Brandon was sick (Don’t feel sorry for him. He refused to wear a face mask while sanding down a circa 1950′s piece of furniture.) AND it was a chilly, rainy, gloomy day–so this was the perfect supper. Chicken bog is a classic southern recipe. It’s really just chicken and rice, sometimes sausage, stewed together. Nothing fancy, but definitely homey and comforting.

Ingredients

• ~2 lbs chicken, preferably dark meat and on the bone, I used chicken quarters
• carrot, celery, onion, whatever you have, roughly chopped
• thyme
• water or chicken stock
• 1 head cauliflower
• s & p
• hot sauce

Method

Remove the skin from the chicken pieces and reserve for fried chicken skins. Place the chicken, chopped vegetables, thyme, s& p, and enough water to cover, in a large saucepan. Simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Remove the chicken and let it cool. Once it’s cool enough to handle, pull the meat apart and either discard the bones or roast them and make chicken stock.

While the chicken is cooling…

Roughly cut the cauliflower into florets. Strain the chicken simmering liquid to remove the veggies and thyme, and pour the liquid back into the saucepan. Pop in the cauliflower pieces. Boil until the cauliflower is tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Strain the cauliflower florets and place them back into the saucepan. Using a potato masher (or some similar tool), mash the cauliflower until it’s reached the desired rice-like graininess. Add some chicken liquid if you’d like it to be a little more stew-like. Add the pulled chicken meat and mix together. Serve with a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce.

We have 9 days until we have to move into the new casa and have finally finished installing all the unfinished wood flooring. Now we just have to get it sanded and finished, pull-out and install new carpet, paint, paint and then paint some more. Oh and then we have to pack up our old house. Anyway…

One of our ‘Picking up random odds and ends at the grocery store’ dinners was eating rotisserie chicken with our fingers on sub-floor. I decided to use the leftovers, along with some languishing refrigerator ingredients to throw together a frittata one morning. This sucker ended up lasting for 5 meals.

Ingredients

• F.O.C. (fat of choice)
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, any color is fine, chopped
• about 1/2 of a rotisserie chicken (check the ingredients; some contain wheat, milk and soy– even if the flavor is like..Lemon Garlic), pulled into shreds
• 2 green onions, sliced
• 1/2 handful of cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 c salsa, we used tomatillo, but any flavor will work
• 6-8 eggs
• salt

Method

Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Heat a large cast-iron or (gasp) non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Melt your F.O.C. and add the red onion and bell pepper. Let them soften up and maybe even brown just a smidge. Add the chicken to the pan and let it sit on the bottom of a pan for a while, so it’ll brown up a bit too. Now stir in the green onions, cilantro and salsa. Turn the heat off of the range.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs with a pinch of salt. Pour the eggs over the chicken & veggie mixture. Using the residual heat from the range, take a spatula and stir everything around until you see about 1/4 of the egg cooked.

Place the pan in the oven and bake until the eggs are cooked through–about 10 minutes. Now, I’m not trying to be a nag, but because I’ve done this more than once, I’m going to share a learning experience with you. When you take the pan out of the oven, the handle will be hot–and when you place the pan on top of the stove, the handle will still be hot. Pleaseeeee don’t use your bare hand to pick up the pan, that is just not fun for anyone.

Roasted chicken is a comfort meal that speaks to all regions of the U.S. It’s an important recipe that every cook should have in their repertoire. Not only is it an economical way to feed the fam, but it’s also a double do-er. There are countless ways to season & eat the meat AND you can save the bones to make stock. After years of dry, flavorless roast chicken attempts, I feel like I’ve (humbly) perfected the roast chicken.

Check out the recipe on Food Renegade.

Unless you make your own ranch or blue cheese dressing, you’re eating a lot of omega-6 laden seed oil and other fraken-ingredients. So….let’s just remove all doubt and guilt and make good ole fashioned guacamole to dip some taco spiced wings in.

Ingredients

• 3 lbs chicken wings
• F.O.C. (fat of choice)
• 2 t garlic powder
• 2 t chili powder
• 1 1/2 t salt
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 1 t regular paprika
• 1/4 t cayenne pepper

For the Guac Dip

• 2 avocados
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 handful cilantro, chopped
• chili garlic sauce, to taste
• salt

Method

Move the oven rack to the upper-middle part of the oven. Place the oven on broil. Now, let’s go to wing school and learn how to prep the wings:

Save the wings tips for a quick chicken stock.

