Chicken Not So Noodle Soup

while the rest of you were eating nachos, chicken wings, and artichoke dip on sunday.  i got a request for chicken noodle soup, and i got excited.  soup nights are full of healthy vegetables and great crusty bread to dunk in the broth (i love to get the roasted garlic ciabatta bread from stop & shop).  and while noodles are great in things like lo mein, i think small cut pastas actually work better.  so here’s my chicken not so noodle soup:

Chicken Not So Noodle Soup
1 tbs butter
1 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 medium carrots, sliced in bit size pieces
3 celery stalks, sliced in bit size pieces
1 tsp rosemary, minced
salt and pepper
2 tbs white wine
2 quarts chicken stock
1/2 cup corn
1/2 cup peas
1 tbs parmesan cheese
12 ounces ditalini, cooked seperately
2 cups chicken, cooked seperately

heat a large soup pot over medium heat with butter and olive oil.  once butter is melted added the onion, cook until softened, about 10 minutes.  add the garlic, and cook for another minute.  then add carrots, celery, rosemary, and salt and pepper.  cook for 5 minutes.  add wine and release the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with your spoon.  once the liquid has dissipated, add the chicken stock then cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil. once up to a boil reduce the heat to low, add the corn, peas, and parmesan cheese, and let simmer for 5 minutes.  then add pasta and chicken to heat through for another 2 minutes. serve and enjoy.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

versatile is a word that is not usually used to describe a recipe. you might hear flavorful, easy, fast….never versatile.  but versatile is the exact word i would use when talking about rosemary roasted potatoes.  you can make them in the oven, on the stove, in a toaster oven, a deep fryer, or even a grill if you also have a large sautée pan.  i’ve also made them with idaho potatoes, also known as russets, yukon golds, and even red skinned potatoes.  so when you hear versatile you know you’ve found a recipe that you can and will use over and over again.

rosemary roasted potatoes
5 red skinned potatoes, chopped into 1/4 inch half moons
2 sprigs rosemary, chopped
1/4 c olive oil
1 tbs salt

heat the oil over medium heat in a large sautée pan.  then add potatoes and sprinkle rosemary and salt.  let cook for 45 minutes, tossing the potatoes every 3-5 minutes to achieve crunchy potatoes.

if cooking in the oven cooked the potatoes at 400 degrees.  after cooking for 30 minutes, toss then cook for another 15 minutes.

Herb Crusted Chicken Dinner

it’s friday, the end of a busy week, and you want a good meal.  you don’t want it to be labor intensive, but you want it to taste like it was.  so my plan was to transform a plain chicken breast into a flavorful home cooked meal.  and the best way to make anything taste better is fresh herbs. and it all started on friday morning when i made the marinade…

marinade
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp sage
1 /2 tsp thyme
juice of one lemon
1/4 c olive oil

start with 2 fresh or frozen chicken breasts in a plastic bag, and pour marinade over chicken.  let marinade for 4-6 hours or overnight in the refrigerator. just make sure the chicken is thawed by the time you bake it.

at the end of your day when you’re ready to eat, preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

accompany with the following:

• can of cranberry sauce (something about that jellied texture is magically delicious)
• baked potatoes (do them in the microwave, much easier and faster than the oven) and topped with sour cream, butter, and/or salt
• roasted broccoli (salt, pepper, garlic, and olive oil in the same oven as the chicken for 20 minutes)

Substitutions

everyone’s been in a situation where you’re making a recipe or looking for one when you notice you don’t have one of the ingredients.  some stop right there.  but the best cooks solider on, knowing they can, as tim gunn would say, “make it work.”  here’s a few that can get you through those difficult times.

Buttermilk – 1 cup milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar

Brown Sugar – 1 cup sugar with 1 tablespoon molasses or dark corn syrup

Fresh Herbs – for 1 tsp fresh do 1/2 tsp dry; for 1 tbs fresh do 1 tsp dry

Currants – raisins or dates

Tomato Paste – let 1 cup tomato sauce reduce to 1/2 cup

Bacon – pancetta or smoked ham

Dry Breadcrumbs – make your own with fresh bread

Butter – replace some with applesauce…for every 4 tablespoons of butter do 3 tablespoons of applesauce and 1 tablespoon of butter.

Bisquick – 1 c flour, 1 1/2 tspbaking powder, and  1/4 tsp salt mixture

Orange Chile Glazed Chicken

with my schedule it’s often that i’m alone for dinner.  and it doesn’t stop me for a second from making what i want.  i’ve had this idea for a while, and i finally got a chance to make it.  it was inspired by a scallop dish i had at Not Your Average Joes.  i never got that recipe, but this is my chicken version.

Orange Chile Glazed Chicken
1 chicken breast, butterflied
1 tbs oil
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
juice of 1 orange,
1/4 tsp orange zest
1 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tbs honey
1/2 tsp chiles in adobo
salt and pepper

heat the oil over medium heat and season the chicken with salt and pepper. once the oil starts to smoke add the chicken and let cook 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook for 3 minutes or until the juices run clear. while the chicken is working heat the orange juice in a small pot over high heat. let the juice reduce until you are left with a tablespoon or two. then add the rosemary, chili sauce, and chilis in adobe, and season to taste; heat for 3 minutes. when the chicken is cooked pour the glaze over the chicken and serve.

tips

• butterflied chicken cooks more evenly and quicker than a traditional piece.  watch this video for the method.

 

• the zest holds much more flavor than the actual juice because of the oils in the skin of the fruit. but we also need to use the juice to thin the honey.
• the honey makes the mixture a glaze as opposed to a sauce.  glazes are sticky: think of honey baked hams.  and sauces are more runny: think brown butter sauce.

try to recreate your own favorite restaurant style dish…email your outcomes to alliemarien@gmail.com

Rosemary Lemon Chicken

whenever i think of lemon chicken i think of the show “everybody loves raymond.”  lemon chicken was the first dish debra ever made for ray, and it was also the only dish she could make.  so if this was her “go to” you might want to keep it on hand for yourself.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken
2 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbs fresh rosemary leaves stripped from stems, chopped
1 tbs crushed red pepper flakes
3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 lemon, zested and juiced
salt and black pepper

preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  put the chicken in a baking dish and add all other ingredients.  cook for 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

tips:

• when you bring home fresh herbs from the grocery store you should take them out of their packages and wrap them in a damp paper towel and place in a plastic storage bag.  this will ensure that they stay fresh for a few weeks, so you can get your money’s worth.
• the zest of a fruit has much more flavor than the juice.  therefore make sure you use both the zest and juice.
• if you’re unfamiliar with rosemary: it’s a member of the mint family, looks and tastes like a pine tree, and has the tendency to dominate other flavors.  it’s best used for marinades on meats, with potatoes, and on breads like focaccia.