Sweet n’ Spicy Asian Chicken Wings

Yesterday I got the call!  My camera is back home, save and sound…..and working which is the best part of all.  I got the call late yesterday and my wonderful husband stopped by the camera store to pick it up.  It was music to my ears to hear the shutter click like it’s suppose to.  I missed my camera so much that when it got home I threw it a little welcome home party.  I made a welcome home banner , put up streamers and made cupcakes.  Ok maybe I didn’t do that in the true physical sense but I totally did it in my head.   The camera made it home a little to late to take pics of this post but she will be back to work soon.

Earlier this week I started the laboring project of scrubbing the baseboards around my house.  It really is a fun and thrilling project….really, really it is….at least that is what I tell myself.  I should make the dogs scrub the baseboards but since they have no opposable thumbs I am on my own.  Since I was a little tired from being on my hands and knees scrubbing baseboards I wanted to make something easy for dinner.  Obed had been asking for chicken wings and I though I would give them a try in the slow cooker.  Just another reminder that the slow cooker isn’t just for pot roast.

I decided that something sweet, spicy and Asian would do the trick.  A little bit of sweet and a little bit of spicy, is a combination that almost everyone can love an appreciate.

The great thing about these wings is that they come together in the slow cooker relatively quickly.  If you set it to LOW you will cook them for 2 1/2 hours and if you cook them on HIGH they should be done in just over an hour.  These are great to make for any party or get together.

When they were done I thought that the wings were just a little too wet.  I am not a huge fan of the wet wing but I have always thought that fried wings can be a little dry.  The slow cooker is a great alternative to the standard fried wing and the meat falls right of the bone.

I decided to bake the wings in the oven on a cooling grid for a few minutes to dry them up a bit and they came out perfect.  I love my baking sheet with the cooling grid, it is perfect for cooking bacon, french fries or….well wings in the oven.  If you don’t have a baking sheet with a cooling grid don’t work just spray the baking sheet with some non-stick spray.

I gave myself a pat on the back for these, they were extremely tender, a little sticky and deliciously spicy and sweet.   Then to make my life even simpler I called Obed to pick up some Chinese fried rice to accompany the wings.  Dinner was ready!

Print Recipe

Slowcooker Sweet n’ Spicy Asian Chicken Wings

• 4 lbs of chicken wings, cut into joints, discard bony wing tips or freeze to make stock
• 1 tbs sesame seed oil
• 3/4 cup apricot preserves
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs fresh ginger, grated
• 2 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs fish sauce
• 1 Tbs sarachi sauce
• juice from 1 lime

Heat skillet at medium-high heat with sesame seed oil, brown chicken wings in batches for about 5 to 8 minutes.  Place into slow cooker.

Blend remaining ingredients together in electric blender. Pour mixture over chicken wings.  Cook wings in slow cooker on LOW for 2 1/2 hours.

Serve them wet straight out of the slow cooker or bake on baking sheet with cooling grid in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees, basting them with the sauce once.

Pollo Sofrito

Yesterday I got some good news.  My camera should be home in 1.5 weeks!  Although this little point-and-shoot has gotten me through the last few weeks and has a great macro lens, I will be happy to have my camera home where it belongs.  It was in fact a bad shutter and it is a $178 repair but I don’t care.  She is coming home!  It’s like the prodigal son….well daughter, because my camera is a girl.  :D   I am even more excited because right before my camera got sick I had bought a new 50 mm F/1.8 lens and have yet had a chance to give it a try.

Enough rambling about my camera let’s move on to the food.

I thought I would share one of my go to, easy, no fuss, no muss dinner options.  I call it pollo sofrito because all I use basically is chicken and sofrito.  I love dinners that come together will minimal ingredients, minimal effort and requires minimal hovering over the stove.  This qualifies as one of those dinners.   I used 5 chicken thighs because that is how I roll, but you can use any cut you want.

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.  Remove the skin from your chicken and season with my personal favorite magical seasoning, Goya Adobo.   I usually eyeball it, I would guesstimate about 1 Tbs, which was 4 – 5 circles over the chicken.

Whisk together, 4 Tbs of sofrito, 3 Tbs of olive oil and 1 Tbs of distilled white vinegar.

Heat a skillet at medium-high heat, lightly brush chicken with sofrito mix and brown chicken in skillet in batches, about 5 minutes.  Transfer browned chicken to glass baking dish.