Mix the spices together. Coat the wings in the spice mix along with a few tablespoons of your F.O.C (melted). Place the wings, skin side down, on a baking sheet. Broil for about 12 minutes on this side, until crispy. Use a pair of tongs to flip over the wings to skin-side up. Continue to broil for about 20 minutes, until the skin is super crispy.

For the Guac Dip

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor, or just use a fork to smash everything together.

Good old fashioned (Paleo) chicken pot pie. It’s the Southern food I grew up on and am most comforted by. I grew up in a household where momma made just about everything from scratch. Her cooking was pretty good (love ya mom), but she was (and still is) an especially great baker. I still remember watching her boil the bagel dough for the crunchy cinnamon & sugar bagels I’d get to devour for my after school snack. Anyway….

Chicken pot pie is a baking person’s savory dish. I really think we’ve taken away any excuse you’ll ever have, ever again, to eat a SAD* chicken pot pie.

Ingredients

• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 parsnips, peeled and diced
• 1  red onion, diced
• 1 small bunch fresh collards, any other green will work too (4-5 cups chopped, stems removed)
• 8 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 1-2 T fresh thyme
• 1 lb chicken breasts (or thighs or a mix)
• 4 T FOC (fat of choice)
• 3 c chicken stock
• 1 T potato starch**
• s&p

For the Crust

• 4 egg whites
• 1 c almond flour
• 1 t baking powder
• 1 t salt
• ⅓ c butter (we used butter, but think non-hydrogenated palm shortening or coconut oil would work well too)

Method

In a large soup pot with a lid, heat your FOC over medium-high heat, then add your diced chicken. You want your pot to be pretty hot…you should hear a good sizzle when you add the chicken. Now…resist the urge to mess with it for a few minutes. You need to leave it down for a bit to get it a little brown. Test by peeking under a piece. When you’ve reached the desired brown-ness, go ahead and stir and finish cooking the chicken until done. This should take 4-6 minutes. Remove the chicken from your pot and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 T FOC and all of your peeled, diced veg (carrot, parsnip, onion, collards, mushrooms, thyme) to your pot and cover. Trapping the steam will help cook down your vegetables. Stir occasionally until all vegetables are cooked through and collards are almost finished cooking. Your collards should be wilted down and soft with a slight bite still to them. This will take 10-15 minutes. Now add the stock. Bring this up to a simmer and let the veg and collards cook a little longer, about 5 minutes. Add your chicken back in. The potato starch is going to be your thickener. To prevent it from clumping, add  1 T of starch to a small bowl along with 1-2 T water. Whisk or stir with fork until all lumps are gone and then add to the pot. Stir this through and reduce the heat until the mixture reaches a thickness that looks right for pot pie filling.

Remove this from the heat and add to any oven save bakeware (pyrex, stoneware, etc.). You could use ramekins and make individual pot pies here. Try to choose a size that will be filled to the brim by your mixture. However, this is not essential.

For your biscuit topping…

Let the butter (or palm shortening/coconut oil) get slightly softened and add it to your mixer bowl with the almond flour, salt and baking powder. Mix until evenly distributed. If you don’t have a mixer, do this with a fork. Now add your egg whites to the mix and stir to combine. Keep this mixture in the fridge if you make it ahead. When you’re ready to bake just top your pot pie veggie mixture (ramekins or other) with the dough. Bake at 400 F for 12-15 minutes until the top(s) is/are golden brown.

*Standard American Diet

**If you have issues with potato (though it’s been stated that, digestively speaking, you shouldn’t), I’m sure arrowroot powder would suffice as a thickener, but can’t estimate, off-hand, the quantity that would be needed…

Yup, that’s a long ass title..but I said it. There’s no other way…I mean, what are you supposed to do when you love Caesar salad, Greek salad and buffalo chicken? Mix them all together and see what comes out. What came out was deliciousness. We roasted garlic for the Caesar dressing to add some serious flavor and are omitting dairy (parmesan). It may seem like a tedious task, but I highly, highly recommend you try it–even do a few heads, as opposed to a few cloves, because it keeps really well in the fridge and can be added to ANYTHING that calls for garlic. It’s worth the trouble, I promise.

