Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is one of my very favorite things to order from an Italian restaurant. Piccata actually refers to a method of cooking where something is sauteed in a sauce of butter, lemon juice and capers. In Italy, veal and fish are most often cooked in the piccata style, but chicken seems to be the popular choice in the United States. Whatever you choose, this dish is delicious and the impressive way it looks on a plate belies how simple it actually is to make.

CHICKEN PICCATA

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• salt and pepper, to taste
• all purpose flour, for dredging
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup dry white wine (I like Sauvignon Blanc)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 3 Tbsp. capers, drained (or rinsed well if using capers cured in salt)
• 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley, optional

1. Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally.
2. Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4-inch thickness.
3. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Dredge chicken in flour until well-coated, shaking off excess flour.
5. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and butter together over medium-high heat.
6. Add chicken breasts and cook until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.
7. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate.
8. In the same pan where you browned the chicken, add lemon juice, wine, and broth, and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits at the bottom of the pan.
9. Stir in capers, then return the chicken to the pan, including any juices that might have leaked out onto the plate.
10. Continue to cook for another 4 or 5 minutes till the sauce reduces and thickens a little bit.
11. Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped parsley, if desired.

NOTE: Instead of half white wine and half chicken broth, you can make the sauce with just chicken broth or just wine. But don’t leave out the lemon juice. It’s a must!

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Stir-Fry Chicken in Black Bean Sauce

This is one of the easiest chicken dishes you can make. My local grocery stocks jars of black bean garlic sauce, but you can also find it in Asian food stores. Black bean sauce is a common condiment in Chinese cuisine. It’s made from fermented black soy beans and is really delicious, though extremely salty so use it sparingly. A little does go a long way with black bean sauce. It’s best to start with a tablespoon at a time, tasting and adding a little more at the end if you need to.

STIR-FRY CHICKEN IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in cubes
• ½ small onion, cut into a half-inch dice
• 1 bell pepper, cut into a half-inch dice
• 3 tbsp. black bean garlic sauce, or to taste

1. Heat a little bit of cooking oil in a wok or frying pan.
2. Add chicken and 1 tablespoon black bean sauce and stir fry until chicken is half cooked.
3. Add onions and 1 more tablespoon black bean sauce, continuing to stir fry for another minute.
4. Finally add bell pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon black bean sauce, and stir fry until bell pepper is crisp-tender.
5. Taste for seasoning, and stir in a little more black bean sauce if desired.
6. Serve with hot white rice.

Green Dragon Chicken Rolls

My friend, Pooh, was at Trader Joe’s when they were handing out samples of these rolls. She loved them so much, she asked the lady how she made them, then wasted no time picking up all the ingredients to try making them herself once she got home. She then came over to my house and taught me how to make them.

These rolls make a great appetizer for parties or family gatherings. All the ingredients to make them come from Trader Joe’s but you could really buy them anywhere (except for the green dragon sauce). You can cut the recipe in half if you don’t want to make so many rolls.

GREEN DRAGON CHICKEN ROLLS

• 1 bag (1 lb. 12 oz.) frozen breaded chicken
• 8 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, then crumbled
• 1 cup sour cream, plus extra to use as “glue”
• 2 – 8 Tbsp. Trader Joe’s Green Dragon hot sauce
• ½ small head of lettuce, very thinly sliced
• 1 pkg. (6 sheets) lavash flatbread

1. Bake breaded chicken according to package directions.
2. Let cool completely, then chop into little pieces.
3. In a small bowl, combine sour cream and green dragon sauce. Start with two tablespoons green dragon sauce and keep adding, a tablespoon at a time, till it’s as hot as you like. Three tablespoons is plenty hot for me.
4. Toss chopped chicken, crumbled bacon, sour cream mixture, and lettuce together in a large bowl.
5. Place a sheet of lavash bread down on your work surface.
6. Mound 1/6 of chicken mixture down one long edge of lavash.
7. Smear about an inch wide of sour cream along opposite edge. This acts as the “glue” to seal the roll closed.
8. Roll lavash up tightly beginning at side with chicken mixture and ending at side with sour cream, pressing edge to seal well.
9. Repeat with remaining lavash and chicken mixture.
10. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
11. Slice into 3/4-inch thick slices and serve.

