Category: PROTEINS

CHICKEN TURNOVERS

For those quick week night meals this recipe is perfect!

CHICKEN TURNOVERS
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 large bunch green onions, chopped
1/4 cup salsa
1/4 cup guacamole
1 can refrigerator biscuits, grand size
1 cup shredded shredded cheddar cheese

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  • Combine in large bowl the salsa, guacamole, green onions, chicken and cheese.
  • On a floured board between wax paper layers, roll out each biscuit to about double the original size.
  • Fill each biscuit with chicken mixture and fold over into a moon shape.
  • Press the edges firmly to seal.
  • Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.
  • Serve with a side of sour cream and salsa for dipping.

CHICKEN with Lemon Sage Sauce

Ingredients – Serves 2
2 chicken breasts
1 lemon, juiced and divided
1 tablespoon flour
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon fennel (optional)
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon sage
Salt
Black pepper
Olive oil
  • Make a paste with the flour, garlic and lemon juice.   
  • Coat the chicken with the paste and leave for half an hour.
  • Put a little olive oil in a sauce pan.   
  • Scrape the paste off the chicken and keep for the next step.   I forgot to scrape off the paste, but it worked well as a coating and hubby enjoyed it so I guess you could do it either way.  Fortunately my pan wasn’t too hot that it burned and all worked out well.
  • Add the chicken and the fennel seeds to the pan and fry the chicken on each side.  I also omitted the fennel seeds – thought I had some, but didn’t after all.
  • If the paste is quite thick, thin it with a little water or stock then add it to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon. Since I messed up above, I did add a little stock (thought about using wine, but didn’t want to mess with her recipe since it smelled perfect).
  • Then add the rest of the stock, sage, salt and pepper. 
  • Bring to the boil then lower to a very gentle simmer for about 20 minutes.  
  • Mix the egg yolk with a little lemon juice.    
  • Remove the chicken from the pan.   
  • Stir in the lemon juice.  Keep stirring as it thickens, but don’t let it boil.
  • Serve the sauce over the chicken with rice or potatoes and vegetables.

SIMPLE CHICKEN & FEATHER DUMPLINGS

SIMPLE CHICKEN & FEATHER DUMPLINGS
1 rotisserie chicken picked clean
chicken carcass with enough water to cover
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped small
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 cup baby carrots, chopped
3 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 cup milk, room temperature
2 tablespoons butter

  • Cover chicken carcass with water. Bring to a boil and reduce broth to 7 cups.
  • Save 4 cups aside for making the dumplings.
  • Pour 3 cups through sieve into a large saucepan. Set aside.
  • Melt butter and saute’ vegetables.
  • Whisk together milk and flour until smooth.
  • Gradually whisk milk mixture into broth mixture until well blended.
  • Add in sauteed vegetables and chicken pieces.
  • Simmer until desired consistency.

DUMPLINGS
2 cups sifted cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 egg, well beaten
3 tablespoons butter, melted
2/3 cup milk

  • Sift together flour, salt, pepper and baking powder.
  • Add egg, butter and enough milk to make a moist, stiff batter.
  • Drop by teaspoonfuls into the boiling liquid.
  • Cover and cook 15-20 minutes ~ Watch closely!



CHILE LIME CHICKEN PATTIES with LIME REMOULADE SAUCE

CHILE LIME CHICKEN PATTIES with LIME REMOULADE SAUCE
2 cups rotisserie chicken. chopped small
2 tablespoons chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped parsley, fresh
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1 cup Panko crumbs, divided in half
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 egg, lightly beaten
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons Franks Chile hot sauce
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons butter

SAUCE
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lime
Several drops Franks Chile Hot Sauce

  • Process chicken until just ground, or choppy VERY fine.
  • In a large bowl mix together chicken, celery, parsley, green onions, 1/2 cup Panko crumbs, mayonnaise, egg, lime juice, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce until well blended.
  • Form into 6-8 patties and coat with remaining Panko crumbs.
  • In a large skillet melt butter over medium heat.  Cook patties slowly until browned, about 10 minutes, turning halfway through.
  • For the sauce, whisk together all ingredients until well blended and smooth.
  • Serve with lime wedges if desired.

