chicken

Roasted Lemon Chicken

| mrscheryllacy

This recipe is a result of one of those “what do you mean I don’t have XX” in my freezer moments. So, as you know, I’m a huge fan of Costco. They sell roasting chickens in a two-pack. We are only three people in my family, so cooking one at a time is perfect. I freeze the second one. In any case, I went to my freezer and pulled out a bag of chicken and placed it in my refrigerator overnight to start the defrost process. The next evening, I got home from work and took the chicken out and placed it in a bowl of cool water in my sink to finish the defrost process. I started preparing everything else I needed for dinner, put on my kitchen gloves and opened up the bag. Voila! Surprise, surprise, this was chicken parts and not a whole bird. Not sure how that happened, but my mistake becomes your gain. I apologize for not having my standard “ingredients” image as I was so surprised by my chicken parts, I forgot to take the picture. Dinner actually cooked faster and was delicious. So, without further ado, happy cooking (and eating).

Ingredients

  • 3-4 lbs of chicken part, bone-in
  • 2 T unsalted butter, melted
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Mixed fresh herbs (parsley, thyme)
  • 2 tsp crushed garlic
  • 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 lemons

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Rinse chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.
  • Pat ground pepper and salt onto all of the pieces.
  • Add 2 tsp of crushed garlic and thin slices of one whole lemon to the bottom of the roasting pan.
  • Place chicken into a large baking dish.
  • Brush all exposed parts with butter.
  • Add additional salt and pepper if needed
  • Pat mixed fresh herbs onto the chicken.

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  • Place into oven on the lower rack.
  • Cook approximately 30 minutes. Check to see if meat temperature registers 160 degrees. If it does, remove from oven. If not, cook longer, but watch closely so you do not overcook.

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  • Once removed from the oven, transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest before serving

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  • While chicken is resting, prepare lemon and herb sauce.
  • Pour any accumulated juices and the cooked sliced lemons into a large sauce pan. Add 1-1/4 cups of chicken broth and 2T of fresh lemon juice.
  • Bring to a boil and simmer for 5-10 minutes.

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  • Spoon sauce over chicken.

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Ideas

  • You can, of course, use a whole chicken for this recipe. It’ll be just as good, but will require a bit more manipulation to ensure that the skin is crisp all over.
  • For mixed herbs, use fresh if you have them. If not, small amounts of dried herbs go a long way. And use, the herbs you like best.
  • Serve with a vegetable and starch like potatoes, sweet potatoes or rice.

Avgolemono (Greek Egg Lemon Chicken Soup)

| mrscheryllacy

Ah, the tang of lemon in a creamy soup…one of those surprisingly invigorating tastes that lingers in your mind until the next time you are blessed to have this dish. There are many versions out there; some good, some not so good and some that you always wish you could recreate. I was introduced to this soup about 14 years ago and it became an instant favorite. I remember going to a couple greek restaurants and ordering it with such excitement for the culinary delights to come. Then when putting my spoon into the bowl and excitedly bringing to my lips, my excitement changed into “BLEH”! These soups lacked lemon, the creaminess of the egg yolks folded in properly, the flavor – of well, anything. Hence my quest to find the perfect avgolemono for my family. And maybe this strays rather far from the original recipes intention, but you won’t be sorry once you start making it at home as well.

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup of fresh lemon jui20151025_132328ce
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
  • 1/2 cup diced onion
  • 1 tsp crushed/diced garlic
  • 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup orzo pasta
  • 4 egg yolks

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan over medium heat, add about 1/2 T of olive oil.
  • Once oil is hot, add the garlic. Cook for about a minute.
  • Then add the onion. Cook for about 1-2 minutes.
  • Add the chicken. Cook for another 1-2 minutes.

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  • Add the chicken broth, carrots, orzo, pepper and lemon juice.
  • Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 25 minutes until the orzo and carrots are tender.

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  • Remove 1/2 cup of soup and gradually pour into the egg yolks. Whisk.
  • Stir back into soup.

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  • Heat soup thoroughly but do not let boil so the eggs to do solidify.
  • Serve.

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Ideas

  • Chicken – like so many of my recipes, you can cook the chicken yourself, get it from a can or cut pieces from a rotisserie chicken to make this. Whichever is easiest for you.
  • Carrots – are tricky. If you just cook them normally they’ll probably still be quite crunchy when everything else is ready. Stick your carrot(s) in the microwave for about 1 minute before cutting up.
  • Lemon slices – Feel free to garnish with lemon slices.
  • Serving – this goes great with pita bread, french bread or crackers. Make a meal out of it, or just have a small appetizer sized bowl.

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Chicken Piccata

| mrscheryllacy

Ah, chicken. It’s one of the most versatile proteins, one of the tastiest, but can also get boring if you’re eating it all the time. Somehow, though, I almost never get bored of having chicken on the dinner table. One way to keep things exciting is to spice up a standard meal with different sauces. This is not just a chicken piccata post, but also a basic chicken preparation recipe for many other recipes that I’ll be posting over time. Of course, I’m posting piccata first because it’s one of my all time favorite sauces. Enjoy!20150725_195039

Ingredients – Chicken Preparation

  • 1.5 – 3 lbs of chicken breast, boneless and skinless
  • 1-2 large eggs, beaten
  • Flavored panko breadcrumbs

Ingredients – Chicken Piccata

  • Olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of diced onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced20150725_195718
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 large lemon, sliced into 1/4″-thick slices
  • 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 T capers, rinsed
  • 3 T unsalted butter, cut into smaller pieces
  • 2 T minced fresh parsley

Instructions – Chicken Preparation

  • Rinse chicken and dry with paper towels.
  • Place 2 pieces of plastic wrap on a large cutting board.
  • Place chicken on top of plastic wrap.
  • Place 1 piece of plastic wrap over the chicken.
  • Pound the chicken into thin pieces (about 1/8″ thick)
  • Using kitchen shears, cut into small serving size pieces.

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  • Set up and “assembly line” on the counter nearby.
    • (1) small bowl with the eggs,
    • (2) plate with a layer of panko bread crumbs
    • (3) empty plate
  • Using a fork or tongs, pick up a piece of chicken, dip it into the eggs, then place it on the bread crumbs.

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  • Flip chicken over and make sure both sides are well covered in bread crumbs.
  • Place chicken on empty plate.
  • Repeat until all the chicken is breaded. Add more panko to plate (2) as needed.

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  • Heat 2 T of olive oil in large frying pan.
  • Add chicken to heated frying pan (keep them separated) and brown on both sides.
  • Drain chicken on paper towel.
  • Repeat – add oil to frying pan and brown additional chicken until all the chicken is cooked.

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Instructions – Chicken Piccata Sauce

  • Add 2 T of olive oil to medium or large frying pan and heat over medium heat.
  • Add onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in the chicken broth and lemon slices. Simmer until reduced and slightly thick, about 8 minutes.
  • Add the lemon juice and capers. Turn the eat to low.
  • Add the butter pieces. Cook on low until butter is fully melted. Stir.

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  • Remove from heat, stir in the parsley and salt/pepper to taste.

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  • Spoon the sauce over the chicken before serving.

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Ideas

  • If desired, you can use the same pan to make the sauce as you did to cook the chicken. This will add additional flavor to your piccata sauce, but will also add a lot of time as you cannot cook simultaneously.
  • I use powdered chicken bullion, so just make my broth a little stronger in lieu of adding salt at the end.
  • What to serve with this? Mashed potatoes are always great, or you can try something different like I did by using some Spaetzle. Spaetzle is a German potato pasta. You can find this at World Market/Cost Plus or most any store that sells international food. Just add to a pot of salted boiling water and cook until softened.
  • Piccata sauce is so yummy. Be sure to add some to your potatoes or spaetzle too!
  • And don’t forget a vegetable! Mine is served with cauliflower, but whatever you prefer.
  • Panko breadcrumbs – usually I use Italian flavored, but with piccata, lemon peppered is the best.

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