BLOGHUNGRY

Chicken Milanese

So I have been really driven to pound some meat these days. Branching from my love affair with Chicken Picatta is Chicken Milanese. It's more breaded and less complex in flavor since there are no capers involved, but otherwise it's pretty similar. I like Picatta better, but it's important to broaden your horizons sometimes. Note: Milanese goes best with/on/under a light salad of spicy greens.

Chicken Milanese with Arugula Salad

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, divided
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups (packed) baby arugula leaves (about 2 ounces)

Using meat mallet or rolling pin, pound chicken between sheets of plastic wrap to thickness of 1/2 inch. Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend. Mix panko, 2 tablespoons parsley, oregano, salt, and pepper on plate. Dip chicken in beaten eggs; turn to coat. Dredge in breadcrumb mixture, coating completely.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and sauté until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plates; sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss arugula with remaining 1 tablespoon oil in medium bowl to coat; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mound salad atop chicken.

Chicken Piccata

I love a good pounded meat and not just in a crass pornographic sort of way. In fact I'd be willing to give up naked pictures for a really good chicken piccata. Follow this recipe for a thin, juicy, and flavorful piece of chicken to call your own. It goes really well with mashed carrot puree.

Chicken Piccata

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon drained bottled capers, rinsed and chopped
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Thin slices lemon and chopped
fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Sprinkle a small amount of water on a large plastic sheet of plastic wrap. Place 2 of the breast halves on top of the plastic and sprinkle again with water. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat pounder until about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining 2 breast halves.

Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a shallow pie plate. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Working in 2 batches, place the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat on all sides. Shake off the excess flour and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate or platter and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.

Pour off the fat from the skillet and return the skillet to the heat. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring to pick up and browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer, turning often, until warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and the capers. Season with salt and pepper and heat just until the butter has melted. Serve on warmed plates with a spoonful of the skillet sauce, topped with lemon slices and parsley.

Fried Chicken

Popmuse wanted homemade fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits for his birthday this year. So I did a little research to see if I could modernize my grandmother's recipe for the big night. There are millions of fried chicken recipes out there, each with their own spin on the process. After reading through them all, I came up with this recipe loosely based on one from Alton Brown. It is also a lot easier to regulate the temperature of your oil if you fry the chicken in a hot plate dish with temperature settings. That said, my grandmother fried chicken for years in a skillet and it always came out golden and cooked to perfection. Don't let Alton Brown's OCD methodologies rain on your fried chicken parade.

Fried Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 cups low fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons thyme, ground if possible
1 tablespoon black pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Self-rising Flour (or regular with added baking powder), for dredging
Vegetable shortening (Crisco), for frying

Slice breasts in half or into smaller equal-sized pieces to assure even and through cooking if necessary. Place chicken pieces into a plastic container or casserole dish and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.

Melt enough shortening (over low heat) to come 1 or 2-inches up the side of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan. Once shortening liquefies raise heat to 325 degrees F. Do not allow oil to go over 325 degrees F.

Combine salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic powder. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Mix flour with some salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

Place chicken into the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan/chicken. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees.

Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil.

 

Feta and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

Everyone loves a stuffed chicken breast. They are juicy, flavorful, and full of all kinds of good stuff. This is a recipe from Weight Watchers with a light and flavorful way to stuff your chicken with deliciousness. I also added thinly sliced sundried tomatoes to mine because I had some on hand. You could add roasted red peppers or olives if you were so inclined.

Feta and Spinach Stuffed Chicken

1  tsp   olive oil, divided
1  small   onion(s), chopped
10  oz   spinach, fresh
1  tsp   lemon zest
1/4 cup   feta cheese, crumbled
1  tsp   table salt, divided
1/2 tsp   black pepper, divided
1  pound   uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz cutlets

In a large nonstick skillet heat 1 teaspoon oil; sauté onion until golden, 5 minutes. Wilt spinach (steam spinach or heat damp spinach over medium heat in nonstick pan); stir in zest, feta, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Set aside. Divide spinach mixture between cutlets. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove toothpicks.

 

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Cheddar Mustard Sauce

This chicken recipe by Rachael Ray is an amazing updated version of homemade fried chicken. Being a huge fan of salt, cheese, and all things fried, it's only natural that this recipe and I would hit it off.

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breasts with Cheddar Mustard Sauce

4 quart-size plastic food storage bags
4 small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 5-ounce bag of salted pretzels, any shape
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
Vegetable oil, for frying
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
3/4 pound, about 2 1/2 cups, sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
2 heaping tablespoons spicy brown mustard

Preheat a large non-stick skillet with a 1/4-inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle a little water into four medium food storage baggies. Place 1 chicken breast in each bag and seal it up, pushing out excess air. Use the bottom of a heavy pot or pan and pound each breast until flat, just shy of busting out of the bag. Repeat with the other 3 chicken breasts.

Place the pretzels in a food processor or blender and grind until fine. Transfer the ground pretzels to a shallow dish, add the thyme and some salt and pepper. Crack and beat 2 eggs in a second shallow dish with a splash of water. One at a time, coat each chicken breast in the egg and then the ground pretzels.

