Category Archives: Poultry

Chicken with White Beans, Spinach and Lemon

Chicken with White Beans, Spinach and Lemon

 

I adapted this from an Alison Roman recipe that I found in the Food Section of the New York Times.

Chicken with White Beans, Spinach and Lemon

Chicken with White Beans, Spinach and Lemon

 

Chicken with White Beans, Spinach and Lemon

Mix the lemon and shallots in a bowl with salt and black pepper. Season the room temperature chicken with salt and black pepper. Cook, turning until both sides are deeply browned. Remove the chicken to a bowl and leave all the fat behind.Chicken with White Beans, Spinach and Lemon
Add the lemon shallot mix to the pan and cook until the lemon starts to brown.

Chicken with White Beans, Spinach and Lemon

Add the spinach to the pan with salt and black pepper and a 1/3 cup oil, cover and lower the heat until it starts to wilt.  Add the beans and mix gently so you don’t mash them. Return the chicken to the pan for a few minutes and serve.

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Persian Fried Chicken

Persian Fried Chicken

Persian Fried Chicken

Persian or more accurately, Iranian cuisine is more than just kabobs. Iran covers deserts and snowy mountains and its cuisine is just as varied as its landscape.

Persian Fried Chicken

Persian Fried Chicken

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Soak saffron in 2 tbsps. warm water for 10 minutes. Crush with the back of a spoon and combine saffron, garlic and yogurt in a large bowl. Whisk until blended and smooth.Persian Fried Chicken
Add chicken, coat with yogurt mix, cover and refrigerate overnight.
In a large dish, mix flour, paprika, half of the mint, salt and pepper. Shake off excess marinade and coat the chicken pieces in the flour mixture.Persian Fried Chicken
Shake off excess flour and fry it until golden brown. I got this very large frying pan at a restaurant supply store. If yours isn’t that big, don’t crowd the pan – fry in batches if you need to. Be generous with the oil. It should come up to about 1/2 way to the thickness of the chicken pieces. If you’re using a thermometer, the internal temperature for thighs should be 165 degrees.Persian Fried Chicken
Drain and serve with the lemon wedges and sprinkled with the chopped walnuts and remaining mint.Persian Fried Chicken

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Lemon Chicken Thighs

Lemon Chicken Thighs

This is a simple and quick recipe that I got from Bon Appetite.

Lemon Chicken ThighsLemon Chicken Thighs

Pat chicken thighs dry and season well with salt and black pepper. Place in a large resealable plastic bag and add vinegar. Seal bag and gently massage chicken to ensure thighs are coated in vinegar. Chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400°. Remove chicken thighs from bag and pat dry with paper towels. The drier the skin, the crispier it will be when cooked.

Place chicken thighs, skin side down, in a dry large cast-iron skillet and set over medium heat. Cook undisturbed until they easily release from the pan, about 4 minutes. Continue to cook, moving chicken around occasionally to ensure the skin is cooking evenly, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate.

Set skillet over medium-high heat add garlic and cook lemons, cut side down, until edges are deeply charred about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate and let cool slightly.

Return chicken to the skillet,skin side down and bake until it’s cooked through, 10–12 minutes.

Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl; add garlic, honey, and red pepper and whisk to combine. Whisk in oil and any accumulated juices on plate with chicken. Strain and season vinaigrette with salt and black pepper.Lemon Chicken Thighs

Drizzle half of vinaigrette on a platter and set chicken on top. Serve with remaining vinaigrette alongside.

Lemon Chicken Thighs


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Breaded Roast Chicken Thighs

Breaded Roast Chicken Thighs

A simple recipe – add a salad and it’s a whole meal.

Breaded Roast Chicken Thighs

 Breaded Roast Chicken ThighsPre-heat the oven to 450o. Place the cut potatoes in a bowl, add salt and pepper and enough oil to coat.
Mash and mix butter, mustard and oregano in a bowl. Season room temperature chicken with salt and pepper. Smear the butter mixture over the skin side of the thighs. Press the chicken pieces into the breadcrumbs so they stick to it.
In a lightly oiled baking pan, layer the potatoes and onions and then the chicken skin side up on top. If any of the butter mix is left, add it to the pan.Breaded Roast Chicken Thighs
Bake in 350o oven for 35 -40 minutes or until thermometer inserted in to chicken reads 160o. Heat broiler and broil chicken about 2 or 3 minutes or until golden brown.

Breaded Roast Chicken Thighs


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Chicken and Tomato Stew

Chicken and Tomato Stew

This is my version of a recipe that I found in Bon Appetit. It’s easy and tastes like you put a lot more effort into it than you did. The caramelized lemons are a nice touch.

Chicken and Tomato Stew

Ingredients:

Chicken and Tomato Stew

Preparation:

Stew

  • Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium-high. Cook chicken, until golden brown on both sides. Transfer chicken to a plate, leaving drippings behind.

Chicken and Tomato Stew

  • Add onion to pot and cook, stirring often, until softened. Stir in tomato paste and cook for few minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring often until onion begins to brown around the edges, about 3 minutes.