ITALIAN BAKED CHICKEN

ITALIAN BAKED CHICKEN serves 8

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut in halves)
salt and pepper to taste
provolone cheese slices
prosciutto slices
1 large bunch green onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
fresh basil
1 cup white wine (I used zinfandel)
3 tablespoons butter

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Generously salt and pepper each piece of chicken.
  • In a large skillet melt butter until frothy.
  • Add chicken pieces, searing each side quickly.  Drain on a paper towel. Do not discard butter.
  • Warp each piece of chicken in a slice of prosciutto and then lay a slice of provolone on top.  
  • Arrange chicken pieces in a baking dish.
  • In the skillet add the garlic and green onions, sauteing until soft and fragrant.
  • Add the wine and lemon juice, simmering until starts to thicken.
  • Pour sauce over and around chicken pieces.
  • Bake 30 minutes.
  • Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

SPICY APRICOT GLAZED BBQ PORK CHOPS

These are the easiest and yummiest pork chops!
SPICY APRICOT GLAZED BBQ PORK CHOPS
2 large center cut pork chops
1/3 cup apricot jam
1/3 cup Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce
2 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

  • Blend together until well mixed.
  • Grill chops, topping with glaze during last few minutes.
  • Enjoy!

DELICIOUS FRIED CHICKEN & HELPFUL HINTS PLUS BONUS FRIED CHICKEN ALTERNATIVES

In an effort to clean out my magazines and cookbooklets, I joined Magazine Mondays hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice many years ago. What I really like is that she isn’t strict about when you post so I can publish these yummy results as I find them. I have this horrible habit of cutting recipes out and throwing them into a box and then I have no idea where the original recipe came from. To be honest it didn’t help me eliminate recipes, but I enjoy it anyway.  I’ve ended up with multiple recipes and they are ALL good so just pick your favorite from this bunch! Both of these recipes make a chicken where the crust doesn’t break apart on the first bite.

DELICIOUS FRIED CHICKEN
Cut up chicken pieces
1/4 cup beer or ginger ale
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Oil for frying

  • Bring oil to frying temperature in a cast iron skillet.
  • Wash chicken pieces, dry and sprinkle with salt.
  • Whisk together the beer, baking soda and salt.
  • Dip each piece of chicken in beer mixture and then fry.
  • Drain on paper towels.

BUTTERMILK BRINED FRIED CHICKEN
3 pounds of your favorite chicken pieces
3 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup kosher salt
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 tespoon paprika
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 jumbo eggs

  • In a very LARGE bowl combine the 3 cups buttermilk, kosher salt and sugar, stirring to dissolve.
  • Add ALL the chicken pieces, turning to make sure each piece is coated in brine. and seal tightly.
  • Chill 3-4 hours, turning occasionally to make sure chicken pieces are well coated in brine.
  • Remove from brine and dry on paper towels. Discard brine. 
  • Heat large skillet with 1 1/2 inches of oil to 350 degrees. OIL WILL BE HOT!!! USE CARE!!
  • Whisk together the eggs and 1/2 cup buttermilk into a shallow dish.
  •  Combine flour, sea salt, white pepper and paprika in a large Ziploc bag. Divide into 2 shallow dishes.
  • Dip each chicken piece in the first flour dish, then the egg dish and then the 2nd flour dish.
  • Add chicken pieces, adjusting as necessary to maintain heat. 
  • Cook 12-15 minutes until golden brown turning only once when you see blood as grams would say.

NOTE:  LET YOUR USED OIL COOL AND THE STRAIN IT INTO A GLASS MASON JAR.  REFRIGERATE AND IT CAN BE USED 2-3 MORE TIME IN THE THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS.  BE SURE TO STRAIN IT EACH AND EVERY TIME!

HELPFUL HINTS FOR FRYING CHICKEN:

  • SIZE DOES MATTER. Try to cook pieces similar in size at the same time.
  • DO NOT CROWD YOU PAN.  Cook in batches allowing plenty of room for the oil to make your crust crisp.
  • BUTTERMILK BRINE:  Buttermilk brine on chicken as well as beef acts like an enzyme to break down muscle fibers and fat allowing more flavor to be tasted in the finished product.
  • ROOM TEMPERATURE! Bringing your pieces to room temperature before the wash and dredge does 2 helpful things – 1) your oil will not cool as much or as fast giving you an even cooking and 2) your wash and dredge will stay put better making a crispier chicken.

    BLACK BEAN KITCHEN SINK CHILI

    I call this kitchen sink chili because I use it to get rid of all the leftovers!  Today I added some leftover crumbled bacon, cherry tomatoes and I was out of tomato juice so I used Budweiser Clamato.

     BLACK BEAN KITCHEN SINK CHILI
    1 pound chuck steak, cut into 3/4 inch chunks**
    15 ounce can diced tomato
    1 can original Rotel tomatoes 
    15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons chili powder
    2 cups tomato juice
    2 cubes beef bouillon
    medium red onion, chopped (reserve some for garnish)
    1 bunch green onions, sliced (reserve some for garnish)
    sour cream
    grated cheese

    • Combine tomato juice and beef bouillon until well blended.
    • Add diced tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, blending well.
    • Add beef pieces, red onion and green onion.
    • Bring to a SLOW boil, reduce heat and then simmer 1 hour.
    • Top with sour cream, grated cheese and onions for garnish.
    • I served the chili over grilled hot dogs for hubby for opening night football.

    **We had grilled rib eyes the night before and I got a great price on buying the family pack so we grilled them all and then I cut the remains into 3/4 inch chunks for the chili.  I have to say the charring added some great flavor.

    BLEU CHEESE STUFFED PORK LOIN

    OOPS wrong adage, but the try, try again really fits.  I like to succeed, but I also LOVE to experiment.  My dear friend Jenn and hubby both gave yesterday’s Bleu cheese spread for the Danish Cube Steaks two thumbs up, but I couldn’t stop there – I still had spread left!  I also had a fresh pork loin and had just read Martha’s STUFFED FLANK STEAK recipe and voile’ just like Melanie Griffith, er Tess McGill in Working Girl combining Trask and radio to succeed, I had an idea! I combined pork roast, our new favorite Bleu cheese spread and Martha’s flank steak style with superb results – true success!
    STUFFED PORK LOIN – serves 4
    1 small pork roast, cut in half
    1 1/2 ounces Bleu cheese crumbles
    1/4 cup mayonnaise
    1/8 cup minced green onions
    • In a small food processor blend together the mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles and green onions until smooth.
    • Cut volcano shaped slice out of the center of each pork half.  Next time I will buy a large roast and have it butterflied, but today I worked with what I had.
    • Fill with bleu cheese mixture.
    • Salt and pepper generously.
    • Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour- 1 1/4 hours.
     
     
     
    Now nothing goes to waste at our house.  We use it until it can be used NO more.  If it’s a sauce, it may become a dressing for hubby’s salads by adding flavored vinegars or oils or a filling for a casserole, but it gets used.  I had  a tiny bit of our favorite BBQ sauce left, but it wasn’t enough to do much with, so I used it as a rub on the baked potatoes and then mixed the last couple of tablespoons with some butter and sour cream and darned if it wasn’t super yummy and flavorful too!

    Vegetable Pork Stir Fry

    VEGETABLE PORK STIR FRY
    Peanut Oil
    egg white (save the yolk for the fried rice)
    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    3/4 pound thin pork chops (chicken works great too)
    1 large bunch green onions, sliced thin
    1 cup snow peas
    3/4 cup carrots slices
    1 cup broccoli florets
    3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    1 teaspoon sesame oil
    1/4 cup orange juice

    • An hour before you plan on cooking slice pork chops into thin strips.
    • Whisk together the egg white and cornstarch.
    • Coat pork strips in egg mixture and chill for 1 hour.
    • Slice the onions, carrots and broccoli to bite size pieces.
    • Cut the snow peas in half if they are large or leave whole.
    • Heat peanut oil to medium high.
    • Stir Fry pork pieces quickly and remove to drain on paper towel.
    • Add vegetables and stir fry until tender. Add pork slices back in.
    • Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil and orange juice.
    • Add to the pan and toss to coat.
    • Heat through until glaze forms.
    • Serve with Fried Rice (recipe follows).

    SOUTHWEST GRILLED CHICKEN

    SOUTHWEST GRILLED CHICKEN
    2 pounds chicken wings
    2 teaspoons ground cumin
    2 teaspoons smoked paprika
    1 teaspoon oregano
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon pepper.
    1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    1/2 cup hot red pepper jelly

    • Heat gas grill to medium high or a charcoal grill to medium hot fire.
    • Wash and dry chicken wings.
    • Mix spices together until well blended.
    • Sprinkle 2 tablespoons on the spice mixture over chicken pieces.
    • When grill is hot rub the grate with oil and grill chicken 20 minutes or so.
    • Combine remaining spices with jelly.
    • Brush chicken pieces with jelly and cook another 5 minutes or so turning every few minutes until browned and crisp.
    • Let stand 5 minutes.

    SAUCY SPICY GRILLED BBQ CHICKEN

    SAUCY SPICY GRILLED BBQ CHICKEN
    2 pounds chicken wings
    salt & pepper
    1/4 cup ketchup
    2 tablespoons soy sauce
    2 tablespoons brown sugar
    1 tablespoon garlic rice wine vinegar
    1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    2 green onions, minced

    • Heat gas grill to medium high or a charcoal grill to medium hot fire. 
    • Wash and dry chicken wings. 
    •  Generously salt and pepper the wings. 
    • When grill is hot rub the grate with oil and grill chicken 20 minutes or so, turning every few minutes until browned and crisp. 
    •  In a small bowl whisk together the ketchup, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, pepper flakes and half of the onions. 
    • When wings are done either brush them with the sauce or transfer the wings to a large bowl and toss with sauce. 
    • Sprinkle with remaining onions.