Tag: Chicken

Categories
MAIN COURSE

Thyme smoked chicken (Done on a Weber)


Served with a creamy white wine and thyme sauce, served rice and any vegetables. 

To smoke food, means to slowly cook over indirect heat and a low fire with smoldering flavorings such as herbs or special wood. For this recipe however it is a combination of smoking and roasting. Here we serve the chicken with a Bulgur wheat salad with fennel, egg, grapes and sun-dried tomatoes and a Roast potato with rosemary.

THYME SMOKED CHICKEN

Serves 4

The chicken:
1 large free-range chicken, washed inside and out, and dried
3 tablespoons/45 ml olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
juice of ½ lemon
20 sprigs of fresh thyme, tied in two bundles
2 cups/500 ml chicken stock

The sauce:
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 cup/250 ml chicken stock
the pan drippings
1cup/250 ml fresh cream (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The bulgur wheat salad:
250 g/9 oz bulgur wheat
4 small free-range eggs (small hen’s eggs or quail eggs)
1 fennel bulb, halved and finely sliced
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
25 g/0.8 oz sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and sliced
a handful of green seedless grapes, cut in half
3 tablespoons/45 ml chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons/30 ml chopped fresh mint
75 g (2.6 oz) black olives, stoned
¼ cup/60 ml olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons/30 ml lemon juice
salt and ground black pepper

For the smoking, we strongly recommend using the indirect cooking method in a kettle barbecue. Set up your grill for indirect heat by building a 2 zone fire, one on each side – drip pan goes in the middle under the meat. Make a charcoal fire and let burn until the coals are coated lightly with white ash.
  • Rub the oil over the skin of the chicken and season inside and out with salt and pepper.
  • Prepare the fire with two side fires and a central position for a drip try.
  • Generously rub with olive oil all over, then place the chicken, breasts up, on top of the wire racks of the barbeque, over the hot coals (with the dripping tray directly underneath), then position the sprigs of thyme on each side of the chicken.
  • Place the lid firmly on but keep the grill vents open, and cook for about 20 minutes. Then remove and discard the burnt thyme.
  • Tip the carcass to let the juice in the cavity run into the dripping tray (do this every 10 minutes from now on), pour the chicken stock in the dripping tray, and place the chicken back on the grid with the breasts facing down.
  • Replace the lid firmly again and continue cooking for another 20 minutes.
  • Then make a small incision in the inside of each leg. If the juices run clear it is cooked, otherwise leave it for 5-10 minutes longer.
  • Another way of seeing whether the chicken is cooked, tip it again to see whether the juices in the cavity is clear. If you are satisfied that the juices are clear, remove the chicken from the grill and leave to rest in a warm place, breasts side down, for at least 25 minutes.
  • While the chicken is cooking, heat the oil in a saucepan and gently fry the garlic and shallot until golden.
  • Turn up the heat then add the chicken stock and reduce until syrupy. Put aside until the chicken is cooked.
  • When the chicken is cooked and while resting it, remove the dripping tray from the barbeque and drain off the excess oil.
  • Pour the contents of the dripping through a strainer (scraping off all the bits that are stuck to the tray) into the reduced chicken stock and over medium heat, bring to the boil then add the cream (if using).
  • Pour through a fine sift again into a clean pan and simmer gently until the sauce has thickened, stirring continuously. Check the seasoning.

To serve:

  • Joint the chicken and place a serving of joints on warm serving plates.
  • Spoon the sauce around and garnish with a sprig of fresh thyme.
  • Serve with the rice and other side dishes of your choice.
  • If you wish, cut the chicken in easy serving pieces the Chinese way. A description of this method is in the Glossary.
Categories
MAIN COURSE

Chicken and mushroom casserole with a creamy champagne and tarragon sauce


Served with  Peccorino Swiss chard, and Macaroni and cheese

CHICKEN CASSEROLEServes 4

The casserole:
2 tablespoons olive oil
12 free-range chicken thighs, deboned (reserve the bones)
1 shallot, finely chopped
12 fresh tarragon leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup brut Champagne
½ cup fresh cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
500 g/1 lb fresh mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
fresh tarragon leaves

Fresh shiitake mushrooms can be replaced with dried ones, but use about half the quantity.

