Chicken Tortilla Soup

I was in Vancouver eating at The Red Burrito and tried my first tortilla soup.  I wanted to go home and recreate it.  Most recipes I found didn't remind me of this one.  I finally found one to reference and then made my own version.

garnished soup

Serves 4 (but really, it's so delicious, it serves 2)

1 medium onion
1 jalapeno
3 cloves garlic
oregano, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper
4-5 c chicken stock
1 can of diced tomatoes (with the liquid)
shredded chicken (a little goes a long way)
1 can of black beans (drained not rinsed)

garnishes: lime, cilantro, avocado, jack or mozzarella cheese, fried tortilla strips

Ahead of time, cook some chicken- whatever you have lying around.  It's just getting shredded anyways.  I always liberally season it with chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, onion poweder, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper.  When the chicken is liberally seasoned, it will help flavour the soup once it's shredded and put on to simmer. 

Chop up the onion and jalapeno and grate the garlic- saute for a few minutes, until soft.  Add in spices (I do it by feel so I don't know what the amounts are- start small and work your way up as your taste).  Try 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp oregano and 1/4 tsp cayenne to start and adjust later.  Add stock, tomatoes, chicken, 1 can of black beans (drained of liquid but not rinsed off).  Bring to boil and then let simmer for at least 20-30 minutes.  The longer it goes, the better the flavours. Adjust salt and other seasonings at the end.

garnishes

fried totrtilla strips

Serve with garnishes (sliced avocado, lime wedges, shredded jack cheese, fried tortilla strips, chopped cilantro)

How you know when your oil is hot enough to start..bubble form
around the handle of your wooden spoon (don't use plastic..)

To fry your tortilla strips, slice up a tortilla, heat a small layer of oil (for shallow frying, not deep frying) on medium high heat and then place your strips in the oil.  They only need like 30 seconds per side.  Watch them carefully.

soup ungarnished

Chicken Palava (African Peanut Stew)

From Pinterest
http://www.kayotic.nl/blog/chicken-palava-african-peanut-stew

Ingredients:
1 pound chicken breast, thigh, fillet (whatever)
1 pretty large onion
1 large red bell pepper
2 large garlic cloves
2 big, juicy tomatoes, diced (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
1/2 pound fresh spinach
4 tbsp (peanut) oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1/4 tsp chili powder (hot)
1/2 tsp ground ginger (or grate some fresh- love this!)
2 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp dried thyme
5 tbsp peanut butter
2 cups chicken broth
salt, pepper and cumin (added according to preference at end)
 
Directions:  

Chop up chicken into chunks.  Marinate in oil, garlic, chili powder, chili flakes, ginger, 
sugar, thyme for 15 minutes

Saute chicken and onions and red pepper 
(I did them separately so the chicken didn't overcook)

If you separated the chicken and veggies, add everything back together. Add peanut 
butter, diced tomatoes, broth- bring to a boil then cover with lid and simmer for 20 
mins or so.

Cook your rice.

Once the soup has thickened up, add salt, pepper and cumin to taste, and more 
peanut butter if you think it needs it.  When you're ready to eat, take it off the heat 
and wilt in the spinach.

serve with lots of rice

Chicken Bruschetta Melts

This is inspired from a lunch menu I saw outside a restaurant once.  The special was a Chicken Bruschetta Melt and I thought that sounded delicious.  So I went home and made one- don't know if it was anything like the one from the restaurant.

Ingredients:

chicken thighs or breasts (1 breast per person, 2 thighs per person)
favourite melting cheese
tomatoes
fresh basil
red onion
balsamic vinegar
oil
optional: garlic bread

 
Directions:

Make some bruschetta (chop tomatoes, red onion, tear up basil- mix together with a little oil and vinegar and salt). If you soak your chopped red onion in water for a while before adding it to your bruschetta, the onion will become sweet and less harsh.

Cook the chicken in your favourite seasoning (I usually mix my own- garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, chili flakes, paprika, oregano).

We had our chicken on some garlic bread (you can choose your own vessel or keep the carbs out of it all together), topped it with bruschetta and then cheese and put it under the broiler till the cheese melted. 

Super quick and delicious.

To Brine or Not to Brine

Notes on Roasting a Chicken

To brine or not to brine your chicken before roasting it is a continuous debate happening in the cooking world.  I have never brined but would like to try it to compare it to my other method (that I learned from Iron Chef Michael Symon- LOVE him!).  Chef Symon always claims that brining is not necessary and the only thing you should do is 24 hrs before cooking your chicken (or turkey), you should take a tbsp of salt and rub your bird down (massage it right in there) and then put it in the fridge till the next day. 

I have tried this method and it resulted in a super moist, well seasoned chicken with crispy skin.  Now I would like to try brining to see the difference.  Here is a link to the reasons and science behind brining and the recipe (also found below) to do so.

http://www.enjoy-how-to-cook.com/brining-chicken.html

Recipe for Brining:

One Large Container
Half a Liter of Water per pound of bird
1/4 cup kosher salt or 1/8 cup table salt per liter of water
1/8 cup of sugar per liter or water
Any other seasonings you would like to add to the brine (herbs, garlic, etc)

1. Mix the water, salt and sugar (optional) until the salt and sugar have dissolved.
2. Add the chicken to the brine so that it's completely submerged. If you need to, place something heavy over it to keep it from floating to the surface.
3. Soak the chicken in the brine for about an hour per pound of meat. The chicken should soak for at least an hour, but not much more than 12 hours.
   
   • If you have several smaller pieces of chicken, the weight of each piece determines how long it should soak for. So, a 2lb chicken would soak for 2 hours. 4 2lb chickens would also soak for two hours, but a 4lb chicken should soak for 4 hours.
   • Keep the chicken cold while you brine it! It should be in the fridge or in a cooler, or at the very least in a tub of cold water. You can add ice to the water to make sure it stays cold.
4. Remove the chicken from the brine. Rinse it thoroughly, then pat it dry.
5. (Optional) Let the chicken air dry in the refrigerator, uncovered, for about an hour. This will help the skin get crispy when you cook it.
   
   

Even if brining seems like a too big a of a deal, try the salting method next time you roast your chicken or turkey and see if you find a difference.

Chicken and Hot Sausage Stew

(about 6 servings)

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 pound hot Italian sausage (or sweet if you don't like hot)
fennel seed
1 small bulb fresh fennel, thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 pablano or banana pepper, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
3-4 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can Italian tomatoes (28 ounces)
2- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
A few leaves of basil, torn
rice

Season your chicken with salt and pepper and cook through and remove.  
Crumble or slice your sausage and cook through and remove onto paper
towel to sop up extra oil.  Chop or shred up your cooked, cooled chicken.

Add the fennel, onion, peppers and (minced or grated) garlic to the pot
and season with salt and pepper. Let soften, 5-7 minutes, then stir in the 
tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, then add the tomatoes and 2 cups stock, 
breaking up the tomatoes. Add the reserved chicken and sausage back to 
the pot, a few leaves of torn basil and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring 
occasionally over low heat.  (If you love SPICY food then add some cayenne
to bump up the spice level.  If you like moderately spicy food then this
recipe has the right kick for you already without more added.)

Be careful to not let this cook for too too long because I found the veggies kind
of lose their texture and fall apart.

Serve over rice (or whatever grain you please: noodles, polenta, etc)

Teriyaki Chicken Drumsticks

This is one of my easy, lazy, cheap but still yummy and unprocessed go to meals (courtesy of Rachael Ray). Although the chicken cooks for a while, the actual time you need to spend in the kitchen is minimal, as is the effort. The original recipe only calls for the drumsticks to be marinated in teriyaki but I find that the taste is too mild after cooking so I've started basting the chicken during the cooking process.  I use a thin teriyaki sauce for marinating and and thick sauce for basting. I also use some teriyaki sauce over the rice and veggies- but it can be served without it or with your favourite sauce.

Ingredients

• 8 chicken leg drumsticks
• 1 1/2 cups, teriyaki sauce (plus some for basting)
• Coarse black pepper
• 1 cup rice
• 1 bunch broccoli, trimmed and cut into 3-inch pieces
• Salt
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 1 bunch scallions, shredded on an angle
• 2 large cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
• 1 inch ginger, grated or minced 

Preparation

Place chicken drumsticks in a resealable plastic bag with the teriyaki sauce and let marinate 4 hours or overnight. (feel free to add some ginger or garlic to the marinade as well)

Preheat oven to 400˚F.

Place a cooling rack over a baking sheet and arrange chicken legs on it. Season chicken liberally with coarse black pepper.

Cover chicken legs with foil and roast 20 minutes. Turn legs, baste with a thick teriyaki sauce and roast 10 minutes more, then baste again. Remove foil and roast an additional 5-8 minutes to darken and crisp.

While the chicken cooks, cook 1 cup of rice.

While chicken roasts the last 10 minutes, bring a few inches of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli and blanch 2-3 minutes, then drain.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet. When oil is hot, add blanched broccoli, peppers and scallions. Stir-fry 2 minutes, add garlic and ginger, and stir-fry 1 minute more.

Serve chicken legs with stir-fried veggies and rice alongside.

Chicken Burgers

Blackened Cajun Chicken

Cajun Spice Blend (I like to make my own instead of buying the premixed stuff)
-1 1/2 tsp paprika
-1 tsp salt
-1 1/2 tsp onion powder
-1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
-1 1/2 tsp cayenne (or less if you don't like spicy)
-1 tsp pepper
-1/2 tsp thyme
-1/2 tsp oregano

I usually make a big batch and keep it in an empty spice shaker or else just a small Tupperware container.

To make my blackened chicken, rub your chicken (thigh or breast) with a generous amount of rub.  Have your saute pan on medium high heat (this also works on the grill).  When the pan is hot enough, dip your chicken in a bowl of melted margarine or butter so that all the rub is coated and then place in pan.  There should be a sizzle.  Leave it for 3-5 minutes depending on how hot the pan is and then flip.  You are looking for a nice dark (but not actually black) exterior.  You can either finish on the stove top or put saute pan in the oven to finish cooking (400 degrees).  Add a little chicken stock to the pan to keep from drying out if you are using boneless thick breasts that will take a while. 
Serve as a burger or just by itself along with your favourite sides.

Chicken, Avocado, Salsa Burger

This burger is inspired from something I saw on Rachael Ray years ago so it doesn't really have a name since I've made it my own.

Chicken Breasts
Cumin
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Thyme
Oregano
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Cayenne
Avocados, sliced (not diced- you want strips)
Pico De Gallo
Buns

Pico de gallo is just a fresh salsa (chop up some tomatoes- I like roma for this-, a little red onion, cilantro, fresh lime juice and salt)

Make your chicken  breasts in the same way as described in the blackened cajun chicken except the spices are a little different.  Most are the same from the cajun except you want to lessen the paprika and cayenne quite a bit and add a generous amount of cumin.  Cumin is the main flavour of this chicken. Cook it the same way as the blackened cajun chicken.  Let the breasts rest once they're cooked.

Assemble your burger once your chicken has rested.  Slice your chicken in thick strips.  On the bottom bun put some mayo (sometimes I will flavour the mayo with lime zest or some chipotle).  Then alternate chicken strip and avocado strip so that you end up with a row of about 4 of each (chicken, avocado, chicken, avocado, etc all side by side).  Top with pico de gallo and your top bun.  Get lots of napkins.  This one is messy but sooo delicious.  Great especially in the summer time.

UnFried Chicken

Adapted from Bobby Deen's UnFried Chicken

Ingredients:
8 skinless boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of all visible fat (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon Paula Deen’s House Seasoning (4 parts salt, 1 part pepper, 1 part garlic powder)
1/4 cup buttermilk
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 egg white
1 teaspoon hot sauce
2 cups cornflake crumbs (just bash up a bowl of cornflakes- not sweetened)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Add oil to a large oven safe saute pan and put on medium high heat.
Sprinkle the chicken with the House Seasoning. In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, lemon zest, juice, egg white, and hot sauce. Add the chicken; toss to coat.
Place the cornflake crumbs on a sheet of wax paper. Dip the chicken into the crumbs pressing so the crumbs adhere. Place the chicken in the pan and sear one side.  After a few minutes, once a nice golden brown colour has developed, flip the chicken over and finish in the oven
Bake until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through, about 25-30 minutes. Do not turn.

Over 1000 calories saved from actual fried chicken.  Nice crispy crust mimicking fried chicken!

In Case I Die

I cook pretty much every night and generally the dinners are from scratch.  I enjoy cooking and having quite a few go to recipes but they are not all in one place and it gets annoying trying to remember where each recipe is (in recipe box, on computer, on scrap paper, etc).  So I'd like to have a place where all my favourite recipes can be and also for anyone else to benefit from them.  Also, I'd like to have them recorded properly for Cole in case I die (I know, weird right?).  But Cole and I were talking about if (heaven forbid) I died much earlier than expected, he would lose all his favourite meals and be left to cook for the family.  So I thought I should have a record of our family's favourite meals in case I die and Cole has to figure out how to make the food he's become accustomed to.  Some of these recipes are mine, some are from friends, from TV, from Pinterest, from other internet sites, some are my versions of other people's recipes.  My goal is to post one recipe a day that we use all the time so that eventually all my recipes are in one place.