Tagged: Chicken

chicken / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / rice

Sweet & Spicy Orange Chicken

Tired of the same old chicken recipes?  Try this Sweet & Spicy Orange Chicken. It’s easy to make and it tastes exactly like your favorite take out version. The marinade smells amazing from the scent of the fresh orange and ginger.
My family loves Chinese take out so this was a big hit last night. Enjoy!

Ingredients for Chicken:

2 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breast (cut into 1 inch cubes

1 and 1/2 cup corn starch

2 eggs beaten with 2 tablespoons of water

Vegetable oil for frying

Sesame seeds

Chopped Scallions

Ingredients for Marinade:

1 large orange

zest of 1 large orange

1/2 chicken bouillon cube

1 cup of warm water

1/2 cup  sugar

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 cloves garlic (finely minced)

1 tablespoon fresh ginger (finely minced)

1 teaspoon of Sriracha hot sauce or more to taste

1 or 2 tablespoons of corn starch

I used fresh squeezed orange juice which gave the sauce a fresh taste.

Instructions:

Place all of the marinade ingredients in a large bowl and mix well to incorporate all the flavors. Place the chicken in a ziploc plastic bag and add 1/2 of the marinade.

Let the chicken marinade for at least 30 minutes shaking the bag once in a while.

Place the eggs in a large bowl and beat with 2 tablespoons of water. Place the corn starch in a large bowl.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, shaking off any excess. Discard the marinade. Add the chicken to the eggs and mix well to coat.

Remove about 10 pieces of the chicken at a time while shaking off excess egg and place in the corn starch. Toss each piece of chicken with the corn starch coating it well.

Place the coated chicken onto a plate. Heat the oil in a large wok, or skillet on high heat. Shake off excess corn starch from each piece of chicken and begin frying in batches of about 10 pieces of chicken. Cook for about 2 minutes until each piece is golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinade with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and cook for a few minutes to thicken. Add more water if you find it too thick.

Taste and add more hot Sriracha sauce if you like it spicier.

Discard the oil and place the chicken back into the skillet on low heat. Drizzle the warm sauce over the cooked chicken.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and sliced scallions.

Serve over rice. Enjoy!

Appetizers / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Asian Sweet & Spicy Chicken

Asian Sweet & Spicy Chicken is amazing! You simply let the chicken marinate for a couple of hours or overnight, bake and cover it with the yummy sweet & spicy sauce!

This is the kind of recipe that you experiment with to your own taste. Some people like these really spicy and some like them sweet like Teriyaki sauce.

I served it with Portuguese Rice and grilled Asparagus! It was a big hit! Try it and Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 pounds of chicken drumsticks and thighs or wings

1 cup of soy sauce

1/2 cup of red wine vinegar

1/4 cup of brown sugar

3 tablespoons of olive oil

6 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons of fresh ginger (minced)

2 scallions (sliced)

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1 tablespoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon of piri piri sauce

1 tablespoon Corn starch

Instructions:

Place the chicken in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl mix all of the remaining ingredients except cornstarch until very well incorporated.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and let it marinate for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat oven to 400. Remove the chicken from the bowl and place in a very well greased flat tray. Reserve the marinade. Cook for 1 hour turning over once.

Cook the leftover marinade in a small pan on low heat for at least 10 minutes to reduce and cook. Taste and add more soy sauce and red pepper flakes if you like it spicier.

Note:

To create thicker sauce simply add the corn starch mixed with a little water to the sauce and let it reduce and thicken. You can also make this sweeter by adding a little honey or more brown sugar. The longer it cooks, the thicker it will get.

Asparagus is easy to cook in just a few minutes right in your skillet. Just add 1 – 2 tablespoons of olive oil, depending on how much asparagus you have. Add salt and pepper and cook on low – medium heat.

Cover the pan, and toss the asparagus gently as it cooks for about 5 minutes. Add a little more olive oil if needed.

Turn off the heat and leave it covered. It will continue to cook and keep warm.

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / rice

Lemon Chicken & Jasmine Rice – Galinha com Limão e Arroz de Jasmim

 

This Lemon Chicken recipe can be ready in under 30 minutes which is just perfect for your busy days. It pairs perfectly with the Jasmine rice recipe that I shared below.

The secret to making a light and fluffy Jasmine rice is too add as little water as possible and not let the rice cook to long.

You also never use a spoon to stir the rice, use a fork to obtain a light and airy texture.

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter or margarine

1/4 cup of flour

2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel

1/4 cup of Vinho Verde or dry white wine

1 cup of chicken broth

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of black pepper

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

1 scallion finely sliced

 

Jasmine Rice:

2 cups Jasmine rice

3 cups of water

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of butter or margarine

1 scallion (finely sliced)

Lemon wedges for garnish (optional)

 

Instructions:

Cut the chicken breasts in half. Place them between 2 pieces of saran wrap and pound to about 1/4 inch thick.

Season with salt and pepper and coat them lightly with the flour in a bowl.

Heat the olive oil and butter on high heat in a large saute pan. Cook the chicken on medium high heat for about 3 minutes or longer on each side until they turn a light golden brown, remove them from the pan and set them aside.

De-glaze the pan with wine, lemon juice and chicken broth and let it cook down for about 1 minute.

Return the chicken to the pan and let it cook in the lemon sauce for another 3-4 minutes on medium heat to incorporate the lemon flavor.

Turn heat to low, add the scallion, oregano and the lemon zest and cook for about 1 minute. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

If you find the sauce too thick add a little more chicken broth.

 

Instructions for Jasmine rice:

If you want to serve the chicken with the Jasmine rice begin cooking the rice before you start the chicken.

Boil the 3 cups of water, butter and salt in a medium heavy saucepan.

Add the rice, stir, slightly cover, and cook on medium for about 15 minutes stirring with a fork once in a while.

After 15 minutes turn off the heat, stir the rice gently with a fork to make it light and flaky.

Cover and set aside until the chicken is ready. Add the scallions as a garnish before serving.

 

 

 

 

Main Dish / Photo Gallery

Oven Broiled Spicy Chicken Piri Piri

 

I am so tired of Winter! I bet many of you are too. I was craving some Chicken Piri Piri so I made this recipe using the broiler last night. Now you can get the char grilled chicken flavor all year long with this method!

The chicken comes out tender, juicy and flavorful.

Find the recipe for; Portuguese rice or  Sweet Potato Chile Fries as a side dish. What’s great about making the fries is that you can cook them along with the chicken saving cooking time. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 small fryer chickens

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 or 2 tablespoons of piri piri sauce or Tabasco hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon of piri piri powder (optional)

1/4 cup of Vinho Verde or white wine

Instructions:

Marinate the chickens with all the ingredients and leave them overnight in the refrigerator or for at least 2 hours before cooking.

Arrange the chickens on a large baking tray and broil in your oven until the skin becomes golden brown for about 10 minutes.

Do you notice the bottle of Vinho Verde, and authentic Portuguese spices? I’m lucky that I have many stores in my town to buy them!

*Note: Leave the oven door open slightly so you can keep your eyes on the chicken and it does not burn or smoke.

Turn off broiler and set the oven at 400 degrees.

Place the chicken in the tray in the middle oven rack and cook and cook for 1 hour or until the chicken is fully cooked and crispy.

If you make the sweet potato fries place them in the oven along with the chicken.

Here it is! Look at that crispy golden color!

When the chicken is cooked drain off the pan drippings and strain it into a small pan. Skim off the fat on top of the drippings, add more piri piri sauce to your taste and cook on low heat for a few minutes.

Serve the sauce over the chicken or on the side for dipping!

 Here’s the photo of the sweet potato fries. They are so good and spicy! Enjoy

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / soup / Soups

Chicken Tortilla Soup

 

This recipe is very easy to make despite having a lot of different ingredients.

