Arroz con Pollo

Posted on April 17, 2014 by Chef John Fuller

In English, chicken & rice, another good cold weather meal that makes the house smell so good and is relatively easy to make. So here we go.

I started with bone in chicken thighs that I generously salted and peppered and cooked skin side down first in a heavy pot until golden brown and then took them out and set them aside on a plate for a few minutes.

While the chicken was cooking, I cut up 2 medium onions, 1 of each green and yellow peppers into medium-sized pieces. Once the chicken was out of the pot, leave the fat that has collected in the bottom. Add to it the onions and peppers plus two tablespoons of each tomato paste and chopped garlic and cook for about two minutes. At this time I added 2 cups of brown rice instead of the usual white.

Now for the secret ingredient, I had some saffron in the cabinet so I threw in a very health pinch of it. You don’t have to but it just gives the dish an indescribable flavor coupled with the brown rice.

Now that everything is coated and stirred around with the oil from the bottom of the pot add your 5 cups of chicken broth and bring the pot to a boil. After it boils reduce the heat to a simmer and add the chicken back to the pot and put the lid on. Now the hard part, you have to wait about 40 minutes or so until the rice cooks. For the brown rice it takes almost an hour. Taste the rice to make sure it is done. Also you will see the chicken resting on a bed of rice in the pot. By then the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Here are few shots of the juicy chicken on top of a bed of rice with all the soft and flavorful vegetables mixed in. Go pour yourself another glass of wine and dig into the goodness.

Enjoy~

Italian Chicken Breast with Cheese Tortellini and Tomatoes

Posted on February 6, 2014 by Chef John Fuller

Once again my wife and I bought too many little cherry tomatoes and I was really tired of eating them on salad so this is how I finished them up in dinner a couple nights ago.

First off cook the tortellini according to the package minus one minute, drain in a colander, and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking process. Set them aside, we will heat them up after cooking the chicken.

For the chicken, season with salt & pepper and sprinkle some Italian seasoning over the breasts. Just a quick note these were very large chicken breasts. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of good quality olive oil, then put the chicken breasts in and cook for about five minutes then flip over for another four or five, until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165 degrees. Take them out and set aside on a plate to rest for a minute while you make the sauce for the tortellini.

Turn the pan up to medium high and add one shallot sliced thinly to the oil left in the pan, cook it until it becomes soft then add one tablespoon of chopped garlic, cook for a minute. Add ½ cup of extra dry vermouth to deglaze the pan. Toss in the tomatoes and the tortellini and stir around for a minute then turn heat off and add two tablespoons of butter. Let the butter melt and stir the sauce coat the tortellini. Make sure to check for seasoning. Serve right away next to the chicken breast. A salad and a glass of white wine goes nicely with dinner. Enjoy ~

Honey BBQ Chicken Thighs with Mac-n-Cheese

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Chef John Fuller

As you might have figured out by now I just can’t cook for the two of us. So we had some chicken thighs left over from earlier in the week. They were just the thing I needed to make a quick dinner. My wife and I both had hard days and I knew this meal would make anyone in her family happy.

So here we go – turn the oven on to 275 degrees and let it preheat. Take a pan out and place some aluminum foil on it, this step will help greatly with clean up. Put the chicken on the pan and let them hang out for a minute. In a small bowl mix the following ingredients: tomato sauce, molasses, brown sugar, mustard, honey, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt and pepper. Play with the flavors that work best for you. You could even use premade honey BBQ sauce, if you do, I’d recommend adding extra honey. Carefully pour the mixture on the top of the chicken making sure to keep on the chicken. Put the pan in the middle of the oven and forget about it for about 30-45 minutes.

During the week sometimes you need some comfort food quickly. This time I reached up into the pantry and grabbed a couple of boxes of elbow noodles. I made a rue with butter and flour, then added about 2 cups of milk along with pepper and some chili powder. Stir on low heat for a couple minutes, then add in 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese. We make mac-n-cheese often and will experiment with different spices and cheeses.

Carefully take the chicken off the pan, try not to pull up any of the aluminum foil, because it is going to be sticky. Give yourself a couple of big scoops of mac-n-cheese and take a few minutes to savor the flavor of your childhood and let the day’s troubles melt away. Make a quick salad to round out the meal and for something healthy. Enjoy ~

Roast Chicken Mash & Peas

Posted on January 16, 2014 by Chef John Fuller

It’s funny how dinner comes about some nights. I look over at the drawers where I keep the onions and potatoes and I see 3 big potatoes starting to sprout, so I know I will use them in some way for dinner tonight. Some more poking around I find a half-open bag of frozen peas and I knew I was making roast chicken for dinner anyway.

Started by peeling the potatoes and cutting them up into chunks because I’m going to make mashed potatoes. I put them in a pot, bring them to a boil, cook until they are fork soft. Then drain them and put them back in the pot and on the stove. On low heat, and add a stick of butter and some half & half to get them to the desired thickness then I add the salt & pepper to taste. This is how they end up.

Today I have chicken thighs that I seasoned with salt & pepper, a little paprika, some granulated garlic and sprayed them with a little oil. Set the oven to 400 degrees and put them on the next to the top rack. Cook until they are a dark golden brown or until a thermometer reads at least 165 degrees nearest the bone.

In a small pan I mixed together some chicken stock and some beef stock and let that reduce on the stove while the chicken cooked. While the stock was boiling, I mixed together 2 tablespoons of flour with 1/3 cup of water and while whisking the stock, slowly poured in the slurry in until the stock thickened into a sauce. Check it for seasoning, it might need some pepper to offset the saltiness from reducing the stock.

I took the frozen peas put them in a pot with some water to cover, brought them to a boil for a minute or two then drained most of the water. Add a good sized piece of butter and add some salt & pepper to your liking, turn the heat off under the pot, cover the pot and let it sit there until you are ready to serve dinner.

As you can see, I plated the mashed potatoes, made a well for the sauce, and filled it to the brim, put a couple of scoops of peas on the plate and then the crispy skinned chicken thighs on the plate. Pour yourself some sort of refreshing adult beverage and dig in! Enjoy ~

Chicken Tikka Masala

Posted on September 11, 2013 by Chef John Fuller

Sometimes my wife and I just want something quick, different and in this case spicy! After poking around the spice cabinet I found some seasonings to make tikka masala.

Ingredients:

Chicken breasts, 4 – 5 oz cut into 1 inch squares
Garam masala, 6 tsp
Garlic powder, 2 tsp
Cayenne powder, 1 tsp
Adobo with black pepper seasoning, 2 tsp
Garlic, 5 tsp minced
Red onion, 1 medium sliced
Ginger, 3 tsp fresh diced
Tomatoes, 3 medium chopped
Salt, 1/2 tsp
Pepper, 1/2 tsp
Olive oil, 3 Tbsp
Heavy cream, 3/4 cup
Flour, 1/4 cup

Steps:

Place the chicken in a bowl.
Mix together the garam masala, garlic powder, cayenne powder, adobo seasoning with black pepper, 3 tsp of the minced garlic, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
- Put the marinade over the chicken cubes and set aside.

Mix the red onion sliced, 2 tsp garlic and ginger.
- Add to a large pan over medium high heat and sauté with a little oil until soft.
- Remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan add a little oil.
Take the marinated chicken and coat with the flour.
Add the chicken to the pan and sauté until almost cooked through.
Add the onion, garlic and ginger mixture back into the pan.
Add the heavy cream and cook on low to reduce for 5 minutes.
Stir in the fresh tomatoes.
Cook until the tomatoes are warmed through.

Served over basmati rice and with steamed broccoli completed the meal.

Enjoy!

Chicken and Ravioli

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Chef John Fuller

After a great vacation away in the mountains, it is time to get back to reality. A quick dinner this week that is filling, healthy and quick.

Cut a 5oz chicken breast diagonally into 1oz portions.

Salt & pepper both sides add a sprinkle of Italian seasoning then dredge in flour

Heat 4 Tbsp. oil in a heavy bottomed pot – cook chicken about 1.5 minutes per side, put aside to drain

To the little remaining oil in the pot, cook 3 smashed garlic cloves until brown then remove. Heat up your favorite tomato based sauce. (I always keep extra in the fridge or freezer for quick meals.) Place the chicken on the sauce to cook the chicken fully.

In another pot cook your Ravioli to al dente when done drain and place in the pot with the sauce and the chicken.

Plate them up and enjoy!

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Posted on June 19, 2013 by Chef John Fuller

Chicken can get boring, sometimes doing something completely different can add some variety.

You can stuff chicken breasts with any of your favorite ingredients.

Fresh roasted red peppers offer a great flavor to this particular dish.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast, about 5 oz each
8 large slices of roasted red peppers (From recipe posted March 30, 2013.)
2 tbsp garlic, chopped
1 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
10 Basil leaves chiffonade
1 cup breadcrumbs, seasoned

Steps:

Take the chicken breast and butterfly it. To do that, cut it in half horizontally. Do not cut all the way through. Leave at least on end attached.

Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper.
Add the garlic to the chicken breasts.
Layer in the roasted red peppers, basil and mozzarella.

Fold the chicken back together, like a sandwich.
Carefully coat both sides of the chicken with the seasoned breadcrumbs.

Preheat a heavy bottom pan on medium low heat with oil. I used a Mediterranean oil, which was a mixture of olive oil and canola oil.
Cook the chicken on medium low heat until golden brown.
- Because the chicken was thinly cut, each side should only take 4-6 minutes.

Flip the chicken over and cook the other side to a golden brown.

Serve with some of your favorite pasta. Here I tossed the pasta with garlic, Parmesan cheese, cream and black pepper.

Enjoy!

Chicken, Broccoli and Rigatoni

Posted on April 17, 2013 by Chef John Fuller

For a quick meal at night we usually will do Chicken and Broccoli.

Boil pasta until al dente.
Drain and shock with cold water.
Set aside.

Season a cup of flour with salt and pepper.

Chicken breast
- Cut into 1 inch pieces
- Season with:
  - Garlic Powder, about 1 tbsp
  - Salt
  - Pepper

Oil
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil heated in a heavy bottom pan to approximately to 350F.
Set up your station so you can quickly batch fry the chicken.

How to test if the oil is ready?
- Place 1 piece of floured chicken in the oil, if it sizzles, the oil is hot enough. If not, then let the oil heat up further.

Take the chicken and dredge each piece in the seasoned flour mixture.
Place the floured chicken in the hot oil. Make sure not to crowd the pan.
Cook until the flour is a light golden brown on each side.

Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
Continue until all the chicken has been cooked.

Broccoli
- Cut up broccoli into 1 inch pieces.
- Saute the broccoli in large pan with 1 tbsp of olive oil, until softened.
Deglaze pan with 1 cup 1/2-and-1/2.

Add and mix in the chicken and bring sauce to a boil. The flour on the chicken will help thicken the sauce.
Add 4-6 ounces of parmigiano reggiano cheese, stir into the mixture.

Add pasta.
Cook for an extra 2 minutes to heat the pasta.

Sprinkle with a little more cheese.
Dinner is ready.

Chef John

To Eat Well is to Live Well!

Tag Archives: chicken

Arroz con Pollo

Italian Chicken Breast with Cheese Tortellini and Tomatoes

Honey BBQ Chicken Thighs with Mac-n-Cheese

Roast Chicken Mash & Peas

Chicken Tikka Masala

Chicken and Ravioli

Stuffed Chicken Breast

Chicken, Broccoli and Rigatoni

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