Lemon Chicken Breasts

I am back from a trip to Maui with my family and it has been hard to reenter real life again.  It had to be done though, and now we have sweet memories to look back on.

I was looking for an easy recipe to make that did not mean going to the store for stray ingredients… this one fit the ticket and it is another winning recipe from the brain of Ina Garten.  This recipe is from Ina’s cookbook “How Easy was That?” (link) on page 120  I adapted it to serve my family of five.

Lemon Chicken Breasts

adapted from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa How Easy Was That? Page 120)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 1 Tbsp lemon zest (2 lemons)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp fresh minced thyme leaves
• Kosher salt, to season
• freshly ground pepper, to season
• 4 (6 oz) boneless chicken breasts with skin on
• 1 lemon sliced into  8 wedges lengthwise

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Warm a small sauce pan with the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the minced garlic and cook for about 1 minute, but don’t let it brown.  Turn the heat off and add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano and thyme.  Pour these into a large Pyrex baking dish.

Dry the chicken breasts with paper towels to remove excess moisture.  Season each chicken breast with salt and pepper and drizzle each lightly with olive oil.  Place them into the baking dish.  Tuck the lemon wedges between the chicken breasts.  Bake for 30-40 minutes or until done.   If the chicken skin is not browned place it under the broiler for a few minutes.  Remove from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Serve with a fresh vegetable and rice or risotto.

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Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream

Part 3: Main Course:

1. Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream Sauce (Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons- Julia Child)
2. Buttered Green Beans I (Haricots Verts a l’ Anglaise- Julia Child)
3. Scalloped Potatoes with Milk, Cheese, and a pinch of Garlic (Gratin Dauphinois – Julia Child)

We really liked the scalloped potatoes and buttered beans.  I have had more flavorful chicken, but it was not bad.  The sauce was good.  The recipe is pretty involved for the chicken, but it was certainly still in the good category.  Julia Child really explains her recipes well.  The steps are well spelled out.

Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms and Cream Sauce

(Supremes de Volaille aux Champignons- adapted from Julia Child – Mastering the Art of French Cooking pg 269)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 5 Tbsp butter
• 1 Tbsp minced shallots
• 1/4 lb sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 6 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• pinch of pepper

For the sauce:

• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 cup whipping cream
• salt and pepper
• Lemon juice as needed
• 2 Tbsp fresh minced parsley

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400- 425 F (I had it at 425 for the potatoes)

For the Chicken:  Heat the butter in a large skillet over moderate heat until it is foaming.  Add the minced shallot and cook for a minute or two, without browning the shallot.  Add the mushrooms and cook stirring from time to time, but not browning the mushrooms.  Season with salt.

Sprinkle the chicken breast halves with lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Quickly roll the chicken in the butter and mushrooms.  Butter a piece of waxed paper on one side.  Lay the paper buttered side down onto the chicken breasts.  Cover the skillet with a lid and put in the preheated oven.  After 6 minutes press your finger on the chicken breasts to test if they are done.  (If the chicken is soft to touch it still needs time to cook, if it springs back they are ready).  Remove the chicken to a warm platter and prepare the sauce.

For the sauce:  Pour the beef broth and white wine into the skillet with the mushrooms and butter.  Bring it to boil and reduce the liquid until it is syrupy.  Add the whipping cream and reduce liquid to thicken slightly.  Turn off the heat and taste adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper and lemon juice if desired.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with parsley.  Serve while hot.

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Buttered Green Beans I

(Haricots Verts a l’ Anglaise- (adapted from Julia Child Mastering the Art of French Cooking page 444)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

3 lbs hot blanched green beans

salt and pepper, to taste

4 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces

Preparation:

Cook the green beans in a covered saucepan with 1 inch of water, and 1 tsp of salt.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover.  Steam the green beans for about 10 minutes, or until crisp tender.  Pour off the water.  Heat the beans to evaporate the excess water.  Season with salt and pepper and toss.  Pour into a prepared serving dish.  Dot the green beans with pieces of butter.  Serve while hot.

