Poultry

Chicken Stir Fry

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Adapted from the Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight Cookbook.

  • 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast, sliced into bite-size pieces
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil (divided)
  • 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
  • 2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
  • 1 cup carrots, coarsely shredded or cut into match sticks
  • 4 scallions, chopped
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
  • Cooked rice

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat a large deep skillet or nonstick wok over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil, swirling to coat the pan. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally until just cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pan. Add the remaining teaspoon of vegetable oil. Add the vegetables, and stir-fry until they are cooked, about 5 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, whisk together the broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar and sesame oil.

When the vegetables are done, add the meat and sauce to the pan. Cook over medium heat until sauce and chicken are heated through and the sauce begins to boil and thicken.

Serve over rice.

Makes 4 – 6 servings.

Chicken Fajita Pasta

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Adapted from Skinnytaste One and Done by Gina Homolka and  Heather K. Jones

  • 1 pound thin-cut boneless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (divided)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
  • 3 teaspoons olive oil (divided)
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 7 ounces celentani or other corkscrew/elbow pasta
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 sliced Haas avocados
  • Chopped scallion (optional)
  • Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
  • Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

In a large bowl, combine the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the paprika, 1/4 teaspoon of the chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon of the garlic powder, and 3/4 teaspoon of the salt. Toss to coat.

In a Dutch oven or large pot, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the chicken and cook, stirring, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 teaspoon olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and peppers along with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant and well-combined, about 30 seconds. Transfer to the plate of chicken.

In the same pot, combine the broth, tomatoes and uncooked pasta. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pot, stir well and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the sour cream.

To serve, spoon 1 1/2 cups into bowls and top each with avocado and other toppings of your choice.

Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Stew

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  • 3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
  • 3 large carrots, sliced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms, halved and sliced
  • 1 ½ pounds , boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 (14-ounce) can cannellini beans
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 2 handfuls of baby spinach, coarsely chopped
  • 2 packages (5.2 ounces each) Boursin cheese with garlic and herbs, quartered

Put first 7 ingredients in a 6-quart slow cooker. Cook on low for 5 ½ hours.

Raise heat to high. Add peas and spinach. Cook for an additional 20-30 minutes.

Turn off heat, add cheese and stir until melted.

Rehfwitz Chicken Soup

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  • 4-5 pounds chicken parts
  • Leaves and small stalks from the inside of 2 bunches of celery, plus 2-3 big celery stalks cut into 2” pieces
  • 6-8 carrots, (peeled if you will be using in soup, otherwise just washed well) and cut into 2” pieces
  • 2-3 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2” pieces
  • 2-3 onions peeled and quartered
  • 8 sprigs parsley
  • Some fresh dill (optional)
  • 1 Tbs. peppercorns
  • Kosher salt to taste

Cover chicken pieces with about 3 inches of water in large stock pot.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As the water boils, scum will form. Skim it off and discard. This may take a while. Keep cooking until scum stops forming. The scum will not affect the flavor of the soup, but if not removed, it will make the broth cloudy. Add remaining ingredients; reduce heat and simmer, with the lid partially open, for 2 hours or so.

Remove chicken and vegetables and cool.

Strain stock using cheesecloth and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

Skim fat from the top of broth and discard or save to use in other recipes like matzo balls.

Separate chicken from veggies, bones and skin. Chicken can be shredded and added back to soup or saved for another purpose. You may want to slice carrots and add them back to the soup if you will be reheating it right away. If the carrots are too mushy, or if you are planning to freeze the broth before using, discard them with the rest of the veggies, bones and skin.

When ready to reheat the soup, add salt to taste. You may also want to add fresh carrots and/or celery, noodles, kreplach, or matzo balls.

Ground Turkey Lettuce Wraps

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Submitted by Kimberly Garcia.  Adapted from a recipe found here:  http://www.kalynskitchen.com/2009/03/recipe-for-asian-lettuce-cups-or-wraps.html

  • 1 T peanut oil or vegetable oil (I used sesame oil)
  • 3 T minced red onion or shallots
  • 2 T minced garlic (i use fresh)
  • 2 T grated ginger root (fresh if possible)
  • 1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey (or turkey)
  • 4 T soy sauce (try to find low-sodium)
  • 1 T Chile Garlic Sauce or more to taste
  • 1 tsp. fish sauce (optional) – I’ve never used this
  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro (about 1/2 large bunch)
  • 1 large head or 2 small heads Boston Lettuce or butter lettuce, or substitute 1 head iceberg lettuce

Chop onion and set aside. Peel ginger root, then grate with the large side of a cheese grater, and chop garlic if using fresh garlic. Heat the oil in a large non-stick frying pan, add onion and sauté about 2 minutes, then add garlic and ginger root and sauté about one minute more.

Add ground turkey to frying pan (with a bit more oil if needed) and break apart and spread out with turner, then add soy sauce, chili garlic sauce, and fish sauce (if using). Cook until the turkey is brown and crumbling apart, and the sauce is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

While turkey cooks, wash and chop fresh cilantro to make 1 cup. Remove the core end from lettuce, separate leaves, and wash in salad spinner and spin dry (or wash under running water and dry with paper towels.) Chop peanuts and put in small bowl to serve at the table.

When turkey is done, add chopped cilantro and cook 1-2 minutes more. Serve filling and lettuce leaves in separate bowls. Each person takes a lettuce leaf, fills with desired amount of turkey mixture and then eats the mixture from the lettuce cup. I fold the lettuce cup over when I eat it, so it’s kind of taco-shaped, but some people like to wrap the lettuce clear around the filling.

