Orange Beer Chicken

I'm baaaack!

Hello again everyone! I have missed writing for the blog so much, but it's been so busy around here! Our store in Smithville, NJ is doing great and we're still going strong in New Hope too. We're hiring for New Hope right now as well, so if you know anyone who needs a full time job and likes working with people and food, send them down to see us!

Back to the real action. FOOD!

I made this dish after the Superbowl (go sports!) because we had leftover beer. Yes, I know that's a strange thing to have leftover. One of our guests left a couple bottles of an amber ale behind and since it's not our favorite, I cooked with it.

If you don't want to use beer, I suggest a ginger beer. It's a strong flavor to add, but will work well with the orange. If not that, go with broth.

Orange Beer Chicken

1 bottle Amber Ale or ginger beer
8 pieces chicken thighs
1 tsp fresh Thyme, minced
1 tbsp sugar
Salt and Pepper
3 tbsp Blood Orange Olive Oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp finely shredded ginger (omit if using ginger beer)
Orange slices (for serving)
Rice (for serving)

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Lay out evenly spaced in a casserole dish. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and spices with the Olive Oil to make a paste. Rub the mixture over the chicken to coat. Pour the beer into the bottom of the pan.

Roast for 35-40 minutes. If using chicken with the skin on, I usually give it another couple minutes to let it really crisp up. Watch it carefully. Golden brown, not black and smoking!

Garnish with fresh orange slices and serve with rice.

Thai Stir Fry (Pad See Ew)

I really wanted Chinese food...but I really didn't want to eat out either. So.... Here we are.

Lots of people think Thai food is always spicy, and that's simply not true. I adapted this recipe from an old Thai cookbook I found at a thrift store.

Thai Stir Fry (Pad See Ew)

4 tbsp Traditional Balsamic
4 tbsp Oyster Sauce
4 tsp soy sauce
4 tbsp chicken or vegetable stock
     or, dry white wine
2 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 bunch basil leaves, torn
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1lb chicken breasts, very thinly sliced
1 pkg wide noodles
4 cups leafy greens, Chinese broccoli, bok choy, or spinach

Cook the noodles according to package directions. Flat rice sticks are traditional, I used wide egg noodles. Rinse and keep warm.

Stir together the first 4 ingredients and set aside.

In a wok or large shallow skillet heat the olive oil to a high heat. Add the ginger paste and the chicken. Cook, stirring constantly. When cooked through, add the basil and greens. Stir to wilt and reduce the heat to a medium.

Dump in the noodles and stir to combine. Then add the sauce and let simmer for 3-4 minutes. Toss the ingredients to make sure everything is well coated with sauce.

Serve.

Jalapeno Pineapple Chicken

This combo of flavors is actually one that a customer put together at the store, she said she was going to use it on fish. But as my husband prefers chicken...

Oh my. This chicken was actually a breeze to make. Don't be worried by roasting a chicken, if you don't have the time or the inclination, buy a rotisserie one, cut it up, brush it with the Jalapeno Olive Oil and bake it for twenty minutes or so while you finish up the rest of this dish. I like the bigger flavor you get when you roast it yourself, but nothing beats a rotisserie chicken when you are in a hurry!

And there are much more authentic and, well, better Sticky Rice recipes out there, but this is something thrown together in a pinch, using regular minute rice. We were in a rush.

Jalapeno Pineapple Chicken

1 fryer chicken, cut up and roasted

2 tbsp Jalapeno Olive Oil

2 tbsp Pineapple Balsamic

1 tsp minced tarragon

Garnish:

1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened

Slivered almonds

Whole tarragon leaves

Lime wedges

Preheat the oven to 350.°

Rub the chicken down with the Jalapeno Olive Oil and the tarragon. Roast for 20 minutes, lightly covered. 

Brush with the Pineapple Balsamic. Garnish with slivered almonds, shredded coconut and tarragon leaves.

Pineapple Sticky Rice

2 cups instant rice

1 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk, canned

2 tsp Jalapeno Olive Oil

1/4 cup chopped pineapple

1/2 pineapple juice

1/4 cup Pineapple Balsamic

pinch of Thai Ginger Sea Salt

1 tsp minced tarragon

Bring the water and coconut mixture to a boil in a medium saucepan with the Oil. Add the tarragon leaves and rice. Cook according to the package directions. 

When you remove it from the heat to let it sit, add in the balsamic vinegar the reserved pineapples and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Top with sliced almonds and coconut shreds

Citrus Chicken Salad

I had some leftover grilled chicken from dinner a few nights ago. You know how I love to use up leftovers, so here is the chicken salad I threw together for lunch yesterday!

