Peruvian Chicken and Rice with Green Sauce

 Chicken thighs it is this time around. Following a recipe from Pinterest of course, I was only missing one ingredient, which is amazing for what this is. Why it's 'Peruvian' I don't know, unless it's the combination of green sauce and the marinade. I am not giving instructions on cooking rice. The picture shown on the recipe has a golden colored rice and only calls for Jasmine rice. I know for a fact that rice is not golden colored. They recommended cooking it in water or chicken broth so that's the difference. Will try that next time. My green sauce also turned out more white than theirs so... yeah. 

My spin on it to make up for the lack of jalapeño was  using onion and a combination of spices. It really did need the pepper but will do that next time as this sauce is out of the park delicious!

Chicken and Marinade

 

4-6 chicken thighs, bone and skin intact 

 

3 tbl lime juice (fresh called for, bottled is okay)

3 garlic cloves minced/crushed

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp paprika (I used a scant tsp and added 1/8 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbl olive oil (I am out of olive so used canola)

 

In a bowl, combine ingredients for marinade whisking together thoroughly, toss chicken (rinsed and patted dry) into large zip lock bag, pour  over chicken, press out air, seal and mush together so well coated, put on a plate so pieces are all flat and put in fridge until needed. Minimum ½ hour but longer is better, overnight recommended. I added in a few pieces of frozen orange peel, thawed and chopped fine.

 

Green Sauce

 

1 c fresh cilantro

1(2) garlic cloves crushed

1 jalapeño (remove seeds and membrane for less heat)

2 tbl lime juice

1/4 c mayo or greek yogurt

2 tbl olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Water if needed for consistency

 

Drop all ingredients into a blender, jalapeño (onion) and garlic first. As I noticed I did not have a pepper so I substituted this way:

3 1/4 inch slices yellow onion chopped (roughly 1/8 cup)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp cayenne

A few small pieces orange peel chopped fine 

 

Blend thoroughly on pulse until well blended, I added another tsp of lime juice and a little more salt.

The instructions for cooking the chicken did not make sense.

"Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the marinated chicken thighs for about 6-7 minutes per side until cooked through and golden brown with a caramelized crust."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's the problem: what do they consider medium high heat on a scale of 1-9? Also, if you sear the chicken quickly at first and then continue cooking the chicken, it is not 6-7 minutes on a side and you will end up with burned chicken. It also does not call for any kind of oil in the pan. I added about 2 tbl of canola oil and turned the burner up to 7 1/2 or 8 until it shimmered. It took about 30 minutes for them to get seared, turning ever few minutes or so. They were were not searing so I had to take them out, pour off the liquid/oil in the pana and put it back on the burner. That resulted in searing but also sticking. After they were seared well I tested the largest one and it was not cooked through.

Right. Put them all on a large plate and completed the cooking in the microwave for 3 minutes. Tested the temperature on the biggest one that still looked a little pink and decided to put them back in for another minute. 165 is the recommended temperature and I always cook to 170-172 to be sure.

 

But let me tell you, it was delicious! The sauce was the kicker and is very similar to the seat of the pants green sauce I made before but this will be my go to sauce to put on chicken or shrimp tacos, any shrimp really, sandwiches... you name it.  It's the combination of lime, cilantro and garlic that is so universal really.  Change an ingredient or two and it would make a great salad dressing. Roasted chicken on a nice green salad, yessiree! It's very similar to the cilantro dressing from Pollo Loco actually.

I made bow tie hamburger skillet yesterday so nothing fancy there. Used a packet of mushroom gravy and beef gravy mix, and accidentally tossed in what I thought was way too much Italian Seasoning. Here's what happened: 

So I put about a tablespoon of seasoning into my little molcajate (mortar and pestle) then realized my small container was getting low so brought down the larger reserve container. Problem one, I only have a regular funnel with a small neck. Right.... hmmm paper funnel using 8 1/2 x 11 just rolled into a cone. The problem again is, I couldn't see how much was going in and ended up spilling about another tablespoon worth on the counter. Not going to waste precious spices so swept that into my hand, looked around then whatever, dropped it into the pan. I thought, no such thing as too much Italian Seasoning and it turned out just fine. 

Now I recall there is an origami method of making a paper funnel, so will have to look that up and make one to have on hand for just such a situation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lots of chicken and new sauce

No pictures indeed because I was hungry and it's chicken sandwiches. Who needs pictures? I'm low on certain cupboard staples so the next week or so is going to be chicken, hamburger and chicken. Will try and get hold of some beef next time other than hamburger.

So first off I used the three chicken breast cutlets that were left and soaked them overnight in a 'spiced buttermilk'. Namely:

1 c milk

1 tbl lemon juice

2 tbl rotisserie chicken spice mix

 

Whisk together thoroughly, let it sit a minute or two. I used a freezer ziplock bag and poured the buttermilk soak into the bag with the cutlets, put them on a plate in the fridge overnight. You can do an hour or two but this really set the flavor into the meat.

Now the fixing were the usual, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and tried my hand at another chicken sauce off the top of my head. I was lucky this time, it was tasty! I did a small batch since it was only for two sandwiches. Measurements are VERY approximate and at first I thought there was too much mustard but after whisking and adding in a little more bbq sauce it was perfect.

1/2 c mayonnaise

1 tbl bbq sauce (+ a smidge, to taste)

1 tsp yellow mustard

1/2 tsp dill pickle juice

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp each garlic and onion powder

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

 

Whisk it all together if in a round bottom bowl, if you use something that has straight sides, be sure to get a spoon to get all the ingredients in the bottom.

 

That turned out so well my partner used it on both sides of his buns and almost didn't leave enough for me. It's subtle but still has that tangy mustard flavor but isn't overpowering. Great balance of tart and sweet and smoky that was perfect for the chicken.

 

The previous recipe I did with the cutlets I was going for a cheese steak sort of sandwich mix. So I had red and green bell peppers and sliced onion. I think I only soaked the chicken for an hour or two in the buttermilk but it was another surprise dish combination.

 

 

I have never had a 'philly cheese steak' sandwich, the cooked peppers and onion with the cheese combo always kind of put me off.  Well, this has changed my mind and am now prepared to try the vaunted 'cheese steak and pepper' sandwich sometime when I can. Might have to see about getting some shaved beef like I did before, food for thought.

HA!

Finally, cannot recommend it higher to try the Costco Chocolate Mousse layer cake with ganache frosting. I bought it for my birthday earlier in the month and have forgotten to post about it. Huge cake of course that took us about two or three weeks to finish off. I bought it at the end of September since my birthday was the first week of October.  Note: I did not do the first cut of the cake..ahem.... I had to fix it with subsequent divisions. Standard slice size was even too big for my chocolate loving partner and had to give me the last half of his slice. You could divide those slices and it would still be more than enough for dessert.

 

 

Another original recipe and a giggle

 I finally have a functional car again so spontaneous trips to the store will resume without the hassle of public transit limitations. 

But on another note, I was looking for a crispy coating recipe to make fried chicken this weekend. I bought the multi multi pack of chicken thighs at Costco thinking... there'll be two or three in each pack. Nope, four good size chicken thighs in the first pack, oh my! This is fantastic because we can now have two pieces for each of us and not have to skimp. So on to that recipe I had saved on pinterest

 Now keep in mind, this is a coating for fried chicken..... see what it says  under the title of this recipe? 'Vegan - 6 servings'. This is a recipe for coating chicken and you're labeling it as vegan????? I giggled for a while about that, still am in the back of my head. Also shaking my head at just what our society has become.

Anyway. 

I attempted to make baked chicken with a layer of cubed potatoes underneath so they would absorb all the flavors as I've seen in some videos. 

As you can see, the chicken turned out fantastic. I marinated it overnight in Olive Garden Italian Dressing then sprinkled garlic powder on the pieces before popping it in the oven. I parboiled the potato pieces before coating them in olive oil, salt and pepper then put the rack over them and the chicken.

That was it. Unfortunately, the potatoes are a dismal stuck on failure. We got enough scraped off for the two of us but that was it. Am not trying that recipe again ever and will stick to frying in a pan. 

The chicken really was delicious, had the flavoring of the dressing and was perfectly juicy.  No coating at all just the chicken.

Yesterday was shrimp tacos with an incredibly spicy and yummy cilantro garlic sauce. I just winged it so when it was done I had to write the recipe down best I could, like I do. We had mixed shredded cabbage and avocado as well. I failed to get fresh tomatoes so no pico or salsa other than the sauce.

Creamy Cilantro Garlic Sauce

1 handful of fresh cilantro stems and all

1/2 c mayo

1/2 sour cream

1 tbl lime juice

1 tsp white vinegar

3 garlic cloves

3 slices fresh jalapeño (approx. 1/4 inch thick with seeds and membrane)

1/4 white onion chopped coarse

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp Smoked paprika

1/2 tsp salt and pepper

1/2 tsp sugar 

 

Drop that all in the blender with veggies first then dressings and blend until smooth. If it's too runny add in more mayo until desired consistency. I have yet to try anything with greek yogurt bedcause I have yet to remember or find just plain full fat in small containers. This stuff has an incredible kick and I think the only thing I'd change is a little less jalapeño. Instead of tacos my partner has his shrimp on hamburger buns like a sandwich. 

Fried chicken tomorrow likely with mashed potatoes, maybe meatloaf or something hamburger based for Sunday then easy meals for the main part of the week. 

Will see what comes up in the kitchen! 

