Category: Chicken

Chicken, Main Course

Butterflied Chicken

by Wendi6 Comments on Butterflied Chicken

Roast chicken is something that I usually reserve for “special” occasions.  Like when we have company or I have more than 45 minutes from the time I walk in the door to get food in my belly.  But it doesn’t have to be like that.

Really, it doesn’t.

There’s no reason why Tuesday night dinner can’t be just as “special” as Sunday supper.  Of course, having guests at our table is special but so is any reason that gets us eating dinner at the dining room table and not in front of the Tivo.

I really think we need to institute a “no tv until after dinner” rule at our house.  I know it would cut down on the amount of food that somehow fails to make it from the plate to the mouth and ends up on the floor.  Of course, this would in no way impact the “breakfast is eaten in front of the tv” rule.  There’s no way I can balance my need for steel cut oatmeal and Good Morning American in HD separately.  They are a combined sport at BAH.

But I digress.  Want to enjoy roast chicken any night of the week?  Then I highly recommend you butterfly it.  Or, as I originally typed, flutterby it.  You could take it a step further and put a hot brick (wrapped in foil) or hot cast iron skillet on top of the chicken while it cooks.  Once you remove the backbone, a whole world of possibilities opens up to you.

Butterflied Chicken

Adapted from Jenna’s Everything Blog

BAH Note: I have to be honest, I had the man at the market cut the back out of the chicken for me.  Yes, he looked at me funny when I asked…I think he was worried I would want him to weigh the chicken without the backbone…but the chicken went into the back completely intact and came out spineless.  That backbone is currently sitting in my freezer waiting for me to try my hand at some chicken stock. I imagine a flattened chicken would be quite easy to brine for some extra moist meat.  Next time, I might give that a try.

  • 1 whole roasting chicken (not a fryer), approximately 3 pounds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 sprigs rosemary
  • 4 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
  • 1 lemon, cut into quarters

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.

Remove the giblets from the chicken and place the chicken breast side down on a cutting board.  Carefully cut along one side of the backbone then along the other and remove the backbone.

Turn the chicken over and firmly press on the breastbone to break it and flatten the chicken.  Dry the chicken well with paper towels and transfer to the sheet pan.

Place the rosemary, garlic, and lemon under the chicken and coat the skin with olive oil.  Season generously with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes to an hour until the skin is golden brown and the meat registers 160 to 165 degrees.

Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course, Pasta

Risotto Style Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms

by Wendi4 Comments on Risotto Style Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms
screen shot from epicurious.com

I’m going to disagree with the folks at Epicurious, Merriam-Webster, TheFreeDictionary.com, YourDictionary.com, Answers.com, and countless other resources that define Risotto as a rice dish.  If I’ve heard Anne Burrell say it once, she’s said it a hundred times, risotto is a method of cooking.  But we’ve all basically shorthanded it so that it generally refers to the final product instead of the method.  I’d like you to reconsider that.  And The Minimalist is going to help.

I should say that Risotto Style Pasta is more involved than dumping your pasta into boiling water and walking away for 8 minutes.  Risotto style pasta requires hands on participation.  It needs you to whisper sweet nothings into the pot while you gently stir the broth and pasta.  What you’ll get in return is a love letter to creamy al dente perfection.

I don’t know about you, but I think we could all use a love letter every now and then.  I mean image how much happier the world could be if we all got love letters; if we all felt important and special; if we all had a belly full of satisfying creamy pasta with chicken and mushrooms.  Maybe one day we will thank The Minimalist for his contribution to world peace.

Risotto Style Pasta with Chicken and Mushrooms

Adapted from Mark Bittman

BAH Note:  According to The Minimalist’s recipe, it looks like you can use almost any kind of pasta….cut pasta like ziti or long pasta like spaghetti.  I wouldn’t go for extremely thin pastas like angel hair, or any fresh or refrigerated pasta, you need them to be able to stand up to a fair amount of cooking without falling apart.  If you happen to have leftover cooked chicken on hand, I would add that in at the very end instead of dicing up raw chicken and cooking it with the pasta.  I thought the leftovers a day or two later were even better than what we served up right off the stove.

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 pound orzo
  • 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
  • 1 quart chicken broth
  • 3 or 4 boneless chicken thighs
  • grated parmesan

Carefully dice the chicken thighs and set them aside.

Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven or large skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallot and mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

While the mushrooms cook, bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan.

Add the pasta and diced chicken to the pot with the mushrooms and stir so that it gets completely coated with the oil in the pot.  Add the wine, if using, or 1/2 cup of the broth and let the liquid cook down.

Add the remaining broth in 1/2 cup increments, stirring frequently.  You want most of the liquid in the pot to evaporate before you add more.  After about 10 minutes, the pasta should be close to al dente.  Continue to cook to your desired doneness, taste for seasoning, and add salt as needed.

Serve garnished with grated parmesan.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Chicken and Mushrooms

by Wendi22 Comments on Chicken and Mushrooms

The Mistah has this habit that drives me kinda batty.  When we sit down to eat, he’ll say, “So tell me about this”.  I know this is his way of expressing interest but what I want to say most of the time in response is, “It’s a hot plate of food, now hush up and eat before it gets cold”.

When I served up Chicken and Mushrooms, I jumped ahead in our usual script.  As I handed him his plate, I said “It’s chicken and sauce.”  You see, another peculiar habit is his fascination with ‘sauce’.  Doesn’t really matter what kind, he’s into sauce.  And if a dish isn’t served with some, he’ll go rooting around in the refrigerator to see if there isn’t something of the sauce variety that he can put on his plate.  This has seriously led to more than one uncomfortable silence at the table after he’s doused something in soy sauce.

So it really didn’t matter what else I said.  Sauce was the magic word he needed to hear.

Chicken and Mushrooms

Adapted from Melissa d’Arabian

BAH Note:  This is one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day.  You might want to just go ahead and make a double batch to make sure you have some tasty leftovers.

  • 2 pounds bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1 teaspoon herbs de provence
  • 1/2 cup white wine
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tablespoons sour cream

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dry the chicken with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Heat half of the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat.  Brown the chicken on both sides, working in batches if necessary.  Transfer the browned chicken to a plate.

Add the remaining oil to the pot and cook the onions until they begin to soften.  Add a quarter cup of the chicken broth to get any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and flour to the mushrooms and onion and cook for a few minutes.  Add the wine and deglaze the pot.  Return the chicken to the pot and add the and herbs de provence and the remaining chicken broth.  It should come almost to the top of the chicken.  Cover the pot and transfer it to the oven.  After 25 minutes, remove the lid and continue to cook another 25 minutes.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven and transfer the chicken to a plate.  Set the pot over high heat and reduce the sauce until it thickens a bit.  Turn the heat off and gradually add some of the sauce into the sour cream until it is loose.  Add the sour cream mixture into the pot and stir to combine.

Return the chicken to the pot, coat thoroughly with the sauce, and serve over noodles.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Tagine de Poulet

by Wendi18 Comments on Tagine de Poulet

I remember the first time I ever tried couscous.  I was a freshman in college (Go Blue Hens!) and I had taken the train to Philadelphia to visit my friend Yasmine at the University of Pennsylvania. Most of my memories of that trip are pretty fuzzy some 20 years later.  But I remember being envious of the old buildings on the campus, especially Yasmine’s dorm.  She had this cool room with tons of character while I had a cinder block throw back to the cold war.  I also vaguely remember trying to catch the eye of the cute, presumably smart, boys at a party.  And there may have been an outfit completely inappropriate for walking back to her room late at night in the snow.

So how does couscous fit into this story?  Before going to the Penn party, Yasmine and I headed out for dinner.  Now I know I have a somewhat faulty memory but I swear that what I’m going to say next is true.  We ate dinner at Urban Outfitters.  How can I be so sure of that?  A) Because I thought it was completely bizarre that we were having dinner in a store.  B) Because I decided to try something new and ordered couscous for the first time in my young life.  C) And I didn’t like it.  I don’t remember why, but I distinctly remember that it was not an enjoyable experience.  But to this day, when I think of couscous, I think of Urban Outfitters.

It took me years but I gave couscous another shot and learned that it wasn’t as bad as I remembered.  As a matter of fact, it is lovely when you serve it topped with  Chicken Tagine.  Or, as it was titled in David Lebovitz’s book, Tagine de Poulet.

