Du'in It in the Kitchen » chicken

Childhood Re-Visited: Chicken Jaffa

Du — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 15:01:08 +0000

My mom was a great cook… always experimenting with new recipes she had collected from friends or the newspaper. A couple of years ago I found two of her recipes boxes I had forgotten I took when she passed away several years ago. I made a promise to go through the recipes and make as many as I could… and then forgot. Perhaps this was on purpose because I just wasn’t ready.

The other day I was racking my brain to think of something different to do with chicken and then I remembered one of my favorite dishes my mom would prepare: Chicken Jaffa. I’ve never seen this on a menu or heard anyone prepare it before and have no clue where my mom got this recipe. In fact, I haven’t had this in more than twenty years. I had often thought of making it over the years but my ex never like an “orange sauce” so I put it out of my mind.

I went to the box to see if there was a recipe card for this – found it immediately! My mother rarely used shortcuts in recipes (unless that’s the way the recipe was written). Her recipe uses a couple packages of chicken gravy mix but I decided to forgo this… after looking at the recipe I figured I could easily make the sauce without a mix. I added a couple other ingredients as well, just…. because…

Chicken Jaffe served over brown rice

Chicken Jaffa

(approx 4 servings)

2 lbs chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt and ground pepper to taste

2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice

1 small onion, chopped

1 small shallot, minced

3 – 4 garlic cloves, minced

2 inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons flour

2 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate or powder

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cardamom

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy bottom skillet. Brown chicken in skillet, approx 2 – 3 minutes each side and place in baking/casserole dish.

Remove some of the oil from the skillet. Saute onion, garlic, fresh ginger and shallots over medium high heat until onions are opaque.

In a separate bowl, whisk together orange juice, flour, ground ginger and ground cardamom. Add to onion mixture in pan and bring to a low boil. Add chicken stock concentrate and brown sugar and stir until completely mixed. Let simmer for a few minutes then pour over chicken in baking/casserole dish.

Place in 350 degree oven (uncovered) for 40 minutes. Serve over rice.

Chicken Jaffa, up close and personal

Chicken with Pan-Fried Noodles

Du — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 20:24:28 +0000

Chicken with Pan-Fried Noodles

I have been obsessed with pan-fried noodles lately. Years ago I used to love to order Chinese take-out when I first moved to New York – I couldn’t get over the fact that you could order just about any type of cuisine and have it delivered to your door. The only thing I ever ordered for delivery when I lived in St. Louis was pizza…

Over the years my fondness for Chinese food vanished… mostly because there were Chinese take-out places on every block and the quality had gone down immensely. There would be more oil in the container than food… okay, I exaggerate a bit but the food delivered was always very oily and everything tasted the same.

Last year I was taken to a Chinese restaurant (under protest) in Brooklyn called Pacificana. I hesitated to order anything and was very suspicious for what would hit the table. My hosts order food family style… I’m sure I would be able to pick out something. I was not prepared for what was to come…

The food was amazing! Not oily and not greasy and NOT swimming in sauce! The veggies were cooked just right and every dish had it’s own unique flavor. My love for Chinese food had been awakened and my favorite dish became Beef served over Pan-Fried Noodles. The noodles always came out crunchy despite the beef, veggies and sauce over them. I dreamed about pan-fried noodles and looked forward to each visit.

I started thinking – I have got to learn how to make these for myself when the craving gets bad. Stir frying has never been my forte and I don’t have a wok but I was determined to make them. I searched the internet on pan frying techniques and found there wasn’t anything but heating up oil in a pan and frying cooked noodles… Okay, I’m game. I looked at several recipes for stir fried veggies, found what was common among them, came up with my own recipe and decided to add chicken. I couldn’t find Chinese broccoli so I picked up broccolini instead.

This was so good I had to go back for seconds…

*for the chicken broth, I used a powdered style mixed with water

Chicken with Pan-Fried Noodles

(serves 4 – 6)

1 12oz package of Chinese Noodles

1 lb boneless chicken breast, sliced into thin, bite size pieces

1 medium head of bok choy, washed and cut into bite size pieces (or 4-5 leaves from a large)

1 medium onion, sliced in half, top to bottom, then in ½” wedges

2-3 scallions, cut into 2 “ pieces, green tops included

4oz string beans, washed, stem removed (about a large handful)

3oz snow peas washed, stem and string removed (large handful)

1 large carrot, peeled and sliced on the diagonal

2” of ginger root, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces

4 – 6 mushrooms sliced

peanut oil

water as needed

Sauce

1 cup chicken broth (or veggie broth)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

Prepare Chinese noodles as directed. Drain and rinse noodles in cold water. Drizzle a little peanut oil into noodles to keep from sticking and set aside.

In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of peanut oil over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan and stir frequently until cooked (about 3 minutes). Remove and set aside.

Add another splash of peanut oil to pan and stir fry onions, scallions and ginger until onions begin to wilt. Add water as necessary to keep from sticking. Remove from pan.

To the pan, add bok choy, string beans and carrot, stirring frequently, adding water to keep from drying out. When bok choy begins to soften, add mushrooms and snow peas. Continue stirring and remove from pan when bok choy is soft but still crunchy (another 2-3 minutes). Remove from pan.

In a small bowl, combine chicken broth, soy and oyster sauce and whisk in cornstarch. With heat still on, add to pan stirring frequently and bring to boil. When sauce thickens, add veggies and chicken to pan and mix together. Turn off heat.

Pan-Fried Noodles

Pan-Fried Noodles

In a cast iron skillet, heat a tablespoon of peanut oil over medium high heat. When oil begins to dance, add 4 scoops of noodles into pan. Fry noodles until they begin to brown to a golden color (may take 3-5 minutes). Turn over noodle cakes and brown other side. Brown remainder of noodles into cakes. One 12oz package should make 8-9 noodles cakes. You may need to drizzle in additional oil as needed.

Remove noodle cakes to plate and serve it with the chicken stir fry.

Uncovering the hidden… Rosemary Chicken in White Wine

Du — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:09:08 +0000

Sometimes you get stuck in a rut making the same ol’ recipes. You know exactly what to do without even thinking… but every once in a while, it’s time to change it up. I never know where I will get an idea.

I had boneless chicken breasts, white wine and garlic on hand and thought I would do a simple saute’… nothing special. It just so happens I’ve been moving things around and putting stuff in storage and came across a cookbook I had purchased years ago… I had somehow forgotten it.

I saw Marcella Hazan on tv in the early 90′s although I can’t remember where. She was doing a cooking demo and promoting her book Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Of course I had to have the cookbook (gotta feed my addiction) and went right out to purchase it that day. Her lemon chicken dish became a staple in my cooking bag of tricks, modified over and over throughout the years.

I thumbed through it looking to see if there was some other variation I could do with the white wine and came across “Pan Roasted Rosemary Chicken with Garlic and White Wine.” The recipe called for chicken breasts on the bone. Hmmm… no biggie – I can alter this and can speed up the cooking time. Fresh rosemary?? I looked right at it in the store but did not pick it up but I had dried on hand. I have forgotten how wonderful rosemary is with chicken. This dish was simple and quick and most of all – my new favorite!!

Rosemary Chicken in White Wine

ROSEMARY CHICKEN IN WHITE WINE

Based on Pan Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Garlic in White Wine

From Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking by Marcella Hazan

(serves 3… or 2 very hungry people)

1 – 1 ¼ lbs chicken breast (3 chicken breasts, sliced into cutlets)

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

3 garlic cloves minced

½ teaspoon dried rosemary (or 2 fresh sprigs)

½ cup dry white wine

Sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat a pan over medium high heat, add olive oil and butter. When butter has melted and begins to bubble, add chicken to pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook 2 – 3 minutes and flip. Season again with salt and pepper and for additional 3 minutes. Set aside.

Increase heat under pan, add garlic and rosemary sautéing for 1 minute. Add white wine. Cook for 2 minute. Return chicken to pan and reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for approximately 4 minutes then turn chicken over cook an additional 3 – 4 minutes, covered.

Remove chicken and place on a serving dish.

Cook juices on high for 4 – 5 minutes to reduce slightly. Pour over chicken and serve immediately.

Ole’ for Chicken Mole!

Du — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:48:46 +0000

Chocolate is still dancing through my thoughts and tickling my taste buds after attending The 2009 Chocolate Show in New York City this past weekend. I look forward to this every year… it’s my chance to sample new chocolate concoctions and learn something new to add to my recipe box. Although not as big as in years past (perhaps the economy had an impact), I did not walk away empty-handed and my tummy was sufficiently chocolified.

Inspired by the chocolate gods, I decided I would attempt a dish I’ve never made before (and one I did not like the first and only time I tried it) – Chicken with Mole Sauce.

I love Mexican, Tex-Mex and Southwestern foods but mole was something that did not grab me. Perhaps it was the dish I didn’t like or I my palate wasn’t ready to appreciate the fusion of various spices. I searched the internet and found there are many different mole sauces depending on the region of Mexico and the chef. Since I had chocolate on the brain, that was the ingredient I wanted to make sure was in the recipe. The second requirement – I didn’t want anything that would take all day or require three different chili peppers and 30 ingredients.

I found two different recipes with different techniques and decided to take a little from each to come up with my own… which when you think of it, is rather cocky since I don’t really know what an excellent mole sauce tastes like and my one and only experience with it was a bust.

I compared recipes for “Chicken Mole” from the Casual Kitchen and “Pork Tenderloin in Spicy Mole Sauce” from Kate in the Kitchen. Both recipes looked rather simple to make and fit my criteria. I would have to adjust the recipe to keep it mild, as the man in my life cannot handle “spicy.”

Ole’ for Chicken Mole

Ole' for Chicken Mole!

Spice mix:
1 Tablespoon ground mild New Mexico Chili powder (Chili Molido)

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon Mexican oregano

note: for more “heat”, add ground cayenne pepper. Start small (1/4 teaspoon). You can always add more…

1 lb chicken breast cut into chunks or strips (rinsed and dried)
Paprika, sea salt and coarse ground black pepper for seasoning

2 – 4 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped finely

3 – 4 garlic cloves minced

1 pinch of kosher salt

1 28 oz can peeled whole tomatoes

1 oz 72% chocolate

Directions:
1) Season chicken with paprika, sea salt and ground black pepper. Heat 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive on high heat in a large pot. Add chicken and sear at high heat. Remove and set chicken aside.
2) Reduce heat to medium-high and sauté onion and garlic with pinch of kosher salt until transluscent. Add spice mix into the olive oil and stir with a wooden spoon. Add more oil (if needed) until all of the spice mix is moistened in the oil. Heat spices until they are blackened and begin smoking, about 6-7 minutes or more.

heating the chili spice mix

3) Lower heat to low and add chocolate. As the chocolate melts, stir it into the blackened spices with spoon. When the chocolate is fully melted, add canned tomatoes with juices. Bring to a gentle boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Puree with stick blender until smooth. Add the cooked chicken into the sauce and simmer for 5 more minutes.

chicken simmering in mole sauce

Serve over rice.