We had leftover chicken from the grilled bird, so today's idea was a sudden craving for risotto. This recipe came out different because I had trouble getting the fresh wine open (I broke an opener on it *sighs*) so I didn't have it available for the deglaze. Honestly, I believe that's what made the recipe, in the end.
Garlicky Chicken & Broccoli Risotto
Shred remains of 1/2 roasted chicken (mix of white and dark meat). Set out 1/2 bag of frozen broccoli florets. Shred about 2 c parmesan cheese and set aside. Setup a pan with 3 cans of low sodium chicken broth, and let simmer, covered.
Heat saute pan and drizzle olive oil to coat the bottom. Scoop in 2 heaping tablespoons (I use soup spoons!) of minced garlic. Stir for about 30 seconds, then add 1 cup risotto and stir until translucent.
Deglaze the pan with about 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar. Add in two scoops of the heated broth, stir.
Add in the spices -- about 1/2 tsp each of dried thyme, dried rosemary, and about 1 tsp dried sage. Stir in.
Keep adding broth and letting simmer until it is absorbed, then repeat until all of the broth is gone. About halfway through add 1/4 cup white wine (like the Riesling reviewed earlier today). Before adding the last round of broth, stir in the broccoli and chicken -- it will heat through while the last round of broth is simmering to done.
When all broth is absorbed, stir in 1/4 cup butter until melted. Stir in parmesan cheese, and add freshly ground pepper to taste.
Makes four main servings.
This is a quick rub I pulled together the other night to throw a chicken onto the grill.
Paprika Chicken Rub
Mix together with a mortar and pestle:
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp granulated garlic
2 Tbsp paprika
2 tsp dried thyme
2 small handfuls, crumbled dried sage
1 tsp kosher salt
Drizzle the whole chicken with olive oil and rub into the skin, then pour on the rub -- I used about 2/3 of it for our chicken. Grill on the first side for 30 minutes, then flip and grill for 40 more minutes over indirect heat with the grill running about 300-350 degrees.
It's been a while since I've updated, I know. I missed several unique recipes that Kevin created last week, unfortunately, since he doesn't update here himself. Ah well.
This recipe was inspired by opening my downstairs fridge to get a glass of water, and noticing the bit of smoked gruyere there, just waiting to be used. And I was searching for something to do with chicken.
And so this recipe was born.
Herbed Chicken Wrapped with Gruyere and Parmesan
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup Blooming Onion Horseradish Sauce
salt
pepper
1 tsp Auntie Arwen's Elegant Herb mix
1/2 c shredded parmesan
1/2 c shredded smoked gruyere
Flatten chicken breasts between plastic wrap. Brush each breast with horseradish sauce. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and herb mix. Spread with mixed parmesan and gruyere.
Roll each piece of chicken and tie with string. Sear for 1 minute on each side, then place in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
I served this with cheesy rice (which didn't come out perfect, so that recipe will come another time when I've gotten it right) and broccoli. The chicken was tasty -- I could taste all the layers -- and wonderfully melty in my mouth. A definite keeper.
Tonight, Kevin and I played the time honored game of "rescue that sauce!" We also proved once again something we already knew. We each cook well. But we cook far better when we work together.
When I walked in the door from work, he was fishing through the freezer seeking something to make for dinner. He'd already put a beef roast in the fridge to defrost for later this week, but he needed something for Right Now.
He came up with boneless, skinless chicken breasts -- our staple. He told me he planned to pan sear them, and make some sort of a sauce. I pointed out the white Bully Hill wine, and the new mustard we'd gotten yesterday (and the blooming onion sauce). Then I headed downstairs.
When I came back up, he had the chicken in the pan, searing up a storm. The oven was preheating so he could finish them off, and sitting next to the stove was his planned sauce, already mixed together (white wine and the blooming onion horseradish sauce). He then got everything into the oven and headed off to do something. So when the pan was ready, I started the sauce.
This was when the problem started. The blooming onion sauce had curdled in the wine. Ew! We started whisking and throwing things at the problem and in the end, we had an amazingly good pan sauce that wasn't a bit broken.
Seared Chicken with Horseradish Sauce
The Chicken:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 4-6 oz each
oil (we used peanut oil)
salt
pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Heat a cast iron pan to hot. Rub the chicken with oil, salt and pepper. Place chicken in pan and immediately cover with spatter guard. Cook for four minutes on each side, then place pan in the oven for 8 minutes.
Check for doneness, and remove to a plate and keep warm.
The Sauce:
1/3 c wine + water to make 1/2 cup
1 T butter
2 heaping Tbsp Rothschild's blooming onion sauce
1/3 c sour cream (until thick)
Add wine to hot pan to deglaze over medium heat. Stir in butter until melted and combined. Whisk in blooming onion sauce and raise heat to medium-medium high (you want a good bubble, but not burning). Add sour cream (I used light) by the spoonful and whisk thoroughly until you reach a decent consistency. I added two heaping soup spoonfuls.
Spoon sauce over chicken and serve. Makes four servings.
Faced with a refridgerator full of leftovers, we had no desire to eat any of them in the original form that they were created (lots of recipes to post over the course of this week). So, we took the bag of the last of the turkey, and used that to make a homemade turkey soup.
Our usual soup is based off of and liberally adapted from the soup from How to Cook Without a Book.
We started with 6 cups of homemade seasoned turkey stock (now there's a recipe I couldn't post because um... I don't remember what I threw in. Suffice to say, we made about ten cans worth (20 cups) of stock. Mm, yum!).
Sautee one chopped onion and a heaping tablespoon of chopped garlic in a small amount of olive oil. Add approximately 1 cup leftover green beans, and 1 cup chopped carrots. Sautee until onions are starting to soften.
Add stock, and leftover cooked turkey (maybe 2 cups chopped?), and a can of diced tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper to taste. Add two bay leaves, one small handful crumbled dried sage leaves, 1/2 small handful crumbled dried savory leaves, and 1/2 small handful crumbled dried Greek oregano (I had fun drying spices this past summer).
Two large handfuls of noodles (we've been using whole wheat egg noodles for the extra fiber and healthy factor).
Makes four very very good sized helpings. Serve with crusty bread or croutons for a hearty meal.
I was walking through the grocery store, thinking about the houseparty I was planning, and brainstorming Friday's dinner. I had already planned on a crockpot pulled pork recipe, and was considering lasagna. As I walked down the pasta aisle, a brainstorm occurred, and I wondered if it would work. So of course, I had to try it out.
Turkey Carbonara Lasagna
a Deb Atwood original
2 jars Classico roasted garlic alfredo sauce
1 box Barilla lasagna noodles
10 oz package sliced baby portabello mushrooms
shredded cooked turkey (enough for one layer)
4 1/2 c shredded part skim mozarella
1/2 lb bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
Assemble lasagna as follows in lasagna pan, leaving 1/2 inch gap around all sides.
Spread sauce on bottom of pan. Put in one layer of noodles.
Spread sauce over noodles. Layer with half the mushrooms and 1 1/2 cups of mozarella. Add another layer of noodles.
Spread sauce over noodles. Add one layer of shredded turkey. Sprinkle bacon over turkey. Add 1 1/2 cups mozeralla over bacon. Top with another layer of noodles.
Spread rest of sauce over noodles. Place mushrooms in a single layer and top with rest of mozarella.
If you want to assemble ahead and cook later, stop at this point. Continue when ready to cook.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add about 3/8 to 1/2 inch deep hot water to pan in the 1/2 inch gap around the lasagna -- this is to help steam the no-cook noodles since the alfredo sauce doesn't have a lot of liquid.
Cover the pan with heavy duty foil, and bake for 1 hour. Let sit for ten minutes to set after it comes out, then slice into 20 servings and enjoy