Stir-Fried Chicken with Cabbage

When my friend Betsy suggested this cookbook to me my first complaint was that it didn't have any pictures.  Foodies will tell you that we eat with our eyes first and I have to agree.  Pictures of the recipes was one of the main reasons I wanted to write this blog in the first place!

If you have the HTCE app it highlights one recipe a week and along with a note a picture of the recipe is sent out.  Well the picture that was sent out last week had me very intrigued!  I'm only sorry that my picture isn't as good theirs was.

Not only did this dish taste wonderful but it was quick and easy!  The best part is that other than the Napa cabbage I usually have all the other ingredients on hand.  I did use about two pounds of dark meat chicken because the cabbage was over one and a half pounds.  This was so good we will be having it again next week!  As you can see from the picture we served it over rice.

HTCE p.643
Full Recipe

Chicken Scampi

We're fans of Olive Garden's chicken scampi around here and found a recipe that recreates it nicely. After I'd made our version a couple of times, I was making Mark's Sauteed Chicken Cutlets and noticed a definite similarity.

If you want to turn the Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Wine Sauce (p. 679) into Olive Garden-style Chicken Scampi, make the following additions:

Saute 3-6 cloves minced garlic, a sliced red bell pepper (and a green if you want) and a sliced red onion either first or sort of in the sauce near the end.

Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano with the chicken stock as part of the sauce.

That's it! Same directions otherwise. Enjoy.

Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Wine Sauce

Recipe: Sauteed Chicken Cutlets with Wine Sauce
Page: HTCE p. 679
Rating: ******************

I make this frequently and my family licks their plates, scoops more sauce onto potatoes (or green beans or whatever's left on the plate) and keeps eating. It's the same method as the 1997 edition of Joy of Cooking Simple Sauteed Chicken recipe, but the ingredients vary a touch. Both cookbooks have the same basic sauteed chicken cutlets recipe, but the wine sauce recipe is where Mark shines: SO SIMPLE.

As Bridgette does, Mark calls for you to pound the chicken slightly--I just do it a touch to even out the thickest part. He calls for 1 cup of flour; you really only need about1/4-1/2 a cup. And, don't oversalt your chicken; the sauce is reduced so much that it will be too salty; just salt the chicken a touch before cooking because you can always add more later.

Incidentally, we're not sure we can taste the wine a lot. I've done this with Scotch, Reisling, whatever's on hand that's white/light in color. I think it would be just as good with chicken broth plus an herb or two (if I'm using wine, I don't bother with the herbs much--usually too busy on a weeknight).

It makes a terrific entree for a nice dinner that still only takes 1/2 an hour to make. Serve it with some mashed or roasted potatoes (you'd have to start the potatoes first), some green beans, and some bread: classy meal on a weekday that's easy to make and inexpensive!

Real Beef Stroganoff (w/turkey)

Believe it or not I used this recipe with leftover turkey last year and it was great! Just substitute the beef tenderloin for four cups of cooked diced turkey.  Perfect for post-Thanksgiving leftover turkey burn out!

I did not use tomatoes (that sounded strange) and I served it to my family over egg noodles.

HTCE p.739

Grilled or Broiled Split Chicken

I'm so glad I tried this recipe!  I usually just use whole chickens to make crockpot rotisserie chicken, but back last December I forgot to put the chicken in the crock pot and after searching HTCE came up with this solution.  The results were delicious and done in less than an hour!

Not only is this chicken beautiful to look at, but using the directions on page 692 it was surprisingly easy to do.  I cooked my bird in the oven, but we'll probably try it on the grill this fall.  I used just the basic recipe and it was tasty. Tonight I had intend to try the honey-mustard version, but after reading this post I have a whole table of options to peruse (p.642-3)....I'll let you know what I try.

HTCE p.693

Chicken Parmigiana (Variation of Sauteed Chicken Cutlets)

This recipe is exactly why I love this cookbook. One night I had two chicken breasts defrosted in the fridge and not a clue what I was going to make for dinner. I wondered if I could "wing" Chicken Parmesan but I doubted it would be good without a few guidelines. Bittman to the rescue!

The meat: In this recipe Bittman asks you to pound the chicken and usually I do, but these breasts were from super chickens and I knew that pounding them out would just destroy the meat. I also had probably much less than 1 1/2 pounds of chicken since all I had was two breasts. Instead of pounding these, I took a page from America's Test Kitchen and I completely butterflied the breasts instead. This way I had four chicken breasts total to get fried crumb goodness on. What was really amazing is that even though it was only half of a breast my husband couldn't tell that he was really getting less meat per serving.

The crumbs: Several times on cooking shows I have heard chefs say that homemade bread crumbs are the only way to go. I use to scoff at what I thought was a snobby opinion of store bought bread crumbs. Then when I made this recipe I had a ton of extra bread laying around so I decided to try to make my own. What can I say? All those chefs had been right! Compared to homemade bread crumbs store bought ones taste like sawdust! I might still buy panko crumbs, but really I think you could make these too by just pulsing your bread for less time in your food processor.

The sauce: I am so use to making this sauce I was excited to see it used in this recipe. Read a whole post about it here.

The best thing about this recipe? Dinner is done in 30 minutes and you don't have to worry about the chicken cooking totally in the frying pan because it will finish cooking in the oven. This way you can cook the breasts until they are just browned and then take them out.

I served this wonderful dish over angel hair pasta and my husband and I loved it! The homemade bread crumbs added a nice crunch that would not have been possible without them.

HTCE p.678

Classic Roast Turkey, with Gravy and Stuffing

Recipe: Classic Roast Turkey, with Gravy and Stuffing

Page: HTCE p. 697

Rating: ****

This is a perfect time of year to try out holiday recipes for next year: the weather is cold and dreary, and everyone wants comfort food. Also, recent holiday memories are still fresh in your mind. I thawed out my turkey (bought on sale at Thanksgiving) and decided to give Mark's version a test drive when there wasn't as much at stake as the big turkey-day itself.

I'm giving this 4 stars because it turned out a perfectly respectable roast bird and gravy. I didn't stuff the turkey, but otherwise followed his directions to the letter. My bird didn't take quite as long and the breast meat was a tad dry. But, the flavor was pretty good and this was a pretty easy method.

I have to say that the best turkey I've ever roasted was the America's Test Kitchen version (maybe showcased in Cook's Illustrated?) where they began the bird upside down so the legs would cook/brown, and then they flipped the bird halfway through. Tasty indeed, but my, oh my, what a pain to do. So, Mark gets kudos for turning out a decent roast turkey with classic flavors and minimal fuss.

A side note: the bottom veggies/giblets turn pretty dark brown which yields a dark brown gravy. If that's not your style, you might do like my grandmother and cook the turkey at a lower temp., covered, until the end and then let the bird brown some. I like the darker flavors, but it's not everyone's style.

Chicken Cutlets Roasted with Tomatoes

Since boneless/skinless chicken breasts are relatively good for you and they are on sale frequently, I am often looking for new and delicious things to do with them. This recipe fits that bill. I thought the flavors were great (tomato and cumin with EVOO) and my husband also agreed. We ate this over polenta and it was a really good backdrop to highlight all the flavors in the meat. Another plus is that since the oven temp is so high you can make it from start to finish in less than 30 minutes.

HTCE p.672

Simplest Whole Roast Chicken

I decided to try this recipe so we would have something for sandwiches instead of all the chemical and salt-laden meats we had been eating for lunch. Well, this was too good for sandwiches! It never made it on a slice of bread. I used the basic recipe adding a few sprigs of fresh rosemary. Easy and ready in an hour.

HTCE p. 644
Full Recipe (with lots of variations)