Balsamic Chicken Drumsticks

I'm always looking for new ideas for chicken. I know chicken can be boring for many, but my Husband loves it and never gets sick of it which makes it easy for me. I go to Costco and buy many many pounds of thighs, breast, wings and our favorite, drumsticks! However, no matter how hard I try to be creative, I always end up cooking drumsticks the same way. Baked crispy or broiled Asiany. Until I read a post on my favorite blog Week of Menus. Balsamic Drumsticks?! That's different I thought. And it was! My Husband loved them!

Balsamic Drumsticks
Idea from Joanne at Week of Menus who adapted from a recipe by Giada de Laurenttis

Ingredients:
10-12 chicken drumsticks, skin on
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper for seasoning

Sauce:
1 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 garlic cloves,minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a saucepan, add all sauce ingredients together.  Whisk to combine and simmer over medium heat 15-20 minutes, until mixture is reduced by a 1/3.  It will be thick, similar in consistency to ketchup. Set aside until needed.

Chicken:
Preheat oven to 400.
On a roasting pan, with a the grilling tray on top (the tray that allows you to cook chicken and let the fat drip to the pan underneath) place chicken drumsticks in a single layer.  Drizzle chicken with a bit of olive oil and season each drumstick with salt and pepper.  Place chicken in oven, and roast for about 45 minutes, until chicken is golden.

Oven Fried Chicken

I recently bought a bunch of chicken drumsticks and I was craving some good ol' fried chicken. As I was searching online for ideas, I came across many mouth watering recipes and pictures. But I found myself just passing through the traditional "buttermilk, flour, egg, deep fried" recipes. I didn't want to turn my kitchen into a greasy mess and I'm desperately trying to eat healthy and lose some LBs. However, I had a craving, and I was determined to satisfy it.

I really wanted to use the oven as opposed to frying. So I decided to just lightly coat the drumsticks in Panko crumbs to make the chicken a little crispy and then season it a bit to give it a little flavor.

1. Preheat oven to 360
2. Coat each drumstick with melted butter
3. Roll each coated drumstick in bread crumbs
4. Place drumsticks onto the baking sheet lined with parchment paper (no stick & easy clean up)
5. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper (and any other seasoning you prefer: I like garlic powder)
6. Bake for approximately 60 minutes

I had no idea how these were going to turn out. In fact I was bracing myself for the drumsticks to turn out blah, but I was pleasantly surprised! They were lightly crispy and flavorful from the seasoning. They were even better as a cold snack the next day! That might sound weird to you, but I love cold chicken drumsticks! The best part about it, was that they were baked and not fried and clean up was a breeze. Enjoy!

Chicken Fried Rice

I had recently cleaned out my fridge because Husband and I were going to be gone for a few days. When we returned, I did not have a chance to go to the market and I had to whip up something for dinner. I had some frozen veggies and leftover rotisserie chicken, so I decided to make some chicken fried rice. Both of our moms often made fried rice when we were growing up and in our home we still look at it as comfort food. It is easy, a little greasy and you can customize it to your taste. 

It really is so simple to make. 

I start off with a little oil in a pan or wok and first saute my veggies. I first cook chopped onions with a little bit of fresh garlic.When the onions become soft, I add in the other veggies. You can use carrots, corn, peas, etc. This time I used frozen Organic Foursome from Trader Joes. I also threw in some chopped shiitake mushrooms. Yum! When the veggies are cooked, I remove from the pan onto a plate with a paper towel to drain the oil a bit. 

I then cook my meat. This time I used leftover rotisserie, but you can use beef, sausage or even tofu if you like. 

When the meat is heated, I add the veggies back in. At this time, I add in the rice. If you ask anyone who makes fried rice, almost everyone will say that "old rice" is better to use in fried rice. If it is a few days old, the rice is a little hard and it works really well with this dish. I like to push the rice towards the outter edge of the pan and let it sit there and get warm and crispy, while I mix everything else in the center. Then I add in an egg for a little extra color and flavor. Mix the egg around so you get little bits evenly distributed.

When the rice seems to be warmed, I then mix everything together. Then I add a little soysauce and a few drops of sesame oil. Then we are done!

It is so easy and you can really put in whatever you like. If you make it at home, it is considerably less greasy than buying it at a restaurant. If you use frozen veggies, there really is no prep time. It's great for when you want to whip together a quick but hearty meal.

Arroz Con Pollo

I've just recently begun to twitter (you can follow me via the link on the side) and it has actually made my life easier. I'm still learning all the tools and techniques, but after I have begun following other foodies, I am never at a loss for meal ideas. I get 20-30 recipes delivered to me daily. This one was from the Martha Stewart Show and it was pretty easy to recreate. I finally got to use my precious saffron that I had been hoarding for some time!

Arroz Con Pollo (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Serves 6 

Ingredients

1 cup dry white wine

Pinch of saffron

6 chicken thighs (6 ounces each)

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons minced garlic (2 to 3 cloves)

1 large tomato, diced

2 dried bay leaves

4 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more if needed

3 cups short-grain rice, preferably Valencia (kalustyans.com)

1 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives 

Directions

Combine wine and saffron; let stand until ready to use. Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large braiser or heavy-bottomed, straight-sided saute pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, skin side down, until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Flip, and cook until golden brown, 2 minutes; transfer to a plate.

Reduce heat to medium, and cook onion and garlic, stirring often, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add tomato, and cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Stir in wine-saffron mixture, 1 tablespoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and the bay leaves. Cook until wine is almost completely evaporated, 10 to 15 minutes. Add chicken, stock, rice, and olives; bring to a simmer.

Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, stirring halfway through, until rice is tender, about 45 minutes. (If rice is not done, add more stock, cup at a time.) Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.

Chicken Wings

I had my family over to watch the World Cup Finals last week and I wanted to have food that was hearty enough to be a meal, but easy to eat in front of the television. Also, we are all struggling to eat healthily these days, so I didn't want to make anything too salty, greasy or creamy. I know those are usually imperative qualifications for food consumed while watching sports, but I decided to give it a try. I decided on chicken wings that were baked instead of fried. I made two different kinds that I got off of Week of Menus, one of my favorite food blogs. I made the Sweet Spicy Sour Wings, recipe here, and the Garlic Ginger Honey Wings, recipe here. Both were really easy to make and both turned out really yummy. I made about 10 pounds and they went fast! On the side I had the obligatory celery and carrot sticks, but instead of a fatty and creamy blue cheese dressing, I used hummus as a dip. I also made a Soy-ccotash Salad to go along with everything.

Soy-ccotash Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
Mix boiled edamame, grilled corn, grilled chopped zuccini, grilled chopped red peppers, chopped tomatoes, chopped red onions and a sprinkle of parsley. (You can add some grilled chicken or grilled shrimp if you like)

Lemon Vinaigrette
(makes 1/2 a cup)
1 tsp of Dijon mustard
2 1/2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper
Directions: mix in a jar and shake!

Honey Dijon Chicken

I always forget about good ol' dijon mustard. It's a tasty and easy addition to any recipe. There are so many different variations of this recipe out there. But here's how I like it. Enjoy!

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dijon mustard
4 tbsp of soy sauce
pepper to taste 

Directions:
Mix everything but the chicken in a bowl
Add chicken, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour
Place the chicken in a baking dish (reserve marinade) and cover with foil
Bake in a 375F oven for 20 minutes
Remove the foil and brush on some of the marinade.
Bake uncovered until the juices run clear, about 20-30 minutes, brushing with the marinade periodically.

Baked Crispy Chicken

Chicken is not the most exciting dish, but my Husband likes it and it is leaner than other meats. So I'm always looking for new ways to make it interesting. I usually cook stove top and avoid using my oven, because like many others I use my oven as storage. I dread pulling all the pans and trays out, but tonight I wanted to cook with bone in, skin on chicken and it is tastier baked. So I dusted off my Mario Batali roasting pan which we received as a wedding present but rarely use because it weighs a ton.

I marinated 8 chicken thighs in a marinade of one cup soy sauce, one cup mirin, a tbsp of minced garlic, half an onion pureed, and a tsp of sesame oil for one hour in the fridge.

After marinating, I placed the thighs in a roasting pan and then into the oven that was preheated to 500. After about 30 minutes the skin was crispy and golden.

Korean Spicy BBQ Chicken

I'm cooking and blogging from San Francisco this weekend. When my sister first moved to LA from New York last year and decided to live a half a block away from me, I was thrilled! We had big plans for frequent dinner parties and many opportunities to cook together. Alas with our busy schedules and her new son, things did not pan out the way we imagined. Now she is up north, and here we are cooking together for the first time in a long time. 

We decided to make Korean food tonight. We both never really eat or cook spicy, but we thought we'd give it a try. The marinade is simple and the same for most Korean dishes: soy sauce, garlic, sugar, ginger, onions. The spicy comes from gochujang which is Korean hot pepper paste. We let the chicken marinate in that and we cooked the chicken in a Le Creuset on the stove. It would probably be even better on a grill, but it still turned out quite nice. Before eating we sprinkled the chicken with green onions and sesame seeds. Our mother always says presentation is key. She would have been so proud!