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Balsamic Marinated Chicken Thighs

April 9, 2013 By 10 Comments

Heather says:

This recipe for balsamic marinated chicken is sort of a repeat. Why? Because sometimes you don’t want to cook a whole chicken and grab the super-value pack of chicken thighs or leg quarters when they go on sale. Like the garlic and soy chicken thighs, this recipe is simple, the only drawback is it’s much better with a longer marinating period. This is a marinate the night before kind of recipe. Sides can be super simple. I went with baked sweet potatoes and oven roasted okra -I tossed the okra in vinegar and rosemary, with a little olive oil, it was okay, but nothing to write home about. I think lentil pilaf may have been a better choice.

Looking for other chicken recipe ideas: here’s a guide to cooking and using chicken

Balsamic Chicken Thighs

: Chicken Thighs Marinated in Balsamic Vinegar

  • 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar


    •

  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
  • 2 TBSP olive oil
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary – or 1 tsp fresh, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 3 – 4 lbs chicken thighs
  • salt / fresh ground pepper

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the first 8 ingredients. In a shallow, non-reactive container (ie glass or plastic, or even zippered plastic bag) pour all of the marinade over the chicken thighs.
  • Cover and place the container in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for several hours or overnight. Turn the pieces once in a while to ensure they all have a reasonably even coating. (This is where the large zippered bag is handy, check the seal and hand it to a minion to shake)
  • Preheat the oven to 425F and make sure one of the racks is in the middle position.
  • Remove the chicken from the marinade and shake off any excess. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin side up in a as small a baking dish as possible. The point is to ensure the skin is nicely browned, but the chicken isn’t spread out so far that it will dry out before it reaches a safe temperature.
  • Roast for approximately 35 – 50 minutes -this depends on whether or not you took the chicken out of the fridge as recommended in Cooking for Geeks -the whole don’t skip a temperature stage idea) Use a meat thermometer and remove the chicken from the oven as soon as it hits 165F.

Cooking time: 35 – 50

Number of servings (yield): 6

 

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Chicken and Dumplings

November 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

Heather says:

This recipe for chicken and rolled dumplings is my riff on the Lee Bros version which can be found in The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook. I love their recipes and while I think their idea for sweet potato dumplings sounds intriguing, I chose to go with classic rolled dumplings.

Many people include shortening or butter in their rolled dumplings, this would give them more of a damp biscuit feel than a noodle. I stick to milk, flour, salt, pepper, an egg, and if I’m feeling froggy (which I was the other day) a little bit of baking powder. Go easy on the baking powder, you don’t want a bitter dumpling, you just want to lighten the texture. Do not knead or over work the dough, this will cause tough dumplings, only mix the dough just until it comes together.

Chicken and dumplings is a perfect cool weather comfort food. Grab a whole chicken, cut it up, and let’s get started.

Chicken and dumplings

: Chicken and Dumplings

Chicken and Dumpling Ingredients

For the chicken itself:

  • 2 tsp kosher salt,
  • fresh ground pepper to taste
  • 1 4 – 5lb whole chicken cut-up
  • 1 tbsp vegetable or olive oil

For the chicken and dumpling soup:

  • 1/2 cup white wine, crisper is better
  • 12 cups chicken stock
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 bay leaves (more if you’re Bobbie)
  • 2 sliced onions
  • 3 large carrots, sliced into coins
  • 3 stalks celery
  • flat leaf parsley, chopped, ~optional
  • salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Rolled dumplings

  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups all-purpose flour + more for dusting
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 egg (beaten lightly)

  • Season the chicken with the salt and pepper and set aside. Grab a large, 6 quart minimum stock pot or dutch oven and heat over medium high heat.
  • Add the oil to the pot and just as soon as it begins to shimmer add the chicken pieces, but do not crowd the pan (in case you decided to double the recipe) Cook about 3 – 4 minutes per side, just until the skin starts to brown. You want brown bits left behind, these are going to drastically enrich the flavor of your chicken and dumplings.
  • Remove the chicken and set aside for a moment.

  • Add all of the vegetables, except the garlic to the pot. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape up all those browned bits.

  • When onions begin to soften, return the chicken to the pot. Add the stock, additional fresh ground pepper, bay leaves, and garlic to the pot. Cover loosely and bring the soup almost to a boil and reduce the heat immediately to keep everything at a gentle simmer for about 40 minutes. The chicken should be just about falling off the bones.
  • Remove the chicken pieces from the pot, set aside and allow to cool just enough to handle. Separate the chicken from the bones and skin.

Chicken in a bowl

  • Return the cooked chicken to soup and begin increasing the heat until it reaches a simmer. Taste the broth and add additional salt and fresh ground pepper as needed.
  • While the soup is reheating, make the dumplings.

  • Stir together 1 1/2 cups of flour, salt, pepper, and baking powder. In another dish mix the egg and milk. Add the liquid to the flour and stir until a workable dough forms. (You can experiment with more or less flour or milk until you find the exact consistency you want)
  • Dust your workspace with flour and roll out the dough to about 1/8th of an inch.. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the dough into strips an inch wide and the length you’d like. The strips do NOT have to be perfect. Imperfect strips taste just as fab as their perfectly formed counterparts.

Cut dumplings

  • Add the rolled dumplings to the now simmering soup and cook just until the dumplings are done. About 6 minutes or so.
  • Serve.
  • Enjoy

You can also use this base and then add drop dumplings instead of rolled.

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 55 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Culinary tradition: USA (Southern)

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What Kind of Chicken Should I Buy?

March 19, 2012 By 5 Comments

Heather says:

There is an older post (and yes, I really need to retake the pictures) on How to Roast a Chicken here on Home-Ec 101. Over the weekend a commenter asked “What kind of chicken should I buy?”

To be very clear, we’re talking about different kinds of chicken for cooking, not different kinds of chickens for raising. If you want to know about raising chickens, my good friend Angela is all over that (and is currently writing a book on Backyard Farming). Here on Home-Ec 101 we just focus on eating chicken.

In the past choosing the proper chicken for the cooking method used to matter more. Now with commercial farming being the way it is -insert a reminder to consider buying chickens that are raised locally and humanely- it’s important to remember that chickens are raised to produce meat as quickly and efficiently as possible, so even your larger roasting / stewing hens are not “tough old birds” like they used to be, in supermarkets, at least.

Now there is a caveat, those bargain bags of leg quarters, can be from retired laying hens and they may not be as tender as your fryer chickens. While I’m perfectly happy using leg quarters for frying -I personally think they have great flavor. Some people may find that they prefer to use these bargain cuts in recipes for stewing and braising. My personal favorites are Stewed Chicken and Chicken Bog.

If you are buying your chickens from somewhere other than a supermarket the type of chicken may matter.

Buy broilers and fryers (small, younger chickens) for your quick cooking methods. Know that young chicken has less chicken-y flavor than older chicken and should probably be seasoned more heavily (this does not mean salt, I mean with herbs and spices).

Stewing chickens should be cooked with a slower, preferably wet cook. These are perfect for your crockpot / slow cooker recipes, which are by default using the braising cooking method.

I hope this helps you feel more confident when you navigate your poultry purchases.

You may also find this post,  A Guide to Cooking and Using Chicken helpful

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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White Chicken Chili for the Slow Cooker or Crockpot®

February 8, 2012 By 2 Comments

Heather says:

Last month Deneice, a member of the Home Ec 101 Community*, shared several of her recipes with me, including a recipe for white chicken chili. This simple recipe is easily adaptable to use what is in your refrigerator and pantry. Deneice’s recipe  called for lima and cannellini beans, but as I had neither I just doubled the amount of great northern and navy beans. If you have them available, experiment with different bean varieties to provide more flavor and texture or just use 2lbs of one kind of dried, white bean, it’s really up to you.

*The Home Ec 101 Community has incredibly stringent membership requirements including: lurk or comment from time-to-time.

: White Chicken Chili

: White Chicken Chili suitable for the slow cooker

  • ½ pound dry Great Northern beans
  • ½ pound dry navy beans
  • ½ lima beans
  • ½ pound cannellini or white bean
    ———- As long as you have 2lbs of dried beans total, you’re golden
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 4 cloves minced garlic
  • 2-4 chicken (uncooked) boneless skinless breasts or thighs, cut in small pieces
    OR
  • 2 – 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 1 can of green chilies
  • ½ tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)
  • 1 quart chicken stock**
  • Water if needed to cover beans
    **If using homemade stock, you will need to add salt (2 tsp or so) to the slow cooker

White Chicken Chili Instructions:

  • Soak the beans overnight or follow the quick soak directions. Drain the soaking water, rinse the beans and add to crock pot.
  • In a skillet over medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in the 1/4 cup olive oil until the onion just begins to soften. Add the seasonings, including the green chilies to the skillet.
  • If using uncooked chicken, brown the chicken in the skillet. Then add the contents of the skillet to the slow cooker
    OR
    Dump everything in the crock pot, including the cooked and shredded chicken.
  • Add the liquids to crock pot.
  • Cook on low until the beans are tender (6 – 8 hours depending on your slow cooker)
  • If you’d like a thicker chili use an immersion blender to whir some of the beans shortly before serving. Alternately, a pastry cutter or potato masher could accomplish this task.
  • Garnish with cheese and something colorful

Diet tags: Gluten free

Culinary tradition: USA (Southwestern)

Serve with sweet cornbread.

Enjoy!

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Can I Substitute Chicken for Fish in a Recipe?

October 13, 2011 By 1 Comment

Dear Home-Ec 101,

I see a lot of recipes that sound really good that call for fish–salmon, tuna, and so on. The thing is that I don’t like fish. With recipes like “Glazed Salmon,” can I substitute chicken in the recipe?

Thanks,
Truly Chicken When it Comes to the Sea. . .food

Heather says:

Absolutely.

The end.

Oh, you wanted details? Don’t worry, I always have details, I carry them around in my head like other people carry their fantasy football league stats. Some people have decided this means Heather wants to play Stain Removal Pop Quiz at parties, but let me assure you, this is NOT the case. At a party, I’ll happily stand off to the side and watch you guys sing karaoke or I’ll find the nerds’ table and happily geek out.

Where was I?

Print out this handy table, using the Print Friendly button at the bottom of the post. It will pull up a printer friendly version of this post where you can get rid of my chatter with just a few clicks.

Approximate Chicken Cooking Times¹

Type of Chicken Weight Roasting 350°F Simmering Grilling
Whole broiler fryer+ 3 to 4 lbs. 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hrs. 60 to 75 min. 60 to 75 min*
Whole roasting hen+ 5 to 7 lbs. 2 to 2 1/4 hrs. 1 3/4 to 2 hrs. 18-25 min/lb*
Whole capon+ 4 to 8 lbs. 2 to 3 hrs Not suitable 15-20 min/lb*
Whole Cornish hens+ 18-24 oz. 50 to 60 min. 35 to 40 min. 45 to 55 min*
Breast halves, bone-in 6 to 8 oz. 30 to 40 min. 35 to 45 min. 10 – 15 min/side
Breast half, boneless 4 ounces 20 to 30 min. 25 to 30 min. 6 to 8 min/side
Legs or thighs 8 or 4 oz. 40 to 50 min. 40 to 50 min. 10 – 15 min/side
Drumsticks 4 ounces 35 to 45 min. 40 to 50 min. 8 to 12 min/side
Wings or wingettes 2 to 3 oz. 30 to 40 min. 35 to 45 min. 8 to 12 min/side
*Grilled indirectly with a drip pan
+without stuffing
¹Source: http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/chicken_food_safety_focus/index.asp

Now whenever you run across a glaze, marinade, or rub intended for fish, turkey, or pork, you can easily reference this chart to modify the cooking directions used in the recipe. Do keep in mind that if a glaze has a lot of sugar, you may not want to add it until the last few minutes of grilling or if you are cooking in the oven, the dish may need to be covered the first half to prevent over-browning.

What about taste conflicts?

Have you ever noticed how people like to say, “Oh come on, it tastes just like chicken,” when it comes to trying more exotic meats? This is because chicken is pretty neutral when it comes to its flavor profile -However, I’m not sure about its stance on politics. Plain chicken just doesn’t taste like much, since it has such a mild flavor. This is why wing joints have 50 different flavors to try and most are good, even if you may regret the really spicy ones the next day.

Finally, regarding marinades, do keep in mind that fish is generally only marinated for a few minutes to an hour, while chicken can be marinated for much longer (2 hours – overnight)  provided you do so in the refrigerator and not on the counter. You do remember the bacterial danger zone, right? Keep cold foods below 40F and hot foods above 140°F. If your food (exceptions  for shelf stable items like breads, crackers, etc)  is held between these two temperatures for more than two hours, it should be discarded.

Questions?

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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