Chicken in a Bag

This is the easiest and yummiest chicken ever. You need whole chicken legs, thighs, drumsticks, or wings--bonny and fatty parts of chicken. This recipe doesn't go well with less fatty parts like breast.

Sparkling Chicken

8 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 little bottle of Perrier or 1-1 1/2 cups of any sparkling (mineral) water
1 tbsp chopped dill
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp paprika / red chili powder
1 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped thinly in rounds
any kind of fresh pepper, chopped (I used small sweet yellow Italian peppers)
mushroom, chopped - as much as you want
juice of one lemon or lime
1 tbsp flour
2 tsp peppercorns
salt

Garlic, Fennel and Orange Grilled Chicken Thighs – When your brain wants Chicken, but your heart wants Italian Sausage

You’re about to see a delicious culinary compromise. I was craving some grilled Italian sausage, but had a package of chicken thighs in the fridge waiting for me to grill them. What to do? My Uncle Bill (he of the now famous homemade pasta and chicken D’Arduini video recipes) makes a great Italian sausage scented with fennel, garlic and a touch of orange zest. He makes these before Christmas, cures them in his cellar, and cooks them on Christmas Eve after Midnight Mass. They are sublime. So, that’s really what I wanted, but as I said I had chicken to work with. I decided to use the same basic flavors to marinade the chicken to see if I could impart some of the magic of those sausages I was dreaming about.

Did it work? Yes and no. The chicken turned out to be very delicious. Anything grilled on a fire, after being marinated in garlic, fennel and orange is going to taste great, so on that level it was a great success. The only problem was it made me crave my Uncle’s sausage even more! By the way, if you’re wondering how I prepped my grill so the skinless chicken wouldn’t stick, go check out the Tandoori Chicken video recipe clip. Also, I like to garnish grilled meat dishes like this with the same fresh herb that I use in its dry form in the marinade. Since there was some dried oregano in the Italian herb mix, I finished my platter with some beautiful flowering oregano. This is just another great reason to plant some herbs, whether it’s in your backyard, rooftop, or windowsill. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
4 cloves garlic
1/2 orange, zest and juice
1 1/2 tbl kosher salt
1 tbl dried Italian herb mix (oregano, basil, rosemary, marjoram, thyme)
1 tbl sweet paprika
1 tbl black pepper
2 tbl fennel seed
1 tbl olive oil

Exotic Pomegranate Chicken – Hey, Nice Legs!

Pomegranate juice makes an excellent marinade for chicken. It’s sweet, tart flavor works really well, especially with the middle-eastern spices you’ll see me add in this demo. I marinated mine overnight for 12 hours, but a full 24 would be even better. The most common requests I get via email are new things to do with chicken and salmon. Everyone realizes that they should be eating more of these “healthier” proteins, but they get bored with the same old, same old. This is a great way to turn those boring BBQ chicken drumsticks into something exciting and delicious.

Almost every grocery store these days carries pomegranate juice. Due to its incredibly high content of anti-oxidants, millions of people are drinking this stuff on a regular basis, which of course is why it’s so expensive. But, here we only need one 16oz. bottle, so it shouldn’t be too hard on the budget.

The spice mixture I describe below its very versatile and I suggest making a big batch and keeping it for future “exotic” recipes I’ll be demonstrating. Also, the saffron rice dish you see these beautiful legs resting upon will be shown in a future video recipe demo. Another neat trick to notice is reducing the marinating liquid down to use as a sauce at the end of the dish. If I roasted the legs in the marinade, they still would have come out nice, but it would have been more of a braised dish, and the drumsticks would not have browned up like I wanted them. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
12 chicken drumsticks
16 oz. bottle of pomegranate juice
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbl olive oil
2 cloves garlic
NOTE: I added 2/3 of the spice mixture to the chicken when I marinated it, and then used the rest before roasting as you’ll see.

