What to make with chicken?

[Hastings]

I have unexpectedly found myself in posession of quite a lot of chicken, and I'm at a loss as to what to do with it.
Usually, I make soup, stir-fry, fajitas/enchiladas, stew, curry or just a roast, but I'm bored with all of these, and I'm looking for something slightly more exciting.
Any suggestions?

[pickle]

Chicken cacciatore
Chicken pot pie


(I tend to cheat with my chicken cacciatore recipe and use boneless chicken though. CC is usually made with bone-in chicken parts. That's usually what I make with chicken when I have time, and am tired of 'same-old same-old'.)

[Hastings]

I just looked up chicken cacciatore and Mr Hastings was very upset that one discards the bacon.

Sounds good, though!

[pickle]

Well now, you're the chef. You can always make an executive decision to modify the recipe. To be honest, unless it is baked goods, I rarely follow recipes exactly.


(Though I admit I'd not seen an recipe for it with bacon, so I did a quick search just now. I may have to try one of those recipes.)


ETA: I just saw a recipe for it on Allrecipes.com where you discard the bacon. That particular recipe looks closer to a more traditional cacciatore, with no tomatoes in the sauce. I have no idea whether that version would be good or bad, because I'm used to the kind with tomatoes.

[Hastings]

Yeah, I tend to adapt as well - I can't remember the last time I actually followed a recipe.
And yes, I was on allrecipes when I saw that. I'll go check out the type with tomatoes now, because I didn't know there were variations.
Thanks!

[Jay Tea]

What sort of chicken do you have - whole birds? Joints? Breasts? Let me know what you have, in the kitchen, chicken is my b*tch In the meantime, here are a couple of quick recipes for chicken fillets ie: plump breasts or boned thighs perhaps...

Chicken teriyaki is quick and tasty...

6 chicken fillets
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp clear honey
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 lime, juice only
splash of water
6 spring onions
2 tsp sesame seeds

Method:

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium frying pan.
2. Fry the chicken fillets for 2-3 minutes.
3. Stir in ½ tsp sesame oil, the honey and soy and cook until the chicken caramelises.
4. Place a griddle pan on the heat.
5. Griddle the spring onions on both sides until well charred.
6. Add the lime juice and water to the chicken. Remove the pan from the heat.
7. Drizzle the remaining sesame oil over the spring onions, then sprinkle over the sesame seeds.
8. Serve the teriyaki chicken on a bed of griddled spring onions.

As is pan fried chicken with dolcellatte cream sauce...

For the chicken:

1 tbsp olive oil
½ chicken breast fillet, sliced into strips
50ml/2fl oz white wine

For the sauce:

100ml/3½fl oz double cream
55g/2oz Dolcelatte cheese
15g/½oz butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

For the pea and potato purée:

1 Desirée potato, peeled and chopped
55g/2oz peas
2 tbsp olive oil
6 fresh mint leaves, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. For the chicken, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the strips of chicken for 3-5 minutes, or until golden-brown and just cooked through.
2. Add the wine to the pan to deglaze, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by half in volume.
3. For the sauce, add the cream and cheese to the pan with the chicken and bring to a simmer, stirring until the cheese has melted. Finally, stir in the butter and parsley.
4. For the pea and potato purée, cook the potato in a pan of boiling water for 7-9 minutes, or until tender, adding the peas for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking time. Drain and place the peas and potato into a food processor with the olive oil and mint. Blend to a smooth purée, then season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. To serve, spoon the pea and potato purée onto a serving plate and place the chicken strips on top. Drizzle the cream sauce around the edges of the plate.

[Menolly]

No barbecued chicken? We love baked barbecued chicken here. http://southernfood.about.com/cs/bak...a/bl30913h.htm

Also, I'm quite happy with using bottled barbecue sauce instead of making my own. Don't know if you have what we use in Scotland, though. I use Hunt's sauce.

[Jay Tea]

Quick enough to knock some up - this recipe is a good starting point for any personal variations...


Ingredients:

1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
olive oil
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
55g/2oz dark brown sugar
50ml/1¾fl oz dark soy sauce
300ml/10fl oz tomato ketchup
salt and pepper

Method:

1. Fry the onion and garlic in olive oil with the chilli, fennel seeds and sugar.
2. Add the soy sauce and ketchup and season with salt and pepper.
3. Bring to the boil and simmer for a few minutes to combine the flavours. Use as a dip or to coat spare ribs, chicken or sausages.

[Menolly]

Now see, Jay Tea, all that chopping and crushing--I'm exhausted just reading your recipe! I much prefer just opening the bottle and pouring it out.

Seriously, I'll write this down and keep it in the kitchen. It does sound pretty good. What is the refrigerated lifespan of this sauce after it's made?

[Jay Tea]

Originally Posted by Menolly

Now see, Jay Tea, all that chopping and crushing--I'm exhausted just reading your recipe! I much prefer just opening the bottle and pouring it out.

Seriously, I'll write this down and keep it in the kitchen. It does sound pretty good. What is the refrigerated lifespan of this sauce after it's made?

You can jar it and it'll keep like ketchup for months, but merely kept in tupperware it's still gonna keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks...