When done browning chicken, deglaze the skillet with 3 Tbs of choice of broth, beer or white wine.  Be sure to scrap up all the yummy brown bits.

Pour broth with yummy browned bits over chicken.

Generously brush chicken with remaining sofrito mixture.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until juices run clean, basting periodically.

This is a delicious, juicy and flavorful chicken.  I serve this chicken with rice or rice and beans and some fried plantains.  DE-LISH!

This is suck the bone clean chicken, which is even better then finger licking chicken and it is easy!  Who doesn’t like that?!

Print Recipe

Pollo Sofrito

• 5 chicken thighs
• 1 Tbs Adobo
• 4 Tbs sofrito
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs distilled white vinegar
• 3 tbs of chicken broth (or any liquid of choice)

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees. Remove the skin from your chicken and season with my personal favorite magical seasoning, Goya Adobo. I usually eyeball it, I would guesstimate about 1 Tbs, which was 4 – 5 circles over the chicken.

Whisk together, 4 Tbs of sofrito, 3 Tbs of olive oil and 1 Tbs of distilled white vinegar.

Heat a skillet at medium-high heat, lightly brush chicken with sofrito mix and brown chicken in skillet in batches, about 5 minutes. Transfer browned chicken to glass baking dish.

When done browning chicken, deglaze the skillet with 3 Tbs of choice of broth, beer or white wine. Be sure to scrap up all the yummy brown bits.

Pour broth with yummy browned bits over chicken.

Generously brush chicken with remaining sofrito mixture.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes, or until juices run clean, basting periodically.

Serve this chicken with rice or rice and beans and some fried plantains.

Chicken Chilaquiles

When I was still a single gal living in Virginia Beach there was this restaurant that me and my girlfriends would go to after church.  It was a Mexican restaurant named “El Camino Real” on Indian River Rd.   I think we went there every other week, it was a bit obsessive.  One of my favorite dished that they had was Chicken Chilaquiles or “Chilaquiles de Pollo”.  

Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican dish.  Corn tortillas cut in quarters and fried are the basis of the dish. It is then topped with green or red salsa or mole.  The mixture is then baked or simmers on the stove top until the tortilla starts softening. Eggs (scrambled or fried) and pulled chicken are sometimes added to the mix. The dish is then topped queso fresco and/or sour cream, and it is served with refried beans.

Over the weekend I had a sudden craving for some chilaquiles.  I decided I would kind of wing and do them my own way.  This is what I came up with. 

Let start with seasoning the chicken with cumin, chili powder, coriander salt and pepper.

Give the chicken a good rub and make sure it is seasoned evenly, set aside.

In a dutch oven or heavy pot heat 1 tbs of olive oil at a medium high heat, add onions and garlic, cook for about 5 minutes or until they begin to become translucent.  

Now add your chicken to the pot and brown evenly on all sides.  This should take about 7 minutes or so. 

Once your chicken is nice and brown add the diced tomatoes.

Add green and red salsa. 

This reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Jerry and George are in the coffee shop talking about how salsa is now the #1 requested condiment and how much it sounds like selzer. 

It went something like this:

GEORGE: Why don’t they have salsa on the table?

JERRY: What do you need salsa for?

GEORGE: Salsa is now the number one condiment in America.

JERRY: You know why? Because people like to say “salsa.” “Excuse me, do
you have salsa?” “We need more salsa.” “Where is the salsa? No salsa?”

GEORGE: You know it must be impossible for a Spanish person to order
seltzer and not get salsa. (Angry) “I wanted seltzer, not salsa.”

JERRY: “Don’t you know the difference between seltzer and salsa?? You
have the seltezer after the salsa!”

It is a little odd how often I can compare my own life’s moments to Seinfeld episodes…..moving on.

Now add some cilantro and;

a good squeeze of half a lime.  Give it all a good stir and bring to a simmer. 

Once it comes to a simmer, lower the heat, cover and cook for 20 mins.

Once the chicken is done, transfer it to a plate, remove the bones and shred the chicken using two forks.

Return to the pot and stir it in with the sauce.

Take a stack of tostadas and break them up, you will need about 3 ounces.  You can use tortilla chip instead if you have them.

