Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts

12.2.16

Chicken Fried Rice


Whether you are a home-maker or a office-goer doing a 9-to-5-job, an easy and hearty recipe is always a saviour at the end of  a long day.  My dear friend Sanchaita who has many a solutions for such week-night dinners happily agreed to share some with us in a series for simple-week-night recipes at Ma Niche...
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29.5.15

Rikhi's Masala Meatball Curry


Rikhi is my sister-in-law and is probably one of the sweetest things that happened to my cousin Indrajoy. She is beautiful, loving and compassionate, the kind of person who instantly makes you her friend and promises to stand by through thick and thin.  In the family she is also known for her talent for dancing and passion for food. But it wasn't until last year that we got to taste her cooking...
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27.4.14

Green-as-Spring Veal Chicken Stew #French Fridays with Dorie


This week the Doristas were assigned to cook Green-as-Spring Veal Stew. We do not eat veal, so I tweaked the recipe a bit and cooked a green chicken stew instead.... I almost followed Dorie recipe, except that I left out the tarragon and returned the veggies into the pot of simmering green sauce along with the meat. I thought the orange of the carrots and the greens of the leaves and herbs presented a pretty contrast. Husband disagreed. He did not like the green at all.. though he thought that the soup was nice. I thought it was lovely. The dill and the lemon was very refreshing and the stew as a whole paired wonderfully with plain rice and Aloo bharta, a Bengali style mashed potato, that we had made to go with it. I guess the toddler felt the same way for he ate his chicken and rice without any fuss.


From experience I have learnt that chicken recipes do not need as much lemon juice as veal ones. So I reduced the amount of lemon juice in the stew and added slices of lemon as garnish. That way I could squeeze in the extra juice I wanted and husband could steer away from it.  

 Green-as-Spring Chicken Stew

Recipe by Tanusree Khandai
Prep time: 15 minutes                                                                                                 Total time: 2 hours
Serves : 4 adults + 1 kid

 Ingredients
  • 2 Chicken legs
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 small carrots, trimmed, peeled and quartered
  • 2 celery stalks, trimmed, peeled, and quartered
  • 1 onion, quatered
  • 3 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 + ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt and freshly ground white pepper
  • 2 cups arugula leaves
  • 2 cups spinach leaves
  • ⅓ cup fresh coriander
  • ⅓ cup fresh dill fronds
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2-3 tsps fresh lemon juice*
  • lemon slices for garnish (optional)
Cooking Directions
  1. In a large vessel, bring the chicken broth and water to a boil. Drop the chicken legs, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. Stir in the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, 1 teaspoon of thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper, lower the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook the vegetables along with the chicken legs for 45 minutes.
  3. With a slotted spoon, scoop out the chicken legs and vegetables, cover and keep them warm while you make the sauce.
  4. Toss in the arugula, spinach, coriander, dill and ½teaspoon of dried thyme in the liquid that is left in the pot.
  5. Cook the greens till the leaves wilt. 
  6. Switch off the heat, let the mixture cool down slightly, then puree them in the blender.
  7. Return the green sauce to the pot, stir in the heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, adjust the salt and pepper and simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.
  8. While the sauce is simmering, pull off the meat from the chicken legs and slice them into bite-size pieces.
  9. Finally return the cooked vegetables and the chicken pieces into the pot, simmer everything for 5-7 minutes.
  10. Switching off the heat. Then garnish with lemon slices and serve with rice or noodles.

Visit French Fridays with Dorie to know what the other members thought about this stew. You can find Dorie's recipe for Green-as-Spring Veal Stew here. For more such delicious recipes order your copies of Around my French Table and join the Doristas in this tasty adventure.

I shall be sharing this recipe at some of these parties




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1.3.14

Garbure Style Chicken Stew #French Fridays with Dorie

I had been waiting all week to tell you about this Chicken Stew... 
It was So. Damn. Delicious. 


This Friday the Doristas were assigned cook "Garbure from the Supermarket." Garbure is a rustic French Stew with white beans, meat and veggies.  Dories says, while "bacon or split pork, cured ham, and/or garlic sausage" may or may not be in it, " there is almost always duck confit" in it. My stew however was made on a budget and did not have any duck confit or ham or garlic sausage. But like a traditional Garbure it was gently simmered  on the back of the stove until it was thick enough for a heavy wooden spoon to stand upright on it.

At the discussion forum of French Fridays with Dorie, Diane Balch had mentioned that those who weren't using duck confit might want to throw in a bay leaf and some thyme into the stew . I did that and also added some savory for flavor.  I cannot say if it was the herbs or the slow simmering or the combination of the meat and veggies... but all that put together made one hearty pot of stew that we enjoyed throughout the week...


