Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip

 Superbowl is just around the corner, and if you are looking for something different to make this year, try this Buffalo Chicken Dip.  It's stream lined, easy to make, a "no brainer".    Use as a healthier alternative to fried chicken wings.

 

Ingredients

4 oz Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup Frank's Redhot sauce (or 1/4 cup other hot sauce)
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken. Buy this at the grocery store already cooked.
1 teaspoon celery seeds
2 to 3 scallions (green onions) chopped including the green part
1/3 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons (or to taste) Crumbled blue cheese  
Celery Sticks, Carrot Stick, Crackers of choice for dipping

 Directions

Mix  softened cream cheese,  sour cream and Frank's RedHot sauce (or 1/4 cup other hot sauce); fold in  shredded rotisserie chicken. Spread in a small baking dish, sprinkle with celery seeds, chopped scallions and shredded cheddar and bake at 425 degrees F until bubbly, about 20 minutes. Top with crumbled blue cheese. Serve with celery and carrot sticks and crackers.

Arroz con Pollo Verde (Green Chicken w/Rice)

Arroz con Pollo Verde
(Green Chicken with Rice)

One of my all time favorite dishes has to be Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with Rice). It's an easy, inexpensive, and very tasty dish to make.

One of my friends hails from Peru, and enjoys to cook and share with me, and introduced me to a variation of Arroz con Pollo, called Arroz con Pollo Verde. Translated means Green Chicken w/Rice.

I been hooked ever since.

Rather than using a tomato base for the dish as in traditional Arroz con Pollo, it uses a cilantro base.

This is my version of it. The only changes I made was increase the cilantro and added green pepper and jalapeno pepper, added wine, and use chicken stock in lieu of water, along with a couple procedural processes.

The plates all came back empty and licked clean, so I do believe I have a winner here.


Ingredients

For the Cilantro Sauce:
2 bunches fresh cilantro, stems and all, washed under cold water
(this will be about 4 to 6 cups)
1 green bell pepper
2 jalapeno peppers, remove stems and seeds if you don't want it spicy
2 cloves garlic
Juice of half a lime
----------------------------

4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 chicken breast halves, skin on and bone in
4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
2 tablespoons ground cumin
salt & pepper
1/4 cup white wine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
4 garlic cloves, minced or run thru garlic press
2 cups long grain rice
2 cups of either fresh or frozen peas (don't use canned, yuk)
1 bottle dark beer (about 12 to 16 oz)
2 1/4 cups chicken stock

Procedure

1. Add cilantro, green pepper, garlic, lime juice and jalapeno pepper to blender or food processor, adding about 1/4 cup of water, and puree. You will probably have to add the cilantro in batches. I find a blender works really well. Use stems and all. Use more water if machine bogs down. Should make about 2 to 4 cups of puree. You may get more than you need, but you can save it for a few days. Set aside.

2. Rinse chicken pieces and pat dry with paper towel. Rub the chicken pieces with the 2 tablespoons of cumin, all over, and salt and pepper.

3. Using a large pot, heat the vegetable oil under medium-high heat. Add chicken skin side down, and do NOT CROWD THE POT! If you have to do it in batches, do so. If you over crowd the pot, the chicken will only steam, and not brown properly, leaving you with pale, soggy skin. You want to cook the chicken on each side for about 5 to 7 minutes each side, until nicely golden brown. Remove from pot and put on a plate, and set aside. Don't worry if it is cooked through at this point, as the chicken will be re-added and cooked further later.

4. In the same pot you just cooked the chicken in, add the 1/4 cup of white wine and deglaze the pan using a wooden spoon. Get all those browned bits of delicious flavor off the bottom of the pan.

5. Add the onion, carrot, and red bell pepper to the pan and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the two teaspoons of ground cumin, and the garlic, and saute for about 30 more seconds.

6. Add the chicken stock and the beer to the pot. Allow to come to a boil, and add the rice and 2 cups of the cilantro puree, and stir briefly. Add peas, and return the chicken pieces to the pot at this point.

7. Allow to come to a boil, and reduce heat to a simmer, and cover. Cook for about 20 minutes, check rice for doneness. If there is still liquid, allow to simmer covered for about 10 more minutes, and check again.

7. When done, place rice into a large serving container, and place chicken pieces on top. Garnish with wedged tomatoes and cilantro leaves if you like. EAT!

Best Roasted Chicken

Best Roasted Chicken

Anyone can throw a chicken in the oven, cook it until the meat is falling off the bone; but who wants to eat that dry tasteless bird? With just a couple extra steps, you can prepare a moist, tender and delicious bird that your family and friends will beg you to make time and again.

Try to use a whole chicken no less than 5 pounds. I tend to use the Perdue brand, and get one about 6.5 to 7 pounds.

FIRST of all, BRINE the chicken. See my article on how to brine here:

http://chefgregsgormetkitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/all-about-brining.html

Ingredients:

FOR COMPOUND BUTTER:
1 stick of butter, softened (room temperature)
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (chopped fine)
1 teaspoon fresh parsley leaves (chopped fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Simply put softened butter (NOT MELTED!!) in a bowl, add the herbs and seasonings, and mix together using a fork until combined. If you forgot to take the butter out of the fridge, like I do a lot of times, use the microwave at 10% power for 1 minute, works like a charm for me.

What's great about making a compound butter, is you can use anything YOU want in it. I always have all sorts of different compound butters in my fridge for different occasions.

AROMATICS: (The stuff your will stuff inside the bird)

1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 celery rib, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1/2 lemon
6 fresh thyme stems
6 fresh parsley stems
3 fresh rosemary stems
2 garlic cloves, crushed

This is going inside the bird, and will not be eaten, so it doesn't matter how it looks, etc, just chop em up so it all fits inside, you can even leave the peelings on the onion and garlic.

Let's get to the bird:

5 to 7 pound whole chicken
About 8 slices of bacon
salt and fresh ground pepper

Put it all together:

1. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the chicken out, inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Generously salt and pepper inside and outside of the bird, and place on a roasting rack inside roasting pan. If you don't have a roasting rack, you can make a "make-shift" rack using vegetable/potato medley. Chop up onions, celery, carrots and potatoes and line bottom of roasting pan, and then set the chicken on top of the vegetables. The main reason I don't like to do it that way is because I prefer the juices from the chicken that collect in the bottom of the pan to make a sauce with. If I put vegetable in the pan, then they soak up all those great juices, and also make the drippings taste like vegetables. I just prefer my drippings to taste like the meat.

3. Using your fingers, GENTLY go under the skin on the breasts, separating the skin from the breast. Start from the rear and go as far as you can, then go in from the front. You are NOT removing the skin, just making enough room between the skin and the meat to push in your compound butter. I generally don't do this to the thighs, since the dark meat tends to stay juicy, but feel free to if you like.

4. Put half of the compound butter underneath the skin on the breasts. Push it in as far as you can, then you can push down on the outside to spread it around.

5. Put the Aromatics inside the cavity of the chicken, and if needed, tie the legs together using kitchen twine to hold the aromatics in.

6. Take the rest of the compound butter and spread on the OUTSIDE of the chicken, all over. Breasts, legs, thighs, etc.

7. Lay the bacon over top of the chicken breasts, overlapping. I have never needed to secure the bacon with toothpicks; the bacon has always stayed in place for me, but you CAN if you want.

8. Place chicken in per-heated 450 degree oven on center rack for 15 minutes.

9. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and baste chicken with juices in the roasting pan.

10. Continue cooking until chickens internal temperature reaches 165 degrees when thermometer is inserted into thickest part of the thigh, basting about every 15 minutes. Approximately 2 hours. I have one of those thermometers that stay in the meat while its cooking, and lets me know when the desired temp is reached; it's a great tool to have, and everyone should have one.

11. Remove bacon, and put back in oven for another 15 minutes to brown the breast.

12. Remove from oven, and as crazy as this may sound, let the chicken rest for no less than ONE hour, but preferably let it rest for the same amount of time you had it in the oven. While the chicken is resting, you can prepare your side dishes, sauces, etc. If you don't let it rest, you will lose all juiciness. "Oh no, the chicken will be cold if I let it rest that long!" No, it will not be COLD, but it will not be steaming hot either, and that is why you want to make gravy or a sauce to put over it.

Use the pan drippings to make a gravy or sauce, and serve with any side dishes you like.

Note about basting: I tried this same recipe without basting, and it was NO where near as good, so basting is VERY important! Best tool to use is a basting tool, which is basically a big eye-dropper looking device. It allows you to get down into the pan where the drippings are and suck them up without getting burned, then squeeze it out over the top.

