Beer Marinated Chicken

By Somer

All I hear about when I talk about grilling chicken is Beer Can Chicken.  It’s all the rage right now.  I’ve always wanted to try it.  It looks absolutely delicious and juicy.  However, since I live in a rental with just a tiny slab of concrete for outdoor living space, I only have a tiny charcoal hibachi on which to do my outdoor cooking.  Obviously I cannot make Beer Can Chicken on this tiny grill so I came up with a slightly different alternative.  The outcome was a juicy, smokey, flavorful dish that almost brought my husband to tears (because it was so delicious.  He can be emotional over food).

Beer Marinated Butterfly Chicken

(My recipe)

3 bottles of beer (a darker beer like an ale would be best)

one bulb of garlic (that’s a whole head, folks!)

1 Tblsp. salt

1/2 Tblsp. black pepper

1 6-7 lb. whole chicken, butterflied

First of all, clean your chicken after you have taken it out of its packaging.  Check for any stray feathers and quills and give it a good rinsing under the faucet.  Pat it dry and get ready to do some cutting.  Butterflying a chicken is really easy, just make sure your knife is adequately sharp or else you’re going to cut your bloody finger off!

Just sit the chicken up on it’s little butt and turn it so that you are looking at it’s back.  You are going to need to cut the backbone out, so just feel with your fingers for where it is and start from the top and work your way down.  You’re mainly going to be cutting through little rib bones so it’s not terribly difficult, just be careful.

It comes out pretty clean.  Don’t throw away that backbone, though!  Save it for chicken stock!

The next thing you want to do is lay the chicken down flat so that the inside is facing you.  Feel for the bone right in the center of the breast and knick it with your knife near the top.  Then simply use your hands to split it (the bone) down the middle.

Once the bone has split, use your fingers to pull out the breast and rib bones so that the breasts are bone-free.  And now you have butterflied a chicken.  Congratulations!  Now wash everything with hot soapy water and make sure there is not a single drop of raw chicken juice anywhere!  Wash your hands and make sure you get under your fingernails as well (if you have any).  Gotta make sure you are very careful when working with raw poultry.

Now, mince all of the cloves from an entire bulb of garlic and place them in a large container.  Add the three bottles of beer and salt and pepper and mix well.  Add the chicken, skin side up, into the marinade and swish about to get things mixed.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.

When you retrieve this for cooking the next day, I must warn you…..there is going to be a hell of a smell coming from that bowl.  That entire head of garlic along with that strong beer makes for a strong odor!  It’s not a bad odor, just really really strong.  Don’t worry, though.  Marinades are supposed to be strong.

Now, when it comes to charcoal grills, the best accessory is the charcoal chimney (that doo hickey on the left).  Simply fill the tall part with charcoal, stuff the bottom with newspaper or kindling and light it.  The kindling being on the bottom and burning will get the charcoal going without the aid of lighter fluid, which is good because if you use lighter fluid, the food can tend to taste..well, like lighter fluid.  Don’t dump the coals into your grill until they are mostly white (at this point they are HOT HOT HOT).  Once you have dumped the coals into the grill, run inside and prepare the chicken for grilling!

Now certainly you know that you should have had the chicken setting out to come close to room temperature for at least 15 minutes before you were going to grill it, right?  Ok, good.  Now pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, brush the skin lightly with some olive oil and sprinkle the skin with some paprika.  The paprika isn’t for flavoring, it adds a gorgeous color though.  Once this has been accomplished, lay your chicken on the grill skin down and cook for at least 8 minutes per side (depending on the heat of your grill).  Turn once and make sure to keep the lid closed during cooking.

When the chicken is done cooking, let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.  You won’t have to do much cutting.  If you didn’t overcook the chicken, it will be falling apart and juicy.

What we ended up with was an extremely juicy and tender chicken that was very savory due to the marinade but not really tasting too heavily of either the garlic or the beer.  It was delicious.  I hope you can try this and show it off to some friends.  Enjoy!

Chili Lime Chicken and Roasted Asparagus

By Somer

In the modern American kitchen, one would be hard pressed to find a household that does not have frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts.  I, myself always have these on hand.  I use them in soups, ethnic dishes, and for quick weeknight meals.  They are very convenient but they can tend to taste very flat.  That is why the cooking world is up to its nose in chicken recipes.  There are thousands of recipes out there for how to make a boneless skinless chicken breast taste like something more than cardboard.  You see, the skin and bones of meat will lend a lot of flavor to the meat in the cooking process.  The breast meat has a mild flavor to begin with, but when you remove the skin and bones before cooking, the meat is terribly bland if the cook doesn’t take extra steps to season the bejeezus out of the meat.