Exotic middle-eastern spice mix:
3 tbl cumin
3 tbl coriander
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tbl black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbl herb de Provence

Zen and the Art of Chicken Teriyaki – A Kitchen Koan

When I first got to San Francisco, having come from a very small town in Western New York, it was like arriving on another planet. I was fascinated by the amazing variety of foods and cultures, and began exploring them all. Growing up, my family and I had made the occasional trip to the local Americanized Chinese restaurant which was always an exotic treat, but now I was getting the real stuff; Thai, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese, I couldn’t get enough! At the same time I also became interested in the eastern religious philosophies, Buddhism, Zen, etc., which for a former alter boy was quite the experience. This was also when I learned about the Zen “koan.”

For those of you not familiar, a koan is basically a question, riddle, or story that has no obvious answer. It is used by Zen masters to teach or enlighten their students. Most of you have heard the most famous koan, “Two hands clap and there is a sound; but what is the sound of one hand?” What a great idea… teach students by making them even more confused! Well, since I’m doing Teriyaki today I decided to have a little fun at the end of the demo with a koan or two of my own.

A viewer to our site, Connie, had asked for a teriyaki recipe. So I did some research. I had enjoyed teriyaki many times, but always at Japanese restaurants. If I had made it at home, I probably just bought a bottle of teriyaki sauce and brushed it on some chicken. So, today’s clip is the true authentic version (which, of course, there are several sources giving different versions of what the “original” recipe is). I’m very glad I did it, but I’m not sure why. By the way, the term teriyaki comes from of two Japanese words "teri" and "yaki." Teri refers to the shine or luster of the glazed sauce, and yaki means to broil or grill the meat. Prepare to be enlightened… you’ve been warned.

Ingredients:
10 Boneless-Skinless Chicken Thighs
1 Cup Sake
1 Cup Soy Sauce
1/2 Cup Mirin
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
2 tsp finely grated ginger or paste

1/4 Cup Chopped Green Onion

Chicken and Biscuits, Chicken Pot Pie, and Chicken and Dumplings – It’s a Chicken 3-way!

I get LOTS of requests. In fact, I did a post regarding all these requests, and how I try to organize and satisfy them. Recently I received requests for Chicken and Biscuits, Chicken Pot Pie, and Chicken and Dumplings. So, I thought I would kill three birds with one stone (now that’s a pun!), and do all three dishes as one delicious Chicken Biscuits/ Dumplings/ Pot Pie hybrid…or hybird if you prefer.

The base for this “Ménage à Trios au Poulet” is a pretty basic stewed chicken recipe. I used plain water to stew the chicken in the first step, but if you want a richer result, go ahead and use chicken broth. Also, as I mention in the recipe clip, you can pretty much use any vegetables you want. I went with the classic carrot, onion, and celery (mirepoix), plus I had a few mushrooms around which found their way into the pot.

Some of you may be shocked to see me use a store-bought buttermilk biscuit dough. Don’t be. I have no problem with the occasional convenience product, and the Pillsbury Grands are actually a pretty good product. Of course it's better with homemade biscuits, so if you have time go for it. If you want an easier version of this recipe, just make the chicken stew part, baked the biscuits separately and serve together. Now, I don't want to ignore our Chicken and Dumpling fans. You folks already know what to do; that's right, drop that dumpling batter, spoon, by sticky spoon, on to the hot chicken stew and go crazy.



Ingredients:
1 large chicken (about 4-5 pounds)
2 quarts water or broth
1 bay leaf
4 cloves garlic
1 whole clove

3 carrots, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
3 ribs celery, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
6 mushrooms, quartered

2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tbl herb de Provence
3 tbl fresh tarragon, chopped
2 tbl fresh rosemary, chopped

1 stick butter (4oz)
1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk or cream
8 buttermilk biscuits

Jerky Chicken – Because I just can’t call it “Jerked Chicken” and keep a straight face!

The “Jerk” style of cooking comes to us from Jamaica. The term “Jerk” actually comes from the term “Jerky,” which comes from the Spanish “charqui” (Char-key), which is basically meat dried over a slow wood fire. Today “Jerk” doesn’t refer to the cooking method, but the fiery spice mix that is rubbed on the meat before it’s grilled. The key ingredients in this spice mix are Allspice and dried Scotch Bonnet peppers (one of the hottest peppers on earth!). Other common ingredients include Cloves, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Thyme. There are countless combinations, so I suggest you buy a high-quality pre-mixed Jerk spice mix (that's what I did – after carefully checking the ingredient list to make sure I was getting the real stuff). If you want to make your own Jerk mixture, you can certainly do a Google search and you’ll have a couple thousand formulas at your disposal.