The Peccorino Swiss chard:
1 kg/2 lbs Swiss chard
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
½ small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons Peccorino cheese
10 cherry tomatoes, skinned
salt and freshly ground black pepper

The macaroni and cheese:
4 cups milk
40 g butter
50 g/1.7 oz flour, sifted
½ cup Fontina
½ cup mature cheddar cheese
1 teaspoon mustard
400 g/14 oz Riggatoni pasta
15 g/0.5 oz butter
4 large tomatoes, skinned and sliced in 3 mm/0.2 thick slices
1 tablespoon red onion, finely sliced
1 cup Gruyère cheese, freshly grated
½ cup Parmesan

Any leftover Macaroni and cheese is ideal for a light lunch with salad the next day. It will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to four days, but well wrapped, it also freezes well.

The salsa:
2 ripe pears, julienned
2 teaspoons, finely chopped
1 tablespoon pickled ginger, finely sliced
1½ tablespoon chive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons lemon juice
pinch of sugar

The chicken:

  • Heat the oil in a saucepan and lightly sauté the chicken and bones until golden brown all over. Add the shallot and sauté until translucent, then add the tarragon and season with salt and pepper.
  • Add the Champagne and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover and cook for ±20 minutes, remove the bones, then add the mushrooms and cook for another 15 minutes.
  • Mix the cream and mustard and pour over the chicken. Stir and bring to the boil, then cover and cook for 10 more minutes over low heat, stirring often. Serve immediately.
If you prefer to use reduced fat cream and to avoid it curdling, turn the heat right down at the end of the cooking time and only then pour the cream and mustard over the chicken. Stir gently to heat through, not longer than 15 seconds, then remove from the heat. Do not let it boil again – it will curdle.
  • Serve with some fresh tarragon leaves scattered over.

The Swiss chard:

  • Separate the ribs and leaves. Finely chop the ribs and shred the leaves, keeping them separate as the ribs take longer to cook.
  • Heat the butter and olive oil together in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
  • Stir in the garlic and onion, and cook for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
  • Add the ribs and cook for about 5 minutes then add the chard leaves and cook until the leaves are wilted. Drain and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
  • Put the chard, fried garlic and onions in a processor and pulse until it looks like large breadcrumbs.
  • Remove from the processor to a bowl, add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese and Peccorino. Mix well and tomatoes. Season to taste and keep warm.

The macaroni and cheese:

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/392°F.
  • For the cheese sauce, bring the milk to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove from the heat.
  • Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan and over a medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes, then gradually stir in the milk and cook gently, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth.
  • Reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat and add the freshly grated Fontina and cheddar cheese and mustard, then season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  • For the macaroni, cook the Riggatoni until tender, drain and set aside.
  • In a large ovenproof dish, start the layering: First a layer of a third of the pasta, followed by a layer of a third of the tomatoes and onions.
  • Spoon over a third of the sauce and sprinkle over a third of the freshly gated Gruyère cheese, then repeat with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Finally sprinkle over the freshly grated Parmesan. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

The pear salsa:

  • Gently mix the pear, chives and pickled ginger in a bowl.
  • Whisk together the chive oil, mustard, lemon and sugar and just before serving, pour over the salsa.

To serve:
Spoon the sauce over the chicken and scatter the tarragon leaves over. Serve with the Swiss chard, Macaroni and cheese and the Pear, chive and pickled ginger salsa.

Categories
GLOSSARY / METHODS METHODS

CHICKEN STOCK


¼ cup/60 ml olive oil
4 celery sticks, coarsely chopped
2 leeks, coarsely chopped
3 large onions, quartered
3 large carrots, coarsely chopped
½ whole head garlic, unpeeled
3 kg/6.6 lbs raw free range chicken carcasses
5 liters/10.5 pts cold water
6 black peppercorns
6 coriander seeds

Bouquet garni:
1 large leek
1 celery stick
1 large sprig thyme
1 small bunch of parsley
1 bay leaf
Tie the leeks, celery, thyme, parsley stalks and bay leaf together with
kitchen string.

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil and lightly fry the celery, leeks, onions and carrots.  Add  the raw chicken carcasses and cover with the water. Add the peppercorns and coriander seeds, and bring to a gentle simmer, frequently skimming the brown foam that forms on the surface.

Add the bouquet garni to the pot, return to a gentle simmer for about 4½ hours, still skimming frequently but do not stir the stock.  Remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature, then strain it by ladling the contents of the pan through a muslin-lined colander set over a large bowl. Try not to disturb the solids at the bottom, it will make the stock cloudy.  Cool the strained stock, remove all traces of fat, then chill or freeze in smaller containers until needed.  Discard the solids.

For a brown chicken stock simply brown the chicken carcasses or joints in the oven at 200°C/400°F for about 15-20 minutes, before adding to the stock pot.

Categories
MAIN COURSE

Chicken sausage with pistachios and ham


Chicken sausage with pistachios and hamServe with mushroom risotto and apples poached in red wine

CHICKEN SAUSAGEServes 4
If you wish, double or triple the recipe, make the sausages the size you want, cook the quantity you want and freeze the rest for another occasion. When needed, let defrost in the refrigerator and cook as instructed in the recipe.

The chicken:
4 free-range chicken breasts, skin and bones removed, cut into small dice
½ cup spring onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons coriander, chopped
2 tablespoons/ pistachios, roughly chopped
½ cup/ white breadcrumbs
1 cup/ prosciuto, roughly chopped
pinch nutmeg
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2½ cups/ fresh cream
1 egg white
1 tablespoon/45 ml olive oil

The apples in red wine:
4 cups cold water
juice of 1 lemon
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored, keep whole
½ bottle red wine
4 tablespoons sugar
1 strip orange rind
2 whole cloves
¼ cinnamon stick

The risotto:
2 cups chicken stock
6 dried shiitake mushrooms
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (for the mushrooms and onions)
150 g mixed mushrooms, finely sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil (for the risotto)
150 g Arborio rice 
2/3 cup white wine
1 tablespoon truffle trimmings (optional or use 1 teaspoon truffle oil)
½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
4 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F.

The chicken:

  • Process the chicken until smooth, then mix with the spring onions, garlic, coriander, pistachios, bread crumbs, prosciuto, nutmeg and salt and pepper.
  • Whisk the cream until stiff and fold into the chicken mixture.
  • Then whisk the egg white until stiff and carefully fold it also into the chicken mixture.
  • Take a large piece of foil and generously brush with some oil.  Form the chicken mixture into a cylindrical shape about 6 cm/2.5 in in diameter, then roll into sausage.  Twist the ends of the foil to seal well, then place in a baking dish and bake for 1 hour.

The apples:

  • Peel the apples, cut a small slice from the base of each apple so it can sit without toppling, then leave in a bowl of lemon water until ready to use. 
  • In a small saucepan big enough to fit the whole apples snugly, combine the wine, sugar, orange rind, clove and cinnamon and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
  • Add the apples, submerging them with a round piece of parchment paper over the liquid and a small plate on top. Simmer for 25 minutes or until they are almost tender when pierced with a skewer.
  • Remove from the heat and leave the apple to cool completely in the liquid.
  • Strain about one-third of the poaching liquid and bring to a boil over high heat.
  • Reduce until it becomes a syrupy glaze with a consistency of runny honey.  If it is too sticky, add a little more of the poaching liquid.

