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Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters with Lime Dressing

Ingredients

  • 6 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 2 tsp grated lime zest plus 2 tablespoons juice
  • 2 tsp. plus ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp. ground cumin
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • 4 (10-ounce) chicken leg quarters, trimmed
  • 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

Preparation

  1. Combine garlic, salt, sugar, lime zest, 2 tsps. oil, cumin, pepper, and cayenne in bowl and mix to form paste. Reserve 2 tsps. garlic paste for dressing.
  2. Position chicken skin side up on cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Leaving drumsticks and thighs attached, make 4 parallel diagonal slashes in chicken: 1 across drumsticks, 1 across leg joints; and 2 across thighs (each slash should reach bone). Flip chicken over and make 1 more diagonal slash across back of drumsticks. Rub remaining garlic paste all over chicken and into slashes. Refrigerate chicken for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.
  3. For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour two thirds evenly over half of grill, then pour remaining coals over other half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.
  4. For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn primary burner to medium and turn other burner(s) to low. (Adjust primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 400° to 425°.)
  5. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place chicken on cooler side of grill, skin side up. Cover and cook until underside of chicken is lightly browned, 9 to 12 minutes. Flip chicken, cover, and cook until leg joint registers 165°, 7 to 10 minutes.
  6. Transfer chicken to hotter side of grill, skin side down, and cook (covered if using gas) until skin is well browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip chicken and continue to cook until leg joint registers 175°, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, whisk remaining ¼ cup oil, lime juice, cilantro, oregano, and reserved garlic paste together in bowl. Spoon half of dressing over chicken and serve, passing remaining dressing separately.

Serves 4

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Pad Thai Dan Dan

Ingredients

Sauce

  • ½ palm sugar disc (about 1 oz)
  • ½ cup water
  • ¼ cup fish sauce
  • 1 Tbsp. tamarind concentrate
  • Sriracha hot sauce

Pad Thai

  • ½ box pad thai noodles (about 7 oz)
  • ½ package extra firm tofu, squeezed of liquid and diced
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 small shallot, chopped fine
  • 1 Tbsp salted radish, shredded
  • 4 green onions, sliced lengthwise then chopped into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 cup bean sprouts
  • ½ cup peanuts, chopped
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 recipe Pad Thai sauce
  • Vegetable oil
  • Lime
  • (optional ½ lb. of diced chicken or shrimp)

Preparation

  1. In small saucepan, simmer water and palm sugar until dissolved. Add tamarind and fish sauce, and stir to combine. Add Sriracha to taste (about 2 Tbsp). Set aside.
  2. Fill large bowl with warm water and let noodles soak approximately 15 minutes.
  3. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in large non-stick pan over medium heat. Fry tofu until golden on all sides, set aside. Saute meat and set aside (if using). Wipe pan clean, add more oil if needed. Scramble eggs, set aside. Wipe pan clean.
  4. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil over med-high heat. Saute shallot and salted radish 2-3 minutes. Add drained noodles and combine. Pour in about ½ of the Pad Thai sauce and stir constantly to coat noodles thoroughly. Stir fry about 5 minutes, add more sauce if it starts to dry out too much.
  5. Add green onions, tofu, cooked meat, and eggs. Combine well for about 3-5 minutes, add more sauce if needed. Turn off heat, add bean sprouts, peanuts, and cilantro. Squeeze ½ of lime and serve.

Serves 2

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Thai Sticks

1st place Winner! – Olympique 2013

Team Thai-Juan, representing Thailand and Mexico, took home Best Dish honors with this simple Thai street food staple. Basically, we wrapped some ground chicken and pork around lemongrass spears, threw em on the grill, and slapped on some peanut sauce before serving. Fire!

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups sliced shallots (about 10)
  • ½ cup shredded dried unsweetened coconut (can be toasted coconut found in supermarkets)
  • ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 6 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
  • 2 fresh Thai chiles, stemmed
  • 1 1-inch chunk fresh galangal,
  • sliced 2 Tbsps vegetable oil
  • 1 lb boneless chicken thighs with skin, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 lb ground pork
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 16 whole fresh lemongrass stalks
  • 1 package Lobo Satay Mix (peanut sauce!)

Preparation

  1. Grind first 7 ingredients in processor to coarse paste. Do not clean processor.
  2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add paste to skillet; Saute paste about 5 minutes; transfer to large bowl and cool.
  3. Add chicken and salt to processor; grind coarsely. Add ground chicken and pork into paste in bowl.
  4. Clean lemongrass by removing outer layer(s), wash and remove the tips. Press ¼ cupful of meat mixture around thick portion of 1 lemongrass stalk in 4-inch-long sausage shape, leaving 1 inch of stalk end exposed. Repeat with remaining chicken mixture and stalks.
  5. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill until chicken is cooked through, turning often, about 8 minutes. Serve with warm peanut sauce.

Adapted from importfood.com/recipes/chicken_lgrass_skewers.html

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Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

From homesicktexan.com

Ingredients

Filling:

  • Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • ½ medium-sized onion, diced (about ¾ of a cup)

Sour cream sauce:

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 Serrano chiles, diced
  • 2 Tbsps butter
  • 2 Tbsps flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 8 fresh tomatillos, husks removed and cut in half or one 10 oz. can of tomatillos
  • Dash cayenne
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Enchiladas

  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 1 Tbsp canola oil
  • 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • ½ cup chopped cilantro

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.
  2. Sprinkle the chicken breasts on each side with the salt and black pepper. In a large cast-iron set on medium heat, and cook the chicken breasts on each side for three minutes. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. When the chicken is done, take the chicken out of the oven and let cool. Then shred with two forks. Keep the oven on as you’ll be using it again.
  3. While the chicken is baking, melt the butter in a pot. Add diced Serrano chiles and cook until soft, about three or four minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add the flour and cook for one more minute. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, and whisking constantly cook until chicken broth has thickened. Stir in the sour cream, cumin, cayenne and cilantro. Remove from heat.
  4. If using fresh tomatillos, place them under the broiler on a foil-lined sheet and cook on each side until blackened, about four minutes per side. Place in a blender along with the sour cream sauce and puree into smooth. If using canned tomatillos, skip the broiler step and just place them in the blender with the sour cream sauce and proceed.
  5. Heat the canola oil in a skillet and cook the corn tortillas on each side a couple of minutes until soft. Wrap in a cloth to keep warm as you continue to cook all 12.
  6. To assemble the enchiladas, pour one cup of the sour cream sauce in the bottom of a casserole pan. Take each corn tortilla and place in the middle 1/3 cup of shredded chicken, 1 teaspoon of diced onions and 1 tablespoon of cheese.
  7. Roll the tortillas around the filling and place the rolled tortillas seam side down in the casserole dish. Cover the enchiladas with the remaining sauce and cheese and bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until top is brown and bubbling.

Serve topped with chopped cilantro. Makes 12 enchiladas.

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Roasted Split Chicken with Mustard Crust

From Jaques Pepin:

“I often make this recipe at home when I am in a hurry, because splitting and flattening the chicken and cutting between the joints of the leg and the shoulder reduce the cooking time by half. I use kitchen shears to split the chicken pen at the back and to cut the cooked bird into serving pieces and a knife to cut between the joints.

The mustard crust can be made ahead and even spread on the chicken a day ahead, if you like. I pour the cooked chicken juices into a fat separator with a spout and serve over Fluffy Mashed Potatoes, leaving the fat behind.”

