Category: POULTRY

Fire Day Friday: Island Beach Chicken

I’d love to tell you that I call this Island Beach Chicken because it reminded me of my sun bleached days surfing the East coast of Florida.  Can’t you just see the flickering orange light of a bonfire, crackling against the sound of the crashing night surf?  The warm sea breeze carries the smell of spicy wood grilled chicken in the air along with the chatter and laughter of a handful of weary surfers. 

Reality Check:  While we did spend many a day chasing the best waves up and down the coast, we NEVER ate like that.  We were broke (duh, we surfed all day), it was late, and we ate off the $1 menu at Taco Bell.  (Actually back then it was a $.79, $.89, $.99 menu).  Yeah, this is really me circa 1984. 
I call it Island Beach Chicken because it mimics my favorite jerk chicken and just about any other chicken from island beachy destinations like Jamaica, the Bahamas, Virgin Islands or Barbados.   They all use a spicy, highly seasoned mojo and grill over live fire.  
Island Beach Chicken
Source:  www.nibblemethis.com
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 8 bone in thighs, 4 leg quarters, whatever….)
1 ea roasted red bell pepper (I used a jarred pepper which is about 1/4 cup, real ones yield more)
1 ea habanero pepper, seeded and diced (wear gloves, trust me)
1/4 cup green bell pepper, diced
1 ea green onion, diced
1/4 cup red onion, diced
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/4 cup parsley, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup oil
Like I said, the beachy chicken dishes almost all have a mojo paste thing going on.  Take all of the ingredients except the chicken and put in your blender, food processor or Magic Bullet (What?  it was a gift)
and blend/process/bulletize until smooth.
Marinate the chicken with the mixture for 4-8 hours.
Set up your grill for a medium heat (350f) direct cook.  That takes about 1 chimney full of Kingsford Charcoal for my grill.  (The grill I use other than our two Big Green Eggs)
Grill for 8-12 minutes per side.  I spend much more time turning these throughout the cooking time compared to a steak when I say the less turning the better.
Don’t be afraid of a little char.
Remove when the thighs are 170f and the breasts are 160f. 

Wow, this was totally tubular and awesome to the max!

Seriously though, the marinade is spectacular.  It brings all of the flavor of jerk chicken without all of the burning heat. 

CHICKEN with VERDE SAUCE ~ CLASSIC GOOD EATS

  • Spray casserole dish with PURE
  • Lay chicken pieces in bottom.
  • Generously salt and pepper chicken.
  • Cover with Fire Roasted Salsa Verde
  • Place a generous dollop of sour cream on top of each chciken piece.
  • Cover with grated Monterey Jack cheese.
  • Sprinkle with diced tomatoes and chopped cilantro.
  • Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees.
Fire Roasted Salsa Verde 
My Source for awesome homemade verde sauce =  Chris the wonderful cook, griller, photographer and Big Green Egg enthusiast. Check out his blog at www.nibblemethis.com   His Source = Adapted from Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue! 
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
1 Serrano pepper
1 jalapeno pepper
1 Anaheim pepper
1 large onion, peeled and sliced into thirds
3 cloves garlic, peeled and skewered together with a toothpick
½ cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon bacon fat
3 ounces chicken stock
½ teaspoon sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
  • Get your grill cooking at about 450f. 
  • Place the peppers and tomatillos on and sear them until all sides are blackened. 
  • This should take a few minutes per side. Remove and place them into a plastic bag for 5 minutes. 
  • Meanwhile, grill the onion and garlic until browned (about 4 minutes a side for the onion, 1-2 for the garlic) and remove from heat. 
  • Skin, seed, and dice the peppers. 
  • Skin and quarter the tomatillos. Don’t be super picky about getting all the charred skin off, you want a little in there for flavor. 
  • Quarter the grilled onions. 
  • Place them all in a food processor and pulse them until you get a salsa like texture. 
  • Heat the bacon fat over medium high heat and then add the tomatillo mixture for 3-5 minutes. You’ll get some thick “pops” as the thick liquid heats but keep stirring. 
  • Mix in the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, letting the flavors get happy together. 
  • Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
Be sure and stop by my food blog, Always Eat On The Good China for other tasty recipes.