Add the pretzel-coated chicken breast to the hot oil. Cook in a single layer, in 2 batches if necessary, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until the juices run clear and breading is evenly browned.

While the chicken is frying, in a medium saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour to it. Cook flour and butter for 1 minute and then whisk in the milk. When the milk comes to a bubble, stir in the cheese and mustard with a wooden spoon. Season with a little salt and pepper, and remove cheese sauce from the heat. Transfer the fried pretzel-crusted chicken breast to a serving plate, drizzle with the mustard cheddar sauce.

Baked Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato Sauce

I have just recently discovered wheat germ and while the name leaves something to be desired the taste and heath benifits certainly deliver. I've started using it it in my meatballs instead of bread crumbs and as breading for baked meats. Here's a good basic baked chicken recipe. The breading is nutty and flavorful especially when topped with the sun-dried tomato sauce. It's time to accept wheat germ into your life.

Baked Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato Sauce

Chicken:
3/4 cup wheat germ
1 tsp table salt, divided
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 large egg white(s), slightly beaten
1 lb uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, (4) 4 oz pieces

Sauce:
3/4 cup water, boiling
12 medium sun-dried tomatoes, without oil
7 oz canned pimento, or jarred roasted red peppers
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp table salt

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Mix wheat germ, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper and pour onto a plate or flat bowl. Place slightly beaten egg whites in another flat bowl.

Dip each piece of chicken in egg white, then in wheat-germ mixture to coat. Place chicken pieces on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.

Pour boiling water over sun-dried tomatoes and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Put tomatoes and water, roasted red peppers, vinegar and remaining salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Taste and adjust for salt. Heat sauce in microwave or in a saucepan and pour over baked chicken when done.

Bloghungry's Oscar Recipe Knock-offs

Usually my friends and I hold an Oscar party with a menu based around the best picture nominees. This is a practice that usually lends itself to a series of quirky mismatched of dishes and a few stomach aches. This year I've decided to knock off some of the foods from Wolfgang Puck's official event menu. We will be be serving:

Appetizer: Mini Cheeseburgers with Aged Cheddar
Salad: Chicken Salad w/ Cashews, Crispy Noodles & Honey Sesame Dressing
Entree: Roasted Garlic Chicken Breast with Wasabi Potato Puree
Dessert: Chocolate Shells Filled with Chocolate Mousse and Raspberries 

Mini Cheeseburgers with Aged Cheddar

1 1/4 pound ground sirloin
2 tablespoons dill pickle relish
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 tablespoon grill seasoning
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
10 soft dinner rolls, split
1 small yellow skinned onion, finely chopped
sliced aged cheddar

Special Sauce:
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix meat and next 4 ingredients. Divide meat into half and score each half into 5 pieces. Roll the meat into balls then squish it into small, thin patties, 3 inches across. You will yield 10 patties. To make a double batch or more, meat can be made into patties ahead and placed on cookie sheets to store 24 hours. Bake on cookie sheet in preheated 400 degree F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Serve on dinner rolls with cheddar, chopped onion and Special Sauce.
To make sauce, combine ranch dressing with ketchup and black pepper.

Chicken Salad with Roasted Cashews, Crispy Noodles and Honey Sesame Dressing

1 pound rotisserie chicken meat, skinned, boned and diced
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 cup seedless red grapes, halved
1/2 cup shredded carrot, a couple of handfuls
4 scallions, chopped on an angle
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons ground ginger
Salt and pepper
8 ounces mixed baby greens
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons honey mustard
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup (2 ounces) roasted cashews
Fried Chinese noodles for garnish

Combine meat, celery, red grapes, carrot and scallions. Add yogurt and ginger to the salad and toss to evenly distribute the ginger. Season the salad with salt and pepper, to your taste.

To dress the greens, add salad to a bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together broth, honey, sesame oil, and honey mustard. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. toss mixture with greens.

To assemble, pile dressed greens on a plate. Using an ice cream scoop, place 2 scoops of chicken salad on greens. Garnish with roasted cashews.

Roasted Garlic Chicken Breast  

Lemon Beurre Blanc, recipe follows
1 roasted green bell pepper, chopped
1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup roasted garlic cloves
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled, plus more for garnish
6 (8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

In a medium saucepan, combine the Lemon Beurre Blanc, roasted peppers, garlic, and feta cheese and heat over low heat. Keep warm until ready to use, stirring occasionally.

Preheat a grill or grill pan. Place chicken breasts on grill and grill on both sides until completely cooked through. Remove from grill and place on a serving plate. Spoon sauce over the chicken and garnish with crumbled feta cheese.

Lemon Beurre Blanc:

Pinch chopped garlic
Pinch chopped shallots
1/2 pound butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup Chablis wine
2 lemons, juiced
2 cups heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Sweat the shallots and garlic in 1 tablespoon of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the wine and lemon juice and cook until reduced by half. Add the cream and reduce until it reaches a sauce consistency. Reduce the heat to low and whip in the butter. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Wasabi Potato Puree

2 pound baking potatoes, like russets, peeled
Salted water
8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup heavy cream, heated
2 tablespoons roasted garlic puree
1 pound spinach, stems removed
3 teaspoons wasabi
Salt and pepper

Cut the potatoes into large pieces of equal size. Cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until tender. Drain thoroughly. Mash potatoes and whip in the butter, hot cream and roasted garlic puree.

Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water for 10 seconds. Refresh in ice water. Drain thoroughly. Transfer to a blender and add wasabi powder. Process to a puree. Stir into warm mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Chocolate Shells Filled with Chocolate Mousse and Raspberries

Chocolate Shells:
12oz semisweet chocolate chips
8-10 paper muffin liners

Chocolate Mousse (for inside of Chocolate Shells):
3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup raspberries

For the chocolate shells: Fill a small saucepan with about 3 inches of water and put over medium heat. Place chocolate in a metal or glass bowl and put bowl on top of sauce pan (creating a double boiler). Allow chocolate to melt slowly stirring occasionally until smooth. Fill 1 muffin paper at a time with about 3-4 tablespoons of chocolate spreading to coat sides and bottom of liner. Set aside and continue with remaining liners. Using a butter knife even out chocolate layers on sides and bottom to create an even wall of chocolate  Place on plate or tray in the freezer for 15 minutes. Remove from freezer and gently peel back paper liners. Spoon in mousse and garnish with raspberries

For the chocolate mousse: Fill a small saucepan with about 3 inches of water and put over medium heat. Place chocolate in a metal or glass bowl and put bowl on top of sauce pan (creating a double boiler). Allow chocolate to melt slowly stiring occasionally until smooth.

While the chocolate is melting, whip 1 cup of cream to soft peaks. Have a whisk ready and add 1/2 of the heavy cream into the hot melted chocolate. Work quickly or the chocolate will seize up. Whisk cream with chocolate until homogenous. Add the balance of heavy cream and gently fold to eliminate any white streaks. Reserve until ready to use.

Chicken Stew

This chicken stew recipe from Giada De Laurentiis is kicking ass and taking names. I doubled the recipe for my bad movie night group last week and we still sucked down every drop and licked the pot clean. Don't let the chicken on the bone scare you. It's pretty easy to cut and shred off the bone once cooked and the flavor is more than worth the effort.

Giada's Chicken Stew

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 stalks celery, cut into bite-size pieces
1 carrot, peeled, cut into bite-size pieces
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can chopped tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
1 (15-ounce) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)

Serving suggestion: crusty bread

Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.

Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.

Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.

Grilled Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan

I am coming out publicly as a fan of the new Rachael Ray show. She's a little loud, tacky, and full of shtick, but her food is consistently good and she offers some pretty good information. This recipe is from her show last week. Just grill up some chicken cutlets and eggplant in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then layer them with chunky tomato sauce and cheese and toss it in the broiler. She makes her own sauce, but I just used a jar of store bought and it was still pretty great. I made this last night for my bad movie night group as we pushed our way through the tragically bad 180th season of America's Next Top Model. The food was well received, but Tyra is really off her game.

Grilled Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus some for drizzling
12 1/2-inch thick slices eggplant (1 large eggplant)
8 chicken cutlets, pounded thin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 jar your favorite chunky pasta sauce
2 balls smoked mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Pre-heat an outdoor or indoor grill to medium-high heat. Pre-heat the broiler.

Drizzle the eggplant slices and chicken cutlets with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. On one half of the grill place the eggplant slices. On the other half, place the chicken cutlets. Cook the eggplant and chicken for about 4 minutes per side. There should be no pink in the middle of the chicken.

To assemble, place 4 grilled chicken cutlets on a baking sheet. Top chicken with 1-2 slices of eggplant and a layer of tomato sauce. Top tomato sauce with another chicken cutlet, more eggplant, and another layer of sauce.on each. Finish off with a healthy sprinkle of parmesan and a slice or two of smoked mozzarella. Place baking sheet under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Warm Chopped Chicken Picatta Spinach Salad

In the same 30 Minute Meal episode as the spaghetti recipe was this warm spinach salad recipe. It's a little more involved than Rachael Ray lets on, but it's pretty good and Popmuse loved it. It requires a lot of spinach, but for fear of e coli / bloody diarea it's probably best to use arugula instead.

Warm Chopped Chicken Picatta Spinach Salad

1 pound chicken breast cutlets, 6 pieces
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 3 turns of the pan
1 tablespoon butter
2 shallots, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons capers, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, juiced
2 pounds triple washed spinach, stems discarded, leaves coarsely chopped

Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat a large nonstick skillet with 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium-high heat. When oil ripples, add chicken and cook 3 minutes on each side then remove and let meat rest and cool.

To the same skillet, add another tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan, and the butter. Melt butter into extra-virgin olive oil and add the shallots, garlic and capers. Saute 5 minutes then add white wine and reduce 30 seconds. Next, add the juice of 1 lemon and immediately add the spinach - mound up the pan. You will not be able to fit it all in there. Keep turning the spinach and wilting it down until you get it all in there then turn the heat off. Keep some leaves still a bit crisp to vary textures in your salad. Season the spinach with salt and pepper. Chop chicken into little bits and add to the warm salad. Toss to distribute and serve.