Chicken Pot Pie

I think I can modestly precede this recipe with only one word.

Yum. 

[Please note, I said I could. I did not say I would restrict myself to only one word. That would be wholly un-Abbie-like.]

Chicken Kiev

Chicken Kiev

I know, I know...more chicken?
I'm sorry. It happens to be my Old Faithful. One can always rely on chicken.

I was slack with the picture taking on this one, though. Which is why there is no picture above.

I won't even really bother with posting the recipe, because it just wasn't that good. In fact, it was rather bland. You know, I'm getting tired of this bland business. Bland cake, bland chicken. Bland, bland, bland!
I'm overusing the word. Bad habit of mine.

Ok, let's get to cooking.
First, you take the butter, and pop it in the food processor for a bit, until it's all creamy. Then you add the lemon juice from half of one California-grown lemon.

Then, if you're Ivan, you sniff the lemon.
We like sniffing lemons around here.

You add the garlic and the parsley. Now, you spread it on a piece of foil in this general shape. Or really, any shape you feel like, as long as you get it on there.

Put the slab of lemon-garlic-parsley butter in the freezer while you prepare....The Chicken. (As always, I was waiting for it to thaw in a sink full of hot water.)
This is probably my least favorite part of cooking; waiting. Because waiting usually means I have the chance to clean up. And who wants to do that?
Not me.

So, once the chicken is thawed, pound it out with the trusty meat mallet.
Remove that green-flecked solid pale substance from the freezer and cut it into pieces. I should have taken a picture of these, because they looked very cool. At least, to me they did.

Roll the chicken around some pieces of frozen butter, and then poke a toothpick through the whole shebang to keep it together.
Dip the rolled-up bundle into the egg mixture, then roll it in the breadcrumbs.
Put them all in a pan.
And bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.

When they emerge, they will hopefully look better than this:


This is extremely dull without step-by-step pictures.
What fun is cooking without step-by-step pictures?! I've decided it's a necessary thing in the learning process.

If you have a killer good recipe for Chicken Kiev, hit me with it. I'm more than open.

Happy Cooking!

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

This stuff is tasty.
Real tasty.
It's juicy and flavorful, with a definite kick (but not too much).
I usually don't repeat recipes; if I find a good one, I stash it in my book, and then set out to search for more. But this one I've made time and again, because, well, it's tasty!
And it's easy.

So, start with some chicken. Either pounded-out chicken breasts, or strips will do. And then some spices:


Mix the spices together in a small bowl...




And sprinkle over the chicken. Make sure you coat 'em good.
Then you put the chicken in a hot pan full of melted butter and olive oil. Yum =P


Now let them cook for a while on both sides. After one side is brown, flip them over.
Don't they look tasty?
Tasty is the word of the hour.
Say it three times.


After they are browned on both sides (this should take about 5 minutes or so), turn the heat down, dump in some more olive oil and butter, and 3 tablespoons of lime juice.
Now, cover it with foil and let it simmer for a little while. 5-10 minutes. However long you need to cook rice and some veggies to go with it.




Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

4 TBS. butter
2 TBS. olive oil
4 tsp. garlic powder
5-6 TBS. lime juice

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley.
2. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
3. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side.
4. Sprinkle with 4 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.


Happy Cooking!

Chicken in Curry Sauce

I couldn't do it.
I just couldn't face another bologna sandwich today.
So I decided to experiment with some real food; Chicken.
Because chicken's always safe and easy, and pretty hard to mess up :)

I found some chicken pieces in the freezer, and after I thawed them, I put a little olive oil in a pan and fried them.

Then I added some buttermilk, some Herb and Garlic soup mix, and a few drops of lime juice



I simmered it over medium heat for a few minutes before adding a few shakes of curry powder.



The result:


Although a dear friend told me it looked disgusting, it sure beat fried bologna again. I probably wouldn't make it again, but hey, I experimented, so I'm happy. One thing, though; the sauce had a weird texture which I think was probably the result of heating the buttermilk. So the lesson learned; in cream sauce, use cream instead of buttermilk :)

And so I ate my non-bologna lunch and lived happily ever after...

Happy Cooking!

Garlic Cheddar Chicken

Contrary to the beliefs of family and friends, I do occasionally consume food that is not dessert.
And to top that, I sometimes even cook food that is not dessert!

Tonight's recipe: Garlic Cheddar Chicken - heavy on the garlic :)

Garlic Cheddar Chicken
1/2 C. butter
4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 C. dry breadcrumbs
1/2 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves - pounded thin

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat and cook the garlic until tender, about 5 minutes.
3. In a shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, cheeses, parsley, oregano, pepper and salt.
4. Dip each chicken breast in the garlic butter to coat, then press into the breadcrumb mixture. Arrange the coated chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Drizzle with any remaining butter and top with remaining breadcrumb mixture.
5. Bake 30 minutes in preheated oven, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

NOTE: This recipe will only be successful if prepared while playing the Sinatra/Crosby Christmas album.
Judy Garland will do in a pinch.

First, pull some boneless skinless chicken breasts out of your freezer and thaw them in a sink of hot water.


Take pictures of your cute dog while you wait.


Chop about 3 cloves of garlic, more or less. I chose more :)


Then shredded cheddar cheese, and some parmesan.




Then 1/2 cup of butter. Because you're bored, cut the butter into nice little cubes.


Then take multiple pictures of it from varying angles.






Go take a few more pictures of your cute dog.






Then, and only then, can you melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the chopped up garlic to it. Cook and stir for about 5 minutes.


Once that pesky frozen chicken is finally thawed, pound it out.


Let out that aggression!


In a shallow bowl, combine some breadcrumbs, the cheeses, and some oregano, parsley and a little salt and pepper.




Stir it all up until it looks like...well, whatever that looks like.


Next, slather the garlic butter on the pounded-out chicken.


Coat the chicken with the cheese mixture and place it in a PAM-sprayed casserole dish. You'll probably have to sprinkle the cheese on, because it doesn't stick very well.


Keep going till you finish all the chicken...


Drizzle the leftover butter over the chicken. Then sprinkle whatever leftover cheese and breadcrumb mixture there is.

Pop it in the oven for 30 minutes.

Now clean up that disgraceful mess!


What have I told you about cleaning as you go?!

~ ~ ~ 30 Minutes Later ~ ~ ~

When I opened the oven, smoke came billowing out at me. Alarming, at first. But it had nothing to do with the chicken and everything to do with the baked-on remnants of something in the bottom of the oven. It was charred beyond recognition, so I guess we'll never know what it was.

Anyway, pull the pan(s) out of the oven, place on stovetop and make conscious effort to catch your saliva.
Inhale deeply.
Check to make sure that the juices run clear, not pink.


Repeat picture-taking-from-multiple-angles ritual.







And then...enjoy :)


~Happy Cooking~