SMOKEY CARAMELIZED BALSAMIC CHICKEN

I had a bottle of liquid smoke sitting in my cupboard for a long time. I used it for a few things but didn’t know what else to do with it.

Until now.  I’ve made this chicken several times and it’s always a hit.  It’s a quick, simple way to dress up ordinary chicken in a delicious, healthy way.

SMOKEY CARAMELIZED BALSAMIC CHICKEN

2 tablespoons I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter, light or regular butter
2 teaspoons liquid smoke, divided
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 cup water
2 cloves garlic
3 – 6 ounces boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons brown sugar
salt and pepper
  • In a large pan, melt butter with 1 teaspoon of the liquid smoke. 
  • Toss onions in and saute for a few minutes or so. 
  • Season chicken with salt and pepper, add to pan and brown for about 10 minutes, turning once. 
  • Remove to a plate, add garlic and one cup water to the pan, boil for about 1 minute scraping up the browned bits. 
  • Return chicken to pan, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 – 30 minutes. 
  • Move chicken to one side of pan (or briefly remove), and stir in brown sugar, balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke. 
  • Boil uncovered until slightly thickened. 
  • Move the chicken around in the delicious liquid to slightly caramelize on the chicken. 
  • Serve with flavored onions over the chicken.

Total calories = 1064

3 servings = 355 calories per chicken breast

Fire Day Friday: Mediterranean Grilled Chicken

 

 Do you ever get home from work and realize you are just not in the mood to cook?  It doesn’t happen to me too often, but when it does, I find myself facing a dilemma.  To cook or not to cook?  If I don’t cook, what will we do for dinner?  Heat up chicken nuggets or frozen burritos?  UGH.. no thank you… I mean if I’m going to go through the effort of even doing that, why not go the extra step and cook something a bit more healthy.  Hence the dilemma… I don’t want to cook, but I don’t want to eat junk either.


So what’s a girl to do?

This girl just figures out a way to put as little time and as little effort into dinner as I possible can.  I guess that’s why my grill is my go to device in those situations.  I use propane, so it’s simple to click a button, let it preheat, and slap some meat on it. Of course, the fast and easy way must also be a tasty way, and this recipe is just that!  It’s simple, it’s flavorful, and it’s perfect for those nights where you want something good, but you don’t want to have to put a lot of effort into it.

Mediterranean Grilled Chicken  Adapted from Pam, For the Love of Cooking
Printable Recipe 

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, mix together the mayo, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and oregano until smooth.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken in a resealable bag or shallow dish and pour half of the sauce over the chicken.  Allow to marinate for at least 1 hour.  Cover the reserved sauce and leave in refrigerator until you are ready to grill the chicken.

Preheat your grill to 400 degrees.  Oil the grill grates.  Remove the chicken from the bag and place directly over the flame.  Allow to grill for 8-10 minutes per side or until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle.  Serve with the reserved sauce and enjoy!

Turkey or Chicken Primavera

I made a turkey a few weeks ago.  I like to shred the leftovers into 10 oz. portions (about 2 cups) and keep them in the freezer.  Then they are ready for a quick dinner if needed.  This of course could be done with chicken as well.
This is kinda my clean out the refrigerator meal.  I like to throw in as many veggies as possible!  You can custom make this with whatever veggies you like.  I sometimes will add garlic to the sauce as well as I like it garlicky!
Turkey Primavera

1/2 box Rotini or Penne pasta, Barilla Plus (7 ounces)

10 ounces turkey or chicken, diced or shredded
Cooking spray
Salt and pepper
1 medium zucchini squash, cut into circles
1 medium yellow squash, cut into circles
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 head broccoli, cut into florets (1/2 lb)
2 carrot sticks, peeled and chopped
3 small tomatoes, seeded and diced (plum tomatoes)
2 garlic cloves, crushed

For White Sauce:
3 tablespoons I can’t believe it’s not butter, light
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk, 1 %
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper and garlic powder