Buffalo Chicken

• 1 lb chicken, chopped in ½” cubes
• 2 T FOC (fat of choice)
• 3 T hot sauce
• 1 t cajun seasoning (no salt added)–if you can’t find it or don’t have it, just use hot sauce

Heat FOC and add diced chicken. Sear on high heat before flipping to facilitate the browning action. When the chicken is cooked through (10-15 minutes total, 5-7.5 per side) add hot sauce and cajun seasoning directly to pan…stir in and keep on low heat until ready to serve.

Roasted Garlic Dressing

• ½ C avocado mayo
• 2 T white wine or apple cider vinegar
• 6 cloves roasted garlic
• S & lots of P

Make mayo per directions. Peel the garlic cloves and place in a piece of  foil, drizzle with olive oil and crumple the foil into a pouch shape. Roast the garlic in a 400°F oven until golden brown (about 10 minutes). Don’t burn it! Add all the ingredients to food processor and blend until smooth. Parmesan would be a welcome addition here, if you wish. We didn’t use it and know it’ll be delicious either way.

For the Salad

• 2 heads romaine, chopped
• roasted red peppers, diced
• kalamata olives
• anchovies, if you like ‘em
• 4 portobello mushrooms, sliced thin
• balsamic vinegar
• S&P

Clean and remove gills from mushrooms. Slice thin. Saute the shrooms in your FOC, until softened. If you want, remove the chicken from the pan and use it to saute the shrooms. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and S&P.

Serve romaine topped with sauteed mushrooms, diced red pepper, olives, buffalo chicken and garlic dressing.

Brandon loves fajitas. He always has, me…well, it’s been a struggle, but I’m getting there. This sounds odd, but I’ve never been a big fan of crunchy, undercooked onions and I detest the bitterness in green bell peppers. So, by incorporating a mix of one green and one red bell pepper and roasting the living day lights out of  the onion & and the peppers, the caramelization adds sweetness, and takes care of any possibility of undercooked crunchiness.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
• 1 large red onion
• 2 large bell peppers
• Lime wedges, avocado & any other Mexican accoutrements

Marinade Ingredients

• 3 T olive oil
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T S.O.C. (sweetener of choice, we used brown sugar)
• 1/2 t ginger
• 1/2 t cinnamon
• 1/2 t garlic powder
• s&p

Method

Slice the chicken in 1/2 lengthwise, to make them thinner and therefore, quicker cooking. Prick the chicken breasts, all over, with a fork and place in a zip-top bag. Why prick? Well, it’s not a scientifically proven fact, but I think it lets some of the marinade to get inside the chicken, allowing it to stay tender and moist.

Combine all the marinade ingredients in the zip-top bag, then shake-n-smush, to cover all the chicken pieces.

Let marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to a day.

Slice the onions and peppers into strips and place onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with a bit of oil and some s&p over the top. Use your hands to toss and combine. Roast in the oven until the onions have caramelized, about 20 minutes at 400ºF.

While the peppers and onions are going, heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and saute the chicken until the marinade has developed a nice crust on each side and chicken is cooked through–about 7 minutes total–depends on the thickness of the breast.

Slice the chicken and serve it over the roasted onions and peppers. Top with a squeeze of lime juice and any other fajita fixins’ you like.

A riff on one of our favorite salads from California Pizza Kitchen.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 2 t  paprika
• 1 t coriander
• 1 t cumin
• ½ t cinnamon
• ¼ t red pepper flakes
• salt

For the tasty stuff that goes in the salad

• 2 heads romaine lettuce
• 4 small golden beets
• 1 small-to-medium butternut squash
• toasted almonds
• dried cherries (or cranberries–something tart will work best)

For the dressing

• juice 1 lemon
• juice 1 lime
• ½ avocado
• 1-2 T vinegar (champagne or cider)
• ¼ – ½ c avocado oil (olive oil will work too)
• s&p

Method

Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

Peel the beets and butternut squash (+remove the seeds). Chop into small pieces, salt/pepper and oil the pieces. Roast until the squash is soft, about 20 minutes (depending on how big the pieces are).