Citrus Chicken Salad

3 cups cooked chicken, cubes
3 tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil
Pepper Citrus Sea Salt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 white onion, diced
2-4 stalks celery, diced

Whip the mayonnaise and Olive Oil together until smooth. Toss the chicken, onions and celery together with the dressing and add the pepper and citrus sea salt to taste.

Yesterday I had this on a sandwich. Tonight for dinner, I'm topping it with melted cheese on a tortilla. I love leftovers!!

Sesame Chicken Noodles

I whipped this up the other day with some chicken that I had stir fried and then went and forgot to post it! Sorry everyone!

The only problem I have with stir fry is all the dishes! Everything needs to be in it's own separate bowl before you add it all together. If you combine them before you should the texture comes out wrong. So a good dinner....and hopefully, some one else to wash up!

Sesame Chicken Noodles

1 lb chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces

1 medium onion

2 green bell peppers

1 carrot

1 tbsp cornstarch

3 tbsp Toasted Sesame Oil

1 tbsp agave syrup or honey

2 tbsp sesame seeds

1 tbsp Tangerine Balsamic

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1/4 cup white wine

2 eggs

1 sleeve soba noodles or spaghetti

1/4 cup chicken broth

Combine the cornstarch, Tangerine Balsamic and the wine in a bowl. Add in the chicken and mix until it is evenly coated. Let marinade for at least 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. 

Cook the soba or spaghetti until al dente. Rinse, drain and set aside. Dice the onion and bell pepper, cut the carrot into matchsticks. Beat the eggs together in a small bowl. Set everything aside in their own separate bowls.

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tbsp of the sesame oil up to very high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer. Give each piece some room in the pan cooking them in batches if necessary. Cook, without touching, for about 1 minute. When the bottom and sides are slightly charred and caramelized, flip the chicken and let cook again about 40 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the chicken to a plate.

Place the pan back on the stove, add the second tablespoon of oil and reduce to a medium heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, pour in the egg carefully and let cook about 1 minute. Chop into small pieces and stir for another 30 seconds or so. Remove to another plate.

Add the last tablespoon of Sesame Oil and the vegetables and ginger. Saute for about a minute, making sure to stir everything well to get a nice coating of oil. Add the chicken back in and stir to combine. Next add the chicken broth. Cook while stirring for 1 minute. Now add the egg and stir again. Continue cooking for 30 seconds to one minute. The liquid should be just about absorbed.

Add the noodles and the agave or honey and the sesame seeds. Toss everything to coat well and turn the heat to medium low. Cook until the noodles are warmed through, a minute or less. 

Serve.

Honey Butter Chicken

This is a recipe that was originally going to happen with pork chops. But that was before I spotted chicken breasts on sale at my grocery store the other day. So feel free to mix this up. I think it would be nice with a turkey breast too.

Honey Butter Chicken

4 tbsp Butter Olive Oil
2 tbsp honey
1 1/2 lb chicken breast
3/4 cup water or low sodium chicken broth
big pinch of black pepper
big pinch Applewood Smoked Sea Salt
1 tbsp smoked paprika

Heat the oven to 375°.

Arrange the chicken in a large casserole pan. In a separate bowl, whisk the olive oil, honey, water, salt and spices. Pour over the chicken. Flip the chicken around to coat.

Roast uncovered for 15-20 minutes.

Walnut Basil Pesto Chicken

We recently got a little bit of this neat balsamic called Chocolate Walnut. We don't have very much of it, and when we run out, we are out. It's like our Black Walnut, but with a chocolate hint. That being said, you could make this recipe with the limited Chocolate Walnut, just the Chocolate, or just the Black Walnut.

It's just tasty any way you serve it.

Walnut Basil Pesto Chicken

6-8 boned chicken thighs
1/2 cup Basil pesto with walnuts (recipe at the end)
1 cup white wine
1/4 cup Chocolate Walnut Balsamic

Preheat your oven to 375°. Place the chicken in an oven proof casserole with high sides. Arrange in a single layer. Combine the pesto and the wine and pour over the chicken, making sure to cover every bit.

