I talk about food, you read it.
chicken
Coconut Chicken Strips
0I sure hope that some of you were able to sit by a window today or have the day off to enjoy this gorgeous sun we had. I sure did! My puppy decided that I was not allowed to sleep in today because it was going to be a fun filled day. We went for a long walk, had a bath (well he did, after running through mud), ate treats and napped. I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my day off.
When it is sunny out your going to want to eat food that stretches that warm feeling way after the sun goes down. Coconut is the perfect way to trick you into thinking the sun is going to stick around and warm up. This is such an easy recipe and I am pretty sure kids will like it too.
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts cut into strips
- ½ cup flour
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup Panko
- ¾ cups shredded , sweetened coconut
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 tbsp canola oil
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Put flour into onto a plate, lightly whisk eggs and put them into a shallow bowl and combine panko, coconut, salt and pepper into a third shallow bowl or plate. This is your assembly line to dip and dredge the chicken.
Take a strip and dredge in flour patting off any excess. Then dunk into egg and let extra drip off. Lastly you’re going to roll it into the coconut mixture. I like to press the coconut slightly to make sure it sticks and there is a lot on. Set aside on another plate.
Heat a large skillet or cast iron pan with canola oil on medium high heat. Add chicken strips but don’t over crowd the pan, you might have to do this in 2 batches. Cook for 3 min per side, remove and place on a lined baking sheet.
Once all chicken has browned then place baking sheet of chicken into the oven and cook for 10 minutes or so, until no longer pink.
I served mine with a sweet chilli dipping sauce but it’s good on its own too. The coconut toasts and creates this amazing aroma in your kitchen. Your mouth will be drooling while you make these chicken strips. Its light tasting, sweet and oh so good. If you like coconut then this is a MUST!
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches
0For the past few weeks I have been thinking about pulled pork a lot. It’s not sunny and it’s not bbq weather. Perhaps my mind is missing the traditional outdoor gatherings of bbq’d meat with the smoky aroma filling the neighbourhood making mouths drool from miles around. Biting into a warm bun filled with tangy sauce, slowly dripping on your hand and down your arm is something I dream about a lot. Luckily for us fair weathered BCers a batch of pulled meat doesn’t have to be bbq’d but can also be made in a slow cooker. Even better, chicken can be poached which is super fast and will fulfill cravings quickly.
This is a recipe I made up so I tried my best to remember all the ingredients.
Ingredients
- 2-3 chicken breasts (I used boneless and skinless)
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1-2 jalapenos sliced (remove seeds for less heat)
- ½ Orange pepper sliced (or red, you will need the sweetness)
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp Chilli
- ½ tsp Chipotle powder
- 1 tsp Cumin powder
- Chicken broth (enough to cover chicken, about 3-4 cups)
- Half a small can of diced tomato (about ½ cup)
- Salt and pepper
- Coleslaw (pre mix is fine)
- 1 Avocado
- Juice of one Lime
- Cilantro
- Buns of your choice
Heat olive oil in a heavy bottom stock pot over medium heat. Add Onion, Jalapenos, peppers and garlic to the pot and fry for 5-10 minutes until they start to soften.
Now you’re going to add whole chicken breasts on top and fill pot with chicken stock until it pretty much covers the meat. Add chilli, chipotle, cumin and tomatoes. Cover the pot and let this simmer over medium-low heat until cooked, about 20 min.
While chicken is cooking it’s the perfect time to make your slaw! I pretty much made the same style of slaw back when I did Fish Tacos, except I omitted the seasoning and cilantro. Get a bowl, add coleslaw (cabbage mixture), avocado and lime in a bowl, I seasoned mine with salt only for this recipe. The slaw was REALLY acidic from the lime, which is exactly what I wanted. You can add less lime, start with half and go from there.
Once chicken is cooked remove it from cooking liquid, set aside to cool. Turn heat back up to medium and with the lid removed let liquid reduce until there is very little broth left. With an emersion blender or regular blender you’ll blend it all together. Taste and season. This is the time where you’ll add salt and pepper and if you want more spice then go nuts. I don’t think I did much at this point myself.
“Pull” chicken with your hands or fork until it’s all shredded. Add chicken back to pot with blended liquid.
Now just pile a bunch on a bun, add chopped cilantro and slaw, its ready to serve. The reason why I left the cilantro out of the slaw is because not everyone loves it as much as I do. This allows people to manage their own sandwiches. Mine turned out amazing! There was a slow mellow heat that crept up on you after a few minutes that was perfect for a pulled chicken sandwich. The tangy slaw went perfectly with this too. I can’t wait to try this again, and again, and again!
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Blogging about Meatball Stroganoff last year
Chicken Cordon Bleu
0A comfort food that I remember having as a kid and absolutely loving is chicken cordon bleu. This might not be a comfort food to some of you but for me it is. Unfortunately I can’t really remember the last time I had it or made it. There is a foggy memory out there in which I purchased one of those pre-made frozen processed chicken cordon bleu and really disliking them. I remember mushy, salty and icky, which is probably what prompted the avoidance of such a wonderful meal. I had asked J what he would like for dinner and he suggested this forgotten entrée.
My mom used to make this with either Swiss cheese or mozzarella cheese and always some sort of ham. I can remember the house filling with the aroma of ham and cheese and getting excited to come to the table to eat.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts skinless and boneless
- 4-8 slices, depending on size of ham, bacon or prosciutto (I used honey ham since it was in the fridge)
- 4 slices of Swiss, emmental or gruyere
- ¼ cup flour
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup bread crumbs (panko or whatever you like)
- I added a small blend of Italian seasoning and garlic to my breadcrumbs but you can leave it plain as well
- 2 eggs beaten
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Lay chicken between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and using the flat side of a meat tenderizer (or the bottom of a frying pan) pound the chicken to ¼ inch thick. Remove top sheet of plastic and lay down a slice of ham and cheese tuck in sides of chicken if you can and roll like a jelly roll, secure with toothpicks or twine.
Line up 3 bowls, one with flour, one with egg and the last with breadcrumbs. Season flour with salt and pepper and breadcrumbs with herbs if you like.
Lightly roll your chicken in flour patting off excess, dip in egg, and finish in the breadcrumbs. Place of parchment lined baking sheet. Bake chicken for 20-30 min or until no longer pink and starting to brown. Cheese will probably be oozing out from the side.
I stuffed mine a little too full so it was hard to roll them up and looked more like pockets but I don’t think is anything wrong with too much ham and gooey cheese.
I am sorry Chicken Cordon Bleu about forgetting you all these years. You are in fact delicious and memorable.
I love that this is savoury, salty, and possibly sweet from ham and has a yummy texture from the breadcrumbs and creaminess of the cheese. I probably could have eaten several of these but luckily I didn’t and forced myself to eat green beans and rice as well.
Oven Chicken with Potatoes Tomatoes in a lemony herb sauce
0Sundays in my life are quite often reserved for running errands and being lazy. Laundry is acceptable, groceries are acceptable (since I enjoy grocery shopping) and decorating for Christmas, especially since we’re now in December. Anything beyond that seems to be over achieving to me. This Sunday it was cold and sunny so we also managed to squeeze in a long walk with the puppy. When we got back from walking and playing fetch I made some lunch and proceeded to curl up in a blanket on the couch for some much needed foodtv watching.
I didn’t used to particularly like Jamie Oliver but lately he has been really growing on me. He has a quirky sense of humour and makes such simple stuff. Jamie Oliver’s 30 min meals inspired me to come up with my own rustic unfussy meal. I tried to remember the measurements as best as I could but in true Jamie fashion, I tossed things in without thinking twice.
Ingredients
- 3-4 chicken breasts
- 1-2 pounds nugget potatoes chopped (or fingerling)
- ½ pint cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup white wine
- 1-2 shallots finely chopped
- Handful of whole garlic cloves (I used ¾ of a head)
- Squish of lemon (which I forgot but I think would add some lovely acidity)
- 5-6 sprigs of thyme (you could add rosemary as well and oregano, but I am all out)
- 2 tsp dried oregano (since I didn’t have fresh)
- 2 tsp dried Rosemary
- 3-5 slices of prosciutto
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large oven proof pot pour in about 3 tbsp olive oil, chicken stock, wine, shallots, garlic, lemon, oregano, thyme, rosemary and potatoes. Cook for about 15 min to get a head start on cooking the potatoes.
