chicken pot pie

I came home from work early yesterday in anticipation of an ice storm.

Though we have had very little of what one might call a winter, eight hours of snow and ice and sleet brings this part of the world to a standstill because we don’t have the equipment to clean it up and no one can drive on ice. Since it was early and it was cold, I decided to cook. I made Uncle Milty’s Guinness and Chocolate Chili and then I decided to make a chicken pot pie. I looked at several recipes, but found most of them only had a top crust and I wanted as much flaky pastry as I could get. A search led me to Sally’s Baking Addiction. Thanks to her and Michael Ruhlman’s expert advice on how to roast a chicken, I was in business.

I first got the chicken in the oven, following Ruhlman pretty much to the letter.

1 three to four-pound chicken
1 lemon and/or 1 medium onion, quartered
Kosher salt



Take the chicken out of the refrigerator about an hour before it goes in the oven and rinse it. Stuff it with the lemon or onion, or both. Salt it and set it on a plate lined with paper towels/absorbent paper. 

Preheat the oven to 450°. Set the oven on convection if that’s an option. Put the chicken in an oven-proof frying pan and slide it into the oven.  After one hour, check the color of the juices. If they run red, return the chicken to the oven and check it again in five to ten minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and let rest for fifteen minutes before carving it.

While the bird was in the oven, I made the crust, following Sally’s recipe. The only thing I did differently was I used pork lard instead of vegetable shortening.

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
3/4 cup lard (or vegetable shortening), chilled
2/3 cup ice water

Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening using a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse meal. You may still see some flecks of butter; that’s okay.

Measure 2/3 cup of water. Add ice. Stir it around. From that, measure 2/3 cup of water (since the ice has melted a bit). Slowly drizzle in the very cold water, stirring with a large spatula after every tablespoon or two of water that you add. Take your time to see how well the dough is coming together and don’t add any more water than you need. Stop adding water when the dough begins to clump.

Roll out the dough on a floured work surface. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Form the dough into a ball and then divide it in half. Flatten each half into a 1-inch thick disc using your hands. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and efrigerate for at least one hour.

While the chicken was cooking and cooling and the pie crust was chilling, I began working on the filling.

1 pound roasted chicken meat, pulled from your earlier endeavor
1 cup sliced carrots (about 2 carrots)
2 cups fresh green beans, cut in one inch segments
2 cups small white potatoes, quartered or sliced.
1/3 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 and 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup half-and-half
1 large egg, beaten

In a large saucepan, combine carrots, potatoes, and green beans. Cover them with water and boil for about twelve minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.

Cook the butter, onions, and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until the onions are translucent and the butter is lightly browning. Whisk in the flour until it makes a bit of a paste and then add the chicken, chicken broth, half-and-half, and salt and pepper. Cook and whisk until no flour lumps remain, then simmer over medium-low heat until the mixture gets pretty thick. This may take eight or ten minutes. You want it to be a very thick gravy. Taste and add more seasonings if you prefer. Remove from heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Roll out one half of the chilled pie dough on a floured surface. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle twelve inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Place the chicken mixture on top. Roll out the second half of the dough just as you did the first. Cover the pie and trim the extra overhang off the sides. Seal the edges by crimping with a fork or your fingers. Cut a few small slits in the top crust for steam to escape. Brush the crust and edges with  the beaten egg. Bake for 32 - 38 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. I use a pie crust shield to protect the edges from browning too much too soon. Cool for ten minutes before serving.

Peace,
Milton

chicken limone

When we lived in Charlestown, this was a regular meal at our house. I found it in a cookbook from one of the North End restaurants. I have since lost the pages from that cookbook, but found a version online that helped me put it back together. The unusual thing about this recipe is the chicken is dredged in flour and then put in an egg wash and then put in the sauté pan – without going back into flour or bread crumbs. It has a crispy, but very light coating.

1-2 lbs boneless chicken fillets, cut into 3-4 oz. medallions of uniform thickness
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 cup butter (1 stick)
4 lemons: slice two and juice two, reserving juice
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Whisk the eggs and milk together. Spread the flour, seasoned withs alt and pepper, in a shallow dish. Heat half of the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. While the butter is getting hot, dredge the chicken in the flour, piece by piece, and then dip each one in the egg wash, and then into the sauté pan. Cook the chicken about three minutes on each side. If they are pounded thin, this will make sure they are cooked through. (You may have to do this in two batches in your sauté pan.) Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and keep warm.

