Mallika's Chicken Pot Pie

 I've been pretty lucky in life with getting roommates who make our kitchen smell mouth-watering good! Starting with Celadon in NYC making her Bacon and Gruyere Quiche, and now in San Francisco with Nichole's increasingly impressive and delicious Mad Dough bread baking and on a recent rainy Saturday our kitchen was filled with the amazing comforting smells of my roommate Mallika's chicken pot pie. 2 Pies! This is some fine comfort food! The crust was perfect and the insides were warm and hearty.

Mallika's Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 package refrigerated pie crust
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 3/4 chicken broth
1/2 cup low fat milk
2 1/2 cups diced chicken breast
1 cup mushrooms
2 cups peas

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 425°F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for Two-Crust Pie using 9-inch glass pie pan.

2. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.

3. Stir in chicken and mixed vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust.

4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving

Aaron's Central Coast Tacos. DELICIOUS

One of my best friends, Erica, recently returned from Thailand and she came over with a friend she met there - Aaron for dinner one evening. Apparently Aaron had been talking about these 'Korean Tacos' (we renamed them Central Coast Tacos - because there is more about them that is 'Central Coast' rather than Korean) for a while - so there was a lot of excitement to try these. These tacos are ridiculous. Probably the best chicken tacos I've ever had. Aaron said he has been working on perfecting this recipe for a while and he hopes to one day open a food truck. I will be one of the first in line. These tacos are fresh and flavorful. The slaw has the perfect amount of tang to constrast the mildly spicy chicken. And the pesto ties it all together. Served on a fluffy whole grain tortilla - these tacos are nothing less than divine. Here is a picture of Aaron and Erica :)

(Insert cheesy line here) - Aaron's creation really puts the TAsty in TAcos.

Korean BBQ Chicken Tacos

1. Buy or Roast 1 chicken and shred it by hand into a pot

2. Pour Korean BBQ Sauce (see recipe below) over the chicken and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until chicken has absorbed most the sauce.

3. Turn off heat.

Korean BBQ Sauce:

3/8 cup or 6 tbsp of Korean fermented hot pepper paste (gochujang)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 to 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar (to your taste)

2 tbsp sesame oil

Asian Slaw

1. Shred a head of cabbage
2. Shred 1 or 2 carrots
3. Chop a bunch of green onions
4. Mix together in a bowl
5. Pour Dressing (see below) over the slaw
6. Mix every 2 minutes about 5 times
7. Let sit until ready to eat (at least 5 or 10 minutes)

Dressing

3/4 cup olive oil (extra light if possible)
1/4 cup white sugar (or a little less)
3/8 cup unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Lemon Pesto
4 to 6 oz pesto
1/4 cup lemon juice (personal preference, do it by taste)
*Note - Can either stir or blend together depending on the type of pesto.

Tortillas

2-3 small fresh flour tortillas or gorditas per person (fluffier tortillas are better)
*Note - Recipe serves about between 10 and 12 small tortillas 

Putting it all together

Heat flours tortillas, put season chicken on, put slaw on, put a spoonful of lemon pesto on.

Thai Lettuce Wraps

For one of my best friend's, Maxine's, 24th birthday - we had a big birthday feast at my apartment and one of the main dishes were these 'assemble-your-own' Thai lettuce wraps. My first experience with lettuce wraps was in 2005 at the Cheesecake Factory. I'd say that the lettuce wraps are on par with the cheesecake at this chain. Crisp cold wedges of iceberg lettuce holding a warm tofu or chicken mixture and an assortment of freshly grated vegetables. These are also a healthy and delicious party food that is easy to prepare - the majority of the work is in prepping all the ingredients. Thai lettuce wraps should be served with an assortment of sauces. We hat a sweet and sour peach chili sauce, a hot chili sauce and a smoky Thai peanut sauce. Here is the birthday girl with her lettuce wrap:

Thai Lettuce Wraps
(Serves 8)

Ingredients:
1 head of iceberg lettuce
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 thumb-size pieces of ginger, minced
2 red chilis minced
1 cup firm tofu, sliced into matchsticks
1 cup cooked chicken
2 carrots, grated
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
2 eggs
1 cup shredded red cabbage
6 green onions, sliced into matchsticks
4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
Canola oil

Toppings:
1 bunch of Thai basil, thinly sliced
1 cup peanuts, roughly chopped

Directions:
1. Pour oil into a wok over medium high heat. Add garlic, ginger and chili. Stir-fry for one minute until fragrant.
2. Add the chicken, carrots, cabbage and green onions. As you stir fry add the lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and oyster sauce. Add in the tofu, toss to coat with the sauces and stir-fry for about 1 minute.
3. Push the ingredients to the side of the wok and crack the eggs into the wok. Stir-fry quickly to break the yolk. Mix in with the other ingredients.
4. Remove from heat and do a taste test. This is one of the most important parts about preparing stir-fry. If it is too salty add in additional ingredients to absorb the sauce, if it needs more punch - add in a little more lime or fish sauce.
5. Cut off the stem part of the iceberg lettuce and separate the leaves.
6. Place leaves on a dish, stir-fry filling in a separate dish, sauces in small bowls, and any additional toppings on a plate (i.e. sliced cucumbers, bean sprouts, basil, crushed peanuts, lime wedges). Enjoy!

Grilling Lemon Rosemary Chicken Skewers in Winter

In the middle of December my mom, sister and I threw a holiday party. About 60 people came over that night ranging from 16 to 80 and I did all the cooking. It was a lot of fun and my first time cooking for such a large event. The party was on Saturday and since I started cooking the Wednesday evening before and I prepared about 4 dishes each evening leading up to the party. All the food I made was finger foods, appetizers with a few large pasta dishes and one antipasto platter. These easy skewers are excellent for a party. I marinated them over night and grilled them just two hours before the party. You can keep them warm on a tray covered with foil in the oven or serve them at room temperature. I was pretty stoked to be back in the Bay Area and, coming from New York, I found our winter so mild. I actually grilled outside barefoot in the middle of December! The most important part of this recipe is the marinade, that is what makes it so delicious. This recipe is adapted from the Lemon Rosemary Chicken Skewers I found on epicurious.com

Lemon Rosemary Chicken Skewers
(96 skewers)

Ingredients:
16 skinless boneless chicken breasts halves, about 7 ounces each
96 8 inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes, drained
2 1-pint baskets of grape tomatoes
2 1 pint baskets of button mushrooms
2 cups olive oil
2 cups fresh lemon juice
12 bay leaves, broken into small pieces
6 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
8 large garlic cloves, pressed
4 teaspoons kosher salt
4 teaspoons hot pepper sauce

Directions:
1. Cut each chicken breast lengthwise into 6 thin strips. Thread each strip completely onto 1 skewer, leaving a bit at the end exposed for the tomato or mushroom. Press one grape tomato or mushroom onto the end of the skewer. Place the skewers in large glass or cast iron baking dishes.
2. In a large bowl pour the oil. Whisk in the lemon juice, bay leaves, rosemary, garlic, kosher salt and hot pepper sauce. Pour the marinade over the chicken, moving around the skewers so that the marinade is evenly distributed. Cover and let marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
3. Heat up the grill so that all the burners are on medium high heat. Place the chicken skewers on the grill and grill them for about 4 minutes per side, basting them with the marinade from the pan.

4. Place cooked skewers on a platter, garnish with Iceburg lettuce leafs and enjoy!

Chicken Marbella...Marinated Over Night!

 

This first time I made and ate chicken marbella was with my cousin, Megan, and friend, Sarah. However since we were just getting together in the evening we hadn't marinated the chicken overnight. The chicken was still so delicious that I couldn't imagine how it would taste had it been marinated overnight so I had been eager to try it! For Andy's birthday dinner, since I knew of it a day in advance, I was able to prepare the chicken the night before and let it marinate over night. This recipe is right out of the Sliver Palate Cookbook and the only modifications I made were increasing the olives and prunes. After reading many reviews on this recipe I have learned that if you don't have all night, it's fine to marinate the chicken for 5 hours. I served this with cumin curry popovers and a fennel and apple salad. This dish is really easy to pull together and is great for dinner parties, enjoy!

Chicken Marbella...Marinated Over Night!

(Adapted from Simply Recipes adapted from Silver Palate)

Ingredients:

4 large chicken breasts

1/2 head garlic, peeled and minced

2 tablespoons dried oregano

Course salt and ground pepper

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup pitted prunes

1 cup pitted Spanish green olives

1/4 cup capers with a little bit of juice

3 bay leaves

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white wine

2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley

Directions:

1. In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper to taste, vinegar, olive oil, prunes, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely with the marinade. Cover and let marinate, refrigerated, several hours or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

3. Arrange chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

4. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, basting frequently with the pan juices. Chicken is done when thigh pieces, pricked with a fork at their thickest point, yield clear yellow juice (not pink).

Pad Thai...Another Way

Just another Pad Thai dish, made with slight variations. I used whole chilies this time, rather than chopping them up. I used green cabbage, instead of red. I scrambled the egg in the wok with everything else, rather than doing it in a separate pan. And I omitted the lime wedges...because my friend forgot to pick them up. There are other small changes I made in my constant quest to get the perfect Pad Thai that is still low sodium.

Here are all the ingredients before I mix them with sauce:

 

Pad Thai...Another Way
(Serves 3 generously)

Ingredients:
8 garlic cloves, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 small head of greed cabbage, sliced
Pad Thai noodles
Small peeled carrots, cut into matchsticks
6 mini chilies
6 small chicken tenderloins, cut into bite size pieces
3/4 cup fake eggs
3/4 cup tofu, cut into cubes
3 1/2 tablespoons Pad Thai sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons canola oil
Chopped peanuts (for garnish)

Directions:
1. Heat the canola oil in a wok over high heat until hot. Add the minced garlic and saute until brown and fragrant. Add the cut chicken pieces and saute until cooked through. Push the chicken to the side of the wok and add the fake eggs and scramble, once eggs are cooked, mix with the chicken. Add the tofu and noodles and pour the fish sauce and Pad Thai sauce over the mixture. Add the cabbage, chilies, carrots and green onions and using wooden utensils, mix until all the ingredients are incorporated.. Add more Pad Thai sauce if you want. Let all the ingredients cook together for a few minutes. Serve warm with chopped peanuts.

Chicken Marsala

 

My good friends Andy and Jared were coming over for dinner and I wanted to make a good basic chicken dish. I've known Andy and Jared since the summer after freshman year of college and while I get the pleasure of seeing Andy frequently, Jared lives in Boston, so it was wonderful to have them both in the same room!  Here is a picture of Andy and Jared with our dinner spread; chicken Marsala, couscous, veggies

I am pretty sure that I have only ever had chicken Marsala once in my life and that was while working at an Italian restaurant in the West Village. I decided to give it a shot and I looked up a ton of chicken marsala recipes to get a basic idea for the ingredients I needed. I adapted my version from Emeril Lagasse's Chicken Marsala recipe. We had our chicken Marsala over a bed of Israeli couscous and with spicy roasted cauliflower and yellow squash. I picked up a cheap bottle of Marsala wine on my way home and was surprised when I opened it up and it smelled and tasted like cheap Manischewitz! Maybe I just know nothing about wine... Anyways, was easy and tastes really rich and wonderful, hope you enjoy!

Chicken Marsala

(Makes 4 large servings)

Ingredients:

8 chicken breast cutlets, pounded

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tablespoons cayenne powder

2 pinches salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 tablespoons dried lead oregano

2 tablespoons dried thyme

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more

3 tablespoons butter

8 ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 cup Marsla wine

1 cup chicken stock

Ground pepper

Chopped chives for garnish

Directions:

1. Prepare a shallow plate with the flour, cayenne powder, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, oregano and thyme. Mix the seasonings together and add more if you want.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. When olive oil is hot, work quickly to dredge the cutlets in the seasoning mixture and then place them on the skillet with 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. (You may need to do the chicken in multiple batches). Cook the chicken until it is brown on each side, 3 minutes per a side, set aside.

3. When all the chicken cutlets have been set aside, add the mushrooms and onion to the skillet and another 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter. Cook, stirring frequently until the mushrooms are golden brown around the edges.

4. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil. When wine has been cut in half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened.

5. Lower the heat to medium and add all the chicken cutlets to the pan and cook them until the sauce has thickened and they are cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.

                              

Chicken Marbella

My cousin, Megan, and good friend, Sarah, were coming over for dinner and we wanted to make something elegant, delicious and healthy. My aunt Sue, Megan's mom, is a great cook and had e-mailed us this recipe for chicken marbella. This recipe calls for marinating the chicken over night, however it was a Saturday evening and we were going to improvise. I will definitely make this again and for sure marinate it overnight. We served this chicken dish over a bed of whole wheat couscous and with a warm goat cheese salad. This was delicious and juicy and very flavorful.

Chicken Marbella
(Serves 3)

Ingredients:
3 large chicken breasts
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
Sea salt
Ground pepper
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3/4 cup pitted prunes (or more)
3/4 cup pitted Spanish green olives (or more)
3 tablespoons capers, with juice
6 bay leaves
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in a glass baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly over the three breasts. Generously sprinkle the garlic, oregano, sea salt and ground pepper over the breasts. Drizzle the red wine vinegar and white whine evenly through out the dish. Add the bay leaves, olives, prunes and capers.
2. Bake for 50 minutes. Sprinkle parsley over the breasts and spoon the juices over the olives, prunes and capers. Enjoy!

Chicken Gyros and Tzatziki

It started with the spanakopita...I had to make more Greek food. Next up, a delicious street food, the gyro is a Greek dish made from meat, tomato, onion and tzatziki served with pita bread. I added in an Israeli salad of cucumber, tomato and kalamata and a Moroccan carrot salad to add some extra oomph to the gyro. Since I don't have a vertical spit in my apartment to make the proper shawarma meat, I opted for shawarma seasoning and grilled chicken breasts. I learned that Gyros were introduced to the United States first in Chicago in the 1960s. It's a delicious food combination of fresh and flavorful ingredients and takes on a slightly different variation in each country surrounding the Mediterranean. My good friend and I were strolling the East Village when we decided to make Gyros for dinner. The only part we did not make from scratch was the actual pita which we bought from a street vendor on 11th street and 1st ave who always has delicious smelling gyros. For some added inspiration of what we could use as toppings for our gyros, we strolled into a shawarma and falafel shop on 1st ave and I took at peak at the salad bar and instantly got some ideas for a Greek influenced Israeli salad and a Moroccan carrot salad. Disclosure: this meal is very garlic heavy. The flavor of the shawarma chicken, with the spice of the carrot salad and the creaminess of the tzatziki is an incredible combination! You can pick up shawarma seasoning at ethnic or Middle Eastern grocery stores.

                           

Chicken Gyros and Tzatziki

Ingredients:

Pita

Chicken tenderloins

Shawarma seasoning

Olive oil

Moroccan carrot salad

Israeli salad

Tzatziki:

10 ounces yogurt, preferably Greek yogurt

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/3 large cucumber, thinly sliced and then chopped

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:

1. Cut chicken tenderloins into strips and place in a zip lock bag. Drizzle olive oil in the bag and add a generous amount of shawarma seasoning (I use the Perez brand). Seal the bag and gently mix the ingredients so that the chicken is evenly coated and seasoned. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, up to 8 hours.

2. For the tzatziki, put the yogurt, garlic, cucumber, red wine vinegar and lemon juice in a bowl and mix until everything is evenly incorporated. Cover and let chill for at least 2 hours. Tzatziki can be made 1 day in advance.

2. Heat an indoor double burner grill, flat side up, over high heat. Spray grill with cooking oil. Cook the chicken strips on the grill, about 4 minutes per side (I like to use wooden tongs). Remove strips when fully cooked and heat pita in on the grill. The pita will get some of the great flavor from the shawarma chicken.

                                

Serve warm with heated pita, Israeli salad, Moroccan carrot salad and tzatziki.