Place in the oven uncovered and bake for about 20 minutes flipping the chicken halfway through. Remove from oven and brush the balsamic all over the chicken. Return to the oven and cook for an additional 10 - 15 minutes. Serve with a nice scoop of sauce. (You don't have to flip the chicken, I just think it lets the sauce really get all over everything better)

Basil Pesto with Walnuts

3 cups fresh basil*
1/2 cup Basil Olive Oil
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 clove garlic
Sea Salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, optional

Roughly chop the garlic and walnuts. Mash them together with a sprinkle of the sea salt and add to a food processor with the basil and 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Pulse until everything is finely chopped, then turn it on and gently stream in the olive oil until everything is nice and smooth. Add Parmesan now if using and pulse to combine.

Instead of all basil, you could use half spinach or arugula. We also have a jarred pesto available in the store made with arugula and walnuts that is good as well.

Lemon Onion Chicken

I love the Zesty Lemon Balsamic on roast chicken. I thought it would be just as good on a slow cooked chicken. And it is! It just needs a little bit of something else. I thought why not mint!

Lemon Onion Chicken

6 boneless chicken thighs
3 tbsp Zesty Lemon Balsamic
2 medium onions, quartered
1 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp fresh chopped mint
     or 1 tsp dried
1/2 medium lemon
1 tbsp Basiks Hunter's Blend

Add the chicken broth and the onions to the slow cooker. Rub the chicken with the olive oil and sprinkle with the Hunter's Blend and mint. Spread any extra spices around with the onions. Juice the 1/2 lemon and stir it in as well, but don't throw out the rest of the lemon! Nestle it down at the very bottom of the pot.

Put the chicken in with the onions and mix it all up. Coat everything with a layer of balsamic. Use a pastry brush for the best coverage, or just drizzle it in and stir well.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Pulled Apple Chicken

Pulled chicken is the easiest thing in the world. You can leave a tupperware full of it in the fridge and use it in so many ways. I like it on sandwiches, but toss some sweet pepper slices with it and chopped lettuce and cheese and you have taco fillings!

I used thighs and legs, but you can use any chicken bits you want. I think they are easier to debone at the end of a day. If you use boneless, it doesn't take as long to cook, and you don't have to do that extra step, but I think bone in adds a little extra something.

Pulled Apple Chicken

2 lbs chicken, bone in, any cut you like
2 large red apples, minced
2 onions, sliced
1 cup chicken broth, or water
2 tbsp Red Apple Balsamic
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Basil Olive Oil

Put the onions and apples in the slow cooker first. Add the chicken broth or water, and the garlic. Layer the chicken pieces over the top.  Swirl the oil and the balsamic over everything.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. If you want chicken that doesn't fall apart as much, put it on for only 5 hours.

Take out the chicken and shred it using 2 forks. Stir the leftover mixture in the slow cooker and turn it up to high. Let that simmer, uncovered for about half an hour. It should become a little thicker.

Spoon the thickened liquid over the chicken and serve as you like.

Basil Chicken Thighs with Pickled Garlic

I found this cute little jar of pickled garlic at one of the specialty grocery stores and figured, what the heck! I'll find something to do with it. I have been eating a couple cloves every time I open the fridge. Good thing garlic is good for you! And it's sweet so I don't have bad garlic breath all the time.

If you can't find pickled garlic, don't worry about it. Use 6-10 roasted garlic cloves and about 1 tbsp of regular or brown sugar tossed in. It will be a little smokier than my version, but that's not a bad thing.

Basil Chicken Thighs with Pickled Garlic

1 pkg Boneless chicken thighs 6-8
1/4 cup pickled garlic
1 tbsp yellow curry powder
1/2 medium onion, sliced thinly
10 leaves fresh basil
1 tbsp Basil Olive Oil
1 Tbsp White Kiwi Balsamic
Pinch of Jalapeno Sea Salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the chicken in a casserole pan and spread the onions around the sides. Rub the chicken down with the olive oil. Drizzle the balsamic over it all and sprinkle the curry powder on top.

Tear the basil leaves in large bits and tuck around the chicken. Leave the garlic whole and nestle with the basil.

Loosely tent with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Take the foil off and stir around a bit. Bake an additional 5-10 minutes just to brown the tops a bit.

Put a pinch of the Jalapeno Sea Salt on top of each portion before you serve.

Chicken with Fried Caperberries

I have long wondered what to do with these caperberries. They are a funny little food. Salty and ovoid like an olive, but nothing like them in texture. A customer came by and said that they slice and fry them, so I thought that would be really nice to do with chicken. They provide the perfect salty pop!

