Breaded Chicken

This recipe serves two, and has a lot of wiggle room in spices and pieces of chicken used. I happened to come across really inexpensive tenders, but will probably use breasts in the future. Keep in mind that if you change the cut of meat, the cook time will change also. Tenders cook very quickly.

Ingredients:

8 chicken tenders

1 egg

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tbsp onion powder

1 tbsp paprika

1/2 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

cooking spray

1) Prepare the bowls. Whisk the egg in a small bowl that will accommodate the chicken pieces. Mix flour and seasonings in another bowl. In a third bowl, add bread crumbs (or panko, or crushed crackers, or crushed cereal, etc.)

2) Rinse the chicken and pat dry.

3) Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.

4) Dip the chicken into egg. Let the excess drip off, then roll it in flour mixture. Spray the piece with cooking spray, then press into bread crumbs.

5) Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or so. Check for doneness.

Other ideas to try:

• Add dried parsley to the flour mixture or eggs, and grated parmesan to the crumbs
• Use a mixture of dijon mustard and mayo instead of eggs
• Use panko or crushed cereal instead of bread crumbs

Easy Lemon Chicken with Optional Artichoke

Ingredients:

1 can artichoke hearts (makes the dish more yummy, but it will still be yummy without)

3/4 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese

3/4 cup mayonnaise

zest from 1 lemon

black pepper

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

butter for searing

Chop and drain the artichokes, if using. Mix with grated cheese, mayo, lemon zest, and black pepper.

In the butter, sear the chicken breasts on each side until brown. Place them in a baking dish and cover them with the mayo mixture. Bake until chicken is done (about 25-40 minutes, depending on the size of the breasts.

The Best Method for Homemade Wings

I wish I had some fancy sauce recipe to go with these, but I've just discovered the best method for making CRISPY chicken wings at home without frying. That's right. Crispy. Without frying.

1) Boil the wings for 10 minutes.

2) Broil the wings for 5-10 minutes on each side.

3) Smother with your choice of sauce.

Yes it is that easy.

I do have a word of caution. I used parchment paper to line the baking pan, which was generally fine. However, I left my second batch in the oven a little too long... and the paper caught on fire. The wings were completely fine, but the paper surrounding them was reduced to ash. Plus, I was really surprised to walk into my kitchen and see the inside of my oven ablaze.

I'll post yummy sauce recipes as I discover them.

Indian Butter Chicken As Good As My Favorite Restaurant's

3 bone-in chicken breasts (6 halves), no skin, each half sliced in two

1 and 1/2 cups of nonfat yogurt

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup oil

3 tbsp tandoori spice mix

Combine the above ingredients in a glass baking dish, mix, and place chicken pieces in to marinate. Marinate for at LEAST one hour, preferably over-night. Place dish in the oven to bake at 450 degrees for 30 minutes.

oil for sauteing

1 tbsp ghee

1 large onion, chopped finely

5 cloves of garlic, crushed

3 tsp garam masala

3-4 tbsp of ground corriander

dash of salt

1 large (16 oz) can of tomato puree

1/3 cup whipping cream

1/3 cup cilantro, chopped

While chicken bakes, heat oil and ghee in a large pot. Saute onions and garlic for a few minutes. Add garam masala and corriander. Fry for a minute or so. Add the can of tomato puree. Simmer for 5 minutes or so. Add chicken from the baking dish and most of the tandoori cooking liquid. Cook until chicken is done. Turn off the heat and add 1/3 cup whipping cream and cilantro.

Serve with warm naan or rice.

Chicken Satay

turmeric*

ground pepper

cumin

chicken breast (sliced into strips)

coconut milk

plain yogurt

lime juice

*Wear gloves when working with turmeric, unless you want diseased-looking, yellow fingernails.

Mix together turmeric, cumin, and ground pepper. Coat the chicken strips in the spice mixture (I like to rub it in). Mix together coconut milk, yogurt, lime juice, and a little more turmeric in the marinading vessel. Add chicken pieces so that they are submerged. Marinade for a couple of hours, or overnight.

If cooking inside, sear the strips in a pan and transfer to a baking dish to finish in the oven (20 minutes or so at 450F).

If grilling, thread the strips on bamboo skewers (make sure your skewers were soaked in water for at least 30 minutes) and grill on charcoal.

Serve with peanut butter dip.