Poultry Essentials Easy Peasy Baked Chicken Food

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: EASY PEASY BAKED CHICKEN

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 3. Add enough cold water to a large bowl (like a mixing bowl), or a pot, to completely submerge the chicken, in my experience it will 3 - 4 quarts.
• 4. Add the salt and honey, then whisk the mixture until the salt has completely dissolved.
• 5. Chef's Note: Many times, depending on the ingredients in the brine, I'll heat it up on the stovetop, and wait an hour or two for it to cool down. In this case, the only solid is the salt, and with enough whisking, it will dissolve; even in cold water. That saves us a ton of time.
• 6. Submerge the chicken in the salt/honey solution, and brine for 2, but not more than 3 hours.
• 7. Chef's Note: During this process, you will want to place the brining chicken in the refrigerator.
• 8. Remove the chicken from the brine and thoroughly rinse, and then pat dry with a few paper towels.
• 9. Add the quartered lemons to the cavity of the chicken and truss up the legs, and tie the wings to the body.
• 10. Sprinkle the dry rub all over the chicken, and allow to rest while you get your oven, grill, or smoker ready.
• 11. Chef's Note: You could use a variety of dry rubs, or you could make one of your own. This is my recipe for an excellent dry spice rub: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/sauce-spread/seasoning-mix/rub-essentials-beef-pork-chicken-dry-rub.html
• 12. BAKING THE CHICKEN
• 13. You have three choices for baking this chicken. Method One: Place a rack in the lower position, and preheat the oven 235 (112c). Method Two: Heat up the smoker to 225 (107c). Method Three: Fire up your gas or charcoal grill to 225f (107).
• 14. Oven baking will give you a great chicken, but without some of the additional flavor notes that can be accomplished on a grill, or in the smoker. For example, I use my smoker and 30-minutes into the cooking, I'll add a handful of hickory chips. That's just enough to give the chicken a "hint" of smoke without overpowering the bird.
• 15. COOKING TIME: The chicken is done when the temp of the chicken breast reaches 165f (75c), or 175f (80c), at the thickest part of the thigh. Regardless of the method you are using, that should occur in 3 to 3.5 hours. Your time may vary, based on the size of the chicken, and the actual temperature of the gill, oven, or smoker.
• 16. Remove the chicken from the oven, grill, or smoker.
• 17. PLATE/PRESENT
• 18. Brush with the olive oil, and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving. Enjoy.
• 19. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: CHEESY TOMATO & CHICKEN BAKE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Two of my favorite brands of tomatoes are Meir Glen, or Cento; however, another great (more common) brand is Hunts. My favorite brand of marinated artichoke hearts is Mezzetta, and they come packed in oil. Drain the oil before chopping. My favorite brand of diced green chilies, are Hatch. They come in small cans of 5 ounces (142g).
• 3. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 4. Chef's Tip: I recommend brining the chicken breasts for an hour or two, but that is totally up to you.
• 5. Chef's Note: You will notice that in the photos, I am placing the chicken breasts into individual serving dishes. If you wish, you can place both breasts into a single baking dish, or you could cook the whole thing in an ovenproof skillet. Now that is what I call easy/peasy.
• 6. Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 400f (205c).
• 7. Add the butter and oil to a skillet over medium heat.
• 8. When the foaming subsides, add the onions.
• 9. Cook until the onions soften, and turn translucent, about 4 - 5 minutes.
• 10. Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 60 seconds.
• 11. Reduce the heat to medium low, then add the tomatoes, artichokes, chilies, oregano, basil, parsley, and cumin, and stir to combine with the onions and garlic.
• 12. Allow to simmer until it reduces a bit, and beings to thicken, about 8 - 10 minutes.
• 13. Chef's Note: Add a bit of salt and pepper, to taste.
• 14. Place the tomato sauce into individual, oven-proof baking dishes, or a single dish. Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and push them into the tomato sauce.
• 15. Place into the preheated oven, and bake until the internal temperature of the chicken breasts reaches 165f (75c), about 30 - 35 minutes
• 16. Add the Dubliner cheese to the top, and pop under the broiler until the cheese is bubbly, and beginning to brown in spots, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• 17. PLATE/PRESENT
• 18. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and serve while nice and warm. With maybe a small side salad, and some crusty bread. Enjoy.
• 19. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: EASY CHICKEN, TATERS, VEGGIES

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• You will need a full or half, rimmed sheet pan to make this recipe, and some parchment paper will help with cleanup.
• The spices used in this recipe keep things simple, yet flavorful. Feel free to add, any additional spices that suit your fancy.
• If you wish, you can make more of the marinade and reserve some for after the chicken comes out of the oven, then drizzle it over the chicken and veggies before serving. Yummy.
• Chicken Thighs worked best, and so would legs; however, if you choose breasts, be careful and do not overcook them or they will be dry.
• Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• Whisk the marinade ingredients together in a bowl.
• Add the chicken thighs, toss with the marinade, then cover and place in the fridge for 2 - 3 hours.
• I am using a Ziploc bag for the marinading, however, keeping them in the bowl and covering with a piece of clingwrap would do just fine.
• Place a rack in the upper position and preheat the oven to 380f/195c.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
• Add the chicken to the parchment-lined sheet pan, then toss the veggies in a bit of oil, salt, and pepper, and add to the pan.
• Place in the preheated oven and bake until the chicken starts turning golden and the veggies are cooked, about 30 - 40 minutes.
• To get the chicken skin even crisper, turn on the broiler function 1 - 2 minutes before the chicken is finished. But keep an eye on it because the broiler can turn golden brown to blackened quicker than you can say: Oops.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Place a piece of the chicken on a plate; along with a portion of the veggies, then serve while nice and hot. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: EASY/PEASY CHICKEN PICCATA

