Garlic Roast Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

Sorry I’ve been M.I.A., but my family moved about an hour away from where we were living. We are living with my parents until we find a place. They are being good sports, while my children proceed to shove noodles and play dough in the cracks of my mother’s dining room table and color on the walls. The coloring is by Katelyn, of course, who also thinks my parents’ carpet is also her canvas. My parents are our realtors, and when it comes time for us to pick a place, I’m sure they will never be more motivated than now to do their job – -  and quickly.

My mom has  a lemon tree and a rosemary bush in her back yard, and I use both to make the dish in this post. What I love about this dish is that every bite is full of flavor. This recipe is one of Rachel Ray’s 30 minute meals, and it tastes even better than a whole roasted chicken, and a lot faster. Perfect for a weeknight meal. Serve with pasta and a salad.

Garlic Roast Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

Recipe by Rachel Ray

• 2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves stripped from stems
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning) or, coarse salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Arrange chicken in a baking dish, 9 by 13-inch. Add garlic, rosemary, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest and grill seasoning or salt and pepper to the dish. Toss and coat the chicken with all ingredients, then place in oven. Roast 20 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice to the dish and combine with pan juices. Return to oven and turn oven off. Let stand 5 minutes longer then remove chicken from the oven. Place baking dish on trivet and serve, spooning pan juices over the chicken pieces.

Roasted Chicken Purses

If you want to impress without a lot of fuss, you have to make these roasted chicken purses. Not only do they taste great, but they look very gourmet. These are really quite simple, especially if you buy a rotisserie chicken instead of roasting your own. Serve these with roasted asparagus and artisan olive bread for a stellar meal.

Roasted Chicken Purses

Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

• 1 1/4 cup shredded roasted chicken (or any leftover chicken, light and/or dark meat)
• 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
• 1/2 lemon, zested
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling
• 32 small, square wonton wrappers
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

In a small bowl combine the chicken, ricotta cheese, lemon zest, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.

On a dry work surface place 8 wonton wrappers. Place a rounded teaspoon of the chicken mixture in the center of each wrapper. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash around the chicken mixture. Bring four corners of the wonton square together over the filling to form a purse. Press the edges together tightly to form a seal. Wipe the board with a towel until dry and continue making batches of 8 with the remaining wonton skins

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the purses and cook until they float to the surface, stirring occasionally, about 4 to 5 minutes. Drain the ravioli. Melt 4 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet. Turn off the heat, add the cooked pyramids and gently toss. Transfer the pyramids to 4 serving plates. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Indian Chicken Curry

Lisa (far left), me, and Kim making Ex-Lax Brownies

My roommate from college Lisa says she isn’t much of a cook, and then she asks for a chicken curry recipe. What this says to me is, she wants to challenge herself because for someone who doesn’t fancy herself as  a cook, a curry can sound intimidating. Lisa, you are my perfect audience member here, because this recipe is a great example of how you can make plate-licking, exotic-sounding food with ease.

Now, I know Lisa can cook some because I’ve seen her cook up a mean batch of brownies. And when I say mean, I mean, “mean,” literally. She did have accomplices though. When we were in college Lisa, our friend Kim and I made Ex-Lax brownies for the guys across the way. But we added so much, the brownies ended up falling apart and the guys caught on. This whole thing turned into a fiasco, with all of our furniture ending up on the roof of our “mod” (modular home) and my Bed Bunny being kidnapped. So wrong. The guys even wrote some creepy message to us in lipstick on our bathroom mirror.

The original recipe is really spicy so I am going to give kid-friendly suggestions within the recipe. My 2 1/2-year-old and 5-year-old loved this with the suggested changes. My husband and I just put a little hot pepper sauce on top to kick it up. I serve this with brown rice and I think it would also be good with some roasted broccoli. I would suggest cutting the chicken into small cubes and adding 1/2 pound more chicken than called for and 1/2 pound less potatoes. Lisa said her daughter loves chicken curry so I hope her family enjoys this version.

Indian Chicken Curry

Cooking Light, Submitted by Mickey Thomas

• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground red pepper (add 1 tsp instead, or a large pinch of crushed red pepper.)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound skinned, boned chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 (8 ounce) container plain fat-free yogurt (low-fat is fine)
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 5 cups cubed peeled baking potato (about 2 1/2 pounds)
• 4 cups water
• 4 1/2 cups hot cooked basmati rice (I used brown)
• 2/3 cup chopped tomato

Combine first 8 ingredients. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; saute onion and garlic 5 minutes. Stir in spice mixture; saute 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken, and saute for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.Combine the yogurt and tomato paste; stir with a whisk. Add yogurt mixture, potato, and water to pan. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice, and top with tomato.

Fighting the flu the old-fashioned way

I have geeky housewife dreams. Once I dreamed that I dusted a table, and turned around only to find it dusty again. A few weeks ago I dreamed that all the avocados on sale at the store were gone. Last night I dreamed that I thawed out a chicken, but then forgot what I was supposed to use it for, so I re-froze it (which obviously you should never do). But then, I was bummed because I remembered I wanted to make chicken soup with it. I know, my life is pretty exciting. I dreamed about the chicken because so many people I know are getting the swine flu, and I’ve been meaning to make a batch of chicken soup and freeze it for when we get hit with a seasonal illness.

