Tag Archives: chicken

Mar14

Pizza!

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I have been craving pizza for weeks, and we picked up some burrata at the farmer’s market on Sunday, so we had to make pizza with it.

For the dough, you can buy some pre-made from the store.  We used The Pioneer Woman’s recipe. I have tried others before, but they did not rise as successfully.

To make the sauce, I simmered half of an onion (diced), 3 cloves of garlic, 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes (pureed in the food processor), a pinch of sugar, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil, and butter, for an hour.  You can also use a jarred marinara.

We made a few different types of pizza, using a mix of the following toppings:

  • Burrata
  • Shredded mozzarella
  • Jalapeno-infused olive oil, jalapenos
  • Sweet Italian chicken sausage
  • Salami
  • Mushrooms
  • Red onion
  • Fresh basil

They were delicious!  We love thin-crust pizza, so we baked them at 500 degrees for 12 minutes and they were crisp and delightful.  If you are making yours thin-crust, resist the urge to use a ton of sauce, cheese, and toppings.  You will end up with soggy pizza!

Feb15

Chicken meatball sandwiches

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Since last night was the casual portion of our Valentine’s Day celebration, I wanted to make something comforting but light-ish to eat at home before going to the movies.  Chicken meatball sandwiches totally fit the bill.  I love these in a sandwich, but you can of course eat them over spaghetti for a Lady and the Tramp style Valentine’s Day!

Chicken Meatball Sandwiches

For the meatballs:
1 lb ground chicken
3 cloves garlic
1/4 onion, finely chopped
1 egg
1/3 c breadcrumbs
1/4 c parsley, finely chopped
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
kosher salt
black pepper
1 T olive oil

For the tomato sauce:
1 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
3 cloves garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dried oregano
basil

For the sandwiches:
baguette
mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

To make the meatballs, combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil in a mixing bowl. Mix together with your hands (don’t over-combine though, it will make them tough). Drizzle the olive oil onto a baking sheet, then roll the balls into one-inch balls. Place the balls on the baking sheet and roll around in the oil.  Bake for 20 minutes.

Set one meatball aside for your chihuahuas!

To make the sauce, heat a pot over medium heat with the olive oil and butter. Saute the onions and garlic until soft. Season with salt, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Add the tomatoes and about a cup of water. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. I would normally add some finely chopped basil towards the end, but we were out because Paco made an enormous batch of pesto. Luckily, the canned tomatoes that I used had basil in them (not as much basil flavor, but definitely enough for this recipe). When the meatballs are ready, add them to the sauce, and simmer for at least five minutes (or up to an hour).

 

To assemble the sandwiches, slice the baguette into 4-inch pieces. Cut long-ways, but not all the way through. Arrange meatballs and sauce on the bread.

Sprinkle cheese on top.

Place in a 400 degree F oven for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted.

Feb2

Chicken salad with apples

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I used my leftover roast chicken to make a simple and delicious chicken salad. I like something sweet in my chicken salad, as well as a variety of textures, so I added apples.

Especially considering that it took five minutes to make, it was ridiculously good.  You can use any type of chicken, but I think that the roast chicken made it more flavorful. If you don’t have a roast chicken lying around, you could buy a pre-made one from the supermarket.

Chicken Salad with Apples

2 c. chicken, diced or broken into small pieces
3 ribs celery, finely sliced
1 apple, diced
1/3 c mayo
kosher salt
lemon pepper
black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on toasted bread as an open-face sandwich.

Jan31

Roast Chicken (Engagement Chicken?)

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When I first heard about Engagement Chicken, I was already engaged.  (This is the type of important stuff you learn on weddingbee.)  Supposedly, if you make it for your boyfriend, he will propose. I had made Ina Garten’s roast chicken before getting engaged, however, so who knows, maybe it does work!

Although it might seem sexist or old-fashioned to some, I have to agree that the way to many men’s and women’s hearts is a nice, home-cooked meal. It shows that you care enough to take the time to make someone a nice dinner, and it creates images of many other cozy and delicious evenings to come.

A whole chicken is probably enough for four people, but I still like to make the entire chicken for the two of us and save the rest for soup, Roman-style chicken, or chicken salad.

I don’t usually associate chicken with gravy, so the recipe has been adapted accordingly.

Roast Chicken, a.k.a., Engagement Chicken
Adapted from Ina Garten

1 whole chicken (about 4 lbs.)
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil
half head garlic, cut in half so that the insides of the cloves are exposed
1 lemon, quartered
2 sprigs rosemary
4 sprigs thyme

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the giblets from the chicken. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place the chicken in a roasting rack, breast side up. Stuff the chicken with the lemon, garlic, rosemary, and thyme.

As the chicken cooks, these flavors will permeate the meat. Tie the chicken legs together and pin the wings behind the chicken.

Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Roast in the oven for one hour. The chicken is done when you can insert a chopstick or knife between the leg and thigh, and the juices run clear.

Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes and then carve. I served mine with roasted potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, and parsnips.

Dec30

Braised chicken with mustard sauce

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Paco and I are huge lovers (lovahs) of mustard. Not yellow mustard (although I will certainly eat it on a sandwich), but hot sweet, deli style, grainy dijon, etc. Here are the mustards that we currently have in our fridge and pantry.

When I saw Melissa d’Arabian make this, I thought that it would be perfect to make for Paco after his long post-Christmas drive home from the Bay Area. I really like Melissa d’Arabian’s food, but I tend to modify her recipes quite a bit. I think there are a lot of choices that she makes in order to stick to the format of the show (a meal for 4 people for under $10 total), and the changes I make would probably violate the assumptions of the show (e.g., using more/more expensive mushrooms, fresh herbs, etc.).

In this recipe, the only changes I made were to leave the skin on the chicken thighs and to double the amount of mushrooms (I used crimini). I used grainy dijon mustard because that’s what we had, but a creamy mustard would probably give you a smoother flavor (if that’s what you’re going for – ha!).  I also used red wine to deglaze the pan because I didn’t feel like opening a bottle of white wine and because the recipe called for such a small amount.

I served it with egg noodles, as suggested. I tossed mine with a little bit of butter, sour cream, fresh herbs (tarragon and basil, because I had them on hand), salt, and pepper.

Braised Chicken Thighs with Mustard Sauce,
adapted from Melissa d’Arabian

1 1/2 lbs. chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
Kosher salt and pepper
2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1 T flour
2 T fresh tarragon, minced
1/2 c. red wine
1 c. chicken stock
2 T half-and-half (optional)
1/4 c. grainy dijon mustard
2 T sour cream

Position your oven rack to a low level so that there’s space for a Dutch oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 T of oil in a Dutch oven over medium. Brown the chicken thighs by placing them in the pan skin-side down. Flip them when they release easily. When browned on both sides, remove from pan.

Drain off all but 1 T of the chicken fat that is in the pan, then saute the onions until soft. Season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms, continue to cook until mushrooms are soft. Add garlic, continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and flour and cook for a few minutes, stirring the flour into the fat at the bottom of the pan. Add tarragon.

Deglaze the pan by pouring the wine into the pan and letting it boil until the alcohol has cooked off. Add the chicken back to the pan, then add enough chicken stock so that the chicken is half covered.

Cover the pan, then allow to braise in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the lid after 25 minutes, so that the sauce reduces.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove the pan from the oven and remove the chicken from the pan. Add the optional half–and-half, and allow it to simmer over medium heat for a minute or so. Turn off the heat, then whisk in the mustard and sour cream. Return the chicken to the pan and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving.