MOM’S Poached Chicken Salad

25 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Keebug in Appetizers and Dips, Uncategorized

Tags

celery, chicken, chicken salad, onion, poached chicken

Full credit for this delicious chicken salad has to go directly to my mom. It’s her chicken salad recipe and she’s pretty famous for it. When she started making this I remember her using her blender to shred the chicken little bits at a time. It took forever. Later that year was the Christmas she got a food processor. Mostly because the whole family wanted chicken salad and we didn’t want to have to wait on it. To this day she can be overheard referring to her food processor as her “chicken salad maker”. I’m pretty sure it’s the only thing she uses it for.

I’m actually not sure if she’s going to be super pissed because I’ve shared the recipe today with all of you, but I’m going to take that chance…mostly because she lives 3 states away and out of smacking reach. She’s got a helluva backhand. Also, because it’s summer time and everyone deserves the chance to eat these chicken salad sandwiches out of a cooler on the beach of your choice. It’s the perfect picnic food. You’re welcome.

The ingredients:

For the poaching liquid:

Celery
Carrots
Onion
Bay Leaves
Garlic
Parsley
Lemon
Salt
Peppercorns

For the salad:

Poached chicken breasts
Onion
Celery
Mayo
Garlic Powder
Black Pepper
Cayenne

I used this entire 1.5 lb package of chicken breasts when I made this batch and it made what I can only measure as a “SHIT TON” of chicken salad. So if you make this much, be prepared to eat chicken salad at every meal for about a week. Or just be a normal person and make less. The measurements in this particular salad aren’t actually that important, just figure out a reasonable ratio and run with it. I believe in you.

The first thing you must do is to create the perfect poaching liquid for your chicken breasts. Poaching is simply cooking something in a simmering liquid of your choice. Not boiling. Simmering. Think: low boil or slow bubble. I like to prepare the liquid and let it simmer for a 20-30 minutes before I add the chicken in this recipe, just to be sure the water has taken on the full flavor of everything you’ve added. Here’s how I do it:

To a large skillet I added a big handful of baby carrots (that had admittedly seen better days but were still ok to use for poaching), the tops and bottoms of a bunch of celery, a big handful of fresh parsley, a halved lemon–juice squeezed in, one quartered onion, and a palmful of both kosher salt and whole peppercorns. Let that come to slow boil for about 20-30 minutes to really get the flavor out of the veggies then you’re good to go.

Now add the chicken breasts.

Bring it back up to a simmer and let that poach, covered, for about 20-25 minutes or until you can see no more pink in the thickest part of the breast when you slice it with a knife.

It’ll look white and boring like boiled chicken. That’s because it is legit what it is. In the end it will taste delicious. Trust me.

Now clean all the weird shit off of the breasts. Any gross fatty pieces or gummy ass ligament stuff has gots to go. Bye Felicia. Chop the chicken into manageable pieces and add them to your food processor aka chicken salad maker.

Now give that a whirl. You’re literally going for the tiniest shreds you can get. Completely toe’ up. Just when you think it’s small enough, pulse it a few more times to show it you didn’t come to play.

Here’s what it should like when you’re all said and done:

Now while your chicken was poaching, you were super smart and chopped up your veggies for the chicken salad. You need 1 onion and about 6 stalks of celery for 3 breasts, so adjust your ratio accordingly for however much you’re making. Here’s the big secret to this recipe according to Mom: everything has to be chopped super duper tiny. Like freaking microscopic. But you can’t use your chicken salad maker to do it. It has to be hand chopped for some ungodly reason. The shitty thing is, she’s right. A food processor will almost liquify the veggies and won’t chop them uniformly enough. It really does have to be done by hand. Don’t be a lazy asshole.

Celery:

and onion:

Now mix these tiny chopped vegetables with your pulverized chicken and add some mayo. I’m guessing I used about 1+ cups for this batch. Basically, you want to use enough mayo that it holds together tightly but not so much that it’s mayonaissey, get my drift? So just a bit at a time and stir it in until it feels right. I added this much at first and then started stirring.

Then I added another spoonful and the seasonings and it was perfect.

For seasoning I like to add black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne…salt only if needed. Mayo can be salty sometimes so check to be sure.

I think the cayenne is important. It won’t be too spicy, but it will add a tiny kick. You won’t regret it. Don’t be a pussy.

Now, all that’s left to do is decide how to enjoy the perfect chicken salad you’ve just made. I like it on toast, crackers, pretzel chips, veggie chips, or on green salad. Most of the time, I just eat it with a fork out of the bowl standing in front of an open refrigerator door if I’m being completely honest, however. I do hope, for your sake, that you get the chance to enjoy it out of a cooler on the beach at least a couple of days this summer!

