuisine too much, but whenever I go to a Thai restaurant, this is what I order.  The only problem with ordering it is pronouncing it.  If I'm lucky the dishes are numbered on the menu and I can just confidently announce "I would like #17 please, with chicken."  If not, I have to try and say it without mumbling.  I could just point to it on the menu, couldn't I?

I Googled quite a few recipes for Pad See Ew and tweeked a couple of them to come up with my own version.  Most recipes cook everything together, starting with the chicken and ending with the noodles, and always in a wok.  Since I don't own a wok, I used my trusty cast iron frying pan and took each element out as it was finished cooking and then combined everything at the end.  It made for a far less messy stove and the end result was absolutely delicious.  What a treat to know that I can make this at home and I don't even have to try and pronounce it!

Pad See Ew

Yields 2 servings
8 ounces fresh wide, flat rice noodles (sen yai)
1/2 cup chicken, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 cups Chinese broccoli, chopped coarsely (with stems sliced very thinly on diagonal)
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons sweet dark soy sauce
2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
2 teaspoons thin soy sauce
2 teaspoons white vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions:
Prepare your sauce by mixing the sweet dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, thin soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar together. Set aside.

Prepare your rice noodles by blanching them in simmering water for a few seconds. Use your fingers to separate each noodle if they are stuck together.

Add a bit of oil to your pan and heat it to high heat. Add the garlic and saute until it's almost golden brown. Then add the chicken and a tablespoon of the sauce and saute until it's cooked through. Add the broccoli and saute until al dente.  Take everything out of the pan and set aside.

Add a little more oil and once it's hot, scramble an egg and then remove immediately.
Add the blanched rice noodles and sauce you prepared earlier. Let saute in the pan until the sauce reduces.  Add the rest of the ingredients back in the pan and mix. Once done, take off the heat and serve immediately!

Chicken Enchiladas with Homemade Red Chili Sauce

Here is a fantastic Mexican recipe if you are feeling very ambitious to make the real thing.  As you can see by the recipes below, there are many steps to this dish but it is well worth the effort.  It can be broken down into a number of parts so it doesn't all have to be done on the same day.  The sauce can be made a couple days ahead as can the chicken filling.  On the day the dish is to be served all that is entailed is assembly and baking. I am lucky enough to live in a community where there are a multitude of Hispanic markets so finding the two chiles called for was not a problem. We also are very lucky to be able to get fresh tortillas, flour or corn, made right here in town.  I am sure there are mail order places on the Web where Hispanic chiles and spices can easily be found also.

Ancho Chilies

                                               Guajillo Chiles
This recipe makes about 4 cups of amazingly thick and complex red chili sauce. The leftovers can be frozen in one cup increments and used again.  I think it would be fantastic without the enchilida sauce additions as a marinade on baked chicken, served with some Spanish rice and some sort of vegetable. Yum.  I got this recipe from The Oregonian Newspapers' great food magazine called Mix.  Even if you're not in the Portland area, it's a great read for those interested in food and in Portland, Oregon, which is nationally known now as quite the restaurant and food mecca these days.

Basic Red Chili Sauce

If you like your sauce spicier, save some of the chile seeds and add them to the sauce after it's pureed and strained.  I found that this definitely needed more chile seeds as it is very mild if you take all of them out.

2 medium onions, peeled and cut through equator into 1/2-inch rings
1 head (15-20 cloves) garlic, papery outer skins removed, individual cloves left unpeeled
10 ounces dried ancho chiles
5 ounces guajillo chiles
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
 About 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar, plus more to taste
About 1-1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Adjust the oven rack so that it is 6 inches below the broiling element and preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the onion slices (keep them intact in their round slices) and garlic on the foil in a single layer. Broil until the garlic is charred and tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Remove the garlic, flip the onions with tongs and broil the onions on the second side until they are tender and lightly charred, 10 minutes more; set aside. When garlic has cooled, peel it.

Put on rubber gloves and break the stems off the tops of the chiles and shake out the seeds (reserve some to add to the sauce later, if you like heat). Using kitchen scissors cut down the length of each chile and open them up flat. Trim and discard any veins on the inside of the chiles.

Turn an exhaust fan on or open a window and place a heavy cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the chiles in batches and toast them, pressing down on them with a spatula, until they are lightly blistered and tan spots appear, about 30 seconds per side for the guajillo chiles, 40 seconds per side for the ancho chiles. Do not over-toast the chiles or the sauce will be bitter. Place the toasted chiles in a large bowl and add hot tap water to cover. Place a plate on top of the chiles to keep them submerged and let them soak until softened, 30 minutes.

