The classic. Perfected? Barbeque chicken pizza

There is really nothing better than homemade pizza.  Of course, homemade pizza fulfills a much different role in life than delivery or takeout pizza.  The latter is the ultimate in convenience, while the former…well, it requires a fair bit of planning and timing.  Maybe that’s why not that many people make their own pizza from scratch.  Once you do, though, you will be hooked!

This pizza comes from the California Pizza Kitchen cookbook.  It’s their original recipe that is now imitated by everyone – barbeque chicken pizza – but with a few adaptations that I feel are improvements.  First, I cooked the chicken in the Crock-Pot and shredded it.  I like the shredded barbeque on pizza rather than the more standard grilled or sauteed chunks, because this way you get a little chicken in each bite.  Second, I carmelized the red onions instead of just putting them on the pizza raw.  Perhaps the most useful part of this post, however, is the dough recipe.  This is a great pizza dough.  If you want to make homemade pizza almost as easy a meal as takeout pizza, you can double this dough recipe and freeze half so that you will have dough on hand.

CPK Pizza Dough

Source: The California Pizza Kitchen Cookbook

ingredients

• 1 tsp. yeast
• ½ cup plus 1 Tbsp. warm water (105 to 110 degrees)
• 1.5 cups bread or all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, plus more for coating 

directions 

1. Dissolve the yeast in the water and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. 

2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Make a well in the middle and pour in the liquids.  Use a wooden spoon to combine the ingredients.  Once the initial mixing is done, lightly oil your hands and begin kneading the dough.  Knead for 5 minutes.  When done, the dough should be barely beyond sticking to your hands.

 3. Lightly oil the dough and the inside of a large glass bowl.  Place the dough in the bowl and seal air-tight (with plastic wrap or the lid).  Set aside at room temperature until the dough has doubled in bulk, 1 ½ to 2 hours. 

4. Punch down the dough, re-form it into a ball, and return it to the bowl.  Cover again and place in the refrigerator for at least several hours, or up to overnight. 

5. Two hours before cooking your pizza, remove the dough from the fridge.  Use a sharp knife to divide the dough into 2 equal portions.  Roll the smaller doughs into round balls, being sure to seal any holes by pinching. 

6. Place the newly formed balls in a glass casserole dish (9 x 13 works well), spaced far enough apart to allow for each to double in size.  Seal air-tight with plastic wrap.  Set aside at room temperature for about 2 hours.  At this time, the dough should be smooth and puffy. 

7. To form dough for pizza, sprinkle flour over a clean surface.  Remove a dough ball from the glass dish, being careful to preserve its round shape (a large spatula may help) and place it on the floured surface.  Flour the dough liberally.  Use your hands to press the dough down, forming a flat circle about ½ inch thick.  Pinch the edge to form a lip around the edge that rises ¼ inch above the center surface.  Continue stretching until the dough reaches about 9 inches in diameter.

For Barbeque Chicken Pizza

Inspired by California Pizza Kitchen

ingredients

• Cornmeal for handling
• 1/2 cup barbeque sauce, plus more for coating chicken
• 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded smoked Gouda
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• If making shredded barbeque chicken, 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

directions

1. Cook the chicken as desired.  For shredded chicken, coat generously with barbeque sauce, place in Crock-Pot, and add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.  Cook on low for 6 hours, then shred with 2 forks, adding a little more sauce if desired.  For cubed chicken, grill or saute, then coat with barbeque sauce.

2. Place a pizza stone in the (cold) oven and set the oven to 500.  Let the stone preheat for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour before using.  Meanwhile, caramelize the onion in a small saute pan over medium-low heat.

3. Sprinkle a layer of cornmeal on a pizza peel and carefully move a dough round to the peel.  Spread 1/4 cup barbeque sauce over the dough.  Top the sauce with 1/2 of the onions, followed by an even layer of chicken.  Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella and half of the gouda. 

