Spicy Oven-Fried Chicken

This is a zingy take on the standard American fare. It's perfect summer picnic food. And the leftovers are good, too.  I like to serve it with cabbage slaw, and corn on the cob with chili powder and fresh lime.  Margaritas wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

Willow's Spicy Fried Chicken

1 whole frying chicken, cut up
3 cups buttermilk
2-3 Tbsp Tabasco
1-2 tsp salt
2-3 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper

(Amounts are approximate...I'm not big on measuring...)

Mix buttermilk, Tabasco, and salt in a dish, add chick and marinate for several hours or overnight in the fridge.  Heat 1/4 cup canola oil and 1/4 cup butter in a large cast iron skillet in the oven at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, remove chicken from buttermilk, shake off excess, dredge in flour mixture.  When butter melts, remove pan and add chicken, skin side down.  Return to oven.  Turn pieces after about 25 minutes or when golden brown underneath.  Return to oven and continue to bake until pieces are golden, crispy, and juices run clear, about another 20-25 minutes.  Cool on a rack.  Devour. 

lemony = spring

I love to make lemony things in the spring, so I dug out this recipe, which I haven't made in several years. You're gonna love this savory lemony-ness.  It's delicious served with red potatoes, couscous, or rice.  And best of all, like almost all the dishes I make, it's quick and easy. Give this a whirl and let me know how you like it. Notice the Blue Willow? Julia would be proud.

Willow's Chicken Francaise

(ingredients are approximate ... I'm not big on measuring)

4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp half and half
1 tsp tarragon (or 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley)
1 whole lemon, thinly sliced

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound with flat side of a meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick.

Heat oil in a 15 inch heavy skillet over moderate heat til hot.

While oil is heating, stir together flour, salt, pepper in shallow bowl. Dredge chicken, one piece at a time in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow bowl. When oil is hot, dip floured chicken into beaten eggs to coat, letting excess drip off.

Then fry, turning over once, until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and cover loosely with foil.

Pour off and discard oil, then heat butter over low heat until foam subsides. Add wine, broth and lemon juice and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally until sauce is reduced to about 3/4 cup or so.

Whisk in about 1 Tbsp flour, then remove from heat and whisk in about 2 Tbsp of half and half. (Sauce should be on the thin side.) Add tarragon or parsley. Immediately spoon sauce over chicken, top with lemon slices and serve.

when all the elements come together

Sometimes everything comes together perfectly to make food taste especially good.  A lot of factors come into play, in addition to the actual cooking process.  Sure, the freshness of the ingredients, and the skill of the cook, are important, but what about the current barometric pressure, the phase of the moon, the way the stars are aligned?  A lot has to do with the current state of your body: when you last ate, how well you slept the night before, what hormones are running around; not to mention your mental state, or what you might be drinking with the meal, and who with.  So, on these delightful occasions, when all the elements come together, food tastes monumental.  These things don't effect you?  Oh, they do, and more than you might think.

Speaking of tasting good, here's a simple recipe for chicken stew I've been making every week since October.  Toss a package of bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 6 large) into a 9 x 13 baking dish.  Add whatever veggies you have on hand, chopped large.  (I usually use cabbage, carrots, leeks, several cloves of garlic), a few cups of white wine, sage, thyme, (fresh herbs are always better) salt, and freshly ground pepper.  Bake low, about 275 for several hours, until cooked down, tender and golden.  You're gonna love this, regardless of the elements.

"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," 

and then he had to stop and think. 

Because although eating honey was a very good thing to do, 

there was a moment just before you began to eat it 

which was better than when you were, 

but he didn't know what it was called.” 

― A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

click to embiggen

grilled hoisin chicken with scallions

Seems I've been posting either poetry or food, which is basically what I've been up to lately.  I'm always looking for a different twist on boneless skinless chicken breasts. This one is perfect for quick and easy summer grilling.  Toss some sweet potato wedges and scallions on the grill, along with the chicken, and you've got a meal ready in less than 30 minutes.  The musky sweet of the hoisin pairs perfectly with the sweet of the potatoes. You're gonna love it.

