Chicken B'stilla

I adore Moroccan food. The smell that envelopes your house when you are cooking a Morrocan Tagine is, in my books, way up there with Glade Plug Ins, popcorn, and white glue! I also love the way so many Moroccan dishes incorporate dried fruits and nuts (two of my favourite food groups). I have recently invested in a real ceramic Tagine, and a couple of Moroccan cookbooks and I've experimented with some different types of salads, couscous, and stews. I haven't posted any of these recipes yet but I will (someday).

Both of my Moroccan cookbooks have recipes for Chicken B'stilla (pronounced Bisteeya). Everytime I flip through those books, I hang on those pages, drooling over the pictures, but despairing over how complicated (and caloric) the recipe seems. And so, I dog ear the page (again) for another time.

When I was in New Zealand on vacation over the holidays, I was happy to see there was a Moroccan restaurant in Rotorua. I went on-line and noticed that they had Chicken B'stilla on their menu. My heartrate went through the roof (hey, I get excited about food!). This was a perfect opportunity to taste this dish without having to slave over it all day, and without being able to go back for seconds (or fourths)...which I knew was going to be a serious risk...

Sadly, our travel companions weren't so fussy about the whole Moroccan food idea, and so I didn't get to go. I've been mourning that Chicken B'stilla ever since. There aren't too many Moroccan restaurants here in Ottawa, and to my knowledge, none serve Chicken B'stilla.

And so, when I noticed that the 2009 Holiday edition of the LCBO Food and Drink Magazine had a recipe for Chicken B'stilla, I new it was fate. I ran out right away and bought the ingredients before I could come to my senses. I even made one last ditch attempt to subvert my own plans. That morning at breakfast I asked my husband Mario, "so what would you like for dinner tonight, poached plain chicken breasts with boring steamed vegetables and dry boiled potates OR Chicken B'stilla?"

He answers (with conviction) Chicken B'Stilla! And then, "so what exactly IS Chicken B'stilla again?".

This is Chicken B'stilla.


Chicken B'stilla

(Note: the original recipe called for chicken with the skin on, and for 1/2 cup of butter, I used skinless chicken and cut the butter in half and the recipe did not suffer at all from these alterations. At least I don't think it did... I'd have to actually try it the original way to know for sure.... oh geez....)

2 tsp vegetable oil
4 chicken breasts
4 onions, finely chopped
1 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp chili flakes
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup dates, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
9 sheets phyllo pastry
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted (or more if you run out)
Icing sugar for garnish

1. In a large frying pan with a cover, heat vegetable oil and brown chicken breasts on both sides. Remove to a plate.

2. In the same pan add onions and cook about 10 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, chili flakes and turmeric. Stir for 30 seconds.

3. Place chicken back in pan with onion mixture and add the chicken stock. Cover with lid and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

4. Remove chicken from mixture and let cool. When cool enough to handle shred the meat into bite-size pieces.

5. Stir chicken back into the onion mixture and add eggs, dates, raisins, and almonds. Combine well and season to taste. (Steps 1-5 can be completed ahead of time).

6. Place one sheet of phyllo pastry horizontally on your work surface, brush lightly with melted butter.

7. Place a second sheet on top of this, vertically to form a plus sign (this is symbolic of the clothing sizes you will soon need if you eat to much of this). Brush with butter and place the third sheet diagonally, and so on until 8 sheets are used up. The eighth sheet does not need to be buttered, unless you are a rebel, in which case, I won't stand in your way.

8. Place the sheets in a greased 9-inch springform pan. Fill pastry with chicken mixture and spread out evenly. Enclose by pulling the overhanging pastry up and over the chicken. (Note: This is where I used that 9th sheet of phyllo. My eight sheets did not reach up far enough to fully enclose the filling, so I buttered that ninth sheet, folded it in quarters and placed it on top of the filling, before I folded my other eight sheets in.) Then brush the whole top with melted butter.


9. Bake the B'stilla for 50 minutes at 375F or until pastry is golden and chicken mixture is heated through.

10. Serve hot with sifted icing sugar overtop.

One other funny note. Before I assembled the B'stilla, I lined my springform pan with a circle of parchment paper (I didn't want to take any chances of sticking). When I was cutting the wedges for dinner, I forgot, and cut right through the parchment. So each person got a little triangle of parchment paper on their dinner plate underneath their B'stilla. When I was doing the dishes, I noticed that mine was the only plate that still the had paper on it! (I guess I've trained my family well not to complain about my cooking!!!)


"mmmmm.... parchment paper"

Turkish Chicken Thighs

This recipe was fabulous! I made this for the first time the other night, and it was a huge hit. I have been experimenting quite a bit lately with yoghurt based marinades for meat, because they really tenderize without adding much additional fat to your meal... and well, because they taste really good!

I found this recipe for Turkish Chicken Thighs on the website Eating Well which has tons of great healthy recipes. I had to go out and buy some hot paprika (I found "Hot Hungarian Paprika") and WOW, was it good. It was so much more flavourful than regular paprika. I threw all the rest of my regular paprika out, and I will only be using "Hot Hungarian Paprika" from now on.

Right after I mixed the marinade and tasted it, it had quite a kick to it, and I thought, "uh oh, the kids will never eat this", but after 24 hours in the fridge marinating, it mellowed and the kids never complained about the heat.

The chicken was tender and juicy and the flavour was really great.

The kids were really confused by the name of the recipe, "Turkish Chicken Thighs". Claire said, "well Mom what is it? Like, make up your mind, TURKEY or CHICKEN...." (yes she really did say "like" and she rolled her eyes too). So I explained that Turkey is a country and this recipe combines flavours and spices that are sometimes used in Turkish cuisine. Marco pipes up, "So turkey's eat chicken?" Sigh. This made me think I should try making a Turducken sometime.... THAT would be a fun one to explain.

Turkish Chicken Thighs

8 skinless chicken thighs (I used boneless)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup low-fat plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
2 tsp hot paprika
1 1/2 tsp dried mint
1/2 tsp salt

1. Mix together lemon juice, yogurt, garlic, ginger, paprika, mint and salt.

2. Place the chicken in a ziploc bag and pour the yogurt mixture over the chicken. Close the bag and mush it around.

3. Refrigerate overnight.

4. Preheat barbeque grill to med-high. Remove chicken from ziploc bag and discard marinade. Grill until chicken is juicy but cooked through (about 15 minutes).

5. Alternately, you could place the chicken on a broiler rack in the oven at 400F for about 15 minutes until cooked. Serve immediately.

Chicken Shawarma

Mario and I have always been big fans of Lebanese food. In particular, we love shawarmas. There is no shortage of Lebanese take out places here in Ottawa where we live and when we were in University, we frequented many of them (usually in the early hours of the morning).

I have experimented several times with making shawarmas at home, but I think it's just one of those things that you will never quite get right without the proper equipment, techniques and of course the secret recipe for that amazing garlic sauce (yum).

When I saw this recipe for chicken shawarmas in the July 2008 issue of Cooking Light magazine, I knew I had to try it. It didn't quite have the taste of an authentic Lebanese shawarma, but we thought this recipe was very good in its own right. The marinade on the chicken was great, and I could eat my chicken breasts just marinated and grilled this way anytime. The sauce was very good, and was probably way healthier than the sauce you would normally get on a shawarma.

Overall, we thought this recipe was a keeper.

Chicken Shawarma
adapted from Cooking Light Magazine, July 2008

Chicken:
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into strips

Sauce:
1/2 cup fat free plain yoghurt
2 tbsp tahini
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Other ingredients:
Pita bread
Chopped lettuce
Tomato slices
Chopped red onion

1. Combine first 6 ingredients of marinade. Cut chicken into strips (I cut each breast into 3 strips) and pour marinade over chicken in a Ziploc bag. Marinade in fridge all day (or overnight).

2. To prepare sauce, combine yoghurt and next 4 ingredients. Mix well. The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.

3. Preheat barbeque grill. Shake the excess marinade off the chicken and thread on barbeque skewers. Grill for approximately 4 minutes per side until chicken is cooked through.

4. Place pita bread on the grill for a minute or two to warm.

5. To serve, place lettuce tomato and onion on top of the pita bread. Top with chicken and drizzle with sauce.

Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Relish

I have a couple of favorite recipe sources (a few blogs, a book, and my Mom). You know how you have a couple of great successes with recipes from your sources, so you keep going back to the same place, over and over again? Well my sources are great that way - they have never let me down.

I wish I didn't have to reveal my sources, so you'd all think I was a GENIUS recipe comer-upper-wither. But, I guess in the interests of not STEALING other peoples ideas, I do have to site the source for this one. I got it from my all-time favorite cookbook, The New Dieters Cookbook, from Better Homes and Gardens.

I picked this recipe for a couple of reasons. First, I had just picked up one of those cast iron grills that fits over two elements on my gas stove and I was excited to try it out. Second, I love the combination of meat and fruit.

I did screw this recipe up, just slightly. I read it wrong. No, actually that's not true... I didn't read it at all. I've done this before, I look at the ingredient list then just assume that since I am such a great cook, I don't need further instruction... WRONG!

I made the pineapple relish ahead of time and let it sit, because I thought it looked like the sort of thing that would get better with some time for the flavours to ameldinate (I made that word up). The recipe called for 2 tsp of olive oil, so I went ahead and added it to the relish.

Then later, when I was cooking the chicken, I realized that the oil was SUPPOSED to be brushed on the chicken, so it wouldn't stick to my new fan-dangled grill!! Oops! So I added 2 MORE teaspoons of oil to the chicken. I know this totally throws off the calorie and fat content of the meal, but it was so good, my advice to you is.... throw caution to the wind and use 4 TEASPOONS of oil in this recipe!

Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Relish

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 tsp cordamom
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups roughly chopped fresh pineapple
1/2 red pepper, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1 jalapeno (seeded and diced)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
juice of 1/2 a lime

1. Make pineapple relish: mix together the pineapple, red pepper, green onion, jalapeno (I used bottled jalapenos) and cilantro. Mix in lime juice (and 2 tsp olive oil if you didn't read the recipe right).

2. Mix cordamom, salt and pepper together. Brush chicken with 2 tsp of olive oil and sprinkle with cordamom mixture.

3. Grill chicken until cooked through. Serve with pineapple relish.

Savoury Chicken Tart

I made this chicken tart the other night for dinner. Let me explain what I did. I took a recipe that I found on Deborah's Blog... Taste and Tell... and I wrecked it. Well that might be a little harsh, what I did was make is LESS good. So if you want to make this the correct, yummy way - go see her blog. If you'd like to stay here and let me lead you astray.... read on.

This recipe just looked so yummy delicious to me, I couldn't help but want to try it. I decided to use diced chicken breast instead of sausages and skim milk instead of cream to lighten it up. That was silly, you can't lighten anything up when it's stuffed inside puffed pastry! It's sort of like putting a dollop of fat free cool whip on a huge slab of Pecan Pie... you might as well just pile on the REAL whip cream and enjoy it by that point!

The recipe also called for fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. I didn't have any, so I used canned tomatoes and dried basil (gasp).

OK so now I was done destroying a perfectly good recipe, I went on to make it. Well the recipe said to roll the puff pastry out into at 13" circle. The puff pastry I had in the freezer was already a 10" square, so I had a lot of fun trying to get into a circle. I folded in the corners and ended up with a 13" stop sign.

Then I was too lazy to blind bake the crust with my pie beads. So I just poked some holes in the crust and threw it in the oven as is. Well after 10 minutes I had a huge stop sign shaped pillow. I scratched my head for a few minutes trying to figure out where the heck I would put my filling. I ended up just mashing down the middle of the tart, I am using the word "tart" very loosely. Then I piled my filing in the centre.

When I was all done, I decided it was all still too fattening anyway, so while Mario and kids ate it, I had a plain chicken breast and a spinach salad. Despite my best attempts to destroy this dinner, Mario and the kids loved it!

Savoury Chicken Tart

1 package (8oz) refrigerated puff pastry
1 lb diced cooked chicken breast
1 cup canned diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried basil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, grated
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Roll puff pastry on a floured surface into a circle that is 13" in diametre. Press dough into tart pan and fill with dried beans or pie beads. Bake 8-10 minutes at 425F.

2. Meanwhile, mix together the chicken, tomatoes, garlic, basil, cheeses, eggs, and milk. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour into baked "tart" shell and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes until egg mixture is set.

4. Cool 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Dinosaur Egg Chicken

Unfortunately I have to start off this post by telling everyone that I am a moron (As if everyone doesn't already know)! In my last post, I thought I had a brilliant spur of the moment idea for a contest.... one that would send all my readers scouring through my archives, reading all my old recipes looking for that elusive can of soup. Well, I had my winner exactly 2 minutes and 42 seconds after I published the ill-fated post. AND, as I discovered, any enterprizing individual who wanted to go to Google and type in "Janet is Hungry can of soup" would have had the results returned to them in 0.23 seconds.

Mario sent me an e-mail: "Sweetheart, you might want to think your contests through a little better in future"... yeah thanks, hon. But its OK, I think I just ran my first and last contest on Janet is Hungry. (Don't quote me on that, I'm a notorious liar).

So without further ado, first prize of my favorite cookbook goes to Deeeeeeena who writes the blog, Miche Mache. (Deeeeeena send me an e-mail using the "Contact Me" button with your mailing address).

An honourable mention goes to Suzanne, a coworker of mine, who found BOTH recipes that use canned soup. Pork Chop and Rice Bake and Chili.

Today's recipe is one that I have been meaning to try for a long time. I've seen this prepared several times before. The recipe that I used came from Laura Calder.

Although the skin doesn't crisp up at all, the meat of the chicken stays so moist and juicy and the flavours from the fresh herbs really penetrate. My kids actually did think I'd cooked a dinosaur egg... they were gathered around me in a sort of "hushed awe" when Mario and I were cracking it open (those are HIS hand in the picture for anyone who thought I might have "Man-Hands"). I think the kids were actually expecting a baby dinosaur to pop out... boy were they disappointed when it was only a chicken. Yet still confused... Claire: "Um, so do you think it was the Mommy or the Daddy that was a chicken"...


Dinosaur Egg Chicken

3lb whole chicken
Fresh herbs (I used rosemary and thyme)
4 - 5 garlic cloves, minced
pepper to season
A drizzle of olive oil

Salt Crust:
4 cups flour
6 egg whites
500g coarse salt (about 2 cups)
Water
1 egg yolk

1. Slide plenty of herbs under the chicken skin. Put garlic in the cavity, along with any remaining herbs. Rub the chicken with pepper and olive oil.

2. Make the crust: mix the flour, egg whites and salt well, then add enough water to make a pliable dough (the consistency of play-doh).

3. Roll out 1/4 the dough to make a base for the chicken to sit on. Set the dough base on a baking sheet. Lay the chicken on top. Roll out the remaining dough, drape it over the chicken, and seal the edges. Becareful to patch any holes or rips. Add a splash of water to an egg yolk and paint the pastry case all over.

4. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 325ºF. Let the chicken sit out of the oven 10 minutes before serving.

5. Cut off the crust and discard it. Carve the meat and serve.

Crunchy Chicken Drumsticks

My kids just adore shake'n bake chicken (who doesn't?). So, I often make it for them when a quick and easy dinner is in order. One night last week, I just had no idea what else to make, and so I decided shake'n bake for the whole family this time. Of course, when I got home and checked the cupboard, I was all out.

No problem, I'm a resourceful Mom.... I just whipped up some homemade shake'n bake. Now I wasn't trying to replicate the flavour exactly. I mostly just wanted to get a nice crunchy coating on the chicken.

Of course, I went to all this trouble and Claire and Marco didn't like the crust. They made me peel all the skin off and they just ate the chicken. People must read my blog, and think to themselves, "that POOR POOR woman, why does she even bother?" I know it sounds like my kids never like ANYTHING, but overall I'd say they are less picky than I was at the same age. And in their defense, they have a crazy food obsessed Mom, who is always trying weird new recipes. They barely ever get to eat plain old spaghetti or meatloaf...

Crunchy Chicken Drumsticks

1 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs
1 cup peanuts, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
8 chicken drumsticks
1 egg, beaten

1. Mix together the breadcrumbs, nuts, pepper and cilantro (I did this in a food processor to get a fine chop).

2. Dip the chicken drumsticks in the egg, then in the breadcrumb mixture.

3. Spray a cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray and bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for about 30 minutes.

Tuscany Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Everytime I decide to try stuffing chicken breasts I end up cursing myself, "WHY WHY WHY did I feel the need to torture myself with this recipe??" Stuffed chicken breasts are finicky and annoying. But sometimes, the end result turns out to be well worth the effort.

In the recipe book I found this in, the picture was amazing. The cheese was oozing out from the center of the nicely browned and perfectly rolled chicken breast. The recipe didn't even call for string or skewers or duct tape to hold it together while cooking, just "roll and pinch the edges to seal" (YEAH RIGHT!!). I had to tie each of my chicken breasts up with about 18 feet of string, they looked like little chicken breast mummies, and STILL most of my cheese leeked out into the wine I was trying to poach them in (made the sauce taste real good though).

I think part of my problem may be in the hammering/pounding of the chicken breasts, maybe I go a little overboard with the meat mallet. All I know is when I'm done I do not end up with a nice thin INTACT piece of chicken breast to neatly roll around a filling of my choice, but rather a pulverized, holey mess of chicken that I have to patchwork together around my filling and plug holes and try to tie up with my greasy chickeny gross slippery hands.... grrrr. At one point, when Mario heard me huffing and puffing he came over to ask if I needed some help and he came REALLY close to getting a pulverized chicken breast right between the eyes!

Then, I purposely left the sage out of one of the chicken breasts from hell for the kids, but got them mixed them up and gave the sageless one to Mario by mistake. To top it all off, my kids declared them "yucky" and, I officially lost my mind.... "yeah? yeah? well if you don't eat that, I'm not gonna be your friend anymore!!"

