Chicken Kiev

I was looking for something a little special to make for New Years Day dinner - something that took a little more time and effort than a usual weeknight dinner. This chicken kiev from Alton Brown fit the bill. It was deliciously juicy and the panko crust was perfectly golden-brown and crispy. It wasn't really that difficult, either - just takes a bit of planning ahead because it needs to rest in the fridge for a few hours before cooking. I served it with roasted potatoes and peas. I also made a (healthy version of a) cherry cobbler for dessert - look for that in my next post!



Chicken Kiev
Source: Food Network (Alton Brown)

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried tarragon (I didn't have any so I subbed dill weed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning chicken
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning chicken
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 large whole eggs, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
2 cups Japanese bread crumbs (panko), plus 1/4 cup for filling
Vegetable oil, for frying

Directions:

Combine butter, parsley, tarragon, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer. Place mixture on plastic wrap or waxed paper and roll into small log; place in freezer.

Place chicken breasts, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt chicken lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound to no less than 1/8-inch thickness. Season each piece of chicken with salt and pepper.

Lay 1 chicken breast on a new piece of plastic wrap and place 1/4 of the compound butter and 1 tablespoon bread crumbs in the center of each breast. Using the plastic wrap to assist, fold in ends of breast and roll breast into a log, completely enclosing the butter; roll very tightly. Repeat with each breast. Place chicken in refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to overnight.

Place egg and water mixture in 1 pie pan and 2 cups bread crumbs in a different pie pan.

Heat 1/2-inch of vegetable oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat until oil reaches 375 degrees F.

Dip each breast in the egg mixture and then roll in the bread crumbs. Gently place each breast in oil, sealed-side down, and cook until golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes on each side, until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove to a cooling rack set in sheet pan and allow to drain for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. After reading a bunch of reviews saying that the chicken wasn't all the way done, I put it in the oven for an additional 15 minutes after it was nice and brown on both sides.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

One of my favorite snack foods every is Harry and David's Pepper and Onion Relish. Every year my mom and I split a case of the stuff and it usually lasts for a couple months. I usually just use it as a dip for chips, but there are 4 recipes on the jar I have always wanted to try. I finally got around to trying one this past week and while it was very good, I think I like the relish better just by itself! This recipe made enough for 2 bowls of soup, which we ate with warm crescent rolls.



Chicken Enchilada Soup
Source: Harry and David

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Pepper and Onion Relish
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock (I just used the whole can)
1/2 cup cream (I used fat free half and half)
Salt to taste
3/4 cup Monterey Jack cheese
Optional: 1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced
My addition: 1 or 2 chopped scallions for garnish

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat and saute onion and garlic. Add relish and chicken broth and cook with pot covered for 15 min. over low heat. Add cream, salt, and chicken (optional) and simmer another 8-10 minutes over low heat. Stir in cheese and serve hot. Ladle into bowls and top with scallions.

Roasted Chicken Penne

This is a great comfort food recipe for a cold day. It reminds me of chicken pot pie, in pasta form.



Roasted Chicken Penne
Source: The Everything Quick and Easy 30-Minute, 5-Ingredient Cookbook by Linda Larsen

2 cups penne pasta
2 roasted deli chicken breasts (I used boneless skinless breasts that I poached myself)
1 10-oz jar garlic Alfredo sauce
1/2 cup chicken gravy (from deli or jar)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed and drained

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook penne pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, remove meat from chicken and shred. Combine with Alfredo sauce, chicken gravy, and vegetables in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce bubbles and chicken and vegetables are hot, about 8 to 10 minutes.

2. When pasta is cooked al dente, drain thoroughly and add to chicken mixture, stirring and tossing gently. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes to heat through and serve.

Serves 4.

Italian Chicken Pitas

Another easy, quick one pan meal! You can also use this filling for wraps, or just eat it plain!

Italian Chicken Pitas
Source: Weight Watchers Recipes

3/4lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, Cut in thin 1" slices
1 small Zucchini cliced (1/2 cup)
1 small Carrot, grated (1/2 cup)
1 small Onion, slice in rings, then halve them
1/4 tsp dried Oregano, Basil and ground Pepper
1 med Tomato, chopped (3/4 cup)
3 pita pocket breads, 6", warmed & halved
1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (optional)
1 dash garlic powder per sandwich (optional)

Stir fry chicken with non-stick cooking spray until cooked, no longer pink inside. Add Zucchini, Carrot, Onion, & Seasonings. (Add a little water if needed) Stir fry 2 - 3 min, until crisp tender. Remove from heat & add tomato just before filling warmed pocket breads. Sprinkle fillings with cheese.

Makes 6 sandwiches.

I have not measured the volume that goes into each pita, but I would estimate the filling volume around 1/2 cup. Add lettuce to cooled mix for a little more volume.

