King Ranch Chicken

 

Tonight I have something yummy and filling and perfect for a chilly winter night -- King Ranch Chicken.  I had never heard of it before, but when I was in Guatemala, one of my new friends asked if I could make this for him, well, come up with a recipe for him.  Senor Jorgesito, this one is for you.

King Ranch Chicken is like a Tex-Mex lasagna (only without noodles) named after King Ranch, one of the largest ranches in Texas.  It's a very popular casserole dish and there are many, many variations to be found, but this is the one I came up with.  If you enjoy a slight tingling sensation in your lips while you eat, this is the version for you.  I would highly recommend a cold beer to go with it.

K2's King Ranch Chicken

1-1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pre-cooked
butter or butter spray (optional)
lime juice (optional)
chili powder (optional)
1 (10 oz.) can Ro*Tel Diced Tomatoes with Lime Juice & Cilantro
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10.5 oz.) can cream of mushroom soup
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium green pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
2 small dried red chiles, de-seeded and cut into flakes
1+ cup pepper jack cheese, shredded
1+ cup cheddar cheese, shredded
2/3 bag bite-sized Tostitos

Shred your pre-cooked chicken and set bowl aside.

If you have the time to do you own, I cooked my chicken breasts by wrapping them in foil with a spritz or two of I Can't Believe Its Not Butter spray, a couple of squeezes of lime juice and some liberal dashes of chili powder. Baked it at 425 degrees for 35 minutes.  Removed it from the oven and cooled to handling temp so I wouldn't burn my fingies when I went to shred it.

In a deep sauce pan, combine diced toms with both soups and cook on low heat.

While sauce is warming, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat.  When ready, add diced green pepper, diced onion, and red chile flakes to pan.  Sauté until onions are translucent and green peppers are cooked through.

Add the pepper-onion mix and shredded chicken to your sauce and mix until everything is evenly combined.

In a small bowl, mix together the shredded pepper jack and cheddar cheeses.

To assemble -- we're making two layers so you'll want to make sure to divide all your parts equally between the two.

In a 9x13" baking pan (or as I did, two smaller pans so one could be given to the parental types), lay down a layer of Tostitos.

Cover corn chips with a generous layer of the chicken-veggie-soup sauce and cover with a layer of the mixed cheeses.

Repeat the layering.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cheese is toasty on the top.  Remove from oven and serve up right away.

NOTES

If you like Tex-Mex but aren't a big fan of the spicy, you can always omit the dried red chiles and just use a mild or medium cheddar cheese instead of the mix of cheddar and pepper jack.

The Ro*Tel tomatoes tend to be pretty kicky too so if you want to take it down a notch further, then just substitute your favorite Mexican-style tomatoes for those as well.

Would go great with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole on the side and you could always garnish with some shredded lettuce to help complement the lip-tingling sensation.

The New Southwest: Pomegranate and Lime Chicken Thighs

Okay, this was the recipe that originally caught my eye when I was checking out The New Southwest.  Takes a little more time than the enchiladas did, but the flavor is pretty outstanding.  I ended up making the enchiladas as a side dish to go with the chicken thighs and it made for an outstanding meal together.

The original recipe is set up for grilling the thighs, but because I do not have a working grill, I made some modifications and prepared them stovetop.  My modifications are noted below, but I've provided the recipe as is in the book.

Pomegranate and Lime Chicken Thighs

For the thighs

1 cup Green yogurt plain
1/2 cup pomegranate juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs I used 5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Pomegranate arils for garnish (optional)

For the Pomegranate and Lime Glaze

2 cups pomegranate juice
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice = juice from 2 small limes
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

To marinate chicken, combine the yogurt, pomegranate juice, salt and garlic powder in a ziptop bag.  Add chicken thighs and toss well to coat.  Refrigerate for at least two hours or up to overnight.  I whisked the yogurt, juice and spices in a bowl first to get them well blended, then poured them over the trimmed chicken thighs in the bag.



Once you are ready to cook the thighs, preheat your grill to medium heat.

To prepare the glaze, place the pomegranate juice, sugar, lime juice, honey, and mustard in a small saucepan, whisk together and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook until thickened, approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, place chicken thighs skin side up on heated grill, cover, and cook until chicken has browned and is no longer pink, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.  Uncover, flip thighs, and cook for just 2 to 3 minutes more to crisp and slightly char the skins.  Remove cooked thighs, top with glaze, garnish with arils, if desired, and serve immediately.