While potatoes are cooking heat a large skillet with a swig of olive oil. Once the oil it hot sear chicken breasts on both sides for about 2-3 min. They should still be pink inside because we’re finishing them in the oven.
Take potatoes out of the oven, stir in chopped tomatoes and place chicken on top. Salt and pepper chicken and lie prosciutto over the chicken. Put back in the oven and cook for another 10 min or so, until chicken is done and prochitto is nicely crisp. Potatoes should also be done at this point. Serve.
This really couldn’t have been any easier. It’s the perfect one pot meal that isn’t a casserole or results in unsatisfied groans from the family. The chicken turns out tangy from the sauce but has a nice savoury flavour from the prosciutto and the crispiness adds some much needed texture. The potatoes are also amazing. There is nothing better than a lemony, herby olive oily potato. Yum!
Chicken stuffed with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese
0It seems that we’re going to be in a heavy rainfall warning for the next 7 months. I am not sure why summer came so late and left us fast but I guess I will embrace fall with comfort foods. Bring on the soups, stews and things that will make you want to curl up on the couch in a blanket.
In celebration of all things fall I made a mushroom stuffed chicken breast that brought me a little closer to that blanket. Who am I kidding; I’m under a blanket even in the summer.
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
- 6 ounces cremini mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 4 ounces goat cheese, softened
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
For the Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper
Prepare the chicken: Lay the chicken breasts on a piece of plastic wrap; place another piece on top and pound with a mallet or rolling pin until each breast is about 1/2 inch thick. Set aside.
Stem the cremini mushrooms and put the caps and stems in a food processor; pulse until finely chopped. Melt the butter in a medium-size sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the mushrooms. Sauté until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 375. Coat each chicken breast with 1-2 tablespoons goat cheese and top with 1/4 of the mushrooms. Roll up each breast burrito-style: Begin from the bottom, roll into the middle. Tie each roll with 3 pieces of kitchen twine or securing with toothpicks. Season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven on parchment lined baking sheet for 15 to 20 min, until no longer pink.
Make the sauce: Place the shiitakes in a mixing bowl and add 2 cups boiling water. Allow the mushrooms to soak for 15 to 20 minutes, until the liquid gives off a rich, earthy fragrance. Strain, reserving the liquid. Thinly slice the mushrooms and put aside. In a small sauté pan over medium-high heat, bring the mushroom liquid to a strong boil and reduce by half, about 10 minutes. Add the wine and stock and reduce by half again, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the sliced shiitakes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, swirling the pan until it’s incorporated and the sauce is glossy. Season with salt and pepper.
When chicken is cooked, top with mushroom sauce.
When I made this I used fresh shiitake mushrooms so I wasn’t able to soak and create a mushroom broth. Instead I just added chicken stock to be reduced and coloured with a bit of soy sauce (a bit). My sauce was more like really flavourful mushrooms and not so much of a sauce but that was fine by me. This chicken was yummy and wasn’t really all that much work.
Easy Stir Fry
0Something everyone needs to have is a good stir fry recipe. It’s essential for those days where you take meat out of the fridge but are too tired to go from there. Stir fry seems to be everyone’s “go to” meal that requires minimal thinking. I usually have most of the ingredients already in my pantry and I just add whatever veggies I have on hand.
The other night I made us some sesame stir fry which was delicious
Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons fresh grated or minced ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 cup broccoli ( I used an entire small head)
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
- 1 cup carrot sliced
- ½ lb chicken
Slice chicken and season with salt and pepper. In a bowl whisk together soy sauce, chicken stock, sesame oil, brown sugar and cornstarch.
Heat a large pan or wok with oil on med-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and almost cooked throughout. Remove from heat, set aside
Add a bit more oil to wok, Add red pepper flakes, garlic and ginger, stir fry for about 1 min until fragrant. Add vegetables and sauté for about 5 min. Add chicken back to the veggies, pour on sauce and cook for another 5 min until chicken is cooked, sauce is thickened and glossy.
Serve over rice or noodles.
This is probably the simplest stir fry I have ever made. You still get to eat right away and have the peace of mind knowing the sauce isn’t from a bottle and you’ve made it yourself. If you want to add more or less of anything then it’s very easy to substitute, add or subtract ingredients. I guess that’s why my stir fry never tastes the same twice.
Chicken Saltimbocca
0A long time ago I came across a recipe for gnocchi with a brown butter sage sauce that looked so scrumptious that I started to look for other recipes that required a brown butter sage sauce and saw a butternut squash with a brown butter sage sauce. I was so impressed that I wanted to grow sage in my garden this year to make these recipes. I did end up growing sage and while watering it the other day I was saddened that I have yet to make these pasta dishes that originally made me so excited.
I plucked some leaves off my sage plant and told myself, as I walked back into the house, that it was going into my dinner. I had taken chicken out so I did a quick search and found a bunch of recipes for Chicken Saltimbocca. Since it required sage and sounded I gave it shot and was so surprised how easy it was and how yummy it was.
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breast
- 16(ish) sage leaves
- 4-8 slices of prosciutto
- 3 tbsp Olive Oil
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 lemon juiced, half zested
- 1 tsp corn starch
Place each breast between sheets of wax paper and pound to ¼ inch thick. Place 4-5 sage leaves on top of chicken breasts. Wrap each breast with 1-2 slices of prosciutto.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat-high heat. Cook each breast for about 3 minutes per side until no longer pink. Remove from skillet.
Add stock and wine to skillet bring to a boil and de-glaze pan (scrape up the brown bits). Reduce by half. While stock is reducing mix lemon juice with corn starch and zest. Pour lemon juice into boiling stock whisking until thick. Cook for about 3-4 min. Add chicken back to skillet to re-heat and to sop up some of the lemon sauce for about 1 min. Serve with spoonfuls of lemon sauce.
There are a lot of recipes out there and traditionally this recipe is made with veal and the addition of Marsala, an Italian wine, in the sauce. I guess if you have problem eating veal you could use pork as well if you wanted it to be more authentic. Chicken worked great and in my opinion was really fresh and light tasting. All the flavours of the dish really hit all parts of your taste buds. I really enjoyed this one!
Green Enchiladas
5I found this recipe in one of the cook books my sister in law gave me and I have wanted to try it for a very long time. It would be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, since it’s green, or Cinco de Mayo. If you’re like me and can’t get enough spicy food then make it whenever your little heart desires.
I really wish the tomatillos in my garden were ready, but my plants are still just flowering. In the meantime I went to the store and picked up some along with assorted hot peppers.
This doesn’t taste like your typical enchiladas made with a spicy red sauce. Instead you have a tangy green sauce that also packs a punch. I absolutely loved these and ate myself silly. I could barely walk to the couch, my stomach hurt so much from filling my face.
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts bone in (I used boneless)
- 1 onion
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1-2 cups water
- 6-8 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp chili powder or chipotle powder (or 50/50 of both)
- 1 tsp cumin
- Bunch of cilantro
- 4-6 tomatillos (depending on size)
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 Anaheim chilli
- 2 cups jack cheese shredded
- 12 corn tortillas
- Olive oil
- Sour cream and avocado to top enchiladas with
Place chicken breasts skin side down in a sauce pan. Add chicken stock, half the onion chopped, 2 cloves of garlic whole, peppercorns, 6 springs of cilantro from the bunch, cumin, chili powder, jalapeno chopped (keep seeds in if you want the sauce spicy) and enough water to just cover chicken. Heat to medium low and simmer until cooked about 25 minutes if you use bone in chicken. 15 if you use boneless.
While chicken is cooking place tomatillos, the other half of onion (chopped chunky), and Anaheim chilli (chopped in half), and the rest of the garlic cloves onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Use your hands to smother the oil evenly, make sure everything is coated. Put into preheated 400 degree oven. Cook until tomatillos are soft. About 10-15 min, turning once.
When tomatillos are done remove from oven, cool for 10 min. carefully put tomatillos in blender, trying not to make them burst. Scrap seeds from Anaheim pepper, discard seeds and put pepper in the blender with the roasted garlic, cilantro (about 2 tablespoons of the bunch) and baked onion. Blend until smooth. If everything is still hot cover the lid of blender with towel in case there is splatter.
Once the chicken is cooked remove from liquid and set aside to cool. Simmer sauce for 10 more minutes, taste to adjust seasoning. Strain, reserving the liquid (broth). Pour about one cup of the broth back into a saucepan. Pour in blended tomatillo to chicken broth and cook again for 10 minutes on a high to reduce slightly.
