Recipe 15: Happy Ending Chicken

hello again my favorite food fans!

It has been way to long since my last recipe but unlike the build up and complete lackluster delivery of the 50 Shades of Grey movie… I promise that this comeback will bring you over the top and have you screaming “oh yes!”

My husband inspired this return to the challenge to complete the 50 chicken recipes and requested the Happy Ending… As in recipe 50 in the book Happy Ending: Butter and Herb Roasted Chicken.

This recipe calls for butter, Herbes de Provence, garlic, and thyme. I bought a beautiful bird from Fresh Market and instead of mixing the herbs into the butter, I Heatherized this recipe by melting the butter stirring in the herbs then let the butter set in the frig. Massaging the butter into the bird making sure to cover every bit of the chicken, not forgetting to get under the skin. Lastly, make sure to get your bondage on by tying up this dirty bird.  400 degrees and 1hr later a beautiful bird, a delicious roast chicken emerged from the oven With the sweet smell of butter and herbs permeating our home.

I served this with steamed broccoli and rice adding some of the drippings from the chicken to rice. The verdict: delicious. The meat was sweet and moist and herbaceous with hints of the garlic and thyme that was placed in the cavity. Needless to say we are in a bit of a food coma and completely satisfied.

I hope you all enjoy this post and the return of the challenge. Until the next post, happy eating everyone.

-HH

recipe 14 Chicken Sub: Chicken submarine sandwich with mozzarella

Seems like a simple recipe in comparision to other recipes that I have done, but hey for a weekend in which I went hard on friday night…. needed all of saturday to recover… and for sunday to have a more simple recipe to do was heaven sent. So Here we go, Chicken Submarine (because there is no such thing as a Chicken aircraft carrier).
Starting with marinating the chicken breasts (trimmed up) in fresh lemon juice, EVOO, lemon zest, fresh minced garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, and onion powder. Letting it sit in the frig for 2 hours…. which gave me enough time to work on the next care package for my hubby and take the dogs out for a nice long walk. 🙂
Putting the chicken breast on a hot grill until cooked all the way through then placing the chicken breast covered in mozzerella cheese in the oven (on broil). Althought I heatherized this step by using a blend of mozzerella, asiago, parmasen, provalone, and cream cheese. While waiting for the cheese to melt, spread a thin layer of butter on the bread and placing it on the grill to toast it up a little bit.
Once the cheese is melted and the bread is toasty, time to assemble with a little tomato.
The verdict…. um…. Da-licious! The love the cheese blend, it is melty and creamy and adding that with the perfectly chicken that has a vingarette taste to it (even though I didn’t add any to the recipe). It actually tastes like a fresher and healthier chicken parm sub.
My poor dog ginger was sitting and staring, then lying down, then backing up, then sitting, then rolling on her side in order to try and figure out what to do to get her own tast of this sandwich.
… Any because Chris isn’t here to yell at me for feeding the dogs… Harvey and Ginger both got there own taste. and were very happy pups.
Anyways… today (Sunday) marks 4 weeks since Chris left and I am missing him like crazy… This is the longest that we have been apart since we met over four years ago…. but it’s been 4 weeks.. and it seemed to move rather quick. So I’m hoping that it will continue to move quickly. At least I have great friends near and far to hang out with and to share in future recipes that I make. Until next week friends.
Eat Well.
-HH

Recipe 13 Basted Bird: Roasted Chicken with Celery, Onions, and Carrots

So this week I picked something that would be quick, easy, and allow me to use stuff in my house that I already had…saving me a trip to the store. This recipe is a 24hr prep recipe. The night before, take the bird and add EVOO, 1 lemon sliced, salt, pepper, and thyme or rosemary (I used rosemary). Toss the bird in the ingredients and let sit in the frig overnight.
After work I came home and took the bird out of the frig to let sit while I walked the dogs (about 30 minutes) then preheated the oven. Slicing up the carrots, celery, and onion I lined the roasting pan with them before resting the bird breasts up with the lemon slices and rosemary gathered and put in the bird. 450 degrees for 30 minutes, with basting every 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat for 50 minutes to 325 degrees.
This is an easy recipe that seems like most chicken recipes that I have done before, with exception to letting it sit over night. The veggies got a little more toasty than I normally like but the onions were delicious and sweet after being roasted. The chicken was very tender and the lemon and rosemary infused in the meat. Delicious. Because it was just me I had to share with Ginger and Harvey, who were very excited that it was chicken night… gobbling it up very quickly. What I love is that it is a recipe that was easy with little prep on the day of cooking which is key with having everything at home falling on me right now. A posted note in the book for this one because Chris will definately enjoy this one. I’m excited that I have an other recipe down. Next time I think I may have to try seomthing a little more adventureous. Until then friends. Eat Well, -HH

Recipe 12: Hashing it out in the morning

Sunday morning.
Traditionally this is our morning to sleep in, cuddle with each other and let the dogs in bed for some family time together. When we finally get up, Chris lets the dogs out and I make us breakfast. However this sunday, is not like the previous one. Ths week I cuddle only with our dogs until I give in to their presistence in letting me know it’s breakfast time. I miss Chris dearly, as do Harvey and Ginger (our dogs). So rather then cry my eyes out into waffles or pancakes that we would normally have on sundays. I broke out the cookbook. Chicken Hash.
Heatherizing it off the bat, I substituted hash brown potatoes from my freezer for the sweet potatoes ( I hate sweet potatoes). After cooking the potatoes in a skillet until they are golden brown, I put them in a bowl and let them rest. Next, the recipe calls for onion, green peppers, garlic, salt, pepper, to cook in the skillet for 7 minutes before adding in thin strips of chicken breast. After letting it cook until the chicken has cooked through I add the potatoes back in and give it a good stir. Almost ready to serve, but not quite yet. The recipe, as an option, calls for a fried egg to be added. I have never been able to fry an egg without it turning into scrambled eggs. But some out… the culinary gods must have been helping me out, because I did it! Luckily ginger was curled up on the mat next to the sink to share in my enjoyment and excitement.
So what’s the verdict? This is awesome! I could eat this every week. The chicken was tender and with the onions and peppers with a little red pepper flake to give some heat. Potatoes were soft but with a little crunch. This is going to be a repeat recipe somewhere down the line. I have started to put post it notes to mark the pages of recipes that I think chris will enjoy and I’m adding a post it to this page. Highly recommend this for a nice quick breakfast or brunch option.
One more great recipe down means one more week closer to seeing my husband. But until then I hope to continue to learn more recipes and entertain you that read this blog. Until the next recipe. Eat well everyone! -HH

Kristin’s shower and Asian style chicken bites

Yet again, another blog that is very very delayed because of life, my sister’s wedding, hubby being home, hubby deploying… lots of stuff has been a distraction from writing this particular blog. Any who, here we go. As one of the hostesses of Kristin’s (my wonderful sister) shower, I wanted to have a number of wonderful choices for appetizers for people to pair with wine. So.. Dad and Kathy were in charge of the Korean style steak, Jenny was in charge of shrimp… And with my recent culinary experiments… i got chicken. I looked to my book for inspiration. And there it was… Asian style chicken bites. This recipe called for chicken breasts that were cut into small cubes (roughly inch in size), mirin, ginger, green onions, soy sauce, and honey. With Kathy’s assistance in cutting the chicken I let the mixture marinate for about 1.5-2 hours. The recipe calls for this to be done on a grill. But at this point it would be going against tradition it I didn’t…say it with me know… HEATHERIZE IT!!!! So I broke out the wok like skillet and with the help of my aunt Jean… stir-fried up almost 4 POUNDS of this chicken.

    So what’s the verdict: My chicken was definitely overshadowed by my sister’s shower, as it should have been. Her shower was an example of how much we all love her and she appeared to have a great time. That being said… I had people coming up to me saying how much they liked the food including the chicken. In fact my Aunt Kathy and Aunt Mary told me that it was their favorite thing and wanted the recipe… which now that I’m reflecting on this… I still need to get to them.

       What was also really cool was having people come up to me saying how much they love the blog and have gotten into it. Definitely was a good moment. An even better moment was being able to put on a great party for my lil sister.

       So Thanks Family! Your assistance with this recipe was much needed and appreciated!

      Now that one of my major, wonderful, lovely, and definitely missed distractions is deployed for the foreseeable future… I promise that this blog will be more consistent. Thanks for the support everyone! And, until next time, eat well. -HH

Mustard Spanked Chicken: Mustard Basil and Garlic rubbed chicken

Ten recipes down forty recipes to go. Both Chris and I were hesitant about this recipe because we are not the biggest mustard fans. But, never the less, this is a culinary adventure. So we move forward, and with that I rubbed the mustard, minced garlic, and basil over the bird and put it in the frig for about an hour. while that was in the frig, I made a side using leftover chorrizo sausage from last weeks recipe. So I made, from scratch, chorrizo mac and cheese. It was great, it had a little spice to it and a little smokey flavor that paired great with a mild cheddar cheese.
Anyways, back to the bird. After letting it sit in the frig for an hour, I put it into a 400 degree oven and let it cook for 1.25hours and let it sit for 10 minutes.
The Verdict: The bird was mosit with a crispy roasted skin. The mustard flavor was more sutle then expected and the garlic flavor actually came through more. Chris and I both like this recipe, but it isn’t our favorite. The skin had flavor but because it was ontop of the skin, or because we only let it sit for an hour, the meat did not have much flavor. We actually liked the mac and cheese more than the chicken, but to be fair… I made a bomb ass mac and cheese.
I’m so excited for the upcoming week. My sister is coming in to town for my birthday next weekend and I know we are going out for dinner, but there is a breakfast recipe in the book and it will be fun to have my sister in on the fun.
Next time I write my friends I be the dirty thirity and I will have 39 recipes to go… seems fitting doesn’t it.
Anyways, Stay well fed my friends.
-HH

Spicy Hog tied Chicken: Roasted chicken with a chorizo stuffing

Sorry Food Friends, It has been a while since I last posted. So this is what has been going on, I got sick for a bit, which stopped my cooking for a little bit. I have also been getting back into the swing of things now that Chris is home for a little while, which has been taking some getting use to. I love that he is home and that we have more time together as newlyweds before he deploys, but when you prepare your mind for deployment and the person you love not being there, it take a little while to come out of that state of mind, change plans, and learn to enjoy the moment.

Anyways, so back to the kitchen I go. Chris has a friend of the ship and his wife over for a little dinner and a movie. So i opened my book and found Roasted trussed chicken with chorizo stuffing. I have to admit, i am a stuffing virgin. I have never made stuffing before, dressing yes, but putting it in the bird… no. So I got some unsliced white bread, cubed it and let it sit over night. I sweat some onions on the stove before addinging in the chorizo, which smells amazing! After it was cooked through, i tossed in the bread and mized it in to make sure it was completely covered.
Now, I was nervous about doing the bird because my meat probe was broken… It says that the room temp of my house was 116… so i’m pronouncing it broken and unreliable. So I had to use a cheap one from the dollar store. After cleaning the bird and stuffing it. it went into 400 degree oven for about 1.5 hours.
The verdict: It was great it was a simple chicken recipe with a great smokey and spicy stuffing. Everyone was happy, especially since it was paired with roasted potatoes with red/green peppers and broccoli. And for finishing touches, an ice box cake. If you don’t know what Ice Box cake is, i appoligize for the deprived childhod that you must have had, because it is amazing, delicious, and incredible. Everyone was happy with the food and once again thanks to my hubby… no leftovers.
Well everyone i’m back in the swing of things and ready to do another recipe on wednesday night. Til then, Happy Cooking.
-HH

Totally Fried Chicken

Yet again, I have been delayed in delivering my blog. But I’m sure if I didn’t do it, Chris would have hacked my blog to shout out of awesome this recipe is. Eat your heart out Colonel, there is a new fried chicken master in town.
This has to be one of the simplest recipes that I have done thus far. I only used drummettes but you can use any pieces of the chicken, made sure they got a good rub down of cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper, then let them sit in the frig for about 2 hours. Then I made a mixture of egg and buttermilk (fat free) and in another bowl mixed flour with a touch of baking soda. Dunk the chicken in wet mix then dredge in the flour before putting them in the fryer. It took about 15 minutes for the chicken to fry up and I let sit on a cookie rack to let the oil drip out.
For me this recipe was good, I’m not the fried chicken expert that my husband is. The chicken was crunchy but also moist and tender. The cayenne pepper also added a little heat the the chicken which I think is appropriate for a book called fifty shades of chicken.
As I said before my husband is more of a connoisseur of fried chicken then I, and he said that it was possibly the best chicken he has had from home or restaurant…period. Now I’m sure that there is a biass here, but he is dying for me to do this recipe again. So in the future I may need a few more “test subjects” to varify the deliciousness of this recipe.
Anyways friends. I’m off to bed, tomorrow I am food shopping for another recipe for the blog… Mustard Spanked Chicken…
Eat well friends,
HH

Spicy Fowl: Chicken Chili

Happy V-day to all my friends and family. Although it is just me and the dogs tonight, I’m spicing things up… with this da-lious recipe. For this, you’ll need onions, peppers, chili powder, chilis, beans, ground chicken, EVOO, garlic, cilantro, and beer.
The original recipe calls for serrano or jalepanos. I used one jalepano and a can of green chilis. I have grown a fondness of green chilis since Chris and I went to Denver so yet again… Heatherized recipe. I also used Black beans rather then pinto, I like the flavor of Black Beans better. For the beer, it notes Dark beer… all I had on hand Smithwicks. So to recap, chili with Irish beer…..
Topped this with cheddar cheese and had some crackers on the side. I loved this recipe. I was concerned with the chicken being bland but it absorbed the flavors from the chili nicely without being too fatty. The balance of chili flavo with a little heat from the jalepano with the mild cheddar adding a little salt and creaminess. It’s just plain awesome.
It reheats nicely and Chris said that this is a definate repeat when he came home and poured bowl after getting off the ship. But he will have to wait for more chili and we still have a long way to go with this project.
Definately make this everyone, whether it is the originl or Heatherized, you will definately love it.
Well, that is all friends for now… I’m off…I’m planning to spend some much deserved time with my hubby.
Enjoy,
HH

Extra Virgin Breasts: Roasted Bone in breasts with EVOO, lemon, and rosemary

Sorry my food friends for being so lazy about posting. But when your hubby is home and doesn’t look like he is leaving for a while… you tended to become… distracted….
Anyways I made this great recipe for chicken breasts from the book, incredibly easy recipe and lucky me I had my hubby to help.So we start with my cutting lemons and pruning rosemary sprigs for the bottom of the pan, while Chris rubbed down the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Place in an oven at 450 and cook for roughly one hour. Cover the chicken for the first 40 minutes then uncover for the rest of the time to make the skin crisp.
We served this dish with rice and broccolli, using the drippings to drizzle the chicken an rice. The verdict: We loved it! this is a great easy recipe that has a little tang to it from the lemons but a nice balance with the salt from the chicken and the rosemary.
Chri and I will definately be enjoying this again in the future. But there are a bunch of other recipe that still need to be done. 6 down…44 to go. Even though this was suppos to be a deployment project, I’m having way to much fun to quit… so unless something changes (which I’m learning more and more… it can) This is my 2013 project.
Well thats it for this recipe. In harmony with V day week… te next recipe is gonna get…spicy.
Until then Friends,
HH