Cook Like James

Easy Crispy Chicken Taco Nuggets

These spicy little chicken tenders are quick and easy to make and a perfect party appetizer. You can save a little time by using store bought taco seasoning, but it's worth making up a batch of the homemade.

Easy Crispy Chicken Taco Nuggets 

Download Easy Crispy Chicken Taco Nuggets recipe

2 cups crushed Santitas Corn Chips

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

6 chicken breast fillets or boneless thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes,

1/3 cup butter, melted

3 tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning - recipe below (or you can use a store bought packet)

½ cup flour

Salt and pepper

1.  Adjust rack to middle position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and spray rack with cooking spray.  

3.  Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper; set aside.

4.  Mix flour with taco seasoning in a small bowl and side aside. Spread the crushed chips in a shallow dish. Beat together the egg and milk in a shallow bowl.

5. Dredge chicken pieces in flour mixture, then dip chicken the egg mixture and then roll in the chips to coat each piece. Place the chicken nuggets on a prepared wire rack and drizzle with melted butter. Bake until crispy and dark golden – about 18 to 20 minutes for chicken breasts pieces, 30-35 for thighs.

6. Serve with a dipping sauce (mix your favorite salsa with sour cream)

Homemade Taco Seasoning

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 ½ tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 ½ teaspoons onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

½ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a bowl, and mix well to blend.  Store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Baked Apricot-Orange Chicken with Almonds

Baked Apricot-Orange Chicken with Almonds

Boneless chicken breasts are pretty common for dinner but can get a bit boring. I’m always looking for new ways to prepare them and this apricot version is a nice change of pace. I like to serve the chicken with green beans and brown rice.

Download Baked Apricot Orange Chicken recipe

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), trimmed and patted dry with paper towels

Salt and pepper

2/3 cup apricot preserves

½ cup dried chopped apricots

½ cup orange juice

4 tablespoons honey

3 teaspoons cider vinegar

3 teaspoons soy sauce

1 ½ teaspoon curry powder

½-1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

4 tablespoons sliced almonds

1.     Adjust an oven rack to the upper position and heat the oven to 450 degrees. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper. Lightly spray a baking dish with vegetable oil spray and place chicken breasts in dish.

2.    Whisk the apricot preserves, dried apricots, orange juice, honey, vinegar, soy sauce, curry powder, and Tabasco together in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer, whisking often, until the mixture has thickened, 8 to 10 minutes.

3.    Quickly stir together the cornstarch in the water to dissolve, then whisk into the honey mixture until combined and thickened slightly. Pour the apricot sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the almonds. Bake until the chicken registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 18 to 22 minutes.

 

Savory Chicken Mushroom Vol-Au-Vent

 

I first had this dish when I was about 11 years old and thought it seemed so fancy.  It’s basically just a more elegant version of chicken pot pie, but it does make an impressive entrée. Vol-au-vent (French for “flying in the wind” to describe its lightness) is a small hollow case or box of puff pastry. Round is the traditional shape for vol-au-vent, but you can make any shape you like. (Or buy the premade shells from Pepperidge Farm.)

Serves 8   Download Chicken vol-au-vent recipe

2 sheets puff pastry {13”x9”}, purchased (Dufour if you can find it) or homemade

1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

16 white mushrooms, stems trimmed flat, quartered

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

3 ½ cups chicken stock

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

18 pearl onions, trimmed and peeled

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons heavy cream

2 tablespoons chopped chervil

 1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Cut chicken into 1” pieces. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until the foam subsides. Brown the chicken lightly on both sides, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the chicken to medium saucepan.

2. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan. When the butter begins to brown add the mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the mushrooms are lightly golden, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine, thyme, scraping up any browned bits off the skillet bottom; turn the heat to high, bring to a simmer, and cook until reduced by about half, 2-3 minutes.  Pour the mushrooms over the chicken.

3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and return to medium heat until melted. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until incorporated, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and bring to simmer, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1-2 minutes.

4. Add the onions to the pan and simmer for 10 minutes until they are tender.

5. Stir in the Dijon mustard and cream, add chicken and mushroom mixture; season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a quick boil and turn off the heat. Up to this point, the filling can be made up to two days in advance and then re-warmed to serve. 

To make the vol-au-vents:

1. Use a sharp knife to cut each sheet of the chilled puff pastry into 8 equal rectangles, about 4 1/2” x 3”. Cut a smaller rectangle out of the center of 8 rectangles, leaving a 1/2 inch border all around so it looks like a picture frame. 

2.  Line up the 8 uncut rectangles on a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Place the rectangles cut from the centers alongside. Brush them lightly with egg wash.

3. Place the “pictures frames” on top of the egg washed large rectangles, lining up the outside edges. Brush the picture frame lightly with egg wash. Use a fork to prick the center of the frame well. This will keep the center from over puffing and allow the sides of the box to rise above. Chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the chilled vol-au-vent directly into the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the dough starts to puff and turn golden. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue to bake 10 to 15 minutes until very golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and press down the centers of the vol-au-vent and place on individual serving plates.

5. Fold the chopped chervil into the filling and spoon into the center of the vol-au-vents. Top with the puffed center rectangles and serve.

 

 

 
 

Traditional Chicken Kiev

 I was recently in St Petersburg Russia and had a great lunch at Tsar Restaurant (note: avoid bottled water, each one cost $25). I decided to try the Chicken Kiev, which was pretty common on the restaurant menus in St. Petersburg, and it seemed so “Russian” (though I later discovered that it’s not).  Chicken Kiev is actually French in origin. Russian aristocracy became very interested in French cuisine in the 1700s and they would send their Russian chefs to France to train or bring French chefs into Russia. A French chef called Nicolas Francois Appert invented Chicken Kiev in the early 1800s.. Appert's invention became famous and Russian chefs tried to imitate Chicken Kiev, calling the dish "cotelettes de volaille" instead of Chicken Kiev. Early restaurants in New York City changed the name back to Chicken Kiev, in an attempt to attract the new Russian immigrants and this name stuck. Traditionally, it is deep fried in oil, but I found a recipe from America’s Test Kitchen that achieves the same crisp coating without the frying.

 

Download Traditional Chicken Kiev recipe

Herb Butter

8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened

1tablespoon minced shallot

1tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon leaves

1tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3/8 teaspoon table salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

 

Chicken

4 – 5 slices white sandwich bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (7 to 8 ounces each), tenderloins removed

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

 

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the Herb Butter: Mix butter, shallot, herbs, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in medium bowl with rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Form into 3-inch square on plastic wrap; wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

 

2. For the Chicken: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 300 degrees. Add half of bread cubes to food processor and pulse until cubes are coarsely ground, about sixteen 1-second pulses. Transfer crumbs to large bowl and repeat with remaining bread cubes (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Add 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper to bread crumbs. Add oil and toss until crumbs are evenly coated. Spread crumbs on rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown and dry, about 25 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. Let cool to room temperature (you should have about 2 1/2 cups bread crumbs).

 

3. Prepare cutlets: Starting on thinnest side, butterfly breast by slicing lengthwise almost in half. Open breast up to create a single, flat cutlet. With cutlet between sheets of plastic wrap, pound (starting at center) to 1/4-inch thickness. Pound the outer perimeter to 1/8 inch.

 

4. Unwrap butter and cut into 4 rectangular pieces. Place chicken breast cut side up on work surface; season both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 piece of butter in center of bottom half of breast. Roll bottom edge of chicken over butter, then fold in sides and continue rolling to form neat, tight package, pressing on seam to seal. Repeat with remaining butter and chicken. Refrigerate chicken, uncovered, to allow edges to seal, about 1 hour.

 

4. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate pie plates or shallow dishes. Season flour with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper; season bread crumbs with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add mustard to eggs and whisk to combine. Dredge 1 chicken breast in flour, shaking off excess, then coat with egg mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Coat all sides of chicken breast with bread crumbs, pressing gently so that crumbs adhere. Place on wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet. Repeat flouring and breading of remaining chicken breasts.

 

5. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chicken (from top) registers 160 degrees, 40 to 45 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes on wire rack before serving.

Tsar Restaurant, St. Petersburg - 

http://www.tsar-project.ru/

 

Easy Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

 

I love the bold flavors in recipes like this – it’s such a refreshing change from parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. The turmeric in the curry powder gives the chicken its distinctive yellow color.  One of my favorite Thai restaurants  in Los Angeles– Chan Dara – serves theirs with a  cucumber salsa.

 

Marinade:

1 cup plain yogurt

1 ½ teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into strips

15-20 wooden skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes

Vegetable oil, for grilling

Boston lettuce leaves for garnish

Fresh cilantro leaves

 

1. Combine the yogurt, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in a shallow mixing bowl, stir to combine. Place the chicken strips in the yogurt marinade and gently toss until well coated. Cover and let the chicken marinate in the refrigerator for at up to 2 hours.

 

Peanut Dipping Sauce

 

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter 

4-6 tablespoons hot water 

1 tablespoon soy sauce 

2-3 tablespoons lime juice from 1 lime

2 tablespoons Asian chili sauce like Sriracha or use Sambal (much spicier)

1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar 

1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon) 

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves 

2 scallions white and green parts, sliced thin  

1/4 cup chopped peanuts, for garnish

 

1. Whisk the peanut butter and ¼ cup hot water together in a medium bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Add additional water if need to adjust consistency. Transfer to a small serving bowl and garnish with the chopped peanuts. Serve with chicken satay.

 

To Make Chicken Satay:

 

1. Thread the coated chicken strips onto the soaked skewers working the skewer in and out of the meat, down the middle of the piece, so that it stays in place during grilling.

 

2. Place a grill pan over medium heat and brush it with oil to prevent the meat from sticking. When pan is hot, grill the chicken satays for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until nicely seared and cooked through. Serve the satays on a platter lined with lettuce leaves and cilantro; accompanied by a small bowl of peanut sauce on the side.