  1. In medium saucepan, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and add to large serving bowl. 
  2. If chicken or turkey is not cooked, place in large skillet, saute diced chicken in olive oil and salt and pepper for 6-8 minutes, stirring often. Once chicken has cooked through, transfer to plate, cool and dice.
  3. Add onion and red pepper to a skillet and saute in cooking spray for about 4 – 5 minues. 
  4. Add zucchini and broccoli to skillet and steam/saute for 3-4 minutes with 1/4 cup of water. Add the tomatoes during the last minute. 
  5. Make white sauce in small sauce pan. Add all the ingredients and stir continually until thickened. Do not boil.
  6. Toss pasta, cooked chicken or turkey, sauteed veggies with parmesan sauce. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.  I like lots of garlic powder!
Total calories = 2050
5 huge servings = 410 calories

SPICY LEMON CHICKEN

  • 4 to 6 pieces of chicken (breasts and legs)
  • 1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade, thawed
  • 2 tbsp. brown sugar
  • 3 tbsp. ketchup
  • 1 tbsp. APPLE CIDER vinegar
  • 2 tbsp. cornstarch
  • 2 tbsp. cold water

Preparation:

Arrange chicken pieces in slow cooker. Combine lemonade concentrate, brown sugar, ketchup and vinegar; mix well. Pour lemonade mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours or LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken from crockpot and cover to keep hot. Transfer liquid to saucepan over medium-low heat. Skim fat; combine cornstarch and cold water and add slowly to liquid, while stirring. When thickened, serve with chicken along with hot cooked rice.
Serves 4 to 6.

or

  • 1 can (12 ounces) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon minced fresh mint or 1/4 teaspoon dried mint
  • 4 pounds bone-in chicken breast halves (8 ounces each)
  • In a large resealable bag, combine the first five ingredients. Remove half of the marinade to a small bowl; cover and refrigerate. Add chicken to the bag; seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
  • Drain and discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium heat for 10 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with reserved marinade. Grill 5-10 minutes longer or until chicken juices run clear; basting and turning several times.

OR

aprons 3

Fire Day Friday: Easy Chicken Enchiladas

I had a great time at Kingsford University in Las Vegas two weekends ago.  I learned a lot, got to meet old blog friends in real life, and met a bunch of new friends. 

One of the things Chris Lilly stressed was “grill once, eat twice”.  So last night I grilled an extra chicken to use for dinner tonight.

But I learned much from my fellow students too.  On the last night six of us were having dinner at Mesa Grill and we talked about how recent changes to how Google searches and presents results for recipes.  Previously, bloggers had a fair chance at showing up high in results for a specific recipe.  But NOW if your recipe posts do not contain “metadata” or “microformatting”, they will NOT show up in Google recipe searches.  Only the big sites like FoodNetwork, Allrecipes, Cooks, etc show up.

My new friend from last week, Meathead Goldwyn of AmazingRibs.com shared what he had found out about this in THIS POST.   John Dawson of PatioDaddio shared THIS USEFUL WEB SITE that will let you enter a recipe and then generate the appropriate Google Recipe SEO friendly format.  I tried it out tonight and here is the result.


Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

  • 1 ea
    small onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp
    butter
  • 3 cups
    cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
  • 2 ea
    chipotle, seeded and diced
  • 1/4 cup
    cilantro, chopped
  • 1 14.5 oz can
    diced tomatoes
  • 10 oz
    Philadelphia Sante Fe Blend Cooking Creme
  • 2 cups
    baby spinach, chopped
  • 2 cloves
    garlic, minced
  • 1 cup
    cheese, shredded (I used 1/2 of smoked cheddar and monterey jack)
  • 1/4 cup
    half and half
  • 10 ea
    flour tortiallas (6″ size)

Cooking Directions

  1. Preheat a saute pan and then melt the butter. Saute the onions for 5 minutes until tender.
  2. In a large bowl mix together the chicken, chipotle, cilantro, spinach, tomatoes and garlic. Add 3/4 cup of the Philly Sante Fe blend Cooking Creme and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Top with the hot onions and let sit for a minute. Toss all of this together until well blended.
  3. Spoon the mixture evenly among the tortillas, about 1/3 cup each. Roll up and place seam side down in a greased 13 x 9 casserole dish. We ended up having to use another small dish too.
  4. Top with the rest of the cheese. Mix the rest of the Sante Fe Creme and the half & half. Spoon over the enchiladas.
  5. Bake at 350f for 25 minutes.
  6. Serve with Mexican rice and tortilla chips.

Ok, so I’m not crazy about the layout that it generates. So how do you choose between “how your recipes appear on your site” or “how your site appears on Google”, tough one, right?  I guess we will be seeing a lot more tools to help us little guys compete with the big sites.  

Are you planning to change how you post your recipes relative to the Google changes?

GARLIC HERB ROAST CHICKEN with ROASTED ORANGES & RED ONIONS

GARLIC HERB ROAST CHICKEN with ROASTED ORANGES and RED ONIONS
1 chicken, 4-5 pounds
2 navel oranges, sliced in thick slices or wedges
2 red onions, sliced or wedged (zest one orange)
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tablespoons butter, softened + 2 tablespoons butter, cubed or thinly sliced
2 teaspoons coarse salt
2 + 1 teaspoons fresh thyme
pepper to taste

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Mash garlic and 1 teaspoon salt into a paste.
  • Combine garlic paste, 2 teaspoons thyme, butter and zest until well blended.
  • Gently separate the skin from the chicken and rub one half of the butter mixture all over.
  • Season the outside with the remaining salt and some pepper.
  • Fill the cavity with a few of the orange slices, onion wedges and remaining thyme.
  • Place chicken, breast side up on a rimmed baking sheet with the wings folded in and legs banded together.
  • Scatter the remaining orange and onion pieces around the chicken.
  • Dot onions and oranges with the 2 tablespoons of butter pieces.
  • Roast for 30 minutes. At this point I added some potatoes also.
  • Brush chicken with remaining garlic butter mixture.
  • Flip oranges and onions.
  • Rotate the baking sheet and roast 15 minutes more.
  • Remove the onions and oranges if caramelized.
  • Roast chicken 15 minutes more or until juices run clear.
  • Let rest 10 minutes before serving.
Linking to: 

CHICKEN STROGANOFF ~ CLASSIC GOOD EATS

CHICKEN STROGANOFF
2-3 slices bacon, diced
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/3+ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon flour
egg noodles

  • In a large skillet brown bacon.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
  • Add onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes.
  • Add Chicken pieces.
  • Saute’ 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add spices and blend well.
  • Add chicken broth and bring JUST to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes JUST until liquid is absorbed.  Boil your noodles at this point.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream and flour.
  • Add sour cream mixture to chicken mixture along with the bacon pieces. Blend well and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until heated through.  Sauce will become creamier and thicken at this time.
  • Serve over hot noodles.
To make this meal quicker for a weeknight you can use rotisserie chicken and save time.

CHICKEN PASTA IN GARLIC CREAM SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE

Hi, Tamy here filling in for our MIA Tuesday girl, Liz. I thought I’d bring you a quick and easy, yet flavorful pasta.  While this sounds like a complicated recipe, it’s an easy and quick weeknight recipe when you use the rotisserie chicken.  I buy rotisserie chickens often and when I get home from the store and they are relatively cool, I de-bone the chicken and portion out the pieces for week night recipes.  I then take the remaining bones and skin and simmer for about an hour to create stock.  I then freeze the stock in 2 cup portions for use in those same week night recipes.  Tonight I had some asparagus that needed using so I tossed that in too.

Chicken Pasta in Garlic Cream Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
1 pack vermicelli noodles or pasta of your choice
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 chicken breasts or 2 cups rotisserie chicken pieces
1 cup milk or heavy cream
2-3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons classico sun dried tomato pesto
1/2 large white Vidalia onion, diced
4 tablespoons butter
2-3 tablespoons flour
salt
pepper
olive oil
fresh grated Parmesan cheese

  • Boil pasta in large pot.
  • While pasta boiling preheat large deep skillet to medium low.
  • Cube chicken to bite size pieces if using raw chicken.
  • Melt 2 tablespoons butter and add chicken, salt and pepper to taste.
  • Cook until chicken is JUST done. Remove to a warm plate.
  • Add remaining butter.
  • When melted, add flour to center of pan, whisk until mixture turns golden in color, creating a roux.
  • Add in the first cup of chicken stock raising heat to medium high, stirring until sauce thickens. Sauce will be very thick.
  • Whisk in second cup of stock until desired consistency.
  • Taste sauce at this point and add in more salt and pepper to taste. Heavy pepper is good in this dish.
  • Add chicken pieces.
  • Add in sun dried tomato pesto, reduce heat to low and allow sauce to continue cooking and thickening.
  • At the very end add in your milk or cream starting with just half to begin with.
  • Drain pasta and add to sauce, coating pasta with chicken and cream sauce.
  • Top with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.
  • If sauce gets too thick it is better to add more stock then milk, as milk or cream will make the dish to rich and take away from the flavor. If your sauce is not thick enough turn up the heat and quickly whisk in more flour.

