Chicken Salad

I was thinking last night when I got home from work that I don't post enough basic stuff. Food that I make on a regular basis when I get home from work and school. Why not? I mean, I am running a food blog here. Might as well post stuff that is easy, cheap and good...even if it is basic. This is pretty much as basic as it comes and I'm sure most of you know how to make a chicken salad, but this is just how I like to do it.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• Masterpiece Caribbean Jerk Sauce
• 1 bag salad mix, or chop up your own
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 cup croutons of your choice
•  Dressing of your choice

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Again, this is a very basic chicken salad and you can add or subtract anything you want. This is just the stuff I had on hand. I actually ended up buying thinly sliced chicken breasts, but usually I buy just regular ones. Take your chicken breasts, lay them on a piece of parchment paper, fold the parchment paper over top the chicken breasts and pound the chicken thin. Try to get them the same thickness to help them cook evenly. I like thin chicken breasts because they cook quicker, more evenly and sometimes when you have a thick piece, the outside dries out before the inside is done.  

This is probably my favorite store bought chicken marinade, it's so freaking good! I always have a bottle on hand for those quick meals. Place your chicken in a bowl or ziplock bag, add in some of the Caribbean jerk sauce and toss to coat. Place some aluminum foil on a baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and bake for about 15 min (depending on thickness of chicken) or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

While the chicken is baking, wash your salad mix, get it as dry as possible and place in a bowl. Add in your dressing of choice (I like ranch) and toss the salad to coat. Place salad on a plate, sprinkle with cheddar cheese, croutons and whatever your little heart desires. Whenever chicken is done, slice it up and place on top your plated salad. Enjoy!

Kitchen Tools

If you don't already own a kitchen thermometer, do yourself a favor and go pick one up. They are inexpensive and they will deliver pin point accuracy of the doneness of whatever you're cooking. Sure there are other ways to determine doneness, but these will just help you be more accurate. Here is a doneness temperature chart: 

Take particular note to the pork temperatures, please....PLEASE stop overcooking your pork people! There hasn't been an outbreak of trichinosis caused by pork in like 30 some years. It's ok to cook your pork to medium! I usually shoot for 140 degrees F when cooking pork. Get yourself a kitchen thermometer and I promise you, your cooking will benefit from it!

Lee's Buffalo Chicken Mac n' Cheese

Lee and I definitely have an addiction to Buffalo Chicken. So, naturally, whenever she made this dish, we both fell in love with it. 

It's probably my favorite version, and I'm willing to guess her's as well, of macaroni and cheese. When she made her last batch, I decided with the left overs I would turn it into a bite size, finger food in the form of deep fried mac n' cheese. Either version would be great for the Super Bowl this weekend. Two recipes for the price of one!

Bon Appétit!

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
• Kosher salt
• 1 pound elbow macaroni
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 2 Chicken Breasts, cooked & shredded
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3/4 cup hot sauce (preferably Frank's)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons dry mustard
• 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 1 pound yellow sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about 3 1/2 cups)
• 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, optional 
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Drain. 

Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes, then add 1/2 cup hot sauce and simmer until slightly thickened, about 1 more minute. 

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the half-and-half, then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, then whisk in the sour cream until smooth. 

Spread half of the macaroni in the prepared baking dish, then top with the chicken mixture and the remaining macaroni. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top. 

Put the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir in the panko, blue cheese and parsley. Sprinkle over the macaroni and bake until bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving. 

Ingredients

• Buffalo Chicken Mac n' Cheese, completely chilled
• 2 eggs
• 3 Cups All-Purpose Flour
• 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
• 2 Tbsp Onion Powder
• 2 Tsp Paprika
• 2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper 
• Canola oil for frying 
• Cajun Ranch Dipping Sauce; recipe follows

Directions

After you have made your Buffalo Chicken Mac n' Cheese in the last recipe, in order to deep fry it, it has to be cooled completely in a refrigerator. Once chilled, you want to proportion the mac n' cheese into meatball sized balls (or however big you'd like). 

Combine all the dry ingredients (Flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper & kosher salt) mix with a fork until well incorporated. Separate the flour mixture in half and distribute to two separate bowls. Place the eggs into a 3rd bowl and wisk. 

First, coat the mac n' cheese balls in the flour mixture, then coat in egg (letting the excess egg drip off) and then coat in the flour mixture once more. Repeat until all have been coated. 

In a large stock pot, heat the canola oil to

350-365°

F. Add the mac n' cheese, in batches (you don't want to try to fry all of them at once!) and fry until golden brown. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Plate and serve with the cajun ranch dipping sauce!

Cajun Ranch Dipping Sauce

Mix 1 cup of ranch dressing with 4 tablespoon of cajun seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve alongside the Deep Fried Buffalo Chicken Mac n' Cheese Balls. 

Knife Skills

The first legit cooking job I had was at the Nittany Lion Inn and you know what the first thing I had to do was?? Dice about 50 pounds of onions...I was a green horn and didn't know how to do anything and after the first one I was quickly taught how to do it properly. I can't tell you how many times I've passed on my onion dicing technique and it may seem kind of juvenile. But, I have found that it's those little basic kitchen skills that if we hone (dicing vegetables, cooking the perfect egg, etc) it makes life 10x easier and usually makes the quality of what you're cooking better because you have consistency.

The first thing in cutting ANYTHING is having a good quality, sharp knife. If you don't have one, please, do yourself a favor and go pick one up. You don't need a $100 knife, but you can find a decent knife for around $20-$30. 

Whole Onion

Next thing you want to do is place your onion on a cutting board and cut it in half vertically making sure that you're keeping the root intact. You want to keep the root because that will help you keep the onions form when you make the necessary cuts. Remove the skin and discard.

Halved w/ skin removed

Next you are going to want to make horizontal slits, following the natural ribs in the onion. Keep the width consistent so that when you finally dice the onion you have consistent pieces. If they aren't you are going to have pieces that cook faster or slower. Cutting your veggies the same size, leads to even cooking. 

Horizontal slits

Finally, grip the onion like a tennis ball to keep it all together and cut down through the onion to dice it. Again, making sure to use nice and consistent strokes. Hopefully this helps, if not

Gordon Ramsey

has a good video showing a little bit different technique, but the same concept. 

Stuff Chicken Breasts wrapped in Prosciutto

I have had lots of inspiration in my culinary career and some of my best ideas have come from the places I have worked. I don't think there is a better way to learn how to cook, then by working in great restaurants. Working at Alto Italian Restaurant in Lemont, PA was my first fine dining cooking experience and this is where I got the inspiration for this dish. Chicken breast stuffed with a Asiago Cheese and Sun dried tomato stuffing wrapped in Prosciutto on top of basil pesto spaghetti. Bon Appétit!

Ingredients 

• 2 Bakery Rolls, cubed (I used rosemary rolls from Wegman's, delicious!) 
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil 
• 4 Chicken Cutlets 
• 2 Cups Asiago Pressato, Shredded 
• 1 Cup Sun Dried Tomato, Diced  
• 8 Slices of Prosciutto 
• Box of Spaghetti, or make your own 
• 8 oz. Jar of Basil Pesto, or make your own 
• Fresh Parmesan, for Garnish 
• Fresh Parsley, diced for garnish
• Chicken Brine (optional; recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Toss the cubed rolls in the olive oil and coat evenly. Spread the cubes evenly over a baking sheet and bake in oven for about 15 min or until golden brown and crunchy (note: if you’re feeling lazy,you could always use store bought croutons)

Take your chicken breasts and put them in either a large zip lock bag or in between some parchment paper. Pound out the chicken from the center outward using a heavy-bottomed skillet or mallet. Be firm but controlled with your strokes, try to get the chicken as thin as possible without destroying it. 

Chicken Breasts thinly pounded

Lay the chicken breasts bottom side up and first lay a layer of croutons and then sprinkle with the diced sun-dried tomato and shredded asiago. Then, start at the bottom, pointed end of the breast, wrap and roll the breast over the stuffing. After you have rolled each breast, wrap them with 2 slices of Prosciutto, making sure to cover the whole breast. (note: the prosciutto should aid in keeping the breasts together, if need be tie some kitchen twine around to help secure them)

Chicken Breasts w/ stuffing

Wrapped with Prosciutto

Put the stuffed chicken breasts in a baking dish and bake for about 30 min or until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165°F.

With 10 or so minutes left for the chicken,bring a pot of salt water to a boil and add in the pasta cooking until Al Dente. Drain the pasta and toss the spaghetti with the basil pesto. Remove chicken from oven, slice it, plate it on top of the pasta and garnish with parmesan and parsley (note: Using a vegetable peeler to grate the parmesan gives you thin, sliced chunks of parmesan).

Final Product

Looking to kick up your chicken for any meal?? Try this delicious brine!

Ingredients

• 1 Quart Water
• 1/4 Cup of Diamond Krystal Kosher Salt (International Section of most grocery stores)
• 1.5 Tsp Whole Peppercorns
• 1 Tbsp Honey
• 4 Bay Leaves
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 Lemon
• 1/4 Bunch of Parsley 

Directions

Makes 1 Quart

In a medium sauce pan bring water to a bowl. Add in remain ingredients, stir and continue to boil for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and let cool down completely and transfer (lemon, garlic, everything in the pot)  to a container or 1 quart mason jar and refrigerate. 

Whenever you are ready to brine, just put your chicken in a large zip lock and pour the brine in so that the chicken is completely covered and let sit for about 2 hours or up to 12 hours (note: Brining can make your food taste great, but over brining can lead it to be very salty so experiment with your brining times). 

Kitchen Word of the Day

Brining: In cooking, brining is a process similar to marination in which meat is soaked in brine before cooking. Brining makes cooked meat moister by hydrating the cells of its muscle tissue before cooking, via the process of osmosis, and by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The brine surrounding the cells has a higher concentration of salt than the fluid within the cells, but the cell fluid has a higher concentration of other solutes. This leads salt ions to diffuse into the cell, whilst the solutes in the cells cannot diffuse through the cell membranes into the brine. The increased salinity of the cell fluid causes the cell to absorb water from the brine via osmosis. The salt introduced into the cell also denatures its proteins. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix that traps water molecules and holds them during cooking. This prevents the meat from dehydrating.