Add the remaining butter to the sauté pan and increase the heat. With a wooden spoon or spatula, loosen the particles from the bottom of the pan. Add the lemon juice and the lemon slices and the parsley. Let the sauce reduce until it begins to brown and thicken a bit; pour it over the chicken and serve.

Peace,
Milton

orange chicken

Ginger is a big fan of orange chicken, when it comes to Chinese food. After finding this recipe, I made my own adaptations, it turned out pretty well.

Whisk together

1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 11 oz can mandarin oranges (juice reserved)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 low sodium soy sauce **note**
2 tablespoon fresh ginger-minced
4 clove garlic-minced
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes

Set that aside.

2 pounds chicken, cut in bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons of oil (more, if necessary)

Put cornstarch in a large Zip-lock bag and add chicken; toss to coat. (I guess you could do this in a bowl as well.) Pour oil into a hot skillet and then add chicken; cook over medium high heat until chicken begins to brown a bit -- four or five minutes. Add sauce mixture to the skillet; bring to a slight boil and then lower heat to simmer until chicken is done -- another four or five minutes. Transfer chicken to a bowl and increase heat to let sauce reduce a bit. You can then pour it back over the chicken, or serve it on the side for people to add as they wish.

We had friends over for dinner the other night and I served this. One of them was a vegetarian, so I sauteed a portobello cap that had marinated in the sauce and she loved it.

Peace,
Milton

clementine chicken

This one takes awhile, but it's worth it.

1 6lb. roasting chicken
6 clementines
6 sprigs of rosemary
4 garlic cloves, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup honey
salt and pepper

Cut three of the clementines in half and stuff them inside the chicken, along with the rosemary and the garlic. Put the chicken in a roasting pan, or on a roasting rack, and rub with the olive oil. Cut the other three clementines and squeeze the juice over the top of the chicken, then put the oranges in the bottom of the roaster. Pour the wine over the top of the bird and then the honey; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook in a 425 degree oven for twenty minutes, then add

1/2 cup chicken stock

and cover, using either the lid to the roaster or aluminum foil. Lower the oven temperature to 375 and cook for 40 minutes. Add another

1/2 cup chicken stock

and cook for another 45-50 minutes, until you get a reading of 165 degrees with a meat thermometer stuck in the inner thigh. Put the chicken on a platter and let it rest 10-15 minutes. Remove the clementines and pour the pan juices into a clear measuring cup; skim off the fat and pour the juices into a large saute pan; turn on high heat and reduce by half. Cut the chicken and top with the pan sauce to serve.

I added some small red bliss potatoes (tossed in oil, salt, and pepper) when I added the last of the stock and let them finish cooking with the chicken. They were awesome. I got the basic idea for the recipe here.

Peace,
Milton

risotto with chicken and beet greens

The recipe was inspired by my trip to the Durham Farmers' Market this morning, where I got some heirloom beets that came with the greens still attached.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups beet greens, with stems
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 boneless chicken breast, diced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
4 cups water or chicken stock*
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cut the stems off the beet greens and cut them into a small dice. They will look like little pieces of celery. Stack the green leaves on top of each other and roll them up and then slice them thinly (a chiffonade) so you get long thin strands of greens.

Heat the oil in a deep-sided skillet and add the stems. Cook for about three minutes. Add chicken and cook until done. Add garlic and greens and cook for another two or three minutes, then add the rice. Stir a minute more and add the wine. When the wine has almost dissipated, add the water or stock one cup at a time, waiting until it is absorbed before adding more, which will take about fifteen or twenty minutes. Stir the rice frequently. When the liquid has been mostly absorbed and the rice is soft, stir in the Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and cover. Let stand about ten minutes before serving.

*If you are boiling the beets, save the water and use it for the risotto, which will give it a lovely pink color. If you do this, also substitute red wine for the white, which will intensify the color.

