Easy no-fail roast chicken

If you eat chicken, you absolutely must learn how to roast one whole.  It is beyond easy to do, never fails me, everyone loves it and is arguably the most delicious way to eat chicken.  WHAT MORE CAN YOU ASK FOR?!  The busier I get, the more often I make roast chicken and no one seems to tire of it.  But the first time I attempted to cook a whole bird, I had so much anxiety, so I completely understand if you think doing this is intimidating.  Now get over it!

First, let’s talk chicken.  There is some terminology you need to interpret when you are shopping for a chicken.

NATURAL:  This means absolutely nothing except that you are buying a chicken and not playdough.  It does not mean it was a healthy bird or that it ate a “natural diet” or lived in conditions that are “natural” for a chicken.  It just means it’s a chicken.

FREE-RANGE:   Free range means the chickens have access to the outdoors. Read between the lines here.  “Access” means the chickens are permitted to leave the barn if they want to or if they are able to, but it doesn’t mean they will.  “Outdoors” can also be interpreted in more than one way.  It can mean a window and that is a-ok with the USDA.  The term free-range has nothing to do with being organic. I know most people think that all free-range chickens run around in wide open areas eating bugs and worms the way they’re supposed to, but I hate to burst your bubble and say that is likely not the case.  Usually only small local farmers will have truly free-range birds.

ORGANIC:  This means the chicken has eaten organic feed (not treated with pesticides and herbicides) and has not been treated with antibiotics.  You might never take antibiotics yourself, but if you eat conventionally raised poultry, you’re ingesting antibiotics through the meat.  You may see the claim that a chicken has not been given hormones, but that is a practice that has been banned in this country, so all chickens should be hormone-free.  Organic chickens should also have been raised under humane conditions.

JIDORI:  I’ve seen this on quite a few restaurant menus recently.  Jidori is a type of free-range bird common in Japan but until recently almost unheard of in American restaurants.  The chickens are fed all-vegetarian diets, without antibiotics, but what they are really known for is their freshness.  Jidori chickens are killed within 24 hours of being sold.

Here’s what you do:

  • pick a night of the week that you only have 15 minutes to prepare dinner.
  • buy your chicken up to two days before and salt it on the inside as soon as you get it home from the market.  This will season the meat really well and keep it juicy.  Refrigerate it until the day you make it.
  • work backwards from what time you want to eat.  6:00 dinner?  Go back 10 minutes for carving, 20 minutes for resting, 90 minutes for roasting, 30-60 minutes for bringing to quasi-room temperature.  Take the chicken out the fridge at 3:00/3:30 to get prepped.  Into the oven at 4:00.  Not home?  Have a babysitter or older child put it in the oven since there’s nothing else to do.
  • Add whatever random vegetables or potatoes you have to the baking dish and you have the perfect dinner for minimal effort.
  • While you’re at it, make two at once and use the second for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner.
  • Click here to watch a video of me prepping and roasting a whole chicken.
Addendum:  here’s a series of photos for how to carve the chicken.
1.  Untie the legs.
2.  Cut the skin around the leg and cut between the joints connecting leg and thigh.  Remove both legs and put on platter, covered to keep warm.
3.  Cut thighs off, again cutting between the joints and keep warm on a platter.
4.  Remove wings and transfer to platter.
5.  Cut alongside the breastbone all the way down and cut around the breast, completely taking it off.  I like to slice the breasts on a cutting board as shown.  Take the drippings and pour over the chicken.
6.  Pull everything out of the cavity and save the carcass to make the best stock ever.  Make stock within the next two days or wrap the carcass well and freeze it until you can make stock.
 

 

Easy No-Fail Roast Chicken

Pamela
5 from 1 vote
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Servings 4 -6, assuming not everyone wants the breast meat

Ingredients
  

  • 1 4-5 pound roasting chicken preferably free-range, organic from a small local farm
  • Kosher Salt such as Diamond Crystal
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 lemon halved
  • ½ bunch fresh thyme or 4 6-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
  • 4-5 large cloves of garlic smashed
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted or olive oil + more for drizzling vegetables
  • 1 large onion peeled and thickly sliced
  • kitchen twine for trussing
  • assorted chopped vegetables such as potatoes winter squash, carrots, fennel

Instructions
 

  • When you return home from the market, unwrap the chicken and remove the giblets from the cavity. Rinse the chicken inside and out and dry very well with paper towels. Remove piece of fat from the outside of the cavity. Take a heaping tablespoon of salt and a few grinds of pepper and rub it inside the cavity. If there’s any more salt left on your hands, rub it in between the skin and the breast meat. Rewrap the chicken and refrigerate until ready to cook.
  • Remove chicken from the refrigerator 30-60 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  • Stuff the cavity with the lemon, thyme or rosemary and garlic.
  • Spread the onion slices on the bottom of a shallow roasting pan. Place the chicken on top of the onions and tie the drumsticks with kitchen twine. Brush all over with the melted butter or oil.
  • Scatter chopped vegetables around chicken and drizzle vegetables with oil. Sprinkle chicken and vegetables with a little salt and pepper.
  • Roast the chicken for 1 hour 10 minutes - 1 ½ hours or until a instant read thermometer inserted in the breast reads 160-165 degrees. Transfer to a platter or a cutting board and allow to rest about 10-20 minutes, tented with foil.
  • Carve and serve immediately.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

Grilled chicken paillard with arugula and lemon vinaigrette

chicken paillard with arugula

By now you have figured out that I promote one meal for the whole family.  I think there is a beautiful connectedness that comes from everyone sharing the same meal and sharing the same energy from that food.  In addition, I believe that we help our children develop better eating habits when we expose them to a wide variety of foods during their lives and we encourage them to try new things.  By giving in to the picky eater in the family and making him chicken tenders or buttered pasta every night because he won’t eat grown-up food, we are basically ensuring that he will grow up with only a taste for “kid cuisine” and the flavors associated with it.  Not only that, who in the world has time to make more than one meal every night?

Mr. Picky is my 7-year-old and he is a challenge at mealtime even though I have done everything right.  I am a great eater and I have set a good example for him (the most important thing.)  I have exposed him to every vegetable and whole grain countless times.  He has helped me prepare dozens of meals.  We have gone shopping together at the supermarket and farmer’s markets.  We have planted seeds and grown our own food.  And he is still a total pain in the ass neck and still quite picky, although he is slowly coming around.  But I am not stressed out about it because Daughter #1 was the exact same way, even worse!  Until one day something clicked and now she eats everything I eat from beet greens and bok choy to millet and muesli.

What does this have to do with chicken paillard and arugula salad when 99% of kids hate arugula?  Of course they hate it.  It is peppery and bitter and their tastebuds haven’t developed to the point that it tastes good to them.  I didn’t like arugula when I was 7, but I am a maniac for it now.  I even grow tons of it in my garden.  So should I cater to the lowest common denominator in my family and prepare arugula-less meals?  Heck no!  I want arugula salads every now and then with a lemon vinaigrette and thinly pounded chicken breast.  It’s one of my favorite quick-fix meals.  But this is where I think flexibility should play a role.   I will cut the chicken into strips and lay them on top of the arugula so that  it is more appealing to my son and I allow him to eat just the chicken.  He can look around the vegetable crisper and see if there’s something else that he would like, such as a raw carrot.  In this way, I am not making him a whole different meal for him and the rest of us get to eat what we want.

No one likes everything, not even me.  I very much dislike papaya, tarragon and poached or runny eggs.  If you dislike arugula, feel free to substitute spinach or a crisp romaine.  If you dislike chicken, you can add steak or chickpeas and shaved parmesan cheese.  This is a great recipe to make for a crowd or for just one.  The photo below shows a big platter I made when my cousin Joanna and her husband Anthony stopped by for dinner.  I literally came home after they arrived at my house and whipped this together in front of them.  The other finished photo at the top is my lunch yesterday when I was working at home testing recipes.  As luck would have it, Mr. Picky came home for lunch and asked if I would share my chicken with him.  My pleasure, as long as I get all the arugula for myself!  One day he’ll be asking for that, too.

 

chicken paillard with arugula

 

Grilled Chicken Paillard with Arugula and Lemon Vinaigrette

Pamela
5 from 1 vote
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Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • Juice of 1 lemon + 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 8 ounces arugula
  • 1 tomato chopped

Instructions
 

  • Place the chicken breasts one at a time in between to pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap and pound to a ¼-inch thickness. You can use a meat mallet or a rolling pin. The idea is to get the chicken to an even thickness all around. Remove from the paper and place in a glass baking dish and squeeze the juice of 1 lemon on top. Drizzle with an equal amount of olive oil. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Allow to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
  • Heat the grill to medium. In the meantime, prepare the salad dressing. Cut the garlic clove in half and rub the inside of a medium bowl with the cut side of the garlic. Add the garlic to the bowl. To the bowl, add 3 Tablespoons lemon juice, Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon sea salt, and black pepper to taste. Whisk to combine. Pour ½ cup olive oil into the bowl, whisking constantly to emulsify. Taste for seasoning and tartness. Add more oil if necessary.
  • Remove chicken from marinade and grill a few minutes on both sides until golden brown. Place on a cutting board. Arrange the arugula on a platter and drizzle with enough of the dressing to coat lightly. Cut the chicken into strips and arrange on top of the arugula. Scatter tomatoes on top and drizzle a little more dressing. Or arrange the chicken on a platter and top with dressed arugula leaves and tomato.

Notes

I also love this salad with chickpeas, olives, shaved parmesan cheese, or thinly sliced fennel.
Do ahead: you can make the dressing several days in advance and wash and dry your greens in advance, too. Just wrap them in a damp kitchen towel and store in the refrigerator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

 

 

Tasty turkey burgers

Let’s play a little word association game!  When I say “turkey burger,” you say …?  I think I heard “bland,” “dry,” “flavorless,” “pointless.”  You know what I say?  “No thank you!”  Until now.

I have never been a big meat-eater, even though I think there’s a place for high-quality grass-fed beef in one’s diet if you like it.  At barbeques, I’m usually the one looking for the non-beef burger option, but I had never met a turkey burger that I liked.  Father’s Day is around the corner, and there are lots of dads who are trying to cut back on beef, so I think now’s a good time to post a great turkey burger recipe.

My goal is not to make a turkey burger that tastes like beef, because it won’t.  But I want to make the turkey taste savory and moist and like something you would actually want to eat, as opposed to something you are settling for and all the time wishing you were actually eating a hamburger.  I also want a basic burger that everyone in my family will like, especially my hamburger-loving husband who once claimed that real men don’t eat turkey burgers.  I accept the challenge!

It’s amazing what a few simple ingredients do to boring ground turkey.  I add a little olive oil for fat, minced onion for flavor and moisture and worcestershire for a meaty undertone.  A bit of dijon and ketchup get mixed in for an additional boost and my husband declared he would eat this turkey burger any day.  Of course, you can tailor this burger to your liking and make it a little fancy, if you want.  Add in some finely chopped sundried tomato and basil or go Tex-Mex with some red bell pepper, corn, cilantro and cayenne.  How ever you make it, I have a feeling you’ll hear “Mmmmm……that’s tasty!”

Tasty Turkey Burgers

Pamela
5 from 3 votes
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Ingredients
  

  • 1 ½ pounds ground turkey white or dark meat
  • 6 Tablespoons minced raw onion cook the rest of the onion for a delicious burger topping
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed olive oil + more for the griddle
  • ¾ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 6 sprouted grain or whole wheat buns or lettuce leaves
  • Toppings: grilled onions avocado, sprouts, tomato, lettuce, cheese, barbecue sauce

Instructions
 

  • Heat a griddle to 400 degrees or an outdoor grill to medium heat.
  • In medium bowl, mix the turkey with all the other ingredients. This is a very moist mixture.
  • Form into 6 patties, about 5-inches in diameter.*
  • Brush the griddle or grill with a small amount of olive oil.
  • Carefully transfer the patty to the griddle and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn over and cook for another 4 minutes, or until cooked through.

Notes

*If making these in advance, place on a parchment or wax paper-lined platter to remove easily.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Grilled lemon-herb chicken with mint drizzle

I’m so glad you came back.  I was afraid I might have scared you off with that black cloud of grilling hanging over my website, so to speak.  But the important message in yesterday’s blog is that even though grilling animal protein is not the most healthful way to cook, there are many things you can do to reduce the amount of carcinogens that form when you grill.  That, and you may want to think twice about grilling every night and just do it occasionally.  As promised, I have a great recipe for grilled chicken that satisfies more than one of the criteria for safer grilling.

I have been making this chicken since I had dinner at my friend Joaquin’s house many years ago.  Joaquin is one of those people who always responds with a “it was so easy” when you eat something delicious at his home and ask him how he made it.  One of the reasons I adore him is that he is always right.  Take for instance the time he made me “chocolate oatmeal,” which was nothing more than regular rolled oats cooked with water and then finished with chocolate soymilk.  I have since changed it up with chocolate hemp milk and I am thinking I should do a post on it because it is so good and “so easy.”  But then again, I just gave you the recipe in one sentence!  Regardless, I was having dinner one night on his lovely patio many summers ago and he served me the best grilled shrimp ever.  It was simply marinated in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs and salt and threaded on bamboo skewers.  I’m sure it helped that he grilled them perfectly.  That shrimp dish just reinforced in my mind that when you start with good, fresh ingredients, you don’t have to do much to make something delicious.

So what does this have to do with chicken?  I’m getting to it.  After I overdosed that summer on grilled lemon-herb shrimp, I decided it was too good a recipe to retire so why not just put it on something that wasn’t shrimp.  Chicken!  And it has been my stand-by grilled chicken dish ever since.  My favorite way to make it is the way the recipe is written here with mint, parsley and thyme, but you can vary the herbs based on what you have available.  On Saturdays in the summer, we’ll have friends come down for the day and I will very often grill up a bunch of lemon-herb chicken cutlets and put them out for a make-your-own-sandwich buffet before we head out to the beach.  Even without the herbs, sometimes I’ll grill the chicken to use for sandwiches in the kids’ lunch boxes instead of deli turkey, which I think is a little scary. I don’t know when I came up with the mint drizzle, but it was probably when I had lots more time on my hands.  I will make the drizzle if we have people over, but not usually on a weeknight since the chicken is perfectly tasty without it.  Yeah, yeah.  I know what you’re thinking — but it looks so easy!

 

Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken with Mint Drizzle

Pamela
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut in half to make cutlets, about 2 pounds
  • ½ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
  • ½ cup chopped mixed fresh herbs mint, parsley, thyme is a good combo
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt or additive-free kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • Mint Drizzle:
  • 1 cup fresh mint leaves
  • pinch of red chili flakes
  • 3 Tablespoons cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
  • pinch sea salt
  • a teaspoon or so of raw honey
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1-2 Tablespoons plain whole or low-fat yogurt I like Straus Family, optional

Instructions
 

  • Mix all the marinade ingredients in a shallow, nonreactive container. Add chicken cutlets and toss to coat well.
  • Cover and refrigerate for 6 hours and up to overnight. If you are doing this at the last minute, marinate the chicken at room temperature for an hour and it will still be delicious.
  • Preheat the grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling.
  • To make mint drizzle: Combine everything except yogurt in a blender or mini food processor and blend until smooth. You may need to scrape the sides halfway through. Pour mint mixture into a small serving bowl and stir in yogurt to desired consistency.
  • Grill chicken 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Serve with mint drizzle, if desired.

Notes

Many herb combinations are great with lemon chicken. Other herbs to consider are dill, oregano, basil, cilantro, tarragon or rosemary. Although the mint drizzle works best if there is mint in the marinade, too.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

Fajitas recipe

perfect chicken fajita plate

You all know my seven-year-old son, Mr. Picky.  I need to re-introduce you to Daughter #2, who just announced last night that she is now a vegetarian.  That’s Miss Vegetarian to you.  Hmmm…..She is the same child that asked to try clams and mussels when she was 3 years old and would chomp on a steak bone until it was dry.  She’s 12 now and has always been my easiest child with respect to food.  What a pleasure it has been to feed a child who willingly tries and eats anything and everything!  Not that I can take credit for her adventurous eating; she came into the world this way.  But effective today, she is no longer eating meat, fish, or eggs if they look like eggs (it’s fine if they’re baked into a cookie, of course.)

I have lots of parents in my classes who have children with dietary restrictions or predilections.  We routinely discuss how to adjust each recipe to accommodate Janie’s gluten-intolerance or Jack’s aversion to the color green.  I am convinced the universe gave me Mr. Picky and Miss Vegetarian so that I would be more understanding of the challenges my students face.  That I am.

The good news is we had fajitas last night for dinner!  The reason I say it was good news is because fajitas really lend themselves to each person customizing his or her plate.  So whereas Mr. Picky likes to load up on chicken and guacamole with one token slice of zucchini, I am happy with the reverse, choosing mostly vegetables.  I didn’t stress out about feeding Miss Vegetarian last night since we also had black beans and shredded raw cheddar cheese from the farmer’s market.  She made two lovely roll-ups with sprouted grain tortillas and all was wonderful, at least in the protein department.  (She really needs to stop borrowing her sister’s clothes without asking.)  The next great thing about fajitas is that if you have leftovers, they can go into a darn good omelet or quesadilla the next day.  Daughter #1 had some of the extra chicken and vegetables chopped up and added to some leftover green rice from my class the day before (I’ll have to give you the recipe one day) and  brought it to school in a thermos.

I think the traditional preparation of fajitas using skirt steak is just fine, but we don’t eat much beef here.  Regardless, you can use the same marinade for beef and it will be delicious.  You can also broil the meat, if you don’t want to grill.  But more than that, I never limit the vegetables to just bell peppers and onions.  I usually make an additional pan of sauteed zucchini and shiitake mushroom strips and find that to be my favorite, although I also love julienned carrots and sauteed spinach, too.  There is always something to please every palate!

Fajitas

Pamela
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Servings 6 -8

Ingredients
  

  • There are lots of tortillas that are more healthful than white flour tortillas. Try Rudi’s Organic Spelt or Multigrain with Flax; Food For Life Brown Rice Flour; or French Meadow Bakery's Hemp Tortillas Mr. Picky's favorite.
  • Marinade for chicken or meat:
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • ½ cup fresh lime juice
  • ¼ cup unrefined cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro optional
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets (thinner pieces cook more quickly reducing the exposure of the meat to the grill) or thighs or skirt steak
  • 2 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil
  • 2-3 bell peppers green and red is a good combo, sliced thin or mix it up with sliced shiitake or portabella mushrooms, julienned zucchini and/or carrots to mix with the peppers and onions
  • 1-2 red onions halved and sliced thin
  • 2 garlic cloves finely minced
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste
  • Accompaniments: 12-16 warmed flour or rice tortillas guacamole, pico de gallo (salsa), sour cream, shredded cheese

Instructions
 

  • Combine garlic, sea salt, pepper, cumin, lime juice, oil and cilantro in a non-reactive container, such as glass. Add meat to marinade and turn to coat well. Marinate for at least 1 hour at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.
  • Preheat the grill to medium heat. Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. Grill chicken a few minutes on each side until cooked through.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add peppers, onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute the mixture, stirring, for 10-12 minutes, or until softened. You can add the cooked, sliced meat to the vegetable mixture and combine everything or serve both separately.
  • Warm tortillas on both sides over medium heat on a griddle pan. Or if you are heat a large amount, wrap the entire stack in parchment paper, then aluminum foil and heat through in a 350 degree oven. Serve with desired accompaniments.

Notes

You can also broil the meat using a broiler pan.
Do Ahead Timesaving Tip: earlier in the day or the night before, marinate the meat and/or slice all the veggies. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Orange and rosemary glazed chicken recipe

It’s not my husband’s fault he can’t find his way around the kitchen.  He grew up with a mother who is a very willing and capable cook.  She made hot breakfasts every morning and power lunches for school.  Each night she lovingly prepared a fresh, well-balanced dinner.  Then I came along.  I met my husband in college when I was 18 and I already loved cooking for people.  I remember sophomore year my husband and his roommates fasted for Yom Kippur, as in they didn’t eat for 24 hours.  Who doesn’t love cooking for people who are ravenous??  We dated and I cooked.  We married and I cooked.  We had kids and I cooked a lot, and I was happy to do it.

I had two unusual days in a row last week where I had to work past dinner time.  I verbally clued my husband in to all the dinner possibilities using staples from the pantry and the fridge.  There was pesto, poached chicken meat, enough leftover soup for two, cooked brown rice, washed salad greens and vinaigrette in a jar.   With pasta and a can of beans in the pantry, I was sure he could come up with something.  Or so I thought.

I came home from a long day last Monday night and there it was on the kitchen counter — the take-out pizza box.  Sigh.  I don’t know what I was thinking that I could expect the poor guy to throw something together after a hard day of work that he and the three kiddos would want to eat.  I’m sure no one suffered eating pizza that night, but what would he do the next day??  I knew I needed to plan for an easy dinner that everyone would like and that my husband could handle — orange and rosemary-glazed chicken.  This is one of the simplest things you can make and so delicious.  This chicken has saved my life on busy weeknights and has delighted dinner guests alike.  Just marinate the chicken in a few ingredients ahead of time and pour everything into a casserole dish and bake.

I use all-fruit orange or kumquat preserves in the marinade, but I have used apricot, too.  Just make sure it’s all fruit without the addition of any sugar.  The preserves will be sweet enough.  I love rosemary with orange and with chicken, and I happen to have an out-of-control rosemary bush on my front lawn so I never have enough uses for it.  If you don’t have rosemary, thyme works well here, too.  The best part of this dish is the yummy, glaze-y sauce which we spoon over the chicken on the plate, but doesn’t get wasted if you serve this with something like rice or millet to sop it up.  With some steamed or roasted asparagus or sauteed spinach, someone looks like he knows a little something about something.  My hero.

 

 
 
 

 
 
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Orange and Rosemary Glazed Chicken

Pamela
5 from 7 votes
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ½ - 3 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken pieces* (breasts cut in half), seasoned with 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt or kosher salt as soon as you get home from the market
  • 8 ounces all-fruit orange kumquat, apricot or peach marmalade, about ¾ cup (such as St. Dalfour or Sorrell Ridge)
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons whole grain or stone-ground mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons shoyu or wheat-free tamari or coconut aminos
  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted (or plant butter)
  • 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary or fresh thyme leaves
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
 

  • Combine orange marmalade, mustard, shoyu, melted butter, rosemary, and pepper in a glass or nonreactive container that is just big enough to hold the chicken. Add the chicken to the marinade and coat each piece well. Cover and refrigerate for 6-8 hours, or longer if that’s more convenient.
  • Remove chicken from the refrigerator and preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If you’re not in a rush, allow the chicken to sit out at room temperature for 30 minutes. Transfer the chicken pieces and any marinade to a baking dish, such as a 13 x 9 - inch. Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked through and browned on top. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving, if possible.

Notes

*such as 2 breasts cut in half and 2 drumsticks
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Chicken and vegetable curry recipe

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Growing up in a traditional Italian home, I learned very little about food that wasn’t Italian.  I could tell you the names of about 80 different shapes of pasta (you could, too if you ate it four times per week) and I knew my Parmigiano from my Pecorino.  In the garden, I could differentiate between the many varieties of eggplant or basil plants.  This was my culinary comfort zone.

It wasn’t until I was in college that I was exposed to “ethnic” foods and I fell hard for curries.  Raise your hand if you thought like I did that curry was a spice — one spice.  I imagined fields somewhere in Asia with people picking curry berries.  (Actually, there is such a thing as a curry plant, but it is somewhat like a lettuce and has nothing to do with Indian or Thai curries.)  I learned not too long ago that curry powder is a blend of several different spices and no two curry powders are the same.  Most contain turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and red pepper in their blends. Depending on the brand, additional ingredients such as ginger, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and black pepper can be added.  Some chefs prefer to toast their own spices and grind them to make their own curry blends, which sounds like such a nice thing to do if it wouldn’t completely put me over the edge.  I give you permission to use a premade curry powder which will not compromise anything in this recipe.

Chicken and vegetable curry is a staple in our house.  It is an incredibly flavorful dish enriched with coconut milk and cashew butter.  I vary the vegetables according to the season:  butternut squash or yams in the fall/winter with cauliflower; asparagus and peas in the spring; green beans and eggplant in the late summer/early fall; and I always throw in a few handfuls of spinach at the end because I will add leafy greens wherever I can.   We love this over brown jasmine or basmati rice, but recently I served this over some leftover soba and it was so tasty with the sauce coating all the noodles — everyone devoured it, especially Mr. Picky!

This curry is gluten-free.  Vegetarians can substitute chickpeas instead of chicken and vegetable stock for chicken stock.  This freezes really well as long as it’s tightly covered with as little air as possible coming into contact with the top of the food.

I love sharing all the nutritional highlights about the recipes I post.   You can read about all the benefits of curry powder’s anti-inflammatory spices, especially turmeric, in the Harira post, and I would likely sound like a broken record if I told you why we need to eat more vegetables and less animal protein.  But don’t make this dish just because it’s good for you.  Make it because it’s delicious.  When I served this to my Italian father for the first time he said, “I have no idea what this is, but it’s fantastic.”

chicken and vegetable curry | pamela salzman

chicken and vegetable curry | pamela salzman

 

Chicken and Vegetable Curry

Pamela
4.67 from 9 votes
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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 3 Tablespoons unrefined coconut oil or ghee
  • 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken meat (breast or thigh or combination), cubed
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
  • 2 stalks celery cut into chunks
  • 4 cups vegetables cut into same size as carrots and celery (e.g. cauliflower, root veggies, green beans, eggplant, potatoes…)
  • 2-3 Tablespoons curry powder*
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 ½ cups chicken stock vegetable stock or 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro optional
  • ½ cup cashews finely ground or ¼ cup cashew butter
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • A few handfuls of baby spinach leaves

Instructions
 

  • Season chicken pieces with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat oil or ghee in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Without crowding, add the chicken in batches and lightly brown. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and continue cooking all the chicken in the same manner.
  • Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the pot and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, celery and remaining vegetables. Cook another few minutes.
  • Add the chicken and any accumulated juices on the plate back in the pot. Add the curry powder, spices and salt and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add the stock (or diced tomatoes) and chopped cilantro and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and simmer gently, stirring occasionally until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
  • Add the ground cashews or cashew butter to the curry along with the coconut milk, and simmer gently uncovered, stirring until sauce is thickened, about 5-10 minutes. Stir in spinach leaves and stir until wilted. Delicious over cooked basmati or jasmine rice or noodles.

Notes

*Different brands of curry powder taste differently. “Simply Organic” is a little stronger with more depth of flavor than “Spicely Organic.” You can probably use 2 Tablespoons “Simply Organic” and 3 Tablespoons “Spicely Organic.”
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

 

Turkey (or beef or tempeh) tacos recipe

Turkey (or Beef, or Tempeh) Tacos | Pamela Salzman

In light of the recent discovery that Taco Bell’s meat for its beef tacos is mostly, um, NOT beef, I thought it was necessary to get a high quality taco recipe out there.  One of the things I find so interesting about this news is how surprised everyone is to find out that there are incredibly low quality ingredients being used by a national fast food chain.  Hell-oooooooo?  People, they are charging $.99 per taco AND making a profit.  Do you really think this is a high quality food?  Rhetorical question.  Answer is no.

Turkey (or Beef, or Tempeh) Tacos | Pamela Salzman

I have been making my own taco seasoning mix for years and years ever since it occurred to me to actually read the label on the taco seasoning packet I was using.  Scary!  Is it really necessary to use food coloring and MSG and stabilizers just to season some ground meat?  Another rhetorical question.  So I copied down the actual spices from the ingredient list and left out the chemicals that could only be made with a centrifuge in a lab, and after a few tries, I had a taco seasoning that was just right, meaning my kids still thought I was using the store-bought packet.  Success!

Turkey (or Beef, or Tempeh) Tacos | Pamela Salzman

Because we are limiting our beef consumption, I will very often make tacos using ground turkey meat, preferably half dark meat for flavor and half white.  Of course you can use grass-fed ground beef or bison, too.  If you are a vegetarian, just finely crumble the same amount of your favorite tempeh and saute it in some olive oil until just browned and use the seasoning mixture in the same way.  (Next two photos are of tempeh.)  I like tempeh tacos just as much as the ones made from meat!

Turkey (or Beef, or Tempeh) Tacos | Pamela Salzman

A student reminded me a few days ago that Little League season is right around the corner and would I please add some post-game dinner recipes to the website.  Since I have a child in Little League, I know that she is looking for meal that can be prepared as quickly as possible when she walks in the door at 6:15 for starving children, and preferably a warm meal since everyone’s been freezing outside for several hours on metal bleachers.  This is a 10- minute dinner if you have all the toppings prepared ahead of time.  I like to use soft corn tortillas and set out bowls of guacamole, pico de gallo (fresh tomato salsa) if it’s tomato season, finely shredded lettuce and some shredded raw cheese, if I have it.  The topping bar is one of my favorite techniques to make everyone feel as though he or she is getting the meal of his or her choice — and no additional work for me.  Serve with a large salad with homemade vinaigrette which you can prepare days in advance and dinner is done!

Turkey (or Beef, or Tempeh) Tacos | Pamela Salzman

Since I have a feeling this may become a regular dinner item for you, why not triple or quadruple the recipe for the spices and keep the mix in the pantry so that’s one less thing you need to worry about.

And you thought you couldn’t make tacos without maltodextrin!  Hmph.

Turkey (or Beef, or Tempeh) Tacos | Pamela Salzman

Turkey (or Beef or Tempeh) Tacos

Pamela
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Servings 4 (just multiply everything by 1 1/2 to serve 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 pound ground turkey meat preferably dark meat; or grass-fed ground beef; or crumbled tempeh
  • 1 Tablespoon chili powder*
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon turmeric ok, not in store-bought packets, but really good for you!
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon oregano
  • ¾- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder
  • ¾ cup water about 1 cup if you make tempeh
  • Accompaniments: corn tortillas guacamole, pico de gallo, shredded cheese, refried black beans, cilantro-lime slaw, shredded lettuce

Instructions
 

  • Mix all spices and salt together until well blended. If you're using corn tortillas, you can begin warming them until pliable on a dry griddle or skillet or over a low flame on the stovetop. I like to keep all of them warm in a clean kitchen towel.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey to the skillet and cook, breaking up turkey into small pieces (I like to do this by pressing against the meat with a slotted spoon), just until cooked through. If there is any liquid in the pan, drain before proceeding.
  • Dissolve the arrowroot in 3/4 cup cold water. Add the spice mixture to the meat and cook over medium heat for a minute. Pour the water and dissolved arrowroot over the turkey and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally.

Notes

*Not all chili powders are created equally. The one I use is by Simply Organic which has good depth of flavor with a little kick. If you don't care for any heat at all, you can cut back on the chili powder. If you like things spicy, feel free to add a few dashes of cayenne.
**The dry spice mixture can be made very far in advance, if desired. The mixture can be multiplied and kept in a glass container for several months. The ratio is approximately scant 3 Tablespoons of spice mixture to 1 pound of meat.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!