North African Chicken Stew

This is something I created. I tried to emulate the flavors of North Africa without having to go to an exotic grocery store. I used the thighs, drumsticks and wings I processed in my 2 chickens, 3 meals, 5 mouths to feed post. I browned the chicken in olive in oil, deglazed the pan with some chicken stock, removed it to a baking dish and added green olives, raisins, onions, tomatoes, pine nuts and seasoned it with oregano, cuman, ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cayenne, allspice, salt and pepper. I baked it until the chicken was falling off the bone and served it over cous cous. It came out great. Christine says its a keeper.

North African Chicken Stew

2 T. olive oil
one large onion coarsely chopped
1 t. ground cumin
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. salt
3/4 t. black pepper
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cayenne
1/2 t. ground allspice
1/4 t. ground cloves
4 each, skinless chicken thighs, drumstick and wings
1/2 c. chicken stock
3/4 c. pitted green olives
1/3 c. raisins
1/4 c. pine nuts
1/2 t. oregano

Sweat chopped onions in 1 T olive oil. Mix together the cumin, ginger, 1 t. salt, 3/4 t. black pepper, cinnamon, coriander, cayenne, allspice, and gloves. Sprinkle this mixture liberally on the chicken parts. Brown the chicken parts in the rest of the olive oil, being sure to get a good carmelization. Deglaze the pan w/ the chicken stock. Put the onions in a backing dish and the chicken on the top of the onions. Add the tomatoes, the pan juices, the olives, raisins, pine nuts and oregano to the dish, cover w/ tin foil, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove tin foil and bake for another 15 minutes or so to allow sauce to reduce and thicken up a bit. Taste sauce and correct seasoning. Remove for oven, allow to sit for about 15 minutes. Serve over cous cous.

Enjoy!

Great Deals under $50 at Cooking.com!

2 Chickens 3 Meals 5 Mouths to Feed

In my ongoing battle of the budget in my house hubbie responsibilities, I have come up with a way to use 2 chicken to serve 5 people 3 meals. Whole chickens are sold at Costco in two packs for 89 cents a lb, so this is definitely the most inexpensive way to buy and prepare chicken if you have some extra time and good sharp knife.

I start by removing the thighs, legs, and wings (remove the wings with the little piece of breast meat that is in front of the wish bone attached). I now have 12 pieces of chicken for one meal. I made a "North African Chicken Stew" out of these pieces that I am going to post about another day.

Then I remove the chicken breasts from the frames. I now have 4 large chicken breasts. I can slice these in scallopini for chicken milanese or do chicken marsala or anything else you use chicken breasts for. Because these are larger than the chicken breast you buy boned, four is plenty to serve five. I figure each serving would be 5 to 6 ounces--more than enough. The chicken breasts go in the freezer for another day.

Finally I put the frames, the necks and gizzards in a stock pot with aromatic vegetables, cover with water and cook all day for the base of a hearty soup. After the broth is poured off and put in the fridge for defatting I pick as much meat as I can off the bones. You would be surprised how much meat is still on the chicken frames.

So if you are interested in saving some money and have maybe a 1/2 or so for preparation, follow my directions for 2 chickens, 3 meals and 5 mouths to feed.

Enjoy!

Great Deals under $50 at Cooking.com!

Chicken Cacciatora

Tonight I have to make a quick chicken dish when I get home from Kidz Club. Then it's the season premiere of Lost, which I am totally pumped about. Even though I am not of Italian extraction I find myself doing a lot of Italian dishes because they are quick and easy.

Chicken Cacciatora is "hunter's chicken". It is chicken browned and then stewed in mushrooms, onions, tomatoes and green peppers. I try to sneak a little heat in in the from of crushed pepper, but the girls don't like hot stuff so I have to be careful.

I am going to serve this over farfalle pasta. It would also be nice with a side of potatoes roasted with garlic and rosemary.

Chicken Cacciatora

1 frying chicken cut into pieces
2 T. olive oil
1 green bell pepper, cubed
1 large yellow onion, sliced
1 12 oz can of tomatoes
10 or so mushrooms (porchini will give the most flavor, but white mushrooms are OK in a pinch)
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 c. dry red wine
Salt and pepper to taste

Brown the chicken until well carmelized in 1 T. olive oil. Remove from pan. Cook the bell pepper, and onion until soft. Remove from pan. Saute the mushrooms in another T of olive oil. Deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce by half. Add the tomatoes and the red pepper. Return chicken and vegetables to the pan. Cook for about 45 minutes until chicken falls off the bone. Taste and adjust seasoning

Serve over pasta.

Chicken Fricassee

This is one of our family favorites. I made it today. It was the prefect comfort food for the rainy, icy weather. I like to use chicken breast on the rack as it produces a richer broth, but I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because that's what was in the fridge and it was quick, easy and tasty. I serve this over brown rice cooked in a rice cooker, which make this meal a cinch.

3 large chicken breasts
2 ribs of celery, cut into chunks
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium yellow onion sliced into small wedges
enough water to just cover
6 peppercorns
salt to taste
3 T butter
3 T flour

Put chicken breasts, celery, carrots, onion and peppercorns into a medium pan with a tight fitting lid. Add water to just cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil. Remove any scum that rises to the top. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook until carrots are soft, about 45 minutes to an hour.

Remove chicken, celery, carrots, and onions, season these ingredients with salt to taste. Bring broth back to a boil, reduce by half. Knead the butter and flour together (beurre manie). Wisk 2 T of buerre manie to broth, which should result in a white sauce. Sauce should coat a spoon. If more thickening is needed wisk in additional buerre manie. Taste, add salt to taste.

Pull chicken apart into large shreds. Return chicken, celery, carrots and onions back to the pan and heat through.

Serve over steamed rice.