 And for whatever reason the stew only got better everyday..
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21.2.14

Chicken Paella with Orange

With only four more weeks to go before spring sets in, I am already feeling chirpy. As an early celebration, son and I went out for a walk this morning and returned back after an hour feeling fresh and cheery. It was so good to be out in the sun for so long.. Later, when the toddler went for his nap I cooked up this delicious citrusy chicken paella for dinner...


I adapted the recipe from the book Perfect Over Spanish a Collection of Over 100 Essential Recipe. I had cooked this paella before and had intended to write about it but then forgot until my sister asked me for a paella recipe the other day.... 


It is a gorgeous easy-to-cook one-pot-meal that can be made on a weeknight, provided you have planned it before and have an hour to spare. Else cook it up for a delicious weekend dinner and enjoy with your family and loved ones.....
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23.11.13

Spanish Chicken Rolls with Olives

Are you still on the look out for something delicious to serve with that glass of chilled white wine or sherry ? Something to nibble between the sips and the conversations... then try these Spanish Chicken Rolls with Olives. They are pretty awesome !


It is a recipe inspired from the book Tapas.  While I had heard the word Tapas before, till sometime back I did not know where it came from... Here is what I learnt from the book.
The word Tapas comes from tapa,  a Spanish word for lid - specifically the "lid" created by the slice of bread that an innkeeper would thoughtfully place on top of a customer's wine glass to keep out the flies and dust between sips. The Andalucians then came up with the idea of balancing a morsel of something tasty on top of the bread to nibble on..... and a new Spanish institution was born.
Interesting right ?

I have been trying out little nibbles from this book ever since I borrowed it from the library. While most of them are nice, this one is special.  It looks pretty and tastes gorgeous... the perfect package for entertaining family and friends... also it is fairly easy to prepare. You can serve it hot or at room temperature... but how ever you do, try and serve them in pretty plates with bright colors in a typical Spanish style....

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7.11.13

Chicken Meatballs Salad with Mediterranean Flavors

So what salads have you been enjoying lately ? Lavish ones with creamy dressings or simple ones with lots of veggies, fruits, greens and a simple citrusy vinaigrette. We here have a new favorite.  This Chicken Meatball Salad .....


Like our other favorite,  Wheat Berry and Chickpea salad, this salad is inspired by a recipe from Around the French Table, Salade Niçoise. Back in October, the Doristas made Salade Niçoise for French Fridays with Dorie. I too had assembled the salad for myself.  However substituting the canned tuna and anchovies with Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs, I prepared this version for my non-fish-eating husband and then tasted a spoonful of both and thought... hmmm.. "the Niçoise salad is good but this is DELICIOUS !" Ever since the has become a staple for Sunday lunch and each time we seem to enjoy it even more.. 

The salad is actually quite simple to prepare and gets done in no time provide you have the meatballs ready. The first time, I had prepared the salad with leftover chicken meatballs  from the previous day. But it is worth the effort to make these meatballs just for the salad...  Here is how I make them...

Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs
Recipe Adapted from The Kitchn
 Preparation Time : minimum 1 hour +10 minutes                   Cooking Time: 22 minutes                        Yields: 20 
 Ingredients

  • 1 cup cooked black or green lentils (see notes)
  • 3 tbsps Port wine
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 clove of garlic grated
  • 1/2 pound ground chicken
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2/3 cups bread crumbs (see notes)
  • 1/4 cup feta cheese
  • 1 small onion, chopped (and caramelized if you have the time)
  • 8 black olives, chopped
  • 1 tbsp capers, chopped
  • 4-5 strings of cilantro, trimmed and chopped
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp dill
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • oil for glazing
-
 Instructions
  1. Put all the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and mix them well. I use my hands for mixing. You can however use a wooden spoon if you like. 
  2. Let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
  3. When ready to make the meatballs,line 2 baking trays with parchment paper, center a baking rack and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 
  4. With well oiled hands, shape the refrigerated mixture into 2 inch round balls and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Since the balls do not spread much you can place them close by.
  5. Now transfer the trays into the preheated oven and bake for 20-22 minutes until the meatballs are golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool slightly before proceeding further....
-
 Notes : 
  • I have this recipe with both  green lentils and black masoor . I my opinion the one with green lentils taste better. If using black masoor, use only half the quantity as they tend to make the meatballs very dense.
  • To make fresh bread crumbs, toast a day old bread in the oven at 400 degrees F for 8-10 minutes. Then pulverize in the food processor till you have the bread crumbs. 

The chicken meatballs are delicious appetizers by themselves. So if you are not a salad person, you can skip all the veggies, greens and vinaigrette (basically, the rest of the post) and enjoy the meatballs as appetizer with Tzatzaki  or bake it in yogurt sauce and enjoy it with stuffed Naan, the way we did till the salad happened... 

In case you are a salad person then read on....

Mediterranean Chicken Meatballs Salad
Inspired by Salade Niçoise from Around the French Table
 Preparation Time : 30-45 minutes                     Assembling Time : 10-15minutes                                Serves : 2 
 Ingredients

  • 8 Mediterranean chicken meatballs, quartered (prepared as above)
  • 6 small potatoes
  • 1/2 cup green beans, trimmed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 big tomato, cut into 16 parts
  • 1 medium sized onion, chopped
  • 8 black olives, halved or quartered
  • 4 oz baby spinach, chopped
  • for the vinaigrette
    • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
    • 1 tsp Dijon mustard (you can use more or less according to taste)
    • 3 tbsps extra virgin oil
    • 1 tbsp capers, crushed or finely chopped
    • 1 clove garlic, grated (optional)
    • salt and pepper to taste
-
 Instructions
  • Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing all the ingredients and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

  1. You can either boil the potatoes in salted water or  roast them in the oven. We like the taste of roasted potatoes, so if I have enough time in hand I roast it. To roast the potatoes, peel them and soak in water for at least an hour. Then toss them in oil, sprinkle salt and pepper and bake in oven at 450 degrees F for 20-22 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
  2. Cut the green beans into 3/4-1 inch long pieces. Toss them in a pot of boiling water. 6 minutes later drain the beans and run them under cold water. Pat dry and keep aside.
  3. In case you do not mind the boiled yolks, hard boil the eggs and slice them as you please for the salad. We do not like boiled yolks, so I separate the egg white and the yolks, save the yolks for later and boil the eggs whites using the method for Ruffly Poached Eggs. 
  4. To assemble the salad, toss the greens in half of the vinaigrette and lay it on the plate. Then place the quartered meatballs, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, onions and olives in any fashion you like. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette on top. Now serve, dig in and enjoy !

 I shall be sharing this at the following parties.





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12.10.13

Poulet à la mode aka Chicken Pot Roast in Port # French Fridays with Dorie & Our Week's Menu

Its been weeks since I have done a French Fridays with Dorie post. The thing is the recipes that the Doristas chose for September were mostly fishy or sweet. so i decided to skip them all together. I was about to skip this weeks recipe too but then changed my mind and adapted it cook Chicken Pot Roast in Port ..


this is not quite what the Doristas had scheduled for this week. The French recipe they chose is Boeuf à la mode. but since we do not eat beef, i adapted it to cook Poulet  Ã  la mode. I followed the recipe in spirit simplifying it a bit was convenience. also i added some veggies just to make it more colorful and visually appealing. the result was a great pot roast. husband, toddler and i loved it.  the toddler usually does eat too much chicken but even he finished his portion of this great roast. We enjoyed it with noodles for dinner and the following day toddler and I had the leftovers for lunch along with mashed potatoes. it tasted good either way.

now my adaption of Dorie's  Boeuf à la mode...  

Chicken Pot Roast in Port 
Adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Boeuf à la mode recipe in Around the French Table 
  Preparation Time : 15 minutes                                                                                             Serves : 2-3
  Marination Time :  Overnight
  Cooking Time : 15-20 min on stovetop + 50 min in the oven                  
  

 ingredient
  • to be marinated
    • 1 1/2 pound chicken, cleaned and cut into 4 big pieces
    • 1 onion halved and thinly sliced
    • 1 carrot, trimmed, peeled and cut into chunks
    • 1 celery stalk, trimmed and cut into chunks, the leaves separated and chopped finely
  • the marinade 
    • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
    • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 10-15 stalks of coriander, finely chopped
    • 2 cloves of garlic, grated
    • 7/8 cup of Ruby Port
    • 1 tbsp olive oil
    • salt and pepper 
  • for cooking and baking
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 3 tbsp canola oil
    • 3 tbsp Cognac or brandy (I used brandy)
    • 3 anchovies
    • 1 tbsp tomato paste
    • 1/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
    • 1/3 cup french fried potatoes (I used frozen)
-
 instructions
  1. Give the chicken pieces a salt and pepper massage and put it in a casserole, or bowl or sturdy  zipper-lock plastic bag, big enough to hold the vegetables and the marinade.
  2. Put all the ingredients of the marinade in a bottle, shake it well. Toss the onion, carrots, celery in the marinade and add the veggies and the marinade into the container containing the pieces of chicken. Mix everything as best as you can, cover the container or seal the bag and put it in the refrigerator to marinate overnight.
  3. Next day, an hour before you start cooking, take the container out of the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature.
  4. Once you are ready to cook, center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  5. Strain the marinade. Reserving the chicken pieces and vegetables, pour the liquid into a medium saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat and cook until reduced to half. Now add the chicken broth. When the liquid begins to boil remove the pan from heat.
  6. Meanwhile heat 2 tbsps of canola oil in a iron skillet. When the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces to the skillet and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer the pieces to a plate and keep it covered with a foil while you cook the vegetables on stove top.
  7. To cook the vegetables, add the remaining tbsp of oil and all the vegetables except the potatoes to the skillet. Cook them until the vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, pour in the brandy, stir and scrape to loosen any bits that might be sticking to the pan.
  8. Add 1/2 cup of the port-broth mixture to the skillet, stir in the anchovies and tomato paste and cook for a couple of minutes until the anchovy melts. 
  9. Now, switching off the heat, add the chicken pieces and the remaining port-broth mixture to the skillet, cover it  with a foil and transfer the skillet to the preheated oven.
  10. 30 minutes later, take the skillet out of the oven, add the fried potatoes, cover the skillet with the foil again and bake it for another 15 minutes.
  11. Then pulling off the foil cover, bake for another 5-7 minutes. Taste the sauce, adjust the salt and pepper and serve with noodles or mashed potatoes or steamed rice and enjoy.

