Hi all,
Who knows good ways to do chicken? I'd love to exchange some here.

I recently saw an episode of "Jacques (Pepin) and Julia (Child) Cook at Home" on PBS and they showed the most wonderfully simple technique for making chicken - they poached it! It went like this:

Put a chicken in a pot with carrots and celery and onion/leek and a few herbs and spices (they used thyme, bay leaf, and cloves) and cover it with water, bring to a boil, and simmer it for 20 minutes (they put a steamer basket or colander on top of the chicken to make sure it stayed submerged, and didn't put the cover on).

Then add some mushrooms if you like, bring to a boil again, then turn off the heat and cover it for about an hour till the chicken is done. (yes, off the heat!) And voila! You've got chicken, stock, and vegetables for all kinds of wonderful uses: soup, a la king, whatever. I added sour cream, stock, cream, and wine to the chicken and veggies and it was yummy.

Best of all, this was so easy to do that I may start doing one of these every week. No more grocery store rotisserie with all that MSG and crap added to the skin.

Who else knows good ways with chicken?

Best Regards,

That sounds wonderful. I'll have to try it.

My favorite "method" is to:

• choose a vegetable and cut it up,
• heat some olive oil in my wok-type skillet,
• add chopped onion and saute until it is softened,
• then add cut up chicken breast and spices and cook it for a few minutes,
• then add wine and maybe some soy sauce,
• put my vegetable (broccoli, chayote, long beans, bok choy, etc.) on top,
• cover and let it cook for 5 to 10 minutes,
• then I remove the lid and cook the liquid down about half way,
• add a couple tablespoons of butter and let that thicken the sauce.

Voila', chicken a la Deb.

Sometimes I get elaborate, like when I make black bean sauce, but most of the time I keep it very simple. It's quick, easy and filling. BTW: I typically make this a single serving meal with 6 to 8 ounces of chicken.

;-Deb

I like this recipe and the technique of splitting and flattening the chicken is very adaptable. Placing sliced lemons underneath the chicken, or stuffing fresh herbs, or finely chopped bacon and garlic under the skin are all delicious.

Karen

I like this one for ease and availability. I will take a package of drumsticks and marinate them in a Italian Vinagrette for a day in the fridge. Then I put them in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook them at 450 degrees until they are done. About 45 minutes or so. They are nicely browned, juicey, flavorful and ready for whenever I need a snack for a few days.

ooh, these all sound so yummy! I look forward to trying them all. Thanks for sharing.

Deb, what is chayote?

Our favorite recipe is very simple; I like to do it in the crockpot. Just throw the chicken breasts in with a tablespoon or two of minced garlic, a couple of bay leaves, and lots of balsamic vinegar and cook. It works great in the oven too. When it's done you can reduce the liquid and pour it over the chicken. You can add cream to the sauce if you want it creamy. I love it that way with a little brown rice alongside!

Chayote is a "Mexican" squash. It's shaped kind of like pear with a deeply dimpled butt.

It has to be peeled and has a large seed in the center which you take out. It can be eaten raw, but I like it stir-fried with my chicken.

For me it was one of those weekly "new foods" that I tried and liked. So I eat them occassionally. In TSP, they are in the nonstarchy section.

;-Deb