Chicken in Lemon Sauce

It’s no secret that I’m a chicken fan. I can eat chicken every day. Well… most days. But because I like it so much, I also like to look for different ways to enjoy a favorite. This one is a winner! And the whole family loved it which means this dish will enjoy a repeat performance at our house.

Some minor customizations I made were to use my own mix of breadcrumbs which is simple… 4C Seasoned Breadcrumbs, some parmigiano to taste (but not so much that it’s overwhelming), and panko breadcrumbs to give it a little extra texture and crunch. I also followed the recipe and used olive oil to fry them which gives them a gorgeous golden color, but more often than not I use peanut oil for frying because it’s cleaner and burns less than vegetable or corn oil. I also made two pounds of cutlets so I doubled the recipe to make sure there was enough sauce for the cutlets.

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Ingredients:

All-purpose flour, for dredging
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup (180 g) plain bread crumbs
1 tablespoon (8 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1 pound (454 g) chicken cutlets, thinly sliced
Olive oil, for frying (or any frying oil you’d like)
Butter, for greasing
1 cup (235 ml) chicken broth
½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine, such a Pinot Grigio, or Sauvingnon Blanc
Juice of 1 lemon

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1. Spread the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper
2. In another shallow dish, combine the bread crumbs and cheese
3. Add the beaten eggs to a shallow bowl and place the 3 bowls next to each other
4. Dredge each of the cutlets in the flour, then dip into the egg, and finally coat in the bread crumbs. Transfer to a plate.
5. Heat the frying oil, about 1½ inches (4 cm), in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the cutlets until golden brown on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), Butter a 13 x 9-inch (33 x 23 cm) baking pan and arrange cutlets in the pan.
   (It’s okay to stack them over each other if you’re making more than the designated pound the recipe calls for.)
7. Pour the chicken broth, wine, and lemon juice into the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and flip the cutlets over, exposing the moist side. Bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. Spoon the pan sauce over the top and serve.

Honey Garlic Chicken with Pineapple

Magnolia Table – Volume 2
Joanna Gaines

Okay…  so thoughts on this bad boy… I’ve got a few.  It was good.  Don’t get me wrong.  It was different and I loved the mix of flavors, but for me it was too much of a good thing.  So I’ll definitely make this again, for sure.  But there will just be less of it.  I think the flavors were so intense that it took away from the chicken.  So… for this recipe, I’m going to operate on the “less is more” mindset.

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Ingredients:

½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup honey
1 cup ketchup
4 tablespoons (½ stick) of butter, melted
2 teaspoons garlic salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 4 ounces each)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups cubed (1-inch) fresh pineapple
1½ cups red bell pepper strips (about 2 large)
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Cooked rice, for serving

 

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1. Position an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and preheat the oven to 400ºF.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, ketchup, melted butter, garlic salt, and garlic until well combined.
3. Place the chicken thighs on one side of a sheet pan and pat them dry. Drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and place the pineapple and bell peppers on the other end of the pan.  Baste the chicken thighs with ½ cup of the sauce and bake for 10 minutes.
5. Turn the oven to broil (do not remove the pan) and broil until the chicken is charred in several places, 8 to 10 minutes.
6. Transfer the chicken, pineapple, and peppers to a large bowl and toss with ½ cup of the remaining sauce.
7. Top with fresh parsley and sesame seeds.  Serve over rice with the remaining sauce on the side.
8. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days.

Okay…  a few notes on how I would tweak this recipe for next time:

Let’s start with the “less is more” thing… 
The next time I make this, I’m cutting the cider, honey and ketchup in half.  The pineapple in it is sweet. So the honey makes adds unnecessary sweetness. The cider vinegar is strong, and the ketchup is just too much.  I’m going on the assumption that by halving those three ingredients, it’ll make the flavor more subtle and tone it down.  The way it’s written works but it’s just a little strong for my preference. So when I make this again, I’m going to try it with less.  Also, while the recipe calls for boneless skinless thighs, I had a pack of wings in the fridge and threw those in too.  😊

Whole Roasted Chicken

Magnolia Table – Volume 2
Joanna Gaines

I decided to make this just to try a different roasted chicken recipe.  It’s no secret that I love chicken.  I could eat it every day.  And while I love the Fabio’s recipe that I make all the time, every once in a while it’s nice to switch things up.  And this one caught my attention enough to try it and I liked it enough that I’ll probably make it again.  Basically, it’s a nice option to add to the chicken rotation.  Although next time I think I’ll use less vegetables, if for no other reason than the quantity was too much for 3 people.  So a little less on the vegetables would just work better for us.  However, if you’re a fan of lots of veggies, have at it.  I’m a firm believer that recipes are made to be tweaked.  So do what works for you.

Something else I will add is to use the cooking times as estimates.  All ovens are different so cooking times will never be exact.  So if it doesn’t look right, it’s okay to adjust on the fly.  And while the chicken was definitely full cooked, I think next time I will leave it in a little longer so it browns a little more. So there are my takes on this recipe.

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Ingredients

One 4-ound whole chicken
1 tablespoon olive oil
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¾ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1½ pounds baby potato medley or tricolored baby potatoes
6 large tricolored carrots, trimmed and cut into thirds, or 4 cups baby carrots*
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
¼ cup good-quality dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, chopped
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 bunch broccolini or 1 broccoli head, cut into 1-inch florets
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

* I couldn’t find tricolored carrots and didn’t want to use baby carrots so
  I just used regular carrots.  Don’t call the carrot police on me.  

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1. Preheat the over to 425ºF
2. Tie the legs of the chicken together with kitchen string. Place the chicken in the center of a sheet pan. Rub the skin with oil and sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper. Arrange the potatoes, carrots, and onion quarters around the chicken.
   
3. In the small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, stir in the wine, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, and garlic salt and cook for 1 minute. Drizzle half the wine sauce over the vegetables, tossing the coat.
4. Bake for 35 minutes. Reduce the over temperature to 325ºF, add the broccolini to the pan, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thick thigh registers 165ºF, 40 to 45 minutes. Baste the chicken with the remaining wine sauce in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
   
5. Remove the pan from the oven, tent the chicken and vegetables with foil, and let it sit for 15 minutes. Cut the chicken into slices to serve, or serve family style, cutting the chicken into 8 pieces.
6. Sprinkle the vegetables with the parsley.

 

Before

After

Roast Chicken with Pan Sauce

Bon Appètit, Y’All
Virginia Willis

 

I made this dish a while back and while I don’t remember it clearly, I remember liking it a lot.  Clearly I’ve been slacking on posting and taking photos of the meals I’m cooking,  But, take my word for it, I really enjoyed it.  I’ll have to make it again to remember why I enjoyed it, and I’ll add photos once I do.  😁

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Ingredients 

1 (4- to 5-pound) chicken 
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
3 bay leaves, preferably fresh
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large lemon, quartered
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 large carrot, chopped
1 onion, preferably Vidalia, chopped
2 shallots, finely chopped
½ cup dry white wine
1½ cups chicken stock (freshly made) or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits (optional)

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Preheat the oven to 425° F.  To prepare the chicken, trim the excess fat from the inside of the chicken cavity.  Season the cavity with the herbes de Provence, bay leaves, salt, and pepper.  Squeeze lemon juice into the vanity and then insert the used lemon quarters.  Rub butter over the skin and season with salt and pepper.  Tie the ends of the drumsticks together with kitchen twine.  Set the chicken in the roasting pan, on a rack if you have one.

Roast chicken for 15 minutes, then decrease the heat to 350°F.  Roast for an additional 15 minutes, then add the carrot and onion to the pan.  Continue roasting, basting occasionally, until the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh is pierced with a knife, an additional 30 to 45 minutes.  Remove the chicken to a cutting board and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a warm platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil to keep warm.

To make the sauce, remove all but several tablespoons of the fat from the roasting pan and place pan over medium heat.  Add the shallots and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 2 minutes.  Add the wine and cook until it is reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and increase the heat to high, scraping the skillet with a wooden spoon to loosen the browned bits.

