Continue reading »]]> I have been cooking a lot of whole chickens as of late. A local grocery store had a sale on several Saturdays in a row on whole chickens for $.69/lb. That was a deal I do not want to pass up, so I would always head off there and get my max allowed 2 chickens. I would usually freeze one and cook the other one soon after. Eventually started tiring of the same old roast chicken, so I searched out some other methods. One I came upon was Alton Brown’s Broiled, Butterflied Chicken. I have never done either of these things with chicken before, so it was the perfect idea.

I have tried this recipe twice now and both times ran into some issues, but I think my third attempt will be the charm. Read below my experiences from this recipe. You can find the entire recipe at Food Network’s website.

1) Butterflying the chicken was easier than I thought. A good pair of kitchen shears will easier help you remove the backbone. The harder part is removing the bone, so that the breast can lay flat. Alton makes it look easy in the show, but it I had to mess with it a bit to get the bone off. Hopefully with practice I will get better.

2) The first time I broiled the chicken, I did so with the rack at the lowest level. But it was still raw in the middle after the 30 minutes it says in the recipe outline. I would use my probe thermometer to get the exact temperature but in this case the broiler is too harsh of any environment for that. What I discovered when reading the first volume of Good Eats, is that the book tells you to broil it for 25 minutes, then flip and another 25, much longer than the online instructions say. This would probably solve the problems I had.

3) The second time I broiled the chicken, I read the book halfway through after being frustrated the chicken still wasn’t done even when I moved it to a higher position in the oven. Some of the skin was pretty black. I ended up having to finish it by turning the broiler off and just roasting it at 425.

4) The next time I try this I am going to follow the book and do it 25 minutes each side as well as keep the chicken on the lower rack, so I don’t blacken it.

5) Alton makes a sauce out of the chicken drippings. I haven’t tried this yet, because both times dinner was later than I wanted and I didn’t want to take the time to try it.

Sometimes with recipes, you have to work with them a bit, figure out what works for you. Don’t just give up with the first “failure”. Both times my chicken still turned out moist and juicy (especially the 2nd time as I brined it). It just took longer because I keep taking it out of the oven. But I am confident when I get it right, I will be happy with the results.

If you are a fan of a crispy skin on your chicken, then it’s worth the effort to master this recipe. You can get that crispy skin without drying out the meat underneath. So it’s a way to have your cake and eat it too.

Continue reading »]]> A new episode of Good Eats aired Monday night, entitled “A Bird in the Pie is Worth Two in the Bush”. It contains 3 recipes for pot pies. I asked my wife which recipe she would like to try first. She went for the Individual Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry. Below you will find my notes from this recipe. Visit Food Network’s website for the full recipe.

The Filling

1. I had some leftover chicken from making Alton’s Chicken & Dumplings the night before. So I use this chicken, instead of making new.

2. The recipe calls for cremini mushrooms. These mushrooms are also called baby bella mushrooms. This is what I find them called at my local grocery store.

3. The filling is pretty easy to make. Just make sure you use a wide enough pot, like a cast iron skillet. Having enough room to stir everything without it flying out of the pan is important here.

4. Be patient. It will take a few minutes for the filling to thicken up. It will look like too much liquid at first, so don’t panic.

The Puff Pastry

1. Be sure you follow Alton’s instructions closely. Making this pastry is not easy.

2. You need to keep everything as cold as possible. So don’t make this right next to a hot stove or a running dish washer. Alton said that if the butter starts to melt you need to stop and place a sheet pan with ice or an ice pack on top of it for 5 minutes. This will chill down the dough. I did this twice with my dough.

3. Alton used about 10 tablespoons of ice water to get the dough together. I didn’t count how many I used, but I know it was more than that. Keep adding a couple tablespoons at a time until your dough comes together.

Baking the Pies

1. I don’t have the size ramekins that Alton uses. I have two wide ones, so I used those. Not all the filling fit, so am saving some in the fridge to use the next day, along with half the puff pastry.

