An overnight Crockpot Success..

I needed some chicken for my Buffalo Wing Dip and had a chicken in the fridge that was ready to be used and the herbs in my balcony garden were starting to grow so nicely. I came across this crockpot recipe for a chicken and it was perfect for my dip as the chicken was so tender and just fell off its bones. The rest of the chicken and bones, I used to make some chicken stock and store in the freezer for a later recipe.

Chicken with 40 Cloves Garlic

Ingredients:

2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh sage
2 sprigs fresh Italian parsley
40 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 whole chicken
2 stalks celery

Directions:

Place sprigs of thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley and half of the garlic in chicken cavity. Place celery in stoneware. Put chicken on top of celery. Add remaining garlic around chicken. Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken. Cover; cook on Low 8 - 10 hours (High 4 - 6 hours). To serve, place chicken, onions, garlic and celery on serving platter.

Note: You can squeeze roasted garlic out of skins onto toasted French bread slices and spread with knife topped with some crumbled goat cheese and a little rosemary. Yummy!

Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs... Thai style...

I was browsing through the canadian living website the other day and came across this Thai Thighs recipe. Always looking for a new way to do chicken, this one caught my eye. Plus, it helped that it used one of my favorite ingredients of all time: peanut butter! I didn't make any revisions to the original recipe. Hubby and I were quite impressed and now this will be a new dish in our rolling monthly menus.

Thai Thighs

Ingredients:

1/3 cup (75 mL) Minced green onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp (50 mL) hoisin sauce
2 tbsp (25 mL) peanut butter
1 tbsp (15 mL) Minced gingerroot
1 tbsp (15 mL) soy sauce
1 tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice
1/2 tsp (2 mL) hot pepper sauce
2 lb (1 kg) chicken legs or thighs
2 tbsp (25 mL) Chopped fresh coriander or parsley

Directions:

In bowl, combine 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the onions, garlic, hoisin sauce, peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil, lemon juice and hot pepper sauce. Arrange chicken in shallow baking dish. Spoon sauce over chicken and bake in 375°F (190°C) oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Sprinkle with remaining green onion and coriander.

Enjoy!

P.S. Sorry for no pictures this week but life has been too hectic... I know cheap excuse for a photography student :)

More Summertime BBQing ....

Hubby and I have recently found out our new home purchase has been delayed for another year. We were so excited to be moving out of our little apartment and finally having a place to call our own. One of the things we have been looking forward to the most is its rooftop deck and being able to own a bbq of our own... now there's a heartbreaker :(

So we've decided no need to wait until then to grill and we have started practicing with some recipes now and taking them to my sister's place for grilling there. Here's a great chicken skewer recipe with the slightest hint of lemon... Great for a hot summer's day like today... We served them with some vegetable skewers that were marinaded in Italian salad dressing. Great accompaniment to this bbq.

Lemon Chicken Kabobs
By: The Canadian Living Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 lb (500 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp (2 mL) each dried thyme and salt
½ tsp (2 mL) poultry seasoning ( I added)
¼ tsp (1 mL) pepper

Directions

Cut chicken into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces. In bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and poultry seasoning. Add chicken and toss to coat. Put all ingredients into a resealable bag and refrigerate for up to 24 hours.

Once ready to BBQ, soak bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. In the meantime, seed and cut pepper into 1 inch chunks. Alternately thread chicken and pepper onto skewers. Cook on greased grill, until the chicken is browned and no longer pink inside, 12 to 16 minutes.

Enjoy!

Our Canada Day Picnic (...cont'd)

These were quite the hit at our picnic but next time I would bake these wings in the oven at 350 degrees for an hour… I find you have a better appreciation for the different flavours when this recipe is baked and not grilled.

Grilled Asian Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce (60ml)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (80ml)
1/2 cup honey (60ml)
1/4 cup Asian sesame oil
4 cloves minced garlic
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger (30ml)
3 tablespoons peanut oil (45ml)
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes (25ml)
Pepper to taste
2 lbs of chicken wings

Directions:

In a bowl whisk together soy, lemon juice, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and dried chili flakes.

Rinse the chicken wings under cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Place the meat in a large resealable plastic bag and pour marinade overtop. Seal the bag and toss to distribute the marinade evenly. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours turning occasionally.

Preheat the grill to medium heat.

Remove the wings from the bag, place on a tray and discard the marinade. Pat the excess marinade off of the chicken and drizzle with oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper.

Oil the grill. Grill 10 minutes per side or until the skin is crispy and golden brown and when pierced in the thickest part the juices will run clear. Remove from grill and tent with foil. Let rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Enjoy!

Trying my hand at a new stir-fry...

I always wanted to try my hands at a teriyaki dish and although this one was pretty good, my suggestion for next time would be to the cut the chicken breasts into even smaller pieces. The pieces seemed a little overwhelming for me but I've learnt for next time :)

Chicken Teriyaki Stir-fry

INGREDIENTS

MARINADE

½ cup soy (125ml)
½ cup sherry (125ml)
½ cup brown sugar (125ml)
¼ cup rice wine vinegar (62ml)
1 tbsp garlic, minced (15ml)
1 tbsp ginger, minced (15ml)

STIRFRY

4 Chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 tbsp corn oil (15ml)
Head of broccoli
1 zucchini
1 tbsp of cornstarch (dissolved in 2 tbsp of water)

DIRECTIONS

Add all of the marinade ingredients into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes just until flavor is infused. Let the sauce cool to room temperature.

Cut the chicken breasts into strips and place in a sealable plastic bag. Pour cooled marinade over top and place in the fridge to set up for a minimum of 2 and up to 4 hours.

Cut broccoli into small flowerets. Heat a wok over high heat. Add corn oil. Stir-fry broccoli for 1 minute. Push to one side of wok and add the beef and zucchini. Stir-fry till chicken turns brown and is cooked. Add marinade and cornstarch and stir for 2 minutes until it becomes thick.

Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

It's a Cold February Night...

My husband kept mentioning this homemade chicken & rice soup, his mom used to make for him all the time when he was a child. So here’s my attempt at making a Filipino dish called Arroz Caldo and I have to admit I really loved it too! What a great dish to make on a cold February night…

Chicken Congee (Arroz Caldo)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 onion, chopped
1 rotisserie chicken, deboned, chopped
1 cup long grain rice
7-8 cups of water or chicken stock
2 tablespoons patis (fish sauce)
½ tablespoon black pepper
1 chicken bullion cube
3 stalks green onions, chopped
Fried minced garlic
1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Directions

In a pot heat oil, then sauté garlic, ginger and onions. Cook until onions are softened and translucent. Add chicken and heat through. Add rice and stir to coat with oil. Pour in chicken stock to cook the rice. Season with patis, black pepper and bullion cube (if used water instead of chicken stock).

Continue cooking over low heat until rice is done. Approximately 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve topped with chopped green onions, fried garlic and a wedge of lemon.

Enjoy!

Adobo Chicken

This dish took a long time to develop, after many hit and misses, although hubby never seemed to complain, I think I've finally perfected Chicken Adobo. This dish is a regular for us now especially served over hot steamed rice.

Chicken Adobo

Ingredients

8 boneless chicken thighs or any cut of chicken, quartered
2-3 cloves chopped garlic
1 medium to large chopped onion
1 tsp of black pepper
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup vinegar
3 tbsp soya sauce
½ cup of water

Directions

In large sautee pan (aluminum pots may react with the vinegar), heat pan with about 2-3 tablespoons of cooking oil (veggie or canola will do)

Brown the chicken then place in a plate.

Saute chopped garlic and onions in the pot - cook until translucent.

Add chicken to the pot and add vinegar, bay leaf, soya sauce, water and pepper.