Cook until the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes more.  Carve the chicken and pour any accumulated chicken juices from the cutting board into the roasting pan.  Decrease the heat to medium.  Whisk in the butter.  Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.  Serve the chicken with the sauce on the side

Huli Huli Chicken

The Complete Cook’s Country
TV Show Cookbook
America’s Test Kitchen

 

I found this recipe interesting because the glaze sounded so good, and I was in the mood for something different. But even though I followed this recipe more than I didn’t, I did make a minor tweak or two to suit those I would be feeding. Namely, the husband, and the father – who can be… picky, to say the least.

While the recipe calls for two whole chickens split in half, I went with one whole split chicken and then legs and thighs because Dad prefers dark meat, so I just catered to his preferences. And, full disclosure, I bought the chicken already split.  No sense making extra work for myself. 😁  The second adjustment I made was the chili-garlic sauce. The recipe calls for 2 teaspoons, but I cut it down to one because Dad is not a fan of spicy food and John likes adding his own heat to whatever he’s eating. Other than that, I followed the recipe to the letter and it did not disappoint. I’ll definitely be taking this one for another spin.

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Ingredients:

Chicken
2 (3½- to 4-pound) whole chickens
2 quarts water
2 cups soy sauce
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

Glaze
3 (6-ounce) cans pineapple juice
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup rice vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce
2 cups wood chips, soaked in water for 15 minutes and drained 

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1. For the Chicken    Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it.  Trim any excess fat or skin at the neck.  Flip chicken over and using chef’s knife, cut through breastbone to separate chicken into halves.  Repeat with other chicken.  Combine water and soy sauce in a large bowl.  Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir into soy sauce mixture.  Add chicken and refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours.
   
   
2. For the Glaze    Combine pineapple juice, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, ginger, and chili-garlic sauce into an empty saucepan and bring to boil.  Reduce heat to medium and simmer until thick and syrupy (you should have about 1 cup), 20 to 25 minutes.  Using large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, wrap soaked chips in foil packet and cut several vent holes in top.
3. For A Charcoal Grill    Open bottom vent halfway.  Light large chimney starter three-quarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4½ quarts).  When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill.  Place foil packets on coals.  Set cooking grate in place, cover and open lid vent halfway.  Heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 5 minutes.
   
   For A Gas Grill     Place wood chip packet directly on primary burner.  Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot and wood chips are smoking, about 15 minutes.  Turn all burners to medium-low.  (Adjust burners as needed to maintain grill temperature of 350 degrees.)
   
   
4. Clean and oil cooking grate.  Remove chicken from brine and pat dry with paper towels.  Place chicken skin side up on grill (do not place chicken directly on top of foil packet).  Cover and cook chicken until well browned on bottom and thighs register 120 degrees, 25 to 30 minutes.  Flip chicken skin side down and continue to cook, covered, until skin is well browned nd crisp and thighs register 175 degrees, 20 to 25 minutes longer.  Transfer chicken to platter, brush with half of the glaze, and let rest for 5 minutes.  Serve, passing remaining glaze at the table.
   
   
   To Make Ahead
   Both brine and glaze can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days.  Do not brine chicken for longer than 8 hours or it will become too salty.

 

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I

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Ingredients:

Chicken
2 (3

Chicken Vesuvio

The Complete Cooking
for Two Cookbook –
America’s Test Kitchen

So it’s been quite some time since I’ve updated.  And I really need to get better about that.  But that’s also what got me back because I want to remember what I make so that if it’s something we really enjoyed, I can make it again.  And it helps when you get stuck in a rut making the same old things over and ov¼er again.  Which is what led me to this recipe.

