Quick & Easy: Chicken Picatta

Chicken Picatta is one of my favorites for midweek meals.  There is just something about the combination of lemon, capers, and chicken that I find to be so satisfying.  Add a simple orzo side dish, perhaps a bit of asparagus and it will be happiness on a plate.

This is a dish with many variations out there.  We like that this version has a fairly classic take yet is geared toward the quick and easy style of cooking... making it ideal for week night dinners.  To make it go even faster, we sometimes use the chicken tenders instead of regular sized chicken breasts.

Chicken Piccata

Serves 4
Adapted from MinuteMeals

2-3 large lemons
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 chicken breast, pounded to make thin
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons drained capers
3 tablespoons butter

Slice 1 of the lemons into thin slices.  Squeeze 1/4 cup lemon juice from the remaining lemons.

Season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour. 

Heat the oil in non-stick pan.  Add the chicken and sautee until golden brown.  Transfer to a platter and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

Add the minced garlic to the skillet and stir, cooking for 30 seconds until fragrant but not brown.  Add the sherry, lemon juice, and capers to the pan, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the brown bits.  Reduce the sauce by half over medium-high heat, stirring occassionally. 

Turn the heat to low and add the lemon slices, butter, and the chicken. Slowly stirring, just until the butter is melted.

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Tarragon Chicken - A Fast, Easy, Tasty Midweek Meal

One of our go to cookbooks is "MinuteMeals - 20-minute Gourmet Menus", it does a great job of providing fast, tasty and healthy meals for those nights that you don't have a lot of time for cooking but want something more than grilled cheese.  We have found numerous dinners from this book that are great for fast and tasty mid-week meals and Tarragon Chicken with sauteed mushrooms and onions is one of our favorites.

This recipe is also quite forgiving, we were out of white wine so substituted with white wine vinegar which gave the sauce a nice tangy, zesty.  Accompany with a salad of spring greens and jasmine rice or quinoa.

Tarragon Chicken with Mushrooms & Onions

Source: MinuteMeals

4 Boneless/skinless chicken breast halves (about 5oz each)
2 Garlic cloves
1 tsp Tarragon finely chopped
2 tsp olive oil
8 large mushrooms sliced
1/4 thinly sliced white onion
14oz chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine (white wine vinegar works fine too, adds a little zip)
3 tbls all purpose flour

Rise and dry the chicken breasts.  Heat a sauce pan to medium-high heat, add 1 tsp olive oil, swirl around.  Add chicken breasts, salt and pepper, in 4-5 min flip and repeat.  Remove the chicken and cover loosely.

Add the onions and sauté for about 5 min or until just beginning to get tender.  Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté for another 5 min or so.  Since the onions take longer to cook that's why we start them before the mushrooms, and we don't want to burn the garlic, which doesn't take much.  Remove the mushrooms and onions when cooked to your taste.

In a small bowl stir together the white wine vinegar and flour till smooth.  Drop the heat to medium/low on the pan.  Microwave the chicken broth 30 seconds to help match it to the temperature of the pan.  Add the broth to the pan, stir in the vinegar/flour mixture and cook till the sauce is thickened, about 2-3 min.  Add the mushroom & onions then add the chicken stirring to coat everything. 

Remove and serve.

Enjoy!

-Dan

Quick & Healthy: Chicken Sate with Ponzu Sauce

The holidays can be a fantastic time for dining, filled with rich flavors and loaded plates.  So during this 'between holidays' week I have found myself both ready to kick start my new year resolutions and ready to relax.  So quick, easy, and healthy dinners are finding their way back onto our menu plan.

Chicken Sate is great option for a midweek dinner.  It is pretty fast to prepare, tasty, and easy on the waist at only 267 calers per serving.  We pulled this recipe from an issue of Cooking Light a couple of years ago and it was a great find.  While the recipe is for grilling, we turn this into a midwest winter friendly recipe by simply cooking the meat in a hot oven.  You could also broil it or sautee it while patiently waiting for the spring thaw and return of grilling weather.