Bring to a boil, stir and then let simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes. This ensures almost all the liquid is gone, and then it naturally fries itself in the oils left in the pan.

Serve over hot steamed rice.

Enjoy!

Helena’s Famous Beer Chicken

At my last visit to Portugal, I had watched my aunt make a very quick and easy chicken dish and since then I've made some changes to the original recipe but continue to keep it in my cooking repertoire. It is one of my hubby's favorite meals.

Helena’s Famous Beer Chicken

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken thighs with bone
½ package of Knorr onion soup
¼ cup of (low-sodium) vegetable broth
1 bottle of beer
1 tablespoon of pimento paste
1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch, dissolved in 1 tbsp of water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spray a rectangular baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Wash the chicken and place in baking dish.
3. Sprinkle with onion soup. Pour in broth and beer. Stir in pimento paste and vinegar.
4. Bake for 1 hour or until chicken is done.
5. Take the chicken juices and place in a pan. Reduce. Add cornstarch to thicken.
6. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken Leftovers...

After last night's chicken we had lots of chicken leftovers and a favorite of my hubby's is Chicken Squares... It'll become one of your faves too.

Chicken Squares



Ingredients

3 ounces cream cheese softened
1 tablespoon butter melted,
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
2 tablespoons of pesto
1 tablespoon of sundried tomatoes (or roasted red peppers)
1/2 teaspoon hot pimento paste
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese and butter. Add the rest of the ingredients; mix well.

Divide crescent rolls and form into 4 rectangles, pressing edges together to seal. Divide chicken mixture among the rectangles. Fold dough over mixture and press edges with a fork to seal. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

Serves: 4

Enjoy!

Monday's Family Night

Thought I'd greet hubby this evening with a special meal.... It's pretty corny I know but Mondays is our family night. All 3 of us sit in front of the tv watching The Bachelor and just relax preparing ourselves for the week. But what's family day without a good meal, so today was Portuguese Barbecued Chicken with couscous and sauteed vegetables. I also made some Cantonese Fried Rice just as an extra dish. We topped dinner with either a Butterscotch Cheesecake Nibble or a Fresh Fruit Tart.

Portuguese Barbecued Chicken

Ingredients

2 1/2 lb chicken
1/4 cup olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp of hot pimento paste
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Rinse chicken and pat dry. Place chicken in heavy plastic bag.

In skillet, heat olive oil over low heat. Cook garlic for 3-5 minutes. Let stand until cool.

Combine oil and garlic with paprika, pimento paste and lemon juice. Pour over chicken; turn to coat and close bag. Refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight, turning several times.

Remove chicken from marinade and sprinkle chicken with salt. Reserve marinade. Truss the bird to ensure securely tied. Insert the rotisserie rod through the chicken and place in George Foreman's Rotisserie Grill. Cook for 90 minutes, brushing chicken often with reserved marinade.
Makes 4 servings.

Another Successful Giada Recipe

It was girl's night and I had volunteered to bring dinner with me. With all the varying tastes, I wasn't sure what to bring but once again Giada came through. Our main dish included: Giada's Garlic & Citrus Chicken and our side dish was a take on Giada's Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables.

Garlic and Citrus Chicken

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

1 (3-5 pound) whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded
1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise, plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
Kitchen string or butcher twine

Directions

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Clean the chicken with water and the juice of a lemon. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan and place in the oven with half of the chicken broth. Lower the oven to 375 degrees F. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and chopped garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked for 1 hour. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F and continue roasting and basting the chicken with the juice mixture about 30-45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).

Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.

Baked Ziti with Roasted Vegetables

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 red pepper, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
10-12 mushrooms, halved
1 red onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix
340g whole wheat ziti pasta
2 cups marinara sauce
1 ½ cup grated mozzarella
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.

In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheese and peas. Gently mix, until all the pasta is coated and the ingredients are combined.

Lower the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pasta into a 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 30-40 minutes.

Enjoy!