Chicken Soup

Recipe by Ali Slagle

8 cups chicken broth
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 celery stalks, leaves reserved and stalks thinly sliced
¾ cup jasmine rice (unrinsed)
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest plus up to ½ cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 lemons)
1 small garlic clove
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (optional)

salt

In a mid-size Dutch oven, combine the broth, chicken, celery and rice. Season lightly with salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and the rice starts to break down and lose its shape, 20 to 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely chop together the parsley leaves, lemon zest, reserved celery leaves. Transfer to a small bowl, grate the garlic clove into the bowl, season with salt and stir to combine.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a medium bowl. Using two forks, shred the chicken into pieces, then stir it back into the soup. Remove from heat, stir in the butter (if using), and season to taste with salt.

Divide the soup among bowls and top with the parsley-lemon mixture. Stir in the lemon juice a little at a time until the soup is bright but still tastes like chicken. 

The soup, minus the lemon juice and parsley mixture, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days; the rice will absorb liquid as it sits, so add more chicken broth when reheating. Add the lemon juice and fresh herb garnish just before serving.

Gochujang Wings

3 lb chicken wings
1/4 cup premium dark soy sauce
1/4 cup Gochujang paste
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp minced ginger

Cut 3 pounds of chicken wings into sticks and flats. Pat dry. Toss in salt and pepper and allow to stand for 30 minutes unrefrigerated.

 
In a large bowl, whisk together ¼ cup soy sauce, ¼ cup Gochujang paste, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons honey, 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 2 tablespoons minced garlic and 1 tablespoon minced ginger.

Heat gas grill medium-high on one side and off on the other for indirect cooking.
Put the wings on the cool side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook 15 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

Add the wings add to the bowl with the sauce, and toss to coat.

Now put the wings on the hot side of the grill and cook, uncovered, turning as necessary, until they’re nicely browned on both sides.

Buffalo Wings

3 lb chicken wings

1/3 cup relatively mild hot sauce like Frank's Wings Sauce

4 tbsp melted butter

1 tbsp sherry vinegar or white vinegar

1 tbsp minced garlic

salt 

pepper

Cut 3 pounds of chicken wings into sticks and flats. Pat dry. Toss in salt and pepper and allow to stand for 30 minutes unrefrigerated.

 
In a large bowl, whisk together ⅓ cup relatively mild hot sauce, 4 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.

Heat gas grill medium-high on one side and off on the other for indirect cooking.

Put the wings on the cool side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook 15 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.

Add the wings add to the bowl with the sauce, and toss to coat.

Now put the wings on the hot side of the grill and cook, uncovered, turning as necessary, until they’re nicely browned on both sides.

Grilled Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs

1.4 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

salt

pepper

Salt and pepper both sides of chicken thighs.  

Method 1

Heat grill on highest level for 10 minutes; reduce to medium high. 

Grill thighs for 4 minutes; flip and grill for 4 minutes; flip and grill for 4 minutes;  flip and grill for 4 minutes. Remove and cover with foil for 5 minutes.

Method 2

Heat gas grill medium-high on one side and off on the other for indirect cooking.

Put the thighs on the cool side of the grill. Cover the grill and cook 10 minutes. Flip and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.

Now put the thighs on the hot side of the grill and cook, uncovered, turning as necessary, until they’re nicely browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove and cover with foil for 5 minutes.

Coq Au Vin

6 oz thick-cut bacon; 5 slices cut into 1" pieces

3-4 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs or sticks

8 oz frozen pearl onions

10 oz white mushrooms, wiped clean and quartered

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 bottle Pinot Noir

2.5 cups chicken broth

1 tsp minced fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp unsalted butter quartered

2 tbsp minced fresh parlsey

Fry bacon in a large Dutch oven until crisp. Move to a paper towel lined plate and set aside. Keep rendered fat in pan. Par to about 2 tbsp.

Pat chicken dry with paper towel and season with salt and pepper. Return the Dutch oven to medium-high heat and brown the chicken on both sides. About 5-7 minutes a side. Cook chicken in two batches if necessary. When brown, transfer to plate and set aside.