Chicken Roulade Florentine with Roasted Red Peppers & Asiago

Chicken Roulade Florentine

with Roasted Red Pepper & Asiago

The word "Roulade" simply means "rolled up". There are many different types of Roulade that include pork, veal, and chicken. What you roll up in it, well, that's entirely up to you!

This particular recipe is one of my favorites. I usually like to serve this with a Rosemary Cream Sauce.

Since there are so many variations on Roulades, I was hard pressed to find an exact image for this particular Roulade on the WEB, so the main photo is just an example of how a Roulade should look. Keeping this in mind, I was able to procure an image of this recipe that I made the other day for my brother Mike and his family. The image is NOT the best, so I hesitate to use it as the main photo, so I will just include BOTH.

Roasted red bell peppers you can buy in your grocery store, OR you can roast your own if you know how to. For time sake, go for the store bought roasted bell peppers.

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt
Black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
4 slices Provolone cheese
2 cups shredded Asiago cheese
2 large roasted red bell peppers (need about half a pepper for each piece of chicken)
Bag of fresh baby spinach (usually in the salad section of grocery store)
Toothpicks

Procedure:

Lay out a layer of plastic wrap on counter top. Evenly space out chicken breasts on top of plastic wrap. Place another layer of plastic wrap over top of breasts. Using a meat pounder (or tenderizer tool), flatten chicken breasts out to about 1/4 inch thickness, trying to keep them in a rectangular shape. Be careful not to pound too hard or you will tear the chicken. If you don't have a meat pounder, you can use a rolling pin, bottom of a sauce pan..be creative.

Once chicken is pounded out, remove top layer of plastic wrap and throw away. Liberally salt and pepper both sides of chicken, laying each piece "skin" side down.

Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of fresh thyme onto each breast. Layer one slice of provolone cheese, Asiago cheese, 1/2 of a roasted red bell pepper, and a nice handful of baby spinach. Be very liberal with the spinach, because it WILL shrink substantially when cooked.

Roll up chicken breasts lengthwise, tight as you can, but be careful not to tear the chicken. Once rolled, secure with toothpick and place seam side down in baking dish. A 13x9 dish will do just fine.

Bake in 375 degree oven until internal temperature is 160 degrees, about 45 minutes. The baking dish will have liquid from the cooked chicken. You can discard this or save it to use in soup or whatever.

Allow chicken to set for 10 minutes, then slice into medallion sized pieces and arrange on serving plate. Drizzle with Rosemary Cream Sauce or the sauce of your choice.

Rosemary Cream Sauce

1/4 cup white wine
1 cup heave cream
2 springs fresh rosemary
1 TBSP butter

Reduce wine in sauce pan to about half. Add heavy cream and fresh rosemary, allow to steep over low heat (not boiling) for about 10 minutes. Strain out Rosemary, add butter. Serve over desired dish.

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore

I've always loved my mom's Chicken Cacciatore when I was growing up. She would slow cook it with stewed tomatoes all day, and the chicken would be falling off the bone. Only complaint is that she didn't make it often enough! I often wondered if I could improve her recipe, but I should of been slapped across the face for even thinking I could ever do better than mom!

I also wasn't able to replicate her version very well either, since I never paid attention to what she was doing. I came close, but still, nothing like Moms! This recipe was derived for the common folk, using ingredients that would satiate any palette. I added the rich cremini mushrooms, and steered away from using those whole tomatoes, dicing them instead. A few fresh herbs, wine reduction, and searing of the chicken later, I developed this very tasty Chicken Cacciatore recipe, that I hope you will try and enjoy!


Serves 4

Ingredients

* 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 (3-pound) chicken cut into eighths
* Salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
* 1 large red onion, halved and thinly sliced
* 1 large yellow bell pepper, thinly julienned
* 1 serrano or jalapeno chile, finely diced
* 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
* 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
* 1/2 cup dry red wine
* 1 cup chicken stock or broth
* 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes and their juices
* 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
* 2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar or capers
* 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
* 1 pound spaghetti (size 8 or 9) cooked al dente
* Basil sprigs (optional for garnish)
* Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano


Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat. Season the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper and place in the pan, skin side down and cook until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the breasts over and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the chicken to a large plate. Do in batches if needed, do NOT crowd the chicken in the pan or you will end up steaming the chicken.

Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat until almost smoking. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden brown, season with salt and pepper and remove to a plate.

