Brie and Apple Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This is a good example of what happens when I crave Brie-en-croute but have no puff pastry. I absolutely wanted to used up the brie we had in the freezer and I didn't really care how I ate it, it just couldn't be with bread either because we didn't have any at the time. This dish was so simple and easy to make and I'm confident it could be turned into some-kind of amazing sandwich as well!

Ingredients:

4 skinless chicken breasts

125g of Brie (it's best to have it slightly frozen so it doesn't completely fall apart when you cut it into tiny pieces

2 apples, peeled and in chunks

1/2 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 Tbsp of Oil, Butter, whatever you like best

1. Slice the chicken in half horizontally but not all the way as to separate the two halves. Use the meat pounder to tenderize (and thin out the chicken until it is relatively thin (around half an inch)

2. In a pan, melt the oil, fry the garlic and onions for 2-3 minutes, stir in the apple chunks and cook until they apples are very soft.

3. Cut the brie into small pieces.

4. Once the apples are cooked, place the mixture evenly on top of each chicken breast, top with evenly divided brie as well.

5. Roll the chicken breast as tightly as possible and place seam down in a baking dish. Repeat for all breasts.

6. Cover dish tightly with foil and place in a 350-degree oven for an hour.

7. Serve immediately so the cheese is still melted.

Bon Appetit!

Beer Can Chicken

I just thought I'd share my recent experience with roasting chicken. Using a beer instead of basting the chicken every half hour is beyond easy and foolproof. The chicken will most certainly turn out very juicy and flavorful, without all the fuss of taking it out to baste it. The fun part is you HAVE to have beer (in cans) on standby, and you get to drink half of one before putting the bird in the oven.

(I guess it looks a bit funny propped up like that...)

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

1 beer can (half full)

Salt and Pepper

Olive Oil

Prop a chicken onto a beer can in a way that it feels balanced. William-Sonoma sells a beer-can chicken stand, but trust me, if I can figure it out, so can you.

Rub the chicken with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Place it on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven and forget about it for 90 minutes.

Once its ready, slide it off the beer can and lay it on it's back. Carve it as you would any other roast chicken and enjoy!

Bon Appetit!

Quick and Easy Chicken Salad

Once again, a recipe using leftovers. This chicken salad is so quick and easy yet it is so good, it's delicious on it's own but I would recommend serving it in a wrap, or on crackers. It took all the will power I have in me to say no to seconds.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup of chopped chicken (I used a mixture of leftover roast beer-can chicken - Recipe coming soon!)

1 red pepper, chopped

1 celery stick, chopped

2 tbsp. of chopped onion

1 tbsp. of curry paste

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

Salt and Pepper to season according to tastes

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, serve cool with crackers, in a sandwich, on its own... the possibilities are endless.

Bon Appetit!

Buffalo Wings

If I had to choose one meal to eat every day for the rest of my life, there chicken wings would probably be it… They are so easy to make, and they are so good and satisfying. Buffalo sauce is hands down my favorite condiment.



For the wings, you’ll need:

1 Lbs. of fresh Chicken wings
1 cup of Flour in a bowl or plate
1 cup of Buffalo Sauce in a bowl
1 pre-greased pan, or silicon sheet (these bad boys are sticky!)

1. Toss all the wings in flour until they are evenly coated.
2. Wash your hands, and place all the floured wings into the Buffalo sauce bowl individually until they are all evenly coated (and drowning in sauce)
3. Place them all on a baking sheet, in a 375-degree oven.
4. Turn them over after 15-20 minutes, and continue baking for 20 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven, let cool 2-3 minutes and coat with additional sauce.
6. Serve immediately with Sour cream, Ranch or Blue cheese dipping sauce.


Bon appétit!

(In my parent’s kitchen, we have an amazing Kitchenaid convection microwave that has a “crisper” function. Using the crisper pan specially designed for the microwave, I cook the wings in the microwave, 7 minutes a side, and they are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!)

Chicken Stroganoff

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I have absolutely no inspiration lately and had to force myself to make something remotely decent as a Mother’s Day meal for my mom because the night before I made the super delicious but extremely basic and bland “pasta with butter, cheddar and ham”. This Chicken Stroganoff recipe, which I sort of based on a few recipes I found online, is the ultimate comfort food and I ate way too much of it. I also added peppers to it so I wouldn’t have to make a vegetable dish… They are the biggest drag.



Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. All-purpose flour
2 or 3 Medium Chicken Breasts, cut into 1-2” chunks
1 Tsp. Ground Sage
1 Tsp. Ground Thyme
Salt and Pepper
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Tbsp. Butter
½ A Golden Onion, chopped finely
2 Cloves of Garlic, pressed
3 Cups White Mushrooms, sliced
2 Yellow/Orange Peppers, chopped
1½ Cups of Chicken Stock
½ Cup Heavy Cream
½ Cup Sour Cream (the best!)


1. In a bowl, toss the chicken chunks with the flour, sage, thyme, salt and pepper.
2. In a deep skillet, heat the olive oil and cook the chicken until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, melt the butter. Add the onions, garlic and mushrooms, toss to coat. Sprinkling some salt onto the mushrooms will help them release their liquid. Saute the vegetables until they are lightly browned over low heat.
4. Deglaze the bottom of the skillet with some white wine, or some chicken broth, pour in the rest of the broth. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. Return the chicken to the pan, add the heavy cream. (If you wanted to serve the dish with egg noodles, now would be the time to stir 3 cups of Egg noodles, with an extra cup of chicken broth!) Stir in chopped yellow/orange pepper. Simmer 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened.
6. Remove from heat, take a few tablespoons of the sauce to mix into the sour cream to prevent curdling. Once the sour cream has been mixed in with some hot sauce, stir the sour cream into the final dish.
7. You may serve this chicken stroganoff with anything. I served it with rice for my parents, but ate it with macaroni. I think the best way to eat it is with egg-noodles.



Bon Appétit!