Chef Johns Homemade Chicken Stock Food

CHEF JOHN'S HOMEMADE CHICKEN STOCK

Steps:

• Combine chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, and bay leaf in a large stockpot; pour water into pot. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, being careful not to let the mixture come to a boil. Once simmering, skim off any foam or impurities that accumulate on the surface of the water and reduce the heat to low.
• Gently simmer the mixture on low for 12 hours, skimming off any foam as needed.
• Remove stockpot from heat and let cool for 1 hour.
• Pour stock through a fine strainer and transfer to food-safe containers.

CHICKEN STEW

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.
• Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.
• Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.
• Serving suggestion: crusty bread.

RICH CHICKEN STOCK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Combine chicken bones, onions, celery, and carrots in a large roasting pan; toss with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast until the bones and vegetables are a rich golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large stockpot, add 12 cups cold water, and the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4 hours, skimming the scum that rises to the top with a ladle every 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and strain through a mesh strainer into a clean pot. Place back on the stove over high heat and cook until reduced by half. Use immediately or let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.

CHICKEN IN MILK

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C/gas 5), and find a snug-fitting pot for the chicken. Season it generously all over with salt and pepper, and fry it in the butter, turning the chicken to get an even color all over, until golden. Remove from the heat, put the chicken on a plate, and throw away the butter left in the pot. This will leave you with tasty sticky goodness at the bottom of the pan, which will give you a lovely caramel flavor later on.
• Put your chicken back in the pot with the rest of the ingredients, and cook in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours. Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, making a sauce, which is absolutely fantastic.
• To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it on to your plates. Spoon over plenty of juice and the little curds. Serve with wilted spinach or greens and some mashed potato.

CHEF JOHN'S HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Stir in carrot, onion, celery, salt, and fresh thyme. Stir in chicken fat; cook and stir until the onions turn soft and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in roasted chicken broth and bring to a boil.
• Season to taste with salt, if necessary; stir in egg noodles and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in cooked chicken breast meat and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper to taste.

CHEF JOHN'S CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS

Steps:

• Place chicken in a Dutch oven. Add water, carrot, celery, onion, 3 sprigs of thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken from dutch oven and transfer to a bowl; set aside to cool.
• Increase heat and bring the stock to a simmer. Skim off any chicken fat that appears on top of the stock and reserve in a bowl. Combine 2 to 3 tablespoons of the reserved fat with flour in a small bowl; stir to make a paste, adding more flour if needed. Add the chicken fat and flour mixture to the stock. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Remove chicken meat from the carcass and add to the stock. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. Continue simmering for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Whisk creme fraiche, milk, 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, and eggs together in a large bowl. Stir in self-rising flour until almost entirely incorporated; do not overmix.
• Scoop large dollops of dumpling mixture on top of the chicken stock. Increase heat slightly to medium-high. Cover and simmer until dumplings appear light and fluffy, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve garnish with thyme sprigs.

ORIGINAL KING RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. Boil chicken, remove meat from skin and bones. (save broth).
• 2. Sometimes I will use 6-8 chicken breasts instead of whole chicken when I'm in a hurry.
• 3. Saute onions and green pepper.
• 4. Mix with soups, tomatoes, cubed chicken, and chicken broth.
• 5. Line bottom of Pyrex casserole with six corn tortillas.
• 6. Add 1/2 of chicken/soup mixture; spread over tortillas. Sprinkle grated cheese over mixture.
• 7. Then make another layer of six tortillas, chicken/soup mixture, and cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 250-300 F 1 hour until cheese is bubbly.
• 8. Please note that you can make this recipe much lower in fat by using the fat free soups and fat free chicken broth. It turns out just as tasty.
• 9. I've also substituted Cheddar Cheese, as well as Lite Velveeta in place of the Monterey Jack cheese and it was all good.
• 10. The original recipe uses corn tortillas, although some people prefer the flour. I believe the corn gives it a better flavor myself. For variety, you can also omit the tortillas and use tortilla chips, or even noodles/pasta, in their place. At one time or another, I've tried every variation - they are all good, although I am partial to the corn tortillas.
• 11. Adding a can of black beans or corn, also takes it to another level and adding a few slicked black olives and a dollop of sour cream before serving makes a nice presentation.

PAUL PRUDHOMME'S CHICKEN DIANE

Steps:

• Cook pasta and set aside.
• Mash 1/3 of the butter or margarine and combine with seasoning and chicken.
• Heat a skillet over a high fire until it's hot (about 4 minutes).
• Add chicken pieces and brown them about 2 minutes on the first side and about 1 minute on the other.
• Add mushrooms and cook 2 minutes.
• Add green onions, parsley, garlic and stock.
• Cook 2 more minutes or until the sauce is at a rolling boil.
• Add remaining butter or margarine (cut into pats), stirring and shaking the pan to incorporate.
• Cook for 3 minutes and add the cooked pasta.
• Stir and shake the pan to mix well.
• Serve immediately.

CHEF JOHN'S CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

Steps:

• Season chicken generously on both sides with salt. Heat olive oil in a heavy, deep-sided pan (that comes with a lid) over high heat and brown the chicken well, skin-side down, about 5 minutes; flip and continue to sear until other side is browned, 3 to 4 minutes more. Turn off heat. Transfer the browned chicken to a plate and reserve until needed; spoon out excess chicken fat if desired.
• Add onions and a pinch of salt to the same pan and saute over medium until golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, and flour and cook, stirring, another 3 to 4 minutes to form a tomato roux. Stir in 1 teaspoon kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, smoked paprika, and sweet paprika and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer over high heat.
• Reduce heat to medium-low and transfer chicken and accumulated juices back into the pan. Baste the tops with the sauce, cover the pan with the lid, and simmer, basting occasionally with the sauce, until the chicken is no longer pink in the centers and is fork-tender, 45 to 60 minutes. Remove the chicken and transfer to a plate.
• Skim some fat off the top of the sauce if desired. Whisk heavy cream and sour cream into the sauce and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Transfer the chicken and any juices back into the sauce. Simmer, uncovered, basting often, until chicken is heated through and very tender, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

PAUL PRUDHOMME'S HOPPIN' JOHN

Steps:

• Combine seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
• Place bacon in a large ovenproof pot and cook over high heat until bacon begins to brown, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in 2 cups onions, 1 cup peppers, 1 cup celery, 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon seasoning mix, bay leaves, and half the peas.
• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and 2 cups stock.
• Scrape bottom of pot.
• Bring to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
• Add 1 cup stock and scrape bottom of pot.
• Add sausage, 6 cups stock, remaining onions, remaining peppers, remaining celery, remaining peas, and remaining seasoning mix.
• Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until peas are tender, about 1 1/4 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°.
• Stir in rice and remaining stock.
• Bring to a boil over high heat.
• Cover pot and bake in oven 15 minutes.