Heat grill to medium and brush boneless skinless chicken breasts with canola oil.  Cut sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch wedges and toss with canola oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.  Grill the chicken and potatoes for about 7-10 minutes each side.  Brush chicken with bottled hoisin sauce, turning occasionally, the last few minutes of grilling.  Toss scallions in canola, salt and pepper, add to grill the last five minutes.  Remove all from grill.  Sprinkle chicken and potatoes with sesame seeds, drizzle potatoes with sesame oil.  Easy peasy.

better than fried

The buttermilk and the light, sandy crunch of the breading are a delightful combo. If you have time, soak the skinned chicken in the buttermilk mixture overnight, for added tenderness.  It's better than fried chicken, and without all the extra fat.  You're gonna love this.  I promise.

Oven-Fried Chicken with Crunchy Broccoli Slaw

1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
2 3/4 pounds bone-in chicken parts, skin removed
1 cup buttery round crackers, like Ritz, crushed
1/4 cup reduced fat mayo
1 Tbsp vinegar (I used rice vinegar)
3/4 pound broccoli, chopped, about 4 cups
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
1/2 small shallot, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

(all amounts approximate, I doubled this recipe)

Heat oven to 375F.  Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and lightly spray with oil. In a medium bowl, combine the paprika, 1 cup of the buttermilk, and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper.  Add chicken and turn to coat.

Place the crushed crackers (buzzed them in my mini-processor) in a shallow bowl.  Remove the chicken from the buttermilk and coat with crackers.  Place chicken on rack and bake, turning halfway through, until crispy and at least 165F internal temperature of thickest pieces, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together the mayo, vinegar and remaining 1/4 cup buttermilk, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper. Toss with veggies and serve with chicken.

a chicken and a box of pastry

Last week, I mentioned picking up a rotisserie chicken, which I like to do on occasion, for a quick and easy meal.  Another fun twist is making turnovers using frozen puff pastry. These are incredibly quick and tasty.  I followed this recipe, but endless stuffing possibilities are now rolling around in my head.  I'm sticking to minimal bread for lent, so they're on the back burner, so to speak, for now, at least.

Chicken and Gruyère Turnovers

Cut 2 sheets of thawed frozen puff pastry (one 17 ounce package) in half to form 4 rectangles.  Dividing evenly, top half of each with a mix of 1 1/2 cup shredded rotisserie chicken, 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyère, and 1/2 cup frozen peas. Seal the pastries and brush tops with beaten egg. Bake 400 degrees until golden, about 20 minutes. Serve with Dijon mustard. Serves 4.

In Italy, there's always chickens, but no eggs. 

In Africa there's eggs, but never chickens. 

Who separated them?

Caravaggio, The English Patient

more snickety lemon stuff

I've been on a lemon kick this week. After I posted the lemon polenta cake recipe, many readers mentioned having lemon trees, and were looking for new and different ways to use lemons. Well, here is a delicious savory lemon recipe, that's super quick and easy to make.  I don't know about you, but I am always grabbing a rotisserie chicken. Instead of stir-fry or chicken pie, try this for a change.  It's made with egg yolks, so it's not a dish you would want to eat every day, but it is a refreshing treat.  It would also be a great starter for a seafood entree.

Greek Lemon Soup with Chicken

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups chicken broth to a boil.  Add 1/3 cup orzo and boil until tender, about 8 minutes.  In a bowl, beat 6 egg yolks; slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot broth. Add the egg mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring until thickened, a minute or two.  Add 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken and the juice of one lemon (about 2 tablespoons). Season with freshly grated pepper.  Serves 4.

Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant 

filled with odd little waiters who bring you things 

you never asked for and don't always like.