Okay for the grill-free folks out there, I went stovetop.  I put them in a deep skillet over high heat for a few minutes, then drained off the excess liquid.

I continued to cook them over high heat until they were seared, then lowered the temperature. 

I added about half of the glaze to the pan (holding some back the rest to drizzle over the thighs when I plated them), and continued to cook the thighs, turning every couple of minutes until they were no longer pink inside.

I garnished them with fresh arils and then served them up with some stacked squash enchiladas on the side.

Muy bueno!

YIELD: 2 to 3 servings

NOTES

I found the small container or arils at Harris Teeter.  You should check the produce area at your grocery store to see if they sell them separately.  Otherwise, pomegranates are currently in season and easy to find whole.

The flavors in this dish are really well balanced.  I could tell because when we started eating, Dad said that he could really taste the lime in the glaze, Mom said the honey was the first thing she tasted and for me the stand-out flavor was the Dijon, so we enjoyed a difference experience form the same dish.

Holy Mole Spicy Crockpot Chicken

 

More fun with crockpot food.  As the weather gets cooler, this spicy dish will make you feel warm inside and out.

Holy Mole Spicy Crockpot Chicken

8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2 lbs.)
1 tbsp. flour
1 (14 oz.) can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (10 oz.) can RoTel diced tomatoes and green chilies
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp. Rooster Sauce* (depends on how hot you want it)
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced chunky
1/2 medium onion, chopped

Put fire-roasted tomatoes, RoTel tomatoes, peanut butter, soy sauce, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar and rooster sauce in the crockpot on low.

 

Cook for 10-15 minutes until the peanut butter is melted and everything is blended together.

 

While that is cooking, trim any excess fat off the chicken thighs.  Sprinkle with flour until pieces are evenly coated.

 

Add chicken, carrot chunks and chopped onion to the crockpot.

 

Cook on low for 5-1/2 to 6 hours, stirring often.

Serve over rice, garnish with toasted peanuts and/or cilantro.  Enjoy the heat.

NOTES
 
*If you're not familiar with it Rooster Sauce is a chili garlic sauce available in some grocery stores and in Asian markets.  It's pretty potent, so adjust usage to suit your heat level preference.
 
You can use bone-in skinless chicken thighs for this recipe.  My grocery store just happened to have some that were boneless, so I went with those.

Chicken and Angel Hair a la Grecque

 

I like to eat a little lighter in the summer so wanted to do something flavorful, but not too heavy on the belly.  This is a little number I threw together in my sleep last night.  Yes, I dream about food. 

For those who aren't familiar with the term, "a la Grecque" is French for "in the manner of Greece" and since this pasta dish was inspired by Greek salad it seemed appropriate.

Chicken and Angel Hair a la Grecque

1/2 box (uncooked) multigrain angel hair pasta
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
flour for dredging
1-1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3 tsp. white balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1/4 cup black olives, chopped
4 cups baby spinach
1/3 cup crumbled feta
salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Prepare the angel hair according to package directions.  When done, drain, rinse with hot water, drain again and set aside.  Meanwhile, back at the stove...

Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized strips and dredge lightly with regular flour.

 

In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add dredged chicken strip pieces.  Cook over medium-high heat until browned, but not cooked completely through.

Add fresh lemon juice, white balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, and chopped black olives to the skillet.  Stir well, cooking for an additional minute or two.

Lower the heat to low.  Add spinach and drained angel hair to the skillet, cover and let sit for 3-5 minutes to semi-wilt the spinach.

 

Uncover skillet, add in add feta, 1/2 tsp. olive oil and 1 tsp white balsamic.

Mix well and serve up.

NOTE

If you are adamantly anti-olive (and I know who some of you are), you can leave them out.

Chicken-Leek-Potato Pie

With everyone's favorite green holiday coming up, I thought I would feature some tradition Irish dishes to help with the countdown.

Here is a pub favorite I think you'll like.  It's a savory chicken dish that's light on the belly but full on flavor.

Chicken-Leek-Potato Pie

2 medium yellow potatoes, cubed
4 oz butter
2 medium skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium leek, sliced (both white and green parts)
2-1/2 tbsp flour
1-1/2 cups milk, room temp
1 tsp brown mustard
2 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
8 oz filo dough
salt and fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Cook the potatoes in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

Melt 2 tbsp butter in a medium-sized saucepan and cook the cubed chicken until browned, about 3-4 minutes.

Add leeks to the chicken and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring all the while.

Stir in flour and cook for an additional minute.  Slowly add in the milk and bring mixture to a boil.

Add the mustard, sage, salt and pepper.  Continue cooking for another minute, then remove from heat.  Stir in potatoes and allow to sit while you prepare the pan.

Take half the filo and line the bottom of a deep baking dish. The one I used measures 9x11 inches.

Pour your chicken mixture on top of the filo.

Melt the remaining 2 tbsp butter.  Lay a single filo sheet over the chicken and brush with some melted butter.  Add a second and third sheet, and do the same.

Slice the remaining filo into strips and crumple them artistically on top.

Brush with the rest of the melted butter.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

NOTES

Most traditional recipes call for mushrooms, but not being a fan, I left them out.  If you want fungi in your dish, add a cup of sliced mushrooms to the pan when you add the leeks and cook them up together.

If you didn't want to use filo, the filling would work just as well with a regular pie crust.

If you wanted to make another variation, try substituting lamb or mutton for the chicken.  The sage in the recipe would complement either of those meats as well.

Buffalo Chicken Croquettes

 

Switching gears a bit here.  Figured with the big February Food Fest (aka Superbowl Sunday) on the horizon that I would wrangle up a couple of new things for you to impress your fellow football fans with.

This recipe is a combo of two of my favorite things -- chicken wings and fried anything (which I guess technically can be one and the same).  It's the first time I can remember making croquettes and I must say, I was VERY pleased with myself.  This is a new favorite snack of mine, hope it becomes one of yours too!

Buffalo Chicken Croquettes

1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
4 cups cooked chicken, minced or shredded
2 stalks, chopped small
1 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
breadcrumbs
ranch dressing mix
oil for frying

Whisk together heavy cream and buffalo wing sauce until well blended. Set aside.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in 2 tbsp of flour and blend well.

Pour the cream-wing sauce into the pan and simmer until thickened.

Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.

Mix together the chicken and celery.  Pour in cooled sauce mix and blend well until all the chicken is coated.

Form into patties (will be very loose) and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.  Refrigerate for 3 hours or until firm OR put in freezer for about 30 minutes until firm.

Mix together the breadcrumbs and ranch dressing mix in a shallow bowl (about 1 tsp dressing mix to 1/3 cup breadcrumbs).  Whisk the eggs and place in a shallow bowl.  Put the flour in yet another bowl.  And now your dredging station is ready.

Carefully coat the patties in flour, shaking off excess.  Dip them in the egg and then roll in the breadcrumb mix.

Heat 1 inch of oil in a saucepan over medium high heat.  Cooking in batches, fry the patties in hot oil for about 2-3 mintes per side or until they are nicely browned all around.

Remove from oil and set on a rack to cool.  I cover a cookie sheet with paper towels and put a rack on top to allow the excess oil to drain off.

Let cool for a few minutes before serving so that you don't burn the roof off your mouth.  They taste great plain, but if you want to have something to go with them, I mixed together the buffalo wing sauce with some plain yogurt to make a simple dip.

NOTES

I minced my chicken this time, but will probably hand-shred it and chop it up a bit the next time.  The more sinewy shredded chicken will help to hold the patties together a little better.

If you feel your mixture is too soft to easily form into patties, just put the bowl in the fridge for about 15-20 minutes to allow it to firm up and then try again.

I did a 50/50 heavy cream-buffalo sauce mix because I knew at least half (GP Mom) of my tasting crew doesn't like super hot food, but you can play with the mix. Next time I think I'll try 1/3 HC to 2/3 BWS.

Whatever combo you try, you want to make sure that your buffalo wing sauce has some viscosity to it, it needs to be as thick as your heavy cream as not to lose the balance of the sauce.

On the off-chance you have leftovers, I recommend reheating them in the oven at 350 degrees for 7-8 minutes so you don't loose the crunch.