Tag Archives: Chicken

March 12, 2013 · 1:46 pm

Indian Butter Chicken

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What brings people together better than food?  Nothing, in my opinion.  And nothing better than my Indian Butter Chicken recipe.  I can count a few friends that I swear only became good friends because of my butter chicken recipe.  It’s my arsenal for Indian food lovers and has many fans.  I remember making it for the first time – it was in our condo in Vancouver about 7 years ago.  I’ve made it for friends before the Rascal Flats concert, for non-Indian food lovers who now like it and many times beyond that.

Is this recipe healthy? Not exactly, but everything in moderation (unless you are CH and eat more than a regular serving of this!) Nonetheless, it is an easy to prepare.  As with a lot of Indian dishes, this gets better with time – so if you are aiming for high-praise, make this the night before you want to serve it and simply re-heat over low temperature the next day.  Trust me!

Feel free to add a bit of spice by increasing the green chili (some of our friends like it Indian “hot” which basically means 10 out of 10 hot).  You can also stir-in some sriracha (which is totally un-traditional, but it adds a great kick!)

Butterchickenshot2

Indian Butter Chicken

Yield: 6 – 10 servings (depends on accompaniments)
Prep Time:  25 minutes (+2hrs marinating)
Cook Time:  1hr

Ingredients:

  • 1.5lbs chicken pieces (I use a mixture of thighs and breasts)
  • 1 tsp grated garlic
  • 1 ts grated ginger
  • 1 tsp grated green chilli
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 1 tsp thana jeero (can be made using half cumin and half corriander)
  • 1 tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 small onion, diced finely
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • 6 TBSP butter (or ghee)
  • 3/4 cup half and half cream
  • 3/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/4 tomato sauce
  • 1 cup of water (if needed)
  • cilantro for garnish

Directions:

In a large glass bowl, mix together the ginger, garlic, green chili, garam masala, thana jeeroo, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt with 1 TBSP of olive oil to make a spice paste.

Add the chicken to the spice paste, mix well and cover the bowl with saran wrap.  Marinate in fridge for a minimum of 2hrs (I usually try to marinade over night).

In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add-in the onions and saute until lightly browned.

Add the marinated chicken to the onions and stir.  Cover the pan and allow to cook on medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, or till chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Stir frequently while cooking.

Add the cream to the pan, stir and cook on medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add yogurt and water (if you want a thicker sauce, do not add the water).  Stir well and allow to cook for a minute or two.

Add in the tomato sauce and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes over low-heat.

Keep warm until ready to serve*.  Garnish with cilantro and serve with basmati rice and naan bread.

Enjoy.

*If you are making this ahead for the next day, simply allow the dish to cool, cover and keep in the fridge.  When ready to serve, place it back in a sauce pan and re-heat over low heat.  I sometimes add a bit of chicken stock to the pan while re-heating if the sauce becomes too thick.

Recipe Adapted Slightly from Daksha’s Gourmet Spices

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January 30, 2013 · 9:13 pm

Quick Vietnamese Chicken Pho

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One thing that I’ve loved over time is experiencing new foods and new regions of cuisine.  Vietnamese became one of my favourites – but I cannot remember when/where I first tried it.  I think it became a regular cuisine choice while we lived in Ontario while CH was in law school – there was a great place not too far from us and it became a date “lunch” venue – cheap, delicious and time together.  It has actually also become a comfort food to me, because nothing cures a cold, allergies or stuffy nose like Chicken Pho (at least to me!)

Making this recipe was a two time attempt – I first tried the traditional method of making pho, which involved roasting beef bones, many upon many hours of simmering and lots of little steps.  The result was fabulous, but with pho being so accessible and reasonable, making it myself like that wasn’t going to happen again.

And THEN, came this recipe.  When it popped into my reader, I was intrigued – could it really be as good as said?  One try of the recipe and we were hooked.  Yes, yes it could be.  It is everything pho should be – simple, delicious flavours, comforting and now, quick from my own kitchen!

Definitely give this soup a try – you won’t be disappointed.

Enjoy!

ChickenPho Shot2

Quick Chicken Pho

Yield: 2 servings for us, original recipe states 4
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 – 25 minutes

Ingredients:

SOUP BASE

  • 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 whole star anise
  • 2 quarts chicken stock (store bought or homemade)
  • 1 whole chicken breast
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 3-inch chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
  • 1-2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1-2 tablespoons fish sauce

ACCOMPANIMENTS

  • 1 lb dried rice noodles
  • 2 cups bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
  • fresh cilantro tops
  • 1/2 cup shaved red onions
  • 1/2 lime, cut into wedges
  • sriracha chili sauce
  • hoisin sauce
  • sliced fresh chili peppers

Directions:

In a large pot – add the coriander seeds, cloves, and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.

