Chicken in Salt with Fennel, Thyme & Lemon

This is a favorite recipe that I use of Jamie Oliver.  It is really unusual and can be used to impress.  It is surprisingly not salty. Try it I'm sure you love it!!  You'll also need a pestle and mortar for this.

Ingredients:

3kg/7lb rock salt (course salt)
8 heaped tablespoons of whole fennel seeds cracked.
2 Eggs, beaten
2 lemons, halved
1 tablespoon peppercorns
1 bunch fresh thyme
   olive oil
1 x 2kg/4,5lb organic chicken
1 bunch of parsley, ripped
8 Cloves of garlic, skins left on, squashed

1. Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F/ gas 6.

2. Put all the salt into a deep bowl with the fennel seeds, eggs, lemon juice (keep skins, peppercorns, and a wineglass of water and mix together.

3. Bash up the thyme in a pestle and mortar and add a good couple of glugs of olive oil.

4. Scrunch it up and rub this flavoured oils all over your chicken, finally pushing the excess inside the cavity along with your parsley, garlic and squeezed lemon halves.  The idea here is to tightly pack the cavity so that it bulges and no salt can get in!!

5. Get 4 long pieces of tin foil and put them on top of each other to  make a sheet around a metre / 39 inches square.

6. lay a third of the salt, making it about 2cm/  3/4inch square.

7. Put the chicken on top, then pack the rest of the salt around.  Because the salt is slightly wet it should stick top the chicken - make sure that the chicken's skin hasn't been pierced.

8. Carefully fold up the sides of the tin foil and scrunch it at the top.  You can rip off any excess tinfoil. - basically the foil is that to hold the salt together until it hardens.

9. Place the chicken in the preheated oven and cook for 2 hours, then remove from the oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

10. Open the tinfoil and crack open the salt casing with the back of a spoon.









Serving suggestion

Have 2 nice salads and some interesting fresh bread.

P.S. Post a comment if you try this to let us know how it went!!

Chicken pot pie

I got this recipe from my friend Jen Laliberte. Again, it is one of those things, I don't particularly like, but if I try it & I like it, I'll let you know about it!(i.e. I'm not a huge pot pie fan of any kind.)

3 halves of chopped boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 1 1/2#'s)
1 onion chopped, 1/2 container of fresh, sliced mushrooms or 1 can drained.

Saute' these in a large skillet- drain only if there is a lot of liquid.

Add small can(like 8oz. I think) each of peas & corn(or 2 veggies of your choice)-drained
1 can cream soup(preferably mushroom)
1 small can of French fried onions(or about 3oz.)

Stir all together until well mixed. If you like yours a bit more soupy(gravy)thin with some milk- between 1TBSP & 1/4 cup. I rarely do this.
Pour into Pillsbury(or store brand)unrollable pie crust. Cover with 2nd shell, bake @ 350 degrees until crust is golden brown about 45min - 1hr.

You can add other things you think might taste good. For instance, I also sauted some garlic, 2-3 cloves in w/my chicken & sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on top before putting the 2nd shell on top.

Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

This is a recipe I got from Weight Watchers. I enjoy finding good recipes that are healthy & low fat that my family also enjoys. If you are doing Weight Watchers the points value is 3. It is an easy & relatively quick recipe to make.

*Again I brine my chicken before I cook it, helps it to stay moist. 1# chicken - brine =1 qt. water with 1/2 cup kosher salt dissolved(or 1/4 c. table salt)soak chicken for 20 min. rinse then prepare as recipe states.

Ingredients:

2 tsp. vegetable oil
3 TBSP balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 large garlic clove(s), crushed
1 # uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4-oz. pieces
2 c mushrooms, small, halved
1/3 c canned chicken broth
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crumbled

In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 tsp of oil

In a medium bowl, mix 2 TBSP of vinegar, mustard & garlic. Add chicken & turn to coat.

Transfer chicken and marinade to skillet. Saute' chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side.(I've found this varies depending on thickness of chicken. I pounded mine down & it probably still took 5 min. I usually cut mine & check for any pink inside)Transfer chicken to a platter and keep warm.

Heat remaining tsp of oil in skillet. Saute' mushrooms for 1 min. Add broth, thyme and remaining TBSP of vinegar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are deep brown, about 2 min. longer.

Serve chicken topped with mushrooms.

*additional notes- definitely make sure you use a non stick pan- the balsamic is brutal on your pan(maybe it's a combination of the balsamic & Dijon)
the broth- I have often just made a bouillon cube, then I don't worry about wasting the rest of it. Mushrooms- I prefer fresh, but my husband prefers canned. I used 2 4oz. cans, drained & that seemed to be enough. The garlic- we like garlic, so I will often times use a bit more.

I am finding as my culinary skills develop that cooking you don't have to be so accurate in, but baking accuracy is a must. So if there is a flavor you don't particularly enjoy, I'd say try the recipe as written the 1st time, but then adjust for your tastes. i.e. try cutting back on the balsamic a smidge, or maybe add a bit more dijon etc.

Happy cooking!

Mustard Thyme Grilled Chicken

Facebook has sucked my life away! So I am trying to wean myself from it & get back to bloggy land. This is one of my favorite grilled chicken recipes. I found it on a thyme plant when I worked at Home Depot. Pretty easy to make, the prep is slightly messy- not bad.

Take 4 boneless, skinless & split chicken breasts - coat them well with Dijon mustard. I use a store brand & it is fine.

Take a 1 gal. plastic ziploc bag & mix together 1/2 cup virgin olive oil, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice & 2 tsp fresh thyme. Put coated chicken breasts in the marinade & marinate at least 3 hours or over night. Grill 6-8 minutes per side depending on thickness of breast.

**my notes- I have used dried thyme & lemon juice out of a bottle, but if you can use fresh- way better. Also if you don't want a dried out chicken breast, honestly I have found 8 min. per side even for thick breasts usually cooks this through- as long as your grill is hot. If in doubt, cut into it for pinkness after the 16 minutes. Most cook books will give you a fresh to dried herb ratio also the juice of 1 lemon is about 3 TBSP.

Sprinkle cooked breasts with 3 TBSP of fresh parsley before serving- this is optional & I have never done it.

If you want a good chicken sandwich melt your favorite cheese on top of it.

Enjoy.

Marinated Baked (or grilled) Pork Chops (or Chicken)

1 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP ketchup
6 pork chops, trimmed (I've also used pork steaks and boneless chicken breasts)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In small bowl blend soy sauce, vegatable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar and Ketchup.
Place chops in medium baking dish and spread with 1/2 the sauce. (I just used all of the sauce at once)
Bake for 30 minutes then spread with the remaining 1/2 of the sauce mixture.
Bake for 30 more minutes or until internal temperature is 160 degrees F (70 C).

(When I make them I bake them for 30 minutes in the oven then 20 minutes on the grill!!!
I also use a little of the sauce to baste as I grill.)

I found this recipe on ALLRECIPES.com - the italics are my "take" on it.

Easy Chicken and Pasta

My husband, on the way home from church yesterday, said, "Honey, would you like me to cook dinner tonight?" Wha..wha..what? Um, sure, yeah, twist my arm! "Do you want chicken or hamburger?" I told him my preference would be chicken, but if he was cooking I wouldn't be picky as long as it had some veggies for the girls. When he found this recipe on the net at Allrecipes.com I was very shocked & surprised as my hubby doesn't do veggies as a general rule. In fact, I describe my husband as a pasta-tarian. This was very yummy, but I think we are going to tweak some things next time. See below for additional thoughts.

1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut up
1(10.75 oz)can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup(regular or fat free)
2 1/4 cups water
1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crushed(I just had plain, old basil, already crushed in my cupboard)
2 cups frozen vegetable combination (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
2 cups uncooked corkscrew-shaped pasta
grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook until browned, stirring often. Set chicken aside.
Add soup, water, basil and vegetables. Heat to a boil. Add pasta. Cook 10 minutes, over medium heat stirring often.
Add chicken back in. cook 5 minutes or until pasta is done, stirring often. Sprinkle with cheese.

**So here are a few extra thoughts. I personally CAN NOT stand dry poultry(chicken, turkey, etc.)So I've learned to brine it first. This recipe is one you'd definitely want to brine your chicken on, or I feel it will end up dry.

*Brining- 1 quart of cool to room temp. water with 1/2 cup kosher salt mixed until dissolved. If you don't have kosher salt, use 1/4 cup table salt. Place 1 # of chicken in water & soak for no more than 20 minutes. Rinse your chicken, & then either cook as per recipe or pan fry 3-4 minutes per side.
With this particular recipe, brine your breasts whole, then cut up before you cook it.

Our family also loves onions & garlic, so next time we make this, I think I'm going to throw some fresh onions in with my chicken to saute & then add a clove or 2 of fresh garlic when I add the veggies.
We topped ours with fresh grated Parmesan & a bit of cracked pepper, from the pepper mill. This was definitely good, easy & an all in one meal! ENJOY

Chicken Gumbo

For those of you who are from Louisiana or have been to Louisiana and tasted real gumbo, this is really nothing like it, but that's the name it came with! With the little green and red bits, you could even call it "Christmas Soup!" We love this soup! It's very filling, which makes it nice for the men in our lives! 8 cups chicken stock (or 8 cups water with 8 cubes of bouillon/3 T. bouillon powder)

1 cup chopped onion

1 can (14 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 cup sliced okra (I've never added this!)
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup long grain rice, uncooked
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups diced cooked chicken (I usually make this when I have leftovers)

Put everything, except chicken, into a large pot. Cover. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Boil gently about 20 minutes, until rice is cooked.

Add chicken. Heat through. Makes a generous 10 cups.

Crock Pot Chicken Stew

I made this last weekend and we loved it! It was so nice to come home to this comforting meal after battling the crowds at the mall all afternoon! I didn't follow the recipe exactly, so I will write the original recipe with my own additions or comments in parenthesis.

4 medium potatoes, cut bite size (or a few handfuls of baby potatoes)
4 medium carrots, cut bite size (or a few handfuls of baby carrots)
1 1/4 cups chopped onion (about 1 large)
1 1/4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut bite size (I used up leftover chicken from a roasted chicken - I'd say 2-3 cups)

Layer potato, carrot and onion in a crock pot. Lay chicken on top of veggies.

Now, mix together in a bowl:

2 cups hot water
1 T. chicken bouillon powder (I used a veggie bouillon cube)
1 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. ground thyme
1/2 t. liquid gravy browner (I did not use this)

Pour over chicken. Cover. Cook on Low for 9-10 hours or on High for 4 1/2-5 hours. Serves 6.

Quesadillas

This is one of my kiddos favorite lunches!!!

Quesadillas

This is how I make them!

I use 2 soft taco shells.

Layer cooked and diced chicken and cheese. (green pepper, onions, diced tomatoes.. whatever you enjoy can be added too!)

Then I either cook it on a hot skillet with a little olive oil until browned.

Or for the boys I melt the cheese in the microwave.

Then I slice it like a pizza.

I'm sure there is LOTS more you can do with this... be creative.

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

To all Recipeasy readers,
Yes I, Stephanie, am new to the group. I have been greatly honored to be asked to be a recipeasy contributor. I don't claim to be an amazing cook but when it comes to easy I'm all about it. I've loved reading the great recipes listed so far and look forward to many yummy treats in the future!!!
Here's my first contribution.
A friend told be about this recipe just this week. We tried for the first time that night. It was GREAT!

Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

2 cooked chicken breast chuncked
2 cans 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 can mild enchilada sauce
2 cups of milk
1 cup of cheese

Cook on medium heat until heated through. Be careful not to scorch on stove top. Top with diced tomato, chopped chives, and crumbled tortilla chips.... Yum--O!!!! I'll try to be cool and have pics next time.=)

You won't be dissapointed if you like Mexican food at all- I promise....
Good to be on board!

Hot Sandwiches

This is just something quick I do for lunch or easy suppers. I love to use the George Foreman Grill! Its so easy to use and clean. And you can get them pretty cheap if you don't have one...even at a garage sale.

I make a sandwich with whatever I have. Here are a couple of ideas:

• Turkey, tomato, spinach, cheese
• Peanut Butter and Banana
• Ham and Cheese
• Chicken or tuna salad
• pizza (pepperoni, cheese, toppings of choice)
• Plain old grill cheese

Plug in the George Foreman. After assembling the sandwich, spray both sides of the grill with Pam or whatever spray type thing you use. Place the sandwich on grill and grill until cheese is melted, usually its done in about 3 minutes.

Mmmmmmmm. I think I may do this for lunch tomorrow!

Chicken Jalepeno Dip

This recipe is from my GREAT FRIEND Stacy. And it is unbelievable delicious! I made it this weekend and it was a great hit!

1 can cream of chicken soup
20 oz chicken breast, cooked and diced
4 oz Pepper Jack cheese
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz sour cream
1/2 green pepper - optional
4 oz Jalapeño or 4 oz green chilis
1 small minced onion
1 tsp garlic
3/4 cup velveeta, diced

Put in crockpot until melted

Crunchy Chicken Dippers

Prep Time:
15 min

Total Time:
40 min

Makes:
8 servings

2 eggs

2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch wide strips

4-1/2 cups POST HONEY BUNCHES OF OATS Cereal, finely crushed

1 cup KRAFT Original Barbecue Sauce

PREHEAT oven to 375°F. Beat eggs lightly in shallow dish or pie plate. Dip chicken in eggs, turning over to evenly coat both sides of each strip. Coat chicken evenly with cereal. Place in two 15x10x1-inch baking pans sprayed with cooking spray.

BAKE 25 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

I copied and pasted this recipe straight from Kraft Food's website. We LOVE this and it is so easy.

Chicken Stuffing

Ingredients

3 to 4 cups of cut up cooked chicken pieces
2 boxes of stuffing mix
2 cans of cream of chicken soup
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

Prepare stuffing as stated on box. Place prepared stuffing on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. In a bowl mix chicken and soups together. Spread soup mixture on top of stuffing. Bake for 25 minutes @ 350 degrees. Pull out of oven and sprinkle cheese on top. Cook for another 5 minutes or so until cheese is melted.

An idea for a change in this meal. I have put cooked mixed vegetables in the soup/chicken mixture. It really adds alot of flavor for me, but my children would rather have the veggies on the side (not in the actual casserole). We REALLY enjoy this recipe with homemade rolls. I will give you that recipe on my next turn!!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

This is one of my new favorites... I found it on Allrecipes.com and altered it according to the comment recommendations.

Ingredients
6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast (or use chicken strips, about 12)
1 can chicken broth
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper
1 (12oz) bottle of BBQ sauce (name brand tastes best - Famous Dave's)
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions
Place frozen chicken , one can chicken broth, 1 tsp. garlic powder, salt and pepper in crockpot for 6-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.... Drain and shred chicken. Mix BBQ, Italian dressing, brown sugar, worchestire sauce then pour on shredded chicken in crockpot... cook again for 2 hours on low.

Serve on hoagie rolls or top a baked potato..

YUMMY