Continuing my current chipotle fascination.

This was actually my first time cooking with farro. I’ve been meaning to make it for a while, but my list of things to make seems to grow, not shrink. At this rate, it’ll take the rest of my life to work through it all. Somehow, I’m OK with that. Still, I checked this one off of my list and I’ll probably be going back to it. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but it’s actually a lot like barley.

As I’m still on my chipotle kick, I worked some into this dish as well. Unlike the shrimp tacos the chipotle is content to take a minor role and just add a hint of heat and smokiness to the dish. I kept things simple and basically used it as a salad dressing mixed with a bit of oil.

A pretty healful combination for a satisfying winter meal.

Click through the jump to see the recipe.

Butternut squash and chicken with farro and wilted spinach in a chipotle-adobo dressing
Makes 4 large portions.

Ingredients
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 lbs)
3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
1 large bag spinach leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 teaspoons chipotle in adobo (chipotle minced)
olive oil
salt, pepper

Directions

For the squash:
1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Peel the butternut squash, scoop out and discard the seeds, then cut into chunks (bite sized, but not too small).
3. Toss the chunks along with a teaspoon of salt and half teaspoon of pepper in a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet.
4. Roast for 30-45 minutes, or until lightly browning and tender. Give the pan a shake or use a spatula to loosen any pieces that might be getting stuck after 10-15 minutes.

The rest
1. Chipotle dressing: Combine a tablespoon (3 of the 4 teaspoons) of crushed chipotle in adobo with about a half teaspoon of olive oil. Add more oil as needed, but use just enough olive oil to loosen the chipotle mixture.
2. Prepare the farro according to the directions in the packet. I used chicken broth as the cooking liquid.
3. While that is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of olive oil and then add the chicken pieces. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through and has browned slightly (*protip* don’t stir too often). About a minute or so into the cooking time, or once the chicken loses its raw color, add a teaspoon of the remaining chipotle in adobo and stir to combine.
4. Heat a large pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add a tablespoon of olive oil then add the minced garlic. Stir to distribute the garlic in the bottom of the pan, then add all the spinach. Cook through, until all the spinach has wilted and reduced in size.
5. Combine equal parts chicken and butternut squash in a large bowl and toss gently with half the chipotle dressing. You may have butternut squash left over. It’s up to you to add it in or leave it out. (I left it out because I love roasted butternut squash on its own–I just ate it plain.)

To serve
Place a thin layer of spinach on the bottom of the plate, then add some farro on top. To that, add the chicken and butternut squash. Sprinkle some slivered almonds on top and, if desired, drizzle with any extra chipotle mixture for extra heat.

Considering the relatively few ingredients, these enchiladas pack quite a bit of flavor. Using chili powder is a handy shortcut for flavor as it is really a mixture of several spices. For extra tender chicken, use thigh and leg meat. I ended up with breast meat for two reasons, first, it’s a bit healthier, and second (and this was the deciding factor), it was on sale for a ridiculously low price. I also used whole wheat tortillas instead of corn or white flour ones. Personally, I’m a fan of the earthier taste of whole wheat so I tend to eat whole wheat breads fairly often (the one big exception is hearth breads and baguettes, but that’s another story). I’m not sure that those changes really classify as making this a healthy dish anyway, so I won’t claim it is. But it’s not unhealthy and it was tasty. Really tasty.

Chicken Enchiladas

Oddly enough, I had never made enchiladas before. Now that I have, I am confident that it is something that I will make again. I even like how it lends itself to a lot of advance preparation. This would be a great dish to serve for a casual evening with some Mexican beers and margaritas. When it comes time to prepare it, all that would be left to do is move the dish from the oven to the fridge for 25 minutes or so.

Chicken Enchiladas
Makes 12 enchiladas-serves 4 to 6.
Serve with the regular sides of wedged lime, sour cream, avocado, lettuce, beans, and/or rice if desired.

