Zesty Parmesan Crusted Oven Fried Chicken

These chicken drumsticks looked like they were deep fried; crispy on the outside and tender and moist on the inside.  These babies were coated with parmesan coating mixture then baked crisp to perfection.    A great recipe for people who like the crispiness of deep fried chicken without all the oil or guilty feeling.   The great thing about these chicken drumsticks?  They are easy to prepare and with minimal clean up.  Prepare them, bake them and forget about them for at least an hour or so.  All you need to do afterwards is to wash the baking dish. That’s it!  How easy is that?

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This recipe has been one of my family’s favorite dinner chicken recipe for many years.  Thanks to my dearest friend, Juliet Shirey for the inspiration.   The coating was a store bought.  But, instead of using an already prepared coating from a box, I decided to make my own and I have been using it ever since.   When my family opt for something fried, I try to compensate by making them something a bit lighter than the deep fried chicken; oven fried chicken that is.  I haven’t made this in a while, so tonight is the night.

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My son, Justin anticipated the chicken with great enthusiasm and was so happy when it was finally cooked.  Look at how moist the chicken is. The meat was so tender  it literally fell off the bone when you bite it.

I hesitated cooking all the 11 pieces of chicken because I didn’t want to have leftovers, but my mistake.  Justin wanted more and I made just enough for all of us.  So, I ended up cooking the other five pieces and I was quite surprised when my son waited for an hour and a half minutes (the chicken drumsticks were larger than the first batch) to have his seconds without any complaints.

Ingredients:

• 6 – 11 pieces of chicken drumsticks, chicken wings, or thighs**
• 1 1/2 cup unbromated, unbleached white flour
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons Weber Zesty Lemon Seasoning
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons regular paprika or smoked paprika (optional)
• salt
• extra virgin olive oil

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Preparation Methods:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• For easy cleanup, combine flour, parmesan cheese, zesty lemon seasoning, paprika, and black pepper in a large Ziploc bag.  Shake to incorporate. Set aside.
• Wash the chicken thoroughly.   Lightly season with kosher salt then add two pieces of chicken at a time to the flour mixture in the Ziploc bag.
• Coat well with the flour mixture then place in a glass baking dish lightly coated with Pam’s “grilling” oil spray.
• Drizzle each chicken with olive oil.
• Bake for one hour and twenty minutes or to your desired crispiness depending on your oven.
•  Serve with ketchup as dipping sauce. Believe me, ketchup is a very good complement for the oven fried chicken. Simple but great and tasty combination.  Just try it. 🙂

**Note:   Chicken wings cook faster than the drumsticks and thighs.  Please adjust cooking time accordingly. You can double or triple the recipe called for a larger crowd.    Bon Appetit!

VARIATIONS:

You can add chopped, fresh or dried rosemary in the flour mixture or garlic powder.

©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013-2014)   Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.

Super Fast and Easy Pumpkin Soup

If you want an emergency soup or different pumpkin soup other than the classic soup made with heavy cream, this is it!  The fastest, easy, and delicious pumpkin soup.  I promise.

My son, Justin wasn’t able to go to school yesterday because he had an episode of severe stomach pain.  I took him to his doctor and we were there until after lunch time.  Justin repeatedly reminded me that he was famished.  Since we live nearby the hospital, I took him home instead of dining out.  Unfortunately, all he wanted to eat was soup…and fast because he was starving (he didn’t eat breakfast because he refused to eat).  Just my luck, I ran out of his favorite noodles.  The only thing I had was cream of chicken soup that I was going to use for the recipe I came up with.  I looked at it for a moment and asked myself, how can I make this soup a little healthier without Justin chewing anything except sip?  As I searched in my pantry, I saw the canned pureed pumpkins and I thought perfect!  Wait!  Chicken soup with pumpkin?  Why not?  The cream of chicken alone was flavorful enough, but I wanted to add some fiber.  Justin loves broccoli, but not today.  I asked him if he wanted pureed pumpkins added in the soup.  A quick, repeated nod ensued.  But just in case, I warned it might be too thick for his tastes (it wasn’t too thick or too thin.  It was perfect).  Well, he only wanted soup; thick or thin it didn’t matter.   The result?  Well, Justin said “I don’t just like it, I love it, mom!  Ah, so good! Thanks, mom!”

