Poultry

Chicken, Turkey, Duck, and other things that have beaks…

Spinach and Apple Salad with Pesto Chicken Salad

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Elsewhere in the blog, there is a recipe for Pesto-Chicken Salad which I love. The other day I had some chicken breast I needed to use up, so I whipped up some Pesto Chicken Salad and brought and apple and a bag of spinach to work the next day for a light, healthy and quite tasty lunch.

  • 3 cups Spinach
  • 1/2 favorite Red Apple of Choice (I used a small Gala apple), thinly sliced
  • 1cup Pesto Chicken Salad with Cranberries
  • 1.5 tbsp Girard’s Light Champagne Dressing
  • Fresh Black Pepper

Put Spinach in a large bowl on on a plate. Cut apples into spinach and crack black pepper over spinach. Pour dressing in a circular motion over spinach. Mix well. Top the greens with a scoop of Basil Pesto Chicken Salad and enjoy. Feel free to heat the chicken first if you prefer that element hot.

Enchilada Eggs

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Pretty quick and easy combination that occurred when I took last Friday off and made D breakfast. We had had enchiladas the night before and had leftover sauce so I decided – since D loves them so much – that I would combine them with eggs for homemade breakfast tacos (I of course had a smoothie given my egg allergy). He liked them=)

  • 2 eggs, cracked and beaten
  • Pinch Cayenne
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Monterrey Jack or Cheddar Cheese
  • Dash of milk or cream
  • 1/2 cup of Black Bean Corn Salsa
  • 1/2 cup Green Chile Pork Enchilada Sauce
  • 1 shallot, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Small handful of torn rotisserie chicken
  • Salsa of choice

Combine Eggs, milk, Cayenne, and Sat and Pepper in a small bowl and beat well.

In a pan, saute the shallot and garlic in a dab of butter until glassy. Add black bean corn salsa and heat for about a minute. Add eggs and scramble. Once almost cooked, add enchilada sauce to the pan, along with cheese and chicken pieces.Serve with warmed tortilla, avocado slices (if desired), and salsa of choice.

Pesto Chicken Salad Panini

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This mayo-free chicken salad is absolutely incredible and SO easy. This was a concoction I made up one day with leftover rotisserie chicken, leftover pesto that I needed to use and cranberries (I always have cranberries on hand) when I wanted a sandwich. Since then, I have made this many times as a sandwich filler, spinach salad toppers, and spinach pasta dish. It is so good and has frequently made the menu for bachelorette and Christmas parties and other events that require feeding a large group. Here is the version of a panni that I made – not going to lie, it was one of the best sandwiches I have ever had in my life.

  • 1 cup leftover chicken, shredded
  • 1.5 tbsps of basil pesto
  • freshly cracked pepper to taste
  • handful of dehydrated cranberries
  • small handful arugula (or spinach if you have no arugula)
  • 1 tbsp chipotle aioli *optional
  • 1-2 ounces of cheese (I used Fontina but you can use whatever you have on hand)
  • 2 slices of ciabatta bread, one side each oiled and rubbed with a garlic clove

Special equipment

  • Panini Maker

Turn the panini maker on so that it is heating. In a small bowl, combine chicken, pesto, cheese, pepper and cranberries and mix well. Garlic and Oil the outside of each piece of bread, spread aioli on the inside of the bread. Layer arugula, chicken salad mixture on the bread then place in the panini maker. Grill until golden brown, remove, cut in half and serve.

*When not making a panini leave the cheese out and add chicken mix to salads, pasta, eat as a dip with pita chips etc.

Spinach and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

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One of the few ways you can get me to eat a chicken breast. I love sauteed spinach and I love goat cheese and spinach salads so this is how this little gem came about one night. I wanted a piece of chicken that I would enjoy, whilst adding extra greens to the plate, and I wanted a richness that the goat cheese lends well.

Filling

  • Shallots, sliced – one or two large
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3-4 heaping handfuls of spinach
  • Small handfuls of dehydrated cranberries
  • 1 ounce goat cheese, crumbled
  • Salt and Pepper,
  • White wine – just a splash
  • Proscuitto or Pancetta thinly sliced (optional – only use if you have or want a touch of saltiness)

Chicken

  • 2 Chicken breasts
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Cayenne
  • Thyme

**If you would like to bread these go right ahead – if I have the time or enough calorie wiggle room I usually do Panko -Parmesan – basil crust, regular bread crumbs with grated Parmesan or Pecorino. You can also smother with Fontina 10 minutes into baking if you really want to splurge.

Heat olive oil in a skillet, once hot add the shallots and garlic with a pinch of salt (if using cured pork add in at this point as well). Once glassy, splash a bit of white wine in the pan and allow to cook off. Add spinach and allow to wilt slightly. Remove to a bowl, add salt as necessary and pepper as desired. Crumble goat cheese and add cranberries and mix well.

On a clean surface prepare the chicken in one of two way:
1) Pound chicken thin, apply filling over entire surface and make a roulade
2) slice breast down middle and make a pocket (do not cut all the way through both sides), stuff filling into pocket and sealing with a toothpick

After chicken is stuffed – or rolled – season with salt, pepper, cayenne and thyme to taste and bake on 350 (I think for about 20 minutes – not sure I always just take it out when it is done).

Remove from oven and top with any remaining spinach. I like to make a small bit of Shallot – White Wine Sauce to go over the chicken but it is not mandatory. Squeeze with a bit of lemon for a nice kick and serve with steamed veggies and cous cous or long grain wile rice (tonight it will be stuffed baked tomatoes with arugula pesto).

Parmesan-Basil-Panko Crusted Chicken

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I really need to find a shorter name for this chicken. Ergo, for now I will be calling it Andi’s Favorite Chicken – because for a long time when I would not eat chicken, this is the only way I would prepare it. It is super easy and healthy and adds a nice texture to dishes like risotto or pasta. You can buy Panko in the Asian aisles at HEB, Central Market, or Whole Foods as well as Asian shops. If you cannot find it – you can sub bread crumbs of your choice.

Andi’s Favorite Chicken

  • Chicken Breasts (you can cut into tenders for quicker cooking or portion control or leave in breast form).
  • One Egg, beaten (depending on how much chicken you use you may need additional eggs)
  • Flour to coat
  • Salt – liberal pinch
  • Pepper – if you are me then use half of the bottle, if not use as much as you like
  • Cayenne – a pinch
  • Parmesan – shredded, about a cup per two breast or six tenders – add more if needed
  • Fresh Basil torn- at least one bunch (I generally use as much as I can get my hands on)
  • Panko (Japanese Bread crumbs) – about a cup per two breasts or six tender – add more if needed

Preheat oven to 375

Beat egg in a bowl. Combine flour, salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne on a plate. Dredge chicken in the flour mixture then dunk in egg, coating well.

On a plate, combine shredded Parmesan, torn basil, fresh cracked pepper, and panko and mix well. After removing the chicken from the egg, coat with the panko mixture well. Place chicken on a greased baking sheet (one with holes will help the bottom get crispy) and bake until the crust is golden and chicken is done. About 15 minutes (for tenders, cooking time for breasts is longer).

*If you do not have eggs and do not want to go to the store, you can use olive oil as the coating liquid

Enchilada Calzone

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I am pretty sure this Calzone is THE reason why you should experiment with food. This came about after I had made homemade pizzas and my sister was about to make enchiladas. Somehow, Aly and I came up with a plan to have an transcontinental enchilada pizza cook-off. I ended up making a calzone because it was what I felt like doing. It was fantastic and made more food than you can imagine – maybe next time I will make individual calzones. Either way – enchilada calzone is here to stay. This is very closely tied to my enchilada recipe (which unfortunately will not be going onto my blog because well – I want to be the only one besides my mom – and now Dalton – who knows the secret) and tastes just as good which is saying something. One tip – to save on time I generally buy my dough during the week and make it one the weekends if I plan on making pizzas. You can use Pillsbury Pizza Dough – I use this for other calzones or foccacia. If you have a favorite pizza place, I highly recommend buying the dough from there – they should sell it in ball form and all you have to do is roll it. If you live in Austin, buy your dough from Rounders. It is incredible and four bucks gets you a ridiculously large pie – I think the small is something like 14 inches.

Enchilada Calzone – serves at least 6

Pizza Dough (recipe is based on 14 in)
1.5 – 2 cups Rotisserie Chicken, shredded (any shredded chicken will do – if you have leftover breast – go for it)
Black Bean-Corn Salsa, about 1.5 cups plus more for servingGreen Chile Pork Enchilada Sauce
Sour cream, about 1/5 cup to one can sauce
2 cups Jack and Cheddar Cheese mixed

Serve with Brilliantly Garlicky Guac

Roll pizza dough into a triangular or half moon shape. Place half of dough onto cooking apparatus (ie stone or baking sheet) with other half hanging off.
Combine chicken, cheese, and salsa in a large bowl and mix well. Spoon some of the sauce onto the Calzone face. All over, cover the surface with a layer of the sauce. Then mix sour cream with remainder of sauce and mix into chicken mixture. Spoon chicken mixture onto one half of the calzone surface. Once finished, fold the empty portion of dough over the mixture and smush the edges together. If you want to make it pretty, you can go around the edges with a fork, mashing with the prongs to give it lines. Bake on 400 for about 20 minutes or until the dough looks finished. If possible bake on a pizza stone or a pizza maker with hole in the bottom (the latter is my preference as it gets the bottom of the crust crunchy as well).

Remove and sprinkle with a little extra shredded cheese. Serve with Guac.

Stir Fry

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If you like measurements and good instruction STOP READING NOW. This is going to be one of those recipes I warned you about. I am not entirely sure that I should even post a stir fry recipe – the whole point is to use up whatever needs to be used in the fridge and supplement that with pantry items. I doubt I can even make the same stir fry twice because the ingredients will always be changing. So this recipe will, I fear, be a bit lacking. I am not going to add measurements as I have absolutely no idea what they are – I did everything to taste adding more of what I like (sriracha, hoison, eel sauce, and coconut milk to name a few). That said, I made this stir fry to use up a bunch of stuff and these are the ingredients – end result was awesome!

  • Minced Ginger (either fresh or Ginger People minced or both) to taste
  • Sriracha to taste
  • Sugar – a few fingerfuls
  • Sesame Oil (can sub peanut oil)
  • Flour (or cornstarch if that is all you have)
  • Hoisin (more than a dab)
  • Oyster Sauce (a dab)
  • Coconut milk (about a half can
  • Lime
  • Eel Sauce
  • Chicken – tenders work well, cut into pieces as desired but make sure they are all relatively the same size so that they cook evenly
  • Broccoli – cut to bite sized pieces
  • Carrots – sliced
  • Asparagus – cut into one inch pieces
  • Green Onion – chopped used for garnish
  • White Onion – slivered or diced
  • Garlic – minced
  • Cilantro – roughly chopped, for garnish
  • Rice or Udon Noodles

Marinade:

  • Soy sauce (about a fourth of a cup)
  • tempura sauce (just a tad)
  • eel sauce (to taste – optional)
  • honey about a tablespoon
  • minced ginger – at least a tablespoon
  • rice wine (about a tablespoon)
  • hoisin sauce (to taste, probably around a tablespoon)

Mix marinade and then add chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or longer if you prefer) keep about half of the marinade to reuse in the stir-fry sauce.

In the last ten minutes of the marinating time, stream carrots, then broccoli, and asparagus (I do this carrots first for a few minutes since they take the longest to cook, I then add broccoli for a few minutes, then lastly add asparagus until all three veggies are cooked.

In a wok (or large skillet) heat oil then fry chicken (adding a bit of the reserved marinade) until almost done. Remove chicken and add onion, garlic, flour, ginger and stir fry until onions are glassy. Return chicken to pan and add elements to the sauce (sriracha, sugar, coconut milk, hoisin, oyster sauce, lime juice, etc.). Stir in veggies and remove from heat.

Either combine with udon noodles or serve on top of rice (brown or white).

*This can be gluten free if you use rice and have gluten free elements (aka soy sauce and such) on hand.

Chicken meatballs with the best Pasta ever

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So D’s brother asked for a meatball recipe last week at dinner…I did not have one as I had never made meatballs before. Ergo, a search was conducted (he had chicken sausage so I devised based on that plan) and then decided that I needed to try my hand at meatballs. I diverged from my original recipe and was pleased with the outcome. You can use any sausage that you want – I just bought ready made CM sausage hoping they had basil, garlic, chicken sausage but settling for Roma Sausage plus one link of Italian Turkey sausage for contrast.

The pasta is a variation of one of my absolute favorites (which – just because I love it so much – will be added at a  later date). It was different than the one I usually make but was still excellent and actually a little lighter. My only suggestion after eating (technically I wanted to make it this way but forgot to purchase the ingredient…sort of essential when cooking) is to add sun dried tomato (either reconstituted or paste) for a little but of a kick. I plan to next time.

Chicken meatballs with the best Pasta ever

3 slices Italian or other white bread, torn into small bits (1 cup) – I used Ciabatta this time around
1/3 cup milk (whole)
3 ounces sliced pancetta, finely chopped (you can swap in Bacon or prosciutto if you can’t find pancetta – I used prosciutto because CM was out of pancetta)
1 small onion, finely chopped (can also use shallot but double amount) – I used yellow because I had it and needed to use it up – white is fine as well
3 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large egg
1 pound chicken sausage removed from casing (I used 2 links Central Market Chicken Roma Sausage and One link Medium Italian sausage also Central market)
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided*
Sriracha to taste
Parmesan Cheese shredded (or grated)
Garlic Powder
Fresh Ground Pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Soak bread in milk in a small bowl until softened, about four minutes.

Cook pancetta in a dab of oil rendering the fat. Add onion and garlic with salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until onion is softened, about 6 minutes. Reserve.

Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Lightly beat egg in a large bowl, then combine with chicken, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, pancetta mixture, bread, parmesan, black pepper, and parsley. Be gentle when mixing. Form meatballs and place on greased baking sheet.

Stir together remaining tablespoons of tomato paste and sriracha and brush over meatballs, sprinkle garlic powder and fresh ground black pepper, then bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.

Arrange with pasta. Recipe as follows:

Little Ears, One Version

Rustichella d’abruzzo Orecchiette (YES IT MATTERS)
One pint cherry tomatoes, halved and seeded
Pecorino Romano cheese grated
1 cup chopped fresh basil
Fresh ground pepper 
Salt to taste
One Shallot-White Wine Sauce Recipe + some flour to thicken (add flour in with the shallots at the beginning so that the flour taste cooks out) 

Boil salted water and cook pasta to instructions. 

Begin making shallot white wine sauce (make enough for the amount of sauce that you want). After reducing add halved tomatoes and cook until the skins loosen and tomatoes lose their shape slightly. Combine with pasta and allow to cook a few more minutes. Add half of the basil, salt to taste, add pepper and cheese and stir gently but well. Garnish with remaining basil and some shaved Parmesan cheese then arrange meatballs as desired and EAT!