GIADA’S CHICKEN ADOBO

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

Football season is just starting in this country, so if you tuned into FoodTV last weekend you’d have noticed that most shows featured “game food,” stuff you can serve for friends who come over to watch that big match. Giada joined the party too, one of the dishes featured in her show was chicken adobo, a recipe from a Filipino friend of hers, using chicken drumsticks. I liked the marinade with its strong vinegar component, but changed the method of cooking a bit. After a slow braising, I moved the dish to the oven, blasted it at high temperature to crisp up the skin. I also included chicken thighs because they happen to be the best part of the bird. By far.

CHICKEN ADOBO
(adapted from Giada de Laurentiis)

3/4 cup white wine vinegar
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 dried bay leaves
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs
1 + 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons arrowroot
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 large limes)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
chopped fresh parsley or cilantro (optional)

Make the marinade by combining in a medium bowl the vinegar, soy, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Whisk until the sugar is completely dissolved, add the bay leaves.

Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Pour the marinade over the chicken and refrigerate for 2 hours, turning the chicken over halfway through.

Place the chicken and marinade in a Dutch oven and add the chicken broth. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 20 minutes, until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish, add some of the cooking liquid over it, and place in a 450F oven.

Meanwhile, reduce the marinade to make a sauce. Remove and discard the bay leaves and the garlic cloves. Whisk the arrowroot in 1/8 cup of water, add it together with the lime juice into the Dutch oven. Cook until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

When the chicken is well browned, and the skin crisp, transfer to a serving dish, and pour some of the thickened sauce around it. Sprinkle with fresh herbs, if using.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I love the slightly acidic kick given by the vinegar in this dish. At first I was a bit wary of using a 50/50 proportion of vinegar to soy, but it worked quite well for our taste. The chicken melts apart, but the final blast in the oven ensures that the skin won’t be mushy. I served it with sauteed zucchini, but a more traditional approach – which I recommend – would be white rice. Come to think of it, sweet potatoes would complement it well too. Any chicken leftover can be shredded into tortillas, a little salsa on the side, another great option while watching the big game. Or your favorite cooking show… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Shrimp in Moroccan-Style Tomato Sauce

TWO YEARS AGO: Golden Zucchini: A Taste of Yellow

4Sep2011

ORIENTAL-STYLE TURKEY PATTIES

Posted in Burgers & Sandwiches, Poultry by sallybr

I got the inspiration for this recipe from two sources: this blog post over at Kalyn’s Kitchen, and a recent Anne Burrel show on Food TV, in which she featured turkey burgers. Ground turkey is a great basic ingredient to play with because it’s naturally low in fat, but exactly what makes it good has the potential of creating trouble. As Anne herself said in the show, she’s had plenty of bad turkey burgers in he lifetime, and so have I. The trick is to season the meat well, and increase its overall moisture.

ORIENTAL-STYLE TURKEY PATTIES
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 + 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/8 cup soy sauce
1/2 Tbs Sriracha sauce
2 tsp grated ginger
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped fine
1 egg, beaten
2 green onions, white and light green parts, minced
about 2 Tbs water
a few Tbs bread crumbs, if needed
salt and pepper

In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except the bread crumbs, try not to overwork the mixture or the patties will be too tough. This won’t be like a regular beef hamburger type mixture, the goal is to end up with more moisture. Once all is combined, if the mixture is too loose to form as a patty, sprinkle breadcrumbs and mix again. Form 4 patties, and place them over parchment paper on a baking sheet, place them in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up slightly.

Cook them on a hot griddle smeared with a little olive oil until golden brown and completely cooked through.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I doubled the recipe to have enough patties to freeze for lunches during the week, but I’m giving you the amounts for 4 patties only. These cannot be made on a grill, they are too delicate and work much better on a griddle or a non-stick frying pan.

