Green Curry Chicken

Coconut milk finally went on sale at Uwajimaya several weeks ago so I made green curry chicken for dinner.  I usually make red or yellow curry since I usually have ingredients for those dishes on hand.  I switched it up and used green curry instead. I found a small 4 oz. can of green curry paste to experiment with and it was enough to cook for two 4 serving meals. Most recipes call for kaffir lime leaves but I couldn't find it anywhere so I substituted with lime zest instead.  

Green Curry Chicken (serves 4)

Recipe adapted from here and there

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken thighs or breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

2 T green curry paste

1 can coconut milk

3 kaffir lime leaves (I used zest of one lime)

1 cup bamboo shoots

1/2 cup frozen peas*

1/4 cup Thai basil

1-2 T fish sauce

1 T palm sugar

1 T vegetable or canola oil

crushed peanuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Saute the green curry paste with oil over medium heat until fragrant, mix in half of the coconut milk and let simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the chicken and continue cooking until chicken is almost done.
3. Add the remaining coconut milk, kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar and fish sauce, and bring to a boil.
4. Add the bamboo shoots and frozen peas and cook for 4-5 minutes or until the bamboo shoots are softened.
5. Stir in the basil and remove from the heat. Serve over rice and top with crushed peanuts if desired.

*I also made this dish using eggplants instead of peas which I think goes very well with green curry.  It just took a little longer to prepare because you need to cook the eggplants first until they soften before adding to the curry.

Lemon Chicken

I love chicken, more than beef, pork, or any type of meat.  My favorite parts are the wings and the dark meat.  Chicken thighs were on sale at the grocery store so I bought some to make this chicken recipe I saw on Simply Recipes.  It's a very delicious recipe using a few simple ingredients.  I used dried herbs for this recipe because I did not have any fresh ones lying around.  At times like this I wish I had my own herb garden.

Lemon Chicken

serves 4-6

Ingredients:

3-4 lbs. chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in

2 T lemon zest

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 T fresh chopped thyme (or 2 tsp dried)

1 T fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

2-3 T melted butter (I used PAM)

lemon slices for garnish

Directions:

1. Place lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper in a small bowl, whisk to combine.  With the tip of a sharp knife, cut into each chicken piece one or two times by about 1/2 an inch to help marinade penetrate.  Place the chicken pieces and the marinade in a gallon-sized freezer bag.  Rotate the bag so that all chicken pieces are coated with the marinade.  Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (in case of leakage).  Let marinate for 2 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Remove the chicken from marinade and place in a single layer in a baking dish, skin side up.  Reserve the marinade.  Spray PAM or brush a little melted butter on top of chicken pieces.
3. Bake for a total of 50 to 55 minutes, until the skins are crispy brown, and the chicken is cooked through, juices running clear.  Half-way through the baking, at about 25 minutes, baste the chicken pieces generously with reserved marinade.  Let reset, covered in foil, for 10 minutes before serving.
4. Pour the juices from the pan into a serving bowl and skim the fat off the top.  Serve the chicken with the juices on the side or a little poured over the top of the chicken.

Buttermilk Roast Chicken

Are the holidays over yet?  I feel like I'm going to ring in the new year with a few extra pounds from all the food consumption over the last couple of weeks.  It all started with the turkey, ham, stuffing, pumpkin pie...and I realize I've been eating nonstop since.  Oh man, do I dare make a new year's resolution to start hitting the gym?  Maybe not.  I'll just start taking the stairs at work instead of the elevators to make myself feel better.

I made these buttermilk drumsticks for a Christmas potluck and everyone liked it.  The recipe comes from Nigella Lawson on the Food Network.  If you ever have leftover buttermilk in the fridge and want to whip up something delicious for dinner, try this recipe.  The chicken came out very tasty and juicy.  I read some of the reviews to go heavier on the spices because they were bland so I did.  I didn't have maple syrup so I substituted with pancake syrup and maple extract.  I don't think the syrup made any difference.  Next time, I'll try using brown sugar.  I also added paprika and extra garlic and marinated the chicken overnight.  Right before roasting, I sprayed the top of the chicken with PAM and broiled it at the end to brown.

Buttermilk Roast Chicken (6 servings)

Ingredients
12 chicken drumsticks (appx. 3 lbs.)
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup plus 2 T vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, bruised and skins removed
1 T crushed peppercorn
1 T sea salt or 1 1/2 tsp table salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 T maple syrup

Directions
Place the chicken drumsticks in a large freezer bag, and add the buttermilk and 1/4 cup of oil.

Add the bruised garlic cloves to the bag with the crushed peppercorns and salt.

Sprinkle in the ground cumin and add the maple syrup, and then squish everything in the freezer bag around to mix the marinade to coat the chicken.

Leave the buttermilk marinated chicken in the fridge ideally overnight or out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Take the chicken pieces out of the bag shaking off the excess marinade, and then arrange them in a roasting pan lined with foil.

Drizzle over the 2 remaining tablespoons of oil, and then roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until brown, even scorched in parts, and juicily cooked through.

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings

I made these scrumptious chicken wings for my mother-in-law's birthday.  The chicken tastes good alone or with blue cheese dipping sauce.  I liked these because no frying was required and the combination of parmesan and basil was absolutely amazing!

Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken Wings Recipe
From Steamy Kitchen

Serves 4
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (1/2 tsp table salt)
2 1/2 pounds chicken wings
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (or melted butter)
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt (like Lawry's)
1 cup blue cheese dressing
1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (or to taste)

1. Preheat oven to 425F. In a small bowl, mix together the oregano, rosemary, cumin and salt. Lay the chicken wings on a baking sheet and season the chicken wings with this mixture. 

2. Bake the chicken wings for 20-25 minutes. While the chicken is baking, mix together the oil, fresh basil, garlic, parmesan cheese and seasoning salt. 

3. In a separate bowl, mix together the blue cheese dressing with the mustard (this is your dipping sauce)

3. When the chicken is cooked through, toss the wings with the garlic/cheese/butter sauce. Serve with the blue cheese/mustard dressing.