Grilled Chicken Tacos

I decided last month to re-up my subscription to F&W.  It had been on hiatus for a couple months and unfortunately my pallet & plating was starting to slowly falter.   So after an evening trip to my local Barnes & Noble, I decided to pick up  a copy of my once favorite magazine and test out one it's newer recipe phenoms.  Back on the Mexican kick so here's to our friends at Dos Toros.

Grilled - Chicken Tacos

Ingredients

• 3 tomatoes chopped
• 3 limes juiced
• 2 pinches of Salt
• Tequila
• 4-5 medium chicken thighs
• Cap full of canola oil
• 1 jalapeno diced
• Paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper
• grilled or steamed tortillas

To make marinade, combine tomatoes, lime juice, jalapeno, water, salt in a blender.  Pour over chicken and refrigerate for a couple hours.  Add a little tequila for extra flavor. One marinated, season chicken with remaining spices then over medium high heat grill chicken thighs, flipping once until cooked through.  This should take about 15 minutes.  Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing.  

To assemble Tacos:

In no particular order:  Chicken, chopped avocados, chopped tomato, red onion, and shredded jack cheese.  Salsa & Cilantro are optional.  Serve with grilled corn and black beans.

Enjoy!

Chicken a la Bonsignour!

For those like me who dwell in the area of the city known as the West Village, most have grown accustomed to visiting a small local shop on the corner of 8th & Jane call Cafe Bonsignour.  The place is a quaint local staple, known for it's friendly staff, great lattes, and fresh home cooked meals.  The food is great, known for what they refer to as the 3 lunch special, one can enjoy a sampling of their homemade chicken tenders, roasted beet salad, or cold chicken salad marinated in mustard vinaigrette.  For those that have never been, I highly recommend the Spinach & Feta Timbale!  In honor of our favorite summer time spot here's my version of Chicken Vinaigrette!

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken breast halved
• 1 yellow pepper julienned
• 1 red bell pepper julienned
• 3-4 carrots julienned
• 1 handful of mixed greens 
• 1 cup of mustard vinaigrette

Mustard Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons of stone ground mustard (preferably Grey Poupon)
• 3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinaigrette
• 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• Fresh ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients to form vinaigrette.  Combine in a sealed plastic bag with chicken breast and refrigerate for up to 4 hours.  Save some of the marinade for vegetables.

Preheat over to 400 degrees.  Remove chicken breast from marinade and wipe off excess.  Discard marinade.  Over medium high heat sear both sides of chicken breast to form grill marks.  Remove from heat and bake in oven 10 minutes per side.  

While baking chicken combine remaining  vinaigrette with julienned vegetables and refrigerate.  

When chicken is done set aside on cutting board and let rest for up to 10 minutes.  Slice into 1/4 inch pieces.  

To plate:

Top chicken over mixed greens.  Top with Julienned vegetables.  

Serve & Enjoy!

Dinner @ The Oscars

Oscar's Night.  Oh how exciting for all the men out there.  It's the one night of the year that all Tivo's in the apartment record the same event.  Starting at 4pm we Tivo "Live at the Red Carpet".  Then around 7:30 we switch to ABC 7 (sorry Cablevision viewers) to the Barbara Walters Special live at the Oscars.  Finally at 9 we move on with the show.     I can't really say I've ever been much of an Oscar's fan, in fact my significant other would tell you I hate TV.  I've never seen Avatar, never heard of District 9, An Education,  A Serious Man, Up, or Up in the Air; I happen to see Inglorious Bastards last week and although found it quite good I don't believe it's in the Oscar category....and finally last night I got to see The Hurt Locker.  I'll admit this one deserves all the awards and it looks like Yahoo! agrees.

So in honor of the Oscar's this year I decided to cook light and healthy (@ Leigh's request).

