Tuscan Lemon Chicken

My best friend Hallie sent me the latest Barefoot Contessa cookbook a few weeks back, and I finally got the chance to try my first recipe out of it - Ina's Tuscan Chicken. The lemon, rosemary, and garlic marinade smelled and tasted absolutely amazing. I have to admit that the grilling part of it was a bit difficult for us only because her recipe explained how to grill it on coals whereas we have a gas grill (and are still learning how to use the grill for different types of cooking). However, after reading some of the comments online it looks like you can also make this in the oven which I am anxious to try. We ate the chicken with cous cous and a big salad, and had plenty of leftovers for lunches that week. Delicious!




Tuscan Chicken

1 (3 1/2-pound) chicken, flattened (you can ask the butcher at your local deli to do this for you, it requires removing the backbone and the chestbone from the chicken)
Kosher salt
1/3 cup good olive oil
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon, halved

1. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon salt on each side.

2. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small measuring cup.

3. Place the chicken in a ceramic or glass dish just large enough to hold it flat. Pour the lemon marinade over the chicken, turning it in the dish. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Turn the chicken 2 or 3 times while marinating.

4. When ready to grill, prepare a hot charcoal fire on 1 side of a grill (or turn a gas grill on low heat). Spread 1/4 of the coals across the other side of the grill.

5. Place the chicken on the cooler side, skin side up, and weigh it down with the dish you used for marinating. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until the underside is golden brown.

6. Turn the chicken skin side down, weight again with the dish, and cook for another 12 to 15 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.

7. Place the lemon halves on the cool side of the grill, cut side down for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

8. Remove the chicken to a plate or cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 5 minutes.

9. Cut in quarters, sprinkle with salt, and serve with the grilled lemon halves.

Chicken Cacciatore

I won a subscription to Cooking Light from work about a year ago and I had no idea how much I was going to use it and love it!! Each month has dozens of pretty easy and healthy recipes to choose from, and the best part is that they are also delicious! I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started trying their recipes because I've always somewhat believed that anything too healthy will probably also lack in taste. However, Cooking Light has proven me wrong! My favorite recipe so far is their chicken cacciatore from the October 2009 issue.



Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 cup chicken mixture, 2 tablespoons cheese, and 1 1/2 teaspoons basil)

Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Cooking spray
2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms
3/4 cup prechopped bell pepper
1 1/2 cups tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup (about 2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil

Preparation
1. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

2. Sprinkle chicken evenly with oregano, dried basil, and red pepper (I add a little extra red pepper because Seli and I like spicy foods).

3. Coat pan with cooking spray.

4. Add chicken to pan; sauté 2 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently.

5. Add mushrooms and bell pepper to pan; sauté 5 minutes.

6. Stir in pasta sauce and wine; bring to a simmer.

7. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

8. Stir in salt and black pepper and then sprinkle with cheese and fresh basil.

Nutritional Information
Calories:239
Fat:6g (sat 2.7g,mono 1.4g,poly 0.5g)
Protein:34.2g
Carbohydrate:11.1g
Fiber:2.6g
Cholesterol:75mg
Iron:2.1mg
Sodium:746mg
Calcium:266mg

Alee's Shrimp Sauce Piquante

This is by far my favorite Cajun recipe - and I've tried a lot! This is my grandmother's recipe. Alee, my father's mother is one of the greatest cooks I have known(along with my Mama). Born and raised in Southern Louisiana, she has dozens of amazing Cajun recipes ranging from Crawfish Etoufee to Shrimp Gumbo to Shrimp Sauce Piquante. I make this one at least once or twice every winter. It's perfect on a cold, winter night with a good glass of red wine. Depending on how spicy you want it, you can play with the amount of cayenne pepper or Tabasco sauce you want to include.

2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 tablespoons cooking oil
2 cups onions, chopped
2 cups green onions, chopped
1 cup bell pepper, chopped
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
6 large cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water
1/2 cup dry red or white wine
1 pound fresh mushrooms

1. Make a roux by browning flour in oil

2. Add onions, green onions, celery, bell pepper and tomato paste. Cook until vegetables are completely wilted, about 20 minutes.

3. Add shrimp, salt, garlic, pepper and water. Cook 1 more hour.

4. Add fwine, mushrooms, and parsley and cook 20 minutes more.

5. Serve over fluffy rice.

Serves 6-8

Giada De Laurentiis' Garlic and Citrus Chicken

This is a delicious and very easy recipe. My sister-in-law, Dora, suggested trying this awhile back and since then I have made it several times. Seli and I both love it. The only thing is that it does take a bit of time to cook, but it's worth it when you're finished!

Ingredients:
1 (5 to 6 pound) whole roasting chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise; plus 3 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablepoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
kitchen string or butcher twine

Directions:
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2. Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

3. Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding some chicken broth to the pan, if necessary, to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano and chopped/minced garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked 1 hour. Continue roasting the chicken until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting occasionally with the juice mixture and adding broth to the pan, about 45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).

4. Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.