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• 3. Cut the chicken breast in half, lengthwise.
• 4. Pound out into an even thickness, somewhere around 1/2-inch (1.3cm).
• 5. Chef's Note: If they are fairly thin, it might not be necessary to pound them. With that said, it fun, and it helps to take out all your frustrations. So, put on some good jazz, pour yourself a nice chardonnay, and pound baby pound. :-)
• 6. Add a bit of salt and pepper, to the flour, and place into a shallow bowl.
• 7. Take the chicken pieces, one-by-one, coat them in the flour, and reserve.
• 8. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 tablespoon of butter to a sauté pan, over medium heat.
• 9. When the foaming subsides, give the pan a swirl, to mix the oil and butter, and add the floured chicken breasts.
• 10. Cook until golden brown on both sides, about 3 - 4 minutes per side.
• 11. Remove from the pan, and reserve.
• 12. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, and add the garlic.
• 13. Stir the garlic until fragrant, about 60 seconds. Do not allow the garlic to burn, or the sauce will taste bitter.
• 14. Add the wine, and capers, then stir until most of the liquid is evaporated, about 3 - 5 minutes.
• 15. Add the chicken stock, and butter, and stir to combine.
• 16. Continue to simmer, until the liquid is reduced by half, and begins to thicken, about 3 - 4 minutes.
• 17. Return the chicken to the pan, and cook until warmed through, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• 18. Remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and do a final tasting for proper seasoning. Because of the tang of the lemon juice, you will probably not need any additional salt; however, a few grinds of pepper, can give the sauce more depth.
• 19. PLATE/PRESENT
• 20. I like serving this with some long-grained white rice; however, the sides are up to you. Enjoy.
• 21. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: EASY CHICKEN & VEGGIES

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. In my opinion, all you need here are some frozen veggies. I am using some broccoli, peas, carrots and onions. Take them out of the freezer and allow to thaw before using,
• 3. Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• 4. Mix all of the Sauce ingredients together, and reserve.
• 5. Add the oil to a pan over medium heat.
• 6. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the chicken, and cook until almost cooked through, about 3 - 4 minutes, then add the sauce.
• 7. Continue to cook for an additional minute or two, until the sauce thickens.
• 8. Add the defrosted veggies, and cook until warmed through, about 2 - 3 minutes.
• 9. PLATE/PRESENT
• 10. Serve over rice while nice and warm. Enjoy.
• 11. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: SPEEDY CHICKEN MARINADE

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. A Thirty Minute Brine? The trick to the short brine time is the use of the lemon juice. Lemon juice is an acid, and those quick 30 minutes will tenderize the chicken, and allow those spices to infuse themselves. However, no more than THIRTY minutes. After that, the chicken will begin to get mushy, and we HATE it when that happens.
• 3. This marinade calls for fresh ingredients. If you do not use freshly chopped oregano, and freshly minced garlic, you will not get the awesome flavors this marinade was designed to deliver.
• 4. I tried this marinade on chicken breasts and chicken thighs, bone-in, or bone-out. However, because you are attempting get the marinade into the chicken, the chicken must be skinless.
• 5. Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• 6. Add all of the ingredients in a bowl, and whisk together.
• 7. Add the chicken, cover, and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Set a timer.
• 8. Chef's Note: Because brining uses salt, remember to reduce the salt that is called for in the recipe you are using.
• 9. PLATE/PRESENT
• 10. Remove from the fridge, pat dry, and cook as you would for any chicken recipe. Enjoy.
• 11. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: OVEN-BAKED BONE-IN BREASTS

Steps:

• PREP/PREPARE
• Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
• Place a rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 425f (220c).
• Brush the chicken breast with the oil.
• Sprinkle on the spices.
• Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and add any veggies, if using.
• Brush the veggies, if using, with a bit of olive oil, and place into the preheated oven.
• Bake until the skin is golden brown, and the internal temperature of the breast reaches 165, about 40 - 45 minutes.
• PLATE/PRESENT
• Serve while nice and warm with your chosen sides. Enjoy.
• Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

POULTRY ESSENTIALS: EASY PEASY CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• 1. PREP/PREPARE
• 2. Gather your Ingredients (mise en place).
• 3. Cut the chicken breast into bitesize pieces, and sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.
• 4. Add the butter and oil to a sauté pan, over medium heat.
• 5. When the butter has melted, give the pan a swirl, and add the chicken.
• 6. Slowly cook until the pink is gone from the chicken, and the juices run clear, about 6 - 8 minutes
• 7. Remove from pan, and reserve on paper towels.
• 8. Add the lemon juice, mayonnaise, mustard, and hot sauce to a bowl, and thoroughly mix. Add the chicken, and toss to combine.
• 9. Chef's Note: Do a final tasting for proper seasoning.
• 10. Chef's Tip: The chicken salad will last 2 days, if covered and refrigerated.
• 11. PLATE/PRESENT
• 12. Serve on a bed of lettuce, or make a yummy sandwich. Enjoy.
• 13. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.