[Arriah]

A decent "I'm too tired to bother with anything complicated" chicken recipe is one that I found on a box once. I've modified it a bit from the original and my family, including the picky toddler, thinks it's wonderful. If you have bone in chicken, I think it would be fine, you'd just have to adjust for that when eating.

4-6 pieces of boneless chicken
1 packet stovetop stuffing
1 can cream of chicken soup
cheese cubes to taste
bacon pieces or ham cubes (optional)
Chicken gravy (optional)

Lay chicken in bottom of casserole dish. Mix stuffing, soup, cheese and bacon/ham, spread evenly over chicken. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Top with gravy if desired.

[Hastings]

Wow. Thanks, these all sound awesome!


I have one whole medium chicken, and quite a lot of meat left of another chicken, which I roasted last night.

[Algae]

What I just made for dinner:

A bunch of cooked chicken, cubed or torn
1 cup of rice, cooked (I used brown)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 box of frozen artichoke hearts
a few mushrooms
a couple of tablespoons sour cream
2 cloves garlic
1 cup of shredded cheese (I used 5 cheese Italian blend)
bunch of Parmesan cheese

(Obviously, the measurements are precise.) Mix it all together in a casserole and bake 20-30 minutes. Top with some more cheese.

[Morgaine]

Here's a great thing to do with leftover chicken, especially the stuff from the roasted chicken:

Chicken Fajita Pizzas

This came from an actual recipe but its evolved into a 'what's on hand' kind of meal. Here's what you need:

-chicken (canned, leftover, grilled, whatever) Cut or shred it into small pieces
-refried beans (canned are just fine & what I use)
-Flour tortillas (1-2 per person)
-fajita seasoning (I buy stuff that's in spice containers but I think part of a pkg would be OK as well)
-your favorite fajita or taco toppers (guacamole, cheese, lettuce, sauted peppers & onions, salsa, etc)

Turn your broiler on to about 400degrees. Spray a cookie sheet & put a few of the tortillas on the sheet. You want lightly toast both sides of the tortilla so its a sturdy base for the toppings. I find 5 minutes per side is perfect but you really have to just test it & see. I usually end up burning 1-2 in the process.
Heat your refired beans & your seasoned chicken (separately). Put the crisped tortilla on a plate, spread some refried beans on it & top it with the chicken & anything else you might want on it.

My kids love this meal & I've been known to take some non-crisp tortillas with the leftover beans, chicken & other toppings to work for lunch.

Please let me know if anything is unclear. I make this so often I don't have to think about it so I may have missed a step or two.

[Hastings]

Thanks, guys.
Morgaine, my main question is: what's a broiler?

[geminilee]

If your chicken is on the bone, with dark meat pieces, chicken and dumplings is one of my favorites. It is a 2 day process, but it is worth the wait. Fair warning, all my measurements are in southern rather than exact units.
First you make a chicken stock, by using thighs and drumsticks mostly. I use a big pot, and end up using the same pot for the soup the next day. If that is the plan, it has to have a lid that fits tight. Throw in some carrots, celery, onions, whatever little vegetable things you like, a couple bay leaves, rosemary, salt and pepper. Let that simmer all day, then let it cool.
Strip the meat from the bones (easy by now, most of it is falling off aynway)and strain the stock. Add a bit more water to the stock if it has boiled out too much, some more veggies, and a slurry made from a little bit of water and a few tablespoons of cornstarch.
Dumplings are a bit more exact measurements, because they have to rise a bit as they cook.
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
3 tbsp. Crisco
3/4 c. milk
Drop them in by spoonfuls into the simmering soup, stick the lid on tight, and don't touch it for 20 minutes. It is a good winter soup, and like chilli can go for a few days just by adding a bit more water or whatever is running low.

[geminilee]

A much more simple recipe of mine is a caserole dish, some chopped up chicken breasts, a random soup (like cream of mushroom, or cheddar cheese), a can of water, a little more than half a can of rice, and some random veggies (either canned or frozen.) Serve with some biscuits, and it is pretty good for a throw-together meal.

[Morgaine]

Originally Posted by Hastings

Thanks, guys.
Morgaine, my main question is: what's a broiler?

In your oven, do you have a setting where the heat can come from the top instead of the bottom? If you do, whatever that setting is is the one you would use. You want to toast the tortillas on both sides & the broiler gets that done quicker than baking them.

If you don't have a broiler I'm not sure what to suggest.

[Avril]

Leftover roasted chicken makes a great chicken salad. I like mine with finely chopped red onion and celery and mayo, plus salt and pepper, but you can do what suits you. Make sure to use both light and dark meat for the best chicken salad.

Raw, dark meat chicken with bones in it is a candidate for my crock pot barbecue. You just take potatoes, onions, and carrots, chopped up, and put them in the bottom. Top them with chicken thighs or drumsticks or both. Pour a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce over it. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for about 4 hours, or whenever it gets done. Serve over rice.

Finally, I like:

Chicken tetrazzini
Kung pao chicken

And many other things, but that'll get you started.

[DesertRat]

Apricot chicken... my wife does thing thing where she gets high-quality (ie: chunky with lots of real fruit bits) apricot preserve, marinates the chicken overnight in it, cooks it up with a heavy glaze of said preserve, and then serves it over romaine lettuce. YUM! Give it a try.