Tag Archives: chicken

13Jan / 2015

Chermoulah Chicken Tagine


So, after an incredible meal at Cafe Mogador in New York, my husband makes the humble request that I re-create the chicken chermoulah tagine I had ordered for dinner. For those of you unfamiliar with Moroccan food, Chermoulah is a blend of fresh herbs, chilis, and garlic that when cooked down creates the most delicious and aromatic sauce.

The Chermoulah

1 bunch of cilantro
1/2 bunch of flat leaf parsley
4 cloves of garlic
3 seranno or 2 jalepeno peppers (use less if you like things less spicy)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground corriander and/or cardamom
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water

Roughly chop the herbs and peppers, and place all the ingredients into a food processor. Process until the ingredients come together like a paste, roughly the consistency of pesto.

You will need approximately 4-6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs for this recipe. Make the Chermoulah sauce/marinade below, and marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours, or up to 24 hours ahead of time.

About one hour before you are ready to start cooking, take the chicken out of the fridge to allow it to come up to room temperature. Wipe off as much of the marinade as possible from each thigh, but make sure you wipe it into the bowl with the rest of the marinade – this will be the base of the cooking sauce.

Coat a somewhat deep sautee pan (that has a lid!) with olive oil and/or butter. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on each thigh and cook over medium-high heat, slightly covered until the thighs are golden brown on the outside, and lift easily from the pan. Add the marinade to the pan with about 1 tbsp of water. Bring to a light boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for approximately 20-25 minutes, until it is fork tender. Towards the end, tast the sauce to make sure there is enough seasoning, and add salt to taste. If necessary let the chicken and sauce cook uncovered for a few minutes to reduce the liquid and concentrate the flavor.

Serve over a bed of basmati rice, and garnish with a lemon wedge. Enjoy!

NOTE: Schug, a.k.a. Yemeni hot sauce

The recipe for Schug, a Yemeni hot sauce, is almost the same as that for the Chermoulah marinade. All you need to do is reduce the garlic to 1 clove (instead of 4), and add a 1/2 tsp of sugar or honey. Use this delicious sauce as a condiment for eggs, sandwiches, soups….really anything that needs a “kick!”

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29Nov / 2012

Ginger Soy Chicken Drumsticks


Ginger Soy Drumsticks

This is a great go-to for a busy weeknight, since you just throw it in the oven…PLUS it won’t break the bank with affordable chicken legs.

1.5-2 lbs skinless chicken legs/drumsticks

1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce (I like San-J or LaChoy)

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

juice from 1/2 lime

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder (or 1 teaspoon of fresh grated ginger)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp salt (since soy sauce is salty)

1 large onion, sliced

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a glass baking dish, combine all the ingredients except the onion salt and black pepper. make sure the chicken is well coated in soy sauce and spices. Arrange the onions around the chicken and season with the salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven, remove the foil and stir the onions and chicken. Increase heat to 400 degrees, and return the chicken to the oven for another 15 minutes, or until chicken is golden and fork tender.

 

 

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01Mar / 2012

Chipotle Chicken BBQ Soft Tacos


Chipotle Chicken BBQ Soft Tacos

So this one is for Katie G, who is one of the cutest, most enthusiastic ladies I know…She loved these when I made them on a casual girls’ night in a few months back. These are so easy and so delicious, spicy, smoky and slightly sweet with a fresh crunch and flavor from cilantro and arugula.

1 pound boneless chicken, sliced for stir-frying

1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced into strips

1/2 large onion or 1 medium onion, sliced

1-2 teaspoons chipotle chilli pepper, depending how spicy you like

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup spicy barbeque sauce, whichever is your favorite – I like “Rufus Teague”

2 cups arugula (or any salad greens)

1/2 lime

grapeseed oil (any light oil)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

6-8 corn tortillas

Season the chicken with the chipotle chili pepper, salt and black pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and coat the bottom with a light oil like grapeseed. Add the chicken and saute until just cooked. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the peppers and onion to the saute pan and more oil if needed. Cook the veggies until crisp tender. Add the chicken back to the pan, reduce the heat to low and add the barbeque sauce. Stir until heated through and turn off the heat.

Meanwhile, toss the arugula with the 1/2 lime juice, about 1 tbsp oil and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon chicken into a warm corn tortilla, garnish with cilantro and top with the arugula mixture. Serve and enjoy!

This is a great quick lunch/dinner idea – you can also leave the corn tortilla out of it and serve it as a salad over the arugula – up to you!

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08Feb / 2012

Mexican Chicken Soup


There’s nothing like homemade chicken soup, especially when you’re sick. Growing up in Georgia, the plethora of Mexican restaurants makes this soup a must whenever I have a cold! It is a bit spicy, but also light and refreshing from the fresh-cut tomato, avocado, cilantro and lime juice.

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

2 bone-in chicken breasts or thighs (or one of each)

1 avocado, peeled and diced

1-2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 white or yellow onion, diced and divided into two portions

1 lime, cut into halves

1/4 cup cilantro, minced

2 tablespoons light oil

salt, pepper, and red pepper (or cayenne) to taste

1 quart of chicken stock

1/4 cup white rice


Season chicken with salt, black pepper and red pepper. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until golden brown on both sides.

Add half of the onions and saute until translucent, stirring often. Add black pepper and red pepper (if additional spiciness is desired) and saute one more minute. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let simmer for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Meanwhile, peel and chop avocado and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lime onto it to keep it from turning brown. Also dice the tomatoes, and mince the cilantro.

When the chicken is very tender, remove it from the broth and use a fork (and your fingers!) to shred the chicken into small pieces. Be careful b/c it will be hot! Meanwhile, add 1/4 cup white rice to the soup. Return chicken to broth, and simmer for an another 5-10 minutes until the rice is soft. Remove from heat and add the juice of 1/2 lime to your broth.

Just before you serve your soup, add the diced avocado, tomatoes and onion to each individual bowl – as much as you like. Garnish with cilantro and serve!

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