They are very flavorful and moist, the ginger is a prominent flavor, I thought the Sriracha could be increased, but Phil has less fondness for it than myself, so I decided to use a light hand with it. Feel free to add more. They can be enjoyed by themselves, with a salad, or as a regular burger with toppings of your choice. I made some sauteed mushrooms that were a great match, and we added juicy tomato and avocado slices. A substantial, but not over-the-top weeknight dinner. 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Sourdough English Muffins

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3Jun2011

HONEY-GLAZED CHICKEN LEGS

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

A low-and-slow, followed by a high-and-fast blast in the oven is my favorite way to cook chicken pieces, similar to another recipe I blogged about in the past. In this version the proportion of honey is quite a bit higher, forming a glaze that acquires a fantastic mahogany hue in the final roasting time. The meat underneath will be the way we love it: juicy and tender. The inspiration for this recipe came from the latest issue of Food and Wine magazine.

HONEY-GLAZED CHICKEN LEGS
(adapted from Food and Wine, May 2011)

1/4 cup + 1 tsp honey
2 Tbs + 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 chicken legs (or 8 chicken thighs)

Make the glaze by mixing all the honey, lemon juice, and soy sauce. Sprinkle the chicken legs with salt and pepper, then use a brush to cover them with the glaze. Place the chicken legs on a baking sheet, skin-side down, cover with aluminum foil, and slow roast at 325F for about 40 minutes. Flip the pieces to have the skin side up, brush some more of the glaze over, cover with aluminum foil again, and continue cooking for another 40-45 minutes. (If you want to finish the recipe later, place it in the fridge).

Increase the oven temperature to 425F, remove the aluminum foil and roast until the skin is dark brown, 10 to 15 minutes (a little longer if roasting from the fridge).

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Lots of recipes will have you roast poultry at a high temperature, but in my opinion, nothing compares to the “low and slow” approach. Not only the meat retains moisture, but it makes no mess in the oven, a huge bonus for neat-freaks such as myself. 😉

I like to prepare this type of recipe in two stages: the slow roasting on a lazy weekend afternoon, or a quiet evening. After that, the meat can go to the fridge for a day or two. When it’s time to enjoy it, just do the final, higher temperature roasting for 20 minutes. White rice, pasta, couscous, or just a salad and a piece of bread, and you are set for a wonderful dinner!

ONE YEAR AGO: French-Style Rolls

27Apr2011

CINCO DE MAYO DINNER CELEBRATION

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

Image via Wikipedia

If you love Mexican food, then Cinco de Mayo is a perfect excuse to invite some friends over and make a tasty dinner at home. The holiday is celebrated with more enthusiasm by Mexicans living in the US than by their compatriots in Mexico. Contrary to popular belief, it has nothing to do with Mexican independence (that happened in 1810), but instead celebrates a huge Mexican victory over the French army in the Battle of Puebla, 36 years later. Outnumbered and outgunned, all odds were against the Mexicans, but they pulled off a spectacular victory, and now celebrate the date with all the pride it deserves.

Because we are living in California this year, I want to make a special dinner with a truly authentic recipe that’s appropriate for Cinco de Mayo. Mexican cuisine is famous for moles : sauces that may be complex, time consuming to prepare, and a bit intimidating for the unfamiliar (such as myself). After a lot of research I settled on a recipe for chicken in peanut mole sauce, and made a “trial run” this past weekend. Tasty, tasty, tasty…. And, by the way, if you throw a Cinco de Mayo party, make sure to serve a batch of guacamole for starters. My husband’s recipe es muy deliciosa!

POLLO EN MOLE DE CACAHUATE
Chicken in Peanut Mole Sauce
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Mexican Cooking)

1 (4-pound) stewing chicken, cut up
8 cups water
4 stalks celery with leaves
1 medium carrot, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 sprigs parsley
2 teaspoons instant chicken bouillon granules
1 tsp salt (+ more for final seasoning)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (10-ounce) tomatoes with green chiles, drained
2 slices white bread, torn in pieces
3 Tablespoons creamy peanut butter
4 whole cloves
3 whole black peppercorns
1 (1/2-inch stick) cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 small clove garlic, minced

Place the chicken pieces in a large pan or Dutch oven with water. Add celery, carrot, onion, parsley, bouillon granules, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over very gentle heat for 2 hours or until the chicken is tender. Don’t let the water boil, make sure it stays at a constant simmer.