I look around at all the cookbooks I have and I surprise myself with how lazy I can get about finding something to make for dinner.  But last night I decided to jump back into the deep end of the pool.  I got sick of the same old thing, so I went searching and came up with this beauty.  And I’m happy to say, it was a hit!  And I’ll definitely be making it again because it was THAT GOOD. 😊

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Ingredients:

¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and painted if necessary
Salt and Pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
12 ounces red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ¼ teaspoon dried
½ teaspoon minced fresh rosemary or a pinch teaspoon dried
1 cup chicken broth
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
1 teaspoon lemon juice

 

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1. Spread the flour in the shallow dish.  Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  Working with 1 breast at a time, dredge the breasts in flour.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  Brown the chicken lightly, 3 to 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate and wipe skillet clean.
3. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.  Add potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 7 minutes.  Stir in garlic, oregano, rosemary, and a pinch of salt and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Stir in broth and wine, scraping any browned bits.
4. Nestle browned chicken into potatoes, add any accumulated juices, and bring to simmer.  Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken registers 160 degrees, 12 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking; transfer chicken to serving platter and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
5. Increase heat to medium and continue to simmer potatoes and sauce, uncovered, until potatoes are tender and sauce is slight thickened, 5 to 7 minutes.  Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to platter with chicken.  Off heat, stir peas, butter, and lemon juice into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes and serve.

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Right before taking the chicken and potatoes out to finish making the sauce.

The finished product. Since I’m not a fan of peas, I cheated and made myself a side of corn.
No judging. 😁

Grilled Lemon-Parsley Chicken Breasts

Cook’s Meat Cookbook –
America’s Test Kitchen

While I expected this recipe to be good, I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it.  I tend to hesitate with chicken grilled outside because it can dry out really quickly, but that wasn’t the case here.  And with a few tricks on how to grill without drying out the meat, it’s almost fool-proof.

So… anyone that knows me knows that I love lemon.  So this recipe attracted me because…  lemon. 🍋  Now, traditionally, if a recipe calls for lemon, I add the required amount, and I’ll usually sneak in a little more, because…  lemon. 🍋  But I read something interesting in this recipe, which is so simple that it makes sense, and I’m kicking myself for not figuring it out by myself.  And that is…  less is more.  Too much lemon adds too much acid, which then makes the dish too tart.  But less lemon, leaves that pleasant lemony flavor that doesn’t overpower the protein.  And that’s what I learned today.  😊

Just as a side note:  the breasts I had were a little thinner so I didn’t size them on the bias and just served them as cutlets.  Also, since I’m married to someone who has to eat everything charred and dried out, a few of the breasts were cooked a little longer than I would’ve liked.  But…  I burn them because that’s how he likes them.  No matter how much it pains me…  😖

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Ingredients:
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley
1¼ teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and Pepper
2 tablespoons water
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 (6-8 ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed

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1. Whisk 3 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, parsley, ¼ teaspoon sugar, mustard, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in a bowl and set aside for serving.
2. Whisk water, garlic, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, 1½ teaspoons salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in a bowl.  Place marinade and chicken in 1 gallon ziplock bag and toss to coat; press out as much air as possible and seal bag.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, flipping bag every 15 minutes.
3. For Charcoal Grill:
   Open Bottom vent completely.  Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts).  When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill.  Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely.  Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
   For Gas Grill:
   Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).
4. Clean and oil cooking grate.  Remove chicken from bag, allowing excess marinade to drip off.  Place chicken on cooler side of grill, smooth side down, with thicker sides facing coal and flames.  Cover and cook until bottom of chicken just begins to develop light grill marks and is no longer translucent, 6 to 9 minutes.
5. Flip chicken and rotate so that thinner sides face coals and flames.  Cover and continue to cook until chicken is opaque and firm to touch and registers 140 degrees, 6 to 9 minutes longer.
6. Move chicken to hotter side of grill and cook until dark grill marks appear on both sides and chicken registers 160 degrees, 2 to 6 minutes longer.
7. Transfer chicken to carving board, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let ret for 5 to 10 minutes.  Slice each breast on bias into ¼-inch-thick slices and transfer to individual plates.  Drizzle with reserved sauce and serve.

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Italian Tray Bake

Nigellissima – Nigella Lawson

This dish is so good that I’ve already made it several times.  It’s a really quick prep and contains some of my favorite foods; chicken, sausage, and potatoes.  Can’t go wrong with those three things.  Not to mention that it’s one of those pan supper recipes that you just throw into the oven and an hour later, you’re sitting down to yummy goodness.

And now for my disclaimer…  even though the recipe calls for 8 chicken thighs, they’re not the favorite poultry piece in this house, so I mix it up and usually use a whole chicken cut up into 8 pieces.  The way I see it, chicken is chicken, so it should work, right?  Let me assure you, it does.  

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Ingredients:

3 large Yukon gold potatoes (approximately 1¾ pounds total)
Unpeeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
8 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin on
8 Italian sausage links (approximately 1¾ pounds total)
Small bunch 6-7 springs fresh rosemary
Zest 1 unwaxed lemon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Ground pepper
¼ cup olive oil

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Preheat the oven to 425º F.

Put the potatoes into a sheet pan or large, shallow roasting pan and add the chicken thighs and sausages.  If using 2 pans, divide everything between them (and also swap the pans over and turn them round halfway through cooking time).

Arrange about 4 sprigs of the rosemary among the chicken and sausages, then finely chop the n needles of another 2 sprigs to give you about 2 teaspoons of finely chopped needles, and sprinkle these onto the chicken pieces.

Zest the lemon over everything, and season with the salt and a good grinding of pepper.  Drizzle with the oil and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the chicken skin and sausages are golden and the potato pieces are cooked through.  It’s fine to let all of this stand for up to 30 minutes once cooked, prior to serving.

Chicken Breasts with Mortadella (petti di pollo alla modanese)

Whatever Happened to Sunday Dinner – Lisa Caponigri

Some of the best tasting dishes are rooted in their simplicity.  And this is one of the simplest meals I’ve ever made, but wow…  it was so good.  And definitely worth making again.

The recipe is scaled for 6-8 people, and since we’re only 3-4 (depending on who’s home for dinner) I halved everything to keep the ratios accurate.

Also, it bears mentioning that if the breasts you have are a little thicker, after cooking the breasts in the skillet, you’ll have to put them in the oven in order for them to finish cooking.  The reason I’m mentioning this is because it happened to me!  😊 So I put them in the oven at 325º F for 35 minutes and they were perfect.  Thoroughly cooked but juicy and tender.

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Ingredients:

8 chicken breast halves, with rib meat and bone attached
1 cup all purpose flour
Sea salt
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
8 very thin slices (about ¼ pound) imported mortadella
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano very thinly sliced
¼ cup heavy cream

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Place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper and pound until they are almost flat.

Place the four on a large flat dish and season with salt.

Melt the butter in 2 skillets over medium heat.  Lightly dredge each breast in the flour, coating fully and tapping off any excess.  Took the chicken, in batches, 4 minutes per side.

Just before serving, top each breast with a slice of mortadella and a slice or more of Parmigiano.  Add the cream to the pan and let bubble a few minutes.

Serve each breast with the cream sauce spooned over the top.

Chicken (Legs) and 40 Cloves of Garlic Sheet Pan Supper

Pioneer Woman Cooks – Come and Get It!
Ree Drummond

So…  I love chicken.  And when I come across something that looks like it’s going to taste delicious and it’s easy to make?  That equals a no brainer.  And you can never have enough varieties of chicken.  So we’re now adding another option into the mix.

For this particular recipe, even though it calls for drumsticks, you can use whatever you like.  In this instance, I used a couple of breasts (John’s favorite), drumsticks (which I happen to like), and wings (everyone’s favorite).

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Ingredients:

12 chicken legs (or whatever variety of pieces you choose)
40 garlic cloves
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 lemons
Crusty French bread, for serving

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Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Arrange the chicken and garlic on a sheet pan.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. And squeeze the juice of one lemon.

Cut the other lemon into slices and arrange them on the pan.  Then place the pan in the oven.

Roast the chicken until cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes, carefully shaking the pan once or twice during the cooking process to keep the garlic from burning.

Serve with the crusty French bread and spread/rub the roasted garlic cloves on it.