Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping

Today I revisited a recipe we discussed some time back, Chicken Pot Pie with Savory Crumble Topping.  Last time I made it with turkey, but this time we made it as per the recipe, with chicken. It turned out just as excellent as last time.   Indeed, this is one of the most reliably good recipes I've found.

The recipe was originally printed in the September/October 2010 issue of Cook's Illustrated.  It has also been featured on the America's Test Kitchen TV show.  I've seen the recipe mentioned elsewhere, which isn't surprising, given how good it is.

Some unusual ingredients for a dish of this sort - Parmesan cheese, tomato paste, mushrooms and soy sauce - give this pot pie a really rich flavor with lots of depth.  The rich sauce and tender bits of chicken and vegetables are all good, but the crumble topping - made with lots of butter and cream, plus Parmesan and seasonings - is what really makes this pot pie stand out.

I could go on and say a lot more, but really, the best thing I can say about this recipe is that it comes with our highest recommendation.  We love it, and we're sure you will too.

Chicken and Vegetable Stew with Rosemary Dumplings

Last night I made something a little different.  I got the idea from the 125th Anniversary edition of The Good Housekeeping Cookbook.  They had a recipe in there for Chicken with Rosemary Dumplings.  I used that recipe for a starting point to make a version of my own.

The result was a thick, hearty stew full of vegetables and bits of chicken, served along with wonderfully flavorful dumplings.  The entire dish had a rich chicken flavor.  With Juli and me working together, this dish didn't take too long to make, and even if it had taken a lot more time, it would have been worth the effort.

Try it.  I'm pretty sure you'll be pleased.

Chicken and Vegetable Stew with Rosemary Dumplings

yield = 5-6 servings

3           tablespoons vegetable or canola oil, divided
5           pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-
                size pieces
8           ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and quartered
1           teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1           teaspoon salt
4           large carrots, peeled and sliced thin
2           large stalks celery, finely chopped
1           large onion, finely chopped
1           cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2           teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2     teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1           large egg
1 1/2     cups milk
2 1/2     cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/4     cups water
2           cups frozen peas

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot.  Add half of the chicken pieces.1/4 teaspoon pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until golden-brown.  Remove chicken to a bowl.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in the Dutch oven.   Add mushrooms, carrots, celery and onion and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are golden brown and tender, about 10 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the dumplings.   In a small bowl, combine 1 cup flour, baking powder, rosemary and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, beat together egg and 1/2 cup milk.  Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until just blended.

Return chicken to Dutch oven.  Add chicken broth, water, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Increase heat to high and bring to a boil.   Drop tablespoons of the dumpling mixture on top of chicken and vegetables to make dumplings.  Reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.

Remove dumplings, chicken and vegetables to a serving bowl; keep warm.  In a cup, blend remaining 2 tablespoons flour with remaining 1 cup milk until smooth. Stir into the broth remaining in the Dutch oven.  Heat to boiling and let boil 1 minute or until slightly thickened.  Stir in peas and heat through (3 minutes). 

Add individual servings of chicken, vegetables and dumplings to bowls.  Ladle sauce over each serving and serve.

 

Weeknight Roast Chicken

The current issue of Cook's Illustrated (September/October 2011) features a recipe for Weeknight Roast Chicken.  The recipe represents a departure from CI's default method of roasting a chicken, which involves brining the chicken, then roasting it on a V-rack in a roasting pan and flipping it over a couple times while it cooks to promote even browning.   The new recipe isn't meant to replace that one, which the CI folk still stand by, but to provide a faster alternative, one that will let you make a really good roast chicken on a weeknight, without the prep time required for the default recipe.   I thought that sounded pretty good, so I recently tried it out.  Juli and I were both quite pleased by the results.

This recipe involves placing an oven-safe skillet, preheating the oven and skillet to 450 degrees, prepping the chicken by patting it dry then rubbing it down with olive oil and sprinkling it with ample amounts of kosher salt and black pepper, then placing the chicken in the preheated skillet and letting it cook for around a half-hour, then turning off the oven and letting the chicken finish coking through the heat already inside the chicken being conducted into the interior.  The result would theoretically be nicely roasted chicken that was really moist (long cooking tends to dry out a chicken through surface evaporation) with no chance of the chicken being dried out.

I followed the recommended technique, save that I used my Lodge Color Enamel 3-Quart Dutch Oven, sans lid, in place of a skillet.  I knew that the enameled cast iron would heat up evenly and well and conduct heat a lot more easily than a skillet, while also being pretty easy to clean afterward. 

My results were quite good.   The recipe delivered what it promised:  a quick-roasted, delicious, moist roast chicken with a nicely-bronzed skin.  The whole process of roasting the chicken took,  start to finish, about 90 minutes, including prepping the chicken (which I did while the oven and pan preheated).  The skin was beautifully bronzed, and while I let the chicken rest, I made a delicious tarragon-lemon pan sauce, using a recipe that accompanied the article about roasting the chicken.  When I sliced the chicken, I found it delightfully juicy, and topped with the sauce, it was simply delicious.   We both loved it.

The only downside to this technique is that while the bird cooked in the extremely-hot oven, a fair bit of grease spattered out of the pan and into the oven.  This necessitated an oven cleaning, and while our oven was somewhat overdue for a cleaning anyhow, I don't want to have to clean the oven every time I roast a chicken.  That problem isn't going to keep me from using this technique again, because the chicken did turn out wonderfully, but I'll be happier if I can come up with a way to get the same results without the grease spatter.

Roast Lemon Chicken with Potatoes

It's still a little warm to be doing a lot of roasting, but sometimes nothing hits the spot like a roasted chicken.  The recipe below is a pretty basic one.  It reliably gives you a flavorful, juicy roasted chicken and delicious potatoes seasoned with parsley and pan juices, all with a minimum of effort.

Roast Lemon Chicken with Potatoes

3             whole fresh lemons
5             tablespoons unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
1             cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
2             scallions, finely chopped
2             tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
5             teaspoons minced garlic
1             whole (5-pound) chicken
2             teaspoons coarse sea salt
1 1/2       teaspoons freshly-ground black pepper
2             pounds small red potatoes, cut lengthwise into quarters
1             cup chopped fresh parsley
2             tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees with the rack at middle position. 

Using a grater, finely zest the lemons into a small bowl.  Add softened butter, basil, scallions, dill and garlic.  Mix thoroughly.

 
Rinse the chicken and pat dry thoroughly, inside and out.  From the edge of the cavity, slip a finger under the skin of each breast, then gently loosen the skin from the meat of the breasts and thighs.  Using your hands, gently push the butter mixture into the spaces between the chicken skin and the meat of the breast and thighs.  As you work the mixture in, rub your hand over the outside of the skin to smooth out the butter mixture and push it down further between the skin and meat. 

Season the outside of the chicken thoroughly with  1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Cut two of the zested lemons into quarters and loosely stuff the chicken cavity with the lemon quarters.  Do not over-stuff; you may not use all of the lemon quarters; discard any extra.  Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Toss to coat.  Cut the third zested lemon into quarters and set aside. 

Spray a roasting rack with nonstick cooking spray and set it in a roasting pan.  Arrange the potato mixture evenly on the bottom of the roasting pan.  Place the chicken on the roasting rack breast-side up. 

Roast the chicken for 20 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven, turn the chicken breast-side down and roast another 20 minutes, then remove the pan from the oven and turn the chicken breast-side up again.  Sprinkle the parsley over the potatoes; stir to coat the parsley and potatoes with pan drippings.  Squeeze the reserved lemon wedges over the chicken, then place the lemon rinds in the roasting pan.   Continue to roast until the chicken juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork (about 30 minutes more).

Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken rest in the pan 15 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a cutting board.  Let the chicken rest for another few minutes, then cut it into pieces to serve.  Spoon the pan juices over the chicken pieces, then serve with the potatoes. 

Chicken Breasts with Creamy Lime Sauce

I've been on a bit of a Mexican kick of late, ever since we discovered a Mexican restaurant in Des Moines that we really like (I'll talk more about the restaurant in another post).  Having already made Beef Tacos, I decided my next Mexican dish would use chicken.

I considered grilling up some chicken with Mexican seasonings - I've got a recipe somewhere for grilled Tequila-Lime Chicken that I'm really wanting to try out one of these days - but I decided instead to cook the chicken breasts in a skillet and serve them with a flavorful pan sauce.  I skipped the tequila but decided to stick with the lime, and I built the recipe up from there. 

The result was, quite frankly, superb.  The chicken breasts were nicely flavored due to the slightly spicy coating, and the fragrant lime and cream sauce was tangy and pleasantly acidic.  The two combined made for a delightful mix of flavors in every bit.

I served the chicken atop a bed of Mexican Rice, along with some fresh sliced tomatoes from one of the area farmer's markets.   I made more rice than I needed to serve with the chicken, because I had an idea what to do with the leftover rice for another meal.   More on that in another post.  In any case, the flavorful, spicy rice complemented the chicken quite well.  Together, these dishes made for a great Mexican-themed meal.

Chicken Breasts with Creamy Lime Sauce

yield = 4 servings

2                teaspoons cornstarch
2                teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1 1/2          teaspoons garlic powder
1                teaspoon ground cumin
1/2             teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2             teaspoon onion powder
1/2             teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2             teaspoon table salt
2/3             cup all-purpose flour
4                boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2                tablespoons vegetable oil
2/3             cup low-sodium chicken broth
5                green onions, trimmed and thinly-sliced
2                teaspoons agave nectar (or sugar)
1/4             cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4             cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the cornstarch with two teaspoons water in a small bowl.  Mix to dissolve the cornstarch, then set aside.

Mix the paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, onion powder, black pepper and salt in a small bowl.  Measure out one teaspoon of the mixture and set aside.   Mix the rest of the spice mixture with the flour in a large, flat dish or pie plate.   Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture to coat it thoroughly, shaking off excess flour mixture. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook 5 minutes, then turn and cook another 5 minutes.  Transfer to a plate or baking sheet lined with paper towels and cover or put in warm (200 degrees) oven to keep warm.

Add the green onions to the pan and cook until they soften and start to brown.  Add the chicken broth and agave nectar and stir to combine (or to dissolve sugar, if using that in place of agave nectar).  Scrape the bottom of the pan with the side of a wooden spoon to loosen cooked-on bits.  Stir in the heavy cream and cilantro and cook, stirring constantly, until the liquid is reduced by 1/2.  Stir the cornstarch mixture, then stir it into the sauce.  Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. 

Arrange the chicken breasts on a serving platter.  Top with sauce and serve. 

Chicken Tikka Masala - A Great, Big Batch

Juli and I like our leftovers.   We work long hours, and most workdays we eat leftovers for lunch.  Sometimes we eat leftovers for dinner, too.   We've both gotten compliments (and occasional words of envy) over the things we bring for our meals at work, which isn't surprising.  After all, who wouldn't prefer home-cooked lamb stews, Thai chicken soup, smoked ribs or a fragrant shrimp curry with rice and naan over a Hot Pocket or packet of Lipton Soup?   I will admit, I find these sorts of responses quite gratifying, but mostly I'm just glad to provide Juli and myself with some great meals to warm up at work.

Most of the recipes we cook are designed to serve four, which ends up giving us a couple batches of leftovers, but occasionally I like to make a really big batch of something, so I'll have lots of servings of leftovers.   We often finish off our leftovers a day or two after first preparing a dish, but it's also nice to look for something tasty in the freezer and spot a serving of that excellent beef and bean soup or spaghetti with meat sauce or pork vindaloo from a couple weeks earlier. 

Today's featured recipe is from one of those times I wanted to make a lot of leftovers, but it would serve just as well if you simply wanted to feed a lot of people something tasty and slightly exotic and just plain good.

Chicken Tikka Masala has become something of a "standard" Indian dish, even though it isn't traditionally Indian.  It was first cooked in an Indian restaurant in Great Britain and became such a big hit that it has not only become a restaurant staple, spawning countless variations, but is now also cooked in India.  You can find recipes everywhere for it, and I've tried several.  They've ranged from weak to acceptable to quite good, but I haven't yet found "the" Chicken Tikka Masala recipe that will become my standard.  I keep looking, though.

A version at My Gourmet Connection caught my eye some time back.  Looking it over, I realized that it could easily be doubled to serve a bunch of people... or to make lots of leftovers.   I made a few adjustments to the recipe as printed, starting with doubling some of the ingredients and then switching some of the ratios of the ingredients to get the exact mix of flavors and the specific texture I wanted.  I also decided to use some fresh hot peppers in place of some of the cayenne called for in the original recipe.  The recipe below reflects the changes I made, adjusted to reflect some things I'll do differently next time. 

The result was quite good.   Not perfect, mind you.  I still haven't found my "perfect" version of Chicken Tikka Masala.  But this was nonetheless quite good.  It will provide me with a good place to start from as I tinker around and try to perfect the recipe, but in the meantime it is quick and easy and good and makes enough for a bunch of hungry people. 

I was quite happy with the mix of seasonings and the overall flavor of the dish.   I was somewhat less pleased with the texture.  The gravy wasn't as smooth as I'd have liked   The culprit there was the chicken.  I think I used a bit too much yogurt in the marinade, which caused two problems.  First, the chicken didn't chunk up quite the way I'd have liked.    My preference is that the cooked pieces of chicken be firm enough that they cut easily into neat cubes, as one might get with a piece of properly-roasted tandoori chicken. 

In contrast, this chicken was coated in a bit too much marinade, and as a result, it steamed or boiled as much as it roasted, so it didn't have as firm a texture as I'd have liked.  It shredded when cut, rather than slicing into neat chunks, and it fell apart more when it was mixed into the gravy.   This didn't impact the flavor at all, but it did give the dish a texture and a mouth-feel different than I'd prefer.  I also minced the ginger in the marinade rather than grating it, and in retrospect it's pretty obvious that grated ginger would have made for a smoother marinade, which would translate into a smoother gravy.  The instructions below reflect these changes from how I prepared the dish.

Some people prefer Chicken Tikka Masala to have more of a red color to the gravy and less in the way of tomato chunks.  If you'd prefer that, you could simply add some tomato paste, but that risks throwing off the overall flavor of the dish by boosting the tomato element.  A better option would probably be to puree the diced tomatoes before adding them to the gravy.  One could also add a few drops of red food coloring to the marinade, which will dye the chicken pieces red on the outside.  That's what many Indian recipes do when preparing Tandoori chicken, which is then chopped into chunks and added to the gravy.

In any case, this still made for a very nice meal when served up with basmati rice, naan and Indian-Spiced Cauliflower (I'll present that recipe another day), and it did indeed make for a lot of tasty leftovers that froze and warmed up quite nicely.   While I am not done tinkering with this recipe, I was pleased with the results of my first try, and I expect you would also find it to your liking.

Chicken Tikka Masala

yield = 10-12 generous servings

Yogurt Marinade
2                   cups plain nonfat yogurt
4                   tablespoons freshly-squeezed lemon juice
2                   tabespoons minced garlic
2                   tablespoons peeled, grated fresh ginger
3                   teaspoons ground cumin
2                   teaspoons ground cinnamon
2                   teaspoons ground coriander
1                   teaspoon ground cardamom
1                   teaspoon cayenne pepper

Chicken Tikka Masala
5                   pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs,
                        trimmed of any excess fat
3                   tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2                cup sliced almonds
1                   large white onion, finely chopped
2                   serrano chilis, seeded and chopped
2                   tablespoons fresh, peeled and grated ginger
1                   tablespoon minced garlic
1                   tablespoon ground cumin
2                   teaspoons ground cardamom
2                   teaspoons ground cinnamon
2                   teaspoons ground coriander
1                   teaspoon table salt
3/4                teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2                teaspoon ground cloves
1                   can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
2                   teaspoons sugar
1 1/3             cup heavy cream
                     chopped fresh cilantro as garnish

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl.  Poke the chicken thighs on all sides with a fork, to allow the marinade to better penetrate, then add the chicken thighs to the marinade.  Turn and stir to coat the chicken pieces on all sides.  Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or more (preferably overnight).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line two or more baking sheets with foil and coat with nonstick cooking spray.  Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade, shaking off excess marinade, and arrange them on the baking sheets, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space between the individual chicken pieces.  

Roast until the chicken thighs are cooked through, turning once (10-12 minutes).  When the chicken is cooked through, remove the baking sheets from the oven and set them aside to cool.

While the chicken roasts, heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the sliced almonds and cook, stirring constantly, until they are golden-brown (about 2 minutes).  Remove the almonds from the pan and increase heat to medium high. 

Add the onion and serrano chilis and cook until the onion starts to brown (about 6 minutes).  Add the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then stir in the cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, salt, pepper and cloves.  Cook until the spices are fragrant (about 1 minute).

Stir in the tomatoes and sugar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomato pieces are starting to break down and make a thick sauce (8-10 minutes).   While the tomato mixture simmers, chop the chicken thighs into bite-size pieces.

Stir in the cream, then add and stir in the chicken chunks and cook until heated through (1-2 minutes).  Transfer to a serving bowl, top with the toasted almonds and cilantro and serve with naan and basmati rice.

Grilled Lemon Chicken Breasts

In case anyone hasn't noticed yet, I really love grilling.  On nice days and evenings from spring through fall, if I'm cooking, more often than not it will probably be on my grill.  Sometimes I prepare a whole meal on the grill, other times I just grill part of the meal.  This time around it was the latter.  I'd already decided to make up the season's first batch of our Basil, Feta and Tomato Pasta Salad. 

Now I just needed to make something to go with it... and preferably something grilled.

I ended up soaking some chicken breasts in an easy marinade and then tossing them on the grill.   I tend to make a lot of thick sauces for grilled meat and poultry, often including Asian seasonings, but for this meal I went with something lighter.   I decided to feature lemon flavor, and to back it up with some garlic and seasonings. 

Those decisions made, the rest came together easily.   Olive oil, lemon juice and lemon zest would form the backbone of the marinade.   I decided to toss in some fresh oregano from our garden, and the other ingredients - garlic, pepper, salt and red pepper flakes - were obvious choices.

These chicken breasts were quite tasty.  They were perfectly cooked, and had a bold lemon flavor that was nicely supported by the other ingredients.  They were also pretty quick - I started by marinating the chicken, then got the grill ready, and by the time the grill was hot and ready for cooking, the chicken had marinated long enough for the flavors to really set in - and easy.   For a recipe I tossed together with minimal thought, they turned out great.  Better yet, the sliced-up, leftover chicken breast paired nicely with the pasta salad for lunches the next day. 

Grilled Lemon Chicken Breasts

yield = 3 servings

2                 tablespoons olive oil
1                 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1                 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
                   grated zest of one lemon
2                 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2              teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4              teaspoon table salt
1/4              teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3                 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves,
                       trimmed of excess fat

Add olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, pepper, salt and red pepper flakes to a large zipper-lock bag.  Add the chicken breasts.  Seal the bag and shake/turn to coat the chicken with the other ingredients.  Refrigerate and allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Prepare grill for medium-high, direct heat.   Remove the chicken from the zipper-lock bag; discard bag and marinade.  Grill the chicken breasts until cooked through (about 5 minutes per side).   Serve.

Chicken and Lemongrass Curry

Today's recipe was inspired by a recipe originally presented in Food & Wine in October 2007.  That recipe had a bit more of a Vietnamese spin to it, but I decided to change things up a bit to reflect more of a Thai flavor mix, most notably by using Thai green curry paste.  

Most of the flavor in this dish is derived from a brief marinade of fish sauce, garlic, salt and the aforementioned green curry paste, and from cooking lemon grass and chopped chili peppers in the hot oil before adding the chicken.   A nice, sweet flavor component is provided by caramelizing some sugar and adding it along with the chicken. These potent ingredients impart a delightfully complex mix of flavors - salty, sweet, savory and a bit sour - to the chicken.   The flavor complexity is particularly impressive when you consider how quickly the dish comes together.  The total time from starting prep to putting the dish on the dinner table was less than 1/2 hour. 

All in all, I was pretty pleased with this one.  It was fast, easy, quite flavorful and very memorable.  I think this recipe is destined to earn a spot on my short list of quick and dependably excellent go-to recipes.

Chicken and Lemongrass Curry

yield = 4 servings

2             tablespoons fish sauce
1             tablespoon Thai green curry paste
2             teaspoons minced garlic
2             tablespoons + 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4          teaspoon table salt
1 1/2       pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts and/or
                 thighs, chopped into bite-size pieces
1/4          cup + 3 tablespoons water
2             tablespoons canola oil
2             tablespoons lemongrass paste (or 2 stalks,
                  tender inner white parts only, chopped)
2             serrano chilis, seeded and minced
1             large shallot, thinly-sliced
2             teaspoons fresh peeled and minced ginger
               chopped fresh cilantro leaves as garnish (optional)

Combine fish sauce, green curry paste, garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and salt in a medium bowl.  Add chicken pieces, stir to coat and set aside.

In a small skillet or saucepan, add remaining two tablespoons sugar to 1 tablespoon water and cook over high heat, stirring often, until the sugar is dissolved.   Continue stirring and cook until a deep amber caramel forms.  Remove from heat and stir in the remaining two tablespoons of water.  Transfer to a small bowl.

Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add the lemongrass, chopped serrano chilis, shallot and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Add the chicken and stir-fry until the chicken is no longer translucent.  Add 1/4 cup water and caramel and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened (another 3-4 minutes or so).  Serve.