I know it is cliche that chicken soup cures colds, but it has been scientifically proven to have healing properties. Recent studies have shown that while it may not prevent illness, it can provide relief. Chicken contains cysteine, an amino acid, which is released when the chicken cooks. According to an article on www.sixwise.com, “This amino acid is similar to the drug acetylcysteine, which is prescribed by doctors to patients with bronchitis. It thins the mucus out of the lungs, making it easier to cough out. And hot chicken vapors have been proven more effective than hot water vapors in cleaning out the cold in your nose.” (sorry about mucus-talk on a food blog. kind of yucky, but I’m trying to make a point.)

It’s no wonder why chicken soup is so good for you when you consider what else is in the soup. Carrots have beta-carotene which morphs into vitamin A, which helps white blood cells. Onions are an anti-inflammatory. Garlic helps maintain the levels of antioxidants in our system. Celery has vitamin C, and in fact some people even take celery supplements because of its benefits and has been referred to as a “cure all.” (for those of you interested, it is also considered an aphrodisiac. va-va-voom.) And parsley, well, it contains three times the amount of vitamin C as oranges. After writing all this and reflecting, wouldn’t be just more efficient to make a chicken soup supplement?

Chicken Soup

Laura Macklem

This recipe is in two parts – - first you make the stock, and then you make the actual soup. It looks like a lot of work, but it really isn’t.

Broth

1 whole chicken 3-4 pounds

2 carrots, washed and cut into fourths

2 stalks celery, including celery leaves, cut into fourths

1 onion, cut into fourths

1 head (not clove but yes, the whole head) of garlic cut in half from side-to side, not top to bottom

1 TBSP black peppercorns

1 1/2 TBSP Kosher salt

1/2 bunch of fresh parsley (you don’t chop it, just throw it in)

1 tsp Bouquet Garni (herb blend)

1 bay leaf

Place the cleaned chicken in the pot and add all the ingredients. You can stuff some of the vegetables into the cavity if you need to for space. Fill the pot a little more than 3/4 full. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer covered. When the chicken is done, in about 1 to 1 1/2 hours, take the chicken out to cool and strain the broth.

Soup Part

2 tsp olive oil

2 carrots, sliced thinly

1 small clove of garlic, minced

2 stalks celery the leaves, sliced medium

1 small onion, (about 1/2 cup) diced

1 cup frozen or fresh corn

salt and pepper

Bouquet Garni to taste

chopped, fresh parsley

After the chicken has cooled, pick the meat off. Save half the chicken for another use. Heat oil over med-high heat and sautee carrot for a couple of minutes. Lower heat to medium and add garlic, onion, and celery. (If using fresh corn, add here) Lightly salt to draw out moisture and prevent browning. Cook until vegetables start to soften. Add chicken stock, pepper, bay leaf, bouquet garni, and chicken. Bring to simmer, uncovered, and cook until vegetables are tender, or at least 30 minutes.  Add frozen corn if using. Add parsley.

You can also add noodles, but keep separate and add them to each bowl. The noodles will absorb the broth and your soup won’t be soup anymore after sitting in the fridge.

Two orange sauces for chicken or pork, one spicy and one on the sweeter side

I used to think I didn’t like orange-flavored foods, probably because of those gross chocolate orange things you get around Christmastime. However, living in California with all of the abundant and inexpensive citrus, I thought I should open my mind. Glad I did. These are pan sauces, one is a spicy Asian sauce from Cooking Light. It uses orange marmalade. The second uses fresh orange juice, and I actually adapted it from a cookbook. Pan sauces are an easy and inexpensive way to add class to your dinner table, any night of the week.

P.S.. — In case you don’t know, don’t ever use bottled lemon juice in recipes, only fresh! I know lemons can be expensive, so to get the most juice from them pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds and roll it before cutting. Also, you don’t have to buy the whole “hand” of ginger, as it is called. Break off what you need at the store.

Spicy Orange Sauce
(This recipe is good with chicken, shrimp, or pork)

Cooking spray
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
1 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon sambal oelek, or other hot chile sauce

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Add grated ginger; sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken broth, orange marmalade, and soy sauce; bring to a boil. Cook until mixture is slightly thick. Stir in fresh lemon juice and sambal oelek.

Yield: About 3/4 cup (serving size: about 3 tablespoons)

CALORIES 45 ; FAT 0.1g (sat 0.0g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g); CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 10mg; CARBOHYDRATE 11.2g; SODIUM 273mg; PROTEIN 0.8g; FIBER 0.4g; IRON 0.2mg

Cooking Light, JUNE 2009

Chicken in Orange Sauce
Adapted from “Stop and Smell the Rosemary”, Junior League of Houston, Inc.

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 TBSP minced shallot, or onion
4 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
1 TBSP white wine
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
4 TBSP unsalted butter, divided (if you only have salted butter throw it in anyway)
salt and pepper
1 pound boneless chicken breasts, or pork loin chops

Combine OJ, shallot or onion, vinegar, wine and sugar to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and reduce for about 15 minutes. Add 2 TBSP butter and stir. Taste and decide if you need salt and pepper. Meanwhile, salt and pepper your chicken breasts. Heat one or two TBSP of butter on medium high heat. Cook the chicken through, being careful not to turn it until it browns, otherwise it will tear. After it is browned on both sides lower the heat to medium low. Add the reduced sauce, scraping up the browned bits from the chicken into the sauce. Cook until thickened which should be almost right way.

I caught Anna (my almost 5-year-old) licking the plate trying to get more sauce, which ended up all over her chin.