Drain the chiles and blend them in batches in a blender or food processor with the onions, garlic, broth, oregano and cumin; be patient, you may need to stop several times and move the contents around a bit to make sure the sauce becomes evenly smooth. When the last batch of chiles is done, swish out the blender with 1/4 cup of water to get out any of the chile mixture sticking to the bottom and sides of the blender and add it to the sauce. Strain the sauce through a medium-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids, or use a food mill. Discard the solids (skins and seeds).

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Quickly pour the chile sauce into the pot. (Keep a lid handy; the sauce will sputter and spit as it is added to the pot.) Reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has lost its raw chile flavor, 30 minutes. Add the brown sugar and salt to taste. Cool completely and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

For the Enchiladas:

1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (3 pounds)
3 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
 2 cups shredded Asadero or jack cheese (divided)
3 green onions, finely chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6 to 8 (10-inch) flour tortillas cut in half

For the Enchilada Sauce:

1 cup Basic Red Chile Sauce
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, combine the paprika, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture all over the chicken breasts and place them in the prepared pan. Bake until the chicken is cooked through (an instant-read thermometer will register 175 degrees), about 30 minutes. Reserve the baking dish to bake the enchiladas. While the chicken is still warm, chop it and combine it with the cream cheese, 1 cup of the grated Asadero or jack cheese, scallions and cilantro in a medium bowl.

While the chicken is baking, make the sauce. In a small saucepan, combine the chile sauce, tomato sauce, chicken broth and cumin. Bring to simmer over medium heat, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until ready to use. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the baking dish used to cook the chicken. Microwave the tortillas until just pliable, about 30 seconds. Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture on one tortilla and roll up tightly. Place the enchilada seam side down in the pan. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas. Spoon the remaining chile sauce over the top of the enchiladas, sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese, and bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly, 25 minutes.

Amazing Fried Chicken

I have made fried chicken a few times during my cooking days and even blogged about it already once. I feel though that the recipe I am sharing today is so blog-worthy, it's not to be missed if you're a fried chicken fan. It is flavorful through and through thanks to an overnight refrigeration covered with an amazing dry rub. And unlike other fried chicken recipes I have tried, this one creates a nice crunchy crust and very moist, tender meat. Not an easy combination to achieve.

This is another wonderful recipe from Bon Appetit, my go to culinary magazine of which I have been a devoted follower for many, many years. This is from their most current edition for February 2011. I won't go into too much detail about the preparation as the recipe is very self-explanatory. You can also go to their website and not only see a video on how they made it in their test kitchen, but also had to take care of your cast iron skillet.

Have I mentioned recently how much I love my cast iron skillet? It is my favorite tool in the kitchen. Purchased as a graduated set of 3 pans, 10 inch, 8 inch, and 5 inch for an extremely reasonable price of $5.00 at a garage sale, these pans were an absolute steal. They were used but in very good condition and I continue to treat them very well. They will last me forever. Which may not be that long if I don't quit eating fried chicken!

Skillet Fried Chicken
(Bon Appetit February 2012)

2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1 3–4-lb. chicken, cut into 10 pieces, backbone and wing tips removed
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Peanut oil (for frying)

Preparation

Whisk 1 Tbsp. salt, 2 tsp. black pepper, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Season chicken with spices. Place chicken in a medium bowl, cover, and chill overnight.

Let chicken stand covered at room temperature for 1 hour. Whisk buttermilk, egg, and 1/2 cup water in a medium bowl. Whisk flour, cornstarch, remaining 1 Tbsp. salt, and remaining 1 Tbsp. pepper in a 9x13x2" baking dish.

Pour oil into a 10"–12" cast-iron skillet or other heavy straight-sided skillet (not nonstick) to a depth of 3/4". Prop deep-fry thermometer in oil so bulb is submerged. Heat over medium-high heat until thermometer registers 350°. Meanwhile, set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet.

Working with 1 piece at a time (use 1 hand for wet ingredients and the other for dry ingredients), dip chicken in buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Dredge in flour mixture; tap against bowl to shake off excess. Place 5 pieces of chicken in skillet. Fry chicken, turning with tongs every 1–2 minutes and adjusting heat to maintain a steady temperature of 300°–325°, until skin is deep golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of chicken registers 165°, about 10 minutes for wings and 12 minutes for thighs, legs, and breasts.