 

 

New month, new food

 Food finagling at it's finest. I managed a passable chicken parmesan for two with spaghetti and cheesy garlic bread.

Chicken breasts 

2 chicken breast cutlets (I used precut and frozen because ... )

1/2 c Italian Breadcrumbs

1/4 c Parmesan cheese (grated if you have a block of it otherwise I just used kraft parmesan/romano)

2 eggs

2 tbl flour

Salt and pepper.

Mozarella cheese, shredded coarse 

Italian salad dressing for marinade 

Olive oil for frying 

 

Marinara sauce can be as fancy or simple as you like. Jarred is fine but I did scratch.

 

1 can tomato sauce 

1 can diced tomatoes (prefer to use crushed tomatoes but this is what I had)

1/2 green bell pepper diced fine

1/2 onion diced fine

1 rib of celery diced fine

1/4 c of red bell pepper also diced fine (I had it on hand and figured it would add a bit of sweetness to the sauce)

1 inch piece of small carrot peeled. 

Olive oil 

2 tbl Italian seasoning plus 1/2 tsp oregano (ground in mortar and pestle together0

4 cloves fresh garlic minced/crushed

Salt/Pepper

Scant tsp chili powder or chili flakes 

 

Enough spaghetti for two cooked al dente

 

Cheesy garlic bread:

3 slices of sourdough bread (I used round loaf and large slices from the middle)

1/2 cube of unsalted butter

3 cloves fresh garlic minced/pressed

Parmesan cheese

Mozzarella cheese coarsely shredded.

 

If making marinara from scratch, start that first:

Heat medium saucepan with 1 tbl olive oil, add veggies into pan and stir to thoroughly coat with oil. When onion is soft, add in spice mix and stir until well coated. Crush two cloves of garlic into pan, stir and cook until veggies are mostly softened. Lower heat and add in diced tomatoes with liquid, stir to combine, let cook for about a minute or so then add in tomato sauce and carrot piece. Reduce heat to low and barely simmering taste test, add spices as needed. I added just a bare smidge of baking soda and a bit more spices and oregano. The carrot is a secret I learned from an Italian, it takes the acidity and sharpness out of the sauce without using sugar. Though if your taste goes that way you can add a tiny big of sugar. Let simmer on back burner while chicken is cooked.

 

Mix 1/2 cube butter, sotfened with three cloves garlic crushed  using a fork. Put in fridge if it is too melted. 

 

Rinse and pat dry the two chicken breast cutlets then put in gallon zip lock bag with 1/2 c Italian dressing (I used Olive Garden) and put in fridge. Marinate for minimum an hour, up to 4 hours is fine.

Before taking chicken out of fridge prepare frying ingredients.

Using two small 6x8 casserole/storage containers, scramble eggs, salt, pepper and flour in one until well combined, use second container for bread crumbs. 

Heat large pan on stove with 2 tbl olive oil (or a little more) medium high heat. Preheat oven to 425.

When pan is ready, take chicken from bag directly into the egg wash letting it drip a little before putting in breadcrumbs. Press firmly to get good contact over entire surface then place in hot pan carefully, repeat with second piece. Fry until golden brown on both sides.

 

Using a large spoon, add some marinara to bottom of 9x9 baking dish and using tongs or a fork add chicken pieces into dish. Spoon more marinara on top, sprinkle with parmesan, then add generous heaping of shredded mozarella to tops of chicken. Cook in oven at 425 for about 15 minutes or until cheese is slightly browned and melted.

 

While chicken is cooking, prepare cheesy garlic bread: 

Using a baking sheet, layer aluminum foil on bottom for easier clean up. Cut slices in half then spread with garlic butter, sprinkle parmesan cheese then good helping of shredded mozarella. Hold aside or in fridge until chicken is done.

 

Cook spaghetti according to directions while chicken is in oven.

 

(This took some juggling on my part because I forgot about the spaghetti and the bread ended up cold by the time that was ready)

 

Pull out chicken when done, set at back of stove or to the side, change oven to broil and slide in baking sheet with bread. Watch carefully! Takes only about a minute or less for the cheese to melt and get toasty under the broiler.

 

Assemble! Pasta on plate with a scoop of marinara, use spatula to transfer chicken to spaghetti (make sure it doesn't slide off!), add garlic bread. 

 

Things I would do differently:

Use crushed tomatoes not diced, this is a marinara and should be thick but not too chunky, I actually put it in my blender and pulsed a few times to get a better consistency.

 

If I had remembered the spaghetti at the right time the bread would have been piping hot and much better. 

Seriously, these cutlets were bigger than what we're used to, I should have only eaten half of mine but decided to finish instead. Bad idea. I was so uncomfortable for the rest of the night but it was delicious. Definitely a do again, oh and I would also suggest thicker sliced bread. This was fine but using a baguette and cutting our own thickness would make it better.

 

Mangiare!