All things chicken

To quote Jim Morrison, (badly, I might add) "I eat more chicken than any man ever seen. "
The Piggly Wiggly has chicken on sale for 40 cents a pound,  no limit on how much, so I'm off  to buy 40 pounds to put in the deep freezer. Although I have numerous chicken recipes, I'm always looking for more.
 
Since there are so many good cooks here on Roadfood, I'm asking for your favorite chicken recipe.

Simple Roast Chicken:
Slip a half clove of garlic and a sprig or leaf of your fresh herb of choice (basil, rosemary thyme are my favs) under the breast skin on each side nestle near the thigh.

Salt and pepper the cavity, add some chopped garlic and more fresh herb.

Roast for about an hour at 350

We usually eat half the chicken first, then use the leftovers for chicken tacos or burritos.

Simmer the plucked carcass with garlic, celery, carrots, salt and pepper to make stock...freeze for soups and sauces.

Chicken Taco Meat:
Saute' about 1/2 cup of  diced onion, followed  by a couple of minced garlic cloves (salt and pepper).

Add 1/2 teaspoon each of chili powder and cumin (or to taste) cook until its fragrant.

Add leftover chopped chicken, 1/2 to 3/4 cup of home made chicken stock, 1/2 cup of salsa, chopped jalepenos (to taste) and some chopped cilantro.

Simmer, stir occasionally, until liquids are mostly gone, adjust seasoning and serve in what ever tortilla vessel floats your boat

I've yet to try this since i just got the recipe for this sauce from Barbeque Pit Boys, I hope to this weekend! They were using it on grilled chicken legs and it looked so, so good.

Jalapeno & Beer Barbecue Sauce

1 qt ketchup
1 12oz beer
1 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
4 T worcestershire sauce
4T salt
1T garlic powder
1T cayenne
1T chili powder
1 - 2 sticks butter
3 - 4 jalapeno peppers, fresh or pickeled

Combine all ingredients and simmer until thickened.  Use for mopping and dipping.

So what kind of chicken was on sale for such a low price???  Publix had leg quaters last week for .39 a lb.

This is the first recipe that I ever created all on my own.  I had bought a rotisserie chicken for dinner, and planned on having refried beans with it.... And this is what I ended up with.

Fantastico Pollo y Refritos Burritos
 
Ingredients:
1 Whole oven baked chicken, I usually use a rotisserie chicken, but I'm sure home cooked would be better
1 or 2 cans, Refried Beans,  or see separate recipe below to make your own (MUCH BETTER!)
2 Small cans of green chilies
Diced Onions, if desired
Salt and Pepper to taste
 
Optional Seasonings: (any combination, or your own variations)
Fresh Cilantro *MY FAVORITE*
Frank's Chili Lime Sauce
Goya Sofrito
Garlic Powder
Fresh Minced Garlic
Chili Powder
Cumin
Red Pepper Flakes
Any other brand of taco sauce, hot sauce, or flavoring....

Directions:
Place refried beans in a medium pot over fairly low heat, stir occasionally, they tend to burn easily, so don't forget about them.            Begin to shred chicken by hand, placing the shredded chicken in the pot with the beans,  don't forget to stir!      Remove all bones, skin  and cartilage.      When the entire bird is cleaned off, discard the carcass, or save for stock. Use as much of the fat and drippings as you want, dump into the pot as well.      Be sure the chicken is well incorporated with the beans.      Season the mixture in the pot with desired seasonings.      Taste for Salt and Pepper.  By now the entire mixture should be hot, if not, it can cook a bit longer, but stir more frequently.  Serve and enjoy!
 
Serving Suggestions:
XLarge flour tortillas
Shredded cheese
More sauce(s)
Fresh Cilantro


Refried Beans Recipe  
1 can (15.5 oz.) Pinto Beans, undrained
1 can (15.5 oz.) Black Beans, undrained
1 tbsp. Vegetable Oil or Lard
1/4 small onion, diced (optional) 
1 tsp. Goya Minced Garlic or 2 clove garlic, minced (optional) 
Salt and pepper to taste
 
Directions:
1.In a bowl, mash beans with fork or spoon.
2.Heat oil or lard in a skillet on medium. If using onion or garlic, add to skillet and cook until tender.
3.Add beans, salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until bean liquid starts to evaporate. Reduce heat and simmer until desired consistency, about 5 minutes.

This is my favorite breaded baked chicken.  And the directions allow you to bread it before you freeze it.

