Chicken!

Yes, it's time for another Double-Post Thursday. Here are six chicken recipes to help you through the day. Enjoy!

LAURIE COLWIN’S BAKED MUSTARD CHICKEN

This comes from The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. It begins, “This old-school chicken, Sunday-night-supper chicken, even dinner party chicken, is baked for about two hours (yes, you read that correctly: two hours) until its bread crumb-coated skin is crisp — yet the meat miraculously maintains its moisture. The recipe, adapted from the great food writer Laurie Colwin, is so simple to make that her original version was written out in a brief paragraph, casually instructing the home cook to coat the chicken with mustard, garlic, a little thyme, a pinch of cinnamon. We have adapted the recipe to include measurements and more specific direction, but that shouldn’t stop you from absorbing her nonchalance and confidence as you make it, the certainty that it will turn out delicious every time. (The New York Times)”

Yield: 4 to 6 servings; Time: About 2 hours 15 minutes

This was featured in “Laurie Colwin: A Confidante in the Kitchen” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3/4 cup Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Salt and black pepper

2 cups fine dry unseasoned bread crumbs

2 chickens, 2 to 3 pounds each, quartered, rinsed and dried

1 tablespoon sweet paprika, or as needed

3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine mustard, garlic, thyme, cinnamon, a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Place bread crumbs in another large bowl.

Working in batches, coat chicken quarters on all sides with mustard mixture. Shake off excess mustard, then coat completely with bread crumbs. Arrange in a single layer in a large, shallow baking pan.

Dust the chicken with paprika and scatter butter pieces on top. Bake until crust is deep golden brown and crispy, about 2 hours. (Depending on the oven, the size of the pan and the size of the chickens, baking time may be as long as 2 1/2 hours.) Serve hot or at room temperature.

GENERAL TSO’S CHICKEN

I recently saw a post on Facebook where the person asked, “Who is General Tso, and why do we have his chicken?”

This is from Fuchsia Dunlop, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. The recipe begins, “In this Taiwanese version, the dish is hot and sour and lacks the sweetness of its Americanized counterpart.”

Yield: 2 to 3 servings; Time: About 40 minutes.

This recipe was featured in “Hunan Resources”, which helps answer the above mentioned question of who General Tso was and why this was named after him. It can also be viewed online here.

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

1 tablespoon double-concentrate tomato paste, mixed with 1 tablespoon water

1 tablespoon of water

1/2 teaspoon potato flour

1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons chicken stock or water

For the Chicken:

12 ounces (about 4 to 5) skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce

2 teaspoons light soy sauce

1 egg yolk

2 tablespoons potato flour

1 quart peanut oil, more as needed

6 to 10 dried red chilies

2 teaspoons finely chopped ginger

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 teaspoons sesame oil

Scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

Preparation

Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

To prepare the chicken, unfold the chicken thighs and lay them on a cutting board. Remove as much of the sinew as possible. (If some parts are very thick, cut them in half horizontally.) Slice a few shallow crosshatches into the meat. Cut each thigh into roughly 1/4-inch slices and place in a large bowl. Add the soy sauces and egg yolk and mix well. Stir in the potato flour and 2 teaspoons peanut oil and set aside. Using scissors, snip the chilies into 3/4-inch pieces, discarding the seeds. Set aside.

Pour 3 1/2 cups peanut oil into a large wok, or enough oil to rise 1 1/2 inches from the bottom. Set over high heat until the oil reaches 350 to 400 degrees. Add half the chicken and fry until crisp and deep gold, 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate. Repeat with the second batch. Pour the oil into a heatproof container and wipe the wok clean.

Place the wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons peanut oil. When hot, add the chilies and stir-fry for a few seconds, until they just start to change color. Add the ginger and garlic and stir-fry for a few seconds longer, until fragrant. Add the sauce, stirring as it thickens. Return the chicken to the wok and stir vigorously to coat. Remove from the heat, stir in the sesame oil and top with scallions. Serve with rice.

SAVORY CHICKEN POT PIE

This is from Kraft Recipes, and begins, “When a chicken pot pie bubbles and oozes this much creamy comfort in every bite, you know you’re home.” Prep Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 50 minutes; Servings: 8

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1/2 cup fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth

3 cups chopped cooked chicken

1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, green beans, peas), thawed

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose baking mix

Directions

Heat oven to 400°F.

Cook cream cheese and broth in large saucepan on low heat until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently with whisk. Stir in chicken, vegetables and garlic powder.

Spoon into 9-inch pie plate. Whisk egg and milk in medium bowl until blended. Add baking mix; stir just until moistened. Spread over chicken mixture. Place pie plate on baking sheet.

Bake 25 to 30 min. or until golden brown.

ENGAGEMENT ROAST CHICKEN

This comes from Ina Garten of The Food Network’s Barefoot Contessa. Total Time: 1 hr 40 min; Active: 5 min; Yield: 3 servings; Level: Intermediate.

To view this online, go to http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/engagement-roast-chicken-recipe.

Ingredients

1 (4 to 5 pound) roasting chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 lemons

1 whole head garlic, cut in 1/2 crosswise

Good olive oil

2 Spanish onions, peeled and thickly sliced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove and discard the chicken giblets. Pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Cut the lemons in quarters, place 2 quarters in the chicken along with the garlic and reserve the rest of the lemons. Brush the outside of the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle the chicken liberally with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the chicken in a small (11 by 14-inch) roasting pan. (If the pan is too large, the onions will burn.) Place the reserved lemons and the sliced onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Pour the mixture around the chicken in the pan.

Roast the chicken for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and a thigh. Remove the chicken to a platter, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the sauce, leaving the lemons and onions in the pan.

Place the pan on top of the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the wine and stir with a wooden spoon to scrape up the brown bits. Add the stock and sprinkle on the flour, stirring constantly for a minute, until the sauce thickens. Add any juices that collect under the chicken. Carve the chicken onto a platter and serve with the lemons, onions, and warm sauce.



PARMESAN CHICKEN TOPPED WITH SPINACH AND ALMONDS

Yield: 4 servings

Source: Hellmann's

Print Friendly: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/bin/print.cgi?ID=1313

View recipe with photo: http://diabeticgourmet.com/recipes/html/1313.shtml

Ingredients

1-1/2 tablespoons Hellmann's or Best Foods Real Mayonnaise

1 cup loosely packed baby spinach leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped almonds

2 teaspoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon plain dry bread crumbs

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F.

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken.

On baking sheet, arrange chicken.

Evenly top with mayonnaise mixture.

Bake 15 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: Calories: 180; Protein: 27 g; Fat: 6 g; Sodium: 140 mg; Cholesterol: 10 mg; Carbohydrates: 2 g

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

This comes from Food.com, and begins, “I call this gloppy and sloppy and definitely my family's favorite.” Makes 6 servings; Prep Time: 40 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 1 hr. 20 minutes.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

3 cups diced cooked chicken

1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms, drained and chopped

1⁄2onion, chopped

1 (4 ounce) can green chilies, drained

1⁄4 teaspoon oregano

salt and pepper

10 -12 flour tortillas

Topping

1 (10 1/2 ounce) can cream of chicken soup

1⁄4 cup milk

1 lb shredded monterey jack cheese or 1 lb monterey jack pepper cheese

Directions

Mix together first 7 ingredients.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Place 2-3 tablespoons of filling in center of each tortilla; roll mixture up in tortilla.

With seam side down, place each rolled tortilla side by side in a 13x9 inch casserole dish Mix together first 2 topping ingredients.

Pour evenly over enchiladas in casserole dish.

Sprinkle with shredded cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes.