Posts filed under 'Poultry'
A packet of organic Chicken Tikka Masala spices from Arora Creations caught my eye at my kosher butcher a few weeks ago. The price made me pause — $4.49 for spices that would wind up serving 6 — but I bought it anyway just to give it a try. I love Indian food, and J. hasn’t been into it lately so I was looking for a fix!
It was delicious, and worth every penny. (Yes, I could make the spice mix myself, but I wouldn’t. Plus buying all the spices I needed would be a much more expensive outlay.) The spice packet comes with a simple recipe on the back, so it’s easy to cook a restaurant-quality dish with minimal effort, even if you’re not familiar with Indian spices.
I served the tikka masala with brown basmati rice and side of roasted cauliflower that I’d sprinkled with garlic and curry powder.
Arora makes several other organic spice blends, including a bhindi masala mix that looks great and is one of J.’s favorite Indian dishes.
October 23rd, 2008
This is my mom’s recipe, and it’s basically a cacciatore to which my father gave a silly name (you have to say it with a goofy flourish on the double l’s). And the name stuck. I doubled the recipe, froze half for us and gave the other half to a friend that just had a baby.
You can buy a pepper and onion mix in the freezer section of your supermarket and use that instead of the fresh produce. If you do, this is really a terrific “pantry” meal — it’s easy to have all the ingredients on hand and either in the freezer or your pantry.
I like this recipe best when it’s made with a bone-in chicken pieces, dusted with flour and then browned in olive oil. But the chicken breasts freeze better, and skipping the browning step makes the preparation less time-consuming. It’s still a delicious dish if you prepare it as written below — I like to serve it over brown rice.
Chicken Castillo
olive oil
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1″-wide strips
1 28-oz. can diced tomatoes
1/3 c. dry sherry (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle olive oil in a large, deep saute pan and cook peppers and onions over medium-high heat until they are caramelized (8-10 minutes).
Add remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, stir, and continue cooking for another 20-30 minutes uncovered.
September 19th, 2008
A couple of weeks ago I made one of the best dinners I’ve managed in a long time — a stuffed, rolled turkey breast — and I never got around to posting about it (school had just started, and I had to attend a back-to-school night the evening I served it for dinner).
I purchased a 2-lb. rolled turkey breast from my butcher. This is just basically the large turkey breast, deboned, trimmed, and then rolled into a roast shape and secured with string. The rolled, uniform shape allows you to cook the turkey like a larger, more compact piece of meat.
I cut the strings and unrolled mine, and then spread a mixture of chopped swiss chard sauteed in olive oil and garlic, plus some seasoned breadcrumbs down the center. I re-rolled and tied the turkey back into a roast shape, brushed the skin with some olive oil, and sprinkled it with garlic powder and paprika. It went into my toaster oven (remember, it was only 2 lbs. so it fit easily with room) at 400° F until it reached an internal temperature of 165° — it only took about 50 minutes.
The stuffing was very garlicky and delicious, we felt as though we were eating a holiday meal on a weeknight. My mother-in-law promised she would comment on this post and confirm how yummy this dinner was, so let’s see what she has to say!
September 14th, 2008
Last night’s dinner took entirely too long to prep. Thankfully, my family was over so the boys were entertained, but there was just too much chopping involved for a regular weeknight meal.
First, I cut up the Bon Bon squash from our CSA. I found it hard to peel, plus the stem had started to get moldy, and the smell of decay was overpowering. (The flesh of the squash was fine, though!) I mixed the raw chunks of the squash with similar-sized pieces of potato (last week’s share), tossed them in a little olive oil, and sprinkled them all with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. They were roasted in the oven at 425 degrees for about 45 minutes. Delicious! The squash was creamy and sweet — no one could keep from sneaking a hot piece off the baking sheet as the rest of dinner was prepared.
The chicken breasts were boring. Sprinkled with some curry powder and cinnamon and baked. I also made a few drumsticks for G., which I hadn’t gotten to the night before. He was talking about his “big chicken” for hours before dinner, and gobbled down four small drumsticks! He even went back to the ones he’d already finished to look for more meat. I’m totally stumped by why he will eat this chicken on the bone when the rest of his repertoire pretty much includes only crackers and applesauce. But I’m thrilled to have something healthy to make for him.
Broccoli rabe can be bitter, so I thought I would pair it with the sweet Carmen peppers from Roxbury Farm in this dish — it worked nicely. I sauteed some chopped onion (frozen) and the peppers in olive oil, and then added the chopped broccoli rabe (and a tiny head of broccoli). I cooked it over high heat until the greens wilted and there was no moisture left in the pan. It was seasoned with just some salt and pepper. Broccoli rabe is not my favorite vegetable, but paired with the sweet peppers I thought it was a decent side dish.
