Florence Lins Smoked Chicken Food

CHICKEN PARMESAN

Steps:

• Coat a saute pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When the oil gets hazy, add the onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 minutes until fragrant and soft. Add the olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add the tomatoes (nothing splashes like tomatoes), cook and stir until the liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover, and keep warm.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Get the ingredients together for the chicken so you have a little assembly line. Put the chicken breasts side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. Pound the chicken breasts with a flat meat mallet, until they are about 1/2-inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine the eggs and water, beat until frothy. Put the bread crumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large oven-proof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, and then dip them in the egg wash to coat completely, letting the excess drip off, then dredge in the bread crumbs. When the oil is nice and hot, add the cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.
• Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake the Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.

SIXTEEN SPICE SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine all spices in a bowl. Rub the entire chicken with the spice rub, including the cavity, and set aside while you prepare the grill.
• Set up a charcoal grill for indirect grilling. Throw the soaked wood chips on the hot coals. Place the cover on the grill and adjust the vents holes on the top and bottom to obtain the desired temperature (in this case it should be about 350 degrees F).
• Place the chicken on the rack of the grill opposite the coals and smoke until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, using an instant-read thermometer, about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove from the grill, tent loosely with foil, and let rest 10 minutes before carving.

CHICKEN AND SMOKED SAUSAGE ETOUFFEE

Steps:

• Set a Dutch oven over medium heat and add a 2-count of olive oil. Add the sausage links and brown slightly as you render some of the fat. Remove and set aside on a paper towel. Season chicken with plenty of salt and pepper and add skin side down to the pan. Cook over medium heat to render fat for 7 to 10 minutes, then turn to brown both sides of the chicken. Remove and set aside on a paper towels.
• With the pot still over medium heat add 2 tablespoons butter to melt with the fat then add flour and whisk to incorporate, and then swap to a wooden spoon. Cook until it is nice and brown (you want a nice deep rich colored roux), about 10 to 12 minutes.
• In a food processor add the onion, celery, bell pepper, and garlic, and pulse to roughly chop. Add the vegetable pulp to the pot with the roux and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes to sweat out some of the moisture. Add the stock, paprika and cayenne. Return the chicken pieces to the pot and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 1 hour. Remove the chicken pieces from pot to a cutting board and shred the meat. Discard the bones and return the meat to the pot. Cut the andouille sausage into chunks and nestle back into the pot amongst chicken to heat through.
• Give it all a final taste and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with plenty of parsley and scallions.

SMOKY ROASTED CHICKEN AND CITRUS SALSA

Steps:

• Roast the chicken. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone and discard it. Flatten the chicken and cut it in half through the breast so you have two halves-each with a leg and breast. Rub all over with some of the smoked olive oil, ensuring it gets in all the crevices. Season all over with salt and pepper.
• Set the chicken in a large roasting pan over two burners and heat over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the chicken halves skin-side down and sear for 4 to 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over, add the potatoes to the pan, and drizzle with more smoked olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the joint between the thigh and drumstick reads 160 degrees to 165 degrees F. The potatoes should be golden on the outside and tender in the middle. Remove from the oven and allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes.
• Make the citrus salsa. Use a sharp knife to cut away the rind and pith from each of the citrus fruits. Holding the fruit over a bowl, carefully cut between the membranes to free the segments. Let the juices and segments fall into the bowl. Add about cup extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl and season with salt and pepper. Cut the radishes into very fine matchsticks on a mandoline or with a sharp knife. Fold them into the citrus salsa, and add the chives.
• Serve the roasted chicken with the potatoes and citrus salsa, and garnish with flowering cilantro. Season with fleur de sel.

FLORENCE LIN'S SMOKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Clean the chicken by rinsing it with water. Drain and dry well. Brown the salt and peppercorns in a dry frying pan over moderate heat until the salt turns slightly brown and the peppercorns smell fragrant. Use a spoon to sprinkle the hot salt and pepper on the inside and outside of the chicken. With your hand rub the mixture in thoroughly and evenly. Place the chicken in a container with a cover, and store in the refrigerator overnight or for up to two days for a more concentrated flavor.
• Use a steamer or pot with a cover that is large enough to hold a deep dish that can hold the chicken. Pour water into the large pot until it is at least 1 1/2 inches deep. Place a rack or ovenproof glass above the water. Set the chicken dish on the rack. Cover tightly, bring water to a boil, and steam for 45 minutes. Take the chicken out to cool and dry completely. Save the chicken liquid for other uses, such as soup stock or gravy.
• Line the inside of a wok and its domed cover with aluminum foil. Sprinkle hickory chips and black tea over the bottom of the wok. Place an oiled rack in the wok. Lay the chicken on it. Cover the wok with the domed cover, and smoke over moderate heat for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, and let stand for 5 minutes to allow the smoke to dissipate before removing the cover. If the hickory chips and tea leaves are not fully burned and the chicken's skin is not brown in color, continue smoking for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the chicken, and brush with sesame oil. Cut the chicken into small pieces. Smoked chicken can be made in advance and will keep for days in the refrigerator.