These pitas are a great way for me to sneak vegetables into Kevin's food, since he usually doesn't eat them. He claims to not like any of the ingredients in these except the chicken and carrots, yet somehow he will eat every bite when you put them all together!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I made this with the honey yeast rolls for my family on the night before Thanksgiving. It was so delicious! I couldn't find any of the blackening spice that the recipe calls for, so I ended up making my own version based on a recipe I found from Emeril.

Cajun Chicken Pasta
Source: The Cynical Chef, originally from Food Network

4 (5-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup blackening spice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1 cup roughly chopped marinated sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup white wine
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pound cooked fettuccine
1/2 cup sliced scallions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Dredge the chicken breasts in the blackening spice and place in a cast iron skillet over very high heat. Blacken both sides of the chicken and place in the oven for 10 minutes, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Slice in strips on the bias and set aside.

In a saute pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and lightly caramelize. Then add the sun-dried tomatoes and the chicken slices. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the heavy cream, increase the heat to a simmer, and reduce the cream sauce by half.

When the cream sauce is to desired consistency, stir in 1/2 cup Parmesan, salt, pepper, and pasta.

Nest the pasta on large rimmed plates, pour sauce over pasta, and garnish with scallions and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Emeril's Essence
Source: Food Network

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
  
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

My dad, who is a spicy food fanatic, loved this! It was pretty much the perfect seasoning, it had a great kick but didn't burn your mouth off. The leftovers were pretty good the next day, too.

Chicken Noodle Soup

There is nothing like chicken noodle soup on a cold winter day, or when you are feeling a little under the weather. This recipe from Taste and See makes a huge pot of soup that can be frozen into individual bowls for whenever you need a comforting little pick-me-up.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Source: Taste and See

Ingredients:
3 cups boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Enough water to fill up half your stock pot

2 bay leaves
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
3-4 chicken bullion cubes

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp garlic powder
1 package egg noodles

Directions:
Fill half the stock pot with water. Trim all visible fat from chicken and place in water. Place bay leaves, carrots, celery, bullion, onions, salt and pepper in water also. Bring to a boil and cook until chicken is cooked throughout. Take chicken out and shred or cube. While chicken is out of the pot, place the noodles in and cook according to the back of the package. While the noodles are cooking, taste the broth and season accordingly (if needed). Shred or chop chicken. Once the noodles are cooked, place the chicken back in the stock pot.

As Maryanna said, this soup is one where you can just "dump" ingredients in... no measuring required! Just make it to your taste, and enjoy!

Pioneer Woman's Crispy Yogurt Chicken

This was another one that has been floating around on the message boards for awhile, and a lot of people seemed to rave about it! For me, it was an easy weeknight dinner that came out great. It was very crispy, which I was happy with because some people had trouble getting it crispy enough. I will definitely be making this again - but I found it to be a bit bland, so I think I will add some stronger seasonings next time.

Crispy Yogurt Chicken
Source: Pioneer Woman

Chicken pieces (I used boneless skinless breasts)
2 cups plain, unflavored yogurt (I used fat free)
2-3 cloves garlic
Parsley
The juice of one lemon
Salt
Butter
Approx. 2 cups Panko bread crumbs



-Mix the yogurt, garlic, parsley, and lemon juice together in a bowl.
-Rinse the chicken, pat dry, and sprinkle with salt.
-In another bowl place the bread crumbs. Give them a sprinkling of salt too and then stir.
-Butter a baking dish. With tongs place the chicken, one piece at a time, into the yogurt mixture. Turn it over thoroughly to coat. Then roll the chicken in the Panko brad crumbs. Cover each piece thoroughly wiht bread crumbs and place in the baking dish.
-Finally, place a slice of butter over the large part of each chicken piece. Cover with foil and bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, removing the foil for the last 15 minutes of the cooking. When the chicken is nice and golden, remove from the oven and enjoy!



Since I read about the problems people had getting it crispy, I made sure to get the excess yogurt off before I dipped in the bread crumbs. Also, I forgot to cover it with foil, but I think this was part of the reason mine got so crispy. It ended up only taking an hour without the foil.

Thai Chicken Pizza

Lately I have been in a mood for California Pizza Kitchen, which of course we don't have here in southern Indiana. My favorite thing from there was always the Thai Chicken pizza. I know they sell a frozen version in the grocery store but I decided to try and recreate the pizza myself. I thought it was delicious, though it has been so long since I had the original that I don't really have anything to compare it to. Kevin wasn't the biggest fan of the flavors, though he did finish two slices.

Thai Chicken Pizza
Inspiration: California Pizza Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 batch of pizza dough (I used store bought but you could easily use homemade)
1/2 cup of Thai peanut sauce (see previous blog entry for recipe)
1 very large cooked chicken breast, chopped
2 scallions (on my half only since Kevin doesn't like them)
1/2 cup julienned carrots
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/4 cup peanuts - I bought these to put on the pizza, but ended up forgetting until dinner was over!! :( It was still good without them, though.
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Spread pizza dough onto baking surface. Top with sauce, then all toppings except cilantro, and then sprinkle with cheese. Bake 12-15 minutes, then sprinkle with cilantro before serving.