Kitchen Moxy

Kitchen Moxy’s Garlic Chicken

Roasted Garlic Chicken

Here is a terrific recipe for skinless, boneless chicken thighs, great for a party or a special dinner.  Or use legs/thighs. Yes, you do have to love garlic, so be sure only to invite those who have an acquired taste for this tasty allium.

This recipe can be prepared the day before and as a note, the longer you marinate it – the taster it becomes.  It is best to marinade for at the very least, 6 hours up to 24 hours in advance.  Please use only fresh herbs and fresh garlic cloves with this recipe, or you will rob yourself of the intoxicating aroma and flavor of this dish.

If you prefer to cook chicken breasts, reduce cooking by about 20 minutes to prevent white meat from drying out. Keep the temperature at 400 degrees.

MARINADE

• About 1 cup of olive oil – more or less to cover the chicken pieces
• 6 peeled and smashed garlic cloves – cut in half after you smash them
• ½ cup of fresh minced flat leaf Italian parsley

PROCEDURE

•    Wash and dry chicken thighs
• Spread them flat in a baking dish large enough to hold all thighs
• Combine olive oil, garlic cloves and parsley and pour over thighs
• Cover baking dish with plastic wrap or lid and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, turning only once during that time.

After 6 – 24 hours

• Remove chicken from marinade and scrape off excess olive oil and place chicken in a shallow, foil lined, rimmed cookie sheet
• With a slotted spoon, scoop up garlic and parsley from marinade and spread on top of chicken
• Reserve 1/3 cup of olive oil from marinade
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees

In a bowl combine

• 8 more garlic cloves, minced or grated
• The 1/3 cup reserved olive oil
•   2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
•   2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1. Pour this mixture on top of chicken in pan
2. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 – 55 minutes – do not turn chicken during baking.
3. *Note: do not crowd chicken pieces in roasting pan – this will steam the chicken rather than roasting it.

Enjoy

*Great paired with my recipe for Barley Au Gratin and a salad, tossed with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

You can make these chicken rolls with veal as well.  Stuffed with ricotta cheese, Parmesan Cheese,

Italian Chicken Rolls

parsley and mozzarella cheese – sure to delight even the most finicky eater.

Ingredients:

• 1 can of Italian plum tomatoes, drain sauce into a cup and chop tomatoes
• Add tomato sauce to liquid in canned tomatoes to make ½ cup
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
• 1 medium – size green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 medium-size onion, finely chopped
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, butterfly and pound to ¼-inch thickness
• 1 egg
• ½ cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

 Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F

1. In a medium saucepan, combine tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic, bell pepper, onion, oregano, and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes – stirring occasionally.
2. Butterfly each chicken breast and pound between two pieces of wax paper to ¼ inch thickness
3. In a small bowl, beat egg, blend in Ricotta, Parmesan cheese, ½ cup of mozzarella cheese and parsley
4. Spoon one-eighth of this mixture onto each piece of chicken, roll up chicken and secure with wooden toothpicks.
5. Spoon half the tomato sauce into an 8 inch square baking dish. Arrange chicken rolls in dish. Pour remaining sauce over chicken. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

Marsala wine is frequently used in cooking, and is especially prevalent in Italian restaurants in the United States. A typical Marsala sauce, for example, involves reducing the wine almost to a syrup with onions or shallots, then adding mushrooms and herbs. One of the most popular Marsala recipes is chicken marsala, in which flour-coated pounded chicken breast halves are braised in a mixture of Marsala, butter, olive oil, mushrooms, and spices.

Chicken Marsala
Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to ¼ inch thickness.
  • Note: Easiest method: butterfly the chicken breast first and place between wax paper to pound.
• 4 shallots, onions or leeks finely chopped
• ½ pound of mushrooms, sliced
• ¼ cup dry Marsala wine
• ½ cup of cream
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to season

 Directions:

1. Pound chicken breasts according to notes above
2. In large skillet heat the olive oil until hot
3. Add chicken and sauté, about 3 – 4 minutes on each side until golden brown, remove and set aside
4. Melt butter in pan and add shallots, onions or leeks and mushrooms. Cook until mushrooms are lightly browned, about 3 – 5 minutes.
5. Add Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scrape any browned bits from bottom of pan with a spatula or spoon.
6. Add cream and lemon juice and return to a boil
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
8. Return chicken to pan and cook, turning in sauce for about 3 minutes to reheat and finish cooking.

