Our Bella Cucina » Chicken

Pioneer Woman’s Chicken Spaghetti

sarah — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 08:00:45 +0000

A recipe that my children will eat is a good thing in my book. A recipe is elevated to great when my leftovers-hating children will eat it for lunch the next day. My husband doesn’t generally like casserole meals, so his opinion on this doesn’t count, but two enthusiastic thumbs up from me and the kiddos!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups cooked chicken – a whole fryer works well
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into two inch pieces
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 jar (4oz) diced pimentos, drained (optional)
2 cups chicken broth, reserved from pot
1 teaspoon Lawry’s seasoned salt
1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Remove and discard all the goodies inside the chicken then put it in a stock pot. Fill the pot with enough water to cover the chicken, put on the lid, bring to a boil and continue to boil for 30 minutes.

My husband thinks boiling a chicken is gross but it makes for really moist meat!

When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and allow it to cool a bit so you can handle it easily without burning yourself.

Remove 2 cups of liquid from the pot and set it aside.

If you’re going to bake this dish right away, now is a good time to preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Bring the remaining chicken stock back up to a boil and add the spaghetti. Boil it until it is al dente – it is important not to overcook it or you will end up with mushy pasta by the time the casserole is baked.

Now back to the chicken. Remove and throw away the skin, then start pulling off the meat. The recipe said to use 2 cups of meat but I basically used all the meat from the breasts, thighs, and legs.

When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it and place it in a large bowl.

Add the cream of mushroom soup, 2 cups of cheese, green pepper, onion, pimentos, and Lawry’s seasoned salt.

Mix until thoroughly combined and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add enough of the set aside chicken stock to achieve your desired consistency. PW added almost all of it, but I found I didn’t need nearly that much. It could have had something to do with my cream of mushroom soup only being semi-condensed, but I added barely 1/2 cup.

Place the mixture in a 9 x 13 casserole dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.

At this point you can cover and freeze it for up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake it immediately for 45 minutes until bubbly.

I would definitely make this again. I was a little skeptical at first, but it really turned out well considering I didn’t include the optional ingredients – I’m not a fan of pimentos and I didn’t want to risk the cayenne being too hot for the kids. So take it from me, it is still delicious even without the optional stuff!

Yum!

♥

Lemon, Lime, and Garlic Chicken

sarah — Fri, 21 May 2010 08:00:05 +0000

It seems to have become Low Fat Fridays around here, which I think is great. It shows you can have healthier food that is also delicious, and that you don’t need a stick of butter to create something tasty! This chicken is full of flavour, moist, and just plain yummy. If you don’t like lime you can always just double the lemon juice and eliminate the lime juice.

I’m nothing if not flexible!

INGREDIENTS
1/8 cup fresh lemon juice
1/8 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons molasses
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
6-8 chicken thighs, skinless
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken thighs in an 11×7 inch baking dish.

Combine the lemon juice, lime juice, molasses, garlic, and Worchestershire sauce.

Pour the mixture over the thighs, turning them to coat.

Cover the dish with cling wrap and place it in the fridge to marinate for 1 hour, turning occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Grab the chicken from the fridge and remove the cling wrap.

Sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly over the chicken.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, basting occasionally.

Serve with the sides of your choice.

♥

P-Dub Wednesday – Chicken With Mushrooms and Artichokes

sarah — Wed, 19 May 2010 08:00:56 +0000

I am normally not a fan of artichokes but I haven’t tried them in a few years so I decided to put on my big girl panties and give it a whirl.

The things I do for you people!

INGREDIENTS
8 chicken legs or thighs
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
16 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
5 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup white wine (or more to taste)
2 cups chicken broth
1 14.5oz can artichoke hearts, drained , rinsed, and patted dry
1 cup heavy cream
Freshly chopped chives to taste
Freshly grated parmesan
16oz pasta, cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS
Salt and pepper the chicken pieces.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (or dutch oven) over medium-high heat then add the chicken pieces and brown for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the chicken from skillet.

Add the sliced mushrooms to the pan with the garlic, then stir it around and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the wine and cook for a minute while it evaporates.

Pour in the chicken broth—you should have enough for it to be very liquidy.

Stir to deglaze the pan, then add the chicken back to the pan.

Add the artichoke hearts.

Put the lid on the skillet and continue cooking over medium-low heat (or in a 375 degree oven) for 30 minutes, checking to make sure the chicken broth doesn’t completely evaporate. (Add more as needed). This is also the time you want to get your pasta water on to heat up so your pasta is cooked in time.

Remove the lid and reduce the heat to low. Remove the chicken from the pan and pour in the cream then stir to distribute it.

Add the chives, then add chicken back to pan. Put the lid on the pan again and cook for an additional 10 minutes to thicken the sauce.

Stir and check the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Pour everything over the cooked pasta and top with more chives and parmesan.

Honestly? I wasn’t a fan. I was right on the artichoke front, so I didn’t eat those. I also found that the sauce was not thick enough to coat the pasta, so the pasta felt a bit dry and the sauce was just really liquidy. I have no idea if maybe I did something wrong in the cooking process, but this meal just didn’t work for me. If anyone else has made it I would be really interested in hearing what your experience with it was – especially if you like artichokes.

Oh well, I can’t win them all!

♥

Chicken Nuggets

sarah — Mon, 17 May 2010 08:00:21 +0000

This recipe came about after watching that Jamie Oliver Food Revolution show on tv. They had a segment showing how processed chicken nuggets are made and, after swallowing my own vomit, I vowed to make my own simple version of chicken nuggets that could be easily prepared for my boys. I’m not claiming that they are the best but they’re easy to make, tasty, and my kids will eat them – that is the most important thing when you’re trying to feed preschoolers!

INGREDIENTS
2 skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1″ pieces
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons Lawry’s seasoned salt
2 eggs, beaten
olive oil

It is important to use the panko crumbs because it makes the nuggets extra crunchy!

DIRECTIONS
Put the breadcrumbs and seasoned salt in a medium size bowl and mix to combine.

Toss a nugget around in the beaten eggs to coat it.

Then roll it around in the breadcrumbs till you have an even coating.

Put the prepared nugget aside on a plate and repeat the process with all of its little friends. As you’re doing each nugget, give the crumbs a quick toss to make sure the seasoned salt doesn’t settle to the bottom of the bowl.

Over medium-high heat, pour in enough olive oil to well coat the pan.

When the oil is hot, add your first round of nuggets and cook until golden brown.

Turn the nuggets over to cook the other side, periodically pressing them to check for firmness. There’s a fine line between soft enough to be undercooked and firm enough to start being dry, so press on them often to check. They should only take about 1-2 minutes per side at the most.

When cooked set them aside on a plate covered with paper towel and repeat the process with all the nuggets. As you do each batch, you will need to add more olive oil to the pan.

Serve with the sides of your choice!

One of the handy things about this recipe is you can prepare them earlier in the day and just pop them in the fridge till you’re ready to cook them. I’m all for avoiding last minute dinner prep rush!

♥

Asian Lettuce Wraps

sarah — Mon, 03 May 2010 08:00:10 +0000

I used to eat this as a child when my family would go to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. I would have one as an appetizer back then, but I now cook it as a main course for my family. I got the recipe from my good friend, Culinary Queen Sheri, and it is a favourite in my house – especially with the hubby!

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs lean ground beef, chicken, pork, or turkey
4 green onions, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root
2 carrots, grated
3/4 cup diced water chestnuts
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp pepper
1 head iceberg lettuce (gently peel off the leaves to use as the wraps)

DIRECTIONS
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground meat of your choice, breaking it up as necessary until it is no longer pink. Drain off the fat.

I used ground chicken which is tougher to break up than beef so I used a potato masher which worked well.

Add green onions, garlic, ginger, carrots and water chestnuts and cook over medium heat until the green onions are softened (about 5 minutes).

Whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, water and pepper.

Pour into the skillet and cook, stirring until combined and slightly thickened.

Spoon into a lettuce leaf, roll it up like a burrito, and enjoy! If you especially like hoisin sauce, like my husband and I do, you can spoon some of it into the bottom of the leaf before adding the meat mixture and it is delicious!

The prepared and cooked meat mixture can be frozen for up to three months so it makes a really easy instant meal on those nights when you need something fast!

Now that we have the cooking out of the way, I can say how happy I am to be back. I didn’t think I would miss blogging as much as I did and I’m looking forward to sharing yummy things with you guys again! You wouldn’t believe how long it took me to prepare this post. In the weeks since I last blogged I have lost my posting rhythm and my whole work flow was so scattered. I kept making mistakes and having to redo photos and it was just crazy. Big props to my husband who kept the wild and crazy kids at bay so I could concentrate on getting this finished.

See y’all tomorrow!

♥

Pioneer Woman Wednesday – Chicken Strips

sarah — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 08:00:07 +0000

These were oh so yummy! I’ve been trying for years to find a recipe that gave chicken a real chunky crispy coating and have been sorely disappointed every time….until now.

INGREDIENTS
8-10 chicken tenders or chicken breasts cut into strips
Buttermilk
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2-3 teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoning Salt (or spices of your choosing)
Vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
Start by rinsing and drying your chicken tenders. Next submerge them in buttermilk for 15 to 20 minutes.

In another bowl combine about 1 ½ cups of flour and 2-3 teaspoons of Lawry’s Seasoning Salt (or other seasonings if you prefer). Mix this together well.

Next, add about ¼ to ½ cup of buttermilk into the flour mixture, stirring lightly with a fork as you add it.

Heat about 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over a medium heat.

Get out a plate and sit it next to the chicken and the flour mixture – have everything within reach to make this process as smooth as possible.

Remove a few of the buttermilk-soaked strips and place them in the flour mixture, turning them over to coat them thoroughly. Place them on a plate.

Continue coating the chicken strips until they are all ready to cook.

Throw a few small pieces of the coating into the pan to see if the oil is hot enough. If it starts bubbling immediately and browning the small pieces then it is ready.

My oil obviously wasn’t hot enough yet.

I found that it took a reeeeeally long time to get the oil heated at a medium temperature. I think next time I will heat it on a high heat and then turn it down to a medium heat when it reaches the correct temperature. When the oil is sufficiently heated, begin cooking the strips a few at a time.

My oil was hot enough to be bubbling but I realized later it was not hot enough.

Cook them for about a minute and a half or so on each side. When golden and crispy, remove them to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve with the sides of your choice. We had it with salad and the delicious cornbread I posted last week.

These really were good. The only problem I had was heating the oil – it took over half an hour to heat it at a medium temperature and then when I thought it was hot enough from my test pieces, I put the strips in and it started to cook but I realized later that it wasn’t quite hot enough yet because it ended up not quite crunchy enough. It was crunchy and slightly chewy which is really my own fault. I also cooked them for a lot longer than the 1.5 minutes that PW advised, but that’s likely due to the oil heat problem.

Overall though, A++ would cook again.

♥

Suprêmes De Volaille À Blanc

sarah — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:00:33 +0000

No you’re not hallucinating, yes it is Wednesday and no, this is not a Pioneer Woman recipe. Before you get out your pitchfork, allow me to explain! I had a recipe all ready to cook last night but in the afternoon my two children transformed themselves into demon spawn. Seriously, it was like the exorcist around here minus the head spinning (though they did come close!).

So after that whole debacle, the last thing I felt like doing was cooking so my awesome husband ordered Chinese take out and I’ve postponed P-Dub day this week to Thursday. I promise. You might not even miss it considering this recipe has cream in it.

Now you’re probably wondering what exactly is Suprêmes De Volaille À Blanc? The translation is Breast of Chicken With Cream and in this case it’s a delicious port cream sauce that you’re going to just love. This is originally a Julia Child recipe that I’ve adapted somewhat to streamline the process.

INGREDIENTS
4 skinless chicken breasts
Chicken Seasoning
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup port
1 cup cream
Salt
Pepper
Fresh parsley (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Apply cooking spray liberally over a baking sheet and place the chicken breasts on top, then sprinkle the chicken seasoning over top of them. Pop them in the oven to bake for 20-25 minutes.

Pour the chicken stock and port into a pan and bring to a boil. Allow the mixture to boil down until the liquid is syrupy.

Stir in the cream and boil down again over high heat until the cream has thickened slightly.

Taste the sauce and season it as needed with the salt and pepper.
If you haven’t yet, remove the chicken breasts from the oven and serve with the sauce poured over top.

I know they don’t look appetizing, but they’re really moist and once you put the sauce over top you’ll forget how they look underneath!

If you’re anything like us and love sauces, you might end up doubling the sauce recipe. If you do that, just plan accordingly because it will take longer for the syrup to form so you might want to delay putting the chicken in the oven a little. You could also not do that and just let the breasts sit on the plates for a few minutes. They might not be as hot when serving time comes, but letting the meat settle helps maintain the moisture when you cut into them.

Enjoy!

♥

Honey Mustard Chicken Breasts

sarah — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 08:00:20 +0000

We have a long standing joke in my family that this dish is so simple, yet so tasty. Every single time, without fail, that we sit down to eat it, either myself or my husband comments “You know what? This dish is so simple, yet so tasty!” then the other one rolls their eyes.

Just like you’re rolling your eyes at me right now.

I guess it’s one of those jokes where you just have to have been there!

INGREDIENTS
Cooking spray
Four boneless and skinless chicken breasts
Salt and ground black pepper, to taste.
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups breadcrumbs.
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

DIRECTIONS
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. I could say this is optional, but the truth is I was in a rush to get dinner done and just plain forgot to do it!

Mix the mustard and honey in a shallow dish.

Spread the breadcrumbs in another dish.

Dip each breast in the mustard/honey mix to coat on both sides.

