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Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chicken. Show all posts

1/25/2011

Benefits of Convection Oven Chicken Recipe

Why should you change over to convection cooking for oven chicken recipe?

Baking chicken in a gas oven or traditional radiant oven is passe. Nowadays, using convection oven for the purpose of baking is the best method for cooking oven chicken recipes. There are many different reasons for this but the most important reason is that the time it takes to make the dish reduces by around 30% as compared to a traditional oven.

The idea behind this is the use of fans in a turbo oven to regulate hot air. Ovens work by heating the air present within it and in turn heating the item placed within them. Turbo ovens by using moving air to cook chicken, do not require you to regularly open the oven and flip the chicken over. Not only that there will be, no cool and hot spots on the baked chicken thus, giving a completely cooked meal. This is advantageous when cooking for vegans because vegetables when partly cooked can taste awful. With fan ovens, you can even make great stews daily.

When preparing light meals, using a fan oven is great as it makes them quick and preserves the nutritional value as well. Any oven chicken recipe that requires a long time to cook will also require a high temperature setting. With fan ovens, you can do the same dish at low temperatures and in a shorter duration because of which the nutritional values of the dish remain intact. You also save electricity because of the above said reasons as well.

When you are cooking for a party, it is often a pain baking chicken items. Switching over to fan ovens will save you the pain in making great tasting oven chicken dishes. Try making baked chicken legs with paprika powder in a turbo oven. You will only have to bake for a meager 20 minutes at a low temperature of 120° and your dish is ready. Even if you run out of chicken legs during the party, you can stack up on marinated chicken and just put them in the oven and have it ready in 20 minutes. Thanks to turbo ovens you will not miss any part of your party and never run out of finger food as well.

Other than these advantages, in a convection oven it does not matter where you place the items to be baked, they bake uniformly well irrespective. So, you can simultaneously make two to three items in a fan oven. In every party, you will have to cook for vegetarians as well as non-vegetarians. This is often quite a hassle with traditional ovens. You will have to make each item one after the other. But, with a large fan oven all you have to do is put all the dishes together and set the temperature and timer. Voila! You got yourself multiple party dishes hassle free.

Making oven chicken recipe has never been this easy and quick. If you have not yet changed over to a convection oven system, then do so before your next party and call your friends and family and treat them to a memorable soul experience.

1/08/2011

Mama's Cooking Fried Chicken

Well, hey there! You may not know me but my name is Mama and I've been cooking fried chicken since before most of ya were a twinkle in your daddies' eye. Cookin' is what I love to do and the folks around me ain't complainin'. So, if you want to learn how to cook up some of the best fried chicken that you ever put your lips around, you've come to the right place.

Here's Mama's Best Fried Chicken Recipe

1 Whole Fryer, cut-up

2 cups of buttermilk

1 egg

2 tablespoons Texas Pete Hot Sauce (this will not add heat to the chicken, only flavor, the heat will cook out)

1 cup of self-rising flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 quart size ziploc freezer bag

Peanut Oil for fying

Put the chicken in a glass baking dish with the buttermilk, turning to coat all sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator overnight.

Heat peanut oil to 350 degrees F.

* If using an electric deep fryer, follow the manufacturers' directions.

* If using a dutch oven when cooking fried chicken, fill it about 2/3 full of peanut oil.

* If pan-frying, you'll need a cast iron skillet (recommended) with an inch of oil.

In a pie plate, mix together the egg and hot sauce, set aside.

In plastic ziplock bag, combine flour, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning and paprika.

Place chicken in colander to drain off buttermilk. Allow to sit for about 15-20 to warm up to room temperaure.

Roll the chicken around in egg mixture starting with the dark meat first. Shake off the excess egg and drop into the ziplock bag with the flour mixture and shake ( no more than 2-3 pieces at a time) to coat well. Allow to sit on plate for a few minutes so that the flour can stick to the chicken.

Slowly drop the chicken into the oil starting with the dark meat. Don't get in too big of a hurry or you'll lower the temperature of the oil too quick and your chicken will soak up the oil and be greasy (not a good thing). If pan-frying, you will need to turn the chicken a couple of times so it will brown evenly. Cook until it's a nice golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

The times for cooking fried chicken will vary but as a general rule:

(These times are for bone in chicken. Boneless will take only about half the time depending upon the thickness.)

13-14 minutes for dark meat

10-12 minutes for white meat

Mama's not just cooking fried chicken, you'll find a whole lot more recipes and tips on my website, www.mamas-southern-cooking.com

If you would like to reprint this article, it must be reprinted in it's entirety with the link intact.

1/05/2011

Cooking With Chicken Livers

Chicken liver can be used to make all kinds of appetizers and soup recipes. The livers can also be used to make a tasty lunch or snack. Popular chicken liver recipes include chicken pate, chicken mousse, chicken wraps,all made from the livers of the chicken and also fried chicken liver with onions.

Liver is often coated in breadcrumbs or flour to give it a nice texture and some bite. Chicken liver soup is especially tasty and garlic, onions and a little white wine really bring out the flavor of the livers when you make a soup with them.

You can serve the livers whole or chopped and you can combine them with all kinds of other flavors to make tasty liver dishes. Liver is nutritious and especially high in iron. If you want to increase your iron consumption, there are plenty of liver recipes you can make. Drink some orange juice with the liver recipe to increase your body's absorption of the iron.

How to Cook Chicken Liver

The livers need to be cooked thoroughly, like chicken, to make sure any organisms or bacteria are destroyed. You should saute the livers in small batches and give them at least five minutes or cook them until an internal temperature of 160 degrees F has been maintained for a couple of minutes. You can check the bigger pieces with a food thermometer just to make sure. The livers of the chicken need to be cooked until they are no longer bloody in the middle.

Recipe for Cantonese Chicken Liver Appetizers

What you will need:

  • 1 lb chicken liver

  • 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder

  • 2 tablespoons light soy sauce

  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

  • 6 tablespoons peanut oil

  • 1/4 teaspoon white sugar

  • 1 tablespoon cream sherry or brandy

  • 2 cups green salad leaves

  • 1 lemon, in wedges

  • 1/2 cup cornstarch

  • 1 beaten egg

  • Salt and black pepper

How to make it:

Take the gristle and fat off the livers and rinse them under water. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and then add the chicken livers. Take the water off the heat and let it stand for a couple of minutes. Drain the livers and pat them dry.

Combine the sherry or brandy with the soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, five spice powder, salt, pepper, and two tablespoons of the peanut oil in a bowl and marinate the livers in this mixture for half an hour. Drain and discard the marinade. Add the egg to the livers. Spread the cornstarch over a plate. Add the remaining peanut oil to a wok.

Dip a chicken liver in the cornstarch, and then add it to the pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken livers. You might have to cook them in batches. After two minutes, turn the livers over and cook the other side.

Drain them on paper towels. Arrange the salad leaves on a serving plate, then add the livers and serve with the lemon wedges and some toothpicks so people can pick them up.

12/31/2010

Best Cooking Recipe - Rice and Chicken Livers

Some reputed chefs believe that the type of cookware used in food preparation greatly affects the taste of the food. That is why, when it comes to cooking exquisitely delicious dishes, both moms and chefs alike have given two thumbs up for Rachael Ray cookware. Now, before you begin doing yourself the following recipes, have your Rachael Ray cookware products prepared on your table.

Rice and Chicken Livers Ingredients:

One fourth cup butter or margarine
One medium onion, chopped
One lb chicken livers, cut in halves
One half cup chopped fresh mushrooms
One half cup chopped sweet red pepper
One and one half table spoon salt
One fourth table spoon pepper
One cup long-grain regular rice
One fourth table spoon dried leaf basil
Four medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Two cups hot chicken stock
One third cup grated Parmesan cheese

Procedure:

At the outset, you have to heat the oven to three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (or 175 degrees Celsius). Next to that, you add up the butter in a two and a half (3-L) casserole. Following that, you have to heat the butter in a heavy skillet. Next to that, you need to add up the onion and cook this gently for about three minutes. Afterward, you have to add the chicken livers and cook this gently for about one minute. Remember to keep on stirring it. Following that, you have to add the mushrooms and the red pepper; and then you need to cook this for another one minute. You need to stir this continually. Afterward, you have to stir in the salt, and then peeper the rice. Next, you cook it gently until the rice begins to turn into a golden color. Stir it constantly. This will take for about three minutes.

Furthermore, you have to remove it from the heat. Next to that, you must add the basil and the tomatoes. Subsequently, you need to spoon this into the prepared casserole. And then you pour the chicken stock over it. Then you cover and bake it for another forty five minutes or even until the rice becomes very tender and most of its liquid is completely absorbed. (Keep in mind: If you are still able to find that there is still quite a lot of liquid on the rice, you need to continue baking this, and then uncover this, until most of its liquid disappears.) And finally, you have to remove this from the oven and turn this on the broiler. And then you sprinkle the rice mixture with the cheese and then slip it low under the broiler to make it lightly brown. Serve this immediately.

12/15/2010

Make Creamy Chicken Pot Pie - Recipe and Cooking Tips

Chicken Pies are feel-good food. This Chicken Pot Pie Recipe is just the thing for rich and flavourful dinner idea. the perfect home-cooked meal for your family. The wine adds an amazing flavor to the pie filling. Using ready-made puff pastry will help you save time.

You can make the whole thing ahead of time and bake it just before serving. A really great idea and time saver, is to make a double portion of the pie filling and then freeze it for when you need a meal in a hurry. You can try tasty variations once you've mastered the basics. Not exactly low-fat diet friendly but perfect served with buttery mash and baby peas.

Some Chicken Pie Baking Tips


  • You can make the chicken pie ahead of time and bake it just before serving.

  • Make a double portion of the pie filling and then freeze it for when you need a meal in a hurry.

  • Always have a ready-made roll of puff pastry in the freezer for when you feel like pie.

  • be sure to make a few small slits in the top of the pastry so that the steam can escape during the baking time.

  • Use left-over chicken or ready-cooked chicken if you want to save time.

  • Use vegetables in season as these will be cheaper and readily available.

  • Adjust the seasoning in the filling to suit your own taste.

  • Wine adds amazing depth to the flavor of the filling so if possible don't leave it out.

Chicken Pot Pie Recipe Ingredients


  • olive oil and butter, for frying

  • salt and milled pepper

  • 500g deboned chicken thighs, diced

  • 2 leeks, sliced

  • 2 celery sticks, sliced

  • 1 packet (250g) white or brown mushrooms, sliced

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 2 Tbsp (30ml) thyme leaves

  • 1/2 cup (125ml) white wine

  • 1 cup (250ml) chicken stock

  • 1 tub (250ml) cream

  • 1 small packet (80g) baby spinach, blanched and chopped or frozen vegetable mix

  • 1 cup (250ml) fresh or frozen peas

  • 1 roll puff pastry, defrosted, divided into 4

  • 1 extra-large egg yolk, beaten

Cooking Instructions For Chicken and Mushroom Pot Pies


  1. Preheat oven to 220 C.


  2. Heat the oil and butter in pan and lightly saute the seasoned chicken until browned. Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set aside.


  3. Fry the leeks, celery and mushrooms until soft but be careful not to brown too much. Add the chopped garlic and fry for another minute.


  4. Toss in the thyme leaves, wine, chicken stock, cream and browned chicken. Let this simmer for 25 minutes - the liquid should reduced by about half. Stir through wilted spinach and peas.


  5. Spoon filling into 4 ramekins /small pie dishes and cover each with pastry. Crimp edges with a fork and make a few slits in the pastry to allow steam to escape from the chicken pies while they are baking.


  6. Brush the tops of the pies with egg yolk and bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry has gone that delicious golden colour.

This Chicken Pot Pie serves 4 people.

11/29/2010

Some Useful Tips on Cooking Chicken Feet Dishes

Although eating chicken feet is an acquired taste, those who love to eat chicken feet will swear by it. It is a delicacy in its own right. Chicken feet can be cooked in many ways. The chicken feet is rich in cartilage, hence it is known among old folks that it is good for their joins. In this article , I am going to talk about some easy tips to prepare chicken feet dishes.

I prefer to use chicken feet to boil soups or stews. I use them to boil nutritious such as black bean soup, lotus root soup, peanut soup and old cucumber soup. They can be used to boil in various type of soups such as herbal soup, black bean soup, lotus soup and old cucumber soup. For the stews, you can refer to my Chicken Feet stew with Chinese Mushroom. Some people prefer to use fried chicken feet for stews, that is tasty too. You can easily enhance the flavour with clove and star anise, and cinnamon stick. Chicken feet can be used to cook curry too.

Basically, there are two types of chicken feet. The white feather chicken feet that we consume almost daily, is easily available in the markets. The other type is "Kampong chicken" (Kampong is the Malaysian dialect for village) which is often found in rural village areas have feet which is firmer and tougher. Why is it firmer? Because the free range chickens run around a lot and thus its meat contain less fat. Of course, you can find "kampong chicken" in any supermarket nowadays, and not only in the "kampong". This is best to use in boiling soups as mentioned in the above.

If you are not used to cleaning chicken feet, it can be quite tricky. These are some steps to prepare the chicken feet for cooking. First, you have to cut off the claws and trim of the harden unwanted spot normally seen beneath the feet. Then, rub the chicken feet with salt to clean it thoroughly. Rinse it. Finally, scald the chicken feet in hot boil water for 5 minutes. Then the chicken feet is ready to be cooked in any way you want.

For more simple and delicious chicken feet recipes, and handy cooking tips, please visit http://www.simplecookingideas.com

11/24/2010

Easy And Spicy Chicken Fajita Recipe

I am glad to have shared with you this secret recipe to cooking awesome sweet and sour chicken. Now you can have it to enjoy at home. It's easy and authentic!

When I wouldn't be home for dinner, I usually cook it. My children ate it and said it was really good and always ask me to make it again. It's a great for busy moms.

Do you like spicy? Well, you can serve spicy low-fat chicken fajita if you'd like for various recipes. Go ahead!

Ingredients of Easy Chicken fajita:

boneless chicken breast

1 1/2 c. water or chicken broth

1 pkg. taco seasoning

2 chopped bell peppers (red, green, or yellow)

Cooking Instructions of easy Chicken fajita:


  1. Cut chicken breast into strips. Simmer strips in water or broth until just about done.

  2. Place in skillet along with 1 cup cooking water or broth, taco seasoning, and chopped bell peppers.

  3. Simmer until chicken is done and sauce becomes thick. Add remaining water or broth (1/2 c.) and simmer 10 minutes.

  4. Recommended Toppings: Lettuce, Tomato, Refried Beans, Sour Cream, Taco.

Sauce Note: Tastes like Taco Bell.

Ingredients of spicy low fat chicken fajita:

2 cooked boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

1 can Rotel tomatoes (not drained)

1 bell pepper, diced

1 onion ,diced

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tomato, diced

cooking spray or 1 tsp. of olive oil

corn tortillas

sour cream

shredded cheddar cheese optional

Cooking Instructions of spicy low fat chicken fajita:


  1. Coat the skillet in cooking spray or 1 teaspoon of olive oil. On medium heat, add the diced bell pepper and onion to the skillet.

  2. Sauté until the peppers have softened enough to be cut easily with a spatula. If the skillet becomes too dry, a few teaspoons of water may be added to prevent sticking.

  3. Add the minced Garlic, diced tomato, and can of Rotel. While the above ingredients are cooking, shred and add cooked chicken to the skillet.

  4. Cook until the juice from the Rotel has thickened. Set aside the cooked fajita filling in a covered bowl.

  5. Heat the corn tortillas. Place fajita filling in the middle of your warm tortillas and serve. Top with sour cream and shredded cheese, if desired.

11/18/2010

How to Cook Fried Chicken

If you think cooking fried chicken is hard then please read this article. I am going to share the recipe how to cook fried chicken. Boy, I like to eat fried chicken. I am certain this is a favorite food for a lot of people. Have you wondered how to cook fried chicken?

Now, I am going to share with you the way to cook fried chicken. It is perfect for a get together with family and friends. Surprise your family and friends by cooking for them.

Ingredients:

chicken meat
Egg
Milk
Flour
Salt and pepper
Vegetable oil

Please make sure your chicken meat pieces are not too large. If they are, cut them into little pieces. It is simpler to eat and also cooks faster. Another good point is that with faster cooking time, less oil is being absorbed. So it is also more healthier.

Wash and rinse the chicken thoroughly and dry the pieces. This will help to discard any bone fragment remaining after chopping them up. Imagine eating into the bone fragment when enjoying your fried chicken. That would definitely spoil the whole experience.

Mixed the egg and milk together. Then put the chicken pieces into the milk. You can leave it soaked for a few hours or overnight. This will allow the milk to mixed thoroughly into the meat.

Mixed the flour with salt and pepper. You can also include other spices and herbs, depending on your taste. This will be your personal recipe.

Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour mixture. Make sure all the chicken pieces are thoroughly covered with flour. Dunk the pieces of chicken into the milk quickly and then dredge with flour again. Now we are ready to fry the chicken pieces.

Heat up the oil in a frying pan or skillet or deep fryer. Make sure the oil is hot enough before frying. If it is not hot enough, the chicken will be undercook. If it is too hot, the chicken will be burnt. Put the chicken slowly into the oil. Proceed to fry the chicken until it is golden brown in color. Make sure that all sides will be evenly cook. Once it is ready, put it on a kitchen paper to drain away the extra oil. Serve it quickly while it is hot.

Now you that you have the knowledge, it is time to put it to practice. Start learning how to cook fried chicken. Feel free to try and tweak around. The recipe is just a guide and you do not need to follow it to the book.

11/11/2010

How to Cook a Really Crispy Duck or Chicken

If you're like me you love the skin on the outside of duck, if it's crispy. The texture of the meal can totally be changed with a crispy skin.

The secret is to make sure the duck is scored across the front and salted heavily.

