The Recipe
2 chicken breasts, skinned & boned, sliced into 1 in. chunks (see The Story)
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. good paprika
1 cup chicken stock, homemade is always best
1 cup canned chopped tomatoes (or one fat fresh in-season tomato, chopped)
salt as needed
1-2 Tbsp. cream
1/2 cup sour cream
10 oz. egg noodles
Heat butter & oil in large skillet with lid over high heat. Saute chicken until browning and mostly opaque, about 3-5 minutes. Remove chicken from skillet; add onion and fry until just starting to turn brown. Add flour and stir for 1 min; then add paprika and stir for another minute. Whisk in stock, then add tomatoes. Bring to boil; add back chicken and reduce heat. Cover and simmer until chicken is done and sauce smells lovely, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil egg noodles according to package directions. If you start the water when the chicken goes in, it should all come out on time.
When chicken is done, turn off heat. Stir in cream, then sour cream. Taste for seasoning. Serve over noodles. Serves 4 for dinner.
The Story
I usually make this with chicken breasts (which I cut up and save the bones in the freezer for stock.) However, if your family isn't squeamish about cutting meat off of the bone, this is SPECTACULAR made with whole chicken pieces. Brown the chicken and follow other instructions, but when you add the chicken back and simmer, it must simmer for about 35-45 minutes until the whole pieces are done. Check with thermometer; internal temperature must be 165 for poultry.
The tomatoes add a nice touch of acidity to a dish that is usually very heavy. If you like your gravy thinner, add more stock. If you like more gravy, use proportionately more gravy ingredients. I love good gravy.
You do make your own chicken stock at home, right? Right?
Showing posts with label fowl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fowl. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Best Chicken Salad
The Recipe:
2 Chicken breasts, with bone & skin
4 stalkes of celery, chopped fine
2 tart apples, chopped medium fine
1 bunch scalions, chopped fine
about 3/4 cup mayonaise
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh or 1 Tbsp. dried tarragon
1/2 cup roasted almonds or walnuts, chopped up a little
Poach the chicken: put in a 3 qt. pan with water to cover. Bring up to a boil, drop to a simmer and simmer 30 min. Check the temp- internal temp of the chicken should be 165. If it's not, put back in for 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and let cool until you can handle it. Pull off the skin, then remove the meat from the bone. (Bonus- add the bones & skin back to the pot with the celery trimmings, some broken bay leaves from the bottom of the bottle and any spare carrots or onion you have lying about, and simmer for a couple more hours- simple chicken stock!)
Once chicken is free from its bony prison, dice to about 1/2 inch chunks. Let cool a little (while you chop up all other ingredients) and toss everything EXCEPT THE NUTS with some salt & pepper to taste. Pop in the fridge and let the flavors meld and the salad cool off completely, at least one hour but 2 or 3 would be better.
Just before serving, mix in the chopped nuts and taste for seasoning and moisture. Some folks like their salad more mayonaise-y, so add more if you like. I love tarragon and may add more here.
Great served on croissants, in lettuce cups, or on plain ol' wheat bread. Serves 4 for dinner with leftovers for lunch for a couple days. Keeps in the fridge for 3 days max.
The Story
Y'know, I don't have much of a story here. It's kind of like a Waldorf salad, kind of like a chicken salad, and it's all good. I made it up years ago and it's a favorite summer dish around here. The kids love it.
Tarragon is one of those herbs which is cheaper to buy once in a pot and use fresh forever. I have it on my deck, a plant I put in a larger planter years ago, and it keeps coming back with enough leaves to make this dish several times a summer.
2 Chicken breasts, with bone & skin
4 stalkes of celery, chopped fine
2 tart apples, chopped medium fine
1 bunch scalions, chopped fine
about 3/4 cup mayonaise
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh or 1 Tbsp. dried tarragon
1/2 cup roasted almonds or walnuts, chopped up a little
Poach the chicken: put in a 3 qt. pan with water to cover. Bring up to a boil, drop to a simmer and simmer 30 min. Check the temp- internal temp of the chicken should be 165. If it's not, put back in for 5-10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and let cool until you can handle it. Pull off the skin, then remove the meat from the bone. (Bonus- add the bones & skin back to the pot with the celery trimmings, some broken bay leaves from the bottom of the bottle and any spare carrots or onion you have lying about, and simmer for a couple more hours- simple chicken stock!)
Once chicken is free from its bony prison, dice to about 1/2 inch chunks. Let cool a little (while you chop up all other ingredients) and toss everything EXCEPT THE NUTS with some salt & pepper to taste. Pop in the fridge and let the flavors meld and the salad cool off completely, at least one hour but 2 or 3 would be better.
Just before serving, mix in the chopped nuts and taste for seasoning and moisture. Some folks like their salad more mayonaise-y, so add more if you like. I love tarragon and may add more here.
Great served on croissants, in lettuce cups, or on plain ol' wheat bread. Serves 4 for dinner with leftovers for lunch for a couple days. Keeps in the fridge for 3 days max.
The Story
Y'know, I don't have much of a story here. It's kind of like a Waldorf salad, kind of like a chicken salad, and it's all good. I made it up years ago and it's a favorite summer dish around here. The kids love it.
Tarragon is one of those herbs which is cheaper to buy once in a pot and use fresh forever. I have it on my deck, a plant I put in a larger planter years ago, and it keeps coming back with enough leaves to make this dish several times a summer.
Friday, August 24, 2007
"Help! My Garden Is Exploding!" Tabbouleh Salad
The Recipe
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups water
1 cucumber
3 (large) - 6 (small) tomatoes
handful of chives OR 1/2 bunch scallions
1 can chickpeas, drained
bunch of flat-leaf/Italian parsley
bunch of mint
5 Tbsp. XV olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
S&P
Bring water to a boil; add bulgur. Bring back up to boil; reduce to low heat and simmer about 10-15 minutes, until water is absorbed and bulgur is tender. Turn out into bowl to cool, occasionally fluffing with a fork.
Remove some of the cucumber seeds. Chop cucumber and tomatoes either fine or medium, as you like it; set aside in a bowl. Finely chop parsley and mint; finely slice scallions or chives (I use a scissors for chives. Makes life easier.) Drain chick peas. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice and cayenne together in small bowl.
By now, the tomatoes and cukes have exuded a lot of juice; drain it off. The bulgur should have cooled, too. Toss all salad ingredients together gently, then pour dressing over and toss lightly again.
Let cool in refrigerator at least one hour before serving. Is good while still a little warmer than fridge temp, but is also fine when cold for lunch tomorrow.
Serves 4-6 as dinner, 8-10 as a side dish.
The Story
This is the first meal I ever made for my husband, who was just some guy I was dating at the time. It worked out great for me! I've changed it over the years, but he still seems to like it.
By "bunch", I mean the approximate amount of parsley sold in a grocery store bundle. If you're inclined to measure, you want at least 1/2 cup of each finely chopped herb; more is good, especially when the mint is taking over because you forgot that you should always plant mint in a pot, not in the ground.
The last time I made this, I used a combo of red and yellow tomatoes, and it looked very pretty. Use what you have. I don't like to peel my cucumbers, but this is up to you. The salad will still have lots of green color without it, if you should feel it necessary to peel.
The chickpeas add a small element of texture as well as nutrition. If you want, a cooked chicken breast can be substituted; chop it up and mix with an extra 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Keep in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the salad, then toss in at the end. You can skip 'em both and just have a nice side salad.
In my grocery store, bulgur is both with the Latin American foods (Goya brand) and near the rice. You can use couscous if you can't find or don't like bulgur. Personally, I don't like couscous; but as always, it's your dinner and you should enjoy it.
1 cup bulgur wheat
2 cups water
1 cucumber
3 (large) - 6 (small) tomatoes
handful of chives OR 1/2 bunch scallions
1 can chickpeas, drained
bunch of flat-leaf/Italian parsley
bunch of mint
5 Tbsp. XV olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
S&P
Bring water to a boil; add bulgur. Bring back up to boil; reduce to low heat and simmer about 10-15 minutes, until water is absorbed and bulgur is tender. Turn out into bowl to cool, occasionally fluffing with a fork.
