Roasted Chicken & Grapes

Oh mannnn is this chicken good. I've been wanting to make it for a long time and finally did this weekend. I only regret waiting so long. This chicken is perfect: salty crispy skin, juicy flavorful meat, tart and sweet grapes, delicious pan sauce. It would serve beautifully with a side of creamy polenta, although I served it with an amazing Raw and Roasted Carrot and Fennel Salad by Alison Roman because, well, its Passover, and polenta-n-me will have to wait another few days to meet again.
*Recipe from Melissa Clark's most recent cookbook Dinner: Changing the Game, which I highly recommend.

INGREDIENTS
1 spatchcocked chicken, 4-5lb (*see below for how-to-spatchcock-a-chicken)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds, lightly crushed in spice grinder or mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
16 oz seedless grapes on the stem
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons sherry vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter

In a small bowl mix together the salt, fennel seeds, pepper, lemon zest, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Rub all over the chicken, then place the whole bird, skin side up, on a rimmed baking sheet/roasting pan and let sit on the counter for 1-2 hours.

When you're close to cooking the bird, preheat your oven to 475 degrees F. Transfer the chicken to the oven and roast for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl toss together the grapes with 2 teaspoons of olive oil, the sugar, and some salt and pepper. After the chicken cooks for 20 minutes, remove from oven and place the grapes around the chicken. Put the chicken back in the oven for another 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, skin is golden brown, and grapes are lightly caramelized. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let sit for a few minutes and remove the grapes from the pan and set aside in a bowl. Keep the pan juices!!

Pour the vinegar into the roasting pan to help scrape up all of the yummy brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour all juices into a small sauce pan and cook over medium heat until lightly boiling. Whisk in the butter and taste for seasonings.

Carve the chicken into pieces and serve with grapes and pan juice on top. Enjoy.

**NOTES**
The recipe calls for a spatchcocked chicken and if you're not sure how to do this don't be intimidated-- its easy. Take a whole chicken (clean and dry) and place it on a cutting board with the neck/backbone facing up. Taking very sharp kitchen shears, cut along either side of the backbone from one end to the other, removing it completely (discard/save for chicken soup). Then flip the bird over onto the cutting board and press down on the breasts, until it slightly flattens and you hear a pop. Ya done spatchcocked a chicken, ya'll!

Fish Tacos

I made fish tacos this week to satisfy a mexican food craving. I combined a few recipes and the end result was a delicious and flavorful taco. Although it is not pictured, the cilantro-lime crema is ESSENTIAL. Adapted from Cooking Light. Serves 4.

TACO INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pound flakey fish (tilapia, red snapper)
1 lime, juiced
2 tablespoons orange juice
2 tablespoons taco seasoning
2 cups shredded cabbage
cilantro-lime crema
8 corn tortillas

Mix together the lime juice, orange juice, and taco seasoning and pour into a large ziploc bag. Add the fish to the bag, and seal the bag, taking all the air out. Marinade for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, head the oven to 425 degrees and spray a cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Take the fish and place in a single layer on the cookie sheet and bake for ~9 minutes, or until flakey.

While the fish is in the oven, make the cilantro-lime crema by stirring together the following ingredients.

Cilantro-Lime Crema Ingredients
4 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon lime zest
2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced

Once fish is cooked and cilantro-lime crema has been prepared, heat the tortillas according to package directions. Flake the fish and place into hot tortillas, top with shredded cabbage, and lime crema. Serve with any other toppings (guacamole, salsa, etc.) and enjoy!

Parmesan Chicken

This is an outstanding, flavorful, and simple chicken recipe. I have no idea why it took me so long to make it, but I'm very glad I finally did (I made it for the first time 4 weeks ago and have made it 3 times since then.. its that good). It is an Ina Garten recipe from her cookbook Barefoot Contessa: Family Style and I have adapted it slightly. Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

4 (~8oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon water

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs

1/2 cup freshly grated/ground parmesan (or more if you want)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 lemon, halved and seeded

Take each chicken breast and pound until it is ~1/2-inch thick, using a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Cut each breast in half (you will have 8 thin chicken tenders). 