Take the chicken pieces from the pan (remove the skin if you like) and season it lightly with salt. Place the pieces in a baking dish. Strain the broth; skim off fat. Reserve 1 + 1/2 cups of the broth for the sauce. Let it cool slightly before proceeding with the recipe.

Make the mole sauce: in a blender or food processor place the reserved chicken broth, tomatoes with green chiles, bread, and peanut butter. Cover and blend until completely smooth. Place in a saucepan.

With mortar and pestle (or in a spice grinder) crush cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon well; add to saucepan along with chili powder and garlic. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes or until thickened, stirring often.

Spoon the peanut mole sauce over the chicken pieces in casserole. Bake, covered, in 350-degree F. oven 30 to 40 minutes or till heated through. Remove the cover and run it under the broiler for a few minutes if you want a little more color. Serve the chicken over white rice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

for an oldie but goodie from Cake, click here

Comments: Don’t use a small, fryer-type chicken for this recipe, or you’ll end up with dry and tasteless meat. You need a stewing chicken, in all its plumpness, to stand up to the long cooking; at the same time it will give the broth an intense, deep flavor. You can freeze the leftover broth for use later, just remember it has a little salt already added to it. Even using the correct size of chicken, make sure the cooking liquid is kept at only a gentle simmer. I’d say this is the most important point to keep in mind when making this recipe.

The mole sauce seemed a tad too spicy when it finished simmering, but it mellowed during the final baking. The small amount of bread gives it that extra substance, so that the dish, as my husband stated quite well, “is Mexican comfort food at its best.”

My first mole adventure will definitely not be the last…

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!

ONE YEAR AGO: Thom Leonard’s Country French Bread

24Apr2011

THAI CHICKEN CURRY

Posted in Poultry by sallybr

One of the features I like the most in Fine Cooking magazine is their section called “Cooking without recipes.” They pick a particular dish, say, risotto or meatloaf or lasagna, and dissect it into its basic techniques, helping you devise your own take on it. A recent issue (number 110) offered an overview of Thai curries, including poultry, seafood and vegetarian, from spicy to mild, with all sorts of aromatics to round out their flavors. If you love curries – and who doesn’t? 😉 – get this issue and start experimenting. Here I share with you my first interpretation of a chicken version, that ranked high on the yummy-ness scale.

RED CURRY CHICKEN
(from the Bewitching Kitchen, inspired by Fine Cooking)

1 can of coconut milk (13.5 oz)

1/8 to 1/4 cup red curry paste

1 cup chicken broth (or water)
1 Tbs lemon zest

2 Tbs. light brown sugar

2 tsp. fish sauce

1 Tbs grated fresh ginger

1 lb. boneless chicken thighs cut into 1/4-thick bite-size strips

3/4 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed well

2 cups asparagus, cut in 1-inch pieces
salt to taste
1/2 cup minced cilantro leaves

Shake the can of coconut milk, open it and stir well if not completely smooth. Transfer 1/2 cup of it to a saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes to thicken it up. Don’t worry if it starts to separate. Add the red curry paste, whisk for a minute, then add the broth, brown sugar, fish sauce, and the rest of the coconut milk left in the can. Bring to a simmer over high heat, and add the chicken pieces. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.

Add the lemon zest, ginger, asparagus, and garbanzo beans. Simmer for 5 minutes, adjust seasoning with salt if necessary (fish sauce is salty, you may not need to add additional salt), sprinkle with the fresh cilantro and serve right away over white rice.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Cooking the chicken in the sauce (instead of sauteing it first) saves a messy step that’s particularly hard to deal with in a tiny kitchen, where I’m working with a two burner hot plate. Plus, the meat turns out very tender and juicy this way. Of course, if you prefer chicken breast instead of thighs then substitute, but something about the velvety texture of chicken thighs makes them more appropriate for this type of recipe. Once the meat is cooked add the vegetables that you like (some of which might profit from a previous parboiling: potatoes, butternut squash, carrots); as long as you pay attention to their cooking times, they’ll be fine.

Keep in mind that different brands of curry paste vary considerably in their spiciness. If you’re new to this ingredient, then start with a small amount, taste, and add more according to your level of tolerance.

ONE YEAR AGO: Zen and the Art of Risotto