However you enjoy it, be sure to give full credit to my mom when anyone asks about the recipe. She is a sweet lady but she’s definitely not too proud to smack the shit of you. I warned you about that backhand.

Rotisserie Chicken and Gravy

05 Tuesday Apr 2016

Posted by Keebug in Leftover Rotisserie Chicken Challenge, Soul Food

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

celery, chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken, onion, rice and gravy, smothered chicken, soulfood

Ever buy a rotisserie chicken, eat half of a breast for dinner standing over the kitchen counter, then put it in your fridge to throw the rest away 3 days later? Yeah, uh huh, me either.

Actually, this used to be my M.O. until I started making a conscious effort to waste less food. When you live alone but love to cook, it’s not an easy thing to do. Especially when you’re not a fan of reheated leftovers.

I give loads of meals away to friends and my favorite bartenders, and I freeze what can be frozen for later, but still lots was getting tossed into the garbage. The leftovers from the go-to easy dinner grab, rotisserie chicken (found ready-to-eat in practically every grocery store), always seemed to end up there.

This post begins our series on great ideas for rotisserie chicken leftovers. There are tons out there! Tell us about yours in the comments below!

The other night after about 8 straight days of working without a break and surviving on Cheez-It snack packs and granola bars, I started craving rice and gravy…a southern girl staple. I happened to have a 3 day old rotisserie chicken in the fridge, mysteriously missing half a breast, so I got to work.

Your ingredients:

Leftover rotisserie chicken
1 yellow or white onion
4-5 stalks celery
2 tablespoons olive oil (or preferred cooking oil)
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups chicken stock (warm on the stove)
Seasonings: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme, kitchen bouquet

Start with your chicken. Separate the individual chicken pieces and then make slices with your knife in each piece. I leave the bones in the dark meat but remove the breasts from the bone. Set aside.

Next, finely chop one onion and 4-5 stalks of celery.

fizz22

Begin to saute the onion and celery in a large skillet over medium heat in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of thyme to season. Stir and cook until the vegetables soften.

Next, add about two tablespoons of flour and stir for a few minutes over medium heat until the flour is cooked.

Now, slowly, begin adding your warm chicken stock about a half cup at a time, whisking as you go to incorporate it without lumps.

Bring this back up to a simmer and allow it to thicken into a gravy. This should take just a minute or two of simmering. Now, add a capful (from the 4 oz bottle) of kitchen bouquet. I’d bet that’s about 1 teaspoon. A little of this stuff goes a long way. That’s going to make your gravy nice and brown and add great flavor, too. Once that’s mixed in and everything is simmering, give it a taste and reseason to your liking.

Now add in your chicken pieces, cover and simmer on low heat for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is falling apart. Stir it often during this time to ensure nothing sticks to the pan.

Serve over steamed rice and enjoy!

Upside-down Vidalia Onion Cornbread

19 Saturday Mar 2016

Posted by Keebug in Soul Food

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

bread, corn, cornbread, onion, vidalia onion

I hate to be immodest, but I make THE BEST cornbread. Actually, I don’t give a crap about modesty. I’m just a couple steps above Kanye on the humble-chart.

I always thought I hated cornbread. I was under the assumption that it had to be dry and crumby and bland. I’m here to tell you all today that these assumptions are wrong. It can be moist, sweet, spicy and delicious. And even though it looks difficult to make something this beautiful, it’s actually pretty damn easy. Here’s how…

Your ingredients:

3 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
3 eggs
1 cup cream-style corn
6 tablespoons of salted butter
2/3 cup milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
8 oz. cheese (I used white sharp cheddar)
1 large vidalia onion
Hot sauce
Salt
Crushed red pepper flakes

I included my cast iron skillet in the picture because it is a big part of this recipe. The heavy bottomed skillet will allow you to perfectly caramelize your onions then transfer your cornbread to the oven to bake. So, yes, for this particular recipe, the cast iron skillet is essential. Mine is 12 inches.

That being said, you can leave out the “WOW” factor of the upside-down onion cornbread and simply create the cornbread mix and bake it in a baking dish of your choice and everyone will still think you’re amazing because you’ve just blown their minds with the best cornbread they’ve ever eaten. Just hope I don’t bring this upside-down number to dinner on the same night. Because this one’s SO much better. The sweet, buttery onions really make a difference.