Ingredients
1/2 tsp oil
1 onion, diced
salt, pepper
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsps chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 15oz can tomato sauce
8 oz (1 cup) water
1 lb chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 cups cheddar cheese (about 8 oz)
1 4oz can minced jalapeños
12 6-in whole wheat tortillas
1/2 cup cilantro, minced (optional)

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.
1. Add the diced onion, 1/2 tsp oil, and 1/2 tsp salt to a large pot or saucepan over med-low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened, stirring frequently.
2. Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin and cook for 30-60 seconds. Pour in the tomato sauce and water. Increase the heat to bring the mixture to a simmer. Cool for 5-10 minutes.
3. Add the chicken to the liquid so it is mostly submerged. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat until has just cooked though (160F in the thick part of the meat). Remove the chicken. Once cooled enough to continue, shred/pull the chicken with forks. Try remove all chucks of chicken as they can tear through the rolled tortilla.
4. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, 1/2 cup of the sauce, 1 cup of the cheddar, and the can of jalapeños (if using cilantro, add it now). Season with salt and pepper if needed (taste it, don’t worry, it’s cooked).
5. Loosely cover the stacked tortillas with plastic wrap and heat in the microwave for one minute (to soften and warm them). Add about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture to each round and roll tightly (12 will have to fit into a 9×13 pan, so roll tightly). Place each on seam side down onto a very lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Can be prepared up to a day in advance to this set. Cover and refrigerate until ready to continue.
6. Pour the remaining sauce over the center and into the base of the dish. Spread the remaining cheese over the center of the enchiladas. Cover loosely with for and bake for 25 minutes. If desired, the foil can be removed and the enchiladas cooked for 5 minutes more to brown the cheese.

Chicken Adobo. So tasty.

With that in mind, I looked at the ingredients I had on hand and saw that I had everything I needed to make Filipino-style adobo. This style uses a handful of common ingredients that are probably already found in many fridges and pantries. Apart from the chicken, you can expect to see most recipes calling for a combination of soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, and black peppercorns.

The chicken is braised (basically, simmered gently) in this sauce for about half an hour–this is the adobo process referred to by the eponymous dish. The sauce is then reduced slightly while the chicken is removed to be finished on a grill, under a broiler, or in a pan (to crisp up the skin, Mmmmmm).

I am always very pleased by a dish like this, it is exceedingly simple to prepare, yet has a fantastic and distinctive flavor. Not only that, but it can also be largely prepared ahead. Adobo dishes typically yield a great sauce that is poured over the chicken and served over a bed of rice to soak up the flavors.

Chicken Adobo.

Chicken Adobo
Makes enough for 4 servings. Serve with rice.

Ingredients
1 whole (4-5 lb) cut-up chicken (or about 3-4 lbs chicken parts, thighs and legs preferred, breast meat is fine)
3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
2-3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup white distilled vinegar
1 cup water, plus more if needed

Directions
1. Combine the garlic, bay leaves, black pepper, soy sauce, and vinegar into a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Add the chicken in one layer. The liquid should almost cover the chicken. If needed add water to reach about 3/4 of the way up most of the pieces. Cover and reduce heat to med-low to maintain a simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, turning the chicken over after 15 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken from the pot and pat dry. Place the chicken on a broiler pan and broil for about 5 minutes to crisp the skin (watch carefully, depending on the chicken, it can be finished in 2 minutes or less. Meanwhile, bring the liquid to a boil to reduce the liquid slightly.

Note: This dish can be easily prepared a day ahead of time, leaving only the broiling to do before serving. To prepare ahead, refrigerate the chicken after step 2 and pour the liquid into a tall container (like a pint glass). Cover both and refrigerate. Fat will rise to the top of the liquid and solidify, this can be easily removed with a spoon before continuing with step 3.

Unfortunately, the side effect of boiling chicken is that it makes the flavor and texture uninteresting. So, apart from chicken soup, what can you do with this? I made pulled barbecue chicken.

Barbecue pulled chicken

Because the meat now contains so much moisture, it shreds easily while still warm. Just pass a fork along the grain of the meat and it’ll fall right apart. Cover with a healthy amount of barbecue sauce and serve. Bonus: I had a few buns left over from grilling bratwurst, so it was a great way to avoid letting the bread go to waste.

Alternatively, if you don’t want to deal with pulling a whole chicken, you can use the same strategy used in the crock-pot barbecue. Simply throw some chicken breasts, legs, thighs, or anything else into a crock-pot with enough water (or chicken/vegetable stock) to cover the chicken by about an inch. Cook on the low heat setting for about 5-6 hours. Remove the chicken and separate along the grain of the meat while it is still warm.

Beer-can Chicken, all golden brown, crispy and juicy.

A common problem when grilling is that cooking with dry heat can yield a dry chicken, especially when it comes to the white meat. While brines, marinades, and bastes are all very good solutions to this unappetizing problem, none are as impressive as the beer can method. Besides, once you have the chicken propped up on the beer can, you can anthropomorphize to your hearts content. Or not.