While the veggies are roasting…

In a large bowl, combine all the spices together. Toss the chicken pieces into the bowl and coat them evenly with the spice mixture. Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and saute the chicken until cooked through. Remove from the pan and add to the serving bowl.

Wash and chop the lettuce. Add it, along with the rest of the “tasty” ingredients to the serving bowl. Add the squash and beets too.

For the dressing…

Combine all ingredients into a small food processor and process until smooth. Of course, you could use a whisk and bowl, in lieu –just make sure you’ve smashed the avocado up before adding it to the dressing.

Hmmmphh, fall is still not in the air, down here (up here, for some of you) in South Carolina. High temperatures around 70ºF do not bring visions of sugar plum fairies dancing in our heads, that’s for sure. I suppose we’ll just have to pretend for now…

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4)
• 8 oz assorted (or not assorted, it’s up to you) mushrooms, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• FOC (fat of choice)
• S&P

For the Pan Gravy

• 1/2 c chicken stock
• 1/4 c dijon mustard
• 2 T fresh sage, chopped

Method

Preheat your oven to 400ºF.

In a large saute pan, heat a few tablespoons of your F.O.C. and add the onions and garlic. When they’ve softened, add the mushrooms and let it go over medium heat until all the moisture the mushrooms released has been evaporated. This could take some time, so be patient. Add the hazelnuts. Place the stuffing in a bowl and set aside. Take the saute pan off the heat, because you’re going to need to rinse it off for the next step.

To stuff the chicken, use a paring knife to slit a hole in the thickest part of the chicken breast. Use your fingers  (of the knife) to make the hole bigger, being careful not to tear through the chicken at any point. Use a spoon to cram as much stuffing as you can possibly fit into the chicken hole. Use some butcher’s twine to truss (fancy word for “tie up”) the chicken like this…

It looks as though our chicken boob is being held captive, doesn’t it?

Clean out the pan you used to cook the stuffing and heat up a few more tablespoons of your F.O.C. Generously salt and pepper the outside of the chicken breasts. Over medium high heat, brown the chicken on each side and then slip them into the oven so the chicken can finish cooking. When an instant read thermometer reads around 165ºF,  remove the chicken from the oven. This will take about 15-20 minutes.

Once the chicken is out, remove it from the pan and let it rest. Add the ingredients for the pan gravy directly in the saute pan. Do not clean it out. Use a whisk to pick up any yummy chicken bits that are stuck to the pan. Keep the gravy over the heat just long enough to let it reduce a bit and thicken, don’t let it evaporate too much because that means less yummy pan gravy for you.

Once the chicken has had about 10 minutes to rest, remove the string, slice it up and top with the pan gravy.

Though this is a multi-step, multi-component dish, I would like to say it’s also multi-tasty. Make all of the components–or just some of them, either way you’ll be feasting on a mouth load of flavor.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 T smoked paprika
• 2 T olive oil
• s&p

For the Soup

• 2 small acorn squash (scoop out and save the seeds)
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 2 c salsa, homemade or store bought
• 1 qt chicken/beef/vegetable stock

For the Seeds

• reserved seeds from acorn squash, cleaned and dried
• 1 T chili powder
• 1 T olive oil
• salt
• juice of 1 lime

Method

Preheat your oven to 350ºF.

In an oven safe baking dish, toss the chicken thighs with all the ingredients. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Once cool, pull the chicken into rough strips with your hands or dice/chop with a knife.

In the meantime…

Use a peeler to peel the skin off the acorn squash and remove the seeds. Chop into medium-sized chunks. In a large soup pot, saute the squash pieces, onion and garlic until soft. Add the stock and salsa. Bring to a simmer. Use an immersion blender (an absolutely necessary tool for the serious cook), or a regular blender to puree the soup.

For the seeds

On a baking sheet, toss all the ingredients together and use your hands to mix everything together. Spread the seeds out as evenly as you can get them and bake until you can hear them poppin’, about 14 minutes.

Serve with slices of avocado and a good squeeze of fresh lime juice.