Par to about 1 tbsp of fat in Dutch oven. Add onions and mushrooms and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste and cook and 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Str in wine, broth, thyme and bay leaves and scape up any remaining bits.

Nestle the chicken, along with any juices, into the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken is tender and registers 175 degrees, about 45-60 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a serving dish and tent loosely with foil and let rest. Return sauce to a simmer until thickened and measures about 2 cups, about 20 minutes. Off the heat, remove bay leaves, whisk in butter with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve over extra-wide egg noodles. Pour sauce over chicken and noodles and sprinkle with bacon and parsley. 

Creamy Chicken Thighs with Lemon and Thyme

4 to 6 chicken thighs, skin-on and bone-in
olive oil

salt, pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1.5 cups yellow onion chopped

1.5 cups chopped leeks, white and light green part; about 2 leeks

2 teaspoons minced garlic

.5 cups chicken broth

.5 cups Pinot Grigio

.5 cups creme fraiche

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 lemon sliced in half-rounds

8 to 10 sprigs fresh thyme

Salt and pepper chicken thighs and cook in a brasier until done on stove top or in  400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Get the skin nice and brown. Set chicken aside.

Pour off excess renderings or supplement with olive oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons of fat in brasier and return to a medium heat stove top. Sauté onions and leeks for 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook cook for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and wine and simmer for 5-7 minutes. Whisk in creme fraiche, lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt and .5 teaspoon pepper.

Nestle chicken thighs into sauce in the brasier. Tuck lemon slices amongst the thighs and strew thyme sprigs on top. Roast uncovered at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Serve hot over rice. 

三杯鸡 (San Bei Ji or Three Cup Chicken)

1/3 cup Pearl River Bridge Superior Dark Soy Sauce
1/3 cup mirin or dry sherry
1tbsp brown sugar

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 2 inch pieces
2-3 inches ginger root; peeled and sliced into thin medallions
12 whole cloves garlic peeled

1/2 tsp whole dried green Sichuan Peppers (optional)
peanut oil

6 scallions 1/2” slices on bias; white and green parts separated
chili flakes to taste

1 tsp cornstarch

1 tbsp water

1 cup fresh whole basil leaves

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Wisk together soy sauce, mirin and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add chicken and setaside to marinate while preparing. 

Slowly sauté ginger and garlic in peanut oil until golden, 10 minutes. (optional - add Sichuan Peppers about 7-8 minutes into this sauté)

Add chicken and marinade to ginger and garlic. Cook 10 minutes on medium-low. 

Add white part of scallions and chili flakes, cook 10 minutes.

 

.

Wisk cornstarch and water and add to chicken; cook until thickened, 2 minutes. Stir in fresh basil leaves, green scallions and sesame oil and take off heat. Serve with jasmine rice. 

Arroz con Pollo

4 - 5 chicken thighs; with skin and bones
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 shallots; chopped
3 cloves garlic; chopped fine

2 anchovies

1/4 cup tomato paste

1 single-serve bottle white wine
10 - 30 saffron threads
3 - 5 Campari tomatoes; quartered
1/2 - 1 cup "Greek Mix" or pitted Kalamata olives

1 1/2 cups Bomba rice
3 cups hot chicken broth
salt
pepper

Heat oven to 375. Salt and pepper both sides of chicken. Add saffron threads to wine.

In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium-low. When hot, add chicken skin side down and brown uncovered until thighs no longer stick. Turn and brown for another 3 minutes. Don't over crowd Dutch oven. Remove chicken and set aside. Do not discard the oil. 

In the now seasoned Dutch oven, increase the heat to medium, cook scallions until soft; 2 minutes. Add garlic; 1 minute. Add and combine anchovies, tomatoes paste; 1 minute. Add tomatoes, olives and combine lightly; 1 minute. Deglaze pan with all the saffron-wine; simmer until moisture is reduced by half; 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook briefly; 1-2 minutes. Stir in hot chicken stock; 1 minute. Return the chicken and collected juices. Rest the chicken skin side up on the rice mixture. 

Cover and bake in oven for 25-30 minutes. At 25 minutes, check doneness of rice by sliding a spoon between the rice and the side of the pan. The rice will very slowly ooze back when it's ready. 

