Wine Can Chicken

OK. I know there is no such thing as a wine can but this is really wine can chicken.  Poured a beer for Mark into a frosty mug, more on that later, then filled the can with white wine, lemon juice, garlic, onions and herbs.  After seasoning the chicken I mounted/stuffed/stuck the chicken on top of the can and grilled it. The best part was using the liquids in the can to make a pan sauce to serve with the chicken. I also did foil wrapped potatoes as a side dish, which I'll post tomorrow.

Yum.

I need to confess about the frosty mug.  We don't have any beer mugs in the house so I took a water glass, stuck it into the ice bin for a few minutes and pulled out.....this.  (Insert picture here)

The Ingredients:
1 3-4 lb roasting chicken
2 lemons
4 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs basil
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 can of beer (give the beer to someone)
6 oz. white wine (enough to fill the can about 3/4's full)
Lawry's season salt
pepper
olive oil

Here is what you need! Simple!

All stuffed and ready to grill!

The Method:
Preheat grill or get BBQ ready using indirect heat method. (one side hot, the other warm)
Remove innards from chicken.  Rub chicken with 2-3 tbsp of olive oil. Sprinkle with Lawry's and pepper. Massage so oil and seasoning is covering all parts.  Slide you hand under the skin on the breast to loosen the skin. Place 2 sprigs of rosemary and 4 sprigs of basil under the skin of both breasts.  Pour the wine and juice from both lemons into the can.  Stuff the cavity of the chicken with 1-2 used lemons.  Add the remaining herbs to the can along with the garlic. Place the chicken onto the can and place on a pie plate or other pan that can withstand heat.  Place on the cooler side of the grill.  Grill for 45-60 minutes until internal temperature of the chicken is 170 degrees.  Rotate occasionally to ensure even browning.  Let rest for 15 minutes covered with foil.  To make the pan sauce, add any chicken juices and contents from the pan into a saucepan, remove herbs and garlic, bring to a boil until reduced.  Add 2-3 tbs heavy cream or 2-3 tbs of butter and serve.

Obsessed with Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Not long ago, I posted buffalo chicken burgers and last week we had buffalo wings and now this?  We are obsessed.  Andrew wanted buffalo chicken burgers again but I wanted to make something with pasta.  As a compromise, I came up with this recipe.  For the meatballs I just followed my recipe for the buffalo chicken burgers but shaped into meatball shapes...well, duh.  The bleu cheese cream sauce was AMAZING.  Please give this one a try you will not be disappointed!

The Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken (or 1 lb ground chicken and 1 lb ground turkey)

1/2 red onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp grill seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/4c buffalo wing sauce ( I use Franks)
1 c panko bread crumbs

2 carrots, peeled and diced
4 stalks celery, diced
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp grill seasoning
1 tsp Lawry's Season salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 c white wine
1 c chicken stock
1/4 c buffalo wing sauce
1 c heavy cream
1 tbsp butter
2-3 tbsp good bleu cheese (add more if you love bleu cheese; taste as you go)
1 package pasta (shells or penne)

The method:
PreHeat oven to 425 degrees
Place chicken/turkey and next 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Toss and mix gently until ingredients are combined. Don't over mix or squeeze or the meatballs will be tough. Divide into equal portions and shape into meatballs. They will be sticky so wet your hands in between each one and have a sheet pan lined with foil ready to put them on. Chill for at least one hour to firm up before baking.

Tip:  Add all ingredients to the bowl first and mix. Then add chicken/turkey and panko. Less mixing means tender meatballs.

The Method Continued:

Cook the pasta according to package directions.  Cook just until firm or al dente.  Do not overcook. Drain and save 2 ladles of pasta cooking water.

To a large saucepan, add the olive oil and heat over medium.  Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pan and cook for approximately 10-15 minutes until well caramelized.  Add the garlic, grill seasoning, Lawry's and pepper. 

This is what the vegetable should look like before and after.

After the vegetables are caramelized, add the white wine,  Bring to a boil and reduce by half.  Next add the chicken stock and buffalo wing sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer for 3-4 minutes.  Reduce heat and add the cream and butter. Cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the blue cheese.  Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.   Add the pasta and mix to combine, about 1-2 minutes.  If the sauce is too thick add 1-2 ladles of the pasta water.  Serve immediately with the meatballs and extra buffalo sauce.

Melon and Arugula salad and Pounded Chicken

 

Watermelon, orange and arugula..oh my!  Dinner last night was healthy but tasty.  A peppery salad made with arugula and sweetened up with watermelon and oranges.  A lemon vinaigrette lightly dresses the whole yummy thing.  The pan fried chicken is easy and fast because it's pounded to cook quickly and a pan sauce is optional, especially when served with a salad.

The Ingredients:
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Lawry's Season salt or sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Package of arugula
1 c watermelon, diced into 1/2" cubes
1 orange, peeled and sliced into 1'2" pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
10-12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half

1-2 lemons, juiced (about 1/8 cup)
2 tbsp champagne or citrus vinegar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp Dijon mustard
about 1/2 cup olive oil

The Method:
Make the vinaigrette: Add first 7 ingredients to small bow. Whisk together.  Slowly drizzle olive oil while continuously whisking until emulsion forms.  Taste and adjust seasoning.
Prep the chicken: Place chicken one at a time in resealable plastic bag and pound to 1/2 inch thickness with a heavy bottomed saucepan.  Season with Lawry's and pepper.  Heat skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Sear chicken (may need to be done in batches) 3-5 minutes on first side until golden.  Turn over and sear remaining side.  Repeat with all pieces.  Transfer chicken to serving platter and cover with foil until ready to serve.
Add salad ingredients to medium bowl and toss with 2-3 tablespoons of vinaigrette.

Buffalo Chicken Burger

Last week, Mark and I booked a trip to Las Vegas, just the two of us, for a long weekend in June.  You know what that means...no, not that!  It means working out and eating healthy so I can actually put on a bathing suit in about 5 weeks.  So one of the first recipes we tried was this chicken burger, which is actually 1/2 chicken and 1/2 turkey because the grocery store only had one package of chicken breast left.  This store runs out of everything..but don't get me started on that.  Anyway, we love buffalo wings and this is a much healthier version, even with the creamy bleu cheese sauce.  If you are a hater of bleu cheese, you can substitute light Ranch.  If you have any leftover chicken you can make them into meatballs and serve with wing sauce for a healthy appetizer the next day.

The Ingredients:
2 lbs ground chicken
1/2 red onion, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp grill seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/4c + 1/4c buffalo wing sauce, 1/4 cup reserved for basting
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
whole wheat buns
spinach leaves

For the sauce:
1/2 c light mayo
2 stalks celery
Point Reyes Bleu Cheese or other good brand
salt & pepper
Mix all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and chill.

The Method:
Place chicken and next 6 ingredients, reserving 1/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce, in a medium bowl.  Toss and mix gently until ingredients are combined.  Don't over mix or squeeze or the burgers will be tough.  Divide into equal portions and shape into patties.  They will be sticky so wet your hands between burgers and have a sheet pan lined with foil ready to put them on.  Chill burgers for at least one hour to firm up before broiling or grilling.  Broil or grill each side for about 6 minutes before flipping.  Brush cooked side with reserved buffalo sauce.  Cook another 6 minutes and flip and baste.  Check internal temperature for 165 degrees.  Set onto a platter, baste again and cover with foil while you put together the buns and sauce.  I used spinach but arugula or plain iceberg lettuce would be good also.

Spicy Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup

We are soup eaters.  In fact, this week we are going to have soup 4 times.  I cooked this soup Monday night, my brother made Stir Fry Soup last night, Andrew is making soup tonight (he was undecided last night about what kind of soup) and Mark is making soup tomorrow night. Mark is going to try his hand at an authentic French Onion soup. Yum!  Then we are going to vote for the best soup of the week.  Like I said, we are soup eaters.  This recipe for Thai soup is easy and tasty and perfect for a weeknight dinner because it comes together in about 30 minutes.  I just sent this to Nancy because she loves Thai food and this is a perfect blend of spicy, sweet, salty and sour. 

The ingredients:
1 Qt (2 cartons) chicken stock
1 stalk of lemon grass, cracked open with the flat side of a knife (or the lemongrass in a tube found in the produce department)
4 limes, juiced plus 1 lime peel (3-4 pieces using a vegetable peeler, no white pith)
1 3 inch piece of ginger peeled and sliced thin
2 small Thai chilies, halved lengthwise (or 2 red jalapenos, sliced thin into rounds)
2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 13 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
3 tbsp soy sauce (you can add a bit more to taste before serving)
1 tbsp sugar
1 package of sliced mushrooms
½ red onion, thinly sliced into ½ rounds

1 roasted chicken from the deli or 2 chicken breasts, poached and shredded into large chunks
Salt and Pepper, to taste
¼ c cilantro, roughly chopped
5-6 basil leaves, roughly chopped
3 green onions, thinly sliced

The method:
In a large pot: Add the chicken stock, lime peel, lemon grass (or 3 tbsp of lemongrass from the tube), ginger, garlic, and chili’s or jalapenos. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes. In the meantime, shred the chicken and prep other ingredients. Uncover and add the coconut milk, lime juice, soy sauce, sugar, mushrooms, red onions and shredded chicken. Simmer for 5-10 more minutes. Adjust seasoning and add the cilantro, basil and green onions. Serve with udon noodles, cooked al dente or rice. You can pick out the ginger, lime and lemongrass before serving.

Chicken and Brie Panini

Panini's are like grown up grilled cheese sandwiches.  Cheese is a main component of any panini but you can mix it up by using different varieties of cheese, meat and other yummy fillings.  Brie is one of my favorite cheeses but not often used in sandwiches, mostly cheese trays.  When brie is served on a cheese tray it's usually accompanied by something sweet. Think figs, dried apricots...etc.  Yesterday, when I was thinking about this sandwich my mind turned to carmelized onions to add the sweetness necessary to use Brie.  Round out the chicken, carmelized onions and brie with some peppery arugula and you have one hell of a panini!

The Ingredients:
Ciabatta (or other crusty bread), sliced lengthwise
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, roasted and sliced
1/4 wheel of brie, room temperature
mayonaisse
2 onions, sliced
bag of arugula
olive oil
sea salt
pepper
1 tbls butter
1 tsp sugar

The method:
Pre Heat the oven to 400
Cover a cookie sheet with foil and place chicken breasts on the sheet.  Drizzle well with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast until breasts are golden, juices run clear and internal temperature is 170 degrees.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.
While the chicken is roasting add onions, butter and 1 tbsp olive oil to a saute pan.  Cook over medium heat until onions and wilted and starting to brown, about 15 minutes.  Add sugar and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.  To prepare the sandwich:  spread thin layer of mayo on both sides of the bread, spread brie on one side of bread, add a layer of chicken, arugula and finish with the camelized onions.  Place bread halves together and press down.  You can use a panini press or sandwich maker but if you don't have those items here is what I do:  Put half the sandwich in a saute pan, top with a sheet of foil and then add a heavy skillet.  I use my cast iron skillet.  Press down occasionally.  Cook over medium heat until bottom is golden, flip over and cook the other side the same way.  Slice and enjoy!  Bon Appetit!

Turkey Taquitos

Turkey, Turkey, Turkey!  You won't even know this is the same thing you've eaten for the past 4 days. Trust me.  Oh yah, did I mention this turkey dinner is healthy?  These yummy, healthy taquitos can be served with a salad or some rice made with chicken stock and tomatoes.

Ingredients:
2 cups leftover turkey (or chicken), shredded
1/4 cup of store bought salsa
1 c pepper jack cheese, shredded
8-10 soft taco size flour tortillas
cooking spray

The method:
Pre-Heat oven to 425 degrees
Cover a cookie sheet with non-stick foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.
Combine turkey, salsa and cheese in a bowl and mix to combine.  Place approximately 3 tbls of the mixture on one end of the tortilla and roll up tightly.  Place seam side down on the cookie sheet and repeat with remaining tortillas.  Spray the tops of all the taquitos lightly with cooking spray and place in oven.  After about 10 minutes turn the taquitos over and continue baking for 10 minutes or until light golden brown.  Serve with salsa and light sour cream.

Before baking...

After baking. Yum!

Home Run Chicken

Mark loves the St. Louis Cardinals.  He really, really, really loves Albert Pujols.  According to Mark he might just be the best, all-time, greatest player...EVER!  Picture this, Food Network is on (and it usually is in our house), Paula Deen's show is just starting and there on the screen is Albert and Dee Dee Pujol's!  Where is Mark?  Right in front of the television with a big smile on his face.  How could I not create the very meal Albert has been eating his entire life for the LOML?  It came out really good, even though the recipe found here on Food Network didn't include the most important component, a Dominican spice mixture, called Sazon seasoning.  A simple google turned up this method found here.  The entire meal was a success and we're having it again tonight!  Go Cardinals!

Yum, Yum! That is what we had for dinner last night and, according to my husband, it is his favorite chicken now! I should name the chicken after him and call it Markilicious Chicken because it really was delicious and obviously, my husband's name is Mark. Try this for dinner tonight and let me know if you loved it as much as we did. Share your ideas to use this chicken as a second dinner (Squeak). I'd love to hear from you.

Crunchy Chicken with a Lemon-Caper Sauce (Bubble)

Ingredients:
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c of Panko
1/2 c grated fresh Parmesan cheese (not from the green container)
1 tsp Lawry's
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 c lemon juice
1/2 c white wine
1/2 c chicken stock
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbs capers
1-2 tbs honey
3 tbs unsalted butter, divided
3 tbs olive oil

The method:
Preheat oven to 400
Place 1 chicken breast at a time in a zippered freezer bag. Pound to about 1/4 inch with a small skillet, meat mallet or rolling pin. Repeat with remaining chicken breasts. Season chicken with salt & pepper.
Place panko, parmesan, season salt & pepper in shallow container. Dredge each chicken breast in panko. Meanwhile, heat 1 tbs butter and 1 tbs olive oil in skillet. Saute 1-2 breasts for 2-3 minutes, until browned. Turn over and lightly brown other side. Transfer to foil lined baking sheet and repeat browning for each breast. Transfer chicken to oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
Prepare sauce: lightly wipe out skillet to remove panko. Add white wine and reduce by half. Add lemon juice and chicken broth, reduce by half. Add honey, capers and parsley. Off heat add 1 tbs butter and swhirl to combine. Serve sauce with the chicken.