Turkish Chicken

Does this picture make me look flat?????

It has been a long time since I cut and butterflied a whole chicken before. I am a bit rusty at it but managed to get the back bone and breast bone out okay. This style of cooking was a bit of work at first but once it was on the grill it was easy peasy. I loved how juicy the chicken was but at the same time the skin was crispy. I got this recipe for Chatelaine.

Pepper Added by Joey - I don't even remember seeing him reach for it

Ingredients
1 whole chicken
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin
1.5 teaspoons paprika
1.5 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon turmeric

1. Locate the back bone on the chicken and using a sharp knife cut on either side of the bone to remove.
2. Open chicken up and expose the breast bone. With a small sharp knife run a line down either side of the breast bone. Then run your finger along this same line gently removing the breast bone from the meat. It may not be simple and easy to remove. We had some sections that were more difficult and required the scissors.
3. Trim away any additional skin or fat that may be around the neck area.
4. Rinse and pat dry.
5. In a bowl, mix oil and all the seasonings.
6. Rub the mix onto the inside and outside of the bird.
7. Place chicken skin side up onto a BBQ (we did medium heat on the side the bird was not on and medium low on the side it was on).
8. Wrap a brick in tinfoil and place on top of the chicken.
9. Allow to grill for 20 minutes. Turn chicken and put the brick back on top.
10. Allow to cook for an additional 25 minutes (or until the breast reaches 170F).
11. Remove from the BBQ to a cutting board and cover with tinfoil for 10 minutes.
12. Cut into 4 pieces.

Maple Mustard BBQ Chicken

Every once in awhile you come across a recipe that looks good on paper and makes you have a completely silent dinner. This was one of those meals. The chicken turned out so good, it was moist but yet crisp on the outside. The maple mustard BBQ sauce was tangy and finger licking good. We will be making this again. Infact I think we will be making some more of the BBQ sauce and keeping it on hand to use more often.

Pepper Added by Joey - NONE. Can you believe it???

Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 large red onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whisky
2 bone in chicken breasts
Salt and pepper

1. In a saucepan saute the onion in the oil until lightly browned.
2. Stir in ketchup, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard and whisky. Bring to a boil.
3. Lower heat and allow to simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Preheat your BBQ to medium heat.
5. Brush chicken with oil and season with salt and pepper.
6. Grill chicken until juices run clear. For the last 15 minutes of cooking baste the chicken with the BBQ sauce.

Jerk Chicken Sandwich

I was browsing through my google reader looking for something spicy when I came across Angie's Jerk Chicken recipe. I decided to try the recipe as it is but to put it on a bun as a sandwich. We don't have a food processor (I know, I know) so I had to make this a bit differently and overall I was pleased with the way it turned out. It was not as spicy as we were looking for so next time we would add more hot peppers to it.

Pepper Added by Joey - he doesn't add any to sandwiches

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 jalepeno pepper, de-seeded, de-veined and diced
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 garlic clove, minced

1. In a bowl mix all ingredients (but the chicken) until all incorporated.
2. Place chicken into the crockpot and pour the mixture overtop.
3. Set on high and cook for 3-4 hours.
4. Shred the chicken using 2 forks and place onto the buns (makes 3 sandwiches).
5. Add a dab of BBQ sauce to eat sandwich.

Chicken Burgers 2 Ways

I was looking for something light tonight and came across this recipe from Closet Cooking. The only problem is that Joey does not like pineapple but I love it. I made one version with pineapple for myself and another with roasted red peppers for him.

I am in love with the taste of pineapple and chicken. Grilling the pineapple made it very sweet and it added something extra to the burger. Joey enjoyed the roasted red peppers and suggested that they would even be good on a beef burger.

