Tag Archives: dinner

Feels Like Home: Lebanese Chicken and Rice (Chicken Riz Bi Dijidj)

Posted on January 8, 2012 | Leave a comment

I grew up eating this dish at least once a week, it’s a meal so familiar, the smell of warm allspice brings me back. Steaming, fragrant rice and dollops of cool, tart yogurt, flavorful roast chicken, crispy, toasted pine nuts, almonds. Watching mom shred the chicken, layering the casserole dish, some of my favorite memories.

Like most of the recipes from my childhood, this one is a combination of squinty memory recall (both mine and my mom’s), and a little bit of trial and error – to get the flavors just right.

It’s a bit time intensive, but it’s so worth it.

To start, you’ll need chicken stock. Homemade is always best, but store-bought stock will work as well. The better flavor your stock, the more awesome the final dish will be.

Fragrant Rice
Cook 2 cups uncooked rice using your preferred method (pot or rice cooker), but sub out the water completely with chicken stock. Stir in 2 tsp of spice mix (below) and 1 tsp salt.

Spice Mix
Stir together spices in a small bowl, set aside. You’ll use this for both the chicken and the rice.
2 tsp allspice
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
1 tsp crushed parsley

Roasted Chicken
Wash 1 pound of chicken thighs, bone-on, skin on, and pat dry. Loosen skin and sprinkle spice mix generously all over the chicken, including below and above the skin.

Preheat oven to 425°F

Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and add enough olive oil to just coat pan.
When oil is hot, add chicken in a single layer, being careful to not overcrowd the pan. Cook each side for 5 minutes or until skin begins to brown and crisp. Flip chicken again and put skillet in the oven. Flip chicken every 6-8 minutes and cook until chicken juices run clear, about 25 minutes.

Remove pan from oven and using tongs, shred chicken. Give the chicken a quick stir and put the skillet back in the oven for another 5 minutes. You can skip this last step if you’re watching your waistline, but it seriously kicks this whole dish up another notch.

Toasted Pine Nuts (do this step while the chicken’s in the oven)
In a non-stick skillet, heat 1 tbs olive oil or butter on medium-low. Add 3/4 cup pine nuts or almond silvers (more or less if you dig toasted nuts) and 1 tsp coarse salt. Toast nuts, stirring often, until nuts begin to turn golden brown. If some of the nuts are getting done more quickly, pull those out so they don’t burn. When nuts are fully toasted, remove from heat and set aside.

Plate the Chicken
Lightly fluff the rice and add more spice mix if you’d like a heartier flavor.
Spoon rice onto your serving dish, preparing a thick bed for the chicken. Cover the rice with a layer of shredded chicken, then add nuts and remaining chicken.

Serve hot with a side of plain or honey Nancy’s yogurt.

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Spicy Shrimp and Veggie Stir Fry with Coconut Rice

Posted on December 20, 2011 | 2 Comments

If I’m making a shrimp dish, it means I haven’t gone shopping in two weeks, we’re out of the basics and the fridge is occupied by ketchup, orange juice, and soy sauce. Frozen shrimp are my Spaghettio’s.

They’re serious emergency rations, and go with pretty much anything you’re likely to have remaining in the cupboards, be it rice, pasta, or polenta. Add a green frozen veggie and some basic kitchen survival skills, pick a country on the map for sauce/spice, and tada! Snazzy dinner.

Shrimp Marinade
1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs rice wine
2 tsp hot chili oil (you can add more if you like it spicy)
1 tsp oyster sauce
1 tbs oil

Veggie Fry
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp grated ginger
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs oil
1-2 cups fresh veggies (green beans, broccoli, carrots, onions, whatever)

Coconut Rice
1 cup rice
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 3/4  cups water
pinch salt

Start the rice, however your method (I use rice cooker), but be sure to combine the water with coconut milk before adding to the rice.

Whisk together soy sauce, hot chili oil, rice wine, and oyster sauce in a glass bowl. Add shrimp and set aside.

Heat oil in two non-stick frying pans over medium-high heat. One pan’s your shrimp fry pan, the other’s for your veggies. Normally you’d use the same pan, but we’re looking to get a crispy edge on the shrimp, so we’re separating them.

When the pans are hot, add the sesame oil, ginger and garlic to your veggie pan, and fry until the garlic turns fragrant and golden. Add a little shrimp marinade to deglaze the pan and add your veggies.

While the veggies are frying, add half the shrimp to the other pan in a single layer, and fry each side until crispy, about 3 minutes. Move cooked shrimp to a clean bowl and repeat steps for the next batch.

Add the remaining marinade to the veggies and continue to fry the veggies until bright and crisp. Snag a veggie and check for spiciness, adding more chili oil if necessary.

Remove the pan from the heat and toss in shrimp before serving with coconut rice. Tasty good!

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Chicken Pot Pie with a Flaky Biscuit Crust

Posted on November 8, 2010 | Leave a comment

Chicken Pot Pie
4 tbs unsalted butter
1 medium carrot, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 celery stalks, cut into ½inch pieces
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 russet potatoes, peeled and diced small
1 tbs kosher salt
1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
1 tbs parsley
1 tbs chives
1 tbs dill
1 tbs rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder
4 cups roasted chicken, hand shredded or diced

Biscuit Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbs baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fine salt
7 tbs cold unsalted butter, sliced
3/4 cup + 1 tbs 2% milk
tsp finely grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to 450°F

Heat the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the carrot, celery, potatoes, peas and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
Add the onions and cook, stirring, until browned, about 1 minute more.
Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Pour in the chicken broth, bring the stew to a boil, stirring constantly. Simmer until the mixture is very thick, about 3 minutes.
Add the chicken and return to a boil.

Remove from the heat. Season with pepper to taste and stir in the parsley, chives, and dill.
Set aside while you make the biscuit topping.

To make the biscuit dough In a large bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt until evenly combined. Rub 2 tablespoons of the butter into the flour with your fingertips, until it is completely absorbed. Work the remaining butter into the flour until it is in even pieces about the size of a pea. Add the lemon zest to the milk. Gently stir the milk into the flour mixture to make a loose dough.

When dough is done, drop by flattened lumps on the chicken stew, creating a patchwork crust.

Using a pastry brush, brush the biscuit top lightly with milk.

Transfer the skillet to a baking sheet (to catch any drips) and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the pie rest at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving.

 

Original recipe from Food Network.

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