Poultry – Page 2

Hot Oven Baked Sliders

February 1, 2016 4 Comments

You guys, I have the biggest crush on my oven. I mean, anything that can bring me hot, toasty, melty, gooey, delicious sammies deserves to be crushed on. Saying these hot oven baked sliders are good is like me telling you that the earth revolves around the sun. It’s not an opinion, it is a fact. Period. So when I say these sliders are 100% ~~worthy~~ a requirement for your Super Bowl Sunday spread, I am merely stating a fact. You should also add this homestyle game-day chili to your menu.

I mean, mountains of shaved and shredded meat, cheese, tangy sauce, on a sweet hawaiian roll, topped with a buttery poppyseed-y dressing. Then baked to perfection, until the cheese and the bread become one and the sauce melts into the meat. And the dressing. Oh the dressing. It will seep into the buns and the buns will glisten in all their glory. Now this is a meal fit for kings…or football fanatics.

That being said, I haven’t had much time (or patience) to figure out my spread because, basically, the manna & spice younglings have been dropping like flies in the last week. Because flu season. So today, after banishing every single germ that could have entered my house (read: cleaning and disinfecting the house), I decided, I simply must pull myself out of my sickness-induced funk and tell you about these fan-thaaahhhhh-asssstic lovelies. And they come with a stamp of approval from The Mister.

You know, the more that I think about it, the more I realize that he is the Jeffery to my Ina. And once, I did send him a box full of baked goods, similar to Ina’s shoebox full of brownies for Jeffery. Back to last night as I pull these sandwiches out of the oven and The Mister leans over my shoulder and goes, “Want me to test one out for you? You know, as the family taste tester.” His sense of smell is amazing.

This was promptly followed by “Ohmygod, this is one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had!”

Okay, okay, enough about us. Let’s go back to these out-of-this-world sliders. You guys, you won’t believe how easy they are to put together, how quickly, they come together, and how perfect they are for feeding a crowd. Did I mention that they’re totally customizable? And um did I tell you how they’re so, so easy, I think I’d even trust The Mister to put them together? Yes, they’re THAT easy!

Hot oven baked sliders= love because they can be made so many different ways. This time, I made two versions. And really, I had a hard time deciding which one I liked more. But the beauty of making two different kinds is you have a little from column A and a little from column B. With one version, I used turkey and baby swiss and the other I did with buffalo chicken and pepperjack cheese. Now, let me tell you, I’m not the biggest fan of buffalo sauce. I know, it’s like a cardinal sin to admit that but I just don’t really care for it. Buffalo sauce in this recipe though, was just wow. No, no, no, I mean I was silently questioning all of my life choices, wondering what else I needed to re-explore because I dismissed it previously. Yes, it was THAT NOM!

Let’s talk dressing. It’s a very simple, no-fail dressing I made with melted butter (I used Smart Balance), dijon mustard, brown sugar or honey (I used brown sugar for the turkey and baby swiss sliders and honey for the buffalo chicken sliders and they are almost identical in taste). And you just just pour it all over the assembled sliders, before popping them into the oven. Oh, and guys, when I say pour, I actually mean smother. Oh yes, S-M-O-T-H-E-R.

Admit it, these sliders look impressive. Honestly, putting poppy seeds on anything makes it look impressive. It says “Hello, I know what I’m doing in the kitchen. I mean, who else do you know that uses poppyseeds? Ex-accccttttllllyyy” Actually, the poppyseeds add a crunchy texture to the sliders and stand up well to the string-ish nature of the cheese. But seriously guys, you can customize the contents of these sliders.

Just a few ideas:

roast beef and cheddar
leave out the cream cheese in the buffalo chicken sliders if you don’t like cream cheese and swap out for more cheese
add pickles
pastrami and french dressing

and the list goes on and on. So you get it when I say, these sliders are like the most versatile things ever. And when you serve them this weekend, prepare to bask in the glory of being the best cook ever.

Some tips:

freezing the rolls beforehand helps to prevent tearing when slicing them in half. I froze mine for an hour and was able to slice right through them. The dressing on top will bring back any moisture that is lost when freezing them.
use a sharp bread knife or a serrated knife to slice the bread-it will allow the weight of the knife to cut the bread rather than force you to exert pressure on the bread and bruising the bread.
The dressing recipe, as written makes enough for 12 sliders. Simple double (or triple) the recipe if you’re making making more than 12 sliders.