I adapted it from the Pioneer Woman. She used tortillas in the soup instead of rice. If your family loves Mexican, they’ll go crazy for this soup! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked boneless leftover chicken (shredded)

1 small onion (minced)

1 small red pepper (minced)

2 cloves of garlic (minced)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 or 2 cups of crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup Hot Salsa

1 large can of black beans

1 cup of rice

10  cups of water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

2 tablespoons of corn flour (medium grind)

1 cup of corn (optional)

 

Topping suggestions:

Tortilla Chips

Shredded cheese

Sour cream

Salsa

Chopped tomatoes

Chopped onion

Avocado

 

Instructions:

Saute the onion, garlic, and peppers in the olive oil, in a large heavy soup pan.

Add the salt, pepper, spices, tomato paste, tomatoes, salsa, water and bouillon and let cook on medium for about 5 – 10 minutes for the spices to blend.

Add the beans, rice, corn flour and chicken and cook for about 20 minutes on medium low heat stirring once in a while so the corn flour does not stick.

Do you notice the Gonsalves brand of corn flour?

Taste the soup and add more seasonings to your taste. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes on low heat. The soup will thicken as it cooks so you may need to add more water if you like a thinner soup.

While the soup cooks, prep the toppings. You can add as many as you like to your taste.

The soup was a big hit last night! Enjoy the recipe!

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Crunchy Oven Fried Chicken

The chicken in this recipe comes out moist, flavorful and super crunchy. You’ll never make fried chicken again once you try this! Enjoy it!

Click here for the Macaroni & Cheese with Chourica Breadcrumb Crumble  recipe. Try it with Portuguese Potato Salad.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 small frying chickens or about 20 legs and thighs

1 teaspoon of salt

crushed black pepper

1 cup of milk

1 teaspoon of white vinegar

1 package of Shake n Bake chicken mix (The package comes with 2 packets – use only 1)

1 and 1/2 cups of flavored bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of garlic powder

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of coriander

1 teaspoon of curry powder

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Olive oil Cooking Spray

 

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Remove the back bone from the chickens and save for later use in soups and stocks. Cut the remaining chicken into 10 equal size pieces.

This should give you about 20 pieces.

Place the chicken into a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper. Add the milk and vinegar and let the chicken soak with the milk for at least 15 minutes or store in the refrigerator for later cooking.

Mix all other ingredients in a plastic bag. Place 2 pieces at a time in the bag and shake well to coat all the chicken.

Place the chicken on a large baking pan that has been heavenly coated with the olive oil spray.

Cook for 45 -60 minutes until the chicken is crispy.

*Do not turn over the chicken as it cooks! It will become crispy on its own!

 

Photo Gallery / Recipes / soup / Soups

Chicken & Jasmine Rice Soup

Chicken and Jasmine Rice Soup is comfort food in simplistic form. The fragrant and nutty taste of the Jasmine rice in a chicken stock infused with garlic and scallions gives this chicken soup a Thai – Asian inspired taste.

This soup is will calm you and your tummy after a night of partying or when cold and flu season arrives!

Ingredients:

2 pieces of skin on, bone in chicken (leg or thigh)

1 and 1/2 cup of Jasmine rice

8 cups of water

2 stocks celery chopped

1 stock celery finely chopped

1 small onion chopped

3 cloves of garlic

1 to 2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 sprigs parsley

1 tbsp of chopped parsley for garnish

1 or 2 finely sliced scallions

crushed red pepper flakes optional

 

Instructions:

In a medium soup pan, place the water, seasonings, garlic, onion, 2 stocks celery, 2 sprigs parsley and bring to a boil.

Add the chicken and cook for about 45 minutes on medium heat.

Remove the chicken and the parsley from the pan and set aside.

Bring the soup to a boil and add the rice. Cook the rice for about 20 minutes on medium and reduce heat to low.

Remove the chicken meat from the bones and chop into small pieces. Add the chopped chicken to the soup along with the remaining chopped celery.