Too involved for a Thursday night, but yummy nonetheless.
September 12th, 2008
I used Sriracha-Glazed Chicken and Onions over Rice as my starting point; Anna from Cookie Madness recommended it to me. I already knew I liked the combination of onions, chicken, and hoisin, but there were two problems: first, I couldn’t find sriracha (a Thai hot sauce); second, I didn’t want to make it too spicy or no one in my family would have enjoyed it. I was going to just substitute Tabasco, but wound up leaving out the hot sauce altogether. I tasted a tiny bit of heat from the curry powder, whereas my mother-in-law found it fairly spicy as prepared so I’m glad I left the hot sauce out. Sounds like I wound up making Sans Sriracha Chicken & Onions, don’t you think?
I also changed the steps of the recipe a bit. My sister-in-law Lauren makes memorable sauteed onions at her barbecues — she takes her time and lets them cook in a tiny bit of oil for as long as it takes for them to get sticky sweet and caramelized. They are fabulous. I was thinking of those onions as I was getting ready to make this dish, so I took the extra step of cooking the onions Lauren’s way earlier in the day. I then stuck them in the fridge until I was ready to add them into the recipe that evening.
I also mixed all the sauce ingredients together and marinated the chicken pieces in the sauce for a few hours. Then, when I was ready to cook, I dumped the whole bag (plus the onions) into a large saute pan with a lid, and simmered it all for about 20 minutes. I also wound up thickening the sauce at the end with a scant teaspoon of cornstarch, but I think I could have avoided that step if I’d taken the time to let the sauce reduce, uncovered.
I forgot to add the garlic (oops — you should add it) and served it over whole wheat egg noodles, since the boys have not been into rice lately and I was in the mood for an easy dinner. Lauren and her mom really enjoyed it; I thought it was good but it would have been better with more heat (I could have added hot sauce to my own portion, but didn’t think of it at the time). I think the onions make the dish.
August 1st, 2008
As a self-confessed Chinese food junkie, I can tell you that these egg rolls are really fun and very tasty, but they won’t remind you of the deep-fried egg rolls you get from your favorite take-out shop. That’s OK, because they’re yummy and healthy, and they used up my farm share cabbage this week. The trifecta!
I felt that there was too much meat in these as I prepared them — the meat should be a seasoning with the vegetables at the front, but it was reversed. Perhaps if I hadn’t cooked the cabbage and carrot, it would have been fine. Next time I would halve the turkey, while doubling the carrot and also adding bean sprouts. I would still quickly saute all the veggies with the turkey, though, because I think it helps control the liquid in the filling. I was surprised at how easy it was to actually roll up the wrappers — they were a lot less delicate than I’d expected.
I served these with Saucy Susan peach-apricot sauce for a dipping sauce, plus sauteed braising & beet greens (with a little sesame oil and garlic) and brown rice.
Baked Egg Rolls
Adapted from The Full Table’s Egg Rolls
1 lb. ground turkey
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
6 c. cabbage, shredded (about 1 small or 1/2 large head)
2 carrots, grated
1 tsp. ginger, grated
3 Tbsp. Hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp. sesame paste
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 package egg rolls wrappers
Preheat oven to 400° F.
In a large non-stick skillet, brown turkey with garlic, using a spatula to keep breaking the turkey up into small pieces.
Over high heat, add remaining ingredients (except for wrappers!) to the pan and stir to combine. Saute for a few minutes until cabbage just begins to wilt. Remove from heat.
Spoon about one heaping soup spoon of filling into each egg roll wrapper and fold. Set egg roll seam-side down on a non-stick baking pan, and bake for 15 minutes or until browned.
July 15th, 2008
My mom and I really enjoy this recipe — I have made it with beef in the past, but it works just as nicely with the ground turkey. It is an easy way to use up a cabbage, something I get a lot of from our CSA. There’s only so much coleslaw a person can eat.
There’s no good reason you must use the canned soup, something I avoid in most of my recipes. An equivalent amount of a tomato-based sauce you like would work perfectly. Or, choose plain tomato sauce and dress it up with your own herbs and spices. The version I made tonight is the quick and easy way.
I split the recipe into two baking dishes, and froze one uncooked. The other went into my toaster oven, which is a great option in the summer when you don’t want to heat up your kitchen.
Unstuffed Cabbage with Ground Turkey
Adapted from Cabbage Beef Casserole
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 lb. ground turkey (look for all white meat)
6 Tbsp. uncooked brown rice
1 medium cabbage, roughly chopped
1 10.5 oz. can condensed tomato soup (I use Campbell’s Healthy Request)
1 c. tomato sauce
1 c. water
ground pepper to taste
Preheat over to 350° F.
Heat oil in a large skillet, and saute onion and green pepper until they begin to caramelize. Add ground turkey, cooking over medium heat until it is nicely browned (it does not need to be cooked through). Stir in uncooked rice. Set aside.
While the turkey is browning, spread cabbage in an even layer in the bottom of a casserole dish. (A 9×13 would be fine; I do two 8×8 baking tins and freeze one.) Top with the turkey mixture.
Combine tomato soup, sauce, water, and ground pepper in a bowl, and pour evenly over the cabbage and turkey.
Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 1.5 hours.
July 9th, 2008
This dinner was inspired by Chicken Coleslaw Wraps on the Taste of Home site. It was incredibly quick to prepare. I used a 12 oz. package of Eat Smart Broccoli Slaw, which I mixed with a little white wine vinegar, mayo, salt & pepper (you can add a little sugar, too, if you want). I sliced a few skinless, boneless chicken breasts into long strips, and tossed them with pepper, garlic powder, and the juice of a lime I had kicking around from guacamole J. made last week. Then I threw the chicken in a hot non-stick pan that had about a tablespoon of olive oil in it.
While the chicken was cooking over medium-high heat, I thinly sliced two small red peppers. The chicken took about 10 minutes or so (until it is golden brown, turning once) — I added it still hot to a multi-grain tortilla. Add the slaw and pepper, wrap, and eat.
I made the boys a deconstructed wrap, which I thought was very pretty, too. They were not impressed. A. nibbled at the red pepper (he asked me to make his into a Jenga shape first!); G. tried a piece of tortilla. Isn’t it a pretty plate?
June 1st, 2008
I roasted this rolled, boneless turkey breast (unstuffed) on Friday night, and it made a lovely Shabbat dinner. I was inspired by Carrie’s roasted chicken, and how gorgeous it looked! It was just rubbed with some olive oil, ground sage, paprika, and garlic powder.
This was my first time cooking a rolled roast like this, and it was small enough to fit into my toaster oven (it was 2.75 lbs.) so I cooked it there rather than in my main oven. Somehow, cooking a large piece of meat in there seemed so very Easy-Bake. But without the yummy frosting.
I cooked the breast for nearly 2 hours at 350° F, to an internal temperature of 170°. I found a lot of conflicting information online about what temperature to cook it until, and I think it was a bit overdone. It was beautiful, though! Next time I’ll add a moisture source to the baking pan — citrus, or even some water, and cook it a little less.
May 25th, 2008
I rarely pass on e-mail chain letters, but when a recipe swap hit my inbox last week I couldn’t resist. I had to reply with one easy recipe, and then forward the e-mail to twenty friends. Done. Hypothetically I should get 36 recipes back; I’ve received eight already, which is a much better return rate than I ever expected.
This chicken recipe came to me through that exchange from artist Ellen Fisch. Her Web site is an online gallery of her work, and it’s beautiful — look for “Golden Valley” and “Two Umbrellas,” my favorite paintings of those online.
Here’s what Ellen had to say on the origin of the recipe:
The New York Post used to run a column in the 1970’s (& possibly 80’s) that printed interviews with famous people/celebrities and included their favorite recipes. One column was devoted to Neil Sedaka: I always admired Neil Sedaka and thought the recipe sounded good. Leba [Neil's wife] said that their housekeeper had the easiest chicken recipe that was great hot or cold. I made it, loved it & am so glad you do, too.
This is a simple, satisfying recipe that has a not-too-sweet barbecue sauce flavor (without the smoke). I only had reduced-sugar ketchup in my fridge, so I used that. Regular ketchup with a higher sugar content would probably work a bit better, as it would caramelize more. Regardless, it really is good both hot and cold.
Don’t forget to sing “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” while you cook.
Neil Sedaka’s Chicken
Adapted slightly from a late 1970s NY Post interview with Neil & Leba Sedaka
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 roaster chicken, in eighths (since on or off, your choice)
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 tsp. minced garlic
2 Tbsp. prepared mustard (I used one with whole mustard seeds)
4 Tbsp. ketchup
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Spread half of the onion in a layer on the bottom of a roasting pan and arrange chicken skin-side up (even if you have removed the skin) on top. Add remaining onion on top of the chicken. Sprinkle with vinegar and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Mix garlic, mustard, and ketchup together and brush over chicken and onions.
Bake for an hour and a half, turning once, until chicken is cooked through. Serve hot, room temperature, or cold straight from the fridge.
May 11th, 2008
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I'm Dara, the chick in the kitchen. Living in the suburbs of Manhattan with my two boys, ages 3 and 5, and husband. Trying to feed my family something more diverse than a different shape of pasta each night. Reach me at .