My Oscar award winning Grilled Chicken over Mesclun Greens w/ Honey Vinaigrette.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of Mesclun Greens
• 5 large sliced mushrooms
• 1 small thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 cucumber sliced green
• handful of craisens
• handful of toasted pignoli nuts
• Shaved Parmesan Cheese
• 2 chicken breast butterflied and grilled on a cast iron pan
• season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, olive oil

Grill Chicken over medium high heat until done.  Set aside to rest and slice on an angle.  While cooking chicken combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss with Honey Vinaigrette dressing.  

Honey Vinaigrette Dressing

• Tablespoon of Honey
• 2 Tablespoon of Red Wine Vinegar
• Salt & Fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil

Combine Honey, Vinegar and whisk well together. Slowly drizzle in olive oil until well combined.

Add salt & pepper to taste. Refrigerate for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve chicken over salad and top with shaved parmesan.

And can't forget a special shout out to my Spartans for clinching a share of the Big Ten title.  On to the dance.  Go Green!

Roasted Lemon Chicken - A La Raos

In late 2009 I had the privilege of dining at one of the most famous yet inconceivable restaurants in Manhattan to be at.  For those familiar with the famed Italian eatery, Raos, an 8 table room on the upper east side of Harlem filled with posters of famous actors, musicians, an autographed Mike Piazza & Jorge Posada picture, and yes one large Jukebox with tunes from all genres not including what many young children of my generation would even classify as "music". 

The meal was quite memorable as well, starting with trays of Fried Mozzarella, seafood salad, beefsteak tomatoes & onions, meatballs, garlic bread, & fried & grilled calamari.  The wine was flowing, bottle after bottle, Cabernet, Barolo, Sangiovese, and on and on and on....

And then came dinner.  By the time the trays were laid to rest,  I can only remember one dish.  Not to say everything that night wasn't cooked to perfection, in all honesty I think the wine, apps, pasta had just about put me to rest.  But there was one specific dish, not uncommon to something my mother would have cooked growing up.  Yet this special night, the dish so simply known as "Raos Famous Lemon Chicken" would end up being a staple in my kitchen for many years to come.


Raos Famous Lemon Chicken


Ingredients

• 1 large chicken - halved
• 8-10 Lemons (enough to make 1 cup of Lemon Juice
• 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
• Handful of chopped parsley
• Salt & Fresh ground pepper

Preparation

Preheat broiler for 15 minutes.  Halve chicken lengthwise and set in roasting pan (see below).

Roast for 30-40 minutes turning once.  While roasting whisk together in a bowl lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, & Salt & pepper.  Set aside in refrigerator.  

After 30 minute remove chicken from broiler (leave broiler on) and set aside on cutting board.

Using a sharp knife remove wing and drumstick, cut breast into 3 pieces and thigh into two.  Toss chicken into lemon mixture and place all ingredients back into roasting pan.  Continue to broil for additional 15 minutes.  

Remove chicken from oven.  Pour remaining mixture into small saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir in handful of parsley and when slightly reduced pour over chicken and serve.  Goes great with Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic.

Just another attempt at Stir Fry

This one goes out to all the wannabe's that need to start somewhere.  You really can't screw this one up!

Broccoli.....String Beans...Mushrooms....Chicken Stir Fry!:)

Ingredients

• 2 Chicken Breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
• Package of Broccoli florets
• Handful of string beans
• Sliced Mushrooms
• 2 garlic cloves chopped
• Package of Tofu Spaghetti
• 2 scallions sliced thin (white & green parts)
• Tablespoon of Soy Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons of Sherry
• 1 tablespoon of sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons of canola oil
• Chili Flakes
• Mae Ploy Chili Sauce
• Teaspoon of corn starch
• 1/2 cup of water
• Toasted Sesame seeds
• S&P

Marinate chicken for 15 minutes in Soy Sauce, Sherry, Sesame Oil, Garlic, Corn Starch.