1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup ground almonds
1 1/2 tsp. Minced garlic (or use garlic powder)
1 1/2 tsp. Paprika
3/4 tsp. Salt
3/8 tsp. Black pepper
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/2 cup pasteurized eggs (use real eggs if not freezing)
1/2 tbsp. Olive oil
1 whole chicken in pieces
 
Combine dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another.  Dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture, then dip into the bread crumb mixture and coat thoroughly.  Freeze in individual pieces and then combine in a zipper bag.
 
To cook, thaw completely.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lay chicken on a baking sheet, preferably on top of a baking rack, spray with cooking oil spray, and bake for 60 to 75 minutes.

Thanks guys, all these recipes sound fantastic!  Cosmos, try adding half an onion in the chicken cavity - it really adds to the taste. You are a man after my own heart, as we also make stock and use the leftovers for other things. My husband uses the chicken taco meat to make flautas, flour tortillas filled with meat and then deep fried.
 
Rusty, the Pig has leg quarters on sale. I picked up some at Publix last week, because I saw the sale in the paper.

Chicken Tetrazini

2 chickens roasted skinned and boned
1 stick butter
1 pkg sliced mushrooms
Saute these

Mix
2 cans cream of chicken
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup parm cheese
chopped garlic to taste
3 TBSP cooking sherry

add the above mixture and add 1 lb dry noodles (cooked)

bake in 9 x 13 1 hour @ 350

may add additional cheese to the top before baking

YUMMERS

I would second roasted chicken, only I brine it for a couple hours before cooking.

This is another favorite, it doesn't make a thick sauce to coat the pasta, but is light, with a lot of flavor:

Chicken Cacciatore

3 TBS. olive oil, or cooking oil
1 lb. boneless breast or thighs cut in 1-2" pieces
1 large onion, sliced
1 green or red bell pepper, (or combination of the two) cut in strips
8 oz. fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 can tomato paste
2 medium tomatoes, (or 4 Romas) seeded and chopped
1 cup white wine
11/2 cup chicken broth
1 tsp each - basil, thyme, oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste (go easy on salt, as the broth can be very salty sometimes)

In a large skillet in 1 TBS of oil, cook chicken pieces 2-3 minutes
until browned on the outside.  Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and set aside.

In a dutch oven, heat remaining 2 TBS. oil and saute onions, for 2-3 minutes, add chicken and cook another 2-3 minutes.  Add tomato paste, wine, broth, garlic, oregano-thyme-basil, and bay leaf, and simmer 35 minutes.

Add tomatoes, peppers, and mushrooms and simmer for another 35 minutes.

Serve over spaghetti, top with grated Romano or Parmesan cheese.  Serve with a small salad and French bread.

  

 

Neat thread, thanks yall!

PapaJoe's Hot Chicken

3 lbs. skin on, bone in, breasts

2 cups Louisiana hot sauce

1/2 stick REAL butter

Put tha cold chicken in a baking dish w/ a lid, or a big fry pan w/ a lid

Nuke the butter and hot sauce, and pour it over tha chicken

Let it sit till it gets room temp, bout an hour

Cook on high temp, 450 r so

The skin melts into the sauce, and along w/ the bone, that's what makes it good

Serve, with some juice from the pan, over your choice of unseasoned rice.

This evolved from a hot wing recipe. I'm a dark meat fan but the bone in breasts work well for this. It's an often requested dish by my older Grandzillas. :~)
Joe

Give me some good Paella or a traditional Arroz Con Pollo.
 

Adjudicator,
 
The paella looks fantastic, and I love chicken and rice! Will you give me your recipes?

Marinate the chicken (this is for a whole chicken cut up) for about 4 hours in:
1 cup yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbs paprika
1 tbsp fresh minced ginger
1 tsp salt
1 bunch cilantro and 1 bunch mint minced
(I blenderize all the above)

Put the chicken and all the marinade in a pan, bake 400F 90 minutes till done.
Serve with onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, white rice.

I take a TBS of butter (softened) a tsp of poultry seasoning, and a 2 tsp of minced garlic and mix it all up.  Slip it under the skin on both breasts and "smootch" it around.  Spray the skin with Pam and cook however you do normally.  You'll get nice crispy skin without drying out the meat.  And the garlic and seasoning gives the breast meat a nice flavor

If you have any interest in replicating the original old style KFC of the 50's, 60's and 70's - back when it truly did have a unique spicy flavor - this website is where KFC sleuths and detectives hang out - lots of interesting recipes and research going on here :
 
http://kfc.forumup.co.uk/
 
Modern KFC is worthless and no way resembles the way it was 40 years ago.