Despite furious Googling, I can not find anything on the web that corroborates my story that there was ever a restaurant inside of Urban Outfitters in Philly.  So you’ll have to take my word for it.  I do know for a fact that there was a visit to Urban Outfitters and there was couscous for dinner.  Were they two completely separate parts of the trip?  It was a long time ago and there were adult beverages consumed that night.  Perhaps all of that has made for one big memory mash-up.

I’d ask Yasmine but I lost touch with her after she moved to Australia.  Even in this day of Facebook and Classmates.com, some people are just off the grid.  Yasmine, if by some chance the Universe guides your browser to this post, click on that Contact BAH button at the top of the page…I’d love to hear from you.

Chicken Tagine with Apricots

Adapted from David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life In Paris

BAH Note: You may wish to wear food safe gloves when you toss the chicken with the spice mixture.  Tumeric is BRIGHT YELLOW and can stain your fingers and nails for a day or two even with vigorous hand washing.  Alternately, you could put the spices into a plastic bag, add the chicken pieces, and shake to coat them in the spices.  If using boneless chicken thighs, start checking for doneness after about 45 minutes of cooking.

  • 4 ounces dried apricots
  • 8 bone in chicken thighs, skins removed
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground tumeric
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cans chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • juice of one lemon

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Put the apricots in a bowl, cover completely with boiling water, and set them aside.

Combine your spices and salt in a large bowl.  Add the chicken pieces and coat them completely in the spices.

Melt your butter in a dutch oven or large pot set over medium heat.  Working in batches, cook the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side then transfer it to a plate.  Add the onion to the pot and cook until translucent.  Add the chicken broth to the pot, return the chicken pieces, and bring to a boil.  Transfer to the oven and bake for 60 to 90 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.

Remove the pot from the oven, skim any accumulated fat from the top, and carefully transfer the chicken to a platter.  Cover the platter with foil and set aside.

Place the pot on the stove, add the honey and lemon juice.  Drain the liquid from the apricots and add them to the pot.  Cook over medium high heat until the sauce is reduced by a third.  Taste for seasoning and serve the chicken and sauce accompanied with rice or couscous.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course, South Beach Diet

Flashback Friday – Slow Motion

by Wendi5 Comments on Flashback Friday – Slow Motion

Flashback Friday

The following originally appeared on 4/22/09 at Exit 51.

Slow Motion

Sometimes we need to be reminded of the obvious.  Remember that fable about the tortoise and the hare?  What was the moral of that story?  Right, fastest isn’t always best.

There are countless examples of how we have become a society that minimizes the value of being leisurely; no need to enumerate them here.  The point remains that we pride ourselves on how much of anything we can cram into as little time as possible.  It’s sad when you think about it.  Because that thinking touches every part of our lives, including how we eat.

Well Duh!
photo by me

If faced with the option to either commit several hours to preparing dinner at home or popping through some random drive thru as you multitask through a day, which are you going to choose?  It’s ok, you can tell me.  I know that the easy answer is the drive thru.  But is it always the best answer?

Looking at what I’ve been cooking lately, I’ve got my fair share of recipes that will never end up on 30 Minute Meals.  These are strictly weekend recipes for when I have the luxury to spend  an hour, or three, on a dish.  But do not think that all that time is actively spent at the stove.  Please, have you met me?  I would never suggest such a thing.

I can think of plenty of better things to do with three hours…like settle in and read a book, or work my way through all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls dvd’s, or indulge in a leisurely nap on the sofa.  If I’m “hard at work” on dinner, I think that excludes me from simultaneously tackling other chores like laundry and cleaning.

Now, I understand not everyone can make that choice.  But if you can, I hope you will.  At least once in a while.  And if you do, maybe you can dine on this slow motion dinner.

what-leftovers

Braised Chicken

I got this recipe from a Wegman’s magazine.  I’ve made a few modifications so that it is more in keeping with our South Beach living.  I liked the results, but think that maybe the chicken needs to be completely naked.  The skin made the juices a little too greasy for my taste.  I also let the dish stay in the oven for a second hour, with the heat turned off, because it wasn’t convenient to eat dinner when the timer went off.   Just make sure that your lid is on tightly and there is enough liquid in the pot so that the chicken doesn’t scorch.

  • 1   pkg (about 3 lbs) Chicken (Split Breasts with Ribs, Drums and Thighs)
  • 2   Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 3   Tbsp chopped shallots
  • 2   pkgs (4 oz each) gourmet mushroom blend
  • 1/2   cup dry white wine
  • 2   cups Chicken Stock
  • juice of one lemon (2-3 Tbsp)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Heat oil in large pan on medium; add chicken. Brown lightly on all sides. Transfer to clean platter; set aside. Discard all but 1 Tbsp oil.

Add shallots; cook, stirring, 1-2 min. Add mushrooms; cook, stirring, 3-4 min.

Add wine; cook, stirring to loosen browned bits on bottom of pan. Simmer 3-5 min, to reduce liquids by two-thirds. Add chicken stock, return chicken to pan, and bring to simmer.

Cover; place on center rack of oven. Braise 1 hour.

Remove pan from oven. Stir in lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

Baking, Breads, Chicken, Sweets

Chocolate Filled Sweet Braid

by Wendi29 Comments on Chocolate Filled Sweet Braid

My percentages of Bread Wins have improved…but I am still far from being a competent bread maker.  More and more I get the feeling that this, in particular, is going to be a life long endeavor.  So if I embrace the philosophy that it’s a marathon and not a sprint, then I’m just happy to make it to the next mile marker.  Doesn’t really matter how many miles are behind me, I’m one step closer to the finish line.

I never would have had the courage to try Chocolate Filled Sweet Braid had it not been for two of my favorite local bloggers, Beth and Lan.  These ladies and I attended a free demonstration put on by King Arthur Flour a few months ago.  The truth is, I probably wouldn’t have gone by myself so it’s only by grace of the fact that they joined me that I went at all…I can be a little introverted that way.  If you happened to be at the Holiday Inn by MOM’S that night, we were the ones causing all kinds of trouble in the front row.  After seeing the uber talented KAF staffer breeze through the dough, I started to think maybe I could too.  I left the demo armed with a shot of confidence, a recipe, and a packet of Red Star Yeast.

Since this is me we’re talking about, you know that I had to have at least one bump in the road to Chocolate Filled Sweet Bread.  And it was a pretty big one.  Once I had done the math to scale the recipe in half and had myself all nicely mis en placed, my sponge didn’t start.  There was no bubbly action going on that I could see.  So I set that bowl aside and started again.  This time the sponge developed some lovely bubbly froth and I was in business.  Maybe the first sponge’s lack of cooperation was The Universe challenging me to see how committed I was to the task at hand.  Or maybe I just manged to mangle things.

Either way, the point is that I persevered…and I marked this particular mile with Chocolate Filled Sweet Braid.

Sweet Braid Dough

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Sponge

  • 1 ounce unbleached all purpose flour
  • 3 ounces warm water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Dough

  • all of the sponge
  • 3 ounces plain low fat yogurt or buttermilk
  • 2 ounces butter, softened
  • 1 egg
  • 1 3/4 ounces sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla or citrus zest
  • 9 to 12 ounces unbleached all purpose flour

Filling

  • 5 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 ounces sugar
  • 2 ounces sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

To make the sponge, combine the warm water and 1 teaspoon sugar in a small bowl and stir to dissolve.  Stir in the yeast and 1/4 cup flour.  Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for about 15 minutes or until bubbly.

In a large bowl, combine the sponge, yogurt or buttermilk, butter, eggs, remaining sugar, salt, and vanilla.  Add the remaining flour 1 cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Once the dough pulls away from the bowl, stop adding flour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and knead with lightly floured hands for 5 minutes until pliable and soft but not sticky.  Spray the bowl you mixed the dough in with nonstick cooking spray while you let the dough rest.  Continue to knead the dough until it is smooth and springy (if you gently make an indentation into the dough with your finger the dough will spring back).

Return the dough to the greased bowl, turn to coat it with the nonstick spray and cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a dish towel.  Let the dough sit in a warm place for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until doubled.

Gently deflate the dough and roll into a rectangle approximately 10 x 14 on a sheet of parchment paper.  Using a butter knife or plastic bench scraper, gently score the dough so that it is divided into thirds.  Be sure not to cut through the dough, you just want to mark it for reference.  Cut notches out of each of the four corners and then use your butter knife or bench scraper to cut 1″ wide strips in the two outer thirds of the dough.  The center of your dough will be “fringed” with the strips on each side.  Try to get your strips to line up as much as possible on each side.