Dip both sides of each breast in the crumbs, patting them to adhere.

Set aside on a plate.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil is very hot, but not smoking.

Add 2 chicken breasts & cook until the undersides coatings are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn and brown the other sides, about 2 minutes more.

Spray a baking sheet with the cooking spray and transfer each browned breast to the sheet.

Repeat with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and breasts.

Bake the breasts on the baking sheet until they feel firm when pressed in the centers, about 10 minutes.

Now as a side note, I want to show you this cool gadget I use for mashed potatoes. I truly am a kitchen gadget whore and Williams Sonoma is my usual street corner. Recently though, I found a new place to walk and that is my local restaurant supply store which is also open to the public. On my last trip there I found this – a potato ricer.

You sit it on top of your pot and it has ridges on the bottom to hold it in place. Then you lift open the top…

Fill it with your boiled, strained potatoes…

Close the lid back down and press hard to squash the potatoes down and force them out the little holes in the potato compartment.

What you get are all these soft potato worms and you can then mix in whatever you usually use to make mashed potatoes.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I think that is pretty darn cool. No more bashing the potatoes into submission with a regular masher, trying to get every last lump out. With the ricer you get perfectly mashed, lump-free potatoes every time with one press.

Consider that my good deed for the day.

You’re welcome.

♥

Curry Chicken

sarah — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 08:00:05 +0000

The great thing about a nice curry is that the spice level is adjustable. My husband would love it if this recipe were spicier, but I am a wimp when it comes to spice heat. I love love love the flavour, just hate hate hate the heat – it’s a product of my bland food upbringing! Therefore, the recipe as it stands below is mild enough for my children and I (they love “yellow chicken”!), but if you would like to increase the heat then just use a stronger chili and curry powder and season to taste.

INGREDIENTS
2-3 chicken breasts
½ large onion, chopped
1 medium-large garlic clove, minced
1 can coconut milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
½“ piece ginger root, finely chopped or crushed
1 teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Apply cooking spray liberally over a baking sheet and then place the chicken breasts on top.

Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tray from the oven and put it aside while you prepare the sauce. It is important to let the breasts sit for a few minutes because if you cut into it right away all the juices will escape and the chicken will end up drier in texture by the time the dish is finished.

I know this does not look appetizing, but it produces really moist chicken, so trust me!

Fry onion, garlic, and ginger in oil for 5 minutes.

Add spices, stir and cook for another 2 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk and bring to boil, cover the pan, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

About 10 minutes into the simmering is when I usually turn my rice cooker on. A rice cooker is such a handy appliance to own as it takes away my stress about multitasking the timing with side dishes and you have perfect rice every time! You don’t have to get an expensive one either if you’re just using it occasionally for rice and you can find one for around $30.

While we’re waiting for that to simmer, I want to show you this cool spoon rest I got for Christmas. I know it’s a really simple thing, but before I got it I was sitting my wooden spoon on the counter and leaving a saucy mess on the counter top. Plus it’s a beautiful blue colour. It’s the small things in life!

Once you’ve finished laughing at my love for my spoon rest, go ahead and slice the chicken breasts into bite size chunks.

Add the chicken to the sauce, cover again, and simmer gently for a further 10 minutes until the chicken is heated through.

Stir in sour cream and serve.

Even if you think you don’t like curry, you really ought to try this recipe. I promise you there is no spice heat (if you use mild spices) and the coconut milk makes it so creamy. Trust me. Would I lie to you?

♥

Sticky Chicken

sarah — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 08:00:40 +0000

I have been making this recipe for so many years now that I don’t even remember where I got it. I’ve probably tweaked it so often over the years that I could claim it as mine now anyway. I’ve not yet met a person who doesn’t like it and the sweetness it gets from the honey makes it a hit with children too!

Yes, I do have giant mutant size bottles of soy sauce and olive oil!
INGREDIENTS

6-8 chicken thighs
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup honey
2 cloves of garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking dish well with foil as sometimes the mixture can get quite sticky and baked on so it makes for easier cleanup.

It also has the added bonus that you can’t see my beat up old steel baking dish!

Place the thighs in a baking dish upside down (skin side down).

Mix together the oil, soy sauce, ketchup, honey, garlic, salt and pepper.

Pour mixture over the chicken.

Man it is hard to pour and take a photo at the same time!

Bake for 30 minutes then remove and turn the thighs over so the skin side is up

Place the dish back in the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes. This is also when I turn on my rice cooker so I have perfectly cooked rice when the chicken is ready!

Remove from the oven and serve with rice.

If you’re like me and a sucker for sauces, you can spoon some of the leftover sauce over your rice!

You’re welcome.

♥