Remove some of the cucumber seeds. Chop cucumber and tomatoes either fine or medium, as you like it; set aside in a bowl. Finely chop parsley and mint; finely slice scallions or chives (I use a scissors for chives. Makes life easier.) Drain chick peas. Whisk olive oil, lemon juice and cayenne together in small bowl.
By now, the tomatoes and cukes have exuded a lot of juice; drain it off. The bulgur should have cooled, too. Toss all salad ingredients together gently, then pour dressing over and toss lightly again.
Let cool in refrigerator at least one hour before serving. Is good while still a little warmer than fridge temp, but is also fine when cold for lunch tomorrow.
Serves 4-6 as dinner, 8-10 as a side dish.
The Story
This is the first meal I ever made for my husband, who was just some guy I was dating at the time. It worked out great for me! I've changed it over the years, but he still seems to like it.
By "bunch", I mean the approximate amount of parsley sold in a grocery store bundle. If you're inclined to measure, you want at least 1/2 cup of each finely chopped herb; more is good, especially when the mint is taking over because you forgot that you should always plant mint in a pot, not in the ground.
The last time I made this, I used a combo of red and yellow tomatoes, and it looked very pretty. Use what you have. I don't like to peel my cucumbers, but this is up to you. The salad will still have lots of green color without it, if you should feel it necessary to peel.
The chickpeas add a small element of texture as well as nutrition. If you want, a cooked chicken breast can be substituted; chop it up and mix with an extra 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Keep in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the salad, then toss in at the end. You can skip 'em both and just have a nice side salad.
In my grocery store, bulgur is both with the Latin American foods (Goya brand) and near the rice. You can use couscous if you can't find or don't like bulgur. Personally, I don't like couscous; but as always, it's your dinner and you should enjoy it.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Hazelnut-crusted Chicken strips with Chipotle Honey dipping sauce
The Recipe:
Sauce:
½ cup honey
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 T. Creole or good brown Dijon mustard
1 T. minced chipotle in adobo
Mix in blender. Can be made way, way ahead.
Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, sliced into 5 strips each
3/4 cup. Fine dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
Pinch of dried thyme
3 T. chopped parsley
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup Orange Juice
S & P
Orange slices for garnish
Add Chicken strips to OJ, let marinate 1 hr or more. Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients except oil. Remove chicken from OJ; toss chicken strips, one at a time, in nut mixture; set aside.
Heat oil in large skillet over med-hi heat. Fry strips in batches, taking care not to overcrowd them, until golden brown on the outside but not burned (they won't cook through but don't worry!) Then Lay out on parchment and bake until done, about 10 more minutes. Serve with sauce.
The Story:
Another kid meal (chicken nuggets and honey mustard sauce) updated for adults. 'tis yummy and can easily be served on a hors d'oeurve buffet or for dinner with a nice salad.
Sauce:
½ cup honey
¼ cup cider vinegar
2 T. Creole or good brown Dijon mustard
1 T. minced chipotle in adobo
Mix in blender. Can be made way, way ahead.
Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, sliced into 5 strips each
3/4 cup. Fine dry bread crumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts
Pinch of dried thyme
3 T. chopped parsley
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup Orange Juice
S & P
Orange slices for garnish
Add Chicken strips to OJ, let marinate 1 hr or more. Meanwhile, combine all other ingredients except oil. Remove chicken from OJ; toss chicken strips, one at a time, in nut mixture; set aside.
Heat oil in large skillet over med-hi heat. Fry strips in batches, taking care not to overcrowd them, until golden brown on the outside but not burned (they won't cook through but don't worry!) Then Lay out on parchment and bake until done, about 10 more minutes. Serve with sauce.
The Story:
Another kid meal (chicken nuggets and honey mustard sauce) updated for adults. 'tis yummy and can easily be served on a hors d'oeurve buffet or for dinner with a nice salad.
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