In a separate pot, preferably a wok, heat up canola oil.  Add water,broccoli, string beans and cook until tender yet still crunchy.  Add chicken into pot.  Add chili sauce, chili flakes and mushrooms & noodles.  Combine well together and cook for additional 30 seconds.  Top with scallions and serve.  Top with sesame seeds.

Total cooking time: 15 minutes

Enjoy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup & Blue Cheese Chicken Salad Sandwiches

"Sunday Funday" in Manhattan took on another depressing Spartan loss.  They put up a tough fight but are just lacking the physical toughness that Izzo teams have had in the past.   Post depression will be short lived though as March is just right around the corner.  And as most Green & White teams have in the past...performance in March is all about madness.

Soo...out from the bar into the kitchen for a "fall-ish" evening of comfort cooking.  I'd be lying to everyone if I took credit for this perfect recipe so in honor of the woman whose house I'd like to have for myself I give to thee

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup & Curry Condiments - Courtesy of Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 2 medium to large butternut squash - peeled, seeded and cut into 1" cubes
• 3 small to medium McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1" cubes
• 2 small yellow onions - quartered
• 3 cups of chicken broth - simmer in a pot to the side
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• Kosher Salt & Fresh Black Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon of yellow curry powder
• Scallions - sliced green & white parts
• Toasted coconut flakes
• Chopped Cashews 
• 1/2 banana - diced

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large roasting pan drizzle olive oil, salt & pepper over cubed squash, apples & onions.  Mix with hands and spread in a single layer over sheet pan.  Bake for 30-45 minutes or until fork tender.  

Remove from oven and puree in batches in a food processor.  Add chicken broth to food processor until you get a good consistency.  Once complete, add pureed soup to stock pot and add remainder of chicken stock until you have a thick soup.  Add curry powder, 1 teaspoon of salt & 1/2 teaspoon of pepper.  

Pour hot soup into bowl. Top with cashews, banana, coconut flakes and scallions. Serve and Enjoy! 

Blue Cheese Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 1 large rotisserie chicken cooled and shredded - both white and dark meat
• 2 stalks of celery - diced
• 2-3 tablespoons of reduced fat Mayonnaise
• Juice of half a lemon
• Handful of Craisins
• Handful of Chopped Pecans - toasted and rough chop
• Kosher Salt & Fresh ground pepper

Condiments

• Whole wheat Pita
• Blue Cheese or Blue Cheese Dressing
• L,T,O & Banana Peppers (optional)

Preparation

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate.  Take one pita and slice in half (optional toasted).  Add Blue Cheese into pita.  Add slice of lettuce, tomato, onion and add chicken salad.  Top with banana peppers and serve with soup.  

Whole Wheat Pasta w/grilled chicken & eggplant

Tonight we dine in tribute to Italy. It's not often I cook a meal that requires me never to leave my apartment, but after a dismal outing of my boys today I wasn't really in the mood. And truthfully I might as well toast tonight's dinner to Steve Spagnuolo, a man with an Italian name who single handily cost the giants their season this year (not 100% accurate but his replacement sure did!). Sorry Steve..I'm bitter!

Ingredients

• Half of a box of Whole Wheat spaghetti
• 1 lb of chicken breast (2 halves or prepackaged strips)
• 1 large eggplant sliced in rings
• Olive Oil
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Tomato Sauce (homemade or store bought)
• Italian Parsley
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Parmesan Cheese
• Fresh Mozzarella

Preparation

• Grill chicken breasts over medium high heat until completely done. Set aside to cool
• Remove chicken and immediately grill eggplants on both sides until you obtain grill marks on both sides. Remove eggplant and cool
• Once cool slice chicken lengthwise and cube eggplant
• While chicken and eggplant are cooling boil a pot of salted water. Once water reaches boil cook a handful or so of whole wheat pasta (6-7 minutes for al dente)
• Heat a non stick skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil and a clove of chopped garlic.
• Add tomato sauce to skillet and heat over medium-low flame
• Add chicken and eggplant to skillet
• Add pasta and mix well

To plate

• Take a couple slices of fresh mozzarella and top over pasta
• Sprinkle with Red Pepper flakes and Parmigiana cheese
• Top with parsley and serve!

Curried Chicken Salad Wraps

Chicken dinner leftovers equals Curried Chicken salad wraps!

Ingredients

• leftover chicken from last night pulled (both dark & white meat)
• Little bit of Mayo
• Little bit of plain yogurt
• Curry powder
• Craisens
• Celery

Combine all ingredients together and mix well. Season with Salt & Pepper

To assemble Wrap

• 1 whole wreat wrap
• 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard (optional)
• Pickles, red onions, banana peppers, arugula (all optional but I like my veggies!
• Chicken Salad

Combine and serve.

Slow Cooked Chicken in White Wine & Lemon

Christmas Eve in NYC! Unfortunately the space is limited so my aspirations for cooking for 30 on Thanksgiving have been put on hold. So I thought the next best thing. Slow cooking a chicken marinated in white win, garlic & lemon! As usual, my wife has this thing against herbs so had to leave those on the side...as far as she knows:)

Ingredients

1 Large whole Chicken

1/2 bottle of white wine (I used Savignon Blanc)

3 large lemons (zest first and put to the side)

1 head of garlic

Olive Oil

S&P

1 large onion

1 Slow Cooker or large pot to cook in oven

Take entire chicken and rinse in cold water. Pat Dry with paper towel. Take 2 tablespoons of olive oil and coat entire chicken including core with olive oil, salt & pepper. Stuff cavity of chicken with one whole large onion and half a lemon. Drop into slow cooker. Top off with 1/2 bottle of wine or enough until liquid just below covering the entire chicken. Squeeze 1-2 entire lemons into wine and drop lemon into cooker. Top off with 4-5 crushed garlic cloves, skin on.

Set timer to low heat for 7-8 hours. Go sit on the couch and watch 3 of your favorite Christmas movies. Christmas Vacation....Die Hard....??

8 hours later.....

Pull chicken from slow cooker and set on a plate. Cover to cool. Chicken will continue to cook so you'll need to work quickly to prevent chicken from drying out.

While chicken is cooling take the remainder of the liquid and pour gently into large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to medium low. Depending on level of thickness you may need to add some flour and or increase wine content. Strain and serve.

Using a sharp knife remove legs from chicken as well as breasts (white meat). Remove onion from inner cavity of chicken and slice into quarters. Once all the meat has been removed discard the remainder of the chicken. I also prefer discarding the skin since the slow cooker won't create any crispness.

Plate as seen below.

To complete the Christmas Eve dinner accompany chicken with Sauteed Brussel Sprouts

• 1 pack of Brussel Sprouts washed & trimmed
• 1 tablespoon of EVOO
• 1 tablspoon of Lemon zest
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 1 minced clove of garlic

Heat garlic & shallots in olive oil. Add in brussel sprouts & cook until golden brown. Add lemon zest and give one final toss. Season to your liking.

And Roasted Potatoes w/Rosemary & Garlic

Voila!!...

Chicken Tikka w/Basmati Rice & Chana Sag

Ok...so we love Indian Food. We love it so much we traveled all the way to India to find the perfect meal! Believe me?? Click here

Well Friday night is here and it's also the first night of Channukah. So what better to do on tonight than make an amazing dinner full of Chicken Tikka, Basmati Rice, and my version of Chana Sag!

Enjoy!

Chicken Tikka

Ingredients

• 2-3 large breast of chicken cut into large chunks
• 1/2 cup of plain whole milk yogurt
• Juice of half lime
• 1/4 teaspoon of ground corriander
• 3/4 teaspoon of garam masala
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 cloves of garlic (grate on microplane)
• 2 teaspoons of fresh ginger (grate on micrplane)

Combine all ingredients and marinate with Chicken for 2-3 hours covered and refrigerated

Once the chicken is almost marinated preheat your oven to about 400 degrees. Using a cast iron skillet, preheat the pan in the oven for about 10 minutes. Once the pan is hot, layer the chicken into the pan and bake for 10-15 minutes turning once.

