Smoked Paprika Buttermilk Baked Chicken

My kids have named the table on our back patio "FIG the Restaurant" on nice nights that's where we eat. Seeing that we have spent the last 63 days at home it's nice to be able to mix up the scenery even if it's just eating out front instead of inside. Last night was my 7 year olds cooking night. Each kid has their own cooking night, they pick the meal. The only time my husband and I add input is if they are going to add a seasoning that absolutely would ruin the meal, otherwise it's 100% kid planned, executed and cooked. We've been doing this now for going on 4 years and it's been amazing to see them change throughout the years in the kitchen, not only their knife skills but their meal planning. Sometimes they'll have a "meat" in mind but want to cook it different so we look up a new recipe. This is what happened last night. Torrey wanted to do wings, but not how we typically do (BBQ, which is also a really good recipe I should share) so we looked at a few options and we happened to have buttermilk in the fridge so this is what she decided on. Honestly they were some of the best wings we've ever had. So now I share her recipe with you.

Smoked Paprika Buttermilk Baked Chicken
2 1/2 cups flour
3 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
2 lbs chicken wings (or cut you like)
1/2 Tbsp smoked paprika
2 Tbsp garlic salt

1) Set oven to 450 degrees, line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper
2)Soak chicken in buttermilk, place in fridge for at least 1 hour (next time we are going to try it overnight)
3) In bowl mix flour, smoked paprika, and garlic salt. Mix thoroughly set aside
4) Crack eggs into a separate bowl and beat
5) Remove chicken from buttermilk one at a time. Dredge in flour, then in egg, then back into flour. 6) Place on cookie sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and internal temperature of 165

Mangia!

Chicken & Dumplings --- Instant Pot

It's the time of year for comfort food one of the first ones that comes to mind for me is Chicken and Dumplings. A few weeks back I used my Instant Pot to make the filling for Chicken Pot Pie and I instantly realized how easy it would be to make it into Chicken and Dumplings instead. So I tried it last night, and we ate every last bite. Not only was it super tasty but it was super easy. I typically use frozen chicken so the timing on mine is longer but if you use fresh (or thawed) chicken you can have this done in less than 20 minutes. Here's the recipe:

Chicken and Dumplings
5 cloves of garlic, crushed (we like lots of garlic)
1 large bay leaf
2 tsp salt
2 cups bone broth/chicken stock
2 cups water
1 lb chicken
Carrots, chopped
Celery, chopped
1 cup peas

Dumplings
2 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
6 tbsp salted butter*
3/4 cup milk
*if you don't use salted butter add 1/2 tsp salt
Mix the flour, baking powder, & baking soda.
Cut in butter, once it's crumbly add milk and mix until dough forms.


In Instant Pot add chicken, broth, water, garlic, bay leaf, & salt. Cover and cook on "soup" for 30 minutes (if you're not using frozen chicken you can change the time to 15 minutes.) When done, allow to naturally release pressure. Open add carrots, celery, peas and dumplings to the top. Close and set for "soup" for 5 more minutes. When done allow to naturally release and serve.

Mangia!

Instant Pot---Chili Verde

Having never cooked with Tomatillos before I was excited to try this recipe. And I can tell you I'll be cooking with Tomatillos more often. They were so easy to use and the flavor was spot on. This dish was put together in 5 minutes and then 15 minutes to cook. Couldn't ask for an easier recipe.

Chili Verde
1 white onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled (but left whole)
15 tomatillos, husked and quartered
3 anaheim peppers, remove seeds and chopped
1-2 tbsp cumin
1 tsp salt
3 lbs chicken Chicken, skin on bone in
1/2 cup Cilantro, more for garnish
Green onions
corn tortillas
sour cream

Add chicken, tomatillos, anaheim peppers, onion, garlic, cumin and salt to pressure cooker. Heat on high until gently sizzling, seal Instant Pot and cook for 15 minutes.
When it's done release the pressure take the chicken out and pull off bone.
Add cilantro to Instant Pot and with a hand blender blend until smooth. Taste test to see if it needs more salt or cumin
Add chicken back to sauce
Serve with green onions, tortillas, sour cream & cilantro

Now keep in mind while making this the tomatillos and peppers become your sauce, so the more sauce you want the more tomatillos and peppers you add. Now don't forget if you add more tomatillos and peppers you want to up your onion, garlic and cumin too. You can even spice it up a bit by throwing in some jalapenos or a habanero if you like it really spicy. I didn't go that route as I still have little mouths to feed and was worried I'd get it too spicy for them. But next time I think that I could get away adding a jalapeno as it would add a nice spice.