NOTE:  If you can’t get Green Dragon sauce, substitute some other hot sauce like Sriracha. You can also substitute tortillas for the lavash.

Pollo Basquaise (Basque Chicken)

I always wanted to go to Spain. I mean who wouldn’t want to see the Sagrada Familia, or take a stroll along La Rambla in Barcelona? I would love to tour the Alhambra in Granada, go tapas bar hopping in Madrid, watch the tapping of a flamenco dancer in Seville, admire the moorish architecture of Toledo, or relax on a sunny beach in Ibiza. And the food! I would love to eat paella, jamon serrano, churros con chocolate, turron…. Alas, it’s all still just a dream for me. Maybe someday I’ll finally make it to Spain. For now, the closest I can get is to prepare Spanish dishes like this one.

POLLO BASQUAISE (BASQUE CHICKEN)

• 12 small new potatoes, peeled or unpeeled (your choice)
• 3 Tbsp. extra­ virgin olive oil
• 3 – 4 dried Spanish chorizo sausages (like chorizo de Bilbao), cut diagonally into ¾-inch pieces
• 8 skin-­on, boneless chicken thighs, halved crosswise
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 3 large garlic cloves, crushed
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 small can (4 oz.) tomato paste
• 1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 10-12 jarred piquillo peppers, drained and halved lengthwise
• 1 jar (5 ozs.) pimento-stuffed green olives, drained
• 1 can (15 ozs.) garbanzo beans, drained

1. Boil potatoes until cooked, drain, and set aside.
2. In an 8-quart Dutch oven or large, high-­sided, cast ­iron skillet, warm 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat.
3. Add chorizo and cook, turning occasionally, until browned.
4. Transfer cooked chorizo to a large plate and set aside.
5. Add remaining olive oil to the pot and raise heat to medium-high.
6. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper, then add skin side down to pan.
7. Cook until skin is browned and chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally.
8. Transfer cooked chicken to the plate with the chorizo.
9. Lower heat to medium and add onion, garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf.
10. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until onions become translucent.
11. Stir in tomato paste and diced tomatoes with the juice.
12. Cook, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
13. Return the chorizo and chicken to the pot.
14. Add the wine and chicken stock, and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
15. Add the potatoes, piquillo peppers, olives, and garbanzo beans.
16. Continue to cook, stirring well, until vegetables are heated through.
17. Serve hot with white rice.

NOTE:

• Buy boneless, skinless chicken or remove the skin if you prefer not to eat it.
• If you can’t find piquillo peppers, substitute 1 chopped fresh red bell pepper, and add it in when you add the wine and chicken stock.
• You don’t have to use the whole jar of olives or the whole can of garbanzo beans. Feel free to use only as much as you want. Or omit them entirely if you prefer. Old Goat loves garbanzos and my kids love olives so I throw them all in.

King Ranch Chicken Casserole

This dish is a Tex-Mex favorite. In fact, I hear you can’t go to a church social or potluck down in Texas without seeing one version or other of this dish on the table. It’s not surprising because not only is it delicious, but it can be made ahead of time and it travels well.

You can make a low-fat version of this dish by substituting reduced fat cream of mushroom soup, reduced fat cream of chicken soup, and reduced fat cheese. It turns out just as yummy.

I like to serve this dish with some sour cream and salsa on the side. I never have any leftovers when I make it. Try making this easy recipe for your next weeknight dinner or office potluck and you’ll see what I mean.

KING RANCH CHICKEN CASSEROLE

• 2 Tbsp. canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 large green bell pepper, chopped (can substitute red bell pepper)
• 1 poblano pepper, chopped (optional)
• 1 whole cooked chicken, deboned and shredded (about 3-4 cups chicken)
• 1 can (10¾ oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can (10¾ oz.) cream of chicken soup
• 1 can (10 oz.) Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. pepper
• 12 (6-­inch) corn tortillas
• 4 cups shredded cheddar cheese (or use your favorite – I like Mexican blend)
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped (optional for garnish)

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet.
3. Sauté onion, bell pepper and poblano pepper until onions start to become translucent.
4. Stir in chicken, soups, Rotel, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
5. Remove skillet from heat.
6. Tear 4 tortillas into 1-­inch pieces and scatter on bottom of prepared baking dish.
7. Top with 1/3 of chicken mixture and 1 cup cheese.
   NOTE:  It’ll seem like you don’t have enough chicken mixture to fill the layer to the edges of the dish, but don’t worry. Just spread the filling really thin. It’s okay to have some empty spots. Once you bake it, it’ll all fill in and be just fine.
8. Tear 4 more tortillas into pieces and make a second layer of tortillas, 1/3 chicken mixture and 1 cup cheese.
9. Tear the last 4 tortillas to make a final layer with the last of the chicken mixture and top with 2 cups of cheese.
10. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until casserole is bubbling and cheese is browning at the edges.
11. If desired, garnish with chopped green onion before serving.