Under the "what did you have for lunch, pics please" forum are some wonderful ideas.John A is especially good at giving his recipes....what a bargain at 49 cents per lb.-I would but a boat load!!!!!

alfredo


Adjudicator,
 
The paella looks fantastic, and I love chicken and rice! Will you give me your recipes?

 
Not necessarily mine; but very authentic:
 
http://www.inmamaskitchen.com/RECIPES/RECIPES/poultry/arrozconpollo.html
 
Many of my recipes are on that site.

 
 
 


 

First, the chicken- I buy the best organic, farm grown chicken I can find. 4-5 lbs.
My recipe comes from several different sources-Martha Stewart, Sandra Lee( the compound butter logs) & I don't remember who else.  I also like to spatchcock the chicken(remove the backbone & roast it flat).
 
1 lemon
fresh tarragon- I LOVE tarragon!!
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled & gently smashed
compound butter- I make a couple different kinds:
    butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, tarragon
    butter, lime zest, lime juice, minced fresh japapeno or minced chipolte chilis
    recipe:
            2 sticks of  room temperature butter
             lemon zest, lemon juice, tarragon
                                       or
             lime zest, lime juice, minced fresh japapeno or minced chipolte chilis
             Combine butter & zest, etc.  place for piece of plastic wrap, form 
              into a log of butter, roll up & freeze.
2-3 large white onions, peeled & sliced into 3/4 inch slices
2T oil
2T melted butter
2T lemon juice
salt, pepper
 
Wash & dry chicken.  Season inside of chicken with salt & pepper.  Place sliced onions in bottom of roasting pan.  Pierce lemon all over(I use a wooden skewer), 20-30 times.   Place lemon, garlic, several sprigs of tarragon inside chicken( if I am using the lime, chili butter I omit the  tarragon).  Slice the frozen butter log into "coins".  Loosen skin  around the breast, legs & thighs, insert butter "coins" under skin.  Combine oil, melted butter, & lemon juice, rub over ouside of chicken.  Salt & pepper ouside of chicken.   Place chicken on slices onions.  Roast at 450 degrees for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 degrees and continue roasting for about 40 minutes (or until the internal temperature reaches about 175 to 180 degrees F.  Let rest 15 minutes before carving.  I make a sauce with the sliced onions- pour off fat from roasting pan, deglaze with white wine, reduce wine until syrupy, add 1 cup of chicken broth, reduce until slightly thickened, stir in 2-3 T of butter.
 
 
            
                                
 
 

Can't wait to try some of the recipes on this thread.

Here's one I make a lot:

HONEY CURRIED CHICKEN
4 bone-in chicken or boneless chicken breasts or 1 cut up chicken
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup orange juice
2 Tbs. prepared mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. curry powder
2 Tbs. dark rum
Place chicken skin side up in shallow baking dish and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine remaining ingredients, stirring well. Pour sauce over chicken. Bake for one hour (45 min. for boneless breasts), basting occasionally with sauce.
Note: I melt the butter in a pyrex measuring cup in the microwave and then add the honey and orange juice directly to it so I don’t dirty measuring cups.

Ok, I think this thread should become a STICKY. Hey, we have one for chili... and one for crock pot recipes... so why not Chicken? That's just my thoughts though. :~)
Joe

Curried Chicken with Cashew Nuts
 
1 C cashew nuts
4 cardamom pods cut open and the spice extracted, discard hulls
4 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 T white sesame seeds
1" cinnamon stick
3 T vegetable oil (but it always needs more, in my opinon)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 T garlic paste (or a couple of grated garlic cloves)
1 T ginger paste (or a wodge of grated ginger)
2 medium onions
3 lbs chicken (cut up pieces, boneless, or bone-in, as you please. I use four bone-in thighs and two chopped-up boneless breasts, so we can tell dark from white meat on serving)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2-3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon garam masala
dash of lemon juice
 
Dry-roast the cashews, cardamom pod insides, cloves, peppercorns, sesame seeds, and cinnamon stick over medium-low heat until they're toasted but not burned. I use a small cast-iron frying pan. (This makes your kitchen smell amazing.) Allow to cool, and then grind to a powder. I use an electric coffee grinder for this. We use it exclusively for spices.
 
Grate the ginger and garlic if you're not using jar pastes.
 
Chop the onions finely. 
 
In a big skillet that has a good lid, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat and throw in the cumin seeds. In a few seconds, they'll darken. Add the ginger and garlic and saute a little, and then add the onions. Cook for 10-12 minutes.
 