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10-3/4 oz.) 98% Fat-free cream of chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom spice
• 2 cans of water (using the empty cream of chicken soup can)
• 1 cup of canned or homemade pureed pumpkin or butternut squash
• 1-1/2 teaspoons chicken bouillon (adjust according to your taste)

Garnish:

• a dab of sour cream
• breadcrumbs ( I used the leftover bread crumbs from making the Pandesal)
• shredded (not grated) Parmesan cheese
• green onions ( see note)*

Preparation Methods:

• Empty can of chicken soup and add into a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add water, cardamom spice, chicken bouillon, and pumpkin.  Whisk until well mixed.  Bring it to a boil.  Turn off heat.
• Scoop the soup into a bowl.
• Garnish with sour cream, breadcrumbs, shredded Parmesan cheese and green onions.

…and slurp its goodness.  Mmm…delicious!

For the leftover pumpkin, save it for breakfast or lunch.  You can get the recipe here.

*Note:  For adults, the green onions are delicious addition to the soup.  It’s a must!  Trust me, try scooping a pumpkin soup with all the recommended garnishes and you are in for a treat.  Seriously!  The combinations are so good you would want to keep adding all the garnishes listed in the recipe until you finish the soup.  That’s what my son, Justin and I did.  Well, I made him try it at first and he liked it so much, he actually savored the soup. The oohs and aahs were endless.  🙂  

Chicken Curry, My Way

I was originally making chicken adobo for our dinner tonight.  I even sauteed the garlic and onions and add the chicken, but then I don’t know what came over me.  I started sprinkling curry powder on the chicken.  Well, I said okay since I rarely make chicken curry anyway.  It would be a nice change.  I went ahead and made it-my way.

When making a curry dish, I don’t like the chicken swimming in very thick sauce.  It’s overwhelming for me.  I want it to be subtle, but just enough to  live up to its name.

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I didn’t plan on blogging this dish, but I took some pictures anyway after everything were added in the skillet just in case.  Well, it turned out succulent and delicious. I couldn’t help but  share.  🙂   I didn’t have any fresh ginger, so I substituted ground ginger and it came out just as delicious and my family enjoyed it so much they asked for seconds.  🙂

Prepare the ingredients.

Ingredients:

• 15 Chicken drumsticks (not pictured)
• 5.5 oz. can coconut milk, separate 1/4 cup
• 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/4 cup diced onions
• 3 Tablespoons curry powder, divided
• 3 dry bay leaves
• 1 Tablespoon chicken bouillon (not pictured)
• ground ginger (according to your taste)
• Weber roasted garlic seasoning
• salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 baby red bell peppers (not pictured/optional)
• 3 sprigs green onions, cut in tiny pieces  (optional)
• cilantro for garnish

Preparation Methods:

Heat a skillet with a lid over low heat and add oil when hot.  Add garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent.  Add the chicken drumsticks and sprinkle  with 2 Tablespoons curry powder and season with black pepper, roasted garlic seasoning, chicken bouillon and ground ginger. Cook until slightly brown. Turn on the other side and cook until just slightly brown. Add the coconut milk and bay leaves.

Cover and simmer for 10 minutes before turning them to the other side.  Sprinkle with the remaining curry powder and salt to taste.

Simmer again and cook until the chicken is tender about 15-20 minutes.*  Remember we are cooking in low heat.*  I did this to achieve moist and tender chicken.   If you are using frozen chicken, make sure the chicken is completely thawed before cooking.   Mix the 1/4 cup coconut and 1 tablespoon flour and add to the chicken 5 minutes before end of cooking time.  Stir until well incorporated.  Add the bell peppers 2-3 minutes before end of cooking time.  Cover to let steam cook the peppers.  Garnish with cilantro and green onions.

Serve warm over steamed Basmati rice…

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Or quinoa, my fave. 🙂  Enjoy!