Start layering a 4×4 baking dish.  First layer with 1/2 of the tortilla chips.

Second layer is half of the shredded chicken.

Then 1 cup of Mexican blend cheese.

And repeat….tortilla chips,

shredded chicken;

and 1 cup of Mexican blend cheese.

And in case you don’t have enough cheese, sprinkle about 1/4 cup of queso fresco over top, because it is yummy and it looks good.  I am all about being superficial and looking good. 

Pop it in the oven at 350 degrees.  In 20 minutes this cheesy dish of deliciousness will emerge from your oven.

Cut yourself a fourth or a half, no one here will judge you.

Begin the heavenly decent upon your plate.  Serve with Mexican rice and garnish with cilantro and avocado.

These turned out better then I expected.  In fact I made them twice in one week.  I made them first on a whim on a weeknight because it was an easy dish to put together and I loved it so much I did it again on Saturday, so I could take pictures and post it.  I felt compelled to share it with you.   What  I loved about the dish was the different textures, some of the chips become soft and some keep a bit of a crunch.   It was the perfect dish for a chilly afternoon.

Print Recipe

Chicken Chilaquiles

• 3 chicken thighs, skinless bone-in
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp course salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1/2 cup onions, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup roma tomato, diced, about 3 tomatoes
• 1 cup mild red salsa
• 1/2 cup medium green salsa
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• juice from 1/2 a lime
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced (optional)
• 4 cups of broken tostadas or tortilla chips, about 3 ounces
• 2 cups Mexican blend cheese
• 1/4 cup queso fresco

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place chicken thighs in a medium sized bowl, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Season the chicken with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper.  Give the chicken a good rub and season evenly.

In a hot dutch oven or heavy pot heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil at a medium high heat.   Add onions and garlic to the pot, cook for a few minutes until onions and garlic begin to become translucent.   Add seasoned chicken to the pot, brown evenly on all sides, about 5 – 7 minutes.

Once the chicken is nice and brown add the diced tomatoes, salsas, cilantro and lime juice. (You can also toss in a chipotle pepper if you want to turn up the heat) Stir and bring to a simmer, once it comes to a simmer lower heat to medium and cover.  Cook for about 20 minutes. 

Transfer chicken to plate, remove bones then using two forks shred the chicken.  If it is easier you can wait for chicken to cool and pull the chicken with your fingers.  Return shredded chicken to pot and reheat. 

To assemble: Take 4×4 square pan, start with a layer of half of the tortilla chips, then half of the chicken, followed by 1 cup of cheese Mexican blend cheese and repeat.  You want to finish with chicken and cheese on top, sprinkle with queso fresco. 

Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  When done serve immediatly and garnish with chopped cilantro and avocado.

Simple Carbonara with Sage

This weekend was a very busy weekend and I didn’t get a chance to do my usual baking.  By Sunday night we were both exhausted and I needed to get dinner together quick and easy.  I was also low on groceries because we didn’t get a chance to make it to the grocery store.   

I think everyone can agree one of the easiest things to make for dinner is a pasta dish.  At first I thought I w0uld do a simple spaghetti with meat sauce but I had no tomato sauce and no ground beef.  So scratch that idea.  Then I thought about a quick Alfredo, but I had no cream cheese or whipping cream. UGH!  I really need to go to the store.   That is when I saw the chicken stock and the eggs.   I then found some bacon, onions and a lonely chicken breast. 

This is when I decided that carbonara was what we were having for dinner.  It’s simple and easy which means my butt could be on the sofa a lot sooner then later.  I decided to toss some sage in just because it’s Fall and it’s my kitchen so I can do whatever I want.    It was a good call, I really enjoyed it and Obed loved it.  He went back for seconds and thirds. 

Was it healthy?  Probably not since the base of the sauce is bacon fat and egg yolks, but when you are exhausted and everything including your hair follicles hurt, who really cares?   I ate my bacon fat/yolk based pasta and enjoyed it and I suggest you do the same!

Print Recipe

Simple Carbonara with Sage  (adapted from Linda’s Italian American Kitchen)  6 Servings

• 4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
• 2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
• 1 large yellow onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large chicken breast, diced into 1 inch cubes
• 4 sage leaves, minced
• 1½ cups hot Chicken Stock
• 1 pound cooked linguine
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Coarsely ground black pepper
• salt to taste

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to the boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring, until the bacon is lightly browned but still soft, about 6 minutes.

Measure out 3 to 4 tablespoons of the bacon fat, add the onions, garlic and chicken and cook until onions wilted but still crunchy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a boil, and adjust the heat to a simmer. Add sage and cook until the liquid is reduced by about half.

In the meantime, stir the linguine into the boiling salted water. Return to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, about 8 minutes.

Ladle off about a cup of the pasta-cooking water. Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, add salt if necessary. If necessary, add as much chicken stock or pasta-cooking water as needed to make enough sauce to coat the pasta generously.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the egg yolks one at a time, tossing well after each. Add the grated cheese, then the black pepper, tossing well, and serve immediately in warmed bowls.

Sopa de Pollo con Fideos (Chicken Noodle Soup)

Tired and lazy here, thought I would let you know I am alive……..

It is definitely getting chilly in these parts and when it’s chilly it is time for soup.  This is a soup that I make for Obed on chilly days like today.  He loves soup, in fact he had about three bowls of this soup and was sad when there wasn’t enough for a fourth.  This is how Mami(es) in Puerto Rico make chicken noodle soup.  First of all we use bone in meat, none of that dried shredded chicken breast stuff here and of course the secret ingredient sofrito.  Sofrito gives all Puerto Rican food its distinct flavor.

This is very simple to make and it just a warm and satisfying meal on a cold or rainy day.  Make it with love and it cures the common cold.

Print Recipe

Sopa de Pollo con Fideos (Chicken Noodle Soup)

• 1 whole chicken, cut in pieces
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 tablespoons olive oil (1 reserved)
• 2 quarts of chicken stock
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 3 tablespoons sofrito
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 large onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 large potato
• 1 envelope Sazon con Achiote
• 1 large bay leaf
• Angel hair pasta

Rub the chicken with salt, pepper and oregano and one teaspoon olive oil and set aside for 30 minutes.

In a large heavy pot sauté the sofrito purée, onions and celery with remaining olive oil, for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Brown the chicken pieces to seal in their flavor. Add the chicken stock or water to the chicken and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Raise the heat and bring to a boil once more; add carrots, potatoes, sazon and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, until carrot and potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. During the last 5 – 10 , minutes add the angel hair and cook until pasta is done.

“Enlighten” Autumn Chicken Pot Pie

YEAH!  My favorite time of the year is officially here! FALL!  Yesterday the sun was finally out and it was a wonderful 75 degrees.  I love this weather, although I am told that Fall doesn’t last long around here.  Last night it dropped down to 56 degrees.  I woke up a bit chilly this morning, not a problem because I have a husband to curl up to and a very furry dog to warm my feet.

Yesterday in celebration of the start of the new season I decided to make something very “Fall” and very yummy.  I went cruising around on the Internet trying to figure out what I can do with chicken that would be interesting and Fall-”y”.   Also since it recently came to my attention that this blog could very possibly be making me fat, I was also looking for a lighter more healthy recipe, then my usual.  It still has to taste good though because I am not about to start munching on rice cakes here. 

I haven’t mentioned it before but I went to my primary care doctor just over a month ago and she was kind enough to bring to my attention that I was maybe putting on a few extra pounds.  I deduced that this blog is making me fat.    However since that visit I put my rear into high gear and have lost about 8 lbs. YEAH for me!  However this blog in no way is going to become a “diet” blog.  I will continue to cook delicious hearty food, albeit lighter versions and I will not be having seconds and thirds.  Not that I did before…..really I didn’t….*crossing fingers behind back*  Anyway enough about my battle of the expanding waistline, back to the food.

While on my search I came upon a recipe for “Enlighten” Chicken Pot pie.  I though chicken pot pie would definitely be interesting but I still wanted it to be more “Fall”  and then I found Autumn Chicken Pot Pie.   I put the two together and came up with my own version of “Enlighten” Autumn Chicken Pot Pie.  The end result had every element I was looking for.  It was warm and hearty, and it has all the things that make you think of Fall, like butternut squash, apples and cranberries.   The sauce is infused with ginger root and sage which just warms your heart when you take a bite and it is so thick and flavorful you would swear there is butter in it, but there is no butter in this pie.     

My only apprehension about it when I took it out of the oven was that I thought the topping was really thick, but in my opinion it actually went very well with the filling. 

I promise you that you will love this and so will your family.  I think I maybe having some of the leftovers tonight.

Toodles!

Print Recipe

“Enlighten” Autumn Chicken Pot Pie  (adapted from epicurious.com and Publix)

Filling

• 2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium nonfat
• 1 cup pearl onions
• 1/2 lb butternut squash, peeled and diced
• 3 sage leaves , fresh
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 medium carrots, cut into slices
• 1 medium apples,Granny Smith cored and cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast

Dough

• 2 1/4 cups Bisquick, reduced-fat
• 3/4 cup skim milk
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Drop pearl onions into boiling water for 30 seconds; drain, peel.

Bring 1 cup broth to a boil in a large pot. Add onion and cook 3 minutes, until soft, then add remaining 1 cup broth, carrots, squash and sage. Bring to a boil and cook 8 minutes, until squash is tender. Meanwhile, combine cornstarch and 1 cup skim milk and stir until smooth. To cornstarch-milk mixture, apples, cranberries, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and ginger root, cook about 2 minutes. Add milk mixture to broth mixture, stir in chicken cook for about 5 minutes, or till it begins to thicken. Pour into a 9″ deep-dish pie plate. To make the topping, combine Bisquick, lemon zest, ground ginger and skim milk in a bowl. Using hands, lay topping over filling surface (flour your hands it’s sticky) and tap it down. Bake 15 minutes or until top is golden.

Servings 8 slices (hungry man may want 2 servings, mine did)

Cal:283 / Fat:6.7/ Protein:17.3 / Fiber:2.9 / Carb:38.1

Nutrition Grade: A

————————-

Nutritional Information can not be guaranteed to be exact.  Nutritional information is obtained by using about.com recipe analyzer.

Chipotle Chicken n’ Rice

Last week it rained and rained, yesterday it poured.  We did however get a nice break from the rain over the weekend.  We actually went downtown to a Rock n’ Rib Fest with some friends and my floor was free of wet dog prints for 2 whole days.  Alas it did not last.  Yesterday it rained so much I thought I was going to be sweapt away driving through my neighborhood.   There were a few cars that stalled in the water.

While I was held up in my house last week , because of the rain and an unrelenting desire to be a slacker, I searched high and low for recipes that required minimal effort or attention.  This recipe from Everyday Food caught my attention.  It puts an interesting twist on a dish that I grew up on.  Arroz con Pollo or Chicken and Rice was a staple in my home.  It is a one pot, no though dish that my mother would put together after a long day.

I was more then pleased with the results.  It was a very comforting and filling dish and no problems with keeping you warm on a cool fall day because the heat from the chipotle chilis. The recipe called for water but I used chicken stock instead.  It was fantastic and the leftovers were just as good. The rice actually refrigerated well and did not become hard and brittle. 

Everyone loves a delicious one-pot meal on a weeknight.

Print Recipe

Chipotle Chicken n’ Rice  (adapted from Everyday Food)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds total) I only did 3 because there are only 2 of us.
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
• 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo, minced (if you are a pansy about heat cut it down to 1 chili)
• 2 large tomatoes, diced large
• 1 cup long-grain white rice
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Lime wedges, for serving
• Chopped cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high. Season chicken on both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Brown chicken in batches, do not crowd the chicken, about 6 minutes total; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and saute until soft, about 5 minutes, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pot.  You can add a bit of water to release browned bits, if needed.

Add garlic, cumin, and chiles; cook until garlic is soft and fragrant, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt and cook until tomatoes begin to break down and release their juices, 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth and return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook 25 minutes.

Remove chicken and stir in rice, making sure it is completely submerged in liquid. Place chicken over rice, cover, and cook until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes more.

Serve with lime wedges and cilantro if desired.

Serves 4

Cal:669 / Fat:20.9 / Protein:70.7 / Fiber:2.2 / Carb:45.3

Nutrition Grade: B+

————————-

Nutritional Information can not be guaranteed to be exact.  Nutritional information is obtained by using about.com recipe analyzer.

Pollo Fricase (Chicken in Wine Sauce)

I feel like I haven’t posted in forever and it has only really been 3 days.  It is ok I have a good one for you. 

Yesterday PW did a posting on Coq au Vin, which is a French dish of rooster cooked in red wine.   It is traditionally cooked with an older rooster because it has a lot of connective tissues, which creates a richer broth.  However, since rooster isn’t something you typically just pick up at the super market here in the U.S., chicken is commonly substituted. 

Reading this post from PW reminded me of the Pollo en Fricase that my mother use to make when I was a kid.  It was my absolute favorite dish, hands down!  I remember when I would ask my mother what was for dinner and if she would say Pollo en Fricase, I would get so excited.  I could eat it by the truckload.  I even remember one time having a discussion with some neighbors of white meat vs. dark meat.  The neighbors only ate white meat but I told them that if they ate my Mami’s Pollo en Fricasse they would be in love with dark meat.  There are two things my mother always used when making fricase, dark meat and red wine.  Most recipes that I have seen for a Puerto Rican Pollo en Fricasse have been with white wine, but my mother always used red wine.

Yesterday was rainy and gloomy after we got off of work, so it was the perfect weather to make some Pollo en Fricase (how many times have I said Pollo en Fricase so far?)  The only thing I was missing was a bottle of red wine. I ended up running around because I didn’t realize that wine is not sold in grocery stores here in Oklahoma.  I chose Gallo of Sonoma Merlot.  I though this would be fitting since “gallo” means rooster in Spanish. My suggestion to you when choosing a wine for this dish is that it doesn’t have to be anything fancy but pick something you would drink.  Also, stay away from “cooking” wine because they tend to have a high salt content. 

Unfortunately because of the running around, starting dinner late, gloomy clouds and rain (which doesn’t create optimal lighting conditions in my kitchen) we have no step-by-step photos, but this is so stinking easy we really do not need them. 

This dish will be a hit with the family.  The chicken turns out so tender it almost falls off the bone and the sauce it lick off the plate good!  It is savory but it has a tangy sweetness because of the wine and after the chicken my favorite has to be the carrots.  They are soft and sweet, like little nugget treats.  I always serve it with rice so the rice sucks up all the sauce, but it doesn’t hurt to have a piece of bread handy.  Oh and I can’t forget, it makes awesome left overs since everything sits and marinades in the sauce.  It is just heaven!

I think I know what I am having for lunch.

Oh and one more thing, you can easily do this in a crockpot.  Toss seasoned browned chicken in with everything else and set for 6 hrs on low.  You will come home to a beautiful savory dinner.

Soppy sweet yumminess!

Print Recipe

Pollo en Fricase (Chicken in Wine Sauce)  (Serves 4)

• 3 lbs. chicken pieces bone in, skinned
• 3 tsp. Adobo Goya Seasoning
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. vinegar
• 3 Tbs. garlic, mashed
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 cup sofrito (12 cubes)
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 cup  red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 8 olives stuffed with red peppers
• 3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• salt to taste

Combine the first 5 ingrediants ahead of time and refrigerate until needed.  (I refrigerate mine at least 30 minutes, but usually overnight if I think far ahead enough. )

In a large heavy pot heat 1 Tbs. olive oil, add chicken and cook  and brown on both sides. Remove from oil and set aside. In the same pot add the sofrito and cook for 3 minutes or so. Return the chicken to the pot with the rest of the ingredients, season to taste, cover and cook over medium heat for 35 minutes until the chicken is tender.

Serve over white rice.

Crispy Indian Spiced Yogurt Chicken

Hey this ain’t no shake-n-bake!  Do you remember shake-n-bake?  Do they still sell shake-n-bake?  And, no I am not making any reference to the movie Talladega Nights.  This is not Ricky Bobby here.  My mother went through a shake-n-bake phase when I was a kid…..man am I glad that is over.

I have been on a bit of  a lazy streak lately.  Searching for dinner options that require minimal effort but are still interesting.  Earlier this week I was killing some time Stumbling during my lunch hour.  I like to stumble when I get bored, you find a lot of inspiration stumbling.  I stumbled upon this recipe for Crispy Yogurt Chicken from The Pioneer Woman.  (If you have never visited her site you must.  Homegirl is like blog royalty, check her out. ) I thought what a perfect, interesting & easy (ie. slacker) way to make chicken.

