Chicken Noodle Soup

I just watched a thing on the news tonight that said that 70% of the people you hear coughing actually have the flu.  YIKES.  Knock on wood, but I haven't been sick in ages.  The last nasty cold I had was three years ago.  This is partly because we don't yet have kids.  But also because at the first sign of feeling run-down, I'm running around with a bottle of Vitamin C, mugs of hot water with honey and lemon, and getting extra rest.

Chicken Lettuce Wraps

 

I just want to pause a minute to let you know how over-the-top amazing you are.

The other day, a few of you spotted one of my photos on someone else's site, without mention of where they found those tasty pictures.  And not only did you take the time to find my recipe here and then alert me to the use of my photo, but - and here's what warms my sugary heart - you noticed.  You recognized my photo.  You remembered.

Food Rule 63 and Vietnamese Roasted Chicken with Dirty Sticky Rice

Today's Food Rule is about enjoying and savoring food and not rushing through a meal:

It's about appreciating the first bite of a food and understanding that no matter how many bites come afterward - be it 2 or 200 - none will taste as good as that first bite.  It's a Food Rule to help keep pleasure at a maximum and calories at a minimum.  A Chinese proverb sums it up well:  "The more you eat, the less flavor; the less you eat, the more flavor."

I hadn't intended to pair today's recipe with this particular Food Rule, but it was beautifully illustrated as I took my first bite.  This was a new recipe for me, and I was anxious to finally taste how it came together.  And, my, how that bite was delicious.  I'm pretty sure I swooned right there at the dinner table.  That first bite was a perfect slightly crispy and charred texture with tender and juicy insides, and unique flavors that still managed to be familiar.  Oh, that first bite was delicious.  So were the second, third, and fourth bites too.  But none tasted as good as that first forkful into my mouth.

So from here on out, I'm going to try to keep this Food Rule in mind.  I'm especially bad at limiting myself with sweets.  Just this morning, I took two, then three, then four, then five bites of a huge cookie.  A cookie I should not have been devouring before breakfast even.  And in hindsight, that first bite was incredible.  But those subsequent bites were more along the lines of stuffing my face in a sugar-induced delirium.  I could have enjoyed that cookie just as much with one bite, if I had really paused in the moment to savor it.

Savor Things,

         

Vietnamese Roasted Chicken (Ga Ro Ti)
adapted from Sunday Night Dinner

2 lbs. chicken thighs, bone-in (about 4 thighs)
1 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/2 Tbsp. fish sauce (I prefer Golden Boy brand)
1 1/2 Tbsp. sesame or canola oil, plus additional for frying
5 cloves garlic, minced

Remove skin from thighs and trim excess fat using kitchen shears; set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, pepper, soy sauce, fish sauce, oil, and garlic.  Add the chicken thighs and evenly distribute the marinade between the thighs.  Cover and marinate for 12-24 hours in the fridge.

Heat oven to 350°F and line a medium-sized baking dish with foil.  Heat 1/2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Reserving marinade for the rice, add the chicken to the skillet and fry until deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Flip chicken and brown other side for 2 minutes.  Remove from skillet and place in foil-lined baking dish.  Don't overcrowd chicken during browning; work in batches if necessary.

Roast chicken for 25-30 minutes. To check for doneness, poke the chicken with a knife; the juices should run clear (bone-in thighs 170°F internal temp, boneless thighs 165°F internal temp).  Serve with dirty sticky rice.

Dirty Sticky Rice
adapted from Sunday Night Dinner

1 1/2 c. cooked sticky rice (3/4 c. uncooked)
3 green onions (white and green parts), sliced
2 Tbsp. chicken stock or broth
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove any completely burned bits from the chicken skillet, leaving a thin layer of grease.  When about 10 minutes remain for the roasting chicken, heat skillet over medium heat. Add green onions and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add reserved chicken marinade and cook an additional 2 minutes.  Deglaze skillet by adding chicken stock and scraping up browned bits, and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked sticky rice to pan and fold the scallions evenly into rice. The rice should be a light brown color filled with scallions and de-glazed chicken and garlic bits.

         

Roasted Chicken Ingredient Lineup:

Dirty Sticky Rice Ingredient Lineup:

Food Rule 37 and Baked Teriyaki Chicken

We all know by now that processed and fast foods contain loads of salt and sugar.  That's no big secret anymore.  But sometimes you just want some teriyaki chicken.  Some teriyaki chicken dunked in a super delicious sauce.  With a big pile of jasmine rice nearby to make everything feel cozy and right.

Cozy and right and perfect for today's food rule:

Instead of buying whatever teriyaki happens on your way home from work, you can make your own!  And this sauce recipe is so easy and so, so, so good!  We loved it drizzled over stir fried veggies, but it was especially good baked with the chicken.  Yum!!  This one's a keeper for sure.

Enjoy!

         

Baked Teriyaki Chicken
adapted from Allrecipes

12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. water
1 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ginger paste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a 9x13 baking dish with aluminum foil.

In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, sugar, brown sugar, and pepper.  Whisk in cold water, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and ginger. Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.

Place chicken pieces into the foil-lined dish and pour 1/3 of the sauce over the tops.  Flip the chicken pieces over, and pour another 1/3 of the sauce over.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, flipping the pieces over at the halfway point.   Remove foil cover and bake for another 15 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear.  Serve with vegetables and remaining sauce.

         

Ingredient Lineup:

Bourbon Pecan Chicken

This recipe is all about Fall comfort food.  Pecans and butter and bourbon and brown sugar, and oh yeah - chicken, too.  Incidentally, those are also all of Bo's favorite things.  So, making this earned me major points, hurrah! :)

But, really, this recipe feels fancy enough to serve guests, but isn't so overly complicated that you'd be stressed out in the kitchen while they were at your house.  It turns out moist and flavorful and is a fantastic way to bring chicken breasts out of their boring rut.  I hope you love it too!

Enjoy!




Bourbon Pecan Chicken
heavily adapted from Allrecipes

chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c. finely chopped pecans
3/4 c. Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. milk

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil

sauce:
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1/4 c. brown sugar
3 Tbsp. bourbon whiskey
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 c. unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a small saucepan, whisk together all sauce ingredients except the butter and set aside.

Place a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper over chicken breasts and pound with a mallet to an even 3/4" thick.  Cut each chicken breast in half to make 4 pieces total.

Stir together the pecans and bread crumbs in a shallow dish.  Pour milk into a bowl.  Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and allow excess to drip off.  Place into pecan and crumb mixture, pressing firmly to coat with crumbs on each side.

Heat olive oil and butter in a large, oven-safe skillet over medium heat.  Place the coated chicken breasts in the pan and fry each side until browned, about 2-3 minutes per side.  Put skillet with chicken into the oven and bake until cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the sauce over medium heat.  Bring to a boil and boil one minute.  Remove from heat and whisk in remaining 1/4 c. butter until melted.  Serve chicken with sauce.  Makes 4 servings.

Ingredient Lineup:

Dip each piece of chicken into the milk and allow excess to drip off.

Place into pecan and crumb mixture, pressing firmly to coat with crumbs on each side.

Pan fry until golden, about 2-3 minutes each side.

 

This is fantastic served alongside a side salad with Apple Vinaigrette Dressing

I'm betting that this bourbon sauce would be amazing drizzled over mashed potatoes too!

   

Osso Buco

Osso what?  Osso Buco ("oh-so boo-ko") literally means "bone with hole" and is an Italian method for braising veal in a white wine broth with vegetables.  I've tried it with lamb, turkey, and chicken, and this recipe made with chicken is definitely our favorite.  It's traditionally served over risotto, but it's just so amazing over mashed potatoes that I never make it any other way.

This recipe just screams Fall and chilly, bundle-up weather.  It's comfort food without being overly heavy and fatty, and the rosemary will make your house smell amazing.  While we're on the topic - definitely don't skip the fresh rosemary.  It's the star of this recipe, and the broth just won't be nearly so amazing without it.

While Osso Buco may seem fancy and complicated at first, it's really just the same series of easy steps each time:  Brown the meat and set it aside.  Cook the vegetables.  Add the wine and tomato paste.  Put the chicken back in with broth, and cook it in the oven for an hour or so.  Serve it over mashed potatoes and you'll have dirtied a total of 2 pans and a cutting board for this meal.  You just can't beat comfort food that's decently healthy with very little cleanup!

Ciao!



Chicken Osso Buco
6 skinless chicken thighs, bone-in
flour to coat chicken, approx 1 c.
salt & pepper
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 c. carrots, diced
1 c. celery, diced
1 c. onion, diced
3 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. white wine
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
32 oz. low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large ziploc bag, combine flour with salt and pepper.  Add chicken, seal the bag, and shake it to coat the chicken pieces.  Shake off excess flour and place chicken on a plate.

Heat oil in a Dutch Oven(or other large, oven-safe pot) over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, in a single layer, and brown both sides.  Remove chicken to a plate and repeat until all chicken thighs are seared.

Lower the heat to medium.  In the same pot (don't discard the oil or any browned bits), add carrots, celery, and onion and cook until the onion is translucent.  Add the tomato paste and stir to distribute in the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.

Slowly stir in the white wine and use a wooden spoon to start deglazing the bottom of the pot (i.e., scraping the browned bits up into the broth).  Let the wine cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the seared chicken back into the pot, add the rosemary sprigs and bay leaves, and place the pot onto the oven rack just below the middle.  Pour in enough chicken broth to cover the chicken.  Cover the pot and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Serve over mashed potatoes, risotto, or polenta.

Ingredient Lineup:

Vocab time: Mirepoix ("meer pwah") is a fancy name for the mixture of diced celery, carrots, and onion.

With the addition of tomato paste and white wine.

Place pot onto oven rack and then pour in enough broth to cover the chicken.

Serve in a rimmed plate, with the broth spooned over mashed potatoes.

Bourbon Barbecued Chicken

I stumbled onto another fantastic grill recipe in my Food Network magazine!  This one really surprised me - From the smell of the sauce, I was just sure the chicken would turn out super pungent and tasting exactly like vinegar.  And then, after it cooked, it looked like it had zero flavor.  But wait!  I took a bite and was completely surprised. The brine gave the chicken excellent seasoning and helped lock juices inside.  The sauce gave the chicken a flavor that was delicious and not at all vinegary.

We both loved this recipe, and we'll definitely be making it a lot more before the weather cools off.

Enjoy!



Bourbon Barbecued Chicken
adapted from Food Network magazine

1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
1/4 c. kosher salt
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
3 c. warm water

1/2 c. bourbon or apple cider
1/4 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ginger, peeled and minced (or equal amount of ginger paste)

Preheat grill to medium-high.

In a large bowl, whisk salt and brown sugar into warm water until completely dissolved.  Add the chicken and soak for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, mix the remaining ingredients in a small saucepan.  Heat over medium-high, whisking constantly, until it reaches a boil.  Boil for one minute, whisking often, then remove from heat.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.  Lightly brush the chicken with vegetable oil and grill for 5 minutes each side, dunking twice in the sauce during cook time, until fully cooked.

Ingredient Lineup:

Chicken soaking in the brown sugar and salt brine:

     

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

You'll never, ever guess where it's too hot to cook - still?!  Yep, it's still pretty near sweltering here, so I still have little interest in flipping on even one stove burner.  So, just like last week, I whipped up a new marinade and let Bo work his magic at the grill.  And, if I'm being honest?  This recipe is so, so, so good!!  The chicken turned out so juicy and flavorful; we'll absolutely be making this recipe a lot this summer.

Just like last week's recipe, this is very quick to throw together, and it cooks up quickly.  You could put the chicken and bell peppers into the sauce the night before or the morning of your dinner, and then get a finished dinner to the table in less than 30 minutes.

You could also make this a vegetarian recipe by swapping out the chicken for portobello mushrooms.  I cooked up a few mushrooms just to try it out, and I ended up loving the mushrooms most!

Enjoy!





Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs
adapted from Allrecipes

1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. ranch dressing *
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. white sugar

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
2 large bell peppers

In a medium bowl, stir together all the sauce ingredients. Let stand for 5 minutes, while you cut the chicken and bell pepper into 1 inch pieces. Place chicken and bell pepper in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to overnight.

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.  Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

* Note: You can definitely use bottled ranch dressing, but I make my own so that I can use almond milk and light mayo.  Either will work just fine.

Ingredient Lineup:

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight.

Grill 8-12 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.