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!

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. 

Buffalo Chicken Wings

Chicken wings are just delicious. Every day, at any time. This was the first time I'd ever really deep-fried anything and I was a bit stressed out about it, to say the least. But, it was a major overreaction (shock), because actually, it wasn't that big of a deal (a few days perspective is all ya need). Both the chicken and I made it out safely. Oh, and they were the best wings I've ever had. Seriously.

I served them with semi-homemade ranch dressing. Photo by Jason A. Volpe.

INGREDIENTS
3-4 pounds chicken wing pieces
48 ounces canola oil
1 stick butter
12 ounces Frank's Hot Sauce
few dashes of tabasco
salt and pepper
candy thermometer

Pat the wings dry and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large soup pot to 350-365 degrees. Using tongs, place half the wings in the hot oil and stand back- they will bubble and splatter a bit at first. Fry, stirring occasionally with the tongs (so the wings don't stick to the bottom of the pan). I ended up cooking mine for about 15 minutes, but it depends on how hot your oil is. You want them to be lightly browned. Remove and place on a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with the rest of the wings.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large deep skillet. Slowly whisk in the Frank's Hot Sauce, if you don't add it slowly the butter and hot sauce will separate. If it does separate, though, don't worry. It all tastes the same in the end. Add a few dashes of tobasco and taste for hotness. Add more tabasco if you want it hotter. Add more butter if you want to tone it down a bit.


Once chicken wings are all cooked, put them in the large skillet of sauce and stir to coat. Either serve immediately or place them in a bowl until ready to serve and reheat them in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

Serve with celery and ranch/blue cheese. And football chocolate covered strawberries, if its the Super Bowl. Which it won't be for another.... year.

Sorry I didn't get these to you before the big game. Blogger fail. Good thing March Madness is coming up!

Veal Parmesan

As you all may know, I used to be a "vegetarian" for about 4 months. There were many reasons why I chose to cut out meat for a while, but part of it was because I was just sick of chicken, which was mostly all the meat that I ate before that, with the rare (pun) steak once or twice a year. My "vegetarianism" ended when a friend of mine served me grilled filet mignon wrapped in bacon and I've never looked back since. Since then I have fallen deeply and madly in love with veal. I made veal parmesan last week (the main course before the tiramisu) and it was absolutely delicious. It was very easy to make and was a crowd pleaser- everyone licked their plates clean.

VEAL INGREDIENTS

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

1 1/2 cups dried plain bread crumbs

1 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon water

2/3 cup flour

8 veal scallops (1/8 inch thick)

1/3 cup oil, for frying

2 cups tomato sauce

4-6 ounces grated mozzarella cheese

Pasta Ingredients

1/2 pound angel hair pasta

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup chicken broth

salt and pepper

Mix together all the spices and add 1 tablespoon to the breadcrumbs in a pie dish along with 1/2 cup of parmesan. Set aside. Add the other tablespoon of spices to the flour in another pie dish or shallow bowl. Set aside. In another shallow bowl mix the eggs and water and beat with a fork until incorporated. Set aside. 

Pat each veal scallop dry and sprinkle with meat tenderizer (optional). Coat each side of the veal with flour, shake off excess, then dunk each side in egg mixture, and finally dunk in the bread crumbs. Place in a heated pan with oil and fry on medium about 1 1/2 minutes per side, until lightly browned. Pour a little bit of tomato sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 in baking dish and place each browned veal scallop in the dish on top of the sauce. Continue this same process with each piece of veal until all are done and in the baking dish. Cover with more tomato sauce, followed by the mozzarella cheese, and then 1/2 cup parmesan. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and starting to brown on top. 

Meanwhile, boil water and add 1/2 pound of angel hair pasta, cooking according to directions on the box. Drain and return to pot along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, a few splashes of chicken broth, the rest of the parmesan (1/4 cup) and a generous amount of salt and lots of pepper. 

Serve veal on top of the pasta. YUM. Serves 4. 

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.

Thai Style Chicken with Basil

I made this a few nights ago for an impromptu dinner for a few friends who were in the neighborhood house-hunting. It was an easy recipe to prepare and the grocery shopping is easy if you have a good asian grocery market nearby... if you do not, you can substitute some of the ingredients for foods that are easy to find in your everyday grocery store (i.e. thai chiles for jalepenos/serranos). Although the final product doesn't look like its packed with flavor, surprisingly, when you taste it you get a wonderful surprise of a very flavorful spicy, salty, sweet dish. I highly recommend this to anyone that likes any kind of food ever. Its just really good. Adapted (barely) from www.CooksIllustrated.com

INGREDIENTS

- 2 cups fresh basil leaves (I used some thai basil, some regular genovese basil)

- 2 medium garlic cloves

- 8 green thai chiles, stemmed

- 2 tablespoons fish sauce, separated in half

- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

- 1 teaspoon white vinegar

- 1 tablespoon sugar

- 1 1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2-inch pieces

- 3/4 cup peeled and thinly sliced shallots

- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

In a food processor pulse 1 cup of basil with the garlic and thai chiles until finely chopped. Transfer 1 tablespoon of this mixture into a small bowl and mix together with 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, the oyster sauce, vinegar, and sugar- set aside. Pour the rest of the basil/garlic/chile mixture into a 12-inch skillet. Do not wash food processor bowl. 