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Get yourself a big mixing bowl and dump out all three boxes of Jiffy mix. Some of you might think using Jiffy mix is cheating, and maybe it is. I know there’s great stone-ground cornmeals out there. Why, just right here in Pensacola, FL we have C&D Mill where CW and Dorothy Bruton, two of the coolest corn grinders you’ll ever meet, turn out every ground corn product you could imagine. And when it comes to grits, they’re the only choice for me. In this recipe, however, I just like the sweet flavor of Jiffy and the fact that it costs around 50 cents a box. So call it what you will.

Next, crack three eggs and add them in. Add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce. I’m partial to Crystal.

Next, measure out a cup of creamed corn and add that to the party. Then you’ll need a 1/2 teaspoon of salt and about the same amount of red pepper flakes. I really think the pepper is important. It doesn’t make the bread too spicy for anyone to eat, but it does add a little, tiny kick at the end. So you get the sweet, the savory, and the spicy.

Now I add a couple of tablespoons of sour cream. It helps to keep it super moist along with all that creamy corn.

Now I grate up an entire 8 oz. block of sharp white cheddar. I said it’s delicious cornbread, I never mentioned healthy cornbread. Add that cheesy goodness to the mix.

**NOTE** I do make a “Mexican” version of this cornbread which is essentially the same. I simply substitute pepperjack cheese and add a small can of green chilis.

The final ingredient is milk. I used about 2/3 cup. Now get to stirring. Stir just until incorporated and be sure to not leave any clumps of cornmeal mix. That would be bad. Set aside.

Now for that onion. Vidalia onions are almost disk-shaped and have a tendency to be much sweeter. They’re grown in Vidalia, Georgia and are the state’s official vegetable. Who the hell cares, Keelea. You need one big one. Cut off both ends and take the skin off. Next, slice that onion into round disks about 1/4 inch thick, like so:

Over medium low heat, begin heating your cast iron skillet on the stove. Add to the warm skillet 6 tablespoons of salted butter. Once again…delicious cornbread, not healthy cornbread. Once your butter is melted and begins to get foamy, begin adding your onion disks. Your skillet should still not be too hot. You want these to caramelize slowly.

Arrange them as neatly as you possibly can. Think of this as a pineapple upside down cake. How you arrange these onions on the bottom will effect how your finished product looks. Mine never comes out perfectly, but with a little patience, it’s still a show stopper. You’ll have to quarter some of the disks to fill in gaps. Try to cover the entire bottom of your skillet in onion. That’s your goal. Here’s how mine looked:

Let those onions sizzle a bit over medium low heat–WITHOUT STIRRING OR MOVING THEM–until you see a bit of caramelization (see the photo on the top right). They don’t need to be cooked all the way through…the oven will handle that. Give your cornbread mix a fresh stir and slowly begin spooning it over the onions as they cook, taking great care not to disturb their pattern. Once you get it all in, you’ll notice the butter has risen up along the sides of the pan. This is good. It will keep the bread from sticking and help it to form a crackly crust along the rim. Yummmmm…

Now transfer the whole (super heavy) skillet to the oven…I recommend using two hands…and let it bake for about 35 minutes at 400 degrees. Your finished cornbread should be golden on top, crusty around the edges, and have no jiggle in the center. Basically, it will look just like this:

You’ve got to admit, that’s a thing of beauty. Perfection, really.

Now, just to be sure, take a knife and work it gently around the edge of the pan, making sure you don’t have any sticking there. The butter generally makes sure of that, but sometimes a little oozy pocket of cheese will cause a problem for you. The knife will ensure you don’t have that issue.

Now for the scary part. I do this alone all the time, but I’m a cornbread flipping professional. At this point, you may want to call in some reinforcements. I’d hate for you to drop this cornbread and have to eat it off the kitchen floor like some kind of savage.

Find yourself a large, round platter. I happen to have a plate I use specifically for this recipe. My Cornbread Plate. It’s a thing. Yours should be flat and larger than the rim of the pan. Those are really the only two requirements. Now get yourself siked up. You can do this.

Lay the plate upside down on top of the pan.

Deep breath in. Pep talk. Deep breath out.

Keeping the plate firmly pressed to the rim of the pan, flip that sucker.

Now, slowly lift your pan off the top. What reveals itself is your masterpiece. Congratulations to you. You are a success in life.

I have never once been able to let this cornbread cool down before cutting myself a slice, and topping that steaming goodness with a pat of butter and drizzle of honey. It’s a meal in itself. Enjoy it in good health!

Breakfast of champions:

Everyone will agree.

cornbread

thefizzlenet

~ Food and Funnies

Tag Archives: onion

MOM’S Poached Chicken Salad

Rotisserie Chicken and Gravy

Upside-down Vidalia Onion Cornbread