Chicken Curry

I made this dish from a recipe in the original White House Cookbook, 1887 edition.  Here's the link .. it's written a little old fashioned, but you can figure it out easily enough.  I used bone in chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken because that's what we had in the freezer; the ingredients have been highlighted.

Chicken Curry Recipe link

Our version of Chicken Curry

Recipes from this book are written with ingredients and instructions written together.  This one calls for you to use a 1-1/2 to 2 pound chicken (ready cut portions from the store were not an option for the home cook in 1887).  I had that weight in bone in breasts so that's what was used.  Wash well and put it into a stew-pan with sufficient water to cover it; boil it closely covered, until tender; add a large teaspoonful of salt, and cook a few minutes longer; then remove from the fire, take out the chicken, pour  the liquor into a bowl (I strained this and had approx. 4 cups) and set it one side (aside).  Now cut up into the stew-pan two small onions, and fry them with a piece of butter as large as an egg (don't you love this measurement ;) ... as soon as the onions are brown, skim them out and put in the chicken (I shredded and de-boned mine); fry for three or four minutes; next sprinkle over two teaspoonfuls of Curry Powder (use your own blend or to taste).  Now pour over the liquor in which the chicken was stewed, stir all well together, and stew for five minutes longer, then stir into this a tablespoon of sifted flour made thin with a little water; lastly, stir in a beaten yolk of egg (I forgot to add the beaten egg yolk .. but instead added/used 2 tablespoons flour/water), and it is done.  Towards the end of the cooking I threw in some frozen sugar peas for our veggie and served over boiled rice.  This was fun to decipher and there were NO leftovers!  Very tasty. 

Chicken Fried Rice (cheap, tasty comfort food)

Chicken Fried Rice

1. Either steam 1 cup of long-grain rice in 2 cups of lightly salted water, or, better yet, use leftover rice.
2. Heat some oil in a wok. Chop up 3-4 green onions including the tops and stir-fry them slightly. Add the cooked rice and stir-fry it with the onions. Stir the rice around so the grains separate as much as possible.
3. Push the rice up the sides of the wok, leaving an empty space in the bottom. Add another tablespoon or so of oil to the empty space. While it heats, beat 4 eggs together in a separate bowl. Add them to the hot bowl and swirl the wok over the heat so that the eggs cook to the bottom in an even layer.
4. When all the egg is solid but still moist, take a sharp knife and cut it (still in the wok) quickly into narrow strips, as narrow as you can reasonably manage, like 1/4 to 1/2 inches. Then cut those strips crosswise to make small chunks of cooked egg. Mix the chunks in with the rice.
5. Once again, push the rice mixture up the sides of the wok and heat a little more oil. Meanwhile, chop some leftover cooked chicken meat, 1 to 2 cups worth. Add the pieces to the hot oil and stir-fry them to heat, then mix them with the rice.
6. You can stop and serve at this point, or you can also add some fresh ginger peeled and cut into matchstick-sized pieces, fresh chopped garlic, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, or even a little bit of horseradish, any or all to taste.

Serve immediately. Feeds 4-6.

Chicken With Rosemary

This recipe is a family favorite adapted from the Frugal Gourmet (Jeff Smith). Fresh rosemary is preferred, but you can use dried.

Ingredients:
1 - 3 to 4 pound chicken, cut up
3 slices bacon, chopped
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 C white wine (or chicken broth if preferred)
1/2 T dried rosemary or 1 T fresh rosemary
2 T tomato paste
1/2 C chicken broth

In a large skillet or dutch oven with a lid, fry the bacon until barely crisp, pour off the fat, and remove the bacon. Add the butter and olive oil to the pan and brown the chicken pieces. Add salt and pepper and garlic to the pan when the chicken is almost browned. When it is browned, ad the white wine and rosemary to the pan. Add the bacon, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Mix the tomato paste with the chicken broth and add to the pan. cover, and cook for about 30 minutes or until chicken is tender. If you don't overcook the sauce, serve both chicken and sauce over your favorite pasta.

Easy Chicken Alfredo

My mom, Helen, sent me this recipe that we recently made for a Sunday dinner. We tripled the recipe to serve six; otherwise, it makes just enough for two.

3 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1/2 cup 1% cottage cheese
3 tablespoons evaporated milk
1 tablespoon butter-flavored sprinkles (I used real butter)
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
3/4 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
1 tablespoon sliced ripe olives

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a small food processor, combine the cottage cheese, milk, butter sprinkles and garlic; cover and process until smooth.

Transfer to a microwave-safe bowl. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, parsley and pepper. Add the chicken, tomatoes and olives. Cover and microwave on high for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Drain fettuccine; serve with chicken mixture. Yield 2 servings

3/4 cup pasta with 2/3 cup chicken mixture = 343 cal

Sticky Chicken Wings

My family gets mad if I don't make enough of these wings.

Ingredients:

One extra-large packaged tray of chicken wings (disjointed and wing tips removed)
1 Cup packed brown cane sugar
1 Cup organic soy sauce
2/3 Cup dry sherry (not "cooking" sherry)
2-3 large cloves garlic (pressed)
1/2 tsp. roasted sesame oil
1-2 Tablespoons fresh ginger juice (grate and squeeze out the juice), or a tsp of powdered ginger (fresh ginger is the best to use)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. I bake the wings on a jelly roll pan ... If you don't have a roll pan, use two(13x9) rectangular baking pans ... but increase the heat to 350. Put wings on pan in a single layer (all crammed together) and begin baking. In the meantime, mix other ingredients in a small sauce pan to melt the sugar. Very carefully pour the mixture over the wings and bake for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, turning often. The sherry bakes off and the wings get very sticky when done. Watch them carefully the last half hour to ensure the sauce doesn't burn. I find that using the rectangular pans may need even more time as it takes longer for the cooking sauce to cook down and get sticky. FYI ... best to make when your oven is in need of cleaning ;) (Quote from my daughter: "Mom, wouldn't it be great if you could buy room freshener that smelled like our sticky chicken wings baking?" lol)

Bruschetta and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I like simple peasant type foods, rustic in character with under ten main ingredients (less is more) if possible. And, I have learned to adapt my cooking to include what is on hand in my pantry. I buy all our meat at Costco about every six weeks and divide it up to freeze. Once a month I restock the pantry with essentials, then once or twice a week I make a run to the market for those more fragile food items such as bananas, milk, etc.

My daughter, Elizabeth, found the following recipe for stuffed chicken in a food magazine a few months ago and tonight we made it for the second time ... the kids devoured it.


Prep time: 15 minutes --- Total: 1 hour

1 can (14-1/2 ox.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained (plain diced is fine too)

1-1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I've used fresh rosemary in a pinch)

1 package (6 oz.) stuffing mix for chicken (such as Stovetop)

8 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (2 lbs)

1/3 cup Italian salad dressing (oil and vinegar based)


1 Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare stuffing by mixing in the whole can of diced tomatoes (including liquid), 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, basil along with the stuffing mix in a large mixing bowl just til moistened.


2 Pound out the chicken breasts two at a time in a gallon size plastic freezer bag to 1/4 inch in thickness.


3 Place pounded chicken breasts smooth side down on a cutting board and place a palm sized amount of stuffing in the middle ... and roll up tightly log style with stuffing in the middle and place seam side down in a 13"x9" pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat.


4. Pour the salad dressing evenly over the top and bake for 40 minutes.

5. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese and bake for five more minutes or until cheese is bubbly and chicken is done.

Makes 8 servings (approx 280 calories per serving)