Mix together the flour, salt, and pepper in a dinner plate and set aside. Whisk together the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water in a dinner plate and set aside. Finally, mix together the breadcrumbs and the parmesan together in a dinner plate and set aside. 

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and once hot, add half the olive oil and butter. Dredge each side of each chicken breast first in the flour mixture, then in the egg mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture, lightly patting the breadcrumbs to help them adhere. Place in the hot pan and let sizzle away. Sprinkle a little more salt on top, if you think it needs it, and squeeze a bit of lemon juice onto each cutlet as it is cooking. Once lightly browned, flip and cook on the other side- these do not take long to cook. Remove chicken from pan, add more olive oil and butter as needed and keep frying the chicken. 

Serve with a light salad of mixed greens. Mmmm-mmm-mmm. 

Chicken, Corn, and Sour Cream Enchiladas

I've made these twice now in the past two weeks and they are seriously delicious. They are easy to make and can be doubled with little effort if you need to feed an army. They are also very forgiving, so if you don't like an ingredient or ran out of something before making, just replace it with something else.

INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 ears of corn cut off the cob
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chipotle in adobo sauce
8 ounces sour cream
2-4 ounces diced green chiles (canned)
2 green onions, diced
8 ounces colby-jack cheese, grated
8 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
12 small tortillas (corn or flour)

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Meanwhile, mix together the cumin, garlic powder, and taco seasoning in a small bowl. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt, pepper, and spice mixture. Place chicken in skillet and cook chicken breasts for about 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Remove from pan and shred once cooled. Place chicken in a medium-large bowl. Set aside.

Keep the pan on medium heat and add the onion, corn, and salt and pepper and saute, stirring, until onions are softened. Add the adobo sauce and stir together. Remove from heat and add the corn/onion mixture to the chicken.  Once somewhat cooled, add the sour cream**, diced green chiles, green onions, and 1/3 of the grated cheese. Stir together and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spread 1/2 a cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pyrex. Heat the tortillas so they are more pliable. Place some of the filling in the middle of the tortilla, sprinkle some cheese on top, and roll tightly like a burrito. Place seam-down in the pan. Repeat with rest of tortillas, filling, and cheese, leaving about 1/2 a cup of cheese for the end. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce evenly on top of the rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.

Remove from oven and serve with a dollop of sour cream on top and rice and beans on the side. Mmm.

** So, another option to make these rich and creamy is to take out half of the sour cream and replace it with half of a can of condensed cream of chicken soup. May sound gross, but its to die for.

Salmon with Red Pepper Pesto

This is a very healthy, flavorful, and quick dinner! It was on the table in 10 minutes- start to finish! The red pepper pesto is very easy to make and would taste yummy on almost any fish or chicken. Mmm-mmm-mmm.

INGREDIENTS
- 4 (6oz) filets of salmon
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 large garlic clove
- 1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- salt & pepper

Lightly grease (with spray or olive oil) a grill pan and place on medium-high heat. While warming up, prepare the salmon filets by sprinkling each side with salt and pepper. Place in grill pan and cook about 4 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.

Meanwhile, put the red peppers, tomato paste, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a food processor. Process until smooth.

Once fish is cooked through, plate and dollop the pesto on top. Serve and enjoy!

Mexican Pulled Chicken (Slow Cooker)

This is a recipe that can be found online and in many easy slow cooker cookbooks. Its so simple and its really delicious. The first time I ever had it was at a party and a friend had brought it as a filling for burritos.  It's great wrapped in a tortilla, on nachos, and even on a taco salad (as pictured). So easy, healthy, yummy and adaptable. This time I used half regular jarred tomato salsa and half tomatillo salsa. Some times I add a bit of cream cheese at the end to make it a bit richer, other times I leave it out.



INGREDIENTS
2.5-3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
24 ounces jarred salsa
1 15ounce can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 15ounce can corn, drained
4 ounces cream cheese (optional)

Pour a bit of the salsa on the bottom of a crock pot or slow cooker. Place the chicken breasts on top and cover with beans, corn, and salsas. Cover and cook on high for 5-6 hours. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Let cook a bit longer to reduce the liquid. Add the cream cheese in the last few minutes and stir until melted.

Serve in burritos, tacos, over nachos, or on a salad. YUM.

This also freezes well.