Category Archives: Chicken

Grilled or Wood Fire Barbecue Chicken PIzza

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Either make your own pizza dough, or buy some ready made from an Italian deli – make sure it is really good quality if you aren’t making your own. Come up with your own favorite toppings, or use this version – it was a real hit at our good friend Karli’s wedding stagette!  I think the wood fire oven made all the difference, but not everybody has one of those in their back yard.  We have had great pizzas just off our grill too – so try it!  Of course, you could buy BBQ sauce too – but I just like making it so I have included that recipe.

BBQ SAUCE

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 small onion, minced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/2  cup cider vinegar
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 1 can or bottle beer
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1/4 cup hot sauce
  • zest & juice of 1  lemon or lime
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup
  • 4 tbsp soya sauce

Heat oil in heavy saucepan and saute onions until soft.  Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil – allow to simmer until it has reduced and is nice and thick.  Taste to adjust for seasoning.  Sometimes just a bit of salt and pepper is all you need – but taste, taste, taste!  Get it just the way you like it.

Grill chicken breasts over indirect heat, basting with bbq sauce until cooked through, and juices run clear – allow to cool, then shred.

Grate jalapeno havarti cheese – set aside

Thinly slice red onions and cook over moderate heat until carmelized – allow to cool

Cook one side of the pizza on your grill – or in your wood fire oven – turn over and dress with:

BBQ sauce

shredded chicken

slivers of green and yellow peppers

grated cheese

carmelized onion

Return to grill or oven and cook just until cheese is bubbling and crust is golden and crunchy.

Tomatillo Corn Salsa/Relish

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Are you wondering what to do with a prolific crop of tomatillo plants??  We make lots of Salsa Verde to can for the winter months, and love it in a fresh cilantro salsa also, but this dish is incredibly good – serve with taco chips or as we did – over grilled steaks that have had an ancho chile rub applied before grilling.  It would be equally tasty served with grilled chicken or fish.  My husband loved it just as a salad!  

8 medium tomatillos, husked and chopped

2 tbsp red onion, finely diced

1/2 jalapeno – seeded and diced (use the seeds if you like it really spicy, but taste before adding them!)

3/4 cup of corn, removed from cob (for extra flavour grill the corn first!)

juice of 1 lime

2 tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients and toss to blend.  Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary – you won’t believe how fresh and delicious this is.

Chicken Meatballs

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Do you ever wonder what you can do to help when someone has a baby?  Has surgery?  Just can’t get out of the house?  Needs assistance of any kind?  Make a freezer full of ready to go meal ideas, that’s what.  This is our favourite way of helping anybody.  Just make sure you find out first what kind of food they like to eat – after all, it is about what their household needs, not what you like to eat!!  These chicken meatballs are one of the best and easiest to do – they can be frozen individually and then tossed into a large ziplock bag so that when dinner comes around they can either go on the bbq and be served with tzatsiki dip, go into a tomato sauce and become spaghetti, or just served with mashed potatoes and vegetables.  The possiblities are limited only by your imagination …

Meghan and I had a great time creating food that Hayley and Mike could have ready to go after their adorable little baby girl Sloan arrived!

2 pounds ground lean chicken meat – please use a butcher and good quality meat

1 small onion, grated

lots of fresh herbs, minced very fine – I like basil, oregano, rosemary and parsley

2 cloves garlic (don’t overdo the garlic in case you are preparing these for a nursing mother or other sensitive eater)

1/2 cup finely ground bread crumbs

Combine all ingredients and blend well (your hands are the best possible tool), then roll into balls.  Toss lightly in flour and set on baking sheet.  Allow to freeze individually and then put all of them in a freezer container or ziplock bag – label it!

Pollo Verde y Cerveza or Beer Braised Green Chicken

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This is a quick and easy dish – try making enough for a couple of meals and you have filling ready for quesadillas or tacos later in the week.

quick and easy chicken in salsa verde

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup chopped white onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ancho chile powder

1 tsp dried Mexican oregano, crumbled

1/4 tsp salt

1 12 ounce Mexican Beer (I like Dos Equis)

1 11-12 oz can of tomatilloes (or if you have your own salsa verde already made – use that)

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

1 pound chicken breast – cut into tenderloins

In heavy sauce pan sauce onion in oil until soft and translucent, add garlic and saute for another couple of minutes.  Add butter, spices and oregano.  Cook and stir just until the butter has melted.

Add beer, tomatillos (or salsa verde) and jalapeno pepper.

Bring broth back to boil, stir in chicken and turn temperature down to allow chicken to simmer.  Cook gently for about 15-20 minutes, just until chicken is cooked through.  Remove chicken from liquid, and allow liquid to boil until it has reduced and thickened – about another 10-15 minutes.  Remove from heat. When chicken has cooled enough to handle, shred it and return it to the liquid mixture.

Absolutely delicious as a taco or quesadilla filling, or served with homemade tortillas, mexican rice and vegetables. 

Lemon Herb Chicken Linguine

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This light and fresh summery pasta is perfect for a sunny day – takes so little effort and won’t heat up your kitchen either!

CHICKEN

4 chicken breasts

2 tbsp minced fresh herbs – basil, parsley, oregano

1 heaping tbsp dijon mustard

1 lemon – juice and zest

2 tbsp olive oil

Marinate all above ingredients in a ziplock bag for a minimum of 1 hour, and preferably overnight.  (My favorite trick is to have this already made and in the freezer, pull it out in the morning and you are ready to proceed when you get home from work!)

Grill chicken breasts until no longer pink inside, and juices run clear.  Allow to rest while you cook the pasta.

PASTA

1 pack linguine noodles (or honestly, whatever you like!)

broccoli – broken into little trees (about 1 1/2 – 2 cups) or snap peas!

1 lemon, juice and zest

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tbsp of your best extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp roughly chopped basil

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Cook linguine in a pot of well salted water – for the last 3 minutes toss in a generous handful of broccoli heads.  Drain pasta, reserving some of the liquid.

In large serving bowl toss the cooked broccoli and pasta with the lemon juice and zest, minced garlic, crumbled feta, basil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle the olive oil over top, and add just enough pasta water to allow you to toss the pasta easily, and it creates just a light bit of sauce.

Slice chicken on the diagonal, and serve over the pasta.

Thai Barbecue Chicken

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Wherever you go in Thailand you can smell barbecue chicken!  At home I can’t reproduce that smoky, cooked over an old grate on top of wood smell and feeling, but this chicken is amazing.  So simple too.  I have another recipe I use for bbq’d Thai chicken that contains about 30 ingredients.  The simplicity of this recipe makes it  winner for anyone to try.

1/2 fresh chicken, cut into small pieces, OR 4-8 fresh chicken thighs

MARINADE

  • 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce
  • 1 tsp. dark soy sauce (OR 1 more Tbsp. regular soy sauce)
  • 2 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 3 Tbsp. sherry
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed with mortar and pestle or spice grinder (or more or less pepper to taste)
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 Tbsp. grated or minced ginger

DIPPING SAUCE/GLAZE

  • 1/2 cup rice vinegar
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp. ginger, minced
  • 1-2 fresh red chilies, minced – or 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
  • 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Combine all marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag and stir/squeeze  well to dissolve the sugar. Put chicken in bag and give it a generous massage.

This is amazing with even just 1 hour to marinate, but if you leave it in the fridge overnight, so much better.  (One of my favorite tricks is to do this ahead of time and just put it in the freezer until you need a quick meal!)

To make the dipping sauce/glaze, place all the ingredients in a sauce pan. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Stir occasionally and allow it to thicken and reduce until it is that  perfect blend of all Thai dishes – a mixture of sweet, sour, salty and spicy.

Tip: this sauce can be served warm, at room temperature, or cold, so you can easily make it ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator until needed.

Brush or spray grill,  then grill the chicken, turning occasionally. Brush the chicken with the leftover marinade for the first 10 minutes or so, then discard marinade.

Serve with the dipping sauce on the side, OR spoon a little sauce over each piece of chicken as a glaze before serving.  We loved it served with a Thai curry and jasmine rice … soooo yummy!

Dukka

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Ready for serving

Dukka/Dukkah?  You say Dukka?  What the heck is that???  It is a blend of Middle Eastern spices that you can use in so many ways.  I like to keep a jar of it on hand.  If you have unexpected guests get it out with some good olive oil and a chunk of bread and you have an appetizer ready.  

Use it as a rub on meats before grilling, blend it with some oil and vinegar for an instant salad dressing, mix it with good mayonnaise and you have a fantastic spread for sandwiches, burgers or a dip for vegetables – the possibilities are endless.

2/3 cup almonds

1/3 cup hazelnuts

2 tbsp sesame seeds                

4 tsp chili powder

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp onion salt

1 tsp celery salt

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds

cayenne pepper to taste

Toast almonds on baking sheet until golden brown and set aside

Toast hazelnuts until golden, then rub in a dish towel to remove most of the skin

Toast sesame seeds until golden

Lightly heat cumin seeds and coriander seeds just until fragrant

When everything has roasted/toasted and been prepped allow it to cool – then pulse in food processor (or use a mortar and pestle) until you have a powdery mixture with the occasional chunk of nut left for texture.

To serve as an appetizer just cut up chunks of bread into bite size pieces and set out 2 bowls – one of oil, and one of dukka.  Dip bread into the oil, then into the spice.  

Your first taste might have you puzzled, but wanting more – next thing you know – addicted!

Chipotle Chicken

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Once upon a time, I had a Spanish Tapas Bar … strangely enough (to me anyway) one of the most requested dishes was the chicken livers in Chipotle Cream.  When we started to provide this dish with your choice of chicken liver, chicken breast, chorizo sausage, and even prawns or scallops, it really took off!  This version uses chorizo sausage and chicken breasts but it is so versatile you can use whatever you like once you have the chipotle cream made.

2 chicken breasts – sliced into bite size pieces

2 wine cured, dried chorizo sausages

3 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 tbsp chicken stock concentrate

3 garlic cloves

2 chipotle chiles, in adobo sauce – minced

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

scallions (green spring onion)

Melt butter, and saute garlic just until tender.  Stir in 1 minced chipotle chile and the cream.  Cook over moderate heat until sauce has thickened – taste for seasoning, and add more chipotle (if you like it a bit hot) and perhaps a bit of salt and pepper.  Like it?  If not loving it, add more chipotle!  Add sliced chorizo sausage and chicken pieces.  Let cook over moderate heat until sauce has thickened, developed a glossy rich look and the chicken is cooked through.  Garnish with thinly sliced scallions.

Serve with rice – or our favorite – paella!  The sauce is so delicious make sure to serve bread for dipping …

Mexican Seasoning – tacos or fajitas

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This makes enough seasoning or rub for a few meals – use it on anything you want to barbecue, grill or saute.  We like to keep it on hand for so many purposes.  Add some to your favorite vinaigrette and you instantly have a salad with a Mexican twist.   Hayley and Mike perfected this one to create a well balanced flavour but you should experiment with the seasonings to make it your own.

3 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
2 tbsp cumin
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp black pepper

(feel free to use ancho or chipotle chili powder for a richer taste)

Tonight this seasoning mix created some delicious fajitas for the family, but it is just as easily transformed into fantastic tacos – using the ground meat of your choice – and if you should crave vegetables it is marvelous with those too! 

Go ahead and try it your way …

Chicken Schnitzel – Panko Crusted

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3/4  cup flour

2 eggs, beaten

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts halves – butterflied and pounded 1/4 ” thick

kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup canola oil

6 tbsp butter

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 heaping tbsp chopped parsley

Take 3 separate shallow bowls, and in each one put the flour, egg, and panko.  Now you MIGHT think it is okay to just coat the chicken in panko, but trust me … these 3 bowls will make such a difference!  Once you have pounded out the chicken, season with a light dusting of salt and pepper, then dredge in flour.  Shake off any excess and dip in beaten egg.  Drip off, then coat really well with panko, pressing lightly.  Set aside.

In a large skillet heat the canola oil over moderately high heat.  Add chicken pieces, being careful not to overcrowd the pan.  Fry for about 3 min on each side, until golden brown and oh so crispy.  Keep a baking sheet handy, lined with paper towels, and let chicken rest while you cook the rest of your chicken.  Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Meanwhile ….. in a small pan, melt the butter and watching carefully … allow it to cook over moderate heat until the butter is brown … (that will give you a really nutty delicious flavour).  Remove from heat and stir in capers, lemon juice and parsley.

Spoon over chicken and serve.