Poultry Essentials Easy Peasy Chicken Salad Food

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.

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: 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.

BASIC CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Place almonds in a frying pan. Toast over medium-high heat, shaking frequently. Watch carefully, as they burn easily.
• In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, lemon juice, and pepper. Toss with chicken, almonds, and celery.