Baked Cast Iron Chicken and Potatoes

Baked Cast Iron Chicken and Potatoes

OK, so today is going to be one of those "no recipe" days.  Just a day where you make the stuff and it is GREAT.

Yup, baking chicken is so easy.  It's one of those items, that you spice it up and bake it.

But I added a few items to make it my own "recipe" if you will.  So I will get you started, but where you end up, will be your own recipe.

Ingredients

1 package chicken thighs
4 potatoes
3 stalks celery
1 onion
3 tablespoons of Oil

Stuff you will need

14 inch cast iron skillet
Cutting board
Sharp knife
Spatula, it can be metal as your NOT going to hurt the cast iron

Directions

Cut up your your potatoes into bite size pieces.  Same with the onion and celery.  

Pre-heat your oven to 350 F.

Heat your skillet on medium heat.  Once you see smoke coming off the skillet, it is pre-heated and ready to go.  Add the oil.  Then the potatoes and other vegetables.

Fry up your potatoe & veggies in the cast iron skillet till they are about 1/2 way done.  Add what ever spices you like to this.  Were not done cooking them, we are only "starting" them so that we don't have raw potatoes when it's all done.

Spice up your chicken.  I used salt, pepper and garlic.  Do you like some other spices on your chicken?  Go wild.  Remember, this is YOUR recipe, I am only getting you started.

Arrange your chicken on top of the potatoes and into the oven for about 45 minutes.

The drippings from the chicken will saturate the potatoes and veggies.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

Sticky Chicken

Sticky Chicken

Ingredients

3 -5 pounds bone in chicken with skin (folks usually use legs and/or thighs)
1 cup ketchup
1 cup honey
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup soy sauce
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Stuff you will need

Mixing bowl
Oven proof baking dish
Parchment Paper

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

In a sauce pot, combine ketchup, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder over medium heat.

Bring it just to a boil while stirring. Remove from heat.

Arrange chicken pieces in 9x13 dish, lined with parchment paper. Pour entire amount of sauce over chicken, turning pieces with tongs to coat.

Place in oven, uncovered, for 90 minutes, turning after 45 minutes.

Fifteen minutes before cooking time is up, flip pieces once more and baste with sauce.

As always, comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

Chicken Gumbo

Chicken Gumbo

There are other Gumbos that you can make, but this is a nice starter one.  You can add Shrimp, Sausage, Rice, etc.  Make it your own signature dish.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes 
2 large onions, chopped 
2 large green peppers, chopped 
½ cup celery, chopped 
4 tablespoons cooking oil 
3 tablespoons flour 
3 large tomatoes, cut up 
2 cloves garlic, minced 
salt & pepper to taste 

Directions

Prepare a rue with cooking oil and flour. Cook until brown, stirring often. 

Add onion, bell pepper, and celery. 

Slowly stir in 1 quart of water. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cut-up tomatoes, and garlic. 

Cover and cook about 30 minutes, until vegetables are done. 

Add chicken and simmer an additional 10 minutes.

As always, comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Fantastic main course.  Smells great and tastes even better than it looks.

Ingredients

3 or 4 boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small chunks
1/3 cup flour
olive oil
1/2 Tbl. salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 Tbl. ketchup
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (thaw or throw it in the microwave for 45 seconds)
4 Tbl.  brown sugar

Directions

In a bowl, mix the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and ketchup.  Pour the flour in a small bowl.  Cover the chicken breast chunks in flour and shake off the excess.

Pour a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and brown the flour-covered chicken.
The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked since it's going in the crock pot.

After the chicken is done cooking, pour the pieces into the crock pot. Then cover the chicken with your sauce mixture and give the pot a stir.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3.


Serve over rice and even add veggies if you want a healthier meal.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome

Chicken Stew

Chicken Stew

We're talking about that thick stew that sticks to your ribs type stew

Go to the store and get one of those chickens that were done yesterday.