Chili Lime Chicken

(My recipe)

the zest of 2 limes

the juice of 2 limes

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tblsp. chili powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed

Begin by zesting the two limes.  I have a microplane that I use for this and it’s a kitchen tool that I couldn’t live without.  I use it to grate cheese, nutmeg and for zesting citrus.

Place the zest in a medium sized bowl.  Set aside.  Cut the two limes in half and juice them into the bowl with the zest.  I have a reamer that I use, and yes, it’s another indispensable kitchen tool that I adore.

Add the olive oil, chili powder, salt and pepper to the bowl and whisk well.  Add the chicken breasts to the bowl and toss to coat.  Cover the bowl in plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat a grill and allow the chicken to warm slightly (just below room temperature) on your counter while the grill is heating.

Once the grill is hot, cook the chicken breasts for at least 4 minutes per side, depending on how hot the grill is.  And yes, that’s a George Foreman Grill….and I love it so leave me alone about it!  That thing is awesome for winter-time grilling and small time grilling where I don’t want to go through the whole process of heating the charcoal hibachi.

As a great side dish for this chicken, I made roasted asparagus.  I know that some people tend to be tempted to make sauces and a bunch of floof for asparagus, but it really is one of those vegetables that are delicious the way they are and don’t need much in the way of seasoning.  Simply snap the woody bottoms off of the stems, wash, and spread out on a baking sheet (and preheat an oven to 425 degrees F).    Drizzle about 2 Tblsp. of extra-virgin olive oil over the asparagus.  Then sprinkle 1 tsp. of both salt and pepper and toss the asparagus for even coating.  Roast in the oven for 5-12 minutes, depending on the size of your asparagus (they can very from very skinny to very thick so watch carefully).

What we have here is a quick and delicious dinner.  When quick cooking time is a necessity, these chicken breasts are insanely convenient.  With a little finesse, they can make a very decent meal.  Enjoy!

Holy Cilantro, Batman!

By Somer

I wanted Indian food tonight.  I love Indian food.  It is, without a doubt, my favorite ethnic food.  I love it so much that I wanted to learn how to cook it after years of gorging myself on Indian takeout and curry buffets.  I did a lot of research on a good Indian cookbook and one name kept popping up:  Madhur Jaffrey.  She is one of the world’s bestselling Indian cookbook authors, so I went out and bought her book “Indian Cooking.” Boy am I glad that I got it, too.  There are FANTASTIC recipes in this cookbook.

Tonight I cooked a dish called Hare masale wali murghi which is a lemony chicken with cilantro.  LOTS of cilantro.  (If you don’t like cilantro, you are as crazy as the people who don’t like Bleu cheese.  You can’t change my mind on this.  If you dislike these two things, you are looney toons.)  This is also a really easy dish to make.  I had all of the ingredients on hand and I was able to have a lovely dinner on my table in about 45 minutes.  Here’s the recipe, but let me say again that if you love Indian food, you really should consider buying this cookbook because it really is just awesome.  I make homemade yogurt for my son because of this cookbook!

Here is the recipe:

Two 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped

240 ml (1 cup) water, divided

6 Tblsp. vegetable oil

1 kg 175 g (2-1/2 lb.) chicken pieces, skinned

5 cloves garlic, peeled and very finely chopped

200 g (3 cups) cilantro (weight without roots or lower stems), very finely chopped

1/2- 1 fresh, hot green chili, very finely chopped

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground coriander

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1 tsp. salt or to taste

2 Tblsp. lemon juice

Put the ginger and 4 Tblsp. water into the container of an electric blender.  Blend until you have a paste.

Put the oil in a wide, heavy, preferalby nonstick pot over medium high heat.  When hot, put in as many chicken pieces as the pot will hold in a single layer and brown on both sides.  Remove the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon and put them in a bowl.  Brown all the chicken pieces this way.

Put the garlic into the same hot oil.  As soon as the pieces turn a medium-brown color, turn the heat to medium and pour in the paste from the blender.  Stir and fry it for a minute.  Now add the cilantro, green chili, cayenne, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, and salt.  Stir and cook for a minute.  Put in all the chicken pieces as well as any liquid that might have accumulated in the chicken bowl.  Also add 150 ml (2/3 cup) water and the lemon juice.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Cover tightly, turnheat to low, and cook for 15 minutes.  Turn the chicken over.  Cover again and cook another 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

If the sauce is too thin, uncover the pan and boil some of it away over a slightly higher heat.  YIELD:  6 servings.

Now that you’ve looked the recipe over, I will offer my tips.  I used boneless skinless chicken breasts today.  It’s something that can be found in many American households these days and they are convenient for quick weeknight dinners.  However, chicken with the bone still in them will yield much more flavor.  The sauce for this dish is so flavorful that I wasn’t missing anything.

I didn’t have turmeric today.  It would have added an extra tang to the dish as well as a gorgeous color.  If you don’t have it or can’t find it, make the dish anyhow and just omit it.  It’s still really delicious.

Since we are dealing with screaming hot oil in this recipe, you want to go ahead and do all of your chopping and measuring before you even begin cooking.  Once you start, it’s going to go really fast.  When you put the garlic in the hot oil, watch it like a hawk because it can burn very quickly and then it will turn bitter.

I went ahead and used a little bit of zest from my lemon to add to the sauce.  The real flavor of citrus comes from the zest rather than the juice.  It was a nice note in the complex taste of the dish.

This is the finished dish.  There’s no pretty picture of the final product today because….well…I got excited and started eating before I remembered the need for a picture.  Sorry about that, but I’m sure you understand!  Please try this recipe and PLEASE consider buying this cookbook.  I’m not being asked to pimp this cookbook or anything, (It doesn’t need pimping!) I just really really love this cookbook and it’s one of maybe three cookbooks that I can’t live without.

Enjoy everybody, and if you’ve never tried Indian food before, let me know and I can suggest some dishes to try that will hook you!

Roast Chicken and Vegetables

By Somer

This is a dish that I make all of the time.  It’s a dish that is satisfying in all four seasons.  I love it.

I always have at least one whole chicken in my freezer.  A chicken with the bones and skin still intact will have more flavor when you cook it.  The bones and skin lend a richness and a “chicken” taste.  I do keep a bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts as well, but when I prepare those, there has to be a lot of hoopla to make them appetizing and they certainly aren’t tasting like a chicken.  I like to roast a whole chicken or cut it up and make Coq Au Vin or fried chicken.  Whole chickens are good.

I use a roasting pan for this dish with a rack.  This is so that the chicken will cook over the vegetables and drip lovely yummy juices all over them and make them gorgeous.  I think I got it at WalMart for $10.  I use it ALL the time and I got a great big one so that I can make my 20lb. Thanksgiving turkey.  Today I made a 6lb. chicken.

Cut up 4 large potatoes, 5-6 carrots, 1-2 onions, and any other root vegetable (like parsnips) that you’d like to roast.  Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and the sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Now clean your chicken making sure you remove the neck and giblets from the cavity.  Wash the skin and pat it dry with a paper towel.  Put it on rack and place the rack in the roasting pan over the vegetables.

Depending on the size of your chicken, you add a quartered onion, 3 cloves of garlic cut in half, and 1 quarter of a lemon.  Since these won’t be eaten, you don’t need to peel them or anything.  Just shove them up in there. You’ll also need to bend the wings back on themselves..just fold them behind like the chicken is relaxing.  You don’t want them to burn.

Now this part os going to sound weird, but trust me…it adds so much.  Where I am from, you would have a hard time finding a kitchen that doesn’t keep their bacon grease stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator or in a crock on the counter.  It’s an easy way to add a smoky flavor to dishes without having to waste some perfectly good bacon that would go better on a sandwich or with eggs.  Melt about 3 Tblsp. of bacon grease and baste it over the chicken.  This will make the skin crispy and OH SO DEEEEELICIOUS.  You could also just lay 3 strips of bacon over the top of the bird but, again, I’d rather save my bacon for better things.  Add a little bit of salt and pepper to the skin.

Now put some foil over the whole thing and place it in a 375 degree F oven.  Again, depending on the size of your bird you’ll need to cook until done.  For my little bird I cooked it covered for 2 hours and then uncovered it for 30 minutes.  When you take the roasting pan out of the oven, take the chicken (still on the rack) out of the pan and place on large cooking board or plate and cover with aluminum foil to rest.  The meat needs to rest for at least 15 minutes.  Stir the vegetables and incorporate all the flavors.

Besides the roasted vegetables, I always like to serve a salad with this dish.  Some simple greens or a Spring Mix are perfect.  I also always like to make my own vinaigrette or dressing.  We’ll talk about those later.  For now just use up that bottled crap you’re using now, but don’t plan to buy any more.

This meal is so good and it makes the house smell so damned good.  When you’re done picking most of the meat off of this, DON’T DISCARD THAT CARCASS!  We’re making chicken stock tomorrow…and you need a chicken carcass for that!  And those veggies taste magnificent cold as a quick midnight face-stuff.  Enjoy!

Chicken and Dumplings: Comfort on a Cold, Rainy Day

By Somer

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we are doomed to live through many cold, rainy and gray days.  After about the fifth gray day in a row, one can feel the blues starting to set in;  that’s when I turn to a comfort food.

I classify a comfort food as something that tastes like home.  Whether my mother made it for me as a child or not, it has to have “Mother’s Love” all over it.  Since I am originally from the East coast below the Mason-Dixon Line, I tend to find Southern comfort foods right up my alley.

I love Chicken and Dumplings.  My mother made it a handful of times when I was a child, but I always loved it.  It’s thick, rich and loaded with chicken flavor.  And the greatest thing about it is that I always have the necessary ingredients on hand to make it any time.

Some people find the dish a little intimidating.  The dumplings can be a little tricky, but stick with me kids!  I’ll teach you the ways of the dumpling.

The first step is to chop 1 large onion and about 6 cloves of garlic.  I know you’re screaming at your computer screen right now about the amount of garlic I’ve used, but trust me.  The broth of this dish can be very bland and we need to really make sure it is fragrant and well flavored.  If you aren’t a huge fan of garlic, by all means, cut it back to 2 cloves.

Now, in a dutch oven, heat 1 Tablespoon of butter and 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over Medium heat.  When hot, add the onions first and saute until tender and translucent.  This will take about 4-5 minutes so while the onions are cooking, cut three boneless skinless chicken breasts into bit-sized pieces and set aside.

When the onions are cooked add the garlic and saute for only a minute or two.  You will know  when the garlic is hot because you will SMELL it (with 6 cloves, you’d better smell it!).  Add the chicken pieces and stir in.

Now add 1 cup of milk and about 6-8 cups of chicken stock (use stock instead of broth for a better chicken taste).  I make my own stock and always have some in the freezer, but there are brands at the supermarket that are fine; although homemade really is best.

Now that all the liquid is in the pot and making it’s way to a simmer (still over Medium or Med-High heat), you need to contemplate spices.  Add about 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1/2 Tablespoon of dried sage and about 1/2 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce.

The sage and Tabasco just add some kickass taste to this dish.  As I said before, this dish can very easily taste bland.  The sage adds this cozy, fragrant taste to the broth.  The Tabasco really can’t be detected except for that warm feeling in your throat as you eat the dish.  I always put either hot sauce or cayenne pepper in creamy soups, sauces or gravies because of that heat in the back of the throat.  It’s comforting.

While your broth is getting hot and building to a simmer, prepare your favorite biscuit or dumpling dough.  I’ve even seen people take the prepared biscuits in the can and cut them up and use them as dumplings.  All that matters here is that your liquid is in a rolling simmer before you start dropping the dough in.  Once the dough is in, DO NOT STIR!  Put a lid on it, set a timer for 15 minutes and do not, I repeat, DO NOT remove that lid to peek.  The steam inside of that pot will make those dumplings puff into soft and gooey love.  Just maintain a simmer or low boil in the liquid during the cooking process.

When the 15 minutes has passed, lift the lid and notice how your broth has gotten thick and creamy thanks to the partial breakdown of the dumplings as they cooked.  At this point, the dish is ready to eat!

I like to serve mine in a small bowl on the side of a plate of mashed potatoes and sauteed greens.  That way you can pick the dumplings and chicken pieces out of the dish and then dump the creamy broth over the mashed potatoes like gravy.  My husband and I were practically licking our plates after this meal and were thrilled to see that there were going to be leftovers.  This dish makes fantastic leftovers!