This helps dry up the skin and makes for a super crispy skin. You will not be the only one that enjoys this Crispy Duck Recipe, but everyone else at your dinner table.

Take the duck that you're going to use for your main dish make slits in the breast with a knife and poke with a fork. Salt the breast heavily use your discretion and taste. You can use this method for any recipe you can think of.

Just use the cooking instructions from the recipe you are using. Place the bird breast down on the baking pan and cook like that for about ¾ of the total time that the recipe says to cook it for, making sure to drain the fat from the bird, usually by sticking it with a fork under the wings and legs.

During the last 1/4 of the cooking use the broil on the oven to finish cooking up the breast. This should make the skin crispy while the duck is still moist. Since this way of cooking can be used for almost any recipe for crispy duck recipe you have, it gives you more choices for the texture you want to use for your meal.

Cooking is all about mixing things up and building your own ways of cooking and recipes.

Also since you are slitting only the fatty layer of the bird you can use that to tuck away some hidden seasoning. Try tucking your favorite herbs into the slits under the skin, as the fat melts away it'll trickle down and out of the bird but first it'll seep into the meat.

This can add a new dimension to the meat, making it even more succulent. Taking these tips you should be able to use your imagination to come up with many more combos. With crispy duck recipes you can add extra flavors and also add a whole new texture to the dish.

Use these two together to try out new things, using the crispy skin to add texture to an otherwise smooth meal. So the next meals with duck you cook try out some of these combos, just using your taste and imagination. There are thousands of recipes in books and the internet to mix and match with.

10/26/2010

Chicken Biryani Recipe - Secrets of Making a Perfect Biryani

If I ask you, "which is your favorite Indian rice recipe"?, I am sure your topmost answer will be "a biryani". Even in biryanis the most liked of all is a chicken biryani.

So here is a recipe for you to make a perfect biryani.

Ingredients required

Ingredients for marinating the chicken

* 1 Kilo Chicken on the bone cut into 12-16 pieces
* 1 cup of curd
* 1/2 Teaspoon turmeric powder
* 1 Tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
* 1 Teaspoon of coriander powder
* a little salt

Mix all of the above ingredients and let the chicken marinate for 6-12 hours, more the better.

Herbs, spices and condiments used are as follows

* 8 cloves
* 1 Cinnamon stick
* 6 green Cardamoms
* 2 Bay leaves
* 1/2 Teaspoon shahi jeera (caraway seeds)
* a few pinches grated nutmeg and mace each
* 1 Teaspoon Coriander powder
* 1 Teaspoon red Chili powder (to taste)
* 5-6 Tablespoon of chopped fresh mint
* 2-3 chopped green Chilies
* 4-5 chopped Tomatoes
* a whole bunch of fresh coriander leaves

For fried onions

About 8-9 medium size onions

Other Ingredients
* 500 g good basmati rice
* Oil for deep frying and 3-4 tablespoon for cooking
* 1 Tablespoon of ginger garlic paste
* 1/2 cup of milk
* a few strands of Saffron (kesar)
* Desi ghee (clarified butter) about 6-7 Tablespoons
* Cashew nuts ( a few or as many as you want)
* Raisins and almonds are optional
* Salt to taste

Deep fry the onions
While the chicken is marinating, slice the onions very thin. You can use a food processor for this or a slicer. Now heat oil and fry these sliced onions in batches. The heat should be medium. Definitely not high, otherwise the onions will get burned.

Stir the onions continuously for uniform browning. When they become light brown, drain them on kitchen paper. Keep them aside. They will get nice crispy as they cool down.

Cook the Chicken

Take a deep, wide mouth vessel and heat 3-4 tablespoons of oil in it. In this add the bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, little bit of shahi jeera and allow to crackle. Now add a tablespoon of ginger garlic paste and stir a little. Now tip out all the marinated chicken and the marinade. Cook on a high flame so that the water gets evaporated quickly. Add the chopped tomatoes, mint, green chilies, all dry powders(coriander, chili), and salt. Cook till the chicken is cooked and the gravy (masala) is not watery. Add one third of the fried onions. Mix well. Keep aside.

Parboil the rice

Boiling rice is one of the most important part of cooking a biryani. The rice needs to be parboiled. Meaning, it should be three fourth cooked. The rest of it gets cooked on dum (when we layer the chicken and rice, seal it and put on a very slow fire).

To boil the rice take a big deep wide mouth vessel, add lots of water (at least 10 times more than rice). Add ample salt (this is very important because the rice needs to be salty when cooked). Also add a cinnamon stick, a couple of green cardamoms, a few cloves and the rest of caraway seeds (shahi jeera), for flavoring the rice.

Now boil all this for a few minutes on a high flame (7 minutes or so). This is how to check if the rice is done. Without burning your fingers, take a few grains of rice (use a clean spoon to take some out of the boiling water), break a grain, if it breaks into 3 parts easily, your rice is done.

Strain the rice and spread it on a clean surface ( a tray or something), so that it cools faster. If you want to pick out the whole spices which you added, you can do that now. Or else just let them be.

Keep all these ready

Now that the rice and chicken are cooked. Fried onions are ready. You just need to get a few more things organized, so that the layering can be done.

* Chop the coriander leaves
* Boil the milk and add crushed saffron in it. Give it a stir.
* In desi ghee, fry the cashew nuts till golden brown. Also the almonds and raisins, if using. Keep aside.
* Keep some melted desi ghee aside.

Layering the biryani

Take a heavy bottom pan with a lid (non stick is best).

Take some melted ghee and grease the bottom of the pan with it. Then

* Put a layer of rice,
* Then a layer of chicken
* followed by a layer of fried onions
* then a layer of chopped coriander.

Repeat and finish off with the rice layer. Lastly, sprinkle the leftover fried onions (if any), cashews and other nuts. Pour the saffron milk on top. Also pour some desi ghee down the sides of the pan and some on top of the rice. It will trickle down with the heat.

Yep, you are done. Seal the lid by sticking it with some chapati dough or simply fix a big foil before placing the lid. The idea is to restrict the steam from escaping. Place this pot on a very slow flame. Ideally place this vessel on top of another flat pan or tawa, so that the bottom of the pan doesn't come in direct contact with the heat source.

Leave for one hour. When you open it, what you get is the magical, flavorsome and aromatic chicken biryani. Please dig in. Don't forget to prepare a riata while your biryani is cooking. Enjoy hot biryani with a cold raita.

10/06/2010

Deep Fryers - Our Recipe For Great Southern Fried Chicken

As an avid cooking and deep frying fan from south Louisiana, I have tried many different recipes to find the perfect home-fried chicken. I have dabbled with various south Louisiana spices and deep fryers looking for the right combination. Sometimes, less can mean more when referring to ease of cooking and quality of the final product. In this article, I will show the recipe that I find to be the easiest and most effective way for deep frying chicken southern style. Personally, I prefer to use a professional style deep fryer with all the bells and whistles. However, a simple deep frying pot is all you really need to get started.

Recipe for Southern Fried Chicken

Ingredients needed include:

1. Canola oil (or any other frying oil that you might prefer)

2. Chicken (cut into pieces)

3. Ice

4. Cayenne Pepper

5. Zatarain's chick fri

6. Zatarain's fish fri

7. Garlic power

8. Water

Steps:

1. The first thing we do is heat our grease (canola oil). Using one of our deep fryers, we place enough canola oil to cover all the chicken we will be boiling. Do not overload the deep fryer (or frying pot). We suggest only frying a few pieces of chicken at a time.

2. While the grease is heating, we clean our chicken in water and then cut into pieces that will be fried. Then, we place the cut pieces into a pan of water making sure that all pieces are covered.

3. Next, we sprinkle cayenne pepper over the water and mix with the chicken (the amount of pepper used depends on the fryer's preference); as a general rule, make sure that you at least cover the top water layer.

4. While the chicken is soaking and the grease/oil is heating, we prepare the following mixture: one bag of Zatarain's chick fri + one bag of Zatarain's fish fri. To this, we add cayenne pepper and garlic powder (again, the amount depends on the deep fryer's preference); the first time using this recipe, we suggest using small amounts of each (1-2 teaspoons). You can always adjust with future recipes.

5. Once the oil/grease is boiling (temperature of about 350 degrees), we remove the chicken from the water and place in our batter mix (see step 4). Make sure each piece of chicken is appropriately battered.

6. Add the chicken to the deep fryer and cook for approximately 16 minutes. If using a deep fryer with an internal basket, you can simply raise the basket once the chicken is cooked. Always follow the manufacturer's guidelines when using deep fryers. Safety is very important because you want to do everything possible to avoid getting burned with hot grease. If you have any questions or doubts at all about what you are doing, make sure to get these doubts cleared before using hot grease or deep fryers.

7. Once the chicken is cooked, remove carefully from the deep fryer or frying pot using the appropriate utensil(s). Once cooled enough, enjoy some of the best southern fried chicken imaginable.

NOTE: Because we love frying foods so much, we decided to open our own home-based internet business to sell some of the most highly recommended deep fryers. In addition, we sell George Foreman grills and rice cookers online.

10/05/2010

TGI Fridays Pasta - This Spicy Cajun Chicken Recipe Hits the Spot

Chicken is one of the most popular dishes. TGI Fridays pasta dish is another popular dish. I've got a spicy Cajun chicken pasta recipe that is kind of similar to the one served at TGI Fridays. Give it a try and see what you think.

This recipe gives 4 servings. If you want to make it a little or a lot spicier you can add cayenne with the chicken seasoning or sprinkle a 1/2 teaspoon on when the vegetables are cooking.

Ingredients:

8 oz. linguine
4 chicken breast, skinless and boneless
1 tablespoon Cajun spice - like Tony Cachere's
4 tablespoons butter
2 bell pepper
1 red pepper
8 mushrooms
4 green onions
3 cups cream - substitute some whole milk to lower the fat content if you want
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Start boiling the water for the pasta, follow the directions on the package. Cut the chicken breasts in bite size pieces and coat with cajun spice, then saute the chicken with the butter, olive oil can be used also. While the chicken is cooking up chop the vegetables. When the chicken is done cooking add the vegetables. I like to cook my chicken so it's a little browned. I think it adds a bit more flavor and texture to the dish. After the vegetables have cooked for a few minutes, lower the heat and pour in the cream, mixing to fully incorporate the ingredients. Also at this point mix in the spices. Take the drained pasta and put in a serving dish and pour the chicken mixture over the pasta. You can mix it all up or not, depending on your tasted. Put Parmesan on each of portion after serving.

9/30/2010

Baked Chicken Drumstick Recipe

Chicken drumsticks are a children's and adults favourite alike being really simple to prepare and cook especially in the oven. But what is the best way to bake chicken drumsticks and what is the best recipe to bring out the full flavour of the leg meat? I think we all know about KFC chicken and the crispy seasoned flour which is deep fried in hot oil giving wonderful results. I also know that many people have tried and failed to understand exactly what is the secret ingredients of KFC chicken but as far as I know this still remains a closely guarded corporate secret and rightly so.

But what other seasonings can we use to flavour our baked chicken legs? one of my favourite (and my kids!) is using crushed cornflakes as the basis of what would normally be breadcrumbs. This gives a much lighter texture to the chicken and remains crunchy and flavoursome after cooking. This is also a great chicken drumstick recipe which you can get the kids involved. But do not be fooled, just because its great for the children doesn't mean us adults will not enjoy it, give it a try and you will see what I am talking about, scrumptious!

