Sweet and Sassy Chicken

Sweet is a nice word. It makes you think of nice things. Sour is not as nice a word. It makes you want to clench your jaw and pucker. And sassy is a kind of naughty word. It makes you giggle.

Black Bean Maque Choux with Cajun Chicken

Maque Choux, pronounced “mock shoe”, is traditionally thought to have come to us through the courtesy of the original French Acadians who migrated from Canada to Louisiana and the Caddo Nation Native Americans who introduced them to corn. I’m just grateful that someone had the good sense to invent this dish!

Coconut Curry Chicken

Sometimes, when developing a recipe, I’ll begin with the idea of what I would like the dish to become. In this case I knew I wanted the essences of curry and coconut. Now comes the fun part; I get to smell all kinds of wonderful things! I started by sniffing some shredded coconut that I keep on hand for making granola.

Chicken Puff Pie

When I was growing up, chicken and other pot pies were not a homemade meal. Instead they came from companies like Swanson® and Banquet® to be served when mom didn’t have time to make dinner. But somehow, since that time, pot pies moved out of the frozen dinner category and into the realm of comfort food.

Parmesan Crunch Chicken Breast

Boneless, skinless chicken is convenient, healthy, fast cooking and adaptable to a wide variety of uses. The problem is that much of the chicken character is missing because the bone and skin are well, “less”. So, when we prepare these healthier alternatives to their intact relatives, we have to add some sparkle and pizzazz.

Chicken Cutlets with Mushroom Sauce and Wilted Spinach

Chicken simply seasoned, lightly floured and sautéed until crisp? Heaven! Anything with mushrooms, seriously, I love that! I grew up watching Popeye the Sailor and always ate my spinach and still do – as often as I can!

Deep Dish Chicken Enchiladas Montadas

Enchiladas Montadas is a stacked variation of the popular rolled enchilada, served like a multi-layered, non-crispy tostada. My version just happens to be layered inside an individual serving size soufflé dish to keep all of the assembled ingredients bubbling together. A little bit like a pot pie.

Roasted Garlic Roasted Breast of Chicken

I like perfectly roasted food. Meats of all types taste like they should. Vegetables, especially root vegetables, become stars in their own right. And any excuse to cook with or otherwise consume Roasted Garlic is a noble and virtuous thing! The taste is amazing, and not nearly common enough, which I suppose is what keeps us from getting bored but who could get bored with that! So saying “roasted”, twice in the name of this recipe is not a typo.

I Got the Chicken Cordon Bleu(s)

I don’t usually use this space to describe a dish to this extent, but since Chicken Cordon Bleu is often considered pedestrian, I want to entice you to try this one. From this dish’s humble Swiss schnitzel beginnings, came a rise in popularity in the late 1950’s, advancing to stardom in the 60’s. A period when the term “blue ribbon” meant the tops! Typically a cutlet topped with a slice each of ham and Swiss cheese then folded, breaded and fried, we’ve seen many variations on this theme.

Pollo Pepperazzi

Braising is magical! This cooking method, whether fast or slow always imparts terrific flavors. When roasting or grilling chicken parts and pieces I usually recommend leaving them as intact as possible and always end up with juicy results. But occasionally, and it’s always recipe dependent, I do like to separate the meat from the bone. Sometimes it’s purely esthetic, but in this case it is all about even cooking during our first few steps as we build up the layers of flavor that will contribute to the braising liquid.

Mrs. Powell’s Dumplings & Chicken

Mrs. Powell rented rooms from my Grandmother in Chicago when I was a little kid. Grandma Bess lived in what had previously been the home of the Mayor of Morgan Park, before the city of Chicago absorbed the once posh suburb. It was a big house with front and back parlors, a huge dining room and several floors of enormous bedrooms with sitting rooms. It had to be big; it was the house in which my dad and his four brothers, in ages spanning over twenty years, grew up. It was also the house in which she lived until she died. After my grandfather died and all of the boys left home, Grandma Bess took in boarders and Mrs. Powell, who I think was in her nineties then, was there as far back as I can remember.

Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels

These are incredibly easy to make for a party buffet. Pinwheels are everywhere! You will surely see them on just about every catering menu, but why buy someone else’s creation when you can make your own in just minutes?  Start with some of the treats you already enjoy in another form and just transfer them to a pinwheel arrangement.

Braised Chicken Paprikash

This has been a favorite around our house for decades. I’m not sayin’ how many decades, but just using that word should be enough to tell you that it’s been a long, long time.

Chicken with Fresh Morel Mushrooms

Chicken with Fresh Morel Mushrooms, Pine Nut Polenta and Sauteed Brussels Sprouts

Here in Michigan, foraging for Morel Mushrooms can be all consuming for fans of this wild prize. A warm March gets the blood lust going and by April and mid-to-late May, talk of the hunt for the curly headed little marvels can rival even deer hunting fever. The Morel, like its snooty, upper-crust cousin the Truffle, has an earthy taste that doesn’t suit every palette. But since the Morel presents itself to the world by standing tall where it grows and not requiring trained pigs to locate it, they do give more folks the opportunity to learn to love them.

Bourbonator Chicken

Cajun food makes me happy. Okay any food that I find delicious makes me happy but, when food triggers good feelings from past experiences, I get really happy.

Food memories, for me, are not always connected with a specific dish. Often just a combination of spices or flavors will remind me simply of a place or a time that has nothing to do with the dish I’m eating. When I eat any food that makes me think of New Orleans, I immediately think of my very first “fine dining” experience, at the Commander’s Palace. I was twelve years old and I realized then, as I ate Turtle Soup and shared Floating Island with my parents, that I was gonna like good food.

Spicy Bolivian Chicken

Slightly sweet with a little bit of fire, just like a Gaucho. Well not really just like a Gaucho because cowboys don’t taste like peanut butter. You probably have most if not all of the fixin’s for this quick, simple dish at home now. It will probably become a go to favorite for last minute family dinners.

Braised Chicken Finocchio (Fennel)

Chicken Finoccio with Fluffy, Lumpy Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Kale

Finocchio (Florentine Fennel) is a seriously overlooked vegetable in most American homes, that’s probably just because most Americans only relate the Anise flavor it has to desserts, candy, and certain potent libations. But this aromatic Fennel bulb is available in every supermarket produce department across the country. Cooking mellows the flavor, but it’s still readily identifiable, so start using Fennel with this recipe and you’re sure to begin searching out other ways to incorporate the subtle essence.

Chicken Cacciatore

 
This wonderful chicken dish is a big favorite at our dinner table the year 'round! The tender chicken bathes in an intensely flavored tomato base filled with firm mushrooms and tender red bell pepper that is absolutely delicious! Side this dish with a green salad, and pasta or polenta for a satisfying meal everyone will love.