Add the onion and bell pepper to the pan and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the serrano, garlic and chili flakes to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the wine and cook until almost completely reduced. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, and rosemary and bring to a simmer. Return the chicken and mushrooms to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and cook until the chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon to a large shallow bowl and tent loosely with foil.

Increase the heat to high and cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the vinegar and basil and pour the sauce over the chicken. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs. Serve over spaghetti and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Homemade Chicken and Noodles

What is the ultimate Comfort Food? We each define our own Comfort Foods, which we develop growing up, depending on what foods your family had that brought you good memories and of course good flavor!

For me, the ultimate Comfort Food has to be my mom's Chicken and Noodles, with homemade egg noodles, served over a helping of real mash potatoes. It's a rib sticking, delicious meal, which brings me back to some great and fond memories growing up with each bite.

The noodles take time to prepare, and simmering a whole chicken and then de-boning it probably makes some people say "oh, not for me", but let's not be lazy, the taste and love showed by the effort of doing it right will far outweigh anything you can do from a package or (gulp) fast food.

Plan this dish ahead of time, and make the dough for the noodles a day before, keeping in the refrigerator in a covered bowl overnight. This will allow the glutton to relax, and makes for a much easier time rolling out the dough. But you CAN make this same day, it will just be harder to roll out.

Mom's Homemade Chicken and Noodles

For the Egg Noodles:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt (or a "pinch")
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter (cold)

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. If dough is too flakey, add a little bit more milk if needed. Let rest in a covered bowl for at least two hours, or overnight.

On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. I find it a lot easier to divide the dough into two and roll out each separately, saves space. Cut into desired lengths and shapes, i simply use a pizza roller. Or if you have a pasta machine, go for it.


Allow to air dry before cooking for at least two hours. I simply hang the noodles on hangers, works really well.


Cook fresh pasta in a large pot with the chicken stock from when you simmered the chicken (see below). Cook until al dente, and remember that fresh pasta does not take as long to cook as store bought.

For the Chicken:

1 Whole Chicken
1 tablespoon salt
1 onion, sliced in half, peeling left on
1 rib celery, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 springs fresh rosemary
8 whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf

Mashed potatoes (your recipe)

Place chicken in large pot, add all the ingredients, and add cold water to cover the chicken.

Place on stove top over med-hi heat until it comes to a boil, then reduce heat to about medium-low, cover and allow to simmer for at least an hour. Make sure it is simmering and not boiling. You want to have some bubbles, but not a rapid boil. This will keep the chicken moist. I usually let the chicken simmer until it is falling off the bone.

Once chicken is done, remove chicken from pot, it may fall apart, which is just fine, and place it on a large platter, and put in the freezer for 15 minutes so it will cool down enough to de-bone.

While the chicken is cooling off in the freezer, strain the stock, and return to the pot, and start making mashed potatoes. You can actually make the mashed potatoes earlier, just set aside in a covered bowl. The heat from the chicken and noodles will heat them up just fine.

Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, separate the skin and bones from the meat, being careful to leave out the smaller bones.

Get the stock to a boil, and then add your egg noodles. If you don't feel you have enough stock, simply add some water to make up the difference. When noodles are done, add the chicken meat and mix. The flour used in making the noodles should thicken up the stock some.

Season to taste! Serve over mashed potatoes.

White Chili

Serves 6 to 8.

Adjust the heat in this dish by adding the minced ribs and seeds from the jalapeño as directed in step 6. If Anaheim chiles cannot be found, add an additional poblano and jalapeño to the chili. This dish can also be successfully made by substituting chicken thighs for the chicken breasts. If using thighs, increase the cooking time in step 4 to about 40 minutes. Serve chili with sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.

Ingredients

3	pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves , trimmed of excess fat and skin
1	tablespoon vegetable oil
3	medium jalapeño chiles
3	poblano chiles (medium), stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces
3	Anaheim chile peppers (medium), stemmed, seeded, and cut into large pieces
2	medium onions , cut into large pieces (2 cups)
6	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
1	tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2	teaspoons ground coriander
2	(14.5-ounce) cans cannellini beans , drained and rinsed
3	cups low-sodium chicken broth
3	tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
1/4	cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
4	scallions , white and light green parts sliced thin

Instructions

1. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook without moving until skin is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and lightly brown on other side, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate; remove and discard skin.

2. While chicken is browning, remove and discard ribs and seeds from 2 jalapeños; mince flesh. In food processor, process half of poblano chiles, Anaheim chiles, and onions until consistency of chunky salsa, ten to twelve 1-second pulses, scraping down sides of workbowl halfway through. Transfer mixture to medium bowl. Repeat with remaining poblano chiles, Anaheim chiles, and onions; combine with first batch (do not wash food processor blade or workbowl).

3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from Dutch oven (adding additional vegetable oil if necessary) and reduce heat to medium. Add minced jalapeños, chile-onion mixture, garlic, cumin, coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Remove pot from heat.

4. Transfer 1 cup cooked vegetable mixture to now-empty food processor workbowl. Add 1 cup beans and 1 cup broth and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Add vegetable-bean mixture, remaining 2 cups broth, and chicken breasts to Dutch oven and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until chicken registers 160 degrees (175 degrees if using thighs) on instant-read thermometer, 15 to 20 minutes (40 minutes if using thighs).

5. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large plate. Stir in remaining beans and continue to simmer, uncovered, until beans are heated through and chili has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

6. Mince remaining jalapeño, reserving and mincing ribs and seeds (see note above), and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred chicken into bite-sized pieces, discarding bones. Stir shredded chicken, lime juice, cilantro, scallions, and remaining minced jalapeño (with seeds if desired) into chili and return to simmer. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper and serve.

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

If you've only had soup from a can, then you have no idea just how wonderful, comforting, and delicious a homemade soup really is. It is a taste explosion in your mouth! Make this soup one time, and you can never go back to canned soup again!


Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup --------------------------------------

Yield: About 2 quarts

Ingredients:
---------------


1 whole chicken
*(you can use 5 chicken thighs or 3 chicken breasts (or mix) in lieu of whole bird)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
5 slices bacon
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 to 3 quarts chicken stock
1/2 pound linguine, broke into 2 inch pieces
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Salt to taste

Sachet:
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dry)
6 parsley stems
2 sprigs oregano (or 1 teaspoon dry)
8 peppercorns
(To make Sachet, place ingredients in cheesecloth, and tie with kitchen twine. The purpose of the sachet is to add all the flavor of the herbs, without having them floating around in the soup).

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1. Rinse chicken, place in pot. Cover chicken with COLD water, add the kosher salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer chicken until done, about an hour for whole bird, 45 minutes for parts. When chicken is done, remove from pot and place on plate or platter to cool. If you need the stock water, strain through a mesh strainer into bowl (see number 2), otherwise you can discard it. Separate chicken from bone, discard skin and bones.

2. If you do not have any chicken stock made, reserve the stock that you just cooked the chicken in. It will not be a strong stock, and you may need to add chicken bouillon to it. If you do it this way, reduce the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon. You will need about 2 1/2 to 3 quarts.

3. While chicken is cooking, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in skillet until crisp. Using slotted spoon, remove bacon from skillet onto paper towel, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet. You will not need the bacon again, so you can save it for use in a salad if you like.

4. In same skillet, add diced onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Saute in bacon fat until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic, and saute for about 30 more seconds until fragrant. Transfer to pot.

5. Add chicken stock, chicken, and sachet, simmer for 20 minutes. Add linguine and continue to cook for another 10 minutes or until pasta is done.

6. Remove sachet, discard. Add fresh parsley. Salt (if needed) to taste.

Heart Healthy Baked Chicken

*(Photo is suggested serving idea)


My Nephew Eric is trying to lose a few pounds, and asked for a chicken recipe he could eat, full of flavor. Just throwing chicken in the oven and baking it plain leaves it tasteless, and if you're trying to eat healthy, it does no good adding salt or eating the skin.

This recipe is for a baked chicken, using fresh herbs as flavor. The chicken is cooked with the skin on, to help with flavor and moister, but removed at the end.

This is real basic, and not too visually stunning. Something you would make for yourself, not as a main course to feed your company. Mainly strictly for people seriously watching what they eat.


Heart Healthy Baked Chicken
-----------------------------------

YIELD: 4 Servings

Ingredients:
-----------------

4 pieces Chicken Breast, bone and skin on.
(Alternate: use chicken thighs, or even a whole bird)
4 sprigs fresh Rosemary herbs
4 sprigs fresh Thyme herbs

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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Using your finger, run your finger underneath the skin of the chicken, separating it from the meat, making a pocket inside.

3. Slide one sprig of fresh Rosemary and one sprig fresh Thyme in between the skin and the meat of each piece of chicken.

