Chicken Gravy

I think I liked this better than my family did.  Ok, I *know* I liked this better than my daughter, because her definition of "gravy" is the pepper gravy that comes in the little yellow packets - you know, the powder you mix with water?  She loves that stuff, adds a ton more pepper to it, and would eat the whole batch out of a bowl like soup if I'd let her.  What can I say...she likes what she likes. 

Anyway, I read a couple of Amish blogs and I ran across this post last week.  I was intrigued by the recipe for "Dixie Chicken Shortcake."  Looking at it, I knew I would have to make a few changes to suit my tastes.  I'm glad I did - it was delicious!

I did serve it over cornbread.  I used some cornbread mix that I had in the pantry, and it was way too sweet to handle the gravy.  I was thinking it would be fantastic over homemade noodles (the thick kind), or biscuits.  If I was going to do cornbread again I'd make my own and leave out the sugar.  My family ate their cornbread on the side, so they didn't have the same experience with it that I did. 

Here is my revised recipe:

Chicken Gravy

2 T. fat (chicken fat, butter, oil - it all works)
1 pound mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. flour
1 t. ground black pepper
2 c. chicken stock (I used homemade, and half my fat was the chicken fat I pulled out of the stock as it thawed)
4 c. cooked, shredded chicken
cornbread, biscuits, or cooked noodles for serving

Heat the fat in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add onions and mushrooms, and cook until the onions are soft, about five minutes.  Add garlic, pepper, and flour and cook for two more minutes.  Add stock, bring to a boil, and cook until slightly thickened.  Add chicken and continue to cook until heated through.  Add salt to taste and serve over hot cornbread, biscuits, or noodles.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

This year, for the first time, we bought 1/4 of a pig.  With it, I bought the leaf lard so I could render it, because I've always heard that lard makes the best pie crust, but I've never tried it.  After I rendered it, the whole house smelled, well, piggy, as did the lard, and I knew I wasn't going to be using it for fruit pies! 

Yesterday I pulled some of that wonderful snowy white lard out of the freezer and decided to try it out.  I made up the crust and, sure enough, it smelled piggy, enough so that I had to bake a test piece to make sure it wasn't just going to be disgusting.  In fact, it was delicious!  Just a hint of pleasant porkiness and wow - the texture!  Amazing!  So I decided to make this recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted from Allrecipes
Makes 1 9-inch pie

Crust for a 9-inch pie (my recipe is very similar to this one)
1/2 large onion, diced
1 c. sliced celery
2 large carrots, sliced
4 oz. sliced mushrooms
1/4 c. butter
4 cloves minced garlic
2 1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 c. flour
2/3 c. water
2 cups shredded chicken
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Prepare crust, placing the bottom crust in a pie pan (I made this in a deep-dish 9.5 inch pan and it would go just fine in a regular 9 inch pan).

In a large skillet, saute onions,celery, carrots and mushrooms in butter until carrots are just beginning to soften.  Add garlic and saute two minutes more.  Add chicken broth, celery seed, and thyme.  Simmer for five minutes.  Add chicken.  Mix the flour into the water until smooth.  Pour into vegetable mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and boils.  Turn off heat and let cool for 15 minutes.  Transfer to pie crust.

Add top crust, crimping however you prefer.  Cut 4 - 6 slits in the top crust for ventilation.  Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and you can see the filling bubbling under the slits. 

If the edges of your crust start browning too quickly, make some 4-inch wide strips out of aluminum foil and wrap them around the edges of your pie pan.  This will help keep it from burning. 

Parmesan Chicken and Sauteed Pasta

Tonight was one of those "head into the kitchen and find something easy" nights.  We're out of milk at the moment, so creamed tuna and biscuits, my original idea, was out.  Finally decided I'd cook some chicken tenderloins because they're so quick, and wanted some pasta to go along with it.  So I whipped this up and it was perfect! 

Side note:  A few weeks ago I made my own dried breadcrumbs from some "day old" bread a friend gave me.  Such a difference from the stuff in a canister!  I keep it in the freezer and it has such a nice texture to it!  I may never go back...

Parmesan Chicken

12 ounces chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup grated parmesan (the kind in the green can)
2 T. brown mustard (dijon would also work well here)
1 T. dried minced onion
1/2 t. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dried breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 375.  Place the chicken in an 8x8 pan.  In a small bowl, mix remaining ingredients except bread crumbs.   Spread the mixture over the chicken and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the top.  Bake 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Sauteed pasta

I love the way this turned out.  The flavor of the onions, the crispy edges on the pasta, so delicious!

8 ounces dried pasta (I used small shells)
1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 T. olive oil
3 T. butter, divided
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. garlic powder (you could also use fresh garlic - add it at the end of the onion cooking time).
salt to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package direction.   Meanwhile, heat olive oil and one tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat (cast iron works well here).  Add onion and cook until soft and just starting to brown.  When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain it well.  Add remaining butter to the skillet.  When melted, stir in thyme and garlic powder.  Add pasta and saute, stirring frequently, until it starts to brown.  Add salt to taste and serve. 