       

Indian Pizza

My roommate, Celadon, is a food combination genius. A couple weeks ago she made chicken tikka massala and had the leftovers heated up over pita bread. She told me her idea of a chicken tikka massala pizza and I knew she had a brilliant idea! So with half a jar of her remaining tikka massala sauce, the Indian pizza was born. Much like my Thai Pizza, this one incorporates a yummy Indian dish, chicken tikka massala, and the cheese and dough and style of a traditional pizza. I used the same pizza dough from Apizza as I did for my breakfast pizza and I will say again that this dough really is astoundingly delicious and adds a whole level of flavor and texture to the pizzas. I would like to make this pizza again and make more sauce so that it can have a thicker layer of sauce. I would also like to add julienned hot peppers and maybe some paneer cheese instead of regular cheese.

Indian Pizza
(Makes one baking sheet pie)

Ingredients:
Dough
1/3 cup Tikka Massala sauce
3 tablespoons vindaloo sauce
Mozzarella shavings
1 carrot, thinly shredded
2 sweet red peppers, thinly shredded
1/3 cup chickpeas
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
Cayenne pepper
Cumin
Garlic powder
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Place chicken pieces on skillet and sprinkle with cumin and cayenne pepper. Saute until chicken is completely cooked, set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place baking sheet in the oven to heat up. Roll out dough to the size of the sheet.
3. Sprinkle flour on the sheet and carefully place the rolled out dough on the sheet. Drizzle it with olive oil and using a fork, poke holes all over the dough. Bake for approximately 5 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the tikka massala sauce and the vindaloo sauce. Spread mixture evenly over the pizza crust. Layer the mozzarella shavings on the sauce, followed by the shredded carrots and peppers and chickpeas. Lastly, put on the cooked chicken pieces. Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Enjoy!

Dorito Crusted Chicken Tenders

Nacho Cheese Doritos are a standard party snack. Delicious, salty and who would have thought, they can act as a pretty solid ingredient! I have never known anyone to do anything differently with Doritos other than put them into a bowl until one of my colleagues, blogger of Winna Winna Chicken Dinner, shared his wife's Dorito Surprise! I was inspired - and one munchy craving with friends lead to the Dorito Crusted Chicken Tenders. With some dips of ranch dressing and guacamole, these tenders were the perfect bar food at home. It's very easy to make and makes me think that Doritos don't have to the only chip having all the fun - how about Baked Lays or Pringles! As with most my recipes, I used fake eggs as a batter for the chicken tenders however you can always use real eggs.

Dorito Crusted Chicken Tenders

Ingredients:
Chicken tenders
Fake eggs
Doritos, crushed

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pour some fake eggs onto a shallow plate. Crush the Doritos into a bowl.
2. Line a baking sheet with tin foil. Pat the chicken tenders dry with a paper towel. Soak the tenders on each side in the egg mixture. Then evenly coat the tenders with the crushed Doritos, making sure to try and coat the entire tender.
3. Bake the tenders for 20 minutes, or until the tenders are cooked through.

Stuffed Chicken Breast, Part II

Earlier this week I posted about a sun dried tomato and artichoke stuffed chicken. Well it turns about my boyfriend loved stuffed chicken so I made it again, slightly varied just to keep it interesting. Served with a side of roasted potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts, and tomato soup; it was the perfect comfort meal. This time I used a soy version of a Monterey Jack Cheese and mixed it with chopped spinach and marinated artichoke hearts. This mixture is actually quite delicious alone or as a dip. I imagine it would taste great over a flat bread or pizza crust. Stuffed chicken breasts are elegant, delicious and fun.

Stuffed Chicken Breast, Part II

Ingredients:
Chopped frozen spinach, thawed
Marinated artichoke hearts, chopped
Soy Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Chicken breasts
Ground pepper
Dried thyme

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil.
2. Mix together the spinach, artichoke hearts and cheese until well combined. Set aside.
3. Slice a pocket in the chicken breasts. Stuff them with the spinach mixture until they are almost over flowing. Place breasts on the baking sheet and sprinkle generously with ground pepper and thyme. Bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken

As part of my Monday night meal for sick boyfriend and hurting ankle Andy I made stuffed chicken breasts. This recipe is very easy, requires few ingredients, and tastes delicious. Marinated artichoke and sun dried tomatoes are a basic combination that can't go wrong and I had just enough marinated artichoke hearts to make this work. I haven't made stuffed chicken before and it was so easy so I am looking forward to coming up with more cominations fro stuffing. Fontina cheese would be a great addition to this particular mixture.

Artichoke and Sun Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1/3 cup marinated artichoke hearts
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes
Freshly ground pepper
Dried thyme
Dried Oregano

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
2. Finely chop the marinated artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes, set aside. Slice the chicken breasts down the side so that they have a deep pocket. Stuff them as much as you can with the artihoke and sun dried tomato mixture.
3. Sprinkle breasts with pepper, thyme and oregano. Bake until cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Chicken Salad

My first time having chicken salad, other than Chinese chicken salad in California, was at my boyfriend's grandmother, Bess's, home. She prepared a delicious lunch for us of chicken salad, biscuits and vegetable beef soup. On most Sunday afternoons, we still crave this meal. This was very much the inspiration for our Valentine's dinner but we changed it up a bit and swaped the vegetable beef soup for mushroom barley soup. This chicken salad is very easy to prepare and has a lovely contrast of sweet and salty with the grapes and pickles. Combined with the dill biscuits, we had fantastic chicken salad sandwiches with grainy mustard and crisp lettuce.

                          

Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

7 chicken breast tenderloins

1 1/2 cups red seedless grapes, halved

3 celery stalks, chopped

6 crunchy kosher pickles, chopped

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 heaping tablespoon tarragon

Olive oil

Thyme

Ground pepper

Garlic powder

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place the chicken breast tenderloins on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme, ground pepper and garlic powder. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

3. When chicken has cooled, shred the meat from the bones into thick chunks. Place chicken in a bowl with grapes, celery, and pickles. Add mayonnaise and mix with forks to incorporate. Add tarragon and mix until it is evenly distributed.

Assembling Chicken Salad Biscuit Sandwiches:

1. Slice biscuit in half and remove some of the flaky parts in the center. This part is delicious to eat on its own.

                      

2. Add grainy mustard on each half of the biscuit.

                       

3. Pile with chicken salad, lettuce and any other accompaniments.

                       

Sweet and Sour Chicken

With Chinese New Year just around the corner (February 14th), I've been on a Chinese food cooking kick! In fact, I've been making a lot of Chinese dishes and my boyfriend has requested that I take a little hiatus, he is stir fried and dumpling-ed out I guess. As a kid, my first experiences in Chinatown in San Francisco involved two things: dumplings and sweet and sour chicken. After about 5 years of only ordering sweet and sour chicken, I ventured into other realms, but I certainly consider sweet and sour chicken a staple comfort food. I served it over brown basmati rice however this is one of those dishes that definitely tastes better with white rice if you have it. Unfortunately this picture doesn't show all the ingredients as clearly but there are some exciting things in here - like pineapple! I wasn't able to find baby corn which I always associate with sweet and sour chicken so this recipe doesn't have it but if you can find it, use it! If you are looking to make this vegetarian, you can swap the chicken for tofu or more vegetables.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken, cut into bite size pieces

1 cup sliced pineapple

1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced

2 whole carrots, sliced

1/2 onion

1 handful bean sprouts

4 green onions, sliced

2 tablespoons fish sauce (veg: soy sauce)

6 tablespoons oyster sauce (veg: mushroom sauce)

4 tablespoons tomato ketchup

4 teaspoons sugar

4 tablespoons minced garlic

Oil

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a wok and add the garlic and fry until it is golden and fragrant.

2. Add the chicken and stir continuously until it is cooked through.

3. Add the fish sauce, oyster sauce, ketchup and sugar and stir constantly.

4. Add the pineapple, tomatoes, carrots, onion and bean sprouts to the wok. Stir until all these fresh vegetables are tender and cooked. Add the green onion and serve with rice.

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Recently on my walk home from work, I decided to stroll into the Housing Works thrift shop on East 23rd street. I am especially fond of this thrift shop because their prices are great and they get truck loads of new items daily. I always leave with some interesting book, accessory or, most recently, kitchen appliance. Last time I was there I found a lovely round white casserole pot with the words "From Oven to Table" inscribed on the bottom. For $7.00 I excitedly took this pot home and three words kept going through my mind: chicken pot pie. This dish is extreme comfort food. The options for variations of your classic chicken pot pie are endless. I'm very excited to make this again using different meats and vegetables. I came across a chicken pot pie recipe on the blog Closet Cooking which I altered. I served this with a bowl of stewed tomatoes for the ultimate comfort dinner; the only thing missing was apple pie for dessert. I'm looking forward to using my little white $7 pot for fish pot pies and vegetable pot pies and many more pot pies that have yet to be discovered.

Classic Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

3/4 white onion, chopped

4 stalks celery, chopped

1 carrot chopped

8 button mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable broth

1 cup soy milk

1 pound cooked chicken, shredded

1/4 cup white wine

1 cup peas

1 cup corn kernels

Pepper

Garlic powder

1 pie crust

1 egg white

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a large pan; add the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms and cook until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Sprinkle the vegetables with ground pepper and garlic powder.

                          

2. Mix in the flour and let it cook for a minute.

3. Mix in the vegetable stock and the milk. Bring to a simmer for 10  minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

5. Add the chicken, white wine, peas and corn. Season the mixture with pepper and garlic powder

6. Pour the filling into a pie dish or other oven-to-table pot

7. Place the pie crust on top of the mixture and cut three slits on top

8. Brush the egg white on top of the pie crust

9. Bake the dish until the crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

 

                         

Creamy Fettuccini with Chicken, Potatoes and Broccoli

I has a task at hand: to make an easy, healthy, filling meal for dinner that would use up leftover vegetables and cheeses in my refrigerator. My boyfriend was also making a hummus that would use up leftover artichokes, peppers, sun dried tomatoes and taste surprisingly delicious! I came across a box of Ronzoni Garden Delight Fetuccine that is enriched with tomato, carrot and spinach. Upon tasting the pasta, I couldn't taste any carrot, tomato or spinach but the three colors definitely matched! I have been looking for some healthier options to substitute heavy creams, I used soy milk and it worked perfectly! The roasted vegetables tasted great with the sauteed chicken. When roasting vegetables I have learned not to be afraid of letting them get dark brown spots as those tend to pack the most flavor.

Creamy Fettuccini with Chicken, Potatoes and Broccoli

Ingredients:

Fettuccine pasta

1 russet potato, sliced and quartered

1 10 ounce bag of frozen broccoli, thawed

2 chicken breasts, sliced

Pepper

Olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 Soy milk

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the potato slices on a pan, drizzle with olive oil, ground pepper and garlic powder. On a separate pan, spread out the broccoli florets and drizzle with olive oil, pepper and garlic powder. Place the pans in the oven, cook the potatoes for about 30 minutes and the broccoli for 40.

2. Meanwhile, cook the chicken with olive oil, ground pepper and garlic powder in a pan over medium heat, set aside.

3. Cook  the pasta according to directions. Drain.

4. In a pan saute the garlic with a bit of olive oil. Add soy milk and the parmesan cheese and stir until it is all combined. Add the roasted vegetables and chicken and gently incorporate until they are evenly coated. Lastly add the pasta and mix just until incorporated. Serve warm.

Chicken, Sun Dried Tomato and Avocado Wrap

My friend gave me some shwarma seasoning which I have been looking forward to using and I just whipped up some sun dried tomato hummus so I decided to search my refrigerator and make a wrap for dinner! I made two wraps, one for the Taste Tester and one for me, as it turns out, this is a newly requested healthy side to dinner. I found some great tasting whole wheat wraps at Whole Foods so these were much healthier that your traditional white flour wrap.

Chicken, Sun Dried Tomato and Avocado Wrap

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat wrap

Sun dried tomato hummus
Mixed greens
Sun dried tomatoes, sliced
Avocado, sliced
1 chicken breast, sliced into strips
Shwarma seasoning
Olive oil

Directions:
1. Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick skillet. Put the chicken strips on the skillet and generously sprinkle with shwarma seasoning and a drizzle of olive oil. After five minutes, flip the strips and sprinkle the other side with shwarma seasoning. Remove from heat when fully cooked.
2.  Spread the sun dried hummus on the whole wheat wrap. Put some mixed greens down, followed by the chicken strips, sun dried tomatos and avocado.

Roll like a wrap and enjoy!