Enjoy!

For my crock pot folks, don't think I've forgotten about you. This could easily be done in the crock pot, just follow the same recipe cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Lemon Butter Chicken---Instant Pot

This, this is quite possibly an all time favorite way to eat chicken. It was so moist and the flavor was perfect. We served it over rice pilaf, but could easily be served over brown rice, white rice, noodles or even quinoa. 

Lemon Butter Chicken

Chicken bone-in, skin on (I used 2 legs and a large breast)

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt and fresh ground pepper

5 tbsp butter

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup bone broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Juice of 2 lemons (or 1 big one)

1 tbsp fresh or dry thyme

2 cups spinach, chopped (I used fresh could easily use frozen)

2 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp cold water

Set Instant Pot to Saute and Adjust to the hottest Saute mode

Season chicken with paprika, salt & pepper

Once the pot is hot add 3 tbsp of butter to melt

Add seasoned chicken a few at a time skin side down and sear both sides

Remove from pot and drain excess fat & discard

Melt the remaining butter in the empty pot and add garlic until fragrant

Stir in bone broth and heavy cream use wooden or nylon spatula to scrape bottom of pot

Stir in Parmesan, lemon juice from one lemon and thyme

Add the chicken back to the pot skin side up.

Press Cancel, then Press Poultry (or Manual) and adjust time to 8 minutes.

When done allow it to Natural Pressure Release for 5 minutes, then release remaining pressure

Use a thermometer to check chicken is done

Set oven to broil and place chicken in oven skin side up for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown

Press cancel on the Instant Pot, then press Saute

Stir in chopped spinach, stirring until the spinach has wilted

Mix 2 tbsp cornstarch with 3 tbsp cold water

Add to the sauce and wilted spinach and stir until it has slightly thickened. 

Press Cancel

Serve the lemon spinach over rice, noodles, quinoa...etc

Add chicken on top

Squeeze additional lemon juice over the entire dish

Enjoy!!!

Caesar Pasta Salad

I know it's technically Spring, but I can't help but start craving Summer food.  I seem to do this every year, I start thinking about concerts in the park and late nights at the Zoo. About summer nights spent grilling and watching movies in our front yard. I love a good pasta salad, I love that it not only travels well for events, it's versatile and it makes great leftovers (of course that's if you don't eat it all).
One of my favorite parts of this recipe is it is the perfect combination of pasta salad and a green salad. We made this last night and I pictured eating it for lunches this weekend, but sadly we ate every last bite.


Caesar Pasta Salad
1 lb cooked chicken, chopped
1 lb penne pasta cooked
2 hearts of romaine, chopped
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 bottle of your favorite Caesar dressing (I love the TJ's brand)

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate.
Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

I love Chicken Pot Pie, like absolutely love it. The perfect mixture of crust and filling, such a great comfort food on a crisp night. The kids have gotten really excited by using cookie cutters, so as you can tell they decorated the top of the pot pie using their pumpkin cookie cutter. I found this recipe in the Winter of 2008 and it's become a favorite. I think one of the things that make this such a great recipe is we make our own homemade crust which really does make a huge difference, it may seem like "one more step" but it's quick, easy and well worth the extra few minutes to have your own homemade crust.



Chicken Pot Pie
Crust:
2 cups flour (sifted)
3/4 cup butter salted, softened
6 tbsp cold water
Put flour in a bowl, cut in butter until crumbly
Add water until ball is created (may need additional water)
Put in fridge for 4 hours (I've made this both ways by refrigerating and not refrigerating and don't notice a difference. I will say if you do refrigerate make sure to take it out at least 30 minutes before you're ready to use otherwise it's impossible to roll out.)