When ready, remove from oven; let stand cover for 5-10 minutes covered; serve.

Salt and pepper along the way as needed.   

Gus's World Famous Hot & Spicy Fried Chicken

Granny once fried chicken for dinner on a broken leg. She had it set the next day.













Never fry chicken again

Chicken Tikka Masala

sweating just looking at it. survived. amazingly long grained rice. a bit too local for me.

Cashew Chicken

My adaptations to this spectacular recipe from "the asian collection"
 

1. Use store bought paste\sauce only and don't make the nam prik pow
2. Use store bought paste\sauce and fry some of these chillies in step 2 to use in step 3.

• Only make the nam prik pow if you have no problem with creating a chemical weapon otherwise substitute store bought chilli paste or chilli garlic sauce.
• If you are intrigued by the prospect but don't want to go full terrorist, in step 2 of creating the name prik pow, the recipe has you frying the the chopped chilies. 1/2 are used in the nam prik pow and half are used in the main recipe. This weaponizes the recipe.

    
All three ways are great. I could eat this stuff daily.

Tom Kha Gai

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1/2" think strips
4" piece of fresh ginger, peeled then shaved with a vegetable peeler
10-15 cilantro stems chopped fine
1-2 stalks of lemon grass chopped fine (chop across the stalk not lengthwise)
6 kaffir lime leaves, chopped fine with kitchen shears
28 oz of coconut milk (2 large cans)
8 oz of water
6-8 red whole fresh red (or green) Thai chillies (red bird chillies if you can find them)
4 teaspoons of burnt chilli paste (nam prik pow); substitute chilli garlic sauce, chilli paste, etc.
4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 tablespoons fish sauce
steamed jasmine rice
handful of fresh coarsely chopped cilantro

Into a saucepan, add the chicken, ginger, cilantro stems , lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk and water. Bring slowly to a boil.

Add Thai chillies, chilli paste, lime juice and fish sauce. Simmer for another 10-15 minutes or until you are comfortable the chicken is done. BTW it is.

Serve in bowls as a soup with jasmine rice and garnished with fresh cilantro leaves.

Serves 3-4.

Adapted from the recipe below from "the asian collection" . Found that the amount of liquid in the original recipe is overwhelmed with 1 lb of chicken, so everything but the chicken is essentially doubled.   
 
 

Marinated Roasted Stuffed Chicken

1 roasting chicken (approx 4½ lbs)

Marinate
olive oil
2 lemons halved
Montreal chicken seasoning
salt
pepper
dried parsley
dried thyme

Stuff
2 cups of Cornbread Dressing (I hope)
2 cups Italian Sausage
1/2 onion chopped fine
olive oil
salt
pepper
dried parsley
dried thyme
dried sage

Roast
1 stick of unsalted butter
1 lemon
Montreal chicken seasoning
salt
pepper
dried parsley
dried thyme
1/2 cup of white wine

Wash and dry chicken and remove the stuff inside. Cut way any excess skin or fat around the openings. Slide you fingers between the skin and the breast meat creating some separation. Do the same thing around the thigh. Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl.

Liberally and individually coat the bird inside and out with olive oil, juice from one of the lemons, Montreal chicken seasoning, salt, pepper, dried parsley, dried thyme. Use your best judgement as to what is enough of each. Put a spent lemon inside your chicken. Cover with a paper towel and refrigerate for 4-8 hours. Rotate chicken every hour to recoat with marinade. Add more of any of the ingredients as needed.

In a medium sauce pan soften the chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat. Add two cups of bulk Italian sausage. Break-up and brown. Add salt, pepper dried parsley, dried thyme, dried sage. Drain excess fat (but not too much). Combine cornbread dressing and saute for another 5 minutes.

Remove the lemon from inside and place the chicken in a large cast iron skillet. Cut the butter into table spoon size pieces and slide between skin and the breast and thigh meat. Fill the birds cavity 90% full with sausage and cornbread dressing stuffing. Don't cram it in there. Squeeze a lemon over the brid and put the halves in the skillet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes and then pour the white wine over the bird. Bake for another hour. Remove. Tent and let rest for 10 minutes. Carve and eat.