Add the chicken pieces and 1 tablespoon fish sauce into the food processor. Chop in food processor for about 6-8 pulses until the meat is about 1/4-inch pieces. Transfer into a medium bowl and refrigerate for about 15 minutes. 

Stir the shallots and vegetable oil into the 12-inch skillet with the basil/garlic/chile mixture. Heat over medium-low heat until sizzling. Then cook until garlic and shallots are golden brown, about 5-8 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the chicken, increase the heat to medium, and cook, breaking up with a spatula for about 2 minutes, until only slightly pink. Add the fish sauce/oyster sauce/vinegar/sugar mixture and cook another minute, stirring to incorporate the chicken with the sauce. Add the rest of the basil leaves and stir until wilted. Serve immediately with sides of vinegar, red pepper flakes, and fish sauce, for those who want to add them on top. YUM.

*NOTE: if you cannot find thai chiles, instead use about 1 medium/large jalepeno.

Thai Pork Lettuce Wraps

This recipe was recommended to me by two friends who said that I should try them and I am glad that I did (within 24 hours of their suggestion). Its a really nice and HEALTHY appetizer or meal. Full of flavor and very easy. Next time I might play around and add some water chestnuts or bamboo shoots or something else to add crunch. THIS IS FANTASTIC. Recipe from Cook's Illustrated, September 2009.

INGREDIENTS
-1 pork tenderloin (~1 lb.) fat trimmed
-2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce, divided
-1 tablespoon white rice
-1/4 cup chicken broth
-3 tablespoons lime juice
-2 teaspoons sugar
-1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

-1 large shallot, sliced thin

-3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

-3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

-Small lettuce (bib or mini red-leaf)

Cut the pork into 1-inch pieces and place on a plate in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the rice in a small pan on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until it turns a deep golden brown color. Pour rice in a small bowl and let cool 5 minutes. Grind rice with a spice grinder/mini food processor/mortal and pestle until it looks like powder. Set aside.

Once the pork has chilled, add half of it to the food processor and pulse 5 times for 1 second each time. Remove the pork and place into a medium bowl. Do the same thing with the rest of the pork. Add 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce to the pork and stir to combine. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop the shallots, cilantro and mint. Mix together the lime juice, sugar, and red pepper flakes and set aside. 

Once the pork has marinated for 15 minutes remove it from the refrigerator. On medium-high heat bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a 12-inch skillet. Add the pork and cook stirring frequently until about halfway cooked. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of the rice powder and continue stirring until cooked all the way through (about 3-5 minutes total). Pour pork into a large bowl. Add the shallots, cilantro, mint, lime juice, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Stir to combine. 

Serve over whole pieces of lettuce. 

Peppercorn Crusted Beef Tenderloin Steaks (Filet Mignon)

So. This is good. Really really good. Make it, end of story.

INGREDIENTS
Six same sized (6-8 ounces) beef tenderloin steaks (1 1/2-inch thick)
1/4 cup whole peppercorns
1 cup canola oil
Kosher salt

In a small saucepan add together the peppercorns and the canola oil (add more oil if you want the peppercorns to be less potent, less if you want them to be stronger). Bring oil to a boil and remove from heat and cover. Let steep for about 1 hour (this process helps to soften the peppercorns so you don't chip a tooth). Drain the peppercorns from the oil, reserving both separately. Crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pestle or with the bottom of a heavy pan. Spread peppercorns on a work surface and coat both sides of each steak with them. Let sit for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set a metal rack on a roasting pan and set aside for steaks.

Heat a bit of the canola oil in 2 pans on medium-high heat. Add three steaks to each pan, so as to not overcrowd the steaks. Sear for 1.5-2 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in roasting pan. Put in the preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until center of meat reaches about 130-150 degrees (130 degrees will give you rare-medium/rare meat, 150 will give you medium/medium well meat). I think that 137-142 degrees would be perfect. Remove from oven, let sit 10 minutes. Sprinkle with kosher salt and serve.

* Recipe adapted from Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home.
** Also, I saw that a fellow food blogger made this recipe but wrapped the steaks in bacon. Uhh, yum.

Veal Scallopini Piccata

Almost a year ago I had Veal Piccata at an Italian restaurant in Michigan when celebrating my Grandpa’s 90th birthday. I had never tasted anything so incredibly delicious and I have wanted to recreate the dish ever since. Despite the fact that it took a village to make this dish (thanks to my dad who drove the veal from NC to TN, my mom for the serving platter, America’s Test Kitchen, & my FGN friends), it was actually quite easy to make… The real reason that this took so long was that I basically agonized over it for about 10 months, which I am convinced improved the flavor. 

It. Was. Good. So. Good. The sauce was so flavorful-light and rich, if that makes sense, and I am glad that I doubled the recipe for the sauce. The veal itself was just about perfect- although I will cook it a second less next time.