STUFFED PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREASTS with CHILI GARLIC CARROTS

When I went grocery shopping this week, Philadelphia cream cheese had a special going.  By buying my orange juice I received one of their new cooking creams free to try.  So, try we did and it’s 2 thumbs up around here!

STUFFED PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREASTS with CHILI GARLIC CARROTS
4 chicken breasts,
4 green onions, sliced thin
2 cups halved baby carrots
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons herbs de provence
1 small can chopped green chiles, drained
1/2 cup goat cheese
1/4 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese Garlic Sauce
Juice of 1 lemon
2 + 2 tablespoons butter
sea salt and white pepper

  • Carefully slice open a pocket area of each chicken breast.
  • Combine sugar, chili powder and herbs de provence in a mortar and grind fine with pestle.
  • In a small food processor combine green chiles and goat cheese until well blended. Add 1/2 of herb mix and blend again.
  • In a small skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat.  Add onions and garlic, sauteing until soft.  Add carrots and saute until tender.
  • Add remaining spice mixture to carrots while sauteing.
  • In a medium skillet melt the other 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat.
  • Fill the pocket in chicken breast with the green chili mixture.  Add to skillet.  Salt and pepper chicken generously.  Cook until cooked through and browned on both sides.
  • Pour lemon juice over the chicken and simmer a few minutes.
  • Stir cream cheese sauce into the carrots.
  • Plate chicken breasts.
  • Add carrots to chicken pan and blend sauces together.
  • Serve immediately.

    Speedy Sweet and Sour Chicken ~ Simply Delicious Sunday

    Speedy Sweet and Sour Chicken Recipe: from BetterRecipes.com
    2 teaspoons vegetable oil
    1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
    1 medium onion cut into 1/2-inch strips
    1 red sweet pepper cut into 1/2-inch strips
    1 Tablespoon cornstarch
    1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained, reserving juice
    1/2 cup brown sugar
    1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
    1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
    1/2 cup tomato sauce
    Rice or soba (buckwheat) noodles

    Directions: Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet, add chicken, onion and pepper strips, and stir-fry about 5 minutes. Remove and keep warm. Mix cornstarch, pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar and tomato sauce in a small bowl; add to skillet. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce thickens. Add chicken mixture back to pan; add pineapple chunks and heat through. Serve over rice or soba noodles.

    Here’s what you’ll need:
    Slice up a medium onion.
    Slice up a red bell pepper.
    Cut up 2 chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
    Measure out all of the rest of the ingredients and put them into a separate small bowl. Measure out 1 tablespoon of cornstarch.
    Drain the juice of a can of pineapples into a bowl.  

    Add the brown sugar.
    Soy Sauce.
    Rice wine vinegar.
    1/2 cup of tomato sauce.
    Heat a wok or skillet until it is really hot.
    Cover the bottom with 3-4T of olive oil and then throw in the chicken.
    Add the peppers and onions with the chicken for about 5-6 minutes.
    The chicken, onions and pepper were pulled out and the sauce mixture went in.

    Cook the sauce mixture until it is thickened up a bit and then the chicken, onions and peppers go back in.

    Finally, the pineapple chunks go into the wok and cook for 5-6 minutes.

    **While all of this was going on, I also made some Uncle Ben’s rice according to the directions on the box.
    Here’s what you’ll end up with:

    This dish is pretty sweet so you may think about adding some type of pepper to spice it up a bit.  Also, I think next time I will keep the rice and mixture separate until it is time to serve.  You may want to let the sauce cook a little longer, too, to thicken up a bit but this dish was so good that these little things didn’t really matter a whole lot!

    Overall, this has been the best stir fry or Chinese type food that I have tried. I think that I will make it again but I will definitely give it a little spicy kick.