Category: Chicken

Panko Crusted Chicken Cutlets

Although this recipe is already contained in a number of other recipe posts on this blog, I thought it was worth sharing by itself because making these crispy, golden cutlets opens up a world of creativity in terms of what you do with your pan sauce.  Once fried golden brown, you pop them in the oven to cook them through, and while they are finishing you can use the fond in the pan as a base to create any number of sauces.  The chicken itself can then be served over rice, pasta, potatoes, bread – whatever you fancy – with your sauce drizzled on top.

Ingredients

  1. 2 or 3 Chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise to make two, thinner cutlets – so, you’ll end up with 4 – 6 cutlets total
  2. ½ cup flour
  3. Kosher Salt
  4. Black Pepper
  5. Pinch Paprika
  6. 3 Eggs
  7. 3 tablespoons vodka (alcohol is a binding agent)
  8. 3 tablespoons milk, cream or water
  9. 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
  10. ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
  11. Zest of 1 lemon
  12. 1 cup or so vegetable oil, ghee or any other high smoke-point fat: enough to get about 1½ inches deep in a cast iron or other suitable pan for frying

Prep

  1. Using a Meat Mallet, pound each chicken cutlet to even thickness (the wider end will need more pounding than the narrow end) – you’re shooting for ¼ to ⅓ inch thickness… so pretty thin. This is important to ensure that chicken is cooked through during the frying process.
  2. Set up your dredging station.  You’ll need two, wide shallow dishes and one medium sized bowl.
  3. Put the flour in one of the wide, shallow dishes.  Season aggressively with salt and pepper; add paprika and mix until seasoning is well distributed.
  4. In the second wide, shallow dish add Panko Bread Crumbs, Parmesan Cheese, and Lemon Zest.  Whisk together until well mixed.
  5. Crack three eggs into the medium sized bowl; add vodka and water.  Whisk together until slightly foamy.
  6. Set them up in this order:  Flour mixture, egg wash, bread crumb mixture
  7. Dredge a chicken cutlet first in the flour mixture (shaking of excess), then dip into the egg wash, and then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing firmly to adhere to each side and flipping a few times as needed.
  8. Transfer to a baking sheet.
  9. Repeat this process with all the chicken cutlets. Cover and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes, and up to 8 hours

Instructions

  1. Fill a A 12″ Cast Iron Skillet about 1½ – 2 inches deep with a high smoke-point fat (I like to use vegetable oil and maybe ¼ cup of duck fat or ghee for a little extra flavor)
  2. Heat oil to 375°F as measured with an Instant Read Thermometer.
  3. Safety Notes:
    • You’ve got super hot oil in a skillet that probably has a handle. Point that handle toward the rear of the stove, angled away from the edges of the stove where it could accidentally be knocked
    • Keep kids/pets and things you can trip over out of the kitchen during this time
  4. Carefully lay two or three of the breaded chicken cutlets into the hot oil. A few important notes here:
    • Lay the cutlets away from you so if there’s any splashing it doesn’t go in your direction
    • Lay cutlets in oil slowly – don’t be afraid of it; dropping things in quickly will lead to more spattering/splashing. If you’re nervous, use tongs.
    • Do not overcrowd – you don’t want to drop the oil temperature too much
    • Right when you lay the cutlets in the oil, they’ll sink to the bottom, so use tongs to gently wiggle each cutlet to ensure it isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pan
    • It’s okay if the cutlets aren’t fully submerged – you’re going to turn them over once in a while anyway (see next step)
  5. Cook until deeply golden brown on all sides, turning occasionally, around 5-6 minutes (approximately 3 minutes per side)
  6. Once cutlets are beautiful, golden, stiff, and crunchy, transfer them to a Rimmed Baking with oven safe wire rack
  7. Repeat with remaining cutlets, and transfer to 170°F oven to keep warm 

Not sure what sauce to make?  Try one of these!