This recipe takes between 20 to 30 minutes for us.  Typically we work in parallel to keep everything moving (and spend time preparing our dinner together- of course!), I will stir up the Ponzu Sauce while Dan prepares the chicken and then we will prepare a side dish of asian noodles while the chicken cooks.

Chicken Sate with Ponzu Sauce

Source: Cooking Light
Servings: 4 (can be cut in half for 2 very easily!)

• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/4  cup  packed light brown sugar
• 1/4  cup  sake (rice wine)
• 1/4  cup  rice vinegar
• 1/4  cup  fresh lime juice
• 2  teaspoons  low-sodium soy sauce
• 1  teaspoon  dark sesame oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• Cooking spray

Cut each chicken breast half lengthwise into 4 strips. Combine sugar and remaining ingredients except cooking spray in a small bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Combine half of sake mixture and all of chicken in a large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Reserve remaining sake mixture.

Drain chicken, discarding marinade. Thread 1 chicken strip onto each of 16 (8-inch) skewers. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until done.  If grilling isn't an option cook for between 8-10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Serve with remaining sake mixture (or peanut sauce if preferred).

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Fried Chicken...without the greasy smell

Fried Chicken can be one of the tastiest, lip smacking, finger licking best recipes.  However no one likes when the rest of your house smells like it for a week.  If you are interested in doing this recipe and other fried foods, there are two items you'll need to invest in, a splatter guard and a cast iron pan.  I got the splatter guard in stainless steel at SurLaTable for $20.  The cast iron pan (made by Lodge in the USA) was also purchased at SurLaTable for $19.  Using the guard to cover the cast iron pan was great, I wasn't burned once, nor did I have a huge mess to clean up afterwards, just the normal counter top wipe down. 

Now that we've got that covered, on to the recipe.  The key to this recipe is using Crisco Shortening instead of oil.  It doesn't produce the greasy smell nor does it burn unless over heated.  I also found that using a tupperware container with a tight lid to bread the chicken worked really well since it coated the pieces very well and was tossed in the dishwasher so easily cleaned.  Also, buying a fryer/roaster chicken whole and cutting it yourself will save a decent amount of money, since they go for 5 to 7 bucks or so.  Plus knowing how to break up a chicken yourself is a handy skill that can be applied to many recipes.

 Fried Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 cups low fat buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• All-Purpose Flour, for dredging
• Crisco Shortening for frying 

Directions

Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Melt enough shortening (over low heat) to come just 1/8-inch 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.

Drain chicken in a colander. Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

Place chicken skin side down into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan. 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. (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes.)

Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. Don't drain by setting chicken directly on paper towels or brown paper bags. If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil but avoid holding in a warm oven, especially if it's a gas oven.

Enjoy!

- Dan

A Versatile Spice Rub

Since the purpose of this blog is to share our recipes and cooking discovers, I suppose I should share the best ever spice rub for meat.  I love meat!  I love to grill it, bake it, saute it, fry it and occasionally eat it raw (well seared really).  However for some reason this country has this need to coat every piece of meat with A1 Barbeque sauce, which is gross.  Not to mention some guys also seem to think that because they spend $500 bucks on a grill they are experts, but that's a different show.  How you cook the meat is almost as important as what you add to the meat, if anything.  Adding spices to a cut of meat can set your dish apart from the others. 

We came across a recipe for a spice rub in The Complete Meat Cookbook and have since tweaked it to our taste.  This spice rub is sweet, spicy and tangy all rolled into one.  We like to liberally coat the meat with it a few hours (or overnight) before either grilling or otherwise cooking it.  Adding a homemade barbeque sauce to give it a wet marinade or during cooking can round out the flavors, but the rub by itself is fine too.  The recipe makes quite a bit so we use an old spice container with a label.  Keeping this rub on hand ensures that you always have a way to add a little flavor without reaching to the steak sauce.  It works great on beef, pork, chicken, and even lamb if my wife would let me buy it (lamb is on Tara's not allowed in the house list).   We use it for grilling, roasting, and ribs.

Spice Rub

Adapted from The Complete Meat Cookbook

2 Tbsp Paprika
2 Tbsp Chile Powder
1 Tsp Cayenne Powder
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Ground Cumin Seeds
1 Tbsp Dry Mustard
1 Tsp Ground Sage
1 Tsp Dried Oregano
1/4 cup Kosher Salt
1 Tbsp Ground Pepper

Enjoy!

-Dan

Mexican Inspired Quinoa

Ever since reading a twitter post on Quinoa by the always lovely Maggie and then reading about how good it is for you in Women's Health, I have been meaning to try this "new" grain.  And after trying it a couple of times now I am so glad that I stumbled upon it. 

And wow is this stuff good for you!  It is a really good source of protein, dietary fiber, high in magnesium and iron, and is gluten-free.  We don't necessarily watch gluten but it seems as though more and more people are  intolerant/allergic to gluten.  It is interesting to me that I am just now hearing of quinoa when it is such an ancient, staple type of food with such great nutritional value. 

At any rate, it is likely to become a pantry staple for our household.  Dan was a not convinced when I made it for a side (I just salt and peppered it) but after seeing the break down on the nutrition and tasting the Mexican Quinoa dish he is now on board.  In my hunt for a recipe using quinoa I came across this Mexican inspired one and immediately added it to the menu plan for the week.  It is simple and has an inexpensive ingredient list, most of them are those we keep on hand. 

It turned out to be really very tasty and satisfying.  I believe it took me all of 20 minutes to prepare this dish so it is an excellent option for those mid-week meals.  Did I mention that it was simple?  This would be a great beginning-to-cook dish.

Mexican Inspired Quinoa

Adapted from Culinary Disasters

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken stock, can use water
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes, can use fresh if available or fire-roasted variation
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1 Tablespoon fresh or 1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro
1 poblano pepper, roasted and diced (optional)
1 jalapeno pepper, roasted and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 of an onion, diced
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
2-3 teaspoons lime juice
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Cook the quinoa in the stock until it has absorbed all the liquid, about 10-15 minutes.

While quinoa is simmering, saute the garlic, onion, red bell pepper, poblano pepper, and jalapeno pepper in the olive oil.  Then add the drained tomatoes, black beans, and chicken to heat through.  Finally add the spices, lime juice, salt, and black pepper.  In a large serving bowl stir together with the quinoa. 

Makes 4 servings

Enjoy!

~ Tara

Mid-Week Meals: Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas

Working late for a deadline, stuck in a long commute, going to the gym, walking the dogs, going to class... it is no wonder that a healthy meal at home during the work week can seem like one more task on that overflowing to do list!  Dan and I have found ourselves trying to solve the dilemma of quick, tasty, and healthy mid-week meals many times.  One of our favorites is a super simple and relatively healthy quesadilla recipe.

In Women's Health I came across a recipe for quesadillas where they baked them rather than frying them.  I was skeptical at first but they turned out fantastic!  Including black beans in them really pumps up the nutrition factor and makes them a bit more filling.  The sprinkle of cumen really adds a great flavor.  You can really customize these to your preferences; cilantro adds a nice touch of flavor. 

And you can make them as healthy as you prefer by managing the amount of shredded cheese.  Either way the simple trick of baking them rather than frying really cuts down on the fat and calories... As well as cutting down on the time to cook for multiple people as they all cook at the same time!

Recipe: Chicken & Black Bean Quesadillas

Modified from Women's Health
Serves: 2- 8 depending on how many you make

* tortillas
* 1 can black beans, drained
* grilled chicken breast, diced
* sauteed red bell peppers {optional}
* shredded Mexican cheese blend
* ground cumin

Spray a baking sheet with Pam and pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.

Place your tortillas on the pan.  On one half of the tortilla: sprinkle a little cheese, put a spoon full or two of beans {we don't use the full can but depending on how many you make...}, add diced chicken and sauteed red bell peppers, add a little cumin, and sprinkle a little more cheese on top then fold in half.

Bake for 10-15 minutes depending on how crispy you want them {we like ours crispy}. Flip them about half way through {we have found that this step is unnecessary as they will be cooked through without the flip}. Serve with Frontera salsa and maybe a little dollop of sour cream.

These are a great way to use left over grilled chicken and tortillas.   Enjoy!

- Tara