Chicken

Chicken Cacciatore

It’s hard to believe that it was so sunny this past weekend and not terribly cold and now it’s freezing and we are getting up to 10″ of snow.  Really?  Just when I think winter isn’t so bad, things go drastically south.  Tonight it’s supposed to be 8 degrees.  I don’t even know how to process that.  Some people hate being cooped up inside when it’s snowy and cold but I thinks it’s a perfect time to do some cooking.  This Chicken Cacciatore is a quick, tasty, and comforting dish to help satisfy that specific hunger that only comes with winter.

Diced chicken is tossed with dried basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes before being sautéed with fresh red pepper and earthly mushrooms.  The secret weapon of jarred tomato and basil marinara sauce helps to keep this dish simple and a little red wine adds an extra dose of bold flavor.  As the dish simmers, the flavors meld together to make a perfectly easy chicken cacciatore that can be served with your favorite pasta, quinoa, rice or simply vegetables.  Talk about a perfectly warm dinner for a cold and snowy night.

DSC04872

The ingredients:

DSC04866

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with oregano, dried basil, and red pepper.

DSC04867

Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.  Add mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; sauté 5 minutes.

DSC04868

DSC04870

Stir in pasta sauce and wine; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in salt and black pepper.

DSC04871

Sprinkle with cheese and fresh basil.

DSC04873

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Basil

Substitutions:

  • Baby portabella mushrooms

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Cooking Light magazine

Chicken in Deviled Gravy

I just love it when I come across a recipe and realize that I already have the ingredients in my kitchen so I can start cooking immediately.  It doesn’t happen often.  Let’s be real…part of the reason why we don’t make recipes we come across is because it calls for something we don’t have.  Part of the reason for this blog is to challenge me into making things that I would normally throw to the side because I don’t have/want to buy the necessary ingredients.  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t love it when no trip to the store is required like with this Chicken in Deviled Gravy.

A simple mixture of shallots, garlic, and red pepper flake is thickened with flour, broth, and wine and then bumped up with even more flavors of paprika, dry mustard, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and parsley.  The result is a rich, deep, bright gravy which brings tons of flavor to basic boneless, skinless chicken but would be equally impressive with beef, pork or seafood.  Each bite of this chicken had me guessing what it was that I was tasting but it really is the marriage of all of the flavors combined.  It’s not buffalo chicken and it’s not barbecue chicken.  And it’s definitely not boring chicken.  It’s something entirely its own that is sure to have people guessing what it really is.

DSC04730

The ingredients:

DSC04721

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning, for 10 minutes. Off the heat, cover to keep warm.

DSC04722

Add the butter to the pan over medium-low heat. Stir in the shallots, garlic and chile (or crushed red pepper); season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes. Whisk in the flour, paprika and mustard. Whisk in the stock and vermouth (or white wine); bring to a bubble.

DSC04724

DSC04725

Whisk in the hot sauce, parsley and Worcestershire.  Add the chicken and its juices to the gravy and turn to coat completely.

DSC04726

DSC04727

Serve the chicken on the toast points (if desired).

DSC04731

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Toast

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine

Chicken Stir-Fry with Corn, Pineapple and Red Pepper

If you’ve read my blog for a little while, you might have noticed that I have thing for stir-fries. When I’m trying to eat healthy, my brain goes right to chicken and vegetables.  And since sitting down with a plain plate of baked chicken and steamed veggies doesn’t really get my blood pumpin’, I’m more likely to chop everything up and turn it into some kind of stir-fry.  The thing is: I’m pretty boring when it comes to stir-fries. If it were left to my creativity, I’d make chicken and broccoli stir-fry every time. But that is exactly why I have this blog and why I have so many recipes tucked away waiting to be made.  This Chicken Stir-Fry with Corn, Pineapple and Red Pepper is exactly the type of stir-fry that never would have occurred to me to make on my own.

Chunks of boneless chicken breast are stir-fried with sweet corn, crispy red pepper and tangy pineapple in a flavorful sauce of ginger, cumin and chicken stock. A dash of Sriracha added at the end adds a kick to the whole dish which helps to balance out the natural sweetness of the produce. This stir-fry slightly reminds me of a healthy sweet-and-sour chicken mostly because of the juxtaposition of the sweet and spicy. It never would have occurred to me to mix these vegetable together, let alone paired with pineapple. I’ve never considered throwing together a stir-fry without any green veggies or soy sauce but now I realize that nearly any combination of fruits and vegetables could work together.  Nectarine, asparagus and pea?  Why not? Plum, cauliflower and spinach? Sure!  My mind is officially blown.

DSC04580

The ingredients:

DSC04575

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry over moderately high heat for 3 minutes; transfer to a plate.

DSC04576

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet. Add the onion and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. Add the red pepper, cumin and stock, cover and cook over moderately low heat, stirring a few times, for  4 minutes.

DSC04577

Add the corn, pineapple and Sriracha and stir-fry over moderately high heat until hot.

DSC04578

Add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute.

DSC04579

Season with salt and pepper; serve.

DSC04581

Additions:  None

Omissions:

  • Red onion

Substitutions:  None

Overall Rating:  Like It

Source:  Food & Wine magazine

1 … 6 7 8 … 24
Blog at WordPress.com.