Category Archives: Poultry

Buddy’s Oven Fried Chicken

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Ok, not exactly mine but it is a bastardisation of a number of different recipes that I have combined and modified to my liking (notice that there are 11 seasonings in the Fried Chicken Seasoning).

While there are different seasoning variations (e.g. Asian, Mexican, Indian) that I use from time to time, I have definitely stopped looking for a better recipe when I am shooting for the Yankee variety.

Servings: 4-6
PREP: 10 minutes
Marinade: six to eight hours
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
  • 6 chicken legs
  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 Tablespoons Tabasco sauce
  • 1/3 cup olive oil – or bacon drippings (even better but not permitted in our house)
  • Fried chicken seasoning
Chicken Seasoning Ingredients:
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2/3 tablespoon salt
  • 1/2 tablespoon thyme
  • 1/2 tablespoon basil
  • 1/3 tablespoon oregano
  • 1 tablespoon celery salt
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried mustard
  • 4 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons garlic salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 3 tablespoons white pepper
Directions:
  1. Combine all Chicken Seasoning Ingredients into a bag, shake the bag to mix and set aside.
  2. Combine the buttermilk and tabasco sauce in a non reactive bowl or resealable plastic bag and add the chicken pieces. Be sure to cover and coat all the pieces with the buttermilk mixture.
  3. Marinade the chicken for four to eight hours in the buttermilk mixture (turning occasionally).
  4. When you are ready to cook the chicken, preheat the oven to 325°F or 170°C.
  5. Add the marinated chicken pieces one at a time to the bag of chicken seasoning and shake to coat them. After all the chicken pieces are coated, re-did them in the buttermilk and coat them in the seasoning mix again.
  6. Quickly wipe up the flour mess you’ve left in the kitchen before anyone notices.
  7. Take a 9 x 13 Pyrex dish, add the oil and place it in the pre-heated oven.
  8. When the oil is hot (careful not to burn it), add the chicken to the dish and place it in the oven for 20 minutes. Then remove the dish, turn the chicken pieces over and put it back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.
  9. Remove the chicken from the oven and place the pieces on a paper towel to drain.
  10. Stand back and look in awe at your clean kitchen and stunning fried chicken – be amazed that you did this any other way previously and most importantly, using the time you saved by not having the clean every nook and cranny of your kitchen, send me an email to say thank you.

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Buddy’s Fajitas

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fajitas (pronounced fah-hee-tas) aren’t truly Mexican, they are more closely associated to Tex-Mex which would make them American? In any case, they are typically made with grilled strips of skirt steak, chicken, shrimp and can even be served for vegetarians as it also includes tasty onions and bell peppers, it is served sizzling hot with fresh tortillas, guacamole, sour cream, and salsa at a minimum and is normally accompanied by Refried Beans (with shredded melted cheese on top) and Mexican Rice (this has NOTHING to do with Mexican food – but goes well with it).

Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook time: 4
Ingredients:

 

  • vegetable oil
  • 1 lb of flank steak, skirt steak, carne asada, boneless skinless chicken breasts or Shrimp (Prawns) or a mix of them (Surf and turf?)
  • 1 large onion, peeled and sliced with the grain, not against the grain as one would normally slice an onion. Slice first in half, and then slice off sections a half inch wide at widest point.
  • 2-3 bell peppers of various colors, stemmed, seeded, de-ribbed, sliced lengthwise into strips
  • 1 Ripe Avocado
  • 8oz Sour Cream
  • Tortillas
  • Salt

Marinade:

Ingredients:

 

  • 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro stems and leaves
  • 1/4 cup lime juice, about 2 limes
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 fresh Jalapeño pepper
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • Kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Directions:
  1. Put the cilantro, lime juice, broth, scallions, garlic, jalapeno, honey, and salt in a blender, puree until smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons; do not wash out the blender.
  2. Put chicken breasts or steak in a medium bowl and the peppers and onions in another. Divide the cilantro puree evenly between the meat and the vegetables. Toss well to coat the meat and vegetables and let stand, at room temperature, and let it sit at room temperature for an hour, or longer in the fridge.
  3. Set a large cast iron pan or griddle over high heat and let this heat up for 1-2 minutes. Add the tablespoon of oil to the pan and let this heat up for 1 minute. Add the meat, frying on each side for 3 minutes, or to desired doneness. 3 minutes per side will yield approximately medium rare doneness for an average cut of flank steak / 4 minutes per side for a chicken breast. Carne asada and skirt steak will need less time. If the pan starts to smoke too much, reduce the heat to medium-high. You want the meat browned, not burned. Remove from pan and let sit, tented with foil, for 5 minutes.
  4. Cook the vegetables while the meat is resting. Add a little more oil to the pan if necessary, then add the onions and bell peppers. Let these sear for 1 minute before stirring, then stir every 90 seconds or so as the veggies sear. Cook for 5-6 minutes total.
  5. Slice the meat against the grain into thin slices. If you slice the meat at an angle, you will be able to get your slices pretty thin. These cuts of steak are flavorful but can be a little tough, so thin slices will really help make it easier to eat.
  6. Serve immediately with:
    • Shredded cheese
    • Salsa
    • Shredded iceberg lettuce
    • Chopped tomatoes
    • Chopped onions
    • Sour cream
    • Guacamole
    • Warm flour tortillas. (Hint for warming tortillas – put in microwave over a paper towel for 20 seconds on high heat.)

