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Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Chicken Around The World

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone who emails me recipes. I love the "food porn" and the inspiration! And tonight the Thai Style Stir Fried Chicken is thanks to one of those fans who keeps me motivated and excited about what I am going to cook next. So for some random reason I am on a chicken kick. Chicken piccata this past weekend and this week I made the Thai chicken and I also made Chicken and Rice with Cilantro Poblano Sauce. Both of these recipes were from Cooking Light and both of these recipes were full of flavor...very different flavors but great flavors all the same. And yes I did add extra salt in both recipes.

Chicken and Rice with Cilantro Poblano Sauce

The Thai Chicken recipe was well Thai influenced with the coconut sauce and curry paste. I haven't used red curry paste before and it has a much more subtle flavor than curry powder or other curry pastes. I definitely recommend it if you like the subtle curry flavor but you aren't a die hard aficionado.

As for the Chicken and Rice with Cilantro Poblano Sauce. I loved the rice!! The chicken was good, but the rice really had a lot of flavor. I also learned a few very valuable ingredient lessons. The recipe called for poblano peppers but some grocery stores call them pasillas. I also learned that the recipe calls for cremini mushrooms but some grocery stores call them baby bellas...so save yourself several trips to multiple grocery stores and keep those little facts in the back of your mind.

As a side note can I just make a few chicken observations? Well hell of course I can because this is my blog and you can't stop me. So here they are:

  1. There is nothing more disgusting than the smell of chicken wrappers in the garbage for too long. Yeah made that mistake this week.
  2. Did you know that if a chicken has red earlobes it will lay brown eggs and if it has white earlobes it will lay white eggs? And don't ask me where the chicken earlobe is located on a chicken that is way beyond my pay grade. 
  3. Did you know a cornish game hen is a 5-6 week old chicken? I totally thought it was a different animal...sure in the bird family...but I didn't know it was in the chicken family. 
  4. Americans eat 80lbs of chicken per capita compared to 63lbs of beef per capita. 
  5. Hooters sells 30 million lbs of chicken wings per year and I am sorry but I just don't think they are all that great. Please don't hate me but I have had better chicken wings elsewhere...if you are going for the boobs way to be honest.
  6. And finally the best new of all...a chicken runs 9 miles an hour and most humans run 12-15 miles an hour...so I could out run a chicken in the event that one of them wants to attack me. Good to know, right? Especially since I have been chased by a goose...just what you wanted to know

Here is the recipe for the Thai Style Stir Fried Chicken:

  • 1/4 cup rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 
  • 2 teaspoons red curry paste
  • 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces 
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
  • 1 cup chopped onion 
  • 1 cup chopped carrot 
  • 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
  • 1/2 cup light coconut milk
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
    • Nasty,huh? Its marinade not blood don't worry.
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

  1. Combine rice vinegar, brown sugar, lime juice, red curry paste, and crushed red pepper in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken; seal and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes, turning once.
  2. Remove chicken from the bag, reserving marinade. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add chicken; stir-fry 4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add onion and carrot; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; stir-fry 3 minutes. Add reserved marinade, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add coconut milk and fish sauce; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 minute. Stir in chicken and salt; cook 1 minute. Top with sprouts and cilantro.




Here is the recipe for the Chicken and Rice with Cilantro Poblano Sauce:

  • 3/4 cup chopped green onions, divided
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, divided
  • 1 poblano chile, seeded and chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced and divided
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 (8-ounce) package sliced cremini mushrooms
  • 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 3/4 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
  • Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation

  1. 1. Combine 1/4 cup green onions, cilantro leaves, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 cup broth, chile, and 1 garlic clove in a food processor; process until blended.
  2. 2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup onions, mushrooms, and remaining garlic clove to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add cilantro mixture, remaining 1 1/4 cups broth, rice, 1/2 cup water, and cumin to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Add parsley to rice mixture; fluff with a fork.
  3. 3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; cut each chicken piece crosswise into 1/2-inch slices.
  4. 4. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1/4 cup onions and tomatoes; sauté 2 minutes. Arrange 1 cup rice mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 breast half and 2 tablespoons tomato mixture. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired.
Hope everyone is having an amazing week. And if anyone wants to be a guinea pig for me this weekend I found a great brunch casserole recipe I want to try and well hell let's do mimosas....so let me know if you are interested. Cheers!

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