Chicken Parmesan

Chicken with Italian Red Sauce; i.e., Marinara Sauce

Chicken Marsala

Chicken in a mushroom Marsala reduction sauce

Chicken Piccata

Chicken in a lemon butter pan sauce with capers and white wine

Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

This classic Cajun stew is perfect for a cold winter’s night – or pretty much any time.  The flavor profile is totally unique; if someone were to ask “What does gumbo taste like?” the answer is “It tastes like gumbo!”  And it is totally delicious.

Time: 90 minutes – 2 hours
Level: Intermediate (bordering on advanced, depending on your roux making skills)
Cost: About $4 per plate
Serves: 4- 6

Ingredients

  1. 4-6 chicken breasts, 2-3lbs package weight
  2. 12oz Cajun Andouille Sausage (I like Aidell’s brand), sliced into 1/4 inch thick rounds (or “coins”)
  3. 1 cup all purpose flour, plus 2 TBSP, divided
  4. 3 TBSP Creole Seasoning
    • Note:  You can use any store bought brand such as Tony Cachere’s, but I prefer “Emeril’s Essence” (also referred to as “Bayou Blast) which you can buy in stores or make it yourself.  When opting to make it myself, I usually make it by the teaspoon rather than tablespoon, but the key is just to keep the ratios the same.
  5. Olive oil:  2 TBSP, plus a few drizzles to coat chicken for dredging
  6. 1 cup vegetable oil
  7. 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  8. 1 large yellow onion, diced
  9. 4 ribs celery, diced
  10. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  11. 3/4 cup okra (optional, some people don’t like it, but it’s what makes gumbo authentic)
  12. Dash Worcestershire sauce
  13. 2 140z cans low sodium chicken broth
  14. Cooked white rice, cooked according to package directions, for serving

Instructions

Add 2 TBSP olive oil plus sausage rounds to a dutch oven or large sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat.  Sauté until sausage is well browned and most of the fat from the sausage has rendered, 5-7 minutes.  Remove sausage with a slotted spoon and reserve in a medium size bowl.

In a another medium bowl, mix 3 TBSP all purpose flour with 3 TBSP creole seasoning.  Whisk to combine thoroughly.  Pat chicken breasts dry and rub each breast with a drizzle of olive oil.  Dredge the chicken breasts in the seasoned flour mixture and add to pan with sausage fat.  Fry breasts in sausage fat on each side, 2-3 minutes or until well browned.  Remove to a cutting board and reserve.

Note:  Don’t overcrowd the pan with the chicken; work in batches if you have to.  Add more fat to the pan between batches if you have to, either by adding extra olive oil, extra sausage fat from the bowl of reserved sausages, or both.  You want to develop a nice fond on the bottom of the pan, but you don’t want to burn anything.

Add onion, green pepper and celery to the pan (this combination is known as the Trinity of Cajun Cooking) and sauté until the vegetables and onion have released most of their moisture and the onions are mostly translucent, 5-7 minutes.  Stir constantly, scraping up any fond (brown bits) from the bottom of the pan to combine with the mixture.

Add garlic and sauté until very fragrant, 1-2 minutes.

Add okra (if using), and dash of Worcestershire sauce.  Add chicken broth to deglaze the pan and stir, scraping up any remaining brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add sausage and any drippings to the pot.  Cube chicken breasts on the cutting board (it’s okay if they’re still raw in the middle, they’re going to cook in the pot), and add to the pot.

Give everything a few good stirs to combine and bring to a boil; then reduce to a simmer.

While the stock is simmering, make your roux:

To make the roux, heat 1 cup vegetable oil in a medium sauce pot over medium-low heat until it is around 250°F – 300°F.  Whisking vigorously and constantly, slowly add the 1 cup flour to the oil, a few sprinkles at a time, until all the flour is incorporated.  Continue to whisk vigorously and constantly, cooking the flour in the oil.  Don’t stop whisking!  You will notice that the color of the roux changes from white, to blond, to peanut butter colored, to light brown, to dark brown (the color of beef stock).  Once the roux is the color of beef stock, remove from the heat and continue to whisk until significantly cooled.  While you are whisking your roux to cool, off the heat on the simmering pot completely.  (Did I mention don’t stop whisking?)

