Tag Archives: poultry

September 15, 2011

Chicken Marsala

By 5iveDollarFeasts

This will be my 23rd blog. Half of the recipes have been American. I’ve done a couple Hawaiian (Yeah, yeah, technically that’s also American, I know…), a German, and a British recipe. But this will be my 6th Italian recipe. (And no French recipes. I’ll have to fix that.)

Can you tell what my favorite ethnic food is to cook at home? It’s partly because I love Italian food, but I think it’s also because Italian food easily lends itself to cheap and quick without losing any flavor. (Which is exactly why you should never eat at Olive Garden ever again. I promise I can teach you to make everything on their menu at home, for a fraction of the cost and three times the flavor. Including their toasted raviolis.)

With all these Italian blogs, I have neglected to share with you my original favorite Italian dish. It is truly comfort food to me. My friend Tom always has to try the Lasagna whenever we find a new Italian restaurant. I will always order whatever sounds the most original on my first visit, but I have to eventually try their Marsala if I return.  (Unless, of course, they only make veal marsala. I’m no vegetarian, but I do draw the line at tortured baby cow.)

Chicken Marsala is stepbrother to Chicken Piccata, which I have posted about here before. The recipes are very similar. Flattened chicken breasts, browned, with a sauce made from the pan drippings. Where piccata uses white wine and lemon juice, marsala replaces those with marsala wine and mushrooms.

So, if you feel like tender chicken over pasta and you don’t have lemons or want a change from Chicken Picatta or Parmagiana, try my personal favorite.

Chicken breasts are affordable at Safeway (which includes Vons and Pavillion’s) from their Eating Right brand. Albertson’s also has affordable fresh chicken breasts with their generic brand. If you know of any other good deals on chicken in your area, please post them in your comments below.

Marsala wine comes in both sweet and dry flavors.  Sweet works best for the recipe, but don’t sweat it if you only have dry. Trader Joe’s sells a very affordable bottle of Marsala.

Chicken Marsala

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded flat to a ½” thickness (this step can be skipped for ease by buying “thinly sliced” chicken breasts or chicken breast “cutlets” commonly sold in stores)

salt & pepper

flour for dredging

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 Tablespoons butter, chilled

¾  cup sweet marsala wine

½ cup chicken broth

6 to 8 mushroom, sliced

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 garlic clove, minced

  1. Season the pounded chicken breasts (or cutlets) with salt and pepper on both sides. Coat the breasts well with flour.
  2. Heat olive oil and 1 Tablespoon butter in a large pan on medium heat until the butter has melted.  Add the floured chicken breasts and cook, uncovered 3 to 6 minutes per side, until the breasts are golden brown.  When done, remove the chicken breasts from the pan and transfer to a plate.
  3. Add 1 more Tablespoon of butter to the pan. When melted, add garlic, oregeno, and mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes until the edges are browned. (The mushrooms will continue to cook.)
  4. Add Marsala wine and chicken broth to the pan and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce by half.
  5. Return the chicken breasts to the pan and spoon sauce over the breasts. Cover and simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add last Tablespoon of butter (it is important that this butter is chilled to help thicken the sauce) and swirl in pan until melted. If the sauce is still not as thick as you desire, you can repeat the process with another Tablespoon of butter.
  6. Serve chicken immediately over your favorite pasta spooning the sauce over. (Chicken Marsala can also be served with roasted potatoes.)

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Chicken & Poultry, Italian, Recipes, Sauces

July 28, 2011

Robinson Chicken and Waffles

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Enjoy my version of chicken & waffles for $3.06 per person!

You know those movies with large loud families connecting with each other chaotically over some delicious repast? You know the ones where the families are normally Italian, Greek, or Latino? Well, I grew up like that.

Minus the ethnicity. Yeah, I’m about as white as white can be, you can trace my heritage back to General Conklin in the Revolutionary War. (Yeah, not the Civil War. The Revolutionary War. We’ve been here since the beginning.)

Still, food and mealtimes were always an event at my house. My extended family may not be as large as, say my wife’s (who can fill an entire island) but we made up for it with lots of friends and were definitely loud. My parents entertained regularly, from bridge groups to the gourmet club my mother started, so the dinner table was often packed.

My brothers and I grew up helping my Mom in the kitchen, and eventually being responsible for our own meals. Of course, there were blunders.  I distinctly remember my elder brothers making some lumpy gravy and  infamously mistaking “cloves” of garlic for “whole heads” of garlic in a pesto recipe.  I also remember leaving out the flour in a cookie recipe, creating a cookie soup. (I was 12, that was a fun night.) Ultimately, though, learning from these mistakes in our early teens helped all three siblings become great cooks. And these mistakes never discouraged us from trying complicated Julia Child and Sicilian Wedding Cake recipes for special occasions.