2. I found my pie cooked a lot quicker than Alton’s did. He said bake it for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 and bake another 15-20. I found that I only need about 5 more minutes after I reduced my heat to get to golden brown. This could be because I had a different shape ramekin. So don’t just go by the time the recipe gives, keep your eye on the pie. When it’s golden and the filling is bubbly, take it out.

Final Thoughts

My wife said this was the best pot pie she ever had. The puff pastry crust came out perfect, even better than store bought. I didn’t think I could make my own puff pastry, but this recipe showed me that I can. I am going to try to see how these pies do frozen, so we can pull them out of the freezer when we need a quick meal (much better than pulling a store bought frozen one).

Recipe Grade: A

Continue reading »]]> Chicken pot pie is a dish that is commonly found on the American table. Unfortunately most people get theirs out of a frozen box that is full of unnecessary fat and enough salt for an entire day. In a new episode of Good Eats that aired last night, Alton Brown shows the viewer how to prepare 3 different types of pot pies. This isn’t the first time he has made a pot pie (he made a Curry Chicken Pot Pie in the episode “Casserole Over”, but this is the first show dedicated to the subject.

Medieval Game Hen Pot Pie | Click here for the full recipe

This type of pot pie is meant to take you back to a time where the dough itself was the only cooking vessel people used. The entire Cornish game hen is cooked inside a pie crust, along with dried fruit. To bring the dough together Alton used hot water with the fat already melted in. The hot water helps to hydrate the flour, which makes the dough easier to work with. The fat will help keep the dough from becoming too elastic. Alton says often when a dish like this was cooked, the meat was enjoyed by the upperclass, while the servants ate the outer crust. The crust soaks up the flavor from the dish, but it might tend to be on the harder side, so it may be good exercise for your teeth. It’s interesting to see what people did in the past, but I do know if this recipe has a future in my kitchen.

Individual Chicken Pot Pie with Puff Pastry | Click here for the full recipe

This recipe is a bit more modern. You take sliced up boneless skinless chicken and cook it through in a cast iron skillet. Then add the chopped up vegetables. Then flour, chicken broth or stock, and milk is added to make a creamy sauce. For the topping, Alton makes his own puff pastry. I am pretty sure in a previous episode he said it’s too hard to make yourself, but I think he changed his mind or found a short cut. To make the puff pastry, he combined flour, butter, and salt. He froze them in a bag in the freezer for an hour. Everything must be super cold for it to turn out right. That includes adding ice cold water to bring the dough together and using a cold pack onto of a sheet pan if the butter starts to melt. Check out the link to the recipe to see how he folds the dough, it involves several steps. Now this dish is meant to be made into individual servings. It serves 4. I wonder how well it would do if you wrapped it up and froze it to cook at a later time.

Chicken Biscuit Pot Pie | Click here for the full recipe

This is meant to be the breakfast option as it contains sausages and biscuits. It contains shredded chicken as well as chicken sausage. Once the meat and sauce is prepared, you add the biscuits on top and bake in the oven inside a cast iron skillet. The biscuits contain white cheddar and some herbs. If you wanted to, you could just bake the biscuits on their own.

So if you have gotten worn out on the same old chicken pot pie, then give one of these recipes a try.

Continue reading »]]> I have heard reports of 3 new episodes of my favorite cooking show, Good Eats will be airing next month. Here are the names of the episodes and when they will air.

March 7, 2011 : Pantry Raid XIII: Destination Chickpea | Hummus, Falafel
March 14, 2011: A Bird In The Pie Is Worth Two In The Bush | Chicken Pot Pie
March 21, 2011: Devil Of A Cake | Devil’s Food Cake, Red Velvet Cake

It is looking like March is going to be a great month for Good Eats fan. I am particularly looking forward to the cake episode. The Chicken Pot Pie episode will mark the 2nd time Alton has done pot pie. I am thinking he is going more traditional this time as his first chicken pot pie was made using puff pastry.