The recipe looks absolutly delicate and tasty, but when I see yogurt used in a savory dish I usually think Indian or Greek.  I thought to myself, how perfect would it be to put Indian spices in the yogurt, bread it and bake it.  It is like Indian “Fried” Chicken.  I am even curious about how it would turn out if I actually fried it, but that would have to be for another day.  I chose to use Greek yogurt because it is thicker and has less water in it, making the coating nice and thick.  I also used panko bread crumbs, not because the original recipe called for them, but they are my go-to choice for bread crumbs.  Panko breadcrumbs are Japaneese breadcrumbs, they are a much lighter and drier then regular breadcrumbs.  This produces a crispier and louder crunch then other breadcrumb

I was incredibly please with the results and don’t worry about a picky or suspicious eater, if they like crispy chicken they will like this.

The chicken was perfectly cooked and juicy, it almost had a creaminess to it.  The spices created a very warm and sort of cozy flavor to it.  It had just a smidgen of heat that was cut by the yogurt.  To top it off  a great crunchy crust that absorbed the all the flavor from the spices.  I scraped all of the crispy brown bits from the bottom of the pan, licked my fingers, patted my belly and called it a day.

I am honesly in love with this chicken!

Print Recipe

Crispy Indian Spiced Yogurt Chicken (2-3 Servings) (adapted from Pioneer Woman)

• 3 Chicken Thighs, skin removed
• 7 oz Plain Greek Yogurt
• 3 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• 2 Green Onions, minced
• 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1-2 Tbs Milk
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
• 1 1/2 Tbs Butter, divided in 3

Preheat oven at 350 degrees, butter baking pan and spray broling pan.

Combine 7 oz. of greek yogurt with 3 1/2 tsp of Gram Masala, stir and taste to check if you like more seasoning. Add green onions, garlic and milk, stir till well combined.

Dredge chicken in yogurt mixture and then in panko bread crumbs.

Place chicken in buttered pan, place thin pads of butter on top of the chicken & cover with foil, bake at 350 degrees for 35 mins. Tranfer chicken to broiler set to “NORM”, toast panko bread crumbs until golden brown.

Herb de Provence Chicken

Here is another quick and easy dish for those of you (me included) who have hungry ones in your home hounding you for food after a long day.  When I get home for work and am starting dinner, almost without fail, Hubby is poking around the kitchen informing me that he is hungry (like I didn’t know) and picking at whatever I am making for dinner that night.   Like when he was stealing my sausage the other day.   I keep a wooden spoon handy so I am covered.

 I have seen herbs de provence used on other blogs but I myself had never tried them.  The other day when I was at the grocery story I came upon this small jar of herbs de provence and decided to give it a try.  I usually try and buy and least one new and different ingredient every time I go grocery shopping.  I may not need it that day, but I will eventually come across a recipe that will call for that one ingredient and I will have it on hand.

If you have been watching the Next Food Network Star you will quickly recognize where I got this idea from, if not you can just imagine that I am a genius and I came up with this all on my own.   It’s really is super easy, I just dropped the chicken in the skillet, put another and when along making the rest of our dinner. 

 Herbs de Provence is a blend of thyme, rosemary, basil, marjoram, sage, fennel and lavender.  You can taste all the herbs especially the lavender, which makes all the difference.  It is not perfumey in any way, it is very light and delicate.  The chicken gets a nice crispy skin and is very juicy and tender.  It is perfect to server with fresh vegetables, pasta or potatoes.  It really can do with anything.

We were totally sucking the bones when we were all done.   Sometimes the best part is sucking and gnawing on the bone.  Oh and don’t forget to lick your fingers.

Print Recipe

Herb de Provence Chicken (Serves 3 or 1 for me and 2 for hubby)

• 3 Chicken thighs, skin on
• 3 tsp Herb de Provence
• 3 Tbs Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1 large Shallot, sliced
• 1 Tbs Butter
• 1 Tbs Wondra Quick Mix Flour

Heat 2 heavy skillets on medium-high (cast iron if you have it). 

Combine olive oil, herbs and salt in a small bowl.

Separate skin from chicken and rub oil mixture under the skin, turn and rub on bottom of chicken thigh.   Place in skillet, skin side down in one skillet and then place second skillet on top of the chicken, pressing the chicken.   Cook 5-7 minutes on each side, or until done.

Remove chicken from skillet.  Add shallots to drippings and saute, whisk in butter and quick mix flour, cook until shallots are soft.  Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.

Next Page »