Filling:
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt & pepper
1 tbsp garlic
1 onion, chopped
1 3/4 cup chicken broth (we use our homemade bone broth)
2/3 cup milk
1 lb cooked chicken, cubed
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery stalks, chopped
1 cup potatoes, chopped
1/2 cup frozen peas

Preheat oven to 400F
Melt butter.
Add salt, pepper, onion and garlic
Whisk in flour, then add chicken broth & milk (continue to whisk)
Cook & stir until thick
Add potatoes, carrots, celery & cook until desired firmness of veggies
Add chicken & peas
Mix well, pour into pie crust.
Cut slits into crust
Bake @ 400F for 30 minutes or until brown and bubbly

Chicken Bone Broth in the Crock Pot

Start to an amazing Bone Broth

I've recently been fascinated with learning all I can about food for its health benefits not just for how tasty it is. In my search I've been experimenting with home fermentation. I have mastered a mean sauerkraut (both a Japanese one as well as a traditional one), I've made some pretty great kimchi.  I have delved into making medicinal pickled garlic, today I'll be making some medicinal oils, and one of the families all times favorites is what is now become a weekly ritual of bone broth.  Not only is it really tasty, either by itself, with an egg stirred into it, used as a stock for risotto, soups, or added to any cooking where you would traditionally use chicken/beef broth. But the health benefits are plentiful.

Bone broth is an excellent source of minerals and is known to boost the immune system and it helps improve digestion.  The broth itself is high in calcium, magnesium, amino acids and phosphorus which is great for bone and tooth health.  Bone broth has a high collagen content which supports joints, hair, skin and nails.  In cases of stomach bugs or vomiting, bone broth works to calm the stomach and can help shorten the illness.  

You can make bone broth from bones of chicken, lamb, fish, turkey, beef...etc.  Add in some vegetables, herbs of your choice and you have an amazing immune boosting liquid.  You can add egg shells, which are also rich in minerals and the egg membranes have nutrients that are supportive for joint health.

One thing I love about this is every time I make it it turns out differently depending on what I have in the house to add to it. We have only made chicken bone broth at this point because it's easy to find an organic whole chicken to start the broth. Although I am determined to find myself some organic grass fed beef bones so that I can make a beef bone broth, but as I said the chicken is easy.  We typically each drink a glass or so a day just heated up.  One of our favorite ways to use the broth (other than in cooking) is heat up some soup and whisk in an egg until cooked (similar to an egg-drop soup).

I buy the whole chicken, we roast it for dinner, eat all the meat and all the bones (and giblets) become the base for the broth.

Here's what you need:
2 lbs or more bones, although at this point I've only ever used 1 chicken carcass and it's turned out really good (they need to be high quality, organic/grass fed animal/wild caught fish)
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (this is crucial as it helps draw more of the mineral content out of the bone)
Salt/Pepper to taste
*chicken feet, optional (for extra gelatin)

Here's what else you can add:
**The great thing about this is this can now become your "compost" (if you don't typically compost this is a great place to put all your vegetable scraps). Throughout the week as you cut up onions, vegetables, cook with eggs you can put all the scraps and egg shells into a Ziploc and store in the freezer to use when you're ready to make your bone broth.  The options are endless depending on what your family eats.

Here's just a run down of my typical bone broth
1 onion (no need to peel, just cut in quarters put peel, roots and all in broth)
4-5 carrots (rinse and chop roughly)
4-5 stalks of celery including leaves (can use base of celery too)
3 garlic cloves (just crushed, skin and peel left on)
3 roughly chopped green onions including root
2 ends of fennel heads and tops
1 shallot (cut in half, peel and all)
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 sprig of thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp sea salt

Here's ideas of other things to add:
Egg shells
Broccoli stalks
Carrot tops & peels (if you happen to peel your carrots)

Here's how to cook it:
Add bones to pot
Cover with water (about an inch above bones)
Add Apple Cider Vinegar and let sit for 20-30 minutes
Now add all your vegetables/herbs/garlic and salt
Cook on low for 24 hours (for poultry)
Cook on low for 48 hours (for beef)
Cook on low for 8  hours (for fish)
When done, strain (with cheesecloth or a very fine strainer) and store in fridge for 5 days or in the freezer.
During the first few hours of simmering you may need to remove the impurities that float on the surface (although I've never had a problem with this), throw this part away. Usually check every 20 minutes for the first 2 hours.

Now don't be concerned if once you put your bone broth in the fridge that it becomes jello like, as that's a good sign. That's a sign of high gelatin content, feel free to scrape that off and use the gelatin for roasting vegetables, or other cooking uses.

Chicken Pot Pie

Today I have hard time believing Fall is coming, the heat outside feels like walking into a furnace when you open the door. Ok, that is a little dramatic seeing that where I live people would laugh that I think it's hot. It's 91 and 10:30am, with 41% humidity, this is about as hot as we get but to us it is HOT.  This has been such a mild summer I've had a hard time not thinking that Fall has already arrived, today has reassured me that it's still summer. At the beginning of this week when I was menu planning though the weather was still very Fall like and I found one of my favorite recipes that I realized I haven't shared. So here it is:

Crust
(you may think making your own crust isn't worth the time or hassle, but trust me it's easy and definitely worth it)
2 Cups flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
6 T cold water
Combine flour, salt. Cut in butter until crumbly. Add water until ball is created (may need more water).
Put in fridge for 4 hours (I don't always do this step, if you forget to put in fridge I typically just put in fridge while I make the filling and it works well.)

Filling
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 tbsp garlic
1 onion chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 lb chicken
Carrots
Celery
Potatoes
1 bag frozen peas

Melt 1/2 cup butter, blend in flour, salt, pepper, onion and garlic
Stir in chicken broth, stir until thickened
Turn burner to medium
Add chicken, cook for 5 minutes
Stir in carrots, celery, potatoes, cook for 5 minutes
Add peas (I don't typically add a whole bag, just eyeball how much I want), cook for 2 minutes
Mix well.

Roll out pie crust on a floured surface and place in a greased pan (making sure to save some to use as a cover)
Pour filling into crust and cover with remaining crust.
Cut slits in crust
Bake @ 400 for 30 minutes or until crust is brown and filling is bubbly.

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup

Crock Pot Minestrone Soup
1 lb chicken
1 lg can diced tomatoes
1 can beans (kidney, great northern, garbanzo) rinsed & drained
2-4 cups chicken broth (depending on how much broth you want)
zucchini
carrots
celery
Kale
Pasta (farfalle, penne, shells, orzo...etc)

Put all ingredients except kale & pasta in crock pot
Cook on low 6-8 hours
10 minutes before being ready to eat cook pasta and add to crock pot
Turn crock pot to high and add kale cook to desired tenderness

Crockpot Whole Chicken

This is a recipe I've wanted to do for a while, but seeing that my husband had some doubts about how it would turn out I hesitated. Well, next time I'll ignore his doubts because this was absolutely amazing and he is now a believer.
This recipe is VERY flexible, you can add any spices you like, any veggies you like and regardless it's going to turn out fantastic.

Whole Crockpot Chicken
1 whole chicken
2 sprigs of rosemary
1 Fennel bulb chopped into large pieces
1 tbsp sage
1/2-1 cup white wine (depending on how much "broth" you want)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Rub whole chicken with salt, pepper and sage
Place in bottom of crockpot legs down
Place rosemary, fennel pieces around chicken
Add wine
Cook on low 6-8 hours

As I said this recipe is very flexible, replace the fennel for onion, use parsley, cilantro, thyme, any herb you want. Add different veggies, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, the options are endless.

****The chicken turns out very moist, just be careful as the bones can easily be hidden as the  meat falls off the bone and some of the bones are very small.

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings

I've been searching for a good crock pot recipe for chicken and dumplings, I finally found one that I think turned out really well.

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
1 lb chicken (I use thighs)
Potatoes chopped
Carrots chopped
Celery chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf
2 tsp garlic
4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup flour
1/2 pkg frozen peas

Dumplings
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup milk

Add all veggies and meat to crock pot
In bowl combine chicken broth and 1/2 cup flour until dissolved, add spices
Pour into crock pot
Cook on low for 6-8 hours
Dumpling will take 20-30 minutes, when ready to eat turn crock pot to high add peas and dumplings. Let cook covered for 20-30 minutes.

Crock Pot Tortellini Soup

Crock Pot Tortellini Soup
Chopped onion
2 medium zucchini chopped
3 1/2 cup chicken/vegetable broth
1 lg can crushed tomatoes
1 can beans (great northern, kidney, garbanzo) rinsed & drained
2 tbsp chopped basil
8 oz fresh tortellini

Combine all ingredients except tortellini
Mix well
Cook low for 6 hours
Increase to high 10 minutes before being ready to eat and add tortellini
Serve with parmesan

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

I got a request from my husband to mix things up a little and experiment with some new recipes as sometimes the crock pot always seems like a pot of soup, or cooked down vegetables with meat. SO...I did some quick (actually it wasn't quick as I was interrupted every 5 seconds by little ones wanting a snack, or to play with me, or just to ask me something) BUT I found some new recipes and if they're good I'll share them.
This was last nights dinner and it was a huge hit all around.



Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken
1 lb chicken (I use thighs)
8 green onions, sliced
2 tsp garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger (optional)
2 tsp fish sauce (optional)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 ketchup
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, we opted to leave this out)
4 tsp cornstarch
1/3 cup water
1/2 tbsp (or more) sesame seeds
3 scallions chopped
Cooked rice
Broccoli

Place chicken in crock pot
In small bowl combine 1/2 of your green onions (other 1/2 reserved for garnish), garlic, ginger, honey, fish sauce, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, sesame oil and red pepper flakes. Mix
Pour over chicken. Cook on low 3-4 hours or on high for 2 hours
Remove chicken and shred into bite sized pieces.
In small bowl dissolve 4 tsp cornstarch with 1/3 cup water.
Add to crock pot.
Stir to combine with sauce.
Place broccoli and chicken back in crock pot and cook an additional 10 minutes to thicken the sauce (if you want the sauce thicker continue to add cornstarch dissolved in water until you get desired thickness).
Serve over rice with sesame seeds & green onions to garnish.

This would also be very good over chow mein like noodles, if I was to use the noodles I'd cook separately and then toss in the crock pot to cover with the sauce.

Crock Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken

What I love about this one is you can change up the flavor just by changing what salsa you use, well and it's a super simple recipe that only needs 4 ingredients.



Crock Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken
chicken (I use thighs or breasts)

1 jar salsa (my favorite is the Salsa Verde from Trader Joes as it's not too spicy for the kiddos)
1 bunch cilantro chopped
1 lime squeezed
1 chopped onion

Place all ingredients in crock pot, cook on low 6-8 hours.

Serve as taco meat, burrito meat, on top of rice, in a soup, meat for enchiladas, with beans, the options are endless....


This would also be really good with a ground beef, ground turkey or even a pork loin/roast.

Crock Pot BBQ Ribs/Crock Pot pulled chicken/pork

This has to be one of my all time favorite recipes as I've adapted it to many uses.

BBQ Sauce
1 Cup ketchup
1/3 cup molasses
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
3 tsp chopped garlic

Mix sauce, pour over ribs, chicken, pork roast and cook on low 6-8 hours

If using ribs the rib meat literally falls off the bone. When using chicken/pork loin it turns into more of a pulled chicken, pulled pork type dish. I then serve with brussel sprouts and buttermilk biscuits.

***When I do as a pulled chicken/pork I chop up a red onion to cook in the crock pot as well.

Lets get Crocking

I'm going to start with my newest all time favorite go to crock pot soup. What I love about this soup is not only how easy it is but also the flavors are different than most crock pot soups/stews.

Thai Chicken Rice Noodle Soup

2 cans coconut milk (I prefer using 1 full fat and 1 low fat)
1 lb chicken thighs/breasts
3-4 garlic cloves minced
2 tbsp minced ginger (I probably add closer to 4 tbsp)
4 Cups chicken stock
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 red bell peppers
2 cups snow peas
limes
cilantro
jalapeno (optional, I don't use as we have small tummies we are feeding, but could easily be served on side for people who like spicy)
Rice noodles

Put coconut milk, chicken, garlic, ginger, chicken stock, soy sauce in crock pot.
Cook on low 6-8 hours
10 minutes before being ready to eat cook rice noodles on stove top and add to crock pot
5-10 minutes before dinner is ready (depends on how crunchy you like your vegetables) add in bell peppers and snow peas.
Allow people to add their own limes, jalapeno and cilantro as a garnish

In this recipe I play around with the vegetables we add, carrots, bean sprouts, organic pea shoots, bok choy, etc...