Chicken Enchiladas

I am not usually one for New Years Resolutions but I figure I'd give it a try this year.  My resolution this year is to blog more so be prepared to hear from me a lot more than 2015.  One big perk of blogging more is I need to cook more and therefore EAT more!! :)  It also means I need to keep cooking a variety of different recipes so I'd figured I'd start this year out with a recipe I had never tried before: Chicken Enchiladas.  If you have read this blog or have seen my Instagram, you can tell I love Mexican food, but I have never made enchiladas before.  And to challenge myself even more I decided to make my own enchilada sauce as well instead of buying a can.  I can tell you, although there was little effort involved, it was well worth the effort.  The sauce added just the right amount of kick to the dish and my husband absolutely loved it (even though he had another pot to clean because of it).

One thing I really enjoyed about these enchiladas as opposed to others I have had in the past is their freshness.  Although in essence it is still a meat filled tortilla covered in sauce and cheese, using chicken (instead of beef) and adding the green pepper and corn provide the dish a good balance between light and heavy foods.  That being said, I was still only able to eat one enchilada for dinner.

You might think that making enchiladas is complicated, but it really is not as long as you remain organized and set up your prep station ahead of time.

 Flour and oil mixture

 Flour, oil, chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne

 Enchilada Sauce simmering

 Green pepper, corn, sour cream and chicken mixture

 One of my husband's enchiladas... he is not a fan of green peppers

Ingredient Count: 15  (I only had to buy 7)

Enchilada Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil 
• 1 Tbsp. flour 
• 1/8 cup chili powder 
• 1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 cups chicken broth 
• 5 oz. tomato paste 
• 1 tsp. dried oregano 
• 1 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/2 tsp. salt 

In a medium saucepan heat oil, add flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper, cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, tomato paste, oregano, and cumin and salt. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes, or until thick.

• 2 (6-oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced crosswise 
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels 
• 1/2 cup sour cream 
• 1 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped 
• 2 ½ cups(s) Colby Jack cheese or taco blend cheese
• 3 Green onions, chopped
• 4 medium flour tortillas, microwaved on high until pliable 
• Salt and Pepper

Heat oven to 450°F. Fill a medium saucepan with water.  Bring to a boil and salt the water. Add the chicken, reduce heat and simmer until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool; shred.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the green pepper, and 1/4 tsp  salt and pepper; cook,until tender, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the corn and sour cream. Add the chicken, cilantro, hot sauce 1/2 cup of the cheese.

Spread 1/2 of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the baking dish. Roll the chicken mixture in the tortillas tightly and place seam side down in the dish. Continue to do this until the dish is full.  Top with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake until beginning to brown, 8 to 10 minutes.  Garnish with remaining cilantro and green onions.  Serve on its own or over rice

Crispy Mustard Chicken courtesy of Ina Garten

This recipe is a rarity for me.  Usually after I try a recipe for the first time, I tweak something to better suit my tastes but this is one of the few recipes I have not made a single change to because it is absolutely perfect and I am giving Ina Garten, queen of the Hampton's and Chambray shirts, all the credit.  The only I do change is the proportions since I have no use for eight chicken pieces for 2 people.

I think what I love most about this dish is its simple elegance.  The recipe only calls for a few ingredients (most of which I keep in my kitchen) so it is a great go to dish for a last minute dinner party especially since it is very scalable and all of the cooking is done in the oven so you are not stuck in the kitchen until dinner is ready.

Ingredient Count: 7 (I only needed to buy 3)

Ingredients
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cups panko (Japanese bread flakes)
1/2 tbsp grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
1 ttbsp good olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup Dijon mustard, such as Grey Poupon
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 chicken thighs (You can use any skin on chicken pieces that you like)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the garlic, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the garlic is finely minced. Add the panko, lemon zest, olive oil, and butter and pulse a few times to moisten the bread flakes. Pour the mixture onto a large plate. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the mustard and wine.

Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Sprinkle generously all over with salt and pepper. Dip each piece in the mustard mixture to coat on all sides, and then place skin-side down only into the crumb mixture, pressing gently to make the crumbs adhere. Place the chicken on a sheet pan crumb-side up. Press the remaining crumbs on the chicken pieces.

Bake the chicken for 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F and bake for another 10 minutes, until the crumbs are browned and the chicken is cooked through.

The best thing about this chicken is it can be served with anything, rice, couscous, green beans, asparagus... it goes with anything.

Whether you are cooking this on a random weeknight or for guests, do as Ina does and pour yourself a glass of white wine pretend you are in your Hampton's beach house and enjoy.

Garlicky Chicken Thighs

This is one of my favorite recipe, it is so simple to prepare but also very versatile to fit your tastes. The prep work is so easy, you do not even need to chop the garlic and the total active cook time is 10 to 12 minutes. The recipe can be used as an easy weeknight dinner or be served at a dinner party for guests  Since the prep work is so easy and the majority of the cooking time is baking the chicken in the oven, you can mingle with guests while the chicken is in the oven.  Just make sure you have the chicken in the oven before your guests arrive.

This recipe is also great for me because I already have most of the ingredients I need in the house so most days I just need to pick up chicken at the store but I usually buy garlic as well because this uses a lot, I use 10 cloves of garlic.  Before you think that is excessive, I leave the cloves whole and saute them up with the herbs to release their flavor into the white wine sauce.  When left whole, the garlic releases a mild sweet flavor into the sauce. 

Like I said before, the versatility is one of the best things about this dish, you could make it a different way every time you make it.  You can swap the thyme for another herb, such as rosemary or oregano (just be sure to go lighter on these herbs since the tend to have a more intense flavor.   You can also try a different type of wine for cooking, I have used both pinot grigio and chardonnay both of which turned out great and can change the flavor profile a bit.

Ingredient count: 8 (and I only had to buy 4)

 Season the chicken

 Add the chicken to the pan skin side down

 Cook chicken until skin is golden brown.  I do recommend using a splatter guard during this step.

 Remove chicken from the pan.  Turn the heat down, add herbs, garlic and bay leaves. 

 Add Chicken back to the pan

Cover, place in oven, cook for 40 minutes

Garlicky Chicken Thighs

2 lbs. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, patted dry
4 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled but left whole
3 fresh thyme sprigs  or rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup dry white wine 
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste  

Preheat oven to 325°

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat olive oil over high heat in an ovenproof saute pan.  Once oil is hot, add the chicken skin side down.  Once the skin is a golden brown color, about 4 minutes, remove from pan.

Turn down to a medium heat, add garlic, herbs and bay leaves.  Saute, about 2 minutes, until the vegetables are just beginning to color.  Pour in the wine and vinegar.  Stir with a wooden spoon to dislodge and browned bits on the bottom of the pan.  Return the chicken to the pan skin side up, cover and place in the oven.  Cook until chicken is tender, about 40 minutes.  

Serve with braising sauce and garlic over chicken

Green Beans with Shallot and Almonds

I always am on the lookout for recipes and ways to make vegetables into something I want to eat rather than just something I should eat.   This dish is so flavorful, you will want to eat all your vegetables and even make enough for seconds.  I grew up in a house where dinner almost always included a meat, a starch and a vegetable, so green beans have always been a staple for me.  I remember one of my first kitchen tasks as a kid was trimming the ends off green beans.

There is no excuse not to include a vegetable with dinner when you have a recipe this easy and delicious.

Ingredient Count: 5 (only needed to buy 2)

Ingredients
1 lb. Green beans
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small to medium shallot, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds

Bring a pot of water to a boil.  Add green beans to boiling water.  Cook for about 3 to 5 minutes, until green beans are just about tender.  Drain and plunge in ice water. Let sit for about 1 minute and drain.

Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium high heat.  Once hot, add the sliced shallot.  Stirring once or twice until golden and crisp, about 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the shallot to a plate lined with a paper towel using a slotted spoon. 

