POULTRY – Page 71 – Chasing MY Life WHEREVER it Leads ME

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

CHICKEN CORDON BLEU
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts*
2 tablespoons butter, softened
4 thin slices cooked ham
4 thin slices swiss cheese***
1/2 pound bacon (8 slices)
2 jumbo eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
1 teaspoon oregano

Flatten chicken breasts.
Spread butter evenly on the tops.
Smooth garlic evenly amongst the 4 breasts.
Sprinkle the thyme evenly between the four breasts.
Top with a slice of ham and then a slice of cheese.
Roll up tightly.
Wrap 2 slices of bacon around each one and secure with toothpicks.
Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow bowl. Place flour in another shallow bowl. Combine the bread crumbs, oregano and cheese in a 3rd shallow bowl.
Dip each chicken breast in the egg mixture first, then the flour, then the egg mixture again and the crumb mixture last.
Place on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes.
Don’t forget to remove the toothpicks before serving.

*For really easy servings, I lay the bacon on the cookie sheet and cut the flattened breasts in half. On top of 1/2 of the bacon strip lay a chicken piece, top as directed and then lay the other chicken breast. Bring the other 1/2 of the bacon slice over the top and bake as directed. NO ROLLING AND NO TOOTHPICKS!

***I also use Muenster or Gruyere if that is what I have on hand.

PINEAPPLE ORANGE RASPBERRY BBQ CHICKEN with CARAMELIZED ONIONS

I just love a good sale! I ran across boneless skinless chicken breasts the other night in family size packages for $1.59 a pound. I don’t know what chicken is selling for in your neck of the woods, but here that’s about a $3-$4 a pound savings here and they are gorgeous, big and plump. For the two of us this will make 6 meals! Now I just have to come up with 6 new recipes. This is the year I promised myself to clean out my “recipe” files and not make recipes I’ve already tried. Hubby is being an awesome ‘guinea pig’!

PINEAPPLE ORANGE RASPBERRY BBQ CHICKEN with CARAMELIZED ONIONS

4 tablespoons Alessi raspberry blush vinegar
2 tablespoons Grandma’s molasses
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tangelo or orange, juiced
6 ounces pineapple juice
1 large Vidalia Onion, sliced into things rings
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
salt and pepper

Salt and pepper chicken generously.
In a large leak proof container layer chicken and onion rings loosely.
Whisk together remaining ingredients until well blended.
Pour over chicken and onions.
Chill for 4-6 hours or overnight, turning every 30 minutes or so.
Drain off marinade, but retain.
Dry onions well with paper toweling so they will caramelize.
In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter.
When hot, saute onions until translucent and browning.
Push onions to the outer edge and saute’ chicken pieces.
When chicken is a few minutes from being done, add in drained marinade and cook until thick glaze forms and the color caramelizes.
Serve over homemade egg noodles.

We love pasta around here and I have been trying to perfect a recipe. This is the best recipe I have found so far, but oh sometimes I think it’s just easier to buy them. The price of the gourmet ones is still less than the cost of the ingredients and the mess I make in the kitchen! Then again the flavor of fresh homemade noodles is truly incomparable.

HOMEMADE NOODLES
2 to 2 1/2 cups flour, divided 2 cups and 1/2 cup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon cold water

Place 2 cups of the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Make a well in the center of the flour.
Add the eggs and flour.
With your hands or a wooden spoon, gradually mix all together until well blended.
Gather into a ball and knead on a floured surface until smooth, about 10 minutes.
Add remaining flour as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands or the kneading surface.
Divided the dough into thirds.
On a lightly floured surface roll each portion into a paper thin rectangle.
Dust rectangle with flour to prevent sticking.
Trim edges and roll up jelly roll style.
Using a very sharp knife cut into 1/4 inch slices.
Unroll noodles and allow to dry on paper towels at least one hour before cooking.
Repeat with remaining portions.
Always add 1 tablespoon of oil to the cooking water for a better noodle.

Roast Chicken with a Lemon Herb Sauce

This week’s recipe is for Roast Chicken with a Lemon Herb sauce the easy way, on the stove top. That way all the tantalizing smells will bring your family to the table on time.

