Recipe for Quick and Easy Chicken Piccata-Secret Recipe Club

I was a little nervous when I got Barbara Bakes for my assignment for this month's Secret Recipe Club.  We'd just finished off the amazing Armenian Coffee Cake I made and really didn't want or need to have anything else tempting in the house for a while.  


I needn't have feared though.  Barbara has, in addition to all her mouth watering baked goods, a great selection of savory dishes.  Her chicken piccata recipe got my attention right away since it is a "quick and easy" recipe and one of our favorite chicken dishes to order at a restaurant. However, I'd never made it at home, which won't be an issue now I have her recipe in my files!


Barbara, like many of us, started her blog to share her favorite family recipes and her adventures in the kitchen. She also enjoys the Daring Bakers recipes as I do (where the Coffee Cake came from!).


The only significant change I made to the original recipe was throwing in some mushrooms which I know isn't traditional but they made a nice addition to the sauce and we eat them any time we can.


Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings


Ingredients:

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• AP flour
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup dry white wine 
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon drained capers
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Fresh lemon slices
• Fresh parsley, chopped
• Plastic wrap or waxed paper

Method:

• Heat olive oil over med-high heat in a non-stick frying pan.
• Slice each chicken breast in half horizontally to make thinner pieces.
• Place the thin pieces between waxed paper or plastic wrap and pound to very thin (about 1/4 inch).
• Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dredge in the flour on both sides, shaking off any excess flour.
• Brown and cook the chicken in the oil, about 2-3 minutes per side (depending on how thin you got them).
• Remove from pan and keep warm.
• Pour off any remaining oil and deglaze pan with wine, gently stirring for a minute to release the "brown bits" from the pan.
• Add garlic, broth and mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add lemon juice and capers and cook an additional minute to warm through.
• Return chicken and any juices to pan and heat for 1-2 minutes.
• Plate chicken and then stir butter in to sauce.
• Top chicken with sauce, chopped parsley and lemon slices.

If you like a lot of sauce, I would double the liquids but otherwise this recipe is perfect!

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Some of the other Secret Recipe Club recipes I've made (Search for "Secret Recipe Club" in the search box on the right):


Moussaka

Stuffed Portabellas

Recipe for Light Version of King Ranch Casserole

Maybe this should be called "Princess Ranch Casserole" because it is probably less than half the fat and calories of the classic recipe.  No canned soups, full fat milk, or sour cream, and a modest amount of low fat cheese.  Still delicious though!

If you like Mexican Lasagna I think you'll like this recipe.  It is full of smoky cumin/chipotle heat (on the top edge of my weenie tolerance level so adjust the seasonings accordingly) with a creamy, rich sauce-all for just under 300 calories per serving.  The crunchy bell pepper is a nice complement to the mouth-feel of the sauce.


I adjusted the already lightened up inspiration recipe by using white whole wheat flour, added lime juice, switched in chipotle powder for chili powder, used whole grain wraps instead of corn tortillas, and cooked the chicken and veggies together rather than using pre-cooked chicken.   If you are short on time, using pre-cooked chicken would help, but don't let the long list of ingredients put you off, it really comes together pretty quickly.  Just have all your ingredients ready before you start the roux.

Completed roux

Out of the oven

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup nonfat milk
• 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 4-ounce can chopped green chiles, drained
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground smoked cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups diced skinless chicken breast
• 2 large whole- or multi-grain wraps, cut into wedges
• 3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• While broth comes to a simmer in a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth. 
• Add the flour mixture to the broth and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, for about 2-3 minutes (until thickened and smooth).
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in yogurt, tomatoes, chiles, lime, chipotle powder, oregano and cumin. 
• Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and chicken; cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked, about 4-5 minutes.
• Line the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish with half the wrap wedges. Layer with half the chicken mixture, then half of the sauce. Repeat with remaining wrap wedges, chicken mixture and sauce. 
• Sprinkle with Cheddar. 
• Bake until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

For the wraps, I used La Tortilla Factory Whole Grain Smart and Delicious Soft Wraps-I love them for their flavor, texture and 12 grams of fiber (unsponsored endorsement!).  Serve this with a side salad for a filling and satisfying meal.

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Recipe for Pan-Cooked Vegetables with Crunchy Fish

Once you get the veggies grated for this dish, it is a snap to pull together.  Super flavorful and very satisfying!  This recipe is based on Mark Bittman's recipe by the same name-I love his recipes and enjoy The Food Matters Cookbook immensely.  If you are fortunate enough to have the cookbook, the recipe is on page 440, but if not I also found it on line and the link is below. 

Yield: 2 servings (plus some left over veggies that were great made into a veggie patty and reheated the following day)

Time: 40 minutes (quicker if you don't grate by hand; I used the large holed side of a box grater)



Ingredients:

• 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated
• 1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled and grated
• 1 small red onion, small dice
• 3 TBSP olive oil, divided
• 1 TBSP minced garlic
• 1 TBSP minced ginger
• 2 TBSP garam masala
• Salt and pepper
• 10 ounces firm white fish (I used halibut)
• 2 TBSP black sesame seeds
• 2 TBSP white sesame seeds
• Lime wedges

Method:

• Heat 2 TBSP olive oil over med-high heat.
• Add onions, veggies, garlic, ginger, and garam masala and cook stirring only occasionally for 10 minutes.
• Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper as needed.
• Remove from pan.
• While veggies are cooking, mix the sesame seeds together on a plate and coat fish on both sides.
• Add remaining TBSP olive oil to pan.
• Add fish and cook until flaking, about 3-5 minutes per side depending on thickness.
• Remove fish, sprinkle with pinch of salt. 
• Divide veggies between 2 plates and add fish.
• Serve with a wedge of lime.

Adapted slightly from Mark Bittman's recipe

Recipe for Lamb and Sweet Potato Curry

According to Wikipedia, curry is a dish of meat and vegetables, cooked in an Indian style spicy sauce and served with rice.  And while not what I think of when I think "curry", other than the rice, this full-of-flavor dish meets the definition.  I adapted this dish from Meena's blog "Hooked on Heat", a great spot for Indian recipes that anyone can tackle.  As you know if you've been reading ELEB for a while, I'm trying to cook more Indian recipes.  This one is a winner!

You have to be somewhat committed to cooking Indian flavored food to tackle this recipe.  It has quite a few spice ingredients.  As it turned out, I had all of them in my cupboard and I would encourage you to suck it up go ahead and stock your spice shelf with these flavorful spices. You'll be all ready to whip together a batch of chai concentrate or another Indian dish.  And trust me, when you taste this one, you'll be glad you did. In addition to a great meal, your kitchen will smell amazing.

Whole spices

Recipe for Lamb and Sweet Potato Curry

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients: 

• 2 TBSP canola oil


• 5 whole cloves


• 5 whole cardamom pods


• 1 cinnamon stick


• 1 tsp cumin seeds


• 1 large onion, sliced


• 1/2 tsp chili powder


• 1 TBSP coriander powder


• 1 tsp roasted cumin powder


• 1/2 tsp garam masala powder


• 1 TBSP ginger-garlic sauce


• 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped, about 2 cups


• 1 lb ground lamb


• 1 large sweet potato, cubed, about 3 cups


• 1 cup water


• 4 cups baby spinach, washed and dried


• salt, to taste

Method:

• Sauté cloves, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and cumin seeds with onions in hot oil over medium high heat until lightly browned.


• Add in tomatoes, ginger-garlic sauce and remaining spices, and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until tomatoes soften and begin to break down.


• Crumble in lamb and cook until most of pink is gone, about 5 minutes.


• Add in sweet potatoes and cook covered for 20 minutes over medium-low heat until potatoes are cooked through.


• Stir in spinach and cook uncovered until wilted, about 3-4 minutes


• Taste and season with salt as needed.

Ready to add tomatoes

Ready to add potatoes

Ready to add spinach

I wasn't sure whether to leave the cloves and cardamom pods in the finished dish.  I decided to fish them out, not that it would have been bad to eat one but...


So, thanks to Meena for an inspiring recipe.  I hope you'll give it a try.

What ethnic dishes are you cooking these days?


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Recipe for Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Kalyn’s Kitchen was one of the first food blogs I started reading on a regular basis.  Kalyn has great healthy and flavorful recipes which tend to adhere to the South Beach Diet principles.  Even if you aren’t dieting, there are some amazing recipes on the site. 

This chicken recipe uses Kalyn’s recipe for roasted red pepper dip with feta and mint as the sauce for baked chicken thighs (you could also use breasts).  It’s fabulous as a dip and great as a cooking sauce.

From Top Left:  Roasted red pepper Sauce; ready for oven; out of oven.

Yield: 4 servings

Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat


• 1 ½ cup roasted red pepper dip (recipe below)


• Cooking spray

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.


• Spread a few TBSP of dip across bottom of casserole dish.


• Lay chicken on top of sauce.


• Pour and spread remaining sauce over chicken.


• Bake on 350 for 20 minutes covered and 20 minutes uncovered .

Roasted Red Pepper Dip (modified slightly from Kalyn’s recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red bell peppers, drained well


• 1 tsp minced garlic 


• 4 oz low fat cream cheese


• 4 oz low fat feta cheese


• 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt 


• 3 TBSP finely chopped fresh mint 


• 1 TBSP fresh lemon juice


• Salt to taste

Method:

• Add all ingredients except salt to food processor and process until smooth.


• Taste and add salt if needed.

Printable Recipe

Recipe for Chicken Vindaloo

Indian dishes are something we really enjoy eating.  How about you?  I've been trying to cook more Indian recipes at home and with that in mind, I bought some Vindaloo Spice Mix at Penzey's when I was at their retail location in Menlo Park last month.


This probably wouldn't be considered a traditional dish which most references say includes potatoes, not beans or tomatoes, but I wanted a one-pot dish, didn't want potatoes, and had green beans to use.  I used the directions on the Penzey's package for general guidance and then went my own way!


If you want to mix your own spice from scratch, here is an ingredient list I found on e-How.  In Penzey's mix: coriander, garlic, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, mustard, cayenne pepper, jalapeno, cardamom, turmeric, black pepper, cloves.

Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 TBSP canola oil, divided
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 1 ½ lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of visible fat
• 2 TBSP vindaloo spice mix (I used Penzy’s)
• 3 TBSP water
• 2 cups fresh green beans, chopped to bite size
• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• ¼ cup vinegar
• 1 TBSP ground cinnamon (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• Dollop of plain non-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream (optional)

Method:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper and brown in 1 TBSP oil. Remove from pan.
• Brown onion in remaining oil.
• Mix vindaloo spice mix and water.
• Add chicken, tomatoes, vinegar, cinnamon, green beans and spice paste to onions.
• Simmer on medium for 30 minutes or until green beans are tender but still slightly crunchy.
• Serve over brown basmati rice (with yogurt or sour cream if desired).

We loved this.  For me, it bordered on my threshold of how much heat I can tolerate and that's why I added the extra cinnamon and served it with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt.  Together, these moderated the heat to an enjoyable level for me.  (I am, however, a bit of a weenie when it comes to spicy heat.) 

I wouldn't hesitate to make it again or use the spices in another recipe.  BTW, Penzy's is not sponsoring this post.

What ethnic dishes are you cooking at home?

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Recipe for Ground Turkey, Black Beans and Rice Mexican Casserole

Staring at a package of ground turkey breast, I was pretty uninspired...until I remembered reading about a chicken and black bean casserole Jenny recently posted on her blog, Picky Palate.  I love food bloggers!  I changed things up a pretty good bit and loved the results. 

Time:  45 minutes

Yield:  8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 TBSP canola oil
• 1 ½ cup chopped red onion
• 1 ¼ lb. ground turkey breast
• 2 TBSP taco seasoning
• 3 cups green enchilada sauce, medium heat
• 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 cup light sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup low fat grated 4 cheese Mexican cheese (more if you want it really cheesy)
• Cooking spray
• Hot sauce (optional)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Heat the canola oil over medium high heat in a large skillet.
• Add onions and brown.
• Push onions to side of pan, add turkey and taco seasoning and stir occasionally until turkey is cooked.
• Remove from heat and stir in the enchilada sauce, black beans, rice, and sour cream.
• Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and hot sauce if using (I didn't).
• Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Pour mixture into casserole dish and top with grated cheese.
• Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Wow, the enchilada sauce with its little hint of heat and the taco seasoning really made this dish full of flavor.  It reheats nicely (about 1 1/2 minutes on 80% power in the microwave).  We loved it and left overs got rave reviews from my son and friends who were here visiting.   Thanks Jenny for the inspiration!

