Mediterranean Chicken

Before my surgery I wanted to create a dish with some of my favorite ingredients - inspired by Mediterranean flavors.  Here are the ingredients:

4 chicken cutlets, pounded thin
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
Olive Oil
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 lemons, juiced and zested
1 tomato, diced
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, diced
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
1/2 cup chicken broth

Pound the chicken out thin.  Salt and pepper the chicken.  Coat in olive oil.  Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Coat the chicken in bread crumbs.

In a sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter and olive oil.  Brown each side of the chicken.  Remove from heat and keep warm.

Add mushrooms, and garlic.  Saute on medium heat 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, 1/2 cup chicken broth, lemon juice and zest.  Add basil and oregano, salt and pepper.  Saute another 2-3 minutes. 

Pour over the chicken.  Add olives and feta.

I served my Mediterranean chicken with couscous.  Enjoy!

Spicy Spanish Chicken

My sister Karrie cooked dinner for the gang one night during our family reunion.  She cooked a delicious spicy chicken dish that had all of us going for seconds!  Here are the ingredients:

8-10 boneless chicken thighs

2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can rotel tomatoes
1/4 pound ground chorizo
Parsley
3 ears of corn, shucked or 1 can corn
1/2 green, red and yellow bell peppers, chopped
1 cup green olives, chopped
Sherry - 1/2 cup
Chicken Broth - 1-2 cups
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 Anaheim chili, chopped
1 tablespoon each:  paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cumin

Salt and pepper the chicken.  Grill the chicken thighs until they are about halfway cooked.  They will finish cooking in the oven.  Put the chicken in an oven proof pan and set aside.

Saute the carrots, celery, garlic and onion with a little olive oil.  Salt and pepper.  When soft, add to the chicken.

In the same sauce pan, cook the chorizo.  When the chorizo is cooked, add the canned tomatoes and the rotel.  Let that simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the corn, peppers (bell and hot), green olives, and spices.  Add 1 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup sherry.  Let that simmer for 10 minutes.  If the moisture boils out, add a little more chicken broth.

After the mixture has simmered, add everything together, with the chicken and vegetables already in the pan.  Add the remaining chicken broth and place in a 350 degree oven.  Cook for 40 minutes.  Serve on top of faro, rice or other grain to soak up the great juice!

Enjoy!

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is an Italian classic that will impress your family and friends.  It is super easy and quick.  Here are the ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Capers, optional
Fresh parsley

Begin by heating up the olive oil and butter in a saute pan.  Make sure your chicken breast is pounded/cut into thin, flat pieces.  Mix 1 cup of the flour, salt and pepper.  Dredge the chicken in the flour and brown the chicken on both sides.

Remove from the pan and keep warm.  If you need to add a little more butter/olive oil you can.  Add the garlic, shallots and mushrooms. 

Add two tablespoons flour.  Stir.  Slowly add in the chicken stock and fresh lemon juice.  When the sauce begins to thicken, add the chicken back in.  Stir in the fresh parsley and capers.

Serve with pasta or fresh vegetables.

Mangia!

Chicken Parmesan

This is an oldie but a goodie - an Italian classic!  It has a cheesy goodness, a tang from the sauce and some meat!  Serve with a salad and your entire family will love it!

Here are the ingredients for Chicken Parmesan:

4 chicken breasts, cut or pounded into thin cutlets
2 cups marinara sauce - CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE
2 cups mozzarella or provel cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
1 cup flour
Salt
Pepper

Start by heating up olive oil and butter in a saute pan.  Put the flour in a bowl, along with about a teaspoon of salt and pepper.  Mix that up and dredge the chicken.  When the saute pan is very hot, add the chicken.  Brown on each side.  You do not need to make sure the chicken is completely cooked - it will finish cooking in the oven.

Put the browned chicken on a sheet pan.  Cover with the sauce and cheese.

Cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

YUM!

Mangia!

Chicken Gyros

I love gyros!  If you haven't had one, find the nearest Greek restaurant and go!  Greek restaurants have this heat lamp/broiler that cooks the meat that has been layered on a spit.  The meat is then shaved off and served on pita bread, with tangy tzatziki sauce - LOVE!

I do not have a spit or a heat lamp to make authentic gyros.  However, this recipe allows anyone to make flavorful gyros.

Here are the ingredients for the marinade:

4 chicken breasts
4 lemons
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons oregano
2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and grated
8 ounces Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped mint
Salt and pepper to taste

Other ingredients:  Pita bread, sliced tomatoes, lettuce, sliced red onion, feta crumbles

To begin, cut the chicken into long strips.  Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl.  Leave the lemons in the bowl after they are squeezed.  Add the rest of the marinade ingredients.  Let the chicken marinate for one hour.