It took all I had inside me to not have the leftovers for dessert… and by dessert I mean the “dessert” AFTER the huge piece of chocolate cake that I had for dessert after my huge serving of veal for dinner. 

And lastly, why would anyone ever eat chicken when veal exists? To those of you who have moral qualms with eating baby cow: your loss. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 lb. veal scallopini (or cutlets, pounded very thin ~1/8inch 
• 1 teaspoon meat tenderizer (if pounding the veal yourself)
• freshly ground pepper
• 1 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

Once veal is scallopini-ed pat each dry with a paper towel and sprinkle tenderizer on it (if using). Sprinkle both sides of each piece of veal with a bit of pepper. 

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a 12-inch skillet until smoking. Dunk ONE side of the veal in the flour and shake off. Place in the hot skillet flour-side-down. Cook, without moving, for about a minute or a minute and a half, until lightly browned. Turn over and cook another 30 seconds or so (these need just moments of cooking). Remove from pan and place on a baking sheet in a warm oven (170 degrees). Continue cooking the rest of the veal the same way, only flouring one side, and adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Once finished, make the PICCATA SAUCE…

• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup diced shallots
• 3 cups chicken broth (I used Better Than Bouillon and it was AWESOME)
• 4 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
• 4-5 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

In the same skillet as the veal add the vegetable oil and heat (don’t clean out the pan). Add the shallots and cook for about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth and let simmer until reduced by about half (this took about 10-12 minutes). Whisk in the parsley, butter, and lemon juice. Taste for salt and pepper. Pour over the veal and serve immediately. 

I served this over angel hair pasta and there was just the right amount of sauce to douse your pasta and veal. This makes enough to serve 6. 

Chicken and Sausage Paella

I’ve been craving a hearty rice dish recently. Usually my go-to recipe is some kind of risotto, however, I wanted to try something new tonight (that also wasn’t quite as heavy as risotto). I have never made paella before (and I’m not sure that I’ve actually eaten it in a number of years), so I can’t really say what made me think of it….. but, alas, I did. I’ve been looking online at a variety of recipes and then last night I opened the April issue of Bon Appetit and low and behold, there was a paella recipe (fate). SO, I used that recipe as a base and added/took out a few ingredients… and it turned out really well! Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2010

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 2 cups white rice (I used long-grain)
• 1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 6 ounces sausage (chorizo, or something with a spicy kick)
• 1 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup sliced roasted red pepper (from a jar)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

In a very wide/large pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and rice and stir for about 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and stir until incorporated. Add the saffron threads, broth, and tomatoes with juice- stir to combine. Bring liquids to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to a simmer. 

In a separate nonstick skillet, over medium heat, slightly brown the chicken pieces on each side. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, roasted red peppers, onions, and smoked paprika into the pan and cook 3 minutes longer. Add sausage and stir, cooking another 2 minutes. Remove from heat. 

After about 13 minutes take the top off the rice and add the peas and lemon zest. Stir and put the cover back on and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove top and stir in chicken/sausage mixture. Serve and enjoy!!

Beer Can Chicken

My friend Jenn has been telling me about her Beer Can Chicken for a long time now and I’ve been interested ever since she first mentioned it (I love beer and I love chicken, so clearly this intrigued me). She has invited me multiple times to have it at her house and I have foolishly declined due to too much work, etc. But, I had some time on my hands today and thought, hey, why not try it out myself…. SO, I got to googling and I found this recipe and thought the spice rub sounded pretty great. It is intended to be cooked on a grill, but I cooked mine in the oven and it worked out pretty darn well… The beer makes the chicken stay really moist, which is part of why it’s so yummy…. and its SO easy. (Adapted from George Duran’s recipe)

P.S. This recipe will make your house smell AMAZING.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4-pound)
• 1 can of beer

Mix the ingredients for the Spice Rub until they are well blended. Rub it all over the chicken, inside and out.

Open the beer and take a big swig (or just pour out a couple of ounces). Sit the chicken on the beer can so the legs are at the bottom and the wings are at the top. Stand the beer can and the chicken on a shallow pan and place in oven.

Cook for 1-1 ½ hours at 375 degrees.

Chicken Piccata

Confession: I am pretty sure I went my whole life without ever eating chicken piccata. That is, until about a month ago. My dear friends E and J made this for me and I’ve been hooked ever since. I’ve tried a few recipes and have combined and adapted some things to make this yummy dish. As you can see, I did not add capers this time… I didn’t have any at home and I was too lazy to go to the grocery store— they do add a great flavor and texture, but it still tasted pretty great without. This is a great, easy light dish with a lot of flavor. Yum!

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied, cut in half, pounded flat

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup of all purpose flour, for dredging
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1/4 brined capers, rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour and shake off the excess.

In a large 12-inch skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil.  When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the chicken and cook for 3 minutes (or until browned). Flip the chicken and cook the other side the same way. Remove from pan and place on a plate.

Add the lemon juice, chicken broth, white wine and capers and bring to a simmer. Once simmering, add the chicken back to the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and put it on a plate (again). Add the last 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk vigorously to incorporate. Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with parsley. Many enjoy this as is, and I’ve heard that some also enjoy it over pasta…

Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian, & Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa