Category — Chicken

In my seasonal quest for more delicious and unique Crock-pot dishes, I’m turning to my own bookshelf. 

I have a lot of cookbooks. 

I love collecting and reading cookbooks . . . and even though I cook little bits out of nearly all of them, but I don’t feel I know each one intimately on its own.  I’ve often thought about starting at the beginning of one and working my way through (à la “Julie & Julia” (only less whining)) . . . but I’m not a linear sorta cook.  I’m more often driven by mood, whimsy and desperation, so I’ve never buckled myself down to do that.  Consequently, I miss stuff.  Like this yummy recipe.  In my adaptation, I do away with the browning of the chicken before adding it to the cooker – like I’ve said before, I’m a dump-n-go slow-cooker gal and if I’m using the Crock-pot, I don’t want to dirty up a pan and the stove . . . . so this recipe is that much easier.  Just a little slicing and dicing, then leave it alone and come home to dinner.  What’s not to love about that?

Drunken Chicken adapted from (The Slow Cooker Recipe Book by Catherine Atkinson)

Place the onions, garlic apples, almonds, plantain and raisins in the cooker.  Pour in the sherry, stock and tequila and stir to combine.  Salt and pepper each chicken breast half and place it in the pot, pressing them down into the stock so that they’re covered at least part-way.  Cover with the lid and cook on low for 6 hours.  Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper if desired.  Sprinkle each serving with chopped cilantro before serving with either plain rice or tortillas.

Serves 4.

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School’s in, practices and lessons are in full swing, and the weather is cooler . . . a perfect time to haul out that slow-cooker you say you never use enough.  I’m a dump ‘n’ go slow cooker recipe person.  What the heck is the point of a slow-cooker recipe if you have to cook ingredients before you throw them in the pot??  Really?  This thing is supposed to streamline my dinner processes.

I know there are many new readers since last fall, so once again, I’d like to point you to one of the most comprehensive slow-cooker recipe resources on the ‘net, A Year of Slow Cooking.  Lots and lots of inspiration there (yes, beyond creamed soups! there is flavor! there are vegetables! nary a pot roast with onion onion soup mix in sight!).  I urge you to check it out and please, do report on what you like there . . . lots of us need weekly inspiration!  For past Semi-Sweet recipes using the Crockpot, including more links to other sites, click here.

Today’s recipe is easy and tasty and makes great leftovers.  Serve it atop hot cooked rice, or if you’re jonesing for more vegetables in your belly, on top of more baby spinach.  When I reheated this for lunch on subsequent days, I put it in a bowl with a few handfuls of baby spinach and microwaved it all up . . . . and be sure to add some Tabasco to individual servings for those heat-lovers in your house.  Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Curried Chicken Stew (adapted from Better Homes & Gardens)

Lightly coat a 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray or olive oil.  Add the chicken in one layer, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add the onion, garlic, curry powder, and ginger to the slow cooker and sprinkle again with salt and pepper.  Add the chickpeas, undrained tomatoes, broth and bay leaf.  Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.

Give the whole thing a stir, then add the lime juice into the cooked stew.  Stir the spinach leaves into the stew and let it stand for 2-3 minutes until the spinach is wilted.  Stir again and taste – adjust the seasonings by adding more salt & pepper, curry powder, some Tabasco, etc.  Serve with rice.

Serves 8.

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Now that everyone’s back in school and the temperatures are falling, it really seems like autumn’s upon us.  Cooler temps mean freedom to turn the oven back on at night to prepare dinner, and one sure-fire crowd-pleaser over here is roasted chicken.  L. literally begsme to roast a chicken every week – it’s her favorite meal.  But on a weeknight, who has time?  Enter the parts . . . even a bone-in chicken part will take far less time to cook, yet will yield some of that same juicy, crispy, delectable treat that whole roast chicken delivers.

This recipe is versatile – you can make “plain” chicken for those “selective eaters” in your house, and amp up the flavor with ginger, lime and curry powder for those who prefer a little more zazzle.  Rubbing the spice mixture under the skin ensures that the meat is highly flavored . . . the skin and bone ensure it’s moist.  Whether you indulge in crispy chicken skin is your business (dont’ tell anyone, but I love it) but in any case, this is a 30-45 minute deal.

Crispy Ginger-Lime Chicken (adapted from Everyday Food)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Combine the ginger, lime juice, curry powder, scallions, a teaspoon of salt and 1/4 of pepper in a small bowl.  Place chicken on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Gently loosen the skin on each pice of chicken with your fingertips.  Then rub equal amounts of the ginger/lime mixture under the skin of each piece.

Bake until skin is crisp and the juices run clear, about 30 minutes.

Serves 4.

In my Fresh Flavor Fast cookbook, this is paired with a quick little side recipe for Couscous with Carrots and Cilantro . . . we ended up with leftover rice with our chicken – not nearly as exciting.  And remember, if you use whole wheat couscous, you’ll up your nutrient and fiber quotient . . . .

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I’m always looking to get more veggies into our diet (heck, if could get any veg aside from baby carrots into L’s body, I’d attempt a cartwheel).  So when I see recipes that offer wiggle room on veggies, I jump at the chance.  Casual dishes that involve sauces can usually be stretched so that you could add, say, double the vegetables called for – helping you on your way to 5-9-a-day.

This delicious looking recipe from the new Everyday Food cookbook called Fresh Flavor Fast caught my eye.  I had an over-abundance of bell peppers in the fridge and a bag of frozen cut green beans on hand – voila!  A veggie-full combo, easy enough for a weeknight and easily convertible to please any vegetarian or vegan palate as well.  I made this to serve 2 generously, but you can easily double either the whole lot, or just the protein portion to suit however many mouths you have to feed.

Thai Green Chicken Curry With Chicken (or Tofu) (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken cutlets or tofu and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes each side.  Remove to a plate, let rest for 5 minutes and then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, add the onion and season with salt and pepper (if you are using tofu in your recipe, you may need to add a bit more olive oil here).  Cook until translucent, then add the green beans and bell pepper strips.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are heated and the bell pepper begins to soften.  Add the curry paste and cook until the paste is slightly darkened, approximately 3 minutes.  Add the chicken or tofu, coconut milk and broth and bring to a simmer.

Cook until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally, about 5-8 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the basil and lime juice.  Taste for seasoning and add more salt and/or pepper accordingly.  Serve over rice.

Serves 2.

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Monday, Monday.  Hope you all had a good weekend and are revved up for what the week brings . . . for us, it’s the last week of school, which makes L. very sad . . . yes, my girl LOVES school.  If you have kids, this is a CRAZY-making time.  There are so many end-of-year events/gifts/tributes/cards/etc. it can make your head spin.  I’ve said it before, but I’m gonna say it again, when times get tough, it’s even more important to eat well and take care of your body.  Whether you have kids or not, if you’re under stress and start shoveling too much junk in your face, you’re going to succumb to sickness.  Trust me on this one.  Garbage in, garbage out.  Eat those greens, friends!  [Read more →]

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This spring and summer, I have the pleasure of being part of the Picadilly Farm CSA.  Each week, I get to pick up a box of goodies, grown organically in New Hampshire.  This past Wednesday was my first pickup, and the box was packed with salad greens, radishes, hakurei turnips, cilantro, bok choy, pea tendrils and some lovely red Russian kale. 

I started getting creative from day one – I love the challenge of being presented with ingredients and having to dream up recipes.  I had a rotisserie chicken in the fridge and so we had whole wheat rollups with lettuce, cilantro, chicken, grated sharp cheddar and enchilada sauce.  The next night was steamed tofu with bok choy and pea tendrils over rice, with a sauce made from low-sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, tabasco and chopped cilantro.  It was tasty, and it was pretty:

Saturday night, I sauteed the kale and added spicy Italian chicken sausages, tomatoes and garlic and served that over whole wheat penne with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.  Delicious comfort food – and the kale was tender and sweet.

And last night, it was giant salads.  Red leaf lettuce topped with halved cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes and salad turnips.  I added some buffalo chicken meatballs from Trader Joe’s (pretty good and heat ‘n’ eat to boot!) and this delicious ranch dressing, inspired by a recipe in Eating Well magazine:

Combine all those in a jar and shake it up – preferably a little bit before dinner so that the flavors have some time to mesh . . . it’s creamy, tangy and a great compliment to the spicy meatballs and crisp lettuce.  Here’s what the final creation looked like:

 So hearty, and healthy . . . and once you start making your own ranch dressing, you’ll never long to go lookin’ for that hidden valley again!

Eating veggies this fresh spoils a girl . . . even for premium produce the likes of Whole Foods’.  There is just no substitute.  I’ll keep filling you in on what I’m doing, and for even more inspiration, check out this great blog, A Bushel of What? 

Do you belong to a CSA?  What’re you whipping up from your spring share?

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I love salads, but for me, salads need heft if I’m going to have one as a meal.  This one’s got it goin’ on:  A great mix of greens and protein, with sweetness from the mango, savory flavor from the chicken, a wonderful peppery bite thanks to the arugula . . . . all wrapped up with an easy, super-flavorful dressing and the surprising crunch and flavor of cumin seeds.  If you’d like a bit of starch with this, serve warm naan (which you can even get at Costco, now – wow!) on the side.

Arugula Salad With Chicken & Mango (adapted from Bon Appetit)

Whisk the oil, chutney, lemon juice and curry powder in a bowl to blend.  Add the water to thin it out – if you need more water, that’s fine.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Put the arugula in a large bowl and toss with 1/2 of the dressing.

Divide the arugula between plates and scatter the chicken and mango over each.  Drizzle with remaining mango dressing (to taste, you may have extra).  Top each serving with a dollop of the yogurt and sprinkle with the cumin seeds. 

Serves 2 – can easily be scaled up.

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When I received the latest Everyday Food Magazine in the mail just a few days ago, I flipped through it and found this recipe . . . and I knew immediately I had to make it – and tweak it, of course.  This utilizes one of my favorite short-cut ingredients, the rotisserie chicken, and highlights a new veg for us, asparagus.  Yes, that’s right – until last spring, D. wouldn’t touch the stuff.  But he manned-up and tried it again last year and whaddaya know?  He liked it!  (For the record, I have always loved asparagus – now I am hoping he reverses his salmon, cucumber and zucchini aversions.  Oh, and then there’s the tuna, hard-cooked eggs, not-so-crazy-’bout-cabbage issues to sort out . . . .)

But I digress.  This got a “wow!” from D. on Wednesday night - it’s that good.  A bit more of a treat than some of my recipes, because it includes butter, but the indulgence is worth it.  This is so fresh-tasting, light and lemony.  It screams “SPRING!”  It’s a super-quick (approximately 20 minutes) one-pot weeknight meal that will have your family begging for more!

Couscous With Asparagus, Peas & Chicken (adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food Magazine – recipe is not available on line at this time)

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.  Add the white parts of the scallions and cook, stirring constantly, until softened (approximately 3 minutes).  Add the lemon zest and the broth and season with a little salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then add the asparagus and peas.  Return to boiling and stir in the couscous and the chicken. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 7 minutes.  Stir in the lemon juice, green parts of the scallions, and the parsley and season with salt and pepper.  Serve!

Serves 4.

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