Though the recipe is a bit long, this dish is actually pretty simple to prepare and can be easily pulled off on a weeknight. And once you've tasted it you'll probably keep coming back to it over and over again.

Visit here to know what the other members of french fridays with Dorie have to say. For many more delicious recipes such as this one order your copies of Around the French Table from Amazon or from The Book Depository and join us as we cook our way through the book

So much for today. Since i could not post my weekly meal plan earlier this week, thought I'll include it here.


Our Menu this Week
Sunday
Escarole and White Beans with Bread

MondayButternut squash pudding Souffle, Chickpea Panzanella
Tuesday
Moong Dhal, Baked Potato Fries sauteed with steamed Green Beans, Beet Root Khichadi, Steamed Rice

Wednesday  Poulet à la mode and Noodles with Broccoli sauce, Steamed carrots

Thursday
Breaded Baked Tilapia, Colcannon, Steamed Green Beans

Friday


Pasta with Butternut squash Parmesan Sauce and scrambled eggs

SaturdayHoliday

Take Care and have a good weekend !



I shall be sharing the Pot Roast Recipe at the following parties...
Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes
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22.8.13

Nigella's Maple Chicken

Maple Chicken was the first Nigella Lawson recipe that i tried and immediately fell in love with. It was a breeze to pull off and it tasted restaurant-­good. yes. it was that good. juicy, succulent and delicious ! I was more than delighted with it. however my husband did not share my enthusiasm. the thing is, true to his nature, ignoring all my warnings, he reheated his dish in the microwave just before digging in. and that spoilt it all. it dried off the chicken and him sad and grumpy... so in case you decide on this recipe (and you must)... be warned right now.. do not reheat it in the microwave. bake it, serve it and dig into it right away and relish the awesomeness of this chicken dish...


before i share the recipe let me mention the changes that i made. the original recipe from Nigella Lawson Express was Maple Chicken and Ribs. since i do not eat pork or beef so i left it out and halved the remaining ingredients. also i used boneless chicken since that is what i had in hand. also i sprinkled some sea salt over the chicken just before i put the skillet in the oven. i kind of liked the added salt but you can skip it if you like....

now the recipe...

Nigella's Maple Chicken
Recipe Source: Nigella Lawson Express
 ingredients

  • 1/2 boneless chicken cut into 8 pieces
  • 125 ml apple juice
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 star anise
  • 1 cinnamon stick (halved)
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated
  • sea salt to taste (optional)
-
  the method

  • Put the chicken pieces in a freezer bag or a dish.
  • Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, crushing in the star anise and cinnamon sticks into it. then add this mixture to the freezer bag/dish, seal/cover it and leave to marinate in the fridge overnight or up to 2 days.(I left it for 2 days).
  • when ready to cook, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F, pour the contents of the freezer bag/dish into a large enough oven dish or an iron skillet (as i did), sprinkle some salt on it and bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 35 minutes. then reducing the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, bake for another 15 minutes, until the glossy and sticky.
  • serve immediately and enjoy !

I am linking this post to the event Cook like a Star, organised by Zoe from Bake for Happy Kids, Joyce from Kitchen Flavours and Anuja from Simple Baking. 


You can read more about the event here.

Also sharing this with the following food events...
Friday Food: Foodie Friday @ Home Maid Simple, Friday Favorite (DYI too) @ Simple Sweet Home, Foodie Friday @ Not Your Ordinary Recipes,  Foodie Friday @ Rattlebridge Farm , Weekend Wonders @ The Thriftiness Miss, Friday Food Frenzy @ Mostly Food and Crafts , Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club,  The Weekend re-Treat @The Best Blog  Recipes 
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