Ingredients

  • 1 chicken (about 3 ½ pounds)
  • 2 Tbsps chopped garlic
  • 2 Tbsps Dijon mustard
  • 2 Tbsps dry white wine
  • 1 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 Tbsps olive oil
  • 1 tsp Tabasco hot pepper sauce
  • 1 tsp herbes de Provence
  • ½ tsp salt

Serve With

  • Fluffy Mashed Potatoes

Preparation

  1. Mix all the ingredients (minus bird) in a small bowl.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450°. Using kitchen shears or a sharp knife, cut alongside the backbone of the chicken to split it open. Spread and press on the chicken with your hands to flatten it. Using a sharp paring knife, cut halfway through both sides of the joints connecting the thighs and drumsticks and cut through the joints of the shoulder under the wings as well. (This will help the heat penetrate these joints and accelerate the cooking process.)
  3. Put the chicken skin side down on a cutting board and spread it with about half the mustard mixture. Place the chicken flat in a large skillet, mustard side down. Spread the remaining mustard on the skin side of the chicken. Cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, then place the skillet in the oven and cook the chicken for about 30 minutes. It should be well browned and dark on top.
  4. Let the chicken rest in the skillet at room temperature for a few minutes, then cut it into 8 pieces with clean kitchen shears. Defat the cooking juices. If you like, mound some Fluffy Mashed Potatoes on each of four warm dinner plates and place 2 pieces of chicken on each plate. Pour some juice on the mashed potatoes and chicken and serve.

Serves 4

Check here for bird prep details

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Chicken Kebabs in Green Masala

Ingredients

Green Masala

  • 2 bunches Cilantro
  • 3-4 Seranno peppers
  • 2 Tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
  • 1 Tbsp green Peppercorns
  • 1 Tbsp lime pickle, finely chopped (or sweet lemon pickle?)
  • ½ cup green papaya (under-ripe), chopped
  • ½ cup mustard oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 2 inch piece ginger
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsps yogurt

Chicken

  • 2 lbs. boneless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • salt, to taste

Preparation

  1. Place all ingredients for green masala in food processor and blend until mixture is grainy in texture.
  2. Marinate chicken pieces in masala paste and refrigerate a few hours or overnight.
  3. Skewer the chicken onto wood or metal skewers and grill on a hot grill about 4-5 minutes on each side.

Do it with couscous tabouleh.

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Black Bean Chicken With Chipotle Sauce

Ingredients

  • 3 Tbsps. diced onion
  • 1 1/2 tsp. chopped garlic
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1/4 cup diced tomato
  • 1/2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 2 tsps. chipotle powder
  • 1 tsp. sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 2 Tbsps. chili powder
  • 4 boneless chicken breasts (about 4 oz each), fat trimmed
  • 2 cups fresh spinach

Preparation

  1. Sauté onion and garlic in a large saucepan over medium heat until translucent, about 3
    minutes. Add beans, tomato, cilantro, broth, chipotle powder and salt and simmer until
    beans are tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, pour into a blender and puree;
    set aside.
  2. Mix oil and chili powder in a bowl to form a paste; rub over chicken. Grill or
    broil chicken until cooked through (but not charred), 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Serve
    each chicken breast with 4 tbsp sauce (freeze leftover sauce) and garnish with 1/2 cup
    spinach.
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Chicken Espagnole

Ingredients

  • 3 small chickens, or 4 lbs.
  • Tony’s or Seasoning Mix
  • 3/4 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups onion, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 lb mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 cup green onions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup parsley, chopped

Preparation

  1. Rub chicken pieces with spices and arrange in roasting pan(s). Roast in pre-heated 400˚ oven for 30 minutes or until skin is brown.
  2. Make a dark roux with flour and butter. When proper color is attained, add celery, onions, and bell pepper. Cokk 20 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally. Add garlic, sage, thyme, black and white pepper, and salt. Slowly stir in 4 cups of stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occosionally. Add the mushrooms, green onions and parsley and cook for minute. Remove pot from heat.
  3. Pour the sauce over the chciken halves in the roasting pan and return the pan to the oven, reducing heat to 350˚. Roast 20 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly done. Serve with steamed rice, spooning lots of sauce over the rice and the chicken.

From: Gumbo Shop: Traditional and Contempory Creole Cuisine

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Coq Au Vin

Ingredients

  • 1/4 pound thick-sliced bacon
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 stick butter
  • 1 3 lb. fryer, cut into pieces
  • 1 ½ tsps salt
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 1/8 tsp thyme
  • 24 small white onions, peeled
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • ½ lb fresh mushrooms, halved
  • ⅓ cup brandy
  • 2 cups red wine (pref Burgundy)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 Tbsp flour
  • 2 tsps parsley, finely chopped

Preparation

  1. In a saucepan, simmer bacon in water 10 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, and dry on paper towels. In a Dutch oven, sauté bacon in 4 tbsp butter 10 minutes. Dry chicken well and season with ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, and thyme. Remove bacon and brown chicken. Remove chicken and sauté onions and garlic 5 minutes. Remove onions and garlic and sauté mushrooms 3 minutes. Remove mushrooms and discard remaining butter.
  2. In a small saucepan, warm brandy. Remove from heat, ignite, and pour into Dutch oven. After flame dies, add wine, broth, bay leaf, 1 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Return bacon, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and chicken to pot. Cook until sauce begins to bubble. Cover, reduce heat , and simmer 45 minutes.
  3. Remove chicken and onions from pot. In a separate pot, melt remaining 4 Tbsps butter and gradually add flour, stirring constantly until roux is dark brown. Remove bay leaf. Add to sauce, mix well. Return chicken and onions to pot and simmer 15 minutes. Transfer to a deep dish and sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4

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Jambalaya

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. boneless chicken, cubed; AND/OR
    • 1 lb. shrimp, boiled in Zatarain’s and peeled; OR
    • 1 lb. leftover holiday turkey, cubed; OR
    • 1 lb. of any kind of poultry or fish, cubed; OR
    • Any combination of the above
  • 1 lb. (hot) smoked sausage, andouille or chaurice, sliced on the bias; OR
  • 1 lb. diced smoked ham
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 3 – 6 cloves garlic, minced (amount to taste; I like lots)
  • 4 ribs celery, chopped
  • 3 small cans tomato paste
  • 4 large Creole tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced; OR
  • 1 28-oz. can tomatoes
  • 8 cups good dark homemade chicken stock
  • Creole seasoning blend to taste (or 2 – 3 tablespoons); OR
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teapsoon thyme
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 cups long-grain white rice, uncooked (Some people like converted rice, others prefer good old Mahatma. I use Uncle Ben’s converted, as the rice doesn’t get sticky or lumpy that way.)

Preparation

  1. In a sauté or frying pan, brown the chicken, sprinkling with Tony Chachere’s seasoning if you’ve got it; a bit of salt, black pepper and red pepper otherwise. Don’t brown if using leftover cooked bird, but you still might want to season the meat. Tear or cut the meat into bite-size pieces.
  2. Brown the sliced smoked sausage or andouille and pour off fat. In the pot, sauté the onions, garlic, peppers and celery in oil until onions begin to turn transparent.
  3. In the same pot, while you’re sautéing the “trinity”, add the tomato paste and let it pincé, meaning to let it brown a little. What we’re going for here is an additional depth of flavor by browning the tomato paste a little; the sugar in the tomato paste begins to caramelize, deepening the flavor and color. Keep it moving so that it browns but doesn’t burn. Some friends of mine hate this step, so you can skip it if you want, but then it won’t be Chuck’s jambalaya.)
  4. Once the vegetables are translucent and the tomato paste achives sort of a red mahogany color, deglaze the pan with the about 2 cups of the stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to mix up any browned bits, and stir until smooth, making sure the sautéed vegetables, paste and stock are combined thoroughly. It should be fairly thick.
  5. Add the Creole seasoning, tomatoes and salt to taste. Cook over low-medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add the meat and/or seafood and cook another 10 minutes; if you’re using seafood, be careful not to overcook it.
  6. Add the rest of the stock, check seasonings, and stir in the rice, combining thoroughly. Cook for about 20-25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is cooked through. If you haven’t checked your seasonings before adding the rice, it’s too late! It’s much better for the rice to absorb the seasonings while it’s cooking. Check seasoning anyway, then turn the heat down to low-medium and let the sauce thicken up a bit, with the pot uncovered, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients. When the jambalaya has thickened up a bit and has reached the “right” consistency (you’ll know), it’s done.

Serve with salad and French bread.

From GumboPages.com