Chicken and Tomato Stew

  • Add tomatoes and return chicken to pot. Pour in broth (it should barely cover chicken) and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and gently simmer until chicken is tender and juices thicken, 70–80 minutes.

Caramelized Lemon

Chicken and Tomato Stew

  • Trim the top and bottom from lemon, perch on a flat end, and cut lengthwise into quarters; remove seeds. Thinly slice quarters crosswise into quarter-moons. Place in a medium skillet, pour in water to cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 3 minutes, then drain and pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a small bowl; sprinkle with sugar and toss to coat.
  • Wipe out skillet and heat oil over medium-high. Arrange lemon pieces in a single layer in skillet. Cook, turning halfway through, until deeply browned in most spots, about 3 minutes. Transfer back to bowl and season with salt. Stir lemon pieces into stew just before serving. Serve with Italian or French bread.

Chicken and Tomato Stew


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Spatchcocked Chicken with Vegetables and Gravy

Spatchcocked Chicken with Vegetables and Gravy

Bring the chicken to room temperature. Put the oven rack in the center and preheat to 350o.
Spatchcock the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken salt and pepper and with the chopped rosemary.
Heat a cast-iron pan with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the chicken, skin-side down, and sear until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken.
Add the potatoes, carrots and onion to a bowl along with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and black pepper. Mix thoroughly until everything is coated with oil. Add the vegetables to the pan and place the chicken, skin side up on top of them.

Roast for about 60 to 70 minutes. Place the chicken on a cutting board covered loosely with foil to rest for 15 minutes. Move the vegetables to a bowl leaving any liquid in the pan.
Place the pan over medium heat. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan. Add the chicken broth and simmer until reduced and thickened. Whisk in the butter and simmer for another few minutes. Pour the gravy over the vegetables.
Carve the chicken into pieces and serve with the vegetables and the gravy. Sprinkle the vegetables and chicken with chopped parsley.

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Spice Rubbed Roast Chicken

Spice Rubbed Roast Chicken

A simple recipe – not too hot but just enough of a spark to make it interesting. After you put all of the ingredients in the blender your work is about done and then you just let it marinate.

Spice Rubbed Roast Chicken

Spice Rubbed Roast Chicken(Cajun Spice)

Put all rub ingredients in a blender and blend until it’s smooth and liquidy. Place chicken in a bowl and pour rub over it and coat thoroughly – use your hands and really rub that mix in. Cover and store in fridge overnight or at least 8 hours.

Spice Rubbed Roast Chicken

Bring the chicken to room temperature and pre-heat the oven to 450o with the rack in a low position. Place the chicken pieces skin side up in a well-oiled backing pan. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until brown. Legs and thighs need to cook a little longer than wings and breasts.


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Chicken Marengo

(The Battle of Marengo by Louis-François Lejeune)

Chicken Marengo

(another chicken recipe for my friend Herb)

The story goes that after he won the Battle of Marengo in northern Italy, Napoleon was hungry. His chef sent out troops to scavenge what they could and they came back with chicken, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions and herbs. The original recipe also included fried eggs and craw fish but I left that out.

Chicken Marengo

Chicken Marengo

Season the room temperature chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown it in the butter and oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pan large enough so it fits in one layer. Remove the chicken and pour off the fat from the pan. Return the chicken to the pan and add the mushrooms, onion, garlic, bay leaf and thyme. Stir and cook about five minutes. Add the wine and deglaze the pan. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth and parsley. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover and cook 10 minutes. Serve with rice, bread or small pasta.Chicken Marengo

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Roast Chicken and Tomatoes

Roast Chicken and Tomatoes
A fairly simple recipe with just a few ingredients but when it’s done it has complex flavors. And it looks like you put a lot more effort into it than you actually did.

Roast Chicken and Tomatoes

Roast Chicken and Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 450° with the rack toward the top. Finely chop 1 garlic clove and place it in a bowl with salt, black pepper and red pepper, oregano and 1 tbsp olive oil.  Thoroughly coat the room temperature chicken with this mixture.

Depending on their size, cut the tomatoes in halves or quarters. Cut the remaining garlic in half lengthwise. Add salt, black pepper and ¼ cup of olive oil and toss until coated. Arrange in an even layer in a pan.Roast Chicken and Tomatoes

Cut each breast in half and place the chicken pieces on top of the tomato garlic layer. Roast until done –  about 40 to 50 minutes – then 5 minutes under the broiler.  Let chicken rest for 10 minutes and serve.Roast Chicken and Tomatoes


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Grandma’s Chicken Soup

Grandma’s Chicken Soup
This is a minestra that Grandma used to make in Salerno. I do it the same way although sometimes I cheat a little and use store bought stock. It’s a fairly simple recipe, even if you make your own stock.

 


Remove the bones and cut thigh meat into small bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and black pepper and brown in the oil and remove.

Sauté  celery and onion over low heat until soft – don’t brown. If there’s too much fat left from browning the chicken, drain the excess. Add oregano, stock, bring to a boil and deglaze pot. Simmer 10 minutes.


Return chicken and simmer for another 10 minutes covered.

Check for seasoning, bring to a boil and add pasta. As the pasta cooks and absorbs the stock, add hot water to keep a soupy consistency. Serve with grated parmigiana.


 


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