Foodarrific» Poultry

2 ingredient grilled chicken

Chili Queen — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:20:47 +0000

Everyone loves a grilled chicken. We certainly do. Here’s one of our family favorites which I made up on the fly and which, to be completely honest, is so easy it barely needs a recipe.

All you need are:

chicken thighs, skin on
your favorite meat rub

I usually use Cajun rub for that kick we love but feel free to use whatever seasoning or rub you fancy. To prep the chicken, simply marinate it for a few hours. When you’re ready, just grill it in the oven for between 35-45 minutes, and that’s it.

Of course you can go ahead and drizzle on some oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. But then it won’t be a 2-ingredient chicken then, would it ?

I don’t use any oil, salt or pepper because grilling with the skin on, the meat is kept wonderfully moist, and the Cajun rub provides all the flavoring we need. We eat it without the skin and it tastes as good as it looks.

Chicks in a Blanket

Chili Queen — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:43:28 +0000

I had some leftover streaky bacon and decided to make these Chicks in a Blanket, my version of Pigs in a Blanket, on an incredibly busy day.

I don’t have a recipe so I had to make one up on the fly. I simply cut the chicken into strips, marinated it in some yogurt and some salt and pepper. Not much salt is required because the bacon is salty on its own. Then I wrapped each piece of chicken in a strip of bacon as if it were kaufmann fabric and threw it into the oven with the combination bake function.

The chick in a blanket is ready when it’s golden brown. Goes great with roasted carrots and potatoes, and some fresh greens.

Our Christmas dinner

Chili Queen — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:58:44 +0000

We had an amazing Christmas dinner this year, thanks to a fantastic tasting turkey lovingly roasted in our own kitchen. Seems like the last time I roasted a turkey was for Thanksgiving several years ago, and quite honestly, we love roast turkey in this household so everyone was really looking forward to it.

Fresh out of the oven, my roast turkey looking beautifully golden. Just looking at this picture alone is enough to get me drooling all over again. This tastes so so good you might even put off shopping for engagement rings just to join us for dinner. We also had mashed potatoes with brown gravy, cranberry sauce, salad and red wine. Yumms.

In fact, I’m going out this weekend to see if I can buy another turkey. We’ve simply got to have it again for New Year’s. I know that sounds crazy but if you love something, just indulge yourself. After all, it’s only once a year.

Noodles and duck

Chili Queen — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 12:07:45 +0000

Last night, we were at this little eatery that a friend recommended. They serve several types of fried noodles and one of my favorites is Cantonese fried ying-yang (flat noodles and vermicelli combo). We order about 5 types of fried noodles and half a roast duck.

It was pretty interesting since we hardly ever eat at “coffee shops” and this one was exceptionally busy. I didn’t take any pictures because it was really very crowded and I didn’t want my cell phone landing in the noodles. Well, everything tasted good because of the pork and lard but it was extremely high-sodium and high-fat.

My only thought as I was eating was that I will surely need diet pills that work after this meal .

Cajun chicken wings

Chili Queen — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:19:04 +0000

Last weekend, our friend called to say he would be coming over to drop off his golf shot gps we’d asked to borrow, and I asked him to bring his whole family over since I was making chicken wings. Everybody loves chicken wings, no doubt about that.

Here are my Cajun chicken wings with roast potatoes and carrots. I use a store-bought Cajun rub to marinate the chicken wings for a couple of hours before roasting. There are 3 sections to the wing and for me, nothing goes to waste. I even chomp up the wing tip.

Recipe: Roast chicken and vegetables

Chili Queen — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 07:45:52 +0000

One of our favorite go-to meals when we’re in a time crunch is roast chicken and vegetables. It’s a meal that all my kids love so I don’t even have to think about convincing anyone or having leftovers to deal with the next day.

All you need is:

chicken thighs (or a whole chicken)
potatoes, cut into large chunks
carrots, cut into large chunks
celery, cut into 3″ lengths
baby corn
your favorite rub or marinade
your favorite herbs
olive oil

Marinate the chicken with your favorite rub/marinade and set aside for 2-3 hours.

Place the chicken on one side of your roasting pan, and the vegetables on the other side. Drizzle some olive oil over everything and sprinkle on your favorite herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roast in a 25o degree F oven for about 45 minutes or till done.

That’s it. Done. So what if you have an information technology degree instead of one from a culinary school? You can do this. It’s simple, tasty and healthy.