This method allows you to skip most of the prep-work associated with cooking chicken. All you have to do is dust the chicken with a few herbs and spices and put it directly on the grill. Then, grab a drink, sit back and let the grill do all of the work. You do need to keep an eye on the grill in order to maintain the proper temperature (not above 375). This is easily done by adjusting the vents on your grill.

Beer-can Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken (3-4 pounds)
1 can of beer
2 bay leaves

Rub
You can use any kind of rub or combination of spices you want, these are just suggestions.
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Light your charcoal grill with about 4 quarts, or 50-60, briquettes.
2. Combine all the rub ingredients and sprinkle over, and inside, the chicken.
3. Open the beer and drink about a quarter of it, the rest is for the chicken. Use a church key can opener to cut a few more holes into the top of the beer can. Crumble the bay leaves into the beer can. Slide the chicken over the beer can so that the chicken stands upright. I normally leave a bit more beer can sticking out, but the lid of my grill wouldn’t allow for the extra height.
   

   Prepared beer can.

   Chicken and beer can, ready to go.

   Slide the chicken over the beer can.

   Chicken in the center, coals on the sides.

4. Once the briquettes begin to develop a layer of thin, gray ash spread half on either side of the grill so that there is an empty space in between. Put some foil there (this will catch the drippings and not dirty your grill).
5. Place the chicken upright in the center of the cooking grate with the wing-sides facing the piles of coals.
6. Cover and roast for 65 to 85 minutes. Test after an hour by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. If the thermometer registers 170 to 175 degrees, it’s ready.
7. Remove the chicken, keeping it upright, and let it rest 10-15 minutes. Lift the chicken off the beer can, carve, and serve.

The recipe looked easy, simple, and quick–and it was–but, boy, was I anxious about how these would turn out. I think it’s because I expected something a bit more involved and was caught off guard when the work was finished in less than five minutes.

Dumplings in chicken soup.

In the end, they tasted great and were one of the easiest meals I have made. Not all my dumplings were picture-perfect, but they sure tasted great.

Why did it cause me problems? Well, click through to find out.

I was flying blind. Not only had I never made dumplings before, but I could also not remember ever having them before. I had no idea how they were supposed to cook or what they were supposed to look like. I was still tired and a bit under the weather, so I skipped my usual research for new recipes. I just chose the recipe from How to Cook Everything that was next to the chicken soup.

They were fine, it turns out I can follow instructions.

Chicken dumplings in soup.

Butter and Herb Chicken Dumplings

Ingredients
6 cups chicken stock
4 tablespoons butter (half a stick) (softened)
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
1/3 fresh parsley
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring the 6 cups chicken stock to a simmer.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash the butter with a fork until soft and creamy. Add the eggs and mix until combined (it’s fine if it doesn’t get completely incorporated).
3. Add the rest of the ingredients (salt and pepper to your liking). Add any other herbs you like (I added about 1/2 teaspoon of Herbs en Provence). The dough will still be creamy, don’t worry, it’s fine.
4. Measure out about teaspoon sized amounts and, using another spoon or your fingers, scoop it out into the simmering broth. Try to keep the dough together or you will end up with some oddly shaped dumplings, as I did.
5. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with chicken soup.

Finished Chicken Stock

Once you make your own, you’ll realize that it is much better than any of the dozen or so of the brands offered at the supermarket. Sure, one or two may be serviceable, but making it yourself is truly stunning.

Interested in making the simplest chicken stock? Click through to find out how.

This recipe comes courtesy of Mark Bittmann’s How To Cook Everything. There are several variations on chicken stock and broths, and this is one of the easiest I have come accross. I do keep parts of cut up chickens in my freezer to roast and and make a rich stock, but this time I took the easy way out. Just boiling a whole chicken with some vegtables got the flavor I was looking for to help me feel better.

Just add water and boil to get stock!

Ingredients

1 whole (3-4 lb) chicken
1 quartered onion
2 chopped carrots
1 chopped celery rib
1 pinch thyme (or fresh rosmary)
3-5 springs of fresh parsley
1 teaspoon or less salt
about 14 cups of water (or enough to cover everything thoroughly)

Directions

1. Put the whole chicken and the vegtables into a large pot. Add the water.
2. Bring to a boil, cover partially, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 45-60 minutes.
3.  Strain the broth and press on the vegtables to extract as much liquid as possible.
4. Refridgerate, then skim off the fat that hardens on the surface.