NOTE:  This casserole can be made ahead of time and refrigerated up to 2 days, or frozen for up to 1 month. To cook from frozen, thaw in refrigerator overnight, then bake as directed.

Summer Berry and Chicken Salad

Summer has kicked in with a vengeance! Boy is it Hot!….. with a capital H!  We’ve been experiencing some triple digit days these past couple of weeks. Believe me, 108 degrees is no picnic! This kind of heat makes me think of long, tall drinks, big bowls of ice cream, and cool refreshing salads.

This salad is a play on my friend Cyndi’s winter fruit salad. I thought why not do the same thing for the summer except using fresh berries? I had some leftover shredded rotisserie chicken so I added it in for some healthy protein. The salad made a great lunch served with some of No. 1’s homemade french bread and a cool glass of crisp white wine. Mm… mm… mm…..

SUMMER BERRY AND CHICKEN SALAD WITH LEMON POPPY SEED DRESSING

Dressing:

• ⅓ cup lemon juice
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 tsp. finely chopped onion
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp salt
• ⅔ cup vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. poppy seeds

1. Combine lemon juice, sugar, onion, mustard and salt in the container of a food processor or blender; process until smooth.
2. With the machine running, add oil in a slow, steady stream and process until thick and smooth.
3. Add the poppy seeds and pulse a few times to mix.

Salad:

• 1 large head romaine lettuce, chopped or torn into bite-sized pieces
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 1 cup quartered strawberries
• ½ cup blueberries
• ½ cup pineapple tidbits (or pineapple chunks cut in half)
• ½ cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional)

1. Place the lettuce, chicken, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and nuts in a large salad bowl.
2. Pour the poppy seed dressing over the salad.
3. Toss to coat evenly.

 

Chicken Spaghetti

My Mom occasionally made Chicken Spaghetti for us when we were growing up in the Philippines. I don’t remember what she put in her Chicken Spaghetti, but this is my version created from the faded recollection of a much-enjoyed childhood dish. The ingredients don’t sound very “native” to the Philippines, but Filipinos love cream of mushroom soup and Velveeta cheese which were brought over by the Americans during World War II and which have remained Filipino favorites to this day (along with the ever-popular Spam, of course). LOL!

This recipe makes a really big casserole so it’s perfect for a party or a potluck. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you’re feeding a smaller group of people.

CHICKEN SPAGHETTI

• 1 lb. spaghetti noodles, broken into thirds
• 1 cooked rotisserie chicken, deboned and shredded (about 3-4 cups)
• 1 lb. bacon, diced into ½-inch pieces
• ½ medium onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 2 small cans (4 oz. each) sliced mushrooms, undrained
• 2 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 lb. velveeta cheese, cut into ½-inch cubes
• ½ cup water
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
• ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, for topping

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
3. Add spaghetti to boiling water and cook just until al dente.
4. Pour into a colander to drain.
5. Put bacon in the same pot you used to cook the spaghetti and fry until crispy.
6. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
7. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pot.
8. Sauté onions in the bacon grease until they start to become translucent.
9. Add red bell pepper and sauté until crisp-tender.
10. Stir in the mushrooms with juice, mushroom soup, velveeta cheese, and water.
11. Cook, stirring, until velveeta is completely melted.
12. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
13. Remove from heat, then stir in shredded chicken, cooked spaghetti, and bacon.
14. Pour into an extra large casserole dish, or two medium size ones.
15. Sprinkle top with shredded cheddar cheese, then grated parmesan cheese.
16. Bake 30 minutes or until cheese is melted on top.

