Category Archives: chicken

Chicken Marbella–perfect Holiday Chicken

Posted on September 23, 2016 | Leave a comment

This recipe is my “go to” chicken. I’ve made it almost every Passover since I found it, it is also a wonderful dinner party recipe and perfect for Rosh Hashana.  The original recipe is from the”Silver Palate” cookbook. It was many winters ago that I first had it at my friend Susan’s house.  It has been a staple on my holiday table ever since. Not to say that it is not a recipe for every other day of the year and week, because it’s perfect for anytime. There is also the Brisket recipe that I posted during Rosh Hashana which is on the website, as well as the Honey Roasted Chicken, and Meatballs which all work well for this holiday. I usually make the Chicken Marbella and the Meatballs as another main dish.

*I recently read that if you make this whole recipe and put it in a large plastic bag un-cooked, just raw chicken in the marinade into the freezer you can then make it ahead of time. Just take it out and de-frost the night before, I would probably take it out of freezer and into the fridge the day before and the next morning if it’s not defrosted fully let it completely de-frost out of fridge in the plastic bag. Then follow cooking directions. I just want to say that I haven’t tried this method but most certainly would to save time. The reviews of the freezing method said that the chicken had more flavor than the usual way, so give it a try and it’s always good to be able to cut down on the prep.

Enjoy!

*The key to this recipe is the overnight marination, which is essential to the moistness of the chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup pitted prunes

1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives (no pimentos)( if you can’t find, just pick out pimentos)

1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed(chopped well)

1/4 cup dried oregano

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I start with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.)

4 chickens, cut into eighths (original recipe calls for chickens to be quartered but I find that you get more per person if you do it in eighths.) the chickens are about 2 1/2 lbs. apiece , so it’s about 10 lbs. of chicken . Sometimes I ask the butcher to cut the breasts in 1/2, if they are very large.

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)

Directions:

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and their juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. ( You can combine in a large bowl, but I use a very large (jumbo) Ziploc bag.) Add the chicken, then stir or mix around to coat well. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take a large shallow baking pan (you may need 2), arrange the chicken in a single layer and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Then sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.

Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices until the thigh pieces yield a clear yellow juice (don’t want it pink). It takes anywhere between 50 to 60 minutes to cook. (Test thigh with a fork.)

When you are ready to serve, transfer the chicken with a slotted spoon to serving platter. Moisten with some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley. You can pass the remaining juices in a gravy boat.

*should serve 10 or more

* this chicken is delicious cold or at room temperature. If you make ahead and it is in fridge, just remove from fridge, reheat it in the juices, then allow to come to room temperature.

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken, Passover Recipes

Tagged ,

Honey Roasted Chicken – Holiday Chicken

Posted on September 23, 2016 | Leave a comment

DSCN4234DSCN4234this recipe was actually given to me by my daughter, jennifer. she has made it numerous times. always to raves from the family. i am going to make it this year for rosh hashana and it is so perfect anytime.  it is a delicious chicken dish made with honey so it so appropriate for the jewish new year! sweet and savory as our new year should be! enjoy it.  pay attention to cooking directions as you will not be preheating oven!!!!!!

Ingredients:

1 stick butter or margarine

1/2 cup minced yellow onion

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

1/2 cup mild honey

1 teaspoon kosher salt

a rounded teaspoon curry powder

2 tablespoons peach or mango chutney ( available in most supermarkets)

small handful of dried currants or chopped dark raisins

2 roasting chickens  cut up in 8’s

Directions:

you will need 2 shallow baking sheets with 1 inch rims ( you may be able to get it on 1 large sheet)Spray baking sheets well with cooking spray.

to make sauce:

Melt butter/margarine in a heavy 2 quart saucepan over medium heat. while it is bubbling, saute onion and garlic until softened, about 3 – 5 minutes. add remaining ingredients except for chicken and stir until well combined. heat until warm throughout and set aside to cool slightly.

to prepeare chicken:

I would spray each baking sheet with pam cooking spray first

Rinse and pat chicken dry . (each piece) dip each piece in honey mixture, coating chicken completely. lay chicken pieces ( skin side up) on baking sheets. spoon any remaining sauce over chicken.

To Bake Chicken:

place chicken in a cold oven, turn heat to 400 degrees and bake for one hour. if you are using 2 baking sheets , roast in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and switch shelf positions 1/2 way through the cooking time.

to serve:

Transfer chicken to a warmed serving platter and serve . this chicken is good hot, at room temp. and cold out of fridge the next day.

*if you cannot find peach or mango chutney ( I found it at Whole Foods) Stonewall Kitchen Brand , you can use Peach Jam, Apricot Jam, etc. Probably Saucy Susan would work. Use your imagination and don’t kill yourself trying to find the chutney. I think the chutney would give it a bit more kick, and cut the sweet, but either one will be fine.

Happy Holiday and Have a Very Sweet New Year

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken, Holiday, Holiday Recipes

Tagged ,

Easy Peasy Chicken Caprese

Posted on June 30, 2016 | Leave a comment

IMG_1316 IMG_1311

This is one of those recipes that I make that is so super easy. Very few ingredients and other than cutting tomatoes and mozzarella balls, there is very little prep. You gotta love meals like this, especially in the summer when these beautiful heirloom tomatoes are abundant. I really only make this in the summer and it is light and delicious. It makes for a beautiful salad as well and you can serve it at room temperature. I made this tonite since I was tired, and had already bought the bocconcini (mozzarella balls) and chicken. You’re not going to believe how easy this is. It’s amazing!

Ingredients:

1 container marinated bocconcini ( mozzarella balls) you will need the oil from the container to marinate chicken ( it comes in an olive oil marinade with spices)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves , I buy them pounded thin

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 pint heirloom ( if you can get them) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

Directions:

Take bocconcini balls out of the marinade. Cut bocconcini balls in quarters. Transfer about 1/2 of the marinade from bocconcini to a medium size baking dish , add the chicken , salt and pepper the chicken and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour before cooking. If you’d like you can refrigerate , and take out and bring to room temperature before grilling.

Put cheese in a bowl, add the remaining oil marinade and add the cut tomatoes to this bowl. Salt and Pepper to taste, give it a good stir and put in refrigerator till you’re ready to cook chicken. I removed from fridge about 1/2 hour before I cooked the chicken. Just bring it to room temperature.

Grill the chicken over medium high heat , till you get nice grill marks, probably about 8 minutes. You can cut the chicken into smaller pieces and mix with tomatoes and cheese. I just plated up the chicken and put tomato/cheese mixture on the plate. Perfect summer meal.

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken

Tagged , , ,

Sesame Chicken and Vegetable Stir-Fry

Posted on June 2, 2016 | Leave a comment

It was Monday night, and was deciding on what to prepare for dinner when I realized that I love stir-fry and hadn’t made it in a while. Don’t worry if you don’t have a wok, just a large frying pan will do fine. I used my large frying pan. It’s not an exact science but you will need certain key ingredients. I decided to make it and foraged through my pantry, I was missing a few things but substituted a few other things and it worked out just fine. It was delicious .I would have liked bok choy and some other chinese vegetables but used what I had. I had a little red pepper, a few mushrooms and broccoli. Onions would be fine too. Almost any veggies you like, and obviously tofu can be substituted for chicken. This is what I did. If using tofu, use the extra firm type.

Ingredients:

5 Tbsp. soy sauce ( I always use reduced sodium)

2 tsp. toasted sesame oil

5 tsp. honey

1 1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, I had butcher cut it into strips or you can do it yourself

4 Tbsp. Canola Oil possible . you will need about 2 to cook chicken and then another 2 to cook vegetables, but you may need a bit more, I try to use as little as possible to start you can always add

2 green onions, white parts only thinly sliced and reserve the green tops

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger ( which I didn’t have , so I used powdered ginger, not as good but it will do)

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 cup chicken broth ( again you may need a little more but I was able to make it work with 1 cup)

2-4 tsp. cornstarch ( I didn’t have this either so I used 3 tsp. flour and it worked)

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar

vegetables ( whatever you like) broccoli, cut into florets, bok choy, baby corn, onions, red peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, etc.

1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds ( just put sesame seeds in a small frying pan and brown up, watch them it happens quickly)

*1 tsp. chili paste (optional) but adds great flavor

Directions:

in a medium bowl whisk together 3 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil and 2 tsp. honey , add cut up chicken , toss then marinate for about 1/2 hour

In a seperate small bowl, whisk together broth, remaining soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil,  remaining honey,   vinegar and *chili paste. After whisking together I put in a small saucepan and heated it up till it thickened , I started with 2 tsp. of corn starch and added as it needed to thicken,  cook and stir for about 4 minutes till it darkens in color and gets thick. I let it just sit on stovetop till I needed it.( just stir it occasionally)

Heat up 2 tsp. canola oil in large skillet/wok  and cook chicken in hot oil until browned through about 6 minutes depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Transfer to serving plate

In same skillet as chicken heat 2 more tsp. canola oil add white parts of onions, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir for a few minutes at medium high without burning. Adjust heat. Then add remaining vegetables and stir fry till they begin to cook , when vegetables are cooked, add chicken and pour sauce over chicken . Cook for a few minutes, and I served over brown rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onion tops. Now I would use cauliflower rice as well with this, it would be veggie overload but quite delicious!

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken, Cooking, Stir Fry, vegetables

Tagged ,

Roast Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Dressing – Weeknight Salad

Posted on May 20, 2016 | 1 comment

DSCN0069photoI was in the mood for something light for dinner and wanted to make a dressing with buttermilk and mustard. I picked up a roast chicken because I was very pressed for time, but didn’t want to eat a plain roast chicken from the market. I grabbed some beautiful romaine, but I know this would be perfectly awesome with kale,  Joel is not big on kale and prefers romaine. Next time I make this I am using chopped kale, preferably baby kale. In any event I used romaine, took the skin off the chicken and shredded it with my hands. Just used romaine, tomatoes, chicken and dressing. Next time out I add avocado for sure. This is an awesome lunchtime salad and so easy to pull together for a light dinner meal and mix in whatever other veggies you’d like.  Dressing is killer and only 3 Tablespoons of Buttermilk! This is also awesome if you have leftover chicken and don’t know what to do with it. The inspiration for this salad and dressing comes from a blog I follow,  124 Park. Part of being a part of the blog culture I am exposed to some really wonderful blogs , I just wish I had the time to read all of them.

This dressing should be good for at least 4 servings. Feel free to double it. This salad is wonderful any night of the week but particularly perfect when you don’t have time to cook and just want something very delicious and easy to make. Dressing can be made ahead of time and prep is not that big a deal!

Ingredients:

Buttermilk Dressing:

1 clove garlic

1 egg yolk ( let egg sit out at room temperature) just not really cold

3 tablespoons of buttermilk ( lowfat is fine)

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard

1/4  teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of the pepper mill (you can always add more salt if you would like)

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

*feel free to double

Combine all ingredients except for olive oil in the blender including salt and pepper . Keeping blender on , add olive oil from the top in a slow stream until well incorporated.

Put salad greens, avocado , chicken and any other vegetables you’d like in a large bowl. Add dressing and mix salad adding dressing as needed.

1 Comment

Posted in chicken, Salad, salad dressing

Tagged , , , , ,

Chicken Marbella–perfect for Passover

Posted on April 16, 2016 | Leave a comment

This recipe is my “go to” chicken. I’ve made it almost every Passover since I found it. The original recipe is from the”Silver Palate” cookbook. It was many winters ago that I first had it at my friend Susan’s house.  It has been a staple on my holiday table ever since. Not to say that it is not a recipe for every other day of the year and week, because it’s perfect for anytime. There is also the Brisket recipe that I posted during Rosh Hashana which is on the website, as well as the Honey Roasted Chicken, and Meatballs which all work well for this holiday. I usually make the Chicken Marbella and the meatballs as another dish.

Enjoy!

*The key to this recipe is the overnight marination, which is essential to the moistness of the chicken.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 cup pitted prunes

1/2 cup pitted Spanish green olives (no pimentos)( if you can’t find, just pick out pimentos)

1/2 cup capers with a bit of juice

6 bay leaves

1 head of garlic, peeled and finely pureed(chopped well)

1/4 cup dried oregano

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I start with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and a few grinds of black pepper.)

4 chickens, cut into eighths (original recipe calls for chickens to be quartered but I find that you get more per person if you do it in eighths.) the chickens are about 2 1/2 lbs. apiece , so it’s about 10 lbs. of chicken . Sometimes I ask the butcher to cut the breasts in 1/2, if they are very large.

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (finely chopped)

Directions:

Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and their juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper. ( You can combine in a large bowl, but I use a large Ziploc bag.) Add the chicken, then stir or mix around to coat well. Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Take a large shallow baking pan (you may need 2), arrange the chicken in a single layer and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Then sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.

Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices until the thigh pieces yield a clear yellow juice (don’t want it pink). It takes anywhere between 50 to 60 minutes to cook. (Test thigh with a fork.)

When you are ready to serve, transfer the chicken with a slotted spoon to serving platter. Moisten with some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley. You can pass the remaining juices in a gravy boat.

*should serve 10 or more

* this chicken is delicious cold or at room temperature. If you make ahead and it is in fridge, just remove from fridge, reheat it in the juices, then allow to come to room temperature.

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken, Passover Recipes

Tagged ,

Homemade Chicken Soup with Not-So-Homemade Matzo Balls

Posted on April 9, 2016 | Leave a comment

IMG_4514I 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)

Leave a comment

Posted in chicken, Holiday, Holiday Recipes, Passover Recipes, soup, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , ,

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

Posted on March 29, 2016 | 2 comments

photo 5 (59)photo 1 (3)photo 3 (2)photo 1 (2)

photo 2 (2)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! IMG_0634

 

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 , , ,

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

Posted on March 16, 2016 | 1 comment

photo 5 (59)photo 1 (3)photo 3 (2)photo 1 (2)

photo 2 (2)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! IMG_0634

 

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.

 

 

1 Comment

Posted in chicken

Tagged , , ,

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 ,