STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

do you like curries?

I like to slow cook chicken with Trader Joe's Indian curries, potatoes and cauliflower...some of them aren't very 'creamy' per se.

erin wrote:

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a lot of times i just bake chicken in vinagraitte or italian dressing. it's so easy and quick.

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Those are some great suggestions ladies!  I love Italian dressing and balsamic vinegar so I will definitely try that route. 

I Love Choo - how do you prepare basil chicken?  I do like Thai so I'd love a good recipe.

Thanks everyone!

I eat a ton of chicken, too.   I have some good recipes, PM me if you want them and I'll post them rather than cluttering up the thread.

I regularly make ricotta and sundried tomato stuffed chicken breast, hazelnut crusted chicken breast w/ dijon yogurt sauce (*very* easy and pretty quick), chicken enchiladas (time consuming but so worth it), chicken piccatta (fast and easy), and chicken a la King. 

I got some PMs so I'll make a huge post w/ some recipes.  Some of the ones I mentioned earlier are from cookbooks so I'll have to post them when I get home tonight.  If you try them, I'd love to know whether or not you like them! :)

Bastet's Chicken picatta (warning: I loooooove lemon and probably use more lemon that a lot of people would like.  Also, my sauce is thinner than other picatta recipes I've seen because I don't use as much butter and I don't put flour in the sauce)

- 2 chicken breasts pounded flat w/ a meat tenderizer (if you don’t have one, wrap a can of veggies in some wax paper and use the side of the can)

- a few spoonfuls of flour

- salt and pepper

- 1 tablespoon capers (I add a little extra b/c I love them)

- ¼ cup lemon juice

- ¼ cup chicken broth (I use low-salt and it turned out fine)

- 1/3 cup white cooking wine (or whatever white wine you are drinking)

- chopped parsley for garnish (I use dried sometimes)

- 2 tablespoons of butter

Put the flour on a plate or cutting board and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.  Dredge the pounded chicken breasts in the flour until they’re covered. 

Heat about 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet and cook the chicken until it’s done, about 3 or 4 minutes per side, depending how thin it’s been pounded.  Remove to a plate and keep warm in the oven.  Drain the skillet if there is a lot of juice, but don’t wash it. 

Return skillet to heat and add in lemon juice, broth, and wine.  Bring it to a boil and let it boil for about 2 mins, stir and scrape up all the brown bits from the chicken.  Then add the butter and capers.  Stir and the sauce will thicken a little (about another 2 mins).  Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle some parsley over it. 

Ricotta-stuffed chicken breast with roasted red bell pepper sauce

It’s from a cookbook called “The Wine Lover’s Cookbook”, but I also found it here:

http://recipes.epicurean.com/recipe/23111/ricotta-stuffed-chicken-breast-with-roasted-red-bell-pepper-sauce.html

Bastet’s chicken enchiladas

Sauce:

One 14 oz can diced tomatoes (must be plain tomatoes, no added basil/garlic/whatever or it will taste like spaghetti sauce)

One 14 oz can of tomato sauce (again, must be plain w/o added spices)

2 or more cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in quarters

1 tablespoon hot chili powder

2 tablespoons ancho chili powder

¾ cup chicken broth (low salt is ok)

½ teaspoon sugar

Enchiladas:

1 large chicken breast

About half a medium sized onion, sliced

1 anaheim pepper, sliced into thin strips (optional)

2 green onions, sliced thinly, using the entire onion incl. the dark green bits (optional)

About 1 ½ cups of grated cheddar and manchego cheese.  (I use 1 cup  sharp cheddar, ½ cup manchego. )

Tortillas

To make sauce:

Put everything except the chicken broth and sugar in the blender and liquefy.  Heat a small amount of oil in a pot.  Then, strain the mixture into the pot (straining will get out the larger bits of garlic and make the sauce more smooth).  Let the sauce simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  The sauce should thicken to a pasty consistency.  Make sure to cover your pot when not stirring, otherwise it can get very messy!  Then add 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the can of chicken broth (depends how much you want to thin the sauce) and let simmer for another 10 minutes.  Then season with salt (I used 1/2 teaspoon) and add the sugar.  If the sauce is too thick, add in some more chicken broth.  

To make enchiladas:

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook and shred the chicken, then put it in a bowl.  Cook the onions and pepper, then put them in the bowl with the chicken.  Add ½ cup of sauce to the chicken and veggies and mix until well coated.  Get out a baking dish and spray with Pam or put a little oil in it and wipe it around w/a paper towel.  Put about 1/3 cup of the sauce in the bottom of the dish and let it spread out a little.  Spoon the chicken mixture into the tortillas and roll them up (if you want, add a little bit of cheese before rolling). Place them seam side down in the dish.  I used toothpicks to hold them shut the first few times I made them, it really helps!  Once all your enchiladas are rolled, spoon the remaining sauce over them until they’re covered.  Then top with the cheese.  Sprinkle the top with green onions if you want.  Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. 

Hazelnut-crusted chicken w/ Dijon Yogurt sauce (I wish I could take credit for this one, but it’s from a cookbook called "The Perfect Match", I just make a lot) It has a lot of ingredients, but it's easy to make and once the chicken is in the oven, you're pretty much done.

2 chicken completely defrosted breasts (preheat oven to 350)

Hazelnut crust:

½ cup finely chopped hazelnuts (I buy them pre-chopped in the baking aisle and then make them smaller by putting them in my mini food processor for a few seconds)

1 tablespoon butter, let it get to room temperature

1 large shallot, minced

1 tablespoon plain yogurt

1 ½ teaspoons tarragon (I use dried)

1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper

Sauce:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons white wine

1 ½ teaspoons sugar (I started leaving this out)

1 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

A little bit of grated lemon zest, about ¼ teaspoon

Dash of salt

Mix the crust contents together in a bowl.  Then coat chicken breasts with the mixture.  It’s messy, but the butter will make it stick to the chicken.  I do it by putting the chicken on a baking sheet or pan sprayed w/ pam and then just coat the top and side and never do the bottom, it’s easier.  Bake the chicken for at least 20 minutes.  Usually I have to bake it for 25 or 30 mins. 

To make sauce, whisk all ingredients together in a bowl. 

To serve: spoon the sauce onto plates and place chicken on top of sauce.