Did I mention this recipe tasted really good?

Tuscany Stuffed Chicken Breasts
from the New Dieters Cookbook from Better Homes and Gardens

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 oz fontina cheese (in four slices)
1/2 cup roasted red peppers cut into strips
12 fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup flour
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups dry white wine

1. Place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound to 1/4" thickness.

2. Remove plastic wrap add a slice of cheese, red pepper, sage. Fold in sides (if can find sides) and roll up (good luck with that). Don't feel bad if you have to resort to string to keep this sorry mess intact.

3. Repeat with remaining breasts (tee hee, I said "breasts").

4. Roll in flour, and cook in olive oil over medium heat until brown on all sides (about 5 minutes). Remove from pan.

5. Add wine and bring to a boil, let reduce slightly. Add chicken back to pan, cover and poach until chicken is cooked through (about 8-10 more minutes).

6. Remove chicken again, and turn heat up. Reduce sauce until about 1/2 cup remains.

7. Serve chicken with a little sauce drizled over top (don't forget to remove the string!)

Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

Autumn is upon us, and I've noticed we are slowly reverting back to our winter menu in the Janet is Hungry household (otherwise known as "Planet Janet"). Stir frys are a staple for us in the winter. If I had a nickle for every different stir fry sauce recipe I've ever tried, I could quit my job and blog full time!

I think it is that elusive beef and broccoli sauce from the take-out Chinese places that I am really trying to emulate. I've never quite gotten there, but this recipe is very good all the same. Since I first made this stir fry sauce last winter, I've pretty much stopped experimenting. This one is keeper. I think it is the brandy that really makes this sauce good.

I was very disappointed though, because I added bean sprouts with the veggies and Claire wouldn't eat them. She said they were "worms"... and of course she convinced Marco that he shouldn't eat them either. Both of them ended up leaving the table without eating very much dinner. When Marco asked to be excused from the table I warned him that he was going to be hungry later. He says "I'm not hungry, but for breakfast can I have eggs and bagel and toast and cereal?"

Ginger Chicken Stir-Fry

4 chicken breasts, in 1" pieces
1 egg white
4 tbsp brandy
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 cups water
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 heaping tsp chicken bouillon
1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg blanched almonds
1 tsp minced ginger
2 carrots, sliced diagonally
2 stalks celery, sliced diagonally
8 medium mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, chopped in large pieces
1 cup bean sprouts
1 green pepper, chopped in large pieces (I used red and yellow pepper)
handful of snow peas

1. Mix 1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp brandy and egg white. Stir in chicken pieces to coat.

2. For sauce, mix water, chicken bouillon, soy sauce, salt and remaining brandy and cornstarch. Set aside.

3. In a wok, heat a small amount of oil (I use peanut oil) and cook chicken until no longer pink. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Add a little bit more oil and start to stir fry the veggies beginning with the ones that take longer to cook. Here's the order I followed (carrots, celery, peppers, onions, snow peas, mushrooms, bean sprouts).

5. When the veggies are all cooked to your liking, add the chicken back in with the almonds. Give the reserved sauce another stir (because the cornstarch settles) and pour it in. Stir until the sauce thickens.

6. Serve with rice or noodles.

Grilled Italian Dressing Chicken

This is a real "go to" recipe for me. Everyone has that recipe they make when they have NO IDEA what the heck to make for dinner. This is mine. I always have the ingredients in the house, which isn't hard because there are only three ingredients.

Basically, you just marinate the chicken in store bought Italian dressing. It makes the chicken so moist and juicy. I always use the fat free dressing (and the recipe doesn't seem to suffer at all). The more time you have to marinate the chicken, the better. I usually, take the chicken out of the freezer in the morning and pour the dressing into the ziploc bag right away. When I get home from work, it is all defrosted and marinated.

Grilled Italian Dressing Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup Italian Dressing (can be fat free)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Marinate the chicken breasts in the Italian Dressing.

2. Place on grill over direct heat for about 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

3. 5 minutes before chicken is cooked, sprinkle 1 tbsp of Parmesan on top of each breast.

Maple Bourbon Barbecued Chicken

I saw this recipe over on one of my favorite food blogs, Kirsten's Home Cooking. Kirsten made this recipe with pork, but it appealed to me so much, I just needed to make it right away even though I didn't have pork in the house.

I mixed the marinade up in the morning before I left for work. I put the marinade and the chicken breasts into a Tupperware container and went to give it a little shake to coat all the sides of the chicken. Well, the container wasn't shut properly so I squirted marinade all over my work clothes. I hate it when my days start out like that.