Assemble all of the tzatziki sauce ingredients in a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Mai is grating the cucumber for the tzatziki sauce

Grill the chicken

Gather a few extra items for the gyros:  tomatoes, lettuce, red onion, feta cheese

Roll the ingredients with the pita bread, like a taco, and chow down!

Check out this great recipe for Home Made Pita Bread

Mangia!

Smoked Chicken

Last summer I purchased a Brinkmann smoker.

It is my favorite gadget!  I love putting some meat in the smoker and walking away.  Letting the meat cook slowly, on a low heat, produces some of the juiciest, most flavorful meat I've ever tasted.  My absolute favorite meat to smoke is chicken!

It is so easy to make!  First thing you must do is start a charcoal fire in the bottom chamber of the smoker.

Determine what type of wood you want to put on top of the fire.  I like to use apple wood, mesquite or hickory.  Soak whatever wood you want to use in water.

In the smoker, there is a pan for water.  I like to put onions, lemons and other herbs and spices in this pan to give the meat some extra flavor and aroma.

What makes smoked so flavorful is the spice rub you put on the meat before putting it in the smoker.  I used the following for the chicken:
 
1 teaspoon zesty pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika

Combine the spices and rub all over the chicken.

Put the chicken on the smoker, put the lid on and walk away! 

The chicken will need to stay in the smoker for 6-8 hours, or until the chicken registers 180 degrees, using a meat thermometer.

My smoker has a gauge that I can use to make sure I keep it at ideal temperature (around 220 degrees).  Every few hours I add a few charcoal briquettes and some wet wood to keep the smoke going.

The skin on the chicken is crispy and the meat is extra juicy!  It is one of my favorite meals to cook!

Enjoy!

Julia Child's Chicken With A Mushroom Cream Sauce

I love Pinterest!  Yes, I admit to a Pinterest addiction.  I have another confession:  I pin a lot but don't do much with it!  My niece Julia pinned this great recipe and I just had to try it.  It is a Julia Child's recipe so you know it has to be good! 

Wait - good doesn't even begin to describe this chicken.  It was FABULOUS!  This is a recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  When I think about French cooking I think - complicated - but this was easy to make.  This recipe is a keeper!

Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons 

(Chicken Breasts with Mushroom and Cream)

Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. I by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck (Knopf, 1961)

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper (each)

5 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1/4 pound diced or sliced fresh mushrooms

1/8 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

1/4 cup white or brown stock or canned beef bouillon

1/4 cup port, Madeira or dry white vermouth

1 cup whipping cream

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley

Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub the chicken breasts with drops of lemon juice and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the butter in a heavy, oven-proof casserole, about 10 inches in diameter until it is foaming. Stir in the minced shallots or green onion and saute a moment without browning. Then stir in the mushrooms and saute lightly for a minute or two without browning. Sprinkle with salt.

Quickly roll the chicken in the butter mixture and lay a piece of buttered wax paper over them, cover casserole and place in hot oven. After 20-30 minutes, insert a meat thermometer to ensure the proper temperature of the chicken.  

Remove the chicken to a warm platter (leave mushrooms in the pot) and cover while making the sauce (2 to 3 minutes).

To make sauce, pour the stock and wine in the casserole with the cooking butter and mushrooms. Boil down quickly over high heat until liquid is syrupy.

Stir in the cream and boil down again over high heat until cream has thickened slightly. Off heat, taste for seasoning, and add drops of lemon juice to taste. Pour the sauce over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately.

Mangia!

Chicken Picatta

Tonight I had dinner with my Uncle Vince and cousins Ginny and Joe.  Since I lost my father, I have had a huge hole in my heart.  Tonight, Uncle Vince filled that hole a little bit.  He has the same sense of humor as my father and looks like him.  In a way, having dinner with him was like having my dad back, even for a little bit..................

Uncle Vince is almost 90!  He still drinks wine at every meal.  A true Italian!

Tonight, I made Chicken Picatta.  I love this dish!  Here are the ingredients:

Chicken breast

Butter

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds mushrooms

2/3 cup lemon juice

1 cup flour

Salt

Pepper

Capers

Parsley

To begin, take your chicken breast and put it in a Ziploc bag.  Pound the chicken thin.  Take the cup of flour and add a little salt and pepper.

In a large saute pan, heat up 1/2 stick of butter.  Dredge the chicken in the flour and brown on each side.  Keep warm while you make the sauce.

In another saute pan, add 1/4 stick butter, 1/4 cup olive oil, garlic.  Add the mushrooms and saute 5 minutes or so.

 Take some lemons and squeeze out 2/3 cup lemon juice.

When the mushrooms are done, add the lemon juice, capers and parsley.  Cook another 5 minutes.  Pour over the chicken and serve.  YUM!

I served the chicken with fresh, sauteed broccoli and pasta with oil, butter, and garlic sauce

Phil, Mom, Uncle Vince, Cousin Joe and Ginny

Family is everything.  Savor every moment you have with your family.  Cherish them, and thank God for them everyday.