4. Place chicken on baking sheet, skin side up. Bake in oven on middle rack for about an hour, or until internal temperature reads 160 degrees (using an instant read thermometer).

5. Remove chicken from oven, let rest for about 5 minutes. Remove skin and herbs, discard. If you wish, you can sear the breasts in a skillet on high heat to give it some color at this time.

6. Serve, with steamed broccoli, or whatever vegetable you like.

Chicken Enchiladas

Theses enchiladas turn out fantastic. Follow the recipe and you will have a winner. I have yet to have an enchilada I like more.

If you love the Latin Flavors, then do yourself a favor, make yourself some of these outstanding enchiladas!


Chicken Enchiladas
----------------------

YIELD: About 10 enchiladas

Ingredients:
-----------------

Sauce and Filling
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
3 medium garlic clove, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
12 ounces boneless chicken thighs, cut 1/4 inch wide strips
2 cans tomato sauce, 8 ounces each can
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves
4 ounces pickled jalapenos, drained and chopped
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Tortillas and Toppings
10 each corn tortillas, 6 inches
vegetable cooking spray
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated
3/4 cup sour cream
1 each avocado, diced medium
5 each romaine lettuce leaves, washed, dried, and shredded
2 each limes, quartered

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1. FOR THE SAUCE AND FILLING:

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, salt, and sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add chicken and cook, stirring constantly, until coated with spices, about 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and 3/4 cup water; stir to separate chicken pieces. Bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and flavors have melded, about 8 minutes. Pour mixture through medium mesh strainer into medium bowl, pressing on chicken and onions to extract as much sauce as possible; set sauce aside. Transfer chicken mixture to large plate; freeze for 10 minutes to cool, then combine cilantro, jalapenos, and cheese in medium bowl and set aside

2. Adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees.

3. TO ASSEMBLE:

Smear bottom of 13 by 9 inch baking dish with 3/4 cup of the sauce. Place tortillas on two baking sheets (5 on each sheet), spray both sides with cooking spray, and cook in oven until soft and pliable, about 4 minutes. Place warm tortillas on counter top. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Place 1/3 cup of the filling down the center of each tortilla. Roll up each tortilla tightly by hand (don't fold in the ends), and place in the baking dish, seam side down. Pour remaining chili sauce over top of enchiladas. Use a spoon to spread sauce so it coats top of each tortilla. Sprinkle 3/4 cups grated cheese down center of enchiladas. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake enchiladas on lower-middle rack until heated through and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and serve immediately, passing sour cream, avocado, lettuCE, and lime separately.

Chicken Stock

This is the basic recipe for Chicken Stock. There are a lot of store bought broths and stocks you can get to make things faster and easier, but the taste difference is too great for me to settle. I make a large amount of Chicken Stock at a time, and freeze what I do not use. Do your taste buds a favor, not to mention your wallet, and make your own stock.


Good chicken stock, which is indispensable to all forms of fine cookery, requires a flavorful old fowl that is simmered for at least 3 hours with the right vegetables and seasonings. Since so many dishes call for a strong stock, I simmer mine till the liquid is reduced by half and simply dilute it when a recipe calls for a lighter base. If you have room to freeze plenty of this stock, double or triple the recipe.


Chicken Stock
-----------------------

YIELD: 2 Quarts

Ingredients:
-------------
5 pounds chickens, whole, neck and giblets included
4 quarts cold water
2 medium onions, cut in half
2 each celery ribs, broken in half
2 each carrots, cut in half
2 each leeks, cleaned and chopped
2 teaspoons salt

Herb Bouquet (see note)
1 each garlic clove
4 each cloves
8 each peppercorns
1 each bay leaf
6 each parsley sprigs

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1. Place chicken(s), neck, and giblets in an 8 to 10 quart stockpot or large kettle and add the water. Bring liquid to the boil, reduce heat, simmer for 30 minutes, and skim off any scum.

2. Add the onions, carrots, celery, leeks, salt, and herb bouquet, and continue simmering stock for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, adding more water if necessary to keep contents barely covered.

3. Strain stock through cheesecloth into large bowl, let cool, chill (preferable overnight), and remove all fat from the top.


NOTE: A Herb Bouquet, or Bouquet Garni, is made by placing the herbs into a piece of cheesecloth, and tied with twine to prevent the herbs from spilling into the stock.