Holiday Chicken Salad

Tags

chicken, Christmas, cranberry, foodie, Holiday, luncheon, pecan, recipe, shallot

Spiced pecans and dried cranberries are two of my favorite seasonal flavors. When mixed together, they give a nice holiday spin to a classic recipe making it the perfect dish for a holiday luncheon.

Ingredients:
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 6 stalks of celery, 4 shallots, 1 c. dried cranberries, 1 c. spiced pecans, mayonnaise

Directions:
Poach chicken breasts and cool completely. Chop celery, shallots, cranberries, and pecans. Shred or cube chicken. Toss ingredients together, using only enough mayonnaise to wet the mixture. Chill for about 6 hours before serving. Mix again before serving.

*Serve on a fresh baked croissant or bed of mixed greens.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

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Herbes de Provence Chicken

Tags

chicken, dinner, food, foodie, French cooking, french cuisine, herbes de provence, herbs de Provence, recipe

I’ve wanted to use cast iron skillets in my kitchen for a long time. However, I was hesitant of quality and only wanted USA made skillets. Cast iron cooking has been pushed further down the priority list. Luckily, I have a cousin who is a bit of a collector and has generously given me several skillets. Thanks again, R!

Herbes de Provence Chicken

 

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, 2 shallots (minced, 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, 2 Tbsp. Herbes de Provence, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. fresh ground white pepper, 1 Tbsp. fresh ground Himalayan sea salt

Directions:
Cut chicken breasts in half and pound flat. Mix together 2 Tbsp. olive oil, garlic powder, Herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper. Massage seasoning into chicken breasts and set aside. In a cast iron skillet, warm remaining olive oil, and sauté minced garlic and shallots in a cast iron skillet. Add chicken to skillet and cook until no longer pink and juices run clear.

*Serve with Herbes de Provence Roasted Vegetables or sugar snap peas.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Yellow Pineapple Curry

Tags

chicken, curry, food, foodie, pineapple, recipe, Thai

In November, my book club met at a local Thai restaurant. It was the first time I had dined at that particular Thai restaurant. I loved their pineapple yellow curry and was surprised that they used red curry paste instead of yellow curry paste. I craved more pineapple yellow curry, but I was out of red curry paste (it’s not something that my small town grocery store or Amish shops carry). When visiting my parents over Christmas break, I went to the local Asian market and picked up red curry paste. Yay!

Pineapple Yellow Curry

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. coconut oil, 3-5 Tbsp. red curry paste (to taste), 1 Tbsp. yellow curry powder, 1 can coconut milk, 1 c. water, 1 chicken breast (sliced into small pieces), 1 tsp. fish sauce (optional), 1 c. fresh pineapple (cut into small slices),  1/2 c. bamboo shoots, 1 c. broccoli florets, 1/2 yellow bell pepper sliced, 1/2 red bell pepper sliced, 1 carrot (slice or chopped)

Directions:
In a wok, sauté coconut oil, curry paste, and curry powder. Slowly add coconut milk, water, and fish sauce and bring to a slow boil. Add chicken pieces. A few minutes before chicken is down, add the remaining ingredients. Simmer until done.

Serve: with steamed jasmine rice & hot ginger tea
Garnish: lemongrass or Thai basil
Vegetarian/Vegan: Omit fish sauce and substitute tofu in place of the chicken.

Now that I have red curry paste in my pantry again, I can’t wait to make this dish again!

What missing ingredient is holding you back from making a special dish?

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Nanny Florida’s Oven-Fried Chicken: Recipe 1

Tags

chicken, family, food, foodie, fried chicken, oven fried, recipe, tradition

Nanny Florida’s recipe box has several different recipes for oven-fried chicken. My mom remembers Nanny Florida making the tastiest, juiciest fried-chicken, so I decided to make it a point to try each recipe and determine the best. Consider this round 1!

Oven-Fried Chicken: Recipe 1

Nanny Florida’s Oven-Fried Chicken: Recipe 1

Ingredients:
2 1/2 – 3 lb. broiler-fryer chicken (cut up), 1/3 c. flour, 3/4 c. breadcrumbs, 1/4 c. fresh grated parmesan cheese, 1 c. butter (melted), 1 egg, 2 Tbsp. water, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
Mix together flour, salt, and pepper and set aside. Whisk together egg and water and out aside. Combine cheese and bread crumbs and set aside. Coat chicken with flour, then dip in egg mixture, and then bread crumb mixture. Place chicken in a 13×9″ baking pan,  and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 375°F, for 1 hour or until tender.

*I used drumsticks and boneless skinless chicken breasts to test this recipe…

Verdict:
It was tasty! I don’t think I’ll use this for drumsticks again since I like them to be extra crispy. It did however make the chicken breasts extremely juicy which won Hubster’s seal of approval.

XOXO,
Young Wifey

Oktoberfest: Hänchen Schnitzel

Tags

chicken, dinner, food, foodie, German, main dish, Oktoberfest, recipe

Chicken Schnitzel vs. Chicken Cutlet

Of all the varieties of food I prepare, this is Hubster’s favorite chicken dish. He hasn’t quite understood how sometimes I call this cutlet, and sometimes I call it schnitzel. Maybe because the translation tells us they’re the exact same thing.

