Chicken Madison

Just yesterday I came across a post on a blog I read called Feasts and Fotos, while going through my google reader.  The post was for Chicken Madison and I was drooling over Susan's photos.  Susan has tons of great recipes and photos on her blog.  If you haven't been there before be sure to check it out.  She and I seem to like a lot of the same food and we don't live too far from each other (Susan, we should meet for dinner one day!).  I would love to try her Lentil and Sausage Stew, Fusilli with Sausage and Artichokes, and her Potato Fennel and Leek Soup.  I could search her blog all day and bookmark recipes!   Okay so back to the chicken.  Her recipe was incredibly simple and I had pretty much everything on hand to make it.  I had to make a couple of simple substitutions for example I used the dry sundried tomatoes because I was out of the ones that are packed in oil.  I didn't have anymore fresh parsley but I had some scallions which I threw in.  I had the cremini mushrooms and a half a package of shitake's so I tossed those in as well.  The result was a delicious tender chicken in a flavorful sauce that I put over some buttered orzo.  Susan served hers over creamy white bean puree which she promises to post soon.  I bet that is out of this world! One thing to keep in mind that if you are using very thin sliced cutlets like I did you will not need to cook it for 20 minutes at the end like the recipe states.  I found that the chicken was almost completely cooked from browning it and only simmered it in the pan sauce for as long as it took the orzo to cook which was about 8 minutes.  I will definitely be making this again and I hope you'll give it a try as well!

Chicken Madison

From Feasts and Fotos

Ingredients:

6 thin chicken cutlets ( cut in 1/2 down the center)
whole wheat flour
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 box crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced (not too thin)
1 12 oz bag of frozen artichoke hearts, slightly defrosted, cut in half lengthwise
1 Tbsp tomato paste

1  7 ounce jar of sun dried tomatoes, drained and sliced, 2-3 tbsp of oil reserved

1/2 – 3/4 cup white wine

3/4 – 1 cup chicken stock, low sodium

1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil

1 Tbsp butter, optional

Directions: 

Heat a few tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add 2 smashed garlic cloves, to season the oil.  Season chicken with salt & pepper and coat in the flour, tapping off excess.  Add some of the chicken to oil, being sure not to overcrowd the pan, cooking them until golden brown on each side.  Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.  Be careful to watch the cloves of garlic and be sure to remove them once they appear to be getting too golden.  You don’t want them to burn.  Repeat with remaining chicken and smashed garlic.

In the same skillet you just cooked all the chicken in add the oil you reserved from the sun dried tomatoes.  Into that oil add the artichoke hearts and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes.  To the artichokes add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they start to soften a bit.  Next, add the tomato paste and garlic and stir into the vegetables, cooking for 2-3 minutes.  At this point I usually add some salt and pepper.  Next comes the liquids…add the wine first, allowing it to simmer for a few minutes.  Finally add the chicken stock and the fresh thyme.  Allow liquids to simmer together for 4-5 minutes.  To thicken this liquid mixture a bit, add approximately 1-2 tablespoons of the leftover whole wheat flour to the skillet, whisking to mix.

Add the chicken cutlets back into the skillet, nestling them all in under the veggies, gently, as best as you can.  Ideally you want most of the chicken to be submerged into the liquid.  It is ok if the tops of a few pieces are not submerged.  If you feel you need a bit more liquid, add some more chicken stock.  Put a cover on the skillet, lower heat to low and gently simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.  Once cooked, turn off heat and add the parsley.  If you so choose, you can also add the butter, just to finish the sauce a bit.  A little tablespoon of butter won’t hurt!

Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana

Here's another Italian American favorite. It's a very easy dish to make and everyone loves it. It's also another great way to use up leftovers. If you know how to make marinara sauce and you know how to fry up some chicken cutlets you can make this dish. In fact, I've already given you the recipes to make this dish in other posts. You just have to put it together. I'll repost the recipes for Chicken Milanese (Breaded Chicken Cutlets) and Marinara sauce here for you. Serve with spaghetti and marinara sauce and a salad and you have a delicious meal.

Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana

Ingredients:

Chicken Cutlets prepared Milanese style (aka - breaded and fried, See below
Marinara sauce, prepared, See Below
shredded mozzarella
romano cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pan or baking sheet (with high sides, like a jelly roll pan), ladle enough sauce to cover bottom of pan. Add chicken cutlets, cover with sauce, sprinkle with cheese and top with mozzarella. Bake until cheese is melted and brown.





SORRY - I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE OF JUST THE CHICKEN WITH THE SAUCE BUT YOU GET THE IDEA, RIGHT?



Chicken Milanese

Ingredients:

chicken cutlets
2 eggs
splash of milk
salt and pepper
romano cheese
parsley (fresh or dried)
garlic powder
canola oil, for frying

Directions:

1. Beat eggs and mix with milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder and a few teaspoons of cheese.

2. In another dish mix breadcrumbs with garlic powder, parsley and about 1/4 cup romano cheese (maybe more).

3. Dip cutlets in egg mixture (let excess drip off) and then cover with breadcrumbs pressing down with your hands to get the breadcrumbs to adhere to chicken. Do this on both sides.

4. If you have extra egg mixture and breadcrums you can make bread patties or polpette (that's what Nanny called them). Add the breadcrumbs to the egg and mix it together with a fork. Once combined form little patties with your hands.

5. Let oil get very hot. Make sure you use enough oil to completely cover the pan and go up the sides a little bit. You don't want to keep adding cold oil to the pan because it will drop the temperature and the cutlets will absorb too much oil. Fry cutlets (and bread patties if making) until browned. Turn and cook the other side.

6. As your cutlets and patties are done add them to a paper towel lined plate and put a piece of paper towel between each layer to absorb excess oil.

Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, diced
3 tsp chopped fresh basil (use less if dried)
1-2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
extra virgin olive oil

*Note - When using dried herbs don't double the amount exactly if you want to double the recipe. It may overpower the sauce.

Feel free to use fresh frozen or dried herbs. Sometimes I use the Italian Seasoning but this time I didn't because I didn't want it to overpower the flavor of the kale. It's a preference, it will be good either way.

Directions:

Sweat onions in extra virgin olive oil and then add garlic in oil. Let it cook for a minute or to and then add crushed red pepper and frozen or dried herbs. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar. If using fresh herbs add now. Let it come to a boil and then lower heat. Cook on medium for 30-40 minutes. Taste it and adjust seasoning as needed.

Julia Child's Chicken Poached in Butter inspired by the new movie Julie and Julia

Bonjour! Can you hear it? My Julia Child impersonation? Use your imagination people!

I bet all you foodies out there are psyched about the upcoming movie Julie and Julia. Well I'm not going to brag but.....ISAWITALREADYOHMYGODITWASAWESOME!!!! Okay, Okay, I'll calm down. Well you all know about bakespace already, geez, I tell you about it all the time and if you're new here or if you don't remember, bakespace is a social networking site for foodies like you and me! Well thanks to Sony and our fearless leader, Babette (the founder of bakespace), I won tickets to see the premier of Julie and Julia! There was a contest and I posted about it on facebook and twitter so everyone could participate in the giveaway. So on Tuesday me and a couple of other bakespace members who won tickets headed over to Garden State Plaza in Paramus to watch the movie.

Here's the trailer if you haven't seen it yet.


If you don't have time to watch trailer I'll briefly tell you what the movie is about (without giving anything away of course!). Julie and Julia is a story about Julie Powell, a food blogger who spends a year making every single recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. To read Julie Powell's blog, the Julie/Julia Project click here. Intertwined with Julie's story is the story of Julia Child and how she came to live in France and how she became a chef. Obviously, you all know who Julia Child is (except my father who thought I was going to meet someone from the food network when I told him I won tickets to see Julie and Julia...that's a post for another day!) but the story of Julie Powell is real. She started off without any readers and before you know it she was contacted by publishers, magazine editors and television network producers. It's amazing how that happened. Being a food blogger myself I can certainly relate to everything (well, except the being published part!) and this movie just pulled at my heartstrings. It was fantastic!!!! I loved it!!! Merryl Streep and Amy Adams were fantastic! Have I convinced you yet that this movie was fabulous? Okay, so again, Thank YOU Babette for making this possible! I don't know how I would have held out for two more weeks!



I came out of the theater and I knew I just had to make a recipe from Julia Child's cookbook. I don't own her cookbook and I didn't grow up watching her on television. I've seen an episode here and there but never was interested in french cooking. Good thing because I would certainly be double my size if I was. Yesterday I did a search on the internet for a Julia Child recipe using chicken breasts and I found the following recipe on HGTV's website. Click here to see the article. The dish was delicious and decadent, I really enjoyed it (even though I overcooked the rice - oops) but unfortunately, this will not become part of my regular rotation. It's just way too fattening...almost one stick of butter. The sauce was amazing, I could eat it with a spoon! I used marsala because I forgot to buy madeira but I don't think it made much of a difference. I also forgot the mushrooms! Hopefully Julia Child isn't rolling around in her grave (yes Dad, Julia Child is no longer with us so I couldn't possibly meet her and get some advice like you suggested)! Okay, enough of my babbling...here's the recipe!



Supremes de Volaille a Blanc (Chicken breasts poached in butter)

From Mastering the Art of French Cooking, by Julia Child, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle. Knopf, 1961.

Ingredients:

Rice:
1/3 cup finely minced onions
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup raw, unwashed white rice
2 cups chicken stock or broth
salt and pepper
small herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, and a sprig of thyme tied together with white string.

Chicken:
4 thin boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
salt, pepper and lemon juice
4 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup diced onions
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 sliced mushrooms

Wine Sauce:
1/4 cup white or brown stock
1/4 cup port, Madeira or dry white vermouth
1 cup heavy cream
salt, pepper, lemon juice
2 tbsp. minced parsley

Preparation:

For the rice, cook the onions slowly in the butter until soft. Add the rice and stir over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes until rice, which first turns translucent, becomes a milky white color. Then stir in the chicken stock, season lightly with salt and pepper, and add the herb bouquet. Stir briefly until simmer is reached, then cover closely and cook at a moderate simmer, about 18 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed. Do not stir rice at all until this has happened. Then fluff lightly with a fork, adding more salt and pepper if necessary. This can be cooked ahead of time and reheated.

For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400. Cook the vegetables in the butter in a fireproof casserole before adding the chicken. Season meat with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Lay over vegetables in one layer in the casserole, making sure the chicken is coated in the butter. Cover the surface of the casserole with wax paper. Place in oven for 6 to 7 minutes, or until the meat feels springy when you push on it. Remove from oven and set casserole aside while you prepare the sauce.

For the sauce: Pour stock and wine into a saucepan and boil rapidly until liquid is syrupy. Then pour in the cream and boil rapidly until lightly thickened. Season with salt, pepper and drops of lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the casserole and serve with the warm rice.

Bon Apetit!












For a web companion to Mastering the Art of French Cooking, check out Whisk: a food blog.

Chicken Milanese and Escarole

 

I'm going to be honest with you. Chicken Milanese is a nice way of saying fried chicken cutlet. If you order it in a restaurant you usually get salad on top of a fried chicken cutlet or flattened out chicken breast but that's all it is. I'm not trying to dismiss the deliciousness (is that a word?) of it but I don't want you to think it's anything fancy. I like to be honest. Chicken cutlets were on the menu every single week when I was a kid. Everyone loves them, they're easy and quick to make.

Fried chicken cutlets are prepared the same way I prepared the eggplant parmigiana this week. The chicken is dipped in an egg mixture and then breaded in seasoned bread crumbs and fried in canola oil. If you're wondering why I'm using canola oil and not olive oil or extra virgin olive oil it's because it's a very light oil. It has a high smoking point which means that it can tolerate a high temperature before smoking and burning and therefore ruining your food and setting off the smoke alarms. I also like to reserve my more expensive oil for vegetables and salads for when I make chicken marsala or something similar. I usually mix evoo and butter for those. The difference is that for those dishes I'm just lightly and quickly sauteing small amounts of chicken. I don't know, that's just the way I've always done it. If you want to use olive oil mixed with butter for a different flavor go ahead, I'm sure it will taste great. You could also add the step of dredging in flour before you egg it again and then dredge it in breadcrumbs. I know a lot of people do it that way and to be honest, i'm really not sure why. It's an extra step in my opinion and my mom and grandmother never did that but if you want to, go ahead. My cutlets are crispy and crunchy on the outside without the flour. Another preference is where you put your seasoning. My mom always seasoned the egg mixture and used plain breadcrumbs. There are people who season the breadcrumbs and not the egg mixture. Either way is fine but I like to play it safe and season both. It can't hurt, right?



Chicken Cutlets

Ingredients:

2 eggs
splash of milk
salt and pepper
romano cheese
parsley (fresh or dried)
garlic powder
canola oil, for frying


Directions:

1. Beat eggs and mix with milk, salt, pepper and garlic powder and a few teaspoons of cheese.

2. In another dish mix breadcrumbs with garlic powder, parsley and about 1/4 cup romano cheese (maybe more).

3. Dip cutlets in egg mixture (let excess drip off) and then cover with breadcrumbs pressing down with your hands to get the breadcrumbs to adhere to chicken. Do this on both sides.