Then add the chicken, the nut/spice mixture, turmeric, salt, cayenne, and the water, and stir until the chicken's coated with everything.  Cover and turn the heat to low and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. The length of time depends on whether you've got big bone-in pieces or little cut up boneless bits. Obviously, it cooks faster if it's small and boneless. Turn the chicken (or stir) once or twice during cooking.
 
Add the whipping cream, garam masala, and lemon juice, and serve immediately with rice.
 
Source (with my minor changes and notes): From Bengal to Punjab, The Cuisines of India by Smita Chandra

This is from the recipes in the Sweet Potato Queens books; it's called Death Chicken because it is great to take to a funeral.  And it's really good!

DEATH CHICKEN
 
8-10 slices bacon
1 cup long grain rice, uncooked
chicken pieces with the bones and skin still intact
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika – a hearty dash
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 cup water
Garlic powder
Nutmeg – another hearty dash – do not leave this out!
1 tsp. oregano
2 heaping Tblsp. parsley flakes


Line a 9x13 casserole with uncooked bacon. Pour rice over the bacon. Put skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces of your choice on top of the rice. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika. Whisk together 1 can of cream of chicken soup, 1 cup of water, some garlic powder, a good pinch of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon of oregano, and 2 heaping tablespoons of parsley flakes. Pour over the chicken. Cover with HEAVY (it matters) aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours at 300 degrees with no peeking.

This is sort of my own recipe, though I'm sure it was thought of well before I put it together:
 
1-2 Jalapenos Seeded and diced
6 Boneless Chicken Breast Halves
1 8oz Pack of Cream Cheese Softened
Pre-Cooked Bacon, or Real Bacon Pieces
2 Cups Sliced baby Portobello Mushrooms
Package(About 2 Cups) of Shredded Sharp Cheddar
 
Defrost the Chicken Breasts and use a knife to slit a deep pockets in the middle of each breast. Dice the Jalapeno(s) and mix in a bowl with the Cream Cheese and crumbled bacon or bacon pieces. Stuff a liberal amount of the Cream Cheese Mixture in Each Chicken Breast.
 
Line a Baking Pan with Tin-Foil and lightly grease. Place Chicken Breasts side-by-side in the pan. Top the Chicken with the Mushrooms then the cheddar cheese. Feel free to use more cheese if desired. Cover with Tin-foil and bake at around 375 for an hour or until chicken is done. I haven't found the best temp/time combo so whatever works for you.
 
An important step is to remove the pan at least 2-3 times during cooking to drain the mushroom liquid from the pan. I used a Turkey Baster to make it simple. Really good over rice.
 
 
This second one is a recipe I absolutely love, and one of the very few I've attempted from this particular web site over the last few years that I have made again and again. I strongly suggest serving it over rice, with Pineapple Juice instead of where it calls for water in the sauce, and the absolute most important addition are those crunchy chow mein noodles served over top to reduce the sweetness.
 
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Candied-Chicken-Breasts/Detail.aspx

If you want some juicy baked chicken parts, you can make Sherried Onion Chicken.  The chicken steams in the juices from onion and garlic.  We had it for dinner last night.
 
1 chicken, cut into pieces or equivalent amount of your favorite bone-in parts
1/4 cup melted butter
Salt, pepper, paprika
Fresh or dried herbs (optional)
1 medium onion, finely minced
1 large or two small cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup sherry (not cooking sherry)
1/4 cup honey
 
Put the chicken pieces skin side up in a single layer in a baking dish or pan.  Brush or rub with all the melted butter.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika and add some herbs if you’d like.  (I usually use tarragon or marjoram but don’t like basil or oregano with this recipe.)  Spread the onion and garlic on the top of the chicken. 
 
Cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix the sherry and honey and bring to a boil in a small saucepan or heat in the microwave until the honey is liquefied.  Remove chicken from oven, scrape the onions & garlic into the bottom of the pan and pour the honey mixture over the chicken.  Bake uncovered for an additional 15 to 30 minutes or until chicken is done.  Serve with pan juices in a gravy boat or separate dish to pour over the chicken.
 
Ready to go into the oven:
 

 
Done.  Check out the golden pan juices.
 

 
Ready to eat:
 

 

I want to make Chicken and Dumplings like my mom used to make, but can't seem to get the dumplings correct.  They were chewy sinkers, my favorite, but I can't find a recipe for anything except fluffy ones.  Anyone know how to get them like this?
Thanks.
Brenda

If I want fluffy I drop them if I want a chewier dumpling I roll them out and slice them.

Thank you.  Just the regular dumpling recipe?

As I've confessed before........"Bisquick".  Oh, and I'm not alone here!
 
Brenda