On the menu tonight, Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole!
This is a dish that will feed a crowd of people very inexpensively. The great thing is that you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator.
Chicken and rice is a classic, but I wanted to spice things up a little. So I added poblano and jalapeno peppers, along with cumin and cayenne pepper. I mixed in some grated cheese (cheddar, monterey jack, and colby) and then topped it with some more grated cheese when it went in to the oven.
If you want to try a new spin on Chicken and Rice, try this Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole!
On the menu tonight – Southern Buttermilk Fried Chicken!
I was craving fried chicken, so I decided to make my own. To make sure you end up with a juicy and flavorful piece of chicken, you need to start with a marinade or brine. I soaked the chicken in buttermilk with hot sauce overnight. If you want it quicker, soak the chicken in buttermilk at least 4 hrs.
The next step is the coating. You don’t want that delicious flour mixture to come off on the first bite, you want it with every bite. The trick is dredge the chicken in the seasoned flour mixture and then let it set in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes. THEN you can do the egg dunk, re-dredge, and I like to let it set again.
The thing to be careful of is making sure the chicken is fully cooked. If the oil is too hot, the coating is going to burned and the chicken won’t fully cook. If the oil is too cool, you’ll end up with greasy, uncooked chicken. 350 degrees is where you want to keep the temperature of the oil. To make sure the chicken is completely cooked, you can put the bigger pieces of chicken in the oven for another 15-20 minutes to make sure they are fully cooked.
Serve with some homemade coleslaw and mashed potatoes with gravy.
Put the chicken pieces in a gallon sized ziplock bag along with the buttermilk and hot sauce
2
Massage/mix the chicken, buttermilk, hot sauce to make sure the chicken is soaking. (use two bags if necessary)
3
Marinate the chicken overnight (4 hrs minimum) in the refrigerator
4
When ready to cook -
5
Mix 4 teaspoons salt, black pepper, thyme, flour, cornstarch, cayenne pepper, black pepper, salt, and baking powder in a bowl and stir to combine. I like to put the seasoned flour in a baking dish to give me room to dredge the chicken
6
Take the chicken pieces from the bag, one a time, let the excess buttermilk mixture drain off and then dredge in the seasoned flour mixture
7
Place the seasoned chicken on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and repeat until all the chicken has its first coat of dredge.
8
Put in the refrigerator at least 15-20 minutes to let the chicken set up with the dredge.
9
In the meantime, mix together some of the buttermilk/hot sauce mixture with the eggs in a med-large bowl
10
Dunk the chicken in the egg mixture and back in to the seasoned flour, thoroughly coat, getting the mixture in to every crevice and put back on the wire rack
11
Repeat until all the chicken is coated
12
Refrigerate again for at least 20-30 minutes
13
When ready to fry
14
Heat the peanut oil in a cast iron Dutch oven or similar heavy pot
15
Clip your deep-fry thermometer in so you can monitor the oil temperature
16
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees
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When the oil gets to 325-350 you can start adding the chicken
18
Don't add more than 2-3 pieces at a time as the oil temperature will drop and be harder to regulate. Try to maintain 325-350 degrees
19
Cook until deep golden brown (about 8 minutes for the wings, 10 minutes for the legs, 12 minutes for thighs and 15-18 minutes for the breasts. All these times are assuming bone-in pieces)
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As the chicken is finished cooking in the oil, place on a clean wire rack.
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Unless you are absolutely sure it is cooked through (test with a thermometer), put in the oven for another 10-20 minutes for the bigger pieces.
22
Serve with your choice of sides, but you can't go wrong with cole slaw and mashed potatoes.
On the menu tonight – Homemade Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls!
Who doesn’t love a bowl of hot chicken soup? In this version, it takes some time because I made the stock from scratch and then the soup. It takes some time but in the end it is SO GOOD!
When it’s getting cold outside, fire up the stove and make a big batch of homemade chicken soup!
I was intrigued when I first read the title of this recipe. I kept thinking deviled eggs and there are some similarities, but it’s definitely its own thing. As you can imagine, with deviled in the name, it has some spice to it. Funny enough, I’ve made plenty of deviled eggs, but they don’t really have any heat to them. Maybe I’ve been doing it wrong all these years.
SO, the similarities with the deviled eggs include the Dijon mustard and paprika and those are the things I love about this dish. The chicken is marinated in a Dijon mustard mixture, a spicy mixture, coated with seasoned breadcrumbs (also with some spice) and Parmesan cheese, and then baked.
The next time you are making a chicken dish and want something a little different than your usual – try Deviled Chicken!
I’m always looking for a new way to use chicken thighs. I came across a recipe where the chicken thighs were done in a cast iron skillet and then served with a white wine butter sauce. It sounded fantastic and it IS!
I don’t usually take the time to make a sauce, but I’m SO glad took the time on this dish. The lemony, buttery sauce makes the dish so rich, but not heavy. The lemon zest and juice give it a nice bright flavor. By the way, this sauce would go FANTASTIC on fish.
The next time you make chicken thighs, I HIGHLY encourage you to try my Chicken Thighs with White Wine Butter Sauce.
If I have Indian food, this is usually my go-to. I LOVE chicken tikka masala. This is the first time I’ve made it, not counting the times I’ve used a jarred tikka masala sauce.
Admittedly, this isn’t the easiest dish to make. It takes time to make the marinade and then the time to actually let the meat marinate. Then, you need to make the sauce. IT IS WORTH IT!
I hope the next time you are craving some Indian food or just want to try something new, I hope you’ll make my version of Chicken Tikka Masala.
2 1/2 - 3 lbs Chicken Thighs, boneless and skinless
Sauce:
4 Tbsp ghee
1 Vidalia onion, sliced
2 Serrano chilies (seeded and stemmed if you want it slightly more mild)
Kosher salt, about a teaspoon
1 tsp ginger, freshly grated
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp dried fenugreek leaves
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp Kashmiri red chili powder
1 tsp Hungarian paparika
One 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup heavy cream
Chopped cilantro for garnish
1-2 cups cooked Basmati Rice (I won't judge if you use the packaged microwave rice)
Naan for serving
Instructions
1
For the Marinade:
2
Whisk the yogurt, ginger, salt, red chili powder, garam masala, pepper, turmeric, and garlic in a large bowl.
3
Add the chicken and mix to fully coat all the chicken
4
Squeeze out the air and seal in a large freezer bag
5
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.
6
For the Sauce:
7
Add the ghee to a large Dutch oven over medium heat
8
Add the onions, Serrano, salt
9
Cook until the onions begin to caramelize
10
Move the onions to one side, making room to add the fenugreek, garam masala, chili powder, and paparika
11
Stir the spices for about a minute, until fragrant
12
Add the tomatoes, break them up as needed and bring to a boil
13
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until reduced by half (you'll want to stir occassionally) - about 30 minutes
14
Turn off the heat
15
Let the sauce cool for 5-10 minutes then transfer to a blender. (don't fill the blender more than half way)
16
Remove the center cap of the blender, cover the lid with a clean dish towel, and pulse until smooth
17
Add 1/4 cup heavy cream and puree until creamy
18
Pour back into the pot and bring to a simmer
19
Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed
20
Pre-heat your broiler to high
21
Arrange the chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet
22
Broil until the chicken starts to brown, about 5-7 min per side (it won't be fully cooked at this point)
23
Remove from the broiler and let cool
24
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces
25
Add the chicken to the simmering sauce and cook until until the chicken finishes cooking, about 10-12 minutes
26
Serve over rice and garnish with the cilantro
27
Serve the naan on the side and enjoy!
Notes
My instructions say to marinade the chicken, broil, cut in to pieces, and put in the sauce to simmer.
An alternate method would be skip the marinade completely. Cut the chicken in bite sized pieces, season with salt, pepper and the seasonings used in the marinade, and sear the chicken in a pan. Set it aside and make the sauce.
I use this method when I hadn't planned ahead and marinated the chicken overnight.
This is, hands down, my best version of Chicken Pot Pie. Many versions I’ve see and eaten use only chicken breast. My version uses a combination of chicken breast and thighs. I also took a big shortcut by using rotisserie chicken. As soon as I got it home, I took the chicken off the bone and then cubed it. I took another shortcut with the crust, I used the prepared version in the refrigerator aisle. Taking these two shortcuts makes the dish come together MUCH quicker. Quicker means you are more likely to make it.
There are quite a few spices, not too much though, in this version and I think they are what makes it so darn tasty. I hope the next time you are trying to figure out what to make for dinner, that you try this version of Chicken Pot Pie.
Today was definitely a soup kind of day, cloudy, chilly, and gloomy. To warm up, I decided to make this Thai inspired chicken soup. I made a similar coconut chicken soup a while back, but it didn’t have curry in it. This soup has three types of curry, red, yellow, and green. It sounds like it would be spicy, but it wasn’t hot at all – despite the red pepper flakes I added. If you wanted to spice it up, you could add some jalapeno, and / or some Thai chilies.
While this soup was great as I made it, you could also serve it over rice or noodles. I hope the next time you want to make a pot of soup, you will try my Coconut Curry Chicken Soup!
On the menu tonight – Fried Chicken! It’s not really fried, it’s oven “fried” chicken.
I wanted fried chicken, but I didn’t want stand over a pan of hot oil at the end of the day. To get close to the same flavor, I prepared the chicken like I would have if I was going to fry it, but I baked it instead.
It came out really good! Since I used bread crumbs for the coating and didn’t actually fry it, the coating was a little on the dry side. I kind of expected that to happen as the chicken didn’t get a dunk in hot oil. The rest of the familiar flavors were there. I added some Tabasco to my egg wash to give it a little kick. I also used a BBQ rub in the breadcrumb mixture and that has a little bit if cayenne pepper. The end result was fantastic! There’s a little heat, but I wouldn’t even call it a medium heat.