Butter Chicken

I ran across this recipe in an online cooking school I signed up for a few years ago.  I've had butter chicken (Chicken Makhani) in a local Indian restaurant and this isn't really anything like that, but this is good in its own way.  I've adapted it from the original to fit our family's taste.  For example, the original recipe doesn't blend the tomatoes, but my girl is currently trying her darndest to become a picky eater, so so no longer likes chunks of cooked tomato in her food.  So I put the tomatoes in the blender.  No biggie.

Butter Chicken
Serves 6
Adapted from Stone Soup Virtual Cooking School

2 T peanut or canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into 1/2 " pieces
1 cup minced onion
2 T garam masala (I use the punjab style from Penzey's
2 t. chili flakes
1 14.5 oz. can roasted diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes
2 - 4 T heavy cream
salt
ground black pepper
Hot cooked rice

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add chicken and onions.  Cook until chicken is lightly browned on one side; flip and brown the second side.

While the chicken cooks, put tomatoes in the blender.  Whir until smooth (if you want a chunkier sauce, you could leave both cans whole or just blend up one).

Once the chicken is browned, add garam masala and chili flakes.  Continue cooking for one minute, then add tomatoes.  Bring to a simmer, and cook for 10 minutes.  Stir in cream, salt and pepper to taste.  Continue cooking until cream is heated through.

Serve over hot cooked rice. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken Taquitos

By request...

I made these for dinner the other night.  It's been a long time - so long I'd forgotten all about them until I was leafing through a stack of old recipe printouts looking for my potsticker recipe.  I didn't have all the ingredients called for in the original, so I improvised with what I had, and it came out even better than before.

The number this recipe makes all depends on the size of your tortillas.  I used fajita-size flour tortillas and got about 12.

Baked Chicken Taquitos

4 oz. lowfat cream cheese, softened
1/2 c. salsa
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. garlic powder
1 T. minced onion
3T. chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (yes, I realize they are completely different animals.  I didn't have cilantro so I used parsley and it worked out just fine).
3 scallions, chopped
2 c. chopped or shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 c pepperjack cheese, shredded
flour or corn tortillas (the smaller the better).
vegetable oil
kosher or coarse salt

Preheat the oven to 425.  Lightly grease a 10x13 baking dish.

Combine cream cheese, salsa, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and minced onion until well combined.  Add cilantro or parsley and scallions.  Stir in chicken and cheese until everything is well mixed.

In a dry skillet, warm the tortillas, one at a time, until pliable.  Fill with 2 -3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture, then roll tightly and place seam side down in the baking dish. 

Once all taquitos are rolled, lightly brush the tops with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt. 

Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken potstickers

I have been asked to include pictures with my recipes to make them pinnable, so I'll do that, as long as you'll forgive me for my elementary photography skills!

We are big potsticker fans in this house.  That's all my daughter wants when we go to our favorite teriyaki restaurant (though I do make her eat a side order of veggies while she's at it), and I love them for quick dinners at home since they cook in less than 15 minutes.  We like the Ling Ling brand, but they're almost $8 a bag at our regular grocery store now!  I used to make them from scratch frequently (once in a while even making my own wontons), but have gotten out of the habit.  We're focusing more on our budget once again, so I dusted off my old recipe and got to work.

My food processor makes quick work of mixing everything together, but if you don't have one, just start with ground chicken and finely chop the veggies.

Chicken Potstickers
Makes approximately 60

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I'm sure thighs would work just fine as well)
2 green onions
1 T fresh ginger, sliced
4 cloves garlic
1 T. soy or tamari sauce
1 T. rice cooking wine, dry sherry, chicken broth, or water
1 egg
1 heaping T. cornstarch
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
60 gyoza wrappers (ours come in packs of 48 so that's how many I make - see note at end)
vegetable oil to saute
water or chicken broth to simmer

Place chicken, onions, ginger and garlic in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until nearly smooth.  Add soy/tamari sauce, wine or broth, egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper and process again until blended.

Lay gyoza wrappers on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place a scant tablespoon of the meat mixture onto the wrapper, just off center.  Wet a finger and run it around the edge of the wrapper.  Fold in half, pressing out as much air as possible.

 
 Crimp the edges by folding over slightly and pressing together.



If you won't be eating them right away, lay them in a single layer on the baking sheet and freeze overnight or until solid.  Place in a freezer bag until you're ready to cook and serve. 

To cook, heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.  Lay the potstickers in a single layer, until the bottoms are golden.  Add water or chicken broth just to cover them.  Cover and simmer 10 - 12 minutes.  Serve immediately.

If you run out of wrappers (or just want that great filling flavor without all the work of making the potstickers), you can shape the filling into patties and fry them until cooked through.

Greek Chicken Pasta

Over the weekend, I suddenly got a bee in my bonnet to look up some Greek recipes.  I have no idea why - I like Greek food but it's never really occurred to me to cook it.  Anyway, I did a little googling and came across this recipe.  Is it really Greek? I have no idea.  It sounded good, though, so I made it for dinner tonight - with a few tweaks.

Next time I might try it with tuna - I think it would go really well.

Greek Chicken Pasta

1/2 pound uncooked pasta (I used cavatappi, just because I think it's cute)
2T olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove elephant garlic or four cloves regular garlic, chopped
6 chicken tenderloins, diced
1 14-ounce can quartered artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
2 t. sherry vinegar
2 t. Italian seasoning
Juice of 1 large lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente.

While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, garlic, and chicken.  Saute until the chicken is cooked through.  Add remaining ingredients and cook until heated through.

When the pasta is cooked, drain and stir into the chicken mixture.  Serve with lemon wedges and extra feta sprinkled on top, if desired.

Slow-cooker chicken soft tacos

Made these for dinner last week. They could easily be turned into enchiladas by using the sauce on top and baking them!

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
1/2 onion, chopped
2 T. Worchestershire sauce
2 T. chili powder
1 T. cumin
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. salt
flour tortillas
shredded cheddar
shredded lettuce
sliced olives
salsa
sour cream

Put the chicken in a small crock pot. In a bowl, mix the tomato sauce, chiles, onion, Worchestershire sauce, and spices. Pour over the chicken. Cook on low for three hours or until the chicken is cooked. Remove chicken from pot, chop or shred, return to pot and let rewarm for five minutes.

Serve on tortillas with toppings (these or your personal favorites!).

Chicken and Dumplings

This is the perfect meal for a day or two after you've eaten a roasted chicken. Save the carcass and keep it in the fridge till you're ready for it (no more than four days or so though!).

If you don't have a chicken carcass, just skip the stock-making step and use six or so cups of chicken broth.

To make the Stock:
1 leftover chicken carcass
8 cups water
1 carrot, cut in 1-inch chunks (peeling not necessary, just scrub it well)
2 ribs celery, cut in 1-inch chunks
1 small onion, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons salt
5 - 7 whole black peppercorns

Pick as much meat off the carcass as you can, and set it aside (you'll add it back in later). Break the carcass up into chunks (you'll want it fairly flat in the pan), and put it in a large pot. Add the remaining ingredients, and pour the water over the top (if it's not enough to cover, just keep adding more water till it is). Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for two hours.

After two hours, strain it into a bowl using a fine-mesh strainer to catch all the little herb bits (don't worry if some remain, it doesn't have to be completely clean, just make sure you at least get all the peppercorns out!). If there is a lot of fat, skim it off the top (you can use the fat in place of the butter in the dumplings). Pour it back into the pan and return it to the heat.

To make the soup:

2 carrots, sliced (peeled if desired)
2 celery ribs, sliced
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (use what you pulled off the carcass)
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can evaporated milk, divided (I use evaporated skim milk)
salt and pepper to taste

Add the vegetables and poultry seasoning to the stock. Cover and let simmer 20 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, make a roux: in a small skillet, melt the butter. Add the flour, stirring constantly. Cook for two minutes. Open the evaporated milk and measure out one cup. Set this aside (you'll need it for the dumplings). Add the remaining milk to the butter and flour mixture, stirring until the mixture thickens.

When the vegetables are done, stir in the chicken, peas, and roux. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is dissolved. The mixture will thicken slightly, but will remain fairly soupy (if you like a thicker base, just make more roux). Cover and let simmer while you make the...

Dumplings

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons butter

In a medium-size bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley. Melt the butter and stir in the milk (this is the milk you reserved earlier). You can do this in the microwave or on the stovetop, doesn't matter. You just want the mixture to be warm, not hot. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture all at once, stir just to combine.

Drop by spoonfuls onto the soup. Cover and cook over low heat for 17 minutes, or until dumplings feel firm when you press on them. Don't take off the lid while they cook! They rely on the steam to cook the tops.

Chicken Paprikash

I don't have a whole lot to say lately (life is pretty much same-old, same-old)...but Linda asked for my Chicken Paprikash recipe so I figured I could at least post that!

Chicken Paprikash-Topped Potatoes

12 ounces skinless boneless chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 T. flour
2 t. Paprika (I like to use the sweet Hungarian paprika)
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground red pepper (optional, though it doesn't give it too much of a kick)
1 T. butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced, or two small cans of sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. sour cream

1. Combine chicken with flour, paprika, salt, and red pepper until coated.

2. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, mushrooms, and garlic and saute five minutes (if you are not using a non-stick skillet, you may need to add additional butter or some oil). Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook six minutes or so until chicken is done and the sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.

3. Serve over hot baked potatoes.

Turkey Burgers

These are so good...

1 pound 99% fat free ground turkey
1 egg
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced dried onions
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika (could substitute regular paprika)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup shredded parmesan

Mix all ingredients together with your hands until well blended. Shape into four patties. Grill, broil, or pan fry, as you prefer (if using a George Foreman grill, seven minutes ought to do it). Serve on buns with all your favorite hamburger toppings.