4. Transfer the pizza to the stone and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly, 8 to 10 minutes.  Remove the pizza to a wooden cutting board and let cool several minutes before slicing.  Devour, then repeat the process with the second pizza.

Green enchiladas with roasted chicken

These enchiladas are so delicious. I simplified this recipe from the “Tyler’s Ultimate” version, which has you make your own green enchilada sauce out of tomatillos. Someday, when fresh tomatillos are abudant in my suburban DC grocery store, I may attempt that, but in the meantime, store-bought tomatillo salsa works fabulously. These enchiladas have an ideal blend of flavors, and the filling comes out velvety and smooth. I think I have made this dish about 4 times now, which, as I’ve mentioned before, says a lot about the recipe, since at least 4 or 5 of the dinners I cook each week tend to be new recipes. Enjoy!

Green Enchiladas with Roasted Chicken

Adapted from: Tyler Florence, Food Network

ingredients

 

½ of a large rotisserie chicken (to make about 2 ½ cups of shredded meat)

1 large poblano pepper, roughly chopped (or, if the poblanos at your store are old and shriveled like mine were last week, you can combine a green bell pepper and half of a large jalapeno as a substitute)

½ large sweet onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. cumin

¼ cup all-purpose flour

2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

8 small flour tortillas (You can also use corn if you prefer. It’s what the original recipe calls for, but I prefer flour with my chicken or pork and corn with my beef.)

1 jar/tub of your favorite salsa verde or green taco sauce (you’ll need at least 1 ½ cups)

5 oz. shredded Monterey jack or your favorite white Mexican cheese blend

Salt and pepper

Extra-virgin olive oil

 

directions

 

1. Pull the chicken into long shreds by hand. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

 

2. Heat about 1 Tbsp. olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the chopped peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook 8-10 minutes on medium, or until the peppers and onions are very soft, but not brown.  Add the cumin and stir to combine; cook 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and cook 1 minute, stirring vigorously.

 

3. Add the broth in 2 or 3 batches, stirring well to avoid any lumps in the flour. Once well-combined, raise the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a rapid simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to simmer about 5 minutes, until the mixture has reduced slightly and the sauce is velvety. Turn off the heat and fold in the chicken, stirring to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. At this point, the mixture may look a little thinner than other enchilada fillings. However, it will continue to set in the oven, creating an ideal texture.

 

4. Pour a little salsa into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish and spread evenly. Pour some more salsa into a wide, shallow bowl. To assemble enchiladas, dip a tortilla into the bowl of salsa to coat. Add a line of chicken mixture in the center, and sprinkle a little cheese on top. Place in the pan and roll up so that the seam side is down. Repeat with remaining tortillas. To finish, spoon a little more salsa on top and sprinkle with a bit of additional cheese.

 

5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving, with sour cream or additional salsa if desired, or just serve as-is!

Dinner Divas: Chicken and sausage stew with roasted potatoes

For December, I was selected to choose the recipes for Dinner Divas. The only problem was, between finals, finishing up work, and being out of town for 11 days, it took me until early Jan. to actually cook the recipes I’d chosen! However, I have made them both now, and I am happy to report that they were both very good (Texas caviar to be posted shortly). The people choosing the recipes each month are supposed to choose one Food Network recipe and one non-FN recipe. For my FN recipe, I chose this stew from Dan and Steve (the original Next Food Network Star winners).

This stew is very smooth and velvety from all the flour. I used only 1/3 the amount of butter the original recipe called for (a ridiculous 10 Tbsp.!) and found it to be plenty rich. The most interesting thing about this stew, however, was the addition of fresh fennel and orange zest. These ingredients gave it a flavor much different from the average stew and also very different from what you’d think it would taste like just looking at it. It was very tasty and we both enjoyed it. Rather than mixing in the oven-roasted potatoes from the recipe as they suggest, I topped it with oven fries, resting them on top to keep them crispy. The potatoes were a great addition, but the stew would also be very good with a scoop of basmati rice. I’ll definitely keep this recipe around.