Chicken Saltimbocca

Prosciutto and fresh sage are the key flavorings in a Saltimbocca.  You can purchase Prosciutto at any grocery store either in their deli or where specialty cheeses and meats are sold. Prosciutto is a a dry-cured ham that is usually very thinly sliced and served uncooked.  The moisture is “sucked” out of the ham, and dried (cured). The process of making prosciutto can take anywhere from nine months to two years, depending on the size of the ham. Sliced prosciutto is often served as an antipasto, wrapped around melon or asparagus. It is also eaten as an accompaniment to spring vegetables.  Not to be confused with pancetta, a product that is cured, and unsmoked, sliced thinly and used cooked similar to bacon in many recipes.

 Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh sage or 1-1/2 teaspoon dried sage – or be creative and place one whole fresh sage leaf on top of the prosciutto
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded between waxed paper to ¼ inch thickness
• 6 thin slices of prosciutto
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley or dried

 Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Sprinkle the sage and pepper over the chicken breasts.
2. Place a slice of prosciutto on top of chicken breasts. Roll up jelly-roll style and secure with a wooden toothpick
3. Place butter in a shallow dish.
4. In another shallow dish combine bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and parsley.
5. Dip chicken first in melted butter, then roll in crumb mixture
6. Place chicken in shallow baking dish and bake for 40 minutes until tender.
7. Remove picks and serve.

Beer Can Chicken

YUM, while this chicken is dry roasting on the outside, the inside is being bathed with steamy beer, keeping the chicken meat wonderfully moist. The result is tender, fall-off-the-bone meat, encased in salty, herby, crispy skin. Using olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and Rosemary on the chicken will bring out the wonderful flavor of the meat. If you are comfortable sliding your hand between the skin and the meat, rub some of the herb mixture in between, this way you are actually flavoring the meat not just the skin.

You can also roast a chicken this way in the oven. Just place it as directed on an open half-filled can of beer, sitting up, in a roasting pan on the lower rack of your oven. Roast at 350°F until done (about 1-1/2 hrs. for a 4 lb chicken, meat should register 180 degrees with a meat thermometer). You can substitute wine for the beer, just pour into a mason jar and sit the chicken on top. For an alcohol-free version of this recipe, just fill a pint mason jar halfway with chicken stock and use it instead of the beer.

If you are going to Grill your chicken: spray grill rack with non-stick cooking spray. Heat grill to medium or prepare a medium fire cooking by indirect method.

If using an oven preheat to 350 F

Ingredients:

• 4 lb Chicken – washed inside and outside with cool running water – dry with paper towels
• 2 tablespoons minced flat leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons of fresh Rosemary, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic – grated or chopped fine
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons of cold butter sliced into thin pieces

Directions

1. Combine parsley, rosemary, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil in a bowl
2. Slide your hand between the skin and meat – careful not to rip the skin
3. Rub about half of the herb mixture on meat, don’t forget the thighs
4. Slide the butter inside the skin (don’t forget legs) on top of the herb mixture
5. Rub the chicken skin with the rest of the herb mixture

Preparation

• Wash the beer can with hot soapy water
• Dry
• Open can and pour half the beer into a glass and drink
• Puncture 2 more holes in the top of the beer can
• Lower bird onto the can – the can must be inside the cavity
• Stand the chicken on the grill – on cool part of grill (indirect cooking) using legs and bottom of can as a tripod (if cooking in an oven, sit the bird inside a roasting pan using same method as just described)
• Cover grill and roast until an instant read thermometer reads 180 degrees inserted in thigh.
• Carefully transfer chicken and beer can to a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes
• Carefully lift chicken off of beer can (may need two people for this, one holding the can and the other one lifting the chicken)
• Discard beer
• Enjoy!