Nautical food experience

Chili Queen — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:17:46 +0000

My girls and I went to all the way to The Ship for lunch. This is one of the few restaurants I would drive to just for their food and it’s always worth the trouble. Not only do I love their ship’s cabin furniture, I also love how their food still holds that signature English flavor after all these years.

While you can barely make out the seafood in the chowder served at other restaurants, The Ship’s seafood chowder features a giant green mussel, a jumbo shrimp and chunky pieces of fish and squid. Very yummy.

This is the first time I’m ordering the Grilled Chicken with Cola Sauce, mixed veggies and french fries. The sauce made with coke (cola) is interesting but a little bland.

The Chicken Maryland is definitely one of my kids’ all-time favorite. The portion is pretty big and we all jumped in to help lick the platter clean.

Recipe: Crispy Crunchy Chicken Fingers

Chili Queen — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 02:20:08 +0000

Chicken Fingers are a perennial favorite in our household. When all else fails, chicken fingers to the rescue! I’m really not much of a stickler for recipes. I generally just make up the recipes as I go along depending on what I can find in my pantry or my fridge.

I created this version here when my oven refused to work.

It’s really simple and crunchy. You just need some chicken breasts cut into long strips and seasoned lightly with salt and pepper. Leave to marinate for an hour or so. Heat up a good amount of cooking oil in a wok or deep skillet.

Beat up an egg (or two, depending on amount of chicken breasts you’re using). In a plate, combine 1 cup of flour and 2 cups of bread crumbs. Dip the chicken strips in the beaten egg. Dredge them through the flour and breadcrumb mixture to coat evenly. Deep fry till golden brown. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

You may also like to check out another recipe I posted earlier for Finger-Lickin’ Good Chicken Fingers. These are oven-baked and probably won’t have you running out to look for the most effective fat burners because they’re less fattening.

lunch @ Nyonya Colors

Chili Queen — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 07:46:59 +0000

Although there’s a whole spread of eateries at the Midvalley walkway to the Gardens, there’s only one or two restaurants that we’re tried that appeal to us. One of them is Nyonya Colors which serves fairly decent nasi lemak (or coconut rice with condiments) but we’ve never tried their nyonya kuih (or cakes). There are certain prices I won’t just pay for certain food, period, especially if I know how easy and cheap they can be made at home.

This Nasi Lemak Pandan with Chicken Rendang is quite a decent portion of rice (the greenish color comes from the screwpine leaves used), fried anchovies and peanuts, half a hard-boiled egg, sliced cucumber and chicken rendang (dried curry sauce).

Another one of our favorites is Nasi Kunyit with Chicken Curry. The nasi kunyit, or turmeric rice, shaped like giant gold coins, may not look like a lot but eaten with the thick, coconuty chicken curry, this glutinous rice is very filling.

And if I’m not very hungry, I’ll order this basic, no-frills nasi lemak in a small portion that I can finish in a few scoops.

recipe: sesame chicken

chili queen — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 05:54:18 +0000

Whenever we eat out, the kids always seem to order Sesame Chicken, if it’s on the menu, that is. As is usually the case, when we order one plate, it’s not enough for my Sesame Chicken lovers. If we order two plates, I’ll start thinking how many plates of it I can cook at home for the same price !

So the next best thing is to cook this at home where I can make a big enough portion without worrying about the bill. I mean, this is so simple and inexpensive to make at home.

I usually use boneless chicken fillet or deboned drumsticks for this, just like the restaurant. The pieces should be cut fairly large, then drenched in a mixture of flour, pepper and salt.

There’s two steps to cooking this. First I deepfry the chicken pieces on high heat till lightly brown. I know what you’re thinking. That we probably have to jump on our ellipticals and peddle like crazy afterwards to work off the weight gain .

Remove chicken and pour away the oil from the wok. I add some hoisin, or sweet and sour plum sauce and a little water and let it come to a boil. Then return the chicken to the wok and mix to coat with the sauce. Just before serving, sprinkle sesame seeds on top and garnish with fresh cilantro. And you’re ready to dig in.

My Sesame Chicken is a bit saucy because the kids like to spoon it over their rice. It’s the perfect wholesome and yummy dish if you have young kids because the chicken is boneless and the sauce is sweet with a light tang and kids are fascinated by the speckled look of the sesame seeds. Try it !