It's Just Food! | Recipes


	Serves 4 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts are one of the most commonly purchased cuts of meat, and for good reason: they are easy to cook in a variety of ways, take on the flavor of virtually any seasoning, and can be cooked with any number of ingredients. They are also a very lean source of protein, and are low in calories. Because chicken breasts have little flavor of their own, they always benefit from marinating. Typically, a marinade is made using oil and juice as a carrier and tenderizer, with herbs, spices, and other ingredients added for flavor. A marinade need not be fancy – even a vinaigrette will do. The longer you marinate your chicken, the more the flavors will penetrate the meat, but even 10 minutes will help boost flavor. Raw chicken can also be frozen in its marinade for up to 4 months. Thaw the chicken completely before you cook it. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp. (30 mL) olive or canola oil 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves Salt and pepper Marinade of your choice (we could do any of these, or Ned and I could each do one at the same time as we talk) Herb Marinade: 1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice 1/4 cup (60 mL) chopped fresh herbs or 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) dried 2 cloves garlic, crushed Curry Marinade: 1/4 cup (60 mL) plain yogurt 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) curry paste 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) cumin 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt Garlic, Ginger and Soy Marinade: 1/4 cup (60 mL) soy sauce 1 tsp. (5 mL) chili paste 3 green onions, finely chopped (optional) 3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) grated fresh ginger Greek Marinade: 1/4 cup (60 mL) olive oil 1/4 cup (60 mL) lemon juice 4 cloves garlic, crushed 1 tsp. (5 mL) dried oregano 1 tsp. (5 mL) dried mint 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt 1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) freshly ground pepper Trim the chicken breasts of any excess fat. If you like, put them between two sheets of waxed paper and pound them with a can or mallet until they are of uniform thickness; this isn’t necessary but it ensures they will cook more evenly. Combine your marinade ingredients and pour them over or rub them into the chicken. Cover and refrigerate it for at least 15 minutes, or overnight. To pan-fry the chicken, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet set over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from its marinade and cook it for 4-5 minutes per side, just until it’s cooked through and the juices run clear. Cover the cooked chicken loosely with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it. To grill or broil the chicken, brush the grill rack with a little oil or spray it with nonstick spray, and preheat the grill or broiler. If you’re broiling, line a baking sheet with foil. Remove the chicken from its marinade and grill or broil it for 3-4 minutes per side, just until it’s cooked through. If you decide to brush it with reserved marinade, you must do so early on so that the marinade also cooks – remember that it has had raw chicken in it. Cover the cooked chicken loosely with foil and let it rest for 5 minutes before cutting into it.

	Serves 2-6 (depending on appetites and the size of your chicken) There are hundreds of thousands of recipes out there for roast chicken, some trussed and fancy, some plain. Before roasting, a chicken can be rubbed with herbs and spices, basted with a glaze, stuffed with any number of ingredients, or you can use absolutely nothing but a little oil, salt, and pepper and it will still be perfect. Roasting a chicken is virtually foolproof: it can be cooked for a long time at a low temperature or for a short time at a high temperature; there is no right or wrong way, although cooks around the world are all convinced their method is best. If you flip through several cookbooks, no two will give you the same instructions for roasting a chicken – cooking times and temperatures will vary. Basting has also been a subject of great debate – some will tell you it is essential, while others believe you should never baste a chicken as it roasts. So if you forget to, don’t worry about it. Ingredients: 1 chicken, a roaster or fryer (any size) Half a lemon (optional) Garlic, a few cloves or a whole head (optional) Oil or butter, any kind Salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Let the chicken stand at room temperature for about half an hour so it isn’t cold when you put it in the oven. It isn’t necessary to wash it, but rinse it inside and out with cold water if you like, removing any giblets from inside its cavity. Dry it well with paper towels – this ensures a crispy crust. Throw the lemon half and garlic inside the chicken cavity. Trussing the chicken is unnecessary, and in fact the insides of the wings and drumsticks don’t brown as well on a trussed chicken, but you can tie the legs together with some kitchen string if you really want to. This is really only done for aesthetic purposes. Put the chicken in a roasting pan or baking dish (usually an 8-x8-inch pan will do the trick). Rub the chicken all over with oil or butter – the fat helps produce a golden, crispy crust – and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. If you want to get fancy, mash some fresh herbs or garlic into the butter to make a paste before you rub it over the skin. Some people like to loosen the skin and rub the butter pomade underneath the skin, directly on the meat, as well. Roast the chicken for about an hour and a half – 20 minutes per pound plus half an hour. If you want to baste it you can – whenever you think of it – by tipping the pan and spooning out some of the juices in the bottom, then drizzling them over the chicken. When the chicken is done it will be deep golden, the drumsticks will wiggle in their sockets, and the juices will run clear when pierced. Tip the pan to let the juices from the cavity run out – if they are red, it needs to be cooked longer. If you have an oven thermometer, it should read 170º F (76°C) when poked into the thickest part of the thigh. Make sure your thermometer isn’t touching bone, which conducts heat better than meat does and will give you an inaccurate reading. Tent the chicken with foil and let it stand for 10 minutes before carving it. While it’s resting, in the pan or on a platter, pour the pan juices out and spoon off as much of the fat as you can. Use the juices to make gravy (see below – you may need extra chicken stock) or just serve them as is, drizzled over the chicken.