It turned out to be worth the wrecked blouse though, it was absolutely delicious. I cooked the chicken with the skin to retain the moisture, but I peeled it off and discarded it after the pictures (it nearly made me cry to do that).

And, yes, that is the exact same rice that you saw in my pictures yesterday AND the day before, and there are still leftovers....

I also made steamed green beans. When I steam green beans I like to take a big bowl and put in 1 tsp of butter, 1 tbsp Parmesan, 1 tbsp real bacon bits, and a squirt of fresh lemon juice. When the beans are finished steaming dump them in the bowl and toss them around until the butter is melted. That's only 1 tsp of butter between four people, but it makes it so much better.

Maple Bourbon Barbecued Chicken

4 chicken breasts (bone-in, skin on)
1/2 cup bourbon
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 heaping tbsp whole grain mustard
1-2 cloves garlic (I used two)
1 tsp each salt and pepper

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl, mix well.

2. Add chicken and marinate for 4-8 hours. (Tip: to save time I throw the chicken in the marinade frozen right out of the freezer, and then it is thawed and ready to go when I get home).

3. Remove chicken breasts from marinade and give to your husband to BBQ. Warn him that if he returns them burnt, there will be hell to pay.

Chicken Orzo

I bought a package of Orzo for the first time a couple of months ago, and I've had my eyes peeled for a good Orzo recipe ever since.

I was still scouting out recipes when on Saturday, the package of Orzo fell out of my pantry cupboard and landed on Marco's Tonka truck, splitting open. I have a wall of pantry cupboards in my kitchen that go right to the ceiling, and in general when you need to get something out of them you have to employ a very quick-handed and highly skilled "open-grab-close" technique.

Needless to say, following a successful Orzo salvage operation, I decided it was time to try a new recipe.

I pretty much improvised this entire meal, and made things up as I went. I was very pleased with the results, and I will definitely make Orzo again. Although, it took me 5 minutes at the dinner table to convince Claire that it wasn't rice. She thought I was trying to trick her into taking a bite (not that I wouldn't do that).

I also really really wanted to add a tablespoon or so of chopped up capers to this recipe, but I turned my fridge upside down and couldn't find any.... don't ask me who ate all the capers. I'm sure I had a bottle. "The Missing Caper Caper"...yeah - sorry that wasn't very funny was it?

Chicken Orzo

1 cup orzo
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
2 oz proscuitto
1 chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup mozzarella
1/4 cup Parmesan

1. Cook Orzo in boiling water for 7-9 minutes. Drain. (HOT TIP: MAKE SURE THE HOLES OF YOUR REGULAR COLANDER AREN'T TOO BIG OR YOU WILL POUR ALL YOUR ORZO DOWN THE SINK AND YOU WILL HAVE TO COOK MORE... not that happened to me, or anything...)

2. Chop raw chicken into bite sized cubes (this is really easy to do, if your chicken it still a little frozen). Heat olive oil and saute chicken, onion, and garlic. Once chicken is almost cooked, add proscuitto and cook a few minutes more.

3. Drain tomatoes, reserving about 1/2 cup of the juice. Add tomatoes, 1/2 cup juice, wine, and herbs.

4. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in Orzo and Mozzarella cheese.

5. Dump all out into a big pasta serving bowl and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Grilled Apricot Chicken

Before I get into today's recipe, I need to get something completely un-food-related out of the way. Mario and I have just bought a new car. Mario picked the car, and I like to call it his "mid-life crisis car". It will be fast and sporty. Well Mario has decided (just because I had one teency weency run in with a concrete wall in a parking garage once - which could have happened to anyone), that I shouldn't be allowed to drive the "mid-life-crisis car". And so, I think it is time to run another poll in the sidebar... please help me out!!

I have made this recipe many times in the past, it is a simple and tasty way to eat plain chicken breasts. The chicken stays moist and juicy. This time, I was out of Apricot preserves, but I had a bottle of Tropical Mixed Fruit Jam in the fridge (combination of papaya, mango, banana, pineapple, and orange). It was a very nice substitution and I would do it that way again.

Grilled Apricot Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lime juice
3 tbsp sugar free Apricot Jam
pinch of grated lime rind
1/2 tbsp grated ginger

1. Mix last four ingredients together and paint all over chicken breasts. Let sit for about 30 minutes in a shallow dish.

2. Heat grill and paint any extra Apricot sauce on the chicken. Barbeque over direct heat for about 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Chicken and Canteloupe Salad

Does anyone else out there ever feel like giving up and just giving their kids chicken fingers and hotdogs everynight? It's what they want and it would be so much easier... not to mention cheaper!

