From My Perspective: Chicken

Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts

Friday, April 11, 2014

What's for Dinner: Chicken Taco Twist

For Faraz's birthday dinner, tonight, I made this chicken taco twist. I saw this idea for a twisted bread sometime ago, I think on Pinterest, and changed it up to my liking.

Cut them as small or large of a serving as you would like.

What you need:

ground chicken
taco seasoning
bell peppers, diced
2 tubes of [refrigerated] french bread
Egg, lightly beaten
Oregano

I doubled the recipe and made two twists today.

What I did was:

Season your ground chicken with black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. Cook it over medium heat before adding in the [low sodium] taco seasoning. Mix well.
Add in the diced bell peppers [I used red and yellow ones today] and mix it with the chicken for a few minutes before removing it from the heat.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil [for easy cleanup].
Meanwhile, with the french bread dough: score the top from one end to the other [in both loaves]. Next, using your fingers, spread open the dough a few inches to create an indent in the middle for the filling.
Add in the chicken mixture. Now, using your fingers again: pinch the dough together to closing around the mixture completely. Repeat the process with the second bread.
Transfer both loaves onto the lined tray [seam side down], one next to the other. Next, twist the two bread dough with one another as if you were creating a braid.
Brush on the beaten egg on top of the twisted bread. Create score marks/slits on top of the bread dough [for ventilation].
Sprinkle some oregano on top.
Bake in your preheated oven, for about 30 minutes. Or until the top is golden brown and the bread is completely cooked through.
Since I was making two sets, I repeated the process of steps 4-9 a second time.
Slice and serve!

For dessert, I made [individual-sized] chocolate frosted "donut" cakes.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

What's for Dinner: Barbecue Chicken

BBQs are a favorite around here from spring through fall [and often even in the midst of winter]. In fact, we have already done a barbecue a handful of times in the mere few weeks the weather has been nice. Not to mention I love how healthy it is the way I make mine.

Typically I take scored chicken [leg and thigh pieces] and marinate it with black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, lemon juice, yogurt, raw papaya, some tandoori masala and some tikka masala. Working with scored chicken does wonders for the marinade to seep inside. Some days, I use my homemade tandoori masala mix instead, which you can find by clicking here.

Let the chicken marinate before cooking it over the charcoal on the barbecue grill outside.

This recipe is so versatile and I have used this recipe in many ways: cooked slowly over low heat on the stove, in my George Foreman grill, in the oven, with boned-in meat and boneless: it's a fail proof go-to recipe. Not to mention I have used the chicken in many things: on top of pizza, in wraps, burgers, and pita pockets to name just a few from the top of my head. The possibilities are endless.

Serving this chicken barbecued alongside the raita I mentioned on this post is absolutely delicious and a perfect pair.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Saturday, April 5, 2014

What's for Dinner: Baked Boneless Chicken Wings

I turned my boneless chicken wings recipe into a healthier version today [Friday night] by baking them. Full of flavor, without the oil/frying factor.

Here's how I made it today:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking tray with foil. Spray non-stick cooking spray over the foil.
I seasoned boneless chicken cubes with black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, and onion powder. Mix in an egg.
Meanwhile, [in a ziploc bag] season your flour with black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and chili powder.
In batches, coat all of your chicken with the flour mixture. Just add the chicken into the ziploc bag and shake well until it's nicely incorporated.
Transfer your coated chicken onto the lined foil tray. Before transferring it into your preheated oven, spray non-stick cooking spray over the top of the chicken.
Bake the chicken, in your preheated oven, for about 10-12 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix your [heated up] hot sauce and about a tablespoon of [melted] butter.
Let your chicken cool for a few minutes once it is out of the oven before coating it with the sauce.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

What's for Dinner: Chicken Tawook and Roasted Potatoes

Today marks my parents 30th wedding anniversary!

I've been out of the kitchen for the most part post-surgery, but tonight I made these chicken kababs. Tawook
is pretty much cubed chicken that is marinated, skewered and then grilled.

I marinated the boneless chicken cubes with salt, black pepper, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, ginger powder, onion powder, thyme, ground mustard, lemon juice, yogurt, and raw papaya [to help tenderize the meat]. Let the marinated chicken sit for a few hours.

Set your broiler on high. Skewer your chicken. Put it under the broiler for about 15 minutes. Take it out, flip them over, and set back under the broiler for another 7-10 minutes.

Broiling Tip: Whenever you use the broiler feature in the oven, make sure you leave the oven door open a little bit.

I served the chicken alongside a combination of corn, peas, and roasted potatoes.

For the roasted potatoes: I took small gold potatoes-- cut each in half, and then each half into quarters (small pieces-- you get the picture). I seasoned them with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, and chipotle powder. Drizzled them with olive oil. Mix well. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes.

For dessert, I made chocolate chip cookie a la mode. A la mode means to be served with a scoop of ice cream. I'll try and post that tomorrow: easy and delicious as usual.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

What's for Dinner: Mini Chicken Pot Pie [Biscuits]

Yesterday was a cold and snowy day [the complete opposite of the day before] and I wanted something warm. I had this idea saved in my "must try sometime" pile for a long time, and decided to try it out yesterday.

I didn't want to make a pie dough, and didn't have a pre-made one on hand... so I used something I almost ALWAYS have in my fridge. Refrigerated biscuits. I use it in so many different ways, yet almost never just bake them as is for simple biscuits. You can find my biscuit recipe by clicking here.

For the "pot pie" filling, I used:

Boneless Chicken, cut into tiny pieces.
Pepper, to taste
Garlic powder, to taste
Paprika, to taste
Onion powder, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Chili powder, to taste
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Thyme, to taste
Parsley, to taste
2 cup of chicken broth/stock
1 cup of 1% milk
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 cups of frozen mixed vegetables [mine had peas, corn, carrots, and beans]

Next time, I'd cut the chicken broth and milk in half because I was left over with some "filling" after 16 biscuits.

What I did was:

Starting with the chicken: I seasoned mine with black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, cayenne pepper, chili powder, red pepper flakes, thyme, and parsley. Spray your pan [so the chicken doesn't stick] with non-stick cooking spray. Cook over low heat, until the chicken is cooked through.
Meanwhile combineyour chicken broth/stock with milk over low heat. Season with black pepper, garlic powder and paprika.
Combine about two tablespoons of cornstarch with a little water [just enough to dissolve the cornstarch]. Add this mixture to your milk/broth mixture and whisk over medium-high speed for a few minutes! This part helps gives that nice creamy milk color and texture we all love so much in chicken pot pie... without the fatness/heaviness of cream, half and half, etc. Tip: Make sure you continuously whisk to avoid lumps.
Once your sauce/filling has thickened, add in your frozen vegetables [they will soften in the sauce and even more so in the oven] and your cooked chicken. Mix everything together.

To put together the mini pot pies:

When I was almost ready to form the mini pot pies, I took the biscuits and rolled them each out so they were thinner and about twice the size they originally were.
Spray your muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray so they come easily once baked.
Line with one of the biscuit dough, pressing it in so it fits nicely and there is enough excess dough on top to "seal" them.
Fill the biscuits with your filling, and seal them with your fingers.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

You can see my Pot Pie recipe from last year's Pi day by clicking here. On that link, you will also find how I make my chicken broth.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Sunday, September 1, 2013

What's for Dinner: Oven-Fried [Bone-in] Chicken

So many recipes to catch up on!! Things have been on the hectic side lately, and I've definitely slacked on staying updated on the recipes.

It was a great weekend with the family [we invited a lot of family over yesterday], and I loved every minute of it. It's a lot of work, and tiring... but so worth it.

Tomorrow my brothers and I are going to the US Open. I have never seen a tennis match [see, I know not to call it a game!] live before so I'm definitely looking forward to it!

But first things first, here's the recipe for the Oven-Fried [bone in] chicken I made about two weeks ago.

I had buttermilk sitting in the fridge because I had been wanting/meaning to make the cheddar bay biscuits... and just hadn't.

I rarely work with bone-in chicken, but used that when I made this a few weeks ago. I've also done a boneless chicken version of oven-fried chicken which you can see by clicking here.

I love fried chicken as much as the next person, but can do without the oil. I try to make things I love with a healthier twist whenever I can. The trick to get it so crispy? The combination of the buttermilk marinade and the breading for sure.

I seasoned the chicken with salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, ginger powder, and cayenne pepper. Add enough buttermilk soak all the chicken. Let it marinate for a few hours for tender meat.

When you are ready to bake your chicken:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line your baking tray with foil or parchment paper [for easy clean-up]. Spray with non-stick cooking spray.
Combine about 2 part flours to 1 part plain bread crumbs. Season with cayenne pepper.
Coat each chicken in the flour mixture before transferring to your lined baking tray. Spray all of the chicken with non-stick cooking spray on top
Bake for about 50 minutes in your preheat oven.

The end result? Moist inside, and the crispy crunch outside that we all love so much in fried chicken.

Other recipes I have to post soon? Mango Ice Cream, Kulfi, Semi-homemade Seasoned chips. I *think* that will have me caught up.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Friday, August 23, 2013

What's for Dinner: Chicken Tikka Masala

Doesn't happen often, but I do cook Pakistani food sometimes.

Monday was one of those days.

But then, I turned it into a sandwich. Mainly because I had subs sitting at home that needed to be used up.

