Citrus Marinated Chicken with Mango Chutney, Black Beans and Rice

I've been sitting on the photos of this dish for over a month now, so they predate the arrival of the Fyrkat grill.  The most delicious way to cook the chicken would certainly be on the grill, although my broiler does a fine, fine job.  My version of the recipe originates back several years to a day when I had no idea what to cook for dinner (what else is new?).  I have a friend who, among other things, is genius at suggesting how to transform my random fridge and pantry ingredients into beautiful meal ideas.  On this day, I had a mango, some canned black beans and the ubiquitous boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Her suggestion of citrus marinated chicken with mango chutney, black beans and rice became one of mine and Kid Cayenne's favorite home cooked meals.

1 mango, diced
1 small red onion, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lime
red chili pepper flakes or crumbled dry red chili peppers (to taste)
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (although certainly you could use different cuts)
about 1/2 cup dry white wine

Combine mango, onion, garlic, lemon and lime juice and chili flakes in a nonreactive bowl.  Add chicken breast, slightly burying under the marinade ingredients.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to marinate.  Turn chicken breasts over once half way through.

Preheat oven to broil or prepare hot grill.


Remove chicken from bowl and lightly scrape away any remaining bits of marinade ingredients (to prevent burning while cooking).  Salt and pepper the chicken.  Broil or grill chicken until cooked through. The time depends on your heat and the thickness of your chicken. For chicken breasts, 6-7 minutes on each side is probably adequate but please check for doneness .

Chicken should be nicely browned on each side, firm to the touch, but not hard and juices should run clear.

Meanwhile, cook your remaining marinade in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.  Once the mango begins to break down and the onions are transparent, add white wine.  Continue to reduce while the chicken cooks, stirring occasionally.  They should finish about the same time. Chutney will be thick, sticky and jam-like.

Serve chicken with chutney, rice and a side of black beans (sauté a little diced onion in oil until translucent, add a can of rinsed and drained whole black beans, a splash of water or chicken broth and salt and pepper to taste.  Heat until steaming).

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Pozole! Chicken, Tomatillo and Hominy Stew

I don't remember where I got this recipe, and therefore can't vouch for it's authenticity, but I can tell you that it's very good, makes a huge batch and freezes well.  Perfect too, if you have a plethora of tomatillos growing in your garden (I'm looking at you, Bouillie). It's a great summer soup (stew?), full of smoky, spicy verde goodness and perfect for accessorizing with fresh toppings.  It is a bit high on the spice-ometer but removing the seeds from the chiles or reducing the amount will help if that is a concern for you.


1 lb fresh tomatillos, husks removed, or 3 (11-oz) cans, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced onion
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 quarts chicken broth
1 (29-oz.) can golden or white hominy, drained and rinsed
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes (I don't drain these)
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 lb cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

If using fresh tomatillos, bring medium saucepan filled with water to a boil.  Discard papery outer layer (if present) and add tomatillos to the pot.  Boil 5 minutes or until soft.  Drain.  Puree tomatillos in food processor or blender until smooth.

If you are using canned tomatillos, eliminate the boiling step and just puree the drained tomatillos.  I've done both and it comes out nicely either way.

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat.  This recipe fills my 4.5 quart dutch oven to the brim, so don't use anything smaller.  A 5 quart pot is ideal.

Add onion to the hot oil and cook 5 minutes or until soft.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add cumin and oregano; cook 20 seconds. Add pureed tomatillos, broth, hominy, tomatoes and chipotle chiles. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low to low. Simmer, uncovered, 30 minutes or until thick.

Stir in cooked chicken and simmer another 4-5 minutes until chicken is heated through.  Turn off heat and add chopped cilantro.

Serve with condiments for adding to the top such as chopped green oinion, cilantro, diced radish, sliced avocado, tortilla chips and crumbled queso fresca (I used crumbled cheddar and monterrey jack but only because I had forgotten to buy the good stuff and was too lazy to go further than the corner grocery for a replacement.  Don't be like me.  Get the real deal, it's a million times better).  Lime wedges might also be nice.

Makes 6-8 servings.

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Crispy Stuffed Chicken Cutlets With Ham, Cheese and Sauerkraut

Faye of Fayefood, in an effort to help me find something new to do with boneless, skinless chicken breast for the lovely but meat squeamish Kid Cayenne, pointed me to this New York Times article from January, 2010 in which the author seeks to find out why boneless skinless chicken breast, once a mainstay of French cooking, had lost it's foodie credibility. In doing so, she discovers a number of interesting chicken breast recipes provided by various chefs who would admit (sort of) to still cooking chicken breast at home.

I was thankful, and decided to give one of the resulting recipes a try:

Crispy Stuffed Chicken Cutlets With Ham, Cheese and Sauerkraut

Adapted from Alexandra Raij

Time: 25 minutes

6 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (about 1 1/4 pounds total)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large egg whites
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 teaspoons minced garlic
Dijon mustard
1 1/2 ounces thinly sliced provolone cheese (1 1/2 slices)
1 1/2 ounces thinly sliced ham (1 1/2 slices)
3 tablespoons sauerkraut, packed, more for serving
3/8 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 cups plain bread crumbs
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, for frying.


1. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites, cornstarch, parsley and garlic until lumps dissolve and mixture is slightly foamy. Set aside.

2. Brush one side of each chicken cutlet with mustard. Divide cheese and ham among 3 cutlets and place on mustard side. Top each with 1 tablespoon sauerkraut and 1/8 teaspoon caraway seeds. Arrange remaining 3 cutlets mustard-side down on top of sauerkraut to sandwich the ham and cheese. Press to seal.