Hot Oven Baked Sliders

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 12-24** 1x

Scale

Ingredients

TURKEY SLIDERS
12 sweet hawaiian rolls
12 slices shaved turkey breast
12 slice baby swiss cheese
1 tbsp dijon mustard
6 tbsp mayonnaise
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
BUFFALO CHICKEN SLIDERS
12 sweet hawaiian rolls
1 1/2–2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup hot sauce such as Frank’s Red Hot (I used Frank’s Red Hot Original)
oil for grilling chicken
1/2 cup shredded pepperjack cheese or other cheese of choice
5 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup jarred jalapenos
FOR DRESSING (enough for 12 rolls)*
5 tbsp melted butter or butter spread
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried onion flakes

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
MAKE THE DRESSING
In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, mustard, worcestershire sauce, brown sugar (or honey), garlic powder, onion flakes, and poppy seeds. Whisk together until well blended.
TURKEY SLIDERS
Using a very sharp knife, cut the rolls in half, without separating them into individual rolls. Place bottom half of rolls in lightly greased 9X13 dish. Layer turkey slices onto rolls. Layer cheese slices on top of cheese. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, paprika, worcestershire sauce, and dijon mustard. Stir until combined well. Spread the sauce on the inside of the top half of the rolls. Place onto the rest of the sandwich.
Pour dressing over the top of the assembled sandwiches. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Serve hot.
BUFFALO CHICKEN SLIDERS
Rub chicken with salt, pepper and paprika. Heat enough oil to cook chicken in a saucepan, over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes on each side, or until juices run clear and chicken is completely cooked. Take off heat and move onto a plate or bowl. Using two forks, shred chicken and set aside.
Heat butter on medium heat and add hot sauce in. Stir to combine and cook until butter has melted into the sauce. Add shredded chicken back into pan and cook until sauce has thickened.
Using a sharp knife, slice rolls in half, without breaking them off individually. Place bottom half on a greased 9X13 dish. Layer shredded chicken mixture on top of rolls. Scatter jalapenos evenly. Sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Spread cream cheese gently on inside of the top half of the rolls and place cream cheese side down on top of the chicken.
Pour dressing over the sliders and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes.
Serve hot.

Notes

*the recipe, as written, makes enough for 12 sliders. If you are making a double batch, double the recipe
**the recipe is for two types of sliders. 1 serving is 1 slider.

Lightened Up Chicken Gumbo

January 13, 2016 2 Comments

Guys, something happened last night that changed my world forever. I made the most EARTH SHATTERING gumbo. Not just any ole’ gumbo; I’m talkin’ eyes-growing-wider-with-every-bite-I-want-to-eat-this-forever-and-ever kinda gumbo. YES! It was that fantastic. I’m salivating just thinking about it. It’s a flavor explosion in a bowl. A thick, spicy, tangy sauce is the perfect base to cradle juicy pieces of sausage, tender morsels of chicken, plump shrimp. All surrounded by tiny pieces of sweet onions, celery, green pepper and okra, the star of the show. As a result of being simmered on low heat, the vegetables develop a sweetness that complements the fiery sauce and meat. It is THE ULTIMATE stew.

You know how else I know it was good? My lovely offspring were 100% quiet for the entire 5 minutes it took them to inhale this stuff, breaking the silence to ask for seconds. Okay, really that NEVER happens. At least 1 out of 4 children always has to complain or refuse to eat dinner. No, a 7, 5, 3, and 1 year old all devoured it in minutes, without a single complaint. And you know what else? the 5 year old’s first question this morning, as soon as she got out of bed, was “Can I PUHHHHH-LEASSSSEEE have gumbo for lunch? I promise I’ll be extra good!”

No, seriously, that actually happened.

I deeply love cajun food. I love gumbo, jambalaya, beignets, crawfish etouffee …you name it, I love it. It deepened when I first saw Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. I’m dead serious. The way the characters talk about gumbo and prep the vegetables, I was hooked. Then, when the animated form is served, it looks incredible so I could only imagine the real stuff being nothing short of delectable! That movie pretty much sealed the deal for me. I live in the absolute wrong place; I should be living in New Orleans!

Any time I’m at a cajun restaurant, I look at the gumbo longingly. Because you see, my family doesn’t eat pork and gumbo almost always has andouille sausage, which is made from pork. Over the years, I have had to experiment and come up with an alternative. I’ve got one word for you: soujuk.

What is this soujuk, you ask? Soujuk is a turkish sausage make of lamb and/or beef and uses similar spices to that of andouille sausage. Most middle eastern grocery stores carry them. I have at least two in my freezer at any given time because I end up making A LOT of cajun food. It comes in hot and mild; the hot can be pretty spicy so if you don’t do well with spice, opt for the mild. If you’ve never worked with this kind of sausage before, it comes stuffed in a waxy, paper casing- you have to cut it off before slicing the sausage.

The key to great gumbo is to get the roux right. Roux is the quintessential component of gumbo. Roux is flour that is cooked in fat, sometimes just to cook away the “raw” taste of flour, while other times, it is slowly cooked until it turns a deep brown color. Normally, for gumbo you have to babysit the roux, stirring constantly to prevent scorching, cooking on very low heat, until it turns into a deep, rich, nutty brown. It’s a lot of work and requires a lot of fat. My method is a lot easier and also omits the need for an entire cup of oil, without taking away from the flavor. Imagine that, so many calories slashed!

I toast all-purpose flour in a 400 degree oven for 45-50 minutes, until the flour becomes a deep, nutty brown. And your kitchen will fill with this wonderful aroma. Toasted flour is not only a great alternative for a healthier roux, you can use it in baked goods too. It gives a deep, nutty flavor that regular flour can’t compete with. Try it the next time you bake!

Gumbo seems like an intimidating dish. I worked myself up to gumbo because it seemed so tedious and a ‘professional chef grade’ dish. Let me stop you right there and tell you it is neither; anyone can make gumbo. There are some complicated recipes out there for making gumbo but I’ve really simplified the process. If you follow my directions, you will end up with a meal that LOOKS gourmet and good enough for company but without that much actual work for you!

A few suggestions to simplify the process:

*use a dutch oven, if you have one. You will need to simmer the gumbo on very low heat and a dutch oven, or a heavy bottomed pot with a lid, cooks evenly and keeps the heat trapped in the pot. If you don’t have a dutch oven, use the heaviest bottomed pot you have. Make sure it has a lid.

*don’t skip toasting the flour; it will take an average dish from satisfactory to amazing and gourmet. You NEED to have toasted flour to make the roux for gumbo.

*add the shrimp at the very end of the cooking process. I have seen way too much overcooked shrimp ruin dishes and it is very unappetizing. Shrimp cooks very quickly; in about 3-4 minutes. Add the shrimp in, close the lid, and check in 3 minutes. If the shrimp is lightly pink or opaque, it is cooked. Take it off the heat!

*if you don’t end up using soujuk…then you might as well not make the gumbo. I’m serious. The deep, smokey flavor in the gumbo comes from cooking the vegetables in the soujuk fat, after browning the soujuk. In fact, you cook the chicken in the fat too. So really, there is no gumbo without the rendered fat of soujuk.

*serve the gumbo with rice. I highly recommend just a half serving of rice because gumbo is meant to be soupy, not dry. The rice to gumbo ratio should be 2:1. I used brown, long grain basmati and I thought it worked perfectly. The nutty flavor of the brown basmati rice really adds another layer of depth to the gumbo but if you are one of those “I can’t eat any whole grain starches” then feel free to use white rice; it works just as well.

Lightened Up Chicken Gumbo

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 mins
Total Time: 1 hour 30 mins
Yield: 8 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 lb soujuk (andouille sausage substitute), cut into 1″ thick, angled slices
1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast (or boneless, skinless chicken thighs)
1 lb peeled and deveined raw shrimp
¾ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups sliced okra (frozen or fresh)
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
4 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp distilled white vinegar
2 tsp Cajun seasoning (like Zataran’s) or to taste
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp hot sauce (like Tabasco) or to taste
2 tsp dried thyme
4 bay leaves
2 chicken bouillon cubes
4–5 cups water
2–4 stalks green onions, finely chopped (for garnish)
chopped parsley for garnish
cooked rice (white or brown)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Spread flour on a baking sheet evenly. Toast in oven for 30 minutes. Stir flour to ensure even browing. Return to oven and cook for 15-20 minutes, until the flour becomes golden brown and develops a nutty smell. Remove from oven and set aside.
Heat a dutch oven on high heat and add soujuk in an even layer and brown each both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add chicken to the rendered fat and cook until chicken is no longer pink on the inside, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium low and add onions into the rendered fat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions become translucent. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add celery and green pepper and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
Slowly add in toasted flour and mix well. Add browned soujuk and stir to coat with flour mixture. Stir in tomato paste and diced tomatoes. Add 4 cups water, stirring to dissolve lumps. Add in vinegar and chicken bouillon cubes, stirring to dissolve. bring to a boil and reduce heat to lowest setting.
Add in thyme, bay leaves, salt, paprika, hot sauce, cajun seasoning, and okra. Cover and simmer for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove lid and shrimp and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, until shrimp turns opaque. Remove from heat.
Serve with rice. Garnish with green onions and parsley.

20 Minute Southwest Chicken Skillet

December 30, 2015 2 Comments

This is it: the last post of 2015. I wanted to get one last post up before I sign off for a week, while my family and I have some much needed relaxation time!

With the kids being home for winter break and getting ready for holiday travel, things have been quite hectic here. When the kids are home, I don’t have as much time to luxuriate while cooking so I need quick meals I can pull together in a flash. My 20 minute southwest chicken skillet is PERFECT for days like these, where everything comes together in one pan with a ton of veggies and very little clean up.

I love making this 20 minute southwest chicken skillet almost as much as much as my family loves eating it. So much so that it’s now a part of our regular rotation. In fact, my sister-in-law loved it so much that she started making it too. It all started when I really couldn’t stand cooking, or doing anything that didn’t have sleeping involved, while pregnant with my youngest. With the threat of dinner looming overhead and chicken breasts in the fridge, I knew I had to work fast.

Fun fact: I perform extremely well under pressure. I think it’s the procrastinator in me. There is a thrill of racing against the clock to see if you actually make it.

I pulled out my cast iron skillet, one of the most useful gifts anyone has ever given me (thank you, dear mother-in-law!). I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love my cast iron skillet. It heats up beautifully and sears meat to perfection. I also use it to make another favorite, guiltless eggroll in a bowl. I mean, I’m sitting here thinking about the countless steaks I’ve cooked in this bad boy, and I have this big, goofy grin on my face. Yes, that is how much I adore my cast iron skillet. I heated olive oil, tossed in some vegetables and listened to the melodic hiss of the vegetables as they danced around the pan, their sugars caramelizing.

Toss in the chicken and I have the symphony right here! As they sizzle and hiss to perfection, I heat up some tortillas and sometimes, if I’m feeling especially ambitious, I put together a pot of cilantro lime rice.

Normally I plan ahead and try to limit using canned foods in my cooking but some things are unavoidable, like tomatoes. I mean really, who has the time (or patience) to stand there, scoring a tomato, flash cooking it, and plunging it into an ice water bath and then peeling it? Not me. So tomatoes are my exception for things like my 30 minute marinara sauce. I will occasionally use canned beans, if I’m racing the clock and didn’t think far ahead. In those times of desperation, I toss in a can of black beans. On this particular day, I had leftover black beans in the fridge so I used those.

Back to the accompaniments. I’m more of a use-what’s-in-the-fridge type of girl so this time, I ended up using sour cream because that’s what was in the fridge. Other times, when avocados are in season, I serve the skillet with a healthy serving of avocado. Other times, it’s pico de gallo and other times still it’s even more cheese on top.

Who can say no to cheese?! Uh, not me! My absolute FAVORITE part about the 20-minute southwest chicken skillet is that it tastes even better the next day!

And with that, my friends, I bid you adieu and a happy new year with more to come in the next year!

20 Minute Southwest Chicken Skillet

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 20 mins
Yield: 6 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
2 cups frozen corn
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, chopped
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 15.5 oz can black beans
1 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped cilantro, plus 1 tbsp for garnish
1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder

Instructions

Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan on medium high heat. Add onions and saute until translucent. Add peppers and cook until peppers begin to soften. Sprinkle in salt and cumin.
Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds, until garlic becomes fragrant. Add chicken and chili powder. Cook until chicken is cooked and juices run clear. Add tomatoes, corn, and black beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, covered.
Stir in 1/2 the cheese and cilantro and let cheese melt. Top with remaining cheese and green onions. Cover for 2 minutes until cheese is melted. Garnish with remaining cilantro.
Serve with warm tortillas and/or rice, chopped avocados, pico de gallo, sour cream etc.

Skinny Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Verde Sauce

December 9, 2015 2 Comments

I’ll tell you right off the bat: these Skinny Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Verde Sauce are probably not authentically Mexican (neither is most of the Mexican food we eat, anyway) but that they are oh so delicious! In fact, my mouth just watered thinking about them. Enchiladas is hands down the most requested dish by the Mister and the most craved by me. And if you make them as much as I do, then you have to come up with a lighter version pronto, because all that cheese, while delicious, and sodium from canned sauce rack up check marks in the negative column pretty quickly. So I took what can traditionally be a calorific meal and lighted it way the heck up! If you make the sauce in advance, which the recipe is PERFECT for, these skinny chicken enchiladas come together so quickly that you’ll be hailed the family hero for having dinner for dinner in half an hour!

Have I told you how good these enchiladas are yet?! No? Okay, one day, a friend came over for lunch and I whipped up a pan of these babies, thinking there would be plenty left for dinner too. This was early in our marriage, when it was just the two of us, and I still had my sanity. I calculate two enchiladas per serving, which is pretty generous so I was thinking, lunch and dinner that day, leftovers for lunch the next day, you see where I’m going with this. By the end of the meal, I knew I’d have to make something else for dinner because there was only one enchilada left. Yep, my friend inhaled about five servings, in between exclamations of ” OHMYGOD, this is so good!”

Now, let’s talk sauce. I like red sauce but I love, love, LOVE green sauce and usually have the ingredients on hand to whip this sauce up at a moment’s notice. It all starts with roasting the vegetables. I mean fresh tomatillos, juicy red tomatoes, fiery jalapenos, pungent garlic, sweet red onion are roasted in the oven until completely soft and caramelized. They release this amazingly rich liquid from roasting at such high heat. Then they get the royal treatment and go under the broiler until their skin is charred and blistered, which will infuse a smoky flavor into the sauce.

If you don’t like too much heat, remove the seeds from the jalapenos before roasting them. I usually keep the seeds intact and throw in a habanero pepper or two, with the stem removed if I want a really spicy sauce. Did I mention that I eat abnormally spicy food, all the time?

Once the vegetables are cool, transfer them to food processor or blender, throw in some spices, give them a whirl and your sauce is ready. I don’t puree completely, I like the sauce to have some texture and body. It make for beautiful presentation and the flavors from the chunks are like little bursts of freshness in your mouth when eating. And oh boy, does this sauce go oh so well with tortilla chips. I also like to mix it in into the eggs as I’m beating them for scrambled eggs. Or drizzled on top of rice. Or pretty much anything. This sauce will make cardboard taste delicious; it is that magical.

My house is an unapologetically corn tortilla household. Flour tortillas get soggy, have a refined taste to them, and they don’t absorb the verde sauce the way corn tortillas do. I tend to use yellow corn tortillas because they’re visually more appealing to me, and they make for better pictures than the white corn or blue corn tortillas but there isn’t a significant difference in flavor among the three in this dish. The best way to heat tortillas is to dry heat them in a pan, on high heat without any oil, about 15 seconds on each side, until pliable. If you’re lazy like me, you can wrap up a dozen of them in a damp paper towel (usually takes about 3-4 towels still attached to each other), and microwave for a minute, until soft. It may take longer, depending on the heat and efficiency of your microwave. What you don’t want to do is, overheat the tortillas, which will dry them out and make them brittle. Which brings me to my next point: keep the tortillas wrapped up and take one out at a time as you’re filling them; it’ll keep them moist and pliable.

The enchiladas, once stuffed, will fit in a 9X13 pan pretty comfortably. I do a horizontal row of eight, seam side down, then 2 vertical rows of two each, at the edges of the pan, to fit all twelve in. At this point, you can wrap tightly in plastic wrap and freeze them, which I tend to do often because I usually make double batches, or you can wait impatiently for 25 minutes while they’re in the oven. Serve the enchiladas with a southwest salad or mexican rice and you’ve got yourself a killer meal!

Skinny Chicken Enchiladas with Roasted Verde Sauce

Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Yield: 6 1x

Scale

Ingredients

For verde sauce:
8 tomatillos, husked and washed
2 tomatoes, with core removed
2 jalapeno peppers, stems and seeds removed
1 red onion, quartered
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder (optional)

for the enchiladas:
1 lb ground chicken (breast or thigh meat)
12 corn tortillas, heated until pliable
2 1/2 cups verde sauce (see recipe below)
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped
cilantro for garnish

Instructions

To make sauce:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place all the vegetables on a baking sheet, on the middle rack, and roast for 30 minutes, or until soft. Move to the closet rack to the broiler and broil for 5 minutes, until the skin is charred but not burnt. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
Place the roasted vegetables and liquid released into a blender or food processor. Add salt, chili powder, cumin, and lemon juice and process into a sauce. Add water, 1 tbsp at a time if the sauce is too thick (The consistency should be as thick as marinara sauce). Set Aside.
*Note: the recipe yields 4-5 cups of verde sauce
To make the enchiladas:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil on medium heat and add onion. Cook until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add salt and tomatoes and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the water from the tomatoes evaporates.
Add garlic powder, cumin and chili powder and incorporate well. Cook for 1 more minute and add chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, until chicken is completely cooked. Remove from heat.
Stir in 1/2 cup cheese.
Coat a 9X13 pan with 1 cup of the verde sauce.
Fill each tortilla with 2-3 tbsp on the chicken mixture , roll both sides so there is overlap and place seam side down in the pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
Top with the remaining sauce, coating the enchiladas evenly. Top with remaining cheese and chopped green onions.
Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Gluten-Free Chicken Chapli Kabab (Flattened Chicken Kabab)

December 4, 2015 4 Comments

I have a confession to make. I use boxed spice mix for South-Asian food sometimes. Especially for Pakistani dishes like chapli kabab because I grew up in a very Indian household and Pakistani spices and dishes were exotic.We didn’t know how to replicate them and didn’t dare try. So when my mother discovered boxed mixes for dishes like chapli kabab and nihari (slow-cooked beef shank curry), we were all elated to get our favorite restaurant dishes at home (at least in our own home, as opposed to at our Pakistani friends and neighbors). Who can say no to these scrumptious, flattened, spiced meat “cookies”, fried to a golden perfection? Certainly, not me! So, naturally, when I started cooking, I too used these spice mixes without hesitation. Until I took a relaxing trip to the Indian grocery store last week because, as a mother of four, sometimes I just need a break. And grocery shopping is a vacation, comparatively speaking. As I was cruising the aisles, I stopped and reached for the box of chapli kabab mix. Then, as I scanned the ingredients which has become a habit, I thought to myself, “Why don’t I make chapli kababs from scratch? It can’t be that hard.” And I heard myself exclaim, “Challenge accepted!.” The two other older Indian women looked at me with puzzled expressions. They didn’t share my enthusiasm, clearly.

It starts with a mortar and pestle and some whole spices and do they smell amazing! Coriander seeds, cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, and pomegranate seeds are gently crushed together to create an intoxicating aroma that makes me salivate thinking about the perfectly crisp patty that I will be indulging in shortly. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle, you can just as effectively grind them in a spice grinder or coffee grinder (I keep one just for spices). Just don’t grind it too fine, you want to get some texture to the spices. In the last year especially, I have been focused on eating minimally processed foods and incorporating fresh fruit and vegetables into my family’s diet, to instill healthy habits in my childen. And honestly, it really isn’t that much harder to make alterations to our favorite foods so that they are aren’t so nutritionally vacant. My version of chapli kabab is healthier. I replaced the beef/lamb with ground chicken breast (you can use boneless, skinless ground thigh meat if you prefer) and shallow “fry” the kababs, in a non-stick pan brushed lightly with oil. The result: spicy, tender, flavorful kababs with only a fraction of the fat. And I can’t even tell the difference, other than the chicken chapli kabab not leaving a greasy residue on my fingers. I’m about to give away another BIG secret: I use chia seeds in these chapli kababs, to cut back on carbs from the flour that is traditionally used as a binder and to keep them gluten-free. This way, I can add a little of chickpea flour and it works wonders, while giving the kababs another layer of flavor that plain flour won’t provide. Plus, the chia seeds add a lot of nutritional bulk. Once fully mixed, the mixture will be sticky. That’s a good thing. To form patties, just lightly grease your hands, or wet them completely, which is how I like to do it (so I don’t add too many more calories with the oil), form into thin patties, about 1/8 inch thick. Some people prefer to form all the patties and then freeze for 15 minutes to make the mixture easier to handle. I prefer to form the patties with wet hands and slide them directly to the pan they’re being cooked in. Both methods are equally effective but being the impatient person that I am, I can’t sit around and wait for those entire 15 minutes!

I never use cooking spray directly on my non-stick pots and pans. Why? Because the soy lecithin found in cooking sprays, if it doesn’t burn off, adheres to the non-stick coating, leaving a sticky residue no matter how much you clean it. Before you heat the pan, add 1/2 a tsp of oil and brush it with a regular basting brush or use a paper towel to gently coat the pan. This will protect the coating and prevent the food from both sticking to the pan and absorbing less oil. I use both a brush to coat the pan and an oil sprayer like this one. I also generally don’t go more than medium high on the flame to ensure even cooking in a non-stick pan.

Don’t crowd the pan, add only enough kababs that comfortably fit in the pan. I can fit about 3-4 and still have room to flip and maneuver. If you overcrowd, the kababs will lower the temperature of the pan and simply steam rather than cook, and you won’t get that nice crispy, crust. And the result are these light, tender, moist, spicy, kababs that you will find yourself unable to stop eating!

Gluten-Free Chicken Chapli Kabab (Flattened Chicken Kabab)

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 16-18 patties 1x

Scale

Ingredients

1 lb ground chicken (breast or boneless, skinless chicken thigh)
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
1/3 cup chickpea flour
2 tbsp chia seeds
1 whole egg
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp whole coriander seeds
1/2 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp pomegranate seeds
1–2 tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to desired spice level)
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
vegetable oil to brush pan or shallow fry

Instructions

Crush cumin, coriander, pomegranate, and red pepper flakes in a mortar and pestle to form a coarse powder, or grind in a spice grinder. Set aside.
Squeeze out excess water in chicken and add in a large bowl. Combine chicken, garlic, ginger, salt, onions, tomatoes, cilantro, chickpea flour, egg, chia seeds, chili powder, turmeric, and spice mixture. Mix well.
Wet hands or rub lightly with oil. Form golf ball sized balls and flatten into thin patties, about 1/8 inch in thickness. Freeze for 15 minutes if desired, to make patties firmer.
Coat a non-stick pan with vegetable oil and heat on medium flame. Add 3-4 patties at a time. You should hear a sizzle as your put the patties in the pan. Cook each side for 2-3 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and repeat with remaining kababs, oil pan between each batch of kababs.
Serve with hot naan or chappati, chopped tomatoes and sliced onions if desired.

Hyderabadi Turkey Biryani

December 1, 2015 6 Comments

Almost every South Asian family has a biryani recipe that is ‘the best biryani you will ever have!’. Hyderabad, which is where my family is originally from, is especially known for its biryani and I have to admit, it is the best kind of biryani. The biryani recipe is coveted, considered a rite of passage as it is passed down from one generation to another, and you risk disownment if you ever spill the beans. Biryani is serious business for South Asians. This Hyderabadi turkey biryani, I will tell you right off the bat, is neither an old family recipe nor is it traditional but it is absolutely delicious and one of the reasons I make a tandoori-style turkey every year for Thanksgiving. It is a fantastic way to repurpose leftover turkey, regardless of how the turkey was cooked. Turkey biryani is a perfect blend of an ‘East meets West’, while finishing off those leftovers until the next Thanksgiving! Between turkey biryani and the flaky turkey pot pie I made over the weekend, I have polished off most of the Thanksgiving leftovers!

Biryani itself is considered a special occasion food, served as the highlight of parties, gatherings, and festive occasions. Long grains of perfectly cooked rice are layered with meat (or vegetables) which are marinated in an aromatic sauce of yogurt and delicious spices. It is topped off with a rich saffron infused water and slow cooked until the meat is tender and the rice is infused with the rich flavors of the yogurt and meat. Biting into whole spices like cloves or cinnamon sticks is not something I particularly consider a pleasant experience in the process of eating biryani but these spices are the essence of the flavors of biryani. I wrap up all the edible ‘in-edibles’ in a piece of cheesecloth, throw it into the pot with the water for the rice and put it back in the pot once everything has been layered so it can continue to do its job. At the very end, I just take the cheesecloth bundle out and voila! No more biting into cloves, cinnamon sticks, and other whole spices. You will thank me when you make biryani with this adjustment.

It all begins with the golden brown onions. I like to fry my own onions because they’re fresh and because I can control how much oil I use. But to save time, you can find pre-fried onions at most Indian grocery stores. Frying onions requires patience. And then you have to spring into action pretty quickly, once they’re done because going from perfectly done to burnt to a crisp has only a few seconds in between.When adding the turkey to the yogurt, I keep the turkey in fairly large pieces so it doesn’t dissolve and turn into shredded turkey. I also add the turkey in long enough to heat the meat and coat it with the yogurt and spices. If you cook it for longer, the turkey can become pasty and dry and there is nothing worse than turkey paste with rice. I’ve had my fair share of biryani that went horribly wrong.

Now, let’s talk about the rice. The rice is the most important component of biryani, when cooked right. The meat is well..the meat. But if the rice is overcooked or undercooked, the dish can be offputting. I was once at a party where the host, after dinner, asked how the biryani was and I thought to myself, “Oh, is that what that dish was?!” and I did in fact, say it out loud. I haven’t been invited back to that particular house. Back to cooking the rice…

First, rinse the rice gently with cold water, in a fine mesh strainer. In a large bowl, soak the rice in cold water for a minimum of 30 minutes and no more than 2 hours. This elongates the grains and prevents them from breaking as they cook. When it is time to cook the rice, fill a large pot with cold water. Make sure the pot is big enough to fill with enough water so that water doesn’t dry up. Salt the water generously, add the black cumin seeds and cheesecloth bundle, and bring to a rolling boil. This is the most important part. Add the rice and stir occasionally. Watch the water like a hawk. This is not the time to walk away, change the channel, clean up etc. The rice should be al dente, like pasta, which usually takes 5-8 minutes, depending on how much rice you have. For this recipe, it took 7 minutes to get to the ‘tender but has a bite’ phase with the grains. Strain in a fine mesh strainer, immediately. I like to set up the strainer over the sink while I’m waiting for the water to come to a boil the first time.

After you have layered the meat and rice (rice, meat, onions, herbs, rice, saffron water, sprinkle of oil), create a tight seal with aluminum foil and a heavy lid. I use a dutch oven to make biryani so I just cover the top with aluminum foil and then place the lid as extra weight on top. You want to create and retain as much heat and steam as possible in the pot so the rice goes from al dente to tender. Your nose will (usually) let you know when the biryani is done.

Turkey Biryani

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 40 mins
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 10 1x

Scale

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups uncooked basmati rice
1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus 2 tbsp
2 onions, thinly sliced
2–3 cups cooked turkey, bones removed
2 serrano peppers, stems taken off (optional)
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp minced ginger
3 cups plain yogurt (I use low-fat)
5 tsp salt
2 tsp garam masaala
1 tsp turmeric
2–3 tsp chili powder (adjust to preference)
2 tsp black cumin seeds
3–4 whole cinnamon sticks
8 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
6–8 strands saffron threads, mixed with 1/4 cup hot water
1/2 cup water

Instructions

Rinse rice in a fine mesh strainer, with cold water. Soak the rice in a large bowl, with enough cold water to cover it for at least 30 minutes but no more than 2 hours.
Heat 1/3 cup oil in a large pot on medium high heat. Add onions and fry until onions are golden brown, stirring to avoid burning or sticking to pot. Once onions are golden brown, 8-10 minutes, remove from pan and set aside.
Add garlic and ginger to oil and stir fry until golden brown, 2-3 minutes. Be careful, the mixture will spatter! Add garam masala, 3 tsp salt, chili powder,and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds. Add yogurt and reduce heat to simmer. Add serrano pepper. Bring to a boil, stir occasionally, and cook until yogurt has reduced by half, about 8-10 minutes. Add turkey and coat turkey with yogurt mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until turkey is heated. Remove from heat. Remove serrano peppers if desired.
Wrap cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, bay leaves, and whole cloves in a cheesecloth, tying the knot tightly.
In a large pot, add about 12 cups cold water, 2 tsp salt, the spice bundle in cheesecloth, and black cumin seeds. Bring to a boil. Strain soaked rice and add to boiling water. Bring to a boil for 5-8 minutes, until the rice is firm but tender, al dente. Strain immediately.
Fill a heavy bottomed pot with half of the cooked rice. Layer with turkey and yogurt mixture. Top with fried onions and cilantro. Add remaining rice. Drizzle with remaining oil and saffron water and plain water. Place cheesecloth bundle on top.
Cover with aluminum foil and pot lid. Cook on an extremely low flame for 35-40 minutes, until rice is tender.
Serve with yogurt.