Pepper added by Joey - None



Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
2 multigrain buns
1 tomato sliced
2 leafs of lettuce
Teriyaki sauce
1 round of pineapple
1 red pepper
Mayo

1. Marinate chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce for at least 2 hours.
2. Cut red pepper into large slices.
3. Cut pineapple into 1 large round. Remove core and rind.
4. BBQ the chicken, red pepper and pineapple. Turning once.
5. Prepare the buns with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes.
6. Add the chicken and pineapple to one bun, chicken and red pepper to the other.

Skillet Chicken

Joey went to the dentist today to try and get his root canal finished so I needed to make something for dinner that would be easier for him to eat. I was surprised when I first saw this recipe as it did not call for any pepper. NO PEPPER? Joey must be getting to me for me to find that odd. I bet he sits up at night while I sleep and talks about nothing but pepper to me in hopes that I will start to add more and more to my cooking.

Pepper Added by Joey - Enough to kill 3 Zombies

Ingredients
2 chicken breasts - no bone or skin
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
1 pouch of onion soup mix
1 can diced tomatoes
2 sliced mushrooms
1 minced glove of garlic
Salt
Pepper
Chicken or veggie stock

1. Add oil to skillet and heat over medium high heat
2. Add chicken to skillet and brown on both sides
3. Remove excess oil/fat is any once the chicken has browned
4. In a bowl mix together the soup mix, tomatoes, garlic, salt, pepper and mushrooms
5. Add mix to the skillet and bring to a boil
6. Reduce head and place lid on skillet. Allow to cook for 40 minutes.
7. Check on it a few times and if it seems like there is not alot of liquid add a bit of chicken or veggie stock (I ended up adding probably 1/2 cup).
8. Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Beer Can Chicken

Mmmm beer. Whole chickens were on sale this week (buy 1 get one free...hello good deal) so I thought why not shove a can of beer up its butt and throw it on the grill.

We don't have any canned beer so I just used a pop can and poured half a bottle of beer into it (and drank the rest....ahh the perks of being the chef in the family). Also if you have a top rack on your BBQ you may have to remove it so the chicken will fit in with the lid closed.

Pepper added by Joey - None...what the what? How is that possible. Miracles do happen.


Ingredients
1 chicken - about 4 lbs (1.5-2 kg)
1 bottle/can of beer *note Canadian beer will make this recipe better
1/8 cup paprika
1/8 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
Vegetable oil

1. Take all the giblets and other stuff out of the cavity of the chicken
2. Rinse out the inside and the outside of the chicken
3. Pat dry with paper towel and then rub with oil
4. Turn on your BBQ to medium/high (only one burner/side)
5. Mix paprika, brown sugar, pepper and salt in a bowl. Rub all over the chicken - inside and out
6. Crack open a beer (gah cooking is hard), add half of it to a can (or if you already have a can, chug half of it)
7. At your BBQ slide the can of beer up the chickens butt (it will hurt you more than it will hurt him)
8. Place the chicken on the grill (opposite side to the burner that is on) and pull his legs out so it makes a tripod
9. Cook for about an hour and 15 minutes (or until the breast is 165F) over medium high heat
*** if you notice the skin starting to burn throw some tinfoil over it
10. Remove from the BBQ and allow to sit for 5 minutes before cutting

Tex Mex Chicken Salad

Had some leftover chicken and decided to make a salad. I thought that I would still be hungry after this. I was wrong. It was very filling.

Pepper added by Joey - he didn't want any because of the big bad scary black beans in it.

Ingredients

Romaine lettuce

Leftover chicken from the crockpot chicken salsa

Ranch dressing

Shredded marble cheese

Broken up nacho chips

1/2 cup black beans, rinsed and drained

1. Wash and cut/tear lettuce. Add to the bottom of your bowl.

2. Shred the leftover chicken with 2 forks and the add on top of the lettuce.

3. Top with the leftover salsa/corn mixture that was with the chicken.

4. Add the black beans and the cheese.

5. Put as much ranch dressing as you want.

6. Break up some nacho chips on top of the salad.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

The girls on the Nest were raving about this recipe so I had to try it out. So easy and so delish.