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Spicy Garlic Fried Chicken

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I’m not going to bother trying to rewrite this recipe, but it is fantastic and while that young lady makes it look like it will be done in 20 minutes – it won’t…

I served this with rice and Pak Choi last night and it was fantastic. I also completely understand how this could be made with Prawns/Shrimp instead of Chicken.

Bon Appetite!

The chilli oil you create in this recipe is enough to go a while (can’t wait to have it with Pizza!)

Thanks,

Buddy

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Thai Turkey with Lettuce and Rice

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A close friend of ours is turning 21 again tomorrow and she asked me for this recipe… Happy Birthday, can’t wait to see you guys!!!

I made a similar dish to this for Zoey years ago (trying to create a tasty 5-2 diet recipe) it was great but I promptly forgot how I make it. Thankfully, Zoey found this recipe and we have used it as our base ever since. One thing to mention, I am writing this recipe as it was found in a Tesco Magazine, where we doctored it, I wrote it as we make it or was a tad more specific than the actual printed recipe. We actually make our rice in a rice cooker and so don’t follow this method – **To be truly forthcoming, we would not serve this with rice but use the small baby lettuce leaves as wraps instead.

Serves: 4
Ingredients:

 

  • 1Tbsp Sesame Oil
  • 3 Lemon Grass Stalks – Roughly Chopped
  • 1 Red Onion – Roughly Chopped
  • 5 Garlic Cloves – Roughly Chopped
  • 1 Red Chilli – Deseeded and Chopped
  • Roughly 1″ Piece Root Ginger – Grated or Chopped
  • 1 x 633g Pack Turkey Mince (Ground Turkey)
  • 1 Lime – Juiced
  • 1tsp Chilli Powder
  • 2Tbsp Fish Sauce
  • 2 x 250g Packs Microwaveable Basmati Rice
  • Handful Mint Leaves
  • Handful Coriander Leaves
  • 2 Little Gem Lettuces
Directions:
  1. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat.
  2. Meanwhile, to make the Thai spice mixture, put the roughly chopped lemon grass, red onion and garlic, the deseeded and chopped chilli, and the root ginger into a small food processor. Whizz until you have a course paste.
  3. Add the turkey mince to the hot pan, stirring occasionally until browned. This should take about 5 minutes.
  4. Add the lime juice to the Turkey, along with the Thai Spice mixture, Chilli Powder and Fish Sauce.
  5. Stir the mixture until everything is thoroughly combined.
  6. Meanwhile, cook the rice following the pack instructions. **We don’t do this part
  7. While the rice is cooking, roughly chop the mint and coriander leaves and separate the little gem lettuce leaves.
  8. Stir the herbs into the turkey and serve with the lettuce leaves and rice.

Again, we don’t normally serve this with rice but we have added peanuts and cashew nuts on occasion and that was quite good – I would chop and toast them first when I did it

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Buddy’s Mexican Shredded Chicken

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This is an idea from me in preparation for a visit from some close friends of ours Jose and Marcia.

I don’t make it often as it takes oodles of time but, wow, what amazing results. Works great for chimichangas, burritos, tacos, salads, etc…

Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 30 Minutes to an Hour
Cooking time: 3-4 Hours
Ingredients:

 

