Chicken

[fdcutee]

Does anyone have any really good ways to cook chicken? It's my favorite thing to eat.... but I'm looking for some new ways to cook it.

[Schatz's Mom]

lb Bonesless skinless Chicken Breast
8 oz Sour Cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
16 oz Salsa
Salt & Pepper to taste
Black Olives
Chopped Green Onions

Cut Chicken into bite sized pieces.
Sautee in 2 tsps olive oil until cooked, approx 5-7 minutes.
Drain. Add first six ingredients. Belnd thoroughly until heated.
Serve over rice and top with black olives and green onions.
We also like to add a few crushed tostito chips to the top.

In our house we used to eat the same recipes over and over and it would get quite boring so we put together a binder full of recipes that we change every month. We are required to try at least one new recipe a week and cannot have the same meal more than once in the month! After dinner we all rate the dinner on a scale of 1-10 and vote on whether to keep it in the rotation, make any modifications, etc. We have found some great recipes this way but we have also had some really gross ones! This drives my son crazy but we have found that we really look forward to certain meals, this being one of them.

[Orchid Crazy]

Chicken Parm with Pasta

Chicken stir fry

Chicken pot pie - takes a few hours, gone all too fast but yummy. Have a recipe if you're interested by it IS time consuming.

I'll get a few recipes out for you. The eve of Father's Day I made my husband Lobster Stuffed Chicken Breast with a Borsin Cheese Sauce. Sounds time consuming, incredible flavor, actually very easy and fairly quick to make.

[zoeysmom]

I have a fair number of Thai and Indian (Curry type) recipes, People either tend to really like those cuisines - or really not like them. If those are to your taste let me know and I'll post several.

Heres a favorite Mexican type casserole

Chilaquiles En Salsa Verde (Chicken or Pork)
garnishing with cilantro finishes this nicely.


4 Tortilla, corn; stale, cut-into pieces and baked
1 cup Salsa verde
1 cup Chicken, poached, shredded
1/3 to 1/2 cup Sour cream, (or slightly more if needed to cover chicken well)
1/4 cup Onion; finely chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp seasoned salt
ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup Queso fresco; crumbled (or other grated cheese)



1 Bake the tortilla strips in 400 degree oven until they are pale gold (~10 minutes), but not too crisp.
2 Combine the diced/shredded chicken, sour cream, onion, cumin, salt and pepper and about 1/2 of the grated cheese.
3 Layer 1/3 baked tortilla slices in a buttered dish, top with 1/2 chicken/sour cream / cheese mixture, drizzle heavy layer of salsa verde over the chicken mixture. Place another 1/3 of the tortilla strips, then the remaining chicken mixture and another drizzle of salsa verde. Top with remaining tortilla strips and remaining cheese.
4 Bake @ 350 for ~30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is browned. (may finish under broiler to brown cheese)

[Irminsul]

Please, do post Indian! Love it!!!

I always like Coq au Vin, it's in your Better Homes and Gardens book. You do have that one, don't you? :)

[LUVMYGUNNER]

I use a lot of Lemon Pepper, salt, pepper and garlic salt on my chicken and throw it on the grill.

[Melisande]

If you like Thai, I learned how to make thai basil chicken while I was in thailand, you can make it really spicy, or just leave the chillis out if you dont like it hot. I dont have any measurements for it, because the woman I got the recipe for it just made it from memory, so I just experiment a little with it each time.

Mince and add together:
chili peppers ( I like to use a mix of thai and serrano)
fresh ginger and garlic

Cook those in oil (I like sesame) until the chillis soften and the garlic turns golden, and then add ground chicken, soy sauce, and a tiny bit of sugar and white pepper.

When the chicken is almost cooked all the way, add some chicken broth, and chopped cilantro. (how much broth depends on how juicy or dry you want the dish)

Last step is to stir in LOTS of fresh basil. You just need to fold it in, and then serve with steamed rice.

[zoeysmom]

OK - here are a couple....
This one is pretty straightforward - ingredients from most any grocery store. I took an Indian cooking class - they stressed that it is important to saute the spices as called for rather than just dumping them in, and some recipes call for additions of spices throughout - saving some for the very end.

Coconut Curry Chicken


1/4 cup whole unsalted cashews
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp black mustard seeds
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbs curry powder
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
14 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup frozen peas
2 Tbs chopped cilantro



1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2 Spread the cashews in a pie plate and bake for 5 minutes, or until fragrant and lightly toasted. Transfer to a plate to cool.
3 Lightly season the chicken with salt. In a large, deep skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil until smoking. Add the chicken and cook over moderately high heat until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and reduce the heat to moderate.
4 Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the skillet and heat until smoking. Add the mustard seeds and cook for about 1 minute, or until they stop popping. Add the cumin seeds, coriander and curry powder, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onion, ginger and garlic, and cook until the onion softens, about 10 minutes; if the mixture seems dry, add up to 1/4 cup of water to prevent sticking.
5 Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and cook for 1 minute. Transfer the curry to a bowl, sprinkle with the cilantro and serve.


Chicken Methi

punjabi cuisine
Methi is "fenugreek leaves" you may have to find a spice store or indian grocery to find them.

750 gms. Chicken
2 Bayleaves
1 Tbs Garam Masala Powder
2 cups Onion (chopped)
2 Tbs Garlic Paste
2 Tbs Ginger (chopped)
2 Tbs Green Chillies (chopped)
1 cup Yogurt
1 tsp Garam Masala Powder
2 Tbs Kasoori Methi
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 Tbs Coriander Powder
1 Tbs Coriander Leaves (chopped)
Salt to taste
2 Tbs Oil



1 Clean, skin, wash and cut chicken into medium sized pieces.
2 Peel, wash and chop onions. Peel and chop ginger. Remove stem, wash and chop green chillies.
3 Heat oil in a pan. Add whole garam masala and bay leaves. Sauté until cardamoms starts to crackle.
4 Add chopped onions and cook until transluscent and soft. Make sure to stir continuously. Add chopped ginger, garlic paste, turmeric powder, coriander powder and chopped green chillies. Sauté for a minute.
5 Add chicken pieces and beaten yogurt and cook on a high heat for 7-8 minutes. Add kasoori methi, garam masala powder, chopped fresh coriander, salt and three fourths cup of water. Cover the pan and cook on a low heat for ten minutes.
6 Serve hot.

Badami Murgh - Chicken Curry with One Hundred Almonds (North India)

Ingredients -
3 lb. roasting chicken
5 medium onions
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons ghee
3 teaspoons finely chopped garlic _
3 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
I tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel
1 teaspoon chili powder, optional
3 teaspoons salt
3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander or mint leaves
100 blanched almonds
oil for frying
1 cup yogurt
1 teaspoon garam masala
Method:
Cut chicken into curry pieces. Peel onions, chop 3 onions finely and slice the remaining 2 very fine. Heat ghee and oil in a large heavy saucepan and fry the 2 sliced onions, stirring, until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the chopped onion, garlic and ginger to the oil left in pan and fry on low heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and turning golden. Long, slow cooking at this stage is essential if the curry is to have good flavor.

Add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, fennel and chili powder and fry, stirring, for 1-2 minutes. Add salt, tomatoes and half the fresh herbs, stir well and cook until tomatoes are pulpy. Cover pan to hasten this process, but uncover and stir now and then to ensure mixture does not stick to base of pan.

Put in the chicken pieces and stir well so that each piece is coated with the mixture. Cover pan and cook on very low heat for 40 minutes or until chicken is tender. Meanwhile heat oil and fry half the almonds until golden. Grind remaining almonds. Beat the yogurt with a fork until it is quite smooth and stir into the curry together with the fried almonds. Simmer 5 minutes, uncovered. Stir in the garam masala, reserved fried onions, ground almonds and remaining chopped herbs. Heat through and serve.


One of my goals is to work my way through several Tandoori Chicken recipes and find the one I want to keep.

Enjoy!

[Melisande]

Those indian recipes sound so good! Indian is one of my favorites!

[Irminsul]

Thanks for posting those Indian ones. I will be sure to try some of those!

[zoeysmom]

You're welcome, hope you like them

[Jacqueline]

Does anyone have any really good ways to cook chicken? It's my favorite thing to eat.... but I'm looking for some new ways to cook it.

I have a rottersierre (ah, the joys of NOT watching my food cook), and you can season or marinate it endless ways, stick it in there, and set the timer. Now I know loads of people have the horizontal one, but I love my upright one. It's an Oster, aka Sunbeam. I bought one ages ago at Walmart, wore it out, and got another one on ebay. They ran me about $40 and worth every penny.

We get nice big fat regular chickens (not the nice big expensive roasters), clean them well, put our favorite seasoning on it, and in it goes. For the two of us, it makes a great first meal, and lots of good chicken for sandwiches, or another meal. So easy....and delicious.

[Melisande]

I've always kind of wanted to get one of those home rottersierres, but I wasnt sure if they really did the same job. Good to know they do, now I really want one!

[Orchid Crazy]

I have a rotisserie on my grill which I use all the time. I cover the chicken with a can of beer and use a drip pan underneath which catches the excess beer; allows for moisture during cooking. I use Emeril's seasonings on the bird and will never again buy one of those skinny, expensive grocery store birds! Yum!! I rotisserie duck, chicken, roasts, pork; you name it I've stuck it on the spit and tried to cook it!

Here's the recipe I promised that was printed in our newspaper this week. This is Lobster Stuffed Chicken http://www.yorkharborinn.com/dining/recipes.htm Page down it is recipe #2. Sounds a bit daunting, but was VERY simple. I did cook it for more than the 18 minutes as it was chicken and I was worried about it being undercooked. It was AWESOME!!! Served it with asparagus and white wine.

Another thing that I do is chicken enchiladas which is one thing I make with leftover rotisserie chicken. I take a ziploc bag, add a small can of tomato sauce (what are they something like 8 oz?), a dollop of sour cream, one can of chopped green chilies, 1 tsp of pepper and squish it all together, let it sit for a while to let the flavors mesh well. If you like things spicy, add some tobasco, I don't cuz of the kids. Take a can of enchilada sauce (kids preference is 2 mild - I prefer 1 mild/1 hot) and dump it on the bottom of a pyrex baking dish. Add the filling to your tortillas and roll them up. Cover them with a 2nd can of enchilada sauce. Generous amounts of cheese. Bake at 350 uncovered till bubbly.

Another chicken leftover thing is chicken soup. I have a crockpot recipe that I would be willing to share if you are a soup person.

You can do chicken shish-kabobs and serve them over rice or roll them up in tortillas with grilled vegies, fun toppings.

I hate the same old same old stuff. I try to make new things all the time. Other than my make your own marinades which are sort of throw it in and see if it smells good, I am not a creative cook. I am not, however, afraid to try something. I try to add a new dishes all the time. My family are like guinea pigs! :)

How about pork? It is 'the other white meat' you know. Have some good pork recipes as well, if you'd like them.

[Lambygyrl]

Here is one of my all time favs...

1.5 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
2 green peppers, in 1" chunks
1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
4-5 clove garlic, peeled
1 7 oz. jar of sweet roasted red peppers - rinsed & drained
1 large handful cilantro, washed & stems removed
2 cans crushed tomatoes or 1 can crushed, 1 whole peeled
1 small can tom. paste
olive oil, salt, black pepper & sugar
crushed red pepper

Process garlic, sweet red peppers & cilantro with a drizzle of olive oil until its a paste. Add a few twists of black pepper & dash salt.

Saute the chicken until cooked through - add scallions & continue cooking for a few minutes more (I saute in olive oil) until chicken slightly browned. Add all tomatoes, and simmer for about 30 min., then add tomato paste & the garlic/pepper/paste still really well - I add a pinch of sugar and also a dash or crushed red pepper for some heat :D Simmer all that for at least 1 hour so the chicken becomes tender & absorbs the flavor. Meanwhile, stir fry the green pepper in olive oil in a fry pan until slightly tender but still bright green. If it looks too thick I sometimes add a small can of tom. sauce or a little bit of water during cooking.

Cook your pasta - rigatoni 16 oz. is what I use for this -- Add the green peppers to the Robusto sauce pot and then serve.