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Recipe for "Sate" Roasted Chicken

This is one moist and delicious chicken, if I do say so myself, and I do!  Another experiment with some of the Penzey's spices I picked up on a recent trip to the mainland [and no, Penzey's isn't sponsoring these posts : -)]. This roasted chicken is slathered in a slurry of olive oil and Indonesian Sate seasoning (that's their spelling). I roasted it following my favorite "not just for special occasions" method.  It's foolproof.  The meat is so moist and the Sate seasoning was fantastic.


So, you might be wondering "what's in that Sate seasoning Susie Bee?"  Here is the list of ingredients:  
salt, brown sugar, garlic, onion, coriander, shallots, ginger, turmeric, sweet paprika, Ancho pepper, galangal, cayenne red pepper and lemon grass.  Now you know why it is so tasty!

Time: 1 1/2 hours
Yield: 6 servings


Ingredients:

• 4.5 lb organic free range chicken
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 2 TBSP Penzey’s sate seasoning
• ½ large sweet onion, cut into chunks
• Salt and pepper

Method:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a Dutch oven on center rack.
• Remove gizzards and other parts from inside chicken.
• Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Tuck wings under body.
• Loosen skin over breast and legs (SEE OTHER POST).
• Combine olive oil and seasoning.
• Rub ½ of seasoning/oil mixture under skin.
• Salt and pepper inside of cavity and place onion inside.
• Rub remaining seasoning/oil mixture over outside of chicken.
• When oven is at temperature, carefully place chicken inside Dutch oven.
• Give Dutch oven a quick shake.
• Cook for 1 hour or until thigh temperature reaches 160 degrees, turning pan ½ way through and basting chicken with pan juices.
• Cover loosely with foil if skin gets too brown during cooking.
• Remove pan from oven and chicken from pan.
• Cover loosely and let rest for 15 minutes and then cut into pieces to serve.

Ready for the oven

Resting

Since I started following this method, I can't bring myself to buy a store cooked chicken.  Even with just a seasoning of salt and pepper, a chicken cooked this way is so much better than the best store cooked chicken I've ever had.  I'm not saying that in a pinch I wouldn't pick one up, but otherwise, home cooked for me!

I'm dreaming up other uses for this wonderful seasoning-any ideas?

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Recipe for Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb

Not everyone likes lamb.  I used to think I didn't like it, probably from having some gamey tasting mutton somewhere in England as a kid!  Today's New Zealand, Australian, or Colorado lamb is wonderful and, if you trim the fat well, it has none of the possible gamey flavors that turn some people off.  We even have lamb being raised on Maui now through the Maui Cattle Company.  I haven't tried any yet but can't wait.   This rack came from Australia via Costco.  I've found their Australian lamb to be very good and competitively priced.

Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 3 servings (1 1/2 lb. rack)


Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs Frenched lamb rack
• 1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 TBSP finely minced garlic
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• ½ TBSP kosher salt
• ½ TBSP freshly ground pepper
• 2 TBSP canola oil

Method:

• Trim excess fat from lamb rack.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Mix together the rosemary, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Rub the rosemary mixture over lamb rack.
• Heat canola oil in oven proof skillet over med-high heat.
• Brown lamb rack in skillet, approximately 1 ½ minutes per side.
• Place skillet with lamb in oven and cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove lamb from oven and place on plate. 
• Rest lamb for 10 minutes and then slice and serve.

You could use your favorite meat rub instead of this rosemary and garlic rub; the recipe is very adaptable.  You can get this on the table in under an hour. If you're having company, you and your guests will enjoy an elegant meal with very little fuss.  

Are you eating things today that you wouldn't have touched a few years ago?

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