Category: Complete Meals

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.

 

 

Chunky Beef Chili

This delicious chili requires minimal effort and can be made on the stove top or in a slow-cooker.  It is spicy, rich and perfect for a cold winter night.  Serve with extra jalapeños, avocados and diced white onions as well as a dollop of sour cream and Mexican cheese.  This chili can be made a day ahead of time, refrigerated and reheated.  It’s even better after all the flavors have had a chance to meld together.  Also, remember:  This is frontier food – it was originally cobbled together from whatever was laying around when high-end ingredients were scarce, so feel free to experiment and have fun.  This recipe is a jumping off point to highlight the basics, where you go from here on your chili adventure is up to you!

 

 

Time: 2 hrs 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. 3 lbs beef chuck roast or stew meat, cut into 1 or 1.5 inch cubes
  2. Kosher salt and Pepper, to taste
  3. 8 oz bacon, diced into lardons
  4. 1 cup celery (about 4 stocks), diced
  5. 1 large white onion, diced
  6. 4-6 cloves garlic, minced
  7. 4 jalapeño peppers, diced
  8. 1 large green bell pepper, diced
  9. 1 6oz can Chipotle chilés in Adobo sauce, minced
  10. 1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
  11. 3 TBSP flour
  12. 1 cup chicken broth ( or 1 14oz can if finishing on stove top)
  13. 1/2 cup coffee (liquid, not grounds… I used what was left in my cup from this morning)
  14. Optional (Beans and Tomatoes in chili are actually somewhat contentious.  Read more about the debate here, but remember:  Cooking is about experimentation, having fun, and doing what you want.  So do as you will.

    • 2 14oz cans red kidney beans
    • 1 14oz can petite diced tomatoes
  15. 1/4 cup (or more) Masa Harina (instant cornflour – the key thing here being ‘instant’)

Instructions

Add bacon lardons to a large sauté pan or dutch oven, and cook over high heat until crisp and most of the bacon fat has rendered, about 10 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Season beef cubes aggressively with kosher salt and pepper and cook in the bacon fat until nicely browned.  Remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.

Drain off all the fat in the pan except 1-2 TBSP, reduce heat to medium.  Carefully add celery and onion (take care that the pan is not too hot; you don’t want this stuff to burn!) and sauté until fragrant and onions are mostly translucent, 3-5 minutes.  Add garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant, 1-2 more minutes.  Add jalapeños, green bell pepper, Adobo chiles and Worcestershire sauce and cook another 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until peppers are soft.

Add 14oz can chicken broth, kidney beans and tomatoes (if using), and coffee.  Stir in flour and mix everything well.  Add bacon and browned beef.  Liquid should be almost covering the contents of the pot but not quite.  Stir once more to incorporate.

If finishing in the oven:

Preheat oven to 325°F.  Bring chili to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.  Place chili into oven with lid on but slightly ajar (perhaps 1/4″ – 1/2″ gap) and cook until beef is tender, about 4 hours.

If finishing in a slow cooker:

Coat the inside of the slow cooker with cooking spray.  Add all items to a slow cooker; cover completely and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours until beef is tender and falling apart.

To Finish:

In the last 10-15 minutes of cooking, stir in 1/4 cup (more or less) of masa harina until desired texture is achieved.  It should be thick and chunky, not watery soup.  Any Texan will tell you this is the ONLY way to thicken your chili, but if you don’t have masa harina available a slurry of 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water will work just fine.

Serve with sliced avocado, diced onion, green onions, fresh minced cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese (or my favorite, finely grated Cotija cheese) and warm corn tortillas

 

Cuban Pulled Pork & Mojo Sandwiches

This amazing pulled pork can be thrown together in as little as 20 minutes, and then you can set it and forget it while it slow-roasts all day.  Dinner will be waiting for you when you get home.  Initially I was worried about this one.  I was afraid that a pork loin, which is a pretty lean cut, would dry out in the slow cooker.  But marinating it ahead of time and letting it soak in it’s own juices rendered a product that was juicy and unbelievably tender.

Prep: 20 minutes
Marinate: 2 hrs – 8 hrs
Cook: 4 hrs slow-cooker on HIGH; 8 hrs slow-cooker on LOW
Total Time: 4.5 to 16.5 hours
Total Active Time: 20 – 30 minutes
Level: Easy
Cost: About $4 per plate
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

For the Pork

  1. 1 3-4lb pork loin, trimmed of silver skin and cut in half or in thirds, depending on the size of your slow cooker
  2. 4-6 cloves garlic, finely minced
  3. 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  4. Zest from one orange
  5. Zest of 2-3 limes
  6. 1.5 cups orange juice
  7. 1/2 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 6-8 limes)
  8. 1/4 cup olive oil
  9. 2 tsp ground cumin
  10. 2 tsp ground oregano
  11. 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  12. a few generous grinds black pepper

For Mojo Sandwiches (per sandwich)

  1. 1 Croissant
  2. 2 slices ham (not honey)
  3. 2 slices Swiss cheese
  4. Dill pickle chips
  5. Dijon mustard

Instructions

For the Pork

Combine all ingredients except pork in a large mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined.  Add pork to marinade refrigerate, covered, for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Once pork is finished marinating, remove from marinade (do not discard the marinade) and pat dry with paper towels.  Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet or sauté pan until shimmering and just slightly smoking (about 375°F).  Add pork and brown on all sides, 5-7 minutes.

Using cooking spray, spray the inside container of slow-cooker until lightly coated.  Add browned pork and reserved marinade.  Cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 4 hours.

When pork is finished, use two forks to shred pork.  Serve over steamed white rice or as part of Mojo Sandwiches (recipe follows).

For the Sandwiches

Halve a croissant lengthwise and slather both cut sides generously with Dijon mustard.  Add one slice of Swiss Cheese, followed by a generous helping of pork, followed by a few pickles, followed by a slice of ham and another slice of Swiss cheese.

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.