Category Archives: chicken

Homemade Chicken Soup with Not-So-Homemade Matzo Balls

Posted on April 9, 2016 | Leave a comment

I always make my own chicken soup. It is delicious broth. I usually make a few batches and freeze them because it’s a great thing to have frozen in quart containers as stock and will last for up to six months frozen. When the holidays come—whether Rosh Hashanah or Passover—I always make my chicken soup with matzo balls. I make the soup a day ahead and skim whatever fat is on there before adding my matzo balls. Keep reading for my “secret matzo ball recipe”.

INGREDIENTS: CHICKEN STOCK:

1 5lb. organic roasting chicken (I throw away the insides)

1 package of chicken wings (this was suggested to me a long time ago by my BFF Karyn and she was oh so right. It adds some fat, which translates into a lot of flavor and you will skim off the fat the next day. Thanks, Karyn…yes, I remembered!)

1 large, yellow Spanish onion; unpeeled and quartered

A big bunch of dill

4 celery stalks with leaves, cut into thirds

4 carrots, unpeeled and halved

Bunch of flat-leaf parsley (Use this only if you want. This time, I didn’t have it so I used only the dill.)

A bunch of thyme (if you wish)

1 head of garlic, cut in half cross-wise (skin and all)

2 tbsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. whole black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS FOR SOUP:

I place the chicken, chicken wings, onion, carrots, celery, whatever herbs I’m using, garlic, salt and pepper in as large a pot as I can find (usually about a 16-20 qt. stockpot.) Add cold water to cover chicken by at least 2 inches above the chicken but not to the top of the pot because it will boil over (very messy). Bring to a boil and then simmer, uncovered, for about 3 hours. I skim the soup skum (sounds lovely) off for the first half hour or so—after that, you shouldn’t have much more. I remove the chicken from the broth after an hour or so, because it is cooked and it will taste like a rubber chicken if you plan on eating it. Sometimes, I like to shred it and return it to the soup. If you are not using the chicken (what a waste of good chicken), just leave it in. It will fall apart in there. I leave the wings and discard them at the end of the 3 hours. Next, I strain all of the soup, discard all remnants, fill my containers and put in the fridge. The next day (or the day of the holiday), I usually skim off the fat that has risen to the top and make my matzo balls (recipe below).

MATZO BALLS:

This has always been my secret, but now it’s out. Okay, I own it. After years of making matzo balls from scratch, my mother (yes, my mother, the cook) turned me on to Manischewitz boxed matzo ball mix! It just wasn’t worth it. My balls weren’t as consistent as I would have liked, whereas these are always perfection! Light and fluffy and everyone always loves them. No sinkers here!

I follow the directions on the box carefully. They sell just the mix box. You will need vegetable oil and 2 eggs per box. I do add a little piece of dill inside each ball, but that’s it! Now my secret is out. Sometimes this is really the only way to go. It saves time and ingredients and is really good. No MSG or trans-fats either! So make the soup, cheat with the balls, and enjoy. There is no substitute for homemade chicken soup, though.

*You can also add thin soup noodles to this recipe, if you like. (obviously not on Passover)

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

Posted on March 29, 2016 | 2 comments

I love one pot meals. I think they have become my most favorite kind of meal to make. This one is so delicious and perfect. Chicken was cooked perfectly and the lemons caramelized in the pan adding a delicious flavor to the chicken and potatoes and beans. We thoroughly enjoyed this and it is a perfect recipe for all year round. I made it with 2 chicken breasts for the 2 of us, this recipe should serve 4 beautifully according to directions with 4 breasts. You will need a large baking dish or you can make in a cast-iron skillet. The prep is pretty quick and the shopping is easy. Nothing exotic here just good old cooking with easy ingredients.

The other night I made it with 2 thighs , 2 legs and 1 breast and it was just perfect!

Ingredients:

Olive Oil– 6 Tablespoons, divided 1 and 5

2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced and 1 you will juice

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound trimmed green beans

8 small red potatoes, quartered

4 chicken breast, bones in and skin on

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. I always spray my baking dishes with cooking spray for easy clean-up. Then coat your baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish.

In a large bowl, combine the remaining 5 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using tongs or slotted spoon again, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl and coat with the olive-oil mixture. Place the chicken , skin side up in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.

Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or the skillet. ( you may want to cut into chicken to make sure it’s ready, I roasted for about 55 minutes) then place the beans and potatoes back in oven for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. I covered the chicken with aluminum for that 10 minutes.

When potatoes are ready, place a chicken breast on the plate and plate up the beans and potatoes. Serve Warm from the oven.

2 Comments

Posted in chicken

Tagged chicken in one pot, chicken with beans and potatoes, one pot chicken and vegetables, roasting chicken

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

Posted on March 16, 2016 | 1 comment

The other night I made it with 2 thighs , 2 legs and 1 breast and it was just perfect!

Ingredients:

Olive Oil– 6 Tablespoons, divided 1 and 5

2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced and 1 you will juice

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 pound trimmed green beans

8 small red potatoes, quartered

4 chicken breast, bones in and skin on

Directions:

When potatoes are ready, place a chicken breast on the plate and plate up the beans and potatoes. Serve Warm from the oven.

1 Comment

Posted in chicken

Tagged chicken in one pot, chicken with beans and potatoes, one pot chicken and vegetables, roasting chicken

Chicken Marsala – What I made last night

Posted on March 7, 2016 | 2 comments

I am just going on record that this recipe is so delicious and so easy. I made it again last night and it is just so awesome. If you are looking for an easy, quick recipe this is it. Just follow directions, and I think in an hour it was all done. Served with a vegetable and rice , perfect. Great recipe for dinner party or dinner party of 2! see recipe on website. What I Cooked – Chicken Marsala, original post date was 01/13/2012. It’s so worth looking up and cooking. Let me know how you like it. Joel loves it.

2 Comments

Posted in chicken, Uncategorized

Tagged Chicken, Chicken Marsala

Chicken and Rigatoni in One Pot–One Pot Pasta

Posted on February 18, 2016 | 3 comments

I must say that the first time I saw this recipe for one-pot pasta I was hesitant. I read up on it and found out that the actual recipe for this one-pot pasta hailed from Puglia. So for all of those “haters” out there I am just saying that I did do my homework here and found out that yes they do this in Italy and original recipe was from there. OK that’s enough of that. It doesn’t really matter where it’s from now does it? I have made 2 versions of this type of pasta and all I can say is yum. I will also add that you need to be a little bit more attentive during the cooking but the result was fabulous. We loved the creaminess and the pasta came out perfectly al dente. You just don’t want to overcook it, taste for doneness and sit down and eat. It was delicious the next day cold out of fridge as well. Give this one a try you won’t be sorry. Joel was very happy with the clean-up detail as well because it was one pot! Whole thing took under an hour from start to finish. One pan, people!!! dry noodles, sauce ingredients, water, wine a few good things and you’ve got a delicious impressive dinner.

*I used my large Le Creuset pot. A large skillet would work fine here as well.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

app. 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken breast, cut into small chunks. Just buy a regular package of chicken breasts and cut them up as I did ( see photos)

2 large roasted red peppers, sliced into thin slices ( straight out of the jar) see photos

6 cherry peppers, chopped and de-seeded , you can use hot if you like it spicy or just mild cherry peppers which is what I used (straight out of the jar) see photos

1 cup water, you will probably add about 1/2 cup more but you should start out with a cup

1 lb. rigatoni, I like the way the rigatoni works of course penne or another type of macaroni will work just fine

1 cup white wine, use what you have open as long as it’s not a sweet wine

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup Parmesan Cheese grated, more for serving

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons fresh basil torn, you’ll want to add a little more at the end of cooking as well.

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

Crushed red pepper flakes, optional. If you like the heat add a little bit during cooking and you can always add more at end. 1/4 teaspoon to start is good.

Directions:

In a large skillet type of pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add in the garlic and chicken . Saute the chicken until it is just browned on the outside but not cooked through.

Stir in the roasted red peppers and cherry peppers, and sauté for another minute or so. Add in the crushed tomatoes and wine. Add in the water and the raw pasta and bring to a low boil. If you need more water you’ll know at this point , add a bit more water (a little at a time) Continue to cook, stirring very often, until the pasta has cooked to al dente , it will take anywhere from 15- 20 minutes. Taste pasta and judge how much longer it needs.

When pasta is done to your liking, reduce heat to low and add in the butter, basil and salt. When the butter is completely melted into the past, add in the cream and the cheese. Let simmer on low for another ten minutes or so, stirring occasionally. Top with additional cheese, basil and red pepper flakes if you like.

Serve warm.

3 Comments

Posted in chicken, one pot meals, pasta

Tagged Chicken, chicken and pasta in one pot, chicken and rigatoni in one pot, one pot spicy chicken and rigatoni, raw pasta cooked with ingredients in one pot

Orange Chicken

Posted on February 15, 2016 | 1 comment

Orange chicken served with rice and beans

Chicken Cutlets dredged in flour and paprika

Rosemary and Garlic in Pan

Finished Product–Orange Chicken

Once again I took this recipe from the inimitable Jessica Seinfeld. I just love her recipes mostly because they are so easy and so delicious. This one is pretty easy to make with very few ingredients. Just make sure to get yourself some fresh rosemary, some fresh garlic and use fresh orange juice! This is a must and I used some oranges for a very simple garnish.

Get Cooking and Enjoy!

Ingredients:

*recipe as is will probably serve 4 , 2 cutlets a piece

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

4 cloves garlic–I minced the garlic, (chop finely) if you prefer just smash it and leave in larger pieces that you can remove right before serving or just leave in the sauce. We like garlic so I chopped it. Up to you, both ways are fine.

3 sprigs fresh rosemary

3 Tablespoons olive oil, plus extra if necessary– I used 4 because I cleaned out pan after chicken cutlets cooked up.

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, ( probably 1 large juicy orange)

1/2 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Rinse off chicken breasts and pat dry with paper towels. Season both sides with the salt and pepper. In a large bowl combine the flour and paprika. Dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour, shaking off excess flour, and place on a clean plate. Smash and peel the garlic and chop into small pieces or leave the garlic smashed and if you like you can remove it just before you serve or leave whole smashed cloves in the sauce, it’s really a personal preference. Wash the rosemary , pat dry, and pull the leaves from the sprigs. It should be about 2 Tablespoons.

Place a large skillet on the stove and turn the heat on to medium. Add the olive oil and heat until it shimmers ( about a minute) Using tongs, add the chicken, and cook 5 – 7 minutes per side more until browned and cooked through. You can cut through the thickest part to make sure it is cooked through) Transfer to a clean plate or platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while you prepare the sauce.

I actually wiped the skillet clean and started with another tablespoon of oil for the sauce. I found the skillet cleaner this way. When pan cooled down a little bit I wiped it dry with a clean paper towel. Then proceed with the next step. Add in the garlic, stirring until golden brown, 1 – 2 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and let cook for about a minute. Now add the orange juice and broth. Let simmer and stir up all the brown bits that may be stuck to the bottom of the pan. Simmer until the sauce starts to thicken a bit, about 5 minutes. Taste for salt, I added a little bit.

To serve I placed on platter and spooned the sauce over the chicken and added some orange slices.

Enjoy!!

1 Comment

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Tagged Chicken, chicken and oranges, orange chicken

Chicken and Rigatoni in One Pot–One Pot Pasta

Posted on December 17, 2015 | Leave a comment

*I used my large Le Creuset pot. A large skillet would work fine here as well.

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

app. 1 – 1 1/2 lbs. of chicken breast, cut into small chunks. Just buy a regular package of chicken breasts and cut them up as I did ( see photos)

2 large roasted red peppers, sliced into thin slices ( straight out of the jar) see photos

6 cherry peppers, chopped and de-seeded , you can use hot if you like it spicy or just mild cherry peppers which is what I used (straight out of the jar) see photos

1 cup water, you will probably add about 1/2 cup more but you should start out with a cup

1 lb. rigatoni, I like the way the rigatoni works of course penne or another type of macaroni will work just fine

1 cup white wine, use what you have open as long as it’s not a sweet wine

1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes

1 cup Parmesan Cheese grated, more for serving

1/2 stick unsalted butter

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons fresh basil torn, you’ll want to add a little more at the end of cooking as well.

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

Crushed red pepper flakes, optional. If you like the heat add a little bit during cooking and you can always add more at end. 1/4 teaspoon to start is good.

Directions:

In a large skillet type of pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add in the garlic and chicken . Saute the chicken until it is just browned on the outside but not cooked through.

Serve warm.

Easy Chicken Soup with Orzo and Lemon

Posted on December 4, 2015 | 2 comments

I literally started this soup at 5 p.m. and app. one hour later I was eating it. Now that’s always a good thing in my book. Usually I slow cook my broth etc. and it takes hours ( Homemade Chicken Soup ) but this time there was no time, I wasn’t feeling like cooking my soup for hours and wanted that homemade flavor without all the work . You can certainly cook your own chicken if it works out for you time wise. This would also be perfect with leftover chicken. I bought a rotisserie chicken and this is what I did. For those of you who saw it on Instagram and Facebook–this one’s for you. One more little thing, the fresh dill is the secret ingredient and gives it that wonderful layer of flavor, don’t skip it. I also squeezed fresh lemon into each bowl of soup , this added yet another wonderful layer of flavor to this soup. This is also a fairly low-calorie soup because the whole soup is made with only 1/2 cup of orzo and it was plenty. I used these vegetables this time but feel free to add parsnips, mushrooms, kale or any other veggies you like.

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie Chicken, skin removed and shredded .

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 leek, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise about 1/2″ thick — if you don’t have a leek use 1 chopped yellow onion

2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2″ thick slices (app.)

2 large carrots cut into 1/2″ rounds. I found beautiful organic baby carrots and used them, it’s about 2 large carrots but feel free to use a little more or less.

1/2 cup of orzo

6 – 8 cups chicken broth, if you have homemade broth/stock good for you and use it. If not the box ones are awesome. Low-Sodium is good here if you’re concerned about the salt.

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

app. 1/4 cup of chopped fresh dill

*Lemon halves for serving

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the leek, celery and carrots. Cook veggies, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, 10-15 minutes. I threw a little salt and pepper in to vegetables during this period, you can taste for salt and pepper again.

Add 6 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes, just till carrots are soft.

After about 20 minutes, I added 1/2 cup of orzo and cooked for 8- 10 minutes. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

I then added the shredded chicken and dill and I also added a bit more of the chicken stock at this point since broth cooked down a bit. I heated soup a bit more and served with lemon halves, squeezing a bit of lemon into each bowl of chicken soup before serving.

2 Comments

Posted in chicken, soup

Tagged Chicken Soup with Lemon and Orzo, Chicken Soup with Orzo, Homemade Chicken Soup made easy

Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Balls

Posted on October 18, 2015 | Leave a comment

Italian Wedding Soup with Chicken Balls

this is one of my absolute favorite recipes. It is a soup , which is also a full meal. It is hearty and pretty healthy. It is one of my staples from September through April. It freezes well and you can just take it out of the freezer the night before, and you’ll have a wonderful meal the next evening. When you defrost it you will probably want to add broth/water to it. add a little at a time till you get the consisitency you like. Enjoy:)

Ingredients: chicken balls

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 lb chicken sausage, casings removed

3 slices whole wheat bread for bread crumbs ( I put into food proccesor with steel blade for crumbs) i remove crusts . should be app. 1 cup of bread crumbs *see note below on fresh bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic ( 2 – 3 cloves)

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano ( fresh is best) but whatever you have will do

1/4 cup grated Parmesan ( again nothing beats fresh) but whatever you have will do here as well

3 tablespoons milk

1 extra large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soup Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small -medium yellow onion minced

1 cup diced carrots ( 3 )

1 cup diced celery (2 stalks)

10 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine( use whatever you have open)

1 cup small pasta tubetini, ditalini, stars, etc.

5 ounces fresh spinach, washed and trimmed. you can also use chopped kale.

*fresh dill ( I love the flavor) add at your own discretion about 1/4 cup minced fresh dill.

Directions:

preheat the oven to 350 degrees put parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

for the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage,bread crumbs, garlic, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, salt and pepper all in a bowl and mix well with a fork. I use a teaspoon, and make 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and drop onto parchment paper lined cookie sheet. you should have about 30 to 40 small balls. bake for 25 – 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. set them aside. (I made about 30 balls, they were a little larger this time out)

For the Soup:

heat the olive oil over medium – low heat in a large heavy bottomed soup pot ( Le Creuset type pot) Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, about 10 minutes, don’t brown. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil, at this point I let soup cook a while to soften the vegetables, app. 1 hour. ( a low simmer) if you’re in a hurry you can probably do the whole soup in 1/2 hour , veggies will be soft enough to eat. if some of the liquid evaporates you can always add a little more broth.

chicken balls out of the ovenItalian Wedding Soup cooking

Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook another 6 – 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the meatballs and simmer for another minute or so. taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for another minute or so, the spinach will just wilt. Ladle into soup bowls and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

*a little note on fresh bread crumbs. Stale bread works well and I always have some bread in the freezer so I usually use that. You can also use a blender if you don’t want to use a food processor. The crumbs will keep in the freezer almost indefinitely. Just stick the crumbs in the microwave for a few seconds to take the chill out of them before using. I try to always make extra breadcrumbs and then I always have enough for the next time I make meatballs!

Easy Chicken Soup with Orzo and Lemon

Posted on October 15, 2015 | 1 comment

I literally started this soup at 5 p.m. and app. one hour later I was eating it. Now that’s always a good thing in my book. Usually I slow cook my broth etc. and it takes hours ( Homemade Chicken Soup ) but this time there was no time, I wasn’t feeling great and wanted that homemade flavor without all the work . You can certainly cook your own chicken if it works out for you time wise. This would also be perfect with leftover chicken. I bought a rotisserie chicken and this is what I did. For those of you who saw it on Instagram and Facebook–this one’s for you. One more little thing, the fresh dill is the secret ingredient and gives it that wonderful layer of flavor, don’t skip it. I also squeezed fresh lemon into each bowl of soup , this added yet another wonderful layer of flavor to this soup. This is also a fairly low-calorie soup because whole soup is made with only 1/2 cup of orzo and it was plenty. I used these vegetables this time but feel free to add parsnips, mushrooms, kale or any other veggies you like.

Ingredients:

1 Rotisserie Chicken, skin removed and shredded .

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 leek, white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise about 1/2″ thick

2 stalks celery, sliced into 1/2″ thick slices (app.)

2 large carrots cut into 1/2″ rounds. I found beautiful organic baby carrots and used them, it’s about 2 large carrots but feel free to use a little more or less.

1/2 cup of orzo

6 – 8 cups chicken broth, if you have homemade broth/stock good for you and use it. If not the box ones are awesome. Low-Sodium is good here if you’re concerned about the salt.

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

app. 1/4 cup of chopped fresh dill

*Lemon halves for serving

Directions:

Add 6 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer for about 20 minutes, just till carrots are soft.

After about 20 minutes, I added 1/2 cup of orzo and cooked for 8- 10 minutes. Taste for Salt and Pepper.

1 Comment

Posted in chicken, soup

Tagged Chicken Soup with Lemon and Orzo, Chicken Soup with Orzo, Homemade Chicken Soup made easy

Category Archives: chicken

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Ingredients: chicken balls

1 lb. ground chicken

1/2 lb chicken sausage, casings removed

3 slices whole wheat bread for bread crumbs ( I put into food proccesor with steel blade for crumbs) i remove crusts . should be app. 1 cup of bread crumbs *see note below on fresh bread crumbs

2 teaspoons minced garlic ( 2 – 3 cloves)

1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano ( fresh is best) but whatever you have will do

1/4 cup grated Parmesan ( again nothing beats fresh) but whatever you have will do here as well

3 tablespoons milk

1 extra large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Soup Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small -medium yellow onion minced

1 cup diced carrots ( 3 )

1 cup diced celery (2 stalks)

10 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup dry white wine( use whatever you have open)

1 cup small pasta tubetini, ditalini, stars, etc.

5 ounces fresh spinach, washed and trimmed. you can also use chopped kale.

Directions:

preheat the oven to 350 degrees put parchment paper on a cookie sheet.

For the Soup:

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