Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients
1 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

1 tablespoon butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
1.  In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, black pepper, ginger, and 4 teaspoons salt. Stir in chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2.  Preheat a grill for high heat.
3.  Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Grill until juices run clear, about 5 minutes on each side.
4.  Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic for 1 minute. 5.  Season with 2 teaspoons cumin, paprika, and salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Crispy Honey Chicken

Ingredients
1 lb chicken breast, boneless skinless cut into medium sized chunks
1 tablespoon minced garlic
vegetable oil (for frying)
2 green onions, finely minced

Batter
4 ounces all-purpose flour
2 1/2 ounces cornstarch
1 egg
6 ounces water
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon baking soda

Chicken Marinade
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Sauce
1/3 cup honey
3 ounces rice vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup water

Directions
1.  To make batter: mix ingredients till just combined. Let rest in refrigerator for a couple of hours. Coat chicken well with seasonings and marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. Combine sauce ingredients, mix thoroughly and reserve for serving.
2.  Pour vegetable oil into fryer or heavy bottomed sauce pot. Heat slowly to 340-350 degrees. Put 1/4 of the marinated chicken in a clean bowl and pour enough better over to coat. Remove a few pieces at a time from the batter, using slotted spoon or large fork. Shake off excess batter. Carefully lower chicken into the hot oil. Suspend the chicken until the batter "sets," 20-30 seconds. Chicken is done when golden to light brown and crisp. Remove to platter with paper towels to drain. Repeat for all the chicken. Remember to check the oil temperature, it must remain hot.  You can keep the chicken in the oven at 300F to keep them warm while frying the rest of the chicken.
3.  To finish the sauce, heat it in sauce pan, bring to a boil. The sauce will thicken, let it come to a thickness of "loose honey." Let cook for a minute or two.
4.  Heat 2 more tablespoons of oil in a wok and add some minced garlic and scallions and stir-fry briefly. Add chicken and stir-fry briefly. Add enough sauce to just coat chicken. Stir-fry again briefly. Serve over noodles or rice.

Roasted Honey Garlic Chicken

Ingredients
1 clove minced garlic
4 T butter
3 T soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 lbs chicken (pieces)

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 400F.
2.  Brown chicken pieces in a frying pan.
3.  Place all ingredients, except chicken, in a small saucepan, and cook, over low heat, for 3 minutes, to melt honey.
4.  Whisk a couple of times.
5.  Place chicken, skin side down, in a shallow baking pan.
6.  Season with salt and pepper.
7.  Bake about 20 minutes.
8.  Turn, pour on sauce, season with more salt and pepper.

9.  Keep basting every 10 minutes by turning pieces over in the sauce.
10.  Bake about 20-30 minutes more longer, until juices run clear when chicken is pierced.

Chicken Fried Chicken

Ingredients

30 saltine crackers

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons dry potato flakes

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

Directions

1.  Place crackers in a large resealable plastic bag; seal bag and crush crackers until they are coarse crumbs. Add flour, potato flakes, seasoned salt, and pepper to bag and mix well.
2.  Beat egg in a shallow dish or bowl; heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
3.  One by one, dredge chicken pieces in egg beat, then place in bag with crumb mixture, seal bag and shake to coat.
4.  Reduce heat to medium and cook coated chicken in skillet for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until golden brown and juices run clear.

Credit:  All Recipes.

Adobo w/ Coconut Milk

I didn't know adobo in some parts of the Philippines was cooked with coconut milk. I was shocked and pleasantly surprised by this recipe. I love this version over the old.  This recipe is from a Memories of Philippine Kitchens, the two chefs who own The Purple Yam in Brooklyn, NY.  The coconut milk helps keep the chicken moist and it makes a rich sauce.
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups rice vinegar
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup soy sauce
12 garlic cloves, peeled
3 bay leaves
3 whole birdseye chiles
1-1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
One 3-1/2-pound whole chicken, quartered and cut into pieces
Directions
1.  In a large nonreactive bowl or heavy-duty, resealable plastic bag, combine all of the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken pieces and turn to coat in the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
2.  In a large casserole or Dutch oven, heat the chicken and marinade over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally to make sure the chicken is covered in the marinade, until the chicken is cooked through and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
3.  Transfer the chicken pieces to a large bowl, raise the heat to medium-high, and reduce the sauce until it is the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and chiles. Return the chicken to the sauce and cook until just warmed through.

Braised Chicken with Mushrooms

Ingredients
4 chicken breast halves, 1 1/2 lb. total
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 lb. wild and/or cultivated mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup Madeira or dry sherry
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon

Directions

1.  Brown the chicken.  Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper. In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice, until golden brown on both sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
2.  Cook the vegetables.  Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until barely softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sauté until their juices are released, about 5 minutes. Stir in the Madeira and Worcestershire sauce.
3.  Braise the chicken.  Return the chicken and any juices from the plate to the pan and spoon the mushrooms over the chicken. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and braise the chicken until opaque throughout, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in the tarragon and season with salt and pepper.

Credit:  Williams-Sonoma

Chicken Enchilads with a Cream Sauce

Ingredients
2 T. oil
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 C. Mexican cheese blend, grated
12 corn tortillas
2 can cream of chicken soup
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chiles
1/2 C. milk
1 C. sour cream
1 medium onion, chopped
Black olives for garnish
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions
1.  In a medium sauce pan heat up oil and add onions.  Saute until tender. 
2.  Add chicken, soup, 1 cup cheese, milk, green chiles, sour cream and heat.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
3.  Optional:  soften tortillas in a very hot oil in a frying pan, for a few seconds on each side.  Drain on paper towels.  Corn tortillas are not very bendable when cold and tend to brake when you try to wrap up the chicken mixture.  If you are ok with this I would skip this step.  You are going to cover them up anyways...
4.  In a baking dish, spoon a layer of the chicken mixture in the dish.  Spoon chicken mixture onto a tortilla, roll and place into dish.  Repeat making one layer.  Over one layer add some of the mixture and sprinkle some cheese.  Roll the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.  Pour remaning mixture and cheese over the dish.
5.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. 
6.  Garnish with black olives.

Chicken Dumplings

Ingredients

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 C. water

1/2 C. chopped celery

1 onion, quartered

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. poultry seasoning

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves and 2 thighs

1/2 (10 ounce) pkg. frozen green peas and carrots

1/2 C. baking mix

3/4 C. milk

 

Instructions

1. In large, heavy pot, combine soup, water, chicken, celery, onion, salt, poultry seasoning, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat about 2 hours.
2. Remove chicken from pot, shred it, and return to pot. Add peas and carrots and cook only 5 minutes longer.
3. Add dumplings. To make dumplings: Mix baking mix and milk until a soft dough forms. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto BOILING stew. Simmer covered for 10 minutes, then uncover and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

Chicken Parmigiana

You can also substitute veal (1 ½ lbs) or eggplant (2 small unpeeled) for chicken.

Ingredients
2 C. of your favorite pasta sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 large egg
2 T. water
2/3 C. dry bread crumbs
1/3 C. grated Parmesan cheese
2 lb. chicken (cut into pieces, flatten between plastic wrap or wax paper with a meat mallet to ¼” thickness)
¼ C. olive or vegetable oil
2 C. shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)

Directions
1.  Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Mix egg and water. Mix bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with bread crumb mixture.
3.  Heat oil in a 12” skillet over medium heat. Cook half the chicken at a time in oil about 5 minutes, turning once, until light brown; drain. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding 1-2 tbsp of oil if necessary.
4.  Place half the chicken in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 11”x7”x1½“, overlapping slices slightly. Spoon half of the sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat with remaining chicken, sauce and cheese.
5.  Bake uncovered about 25 minutes or until sauce is bubbly and cheese is light brown.

Credit:  Lydia D.

Tinola

A Filipino favorite growing up.

Ingredients
1 lb. chicken, cut into parts or choice cuts of breast, thighs of wings
2 medium sayote or chayote , diced
1/2 C. chili leaves oe spinach
3 C. water
2 T. ginger, roughly chopped
1/2 garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
2 T. oil
2 T. patis
Salt and pepper, to taste

Instruction

1. In a medium pot, heat oil and saute garlic, onion and ginger.
2. Add the chicken and saute for about 10 minutes.
3. Add water and bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer.  Cook for about an 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.
4. Pour in patis, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add in papaya or sayote, cook until tender.
6. When ready to serve, put chili leaves.  Serve over steamed rice.

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients
4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper
1/4 C. flour
2 T. vegetable oil
2 T. butter
3/4 lb. button mushrooms, clean and sliced
2 T. chopped shallot (or as substitute onion)
1/2 C. dry Marsala
1/2 C. chicken stock

Directions
1.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dredge chicken in the flour and shake off excess.
2.  In a large frying pan, heat the oil and brown chicken - about 4 minutes on each side.  Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
3.  In the same pan melt the butter.  Add mushrooms and cook until they give off their liquid and it evaporates.
4.  Stir in the shallot or onion and cook until softened.  Add the Marsala.  Raise the heat and boil for 30 seconds.  Lower the temperature and simmer till liquid is half reduced, about 3 - 5 minutes.  Add the stock and return to a boil. 
5.  Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat the chicken with the sauce.  Reduce heat to low and simmer until the sauce is thickened, about 3-5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Cacciatore

Ingredients
1 chicken, 4 lbs, rinsed, dry and cut into serving pieces
Salt and pepper
2 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
10 oz. cremini or button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 C. good tasting red wine (worthy of drinking)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained

Directions
1.  Season chicken with salt and pepper.  In large frying pan with a lid, heat oil over medium-heat.  Add chicken and cook, until browned on both sides.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2.  Pour all but 3 T. of the fat and return to medium heat.  Add onions and bell peppers, cook until softened.  Add mushrooms and garlic, cook until mushrooms are tender.  Stir in basil and oregano.
3.  Add wine, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Cook until wine is reduced by half.  Stir in tomatoes and bring to a boil.  Return chicken to pan and cover tightly.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is done, about 30 minutes.
4.  Transfer chicken to a serving platter and cover loosely to keep warm.  Bring sauce to a boil over high heat and cook, uncovered, until it thickens.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour over chicken and serve immediately.

Coconut Chicken

This is a spin off of caldareta, a Filipino dish.  Instead of beef we use chicken and added the coconut milk to make it creamy.  This is a family favorite that Will asks me to make often. 

Ingredients
2 lbs chicken, cubed
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can water (use can from coconut milk)
1 can coconut milk
1 cup red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup tomato sauce
1 tsp. crushed chili
3 large bay leaves
2 cups potatoes, sliced
1/4 cup peas
4 T. cooking oil
salt and pepper

Directions
1. Heat the cooking oil in the pan and fry the potatoes until color turns light brown.
2. Remove the fried potatoes from the pan and set aside
3. In the same pan where the vegetables were fried, sauté the garlic and onions
4. Add the beef and simmer for 5 minutes
5. Add water and let the chicken boil until tender
6. Add the tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes
7. Add peas, bay leaves, bell pepper, crushed chili, and potatoes and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes or until potoates are done.
8. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot w/ rice.

Adobo

One of my all time favorite Filipino dishes. This has been a staple growing up and I now cook it often for Will and the girls.  Feel free to double the sauce part of the recipe.  I like to drizzle it all over my rice!

Ingredients
1 lbs. chicken or pork (use ribs)
1/4 C. soy sauce
1/2 C. vinegar
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Black pepper to taste
1 T. sugar
2 T. vegetable oil

Directions
1.  Heat oil in medium sized pot.  Add galic and saute.
2.  Add chicken or pork and brown lightly on all sides
3.  Add sugar, soy sauce, water, vinegar, & bay leaves.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 60 to 90 minutes or until meat is very tender.
4.  Add a pepper to taste.
5.  Serve over hot sticky rice.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients
2 T onions
1 C. frozen carrots
1 C. frozen corn
1 C. frozen peas
2 T. unsalted butter
2 boneless skinless chicken (or you can combine w/ dark meat too or use rotiserrie chicken)
1/4 C. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 C. chicken stock
1/2 C. milk
1/2 C. heavy cream
1 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 egg yolk, beaten
1 9-inch pie dough round
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1.  Preheat oven to 400 F.
2.  In large frying pan with lid, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and chicken, and cook, uncovered, for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally until browned on all sides.
3.  Sprinkle in flour and stir well. Stir in the stock, cream, milk and parsley, and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in veggies simmer for another 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
4.  You can use individual dishes or transfer to a 9 inch pie dish.  One pastry sheet makes 3-4 little ones.  Brush some egg yolk in a border around edge of pie dough. Place dough, egg side down, over the filling and press dough to rim of dish. Brush surface lightly with remaining egg yolk. Cut a few slits in center of the top with the tip of a knife. Place pie dish on a baking sheet to catch spills.
5.  Bake til crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve hot.