Random Chicken

[RevDahlia]

We all eat lots of chicken. It is an obliging, friendly meat that lends itself to many different applications. This thread is for truly sensational chicken recipes, so the benighted bird can enjoy the spotlight for once instead of being relegated to the background.

Here is something I dreamed up a couple of weeks ago. It is SO GOOD.

Fake Chicken Tagine

You need:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, hacked into thirds
1 medium onion, sliced
3 tbsps olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp freshly-grated orange zest
S&P

1 can lowfat, low salt chicken broth
1 handful pitted prunes, minced
1 handful dried apricots, minced

1/4c toasted almond slices

Garnish: cilantro, chopped scallion (optional)

Heat olive oil until quite hot in large, nonstick skillet with lid. Place chicken pieces in skillet and allow to brown. Flip chicken, add onions, and saute until all are brownish and wilty.

Add spices, zest, S&P and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes. Then add dried fruit and chicken broth, cover, and simmer over the lowest possible heat for about 45 minutes.

Once everything is simmered adequately, push chicken to sides of skillet, crank up heat and reduce the sauce. Once it has become thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add almond slices and you're done.

Serve with garnish over couscous or rice, with salad and/or braised fennel on the side.

This is sweet/savory, sanely exotic and sensational. You'll love it, I swear.

[Legs]

Chicken ala Legs

Large Boneless chicken breasts (one per person)
Swiss Cheese (or havarti, or your favourite) thinly sliced
Ham - thinly sliced
dijon mustard - couple of spoonfuls
onion, red pepper, mushrooms, a little fresh garlic, sauted in a olive oil or butter until soft
salt & pepper to taste
egg, breadcrumbs

Take your chicken breasts and wrap loosely in plastic wrap
beat the crap out of them with a mallet till they are thin and flat

take plastic off - brush your chicken with a little dijon mustard & salt/pepper
lay your thin sliced ham on your chicken
lay your thin sliced cheese
in the center of the cheese spoon on your sauted' onion/pepper/mushrooms

roll up your chicken breast and secure with toothpicks

In a bowl whisk and egg or two (depends on how many breasts you have)

Dip your rolled chicken in the egg

On a plate have some soft breadcrumbs (you can also season them with rosemary or thyme) Roll your egg dipped breasts in the crumbs - very lightly

Place on a rack over a tray in the oven set at 350F/175C and bake for an hour. (make sure you use a rack so the bottom breadcrumbs don't get soggy)

Remove the toothpicks and enjoy!

In the summer I serve this with a nice salad... in the winter months with a hot rice dish. Hope you try it.

[Lauri D]

Rev, your recipe sounds delicious, but I am wondering why you call it "Fake" Chicken Tagine? :? Is there a more complicated or exotic and difficult recipe for the same kinda thing?

[RevDahlia]

Rev, your recipe sounds delicious, but I am wondering why you call it "Fake" Chicken Tagine? :? Is there a more complicated or exotic and difficult recipe for the same kinda thing?
Real tagine is cooked in a special ceramic pot called, well, a tagine. It is baked in the oven instead of cooked on the stovetop and takes hours and hours. It involves about the same balance of flavors, although most tagine recipes involve raisins instead of prunes and apricots. I really hate raisins.

[Godless Wonder]

I've posted this around before (maybe not here though, can't recall)

My copy of Nit Noi's chicken curry:
(Nit Noi is a Thai restaurant they have here in Houston.)

Ingredients:

1 can coconut milk
1 pkg "panang curry base (http://www.atasteofthai.com/curry.cfm)" (may need 2 pkgs if making a lot, and 2 cans coconut milk)

Some snow peas
1 fresh pineapple
Some chicken breast meat
Some fresh tomatoes
Some fresh green beans
Some new potatoes
Some brown sugar
Some fish sauce, 2 or 3 tbsp (Golden Boy is a good kind, but may be hard to
find. Use salt instead if you don't have any fish sauce. Actually I've never
used fish sauce, only salt)
Some fresh basil
a bit of pulverized peanuts (optional)
3 or 4 small Thai peppers, finely minced. (remove the stems, seeds and
membranes first. Best to do that under running tap water, otherwise fumes=may get you.)

Cut up the potatoes into bite sized chunks.
Cut up the pineapple into bite sized chunks
Cut up the chicken into bite sized chunks
Cut up the green beans
Cut up the tomatoes
de-string the snow peas

open the can of coconut milk. It will have separated, stir it up a bit.
put a small amount (1/4 can) in a pretty good sized pot. turn on the heat.
Put the curry base and minced peppers into the coconut milk and cook it
up for a bit until it starts to smell nice.

Some oil should separate from the coconut milk... if not, add a bit of oil
(that's what the books say anyhow).

Add in the rest of the coconut milk. Add the potatoes and the chicken.
Add in the sugar (2 or 3 tbsp or so, some fish sauce or salt, 2 or 3 tbsp)
and the peanuts. Cover and simmer for maybe 20 minutes.

add the pineapple and green beans. Let go for another 10 minutes or so.
Add the tomatoes and snow peas. Let go for another 10 minutes or so.

Then, it's done. Serve with rice. Add fresh basil leaves as a garnish.

Everything is approximate. Getting the potatoes to cook is the limiting factor on the times.

[MooseIBe]

I don't have a recipe to share - and wouldn't advise anyone to follow a recipe I offered anyway :D - but my favourite way to have chicken is as battered lemon chicken such as you get in a Chinese restaurant. Don't really like it on its own .. find it a bit bland. Lends itself well to curry though.

[RevDahlia]

Don't really like it on its own .. find it a bit bland.
You know, hubby and I were just having a discussion about how chicken is not nearly as versatile as most cooks seem to think it is. It seems like chicken breasts find their way into everything and they can wind up in the daftest places.

I agree about the curry. Chicken, IMO, is at its best as a component of something strongly flavored and complicated. I am also fond of plain roast chicken, but if chicken is not treated respectfully it can be kind of depressing.

We had the following for dinner last night, and I think it showcased the chicken very nicely. This recipe requires either a grill pan or a cook willing to fire up the grill for one measly chicken breast.

Penne with Grilled Chicken, Olives and Tomatoes

1 chicken breast
1 lemon

EVOO
Tomatoes, fresh or canned (if canned, rinsed; if fresh, peeled and seeded)
Garlic
Fresh oregano
1/2 cup white wine
Handful green olives, chopped
Pepper flakes
S&P

Penne

Fire up the grill pan. Brush chicken with EVOO, S&P, and grill. At some point while it is cooking you should squeeze the juice of a lemon over it.

While chicken is grilling, heat EVOO in a large nonstick skillet and break in tomatoes. Add all other ingredients except penne and simmer until sauce is reduced.

Once chicken is grilled and rested, slice it up and add to sauce. Cook penne to taste. Drain and toss with sauce and chicken. Eat.

I do not think this would work nearly as well with sauteed chicken, but I guess you could give it a shot.

[viscousmemories]

That looks really good, Rev. I've never peeled a tomato, though. How do you do that?

[JoeP]

I've never peeled a tomato, though. How do you do that?
/me racks brain furiously for witty response but :sadcheer: fails miserably
Drop the tomato in boiling water for 20-30 seconds, or until you see a split in the skin. Then it can be peeled off easily.

[Legs]

* JoeP racks brain furiously for witty response but :sadcheer: fails miserably
Drop the tomato in boiling water for 20-30 seconds, or until you see a split in the skin. Then it can be peeled off easily.

Joe, I used my little blowtorch to peel tomatoes :yup:

[RevDahlia]

* JoeP racks brain furiously for witty response but :sadcheer: fails miserably
Drop the tomato in boiling water for 20-30 seconds, or until you see a split in the skin. Then it can be peeled off easily.

Joe, I used my little blowtorch to peel tomatoes :yup:
Using a creme brulee torch to peel tomatoes also gives a very nice roasted, smoky flavor. I usually just use the boiling-water method, though.

[MooseIBe]

Rev it sounds lovely apart from the olives :) I am not an olive fan, it must be said.

[JoeP]

* JoeP racks brain furiously for witty response but :sadcheer: fails miserably
Drop the tomato in boiling water for 20-30 seconds, or until you see a split in the skin. Then it can be peeled off easily.

Joe, I used my little blowtorch to peel tomatoes :yup:
:flamer: :tomato:
:flamer: :tomato:
Gal after my own heart ... are you doing anything tonight?
:tomato:
:dindate:

[Beth]

I'm gonna try the tangine idea. Sounds lovely.

Here is a recipe I like and have not made in a while. It is some old country mangled recipe from my childhood.

Chicken Adobo

2T olive oil
1 1/2 lb chicken, cut up
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
pepper
2 T soy sauce
2 T vinegar
Paprika

Heat oil in large skillet, add chicken. While chicken is cooking, add the chopped onion, garlic, and pepper. Next add the soy sauce and vinegar and the paprika to taste Simmer, covered, till done. serve with white rice.