The risotto:

  • In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer.  Pour out 1 cup of the stock into a bowl with the dried mushrooms.  Set aside to soak until soft — about 15 minutes.  Keep the rest of the stock hot for the risotto.
  • Remove the soaked mushrooms from the soaking liquid and finely slice them.  Strain the soaking liquid of the mushrooms into the simmering stock.
  • In a clean saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil, then add the all the mushrooms (the shiitake mushrooms included) and onion and fry until cooked.  Remove from the saucepan and set aside.
  • Wipe the saucepan and heat 2 tablespoons olive oil, then add the rice and stir to coat until it is lightly toasted but not coloured.
  • Add the wine and bring to the boil until all the alcohol has evaporated. Stir in half a cup of the stock and stir until almost all the liquid has been absorbed.
  • Continue adding the remaining stock, half a cup at a time, to the rice whilst stirring constantly, until almost all but half a cup of stock remains. This should take about 25 minutes.
  • Add the cooked mushrooms, the onions and the balance of the stock.  Stir to heat through.  Remove from the heat, stir in the truffle trimmings (or truffle oil), the cheese and chives, and season to taste.
  • Serve immediately with the chicken sausage and poached apples and drizzle the sauce around.
Categories
MAIN COURSE

Chicken and seafood pilaf


Serve with Chorizo sausage, tomatoes, green beans and almonds

chicken-and-prawn-pilaf4.jpgServes 4

Mussels are a delicious added ingredient, but as I am allergic to these mollusks (and so are many people), I cook them separately by adding the raw mussels to some garlic fried in butter and white wine, then I add them to the individual plates of the other guests.

The  chicken:
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 free-range chicken thighs, deboned, meat cut in bite-size pieces (reserve the bones)
1 cup brut  champagne
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup chicken stock
10 tarragon leaves

The mushrooms:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 rashers of bacon, finely diced
½ onion, finely diced
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
8 fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced

The stock:
30 g/1 oz butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
12 medium prawns, shelled, keep shells and reserve prawns for later use
1 cup fish stock, heated

The rest of the ingredients:
375 g/13 oz fine green beans, topped, and cut into 6 cm pieces
2 cups Basmati rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
the peeled and reserved prawns, deveined
4 Chorizo sausages, sliced 5 mm/¼ in thick

The garnish:
6 spring onions, cut into 3 cm pieces
½ cup slithered almonds, roasted
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded, and diced in small pieces
½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
¼ cup chives, finely chopped

  • In a cast-iron pan, heat the oil then add the chicken meat and bones and fry until golden brown all over. 
  • Add the champagne, seasoning and half the tarragon and cook until all the alcohol has evaporated. 
  • Add half the stock, cover the pan and simmer gently for another 30 minutes. Discard the bones.
  • Meanwhile, heat some oil in a frying pan and add the bacon, onion and garlic and cook until translucent, then add the mushrooms and cook gently until tender.
  • Remove from the pan and set aside in a warm place.
  • Wipe the frying pan and heat the butter, add the garlic and the reserved prawn shells and cook until the shells are pink and aromatic.
  • Add the rest of the chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes.  Strain the stock and discard the solids.
  • Blanch the beans in boiling salted water, refresh in iced water, drain again and set aside in a warm place.
  • Cover the rice with cold water, add salt and bring to the boil.  Cook until all the water has evaporated and the rice is tender.  Keep warm.
  • Heat a large frying pan, wok or paella pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and fry the peeled prawns for about 2 minutes.  Season well then remove with a slotted spoon and reserve.  In the same pan, lightly fry the Chorizo sausages, and set aside.

Assemble the dish:

  • Heat the same pan and add a little oil, add a third of the rice and spread over the bottom of the pan, then scatter over a third of the cooked and reserved ingredients.
  • Scatter over half the Parmesan cheese and chopped chives.
  • Then with two forks, lightly stir the mixture. Repeat the whole exercise. Lastly sprinkle the rest of the Parmesan cheese and chopped chives over and serve.