Pepper added by Joey - I---I about that much


Ingredients
4 chicken breasts
1 cup of corn
1 jar of salsa
1 package of taco seasoning mix

1. Add all ingredients to the crockpot and set it on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours.
2. Serve
3. Really that is it? Wow...kick ass.

Balsamic Chicken Sandwich

I had some leftover balsamic chicken and decided to make it into a sandwich. I had come across this recipe and thought that it looked interesting. Although I wasn't sure if Joey would like it because of the goats cheese. I had him taste a bit of the cheese first and to my surprise he didn't mind it at all.

Pepper added by Joey - I don't know if I have ever seen him add it to a sandwich...weird



Ingredients
Chicken breast from this recipe
Bread - I used a loaf of italian bread
Goats cheese
Basil
Red pepper
Vegetable oil
Salt and pepper

1. Cut a red pepper in half and talk all the seeds/membrane out.
2. Brush with vegetable oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Place on the BBQ and grill until soft and brown (turning once).
4. Remove from BBQ and set aside to cool slightly.
5. Cut bread into the size of sandwich that you want.
6. Spread goats cheese on the top of the bun.
7. Add a layer of fresh basil and then the roasted red pepper.
8. Pour some of the leftover sauce onto the bottom piece of the bread. If you are using leftover balsamic chicken then quickly mix up a small amount of the sauce following the directions in the balsamic chicken recipe.
9. Add the chicken to the bottom of the bread. Add the mushrooms on top of that.
10. Put the sandwich together and enjoy!

Red Onion, Honey Mustard Chicken Salad

What to do with leftover chicken? Well since we had Isabelle all weekend we decided that we should have something easy as my hands were full chasing her around all day long. So we used the chicken from last night to make chicken salad sandwiches. The flavour from the chicken really changed the overall taste of the chicken salad...and in a good way. You could taste a hint of the curry, so if you like this taste you could consider adding more to the mix.

Pepper Added by Joey - A few dashes



Ingredients
2 chicken breasts from this recipe, cubed
Lettuce
Bread
Mayo
Margarine
1/3 cup of grapes, halved
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup green pepper, diced
1/4 cup green onion, diced

1. Combine chicken, green pepper, green onion and grapes.
2. Add mayo (as much as you like) and stir to combine.
3. Add salt and pepper.
4. Place into fridge and chill (I usually do for at least on hour).
5. Place on bread with mayo and lettuce.

Red Onion Honey Mustard Chicken

I have had my eye on this recipe for awhile and finally decided to make it. I saw it on Rachel Ray and thought it was a simple way to spice up BBQ chicken. Her recipe doesn't call for the chicken to marinated at all but I decided to let it soak up the flavour for 3 hours. It really made the chicken moist and full of flavour.

Pepper Added by Joey - None

Ingredients
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup honey mustard
1/2 teaspoon allspice,
1/2 teaspoon curry powder,
1/2 teaspoon chinese 5 spice
5 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and pepper

1. Pour 2 tablespoons vegetable oil into a small saucepan over moderate heat.
2. Add red onions and saute 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Add vinegar and reduce by half, 1 to 2 minutes.
4. Add brown sugar and cook 1 minute to incorporate.
5. Whisk in broth and honey mustard, and spices. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to lowest setting.
6. Allow to cool slightly and pour over chicken. Allow to sit for 2-3 hours.
7. Heat grill and add chicken. Allow to cook until no longer pink, basting each time you turn the chicken.

Jerk Chicken

The longer you let this sit the more kick it will have. I only had 2 hours to let it sit and it still had loads of jerkiness to it but next time I will let it sit for at least 4 or 5 hours.

Pepper added by Joey - None

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Italian dressing
1 tablespoon Jamaican Jerk seasoning
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cloves of garlic, minced

1. Mix all the ingredients together and pour over chicken.
2. Allow to sit for at least 4 hours.
3. BBQ the chicken until no longer pink.

Kung Pao Chicken

Joe likes the spicy Kung Pao Chicken. I didn't have any chili's on hand so I used chili flakes. It was still spicy but I think it would have a huge kick to it if I had used "real" chili's. Next time for sure.

Pepper Added by Joey - Minimal



Ingredients

Marinade
1 tablespoon rice wine
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Sauce
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
5 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Chicken breast cut into strips
2 tablespoons peanut oil
4 dried red chiles remove stems and cut in halves (or like I used about a tablespoon of flakes)
1/2-inch piece ginger grated
1 garlic, smashed
1 green onion, cut the white part into 1/2 -inch pieces, julienne the green parts
1/8 cup peanuts
2 tablespoons chicken stock plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed together to make slurry

1. In a dish prepare the marinade by combining the rice wine, peanut oil, soy sauce, salt and cornstarch. Stir in the chicken pieces and refrigerate for an hour.
2. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce. Set aside.
3. Over high heat, in a wok, bring the peanut oil to almost smoking temperature.
4. Stir-fry the chilies, ginger, garlic and white part of the green onions for 30 to 40 seconds, or until the chilies turn dark.
5. Add the chicken and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes, until golden in color.
6. Add the sauce and bring to a boil. Add the peanuts.
7. Thicken with the slurry and continue to cook until glossy.
8. Transfer to a serving plate and garnish with julienne green onions.

Chicken Scaloppine Limone

I came across this recipe and thought it sounded interesting. I am not usually a fan of lemon but chicken and lemon always seem to go well together so I decided to try it out. I was not disappointed. It was not overally lemony at all.

Pepper added by Joey - Dude thought he was being sneaky but I saw him add some



Ingredients
2 chicken breasts
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 large mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Flour
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon oil

1. Place chicken between two pieces of wax paper and pound with meat mallet or rolling pin until thin.
2. Place flour on a plate and dip chicken in flour, coating on both sides.
3. Lightly coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray and add oil over medium-high heat.
4. Add lemon juice and chicken and sauté, turning frequently, for 5 minutes.
5. Add chicken stock if you notice that the pan is getting dry.
6. Add mushrooms and parsley and cook for 4 to 5 minutes - until chicken is fully cooked and mushrooms are soft.

Chicken Spaghetti

I've been thinking of making this from awhile. Pioneer Woman makes it looks/sound so yummy but something also didn't sit right with me about it. I decided to give it a while anyways and I was not disappointed at all. Delish.

It takes forever to make so I would recommend making it when you have leftover chicken or turkey that you are looking to use up. I made a few changes to the original recipe because it seemed like a lot of onion compared to the other ingredients, plus Joey hate pimentos so I subed in red peppers instead.

Pepper added by Joey - about this I-----I much



Ingredients
2 cups cooked chicken
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
1/4 cup finely diced green pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1/4 cup finely diced red pepper
3 cups dry spaghetti, broken into half
2 cups reserved chicken broth from pot
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Add chicken to a pot of water. Allow to cook for 35-45 minutes (check to see that chicken is fully cooked).
2. Pull chicken out of the water and allow to cool slightly.
3. Place spaghetti in the water the chicken was cooked in and allow to cook until al dente. Drain.
4. Pull apart the chicken into small pieces.
5. In a large bowl combine chicken, all vegetables, spaghetti and soup.
6. Stir to combine all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Add in 2 cups of cheese and continue to combine.
8. Add small bits of the chicken stock at a time to help with the stirring. In the end you should have added between 1 and 2 cups (I added just over 1 cup).
9. Add ingredients into a greased casserole dish and cover with remaining cheese.
10. Cook in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Szechuan Chicken Salad

While it is still winter up here we shoveled off the BBQ and made some yummy chicken to put onto a salad.

Pepper added by Joey - Nadda

Ingredients
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon of honey
1/2 teaspoon of fresh, grated ginger
Cracked black pepper
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 skinless, boneless breasts of chicken
Romaine lettuce
1 carrot, shredded
Light caesar dressing
Parmesan cheese
Red pepper, thinly sliced
Red onion, thinly sliced

1. Place soy sauce, honey, ginger, pepper and oil in a container and whisk together. Add chicken and marinade for at least an hour.
2. BBQ chicken (or you could cook it on a grill or in the oven)
3. Cut romaine into bite sized pieces.
4. Shredded one carrot (I used a grater).
5. Thinly slice a red pepper and a red onion.
6. Add romaine, carrot, red pepper and red onion to a bowl and mix with caesar dressing and parmesan cheese.
7. Slice chicken into pieces and place over salad.

Chicken Marsala

I decided to give this a try after having wanted to for awhile. It was very tasty and full of flavour. The chicken turned out amazing.

Pepper added by Joey - None



Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices of bacon, chopped
2 cups white mushrooms
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 1/2 cups Marsala wine
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into pieces

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel. Dredge in a flour/salt/pepper mixture.
3. Add to a large skillet with heated oil.
4. Cook until brown on both sides (3-4 minutes each side)
5. Remove chicken and place on an oven proof dish and put into the oven.
6. Reduce the heat to medium and cook bacon. Remove when crisp.
7. Add mushrooms and cook until brown.
8. Add shallots and garlic and sautee for 1 minute.
9. Add tomato paste and bacon. Stir for 1 minute.
10. Take skillet off of the heat and add the marsala wine.
11. Return to the heat and allow to cook until thickened.
12. Add lemon juice and chicken stock.
13. Scrape all brown bits off the bottom of the pan while stirring.
14. Add tablespoons of butter one at a time, stirring in between.
15. When chicken is fully cooked remove from oven, cut into slices and pour sauce overtop.

Bourbon Chicken

I have no clue why this is called bourbon chicken but it is hella good. If you want something tangy I would pick this one over the orange chicken I made a few weeks ago.

Pepper added by Joey - 2 shakes (but hey he at least tasted it first before he added it).


*** picture borrowed from Amber's Delectable Delights because my camera died and I had no batteries on hand.

Ingredients
2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

1. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned. Remove chicken.
2. Add remaining ingredients, heating over medium heat until well mixed and dissolved.
3. Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.
4. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

I served it over rice with steamed broccoli.

Chicken Parmesan

I like to try out new recipes for chicken parmesan so far this is the 3rd one I have tried and I think its my favourite so far. Although the one I made over the holidays is a close second.

Pepper added by Joey - It's pasta - it always gets pepper.

Ingredients
1 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Pasta sauce
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Heat bread crumbs in a pan for 10 minutes - stirring frequently
2. Remove from heat and add parmesan cheese.
3. Heat oven to 450F.
4. Dry chicken on paper towel and season with salt and pepper.
5. Add flour to a shallow dish. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper.
6. Add egg to a second shallow dish.
7. Add bread crumb and parmesan cheese mixture to a third shallow dish.
8. Dredge chicken in the flour, then egg then bread crumb mixture.
9. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and spoon pasta sauce over each piece of chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
11. Return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes.
12. Serve with pasta and garlic bread.

Orange Chicken

Yet another recipe from Christine. Joey really enjoyed this dish but I am not sure if I like the orange. Regardless, I will try it again and see if I enjoy it.

Pepper added by Joey - 2 dashes

Ingredients
4 chicken breasts (or you could use thighs)
1/3 cup flour
1 cup orange marmalade
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoon grated ginger

1. Cut chicken into large pieces. Toss in flour.
2. Stir in all remaining ingredients.
3. Add to a slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Caution - if you have a large crockpot and it is not 1/2 full with the mixture it will take less time to cook. Mine was ready in 2.5-3 hours.