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Update:  November 23, 2013

Variations:

I cooked this chicken curry in a crock pot and served it at a gathering about a week ago.  Oh, my goodness!   It was very tasty and everyone loved it.  The chicken simmered in curry sauce for 3 to 4 hours made it more succulent and flavorful.  I doubled the recipe to serve about 10 to  15 people.  Just follow the instructions above, but do not cook the chicken all the way.  Transfer the seared chicken to a crock pot and cook at low setting for 3 to 4 hours.  Add the red bell peppers 10 minutes before end of cooking time.  Add the cilantro just before serving  and serve an extra cilantro leaves on the side for the guest to eat it with the chicken.  Mama Mia!  It was absolutely delicious!

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*Note:  Cooking time may vary depending on the type of stove you are using. 

©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013)   Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.

Super Easy Savory Chicken Triangles Two Ways

Two ways as in pan-fried and baked that is.  🙂

My children had been snacking right when they come home from school.  My youngest school lunch hour is at 10:30 a.m. and he doesn’t get home until late in the afternoon.  So, for a five year old who has a voracious appetite, more than five hours without food are like torture.  He would always asks for something to eat right when he gets home.  So, I have to come up with healthy recipes for them.  Some days they will have fruits, cheese, and crackers platter and some days they will have yogurt and smoothies.

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I wanted to make something else for them.  I came across an old recipe I created about a decade ago.  The original recipe is made with adobo sauce, but I didn’t have all the ingredients.  I called it Adobo Dumplings.  I ended up using Yoshida’s marinade and cooking sauce instead.  This recipe is super easy and delicious and again presentable enough to serve at elegant parties or gatherings.  These were my children’s snack and my husband’s dinner appetizer.  The rest is history.  🙂

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I tried experimenting by pan-frying and baking some of them.  See photo above.  The ones on the left were pan-fried and the ones on the right were baked.  Although the baked ones are healthier, I like the pan-fried ones best.  However, my children liked them all. 🙂

Prepare the ingredients:

Ingredients:

• 3 deboned and skinless chicken thighs or breast, cut in tiny pieces.
• Won ton wrappers
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Yoshida sweet and savory gourmet sauce
• Sweet chili sauce for dipping
• olive oil

*Note:  If you are using 3 pieces of chicken breasts, add about 1/8 cup of the savory sauce. 

Preparation Methods:

Heat skillet over medium heat and coat with olive oil when hot.  Add the chicken.  Stir-fry until slightly brown.

Add the savory sauce. Stir to combine.

Cover and let cook for about 3 minutes*

Add the flour.  Stir until sauce thickens and caramelized.

Transfer into a bowl.  Let cool completely.  Clean your working station and line with Saran wrap.  Working one at a time, lay one won ton wrapper and fill with one teaspoon cooked chicken.

Brush the edges of the wrapper with water.

Fold or gather the ends facing toward you to form a triangle.  Seal by pressing the edges with your fingers first.

Then press down with a fork to completely seal it.

Done.   Repeat  the process with the remaining chicken.

If you prefer it baked, line the baking tray with wax paper.  Place the chicken triangles and brush with olive oil each sides.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese or with your favorite cheese.

Baked at 400 degrees for 7-10 minutes.*  You need to watch them for they easily turn brown.

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If you prefer pan-fried, heat a non-stick skillet and coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Pan-fry the chicken triangles until they turned brown.

Add a small amount of water and let it cook until the edges are a bit soft and water dissipates.  Don’t put too much water if you want to have crunchy and tender chicken triangles.

Mmm…looks so appetizing! 🙂

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This is one of the baked chicken triangles.  Dip or scoop a small amount of sauce.  Now, take a bite or devour. 🙂

*Note:  Due to variations on all oven, cooking time may require adjustments. 

Chicken Surprise

Oh…my…goodness!  What did I just come up with?  I was so overjoyed with the result of this dish.  I was having a second thought creating what I had in mind. I was afraid it might taste strange when I mixed some flavors together.  Well, I proceeded anyway.  And, I was glad I did.   I mean look at this dish!  Another meal you can be proud of serving to your guests.  And, the best part of it is, it’s really easy to make.

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Let me tell you the story.  I was in the kitchen thinking what would happened if I combined lemon, garlic and herbs, lemon juice, black pepper, and barbecue seasoning together . After I sprinkled the chicken with the seasoning, it looked like cow’s food.  It was depressing.  But, when the chicken was cooked…oh…the taste…holy guacamole!  The chicken was succulent and so tasty!  My son kept complimenting how good the chicken was.