Dan and Steve’s Chicken and Sausage Stew

Adapted from: The Hearty Boys, Food Network

ingredients

3 tablespoons butter (I reduced this from the original 10!)

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat, cut into 2 -inch chunks (I used 1.65 pounds)

Salt and pepper

8 ounces andouille sausage, diced

1 yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

1 small fennel bulb, trimmed and sliced

½ Tbsp. dried thyme

5 cups chicken stock

Zest of one orange (I did a lazy job of getting all the zest and it was still plenty orange-y)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white wine

Oven roasted potatoes (see below)

 

directions

 

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Just before the butter begins to brown, add the chicken. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Add the andouille and cook 2 more minutes. Remove the meat to a plate and reserve.

2. Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp. butter in the same pot (do not drain meat juices from pot). Add the onion, garlic, carrot, fennel, and thyme and cook over medium heat until the onion turns translucent, about 10 minutes.

3. As the vegetables cook, pour the chicken stock into a large saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low.

4. When the vegetable mixture is ready, add the orange zest to the pot along with the reserved meat and any accumulated juices. Mix well. Sprinkle in the flour in batches and stir to coat the vegetables and meat. Cook 2 minutes. Add the wine and stir.  Add the warm chicken stock to the pot 1 cup at a time, stirring as the stock is added. Once all of the stock has been added, bring the stew to a simmer for 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if needed. Ladle into bowls, top with potatoes, and serve.

 

Oven potato wedges

Preheat oven to 425. Cut one small Yukon gold potato per person into 8 wedges. On a lightly greased baking sheet, toss potatoes with enough olive oil to coat, plus salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste. Arrange in a single layer. Roast for 30 minutes, flipping wedges over after 20 minutes.

Thanks to Ashlee at “A Year in the Kitchen” for providing the proper potato wedge cooking temperature and time in her blog.

Sleeper hit: Cajun chicken pasta

cajun chicken pasta

You know a recipe is good when you have to artfully arrange the leftovers in your fine china to take a picture of because you dove into the first servings without waiting, but you still feel it would be a crime not to blog it. That’s this recipe. After ONE BITE, Craig said, “Wow, we need to have this more often.”  I told him that would probably not be in our waistlines’ best interest, but there is no doubt that this recipe will be added to our rotation (ok, so I don’t have a rotation – as I’ve mentioned, I rarely make the same dish twice – but this one will be one of those rare exceptions).  Thanks to Elizabeth of Elizabeth’s Edible Experience for sharing the adaptation of an Emeril recipe.  She made it with the original shrimp, but I made this the week before we were headed out of town for 11 days, so I didn’t want to buy my usual 2-pound bulk bag of shrimp.  I decided to make it with chicken, and Craig said he prefered it that way because he could get meat in every bite in a way you wouldn’t if it were topped with 6 or so shrimp.  Of course, you could always chop the shrimp, which might be a fun variation for next time.  And yes, there will be a next time.  Soon.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Adapted from: Elizabeth’s Edible Experience, originally from Emeril Lagasse

ingredients

10 oz. package fresh fettuccine

¾ pound chicken breast

1 Tbsp. butter

½ Tbsp. olive oil

1 ½ Tbsp. Emeril’s Essence, plus more for rubbing chicken (follow the link to Elizabeth’s blog to see how to make this spice blend at home)

Salt and pepper

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1/4 cup finely chopped jalapeno (I used even less with all the cayenne in the Essence, and it was still pretty spicy.  I used about ½ of a small jalapeno)

1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced (I added this)

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 ½ cups heavy cream

1 cup diced fresh tomatoes

½ cup reserved pasta cooking water

1 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

 

directions

1. Rub the chicken breast with Essence and grill until done.  Let cool and cut into bite-sized pieces.

2. Set a large stock pot of water to boil and add some salt. Place the fettuccine in the pot and stir the pot until the water returns to a boil. Cook the pasta until tender al dente. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.