Add the green beans to the pan, season.  Cook until green beans are crisp- tender.  Serve with shallots and almonds on top.

Simple Rice Pilaf

 This is my go to side dish recipe.  It is so simple, even easier than boxed rice and it pairs with absolutely anything.  Before I made this rice for the first time, I would use the boxed rice when serving rice for dinner, but ever since I have tried this, I have never gone back to boxed rice.  It takes an equivalent amount of time but packs more flavor without the sometimes soupy consistency of boxed rice.  You also control the amounts of ingredients when you cook your own, which is always a plus if you are concerned about your sodium intake or unpronounceable ingredients in pre-made food products.   This recipe is my base recipe, but you can also add a variety of different ingredients to this depending on what your are serving as your main course.  You could add vegetables, garlic, almonds or even pieces of cooked chicken to make this a meal of its own. 

For those that don't know, rice pilaf simply means rice that is cooked in broth.  When I first started making this, I used standard chicken broth but one day at the store I saw that College Inn sold a white wine and herb flavored chicken broth so I thought I'd give it a shot.  That broth was amazing in this rice and adds such a rich flavor to the rice that standard chicken broth does not.  Ever since then, I use for this when I make the base (and others) recipe of this rice.

Ingredient Count: 6 (I usually keep all of these ingredients on hand)

To begin, add 4 tablespoons butter to a skillet and turn on the stove to a medium high heat, Watch to make sure that you only melt the butter and it does not burn.

 Once melted and hot, add the orzo to the pan and saute until golden brown, season to taste with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 3 to 4 minutes.

 Once the rice is a golden brown color, add the rice.  Stir to combine,  Saute for about 1-2 minutes

 Add the broth, bring to a boil.

Once at a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan.  Cook for 20  minutes.  Once complete, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.  Serve immediately.

Simple Rice Pilaf

4 Tbsp. Butter
1 cup Orzo
1 cup Basmati rice
14.5 oz chicken broth (I prefer College Inn white wine and herb chicken broth)
Salt and Pepper, to taste
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)

Melt butter in a saute pan.

Once butter is melted, add orzo and saute until lightly golden.

Once the rice is a golden brown color, add the rice.  Stir to combine,  Saute for about 1-2 minutes

Pour in the chicken broth, stir and bring to a boil.

Once at a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover the pan.  Cook for 20  minutes.  Once complete, remove the lid and fluff the rice with a fork.  Serve immediately.

 Variations:
Vegetable Rice Pilaf:  Add 1 cup finely chopped onion, 3/4 cup diced carrots, 2/3 cup diced celery,  and 2 cloves minced garlic after adding orzo.  Continue with step 3.  Add diced zucchini or yellow squash after removing rice from heat.  Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  (This will steam the veggies) 

Pot Roast

There is nothing better on a cold day than having a pot roast cooking in the oven for dinner.  The past few days have been absolutely freezing here in the DC area so it was a great time to cook one of my favorite cold weather recipes. 
While a pot roast does take a while to cook, the  the majority of the cooking time is the roast in the oven and the results are well worth it.  The meat is so tender and shreds so easily when it is cooked through.   

Ingredient Count: 12 (only needed to buy 6)

 

Pot Roast 
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 2-3 lbs. beef chuck roast
2 cups beef stock
1/2 cup red wine
2 Tbsp tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried thyme
3 carrots, cut in 1 in. pieces
4 red potatoes, cut in 1 in. pieces

Preheat oven to 350 .  In a dutch oven, heat oil over a medium-high heat.  Salt and pepper the roast and place it in the pan.  Brown the meat on all sides, about 10 minutes.

 Turn meat fat side up.  Add stock, wine, onion, garlic, bay leaf, tomato paste and thyme.  Bring to a simmer, cover.  Place in the oven and roast for 2 hours

After 2 hours, add carrots and potatoes and cook until tender, about 1 hour.

Transfer the roast, carrots and potatoes to a platter.  Cut the roast into thick slices and serve with vegetables