Very likely 50% off so they can put new chickens out today at full price

Cut up the chicken

You can make your own chicken broth

Or...  you can do like I did, just buy it

Start by melting the butter

Then add the same amount of flour

Only cook on medium heat

Continue to cook till the flour smell is gone

Constantly stir

Do not let it burn

Add the chicken stock, about a 1/2 cup at a time

It will thicken up, but keep stiring

Don't let it burn

Keep adding more and more chicken stock

Keep stiring

Finally, your gravy is ready

I "pumped up" the taste of my stew

I put in an onion and the onion peelings

A couple chopped carrots

A couple chopping up celery pieces

I threw in the chicken bones

I boiled that down

I kept the broth

Oh the yummy broth

I boiled up the potatoes and carrots

Then added the stuff together

Gravy, broth, chicken pieces, boiled potatoes and carrots

Le voila, the chicken stew

Ingredients

1 rotisserie chicken deboned
1 onion
2 celery stalks
4 potatoes, diced
3 carrots, coined, or diced (Dicing carrots is BORING and labour intensive)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 box of chicken broth

Stuff you will need

Cutting board
Sharp Knife
2 pots
1 dutch oven
Wire whisk

Directions

Take the chicken off the bone.  Put the chicken in the same container it came in.  There is drippings in there you don't want to get rid of.

Put the chicken bones, skin, wing tips, popes nose and other pieces of chicken that your not really going to eat, in a pot.  Add the onion, chopped into 1/4's, carrot chunks and the chopped celery pieces.  Add water to cover and boil that down.  Don't be afraid to add Salt, Pepper and any chicken spices that you may like.  Drain and keep the broth.  

In another pot, put in your diced potatoes and carrot coins.  Add water and boil them up.  

Make your chicken gravy.  See my previous blog on how to make chicken gravy: http://cookwithmitch.blogspot.ca/2016/08/chicken-gravy.html

To the dutch oven, add the drained potatoes and carrots.  Add the boiled down chicken broth.  Add the chicken pieces.  Add the chicken gravy.  Simmer on low heat.  Everything is cooked, so it can be served right away.  Or it can sit on the stove top at low heat while you are running around the yard cleaning up for fall.

Please keep in mind, if you want to add extra stuff to this, you can.  This chicken stew is only a starter recipe.  Make it your own.  Add other veggies to your stew. i.e. before you add stuff to the dutch oven, you could saute up some onions and celery.  Then add the other ingredients when they are done.  Do you like turnips (rutabaga in some parts of the world), well add those.  Or parsnips.  The list goes on.  Use your imagination.

Comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

Spatchcock Chicken

Spatchcock Chicken 

Doesn't this look the best?  It's on a glass cutting board.  Click on the picture to get a better view.

Start with a whole chicken.  Thaw it out.

Cut the chicken's back and then splay it out.

Season the chicken the way you like best.

Did I mention, you need a smoker

Into the smoke box it goes

I am using chunk charcoal with apple chips in the wood box.

Wine, you need wine while cooking.

This is the end results

Cut it up into 1/4 pieces, just like Swiss Chalet.

Having BBQ'ed chicken is great.  But unless it's cooked all the way through, it can be really dangerous for you and your guests.  Opening up the chicken and cooking it the "spatchcock" way, will ensure that your chicken can be BBQ'ed, is cooked all the way through and because the skin is left on, the chicken is so moist.  Yummy!

Ingredients

1 small whole chicken
Salt Pepper Garlic and Onion for seasoning
A glass of ice cold chardonnay (I am not a purist, I like Red wine with my white meat)

Stuff you will need

Smoker or BBQ
If you are using a smoker, Apple wood for your smoke
Cutting board
BIG sharp knife

Directions

The quick way to do it is to place your chicken on a board and using a sharp knife, slice it down the breast bone.

Pull the chicken open and flatten it

Season well on both sides and place on the grill with the inside of the chicken facing down. This way you don’t mobilize the fat in the skin too soon and cause your fire to flare up.

When I was cooking the chicken in the smoker, it took over an hour and a half.  I had to make sure that the temperate was over 180 F.  Since the charcoal smoker only gets to about 225 in the smoke box, it takes a bit to cook.

For my final thought on how to barbecue chicken the Portuguese way - sit back, relax and drink the chardonnay!

Quarter the barbecue chicken with a heavy sharp knife.

As always, comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome.

Chicken Fricot (Acadian Stew)

Chicken Fricot (Acadian Stew)

Ingredients:

3 lbs (1.5 L) chicken pieces, skin removed
10 cups (2.5 L) water
2 large onions, chopped
2 Tbsp (30 mL) butter
1 Tbsp (15 mL) flour
6 large potatoes peeled and cubed
2 medium carrots peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp (15 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) pepper
1 Tbsp (15 mL) summer savory

Preparation:

1.In large pot simmer the chicken pieces in boiling water for 30 minutes.
2.Remove pieces, save the cooking water and let the chicken cool slightly. Sauté onions in butter for one minute.
3.Add the flour and stir for another 1-2 minutes.
4.Remove the bones from the chicken and cut the meat into bite size pieces.
5.Put all remaining ingredients into the saved cooking water and simmer for another 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.

Home Made Shake'N Bake

Home Made Shake'N Bake

Homemade Shake'N Bake

Makes 3 servings.

Ingredients

·                        3 cups bread crumbs

·                        ¼ cup vegetable oil

·                        1 tbsp salt

·                        1 tbsp dried onion flakes

·                        3 tsp paprika

·                        2 tsp sugar

·                        1 tsp garlic powder

·                        1 tsp black pepper

·                        ½ tsp cayenne pepper

·                        ½ tsp dry parsley

·                        ½ tsp dry basil

·                        ½ tsp dry oregano

Instructions

1.            Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until evenly mixed and the bread crumbs are no longer 'clumpy' from the oil.

2.            Dump into a mason jar or plastic container and store in the pantry for 1-2 months.

Shake n Bake Pork Chops

Preheat oven to 425F. Dump some of the shake n bake mix in a large ziploc bag. Rinse pork chops in cold running water. Let excess water drain off. Place pork chops 1 at a time in the bag with the shake n bake. Seal and shake the bag so that the pork chop is totally coated in the breading. Remove the pork chop from the bag, shaking off excess breading. Place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Do this with the remaining pork chops. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Shake n Bake Chicken

Preheat oven to 400F. Dump some of the shake n bake mix in a large ziploc bag. Rinse chicken in cold running water. Let excess water drain off. Place chicken, one piece at a time, in the bag with the shake n bake. Seal and shake the bag so that the chicken is totally coated in the breading. Remove the chicken from the bag, shaking off excess breading. Place on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Do this with the remaining pork chops.

Bone-in chicken - Bake for 45 minutes.

Boneless chicken - Bake for 20 minutes

As always, comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Yesterday I decided that I would try my hand at making something that I never made before.

So too all the real cooks and chefs out there.  I offer my apologies.  But to be honest, it did taste pretty good.  I have enough for our lunches at work for the next few days.

Ingredients

4 x Boneless skinless chicken breasts
4 x Sliced Ham
4 x Swiss Cheese
1/2 cup Flour
1 x Egg
1 tablesooon cold water
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs

Stuff you will need

A meat mallet
Cookie sheet
Parchment Paper
Saran Wrap
Patience, lots and lots of patience

Directions

Put a layer of plastic wrap on the cookie sheet.

The video I watched, the cook sliced the chicken breast in half.  Flatten the chicken breast with the flat side of the meat mallet.  Once you have a thin layer of chicken, put it on the Saran Wrap.  Put another layer and flatten another piece of chicken.  So on and so forth till they are all flattened.

Set yourself up a production station.  Starting from the end, a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  A shallow bowl with the bread crumbs.  Another shallow bowl with the egg wash.  3rd shallow bowl with flour.  A place to put the chicken cordon bleu together.

To create the egg wash, put the one egg into the shallow bowl.  Add water, salt and pepper.  Use a fork to mix this up like you would be doing scrambled eggs.

Start with a layer of chicken.  Put the ham and swiss cheese.  Then roll it up.  Dredge in flour.  Into the egg wash and then into the bread crumbs.  Place on the cookie sheet.

As you can see by the video, I am not an expert at this.  It looks NOTHING like the Chicken Cordon Bleu that you would purchase in a store.  But it did taste pretty good.

Heat the oven to 350 F and bake for 45 minutes.

If you find that the video isn't working, click on the "YouTube" icon in the lower right of the video feed.  I would ask that while you are looking at the video, you click to subscribe to my YouTube Channel.  Also, click the "Thumbs Up" icon to share this video with your friends.

As always, comments and suggestions are ALWAYS welcome