	Ingredients: Any juices and browned bits in the bottom of the roasting pan 1-2 Tbsp. (15-30 mL) reserved chicken fat from the pan or canola or olive oil 2-4 Tbsp. (30-60 mL) flour Chicken stock or wine (enough to make about 2 cups along with the reserved juices) Salt and pepper To make gravy, first remove as much fat as you can from the pan juices, and set it aside. Drain the juices into another container. Place the roasting pan or another saucepan over medium-high heat while the chicken is resting. Add the reserved chicken fat (or use canola or olive oil if you prefer) to the pan, whisk in 2 Tbsp. of the flour and cook the mixture, whisking constantly and scraping up any flavorful browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan, until it turns golden. Whisk in the reserved juices and chicken stock and cook, whisking constantly, until the gravy bubbles and thickens. (If you roasted any garlic cloves with the chicken, you could smush them into the gravy as well.) Season with salt and pepper. If the gravy is too thin, remove about 1/4 cup and transfer to a small bowl; whisk in the remaining flour until smooth, then return the mixture to the pan and continue to cook, whisking, until the mixture bubbles and thickens. Cook for at least a minute in order to maximize the flour’s thickening potential and avoid floury-tasting gravy. Variations we could talk about: Roasted Chicken with Potatoes: If you want to roast potatoes along with the chicken, peel (or not) as many potatoes as you would like, cut them into similar sized chunks and boil them for about 10 minutes. Drain well and shake them around a little in the empty pan to crush the edges a bit, which will make them crispier. Scatter them around the chicken about halfway through the roasting time, and stir them once or twice to coat with the pan juices. If the chicken has finished cooking but the potatoes haven’t, leave them in the oven while the chicken rests. Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic: Separate and peel the cloves from 3-4 heads of garlic, and scatter them over the bottom of your roasting pan. Place the chicken on top and roast as directed. When you take the chicken out of the oven mash the garlic cloves into a paste to add them to the gravy, stir them into mashed potatoes, or spread them onto fresh crusty bread. The garlic mellows as it cooks, so it won’t be as intense as fresh garlic.

	Serves 6 This is also a great way to use up leftover roast chicken or turkey; chop and add it to the sauce instead of the chicken breasts. Ingredients: canola or olive oil, for cooking 3-4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs 1 onion, finely chopped 1 Tbsp. grated ginger 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 tsp. chili powder 1/4 tsp. cinnamon 1 19 oz. (540 mL) can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 can tomato paste 1-2 tsp. garam masala (optional) 1 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup(ish) half and half (or whipping cream) salt and pepper steamed basmati rice, for serving with In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, cook the chicken breasts in a drizzle of oil until browned on both sides. Set aside, or transfer to a slow cooker. Add a little more oil to the skillet and cook the onion until starting to brown. Add the ginger and garlic and cook for another minute, then add the chili powder and cinnamon and cook for another minute. Slice the chicken on a slight diagonal; don’t worry if it’s not cooked through. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and bring to a simmer; pour over the chicken in the slow cooker and set on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2, or return the chicken to the skillet, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the garam masala, yogurt and cream, if you’re using it. Season with salt and pepper, if it needs it. Serve immediately, with rice.

	Makes 2 pizzas. Pizza can be made with anything you have on hand – if you don’t have tomato sauce, use BBQ sauce. If you don’t have mozzarella, use up any bits of cheese you have in the back of the fridge. If you have kids around, BBQ chicken pizza will be an instant hit. Ingredients: 1 batch pizza dough (see below) 3/4 cup barbecue sauce 1 cup roasted chicken, skinned and chopped or shredded 2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, sharp white cheddar, Gouda, or a combination (or a bagged Italian cheese blend) 2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro (optional) Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread the unbaked pizza crusts with remaining barbecue sauce. Top with the chicken mixture and cheese. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the cheese melts and crust is golden. Sprinkle with cilantro.