While the chicken is cooking time to make the Chana Sag!

Ingredients

• Can of Chickpeas
• 2 large bags of Spinach (washed)
• Half of one large white onion diced
• 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter
• Teaspoon of Corriander
• Teaspoon of Garam Masala
• Teaspoon of Splenda
• Pinch of Salt

Melt butter over medium heat and add diced onion. Cook until translucent. Add spices and stir. Onions should turn brown. Add spinach and cook until wilted down. Reduce flame until liquid disappears. Once liquid is reduced and chick peas and kick up the flame until dish is really hot. Depending on level of sweetness or saltyness you may want to add more spice. Serve immediately.

To plate:

Layer one large plate with Basmati Rice

Top one end with Chana Sag

Top other end with Chicken Tikka

Serve with lemon wedge, mango chutney & Raita!

Spicy Chicken Stir Fry w/mixed vegetables

Back on the healthy kick post Thanksgiving weekend. Hit the gym, the grocery store & now back in the kitchen. My wife has me on a strict timetable post work hours this evening so I have to make sure I'm prepped and cooked by the time she gets home. So keeping along with the Asian theme that we've seen over the last few posts, we decide to go big & bold with a Spicy Chicken stir fry with mixed vegetables and a mighty tasty sauce! A special shout goes out to my boys at Huy Fong Foods for making the most AWESOME hot sauce on the planet!

Let's start with the prep..Most important step in the meal in order to time this pefectly.

• 2 chicken breasts or a package of stir fry chicken strips rinsed and set aside in a bowl. Marinate in 3-4 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce. I prefer Tamari.

While the chicken is marinating

• 1 large purple eggplant rough chop large pieces
• 2-3 handfuls of greenbeans trimmed
• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
• Handful of your mushroom of choice (i prefer shitaki or white) sliced
• Handful of cashew nuts chopped

Once your veggies are prepped it's time to start cooking. If you have a Wok I suggest you use it but if not any large saute pan (preferably non stick) will do the job.

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable or canola oil over medium heat
• Pour chicken and marinade into hot pan
• Cook 5-6 minutes until tender

• Once the chicken is cooked toss in eggplant, then green beans.
• Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until green beans begin to wilt
• Add mushrooms and chopped garlic and toss for 10 seconds

Now the sauce

• 2 tablespoons of Hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons of sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon (or more depending on level of spice) Sriracha Sauce
• 1/4 cup of tap water
• pinch of red pepper flakes
• tablespoon of honey

Combine all ingredients over high heat until reduced.

Finally add in chopped cashews and white sesame seeds and toss for 10-15 seconds.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

Chicken Milanese

Chicken Milanese is one of my all time favorite meals. It's all about Italian cooking without the heavy pasta and sauce. As a current New Yorker living blocks from the famous Union Square Farmers Market one can only imagine the vast types of tomatoes and vegetables that you can gather in a single walk. Trust me when I say if it wasn't for my fellow farmers this meal wouldn't be as nearly as complete.

Chicken Milanese

2 large pieces of chicken breast - B.S.S (Boned, split, skinned)

1 egg beaten

cup of breadcrumbs (I prefer Panko for this recipe)

S&P

Salad

Arugula

Cherry Tomatoes - all different colors halved

Good Olive Oil

Good Balsamic Vinegar

Lemon

Pound out two extra large pieces of chicken breast. Dip into beaten egg and then coat in bread crumbs. Make sure you drain off the extra egg! Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Take out of oven, top with Arugula & tomato mixture. Top with freshly squeezed lemon juice, olive oil & some balsamic vinegar.

Serve with a side of roasted potatoes & garlic.