Note:  None of this is as hard as it sounds.  I got it on my first try.  Go slow, pay attention to what you’re doing and you’ll be fine.  DO follow the instructions below.

Note:  This will take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes depending on how much heat you are using.  The higher the heat, the more likely it is you will burn your roux and you will have to start over.  If you see black flecks in your roux, you have to discard it and start over, so use lower heat at first.  As the roux begins to darken it is not uncommon for it to smoke quite a bit.  Also, it is incredibly hot, so don’t try to taste it.

Note:  Adding the hot roux directly into the simmering pot will create an impressive explosion, sending lava-hot roux and boiling broth erupting like Vesuvius all over you and your kitchen.  I did this on the first go-round; don’t be like me.  Follow the instructions in the next paragraph instead…

Once the roux has cooled, take a ladle full of liquid from the pot and slowly whisk it into the roux, stirring constantly to combine.  Very carefully and slowly, add the roux mixture back into the pot, a little bit at a time, stirring constantly while you do this to combine.

Return pot to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and allow to reduce until thick and hearty, about 45 minutes.  Serve with steamed white rice and a crusty loaf of bread.

 

Chicken A La King

I know what you might be thinking.  For many, the thought of Chicken A La King conjures up the worst of that era of the 50s and 60s when everything came from a can.  When people couldn’t figure out what to do with leftover chicken,  they smothered it in cream with canned mushrooms – or worse, just doused it in cream of mushroom soup (shudder).  But Chicken A La King is a misunderstood dish.  Before it was hijacked by the 50s canned-everything era, it enjoyed a place on the menus of some of the finest restaurants in the world – including the Delmonico Steak House in New York City and the Claridge Hotel in London – as far back as the late 19th century.  This version is devoid of canned mushrooms, cream of mushroom soup, jarred pimentos, patty shells and leftovers; rather, it is a bright and fresh version closer to the originals from over a century ago that more closely resembles an elegant version of gravy on toast.

Time: 30 – 45 minutes
Level: Easy
Cost: About $3 per plate
Serves: 4- 6

Ingredients

  1. 1.5 – 2lbs chicken breast, cubed
  2. 8oz Crimini or Baby-Bella mushrooms, quartered
  3. 2 TBSP olive oil
  4. 1-2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  5. 2 TSP fresh thyme (or 1 TSP dried)
  6. 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
  7. 1/4 TSP cayenne pepper, or to taste
  8. 2 TBSP butter, diced
  9. 3 TBSP all purpose flour
  10. 1 cup Sherry wine
  11. 1/4 cup Brandy (for flambé, optional)
  12. 1/4 – 1/2 cup heavy cream, or half-and-half
  13. 3 TBSP fresh parsley, minced
  14. Dash of Paprika, garnish
  15. Rustic loaf of bread

Instructions

Prep all your ingredients and get ready to cook – this dish moves pretty fast.

After you’re finished prepping, preheat oven to 500°F for toast (this will take about the same amount of time as it will to cook the rest of the dish).

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat.  When oil is shimmering, add mushrooms and sauté until they begin to caramelize just a bit, 2-3 minutes.  Add diced butter and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the butter is mostly melted.  Add bell pepper and continue to cook until soft, 2-3 minutes more.  Add garlic, thyme and cayenne pepper and sauté until very fragrant, about 2 more minutes.

Optional:  Add 1/4 cup Brandy and flambé

Add cubed chicken and stir to incorporate.  Stir in flour and continue to cook chicken until it is white all around and no pink is visible (it doesn’t need to brown, and it doesn’t need to be cooked through – it will finish cooking in the sauce).

Add sherry wine, bring to a boil, and reduce until the raw alcohol is cooked off, 2-3 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium, stir in cream and reduce until sauce is thickened to a gravy-like consistency, 5-7 minutes over medium heat.

Meanwhile, while the sauce is reducing, thickly slice several pieces of rustic bread – about 1 or 1.5 inches thick – figure on two pieces per person.  Drizzle both sides with olive oil and place them on a baking sheet.  Place them in the 500° oven for about 5-6 minutes or until beautifully golden brown.

Remove toast from oven and plate.  Ladle chicken and sauce generously over the toast.  Garnish with fresh parsley and a dusting of paprika.  Serve with steamed broccoli or asparagus.

Cook’s Note:  Due to the richness of this dish, it can come across as a bit overly decadent (even though this version isn’t too bad for you).  But the garnish here isn’t really optional – the parsley and paprika will brighten it up significantly.

 

Chicken Dijonnaise with Brandy Mustard Cream Sauce

This tangy, zesty, creamy dish comes together in a little less than an hour.  It is simple enough to make on a weeknight (with a little hustle) and elegant enough for a dinner party.  Serve with homemade Caesar Salad, because the flavor profiles of the classic Caesar are the perfect compliment to Chicken Dijonnaise.

Time: 45-60 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Cost: About $4 per plate
Serves: 4- 6

Ingredients

For the Chicken Dijonnaise:

  1. 4-6 chicken breasts (1 per person), butterflied but not sliced through
  2. 3 TBSP flour
  3. Salt and pepper, to taste
  4. 3 TBSP ground dried Dijon mustard (available in the spices section of most supermarkets)
  5. Olive oil  (and clarified butter, optional)
  6. 1 shallot, minced
  7. 4 cloves garlic, minced
  8. 8oz brown mushrooms (Baby Bellas or Crimini would work best), sliced
  9. 1/3 cup brandy, plus 1 TSP
  10. 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
  11. 1/4 cup heavy cream
  12. 1/4 cup prepared coarse-ground or stone-ground Dijon Mustard
    • Cook’s Note:  both Safeway and Grey Poupon make this (I believe Grey Poupon calls theirs ‘Country Mustard’ but whatever); any brand will do, and hell, in a pinch, any quality prepared mustard will do as long as you don’t use any of that horrible yellow crap such as French’s (if you use French’s or any other yellow mustard, you are dead to me.  Moving on…)

Instructions

Optional Step:  Brine your chicken breasts by soaking them in a solution of 1/4 cup kosher salt dissolved in 4 cups luke-warm water.  Refrigerate in the brine for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 2 hours.  This will lead to a juicer end product.

In a small bowl, mix flour, dried mustard, salt and pepper.  Whisk to combine well.  (Omit salt if you brined ahead of time).

Pat butterflied chicken breasts dry and place in a large mixing or tossing bowl, making sure that they are fully opened to maximize surface area.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss to coat.  Pour seasoned flour mixture over chicken and toss again until chicken is well coated on all sides.

Heat 2 TBSP olive oil (or 1 TBSP clarified butter and 1 TBSP olive oil) large sauté pan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not quite smoking (about 375°F).  Add chicken to oil, presentation side down, and cook without moving, 3-5 minutes, until well browned.  Flip chicken over and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through 80-90% (it will finish in the sauce).

Cook’s Note:  Don’t overcrowd the pan.  Every time you add a chicken breast it reduces the heat in the pan which means that less browning will occur.  I find that about 3-4 chicken breasts is a good number in my 12-inch sauté pan.  Work in batches if you have to.

Remove chicken from pan and reserve on a plate; cover to keep warm.

In the same pan, add shallots and sauté until a bit translucent, 1-2 minutes.  Add garlic and sauté with shallots until very fragrant, 1-2 more minutes.  Add mushrooms and continue to sauté until liquid is absorbed into mushrooms and mushrooms begin to lightly caramelize.  Carefully pour in brandy and ignite by slowly moving a lit grill lighter over the pan.  You will get flames; they will be large – so make sure loose clothing, hair, and other flammables are well out of the way.  Keep a lid nearby in case things get out of control (which they probably won’t).

Cook’s Note: It helps to have the brandy measured out in a container such as a measuring cup or glass.  You should be holding the container of brandy in your non-dominant hand and be holding the grill lighter in your dominant hand.  Never pour alcohol into a hot pan directly from the bottle, unless you want to risk blowing the bottle up in your hands.  Anyway, holding the grill lighter in your dominant hand, light it.  Keeping it lit, use your other hand to pour the brandy into the pan.  Wait about 2 seconds for the alcohol to begin to vaporize and slowly move the lit lighter to about 2 inches above the pan to ignite the alcohol – don’t stick the lighter in the pan or it will go out – remember:  You’re igniting the vapors not what’s in the pan.  If you don’t get flames or everything fizzles out, that’s okay.  Just add the chicken stock and cook everything down for 3 or so minutes until the raw alcohol has cooked off.  See How to Flambé for more information.

Add the chicken stock and cream and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer to reduce sauce, 5-10 minutes.  Once the sauce has thickened a bit, stir in 1/4 cup of coarse-ground prepared mustard.  Add chicken and any juices on the plate back into sauce and flip a few times to coat.  Off the heat and cover to allow chicken to finish cooking in the sauce, 7-10 minutes.  (Verify that the internal temperature of the chicken is at least 155°F using an instant-read thermometer before serving.  If after 15 minutes or so the chicken still isn’t up to temp, slowly warm chicken in sauce over a bare simmer until cooked through.)

Just before serving, having removed the chicken from the pot to serving plates, stir in final 1 TSP of brandy to brighten the sauce.  Spoon sauce over chicken and serve with a crusty french baguette and Caesar Salad.

 

 

Chicken Tikka Masala

So far, I haven’t posted any Asian-inspired recipes on this blog – this is the first one.  Basically, it was interesting to note that although the ingredients were a bit different, the process is basically the same as it is for any one-pot wonder.

Time: 90 minutes on stove top; 4 hrs slow-cooker on HIGH; 8 hrs slow-cooker on LOW
Level: Easy
Cost: About $5 per plate
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

  1. 2 lb s  boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
    1. NOTE:  If going the slow cooker route, I’d recommend opting for thighs – they are higher in fat content and are less likely to dry out over an extended cooking time.
  2. 1 cup full fat Greek Yogurt
  3. Juice of 1 lemon
  4. 5 cloves garlic, minced
  5. 1 medium sized onion, diced
  6. 2 TSP freshly grated ginger (or powdered is fine in a pinch)
  7. 2 TBSP garam masala
  8. 2 TSP paprika
  9. 2 TSP kosher salt
  10. 2 TBSP tomato paste
  11. 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
  12. 1 14oz can low sodium chicken broth (stove top method only)
  13. 1 can full-fat coconut milk
  14. Fresh cilantro, chopped, for serving

Prep:

  1. Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes and marinate in Greek yogurt and juice of 1 lemon for a minimum of 30 minutes or a maximum of 2 hours.
  2. Dice onion, garlic, and 2 TSP cilantro
  3. Mix ginger garam masala, paprika and salt together in a small bowl and set aside

Cook:

Add 2 TBSP olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat until shimmering but not smoking (about 350F – 375F).  Add chicken, (working in batches if you have to) and brown on all sides.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Reduce heat to medium.  Add onion and cilantro and sauté until fragrant and onions are translucent, 2-3 minutes (don’t burn this stuff, make sure your pan isn’t too hot before dumping everything in!)  Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 more minutes.  Add spice mixture and tomato paste and sauté for 1 minute more, stirring constantly.  Add canned tomatoes and their juices and stir constantly for 3-5 minutes more making sure nothing gets stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Slow-Cooker:  If using a slow-cooker, add the reserved chicken to the cooker and then add the tomato mixture on top.  Cover the slow-cooker and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for four hours.

Stove Top:  If making on the stove top, add the can of chicken broth to the tomato mixture and then add the reserved chicken.  Cover partially and simmer on low heat 40-60 minutes until liquid is reduced and chicken is cooked through.

In the last 15 minutes of cooking, stir in coconut milk, stir well and allow to simmer with the lid off until flavors are melded together and sauce has thickened.

Serve over steamed rice and garnish with fresh cilantro.