What's For Dinner?

Moroccan Chicken

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 # boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne(or to taste)
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 1/2 cups tomato puree
1 15 oz. can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 medium zucchini, sliced in rounds(1/4 inch thick)
3 Tbsp. fresh parlsey, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
4 cups cooked couscous
salt and pepper to taste
Flour for dredging

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Dredge in the flour and shake off any excess. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and brown on both sides(about 5 minutes on each side). Remove from pan and set aside. Drain most of the excess fat in the pan.

Lower the heat a bit,  add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes or until soft.. Add more oil if too dry.  Add the garlic, ginger and the spices. Stir for about 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth and stir with a wooden spoon to remove any browned bits that have acculumated. Add the tomato puree along with the chicken and the chick peas. Bring to a simmer and then cover and let cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Add the zucchini and continue cooking until the zucchini is tender(about 10 minutes). Add the lemon juice and stir.

Serve over the couscous and topped with parsley.

Couscous cooks very quicky so it is easy to time this meal. Feel free to use bone-in chicken if preferred and/or white meat. Again, I prefer the flavor of dark meat. 

Spicy Chicken Chili

2 Tbsp. olive or canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 # skinless chicken thighs, cut into small chunks
4 tsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. dried oregano
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and diced(adjust according to spiciness preference)
1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes w/juices
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 14. oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot or saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions, the jalapenos, and the garlic until they soften, about 6 minutes. Stir frequently. Add the chili powder,cumin and oregano & continue stirring for another minute or two.  Season the chicken with some salt and pepper and add it to the pot.  Allow the chicken to brown a bit(4-5 minutes) and then add the tomatoes, beans and chicken broth. Bring the chili to a boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add cayenne pepper if you want it spicier. Add the chopped cilantro and serve.

I prefer dark mean chicken in most of my recipes because it has a richer flavor and does not get dry and rubbery. I do take the time to trim away most of the fat.  However, if you prefer white meat, that works too!

Marinated Grilled Chicken

2 Tbls. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup honey
3 Tbls. red wine vinegar
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. freshly grated ginger
a few grinds of black pepper
1-2 # chicken(either boneless or bone-in) breasts or legs or both

Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the marinade or put the chicken in a large zip lock bag and pour in the marinade. Refrigerate for a few hours.

Grill or broil the chicken. Do your best NOT to overcook the chicken. Take chicken off the grill earlier than you might normally, cover with foil, and let sit for about 10 minutes. It will continue cooking. Check doneness by cutting into a piece.

I used 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the above picture. I also halved the marinade amount. The breasts took about 5-6 minutes on each side to cook maximum. If you pound the breasts beforehand, they will cook even faster. Bone-in chicken will take longer.

The vegetables were grilled before the chicken. I tossed them with oilve oil, salt, pepper, and oregano. Easy.

This is one of my favorite marinades and have been using it for over 10 years.

Chinese Chicken with Broccoli Stir Fry

1 1/2 # white or dark meat chicken, cut into bite size pieces
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1 Tbs. dry sherry
1 Tbs. cornstarch
3/4 # broccoli florets (aboout 4 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. minced ginger
1/2 tsp. red chile flakes
2 Tbs. oyster sauce
1/4 cup canola or grapeseed oil
salt and pepper

In a bowl, whisk together 1 Tbs. of soy sauce, the cornstarch, and the sherry. Add the chicken and stir to coat and let sit for up to 30 minutes.  In a large, heavy bottomed skillet(not non stick) add 2 Tbs oil. When skillet is hot, add the chicken and let it cook undisturbed for 2-3 minutes. You can season it with salt and pepper at this time. After it has browned, flip over to the other side and do the same. It's okay and even preferable if the chicken sticks a bit. After the second side has cooked for about 2 minutes, remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. It should not be fully cooked at this time. Add the remaining Tbs. of oil and add the chile flakes, the ginger and the garlic. Stir for 1 minute making sure the garlic does not burn.  Add the broccoli to the pan and 3-4 Tbs. of water. This will incorporate some of the browned bits on the pan.  Stir fry the broccoli for a few minutes stirring frequently. You can put a lid on the pan to speed up the process. When the broccoli  is close to done, add the chicken and the oyster sauce and the rest of the soy sauce. Stir everything together for a minute or two longer. Cut into a piece of chicken to check doneness. Serves 4.

Serve with rice. It's easy to customize this recipe. You can use any protein you like and also adjust the chile flakes according to your preference. I used dark meat chicken in the above recipe/picture.
Oyster sauce is found in the Asian cooking section at the market.

Chicken with Fennel and Olives

5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 small fennel bulbs, sliced thin(1/4 " slices)
kosher salt
1 bunch scallions cut into 2" pieces
1 cup pitted olives
1/2 cup all purpose flour
8 boneless chicken thighs
pepper
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 2 Tbs. of olive oil in large skillet over med-high heat. Add fennel slices and cook until brown and soft.  This will take 5-9 minutes depending on thickness of fennel. Remove fennel to a 9x13 inch baking pan. Layer the scallions and olives on top of fennel. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Trim fat from chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Coat the chicken with a thin layer of flour. Add more olive oil to the pan and sear chicken on both sides(about 4-5 minutes per side). It does not need to be cooked through. Place chicken on top of other ingredients in the baking pan. Add the white wine to the skillet being careful to turn the heat to low inititally or remove skillet from heat. Turn heat to high and reduce the white wine by half. Add the chicken stock and heat through for a few minutes.  Pour wine/stock mixture over the chicken, fennel, and other ingredients. Put in oven uncovered and bake for 15-20 minutes.  Serve over rice. Serves 4-5.

This dish has simple ingredients but a lot of flavor. It's great for a special dinner or even a weeknight meal.  It's one of our favorites.

   

Jerk Chicken

Sue made Jerk Chicken tonight.  Here is the recipe.

10 scallions, white and green parts, rough chopped
1 Tbs. fresh thyme
1 habanero chile, seeded and chopped
2 Tbs. white wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic
1 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
10 chicken drumsticks
1 Tbs. olive oil

Place scallions,  thyme, allspice, garlic, chile, vinegar, and oil in a food processor or blender.  Process until it makes a paste(30 seconds).

Put drumsticks in a bowl or large ziplock bag.  Add the puree and distribute evenly among the drumsticks. Let sit for about 30 minutes.  Put broiler on high and prepare a broiler pan with non stick spray. Put drumsticks on broiler pan and place under broiler(middle to upper oven rack). Check in about 8 minutes to see if they are browning. Turn about 3 times approx. every 5-8 minutes. Time will vary according to broiler. Cut into a thinker part of drumstick to make sure they are done.  Serve immediately.

This dish is very spicy because of the habanero chile. Substitute a milder chile if desired(jalapeno, for example). I served rice on the side and a cold Asian cole slaw that I bought prepared at the market.