Baked Chicken Legs Recipe (coats around 8 chicken legs or quarters)

8 x Chicken legs or quarters with the skin removed (really do ensure you remove the skin, you will get a watery effect under the skin itself if you do not remove it first)
3 x Cups of ground up cornflakes (you can also use Weetabix!)
2 x Teaspoons of Cayenne pepper
2 x Teaspoons of mild Curry powder
1 x Teaspoon of garlic powder
1 x Teaspoon of salt
1/2 Cup of plain flour
1/2 pint of milk
2 x Eggs beaten

Method

1. Pre heat oven to 200 degrees and remove skins from chicken legs
2. Place flour and salt in a clean bowl
3. Place beaten eggs and milk into another bowl
4. Crush cornflakes to breadcrumb size in a clear, clean, plastic bag and add the spices shaking to mix thoroughly
5. Coat chicken in the flour shaking off any excess and dip into the milk/egg mixture and carefully place into the bag. Repeat for four chicken legs and then gently shake to coat evenly.
6. Repeat the above for the remaining 4 chicken drumsticks.
7. Place the coated chicken drumsticks on a baking tray and give a spray of oil.
8. Bake in the oven for around 40-45 minutes until golden and cooked through.

A really tasty and crunchy chicken leg coating which is great fun to make. Enjoy your cooking!

9/28/2010

Cooking Chicken Wings Recipes - The Recipe For Chicken Wings You Can Prepare at Home

Who can pass up a big dish of chicken wings? Spicy, crunchy, and delicious, they're simply irresistible.

If you like chicken wings as much as I do, below are 4 chicken wing recipes you can prepare at home:

1. Cajun Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

- 12 Chicken wings - tips removed
- 5 Bay leaves - crumbled into bits
- 3/4 teaspoon Caraway seeds
- 1/2 To 3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon Ground coriander
- 4 Garlic cloves - finely
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons Paprika - preferably
- 3/4 teaspoon Dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Brandy
- 2 tablespoons Fresh lemon or lime juice

Directions:

- Defat the chicken wings by cooking them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Drain and set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Using a large mortar and pestle, grind together the bay leaf bits, caraway seeds, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, garlic, mustard, paprika, thyme and salt for about 10 minutes.
- Add the brandy and lemon or lime juice to the pulverized herbs and stir into a thick paste.
- With a pastry brush, cover both sides of each wing with the herb paste.
- When no more remains in the mortar, squeeze the last few drops from the brush.
- Arrange the chicken wings on a baking sheet.
- Bake until the skin turns deep brown and is quite crisp approximately 30 minutes.

Takes about an hour to prepare.

2. African Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

For the Wings

- 4 Garlic cloves
- 2 Shallots
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt
- 1 tablespoon Chinese 5 spice
- 2 teaspoons Paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary - crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne - or to taste
- 2 tablespoons Vegetable oil
- 4 pounds Chicken wings -- about 20-24
- Tips removed

For the Sauce

- 1/3 cup Natural style peanut butter
- 1/4 cup canned cream of coconut - Well stirred
- 2 Garlic cloves - chopped
- 1/4 cup Water
- 1/4 cup Red bell pepper - chopped
- 1/8 teaspoon Dried hot red pepper flakes Or to taste
- 1 teaspoon Soy sauce
- Coriander sprigs

Directions:

The Wings:

- Prepare the chicken wings: Mince and mash the garlic and shallots to a paste with the salt.
- In a large bowl stir the paste together with the 5 spice powder, paprika, rosemary, cayenne, and the oil. Mix well.
- Add the chicken wings.
- Toss and stir them until they are completely covered with the marinade.
- Let them marinate, covered and chilled for 4 hours or over night.
- Arrange the wings, skin side up, on the rack of a foil lined large broiler pan and bake them in the upper third of a preheated 425F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until they are golden.

The wings may be prepared one day in advance, kept covered and chilled and then reheated before serving.

The Sauce:

- In a blender, blend together the peanut butter, cream of coconut, garlic, water, bell pepper, red pepper flakes and the soy sauce until the mixture is smooth, season the sauce with salt, to taste.

The Presentation:

- Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl set on a platter.

- Arrange the wings around the bowl and garnish the platter with the coriander.

3. Barbecue Wing Dings

Ingredients:

- 3 pounds chicken wing
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 drops Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cups ketchup
- 1 onion

Directions:

- Cut off the small piece of the chicken wing and the bony part so you have only the meaty part.
- Mix the ketchup, onion (cut up), brown sugar and sauce together. Dip wings in the sauce.
- Put on cookie sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hour. If you have extra sauce, cook in saucepan until thick.

4. Barbecued Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

- 35 Chicken wings - tips removed
- 1 Stick butter
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon Sauce
- 1/2 cup Dry red wine
- 2 teaspoons Dry mustard
- 2 large Garlic cloves - crushed
- 1/4 cup Fresh lemon juice and Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

Requires marinating and long cooking time but it is simple.

- Place chicken wings, disjointed, in large flat pan.
- Combine other ingredients and pour over chicken.
- Let stand for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Be sure all wings are well coated with marinade.
- Place pan in 350 in oven and reduce heat to 250.
- Bake 4-5 hours, turning wings at regular intervals.

If all marinade is not absorbed, pour off and dry wings out a bit longer in oven (but not too much) before serving.

9/25/2010

3 Ways to Create Easy Chicken Recipe Ideas

When cooking chicken you have a a lot of options on how you cook it. You also have a lot of options on what you can cook it with. Chicken goes quite well with many different foods, and depending on the spices you use you can create a million different easy chicken recipes.

Easy Chicken Pasta Recipe Ideas

Chicken and pasta just go together. You can easily create chicken and pasta dishes whether it has an Italian, American or even Thai flavor. The only thing that makes the difference is the spices you use and the type of pasta you use.

For Italian dishes you may use a tomato based sauce and linguine. For an American feel you might use spiral noodles and create a mayo based chicken salad. To create a Thai type dish you can use thin rice noodles and Asian spices.

Easy Chicken Soup Recipe Ideas

You may immediately think of chicken noodle soup when you think of chicken soup, but there are tons of ways you can create soups with chicken.

There are great chili recipes, a wide range of chicken soups as well as chicken stews. If you have a crockpot making soup of any kind is an easy way to a delicious and healthy dinner.

Easy Baked Chicken Recipe Ideas

Baked chicken may sound dry and gross to you, but when cooked well it is delicious, moist and flavorful. You can bake a whole chicken which is called roasting. Depending on the spices you use you can create a wide range of flavors for your chicken.