Lemony Snicket

red and me

Little Red and I have been slow-cooking up a wintery storm. There's nothing as inviting on a snow-laden afternoon, as the aromatics of a pot simmering in an all-day oven. This is another rustic recipe from my I Know How to Cook, by Ginette Mathiot, and my personal favorite, so far.  The succulent wine sauce was out of this world and the chicken literally fell off the bone.  Mathiot's version required making a portion of it the day before, refrigerating overnight and finishing the next day.  Forget the "next day" business.  Here's my slightly modified version:

Coq Au Vin


3 Tbsp oil
1/2 cup butter scant
3 1/2 pound capon or chicken, cut into pieces
1/3 cup flour
1/4 cup cognac
generous 2 cups of red wine
salt and pepper
3 cloves garlic, crushed
6 1/2 oz. button mushrooms
1 large onion, chopped
3 1/2 oz. bacon, diced

Heat the oil and butter in a heavy pan (I used my trusty Hoosier cast iron skillet, a Howard County, Indiana legacy, inherited from my dear aunt). Add the chicken pieces and cook over medium high heat until browned on all sides. In a separate pan, while the chicken is browning, cook the bacon and onion. Remove chicken from pan. Sprinkle in flour and continue to cook, stirring. Remove from heat, pour in cognac and simmer to evaporate. Pour in wine, season with salt and pepper and add garlic. Place chicken pieces, bacon, onions and mushrooms in a Dutch oven. Pour pan sauce over and bake covered for two hours at 300 degrees.

chicken in every pot, literally

With all the crazy holiday prep, the last thing I feel like doing is making supper. So, this week, instead of picking up the phone to order pizza, I got a little creative with the bundt pan.  You all have one, and it's already handy, since you just dug it out from the back of the cabinet for its yearly one time use.

Layer a few potatoes, carrots and onions on the bottom of the pan. Then season the chicken and place in the pan with the open cavity over the center hole. (It's okay, the chicken doesn't feel a thing.) Roast as usual, with a cookie sheet underneath to collect any small dripping that may occur.  The chicken crisps all the way around, and the veggies cook in the juices.  Easy holiday peasy.

And just in case you missed my recent poem on the subject...


Chicken in Every Pot


I go the extra mile
to make chicken pie for supper.
While the incumbent hen stews,
steaming savory flesh and bones,
with enough thyme and peppercorns,
I ceremoniously sauté two primary
livers, consider simplicity,
how I like things explained
in words of one syllable,
then pour a fresh glass of Chianti,
dip each bite, wide, in a puddle
of democratic ketchup, raise
the wine high, toasting the fowl
and my economy.


Tess Kincaid, 2010


And, in keeping with the situation, here's my favorite eggnog recipe. Serve it with a dollop of whipped cream. Oh, man-oh-man, is it ever wonderful.

Willow's Eggnog


2 Eggbeaters
1 heavy cream
½  Drambuie or Southern Comfort
handful of ice cubes
sugar or Splenda to taste
vanilla extract
freshly grated nutmeg to taste

Blend the dickens out of it. Cheers!

This is the best stuff I've eaten all summer. I've made it twice in the
last two weeks. It's fresh, light and perfect for a hot summer
evening. I served it with hot grilled pita bread and an ice cold glass of
Chardonnay. You can thank Susan, over at 29 Blackstreet for sharing
this fabulous recipe! Yummity-yum-yum-yum.

Grilled Chicken Greek Salad

marinade:

1 cup of plain yogurt
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
2 tbsps. crushed dried oregano
2 fat cloves of garlic, crushed
2-3 tbsps. olive oil

Marinate 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts in a 9 x13 pan, turning
and stirring occasionally, 30 mins. to several hours. Grill chicken and
oiled thick slices of 2 large Vidalia onions and when cool slice both in
chunks.

dressing:

1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 tbsps cider vinegar
2-3 tbsps balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1/4 - 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint (I have tons of this stuff)
1 tsp. sugar (or to taste)
small handful of crumbled feta cheese
blend in a blender or food processor

toss together:

grilled chicken

grilled onions

Kalamata olives

crumbled feta cheese

chunks of tomato

chunks of cucumber

drizzle of vinaigrette

another foodie post

Like crunch? I made these amazing tortilla chicken drumsticks this
afternoon at the manor. They are quick and easy to make, as well
as economical. I served them with homemade fries, sprinkled with
cumin and oregano, and a wonderful cilantro-lime mayo sauce. I
promise, you will love them, too. You can also find the recipe in the
May issue of Gourmet magazine.

Tortilla Chicken Drumsticks

8 oz lightly salted corn tortilla chips
4 tsp chili powder, divided
1 tsp ground cumin
1 or 2 large eggs
3 lbs chicken drumsticks (about 15)

Preheat oven to 450. Oil a large 4 sided sheet pan. Pulse chips,
2 tsp chili powder, cumin and 1/4 tsp salt in food processor until
coarsely ground, then transfer to a shallow dish.

Whisk egg and remaining 2 tsp chili powder in a bowl.

Season chicken with 1/2 tsp salt. Dip drumsticks in egg, letting
excess drip off, then coat with crumbs. Transfer to sheet pan
and bake without turning, until cooked through, about 45 min.
Let stand 20 min. or so after removing from oven.


Cilantro-Lime Mayo

1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp grated lime zest
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

(My secret tip to fabulous homemade fries is to raise the basket out
of the oil half way through. Let fries rest for five minutes, then
return them to the oil and fry until lightly browned and crisp. This
method gives you a soft, flaky inside and crunchy out.)

Thai Chicken, Revisited

I posted this recipe from Blog Princess G back in April of last year.
It has become a regular Manor favorite and I made it again Sunday
afternoon. I'll have to confess, I did alter it just a tad. This is my
version of a wonderfully scrumptious dish. It's my kind of recipe,
simple, quick and delicious. Thanks, BPG!

Thai Chicken with Vegetables

1-2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut in chunks
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
½ tsp turmeric
1 clove garlic, chopped finely or crushed
1 tbsp veg oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp fish sauce

Marinate the chicken in the mixture for for several hours or
overnight in the fridge. Saute chicken in oil in large skillet until
golden and cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and pour
off all but 2 Tbsp of the oil. Add fresh chopped peppers, onions
and celery. Saute until tender crisp and add soy sauce to taste.
Serve with steamed rice.

New Coq Au Vin

With all the hubbub of the Manor Ball, I was ready for some fast and
easy comfort food. Hmm...what did I have on hand? Some frozen
chicken thighs, celery and a bottle of white wine. That's all you need
for this perfect, quick and easy little weekend supper! The super
moist chicken is infused with earthiness of the celery, wine and garlic.

New Coq Au Vin
Braised Chicken with Celery and Garlic

6 chicken thighs with skins and bone, 2 lb
2 Tbsp olive oil
10 garlic cloves, halved
3 celery ribs cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)

Pat chicken dry and season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
Heat oil in a 12 inch heavy skillet over medium high heat
until it shimmers. Sear chicken, skin side down until golden
brown (do not turn) 3 to 5 minutes, then transfer to plate.

Pour off all but 2 Tbsp fat from skillet. Cook garlic and celery
in skillet over medium heat until golden and just beginning to
soften. Add wine and boil, uncovered, until reduced by half.
Add water and bring to a simmer.

Return chicken, skin side up, to skillet and simmer, partially
covered until cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with parsley and serve with olive oil mashed potatoes.

recipe from September 08 issue of Gourmet magazine
photo by Willow

Mexican Chicken

I am not particularly fond of casseroles, in fact I never make them...

except for this one recipe, which I made all the time when I had a

house full of teenagers. It was very popular about 10 years ago.

Everyone loved it and it fed a crowd. (I haven't made it in ages.)

WT is back in town and I had some leftover tortillas. We will be

eating it for days...it makes wonderful leftovers. The recipe can be

adjusted easily to accommodate taste preferences. It is very mildly

spicy, but you can kick it up if you like more. Low fat versions of the

ingredients work well, too.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

6 cooked, shredded boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 large soft tortillas
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
2 cans cream chicken soup
1 small can navy beans
1 4 oz can mild green chiles
2 C shredded cheddar
1 T onion powder
1 clove minced garlic
1 t pepper
chives or green onions (optional)

Mix tomatoes, soup, beans, chiles, onion powder,
garlic and pepper in large bowl (all undrained) plus broth
from the cooked chicken. (If there's no broth, then add
1 C water.)

Layer in 13"x 9" pan, starting with just enough mixture
to cover the bottom, then four of the tortillas, all of the
shredded chicken, 1 C cheese, more mixture, rest
of the tortillas, mixture and end with last cup of cheese
on top. Sprinkle with chives or green onions.

Bake 350 for 45 minutes or until bubbly in center. Let
rest for 20 minutes to congeal.

Garnish with sour cream and fresh cilantro.