My point is that, to me, food is family. So when my Mom comes to visit (which she did the last two weeks) my brother and I that live in Los Angeles spend most nights cooking family dinners together (and it’s possible we might be trying to show off just a tad.) The result is quite the gastronomical adventure. Curries, filets, seared ahi, and lots of ornate side dishes. (This is great for the taste buds, but can be bad on the waste line.)

This time, for some reason, I decided to try and give my Mom a taste of her roots. While we may not be ethnic, my mom is from the south, and that brings it’s own culinary traditions. I made a soul food inspired dish made popular by a local Hollywood restaurant, Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.

I decided to do my best to healthify it a tad, though.  I made an oven baked cornflake chicken that had been marinated in buttermilk and the usual fried chicken spices.  All the flavor of fried chicken without any of the grease and oil. And, honestly, I preferred it with the waffles. Any residual maple syrup that got on your chicken (half the fun of chicken and waffles) went significantly better with crisp cornflakes over the fried chicken batter that I think can get a touch soggy. So, in my very humble opinion I have improved upon the chicken and waffle pairing.

Hypocritically, I cooked kale until lightly wilted in some bacon grease, to make up the calories the cornflake chicken might have saved us from the lack of frying.

Jodie made some Sun Tea to drink over ice as a beverage.

Cornflake Chicken

10 pieces of chicken, a variety of breasts, thighs and legs (Or you may cut up your own whole chicken(s))

1 quart of buttermilk

½ box cornflakes

salt & pepper

paprika

celery salt

onion powder

sage

thyme

  1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, celery salt, onion powder, sage, and thyme. In a large bowl cover the seasoned chicken in buttermilk until covered. Marinate for 1 hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Crush the cornflakes until you have some cornflakes as a fine powder, but also a few larger flakes. (A few larger flakes helps ensure crispness.) Remove the chicken from the marinade one piece at a time and coat with cornflakes. Place the chicken in a baking dish large enough for all the pieces you are cooking.
  4. Bake the chicken for 35 to 45 minutes, or until a internal meat thermometer reads 160 degrees. Remove and serve with waffles, maple syrup, and butter.

Waffles

I just used “Buttermilk Pancake Mix” from Trader Joe’s. I substituted half the water the directions on the box calls for with actual buttermilk. Feel free to use your favorite waffle batter recipe or mix.

Bacon Kale

4 slices of bacon

2 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of kale

  1. Chop the kale very coarsely into 2” pieces, throwing away the very bottom stems.
  2. Cook the bacon on medium heat in a large skillet. After the bacon crisps, remove it and let drain on a paper towel. Remove the pan from heat.
  3. Slice the garlic in very thin slices. Add garlic to the bacon grease and return to low heat. Allow the garlic to poach to a very light golden brown about 2 minutes.
  4. Add kale. Toss gently in the bacon grease to coat and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add ½ cup water. (Do this carefully, as the bacon grease may pop.) Cover the pan and steam the kale for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  5. Remove the kale from any remaining liquid and place it into a bowl for serving. Crumble the bacon on top of the kale.

Sun Tea

3 tea bags of your favorite tea (I have used a decaf orange tea, a decaf fruit mix green tea, among others)

water

1/2 lemon, sliced

  1. Place tea bags and sliced lemons in water in a clear covered pitcher
  2. Place pitcher in the sun for at least 3-4 hours, the longer the better.  Serve over ice and pass sugar or splenda.

Accounting: 2 split chicken breasts $5.19  + 4 thighs $2.14 + 4 drumsticks $1.43 + 1/2 box generic cornflakes (@ $2.49 per box) $1.25 + buttermilk $1.99 + waffle mix $1.99 + bacon $.50 + kale $1.99 + tea $.50 + lemon $.33 + Grade $ maple syrup (1/2 bottle @ $5.99 per bottle at Trader Joe’s) $3.00 = $18.37

÷ by 6 people

Comes to $3.06 per person!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in American, Beverages & Cocktails, Chicken & Poultry, Vegetables

July 14, 2011

Chicken Pesto Risotto

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Feed an army for just $3.18 per person! (14 people for under $50)

We’re gonna stay in Italy this week, alright kids? And, in complete contrast to what I said last week, not all the food in Italy is “rustic.”  Risotto is one of the pinnacles of chef skill.  Hell, half the people that got eliminated from Top Chef were eliminated because of their risottos.

