Recipe #73: Tequila Lime Chicken

Tequila Lime Chicken
From Barefoot Contessa

* 1/2 cup gold tequila
* 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5 to 6 limes)
* 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (1 pepper seeded)
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 3 whole (6 split) boneless chicken breasts, skin on


Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat a grill with coals and brush the rack with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and grill them skin-side down for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from the grill to a plate. Cover tightly and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tandoori Chicken (Recipe #43), Yogurt Salad (Recipe #44), and Watermelon Sorbet (Recipe #45)

Grilled Tandoori Chicken
from Food Network's Emeril Lagasse

1 (4 to 4 1/2 pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped white onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped serrano or jalapeno pepper, stem and seeds removed
1 tablespoon paprika
11/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

With a fork, prick holes in the chicken pieces. Using a knife, cut diagonal slices 1-inch apart, and 1/2-inch deep into the larger pieces. Place the chicken in a baking dish.

In a blender, combine the oil, onion, garlic, ginger, pepper, and process on high speed to a paste. Add the paprika, salt, cumin, turmeric, coriander, garam masala, and cayenne, and process until well blended. Add the yogurt and lemon juice, and process to a smooth sauce, scraping down the sides to combine all the ingredients. Pour the marinade over the chicken. Turn to coat evenly, rubbing the marinade into the holes and slits. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, refrigerate for at least 4 hours, and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat a grill.

Remove the chicken from the marinade. Place on the grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes on the first side. Turn, baste as needed, and cook on the second side for 8 to 10 minutes. Turn and continue cooking, as necessary until the chicken is cooked through, but still tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. (Alternately, bake in a preheated 425 degrees F oven on a baking sheet for 35 minutes.)


Yogurt Salad
from Food Network's Emeril Lagasse

2 cups plain yogurt
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, finely chopped
3 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Pinch sugar
Pinch cayenne

Place the yogurt in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and drain for 1 hour. Discard the liquid in the bowl.

Place the drained yogurt in a medium bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Place, covered, in the refrigerator for 1 hour to cool and blend. Stir well and serve.



Watermelon Sorbet
from Epicurious.com

8 cups cubed (1 inch) watermelon, seeds and rind discarded
1 cup Simple Sugar Syrup
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Puree the watermelon cubes in a food processor. Measure 4 cups of the puree and place in a bowl. Add the Simple Sugar Syrup and lemon juice and stir well. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Recipe #32: Chicken and Artichoke Casserole

Chicken and Artichoke Casserole (called "Chicken Dinner Elegante" in the cookbook)
from River Road II Cookbook


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Recipe #14: Chicken Andouille Gumbo

Chicken Andouille Gumbo
from The Gumbo Shop Cookbook

1 chicken, 2 –2 1/2 lb
3 quarts water
1 lb. fresh or frozen okra sliced into ½ inch rounds
½ cup plus 2 Tbs. cooking oil
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
½ cup chopped celery
1 16 ounce can chopped tomatoes
¾ lb. Andouille sausage sliced into ¼ inch rounds
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sage
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp white pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. salt

Cut the chicken into eight pieces, cover with water and simmer for about one hour until chicken is tender and easily removed from the bones. Pour off stock and set aside. Allow chicken to cool, remove from bones and set aside.

In a large heavy skillet, sauté the okra in 2 tablespoons of oil for about 10 to 15 minutes until all the "ropiness" is gone. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy bottomed Dutch oven, heat ½ cup oil over medium high heat. Add the flour and make a dark brown roux. (there are instructions about making a roux earlier in the book). As soon as the proper color is achieved, add the onions, bell pepper and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally until tender. During this process, allow the vegetables to stick to the bottom of the pan a bit, and then scrape the bottom with a metal spoon or spatula. This allows some of the natural sugars in the onions to caramelize, rendering great depth of flavor.

When the vegetables are tender, add the tomatoes, Andouille sausage and sautéed okra. Continue cooking and stirring for about 15 minutes. Add the bay leaf, thyme, basil, sage, peppers and salt and mix well. Pour in about 8 cups of the chicken stock, bring to a slow boil, lower the heat and simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add the cooked chicken and additional stock of necessary and simmer for 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve in large bowls over steamed rice.

Chicken Pot Pie (Recipe #8)

Chicken Pot Pie
from Allrecipes.com

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
2. In a saucepan, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and set aside.
4. Place the chicken mixture in bottom pie crust. Pour hot liquid mixture over. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Pie Crust Dough
from Grand Central Baking Company

1 lb. or 3 cups Unbleached Flour
2/3 lb. European Style Butter*
2 Tbsp. White Sugar
2 tsp. salt (reduce to 1 t if using salted butter)
¼- ½ c Icy Water

By Hand

Chill high-sided metal or ceramic mixing bowl with flour, sugar and salt in it, in refrigerator for at least 2 hours, overnight is best. With a knife cut cold butter into ¼ to ½ inch chunks. Mix butter into chilled dry ingredients with a pastry blender or with you fingers by rubbing chunks of butter together with flour. When the flour changes from a silky texture to a mealy texture stop mixing. This should only take a couple minutes. It is good for there to be a few big chunks of butter left. Make well in the mixture and drizzle 4-5 Tbs. of icy water into the mixture and combine with a fork. Check dough hydration by pinching a handful; if it sticks together you're ready, if it is too dry to hold together add remaining water. The exact amount of water you will need depends on flour moisture content, whether conditions, and butter quality, so it is very important to check you dough and stop adding water as soon as it will combine into a ball or disk. Form two disks out of dough, wrap in plastic and chill for at least two hours before rolling and forming pie.

With a Mixer

At home I like to use my 5-quart Kitchen Aid Mixer with the paddle attachment for piecrust. Chill bowl with dry ingredients then cut in cubed butter on speed 3 or 4 for about 2 minutes. Once again the goal is for the flour to shift from a silky texture to a mealy texture with some big chunks of butter. Turn mixer to speed 1 and drizzle 4-5 Tbs. of ice water while the paddle is turning. Check hydration, if dough will hold together when you grab a handful you're done adding water, if it is still dry and crumbly add a bit more water. Form dough into two disks, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling and forming into pie.