The beauty of this recipe is its simplicity. It has just 3 basic ingredients and since the spice mix is so flavorful and intense, we don’t need to add much. Also, please note the trick I show before applying the “wet rub” when I “score” the chicken breast with the knife. This is a great trick for several reasons that I explain in the clip. By the way, I serve this tasty breast over my famous “12 second” coleslaw, which I will demo soon. I also mention garlic-infused oil which I used to sauté the chicken, and I will demo that soon as well. In the meantime, if you don’t have any garlic-infused oil, just add a couple crushed garlic cloves to the marinade.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbl Jerk spice mix (usually allspice and dried Scotch Bonnet peppers, cinnamon, nutmeg, and thyme)
1/2 orange, juiced
salt to taste
garlic oil to sauté
*if you don’t have the garlic oil, just add some fresh garlic to the wet rub and sauté in plain vegetable oil

Roast Chicken Pan Gravy - Getting to the “Bottom” of Flavor

Yes, more gravy! This clip goes along with the already posted “Ultimate” Roast Chicken recipe clip, but was never posted, so here you go. Don’t think of this as a recipe. Think of this as a basic culinary technique that you can do anytime you’ve roasted meat in a heavy pan.

The ‘bottom” I’m referring to in the headline, is the bottom of the heavy Stainless Steel Lined Copper Frying Pan we used to roast our chicken. As a meat roasts, proteins caramelize on the pan’s bottom, and that sticky brown goodness is the base for any pan gravy. In culinary terms this is called a “fond.”

The procedure is basic. Remove the bird. Pour off the excess fat (mostly the butter we used under the skin) into a small bowl. Add some flour to the pan and mix with the fond. Add just enough of the reserve fat to form a somewhat dry crumbly roux, and toast on low heat for 5 minutes. Add cold stock, or any other liquid, and cook for about ten minutes to finish. That’s it!

I don’t normally strain the gravy, but if you want a “finer” gravy product you need to use a Fine Mesh Strainer.

Ingredients:
Pan full of beautiful pan drippings or “fond”
2 tbl flour
Reserved fat/butter from pan
about 2 cups of cold stock or other flavorful liquid
salt and pepper to taste

Spicy Chicken Thai Soup – Exploring the boundaries between culinary pleasure and pain

I almost called this “Cream of Endorphin-releasing” soup, but it didn’t quite have the same ring to it. Endorphins are those mysterious pain-relieving, pleasure-giving chemicals released by your brain when the body comes under some type of trauma. While intended as a support mechanism when the body is seriously injured, two groups of people have figured out how to intentionally induce the release of these precious substances; athletes and spicy-food aficionados (actually there is a third group that we really can’t discuss here). The “natural high” that you hear athletes talk about is a result of these endorphins. Today’s clip is in honor of the second group.
Most fans of spicy foods know exactly what I’m talking about, that post-meal euphoria that makes it worth every tear and bead of sweat. If you’ve never experienced these feelings, today’s recipe is a great one for you to try. By controlling the amount of red curry paste you add, you can tailor this to your own threshold of pain. I used 2 full teaspoons of this explosive paste. But, you can start slow, and add a bit more each time you make it until you reach that perfect, beautiful, burning bliss.
The only exotic ingredient would be the fresh lemongrass. I’ve found most large grocery stores do carry it, but if not, you can substitute a few tablespoons of lemon zest, or even some lemon verbena.

IIngredients:
2 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 10)
12 oz white mushrooms
1 red onion
3 tbl fish sauce
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 limes
2 14-oz cans coconut milk
2 tsp red curry paste (you’ve been warned)
4 clove garlic
4 inch piece ginger
3 stalks lemongrass (or lemon zest)
1 tbl vegetable oil

1 quart chicken stock

note: traditionally this soup is served with a side plate of sliced jalapenos, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges