Batter Fried Chicken

Last night we decided to try to recreate Sweet Water Tavern's Monterrey Salad.  As a first step, we needed to make crispy fried chicken strips, and this recipe exceeded our expectations.  The batter was light, crispy and perfectly seasoned, and the meat stayed moist despite my tendency to overcook chicken.

To create the salad we used an assortment of lettuce from Papa K's garden and added chopped avocado, green pepper strips, tomato wedges, chopped green onions, shredded cheddar cheese, chopped cucumber, black beans, candied pecans, fried tortilla strips and chopped chicken.  We topped it all off with Buttermilk Ranch dressing.

Batter Fried Chicken
Adapted from Slim Shoppin

Brine

2 c cold water
2 T salt
2 T sugar

Batter

1/2 c flour
1/2 c cornstarch
2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
dash of cayenne pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 c cold water

1 lb chicken tenders
oil for frying

1) In a large bowl or baking dish, combine all brine ingredients; stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.
2) Add chicken; allow to marinate for at least 30 mins.
3) In another large bowl, combine all batter ingredients; whisk until well blended.
4) In a large skillet, heat 1/2" of oil over medium heat.
5) Remove chicken from brine; pat dry.
6) Using tongs, dip chicken pieces into batter, allowing the excess to drip off; place in hot oil.
7) Fry on each side until golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.

Cashew Chicken

My attempts at Asian-style food usually flop, but not this one! To make it a little more hearty, I served it over rice with broccoli and bell peppers sauteed in a little bit of the marinade on the side. This was enough for dinner and lunch for both of us. I think next time I will make double the sauce and reserve half of it to pour on at the table.

Update: This recipe worked out really well by cutting back to one chicken breast and making up the difference with vegetables.  In addition to sauteing broccoli and bell peppers with the onions and mushrooms, I roasted a bunch of brussels sprouts and cauliflower and mixed them in at the end.  It made a really hearty meal, and we didn't miss the second chicken breast at all.  I didn't even need any rice.

Cashew Chicken
Adapted from Simply Recipes


2 chicken breasts, cubed
1/3 c olive oil
1 T plus 1 tsp chili powder
1/4 c tamari (can substitute soy sauce)
1/4 c honey
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced or 1 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 c raw cashews
1 onion, chopped
10 oz mushrooms, chopped
1/4 c green onions, chopped

1) Combine chicken, oil, chili powder, tamari, honey and ginger in a bowl. Let sit for at least 30 mins.
2) Saute the cashews in a hot skillet until lightly toasted; set aside.
3) In a large skillet, saute the chicken over med-high heat; reserved the marinade.
4) Once chicken is cooked through; set aside.
5) Put reserved marinade in pan and simmer for a few minutes to kill any bacteria.
6) Pour off and reserve all but 1 T marinade; saute the chopped onions until translucent.
7) Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook until soft.
8) Add chicken, cashews and reserved marinade to the skillet and heat through.
9) Stir in green onions just before serving.

Peanut Butter Chicken Skewers

These are so tasty we've had them two weeks in a row now. We served them with rice and steamed broccoli.

Peanut Butter Chicken Skewers

1/3 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 c water
2 T soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp lemon juice
1 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 crushed red pepper flakes
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 skewers

1) Soak skewers in water.
2) Cube chicken and divide between 4 skewers.
3) Place under broiler for 10-15 minutes until cooked through; turn/baste occasionally.
4) As the chicken begins to cook, combine peanut butter, water, soy sauce, garlic, lemon juice, brown sugar, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan.
5) Cook over medium heat until smooth (roughly 3 minutes); add more water, as necessary.
6) Set aside 2/3 of the sauce; use the remaining 1/3 to baste the chicken as it cooks.

Crockpot Stroganoff

This is a great crockpot dish. We followed the many reviews/modifications on AllRecipes and it's perfect! Jason likes it with beef, but I made some modifications to make it with chicken (in parentheses).

Crockpot Stroganoff

1-2 lbs. cubed beef stew meat (cubed chicken)
2 cans golden mushroom soup (cream of mushroom/cream of chicken)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 T worchestershire sauce
1/2 c. water
1/2-1 packet onion soup mix
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
garlic, to taste
6 oz. fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 oz. cream cheese
dollop sour cream
egg noodles, cooked

1) In a crockpot, combine the meat, soup, onion, worchestershire, water, onion soup mix, salt, pepper, and garlic.
2) Cook on low for approx. 4.5-5 hours; add fresh mushrooms.
3) Cook an additional 30 mins; stir in cream cheese and sour cream just before serving.
4) Serve over egg noodles.

Roast Chicken

Last night was my first attempt at making a whole chicken, and I'm pleased to say it turned out great. I read a bunch of recipes over at All Recipes and took those ideas and made my own. I put some carrots in with the chicken with about 45 mins remaining. They were a bit dry and a little too al-dente. I'll have to figure something else out for next time.

Roast Chicken

1 whole chicken, approx. 3-4 lbs
1 small onion
1 stalk celery
salt
pepper
garlic powder
butter
olive oil
string or wire
1 c chicken broth

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Rinse chicken and liberally season inside and out.
3) Quarter onion and celery stalk; stuff inside the cavity.
4) Place 2-3 T butter inside the cavity.
5) Slide 2-3 T butter under the skin of the breast.
6) Tie chicken legs closed
7) Mist the entire bird with olive oil.
8) Bake on a roasting pan for about 1.5 hours or until the chicken is 180 degrees.
9) Baste every 30 mins with chicken broth.

Chicken Gravy

chicken drippings
remaining chicken broth
water
1/4 c flour
salt
pepper

1) Combine chicken broth and water in a small sauce pan to create about 1 c of liquid.
2) Whisk in flour.
3) Whisk in drippings.
4) Heat until thickened.
5) Season with salt and pepper.
6) If the gravy becomes too thick, add more broth or water to thin.

Chicken Piccata

We loved the corn chowder we found on this blog, so I thought we would try another recipe. Neither of us are wild about lemony sauces, so I reduced the amount of lemon juice by half and added more wine. This was good, but next time I would replace all the lemon juice (approx. 1/2c) with chicken broth and maybe add some mushrooms to the sauce. I served this with jasmine rice and spinach balls.

Chicken Piccata

Serves 4

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves

1/2c all-purpose flour

salt & pepper, to taste

2T olive oil or coconut oil (organic, extra-virgin coconut oil)
2T butter, melted

3T all-purpose flour
slightly less than 1c chardonnay or other dry white wine

1/4c fresh lemon juice

1/2c chicken broth

1/4c capers, drained

2T butter
salt & pepper, to taste

1) Cut chicken crossways to create thin slices & pound chicken (if necessary) to 1/4" thickness.

2) In shallow bowl, mix together 1/2c flour; season with salt & pepper.

3) Coat chicken in flour mixture.

4) In large heavy skillet, sauté chicken breasts in oil over medium-high heat until golden and no longer pink inside, about 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to platter and keep warm.

5) In a small bowl, mix 2T melted butter with 3T flour until smooth. Set aside.

6) In same skillet, bring wine, lemon juice, & broth to boil. Whisk in butter-flour mixture and simmer until sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

7) Stir in capers & 2T butter. Add chicken to skillet; cover & simmer for 2-3 minutes.

8) Season with salt & pepper, as desired.

9)Serve immediately.