Curried Chicken Breasts

Day 148: Barbecue Nation

May 28, 2011

What type of chicken do you grill? We tend to stick to the same boring boneless, skinless chicken breasts. So much easier to eat and you know that I am all about ease! However, there is something about eating the chicken with the skin and bone on that takes that plain chicken breast to the next level. You see, the juices stay in the breast as it grills and the chicken with the bone and skin on, simply stays juicy. Of course with the skin on, you have the added calories as well….but that is ok once in a while.

This is one smart cookbook author, he searched the country for the best home cook inspired barbecue recipes and compiled them all in one book. How come I wasn’t contacted? Just kidding! I do love to get recipes from friends that you know are not full of fuss but are full of flavor! Wouldn’t we rather get a recipe from a girlfriend or neighbor than a cookbook? If so this is a great option!

The Ruling: We all loved this! This one is going in the monthly rotation file for our family. We didn’t let it marinate long enough…but even the short amount of time, it still had a lot of flavor!

Curried chicken breasts, pg 145

 Ingredients:

• 1 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped
• 1 cup orange marmalade
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup fresh orange juice
• ¼ cup Dijon-style mustard
• ¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

Directions:  

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the chicken breasts and coat thoroughly.  Transfer the chicken to a roasting pan, pour over the marinade and cover with plastic wrap.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
2. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
3. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.  (At this point, you can proceed with the recipe or let cool, cover, and refrigerate up to 3 days)
4. Light a charcoal fire or preheat your gas grill on high.  Oil the grill’s cooking surface.
5. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the grill.  Cook about 10 minutes per side to heat through, basting with the marinade.  When done, remove the chicken to a platter and serve immediately.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at http://www.ididit-fargo.com/.

• Interested in starting your own Professional Organizing business, visit http://www.mssimplicity.com/ to learn about how Melissa can help you! 
• Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@mssimplicity.com.
• MS. Simplicity offers monthly classes, click hereto find out the latest offerings!
• For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page here.

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes

Day 116: Nigella Kitchen: Recipes from the Heart of the Home

April 26, 2011

Supper that you can make in one pan? Count me in! Whenever I think of one dish meals, I think of a casserole dish served with some kind of cream of soup in it. This recipe is so far from that notion, I was shocked at how easy it was and how good it tasted! Getting meals on the table is so important but spending less time in the kitchen is even better. I was able to prepare and place in the oven, and then go and pick up kids from their activities. When I came home supper had been pulled from the oven and we could all sit down and eat. Rejoice!

Nigella Lawson has her own cooking show on The Food Network. She has a laid back sophistication to her and her voice is so soothing it often helps me fall asleep, although I do not think that is her intention. Her cookbook is filled with meals that I can actually see myself making my family. They would really eat many of her offerings. Another cookbook full of great pictures. Is it a coincidence that I choose recipes that have a nice picture associated with it?

The Ruling: Everyone ate it…..and they all even said it was good. The chorizo that we had was really spicy, I liked that! Nobody pulled out the BBQ sauce, although some tried. I made mine with boneless skinless chicken breasts. The recipe called for chicken thighs. I think I would follow the recommendation next time, as my chicken was a little too dry. If you leave the skin and bone on, it will stay more moist. I also made half of the recipe and my husband said he wouldn’t have minded more onion in it….and he does not like onions, but red onions cooked, he does enjoy.

Spanish Chicken with Chorizo and Potatoes, page 100

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons regular olive oil
• 12 chicken thighs (bone in with skin)
• 1 3/4 pounds chorizo sausages, whole if baby ones, or cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks if regular-sized
• 2 1/4 pounds baby white-skinned potatoes, halved
• 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• grated zest of 1 orange

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the oil in the bottom of 2 shallow roasting pans or quarter sheet pans, 1 tablespoon in each. Rub the skin of the chicken in the oil, then turn skin-side up, 6 pieces in each pan.
2. Divided the chorizo sausages and the baby potatoes between the 2 pans. Sprinkle the onion and the oregano over, then grate the orange zest over the contents of the 2 pans.
3. Cook for 1 hour, but after 30 minutes, swap the top pan with the bottom pan in the oven and baste the contents with the orange-colored juices.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Julia Child Roast Chicken

Day 108: “The 40th Anniversary Edition Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child

April 18, 2011

When you think of Julia Child, what image pops into you head? For me it is 3 different images. First one is this SNL skit 

The next image is Julia Child herself from her cooking show The French Chef, it almost feels like she is doing a paradoy of herself  

Now how about the image from the Movie Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep?