Peace,
Milton

balsamic berry chicken

This has way more to do with the sauce than it does the chicken.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Grill the chicken or saute it. Remember, we're trying to get to the sauce. If you saute the bird, remove it from the saute pan and set aside. If you grill it, you can start the sauce while the chicken is on the grill. Add

8 oz raspberry fruit spread
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 small finely diced onion

Cook over pretty high heat until it begins to bubble; lower the heat and let the sauce reduce by about half. You can either add the chicken to the skillet to coat, or plate them and pour the sauce over the top.

Note: I found a good deal on fresh raspberries at the grocery store and covered a pint of raspberries with water and added about 3 tablespoons of honey and let it simmer until the berries fell apart. Then I added the balsamic vinegar and finished the sauce.

Peace,
Milton

gigi's chicken salad

Answering the musical question: what do you do when she wants chicken salad but hates celery and is allergic to onions?

chicken, cooked and diced
granny smith apple, diced
lemon juice
dried cranberries
pecans, toasted and rough chopped
dijon mustard
mayonnaise
salt and pepper

I didn't put amounts because I think chicken salad is one of those things best balanced as you go. I will say this, for a couple of pounds of chicken, you won't need more than a tablespoon of mustard. I pour a tablespoon or two of lemon juice over the apples while I'm getting everything else ready so they don't turn brown. To toast the pecans, set the oven at 400, put the pecan halves in a pie plate and cook for about five minutes. Chop them after they cool.

Peace,
Milton

chicken and rice

I made this dish for a church meal. It's quick and easy and tastes good, too.

Start by making a spice mix of the following:

1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper

Put the spice mix in a large bowl and add

8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Toss them until they are well covered with the spices. Put a large sauté pan on the stove and get it hot on high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and let the oil heat up as well. Lay the chicken thighs in the pan and brown, cooking about two minutes on each side. (You may have to do more than one pan full.) Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Sauté

1 medium onion, diced (optional)

until it is translucent. Set aside in a small bowl and turn off the heat. Add

3 cups basmati rice
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup fresh pineapple, diced

to the sauté pan and stir to pick up the oil and the flavors. Stir in the onions, if you're using them, and spread the rice mixture in a large baking dish (it needs to be large to hold all the chicken broth). Slowly pour

6 cups chicken stock

over the rice and stir gently to mix. Lay the chicken thighs on top so that they cover the rice completely. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes. (If you don’t want as much rice, reduce the rice by a cup and the broth by two cups.)

Peace,
Milton

saturday night chicken

This was the first meal I ever cooked for Ginger and has become one of the rituals of our marriage.

1 pound boneless chicken breast, cut in thin strips
olive oil
Goya Adobo seasoning (con pimento)
Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
1 pound fettuccine
alfredo sauce

Put a big pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta. If you are using dry pasta, it will take longer to cook than fresh. Time it so the pasta finishes with the chicken and the alfredo sauce.

Put the chicken strips in a bowl and toss with the two seasonings. I use equal parts of both. We like it hot, so I use a good bit. Experiment to your own taste. You can also add more as you are cooking.

Get a saute pan good and hot and then add olive oil. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the chicken and cook until they are cooked through and a little crispy.

Drain the pasta and put in a large bowl. Pour alfredo sauce over pasta and toss. Put pasta on the plate and the chicken on top. Open a nice bottle of wine and feel the love.

Peace,
Milton

king ranch chicken

3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 dried ancho chili, chopped fine
(or 1/2 teaspoon chili powder)
1/2 onion, diced small
3 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken stock or broth
1 cup buttermilk
salt and pepper

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and ancho chili and saute until the onion is translucent -- a minute or two. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to mix, making a roux. It should look like a thick paste. Add about 1/4 cup of the chicken broth, stirring quickly to remove the lumps and then gradually add the rest of the broth and the buttermilk. Puree the mixture in a food processor and return to the stove. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of gravy. Don't bring the liquid to a boil; keep it simmering. Add salt and pepper to taste. When it reaches the consistency you want, remove from heat and set aside.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 onion, diced small (the other half)
1/2 green bell pepper, diced small
1 cup mushrooms, finely chopped
2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
(or 1 can Ro-tel tomatoes with green chilis)
1 small jar chopped green olives and pimentos
4 cups cooked, diced chicken
1 bunch scallions, finely chopped

Heat the oil in a large skillet and saute the onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and tomatoes until the onion is translucent. Add the chicken, olives, and scallions. When they are heated through, pour the sauce into the skillet and mix well. Remove from heat.