You can bake them in a sauce to keep them moist. You can keep this low calorie by using low calorie sauce ingredients.

You can also "bake" a chicken in your crockpot. This is great for busy people who want a home cooked meal but don't have a couple hours in the evening to wait on a roasted chicken.

As you can see chicken is a truly versatile food. It is high in protein and low in fat. You can cook it in so many ways and with so many flavors that you could actually cook chicken every night of the year and never have the same chicken twice!

9/18/2010

Baked Chicken Drumstick Recipe - Eat Healthy and Well

A baked chicken drumstick recipe is a beauty to behold. It is easy to make, inexpensive, and good for you. A baked chicken drumstick recipe makes kids happy and can be served as an entree for a healthy lunch or dinner.

There is something about a good drumstick that is fun to eat and they fit well into your healthy diet plan. A good baked chicken drumstick recipe adds variety to your diet when you tire of ground beef casserole recipes or other inexpensive beef dishes.

Good Recipe With Drumsticks

The important thing to remember about making a baked chicken drumstick recipe is that you must remove the skin from the meat. There is a huge amount of fat in the skin and by removing it prior to cooking this unwanted fat could be easily discarded.

This simple step will also remove many unnecessary calories from your food.

That's a good thing.

Removing the skin can be done just before cooking. That will allow your chicken to retain an additional layer of protection if you store the meat in your freezer. This is especially important if you put time and effort into butchering a whole bird into more usable portions.

Losing your succulent chicken to freezer burn is one thing but to have wasted time and effort in addition to ruined meat is unacceptable.

Let's look at a baked chicken drumstick recipe you and your kids will enjoy.

Breaded Parmesan Drumsticks

Ingredients needed:
8 skinned chicken drumsticks
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 egg, beaten with a splash of water added
3/4 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Mix the Parmesan cheese and the Italian seasoned breadcrumbs in a large bowl.
Beat egg and a splash of water in a separate bowl.
Dip the drumsticks in the beaten egg.
Roll the drumsticks in the Parmesan cheese/ Italian breadcrumb mix to coat.
Place the breaded drumsticks in a baking pan (preferably glass) that has been coated with olive oil.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Make It Healthier With Raw Vegetables

You can serve a raw vegetable platter while the chicken is cooking. Your children or guests will have good healthy food to munch on as the luscious smell of baking chicken permeates your home. In this way they will get the raw food enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and fiber found in these natural foods into them without a fight.

That's a good thing.

A baked chicken drumstick recipe is simple to prepare and serve. It is easy to extrapolate a good baked chicken drumstick recipe from any of the boneless skinless chicken breast recipes or oven baked chicken breast recipes found in cookbooks or on the Internet.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when baking chicken drumsticks is to overcook the meat. Be sure it is done but the meat will dry out and become less palatable if you cook it too long.

Allow them to rest for 10 minutes before serving. They continue cooking as they sit. Cut into your drumsticks to make sure there is no red blood or meat still present before serving.

This is an excellent time to serve a fresh garden salad because your guests will be salivating at the smell of roasted chicken and will eat a healthy amount of raw vegetables. Use body physiology and psychology to get raw vegetables into your family and friends. It will benefit them greatly in addition to supplying them with great tasting foods.

Any good baked chicken drumstick recipe can be served either hot or cold. They go especially well as picnic food. Try them and enjoy!

9/05/2010

Campfire Cooking Recipes - Chicken

For those of you that enjoy cooking around the campfire there are a number of recipes that you can enjoy. Campfire cooking recipes include those that are for chicken. Chicken is a staple in the American diet and there is no reason it can not be enjoyed in a campfire setting. I will include some popular choices of chicken recipes in this article. I will include a few instructions and variations on them. One of the popular choices is a Hawaiian chicken recipe which includes onion soup mix to taste, as well as pineapple, chicken, strips of bell pepper cooked with a chicken breast in aluminum foil. This recipe is available on various sites that deal with campfire chicken recipes. I think such chicken is such a versatile meat there are a wide variety of recipes available to prepare it. Campfire cooking recipes are pretty easy to find on the internet a There are many good sites for these recipes.

Prep and side dish

There are other recipes for campfire cooking that include cooking in a Dutch oven and using various ingredients including salt and pepper and carrots and celery.There are some delicious pot pie recipes that can be made in a Dutch Oven. Many recipes also include using corn as a side dish. this is a versatile addition to any campfire meal as it can be made by wetting the husks and wrapping the corn in aluminum foil and placing in hot coals. You can remove it whenever the corn is cooked depending on how hot you like it. Some recipes also include using a skillet to make your dish. This is an alternative to placing directly in the fire. or placing on a camp stove.

Other recipes and methods

Most recipes seem to include the use of aluminum foil. You should make sure you have plenty on hand when trying these recipes. There are some dishes that have an Italian flair that are chicken breast combined with the use of pepperoni and cheese to flavor your dish. Fire cooking tends to be the preferred way to make these dishes but there are other alternatives as well.The use of a camp stove figures prominently in many of the recipes. Celery and Carrots seem to be a popular additive to many of the chicken dishes, particularly those that are stew based.

Cast Iron cooking is another popular way to make campfire cooking dishes. People that use the cast iron may use either a Dutch oven or other forms of heavy skillets to make their dishes. Of course when using cast iron for cooking proper care and seasoning of the skillet ,and accompanying utensils are needed so that you can cook your meal with a minimum of sticking and associated trauma to your dinner. I think the variations in cooking recipes and preparation methods will keep you happy on your next cookout.

9/02/2010

Cooking Boneless Chicken Recipes in a Crockpot

Boneless chicken is economical, versatile, and very tasty. You can make all kinds of boneless chicken recipes including chicken parmesan, chicken cordon bleu, chicken soups and stews and much more. If you have a crockpot, there are plenty of crockpot boneless chicken recipes you can try as well. Boneless chicken cooks very nicely in a crockpot. It becomes really soft and tender and takes on the flavors of the other ingredients you are using in the recipe.

Crockpot Cooking Tips

If you are on a tight budget, you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts in many recipes. One and a half thighs are about equal to a chicken breast, or two thighs if they are quite small.

Test your chicken after it has been cooking for six hours on low. Chicken can become mushy if you cook it in the crockpot for too long, so it is best to keep an eye on it towards the end of the cooking time.

An Easy Crockpot Recipe for Chicken Tacos

This is a great recipe if you like Mexican food. You can even double or triple the recipe if you have a big crockpot and this would be great if you are having a buffet or if you want to make Superbowl party recipes or feed a crowd. If you do not have taco seasoning, you can use cumin, chili powder, garlic, salt and pepper as an alternative seasoning.

The leftover chicken is versatile and you can use it in all kinds of other boneless chicken recipes. This recipe makes enough to feed ten people and if you want an easy recipe, which cooks itself, or if you are going to be out all day, this crockpot chicken recipe is perfect.

You will need:


  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

  • 2 cups salsa

  • 1 chopped green bell pepper

  • 1 chopped onion

  • 1 envelope taco seasoning

  • 1 package flour tortillas, to serve


How to Make it:

Put the chicken breasts in the crockpot with the bell pepper and onion. Sprinkle the taco seasoning into the salsa, stir well to combine, and then pour this over the chicken and vegetables.

You can add a little water if you think the dish requires more liquid but remember the chicken and salsa produce more liquid as they cook. Cover the crockpot and cook the chicken mixture on high for about five hours or on low for about seven hours. When you can easily shred the chicken with a fork, it is done. Take the chicken breasts out of the crockpot to shred them, and then serve the chicken in the flour tortillas.

Remove the onion and bell pepper pieces with a slotted spoon and add these to the tacos. Garnish the tacos with any toppings you like. Good toppings include lettuce, grated cheese, sour cream, salsa, olives, guacamole, and tomatoes.

8/23/2010

How to Make a Great Pasta Recipe With Leftover Chicken

If you have leftover breast, thigh, or another part of the bird, you might be wondering what to do with it. After all, you cannot make leftover poultry into a chicken cordon bleu. The perfect solution is to combine your leftover poultry with pasta and a few other ingredients and make a delicious pasta dish. This certainly makes more sense than giving it to the dog!

Leftover cooked chicken only needs to heat through since it is already cooked and further cooking will only dry it out, so you will need to add it to your recipe at the end and just warm it through. You can use any kind of pasta you like for this recipe - macaroni, penne, and spaghetti are just a few options. Cook the pasta as directed on the package and make the sauce while it cooks.

How to Make the Pasta Sauce

Use a readymade sauce or make your own with tomato sauce, fresh herbs and perhaps some vegetables. The fastest way to cook the vegetables for a sauce is to finely dice them and saute them in oil or butter. Zucchini, carrot, onion, garlic, broccoli, bell pepper and mushrooms all work well. Season the vegetables with salt, pepper and perhaps some chili powder or Tabasco sauce if you fancy a spicy kick.

Combine the sauce and the cooked vegetables, and then add the chicken and perhaps some cream cheese or sour cream and stir the mixture well. Once every component in the sauce is warm, it is done. When the pasta is cooked, drain it well and toss it with the sauce. You can serve this delicious recipe to the family and rest assured that they will love it. Serve some grated cheese on the side so they can sprinkle it over the top.

Feel free to add other meat to this dish if you want because chicken is versatile enough to combine with various other ingredients such as chopped ham, cooked bacon, or even slices of sausage.

If you have some cooked beef to use up, you can add that to the recipe as well. You might not think that chicken would go with beef but think about pizzas where these meats are often used together. The great thing about pasta recipes is that you can often use up your leftover meat and vegetables and the tasty sauce makes everything taste fresh rather than leftover.

Other Uses for Leftover Chicken

You can use the leftover meat to make omelets or add it to a stir fry. You can even make a baked chicken rice recipe by cooking some rice and transferring it to a glass dish with some cooked chicken and a sauce. Bake it until the rice is crispy around the edges and everything is hot and cooked through. Twenty minutes at 400 degrees F is usually sufficient.

This is especially nice if you grate some cheese over the top before putting the dish in the oven. Melted cheese toppings work nicely with pasta and rice dishes and you can try mozzarella, cheddar, blue cheese or anything else you like.

8/21/2010

Chicken Recipes in Indian Cuisine

Chicken forms a vital part of the Indian non vegetarian cuisine. Chicken has proteins, carbohydrates and calcium, making it great nourishment for your body. Right from the north of India to the south, there are various ways of cooking chicken. You can try delicious chicken kebabs, curries, biryanis, even cutlets and other chicken recipes.

In north India, especially in Punjab and the city of Nawabs, Lucknow, chicken is a chief component. The Murg Tandoori (Indian Barbequed Chicken) is a mouth watering preparation made in just about 15 minutes of time. The chicken is marinated in yogurt and seasoned with Tandoori Masala.

Another famous chicken recipe is the chicken Makhani or the butter chicken. This recipe is famous all over the world. The recipe has a thick flavor of spices, butter and chicken making it extremely sumptuous.

The Chicken Biryani Awadhi is a delicacy from Luck now. This recipe dates back to the Mogul era. Rice and meat are cooked separately and then layered, earning it the name "pakka" Biryani.

Down south also, there are some famous chicken recipes that one cannot afford to ignore. The Hyderabadi Biryani is savored in all parts of India and forms an integral part of the Indian cuisine. It is colorful and made of rich spices. The Telengana cuisine and the Mughlai cuisine blended in the Nizam's kitchens to form the Hyderabadi Biryani.

Other chicken recipe from the south includes the Chicken Chettinad which is a popular delicacy in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. And since the south is known for its spicy flavor, Chicken Chettinad is considered as a fiery recipe best served with Paratha.

Besides the curries and the biryanis, you can also try chicken kebabs. It serves as an appetizer. You can make it with vegetables.They're colorful and vibrant, and can be a great way to get kids and fussy eaters eating vegetables and chicken.

From a pool of amazing and exotic Indian chicken recipes, you can choose your pick. To cook any of these recipes, all you need to do is go on the net and get their recipe. There is enough to try for every week!