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Scalloped Potatoes with Milk, Cheese, and a pinch of Garlic

Gratin Dauphinois – (adapted from Julia Child Mastering the Art of French Cooking page 523)

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

• 6-7 cups Russet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8″ slices
• 1/2 clove garlic, cut in two
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 4 oz grated Swiss cheese (optional, but if you do omit it increase the butter by 2 Tbsp)
• 1 cup boiling milk

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Peel and slice the potatoes 1/8 inch thick.  Keep them in a bowl of water until you need them to prevent browning.  Drain and dry on paper towels when ready to use.

Rub the bottom and sides of the baking dish with the slices of garlic to give it a little flavor.  Coat the baking dish with butter.  Place 1/2 of the sliced potatoes in a neat layer along the bottom of the baking dish.  Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese and dot with half the butter.  Repeat with a layer of potatoes, season, sprinkle with cheese and butter.  Pour the boiling milk over the potatoes and bake at 425F for 20-30 minutes.  If they are just underdone, cover with foil and allow them to sit for about 10 minutes while you finish other parts of your meal – or bake them another 5 minutes.

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Chicken A La King

We have had a busy few weeks at our home.  Two weekends ago, I had friends visiting from Austria, my son turned 8, and my daughter decided that that weekend would be a cool time to need surgery to have her appendix removed. My husband and I took 12 hour shifts at the hospital to see her through.  She came out fine and has even returned to school!

This week was much tamer, but I still had friends over because their daughter is about to leave for England to attend College and we won’t see her for a while.  I made ribs and chicken.  With plenty of chicken left over I wanted to use up a bulk of the leftovers.  Chicken A La King is one dish the whole family enjoys.  Since you use cooked chicken it does not take very long to prepare and is flavorful.  Chicken A La King is chicken in a white gravy served over toasted bread.  You can also use the base of this recipe to use up left over turkey.

The recipe is adapted from a book called Kitchen Keepsakes (pg 148 Book 2)

Chicken A La King (or Turkey A La King)

Serves 8

• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup diced carrots
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 cups warm chicken broth
• 2 cups half and half
• 4-5 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)
• 1 (3 oz) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1/2 cup pimiento, chopped
• Toasted bread

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium high heat.  Saute the carrots, celery and onion until tender, about 15 minutes.  Add the flour and salt and stir constantly until the flour is no longer raw.  Reduce the heat to medium and slowly add in the chicken broth whisking it to get the mixture smooth.  Add the half and half, stirring constantly until heated through and slightly thickened.  Add in the chicken, mushrooms and pimientos and heat through.  Taste and season with more salt if desired. Serve over toasted bread.

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Chicken Piccata

My husband asked me if I took a picture of dinner for my blog.. of course I had – no one is allowed to eat until I have taken a picture of the food around here!  “Well, David, should I blog it?”  His answer: “Yes, you should blog it and make it often!”  I think he liked it!  Chicken Piccata is breaded chicken breast with a nice lemon wine sauce.  Delicious!

The recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks: Barefoot Contessa At Home by Ina Garten (page 96).  I used chicken breasts that were sliced into 1/4 inch thickness rather than pounding the chicken thin like suggested.  I think it made it easier to make and I will do so again.  Randall Farms makes a package that has about 8-10 sliced pieces of chicken breast that worked out perfectly for my family. Also, I did not season the chicken before breading them, as the breading has salt in it- and it didn’t need it.

Chicken Piccata

adapted from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa At Home pg 98)

• 1 package thin sliced chicken breasts (or pound out chicken breast halves into 1/4 inch thickness)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups seasoned breadcrumbs (Italian by Progresso is what I used)
• olive oil for frying
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided use
• juice of 2 lemons (keep the halves for the sauce after squeezing the juice)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• sliced lemons, for serving
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley (or fresh if you have it)

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Pound out the chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thickness (or use thinly sliced chicken breasts like I did and skip the mess!)

Set out 3 shallow bowls.  Fill the first with the cup of flour and season with salt and pepper.  In the second beat 2 or three eggs.  In the third bowl, pour the seasoned breadcrumbs.  Dip the chicken first in the flour and coat; then in the egg and finally, coat the chicken breasts with breadcrumbs.

Heat a non stick skillet over medium high heat.  Add enough olive oil to cover the bottom about 1/4 inch.  After it has come to heat place 3-5 of the chicken tenders in the pan and fry them for 2 minutes on each side.  After they are golden brown remove them to the prepared sheet pan.  Continue cooking the chicken breast tenders until they are gone.  Place the sheet pan in the oven for 10 minutes.  Pour off the excess oil and wipe the pan out so there are no breadcrumbs left in the pan.