There are a few subtle differences in how I prepare and serve these dishes.  My schnitzel gets dipped in flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs, while the cutlet gets milk, flour, egg, then breadcrumbs. Panko bread crumbs for the schnitzel, regular bread crumbs for the cutlet. The seasoning I add to the crumbs and flour are both differnt. I usually serve schnitzel with beer-braised vegetables & spätzle, and chicken cutlet with spaghetti & a green veggie. Portion-wise, schnitzel is usually larger and the cutlet smaller. Either may be finished with a pan sauce.

Hänchen Schnitzel, AKA: Chicken Cutlet

Schnitzel Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 eggs, 2 Tbsp. milk, 2 c. panko bread crumbs, 1 Tbsp. paprika, 1 tsp. lemon peel, 1 Tbsp. dill weed, 2 c. flour, olive oil, fresh-ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Schnitzel Directions:
Split chicken and pound until thin and rub with salt & pepper. In a bowl beat together eggs and milk. Mix paprika in with flour. Mix lemon peel and dill with the bread crumbs. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Coat chicken with flour, shake off excess. Dip chicken in egg wash and then into bread crumbs. Add chicken to hot oil, until browned and throughly cooked, flipping only once.

To getting in touch with my German side, I serve this with a hefeweiss pan-gravy, spargel, and spaetzel or kartoffelpuffer. I am lucky enough to live in a town that has an Oktoberfest, so I have a one track mind this weekend!
What is on your dinner plate?

Pulled Chicken BBQ

Tags

chicken, crockpot, dinner, food, foodie, recipe, slow cooker

When it’s too hot to use the oven during summer, the obvious choice is to grill outside. But this summer, we learned our grill burners were recalled and we had to entertain a large group… I quickly realized the perfect solution, pulled chicken BBQ in my crockpot!

The first time I ever ate this dish, I was at my friend’s college graduation party. She offered me her mom’s homemade chicken BBQ sandwich and I was thinking of a BBQ chicken breast on a roll. I was a little confused at first, but then I took a bite and I was sold. Since then I’ve heard some people call this dish BBQ chicken sandwiches and others pulled chicken. To avoid any confusion, in our home we call it Pulled Chicken BBQ.Once we settled on a name, the trick was to come up with a recipe that pleased both Hubster and myself. Believe it or not, Hubster will actually help in the kitchen when I make this, by shredding the chicken!

Pulled Chicken BBQ

Ingredients:
5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 bottle or batch of BBQ sauce, 1 medium white onion (diced), 2 Tbsp. minced garlic, 1 small jar sweet relish, 1/2 c. water, fresh ground sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on high for 5 hours (or until chicken is fully cooked and easily falls apart). Remove chicken from pot and allow to cool. Shred chicken and return to pot. Simmer chicken on low until sauce thickens. Taste chicken and add more BBQ sauce or relish if necessary.

Pulled Chicken BBQ Sandwich

This is best served hot on crusty rolls. Top with up relish, BBQ sauce or hot sauce for possible toppings.

Chicken BBQ, BBQ Chicken, Pulled Chicken, or Pulled Chicken BBQ… whatever you call it, this is the perfect hassle-free meal when entertaining a crowd.

Do you have a go-to-recipe for hassle-free entertaining? 

Honey Bourbon Chicken

Tags

BBQ, chicken, crockpot, food, foodie, grill, grilling, marinade, recipe, slow cooker

I saw someone’s recipe for honey sesame/bourbon chicken online recently, but I forget where exactly. I check my browser history, bookmarks, Pinterest board and even googled it, but couldn’t find the same post (let me know if you think you know which one I’m talking about). They used a very similar recipe as I do for the honey BBQ sauce, that I make to marinate and brush on my grilled chicken… except they had a crockpot recipe. Since I can’t wait for grilling season to be here, I decided try it out in the crockpot.

Honey Sesame Chicken

Ingredients:
1 lb. chicken, 1 c. honey, 1/4 c. ketchup, 1/4 c. soy sauce or liquid aminos, 1/4 c. chopped onions, 2 Tbsp. minced garlic, 1 Tbsp. grated ginger, 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes, fresh cracked black pepper, fresh ground sea salt, cornstarch (for crockpot version only)

Crockpot Directions:  
Cut chicken into small pieces, season with salt and pepper and set in crock pot. Mix together remaining ingredients (except cornstarch) until honey is dissolved, add to crockpot. Cover and cook over high heat for about 1 hour.  Remove 1/4 c. of liquid and whisk in cornstarch, return mixture to crock pot and simmer until sauce is thickened.

*Serve hot over brown rice and garnish with sesame seeds.

Grill Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Whisk together remaining ingredients until honey is dissolved. Pour half of mixture over chicken and marinate for a few hours. Grill chicken on a hot grill, basting chicken (with a new brush as needed). Cook chicken until flesh is no longer pink.

*Serve hot with a side of coleslaw and grilled corn.

What are you looking forward to this season?