8-10 corn tortillas
2 cups chicken broth
2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese

Slice the tortillas into 1/2 inch wide strips and soak in broth for a couple of minutes to soften. Grease a 9x13 baking dish or a 3 quart casserole and ladle just enough broth to cover the bottom. Take half the tortilla strips and cover the bottom of the dish. Pour half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and then top with half the cheese. Repeat the procedure to make a second layer. Cook in a 350 oven for about thirty minutes, until the cheese is nicely browned and the casserole is bubbly.

Serves six to eight -- allegedly.

Peace,
Milton

chicken marsala

I mentioned this dish in one of my earlier posts and someone requested the recipe. There are several ways to approach this dish; here is the version I learned. We served it with mashed potatoes, though many recipes serve it over pasta. The recipe has several steps, but is fairly easy to make.

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken breast tenders, or thin sliced breast cutlets
corn starch

Put about 1/2 cup of corn starch in a half gallon Ziploc bag, add chicken, and seal without squeezing the air out. Shake the bag to coat the chicken. Heat a large skillet until it is quite hot. Add oil and let it heat until it begins to ripple, but not smoke. Add chicken to the pan and let cook about two minutes a side. The chicken should be browned nicely. Lower heat to medium and remove chicken to a plate to rest.

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
10 oz mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 oz prosciutto, cut in thin strips
salt
pepper

Add the additional oil and let it get hot. Using a spatula or spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen up any little crunchy bits. Add garlic and shallots and cook until they soften. Add mushrooms and cook until moisture is cooked out (three or four minutes). Add prociutto and cook for an additional minute or two.

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons dry Marsala wine
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Add wine first to deglaze the pan; let it cook for about a minute and then add chicken broth and lemon juice. Let the whole mixture reduce by half and then return the chicken to the pan and cook the whole dish until the sauce is the thickness you desire. (I don’t like mine to be very brothy.)

10 oz baby spinach leaves

The final step is to add the spinach and turn off the heat. Stir the dish until the spinach is wilted, divide into four portions and serve. Serves 4.

Peace,
Milton

corn chip chicken

If Weight Watchers is a train, then this past weekend was a train wreck. I could give you reasons, but suffice it to say I used up enough points for most of July. And a good time was had by all. One of my endulgences (see, I told you I had a good time) was Ben and Jerry's Vermonty Python ice cream, which according to an old family tradition, I had mixed with Fritos corn chips. Tonight, with a return to sanity looming with the impending dawn, I had left over Fritos with which to contend, so I made up a chicken dish that kept me from polishing off the bag myself and was only 7 points. We ate it with some roasted red beets and sauteed beet greens (both 0 points) and finished the day in style.

4 thin sliced chicken breast filets
flour
skim milk
Fritos corn chips (I suppose you could try this with other chips, too)
olive oil

Dredge the chicken in the flour to coat it, dip it in the milk, and then press into the Frito crumbs. Saute in olive oil over medium high heat until golden and crispy -- about three minutes a side.

Serves 4.

Peace,
Milton

lemon-dijon chicken

(Not to be confused with Dijon Chicken, which is also good.)

4 serving chicken breast, boneless
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tsp olive oil
dried bread crumbs

Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness. Mix Dijon, lemon juice, and 2 Tsp olive oil and toss with chicken; cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least half an hour.

Put bread crumbs in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Press each piece of chicken in bread crumbs to coat both sides and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle remaining 2 Tsp olive oil over chicken and cook in 375 oven for about twenty minutes.

1/4 cup white wine
1 medium lemon
1/2 cup fat-free skim milk
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/2 tsp cornstarch

In small saucepan, put sliced lemons and 1/2 cup white wine and cook over high heat until wine is almost all cooked away. Reduce to medium heaat and add 1/2 cup skim milk. When it gets hot, put into food processor to puree and return to saucepan. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 tsp corn starch into chicken broth until dissolved and add to milk mixture. Heat until sauce thickens. Pour over chicken before serving.

Serves 4. 6 points per serving.

