chicken

Easy Hunter’s Chicken

1 lb chicken breasts

½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp basil (or use fresh if you have it)

1 tsp thyme

2 cloves garlic, diced

1 bay leaf

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup red wine

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 – 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables, thawed

Dredge the chicken in seasoned flower and cook in olive oil.

Add rosemary and garlic

Add chicken broth, wine, and crushed tomatoes

Let simmer for about 30-45 minutes, until chicken is very tender.

Add frozen veggies and cook until hot.

I served this with mashed potatoes but it is good rice or noodles.

Food Friday: One Dish Dinner

I make this a lot. It is easy to throw together after a hard day at the office.

One Dish Dinner

1 lb chicken (or tofu, or beef) cut into cubes or strips

½ red onion

2 cloves garlic

6-7 sun dried tomatoes

1-2 tsp Basil

1 tsp salt

Black pepper

2 tsp Paprika

Put some oil in a large pan with a lid and cook the chicken with the onion and garlic until done. Add spices and a bouillon cube.

¾ cup rice

1 ½ cup water

Add the rice and water and cover. Lower the heat and simmer about 15 minutes.

Cut into smallish pieces:

½ small eggplant, peeled

1 medium zucchini, peeled

½ green pepper

Put some oil in another pan and fry up the vegetables so they are just softening.

Check the rice at 15 minutes and throw in the vegetables.

Continue to cook about another 5 minutes until the rice is done.

Serve.

Food Friday: Gringo Enchiladas

These are American Mexican Enchiladas adapted for Gringos. Not really very Mexican. I think of them as the ultimate comfort food.

I ran this before using leftover turkey. I think it is worth a re-run with pictures.

Gringo Enchiladas

Place the following in a saucepan over medium heat:

1 lb chicken boiled and shredded

1 green onion chopped

Add and combine until melted:

¼ cup cream cheese

2/3 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or a combination)

Combine:

8 oz can tomato puree

1 cup prepared salsa (however you like it, medium or hot… or mild)

1 tsp adobo or coriander or some fresh cilantro

Add about ½ cup of tomato mixture to the chicken.

Oil a baking dish and heat oven to 350 degrees

Heat about 8 flour tortillas

Place 2 tbsp (or more) of mixture into each tortilla

Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish

Once you have used up all the stuffing, cover the tortillas with

Salsa

Shredded cheese

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes

Remove foil and cook another 5-7 minutes if you want, but you don’t have to.

Serve with Guacamole

1 avocado mashed

1 tbsp lemon juice

Dash salt

Mash the avocado in the lemon juice, add salt if desired

Food Friday: Chicken in Honey-Wine

This is a nice dish to share with company. I sautéed some mushrooms in butter and added them to the chicken at the last minute.

Chicken in Honey-Wine

1 cup dry white wine

4 Tbsp soy sauce

¼ tsp garlic powder

4 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into pieces

4 Tbsp veg. oil

½ cup honey

½ cup flour

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

In a large bowl, mix the wine, soy sauce and garlic powder.

Add the chicken pieces, stir to coat, and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

Drain chicken, reserving marinade. In a shallow dish, mix the flour, salt and pepper.

Lightly dredge chicken, one piece at a time, in the flour. In a large frying pan, heat the oil until moderately hot.

Add chicken and cook, turning until brown on all sides. Add honey to reserved marinade and pour over chicken. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender.

Serve over buttered noodles.

Food Friday: Peanut Chicken

This is a variation of the West African Ground Nut Stew. I adapted it to serve to people when I lived in Moscow. I could find the ingredients and it was mild enough that everybody liked it but it was also a little different.

Peanut Chicken

2 green peppers

1 medium onion

2 Tbsp oil

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

2/3 cup peanut butter

3 cups chicken broth

1 tsp salt

2 tsp chili powder (or real chillies)

1/2 tsp nutmeg

4 cups cubed cooked chicken

6 cups cooked rice

Fry onions and green peppers in oil.

Combine tomato paste and peanut butter, stir in broth, salt, chili, and nutmeg.

Add peanut mixture to the green peppers and onions

Stir in cooked chicken and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Food Friday: Mashed Potato Quesadillas

My son went to Moscow last year and ate Mashed Potato Quesadillas in a restaurant one night. He has been on my case ever since to make them for him. I had never heard of such a thing! He said they had veal in them. I’m not a huge veal fan so I have substituted chicken but I think any meat or no meat would work fine.

Mashed Potato Quesadillas

2 cups mashed potatoes

1 lb. boneless chicken, cooked and diced or shredded

1/4 cup red onions

Shredded cheddar cheese

8 flour tortillas

Salsa

Sour Cream

Make the mashed potatoes with butter and milk and a little salt

Cook the chicken in garlic and adobo with the onions

Chop the chicken and mix it in with the potatoes.

In a large skillet, spread the potato mixture onto half a tortilla and top with shredded cheese.

Fold over and cook till the cheese melts and tortilla is lightly browned.

Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Food Friday: Budin Azteca

Today we land in Mexico. One of my favorite food places. This is a layered casserole that is really worth the effort. Vegetarians can leave the chicken out. For a variation, use pork instead of chicken.

Budin Azteca (Aztec Casserole)

2 tablespoons oil

½ cup chopped onion (125g)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Heat up a pan with the oil and cook onion and garlic until transparent. Watch it so you don’t burn the garlic.

Add:

3 cups tomato puree (750g)

1.5 tsp salt

Cook until heated through

To another pan add:

1 tbsp butter

3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

2 small zucchini (courgettes) chopped

Cook a 2-3 minutes and add:

1/3 cup water

Cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes until the zucchini is tender.

Prepare and cut into strips:

2 chiles poblanos (roasted, pealed, membranes removed)

If you don’t want to go through the roasting and peeling process, you could buy tinned whole green chiles and use them.

You will also need:

1 cup cooked shredded chicken

1 cup grated manchego, muenster, monterey jack or white cheddar cheese

1 cup (250ml) thick cream (crème fraiche)

corn tortillas – warmed

Assembly:

Oil a large baking dish.

Place a thin layer of vegetables on the bottom

Cover with warmed tortillas (5-6)

Add about half the tomato sauce to cover

Top that with half the remaining vegetables

Then half the chiles

Half cup cream

half the chicken

and half the cheese

Repeat the layers finishing with the cheese on top.

Bake in 375 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted (might be a little longer)

Serve with avocado and salad.

Expat Alien

foreign in my own country

chicken

Easy Hunter’s Chicken

Easy Hunter’s Chicken

Food Friday: One Dish Dinner

Food Friday: Gringo Enchiladas

Food Friday: Chicken in Honey-Wine

Food Friday: Peanut Chicken

Food Friday: Mashed Potato Quesadillas

Food Friday: Budin Azteca