Egg Roll Stuffed Chicken

Sounds delicious doesn't it?  It is!  There is a hot topic for me involved in this recipe.  It is the whole dark meat vs. white meat, thing.

Let's just talk chicken for a minute.  By the way, I wish I had chickens, although I am scared of them if one bit me, I could just eat it.  How bad can that turn out?  Not really, the reality is I would name them try to dress them, and hug them VERY much against their will.  They would be in family photos and it would be way over the top.  That is how I am with animals.  I would never be able to live with myself knowing that my chicken son "Chuck" was on the dinner table.  I just couldn't.  Wait, this isn't the chicken conversation I wanted to have.

The conversation I wanted to have involved, white, dark, bone in, boneless, skin on, skinless, etc.....  Everyone has a very distinct preference it seems.  I used to prefer just white boneless meat until boneless thighs came along, and since I grew up and started cooking, I realize you can't beat the flavor of a piece of bone in chicken.  Regardless of what you prefer, please trust me when I tell you that just because it is white mean does NOT mean it has to be dry!  I hear so often, "Oh I don't like white meat, it is to dry".  That would mean it was overcooked.  Why is it that some people will overcook the CRAP out of anything they can get in an oven or on a grill?  Thermometers are our friends!  The point is, this recipe does call for boneless chicken.  I used thighs as we love them but you choose what you would like.  Either way it will be healthy, and tasty, and served on a bed of rice (fried rice) you will have people thinking you are a culinary legend!

Here is what you will need
7-9 boneless skinless thighs or breasts.  (Pounded thin or butterfly the breasts to easier rolling)
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1, 1lb bag of shredded coleslaw mix with carrots
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. dried ginger
3 T soy sauce
1/4 tsp. white pepper (regular pepper will also do)
 2 T. additional vegetable oil

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  If you are using chicken breasts, either butterfly them open or pound them thinner for easier rolling.  I used thighs and this made 8-9 but using breasts, go with 7 or so.  Set aside.

In a large high sided skillet or wok, heat up your 1 tsp of vegetable oil.  Add in the cabbage mix, and garlic and saute for 3 minutes.  Add in the rest of the ingredients, ginger and soy sauce.

Stir to combine and continue stirring until the cabbage is soft and reduced by half.  Turn off heat and let it cool completely.

Place a large spoonful of mixture into the center of each piece of chicken and roll it up.  Use toothpicks if you need them to stay together better.

Place seam side down on a baking sheet.  Do with with all of the chicken.  Now, use a paper towel and wipe out your pan, place your 2 tablespoons of oil and let it get hot again.  Place 2 or 3 pieces of chicken at a time, seam side down in the oil and let them brown for approximately 3 minutes on each side.

Just get some good color on them and then place back onto the baking sheet.  When you are done, bake them for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Serve on some rice for a tasty dinner!!!  Check out the recipe suggestions below for other options to go with this meal!

ENJOY!

If you like this recipe, you might like....
Egg Drop Soup
Chicken Spring Rolls
Wonton Soup

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

It is no secret, I am NOT a huge fan of BBQ sauce.  I have had this discussion before and so I find it redundant to do it again.  The good news is, when you make your own sauces, you can make them taste good to you!  More of this, less of that, and NONE of that other stuff!   I have 2, 10lb bags of chicken hindquarters, (.59 per pound), great deal or what?  My husband asked for some baked chicken, so this is what he got.  I threw in some potatoes, and called it dinner!  Boy did I eat my words about how I didn't want BBQ!!!

This would be so easy to make for a crowd.  And the leftovers, I am told were twice as good the next day.  Maybe you want to marinate your chicken overnight, or maybe you will just brush it on like I did.  Either way, this is sure to be a hit for chicken and BBQ lovers alike!  The recipe is easy and great for anyone, especially beginners.  Feel free to use any bone IN chicken you want!

You will need:
4 full hindquarters or 4 bone in chicken breasts
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 T. parsley flakes
1/2 tsp. black pepper
potatoes cut just in half or very large chunks (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.  In a 9x13 pan, arrange your chicken.  I added a few cut up potatoes as well.  In a small bowl combine all remaining ingredients  Brush or pour over the chicken liberally.  Bake Uncovered for 45-55 minutes.  The internal temperature should read 180 degrees when done. 

Didn't I say it was easy?

ENJOY!

He likes it! He likes it! Garlic Chicken w/Bok Choy Stir Fry

He LIKES it!  My husband LOVED it!

I fight a battle everyday.  It is getting, not my CHILD, but my HUSBAND to eat vegetables.  He hates them.  He can come up with all kinds of false stories of his dad making him eat vegetables.  Pffttt I say.  His dad had nothing to do with it!  He just hates them, so instead of owning it, he blames having to eat them as a kid all the time as an excuse.  I don't buy it, not for a second!

There are a few veggies he will eat.  He will eat corn on the cob, a few green beans here or there, lettuce, carrots of they are grated tiny, raw spinach as a salad and bok choy.  Well here is the deal folks, I cook veggies, ALOT.  I sit at the table and out of the corner of my eye, see him shove the veggies in his mouth and takes a big drink.  He won't chew them, he just swallows them whole.  HOW ridonkulous is this?  It ticks me off and cracks me up at the same time. 

I had bought a ton of bok choy for shrimp tacos and needed to use the rest up.  I had some boneless skinless thighs needing used so of those 2 factors this was born.  I was sure he would tell me he wasn't hungry, because he does that sometimes if he doesn't like what I have cooked.  And let me just clarify in the 12 years we have been together I don't think I have ever purposely made him a meal he didn't like.  Anyway, when I told him what was for dinner, he was all gung ho, "I love dark meat chicken and I love bok choy".  Followed by this tone of panic, asking, "how are you going to cut the carrots"?  "Are you putting ceeeeellleerryy in it"?  Oh. Em. Gee.  I informed him I wasn't "going there" and he could eat or not but it was what I was making for dinner.  I will be damned if he didn't stand and dish up his plate, picking out every green pepper and every piece of celery AND carrots since I didn't grate them.  I found it amazing he could actually pick it all out and it was fine, those are my fav's so it left more for me!  He had 2 helpings so I don't figure it was so bad.  In fact he told me he loved it and would be glad to eat it again.  I may have turned him to the veggie side!
Now that I have called out my adorable husband, let me just make sure you know how cool he really is.  He really isn't such a baby, I just like to tease him a ton about it. 
Change these veggies out for what you have on hand or need to use up!  No problemo!

Get your pen and paper here is what you need to grab at the store:

2 tbsp peanut oil
2 regular size heads of bok choy, or 6 baby bok choy. (cut up)
4 bonesless skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips
1 bell pepper cut into strips
2 stalks of celery cut on a diagonal into pieces
1 large carrot grated or julienned
1 cup cold water
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsps garlic, minced
2 tsp ground ginger
Soy Sauce

Add your cornstarch and 1 tbsp soy sauce to your cold water.  Mix completely and set aside.  Pour some soy sauce over your cut up chicken, and add ginger, toss together.  In a nonstick pan or wok, add in peanut oil.  Let it heat up about 1-2 minutes.  Add in chicken and stir. 

Spread it out into as close to 1 layer as you can and keep it moving.  You should be cooking over high heat and in order to keep it from burning keep it moving!  Saute until cooked all the way through.  Add in carrots, celery and green peppers. 

Keep stirring and add some more soy sauce over the veg.  Keep it moving guys!!  Stir fry until veggies become SLIGHTLY tender but still crisp!  Add in garlic, keep it moving! 

Look at those gorgeous greens!

After 1 minute more, add in bok choy.  It will seem like alot but it will wilt way down!  Pour over the water mixture and keep tossing and stirring!  Once bok choy has wilted down, you are ready to eat!  Serve with rice!

You know how we are about Chinese food.  Add this to our collection of great at home recipes!!!

Your "ain't ever gonna change him & don't really want to"chefwannabe

Chicken with 40 Cloves (of garlic)

Hello my faithful cooking friends!

Wanna talk garlic?  Wanna cook with garlic?  Wanna, wanna, wanna?  The midwestern in me has taken over the easterner in me, thus, the "wanna".  My apologies.  

In my house its a garlic battle, constantly.  My husband USED to like garlic, suddenly in the last 3 months he has decided he does not enjoy it.  I thought perhaps he just didn't like biting down on a piece of garlic in any particular dish so I started rubbing the pan I was cooking in, with a piece of cut garlic.  Hint of flavor and no pieces to chew on.  Even that has him all in a mess. I tried elephant garlic which really is hardly garlic at all.  Its a member of the leek family.  It tastes of mild onion with a faint taste of garlic.  I enjoy it.  In fact I love it.  But it's a member of the ONION family...should have been my sign my dear husband wouldn't like it.  

 I on the other hand, eat garlic raw.  There is nothing better than memories of my mom's homemade dill pickles, because I could fish the garlic out and eat it.  Slowly roasted garlic cloves spread on crusty bread.  YUM!  My mouth is watering, for the record, I think its a possible psychiatric disorder.  Same thing happens when I dream of pickles!  The point being, there is likely no garlic I don't love.  I recently tried some garlic with a little zip, called Rocambole Garlic. It was awesome! 

Without further adieu, let us get to the recipe at hand.

CHICKEN WITH 40 CLOVES OF GARLIC

4-6 pieces of chicken.  Bone in or out.

40 cloves of peeled garlic.

4 tbsp butter

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp dried Italian Seasoning

Salt

Pepper

1 cup chicken stock

2 sprigs of fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  In a shallow, oven safe pan on LOW heat,  melt 2 tbsp of butter and 1/4 cup olive oil. Toss in all 40 cloves of garlic and toss around.  Allow to heat in the pan as long as it takes to prep chicken.  DO NOT BURN.  Low heat is fine, you do not want it to brown, just cook.  Using paper towels dry chicken pieces.  Sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper and dried seasoning of choice.  Remove garlic from pan, put on a cookie sheet and put into oven to roast while you cook your chicken.  Put chicken in pan and brown, approx 3-4 minutes on each side.  When you turn them over on the second side, put your garlic from the oven back in the pan, all over the top of the chicken.  Add remaining 2 tbsp of butter, chicken stock and sprig of thyme, put a lid on and put in preheated oven for 1 hour.  Remove chicken from oven, and put skillet on medium heat and reduce stock for a nice pan sauce..  

Garlic should be whole but very soft.  Serve with crusty bread and use garlic to spread on it.  

This recipe is not for the faint of heart when it comes to garlic.  It is an intense garlic flavor, your house will smell better than Christmas!!!!  OK , just my opinion.  

Make sure when you buy your garlic you look for, tight skin, tight cloves that aren't loose.  No shriveled up garlic or crumbling garlic.  If the garlic has sprouted....its my opinion you should not use it.  Garlic should feel heavy, and not be wet!  I think it would be nice to use a variety of garlic in the dish, some a little hot and some a little milder.  

So get up, and run to the store.  Add garlic to your shopping list!  Get some extra...you DO realize Halloween is coming and the vampires will be out in full force!!!

Your, "garlic breath ROCKS" Chefwannabe

Chris

Note from chefwannabe's husband, "This chicken is truly not for anyone who doesn't LOVE garlic.  I do not LOVE garlic.  I like it...well I used to like it."  Ok, I am cutting him off there.  He obviously considers this a MISS in our kitchen.  I begged him to lie to me when he took his first bite, but alas, a truth teller he is, even when he shouldn't be!
Notice how tiny I made this writing?  Pffftttt!