3. While water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. Set a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions, bell pepper, and jalapenos to the pan and sauté until the onions are softened and lightly caramelized, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Add the garlic to the pan and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the cream, Essence, and salt and pepper to taste.

4. Bring sauce to a boil and cook until the cream is reduced by half, about 2 minutes.  Add the chicken, tomatoes, fettuccine and the reserved cooking water to the pan and cook, tossing to incorporate for 3 to 5 minutes.

5. Remove pan from the heat and add the cheeses, tossing to blend.  Serve immediately.

Note: this does not reheat as well as I thought it would, so eat up when it’s fresh!

Curry-roasted whole chicken

So, I didn’t get the best picture of this one (we were already eating), but this is a fantastic recipe. I found it when Craig said he wanted to have something to go with the last piece of garlic naan that was sitting in our freezer. This is a great way of giving a new flavor to a whole roasted chicken. And if you have never cooked with curry before, this is a good, mild introduction to the flavor, and the yogurt pan sauce that you make at the end is an excellent addition. I served this meal with a big bowl of fresh pineapple. I will definitely be making this chicken again!

Curry-roasted whole chicken

Adapted from: Food & Wine

ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon curry powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper

One 4-pound chicken, at room temperature

1 large onion, cut into quarters

2 cups fresh tomatoes, roughly diced

2 seeded, thinly sliced serrano chiles

1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth

2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt (I used Fagé)

 

directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425° and position a rack in the lower third of the oven. In a bowl, mix the butter with the minced garlic and curry powder.

2. Pat the chicken dry. Rub half of the butter under the skin and the rest over the chicken; season with salt and pepper. Set the chicken breast-side-up on a rack in a roasting pan. Scatter the onion, tomatoes, chiles and add 1/2 cup of water. Roast for 30 minutes, until the breast is firm and just beginning to brown in spots.

3. Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-down and roast for 20 minutes longer, until the skin is lightly browned.

4. Using tongs, turn the chicken breast-side-up. Add another 1/2 cup of water. Roast for about 20 minutes longer, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 175° (this took another 30 minutes for me, but my chicken was 4 and a half pounds).

5. Tilt the chicken to drain the cavity juices into the pan; transfer the bird to a cutting board. Remove the rack from the pan and spoon off the fat. Set the pan over high heat. Add the stock and cook, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the yogurt just before serving. Carve the chicken and spoon over the pan sauce.

Indian feast!

Tonight I cooked up an Indian-inspired feast, and it turned out really great. I made chicken tikka masala awhile back and was amazed at how juicy the yogurt coating kept the chicken. I wanted to make that chicken again, but minus the masala. While that was tasty, I wanted something slightly healthier and wanted to branch out on my own. I was really proud of how the chickpeas and spinach came out with very little recipe guidance, and the chicken was as juicy as last time. What made this truly a “feast” is that I served it with both oven-baked brown rice and a piece of storebought garlic naan. Even my husband, who is skeptical of Indian food, went out of his way to say how much he liked this meal.

I am filing this under the “Vegetarian” tab as well since you could easily make a meal out of the chickpeas and spinach over rice, which would make for a tasty meatless option.

Tandoori Chicken

Adapted from: a combination of this Food Network recipe and Cook’s Illustrated

 

ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon smoked paprika

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon garam masala (optional)

¼ teaspoon ground cayenne

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

 

directions

1. Combine all spices and yogurt in a large bowl. Marinate chicken breasts in yogurt mixture for one hour.

2. Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil and let chicken breasts drain slightly before placing on baking sheet.

3. Broil chicken until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees and coating is lightly charred in spots, turning once during cooking. This should take about 20 minutes total.

4. Remove chicken to a plate and let rest 5 minutes before slicing.

 

Indian-Inspired Chickpeas and Spinach in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Adapted from: my head

ingredients

One can chickpeas (I like Goya), drained and rinsed

4-5 large handfuls baby spinach (about 4 oz.)

1 ½ cups low-sodium plain tomato sauce

1/3 cup whipping cream, at room temperature

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

½ Tbsp. olive oil

¼ tsp. Asian chili garlic sauce

¼ tsp. ground cayenne

¼ tsp. curry powder

½ tsp. ground cumin

¼ tsp. ground coriander

½ tsp. garam masala

½ cup water

 

*Note: I did not measure the spices, so these proportions are approximate, and you should feel free to adjust to your tastes. I tried to underestimate the amounts I used so that more of any particular spice could be added according to your preferences.

 

directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook 2-3 minutes. Add chickpeas and toast, stirring frequently, for another 2 minutes or so.

2. Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in all remaining spices and check seasoning, adding more of your favorite spices if desired.

3. Whisk in cream and return to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently.

4. Begin adding spinach in batches, adding small amounts of water as necessary to wilt the spinach and keep sauce at desired thickness.

5. Once all spinach is added and wilted, turn the heat down very low and cover. Simmer 5 minutes covered, and hold warm until ready to serve.

 

Serve with brown rice and/or garlic naan, and enjoy an Indian feast!

 

11/30/08 Update – I am submitting this post to a contest hosted by Joelen’s Culinary Adventures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A very unique chicken chili

I was searching for something to do with the rest of some boneless, skinless chicken thighs I had, and I came across this Emeril recipe. It called for cooking up a chicken chili in a cast iron skillet and then topping it with cornbread batter and popping the whole thing in the oven! I think this chili came out great and the cornbread was really nice on top. The other unique twist to this chili, which I didn’t have the guts to do my first time making it is that it calls for adding corn kernels and letting them pop in the pan. I wasn’t confident in my ability to make this work, so I just added regular corn, but I am quite intrigued by the idea of popped corn kernels in there. If anyone tries this, certainly let me know – I’d love to hear how it turned out (see the link to the original recipe for instructions on that).

As it was, this chili was very yummy – the chicken stayed nice and juicy and the bread topped with cheese was moist and fresh. It was very spicy. I would say we definitely like moderately spicy food, and we thought this was perfect with a large dollop of sour cream mixed into each serving to cool it down. If you don’t like things too spicy or if you don’t plan on adding sour cream, I would recommend reducing the cayenne a bit. I think we had a fairly hot jalapeno as well, so that played a part too.

Cornbread-topped chicken chili skillet

Adapted from: Emeril Lagasse, Food Network

ingredients

 

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed  (I had about ¾ lb., so I also added a can of black beans)

Sprinklings of cayenne, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and dried oregano

1 ½  tablespoons vegetable oil

½  cup chopped yellow onions

½  cup chopped red bell peppers (I used green, only because the red at my store looked like they wouldn’t last until late in the week)

1 large minced jalapeno pepper

1 ½  tablespoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1 cup corn kernels  (As I mentioned, I used thawed frozen sweet corn)

1 (15-ounce) can chopped tomatoes and their juices

1 cup chicken stock

Cornbread topping, recipe follows

1 cup grated cheddar cheese, for topping (I only had sliced cheddar jack, so I scattered small slices over the top)

Sour cream

 

directions

 

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Season the chicken with sprinklings of spices (listed second in the ingredients) on all sides.  Mix cornbread topping (see below).

 

2. In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to the pan and when hot, add the onions, bell peppers and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, salt, and cayenne, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and their juices and the stock, and bring to a boil. Cook, stirring until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add corn and black beans to skillet and stir to heat through. Return the chicken to the pot and cook until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Adjust the seasoning, to taste. Spoon the cornmeal batter over the chicken mixture, leaving at least a 1/2-inch border around the sides.

4. Bake until golden brown, 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese on top. Return to the oven until melted, 2 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let cool at least 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with the sour cream. Serve hot.

Cornmeal Topping:

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons bacon grease or vegetable oil (I actually did use the bacon grease – might not have been as healthy, but certainly made a flavor difference!)

 

In a bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.

In a small bowl, beat together the buttermilk, egg and bacon grease. Add to the dry ingredients and mix until just blended, being careful not to overmix. Use as a topping for the Chicken Chili.

Dinner Divas: Cobb Chicken Burger

bacon, gorgonzola-stuffed chicken burger, avocado, tomato, spinach w/ homemade dressing

For those who don’t know, I frequent a cooking message board. Recently, two of the other women on there came up with a cooking group. Their concept was that the group would select 2 recipes a month and people participating could adapt them as much or as little as they liked and then blog them to share the experience. The group is called Dinner Divas. The first recipe came out last week and I was excited to try it – Bobby Flay’s Cobb Chicken Burger from Food Network. The recipe is pretty straightforward, so I won’t list it here – I will just talk about the changes I made. I personally hate when gourmet burgers fall apart because they are so loaded up, so most of my changes went towards making it easier to eat.

- I stuffed the burgers with the cheese (I used gorgonzola) rather than trying to melt it on top. I think this was an improvement for sure – it made it easier to eat, and the cheese was meltier .

- I used spinach instead of romaine, but I did still shred it because shredded is best on a burger.

- I made the vinaigrette a little creamy by adding a combination of mayo and olive oil for the fat rather than just the olive oil it calls for. I did this for 2 reasons – first, my husband and I both like mayo on our burgers, and second, I think something cobb salad-inspired should have a creamy dressing.

- I smashed the avocado just a little bit so that it would stay on the burger better.

- I toasted the buns – that’s always a must.

These came out so great. They were still a little hard to eat, but the flavors were awesome. They took a lot more than 10 minutes to cook on my indoor grill, though (more like 18), so that’s something for the other city apartment-dwellers to keep in mind. Luckily, the cheese inside helped keep the chicken super juicy until it was done. This one is a keeper – thanks Dinner Divas!

My First CI Experience: chicken teriyaki and baked brown rice

 

When my husband and I went to visit my parents for the 4th this past weekend, my mom gave me some back issues of Cook’s Illustrated that she had gotten from a friend of hers. I know lots of home cooks love this magazine, but it was my first experience with it, and I have to say I am impressed. Anyway, when we got home today, I got right to work picking out some recipes from the magazine to make this week and ended up pairing May/June 04’s oven-cooked brown rice with Jan./Feb. 05’s homemade chicken teriyaki. The brown rice was outstanding. It takes a little longer to make than brown rice on the stove, which I make frequently, but the texture is flawless. I consider myself pretty good at making rice on the stove, but I will definitely make it this way in the future. The homemade teriyaki sauce was yummy as well.

The chicken also gave me a chance to practice some butchering skills, as it calls for de-boning some bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. I am a firm believer that the best cooks are always talented at butchering their meat, so this was a good chance to practice these skills. It was a little difficult, but practice is good. Here are both recipes:

Oven-baked brown rice

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

 

ingredients

1 ½ cups brown rice (any grain length – I used long grain)

2 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 ½ Tbsp. butter

Dash salt

Large wedge of lemon

¼ tsp. garlic powder

Black pepper

 

directions

1.       Set oven rack to middle position and preheat to 375 degrees.

2.       Spread rice evenly in the bottom of a small round casserole with a lid.

3.       Bring broth and butter to a boil in a covered saucepan (make sure it’s covered – otherwise, some of the liquid will evaporate and mess up the proportions).  As soon as it’s boiling, stir in dash of salt and pour the liquid over the rice.  Cover and bake for 1 hour.

4.       Remove rice from oven, uncover, and fluff with a fork.  Squeeze wedge of lemon into the rice and add garlic powder and black pepper.  Fluff again to combine.

5.       Cover with a towel and let stand 5 minutes.  Uncover and let stand 5 minutes more. Fluff and serve.

 

 

 

 

Chicken Teriyaki

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

This recipe requires starting with deboned chicken thighs (with skin on – the skin is important).  I can’t reproduce CI’s deboning instructions for you, but there is a similar set of instructions here, on AllRecipes.  CI also calls for making 3 slashes in the skin of each thigh, which I found difficult, but I managed something resembling that.

ingredients

4 chicken thighs, butchered to specifications above

Salt and pepper

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup sugar (you could reduce this to 1/3 if you wanted)

½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1 minced garlic clove

2 Tbsp. mirin

½ tsp. cornstarch

 

(this is the full sauce recipe, but half the amount of chicken – 2 servings instead of 4 – so there will be sauce leftover, which will save just fine in the fridge)

 

directions

1.       Heat broiler with oven rack about 8 inches from heating element.   Line baking sheet with foil and place a flat rack on it if you have one (I don’t, so I skipped this step and it was fine).

2.       Place thighs on baking sheet and arrange so that they are of even thickness and the skin covers the tops evenly.  Broil until skin is crisp and internal temperature is 175 degrees (My thermometer hit the temperature before the skins were super dark brown, and, concerned about them drying out, I took them out a minute before I probably should have.  You want the skin as crisp as possible, and the meat doesn’t dry out at all, so next time I’ll just judge them based on the skin).  This should take about 10-14 minutes.  Rotate the pan halfway through cooking time.

3.       Meanwhile, combine soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and garlic in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Stir together mirin and cornstarch until no lumps remain, and whisk it into the sauce.  Bring sauce to a boil, whisking frequently.  Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until reduced to ¾ cup or takes on the texture of a glaze, about 5 minutes.  Cover and remove from heat.

4.       Let chicken rest for a couple of minutes before slicing crosswise and drizzling with sauce.  Serve with additional sauce on the side.

 

Chicken, spinach, and mushroom casserole

For as much as I do enjoy “fancier” foods, I’ve developed quite a taste for the humble casserole. Casseroles are so satifying and I love having a whole meal in one dish. The last time I made casserole, I wanted one with noodles as opposed to my usual rice, so I found a basic recipe on FoodNetwork.com and proceeded to rip it apart and change it to my liking. I think I can now safely call this recipe my own!

ingredients

1/2 pound egg noodles
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup finely sliced prosciutto or crumbled bacon or pancetta (optional) I had leftover prosciutto, so I used that up
About 2 cups diced rotisserie or leftover roasted chicken (from about 1/2 of a small chicken)
10 oz. mushrooms
1/2 large onion, diced

3 large handfuls of fresh baby spinach
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Asiago cheese
2/3 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper

 

 

directions

1. Cook egg noodles until just tender, leaving some bite since they will continue cooking in the oven. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking together.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet (with high sides since liquid will be added) over medium-high heat until oil shimmers. Sauté mushrooms until golden brown and liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and the thyme, and toss to mix.

4. Add white wine and cook until nearly evaporated.

5. Add chicken broth, bring to a simmer, and reduce slightly.

6. Turn heat to low and whisk in cream. Slowly return sauce to a low simmer and reduce again slightly. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the noodles, but still very liquid since it will thicken more in the oven.

7. Add spinach to the sauce and cook until just wilted.

8. Remove from heat and stir in chicken and noodles.

9. Turn the mixture into a greased casserole dish.

10. Combine cheese and breadcrumbs in a small bowl, and top the casserole with the mixture.

11. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is melted. If the top starts to become too brown, you can cover it for the last few minutes. I had no problems leaving my uncovered for 20 minutes, though.

Also pictured above: the pasta bowls from our new Kate Spade June Lane china that we got for our wedding! I love them.