Moroccan Chicken with Grilled Vegetables

Ingredients

1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp tahini
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch each salt and pepper
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Grilled Vegetables

2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
pinch cinnamon
1 small red onion, cut in 1/2-inch thick rounds
1 zucchini, cut lengthwise in 1/2-inch thick slices
2 portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed
1 sweet red pepper, quartered
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Method

1. To make the chicken, in a bowl, stir together yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.
2. Place chicken on greased grill over medium-high heat. Close lid and grill, turning occasionally, until no longer pink inside, about 8 minutes. Let stand for 3 minutes before slicing.
3. While chicken is marinating, in bowl, stir together lemon juice, oil, garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and cinnamon.
4. Place onion, zucchini, mushrooms and red pepper on greased grill over medium-high heat. Close lid and grill, basting frequently with lemon mixture, until tender, about 7 minutes.
5. Cut mushrooms in half. Place on platter along with remaining grilled vegetables. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve vegetables with chicken.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: The Complete Chicken Cookbook

Yunnan Pot Chicken

Ingredients

25 jujubes (dried Chinese dates)
1 (3 lb) chicken
6 wafer-thin slices dang gui (dried angelica, 當歸)
6 slices ginger, smashed with the flat side of a cleaver
6 scallions, ends trimmed, smashed with the flat side of a cleaver
1/4 cup Shaoxing rice wine
1/2 teaspoon salt

Method

1. Soak the jujubes in hot water for 20 minutes, then drain and remove the pits.
2. Rinse the chicken, drain, and remove any fat from the cavity opening and around the neck. Cut off and discard the tail. Using a cleaver, cut the chicken through the bones into square 1-1/2 inch pieces.
3. Blanch the chicken pieces in a saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute, then refresh in cold water and drain thoroughly.
4. Arrange the chicken pieces, jujubes, dang gui, ginger and scallions in a clay pot or braising pan about 10 inches in diameter. Pour the rice wine and 4 cups boiling water over the top and add the salt. Cover the clay pot or casserole tightly, adding a layer of wet cheesecloth, if necessary, between the pot and lid to form a good seal, then place it in a steamer.
5. Steam over simmering water in a covered wok for about 2 hours, replenishing with boiling water during cooking.
   Remove the pot from the steamer and skim any fat from the surface of the liquid. Discard the dang gui, ginger and scallions. Taste and season if necessary. Serve hot directly from the pot.

Makes 6 servings.

Source: The Food of China

Salt Baked Chicken

Ingredients

1 Chicken, 450 g
coarse salt
1 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp allspice
10 g shajiang (沙姜)
1 tbsp oil

Method

1. Wash chicken, hang up to dry, and rub the chickeninside and out with 1 tsp table salt and a piece of shajiang. Leave the shajiang inside the chicken.
2. Mix coarse salt and allspicein a large bowl.
3. Massage the skin with 1 tbsp oil.
4. Wrap the chicken completely with a piece of baking paper and tie it securely with cotton string.
5. Put the chicken on a piece of aluminum foil. and make the foil into a tube. Close one end.
6. Put salt and allspice into the tube and shake lightly to allow salt evenly spread over the chicken. Close the tube.
7. Put the chicken breast facing down on a steaming rack inside a clay pot, cover the lid.
8. Use medium high heat to bake for 45 minutes, then turn the chicken over and bake for another 45 minutes.
9. Remove the aluminum foil, brush off the salt, cut open the baking paper, take out the chicken and put on a plate.
10. Shred chicken when it is appropriately cooled, cover meat with skin, and discard the bones.

Source: Chinese Hakka Cuisine

Empress Chicken Wings

Ingredients

600 g chicken wingettes
160 g bamboo shoots, sliced
2 slices ginger, chopped
1/2 piece slab sugar, crushed
12 soaked black mushrooms
1/4 tsp chopped garlic
1/4 tsp sugar

Marinade

1-1/4 tbsp light soy sauce
1-1/4 tbsp dark soy sauce
1-1/4 tbsp ginger juice
1-1/4 tbsp wine
dash of sesame oil

Sauce

2-1/4 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp chicken broth mix
1/3 tsp salt
160 ml water
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Method

1. Clean and dry chicken wingettes, marinate for 15 minutes.
2. Marinate black mushrooms with sugar for 10 minutes.
3. Add 2 tbsp oil to a wok, saute bamboo shoot till fragrant. Remove and set aside.
4. Add wingettes and stir-fry till golden brown. Add slab sugar. After sugar dissolved, add chopped ginger, mushrooms and bamboo shoots.
5. Stir well and add sauce. Cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove to serving plate and serve hot.

Source: Chinese Cooking

Pot-roasted Chicken with Mustard

Ingredients

3 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp vegetable oil
one 3-1/2-lb free-range chicken
3/4 cup dry white wine
10 oz button mushrooms, wiped
6 tbsp Cognac
salt
black pepper

Sauce

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
3/4 cup creme fraiche
2 tbsp whole -grain mustard
2 tbsp strong Dijon mustard
2 tbsp Savora mustard
1 bunch of fresh tarragon, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. Melt the butter and oil in a roasting pot or flameproof casserole dish on the stove top. Season the chicken, then add it to the pot, and color it on all sides.
3. Put the chicken in the oven to roast for 1-1/4 hours, but every 15 minutes turn the bird, baste it, and add some white wine until you’ve used up all the wine. Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the pot and set it aside to rest.
4. Slice the mushrooms, add them to the pot, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Pour in the brandy and flambe briefly, then set aside to keep warm.
5. For the sauce, melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan, add the flour, and cook for 3 minutes.
6. Pour in the milk, whisking well, bring to a boil, and cook for 7-8 minutes.
7. Stir in the creme fraiche, then take the pan off the heat and whisk in the mustards and tarragon. Add the mushrooms and any liquid from the roasting pot to the sauce. Do not boil the sauce again, or it may separate and taste bitter.
8. Disjoint or carve the chicken and serve with the mushroom sauce.

Makes 2 to 4 servings.

Source: The French Kitchen