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Let’s create it together.  Shall we?

*Note:  Depending on the heat of your stove, cooking time may require adjustments.

Ingredients:

• 8 pieces of deboned, skinless , and butterflied chicken thighs
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• McCormick Barbecue seasoning
• Weber Zesty Lemon seasoning
• McCormick Garlic and herbs seasoning
• Black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Olive oil

Line a plate with a piece of paper towel.  Set aside.  Wash chicken thoroughly and place the chicken on the plate with paper towel.  It will help absorb the excess liquid.   Generously, sprinkle both sides of each chicken thighs with the three seasonings.  Set aside.  Heat a skillet with a lid over medium-high heat and coat with oil when hot.  Add the chicken and cook until brown.  Turn over to the other side.  Cover and cook for 5- 6 minutes. *

The chicken will sweat and creates its own sauce.  Remove the lid.  Squeezed the lemon over chicken.  Do not cover.  Let cook until the sauce thickens, turning the chicken over more than once.

Once the sauce thickens, turn heat to low.  Let the sauce caramelized.  Then, coat the chicken with its own sauce by turning it once or twice.

Serve in an elegant serving dish or simply on a plate over rice or couscous or mashed potato with salad or green beans.  Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon slices.  Enjoy!

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Mouth-watering Skillet Barbecue Chicken

We have moved many times the past few years.  Every time we move, we either throw or give some of our belongings away because we couldn’t haul all our stuff.  The biggest storage you can get  is 10′ x 10′ and you’re fortunate if one is available when you need it.  If you have a three bedroom home,  where are you going to put all your belongings?  Besides, it’s quite expensive to rent a storage space.  That’s what happened to our barbecue grill.  We had to give it away when we moved because there wasn’t any room left in the storage.  My husband did not care to keep it because it was old, but I would have still keep it.

We haven’t eaten barbecue food in a while and I wanted to cook some barbecue chicken or steak for my family. I normally check in the fridge for fresh herbs or look in my spice rack before I prepare a meal.  As soon as I find what I’m looking for, every thing just flows together.  I know exactly what to prepare to complement the entree.

Well, who says you can’t have barbecue unless you have a grill?   I tried this barbecue chicken in a skillet the other night and I had an unbelievable compliments from my family.  My youngest said that it was an awesome chicken!  My hubby said, the chicken was excellent. It was very moist, tender and tasty.  And the couscous with strawberry-mango salsa complemented the chicken very well.  They all finished everything that was on their plates.  My youngest doesn’t like couscous, but he ate all the couscous and he asked if he could have more chicken. We had no leftovers.  Well, need I say more?

Ingredients:

• 8 pieces chicken thighs, skin on, deboned, and butterflied
• Weber Gourmet Burger seasoning
• Weber Roasted garlic and herb seasoning
• McCormick Barbecue dry rub
• Sweet baby Rays barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat and coat with olive oil when hot.
2. Sprinkle and rub chicken with barbecue, garlic and herb, and burger seasonings. Do the same on the other side.
3. Add the chicken to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes.  Flip to the other side and let cook for 6 minutes.
4. Flip again and cook for 3 minutes.
5. Brush the chicken with Sweet Baby Rays barbecue sauce.  Keep turning after 1 minute each side.
6. Turn heat to low at this point and cook for another minute each side.  Set aside.
7. Prepare the couscous.

Couscous with Strawberry-mango salsa

Ingredients:

• 1 box(5.08 oz.) Near East Couscous with roasted garlic and olive oil plus the ingredients written on the box
• 5 small strawberries; diced
• 1/2 cup of diced mango
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup plum tomatoes; seeded and diced
• 1/4 cup of diced red onions
• black pepper to taste
• juice of 1 lime plus  a slice of lime for garnish

Directions:

• Follow the cooking directions on the box to cook the couscous.

• Add the mango, cilantro, strawberries, tomatoes, red onions  and black pepper to the cooked couscous.

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• Mix until all ingredients are well combined.

• Serve with the barbecue chicken. Garnish with lime.

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©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013)   Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.