3. Dip stuffed cutlets in egg white mixture and dredge in bread crumbs. (You can do this several hours ahead and refrigerate until needed).

4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Carefully place cutlets in hot pan and fry until dark brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes a side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; serve hot, with additional sauerkraut on the side.

Yield: 3 servings.

I stayed very true to the recipe, making only one modification.  I used panko crumbs (because I had them) instead of regular bread crumbs.  I prepared whole chicken breasts, cut in half horizontally, for the cutlets.  I didn't get an even thickness on both sides when I cut, resulting in some areas being undercooked when I fried them.  I finished them in a 350° oven to ensure that they were cooked through without too much direct heat contact on the stove top.

How did we like them?  They were good!  Not great.  Good.  The contrast of flavors was interesting and enjoyable but not so much that I will put the recipe into heavy rotation.  A nice change though.  Thanks Faye!

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Simple Chicken Spaghetti with Carrot and Yellow Squash

I had never even heard of chicken spaghetti until I moved to Louisiana.  I was skeptical about whether I'd like it.  My mother in law's version convinced me I had really been missing out.  Now, when I make it, I adapt her recipe.  Her cooking specialty is long, slow simmered dishes that take hours and you can really taste the impact that has on her sauce.  I don't usually plan far enough ahead and am starving at 7pm with no meal in sight, so I make this much quicker version.  I take shortcuts.  Sometimes, I use jarred pasta sauce instead of making my own.  Sometimes, I don't use the right wine.  Today is one of those days.  I'm not saying it's perfect pasta sauce, just saying it's really good and really easy.  The carrot and squash create a subtle sweetness that tones down the acidity of the tomato sauce and create a bit of depth.  You'll like it.

1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (or whatever type of chicken you want to use)
salt and pepper
1 TB olive oil
1 onion. diced
1bell pepper, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 ts cayenne pepper (optional)
3-4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch pieces of similar thickness
2-3 very small yellow squashes or 1 larger one, cut into half moons about 1/2 inch thick
a splash of red wine (probably about 1/4 cup)
1 jar of decent pasta sauce
salt and pepper to taste

spaghetti pasta

grated or shaved Parmesan Reggiano for topping

Cut boneless skinless chicken breast into bite sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.   Bring 1 TB olive oil to shimmering point in a 5 quart or larger dutch oven or heavy, covered skillet over medium high heat.  Lightly brown chicken.  You can choose to use chicken thighs, the shredded meat of a rotisserie chicken or a whole chicken in 8-10 parts if you prefer.  Just adjust the cooking times accordingly.

Add diced onion, bell pepper and garlic.  Saute with chicken until the they begin to soften and onion is becoming translucent.

Add carrots.  Don't stir too much.  Let the vegetables have contact with the pan long enough to get a bit of golden caramelization.  Sauté for 3-4 minutes.  Add yellow squash and sauté about 1 minute longer.  Vegetables should be softening but not cooked through at this point.

Add wine to deglaze pan.  Stir briefly to loosen any nice golden bits from the bottom of the pan.  If you don't get any golden bits (I didn't last night) it's OK.  It just means that the pan may have been too crowded and the vegetables steamed a bit more than they caramelized.  It happens.

Add jar of pasta sauce.  Add cayenne pepper and any additional seasoning to taste.  Cover and simmer on very low heat for 20 minutes to 3-4 hours, depending on how hungry you are.  Longer is nice, but not essential.  Cook pasta separately according to package instructions.  Serve sauce over pasta with lots of freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano.

Serves 4-6

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Second Attempt at Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Vegetables

I made a chicken and vegetable Thai green curry again, using pretty much the same recipe as last time, plus or minus a few vegetables.  I think this one had chicken, onion, asparagus, Chinese eggplant, carrot and red bell pepper.  Last time, I added 3 TB of Mae Ploy green curry paste and it was far too spicy.  This time I used 2 TB and it wasn't quite as hot as I would have liked it.  Looks like I'm going to have to settle somewhere in the middle...

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Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Vegetables

Last night, I made my very first Thai green curry. I used:

* 3 TB of Mae Ploy green curry paste (bought at World Market)
* 1 13.5 oz can of unsweetened coconut milk
* about 3/4 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into small pieces)
* 1 bell pepper (sliced)
* 1 bundle of asparagus (cut into pieces about 2 inches long)
* 2 carrots (sliced)
* 1 Chinese eggplant (cubed)
* 1 half white onion, sliced
* a handful of Shitake mushrooms (de-stemmed)
* 2 TB fish sauce
* 1 ts brown sugar

I loosely followed the advice of various Thai green curry with chicken recipes I found on the interweb. It went something like this:

Pour half the can of coconut milk into the pan, bring to a boil. Add green curry paste and stir into the coconut milk for about 2 minutes. Add chicken and simmer until cooked through. Add carrots and simmer for a minute or two (none of my other vegetables looked like they needed any additional cooking time), then add all other vegetables and cook for a few minutes. Add remaining coconut milk, fish sauce and sugar. Cook until vegetables are tender crisp. Serve with rice. This served 2 with plenty for leftovers.

The result was very good, but HOLY WOW SPICY! I mean, we ate it anyway so it wasn't inedibley spicy but WOW! TOO MUCH CURRY PASTE! I think next time, I will do things exactly the same, but use 2 TB curry paste instead of 3. Better yet, maybe some of you Thai curry experts out there can tell me what you would have done differently. Suggestions are appreciated.

P.S.  I was really disappointed, last night, to learn that Whole Foods on Magazine doesn't carry Thai basil.  I wanted to include it but did't have time to go to another store.  Next time I make this, I'll probably shop at Hong Kong Market for vegetables instead.

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