  • 2 pounds chicken boneless breasts or thighs (cut into large bite size)
  • 1 Lime (halved)
  • 4 cloves Garlic (finely chopped)
  • Jalapeño pepper or 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chili pepper (optional for more heat)
  • Onion (finely chopped)
  • Cilantro (roughly chopped)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 4 oz. can green chilies
  • 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
  • package cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • Hot sauce or Habanero sauce to taste
  • 1 shot Tequila
  • 1/2 cup medium salsa
  • 1tsp Paprika
  • 1tsp Onion powder
  • 1tsp Garlic powder
  • 1/2tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 2tsp Cumin
  • 1Tbsp Chili Powder
  • 1/2tsp dry oregano
  • 1 1/2tsp salt
  • 1/2tsp pepper
  • 3Tbsp brown sugar
Directions:
    1. Chop jalapeño peppers, garlic and onion
    2. Anger the tomatoes in a large frying pan
    3. Lightly brown garlic, Jalapeño pepper, and onion in large frying pan while chopping tomatoes
    4. Rub chicken with oil and place in the bottom of your slow cooker.
    5. Add all of the remaining ingredients (squeeze lime in and include the 2 halves) except for the hot sauce and 1 lime.
    6. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred.
    7. Remove chicken to a cutting board, discard lime halves, and let rest 5 minutes before shredding (there will be liquid remaining).
    8. Return shredded chicken, squeeze in juice of remaining lime and let cook on low for an additional 20 minutes to absorb some of the liquid/juices.
      • Let it cook for even longer for great results.
      • If you are saving the chicken for later, place it in a ziplock with the excess broth from the pan.

 

  2. Drain all excess liquid (great added to Mexican rice).
  3. Add chopped cilantro/coriander and habanero sauce to taste.

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Buddy’s Turkey

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While going to the trouble of finding the perfect turkey recipe every year is a ritual, it isn’t exactly time well spent – While I don’t agree that Turkey is Turkey, I believe there are things you can do to make a bird moist and tastier than “cardboard”, it isn’t a Prime Rib!

Here are two websites that I highly recommend

  1. Funny – Just put the F’ing Turkey in the oven!
  2. More practical – with cooking times and an excellent carving lesson

Based on all of this, and a few tips I picked up at Leowes Ventana Canyon Resort and Keaton’s in Tucson, AZ when I worked there here is my recommendation

Preheat oven: 450° F | 230° C
Cooking Time: varies depending on the size of the turkey
  • 9 – 11 Pound: 2.5 hours
  • 12 – 14 Pound: 3 hours
  • 15 – 17 Pounds: 3.5 hours
  • 18 – 20 Pounds: 4 hours
  • 21 – 23 Pounds: 4.5 hours
  • 24+ Pounds: 5+ hours
Ingredients:

 

  • Defrosted turkey at room temperature
  • 2 Lemons
  • 1/2 Bulb Garlic – roughly chopped
  • 1 Whole Onion – roughly chopped
  • Bunch Sage – roughly chopped
  • 1 cup Chicken Stock
  • 1 cup White Wine
  • 1/4 stick Butter
  • Tony Chachere’s Original Creole Seasoning
Directions:

 

  1. At any stage prior to cooking, rub turkey with butter and season with creole rub
  2. Poke 2 lemons a number of times with a fork or knife and place in the cavity of the turkey
  3. Place chopped onion, garlic and sage in the bottom of the roasting pan with wine and stock (Should cover ~1/2″ of the bottom of the pan, if this isn’t enough, add more wine or stock)
  4. Add Roasting Rack and Turkey, breast side up
  5. Place uncovered in oven for about 30 minutes or until the bird looks to be about the colour of toasted bread
  6. Remove Turkey
  7. Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F | 175° C
  8. Add meat thermometer to thickest part of a thigh
  9. Cover the Turkey with aluminium (aluminium) foil
  10. Replace Turkey into the oven and cook until thermometer reads 165° F | 74° C
  11. Cover and rest for 20-30 minutes before carving
  12. You can use the pan juices to enhance your gravy
  13. Carve and serve

Bon Appetite!

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Breaded and Baked Chicken Drumsticks

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I ran across this recipe and thought it would be an interesting alternative to fried chicken for Zoey and I.

Breaded and Baked Chicken Drumsticks
makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 3/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
  • 1/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon herb season blend (your choice. We like using a simple Italian Herb blend)
  • 6 chicken drumsticks
  • Olive oil

Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 425F. Coat the bottom of a roasting pan or baking sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.
  • Mix together the paprika, flour, black pepper and salt in one bowl. In another, beat together the eggs, Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice.
  • In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese and herb season blend.
  • Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then dredge in the flour mixture, turning to coat.
  • Dip the drumsticks in the eggs, making sure they get coated before finally dredging in the bread crumbs, making sure they are nice and coated.
  • Place the chicken immediately on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through and the juices run clear (not pink) when poked with a sharp knife.

Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Nifty Mom

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Slow Cooker Taco Chicken Bowls

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This is a super-easy recipe that I found on Pinterest that can be done in the slow-cooker.

Ingredients:
  • 1½ lbs. chicken breasts
  • 1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
  • 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
  • ½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • ½ Tbsp cumin
  • ½ Tbsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp dried oregano
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • to taste cracked pepper
  • 2 cups dry rice
  • 8 oz. shredded cheddar
  • ½ bunch cilantro (optional)

Instructions:

  1. Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with ¼ cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.
  2. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.
  3. Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).
  4. After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

From Here

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