The basis for this recipe is from Martha Stewart. I modified the ingredients slightly, and cleaned up the instructions. The original instructions were too wordy.

Chicken Crepes

• Simple Crepes (recipe below)
• Gruyere Béchamel (recipe below)
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 11 oz frozen spinach, thawed, drained
• 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded or sliced
• 1 cup Gruyere, shredded
• Chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Preheat oven to 400 F with rack in center.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add garlic and cook until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add spinach and stir until heated through and combined with garlic. Let cool. Transfer to a work surface, chop, and set aside.

Mix 1-1/2 cups béchamel with chicken. Working with one at a time, place crepe on a work surface. Arrange 1/4 cup chicken mixture and 1 heaping Tbsp spinach down center of crepe; roll into a cylinder. Transfer, seam-side down, to a 9×13″ baking dish; assemble and arrange more crepes, leaving 1/2″ in between each. Spoon more béchamel on top and sprinkle with cheese. Bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes. Switch oven to broiler setting and cook until browning in spots, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Sprinkle with parsley.

This recipe makes enough filling for 12 crepes.

Simple Crepes

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, plus more for brushing

For the above chicken filling, make a triple batch of crepes shells.

In a stand mixer, blend flour, sugar, salt, milk, eggs, and butter until smooth, about 30 seconds. Refrigerate for at 30 minutes, or up to 1 day.

Stir for a few seconds before using. Heat an 8″ nonstick skillet over medium. Quickly pour 1/3 cup batter into center of skillet, tilting and swirling pan until batter evenly coats bottom.

Cook until crepe is golden in places on bottom and edges begin to lift from pan, 1 to 1-1/2 minutes. Use an offset spatula to lift one edge of crepe, then use your fingers to gently flip crepe.

Cook crepe on second side until just set and golden in places on bottom, about 30 to 60 seconds. Slide crepe onto a paper towel-lined plate.

Repeat with remaining batter, coating pan with more butter as needed, and stacking crepes directly on top of one another. Let cool to room temperature before using.

Gruyere Béchamel

• 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 4 cups whole milk
• Pinch grated nutmeg
• 1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz)
• Coarse salt & ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foamy. Add flour and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is pale golden and has a slightly nutty aroma, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard.

Whisking constantly, pour in milk and whisk until smooth. Cook over medium-high, whisking often along the bottom of pan, until boiling, about 7 minutes.

Reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Add nutmeg and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens to the consistency of thin yogurt, about 10 minutes. Stir in Gruyere. Season with salt and pepper.

I purchased 2 quarts of buttermilk to make biscuits, and this recipe helped use it up.

Buttermilk Chicken Cutlets

Marinade:

• 2 large boneless chicken breast, sliced horizontally and pounded thin
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 tsp salt (I use seasoned salt)
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Cooking:

• 1 cup flour
• salt & paprika
• oil

Marinade: Mix the buttermilk, salt, and pepper in a 1 gallon ziplock bag. Add the chicken. Refrigerate the chicken for 4 to 8 hours, manipulating the bag periodically to ensure the chicken is evenly marinated.

Cooking: Spread the flour on a large plate or on wax paper. Remove a cutlet from the marinade, shake off the excess, and season with salt and paprika. Dredge in flour. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute the chicken until well browned, then flip. Cook until browned and cooked through. If the cutlets are large, this may take two iterations. Keep the first batch warm as the second cooks.

Our refrigerator died last week — getting new appliances is tough. Two-thirds of the models we looked at on major sites are out of stock, and those that are have delivery dates into May … we lucked out and found a model we wanted with a 2 day delivery date. YAYYYY!

By the time we realized the fridge had died, the temperature inside was nearing room temperature. As a result, we threw out a lot of formerly good food. Everything else was put into coolers with ice and a new 7.5 cubic foot fridge we purchased as a stop-gap, as it was unclear at that time when we could get a new fridge delivered. We found the one we ordered … right after getting the small fridge setup. Oh, well, we’ll get use out of it as well.

As part of the above, an unopened package of puff pastry that was mostly defrosted went into the fridge. Gotta use it up … which spurred this recipe.

Keep in mind that this “recipe” is not a recipe, it’s a method. It’s what I did this time, and it’s unlikely I’ll ever repeat it exactly. As long as each time tastes good, this is fine. Well, fine by me …

Chicken in Puff Pastry

MARINADE:

• 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground ginger

COOKING:

• 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
• 1 cup white wine
• minced garlic
• 8 oz mushrooms, sliced
• 4 oz prosciutto
• 1 pkg puff pastry defrosted

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Clean the chicken, removing excess fat and veins. Cut in 2″ squares, e.g., more or less bite-sized pieces.

Put the olive oil, salt, pepper, and ginger in a gallon ziplock bag. Manipulate to mix. Add the chicken and manipulate to mix. Refrigerate 4 to 24 hours, massaging it and flipping it occasionally to ensure the chicken marinates evenly.

Heat 3 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken, including the marinade, and brown the chicken well on all sides. Add Herbes de Provence, garlic, and wine. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken is almost dry.

If local humidity is low, this will take less time, but the chicken will be cooked through, regardless.

While the chicken is simmering, place the mushrooms and 1/4 cup water in a skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until dry, shaking the pan occasionally. Turn off heat and let cool.

Roll each of the puff pastry pieces (package contains 2) until thin, 14″ to 16″ square each. Place one on a rimmed baking sheet.

Place the chicken on the pastry.

Layer the mushrooms on top, then the prosciutto.

Wet the edges of the pastry, then place the second puff pastry on top. The two pieces of pastry may not match exactly.

At this point the overall package may look misshapen and ugly, but that’s ok.

Use a sharp knife to trim any excess edges so the two pieces of pastry match. Then fold the edges together inward,. Press all around with a fork to seal the edges together.

Poke a few holes in the top to let steam escape.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Let cool 10 minutes, then slice and serve.

Notes:

Use whatever seasonings desired. The ones listed proved to be good.

Go crazy on garlic — I use probably 3 or 4 times as much as most people, and it doesn’t overpower. My wife doesn’t complain! We also suffer from no vampire problems.

I normally add water and oil to the pan with mushrooms — when the water evaporates, the mushrooms fry. This time I forgot the oil, but it worked out.

I invented this recipe when Lorraine & I were first married, living in Rochester NY. I could shut the oven off half-way through baking, we’d go for an hour bike ride, and it would be hot-n-fresh when we got home.

Fast-forward a few years to when we had small children, it was a set-and-forget dish that took no effort once in the oven. Anyone who has (or had) small children will understand the magic of this.

Baked Chicken & Rice

• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 whole chicken, disjointed, or 8 pieces of chicken
• salt & ground black pepper
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 cup brown rice
• 2-1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Heat butter and oil in an ovenproof deep skillet that has a cover. Brown chicken, seasoning with salt and pepper. Remove chicken and keep warm.

Saute onion until soft, adding more oil and/or butter if needed. Add rice and saute 5 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently.

Add stock and poultry seasoning. Return the chicken to the skillet, cover, and bake for 1 hour.

Notes:

This can be made with any chicken parts, but legs and thighs work best. Breast can dry out during the baking.

Leave the skin on so the fat will be rendered during sauting and baking, making the dish moister — I discard the skin when the dish is done.

To use white rice, use 1 part rice to 2 parts stock; brown rice uses a ratio of 1 part rice to 2-1/2 parts stock.

Other grains (quinoa, bulgar, pearl couscous, etc.) can be substituted for some or all of the brown rice.

Vegetable and beef stock can be substituted. Wine can be used to substitute one-third to one-half of the liquid. While white wine is typically used, rose or red can be used if desired.

Other seasonings can be used, including thyme, oregano, basil, Herbes de Provence, and paprika. Blend seasonings and increase the amounts as desired. When made with paprika, I typically triple the amount, as we love paprika.

Pork chops and stew beef can be used. Do not use lean meat as it will dry out and be tough.

I was looking for ideas for dinner when I spotted a recipe for General Tso’s Chicken Nuggets. It sounded interesting, but I wasn’t interested in deep frying chicken nuggets. Or deep frying anything, for that matter.

But I had chicken and veggies for a stir fry, so instead of my usual sauce (which is made up on the spot each time), I used the sauce in the recipe.

Lorraine told me to save the recipe — she wants me to make it again!

General Tso Stirfry

• 2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cleaned, cut in strips
• 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts
• 8 oz can sliced bamboo shoots
• 15 oz can baby corn, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1 colored bell pepper, seeded, cut in bite-sized chunks
• oil

SAUCE:

• 1⁄4 cup soy sauce
• 1⁄4 cup rice vinegar
• 1⁄4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1⁄2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1⁄3 cup water
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch

Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a wok over high heat. Chow the chicken in batches, adding an additional Tbsp oil as needed. As each batch cooks through, remove it to a large bowl and keep warm.

Add 1 Tbsp oil to the wok and stir fry the vegetables for 1 minute. Add 1/4 cup water and steam, stirring frequently, until the water is mostly evaporated.

While the above is cooking, stir the sauce ingredients together in a large measuring cup.

When the vegetables are crisp-tender, remove to the bowl with the chicken.

Pour the sauce into the wok and cook 2 minutes, stirring, or until thick. Add the chicken and vegetables back to the wok and stir to mix. Remove from heat and serve.

Notes:

Lorraine doesn’t care for spicy, so I added only 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.

I was out of hoisin sauce, so I substituted oyster sauce.

There wasn’t as much sauce as we like, so next time I will add an additional 3/4 to 1 cup of chicken or vegetable stock and 1 additional tablespoon of cornstarch. White wine or sake can be used.

This recipe will work fine with any desired vegetables, and boneless chicken breast, boneless pork, or boneless beef can be used instead of chicken thighs. I may try it with shrimp and/or scallops.

This recipe came off the AllRecipes site. Unlike most recipes I get from other sources, the ingredient list didn’t change much (although I reorganized it), but I completely rewrote the directions.

Yakitori Don

MARINADE:

• 1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger root
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 Tbsp white sugar
• 2/3 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp sake
• 1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
• 2 Tbsp cooking oil

CHICKEN:

• 2 Tbsp cooking oil
• 3 lbs chicken pieces, rinsed, patted dry
• 1/4 cup red wine

Note: The original recipe called for a whole chicken, disjointed. I used boneless thighs and would generally use legs or thighs for this recipe, although boneless breast should work.

Mix the marinade ingredients together in a gallon ziplock bag. Add the chicken and mix to ensure the marinade is all over the chicken. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 24 hours. Longer is better, especially if grilling.

I used 2-1/2 lbs of boneless thighs, but any chicken will work. I use a ziplock bag as I can press the air out and ensure all of the chicken is touching the marinade. I try to manipulate the bag every few hours to ensure distribution of the marinade.

Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade.

Heat oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan, skin side down (if there is skin). Cook until browned, then flip and brown the other side. Drain any excess grease and deglaze the pan with wine. Let the wine cook down and then add the reserved marinade.

Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking, shaking the skillet occasionally, until the marinade is reduced to a thick sauce and the chicken is fully cooked, and additional 10 to 20 minutes.

To bake: Use an oven-safe skillet and after the pan is deglazed, bake at 350 F, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, turning the chicken once. If the sauce is not thickened, cook a bit longer. Check the thickest piece for doneness. [I used boneless thighs so there was no question the chicken was cooked. Bone-in chick breast and thighs will need checking.]

To grill: The original recipe said to grill the chicken, turning once and basting at that time.

That is not going to have the same flavor. I’m going to try this, but will grill the chicken instead of browning. While the chicken is grilling, put the marinade in a saucepan and cook over medium heat to reduce it. Serve the sauce over the chicken.

Changes:

• reduced the sugar to 1 Tbsp
• doubled the sake
• added the red wine, as the pan needed deglazing; white wine or sake would work as well

This morning Lorraine asked me to make a chicken stirfry. Cool! I purchased things a few weeks ago with intention of making something Thai-ish, so I had ingredients. She picked up chicken breast and we were set!

This one is different from everything I’ve done previously, for two reasons:

1. I added unsweetened coconut milk, which is not a normal ingredient for a Chinese-style stirfry.

2. I blended the sauce ingredients instead of adding individually to the wok. I got this from my recent stroganoff recipe, and it makes cooking a LOT smoother. This will bleed over into everything I cook from now on.

I’m 2 for 2 — this is 2 nights in a row Lorraine asked me to write down what I did and add it to the family cookbook!

Yes, this is served with sake, so I’m adding Japanese to the mix!

Chicken Stirfry with Coconut Milk

CHICKEN:

• 1 lb boneless chicken breast, sliced in 1/8″ slices
• oil
• 15 oz can baby corn, drained, cut in thirds
• 8 oz can diced water chestnuts, drained
• 14 oz can straw mushrooms, drained
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, cut in bite-sized pieces
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

SAUCE:

• 3 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup oyster sauce
• 5 shots Texas Pete
• 2 Tbsp mirin (sweetened rice wine for cooking)
• 2 Tbsp lime juice

The above is what I used this time. I’ll never do things exactly the same way again, adjusting according to vegetables available at the moment. I am out of hoisin sauce, which I normally add, so I added more oyster sauce. All amounts are approximate as I make this up as I go, guessing how much I actually used.

Chow the chicken in oil in a wok over high heat, until cooked through. Some will brown, some will not. It doesn’t matter. Remove the chicken from the wok and keep warm.

While the chicken is cooking, mix the all sauce ingredients except garlic in a large bowl until smooth.

Add a bit more oil if the wok appears dry. Add all veggies then season with soy sauce. Stir the veggies every minute or so for 5 minutes. Do not over cook! Crisp tender is the goal. Remove from the wok (I put into the same bowl as the chicken and stir to mix).

Drain juices from the chicken and veggies & add to the wok. Add the garlic and chow for 1 minute. Pour in the sauce and cook for 3 minutes or until thick.

Add the chicken & veggies and stir to coat. Cook 1 minute.

Serve over rice, udon, or rice noodles.

Notes:

We served over rice noodles. The ones we used look like wide fettuccine. Soak in water 30 minutes then boil in water for 2 minutes. DO NOT overcook rice noodles! Unless you like mush.

Vegetables are cook’s choice. We like straw mushrooms, but got out of using them as the sons did not. Now that we are empty nesters, Lorraine and I are falling back into our pre-K habits!

This made 3 servings. It should probably serve 4 …. but it was good.

I haven’t posted a new recipe in a LONG time … but I haven’t done anything I considered original in a long time. If I don’t think something is of interest, I don’t bother recording it for myself, nor do I post it.

I’m in charge of chicken tonight — boneless breast. I spent an hour digging through my database of boneless breast recipes, finding nothing I was interested in that didn’t require preparations the night before. So I fell back on a current favorite — griddler fried chicken.

A couple years back I gave Lorraine a Cuisinart Griddler for Christmas and we use it frequently. One of the recipes I created is a not really a recipe — it’s a method for frying boneless meat and fish in the griddler to produce a fried flavor without the high oil content. As a result, I no longer pan fry anything with a coating (well, almost nothing — I do some dishes with flour or cornstarch, but nothing with bread crumbs or cracker crumbs).

In lieu of posting a new recipe, I’m posting my method for griddler frying foods. While there is a recipe here, it’s really a template — it’s wide open to substitute whatever ingredients or seasonings sound good at the moment. But first the recipe!

Note: I started this post a couple of months ago and just got around to finishing it.

Griddler Fried Chicken

• 1-1/2 lbs boneless chicken breast
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp granulated garlic
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• flour
• 2 cups coating mix *
• grated Parmesan cheese
• sesame seeds
• Costco no-salt seasoning
• dried parsley
• cooking spray oil

Clean the chicken, removing fat, cartilage, and anything not edible. Slice the breast halves in half horizontally, or in thirds if really thick. If the meat is more than 3/8″ thick, cover with plastic and pound thinner with a meat mallet. Regardless of thickness, this works best if the meat is the same thickness.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Add garlic, salt, and lemon juice and beat until well mixed.

Spread flour on a large sheet of wax paper. Lay another piece of wax paper on the counter, one large enough to comfortably hold all the chicken pieces.

Place a piece of chicken on the flour and use the wax paper to flick the excess flour over the chicken, then fold the wax paper over the chicken and press the flour into the meat on top and bottom. Pick up the chicken, shake off excess flour, and place on the second piece of wax paper. Repeat with all chicken. Let rest 10 minutes.

Lay a large piece of wax paper on the counter and cover it with coating mix.

Note on “coating mix”: You can use bread crumbs or cracker crumbs. Or anything else that sounds good. I typically go through the cupboard and grab anything applicable such as not-sweet cereals, crackers, or whatever-the-heck looks good. [If I don’t have enough coating mix I add store-bought bread crumbs.] Everything goes into Oskar (I still use the one my parents gave me as a present 30+ years ago. Google “oskar food processor”). Today’s mix includes Crispix, Puffins (some type of semi-sweet cereal), and Toasted crackers. For me, the coating mix is never the same twice.

Dip a piece of chicken in the egg, coating it thoroughly. Let the excess drip off in the bowl and lay it on the coating mix. Season with Parmesan, sesame seeds, no-salt seasoning, and parsley. Fold the wax paper over the chicken and press the coating mix in. Pick the chicken up and shake off excess. Lay it back on the previous wax paper. Repeat with all remaining chicken.

Setup the griddler with the flat plates in use. The ridged side works, but after cleaning the plats you’ll never do it again. Preheat on Sear.

Spray the chicken with cooking spray, coating the top side. Flip the meat and repeat.

When the griddler is hot, place chicken on it, avoiding crowding. Cook each batch for 5 to 7 minutes, depending on thickness. Repeat for all batches.

This works great for boneless pork and whitefish.

Chicken in Peanut Sauce

• Chicken:
• 4 boneless chicken breasts, sliced lengthwise in 1/4″ thick slices
• Marinade:7
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1 large clove garlic, pressed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 4 Tbsp hot water

Slice the chicken so that it will go on skewers — long and wide.

Mix the marinade ingredients well in a ziplock bag. Add chicken and mix to coat. Refrigerate, turning every 30 minutes for 2 hours.

Mix sauce ingredients, excepting water. Add water 1 Tbsp at a time, stirring to mix well after each addition. It should be fairly thick — stop adding water if it is getting too thin. Can always add more water … can’t take it out.

Thread the chicken slices on skewers, in “wave” fashion so that the chicken bunches up. Grill over low heat for 4 minutes, then flip and grill another 4. Check for done — don’t overcook the chicken!

Remove the chicken from skewers and slather with the peanut sauce.

Afternotes ]]> https://food.bkfazekas.com/2015/07/chicken-in-peanut-sauce/feed/ 0 https://food.bkfazekas.com/2015/06/chicken-marsala-with-prosciutto/ https://food.bkfazekas.com/2015/06/chicken-marsala-with-prosciutto/#respond Sat, 27 Jun 2015 23:51:24 +0000 http://food.bkfazekas.com/?p=165 Many moons ago Lorraine and I had dinner with a college friend of hers at Kanally’s in Schenectady, NY. We both had Veal Marsala in a cream sauce.

I have been trying to recreate that meal ever since then. I get close, but can’t quite get it.

Today I think I figured it out. And maybe even improved upon it.

Creamy Chicken Marsala with Prosciutto

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 lbs boneless chicken breast, sliced thin
• seasoned salt & ground black pepper
• garlic, pressed or minced
• 3/4 cup Marsala
• 2 tsp Herbes de Provence
• 1 quart veal stock
• 3 Tbsp flour dissolved in 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup half-n-half
• 1/4 lb prosciutto, sliced thin

Put the oil and butter in a deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter crackles, saute the chicken in batches, seasoning on with salt and pepper, browning lightly on both sides. As each batch is cooked, keep warm. I use a Corning Ware pan with lid.

Add garlic and Marsala; cook, stirring periodically, until the Marsala is reduced by half. Scrape up anything burned to the bottom of the pan. This is flavoring for the final dish. Don’t be a wimp — I used 6 large cloves of garlic. Garlic is a food group.

Add the veal stock and cook until reduced by half. Add the flour mixture, stirring well. This will thicken the sauce.

Add the half-n-half and stir until well blended. Reduce heat to low. Add chicken back in and cover each piece with a sheet of prosciutto. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes or until the prosciutto is wilted, then serve over pasta.

==

The difference? The veal stock. It provides a richness.

Lorraine’s only complaint? No mushrooms ….

==

The veal stock makes the difference. Everyone had second tonight.

]]> https://food.bkfazekas.com/2015/06/chicken-marsala-with-prosciutto/feed/ 0