Last night we felt like having a light supper, and so I made these pretty chicken salads served in canteloupe bowls. Here's what the kids did....first they whined, and complained, "Do we have to eat ALL the canteloupe?" Then Claire dumped all the chicken salad out onto her plate and scraped some of the canteloupe off the bowl. That was her dinner! A couple of bites of canteloupe, a crusty roll, and a piece of cheddar cheese. Marco copies whatever Claire does, so that's what he ate too. sigh.

I got the idea for this recipe about 15 years ago when I was in the Dominican Republic with a girlfriend. We were staying at a cheap-o all-inclusive resort, and the food was so gross and stinky we barely managed to get enough to eat. The only thing we could find that seemed even remotely edible was a fruit salad served in a canteloupe bowl. We ate it three times a day (which did not do nice things to our digestive systems). At some point a few years later, I got the idea of adding chicken. I've managed to block out the bad memories of resort food, and now this is one of my favorite light lunches.


Chicken and Canteloupe Salad

2 small ripe canteloupes
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
4 tbsp slivered almonds
1/4 cup light miracle whip
1/4 cup fat free sour cream
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper

1. Mix dressing: Stir together the Miracle Whip, sour cream, vinegar, cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Cut each canteloupe in half in a zig zag pattern. Scoop out the seeds and with a melon baller, scoop out some more of the flesh to make the bowls bigger (leave about 1/2" of flesh in the canteloupe. Save the little balls of melon.

3. In a medium bowl, mix chopped chicken, celery, green onion, green pepper and the reserved melon. Stir in the dressing and mix to coat.

4. Spoon the chicken salad into the canteloupe bowls, sprinkle each bowl with a tablespoon of slivered almonds. Take pictures, and eat.

Chicken Chimichangas

A while back I promised my friend Se7en, who designed this blog for me, some more Mexican recipes. We love these Chimichangas. I got this recipe from a friend who told me that they tasted exactly like the Chimichanga's at Chi Chi's Restaurant. Well, I don't think we've ever had a Chi Chi's in Canada, so I have no idea whether that claim is true. But, I do know that these taste really good. OK.... I just looked up Chi Chi's on Wikipedia and I can see that they went out of business in 2003 following a Hepatitis A outbreak that started at one of their locations.... so perhaps I shouldn't push the Chi Chi's angle too much.**

I have made these Chimichangas two ways - sometimes, when I am feeling naughty, I fry them in a little olive oil (I was feeling naughty the night we had these ones for dinner). Most of the time, I spray them lightly with cooking spray and bake them at 400F for about 20 minutes.

**Consuming raw or undercooked meat and/or fish may increase your risk of food borne illness (just covering ALL my bases).


Chicken Chimichangas

1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp oil
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cup chopped cooked chicken
8-10 flour tortillas
1 cup refried beans
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups salsa
1/2 tsp cumin
1 pinch salt

1. Saute onion and garlic in oil.

2. Stir in salsa, spices, chicken and salt. Cook until heated through.

3. Spread about 2 tbsp of refried beans on each tortilla then add about 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture. Fold like a burrito and secure with a toothpick or metal skewer.

4. Spray all sides with cooking spray and bake at 400F for 20 minutes (until golden brown) OR fry in a small amount of olive oil until brown on both sides.

5. Serve with sour cream and guacamole.

Chicken Breasts with Tomato Sauce

Well, I had a busy weekend and I tried no less than 6 new recipes....5 successes and one major flop. Should I post the flop? Would you guys even want to see flops? I haven't had a chance to download the pictures or write the posts yet, so this morning you are getting a simple everyday dinner that we had one night last week when Mario had to work late (I'm still a little scared of lighting that BBQ by myself).

This chicken wanted to become Chicken Cacciatore when it grew up, but it just never reached its full potential. It wasn't the chicken's fault, I wasn't following a recipe and so it didn't turn out much like an authentic Chicken Cacciatore. It was, however, quite delicious so I decided to post it anyway under a different name, "Chicken Breasts with Tomato Sauce". I know, I need to work on my originality...."Poulet avec sauce aux tomates"?

Chicken Breast with Tomato Sauce

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
1 carrot, diced
1/2 large onion, diced
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup celery, diced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
3/4 cup red wine
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper

1. Bake or grill chicken in the oven until cooked (about 20-30 minutes at 350F). Remove from the over and slice.

2. In a skillet that has a cover, heat olive oil and sauté carrot, onion, green pepper and celery. Cook for about 5 minutes, add mushrooms and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes.

3. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, red wine and thyme. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered for about 10-15 minutes.

4. Mix in sliced chicken and cook for a few more minutes (just to make sure everything is hot).

5. Serve over spaghetti.

Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Lemon

No, you didn't read the recipe wrong and it isn't a typo. There are twenty cloves of garlic in this meal. Don't let that turn you off, I suffered no ill effects. In fact, after I had dinner I went to the gym and huffed and puffed in my personal trainer's face and she didn't even keel over. My kids picked the garlic cloves out, but that was fine, I was happy to eat the extras.

I have no idea whether Mario really liked this recipe or not, because I didn't ask him. He usually needs to be asked "so, honey, what'd you think?" If I don't ask, I get nothing. Last night I got stubborn and refused to ask, instead I got up and start banging things around while I was doing the dishes. Then I noticed Mario slinking out of the kitchen with that "what on earth did I do wrong this time?" look on his face.... (just read the blog sweetie)

Chicken Thighs with Garlic and Lemon
(serves 4)

8 chicken thighs (I prefer to use boneless and skinless)
2 1/2 cups chicken bouillon
20 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, peeled and thinly sliced
3 tbsp flour
2/3 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste

1. Simmer the garlic cloves in the chicken bouillon, covered for 40 minutes.

2. Heat the butter and oil in a skillet and brown the chicken thighs on all sides. Transfer chicken thighs to a casserole dish.

3. Remove the garlic cloves from the chicken stock and arrange them around the chicken thighs. Add the lemon slices on top.

4. Add the flour to the drippings remaining in the skillet from the chicken and stir, cooking for about 30 seconds. Add the wine, stirring constantly. Add the broth. Bring to a boil and stir until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Cover and bake at 375F for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve over rice or boiled potatoes.

Chicken Breasts and Dumplings

My kids love this recipe. Marco usually doesn't eat the dumplings, but that doesn't bother me since its a good thing that he prefers the healthy parts. He does miss out on my secret ingredient, which is in the dumplings - I add three teaspoons of dried summer savoury. Overall this is a pretty good recipe, even though all the simmering time means we can't possibly eat earlier than about 6:30pm on a work night. Bonus: while it was simmering, I had time to throw together a quick dessert (see the next post). Double Bonus: it works out to be nice and light (for a chicken and dumpling recipe), it serves 4 with about 350 calories and 8 grams of fat per serving. Anti-Bonus: The dessert canceled out the calorie savings on dinner...and then some. (see the next post...sigh).

Chicken Breasts and Dumplings

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups water
2 tsp chicken bouillon
1 medium onion, sliced
1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups sliced carrots
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/4 cup cold water
2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch

For the Dumplings:
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3 tsp summer savoury
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp butter, melted

1. In a large covered skillet, poach chicken in water with chicken bouillon for 25 minutes. Remove chicken and add carrots, onion, celery. Return to a boil and simmer 10 more minutes.

2. Meanwhile, combine dry ingredients for dumplings. Beat eggs with milk and butter. Stir wet ingredients into dry.

3. Return chicken to saucepan. Drop dumpling batter by spoonfuls into skillet (you should get about 8 dumplings). Cover and simmer approximately 10 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center of dumpling comes out clean.

Saffron Chicken with Peppers

Two things attracted me to this recipe in the New Dieters Cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens: I love saffron; and I love to cook with chicken thighs, they are impossible to screw up. So tonight for dinner I decided to try this new recipe. Don't let the fact that it came from a diet cookbook turn you off, it was delicious. Also, try not to make the same mistake I did, I used olives with pits instead of the pimento stuffed ones called for in the recipe. It still tasted great, but I spent forever getting the pits out, and even then I gave up long before I had the 1/2 cup called for in the recipe. Mario's verdict: "It's a keeper."; Claire's verdict: "It's good, but well I like the chicken from Kentucky better."; Marco's verdict: "Mommy? Can you get out the green stuff?" Oh well, you can't win em' all.

Saffron Chicken with Peppers
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large red pepper, sliced into strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup long grain rice
1/4 tsp saffron threads, crushed
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup dry white wine

1. Season chicken and sauté in olive oil over medium-high heat until browned. 5 minutes per side.

2. Remove chicken to a plate and reserve 1 tbsp of pan drippings.

3. Add red pepper, onion, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables soften (4-5 minutes)

4. Stir in rice and saffron. Add the water, white wine and olives. Bring to a boil. Place chicken thighs back into mixture, cover skillet and simmer for 25 minutes.

For those who care, the recipe serves six and the nutritional information per serving is: 380 calories and 12g fat.