ROAST CHICKEN
4 tablespoons butter, divided & softened
1 whole chicken cut into pieces
1 1/4 cups hot water
2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
salt & pepper

SAUCE
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 green onion, chopped fine
Juice from 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon flour
1 tablespoon butter

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Salt and pepper.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet and when HOT, place chicken skin side down in pan.
DO NOT TURN chicken pieces until you see blood and bottom side is golden brown.
Whisk together the hot water, bouillon, thyme and basil.
Turn chicken and add 3/4 cup of chicken stock.
Reduce heat and simmer on low 15 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a plate and pour stock into a measuring cup.
Melt remaining butter in skillet and return chicken skin side down to skillet and cook another 5 minutes until skin is crisp.
Transfer to an ovenproof plate, cover with foil and keep warm.
Skim the fat from the broth and add enough of the additional broth to make 3/4 cup.
Heat the olive oil in the skillet on a low heat, scraping up any of the little pieces from the chicken to add to the flavor.
Add green onions and saute’ a minute or so.
Add flour and mix well.
Increase heat and add broth and bring to a simmer.
Simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup.
Stir in any juices that have drained from the chicken. Simmer a few more minutes.
Remove from heat and whisk in lemon juice, thyme and basil.
Pour sauce over chicken and serve immediately. I like to serve it with rice.

COUNTRY CHICKEN & RICE

COUNTRY CHICKEN and RICE

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, tenders or thighs
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes, drained
or I prefer 1/4 cup sun dried tomato pesto
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons Marsala wine
3 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin tops and all
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups boiling water
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Whisk together the tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, Italian seasoning and 1/2 of the salt and pepper.
In a Tupperware marinader or a large Ziploc bag pour sauce over chicken pieces and marinade 2 hours or overnight is really yummy too.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray a 9×13 baking dish with PURE.
Place rices, carrots and onions in the baking dish.
Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper.
Remove chicken pieces from the marinade to a plate.
Stir remaining marinade into the boiling water and then stir that into the rice.
Evenly layer chicken pieces over rice.
Cover tightly with foil.
Bake 1 hour or until all the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley as garnish.

ORANGE HONEY CHICKEN

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
heavy coat of olive oil
1 clove minced garlic, jar
1 bunch green onions, minced
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
Juice of 1 orange
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon red chile pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoon cream sherry
5 tablespoons sugar
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Mix cornstarch, flour, salt & pepper in ziploc bag.
Toss chicken pieces in beaten eggs and sesame oil and then dredge in the flour bag.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil. When hot, add the chicken pieces and cook turning as needed until all sides are golden brown. 4-8 minutes.
Drain chicken on paper towel lined plate.
Pour off excess oil and clean pan with paper towel.
Add 1 tablespoon more olive oil and saute’ garlic and green onion.
Add the soy sauce, sugar, honey, orange juice, sherry, red chile pepper flakes and ginger.
Cook until thick, do not boil.
Dip in honey mixture and place on sprayed cookie sheet. If you would like sprinkle some sesame seeds over the chicken at this point.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Brush with original glaze after the first 10 minutes.
Save any additional glaze to use over the rice.
Serve over rice.

CHICKEN PAPRIKA IN BALSAMIC CREAM SAUCE

When I was a little girl we went a restaurant on the west coast called the Sea Lion for special occasions. The restaurant sat right on the beach and my favorite time to go was during a storm. My family always reserved a window table in advance. The waves would crash up on the windows while you were eating and it created such an ambiance that ALL food tasted better in my opinion. I wasn’t much on fish back then (silly me) so I would always order their Paprika Fried Chicken which I have not yet been able to completely duplicate, but have settled for this recipe until I can. The flavor is similar, but creamy. Their recipe was more like a broasted chicken, but the flavor combination was just so unique!!

CHICKEN PAPRIKA IN BALSAMIC CREAM SAUCE
2 pounds chicken tenders
1/2 teaspoon each sea salt & white pepper
1/2 cup flour for dredging
1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika
2 teaspoons minced garlic, jar
2 large bunches green onions, thinly sliced
olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon chicken base
1/2 cup heavy cream

Mix together the sea salt, white pepper and 1 tablespoon of paprika with the flour in a plastic bag.
Coat each chicken tender well with flour seasoning mix. Reserve any remaining flour mixture.
In a large skillet heat olive oil.
Brown chicken pieces until golden on each side, until almost cooked through, set aside.
Add onions to oil and saute until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add balsamic vinegar and lemon juice to deglaze the pan scraping up any bits stuck to the pan for added flavor.
Whisk the boiling water, chicken base 2 tablespoons paprika together until smooth.
Bring to a boil.
Add any remaining flour seasoning mix and whisk until smooth.
Reduce heat, return chicken to pan and simmer 5-10 minutes.
Add cream and simmer 5-10 minutes more until chicken is cooked through.
Serve over egg noodles or mashed potatoes.

Regional Middle East Recipes ~ Choereg (Armenian Easter Bread)

Joanne from Eats Well With Others is now hosting Regional Recipes! Go to This Post for details if you’d like to play along and then watch for the Joanne’s Regional Recipes Round Up post on February 28th. This month the theme Is Middle Eastern Foods.

The only recipe I could find in my repertoire was from a college roommate who was Armenian. She called it something I couldn’t pronounce then and can’t remember now, but it translated basically to “Easter bread” and I had never made it before today – just watched her all those years ago. I did a little research and found it is also called, Choereg and there are a ton or recipes out there in blogland for breads, rolls and even bread sticks with the same dough.

CHOEREG aka ARMENIAN aka EASTER BREAD
1 cup whole milk
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup salted butter
1 cup + 2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 (1/4 ounce) envelopes active dry yeast
5 eggs + 1 egg, beaten for brushing on top
6 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoons ground mahleb (1/2 teaspoon almond extract + 1/4 teaspoon black cherry extract + 1/4 teaspoon vinegar substitutes well)
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional & personally I don’t care for them at all)

In a medium saucepan over a low heat, melt the butter.
Add the milk and heat together until well blended, but not boiling.
Stir in 1 cup of sugar until dissolved, then set aside to cool until lukewarm*.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, dissolve 2 teaspoons of sugar in warm water. Sprinkle the yeast over the surface, and let stand until frothy, about 10 minutes or so.
In a large bowl whisk the eggs just enough to break up the yolks.
Slowly pour in the lukewarm milk mixture, constantly stirring.
In a small bowl whisk together the almond extract, black cherry extract and vinegar.
Add to the milk mixture just until incorporated.
Add the yeast mixture, and stir just until blended.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt.
Make a well in the center, and pour in the wet mixture.
Stir until it forms a sticky dough.
Pour onto a floured surface, and knead in additional flour as needed to make a more substantial dough.
Knead about 10 minutes.
Place in an oiled bowl, and set in a warm place to rise for about 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
When the dough has doubled, punch down again, and let rise until doubled again. About another hour.
Separate the dough into 5 even portions, then separate each of those into thirds. Roll each of those into ropes about 12 inches long. Braid sets of three ropes together, pinching the ends to seal, and tucking them under for a better presentation. Place the loaves onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Loaves should be spaced 4 inches apart. Set in a warm place to rise until your finger leaves an impression behind when you poke the loaf gently.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Brush the loaves with beaten egg, and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until nicely golden brown all over.

*Make sure this is lukewarm, not hot. You do NOT want the eggs to cook as you blend this in.

CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS ~ CLASSIC & COMFORTING

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!

MANDARIN CHICKEN & NOODLES

2 pounds chicken tenders
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
Juice of 2 lemons
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 pound linguini

Cook linguini al dente.
In a small saucepan combine the soy sauce, lemon juice, sesame oil, sugar and garlic.
Whisk the cornstarch into the water until smooth.
Add the cornstarch mixture to the soy sauce mixture and blend well.
Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thick.
While the sauce is cooking, salt and pepper the chicken tenders and broil 2-3 minutes each side.
Shred chicken, slice green onions and add to the linguini.
Pour sauce over top and toss well.

ORANGE HONEY CHICKEN

Mix cornstarch, flour, salt & pepper in ziploc bag.
Toss chicken pieces in beaten eggs and sesame oil and then dredge in the flour bag.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil. When hot, add the chicken pieces and cook turning as needed until all sides are golden brown. 4-8 minutes.
Drain chicken on paper towel lined plate.
Pour off excess oil and clean pan with paper towel.
Add 1 tablespoon more olive oil and saute’ garlic and green onion.
Add the soy sauce, sugar, honey, orange juice, sherry, red chile pepper flakes and ginger.
Cook until thick, do not boil.
Dip in honey mixture and place on sprayed cookie sheet. If you would like sprinkle some sesame seeds over the chicken at this point.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Brush with original glaze after the first 10 minutes.
Save any additional glaze to use over the rice.
Serve over rice.

CHICKEN WITH BAKED VEGETABLE STUFFING IN TARRAGON SAUCE

With this recipe I found two old scraps of recipes (Chicken with Tarragon Sauce and Baked Tomatoes with Broccoli stuffing) that had been torn from old cookbooklets, one was even handwritten it was so old. The Brussel Sprouts and carrots were my addition for texture and color. They begged me to put them together and make this dish:

CHICKEN WITH BAKED VEGETABLE STUFFING IN TARRAGON SAUCE**
4 large chicken breasts cut into tenders
4 + 2 tablespoons butter
2 large tomatoes
1 cup baby carrots, cut into halves
3 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
1 large bunch green onions, sliced
1 sleeve Keebler townhouse crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon tarragon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons flour

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in skillet.
Brown each side of chicken piece.
While the chicken is browning, wash the tomatoes and cut the tops off. Scoop the insides out*, salt the insides and turn the tomatoes upside down to drain.
Transfer chicken pieces to baking dish, but leave enough room for the tomatoes in the center.
Add the carrots and Brussel sprouts and saute’ until tender.
Transfer them to the baking dishes scattered over the chicken pieces.
Add the broccoli, tomato pulp and green onions to the skillet and saute’ until tender.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add crackers. Fill tomato cups. Add any remaining broccoli mixture to the chicken .
Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.
Add flour until golden.
Add chicken broth, tarragon, salt, pepper and whipping cream.
Bring to a boil while whisking constantly to prevent scorching.
Add lemon juice after it boils.
Immediately pour over the whole thing.
Cover with foil.
Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

By using the larger tomatoes you can cut them in half after baking and have a nice presentation on the plate.

*I use a grapefruit knife and it works SUPER!
**I used Brussel Sprouts tonight, but in the future will use all broccoli.

ITALIAN CHICKEN PROVENCAL

ITALIAN CHICKEN PROVENCAL
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
4 teaspoons minced garlic jar
2 large slices EXTRA SOUR sourdough bread
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground basil
1 large bay leave, deveined and crumbled
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1 cup home made chicken broth*
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup mayonnaise**
6 chicken breasts

Using a mortar and pestle revive the seasoning scents of the basil, bay leaf, salt and pepper by grinding fine.
Whisk together the red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, bay leaf and basil.
Pour over the bread slices and soak the bread in the red wine vinegar mixture until all the vinegar is absorbed by the bread.
Heat olive oil in large skillet over a medium high heat.
Add garlic to skillet and saute’ until fragrant. With a slotted spoon transfer the garlic to the food processor.
Lightly brown the bread on both sides in the olive oil. Transfer to a small food processor.
Add the butter to the skillet so it can melt into the olive oil while you make the paste. Remove from heat.
Add the almonds to the food processor. Process until you have a paste.
Gradually add the broth to the paste to form a sauce.
Return the skillet to the heat and brown chicken pieces on both sides until golden.
Add the sauce mixture to the skillet. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
Transfer chicken to a serving dish and keep warm.
Whisk mayonnaise and lemon juice into the sauce in the pan until smooth.
Pour over chicken and Parmesan Potatoes. I serve it with asparagus. The sauce is a perfect compliment for it.
Serve & Enjoy!

*1 cup boiling water + 1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon Chicken Base
**light works well too

Category: POULTRY