Chicken Tikka Masala

I love chicken tikka masala. LOVE IT. When I lived in Cambridge MA, there was this small Indian place right around the corner, and I would always order their tikka masala (and pakoras and samosas and nann and saag). We found a recipe in an old Cook's Illustrated, so we decided to go for it. And let me tell you, not only is it super wonderful tasting, it is surprisingly easy to make. So go make some. And then send me some.

I have to say, at first, I was a little skeptical of making this. I've seen other people make Indian food, and the time and process can be a little daunting. Well, it did take us about 2 hours to make this whole meal (including cooking naan and saag), but now that we've done it once, I think we could make the tikka masala in about an hour from start to finish (and we have some naan in the freezer, so we can just reheat that). However, we did use pretty much dish we owned. It would have been nice to have a dishwasher.

First the chicken. We rubbed the chicken breasts with cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Then we mixed up some yogurt with fresh ginger and garlic, dipped the chicken in , and cooked under the broiler until done. The yogurt mix gave great flavor and seemed to keep a lot of the moisture in, while allowing the chicken to char nicely on the outside, just like it was out of a tandoori oven (which, unfortunately, we don't own one of).

As for the sauce, it couldn't have been easier. Just make tomato pasta sauce, but instead of using garlic, basil, oregano, and thyme, use onions, garlic, fresh ginger, and garam masala. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, then add heavy cream. A handful of chopped cilantro provided the finishing touch. Done and done.

Once the chicken was allowed to sit for a couple minutes, we cut into chunks, dropped into the sauce for a quick minute, and proceeded to devour. It was so good. The chicken had the tandoori oven texture - charred in places, kind of dry, kind of hard, but still moist - and the sauce had the perfect creamy-tomato taste.


Notes and Next Time

• I will make this again. Maybe tonight. It was good.
• We used 2# of chicken, which was a ridiculous amount. But with the amount of sauce from one big can of crushed tomatoes and 2/3 c of heavy cream, it was the right amount. We have enough leftovers for today and tomorrow. I guess I don't have to make more tonight after all.
• When we cut the chicken, we make the chunks too big. Next time, slightly smaller.
• It would be interesting to use just the yogurt mix with some bone-in chicken, to see if you could replicate the tandoori oven without the sauce. Might be a fun adventure.
  

Ingredients/Recipe

• 2 # chicken, boneless, skinless
• 1 c yogurt
• dry spices: coriander, cumin, cayenne, garam masala
  
• fresh spices/herbs: ginger, garlic, cilantro
• 1medium onion, chopped
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 T tomato paste
• a chili pepper (for heat, but can be left out)
  
• 2/3 c heavy cream
• salt
• sugar
• vegetable oil
  

Chicken, Artichoke, Mushroom

Well, I'm on my own a lot for dinner these days, so I'm trying to remember both quantity (no need to make enough for 2!) and short recipes. I'm crazy busy these days, so quick one pots meals are important. At the same time, I don't want to subsist on frozen things or totally unhealthy things.

So, tonight I was inspired by the chicken defrosted in the fridge and the package of mushrooms threatening to go bad. I decided that they'd go well together, especially with the addition of some artichoke hearts.

I started by sauteing the sliced chicken in evoo until nicely browned. I tossed in a little chopped garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes. I didn't worry about cooking the chicken all the way through, but instead put the chicken in a bowl once it was nicely browned. Then I heated a little more evoo and sauted the quartered mushrooms (maybe 4 or 5 medium sized ones). I added a little more garlic, dried oregano, more pepper flakes, and a little salt and let them brown. Once they looked pretty, I tossed in drained quartered artichoke hearts (not the marinated ones, just the regular canned ones). I let everything heat and come together. Then I added back the chicken and heated the whole thing until the chicken was cooked through.

I served this with a slice of toasted sourdough bread.