I roughly cut chicken into bite size pieces and marinated it with salt, pepper, garlic powder, ginger, paprika, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, yogurt and a little of this chicken tikka masala that my family seems to love every time I use it in anything. It's potent and a lot stronger than the typical Shan masala... a little goes a long way. Trust me.

I cooked it over medium heat [with the top covered], and just when it was almost cooked through: I added strips of bell peppers in various colors. It softened with the heat, and the smell of the dish? Mouth watering.

You could serve this with rice, naan, whatever... I just made a sub out of it because I needed to use up the sub. On the top, throw in cucumbers [mine were fresh from our veggie garden in the backyard!]. Sauce wise, a mayo spread is what we used today. I take mayo and season with black pepper, garlic, and paprika... and sometimes whatever else I feel like adding. Be creative, have fun.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

What's for Dinner: Popcorn Chicken

Slowly, but surely, working on posting old family favorite recipes that are a staple around here. These popcorn chicken are a must throughout Ramadan for iftari in our house.

To make the popcorn chicken (the following quantities are for about two pounds of boneless chicken cut into tiny bite size pieces):

I marinate the bite size pieces of chicken with 4 eggs, salt and pepper (to taste), 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 3/4th cup of flour and 3/4th cup of cornstarch. All the quantities are very approximate as I just eyeball them.

So after you marinate it, just check its consistency - it should be a thick gooey consistency.

All that's left to do is is fry the chicken until they are a light golden brown color [in batches].

It's perfect as is, but sometimes I add cayenne pepper for a little spice into the marinade.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Friday, July 19, 2013

What's for Dinner: Chipotle Chicken Tenders

Crispy oven fried chipotle chicken tenders was on the menu tonight as part of our iftari.

Easy, delicious, and healthy... oh, and they are baked [not fried]. Just the way I like it!

What I did was:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Using boneless chicken cubes, or take chicken breast fillets and cut into chunks, I marinated it with: salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, chipotle chili powder, oregano, onion powder and a little milk [preferable buttermilk I suppose, but I used 1% today] to keep it moist and help the breadcrumbs stick. This helped lead to the no oil or no egg in the recipe.
Next, season your [Italian seasoned] breadcrumbs with chipotle chili powder.
Coat each chicken with the breadcrumb mixture before laying them on a lined baking tray. Spray non-stick cooking spray over all the chicken pieces.
Bake in your preheated oven, for about 20 minutes.

I let the chicken marinate for about two hours before I tossed them in the breadcrumbs... and even the marinade smelled amazing. The milk in the marinade? It definitely helped keep the chicken moist. After baking, the inside was moist and juicy - not tough or dry even after being baked. One of the huge negative aspects of baking chicken is how dry the end result can be a lot of times... but it doesn't have to be bland, dry, or boring.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

What's for Dinner: Boneless Tandoori Chicken

Today was day eight of Ramadan, and so far, my family has had typical iftari for the most part.

Time for a change, for sure. Or at least something in addition to change it up. Things have been so busy lately, that I haven't cooked much at all.

Today, I made boneless tandoori chicken from scratch, with no help with a tandoori mix like I normally do. I'm trying more and more to cook clean and know exactly what is in the meals we are consuming. While tandoori masala mixes are an easy go-to item in the pantry, my version is just as easy and delicious [and has no oil!].

I used boneless chicken cubes and marinated it with: salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, ginger powder, lemon juice, cumin powder, garam masala, yogurt, and grinded raw papaya [to tenderize]. Cumin and garam masala are things I don't work with very often and was skeptical/unsure of how much to use so I kept it safe: a little goes a long way. Working with about 25-30 cubes, I'd say I used a little less than a teaspoon of garam masala and a little less than half a teaspoon of cumin powder.

This part is optional, but you could also added a little food coloring to give it that tandoori color [again, a little bit goes a long way].

When I was ready to cook them, close to iftari time, I skewered them and put them under the broiler [on high]. Initially for 15 minutes, then take them out and flip all the skewers over, and then back under the broiler for another ten minutes. Just keep an eye on it... you want the charcoal color, but not for them to harden.

This would, of course, work just as well with boned-in meat... I just prefer boneless white meat and tend to cook mostly with that [as is apparent I'm sure].

This chicken would work great in a wrap, alongside rice or other sides... or just with the raita I mentioned back in this post [my favorite!]... whatever you prefer.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Sunday, May 5, 2013

What's for Dinner: Cajun Chicken Pasta

I'm working on slowly posting some [old] favorite recipes that I'm mentioned in the past on this blog, and I'm surprised I haven't posted this already on here as it is one of the favorites. Everyone I've made this for loves it, and it's one of the recipes I'm most often asked for.

You need:

12 ounces of pasta [I prefer penne for this one]
1-2 tablespoons of [unsalted] butter
1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour
Half-and-half [amount will depend on how creamy you want it. I use a 32 fluid ounce size container, but you can start with about 1 and a half cups if you'd like]
1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into tiny bite size pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons of Cajun seasoning (to taste)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 firm-ripe [roma] tomatoes, cored and diced
[1 cup] of mozzarella cheese, shredded or grated

How I make it:

First thing -- put the water to boil for the pasta as that will take the longest. Put a generous amount of salt in the water right at the start as this is the only chance to salt the pasta. For pasta preference, penne works best on my opinion because it absorbs the sauce the best.
Then in a deep pan, melt about 1-2 tablespoon of butter and then add about the same amount of flour. Mix well so it becomes like a rue (light brown, thick liquid consistency)... There should be no lumps and the flour taste should be gone. Make sure you do this on very low temperature so it doesn't burn.
Then to this add half and half (I use a 32 fluid ounce size container). Add Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. On low heat, let it thicken. Then add Parmesan cheese.
In a separate pan, add chicken pieces that are cut to small pieces (like if you were making popcorn chicken). Add salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, Cajun seasoning, and a little bit of oil. Let it cook on medium heat. When it's almost done, lower the heat and add tomatoes that are diced into small pieces (like on top of nachos). Also add jalapeño peppers if you want extra spice (cut into very small pieces, with the seeds thrown out -- otherwise its too spicy).
When the chicken and pasta is cooked through, add the pasta and chicken into the sauce pot and mix it well. Add shredded mozzarella cheese and more Parmesan cheese if you want and mix it well.
To garnish -- if I am serving at a party -- what I do is after mixing, I add a layer of shredded mozzarella cheese on top [or grated parmesan like in the picture] and then sprinkle Cajun seasoning on top.

It's best when eaten right away!

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

Thursday, May 2, 2013

What's for Dinner: Homemade Pizza

Slowly, but surely, I'm updating with recipes for things I've posted about in the past. Today is all about Homemade Pizza [click here to see my recipe for homemade pizza dough from scratch]. I've yet to experiment with making my own marinara sauce at home, mainly because the store-bought one I use? I love the taste of it.

Pictures is the Chicken Tikka and Peppers Pizza

The toppings I use varies, but here are a few of the most common ones to put together your pizza(s):

Chicken Pizza:
I take a few pieces of boneless chicken cubes (you don't need that many unless you prefer it to be full of a lot of chicken) and cut them each into very tiny pieces. I added salt and some grilling seasoning (I used Dash's) to the chicken, along with a little bit of oil and cooked it through on low to medium heat. The chicken cooks really quickly because it's not a lot of chicken and it's cut into such tiny pieces. Tip: Use salt-free seasonings so YOU can control the amount of salt.

Then use either a homemade pizza dough or one you bought [which I do plenty of times]. Roll out your pizza dough to fit your pizza pan. Pour and spread marinara sauce (you can use pizza sauce, tomato/pasta sauce or whatever you prefer... I find marinara sauce to work best) all over the dough. Then, I sprinkle mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese on top. Next, I sprinkle oregano and parsley flakes over the cheese. Finally, add the chicken (evenly spaced out). I baked this pizza for 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 350 degrees.

For the Plain Cheese Pizza:
Again, either make a pizza dough or buy one. Roll out your pizza dough to fit your pizza pan. Pour and spread marinara sauce all over the dough. I, then, sprinkled a pizza cheese blend all over on top of the marinara sauce. Next, I added oregano and parsley flakes again on top. I baked this one for 25 minutes on 350 degrees as well.

For the Chicken Tikka and Peppers Pizza:
I made this one yesterday. Again, either make a pizza dough or buy one [For this one, I used Betty Crocker's Pizza Crust mix and was surprised how nicely it turned out]. Roll out your pizza dough to fit your pizza pan. Pour and spread marinara sauce all over the dough. I, then, sprinkled a pizza cheese blend all over on top of the marinara sauce. Next, I add in shredded chicken tikka pieces [see below for how I make it]. Sprinkle varying colors of peppers on top. Finally, I added some Italian seasoning. I baked this one for about 20 minutes on 400 degrees.

For the chicken tikka: I had marinated chicken with black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, yogurt, lemon juice, and tandoori masala a day or two ago to BBQ. It had rained, however, so I've been using said chicken in various forms this week. I, then, cooked it over low heat. I typically use boneless chicken but the one in the picture above - I used leg and thigh pieces.

Seasonings, spices, toppings, etc. can be altered to using your own preference... I just usually make it up as I go along based on what flavors I wanted and what my family likes.

Note: How long the pizza(s) take to bake in the oven will depend on your oven, how thick your crust is, etc... so keep an eye on it.

P.S. This post is a part of my "What's for Dinner" series, where I share what I've been cooking and my recipes. Grab and share my button:

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Friday, April 11, 2014

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Friday, August 23, 2013

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Friday, July 19, 2013

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Thursday, May 2, 2013