Reduce the flame to medium.  Add 1 Tbsp of the butter and add the lemon juice and white wine, lemon rinds, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Bring to a boil and let it reduce by half (about 2 minutes).  Take the pan off heat and add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter, stirring constantly until it is fully incorporated.  Add chopped parsley and stir into the sauce.

For serving: place the chicken cutlets on a platter, top with additional lemon wedges and pour some of the sauce over the chicken.  Serve the remaining sauce on the side.

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Skillet Italian Chicken with Orzo

I love orzo pasta. It seems that any time I make something that contains orzo it instantly is transformed into a comfort dish that will be a repeat. My son was convinced that I was making pizza as dinner approached – and he didn’t believe me when I told him I was making chicken. It did smell like pizza. The scent of oregano, and tomatoes wafted through the air.

I found this recipe in Cook’s Country Magazine April/May 2010 issue (30 Minute Supper card). I increased the amounts to accommodate my family of 5. In the end I had a large amount left over because the chicken breasts that I used were twice the size of the usual. It was yummy with just a little kick of spice. The orzo is dry roasted until slightly browned. Then the chicken breasts are browned and then finished in a simmer with the Orzo and tomatoes. You do not need to heat up your oven – if you skillet with fit everything. My skillet only had room for 3 of the giant chicken breasts, so I transferred them to a baking dish and did cook them in the oven, but only because the chicken pieces were so large. I should have split them and used just three. So if you are cooking this for a larger group you can bake them in the oven covered with foil (I had the temperature at 350 and baked them for 25-30 minutes).

Skillet Italian Chicken with Orzo
adapted from Cook’s Country Magazine April/May 2010 (Recipe card)
Serves 6
Ingredients:
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (try to get small ones)
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1 /2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp (each) salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups orzo (I like Barilla brand)
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
shredded Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions:
Dry the chicken breast halves with paper towels.
Combine the oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a small bowl and sprinkle each chicken breast half with the mixture on both sides. (Use less red pepper flakes if you don’t like it with much kick).
Toast the orzo pasta in a large non stick skillet about 3-5 minutes shaking the pan from time to time until the orzo is golden brown. Remove the orzo and set aside for later use.
Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in the pan and heat over high heat until the oil is shimmering. Cook the chicken breast halves for 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
Pour remaining oil in the skillet and add the garlic, stirring for about 30 seconds until the garlic is fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes (with their juices), chicken broth, and toasted orzo pasta and bring the mixture to a boil. Top the pasta with the chicken breasts and any juices from the plate. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Cook over medium-low for about 10 to 15 minutes until the pasta is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Top each serving with basil and shredded Parmesan cheese.

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Easy Curried Apricot Chicken

I received this recipe from my friend Kay.  It is a really easy chicken recipe that is tasty and quick to make.  Serve it with steamed rice and veggies to complete your meal.

Kay’s Easy Curried Apricot Chicken

Serves 6

• 1 (12 oz) jar apricot jam
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tbsp curry powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 6 boneless chicken breast halves

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Combine the apricot jam, water, curry and salt in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Pour the apricot mixture over 6 chicken breast halves in a 9x13x2 baking dish.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear.

 

Oregano Chicken

Those of you who follow my blog with a regular basis know that I love allrecipes.com.  For those of you not familiar with that site, there are recipes rated by members.  I typically pick 4 and 5 star recipes that almost always guarantee success.  I often will read the changes others have made and then decide if I will follow the recipe exactly or will add or take away or substitute ingredients.

Here is a recipe I have followed exactly on ingredients, but cooked at a different temperature and length of time because I was baking another dish at the same time (Ratatouille – posting that next).

Oregano Chicken (link)-source allrecipes.com adapted cooking time and temperature

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. (Originally 375 for 30 minutes)

Make a sauce, combining the melted butter, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, oregano and garlic powder.  Stir.

Arrange the chicken breast halves in a casserole (mine were quite large and took even longer to cook through than usual).  Pour the sauce over the chicken.  Place in oven.  Every 15 minutes open the oven door to ladle the sauce over the chicken from time to time.  Cook 45 minutes and test if no longer pink.  Cook longer if needed. Mine took almost an hour.  The sauce is tasty.  I served it with pasta and Ratatouille.

Chicken Curry

Lately, my husband and I have been eating curry at every opportunity.  A recent trip to a Thai Restaurant rekindled that craving.  Some days of the week are crazy and hectic for us.  Getting dinner in our bellies and out the door for various activities is sometimes a challenge.  On those days I like to use short cuts.  It is not beneath me to buy prepared sauces when it is needed.  I don’t want to tangle with complicated seasonings and sauces to get dinner on in a rush.

I picked up some Kikkoman Thai Red Curry Sauce and Vigo Saffron Yellow Rice Mix to help me get dinner on.

I cooked zucchini and mushrooms as my sides and kept them warm in the oven.  I cooked the rice mix according to package directions.  I cut up 3 chicken breast halves, seasoned them with salt, and browned them in a little olive oil over medium high heat.  After the chicken was fully cooked I poured the Thai Curry sauce over the chicken and heated the sauce through.  It made a simple, tasty dinner before rushing off.

Tangled Menu: Part One

In celebration of the movie, “Tangled” being released to DVD I created a Tangled inspired menu.

What tie does this have to the movie? If you saw the movie you may remember that a skillet was used as a weapon.  This dinner was prepared in a skillet.

I seasoned boneless skinless chicken breast halves with salt and pepper and browned them in a hot skillet in olive oil until they were golden brown on both sides.  I then transferred them to a baking dish to complete cooking in a preheated oven at 350F  for about 20-25 minutes.

Meanwhile, I brought a large pot of water to  a boil and cooked baby dutch potatoes until fork tender (about 10-15 minutes).  I drained the potatoes and reheated the skillet that I had seared my chicken in.  I added 2 Tablespoons of olive oil to the hot skillet and fried the potatoes until they were slightly browned.  I seasoned with ground sea salt and pepper and to finish them, sprinkled parsley flakes on them.

After the potatoes were done and the chicken was fully cooked.  I pushed the potatoes to one side and placed the chicken in the skillet and served it in the skillet.

The kids loved the connection to the movie.

Part 2: Hazelnut Parsnip Soup … coming soon to a blog near you (this one).

Sweet and Spicy Macadamia Chicken

A long time friend recently posted on Facebook that she had made a Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken for dinner.  I and several others begged her for the recipe and she sent it to me.   Now she does not say what she is having but says it is yummy.  I think she is tired of sending her friends her best recipes.  I am glad however that she shared this one with me, because it was an instant favorite.  I made a few changes – changed the nut to Macadamia from Cashew (only because I had them on hand) and added baby bok choy because they sounded like they would be a nice addition to this recipe- It was.  My daughters thought it would also taste good with Shrimp and I agree it would, but it would need less cooking time.  I would start cooking the shrimp with the garlic and when they are pink remove them from the wok, cook the other ingredients and then add them back in once the sauce comes to a boil.

She shared with me the original source of the recipe and you can find it here.  Thank you Doris! This recipe is a keeper.

Sweet and Spicy Macadamia Chicken

adapted from Best of Bridge Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken

Book Reference – The Best of the Best – Vol. 1 (Page: 200), Grand Slam (Page: 148)

Serves 6

Ingredients:
Sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 4 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 3-4 Tbsp. brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

Stir Fry Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 3 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes (shrimp would be really nice in this dish as well)
• 1/4 cup oil (peanut oil if no one has a peanut allergy)
• 2-3 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 red peppers, cut in strips (I used one red and one yellow)
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced into matchsticks (they could be coins, but my family likes softer carrots)
• 2 cups snow peas
• 3 baby bok choy, sliced
• 1 1/2 cups cashews
• sprinkling of sesame seeds, toasted

Instructions:
Combine all the sauce ingredients and set aside for later use.

In a bowl, combine cornstarch, sugar and salt. Add chicken cubes and toss to coat.

Heat wok or frying pan to highest heat. Add oil (I used Peanut oil). Heat to hot, not smoking. Add chicken, ginger, garlic and onion. Stir until chicken is opaque (about 1 minute). Add peppers and carrots. Stir 2-3 minutes. Add snow peas, bok choy and sauce. Cook until sauce comes to a boil. Add cashews and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve immediately over hot cooked rice.

Serves 6.

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