Using tongs, remove chicken from skillet, allowing excess oil to drip back into skillet; transfer chicken to prepared rack.

Repeat with remaining chicken pieces; let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Perfect Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs

My brother-in-law Steve came through again, recommending this winning recipe he had previously tested. This recipe originates from Bon Appetit magazine and it is from the June 2011 issue.  It is in the quick and easy section and it was just that.

This was a fast no-fuss way to prepare a succulent chicken dish.  I had the entire meal on the table within 30 minutes, from start to finish.  I served this along side some rice with roasted almonds and fresh green beans and tomatoes from our garden.  A couple of helpful hints:  take the chicken out of the refrigerator 1/2 hour to 1 hour prior to cooking to ensure your chicken is cooked through, and I feel it is imperative you use a cast iron skillet to get optimal browning of the chicken skin.  Enjoy!

Perfect Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs

6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs, for garnish (optional)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking.

Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and continue cooking skin side down, moving chicken around to ensure even heat. Cook skin-down until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 12 minutes.

Transfer skillet to oven and cook 10-13 minutes more. Flip chicken so the skin side is facing up and cook until the skin is crisp and the internal temperature registers at least 165 degrees, about 5 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a plate and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh herbs, if using.

The Mysterious World of Indian Cuisine

I've finally dipped my toe in the vast cuisine of India.  India has always been a place of great interest to me, but it's based on just a few things.  In 1984 I watched the most wonderful Masterpiece Theater series called the Jewel in the Crown and that began my initial intrigue of the place.  Since then I have read the 4 books it was based on by Paul Scott, subtitled The Raj Quartet.  I always watched the Travel Channel whenever anyone goes there, but particularly enjoy Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations series when he has traveled around the subcontinent.  I enjoy watching him go anywhere though!

As far as Indian food, I have had a very limited tasting.  Here in my town, we have only two Indian restaurants.  I use to go to one of them and particularly enjoyed their lunch buffets, for which I'm told Indian restaurants are known, until one memorable lunch.  It was my turn to choose where my co-workers and I should dine and I decided to take them to this place.  Now you should know that these particular co-workers were males of the most basic meat-and-potato eating crowd. The fact I could even get them in the door was somewhat of a miracle.  So there we were lined up at the steam tables when one of my co-workers in front of me delightfully pointed out a rather large cockroach crawling around the perimeter of the Tandoori Chicken tray.  Needless to say, I never heard the end of it about that lunch and I have never eaten Indian food again.  Until today.

I so enjoyed the spices and exotic flavors of the limited dishes I have tried so I decided I should give it a try at home.  My menu for this Indian feast included: Chicken Tikka Masala, Naan bread, Basmati Rice with slivered almonds and cucumber wedges.  To end our southeast Asian feast, we had a cool and refreshing lemon sorbet.

I will post today the recipe for Chicken Tikka Masala and will tell you about the Naan bread in the next post. The house was filled with heady aromas and it was a rich, lovely sauce coating the yogurt marinated chicken. Just as I remember it tasting, minus the cockroaches crawling around!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken Tikka

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts , trimmed of fat
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt or a fat free plain greek yogurt
1 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium garlic cloves , minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Masala Sauce
2 - 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , diced fine
2 medium garlic cloves , minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 fresh serrano or jalepeno chile , ribs and seeds removed, flesh minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons garam masala
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (Optional for cilantro haters, or use parsley)

For the chicken, combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

For the sauce, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.

While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Cover chicken with yogurt mixture thickly and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.

Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro if using, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve with basmati rice and Naan bread. Serves  6.

Southern Fried Chicken

I have a few favorites I like to watch on the Food Network and one of them is Alton Brown.  His show Good Eats is always so informative.  I'll admit some of his costumes, stunts, and props get on my nerves, but I have learned some helpful cooking tips and better understand some of the chemistry involved in food preparation by watching his show.

One of his recipes I recently tried was for real, honest to goodness southern fried chicken.  Frying chicken is something I have only tried a couple of times because quite frankly, it's a pain in the you know where.  First of all there is the messy dredging in flour.  Then you have the buckets of oil that must be used and finally, there is the cleanup of spattered grease afterward.  It also takes a lot of time standing over the frying pan; at least 12-15 minutes per side for at least 2 batches if you do it properly and don't crowd the pan.

That being said, I did give it a whirl this weekend and was most happy with the results.  I must admit that I didn't follow Alton's recipe exactly.  Included in the buttermilk marinade, I added a couple big squirts of hot sauce to add a bit of heat.  I also used peanut oil instead of vegetable oil and cooked the chicken with the oil at 350 degrees instead of his recommended 325 degrees.  The chicken cooked perfectly through and the crispy crust was very tasty.  Served with sweet corn on the cob and you have summer on a plate!

Southern Fried Chicken


1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
2 cups low fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt (Do not use regular salt or it will be much too strong)
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Flour, for dredging
Vegetable shortening, for frying

Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Melt enough shortening (over low heat) to come just 1/8-inch up the side of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan. Once shortening liquefies raise heat to 325 degrees F. Do not allow oil to go over 325 degrees F.

Drain chicken in a colander. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

Place chicken skin side down into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees. (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes.)

Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. Don't drain by setting chicken directly on paper towels or brown paper bags. If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil but avoid holding in a warm oven, especially if it's a gas oven.

Chicken Parmesan

I was watching Tyler Florence on the Food Network on Saturday morning on his "Ultimate" recipe show and he made the most appealing Chicken Parmesan recipe.  I often get inspired watching that show and he makes everything look so darn easy and looking at him is so darn easy too!

This is an easy dish to put together, particularly if you make the tomato sauce the day before.  I always think that's a good idea anyway because the flavors have more time to meld together.  Served with some garlic bread and a Caeser salad, you have a great dinner.

Chicken Parmesan
(Adapted from Tyler Florence's Ultimate Recipe)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 tablespoons
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves
1 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand-crushed
Pinch sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (about 11/2 pounds)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 cup dried seasoned bread crumbs
1 (8-ounce) ball fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Freshly grated Parmesan

Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, and garlic; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add some hand-torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes, cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

Ladle the tomato sauce over the chicken and layer with mozzarella,  then sprinkle on Parmesan. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.  Garnish with slivered fresh basil.

Finger Licking Goodness

I love chicken wings.  They are the part of the chicken that most people toss aside out of their "buckets" or disregard as they are carving the Sunday roasted bird.  Not me.  I go for the wings first.  Granted, there is not much meat on them but what meat there is tends to be far more flavorful and succulent then any thigh or drumstick.

One thing I had never made despite my love of them was baked chicken wings so when I spotted this recipe in the Oregonian newspaper I just knew I had to try it.  It combines the wonderful Thai flavor combination of sweet, sour, salty and spicy into a glorious glaze.  It was very simple to put together and there was no fussing once the wings were in the oven.

The results was a fragrant, sticky, moist chicken wing that was utterly addictive.  The recipe calls for two pounds of wings, but since it was just The Husband and I devouring these, I cut the recipe in half.  The proportions I give you are as it was in the original recipe. The other thing I added was a clove of finely minced garlic because it just felt right to me.  I served them over a bed of slighly sweet coconut rice which was a delicious compliment to the wings.  I will blog about the rice another time.  Enjoy!

Sticky Chicken Wings

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1 inch piece fresh ginger, crushed with the flat side of a knife blade and peeled (I minced mine)
2 finely minced garlic cloves (optional)
1 jalapeno chile, halfed lengthwise, seeded and chopped.  (I left the seeds in mine)
2 pounds chicken wings, cut in half at joint (wing tips removed)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, whisk together brown sugar, fish sauce, lemon juice and soy sauce until sugar dissolves, about two minutes.  Add ginger, chile and chicken wings; toss to coat.  Arrange wings in a single layer in baking dish.

Bake wings for one hour.  Increase heat to 450 degrees and bake until sauce is reduced and wings are glazed, about 30-35 minutes (watch closely), turning wings occasionally.

A Chicken in Every Pot

I give you another recipe I discovered in my newly acquired cookbook,  The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook by Jaden Hair.  This is delicious dish called Hainanese Chicken Rice is relatively easy to put together and delivers a flavor punch with the beautifully poached chicken, the aromatic rice cooked in the chicken poaching liquid and the powerful sauce poured on top prior to serving.

I easly found all the ingredients called for except for one; the red chilies required for the sauce.  I was like a mad woman going from store to store looking for this elusive item.  Four stores to be exact.  Two Asian stores, one grocery store and finally I found a substitute in the form of a dried red chili from a Mexican market which I rehydrated in boiling water.  Who knew it would be so hard to find a lousy red chili???

Oh well, once all the ingredients were assembled the cooking began and it was realy a lot of fun to make.  It has three components; the chicken, the rice and the sauce.  Let's begin with the chicken, shall we?

Hainanese Chicken Rice
(as adapted by The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook)

1 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
4 cloves garlic left whole and smashed
A 2 inch piece of chinger, sliced into 4-6 slices and each slice smashed with a knife
3 green onions, cut into 3 inch pieces
Salt to taste
4 boneless chicken pieces with skin on (I used 2 breasts and 2 thighs)
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce

In a large pot with a tight lid, add the stock, wine, garlic, ginger, green onions, salt and chicken pieces and pour over enough water to cover the chicken by 1 inch.  Turn the heat to high and bring to boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low and let simmer for 3 minutes.  Skim the surface.  Cover with lid and turn the heat off. Let the chicken sit poatching in the hot broth for 20-30 minutes, or until the juices run clear in the thickest part of the chicken.

Remove the chicken and brush it all over with the sesame oil and soy sauce combined.  Set aside and let the chicken come to room temperature.

Rice
1 cup long grain rice
2 cups chicken poaching liquid

Strain the broth of the solids and pour two cups into a saucepan.  Add one cup of long grain rice. Bring to boil then immediately put tight fitting lid on saucepan and let rice simmer for 25 minutes.  When done, fluff rice with a fork and let sit for 5 minutes.

Ginger Scallion Sauce
2 green onions, finely minced
1/2 tsp finely minced garlic
1 Tbsp finely minced ginger
1/2 tsp minced red chilies
1/4 tsp rice vinegar
pinch of salt
1/3 cup high-heat cooking oil (peanut oil for example)

In a heatproof dish, combine the onions, garlic, ginger, chilies, vinegar and salt.  Mix and set aside.  In a frying pan or wok, heat up the oil.  When the oil is hot and just starting to smoke, with care pour the oil into the heatproof dish on top of the other ingredients. It will sizzle and smell divine.

Assembly

Slice poached chicken into bite size pieces and put over individual bowls of rice and then spoon over the fragrant and tasty sauce.  Dig in and enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie-O-My

A perfect comfort food kind of meal for me is a chicken pot pie. It has everything good - chunks of well cooked chicken, lots of vegetables and hopefully, a well made, tasty crust. After making a roast chicken, I cut the leftover meat off the carcass and stashed it in the freezer for another time.

That other time came today after reading a recipe for chicken pot pie in a Caprial Pence cookbook called Cooking with Caprial-American Bistro Fare. Chicken pot pie is a dish that can be broken down into three components: the filling, the sauce and the crust. For my pot pie, I used the recipe for the crust from Caprial's cookbook and the rest was improvisation. The crust is magnificent. It is so easy to roll out and very flavorful, what with the cheese in it and all. I microwaved my veggies until they were just tender, thus decreasing the time the pie had to cook in the oven. Also, I used leftover chicken that was already cooked and cubed. Another time saver would to use deli whole roasted chickens from the store. This would be so good using leftover turkey too.

Chicken Pot Pie
Crust

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup finely grated sharp Cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shortening (I used 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup lard)
1 tsp salt
6 Tbsp cold water

Place the flour, cheeses, shortening and salt into a medium bowl and with your fingertips rub in the shortening until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add water and mix with a fork just until the mixture comes together. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling out.Filling
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 celery stick, diced
1 small garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 cup finely diced onion
1/2 cup frozen peas

Microwave all of the vegetables together for about 5-6 minutes until they are just tender. Set aside.
Sauce

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1 can low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried tarragon

Melt butter in medium sauce pan. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and tarragon and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. Whisk in chicken broth and let cook, stirring frequently until mixture thickens and comes to a full boil. Add vegetables and cooked chicken.Assembly
Roll out crust to fit the top of a 9 inch deep dish pie pan. Add filling mixture to pan. Top with pie crust and flute edges. Brush the entire crust with an egg wash of 1 beaten egg and a little water or cream. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes until crust is a deep golden brown.

Better Butter Part Two

Remember when I made the compound butter of lemon zest and chives? I only used half of the cube on our salmon dinner so what to do with the other half, placed securely in the freezer for another time?What about a roast chicken basted in the golden goodness? I foraged around the freezer and found the little saran wrap package of butter and stuck it in the microwave for a few minutes to melt and then basted my bird every half hour until the chicken was perfectly browned and succulent. With the chicken I served the melange of potatoes I had picked up at the farmers market. Aren't those purple potatoes something to behold? They got cut and put in the roasting pan with the chicken so they could all happily cook together. Easy Peasy. It was a great Sunday dinner.