When chicken has slightly cooled, shred with fork, set aside.
Preheat oven to 350 (it’s already hot so it won’t take long). Lightly oil a large baking dish. To assemble enchiladas, pour 1/3 of the sauce into baking dish. If your corn tortillas aren’t soft enough heat in a frying pan with some oil. Once soft, fill with some shredded chicken and jack cheese, roll into a cigar shape and place in baking dish seam side down. Repeat until you’re done. Left over chicken is great on your salads if you have too much!
Pour remaining green sauce over enchiladas, cover with cheese and bake until cheese is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Serve with sour cream and avocado.
The technique of poaching the chicken adds a subtle Mexican flavour right into the meat. I probably could have just sat and ate the chicken all night long. If you didn’t want to poach chicken or didn’t have time then you could use leftover roasted chicken or you can buy a pre-cooked roasted chicken from the store and shred the meat off the bones.
Grilled Lemon Chicken
0I know I have been talking about our sun a lot lately but I am not finished – I need to express myself a little but more. In BC people often get to experience this new found awe and inspiration when we’re able to go outside without an umbrella and a parka. It’s amazing how the world is awakened with a little bit warmth. Patios fill with friends and family enjoying the company of others, eating good food and socializing until the minutes turn to hours and we realize that we have to work in the morning. We will smile to everyone as we pass them on our evening walks, and might even stop to pet your dog. It’s hard to believe that just a little over a week ago we were all lazily laying around on the couch watching TV and now we have moved our laziness to a lawn chair and called a friend over. I am beginning to this we’re just like furry friends who are too depressed to go outside, and hibernate.
My BBQ has also come out of hibernation and will officially be a main cooking method for me for the next few months. Don’t fret for my lovely gas stove will still get used as well, but the days of all day cooking comfort foods like stews and braising will be put on hold while I go outside and cook like a modern caveman. No meat will be left unturned, but first things first, fresh lemon Dijon chicken skewers.
Ingredients
(Feeds 2-3)
- 2-3 chicken breasts
- Zest and juice of 1/2 lemon (you might need more juice depending on how tart you like it)
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1-2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp herbs de Provence (this is savory, fennel, basil, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, chervil, tarragon, marjoram, lavender and mint….if you don’t have this feel free to use the herbs of your choice, I would lean towards thyme and rosemary if you’re unsure)
- ½ tsp cayenne (it shouldn’t make this spicy, just add another layer of flavor)
- Salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together, except chicken, in a bowl and whisk to incorporate, taste and adjust. The flavours should overpower each other but the lemon and mustard should be the in the spotlight with a good balance of the other flavours.
Chop up chicken into bite sized pieces and pour sauce over top.
Soak skewers in water so they don’t burn for at least ½ hour, while your chicken is marinating. Grill on med to med-high until fully cooked.
I served this with my rosemary flatbread, baked on my pizza stone, veggie skewers and a lovely fresh mixed green salad. The chicken turned out perfectly. I liked the tang of the lemon and mustard which wasn’t too overpowering in my opinion. You could still taste that you were eating chicken but with a fresh summer seasoning. I would definitely make this again!
tandoori prawns
29 months ago
Easter dinner was at my parent’s house this year and my mom asked that I bring an appy. I think there was about 16 people so I wanted to bring something easy and also that didn’t require extra cooking or complicated assembly. I also didn’t want it to be filling either since I knew we would have a huge ham to eat (so good). A dip would normally be my staple appetizer but I wanted something a little better then bread, crackers or chips to dip. I decided to make tandoori shrimp with a yogurt sauce.
After researching some recipes I realized that it would cost me more money to buy all the different spices then to just buy a pre-packed tandoori mix so I cheated and went and got a paste packet. I knew that superstore had a pretty decent ethnic section so I found a packet that was inexpensive and very authentic tasting.
All I had to do was mix the paste with yogurt and let the shrimp marinate before grilling. After about an hour of the prawns sitting in the sauce they turned a vibrant pink/red colour that screamed tandoori. I grilled them on the bbq and they came out amazing! I first thought they were really spicy but as they cooled the spice also tamed down as well.
If you want to make an easy appy without spending a lot of money then you must try this. Perhaps one day I won’t cheat and try making tandoori on my own but for now this is the next best thing.