Cousin Ginny and I

Mangia!

Chicken and Dumplings

One of my favorite meals is a big bowl of chicken and dumplings.  Over the years, I've adapted how I make it.  Here is the latest and greatest.

For the broth:

Several pieces of chicken, with bones
2 carrots cut into large chunks
2 celery stalks cut into large chunks
2 onions, quartered
2 lemons, quartered
Palm full of peppercorns
Bunch of parsley, thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt - 2 tablespoons
Pepper - 2 tablespoons
2 teaspoons chicken base (or more to taste)

Cover these ingredients with water - about 4 quarts.  Let that simmer for several hours. Drain and save the broth.  Take the chicken pieces and pick out the meat.  Add the meat back into the broth. Discard the solids - some of which would be great in your compost!

I really like white meat so at this point I add a few boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  Poach the chicken breast until done.  Remove from the broth, shred and add back into the broth.

For the dumplings:

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons shortening
1/2 pint of buttermilk

In your mixer (with the dough hook) add the flour, baking powder, salt and shortening.  Let that mix until you have a mealy consistency.  Add the buttermilk and let that form into a dough ball - knead about 5 minutes.

Take the dough and put it on a floured surface.  Roll the dough into thin pieces, keeping the dough well floured.  When the dough is thin, about 1/4 inch thick, use a pizza cutter to cut the dough into pieces.  Flour the dough pieces again.  The flour will thicken your broth.

Happy Hubby Helping!

 

Note:  If you don't want to take the time to make dough dumplings, my mom always used the recipe on the back of the Bisquick box.  These dumplings are great also!  They poof up and are very "doughy" - which I like!  I've also heard of people using canned biscuits - breaking the biscuits into small pieces and dropping them into the broth.

 

Bring the broth to a rolling boil.  Shake the dough pieces into the broth.  Cook on a full boil, stirring gently.  After 5 minutes, turn down the heat to low and put the lid on.  The broth will thicken as it cooks.  The dumplings are ready to serve after 20 minutes.

 

 



Enjoy!

Chicken Tetrazzini

This post is dedicated to my Mom...........she is the reason I have such a passion for food.  She taught me to cook, which was fortunate for my father because Mom did a lot of traveling with her job!

 

Mom grew up learning how to cook from her father, who loved to bake, and her grandmother Nellie, who loved cooking Southern food. By marrying into a Sicilian family, she was also fortunate to watch my Nonna and learn some Italian cooking secrets.  To say she is an eclectic cook is putting it mildly!

OK - secretly I'm doing this blog as an excuse to scan in old pictures! 

 

I asked my Dad what was his favorite thing Mom made - his response was not surprising, "PASTA!"  Dad could eat pasta everyday.  My favorite pasta dish that Mom made when I was growing up was Chicken Tetrazzini.  Here are the ingredients:

 

8 oz spaghetti

1 garlic clove, minced

Chopped parsley

1 pound fresh mushrooms

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup hot chicken broth

1/4 cup dry white wine*

1 cup heavy cream

Diced chicken breast

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

 

 

To begin, poach the chicken.  This means that you are simmering the chicken in water, with various vegetables and spices.  By doing this you are creating your own chicken stock.  I added onion, garlic, celery, lemon, salt and pepper to the water, along with 2 chicken wings and 1 breast. 

 

 

 

If you are going for fast you can buy a deli chicken and use that meat. 

 

When the chicken is cooked through, take the chicken out of the broth and let it cool.  Strain the broth and keep it hot.  When the chicken is cool, pick the meat off the bone.

 

Heat up a saute pan and put a little olive oil and butter in the pan.  Add the mushrooms and brown them.  Add garlic, bay leaf and parsley. 

 

When the mushrooms are brown, put them in the same bowl as the chicken meat. 

 

In the same saute pan, melt 6 tablespoons of butter.  When that is melted, add the flour and stir.  The butter will thicken, making a roux.  When the flour is incorporated into the butter, slowly add in the wine and hot chicken broth.  Slowly add the cream. 

 

In a sauce pan, cook the pasta in salted boiling water.  Stop cooking the pasta al dente.  This means that it still has a little bite to it - a little chewy.  The pasta will finish cooking in the oven.

 

Put the pasta in a pan.  Pour the chicken and mushrooms on top.  Pour the white sauce on top.  Sprinkle with cheese.

 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

 

*My Mom doesn't like cooking with wine.  Instead of wine, she put 1/4 cup milk into the dish.  Also, she added a little shredded cheddar cheese along with the Parmesan cheese.

 

Mom, Me, Tonette, Karrie and Julia

We all caught the cooking bug - OK, that might be an exaggeration with Tonette!

 

 

My dinner tonight!  Mangia!
This recipe is featured on Foodie Friends Friday!