And, ironically, along with a three-course fondue, it is one of the first things I taught myself to make. I never did believe in starting easy, I guess.

So, if I could make this dish in college without a lick of culinary training under my belt, you can too.  The trick is not to be discouraged if it doesn’t come out right the first time. You can only perfect the harder recipes by making them. We learn more from our mistakes, right? That is particularly true of risotto. And this recipe is affordable enough to practice with. Besides, it really isn’t that difficult if you just pay close attention to the risotto as it cooks. One of the only reasons so many chefs fail with this dish on cooking competitions is that risotto is ready when risotto is ready. Undercooked risotto will taste like crunchy raw rice and overcooked risotto will be mush. If you have to wait for the magic of T.V, you’re in trouble. (And, well, they are being judged by Tom Colicchio.)

You may or may not have picked up that I am involved in the web series community as you read my blog.  I cater on set for many of web series, have them listed on the right of the blog, and I’ve even acted in them.

Well, last week I had a table read for the first draft of our own web series. (More on that later.) Since our web series is a food show (like a food movie: Ratatouille or Like Water for Chocolate, for example), I wanted to cook something nice for everyone coming to help us out without breaking the bank. So, how to feed 14 hungry actors and directors for under five dollars a head? Risotto! Specifically, Chicken Pesto Risotto. Rice is cheap (even arborio rice if you know where to look), chicken is cheap, and so is pesto if you substitute almonds for pine nuts. We also served wine, a fresh salad, and croissants.

I had to triple my recipe below to feed 14 people, but as you will most likely not be feeding an army every time, I have included more reasonable ingredient amounts.

Chicken Pesto Risotto

1 ½ cups arborio rice (You do NOT have to use Arborio rice. I prefer it just a bit to regular rice for a risotto, but it is by no means necessary. Just use the shortest grain rice you have.)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into ½” cubes

½ cup dry white wine

4 cups heated chicken broth (Give or take. Risotto takes However much or little broth as it takes to stay moist until it the rice is tender.)

1 onion

12 medium mushrooms

2 cloves of garlic

¼ cup butter

¼ cup cream

¼ cup parmesan, grated

salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp olive oil

Pesto sauce (below)

  1. Chop the onion and mushrooms. Mince the garlic. (For good instructions on chopping techniques, go here.)
  2. Heat oil in large saucepan or pot.  Add chicken and cook through about 4 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
  3. In the same pan. melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and sauté the onion over medium heat until golden.
  4. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  5. Add rice and cook with onions, mushrooms and garlic until translucent. (This is always the term used when making a rice dish, “translucent.” What the hell does that mean? Well, it means, that as the rice absorbs the oil and juice of the onion, it will become less white and almost seem clear in color. Then the rice is “translucent.”)
  6. Add wine and cook until absorbed.
  7. Stir in 1 cup of chicken broth (It is important that the broth is heated in the microwave, especially in the beginning, to keep the cooking process going. Risotto is too tricky to have cold or room temperature broth slow cooking) and bring to a simmer, stirring regularly. When the broth has been absorbed, add another cup and continue adding cups as absorbed, for 18 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender. (The rice must be tender at this point, but it won’t be the finished product. The cheese, butter, and cream will add the finishing touches. Never claimed this was a health food blog did I?)
  8. Stir in the cream, cheese (please see the comma there cream AND cheese; cream cheese would be gross,) and remaining butter. Return diced chicken to the risotto and stir in the pesto sauce to taste.
  9. Salt to taste, and serve immediately topped with any extra parmesan and nuts as garnish.

Pesto Sauce

2 cups basil leaves, stems removed

¾ cups pine nuts (For a Five Dollar Feast, you will probably have to substitute almonds or walnuts, preferably toasted if you can buy them that way. Hint: Trader Joe’s has sliced toasted almonds very cheap.)

½ cup parmesan, grated

½ cup olive oil

2 to 3 cloves garlic, peeled and halved

salt and pepper to taste

  1. combine all ingredients in a food processor and puree.
  2. Taste, and adjust ingredients to taste.
Accounting: basil $2.29 + parmesan $2.29 + almonds $1.99 + Arborio Rice $6.98 + cream $2.99 + mushrooms $1.99 + wine (3 bottles @ $1.99) $5.97 + onion $.33 + chicken $5.79 + chicken broth (@$1.99 each) $5.97 + 2 boxes of croissants $3.98 + salad (2 packages at $1.99) $3.98 = $44.55
÷ 14 people
Comes to $3.18 per person!

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | posted in Chicken & Poultry, Italian, Pasta, Potatoes & Grains

July 7, 2011

Chicken Cacciatore

By 5iveDollarFeasts

Enjoy this Italian classic for just $4.04 per person!

I love Italian food. Hell, I just love Italy. When Jodie and I backpacked across Europe, we loved every country we went to, but I think Italy was our favorite. And it had my favorite cuisine as well. (Sorry Julia Child.)

While French dining was refined and the food so perfectly prepared from years of culinary tradition and expertise, Italy’s food was, well, more rustic.  But rustic is not a dirty word when in comes to food. In fact, I think it is just the opposite. I am drawn towards rustic food. However, do not call it simple. As a matter of fact, because of the inability to always afford finer meats and ingredients, I think rustic food is some of the most interesting and creative food in the world.  My heart definitely belongs to the chef pouring all their love and heart into a dinner to feed their family every night over chefs who study day and night to make sure they can cut the perfect chiffonade. (My apologies to all studied chefs out there. There is always a place for that too. While I preferred the cuisine in Italy overall, my best meal was in Paris. Also, this statement is rather hypocritical, since I do know how to make a chiffonade, but I hope you get my intent that I value the home-chef.  Without home-chef innovations, professional chefs would have nothing to cook.)

I learned to love food because of family. Setting the family table full of heaps of wonderfully delicious of food, regardless of income, felt like a source of pride in Italy. It’s just that some of us need to learn to be a bit more creative. And, trust me, it is not all pasta. Tuscan T-Bone’s are some of the best-cooked steaks in the world, the fish in southern Italy and Venice is die for, and they have certainly perfected how to make poultry.

One of Italy’s signature dishes that I like to make at home because of it’s wonderful flavor and price is Chicken Cacciatore.  Literally meaning hunter’s chicken, it is the traditional way Italian hunters would prepare a chicken by braising it in wine with tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. It is a great way to make a change from typical Italian red tomato sauces, as this chicken is prepared with white wine, leaving a rose colored sauce for your pasta.

Chicken Cacciatore

1 chicken, cut into pieces (or packs of split breasts and legs and thighs from your store, bone in, 4 to 6 pounds)

1 to 2 cups flour for dredging

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bell pepper (I prefer red, orange, or yellow as they are sweeter. Green bell peppers are often cheaper, however.)

2 Tbsp. Tomato Paste

1 (14.5 oz) can of diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon dried oregeno

½ cup dry white wine

1 (about 3.5 oz) can of sliced black olives

1 (8 oz) package of mushrooms (white button, crimini, or baby portabellas)

Your favorite pasta, prepared according to the package (My favorite is Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper Pappardale, but you may use any pasta. I also recommend a larger tube pasta such as rigatoni.)

  1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour. Heat olive oil in a dutch oven until shimmering, and then add the chicken. Brown the chicken on all sides then remove chicken pieces and set aside.
  2. Sautee the onion and bell pepper until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and stir to combine the flavors.
  3. Return the chicken to the pan and add the white wine, diced tomatoes and their juices, and oregano. Also, drain the olives and add them to the pot. Bring to a simmer, then cover and continue simmering over medium low heat for a half an hour.
  4. Cut the mushrooms into quarters and add to the pot after the half-hour has passed. (Adding the mushrooms in late will ensure that they are not overcooked and rubbery when the meal is served.) Continue to simmer for 10 more minutes.
  5. Remove the chicken, serve over pasta in a deep plate, and top with broth and vegetables from the pot.
Accounting:
Trader Joe’s Lemon Pepper Pappardelle $1.99 + Charles Shaw Chardonnay $1.99 + yellow onion (from Henry’s) $.19 + Tomato Paste (generic brand) $.49 + Can of black sliced olives + 1 package of split chicken breasts (on sale @ Ralph’s, 2 breasts) $2.98 + 1 package bone-in thighs (on sale @ Ralph’s, 6 thighs) $3.34 + 1 can of diced tomatoes $.99 + 1 can olives $.99 + mushrooms $1.99 + red bell pepper $1.19 = $16.14
÷ 4 people
Comes to $4.04 per person!
I bought a good amount of bone-in chicken during a large sale at my nearest grocery store and used it for this meal. Always keep an eye out for good chicken sales and stock up. Chicken is so versatile, don’t even think about passing up a good sale. Freeze what you don’t use immediately.
Kitchen Basics Used:
Olive Oil, garlic, flour, oregano

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , , | posted in Chicken & Poultry, Italian, Pasta, Recipes

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