Immediately add the chicken stock, chicken breast, onion, ginger, sugar, and fish sauce. Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently. Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat, discarding the bone (if you used a bone-in breast).

Taste broth and add more fish sauce or sugar if necessary. Strain the broth and discard solids.

Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package and spilt between desired serving bowls.

Ladle the broth into bowls and divide the shredded chicken breast into each bowl.

Top with bean sprouts, cilantro, red onion, and other accompaniments as desired and enjoy.

Recipe from Love and Olive Oil

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February 27, 2012 · 12:00 pm

SRC: Lemongrass Chicken

Another month, another SRC recipe.  I’ve missed SRC, it was on hiatus for the Christmas season and it is finally time to post our new recipe – yeay!

This month I received the fabulous blog, Shockingly Delicious, which can’t be describe with words – you just have to visit her site.  She has over 25 years of food writing and recipe developing under her belt, and it comes through glaringly on her site – she has won awards for her pies, been featured in numerous newspapers for her food writing and was even featured in Saveur magazine – ya, this lady is Talented – with a capital T.

As always with a new blog to explore, I dove right in, bookmarking and pining recipes immediately.  She has a young family, and so her blog features many kid friendly recipes – which adds a fun twist on a lot of the other blogs I read. I cannot wait to try a few of her pie recipes when most of the fruit comes into season (she only has 21 to choose from and you know, awards to boot).  Thank you Dorothy, for a great blog and much inspiration.

Now, to the recipe – umm, hello delicious.  CH chose this one (it is our new “thing” with SRC – I go through the site, shortlist to maybe 10 recipes, and CH then chooses what recipe I should make).  This one was a hands-down winner and one that I KNOW will be on our table again, and again.  We love flavour (uh, did you know that yet?) and definitely had that.  This Vietnamese-American dish was right up our alley as it featured lemongrass, ginger, fish sauce, garlic, etc., all of which blended to create an absolutely beautiful flavour profile, that left us wanting more.

The only thing I changed from the original recipe was the cooking method and the length of marinading – living a) in Ontario, b) it being winter, and c) not having a patio/deck, grilling was not an option.  So, I decided to bake the chicken in the marinade, broil it for a few minutes at the end (to get a crispy outside) and then I reduced the marinade to a sauce. I also opted to only marinade the chicken for 2 hours before I cooked it, and use boneless skinless thighs, and even with these changes, it was PERFECT.  I am not sure if I will deviate from this method the next time I make it…we will see though.

In any event, give this recipe a try.  I served it over a bed of romaine lettuce, rice noodles, and julienned vegetables (red pepper, carrot, cucumber) and then sprinkled a few springs of basil on top – with the reduced sauce – it was a light, healthful dinner that was packed with flavour – just wish I had more leftovers.

Enjoy.

Lemongrass Ginger Chicken

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time:  10 minutes
Cook Time:  45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 stalks lemongrass
  • 2-inch piece fresh ginger (about 3 tablespoons finely minced)
  • 5 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper, finely minced
  • 4 tablespoon palm sugar (or use brown sugar)
  • 3 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • S&P, to taste
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Directions – Marinade:

If you haven’t used lemongrass before – to prepare it, simply peel the outer layer of lemongras, cut off top third of stalk, then cut off root end of stalk; discard. Thinly slice the remaining lemongrass and then finely mince it.

Peel and finely mince the ginger and garlic. Finely mince the jalapeno (if you like a milder flavor, begin by slicing pepper in half and removing seeds before mincing).

In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir together lemongrass, ginger, garlic, pepper, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce, oil and rice vinegar.

Place the chicken thighs in large zipper-top plastic bag. Pour the marinade into the bag and massage the chicken and the marinade together with your fingers. Zip the top, squeezing air out, and marinate in refrigerator for 2 hours (original recipe says 1 hour is fine, Shockingly Delicious recommends 1-2 days).

Directions – Cooking:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Pour the chicken and the marinade into a 9×12 baking dish.  Place in oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no-longer pink.

Turn-off the oven, and turn-on the broiler to HIGH.  Broil the chicken for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly crisp and nicely brown.

Using tons or a fork, remove chicken and place on plate – set aside.

Place all of the leftover marinade into a small saucepan and heat over medium-high.  Allow mixture to come to a boil, cook for 2-3 minutes, and then remove from heat.  Strain sauce using a colander or sieve (you don’t want any random pieces of lemongrass or garlic in your dish!). Taste sauce and adjust S&P.

Serve chicken with the sauce, and whatever side dish you please.

Enjoy.

Source: Adapted from Shockingly Delicious, originally from RusticGardenBistro.com 

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