What fun to view all of these videos out there! It was only a matter of time before I picked up on of Julia’s cookbooks….it is ok if I call her Julia because we are best friends….if we ever would have met. The French cooking is because my middle son is in his second year of French class and he had an assignment to cook a French meal with a main dish, side dish and dessert. He chose to make the main dish of the classic roasted chicken. This is a dish that everyone should know how to make. And if you are 15 and learning how to cook, why not start with the master Julia Child?

This is the book that started it all. What more can be said about it that you don’t already know? She is the master of French cooking and she isn’t even French. Originally published in 1961 where she takes all of the traditional French dishes and sauces and makes them for the average home cook to conquer. The directions are full of descriptions and will make for an entertaining day in the kitchen. Give it as a gift to your foodie friends or try making one for yourself. I think it will give you an understanding of the daunting task that Julie had in Julie and Julia.

The Ruling: Everyone loved it…..it was picked to the bone. My son made this with a classmate of his and she had it with ketchup. Yeap, you read that right! She must be related to my youngest son who likes everything with BBQ sauce. So if you make this….try to eat it without the American condiments. He skipped the section on the gravy. In retrospect maybe he should have made it so that the ketchup would have been skipped.

Roast Chicken (Poulet Roti), page 240

Ingredients:

• A 3 pound, ready to cook roasting or frying chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons softened butter
• small carrot
• onion
• salt
• 2 Tablespoons melted butter and 1 Tablespoon of good cooking oil for basting

Directions:

1. Estimated roasting time for a 3 pound chicken, 1 hour and 10 to 20 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
3. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken with the salt, and smear in half the butter. Truss the chicken. Dry it throughly, and rub the skin with the rest of the butter.
4. Place the chicken breast up in the roasting pan. Strew the vegetables around it, and set it on a rack in the middle of the preheated oven. Allow the chicken to brown lightly for 15 minutes, turning it on the left side after 5 minutes, on the right side for the last 5 minutes, and basting it with the butter and oil after each turn. Baste rapidly, so oven does not cool off. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Leave the chicken on its side, and baste every 8 to 10 minutes, using the fat in the roasting pan when the butter and oil are exhausted. Regulate oven heat so chicken is making cooking noises, but fat is not burning.
5. Halfway through estimated roasting time, salt the chicken and turn it on its other side. Continue basting.
6. Fifteen minutes before end of estimate roasting time, salt again and turn the chicken breast up. Continue basting.
7. Indications that the chicken is almost done are: a sudden rain of splatters in the oven, a swelling of the breast and slight puff of the skin, the drumstick is tender when pressed and can be moved in its socket. To check further, prick the thickest part of the drumstick with a fork. Its juices should run clear yellow. As a final check, lift the chicken and rain the juices from its vent. If the last drops are clear yellow, the chicken is definitely done. If not, roast another 5 minutes, and test again.
8. When done, discard trussing strings and set the chicken on a hot platter. It should sit at room temperature for 5 to 10 minutes before being carved, so its juices will retreat back into the tissues.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Fast Chicken Tandoori

Day 100: “The Minimalist Cooks Dinner”

April 10, 2011

Traditionally Tandoori chicken is baked in a clay oven and the restaurants that I have found it in tend to be Indian in origin. The chicken is full of flavor and tender and is often bright in color. I have later found out that some of this color is from food dye and not from spices. So making it at home you can control the color….and the food dye! I always thought since I didn’t have a clay oven, that I couldn’t make this dish at home. But forget the clay oven, if you have a grill you will have success with this dish.

Mark Bitman writes a weekly column for the “New York Times” on minimalist cooking. Minimalist cooking really is about good flavor fast.  If you are a gourmet on limited time, Mark Bitman is a good person to follow and get tips from. We are all rushed to get dinner to the table and the idea of pulling fresh ingredients together instead of things from a can or boxed or frozen meals is really appealing. I think the recipe for Roast Salmon Steaks with Pinot Noir Syrup sounds delicious! I like the fact that the recipes in this cookbook don’t have a huge list of ingredients. Each recipe come with a wine pairing and sides to serve with the meal. Part of being a minimalist is few ingredients that are big on flavor!

The Ruling: Now that I said the above sentence about big on flavor, this recipe was lacking in some spice. I think it is because we are used to tandoori chicken in our local Indian restaurant. But I think a sprinkle of red pepper flakes would cure this easy enough. Everyone in the family ate this chicken! Hurrah! Easy to make and easy to get dinner on the table! Winner! I just ordered some flexible skewers and I am going to try this recipe again with cubes of chicken skewed and grilled with some veggies like zucchini and red pepper on it. I would double the sauce and pull half aside and place some of the sauce on the cooked chicken after it is grilled.

Fast Chicken Tandoori, page 120

Ingredients:  

• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon medium to hot paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• juice of one lime
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• minced fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Preheat the broiler, start a hot charcoal or wood fire, or preheat a gas grill to the maximum. Set the rack 2 to 4 inches from the heat source. Combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, paprika, half the lime juice, and some salt and pepper in a large bowl. Stir the chicken into the yogurt mixture and marinate for 5 to 60 minutes, as time allows.
2. TO BROIL THE CHICKEN: Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to facilitate cleanup. To broil, put the chicken breasts on the baking sheet, bone, rough side up; reserve any marinade that does not cling to the breasts. Broil for 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn and spoon the remaining marinade over the chicken. Broil on the skin (smooth) side for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until lightly browned. TO GRILL: Simply grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until the chicken brown and is cooked through, brushing with the marinade from time to time.
3. Garnish with cilantro and serve, spooning the basting juices over the chicken.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.

Chicken Piccata

 

Day 97: “Here In America’s Test Kitchen”

April 7, 2011

Chicken Piccata is a lemony caper flavored sauce made with chicken cutlets or flattened chicken breasts. Simple sauce and full of flavors. Chicken Piccata does not need to be hard to make. You can easily make this a weeknight meal or save it for company as it will impress your guests and they will think that you spent hours in the kitchen making this special dish.

If you are a foodie, then the pages between “Here in America’s Test Kitchen” cookbook is your cup of tea. They take each recipe and carefully reconstruct it making it the most successful recipe of its kind. Home cooks can make them at home, but food geeks will love the labor and attention that went into each one. The cookbook just doesn’t talk about food, but goes into kitchen equipment as well. Looking for the best meat pounder on the market, they have you covered. Even if you are a beginner in the kitchen, this cookbook will give you the confidence to get great meals on the table, like Stuffed Bell Peppers with Spiced Lamb, Currants, and Feta Cheese…..skip the pepper part for me….the rest sound divine. Have a hankering for cucumber salad….they have three variations of the salad. I love the many chapters in the cookbook, such as Cookie jar Favorites, Weekend Brunch or Thanksgiving from the grill. This is a great starter cookbook plus a great cookbook for the gourmet cook out there.

The Ruling: Everyone ate it. Well….some did pick off the capers, but they ate the chicken without barbecue sauce, so that means it was a success. If you hate the idea of pounding chicken and having chicken juices going everywhere, try putting each breast in a ziplock bag and leave it open a tish and take out your aggression. We would suggest to double the sauce as when all was said and done, there just was not enough left and we wanted more.

Chicken Piccata, page 104

Ingredients:

• 2 large lemons
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast s (5 to 6 ounces each), tenderloins removed and reserved for another use, fat trimmed
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons), or 1 medium clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 teaspoons)
• 1 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons drained small capers
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, set large heat-proof plate on rack, and heat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Halve one lemon pole to pole. Trim ends from one half and cut it crosswise into slices 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick; set aside. Juice remaining half and whole lemon to obtain 1/4 cup juice; reserve.
3. Use meat pounder, rubber mallet, or rolling-pin to pound chicken breasts to even 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle both sides of cutlets generously with salt and pepper . Measure flour into shallow baking dish or pie plate. Working with one cutlet at a time, coat with flour and shake to remove excess.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Lay three chicken cutlets in skillet. Saute cutlets until lightly browned on first side, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Turn cutlets and cook until second side is lightly browned, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes longer. Remove pan from heat and transfer cutlets to plate in oven. Add remaining 2 tablespoons oil to now empty skillet and heat until shimmering. Add remaining chicken cutlets and repeat.
5. Add shallot or garlic to now-empty skillet and return skillet to medium heat. Saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds for shallot or 10 seconds for garlic. Add stock and lemon slices, increase heat to high, and scrape pan bottom with wooden spoon or spatula to loosen browned bits. Simmer until liquid reduces to about 1/3 cup, about 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and capers and simmer until sauce reduces again to 1/3 cup, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and swirl in butter until butter melts and thickens sauce. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately.

To Joyful, Simplified Living,

MS. Simplicity

MS. Simplicity, also known as Melissa Schmalenberger  operates her business as I Did it with MS. Simplicity.  She is a Professional Organizer based out of Fargo, ND and her website can be found at www.ididit-fargo.com .  Need to contact MS. Simplicity privately, you can email her at melissa@ididit-fargo.com.  For daily organizing tips find the MS. Simplicity fan page  here.

If you try any of my suggestions, I would love to hear from you.  It helps me to understand what my readers want me to write about and what they think is a waste of their time….thanks for taking the time to help me out.