Continue reading »]]> Citrus and poultry make a great combination. Most of the times I use lemons to flavor chicken. But last night I was in the mood for something different. I had a box of Clementine mandarins in the fridge. So I decided to use them to wipe out a glaze for some boneless skinless chicken thighs I was defrosting. This glaze is simple to do and a lot of flavor to the chicken.

Ingredients
For the glaze
8-10 Clementines, enough to make 2 cups of pulp
1 1/2 – 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon honey

For the chicken
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (you could also use bone-in)
canola or vegetable oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Start by peeling 8-10 Clementines and place them into a blender or a container and use a stick blender. Place a sieve over a sauce pan and pour the mixture through it. You could also juice the Clementines if you wish. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium, so you don’t boil over. Cook until the juice it has begun to thicken and is almost a syrup like consistency, but not quite. Add the honey, soy sauce, and ginger. Taste the mixture, if it needs more soy or honey, then a little more. Bring back to a boil, stirring constantly until it’s thick. Be careful because you could easily burn the mixture.

To prepare the chicken, season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then grab a large skillet or electric skillet, and place enough canola oil just to cover the bottom. Heat the skillet over medium high heat. When skillet is ready, place the chicken inside. Cook until the chicken is nice and brown on one side, then flip over and do the same for the other side. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees and the juices run clear.

To add your glaze, I recommend using a silicone brush to brush the glaze onto the chicken.

Continue reading »]]> This is a recipe review, which means this is a recipe that I did not personally come up with, but that I tried out and am giving my opinion on how the recipe turned out. For legal reasons I cannot post these recipes, but I can tell you where you can get them yourself.

I watched Alton Brown’s episode of Good Eats entitled “Don’t Be Chicken Of Dumplings” when it first aired a couple months ago. But since it was entering summer time I wasn’t quite ready to drink down some chicken broth. But with the sore throat I have been dealing with lately, I thought the time is now. So I ran off to the supermarket to get what I needed. Here are my notes from this recipe:

Click here to open up the recipe.

1. I only have a 4 qt pressure cooker. Thus a 5 to 5 1/2 pound stewing hen isn’t going to fit. I could barely squeeze in a 4 pound roasting chicken. But it worked just fine. It still produced a flavorful meal.

2. Alton strained his broth with a colander and cheesecloth because he likes his broth clean. He said his mother would say this step isn’t necessary. I agree with his mother. I left my broth as is. I just transferred to another a wide pot for the cooking of my dumplings.

3. The dumplings were easy to make. I had no problems whatsoever. Using a gallon size bag with a corner cut out is the perfect way to dispense the dumplings into the hot broth. Also the dumplings tasted great!

4. My wife originally wanted to add carrots and celery thinking the broth would not be flavorful enough with just salt added. But with one taste of the broth, the vegetables remained in the fridge! The broth is very flavorful.

This was an excellent dish, that I look forward to using on cold winter evenings and for guests. It’s easy to make and delicious.

Recipe Grade: A

If you are big Alton fan like I am, you might be interested in checking out these Good Eats books:
The Early Years
The Middle Years

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Thought it was time to add another electric skillet recipe to the site. This one is for one flavored by the power of garlic. This basic recipe is for two, but you can easily double or triple it for whatever you need.

Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium sized boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 stick butter
1 tablespoon canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt
dried oregano

Start by melting some butter in your electric skillet set to the lowest setting. Add in the oil, this increases the smoke point of the butter. Take your chicken and cut it into bite size pieces. This will allow the chicken to cook faster as well as increase the surface to mass ratio, which means more chicken is browned and browning equals flavor. Add salt and black pepper to your chicken pieces to taste.

When the chicken is ready, add your chicken and garlic and increase your skillet to 300 degrees or medium high. Turn your chicken often to preventing sticking and to cook evenly. It should take about 10-15 minutes. If you are wondering if you are done, simply take out a piece, cut it in half. Any juices should be clear and there should be no sign of pink. Before you pull your chicken add some dried oregano to give it a flavor boast and serve!

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Recently I discovered ramps at a local grocery store (Produce Station). They are also called wild leeks and can add an onion/garlic flavor to a dish. Click here to read my post on what ramps are. Ramps go excellent with chicken.

Ingredients
1 whole fryer chicken (make sure to remove whatever is in the cavity, giblets, heart, etc.)
1 bunch of ramps (6-8 ramps)
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
dried rosemary
dried tarragon
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (to make a sauce)

* NOTE * Get all your ingredients ready ahead of time so that there isn’t an cross-contamination. The last thing I want is for you to touch the chicken and then touch your containers of herbs to get them out for this recipe. Put everything you need in small bowls before you even touch your chicken and make sure to wash your hands before you touch anything else in your kitchen.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take your ramps and cut off the leaves, leaving the pink stem attached to the bulbs. Save the leaves for later use. Take the bulbs and drizzle some olive oil over them, then sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper over them.

Now place your chicken on a roasting pan. Using a pairing knife or kitchen shears, pull back the skin without removing it, over the breasts, thighs, and drumstick areas of the chicken. Place the ramps under the skin in these areas. Sprinkle some dried rosemary and tarragon over these same areas and the entire chicken.

Insert a probe thermometer into the breast on an angle, being careful not to hit any bone. Cook the chicken until the temperature reaches 165 degrees. The dark meat should be at 180, so make sure to check that too, and if the dark meat is not ready, put foil over the breast and cook until the dark meat hits 180.

Now to prepare the sauce. Take your roasting pan and place it over 2 burners. Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth. Scrap all the bits you can off the bottom of the pan and bring to a boil. Add the leaves from your ramps and cook for 2 minutes, then remove them. Simmer the sauce until it has been reduced to your desired thickness. Keep in mind that the more water that you lose, the more salty the sauce will be, so since my wife does not like things too salt and keep the sauce pretty thin.

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I don’t like the overuse nowadays of the words “comfort food”. It seems like everyone wants to label their top 20 favorite foods as comfort foods. Well I think there is one true comfort food, and that is chicken noodle soup. American mothers have been using it for decades to give to their children when they are feeling under the weather. Unfortunately, alot of those mothers are giving their kids the soup out of a can. But I have a simple recipe for a single serving chicken noodle soup that can be made fast with leftover chicken.

Ingredients
Leftover chicken
4 oz pasta (I like rotini, penne, bow ties)
1-2 carrots
1 celery stalk
3 cups chicken stock or broth
dried basil
sea salt & black pepper to taste

Start by slicking your carrots and celery into bite size pieces. Bring your stock or broth to a boil and add your carrots and celery. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook until the carrots and celery have soften about 8-10 minutes. Now add in your pasta and return to a boil. Once reached a boil again simmer until the pasta is al dente. Then add your chicken, and cook for about 3-5 minutes to just re-heat the chicken. Stir in a heavy pinch of dried basil. Add salt or black pepper to taste. Serve with oyster crackers or saltines.

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One of the things that is perfect to make with leftover chicken is chicken fajitas. My electric skillet is the perfect cooking vessel for this job. This recipe is quick and easy, especially if you are using leftover chicken, that only needs to be heated back up.

Leftover chicken (about 2-3 servings worth, broken into bite size pieces)
1 orange, red, or green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
cilantro, chopped
canola oil
tortillas
grated cheddar cheese
sour cream

Set your electric skillet to 300 degrees. Add enough oil to just barely cover the bottom of the skillet. Then add your onion and bell pepper. Cook until both are soften, making sure to stir often. Now add in your chicken along with the cumin. Cumin is the key spice to any fajitas. If you have a spice grinder, grind whole cumin for the best flavor. Cook the chicken until it has taken on a little bit of color and is fully reheated. Stir in some cilantro. Add some freshly ground black pepper to taste if you desired.

Serve in a your favorite tortilla. When picking out tortillas (unless you want to make your own), look for local companies instead of the national brand. They are usually fresher and don’t have add chemical or preservatives. The Ann Arbor Tortilla Factory is a great option for those living in my area. Add your favorite cheddar cheese, please shred it yourself, and sour cream if you like for dipping.