Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Chicken Piccata


1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
2 eggs
6 tbls. lemon juice, divided
4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 c butter
2 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1 c water

Combine flour, garlic powder and paprika; set aside. In another bowl beat eggs and 2 tbsp. lemon juice. Dip chicken in egg mixture, then coat with flour mixture.
In a large skillet, brown chicken on both sides in butter over med.-high heat. Combine bouillon, water and remaining lemon juice; pour over chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until juices run clear.

Yield: 4 servings.

NOTES: Good and moist. This time I used a Famous Dave's chicken spice blend which was also good.

Pesto Biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tbls. sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 c shortening
1/2 c milk
1/4 c basil pesto
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan before baking.

  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Mix dry ingredients and cut in shortening and pesto until misture looks like fine crumbs.
  3. Stir in the milk until dough leaves the side of bowl. (dough will be soft and sticky)
  4. Place dough on a lightly floured surfacce. Knead lightly 10 times and roll to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a biscuit cutter.
  5. Place on ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.
Good with Italian Wedding Soup!

Italian Wedding Soup


1 whole chicken
1 c. carrots, chopped *
1 c. celery, chopped
1 sm. onion, diced
Seasoned with 4-6 minced garlic cloves, 2 tsp. salt, ½ tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. basil, 1 tbls. parsley flakes, and 1/4 cup chicken soup base. (all are approximate – season to taste)
2 pkgs. chopped frozen spinach, thawed & well drained
1 (1 lb.) pkg. acini di pepe, cooled & drained OR ORZO
Meatballs (see below)

Clean chicken and put in pot with 8 quarts of water; simmer for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked and remove to cool enough to handle, remove meat from skin and bones. Add carrots, celery and onion to broth and cook. In the meantime, cut meat into bite-sized pieces and make meatballs.

MEATBALLS FOR ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP:
1 1/2 lbs. ground round
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 c. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese (or more)
1 c. bread crumbs
1 or 2 eggs (to create a moist but not runny)
Combine ingredients and make small meatballs (about 1/2 - 3/4 inch). Brown meatballs in a skillet. Drain and add meatballs to soup.

Add meatballs and simmer for another 30 minutes. Add spinach and chicken and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with acini di pepe and grated Parmesan cheese.

NOTES:
This soup is EXCELLENT! Everyone loved it!
The original recipe called for 1 pkg. 6 to 8 chicken wings + 2 chicken breasts. That would also be fine, but only using boneless chicken isn't a great substitute in any chicken soup recipe.
I usually add the pasta directly to the soup and then regret it when it all turns to hotdish the next day. It's better to keep the pasta separate and just add it to each bowl as it's served. (It just sucks up too darned much moisture as it sits around.)
*I almost always add more veggies than a soup recipe calls for. It's just nice to have more stuff in it, but you be the judge.

Monday, August 10, 2009

Honey Barbecue "Wings" with Blue Cheese Dressing

Serves 3-4.
  • 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (approx. 1"x 1"x 3")
  • 1 1/2 c. buttermilk (or enough to cover chicken pieces)
  • 2 T. salt
  • 1 c. flour
Combine salt and buttermilk in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add chicken pieces and allow to soak for about 1 hr.

Heat 1/2" of vegetable oil in a deep skillet or saucepan for about 5 minutes over medium heat. In a shallow dish or ziplock bag, combine flour and a dash each of cayenne, oregano, parsley, and thyme. Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture and fry until browned, turning once. Remove chicken pieces and drain on paper towels.

Glaze:
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 2 T molasses
  • 1-1/2 T ketchup
  • 1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  • 1-1/2 tsp seasoned salt
  • 1-1/2 tsp meat tenderizer
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/8 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 T steak sauce
  • 1 T Worcestershire sauce
  • 1-1/2 tsp prepared mustard
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
Combine glaze ingredients. Melt 1 stick of butter in a 9x13" baking dish. Stir in glaze. Add chicken pieces, toss to coat, and arrange in a single layer. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes, turning chicken pieces halfway through baking. If desired, serve with blue cheese dressing, below.

Blue cheese dressing:
  • 2 1/2 ounces blue cheese
  • 3 tablespoons buttermilk
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Mash blue cheese and buttermilk together with a fork until mixture resembles large-curd cottage cheese. Stir in remaining ingredients. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Notes: I'm somewhat torn; the glaze was flavorful enough that the dressing was really superfluous, but it was such a good dressing recipe that I found myself eating quite a bit of it, anyway.