Chicken with Fried Caperberries

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 onion, roughly chopped

1 sm bunch basil, roughly chopped

1 tbsp fresh tarragon

8-10 sliced caperberries

3 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil

1 lb diced chicken

squeeze of lemon

Heat one tablespoon of the olive oil to medium high. Spread the caperberry slices around and let them simmer around. Let them brown lightly on each side. About 1-3 minutes each side. Toss in the onions and herbs.

Stirring occasionally, let it cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the rest of the olive oil and the chicken. Stir to distribute and cover. Cover and simmer. Stir occasionally, it should take about 10 minutes. 

Add the tomatoes and stir. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Finish off with a squeeze of lemon and serve.

Garlic Chicken Pasta

We have all kinds of great pasta at the store. I love all the neat shapes. One of my husband's favorites are these large twists. They hold sauce well and and really nice and fork-able.I needed a quick dinner last night so I threw all this together in a pan. I think I'll make it again sometime!

Garlic Chicken Pasta

1 pk chicken breasts, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, diced

2-4 strips bacon

1 pkg large twist pasta

4 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil, divided

Cook the pasta according to package directions and rinse. Toss with 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large bowl and set aside.

Cook the bacon in a large saute pan until crispy, set aside on paper towels to drain. In the same pan, add the diced onion and saute on medium high heat, stirring occasionally until they start to brown, about 4-5 minutes.

Add the chicken and the rest of the olive oil if you need it. Cook for about 3 minutes on high heat, stirring constantly so that the chicken gets browned on all sides and lightly caramelized. Reduce the heat to medium, crumble the bacon and add it to the pan. Cover and cook until the chicken is done, another 5-10 minutes.

Toss together the pasta and chicken and serve.

After today, it is Better Breakfast Month! A month long celebration of all things breakfast!

Tropical Chicken Salad

Our In Store Special this month is the Blood Orange Olive Oil and the White Pineapple Balsamic. I thought that I would make something with them to go with that!

This salad is fantastic. I've been enjoying it for a couple days now. And I will definitely make it again!

Tropical Chicken Salad

1 cup cooked, shredded chicken

1 small can mandarin orange slices

1 small can chopped pineapple

1 can water chestnuts

1 tbsp Blood Orange Olive Oil

1 tbsp White Pineapple Balsamic

1 pinch powdered ginger

a handful of cashews

chow mein noodles

Drain the fruit and the water chestnuts and toss everything together. If you are not serving it right away, leave the chow mein noodles off. They can get soggy pretty quickly.

If you don't like water chestnuts, I think that chopped celery would be very nice in this as well!

Lemon Pepper Kebabs

Remember the Red Pepper Bruschetta Pasta from last week? The marinaded chicken I was talking about was this one! I finally got to the grocery store and here you go!

Lemon Pepper Kebabs

3 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1 tbsp fresh minced thyme
1 tsp fresh black pepper
zest of one lemon
juice of 1/2 lemon
bamboo skewers

Cube the chicken. Stir all the marinade ingredients together and toss the chicken in it.

Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours or overnight. Soak you skewers in water or use metal ones. Slide the chicken on and give them an extra sprinkle of pepper.

Grill. Cooking time depends on how thick your chicken cubes are, but mine took about 5 minutes. Makes about 6 skewers.

Fireworks Chicken Salad

I grilled chicken with the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil a couple days ago. They were spicy and delicious, but  there were some leftover chicken breasts. I thought they would be eaten by now, but they are still around, so I made chicken salad!

I love each of these ingredients individually, but together they are just scrumptious! I'm taking this to a party tomorrow if I don't finish it all!

Fireworks Chicken Salad

2-3 grilled chicken breasts
1 can black beans
1/4 cup Piquillo Pepper Tapenade
1/2 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 yellow or orange pepper, diced
1 tsp Greek Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Mineral Salt
Extra Citrus Habanero Olive Oil for drizzling

Chop or shred your chicken. Place in a large bowl. Rinse and drain the black beans and add them. Stir in the edamame and the bell pepper. If it needs a little extra spice, drizzle with a little bit more of the Citrus Habanero Olive Oil. Stir in the Piquillo Pepper Tapenade and sprinkle with the salt.

Serve!

mushroom chicken with couscous

I have had a package of whole wheat couscous in the cabinet for way too long.

I keep looking at it and choosing rice instead. Or mashed potatoes. Or stuffing. But couscous is really tasty! I know this and keep passing it by.... Silly me.

I made this just for me the other night. Scale it up as far as you want.

Mushroom Chicken with Couscous

1 chicken breast, diced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4-1/2 cup finely chopped onions

2 tbsp Butter Olive Oil

1/4 cup chicken broth, low sodium

Couscous

Follow the directions for 1 serving of couscous. If they call for butter, substitute the Butter Olive Oil for real butter in equal amounts. Cook and set aside.

In a medium pan, heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil to medium heat. Saute the onions and mushrooms until they get nice and soft and the mushrooms start to brown. 5-7 minutes.

Add the chicken and stir to combine well. Add the chicken broth and bring the heat to medium high. Cover and let simmer until the chicken is done, about 8-10 minutes.

Cook uncovered an extra 1-2 minutes. Spoon over couscous and serve.

(I drizzled a little Traditional Balsamic over this a little bit later. It was good.)

Truffle Honey Mustard Chicken

We got in this neat product a little while back and I have been trying to come up with interesting things to do with it. We got Truffle Honey. If you like truffles, it's spectacular. It goes beautifully with a cheese and cracker platter. I've been wanting to use it to glaze steaks or a roast, but I was making chicken the other day and said, Hey, why not?

Truffle Honey Mustard Chicken

1 pkg chicken, chopped
1 1/2 cups chopped frozen broccoli
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 tbsp Truffle Honey*
pinch of Greek Sea Salt*, and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a pan to medium high heat. Saute the chicken pieces about 5-7 minutes, stirring often.

Add the frozen broccoli and cover. Let cook for about 4 minutes. Remove the cover and fork test the broccoli. If they aren't tender, stir them to the bottom of the pot, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes.

Now add the Truffle Honey, the mustard and Salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Cook another 2-3 minutes to let the flavors really blend.

*Truffle Honey and Greek Sea Salt available in the store or by phone only.

Peach Balsamic Chicken

This chicken is so awesome! I've told a few people at the store about this already, so as promised, here it is!

Peach Balsamic Chicken

1/2 cup Peach Jam

1 pkg chicken thighs, about 4

1 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tbsp Meyer Lemon Olive Oil

3 tbsp White Peach Balsamic

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan to medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and let them caramelize. Stir occasionally, but it should take about 7-10 minutes. 

Add the jam and Balsamic and stir. Cook a couple minutes to melt the jam. Stir to combine.

Arrange the chicken in an oven-safe pan and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Pour the broth and the jam/onion mixture over the chicken.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Customer Recipe: Jim's Chicken and Potatoes

One of our customers stopped by to restock over the weekend and showed off his cooking skills with this Instagram photo. He described it thus:

"White truffle sauté chukar, pancetta essence seared diminutive tubers and savoy florets over a bed of fresh spinach drizzled with piquant dressing and a fresh cut of lemon for zest."

Or, as he told me later, "Boneless chicken fried in White Truffle Garlic oil, baby potatoes and broccoli florets seared in Bacon oil. Everything was laid out on fresh spinach with a drizzle of Buffalo Ranch dressing (and a slice of lemon)."

Thanks Jim! It looks divine!

Welcome Home!

My parents are coming home from Italy! Now I can go back to posting recipes instead of pictures. Whoohoo!

I was tidying up at their place, getting the mail in order when I noticed that they had no food. They have been gone for a long time, so there are a couple things in the fridge, like garlic. And some bottled water. Of course, they aren't going to want to cook when they come home, so I thought I'd get them a little something.

When I get some one a little something, I mean food. So I got them groceries. Some milk and some eggs...and I made them some chicken so they don't have to cook on their first night back.

Welcome Home Chicken

2 large chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 orange pepper, sliced thinly
1/2 a large onion, chopped
1 pkg mushrooms
3-6 tbsp Garlic Olive Oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tbsp fresh oregano
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt, to taste
2-4 tbsp Red Pepper Bruschetta

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large saute pan to medium heat. Add the chopped onions and let cook, stirring occasionally until they are almost fully caramelized, 20 minutes or so. Add the mushrooms a little salt and a little extra oil if the pan is looking dry. Saute them until they break down, about another 8-10 minutes. Add the peppers and the chicken and stir it all to combine. Add more olive oil to make sure that everything is well coated.

Bring the heat up to medium-high and add the chicken broth and the oregano and cover. Let simmer for about ten minutes. Stir and test how done the chicken is. This will depend on how thick your slices are. Stir in the Red Pepper Bruschetta (avaliable in store) and a little salt to taste.

Serve with fresh bread.

This recipe could be easily done with tofu subbed in for the chicken. Have fun with it!

Welcome Home Mom and Dad!