4. At this point, if you like you can make bread patties or polpette (that's what Nanny called them) to snack on before dinner is ready. Once all your cutlets are breaded add the breadcrumbs to the egg and mix it together with a fork. Once combined form little patties with your hands.

5. Let oil get very hot. Make sure you use enough oil to completely cover the pan and go up the sides a little bit. You don't want to keep adding cold oil to the pan because it will drop the temperature and the cutlets will absorb too much oil.

6. As your cutlets and patties are done add them to a paper towel lined plate and put a piece of paper towel between each layer to absorb excess oil.

7. Eat your cutlets as is or add a squeeze of lemon, a chopped salad, bruschetta, whatever you like, your options are unlimited.

 

These are my little bread patties. They are so delicious!

 

Escarole is a delicious vegetable that I don't think gets enough attention. It can be eaten raw as a salad or sauteed in garlic and oil or it can be added to soups for some extra vitamins and flavor. I like it all of these ways but this time I sauteed it. It's soft and crunchy at the same time and is very similar to bok choy. Escarole grows in the dirt and like leeks can be very dirty. Make sure to clean each leaf to remove any dirt or grit that may be hidden.

Sauteed Escarole

Ingredients:

1 head of escarole, cleaned well and chopped if you like (not necessary)
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
10 small cloves garlic (less if you don't like a lot of garlic, my cloves were small)

Directions:

1. Heat large pan and add a good amount of extra virgin olive oil. Add garlic and let it cook over medium heat for a few minutes.

2. Add escarole to pan and be careful that the oil doesn't spit at you. If your leaves are wet this will happen. However, I like when there is some water on the leaves, it helps to cook the escarole. Just make sure you completely cover the pan with the escarole to block the oil from getting you.

3. Let the escarole cook for a minute or two and then toss it in the oil with tongs to cover it all in the garlic flavored oil. Just like spinach this will shrink down to less than half of what you originally had. If you are using more than one head of escarole add it in batches as it shrinks down.

The escarole should still have a slight crunch. The outer leaves have a nice thick white stalk and that will stay crunchy the greener leaves and the more delicate inner leaves will be softer. Would you believe that Steve actually liked it. When you aren't afraid to try something you would be surprised at the things you never knew you would like.

Grilled Lemon Chicken and Crazy Brown Rice

If you're looking for something quick, easy and tasty for a weeknight meal look no further. Serve with a salad and you have a very tasty, healthy meal. Chicken cutlets cook up very quickly but you could also use chicken breasts and they will cook up pretty fast as well. My chicken cutlets were pretty small so I didn't need to use a lot of liquid. If you use breasts you may want to increase the amount of lemon juice.

Crazy Brown Rice...weird name, isn't it? That's the nice version of what Steve suggested I call it. Oh, he liked it, don't worry he just felt like busting my chops! The brown rice is something new that I bought from Trader Joe's. The rice comes in a box with three packages of two servings each. There are two ways to cook it, microwaved in the bag it comes in (like those veggies in a steamer bag)or in a pot on the stove top. I cooked it on the stove for about 10 minutes. If you have another brand of brown rice feel free to use it. You can use white rice as well. I was trying to be healthy and get Steve to try something new.

So here you have it. Grilled Lemon Chicken with Crazy Brown Rice. Delicious!


Grilled Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

1 package thin sliced chicken cutlets
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp Mrs. Dash Table Blend
salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Combine, lemon juice and zest, garlic, parsley, olive oil, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper in a bowl, add chicken and allow each piece to get coated with mixture. Let chicken marinate for one hour.

Heat grill pan and drizzle with a little oil or cooking spray. Cook chicken on both sides until browned and cooked through.



Crazy Brown Rice

Ingredients:

1 package of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice (2 serving package)
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 zucchini or 1 small baby zucchini
2 campari tomatoes, chopped
approx. 1/4 cup diced red bell pepper
a splash of dry white wine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup parsely, chopped


Directions:

Cook Rice according to package directions. While rice is cooking saute onions and garlic in oil. Add

Meanwhile, saute onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil. Once softened add zucchini and let cook for about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and let them cook down, about 3-4 minutes, add wine and reduce, season with salt, pepper and parsley. Add cooked brown rice and toss with veggie mixture. Add more oil if it seems dry. I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the rice before I arranged it on the plate. I really thought I did but the picture is nowhere to be found so I guess I didn't. Sorry!

Giada's Chicken Piccata

This is one of my go to weeknight meals because I usually have everything I need to make this already on hand. I usually serve this with roasted potatoes but since I'm trying to be more health conscious I decided to go with broccoli rabe and a baked sweet potato (sorry, no picture of the sweet potato). I used less than half the butter in the recipe and added a little more oil when the pan got dry. I know oil is still fattening but it's a better fat than butter, right? However, if I added all of the butter I would have had a nice sauce to dip bread in...sigh...I miss normal eating! One more thing, make it easy on yourself and use chicken cutlets if you have them and I'm sure you can have this done in 30 minutes.

This recipe can be found on the food network website or in Giada De Laurentiis' cookbook Everyday Italian.

Chicken Piccata

Ingredients:

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour, for dredging
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped


Directions:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.

2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.

3. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Chicken Saltimbocca

I have seen chicken saltimbocca prepared many ways over the years. Sometimes the chicken is rolled, sometimes it's flat and sometimes it is folded in half. I've seen it stuffed and I've seen it layered. I don't think there is any right or wrong method, just do what works best for you. I have tried to duplicate the saltimbocca that Steve and I get at a local pizzeria/restaurant. I think I came close! I served this at a dinner party that we had Sunday night with some of our friends.

I'm sorry that my measurements aren't exact. I just did it on the fly so I'll do my best to make a clear recipe.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Serves 6 - you can easily make more to satisfy bigger appetites or a larger crowd.

Ingredients:

6 thin sliced chicken cutlets
6 slices of prosciutto di parma
6 leaves fresh sage, torn in pieces
chicken broth
1 cup marsala wine
3 cloves garlic, minced
all purpose flour
wondra flour, optional (it's great for making a smooth gravy)
salt and pepper
4 bags baby spinach (three wasn't enough for 6 people)
5-8 cloves garlic cracked
1/2 stick unsalted butter
extra virgin olive oil
1 bag shredded mozzarella (I use part skim)

Directions:

1. In a shallow bowl or dish put about 1/2 cup flour or so (depending on how big your cutlets are) and season with salt and pepper.

2. On each chicken cutlet place a couple of pieces of sage leaves. I don't like the sage to overpower the chicken, so I only put about 2 pieces. You can leave the sage leaves whole and put one leaf on but I find that one area of the chicken ends up with all the flavor. It's completely up to you and your tastebuds. On top of the sage place one piece of prosciutto. Dredge both sides in flour then fold in half like a book and press together to seal it.

3. Once all chicken is prepared heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a couple tablespoons of oil and a pat of butter. Brown chicken on both sides adding more butter or oil as needed. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

4. In the same pan add garlic and reduce heat to low so garlic doesn't burn. If your pan is dry be sure to add more butter or oil (I like to use a combo of both). (At this point you can add all purpose flour as a thickener for the sauce or you can wait and use wondra flour later.) Bring heat up again and add marsala wine. Use a wooden spoon to pick up any bits that have stuck to the pan. This makes a tasty sauce. Let wine cook down for about 5-8 minutes so the alcohol will burn out and the flavor has mellowed. Add chicken broth a little at a time and stir. Stir in wondra flour to thicken sauce. Add more chicken broth and flour as needed. It all depends on how much sauce you like. If I was going to serve this over pasta I would have made more sauce.

5. Reduce heat to medium low and add the chicken to the pan. The chicken is already cooked but we want it to absorb some of that flavor and let the sauce coat the chicken. Turn the chicken so both sides are coated. Sprinkle tops of chicken with shredded mozzarella (you won't use the whole bag, just enough to top each piece) and put under broiler until cheese is melted and browned. If you don't have a pan that is safe for the oven put a lid on top or some foil so the cheese melts.

6. While you are making the sauce for the chicken (or you can do this earlier in the day and reheat later), heat a medium size pan and add about 2 tablespoons of oil. Add cracked garlic and let it cook for a few minutes. Add spinach and turn to coat in oil. You will have to do a little at a time and as the spinach cooks down add more spinach. Add more oil if you think it needs more. When spinach is wilted turn off the heat.

7. Serve chicken over or around spinach with extra sauce over the top of the chicken. If you like you can remove the cracked garlic.




Ignore the flour that's all over my shirt!!! lol