The stock will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge. It will last longer if you boil it every couple of days. It can be frozen for much longer.

I should probably add a tip of what to do with that whole cooked chicken you now have. Lot’s of choices: sandwiches, salads, shred/dice it and put it in chicken soup with the broth, shred it and mix with barbeque sauce, put in a pasta dish, make chicken wraps, use to stuff vegtables…

The I-dont-feel-so-good, easy, chicken soup.

Ohhh, and animal crackers… Yeah, animal crackers… I think I’ll be just fine.

Click through for the soup recipe.

The I-dont-feel-so-good, easy, chicken soup.

This soup can be served as a side dish or a main course. and the recipe can be scaled up to accomodate larger portions. The proportions given make 4 cups, or two to four servings.

Easy Chicken Soup

Ingredients
4 cups chicken stock
Chopped vegtables (I used 2 carrots and one rib of celery. Onions, garlic and nearly anything else can be added. Cut them to bite-size peices.)
1/2 cup orzo (or rice or pasta)
Chicken (raw or cooked) (cut into bite-size peices or shredded)

Directions

1. Heat the chicken stock over medium high heat until it just reaches a boil. Add the chopped vegtables and orzo and cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the vegtables and orzo are nearly cooked. Partially cover and reduce to a simmer.
2. Add the chicken. If using cooked chicken, simmer for 3-5 minutes. If using  raw chicken, simmer 7-10 minutes. 

If you don’t feel well, I reccomend repeating the above steps until you feel better. Animal crackers also help.

The key to outstanding chicken is to brine it. What is a brine you ask? Well, funny you should ask, yesterday’s post post explains that!

Broiled Chicken and Lemon Couscous (with pistachios)

Couscous—-sooooo easy. If you can measure a cup of water into a skillet and bring it to a boil, you can make couscous. You don’t even need to time it. And if you get something wrong, it’s easy to correct! (I’ll get into correcting it and making it fancy after the jump.)

Lemon Couscous with pistachios

And the broiled chicken. Easy, simple, and can be made extremely tasty if you have some seasonings. Don’t forget to brine it though!

Broiled Chicken

Broiled Chicken

I made a kind of rub for this chicken while it was brining. It’s an easy way to boost the flavor of the chicken without much effort. You can use nearly any spices you have on hand. Don’t be afraid to mix things up.

Ingredients
3/4 cup kosher salt (for the brine)
3/4 cup granulated sugar (for the brine)
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves (about 3 pounds)
Ground black pepper

Garlic, Lemon and Rosemary Rub
5 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
Ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Recipe

1. First, prepare the brine: Add the salt and sugar to a gallon size zip top bag and add about a a quart of water. Mix to dissolve the sugar and salt then add the chicken. Place the bag in the fridge for about an hour (put in a baking dish or something in case the bag leaks, you don’t want a fridge fill of salty, sugary, chickeny water).
2. While the brine is doing it’s thing, make the rub that will go under the chicken skin: Combine the minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, rosemary, olive oil and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Adjust your oven racks so one is at the top and the other at the bottom of your oven (closest and furthest away from the broiler).
4. After the chicken has soaked for about an hour, remove the chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Using a spoon, add the rub under the chicken skin. The best way to do this is to go from the top of the chicken breast where the skin is already loose. The rest of the skin should still be somewhat connected to the chicken. This serves two purposes, one it keeps the rub in contact with the meat, and two… if you put it on the skin, all you would be flavoring is the skin, not the meat!. Season both sides of the breast with salt and pepper.
5. Line the bottom of a broiler pan with foil (easier clean-up) and place the chicken on the slotted broiler pan top. Cut three slashes through the chicken skin to allow the fat to escape during cooking.
6. Turn the chicken skin-side down and place on the bottom oven rack. Turn on the broiler and cook for about 14 minutes, until it is just starting to brown.
7. Flip the chicken skin-side up and cook another 10 minutes, until a thermometer reads about 160F in the thickest portion of the breast.
8. To get the skin really golden and crispy, move the chicken to the top rack and broil a little longer. Keep an eye on it though! When it looks nice, take it out and serve immediately.

Tip: If you are making the couscous too, start that after flipping the chicken skin-side up (step 7).

Broiled chicken with couscous

Couscous

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots , minced
1 clove garlic , minced
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 cup plain couscous
1/4 cup minced fresh basil or parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Table salt and ground black pepper

Recipe

1. Place a medium skillet over med heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots and cook until softened stirring occasionally, about 3-4 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds longer.
2. Add the broth and lemon zest. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, remove the skillet from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
3. Fold the basil and lemon juice into the couscous. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (I had some pistachios around, so I tossed those in as well—entirely optional.)

Notes about couscous: If the couscous is too dry, but some water in a glass and microwave it until hot, then stir that into the couscous. If the couscous is too wet, put it in a large skillet over medium heat with no lid and stir occasionally until it drys out. It also tastes good without shallots and lemon juice, so you don’t have to add them. I told you it was easy.

Also, this is pretty complicated as far as couscous goes. Everything except the salt, water and couscous can be omitted and it’ll still be fine.

Plate of broiled chicken and couscous

Pan-roast chicken with lemon and herbs

I wanted to make a roast chicken the other day, but I can never seem to get a good sauce base when I roast a chicken. All the juices and flavor that come off the chicken basically burn in the bottom of my roasting pan. I am a big fan of pan sauces though. So my problem was this: I want the flavor and crispy skin that you get when you roast a bird, but I want a pan sauce that can only be made with the fond that comes from browning meat directly in a skillet. Fortunately, Cook’s Illustrated was here to help me out.

I came across an recipe in their recent November issue for pan-roasting a chicken, resulting in crisp skin and a versatile pan sauce base. Their suggestion was basically take a cut up whole chicken and brown it in a skillet–I used my trusty cast iron 12-inch skillet for this. Then once a fond has developed and the chicken is golden, pour in some liquid to deglaze the pan and basically steam the chicken. Once nearly cooked through, you pour the liquid out (but keep it!) and re-brown the chicken in the pan. Now you have crispy chicken that you can set aside for a moment and use the remaining liquid to make your pan sauce! Perfect!

Pan-roast Chicken with lemon and herbs

Here is the way I did mine:

Pan-roast Chicken
adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

For the chicken:
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 parts (skin-on thighs, drumsticks, breasts cut in half)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken broth (I always use low sodium)
1/4 dry vermouth (you can use dry white wine)
salt and black pepper

For my Sauce
1 tsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 tsp flour (AP is best)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp herbs en provence
1/3 tablespoon butter (unsalted)
salt and black pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced

Instructions

1. Season your dry chicken with salt and pepper. Heat about 2 tsps olive oil (I used some regular, not extra virgin. You can use almost any kind of oil) in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
2. When the oil is hot (you should see it begin to ripple) add chicken, skin-side down, and cook 5 to 8 minutes. Try not to move the chicken once you put it in the pan. Moving the chicken will prevent the fond from forming and actually cause it to stick more.
3. Flip the chicken skin-side up. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add about 3/4 cup broth then cover the skillet. Cook about 10-15 minutes. For those of you like me who like measurements, an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part should be 155 degrees for the breasts and 170 for the legs/thighs. If some parts reach that temperature before others, go ahead and remove them to a plate (skin-side up).
4. Pour the liquid from the skillet and reserve. Go ahead and give the skillet a quick wipe with a paper towel.
5. Add about a tsp of oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat until hot (again, it should just begin to ripple). Return chicken pieces skin-side down and cook until skin is golden brown and that great crispy texture that we were trying to get all along. At this point, you want the internal temperature of the breasts to be 160 degrees and the legs to be 175 degrees. It should take about 5 minutes, give or take one or two. When cooked, transfer to serving platter and tent loosely with foil.
6. Using spoon, skim fat from reserved cooking liquid and add the rest of the broth and wine-or-vermouth.
7. Heat about a tsp of oil in now-empty skillet over low heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 1 minute.
8. If the pan is particularly dry, add up to a tsp more of oil. Then add the flour and stir constantly for 30 seconds.
9. Increase heat to medium-high, add the herbs en provence and the reserved cooking liquid, broth and wine-or-vermouth mixture, and bring to simmer, scraping skillet bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Maintain a brisk simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 5 mintues.
10. Off heat, whisk in lemon juice and butter. Add salt and pepper to taste (go ahead and taste the sauce, it’s good). Pour sauce around chicken and serve immediately.

I garnished with some parsley (to make it look pretty for the pictures, of course). Also, don’t pour the sauce all over the skin, it will make it soggy.