Serves 4-6 (although we never seem to get 6 servings out of it)

Chicken Marinade

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Submitted by Renee Teer, who says, “You can’t miss with this recipe.  Everyone always asks for it. If throwing a party, make it the day before, put chicken in big crock pot and let it sit in marinade overnight before grilling.

  • 1  1/2 cup Oil (use one low in saturated fat)
  • 3/4 cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 cup Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1/3 cup lemon juice
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh ground pepper
  • 1  1/2 Tablespoons fresh parsley ( I usually use more)
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 4-5 chicken breasts

Put everything but the chicken in a blender and liquefy. Put marinade with chicken breasts in a zip lock bag and freeze. Take the chicken out of the freezer the morning of the day you want to use it and let it thaw.  The chicken sits in marinade all day and is extra tasty.  Cook on the grill.

I usually make a double batch.

Chicken and veggie Pot Pies

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This recipe is time-consuming, but not difficult. Several short cuts can be employed to make it go faster if you’re pressed for time (see below), but the results of the original are worth the effort. For a hearty meal, use 6 2-cup ramekins or mini soufflé dishes. For kids, or if you prefer something lighter, use 12 1-cup ramekins. The pies can be prepared a day ahead and baked just before serving.

Crust

· 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

· ½ teaspoon salt

· 2 sticks unsalted butter or one stick butter and 1 stick Smart Balance 50/50, cut into pieces when cold and allowed to come to room temperature

· 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, cut into pieces when cold and allowed to come to room temperature

Chicken

  • 4 – 4 1/2 pounds chicken parts
  • 12 cups water
  • 3 small or 2 large onions, quartered
  • 3 large carrots, coarsely chopped
  • 1 large leek, washed and sliced
  • 12 thyme sprigs
  • 2 dried bay leaves

Filling

  • 3 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup finely chopped celery
  • 1 red pepper thinly sliced, and cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts, chopped
  • 4 ounces shitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
  • 4 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced and cut into small pieces
  • 6 ounces green beans, boiled 1 minute and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried

  • 1 stick butter or Smart Balance 50/50
  • ½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons all –purpose flour
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • ¼ cup half and half
  • 4 teaspoons chicken soup base (can be found in the grocery store next to the boullion cubes, etc.)
  • Red pepper flakes (optional)

To Finish

  • 1 egg

To make the crust, mix flour and salt in a food processor. Add butter and cream cheese; blend until moist clumps form. If making 6 large pot pies, form into a 6-inch log. If making 12 small pot pies, form into a 12-inch log. Wrap and chill.

To prepare the chicken, place all ingredients in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 45 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Transfer chicken to a bowl to cool. Strain cooking liquid into a large saucepan. Boil until reduced to 3 cups of stock – about 1 hour. When chicken has cooled, discard skin and bones. Cut meat into ¾ inch pieces. Return meat to bowl. When stock has finished reducing, you may use it at once OR cool it and refrigerate overnight to allow fat to rise to the top so that you an remove fat with a flat spoon or table knife.

To make filling, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add celery, peppers and onion; cook until soft. Transfer to bowl with chicken. In the same skillet over medium heat, Heat 2 Tablespoons oil. Add mushrooms and sauté until just brown. Add to the bowl with chicken. Mix in green beans, green onions, and chopped rosemary.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; whisk 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in 3 cups stock, then milk, half-and-half, and soup base; bring to a boil. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Stir 3 cups sauce into chicken mixture, reserving remaining sauce for another use. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes (if using) and mix well.

To assemble the pies, divide filling evenly among baking dishes. Cut prepared dough crosswise into either 6 or 12 pieces, depending on how many pies you wish to make. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece to fit the top of your ramekin with enough overlap to fold over the edge. Cover each dish with a dough round. Press overhanging dough around the edges of the dishes to seal. (Can be made up to this point, covered and refrigerated for up to a day.)

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat 1 egg. Brush top of each pie with beaten egg. Cut 3 slits in each pie so that steam can escape. Bake about 45 minutes until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.

Possible Short Cuts:

    • Substitute refrigerated biscuit or crescent roll dough for homemade crust.
    • Cook chicken in canned or pre-made broth and skip the reduction step.
    • Use store-bought rotisserie chicken and canned broth and skip both the poaching and reduction steps.
    • Use frozen vegetables.

French Garlic Chicken

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Submitted by Elaine Thorpe, who adapted it from Richard Olney’s Cookbook, circa 1970.

  • 1 or 2 large HEADS garlic
  • 1 ½ cups chicken broth
  • 2 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon oil
  • 3 to 4 pounds chicken parts
  • 1 lemon, peeled, seeded and thinly sliced
  • 2 Tablespoons flour
  • ½ cup dry white wine
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Separate cloves of garlic and place in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil.  Discard water, cover with cold water and peel garlic.  Simmer peeled garlic for 30 minutes in stock. (Partially cover pan)

In a heavy skillet, melt butter and add oil.  When hot, sauté dried chicken pieces until golden.  Remove chicken and place in a 9 by 13 Pyrex or other casserole. Put garlic cloves and lemon slices over chicken.  Make sauce by stirring flour  into the fat in the skillet where the chicken used to be and stir till it’s beginning to thicken; Pour  over chicken, garlic and lemon.  Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is done.

Willy’s BBQ

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Submitted by Diane Caylor Jasper, who writes:  “This is Willy Dreuth’s (husband of Linda Caylor Dreuth) recipe.  He would always make BBQ on one of the days we visited. When I asked him for the recipe he said that it was in his head. One day I picked his brain as he made it and wrote it down. It is delicious!”

  • 1 onion
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • garlic to taste
  • 2 pounds pre-cooked, cubed meat.

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan.  Using medium heat, stir until sauce bubbles.  Add meat.  Cover and simmer until meat breaks down (a couple of hours ? depending on the size of the pieces and the type of meat used).