Peace,
Milton

chicken with olives, capers, and roasted lemons

I adapted this from a recipe I got at Food & Wine, so it would be a little more Weight Watcher friendly. All the good stuff is still there, just in moderation. The taste is similar to Chicken Piccata. The spinach and bread crumbs is a nice side. You don't really need an added starch unless you just want one.

2 medium lemons, sliced

Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the lemon slices in a small bowl and toss to coat with a little olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the lemons begin to brown around the edges.

10 oz spinach
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp dried bread crumbs

While the lemons are in the oven, heat a large skillet and cook the spinach and over high heat, tossing, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the spinach to a strainer; press out the liquid. Wipe out the skillet and heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in it. Add the bread crumbs and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until toasted, 2 minutes. Add the spinach, season with salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. Cover and set aside.

1/8 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 Tbsp capers
20 large olives, pitted (I used the mix at the deli counter)
2 Tbsp parsley
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

In a deep medium skillet, heat the remaining 1/8 cup of oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and dust with the flour, shaking off the excess. Cook the chicken over high heat, turning once, until golden, about 6 minutes. Add the olives, capers and stock and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat until the stock is reduced by about two-thirds, about 5 minutes. Add the roasted lemons, butter and parsley, season with salt and pepper and simmer just until the chicken is cooked through, about 1 minute.


Transfer to plates and serve. I used the spinach as the base on which to put the chicken, but it can also be served on the side.

Serves 4. 7 points per serving.

Peace,
Milton

chicken and prosciutto rolls

These take a little work, but not an inordinate amount of time for what you get when they're done.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4-8 slices Swiss cheese (or 6 oz. goat cheese -- your pick)
2 cups sauteed spinach (can use frozen, too)
8 slices prosciutto

Put the chicken breast on the cutting board, cover it with a piece of plastic wrap or waxed paper and pound it out into an even thickness of about a quarter of an inch. Place a slice of Swiss cheese (two, if they're square) in the middle of the chicken and then put a layer of spinach. If you're using goat cheese, mix the cheese and spinach together and then spread the mixture on top of the chicken. Roll the chicken breast up like a jelly roll, tucking in the sides to seal it. Wrap one slice of prosciutto long ways around the chicken and the other sideways so the roll is enclosed. Repeat for all four breasts.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook the chicken rolls over medium heat, turning about every three minutes until prosciutto is crispy and chicken is done.

Serves 4. (I think it would go really well with the brussels and berries.

Peace,
Milton

dijon chicken

This is a really tasty dish that is quick and easy to make -- my kind of meal.

1/2 cup canned unsalted chicken broth
1/2 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, well trimmed

Combine the first 5 ingredients in heavy large skillet. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with pepper. Cover and poach until the chicken is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. (If you pound the chicken to about a half inch thickness, you can reduce the cooking time.) Transfer chicken to platter. Turn the heat to high and boil the remaining liquid in skillet until it is reduced to a sauce consistency, which will take a couple of minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Serves 6. (If you don't want to serve six, use fewer pieces of chicken; I often make it for just the two of us and halve the other ingredients.)

drunken turkey

I know -- this is way too late to be much help for tomorrow, but here it is anyway: the recipe I use for our Thanksgiving and Christmas turkeys. I've tried a lot of things over the years, but since this recipe appeared in the November 2001 edition of Food & Wine, I've never tried any other recipes. We've come to know it as Drunken Turkey.

You can find the original recipe here. I will give you my version.

1 turkey (ours is fourteen pounds this year)
2 cups of bourbon
1 cup of orange juice
1 cup of maple syrup
salt and pepper
1 stick of butter, softened
citrus fruit, onions, and apples

water
3/4 c flour
4 cups of chicken broth
1 cup of pecans

In a bowl, mix the bourbon, OJ, syrup and spices together.

Take your fingers and work them under the turkey skin to separate it from the breast and thighs. Take your time and don't tear the skin if you can help it. Put a large oven bag in a bowl and set the turkey in it with the cavity side up. Pour the bourbon mixture between the skin and the bird and then seal the bag up tight. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, take the bird out of the bag and place it in a roasting pan. Save the marinade. Take about half of the butter and rub it on the bird underneath the skin; rub the other half on the outside of the skin. Stuff the cavity of the bird with sliced citrus, apples, and onions and then tie the legs together and pour half of the reserved marinade over the top of the turkey. Put in a preheated 325 oven and roast for thrity minutes. Baste the bird with the pan juices and add a couple of cups of water to the pan. Cook for another hour, basting every thirty minutes. Cover loosely with foil and cook for another hour or two, depending on the size of the turkey.

When you move the turkey to the carving platter, make sure to drain the pan juices to make an incredible gravy. Cover the bird loosely with foil to keep it warm. Put the pan juices in a small containter and put it in the freezer for a few minutes. The fat will begin to congeal on the top and you can remove it easily. Take about six tablespoons of the fat and melt it in a saucepan. Once it is hot, add the flour to make a roux. Warm the chicken broth and add it to the roux, whisking constantly to make the broth thicken. Add the pan juices and pecans and simmer for about fifteen minutes to really let the flavors mix. Season with salt and pepper.

You can find the rest of my writing for today here.

Peace,
Milton

barbeque bonfire packs

This is a recipe that grew out of necessity. Sunday night we had a dinner at church to say thanks to the folks who gave money for our mission trip. Most of the kids that went were seniors, so we had a small crew to fix dinner for about fifty people. I kept trying to think of something that we could do that would be easy to cook and clean up. Here's what I came up with: barbeque bonfire packs.

Cut aluminum foil in two foot pieces.

Put a piece down and spray with non-stick spray. Then layer

10 Tater Tots (I needed some sort of precooked potato and Tots are the best)
three slices of zucchini (sliced about 1/4 inch at an angle)
half a piece of andouille sausage
one boneless chicken thigh
barbeque sauce
one onion slice

Close pack tightly and place on a baking sheet in a 350 oven for about thirty five minutes. Before you serve it, open the pack and sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Everyone loved it and, as far as church suppers go, we fed fifty people for $150.

You can read the post that goes with this recipe here.

Peace,
Milton

coconut and pecan crusted friend chicken

4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts
1 cup pecan pieces
1 cup shredded coconut
flour
eggs
coconut milk

Grind the pecan pieces in a food processor or a coffee grinder until they are like a powder. Mix the pecans, coconut, and about a cup of flour in a bowl. Put another cup of flour in another bowl. Break and whisk about four eggs until well blended and then add coconut milk (about a half a can). Pour oil in a skillet about half an inch deep and get it good and hot. Put the chicken breast in the plain flour, shake off excess and dip in egg mixture, and then into pecan-coconut mixture, pressing the chicken down into the mix to make sure it's well coated. Fry the chicken until golden brown (about three minutes a side).

I served it with bleu cheese mashed potatoes (I made the mashed potatoes and then mixed in the bleu cheese right before I served them) and sauteed baby spinach leaves.

You can read the post that goes with this recipe here.

Peace,
Milton

open-faced chicken pot pie

Basically, you're making biscuits and putting the pot pie filling in the middle.

Cheddar biscuits

2 c flour
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
2 T oil (or shortening)
3/4 c grated cheddar cheese
1 c buttermilk

Mix dry ingredients; add oil (or cut in shortening) until it is a coarse meal; add cheese. Work into a ball and cut into 3 inch rounds. Bake at 450 for 10-12 minutes.

Chicken-Vegetable Filling
(this is what I put in -- very adaptable to what you like)

2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1/4 lb prosciutto, cut in small strips
4 scallions, cut in 1 inch lengths
1 med carrot, diced
1 med potato, diced
2 c green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 T chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 c chicken broth
cayenne pepper
1/4 c sherry
1 c heavy cream

Heat oil, add chicken and S & P, and cook till browned (about 8 mins); add prosciutto and cook one more minute. Reserve.
In same skillet, heat chicken broth and add scallions, carrots, potato, and green beans; bring to a boil and let cook until broth is almost evaporated. Add thyme, cayenne, and chicken and cook everything over medium heat for one minute.
Add sherry and cook about two minutes, until almost evaporated; add cream and simmer until slightly thickened -- about five minutes.

Split the biscuits. Put bottom halves on plate (I like to use large bowls), spoon chicken mixture on top, and then add biscuit tops. Serves four.

Read the journal entry that goes along with this recipe here.