Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Chicken is a fantastic summer dish.  It can be made in so many ways, served hot or cold, and the addition of fruit only enhances the flavor.  My friends at Summer Recipes have come up with a nice and easy chicken recipe that incorporates the bird with apples, raisins, pecans, orange juice, apple jelly, and sherry.  Great for your tongue to play with and the leftover can be reserved or chopped up into a chicken salad spread between slices of raisin/cinnamon bread.  WOW.

Ingredients

·         6                boneless and skinless chicken breasts

·         1 ½ cups    Diced apples.  You choose red or green.  They both work

·         ¼ cup        Chopped golden seedless raisins (I like the golden in the Summer and red when it is cold)

·         ¼ cup        Chopped pecans (use walnuts if you prefer)

·         3 Tbl          Minced onion

·         2/3 tsp       Sage (pour it into your hand and rub it around a bit to get the oils working)

·         Some toothpicks

·         ¼ cup        Orange juice concentrate (make orange juice out of the remainder)

·         ¼ cup        Margarine

·         1/3 cup      Apple jelly

·         ¼ cup        Sherry (dry works much better than cream sherry here)

Directions

1.            Prepare the apples, raisins, nuts, onion and sage,  put into a medium bowl, and combine (stir them together).  (Prepare means dice the apples, chop the raisins, etc.)

2.            Take out a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap about 3 times as wide as the largest chicken breast.

3.            Wash the chicken and cut off the fat

4.            Fold the plastic wrap in half and put a chicken breast in the middle.  This will keep everything clean.

5.            Pound the breast with a meat mallet or rolling pin until it is about a quarter of an inch thick.  Don’t go crazy hear thinking about the guy who cut you off on the way to the grocery store.

6.            Place the breast on a plate and do the next one until all are done.

7.            Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

8.            Put about a spoonful of the apple mixture (stuffing) on each chicken breast.

9.            If you have some left either cook it or add it evenly to the chicken breasts.

10.        Roll the breast up, tuck in all sides, and put a wooden toothpick through each to keep them closed.

11.        Place the chicken in a baking pan with sides.

12.        Wash your hands very well.  Raw chicken is not something you want to play with.

13.        Combine the orange juice, margarine, Apple jelly and sherry.  I use the same bowl I had the stuffing in.

14.        Pour the orange juice mixture into a small saucepan and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes.  This will make about 1 cup of glaze.

15.        Put the chicken into the oven, uncovered, for around 45 minutes and brush/baste often with the glaze.

Caribbean Style Spiced Chicken Thighs

I just found this in an old recipe file Nancy put together some time ago.  As I recall the spice was strong and overpowered the flavor so I made a few alterations and believe it is now quite good.  If you would like a stronger spice flavor just try increasing the Jalapeno, black pepper, and/or red pepper while reducing the sugar to 1 Tablespoon.

Ingredients:

·         1 small       Onion minced (about a ¼ cup)

·         1 1/3 Tbl    Sugar

·         1 Tbl          Jalapeno pepper seeded and finely chopped

·         2 tsp          Cider Vinegar

·         2 tsp          Soy sauce

·         ½ tsp         Salt

·         ½ tsp         Ground allspice

·         ¼ tsp         Dried tyme

·         ½ tsp         Black pepper

·         ¼ tsp         Ground red pepper

·         4 to 8         Chicken thighs, skinless

·         2 shots       Red wine (see #9)

·         Cooking spray

Directions:

1.      Combine all but the chicken and cooking spray in a bowl and mix together

2.      Cut the fat and skin off the chicken.  Don’t worry if you leave a little.

3.      Wash your hands thoroughly and use tongs for the remainder of the recipe.  Wash the thongs and everything the raw chicken touches (don’t cut it on your counter top) when finished using.

4.      Dredge the chicken through the sauce and place in a container

5.      Scrape the remainder of the sauce over the chicken

6.      Cover the chicken container and place in the refrigerator for a half hour or up to five hours.  I shook the container to make sure everything was mixed well

7.      Heat a skillet at medium heat then coat it with the cooking spray

8.      Add the chicken to the pan and cook thoroughly on both sides.  Since I used bone-in thighs I tried 10 minutes per side then 5 minutes each (see #9)

9.      About midway through the cooking process when the vegetables are beginning to look overcooked, add the wine and deglaze.  Adjust the amount based on how dry everything is getting.  I guess you could use water or stock but I think the wine gives it a nice layer of taste

10.  Poke the chicken with a knife or fork in the center near the bone.  If the juices run clear then the chicken should be done.  If it is red then cook longer.  To make you feel better try cutting into the biggest thigh to make sure.  Don’t ever serve chicken when the juice is not clear or the insides are raw.  This is not a steak.

You can serve this with potatoes, rice, noodles, or whatever and a vegetable. 

Savory Onion Chicken

This is a real tasty chicken recipe that won’t take a lot of time or money but your friends will think they just ate at an expensive restaurant.  Great mix of flavors, sauce that cries for bread to dip into it, and a very tender meat.  I matched it with a green been recipe (that I posted today also) and simple mashed potatoes.  The original recipes for the chicken and the beans came from www.TasteOfHome.com and I made a few changes.

While this recipe includes some beer don’t worry about it.  Personally I hate it when the beer dominates the food rather than act as a component, which it does here.  My personal belief is that if you want onion chicken you should be able to taste the onion, chicken, and assorted seasonings.  If you feel the same you will like this.  Besides, you can use a non-alcoholic or light beer or probably some chicken stock though I didn’t try those.  I used a bottle of Yuengling Lager but believe MGD would do as well.  Of course there is a good beer aroma while cooking but not as much in the finished meal.

You can also use a 3 to 4 pound broiler or fryer if you wish.  Just cut it up and remove the skin.

Ingredients:

·         1/4 cup       all-purpose flour, divided into two steps of 2 Tablespoons (give or take)

·         2 half          chicken breasts each cut in thirds

·         2 Tbl          olive oil

·         1 envelope  onion soup mix (I used Lipton)

·         1 bottle       (12 ounces) beer or nonalcoholic beer (12 oz)

Directions:

1.      Place 2 tablespoons flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat or put the flour on a dish and dredge the chicken.  You may need more flour.

2.      Add the oil to a skillet

3.      Brown the chicken in the skillet

4.      Take the chicken out of the skillet, put it on a plate, and keep it warm with a tent of aluminum foil or stick it in the microwave or oven that you are not using

5.      Add the soup mix and the remaining flour to the skillet to start the rue.  Stir everything up while loosening the browned bits from the pan.  I like to use a spatula for this to capture all the flavors.

6.      Gradually stir in the beer using the spatula, a whisk, or whatever you feel comfortable with.

7.      Bring everything to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes or until the mixture is thickened.

8.      Put the chicken back into the pan and bring everything to a boil.

9.      Cover the pan and reduce the heat to a low simmer.  Cook for about a half hour or until the chicken juices run clear which is normally how you tell if chicken is done, when the juices run clear.  This made the meat very tender.  You can turn the heat to a higher simmer and cook for 12 to 15 minutes if you are getting anxious or your side dishes are beginning to cool

Yields around 6 servings.

Leftover Chicken – Croquettes

Sometimes leftovers are great, just reheat them and serve.  Saves time from cooking and if it was good the first time it will probably be good the next, provided you reheat them correctly.  If it is meatloaf or some casseroles, the leftovers may be even better the second or third time.

Then there are the so-so meals that need help or you just want something different.  I’m going to try to address this and I’ll start with this quick chicken recipe.

Ingredients:

ü      1 ½ cup     cooked and finely chopped chicken

ü      ¾ cup        bread crumbs (flavor them up a bit if they are bland)

ü      1 to 3         eggs, beaten

ü      1 cup         chopped onion

ü      1 ½ tsp      chopped parsley

ü      ½ tsp         salt

ü      ¼ tsp         pepper

ü      Oil for cooking.  Maybe Tbl or 3 depending on how much chicken you have

Directions:

1.      Saute the onion

2.      Put the onion in a bowl and let cool a little

3.      Combine the chicken, bread crumbs, and 2 eggs with the onion and mix.  If this is too dry to form into patties then add another beaten egg.

4.      Add the parsley, salt and pepper.  Feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste.

5.      Mix everything pretty well.

6.      Form into small patties.

7.      Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.

8.      Fry the patties in the oil until golden brown.

You can serve them like this but I prefer some type of topping like a Ranch dressing, Dijon mustard, or mayonnaise.  They also taste good on bread or a bun.  Dress them up with lettuce, slice of tomato, sliced onion, or whatever.  Add a vegetable and a starch like rice and VaVaVoom.

African Chicken Stew

While peanuts originally came from South America, probably Brazil, they may have made their way to the United States by way of Africa.  The Spanish found them in Mexico and brought them to Europe.  Since they grow better in warmer climates apparently the Europeans took them to Africa and Asia as a cheap food for peasants and slaves.

Here is an interesting stew using peanut butter and pepper for a unique taste.  I found it at http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/african-chicken-stew/Detail.aspx.  Byi the way:

A.          the pepper components could easily be cut in half unless you want a very spicy meal,

B.           Chicken broth can be substituted for or combined with the water, and

C.           The liquid (broth, water, or combination of the two) can be increased as you are cooking to reduce the thick paste outcome

D.          The recipe calls for2 pound of deboned roasting chicken.  I just used a chicken breast.  I had planned to use the remainder of a roasted chicken but forgot to take it out of the freezer.  I think the assortment of white and dark meat could add a good flavor though and wish I had remembered the old bird.

E.      You can also add turnips, carrots and celery or any combination if you like.

Ingredients:

ü      1 Tbl          Olive Oil (you may need more)

ü      3 lbs           Chicken

ü      2 cloves     Garlic, crushed

ü      1                Onion chopped

ü      1 large       Potato, diced (feel free to use more)

ü      1 tsp          Ground Cumin

ü      1 tsp          Ground coriander seed (gives a great taste but don’t get carried away

ü      1 tsp          Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

ü      1 tsp          Salt

ü      1 cup         Water (I used about 2 cups of chicken broth)

ü      ¾ cup        Unsalted Peanut Butter

ü      1 can          Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed (15 oz.)

Preparation:

A.          Cut the onion and potato and put them in a small bowl with the garlic.  I added about a half stalk of celery

Directions:

1.            Heat the oil at a medium setting in a large skillet with a top

2.            Add the chicken and brown.

3.            Remove the chicken to a plate or bowl

4.            Reduce the heat to medium low

5.            Add the potato, onion and garlic to the pan and sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes

6.            Season the pan with the cumin, coriander, black pepper, red pepper, and salt

7.            Add the liquid, chicken, and any juices from the bowl the chicken was in

8.            Put the lid on the skillet and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes

9.            Stir in the peanut butter and garbanzo beans.  Make sure the peanut butter is blended in well and add more liquid if needed.  Remember though, you are making a stew and not a soup.

10.        Heat for about 10 minutes more or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked.