Crispy Chicken Thighs with Lime and Garlic Butter Sauce

I was planning to make this earllier this week but as I was getting ready to make it. I discovered that the guy behind the meat counter gave boneless, skinless thighs. I had to change plans at the last minute.  I include the recipe for that meal below.  Both were good.

We had baby bok choy, snow peas and rice with it

 Crispy Chicken with Garlic and Lime Butter Sauce

4 large chicken thighs ( about 2 lbs.

Salt and Pepper

1 T. peanut oil

2 T. garlic cloves, crushed

1//2 C. chicken stock or 1/4 C. water

2 T. fresh lime juice plus wedges for serving

2 tsp. maple syrup

3 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into pats

Parsley, cilantro, basil or mint for serving, optional

Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper.  Set aside 10 to 30 minutes at room temperature

Heat large skillet over medium heat and swirl in the pan to coat. Place the chicken in the pan skin side down and cook without moving until crispy and golden brown- about 20-25 minutes. Turn heat down if chicken splatters too much or browns too quickly.

Add garlic to the pan.  Flip the chicken and cook until the bottom is lightly browned and the meat is cooked throughly, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to plate, skin side up.  Remove all but 2 Tablespoons of fat, add chicken stock, lime juice and maple syrup to skillet bring to a simmer over high, then reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally until reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Add the butter and continue simmering, stirring constantly until incorporated.  The sauce will thicken and become shiny as the butter melts.  Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve the chicken with the pan juices, lime wedges and the optional fresh herbs spritzed with lime juice and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.

 If desired save this extra pan fat called schmaltz , when clarified. Can be used to pan fry vegetables and meat, to enrich a soup, stew, sauce or tomato based braise, or to spread on toast

When I got home from the grocery store I discovered the guy at the meat counter gave me skinless and boneless thighs and that would not work with the recipe above so I changed course and did the recipe below.  Both were very good.

Lucille Ball’s Chicken Sauté

 

Ingredients (The store did not have artichike hearts so I substituted hearts of palm)

• 4 pound whole chicken (cut up) I used 4 boneless, skinless thighs instead. 
• 1/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon paprika 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 1 tablespoon parsley, minced 
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms 
• 1 yellow onion, chopped 
• 1 can (15 ounce) artichoke hearts (drained) 
• 1 clove garlic, smashed 
• 1/4 cup white wine

Dust the chicken with a mixture of flour, salt, pepper, and paprika.

1. Dust cut-up chicken with mixture of salt, pepper & paprika

 2. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil; fry chicken until golden. Cover skillet, reduce heat; cook until tender.

3. Remove chicken. Add to skillet, 1 tbsp. chopped parsley, 1 cup sliced mushrooms, 1 small chopped onion, artichoke hearts , canned, 1 chopped garlic clove.

 4. Cook until onion is tender.5. Add 1/4 cup white wine.

 6. Replace chicken in skillet. Cover; simmer 10 minutes.

Arroz con Pollo

  Arroz con Pollo Servings: 4 to 6 Prep Time: 15 min, cook 1 hot

INGREDIENTS

• 2¾ teaspoons salt, divided
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin, divided
• 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs and/or drumsticks
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 2 cups long grain white rice (basmati works very well), rinsed
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup tomato paste
• 3½ cups chicken broth (see note about measurement)
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric (may substitute with annatto powder or bijol)
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¾ cup drained and halved pimento-stuffed green olives (from a 6-oz/170-g jar)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
• Lemon or lime wedges, as garnish (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position.
  
• In a small bowl, mix together 1½ teaspoons of the salt, the pepper, and 1 teaspoon of the cumin. Cut off any excessive fat on the chicken (leaving the skin intact). Blot the chicken with a paper towel and season both sides with the spice mixture.
• Heat the oil in a large (5 to 6-qt/5 to 6-L) Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed, high-sided, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Working in two batches so as not to crowd the pan, brown the chicken. For thighs, place the chicken skin side down, and sear until golden and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes more. For drumsticks, sear for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, turning to brown evenly all over. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a large plate and set aside. If there is a lot of oil left in the pan, pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.
  
• Return the pot to the stove and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 6 to 8 minutes. As you stir, scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and mix it into the vegetables. Add the rice, garlic, tomato paste, and remaining 1 teaspoon of cumin; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, another 2 to 3 minutes.

• Add the chicken broth, oregano, turmeric, sugar, olives, bay leaves, and remaining 1¼ teaspoons salt. Nestle the chicken on top of this mixture and pour any remaining chicken drippings into the pan as well. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot with a lid and immediately transfer to the oven to bake for 35 minutes, or until the chicken registers 175°F (80°C) on a meat thermometer.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let sit, covered, on a wire rack or the stovetop for 10 minutes.
• Uncover the pan (remember the lid is hot!) and use tongs to transfer the chicken to a plate. Remove the bay leaves, and fluff the rice. Taste the rice to be sure it is fully cooked. (If it still tastes too firm, pour ½ cup/120 ml water evenly over the rice, and give the rice a quick fluff again.) Place the pan on the stovetop over low heat and cook, covered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Uncover and taste to ensure the rice is cooked. Add more water and repeat if necessary.) Mix the peas and cilantro (if using) into the rice. Return the chicken pieces to the top of the rice. Alternatively, remove the skin, pull the meat off of the bones, and shred into bite-sized chunks, and mix in with the rice. Serve or cover the pan to keep warm for up to 30 minutes until ready to serve. Serve with lemon or lime wedges.
  

NOTES Check the instructions on your bag of rice for the proper ratio of rice to chicken broth. My extra long-grain basmati calls for 1¾ cups (420 ml) liquid for every 1 cup (200 g) of rice, but every brand and type of rice is different

Steak, salad & Sourdough and Taylor Swift

The grocery had these little steaks. They callled them patio steaks. I don't know what that is so I marinated them just to hedge against them not being tasty. They were good.  Taylor Swift lives part time in Kansas City now so she appears in the newspaper occasionally.  A recent interview said that she was really into baking with sourdough and then there was an interview with a guy who teaches sourdough classes.  I have been making sourdough French bread for 40 years and haven't been much interested in experimenting with different recipes, like cinnamon rolls.  Anyway, the guy said baking bread in a Dutch oven was important.  I looked into it and found that putting it in a preheated Dutch oven will seal it in so the moisture is trapped around the bread and the steam will enhance the rise.  Another article had a recipe that was very much like mine except it used a little more water  and used diastic malt powder. Malt powder is also supposed to help the yeast and gives a nice golden brown to the crust. I tried it with my Dutch oven and it was a little too small.  The top of the bread rose to touch the top of the oven and it got too brown. There was very little rise outside the oven and there wasn't much today when I tried again with a new Dutch oven.  I am guessing something happened to the yeast when our refrigerator stopped working and we had go get new one. By the way, when I ordered the diastic malt powder, spell check changed it to diabetic. This time the bread turned out well.  Charlie even had seconds.

 Steak Marinade 

This steak marinade is a family recipe that has been developed only over the last 5 years. In this short time, it's made me famous in our close circle, but until now I've never shared it with anyone.

Prep Time: 15 mins Total Time: 15 mins Servings: 8Yield: 1 1/3 cups

Ingredients

• ½ cup olive oil
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 3 tablespoons dried basil
• 1 ½ tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 ½ tablespoons dried parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic (Optional)
• ¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce (Optional)

Directions

Place olive oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, basil, garlic powder, parsley, white pepper, minced garlic, and hot pepper sauce in a blender; blend on high speed until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.