Cook for about 10 minutes on low heat. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed. If the soup has thicken to much for your taste or if it’s too salty add one or two cups of boiling water.

When soup is done, add the chopped parsley and scallions. Enjoy!

 

 

 

chicken / Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Lemon Rosemary Paprika Chicken

lemon rosemary chicken

Lemon Rosemary Chicken is typically not a Portuguese dish, but I add paprika to give it a smoky flavor and a beautiful golden crust!

I like my chicken very well done with a crispy skin so I let the chicken cook for about 2 hours. Serve with sweet potatoes or roasted potatoes.

Roast Potatoes recipe

Portuguese roast potatoes

I recommend you cook 2 chickens so you can have the leftovers all week. Just double the recipe and make my easy Chicken Pot Pie Recipe!

Ingredients:

1 roaster chicken

2 lemons

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon rosemary (finely chopped)

lemon rosemary chicken prep

Instructions:

Butterfly the chicken in half or cook whole if desired. Place in a roasting pan.

Slice the lemons in half and squeeze the juice from 1 lemon over the chicken. Cut remaining lemon into slices.

In a small bowl mix the salt, garlic powder, paprika and rosemary. Rub the seasoning mix over the chicken and add lemon slices.

Bake at 400 degrees for 1 + 1/2 – 2 hours until the chicken skin has become golden and crispy.

Note: You may notice your timer has popped up, but let the chicken continue to to cook longer to obtain a crispy golden color.

Remove the chicken from oven and cut into the thigh joint. If you find the juices clear, the chicken is cooked. If you have a meat thermometer, the temperature should read 180 – 190 degrees.

Let it rest for about 8  minutes before carving! Enjoy!

In this photo, I cooked the sweet potatoes along with chicken and left out the lemon slices. It was outstanding!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes / rice / Side Dish

Carmelina’s Chicken and Rice Casserole

 A Rebel Rooster

During my teenage years, when my siblings and I were still living at home on a small dead end street in a small town in New England, my father brought home a little yellow chick for Easter given to him by his friend who raised chickens.

My father thought it was a great idea because we had raised chickens back in Portugal and soon, we’d be eating fresh eggs every morning. He made the little chick, a coop under our back porch and eventually the chick became our family’s pet.

My parents couldn’t tell whether the chick was a rooster or a hen that would lay eggs. Apparently sexing chicks is difficult and it is said that only professionals know how to determine it.

The chick grew bigger week by week, and we soon realized that the little chick had turned into a white Leghorn Rooster!But he was no ordinary rooster; he was very temperamental and quite a rebel who often escaped his coop, terrorizing our family and the neighborhood.

My rooster was a traffic cop.

He designated himself that position by stopping any car that drove into the street by parking himself right in front of it! Honking would ensue, followed by a loud screams of; “get the damn rooster off the road”!

Our rooster also had an aversion to anything with wheels; my father’s wheel barrel, my brother’s bicycle and especially one particular pink bicycle owned by one of my sister’s teenage friends who lived up the street!

The poor girl tried to speed by our house to elude his assaults, but the rooster was too fast for her. He terrorized her daily to the point that she eventually stopped riding by our house. She opted to use the opposite side of the street instead but unfortunately, the poor girl’s strategy didn’t work and he always found her.

My rooster was a leg man.

The females in my family lived in fear of having our legs pecked and scratched every time we walked outside our front door. Many pairs of pantyhose were torn up every weekday morning when my sister left for work that summer.

It reached the point where she’d have to ask one of us to be her lookout so she could make a run for her car. “Where’s the Galo” “Where’s the Galo” shouted my sister as she headed out the door.

If you’ve ever been pecked by a wild tempered rooster’s beak and clawed in your bare legs you know what I mean. If you haven’t, I can tell you it really hurts, because I was also attacked all summer long myself.

As that summer went on, the rooster grew bigger and his early morning “cock-a-doodle-doo” made it impossible for my family, or any one in the neighborhood to sleep past sunrise. Soon, the neighbors began knocking on our front door to complain and something had to be done about it.

My mother was a very resourceful woman and a great cook! I’ll let you figure out the rest of the story.

Meanwhile here’s her recipe for chicken and rice.

 

Ingredients:

1 small fryer chicken 3-4 lbs (cut into about 10 pieces)

2 cups of long grain rice

1 small onion chopped

1 small garlic clove chopped

1 bay leaf

2 large carrots chopped

1 small very ripe tomato

1/4 cup of olive oil

1 tsp paprika

1 tbsp salt

1 pinch of black pepper

1/2 cup of white wine

2 cups of chicken broth

4 cups of boiling water

 

Instructions:

Wash, and pat dry the chicken. Marinate with the salt, pepper, paprika, wine, and let sit for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.

When ready to cook, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil in a heavy stove top casserole pan or deep skillet until translucent.

Add the chicken, carrots, tomato, and bay leaf.

Cook on medium heat until the chicken gets browned stirring once in a while. Add the wine, chicken broth and any remaining marinade.

Let the chicken cook on medium-low for a few minutes and then cover and cook for at least 30 minutes stirring once in a while.

After the 30 minutes add the 4 cups of boiling water, let it come to a boil and add the rice.

Stir, wait for the rice to come to a boil, stir, cover, and cook on medium heat for about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat. Leave covered and let the rice sit for about 10 minutes. (The rice will continue to cook)

Uncover, stir and test rice. Add seasonings to your desired taste. *(I like a firm rice, but you may let it cook longer if you choose)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Main Dish / Photo Gallery / Recipes

Spicy Sweet Piri – Piri Chicken Barbeque Sauce

While I was growing up, my mother cooked chicken for our family so many times, that my father would often say;

“We eat so much chicken, that soon we’re going to grow wings and start flying around.”

Today, I find myself cooking chicken most of the time just like my mother, so I repeat my father’s quote to my family. They laugh, but they don’t mind that we eat chicken so often, especially when I make this recipe!

This recipe will cure your craving for that outdoor barbeque flavor all year long especially in the winter! Serve this chicken with Portuguese Chick Pea Rice or Portuguese Style Potato Salad for a real barbeque feel!

*Note: If you live in a warm climate where you can cook outdoors all year long. Cook the chicken completely on the grill using this method for Frango Churrasco- Chicken on a brick, but use the basic seasonings in this barbeque recipe. Once the chicken is cooked, brush on the sauce and cook for about 5-10 minutes.

You may choose to add more spices or ingredients to the sauce, but I say to use the KISS method. Keep It Simple….. Don’t spoil a good thing!

By the way this sauce is amazing on barbeque ribs too!

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Chickens (small fryers)

1 tbsp Olive oil

1 tbsp Salt

1 tbsp Paprika

1 tsp Black Pepper

1 tbsp Garlic Powder

Sauce:

1 cup Ketchup

3 tbsp Brown sugar

1 tsp Granulated sugar

1 tbsp Soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp Piri Piri or Tabasco sauce

1 tbsp White Vinegar

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400 F. Wash and dry the chickens with a paper towel. Place them skin side up in a large try that has been greased with cooking spray.

In a small bowl mix the seasoning; salt, pepper, garlic powder. Rub the chicken with the olive oil and then the spice mix.

Cook the chicken skin side up, for about 1 hour or until they get golden brown. *(Check after 45 minutes since ovens may vary)

Meanwhile, put all the sauce ingredients in a small pan, stir and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.

At this point, you can add more piri piri if you like the sauce spicy or add more sugar for a sweeter sauce. Stir and cook longer to blend in added ingredients.

Remove the chickens from the oven. Brush the sauce over the chickens and coat them evenly.

Place the chicken back in the oven and cook for about 15 minutes for the sauce to absorb into the chicken. The longer it cooks the thicker and sweeter the sauce will become.