Stir 1 tablespoon all purpose flour into half of the prepared filling and spread over the center third of the dough, leaving 1″ at the top and bottom uncovered.  Reserve the other half of the filling for another use.  Sprinkle 6 ounces chocolate chips over the filling.

Fold the top and bottom flaps down over the filling and then bring the strips of dough fringe across the filling on a diagonal, alternating from side to side.  Press and pinch each strip into the side of the dough as you go until the loaf is braided.

Brush the top of the braid with an egg wash of one egg beaten with one tablespoon water and sprinkle the top with coarse sugar.  Loosely cover the braid with plastic wrap and let rise for 30 to 45 minutes or until puffed.

While the braid rests and proofs, heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover the braid and slide the sheet of parchment onto a half sheet pan. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and the internal temperature registers 190 degrees on an instant read thermometer.  Transfer the braid still on the parchment to a rack to cool for 30 minutes before slicing.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Overnight Chicken

by Wendi25 Comments on Overnight Chicken

Call me quirky but I think that’s one sexy picture.  I love how the chicken is a lovely shade of golden browned and the cutting board is covered in succulent, dijon/curry/soy goodness.  The only thing I would change about this meal is deciding to pair it with some overly aggressive ginger glazed carrots.  They completely overpowered the chicken.

Overnight Chicken

Adapted from Baked Bree

BAH Note:  As long as you remember to prep the chicken the night before, this recipe will treat you just fine.

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1/4 cup soy sauce
  • 4 bone in chicken breasts

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, dijon, curry powder, and soy sauce.  Transfer the liquid to a large bowl or plastic bag and add the chicken.  Refrigerate overnight.

When ready to cook, heat oven to 350 degrees.  Place the chicken and marinade in a large baking dish, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 1 hour.  After an hour, increase heat to 375 degrees, remove the foil, and baste the chicken with the juices.  Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165 degrees.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Cider Glazed Chicken

by Wendi19 Comments on Cider Glazed Chicken

Since I seem to be all about le poulet why not post another chicken recipe?  I grabbed this one from The Kitchen Witch, who grabbed it from Cooking Light.  Why do I get the feeling that The Universe is trying to get me back together with Cooking Light?

There’s a story about this dish.  It involves Tivo.  I may have mentioned that I fought Tivo for the longest time.  And then once it came into my life, I couldn’t live without it.  I imagine people once felt the same way about electricity, cell phones, and Facebook.  Anyhow, the beauty of Tivo is that The Mistah and I get to keep up with our shows even if they don’t appeal to both tv viewing members of our household (I’m looking at you Wipeout).  And for those shows that we both enjoy, we can watch them together on our schedule, not the network’s.

So there I was, halfway through the latest episode of White Collar when The Mistah came through the door.  He saw that I had started watching it without him and was all sad faced.  In a moment of inspiration, I told him that he could start watching it from the beginning , I would fix dinner, and when he got to where I was in the show, we would finish watching it together.  Who says compromise is hard?

In the time it took him to reach the 29 minute mark, which through the magic of Tivo is less than 29 minutes since we are not held hostage by commercials, Cider Glazed Chicken was prepped, cooked, and plated.

Sadly, there is no photo documentation that this meal ever existed at BAH.  We were too busy finishing that episode of White Collar.  You’ll just have to mosey on over to TKW’s blog for the photo.

Cider Glazed Chicken

Based on The Kitchen Witch’s Adaptation of Cooking Light’s Recipe

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 boneless chicken breast cutlets
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup apple cider
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

Pat chicken cutlets dry and season with salt.  Melt butter in a large, nonstick frying pan over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan and cook 3 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the apple cider and mustard to the pan, scraping up any bits off the bottom, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until reduced and syrupy.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.

Return the chicken to the pan, coat with the sauce, and serve with rice, noodles, or mashed potatoes.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Chicken In Wine

by Wendi20 Comments on Chicken In Wine

These days I get a lot of my cooking inspiration from the blogs.  I have a ridiculous number of subscriptions in my Google Reader.  I’d like to say that I attentively read each and every word posted on those blogs.  The truth is that as the number of blogs I subscribe to grows, my attention span diminishes.  A recipe needs to really grab my interest to make me click through and print out a recipe.  One such recipe that jumped off the screen and came home with me is Chicken in Wine.

I’d like to say that I wrote down the site that I got this from.  I’d like to, but I can’t.  That’s one big problem I have with my fellow food bloggers.  When you post a recipe, is it too much to ask that you provide a printable format that will include your site’s name so I can properly attribute where the recipe came from?  It’s really not that hard.  If my technologically challenged self can upload a printable recipe pdf, why the heck can’t you?

Attribution whining aside, I wish I had recorded where I got this recipe so that I could go back and comment on how much I enjoyed it.  And that’s another thing blogosphere…if you took the time to make a recipe that you saw online, could you possibly spare a few moments to return to the site and let the blogger know?  It keeps us from wondering whether this thing is on and anyone’s listening.

I know, so much whining today.  Enough of that.  You didn’t come here today for the whine…you came for the chicken in wine.  And I am happy to oblige.

Chicken In Wine

BAH Note:  Use whatever white wine you like best.  The recipe I worked from called for Riesling.  I used a Vino Verde and was thrilled with the results.  The original recipe also called for an entire bottle of wine but I decided that I’d rather enjoy a glass or two with dinner.  A half a bottle worked just fine.  But if you feel like you want more liquid, add a bit of chicken broth to the pot.

  • 1/2 pound bacon, cut into lardons
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 leeks, cleaned, light green and white parts only chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 5 to 6 bone in chicken thighs, skin removed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • fresh thyme
  • 1/2 bottle white wine
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the bacon in a dutch oven over medium high heat until the fat renders and the lardons start to crisp.  Add the onion, leeks, and salt and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until the vegetables soften.  Transfer the vegetables to a medium bowl.

While the vegetables cook, pat the chicken thighs dry.  After the vegetables have been transferred from the dutch oven, cook the chicken in the dutch oven until it is well browned.  Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the vegetables.

Add the wine to the pot and scrape up any bits on the bottom.  Return the chicken and vegetables to the pot, add the garlic, bay leaves, mushrooms, and few sprigs of fresh thyme.

Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the oven.  Cook for 30 – 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Serve over noodles, rice, or couscous.

{printable recipe}

Chicken, Main Course

Baked Bree’s Butter Chicken

by Wendi11 Comments on Baked Bree’s Butter Chicken


I like having options; this way or that way.  Even if I end up choosing one more often than the other, I like knowing there’s more than one way to get from Point A to Point B.  Think of your daily commute.  You use the same route day in and day out.  But when the traffic is just not moving, you need an alternate route.  For me, cooking is no different than driving.  Sometimes I want the scenery to be different or need to avoid a backup.  So I go a different way. I still get to my destination…whichever route I choose to use.

So it should be no surprise that my files contain different recipes for the same dishes.  These are usually baking recipes; chocolate cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, buttercream frosting.  There’s more than one way to make ’em.  But the savory dishes are there too.  Take Butter Chicken.

I’ve been using this recipe for Butter Chicken that I saw on Anna Johnston’s blog.  And as long as I remember to prep the chicken the night before, I get where I need to be.  But then I saw a post on Baked Bree for Butter Chicken that didn’t need to sit overnight.  And my forgetful self liked that idea.  A lot.

Now, I will say that Baked Bree’s method involves a little more work and just as many ingredients.  But when your destination is Butter Chicken goodness, this is an equally good route.  Try it yourself and see.

Butter Chicken

Adapted from Baked Bree

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 thai chili (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 6 ounces tomato paste
  • 2 cans chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 tablespoons butter

Heat the oil in a dutch oven over medium high heat and cook the onion, ginger, garlic, and thai chili (if using) for 5 to 10 minutes or until softened.  Add the spices and cook 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant.

Transfer the onion spice mixture to a food processor.  Add the tomato paste and one can of broth and process until smooth.  Return the mixture to the pan, add the remaining can of broth, and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to a simmer, add half the butter, and cook until the liquid reduces to about 3 cups, stirring frequently.  Turn off the heat and cover to keep warm.

While the sauce is cooking down, dry the chicken breasts and cut into bit sized cubes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Melt the remaining butter in a large frying pan and cook the chicken, in batches if necessary, until it is well browned.

Transfer the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.  Add the cream to the sauce and stir to incorporate.  Simmer for 5 minutes more and then serve over rice.

{printable recipe}