What I love most about this meal is how quickly it came together. I put some flour seasoned with a little salt and pepper in one pan, a few whisked eggs with some Tabasco in another pan, and Italian bread crumbs with some onion powder, garlic powder, and BBQ rub in another pan. I prepped the chicken just as I would have if I were going to fry it, coating it in the flour, dipping in the egg mixture, then coating with the bread crumbs and setting aside. Setting the chicken aside for a bit to let that coating dry a little is key – don’t skip that step. If you like a thick crust, repeat the process.
Because you set the chicken aside to dry for a bit, it’s a great make-ahead meal. You can get the chicken prepped and coated, waiting in the fridge. When you’re ready to cook, pull it out to let it come to room temperature before putting it in the oil or oven.
When it comes out of the oven, let it rest a few minutes before serving. I made a mix of tenders and thighs. You can serve all of it on it’s own with dipping sauces and sides, or you could make your own chicken biscuits and sandwiches.
2ish cups of Italian bread crumbs (error on the side of too much bread crumbs. I'd rather use the leftover in something else or throw it away than not have enough to coat the chicken)
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp BBQ rub (store bought or make your own)
Tabasco sauce - a few dashes
Instructions
1
Dry off the chicken
2
Get a pan/plate with the flour and season it with the Kosher salt and ground pepper
3
Get a pan/bowl with the whisked eggs and add a few dashes of Tabasco sauce
4
Get a pan/plate with the Italian bread crumbs, BBQ rub, garlic powder, and onion powder
5
Dredge the chicken in the flour, shake off the excess
6
Dredge the chicken in the egg mixture, let the excess drip off
7
Dredge the chicken in the bread crumb mixture
8
Set the coated chicken on a wired rack or plate
9
Repeat the process for the rest of the chicken
10
If you like a thicker crust on your chicken, repeat the coating process after the chicken has had a few minutes to dry a little
11
Put the coated chicken in the fridge for at least 20 minutes
12
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
13
Put the chicken on a baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes (Note that I used boneless chicken, if using bone-in chicken it will take longer)
14
When finished baking, let it rest for 5 minutes before serving
15
Notes
I prefer chicken thighs for fried chicken. Thigh meat is more flavorful and forgiving, it won't dry out as much as say a chicken breast.
In this recipe, I used boneless and skinless because that's what was in my fridge. If you use bone-in and skinned chicken, you will want to add some time to the cook. I'd have added about 12-15 minutes to the cook time in the oven if I'd have used bone-in chicken thighs.
On the Menu tonight – Spicy Buffalo Chicken Enchiladas!
When I saw Katie Lee Biegel make this on The Kitchen, I had to add this one to my Superbowl menu instead of chicken wings. There is a lot of help from the store in this recipe too, which makes it a great dish to make anytime because it comes together so fast. By using a rotisserie chicken, you simply pull the meat off the bones and chop it to bite-sized pieces. Mix in the shredded Monterey Jack cheese with the chicken in a large mixing bowl. When the buffalo sauce is ready, mix a cup of that in as well.
With the buffalo chicken mixture ready, you are ready for assembly. When Katie made her version, she cut the enchiladas into pinwheels. I did about half of the enchiladas into pinwheels and the rest simply cut the enchiladas in half. The pinwheels are great for a party and the half-sized pieces are great for lunch or dinner. Once all the enchiladas are assembled, pour the rest of the buffalo sauce over them along with the rest of the shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Bake them and serve with the finely shredded iceberg lettuce along with crumbled blue cheese and either blue cheese or ranch dressing.
Now that you have the technique down, you can modify it to an endless variety of enchiladas. I hope you will try this version and let me know what you think.
1 Rotisserie chicken, pulled from the bone and chopped
1 stick butter
1 lb grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups mild red enchilada sauce
3/4 cup hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot recommended)
8 10-inch flour tortillas
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, finely shredded
1/2 cup Ranch dressing
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbled
Instructions
1
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
2
Butter a 13x9 baking dish
3
Add the chicken and 2 1/2 cups of the shredded Monterey Jack cheese to a large mixing bowl
4
Heat the butter, enchilada sauce and hot sauce and in a small saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts
5
Remove from the heat
6
Transfer 1 cup of the sauce to the bowl with the chicken
7
Toss to fully coat
8
Ladle 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish
9
Spread a heaping 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture evenly onto a tortilla, then roll it up (If you’d like, trim the round ends of the tortilla that are unfilled and reserve for another use)
10
Cut the rolled tortilla into 6 pinwheels
11
Place each pinwheel cut-side down in the baking dish
12
Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture
13
Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack cheese on top
14
Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes
15
Meanwhile, toss the lettuce with the ranch dressing in a large bowl
16
Sprinkle the blue cheese crumbles on top of the enchiladas