Notes and Next Time

• this would be good tossed with pasta too
• asparagus or green beans would be good in place of the artichoke hearts
• the red pepper flakes are a good addition
  

Ingredients/Recipe
to serve 1

• 1 chicken breast
• 2 cloves garlic
• red pepper flakes
• mushrooms, 4-5 quartered
• artichoke hearts (1/2 can, not marinated)
• oregano
• s&p
  

Marinated Chicken with Soba Noodles

This was a classic 'clean out the fridge night.' We had some chicken breasts lying around, so I tried an experiment by marinating the chicken overnight in some Balsamic Vinaigrette (which we had taking up space in the fridge).

I ended up struggling with side dishes, since we didn't have much for veggies in the fridge. For some reason, I kept thinking of these soba noodles we had in the cupboard; I wanted to dress them in soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds, but that didn't seem to work with the balsamic chicken.

We ended up cutting the chicken in strips and sauteing it with some veggies, then putting in on top of a noodles. It was fine, but certainly not great. I think the marinating of the chicken is a good idea, but the sauce needs to take into account the sides and be a better complement.

Notes and Next Time

• The chicken should be skewered some with a fork to allow the marinade to infiltrate the chicken.
• Soba noodles are good, but I think it would be better paired with Asian-themed marinades and veggies.
  

Ingredients/Recipe

• Chicken
• Marinade (aka salad dressing)
• Soba noodles
  

Enchiladas

Mmmm, enchiladas! I started making these way back in my post-college vegan/vegetarian days and have just kept messing with the recipe ever since. My current take on them involves chicken and green sauce, but they've included tofu, black beans, pork, turkey, various veggies and various sauces over the years.

I start out by sauteing an onion and some peppers until the wilt a bit. I like to use a combination of peppers including red, green, pasillas, and anaheims if I can get them. Canned green peppers will work in a pinch. Then I add the chicken. This time around I marinated the chicken for a while in a mixture of cayenne, paprika, salt, and crushed garlic for extra flavor. I nestle the breasts on top of the onion mixture, add about a half cup of water, and put the lid on the skillet, turned down to low. This way the chicken cooks slowly and seems to be less dry. Once the chicken is just barely cooked through (the whole dish will bake in the oven, so no need for it to be completely done), I pull it from the heat and take the breasts out to cool slightly on a cutting board. Then I shred them using a pair of forks (although I'm sure cutting them in chunks works fine too). So now, we're basically done. The shredded chicken goes back into the pan and mixed with the onions/peppers. Taste the mix for seasoning (salt, pepper, spices) and we're reading for putting it all together!

A while back I discovered the layered enchilada. So much easier than the rolled version, although not quite as pretty. So, to put my enchiladas together, I start with a big baking pan and spray it with cooking spray. Next goes a spoonful of enchilada sauce (I like the canned green one right now). Then a layer of tortillas. On top a layer of the chicken mixture and some cheese (whatever you like, cheddar, jalapeno jack, queso blanco etc). Then a few spoonfuls of enchilada sauce and start the layering over. I rip up tortillas to make an even layer is necessary (just like with lasagna). The top should be tortilla with a generous amount of sauce (so the top layers don't dry out) and topped with cheese to brown.

Bake at 350 until bubbly, brown, and the center is hot. Anywhere from 20-40 minutes depending on the number of layers and size of the pan! Tasty topped with lime, cilantro and served with spanish rice and/or beans.


Notes and Next Time

• it's nice to add mushrooms, corn, black olives, or beans to the filling mix.
• tempeh might be nice too

Ingredients/Recipe

• chicken (maybe 2-3 breasts for 2 pans)
• onion
• peppers (green, red, etc)
• garlic
• spices
• enchilada sauce (at least 2 15 oz cans)
• cheese
  
• garnishes
  

Split Chicken with Roasted Potatoes

We've been experimenting with buying and cooking whole chickens instead of buying the store rotisserie chickens. It gives us better control of what goes on the chicken, it's cheaper, and it turns out that it's a lot easier that I originally thought. We never had good luck with cooking the chicken whole, but we've found that splitting the chicken prior to cooking works significantly better.

On the recommendation of Cook's Illustrated, I brine the bird. Since it's not so big, I just threw the bird in a large pasta pot with about 1/2 C of salt, a couple cloves of garlic and a couple t of thyme, then covered with water. I let it sit about 1 - 1-1/2 hour in the brine. After pulling it out and wiping it down with paper towels, I cut out the spine and cracked the breastbone (so it would lie flatter in the roasting pan). To help dry the bird, I put a drying rack on a sheet pan with the chicken on top, then the whole set-up into the fridge for the rest of the day.

For the potatoes, I peeled and cut about 5 medium sized reds into 1/4 - 1/2 inch slices. I also julienned half of a sweet onion. I tossed everything in a bowl with s&p and evoo.

I then lined the bottom portion of a 2-piece broiling pan with foil, sprayed with PAM, and layered the potatoes. The split chicken was put on the top portion of the broiling pan, and the whole thing replaced on top of the potatoes.

The whole set-up was cooked in a 500 oven for about an hour. At the half-way point, the chicken was rotated. We used a thermometer to make sure the chicken gets to temp.

Notes and Next Time

• Having the potatoes and chicken all cooking in one pan and finished at the same time is really nice.
• The chicken comes out nice and moist, due to the brining.
  
• We've been having a problem with the bottom of the potatoes burning. Maybe if we cut the potatoes a little thicker or maybe flipping/rotating them at the halfway point will be better. I think the flipping will be better, since we've already started cutting them thicker than originally, and that hasn't worked.
• The chicken skin isn't crisping, despite an EVOO massage. Butter may be better.
• The onion, although a nice idea, worked out poorly. They all burned to the point of inedible. If I could figure out a way to make bigger pieces, it might work. The only thing I can think of is thick rings, but that doesn't solve the problem of the thinness of each onion layer.
• The brine could probably be done the night before, and the chicken left in the fridge for the whole next day. I might cover it with some cheesecloth or something similar in that case.
• The chicken carcass will be used to make stock in the future.
  

Ingredients/Recipe

• One whole chicken, about 5#, brined
  
• Red potatoes
• Onion
• s&p
• evoo

Chicken and Dumplings

Mmmm, Chicken and Dumplings. It sounds filling, homey, and winter-y to me. I like one pot meals like this that can be made in steps, reheated, or pulled from the freezer. I'm not sure if Peter has noted, but we're really not recipe people. I imagine we both get this from our moms, who also really aren't recipe people. In fact, my mom (hi Mom!) is famous for saying things like "So, I used the Bon Appetit recipe. Except, well, I used chicken instead of pork. And I didn't have green peppers so I used broccoli. And I didn't want to add the white vinegar so I added wine and I had some extra mushrooms. And I used...." You see what I'm saying. I like recipes and I love reading food books. But they're mostly inspiration instead of rules.

Anyway, we've been trying to save money and use our food well (instead of throwing away old onions and things) so we have a couple big zippy bags in the freezer that we toss the old stuff in. Peter likes to make roasted chickens, so we'll often have the bones. I also toss the tops and bits of onions, carrots, celery, etc in. Especially since we've been traveling, all the produce goes into the freezer instead of coming home to limp carrots and moldy onions. We also toss the rinds of parmigana in (that stuff is GOLD here, can't waste it!).

So, I started this meal by pulling the broth bag out of the freezer. Since it was Sunday, I was mostly home working and had plenty of time to watch the pot and make the house smell good. Of course, I could also have pulled pre-made broth from the freezer (if I had any on hand) or used the canned stuff- which isn't all that bad.

After the broth was done, strained, and left to rest in the fridge, I started our actual meal. I chopped carrot, celery, onion, and garlic and let them saute in evoo in our Le Creuset (one of the best cooking implements we received as wedding presents!). After they softened and smelled nice, I tossed in a few bay leaves, thyme, and s&p. Then I sprinkled flour on top to make a roux. If you aren't a roux person, you need to become one because it's fantastic and means you can use less cream and even Peter won't know! I stir the whole mess and let it cook until the flour is no longer white. I want it to blend into the veggies and turn a light beige color. After the flour cooks (maybe 2 minutes?) it's time to add the liquid. I added plenty of broth (since the dumplings need to absorb liquid later in the recipe), until the Le Crueset was half full. As for the chicken... since I wasn't starting from a whole chicken, and I didn't have any left over cooked chicken in the fridge, I used a couple of breasts and poached then in the chicken broth I made earlier. Once cooked, I took them out and cut into large bites.

So, at this point we have the veggies cooked, the chicken resting on the side, basically it just needs to get put together! I adapted a dumpling recipe from Cooks Illustrated and Betty Crocker. I used whole milk instead of cream as well as flour, baking powder, and salt. Pretty simple. I stirred the mess together and it was like really thick muffin mix. I added the diced chicken to the pot, stirred in a couple handfuls of frozen peas, and spooned the batter on top. The recipes said to let it simmer from 15-20 minutes, which I did with the temp on low and the lid firmly in place.

It made plenty- enough for two hungry people and leftovers. We sat down to a hearty meal on a cold night.


Notes and Next Time

• I think I used too many peas, we both noticed that it was a little sweet. The Cooks recipe called for sherry, which might have added enough acid. Next time I'll probably still use peas, but fewer, and maybe stir in a little lemon juice at the end.
• I definitely didn't cook the dumplings long enough. Some were fine, but all of the larger ones were still damp in the middle instead of being fluffy and dry like biscuits.
• This recipe just reinforces to me the value in making broth. I can grade papers and do all sorts of things and neglect the pot but homemade is so much tastier and cheaper (since I don't buy anything just to make broth, it's all leftovers). Having the freezer bags is so handy, and keeps us from having horrible surprises in the fridge.
• Peter thinks that the dumplings could have used a bit more salt. Since I used kosher not table salt as the recipe called for, this is definitely possible. I don't remember.
  

Ingredients/Recipe

• broth
• carrot
• celery
• onion
• bay
• thyme
• chicken
• peas
• flour
• baking powder
• milk
• s&p
  

Skillet Chicken and Sauce

A while ago, PEter signed us up to be testers for America's Test Kitchen (publishers of Cook's Illustrated, our absolutely favorite cooking magazine). We've gotten recipes for a few weeks now, but life has either gotten in the way or the recipe just didn't sound exciting. Not so this week. Their recipe (which we are not supposed to cut and paste for you so we'll provide our "improvements") was for a skillet cooked chicken with a vermouth-dijon sauce. This sounded like something we'd actually eat and we added the ingredients to our grocery list today.

The recipe involves cooked chicken parts (with skin and bone) on the stove top and then making a sauce to serve on the side.

First you rinse and pat fry your chicken parts (Peter cut up our whole chicken because he's cool like that). Heat oil (a couple Tbsp) in skillet and add parts skin side down. Cook until browned WITHOUT TOUCHING. We suck at this part. Flip, add 1/4 cup H2O and cover until cooked (155 for white, 170 for dark). Once each piece is done, pull it to a plate. Once all the pieces are cooked, drain your pan completely of all H2O and oil (don't wipe the pan). Add the parts back and crank the heat so that the skin recrisps. Cook them until crispy (another 3 minutes or so). Then, pull them and tent with foil.

Now it's time fo the pan sauce. We could barely restrain ourselves, this sauce tasted so good. So even if you don't want to make the chicken, you REALLY need to make this sauce. So, drain your pan again, and add the shallot (1 shallot minced). Cook until shallot is nice and wilty. Then, add the broth, (1/2-3/4 cup), vermouth (use dry or extra dry, 1/2 cup or so), dijon mustard (a Tbsp) and cook at high until it reduces by at least half. Once the sauce has thickened, remove from heat, stir in the drippings from the chicken, stir in 2 Tbsp butter and a few Tbsp chopped parsley.

Serve chicken with sauce poured around it (if you pour the sauce over the chicken, you'll make the skin soggy again).

We served this with rice pilaf and broiled broccoli.

If you do nothing else- MAKE THE SAUCE!!! YUMMMMMMMM


Notes and Next Time

• 
  

Ingredients/Recipe

• whole chicken cut up or chicken parts (with bones and skin)
• veg oil
• S & P
• dijon mustard
• vermouth
• chicken broth
• parsley, chopped
• shallot, minced
• butter