Quick and Easy Chinese Chicken Salad

Oh my gosh, is it HOT outside! We hit 104º today! Whew! It’s even too hot to expend the energy fanning yourself! I needed to prepare something cool and refreshing for dinner but I didn’t want to work hard making it. Something quick and easy was in order. Enter my “Quick and Easy Chinese Chicken Salad.” What I love best about this salad is there’s very little prep needed if you buy pre-shredded rotisserie chicken, pre-cut lettuce, shredded carrots, and bottled dressing like I did! Then you literally just need to stack the water chestnut slices to cut them in half, and chop up the cilantro. Easy, peasy!

The dressing recipe I have here is a pretty simple one to make but if you really want to save time and effort, there are a lot of excellent bottled Chinese Chicken Salad Dressings out on the market. Just buy yourself a bottle and skip making it from scratch. Trust me, it’ll turn out just fine.

QUICK AND EASY CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

For the Salad:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, or 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 large head romaine lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces
• ¾ cup shredded carrots
• 1 small can (8 oz.) sliced water chestnuts, drained and cut in half
• 1 small can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
• 1 cup canned crunchy chow mein noodles (can substitute ⅔ cup slivered almonds)
• 2-3 tbsps. toasted sesame seeds for garnish (optional)

For the Dressing:

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ¼ cup rice vinegar (plain or seasoned)
• 3 tbsps. soy sauce
• 1½ tbsps. sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger
• ½ tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
• ¼ cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1. If using rotisserie chicken:  Remove chicken meat from the bones and shred into bite-sized pieces. (I buy it already pre-shredded at Costco.)
   If using boneless, skinless chicken breasts:  Drizzle chicken with olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and bake at 350ºF until chicken is just cooked through, about 30-40 minutes. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-sized pieces.
2. Make dressing by whisking together all of the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
3. Place chicken, lettuce, carrots, water chestnuts, mandarin oranges, cilantro and chow mein noodles in a large salad bowl.
4. Pour dressing over everything and toss together gently.
5. Serve in individual salad bowls and sprinkle with sesame seeds if desired.
6. Salad can be served cold or at room temperature.

Note:  For those of you who’ve asked me, one of my favorite bottled chinese chicken salad dressings is “Joey D’s Chinese Chicken Salad Dressing & Marinade.” It’s really good, but I’m sure there are others just as good out there. Use your favorite one.

Asian Lettuce Cups

I felt like having Chinese food for dinner tonight and started thinking about P.F. Chang’s restaurant. We haven’t eaten there in years, but I remember how much I loved their chicken lettuce wraps. Well, I didn’t have any chicken, but I did have some ground pork so I thought, why not? Couldn’t I create something using pork as a substitute? Here’s what I came up with. The family loved it! I called the dish “Asian” because it was inspired by the wraps from a Chinese restaurant, but teriyaki marinade is Japanese, the noodles are Filipino, the peanut sauce is Indonesian, and the Mae Ploy sauce is Thai. LOL! A delicious blend of Asian flavors!
        

ASIAN LETTUCE CUPS

Prepare the Meat:

• 1 lb. ground chicken or ground pork (I used ground pork)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 bottle Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki marinade & sauce (or use your favorite brand)
• 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 can (8 ozs.) waterchestnuts, diced
• 1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced
• 4-6 shitake mushroom caps, finely diced (optional)
• 1 jalapeño, seeded & minced (optional)

1. Brown ground meat and garlic in a medium saucepot.
2. Drain excess oil, if any.
3. Stir in 1/2 cup teriyaki marinade and let cook for 2-3 minutes, then taste the meat. If it seems lacking in flavor, add more teriyaki sauce, a tablespoon at a time, until the flavor is to your liking. Be careful not to add too much or it will be too salty! I like Soy Vay teriyaki marinade but you could really use whatever brand you like.
4. Stir in grated ginger, cook for a minute more, and then taste the meat again. Just like with the teriyaki sauce, you can add more grated ginger, a teaspoon at a time, till the flavor is to your liking.
5. Stir in the water chestnuts, green onion, shitake mushrooms and jalapeño. Depending on how big your shitake mushroom caps are, you can add more or less, or omit them entirely if you don’t like them at all. Same thing with the jalapeño. You can add more than one if you want the dish spicier, or omit it altogether.

Make the Peanut Sauce:

• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 1½ tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp. grated ginger

1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepot and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wire whisk until well blended.
2. The sauce thickens as it cools. If it becomes too thick, add more water, a tablespoon at a time, till it reaches the consistency you want.

Prepare Remaining Ingredients:

• 1-2 heads butter lettuce
• 1 pkg. bean thread or cellophane noodles
• 1 carrot, julienned
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 bunch basil leaves, chopped
• 1 bunch mint leaves, chopped
• 1 cup peanuts, finely chopped (optional)
• Mae Ploy sweet chilli sauce

1. Carefully separate larger, outer lettuce leaves and wash and dry them well.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the noodles and let boil just until softened, about 2 minutes or so. Drain into a colander, run cold water over them, then allow to drain and cool completely.
3. Place all the condiments in separate little serving bowls.
4. Have everyone assemble their own wraps.

To Assemble:

1. Place a lettuce leaf on your plate.
2. Top with some noodles, then meat, carrots, and herbs.
3. Pour a little peanut sauce over the top.
4. Add a little Mae Ploy sweet chilli sauce.
5. Then finally, sprinkle top with chopped peanuts if desired.
6. If your lettuce leaf is big enough, you can roll it into a little log and call it a lettuce wrap. If not, just serve it open-faced with a fork and knife and call it a lettuce cup like I did! A rose by any other name, right?

NOTE:  If you don’t like ground chicken or ground pork, you can make this dish with whole boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Mix the teriyaki marinade and grated ginger together (omit the rest of the ingredients). Marinate the chicken in the teriyaki-ginger mixture for at least an hour, preferably overnight. Grill the chicken or bake it in the oven. Slice cooked chicken into thin strips. Then continue with the recipe.

Vietnamese Shredded Chicken Salad

My sister, Helen, got the brilliant idea that we should all do this toxin-eliminating, inflammation-reducing, cleansing diet called the Whole 30 program. The program actually sounds really good. It’s supposed to restore a healthy digestive tract, balance your immune system, and raise your metabolism.

Old Goat Honey and I decided that we would do it! It could only help us, not hurt us, and Lord knows we could both stand to lose more than a few pounds. Plus the dramatic benefits of the program sound great! Our resolve firmed up as we read accounts of “consistently high energy levels, improved athletic performance, better sleep, improved focus and mental clarity, and a sunnier disposition.” But that’s about as far as we got on the program. Somehow, we just can’t seem to get started!

ME:  Let’s start the program on Monday.

OLD GOAT:  We’re supposed to take Bashful and her friend out to dinner on Tuesday. Maybe we should start it on Friday.

ME:  We can’t! I have a Mexican potluck at work on Friday!

OLD GOAT:  Well, we’re going out to lunch with your Aunt and her boyfriend on Saturday. Maybe we should start it next Monday instead.

And that’s pretty much how it’s been going. Helen has been successfully doing the program and bugging me everyday to get started on it, while we keep guiltily putting it off for one reason or another. Sigh…….. We’ll get started on it eventually. I know we will……..eventually……

In the meantime, in an effort to at least try to have something healthy on the dinner table tonight, I made this Vietnamese Shredded Chicken Salad. The only “questionable” ingredient in it is the white sugar, but I don’t see why you couldn’t use agave syrup or some other healthy sugar substitute in its place (though I haven’t tried it myself). Also, I used shredded rotisserie chicken which made it really easy.

VIETNAMESE SHREDDED CHICKEN SALAD
(Recipe from the November 2000 issue of Saveur magazine)

• 2 fresh Thai red chiles (can substitute serrano chiles)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. white sugar
• 1 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 3 tbsp. Vietnamese fish sauce (nuó’c mam)
• 3 tbsp. canola oil
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 4 cups shredded napa cabbage
• 2 medium carrots, julienned
• ½ cup roughly chopped fresh mint
• freshly ground black pepper
• cilantro leaves, for garnish

1. Cut chiles in half, remove seeds, then mince.
2. Place chiles in a large bowl.
3. Add garlic, sugar, rice wine vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, oil, and onion.
4. Mix until sugar dissolves.
5. Add chicken, napa cabbage, carrots, and mint.
6. Season with freshly ground black pepper and toss well.
7. Garnish with cilantro leaves, if desired.

NOTE:  No. 1 got the idea to sprinkle chopped peanuts on top of the salad and loved it! He and Old Goat think the peanuts make the salad even better!