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Sesame-Soy Chicken

You won’t believe how easy this chicken dish is, but yet so delicious and tender and juicy.  All you have to do is make the marinade, add the chicken, marinate it, and— voila—you have something for dinner.  This recipe will come in handy for busy people, especially for busy moms like me.  When you are too busy to cook, you want something simple and easy.  Sometimes, I don’t like to spend hours in the kitchen, especially when I am too tired to cook.

I remember when I used to live in Hawaii, a former co-worker brought this delicious short ribs.   She didn’t give me the entire recipe, but she did mention she marinated it with Sesame oil and soy sauce.  Thus, this recipe is created. You can make it in the morning or the night before and leave it in the fridge until it’s time for dinner.  You can make a side dish while the chicken is simmering. It will be ready by the time the chicken is done.

Sorry, but I didn’t have much time and my family were hungry, so this is the only picture I have. You might want to add this to your recipe collections because this dish really is very simple and delicious.

My children don’t like spicy food, so I made it without the chili sauce, but you can add it if you prefer.  This chicken recipe is also great on the grill.

Ingredients:

• 8 pcs. chicken thighs, skin on, deboned, and butterflied
• ½ cup Sesame oil
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 4 stalks of green onions, cut about 2 inches long
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 (thumb size) ginger, peeled and pounded
• 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. paprika (smoke flavor is even better)
  
• 1 tsp.  ground black pepper
• 4 tbsp. Olive oil
• 1 lime
• 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (optional)

Instructions:

• Make the marinade by combining Sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, onions, paprika, sweet chili sauce, and garlic in a large plastic container with a lid. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
• Add the chicken and marinate for 5 hours or overnight making sure all chicken is marinated evenly.
• Heat a skillet with a lid over medium heat and add oil when hot.
• Add the chicken directly from the marinade to the skillet.  Discard the marinade.
• Cover the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Turn the chicken over to the other side. Cover and let cook. Do not open the lid.

• The chicken will sweat, thus creates the sauce.  Let it simmer in its own juice.
• Keep turning the chicken leaving it alone for about 5 minutes each side. Cover and let cook until sauce thickens a bit.
• Turn the heat to low at this point. Keep turning the chicken over until the chicken is coated with the thick sauce like you see in the picture.
• Squeeze lime over chicken before serving.  Serve warm over rice.

Note:  The cooking process varies depending on your stove.  Do not attempt to cook the chicken over high heat, you will not get the same outcome as you see in the picture. It will burn too quickly before the chicken is cooked and there will be no sauce to coat the chicken. 

Chicken Bites with Purple Potato Chips

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I seldom take my children to a fast food chain restaurant, but when they want chicken nuggets, I take them there.   However, four pieces of chicken nuggets really won’t fill them up and they are hungry again after an hour.   So, I decided to make it at home. As I was cooking them, my family couldn’t stop popping the cooked chicken in their mouths.   These chicken bites were  so good my children begged me to make them again as well as the purple potato. Nothing beats homemade.

Ingredients:

• 4 halves chicken breast; cut into bite sizes
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon and pepper seasoning
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/8 cup lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 medium purple potato, thinly sliced
• vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

1. Combine all purpose flour, cornstarch, lemon and pepper seasoning, and shredded parmesan cheese in a large Ziploc bag and mix well.  Set aside.
2. Combine lemon juice, salt, and buttermilk in a separate medium bowl.
3. Add the chicken in the buttermilk mixture and marinate for at least 3o minutes in the fridge. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
4. Meanwhile, heat the deep pan with oil over medium heat.
5. Fry the purple potato until golden brown.  Removed and place on a plate lined with paper towel to drain excess oil.
6. Remove the chicken from the fridge.  Take about three to four pieces of chicken from the marinade and place in the Ziploc bag with the flour mixture. Close to secure the bag then shake it for 10 seconds making sure the chicken is well-coated with the flour mixture.
7. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
8. Carefully, put the chicken in batches in oil and fry until the chicken is golden brown.
9. Remove the chicken and place them in a bowl lined with paper towel to  drain any excess oil.
10. Arrange the chicken bites and potato chips on a plate lined with wax paper(optional) and serve with ketchup.

Enjoy!

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©annascuisine.wordpress.com (2013)   Unauthorized use and/or duplication of material herein without expressed and written consent from this blog’s author, Annabelle Bedell, is strictly and completely prohibited.

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