Category: Chicken

Adapted from Rachel

Ingredients:
12 pieces of small chicken legs
1 large onion, sliced thinly
a pinch of saffron threads
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 stick butter
1 tbsp sugar
2 tsp grated orange peel
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups white rice, cooked
1 small box of raisins
a handful of pistachios, toasted and chopped

1. Salt and pepper chicken pieces. In a large Dutch oven, melt half of the butter. Brown chicken on all sides over medium-high heat, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from pot.
2. Melt the rest of the butter in the same Dutch oven and sauté sliced onions over medium heat until golden brown, 10-12 minutes. Add saffron and garlic, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add orange peel, raisins and sugar, stir again for another minute.
3. Add broth and place chicken pieces back in pot and cover with lid. Cook chicken for about 25 minutes while checking to make sure they don’t dry up. You may need to add a bit more broth or water. Add salt to taste. Add cooked rice. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir. Sprinkle with pistachios and serve.

Adapted from The Daily News

Ingredients:
1 pound of boneless chicken, cut in small pieces
2 potatoes, peeled and boiled for 5 minutes, quartered
1/2-inch lemongrass stalk
2 chilis
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 small piece of ginger, crushed and finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups coconut milk
salt and vegetable oil

1. Mash the chilis, shallots, ginger and garlic into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Sauté in a heated skillet with hot oil.
2. Add the chicken and stir to coat with the paste. Add lemongrass, potatoes and coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until chicken is cooked. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. Add a little but of water if necessary. Add salt to taste.

I can now truly respect mothers who work full-time and still manage to cook a decent meal for her family at the end of the day. After work yesterday, I ran to Di Palo’s to get my usual cheeses and meats. I was uptown soon after picking last-minute grocery items. I had two hours to cook dinner for Tita Pat and Tito Square who are both in town from Manila. I have never felt so taranta in the kitchen. After a few fuck-ups, I paused and told myself to calm the hell down or nothing will ever come out right. So I poured myself a shot of Glenlivet 12 on the rocks to take the edge off. Then, I was ready. I multi-tasked in the kitchen for the next hour and a half. The bell rang as soon as I started heating up the Le Creuset for the jerk chicken. The dozen or so pieces took a while because I had to brown them before baking them, to get the marinade all sticky and, well, I guess, jerky. But the guest couple of the night brought their nieces and nephews with them, so all seven of us were chit-chatting while the chicken was cooking. I served these with yellow rice spiced with thyme and garlic. It was a lot of work, but expect high spirits while you watch your guests devour everything. Use disposable gloves when chopping the Scotch bonnet chiles and rubbing the chicken pieces because you don’t want to accidentally touch your face while you’re cooking. Trust me on that.

Ingredients:
12 pieces chicken, drumsticks and wings
3 fresh Scotch bonnet chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, coarsely chopped
8 scallions, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
3 tbsps fresh thyme, finely chopped
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsps ground allspice
1 1/4 tsps ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup vegetable oil
salt, pepper

1. Make jerk marinade. Process chiles, scallions, garlic and thyme in food processor until pastey. Add brown sugar, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon, vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice, oil. Season with salt and pepper. Process until smooth.
2. Transfer 1/3 of the marinade in an airtight container and set aside for brushing chicken when ready.
3. Transfer the remaining marinade in a large bowl. Add chicken, coating and rubbing marinade all over chicken pieces and under skin. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Allow chicken to come to room temperature before cooking.
4. When ready, preheat oven to 350º. Heat a large skillet and add oil. When oil is hot, add chicken pieces to brown both sides, about 30 minutes. Do this a few pieces at a time to avoid overcrowding and use fresh oil for every batch. Discard used marinade.
5. Transfer browned chicken to a baking dish. Brush generously with remaining unused marinade and bake until cook through, about 15 minutes.

Related post/s:
Serve baked stuffed peppers beforehand

Ingredients:
chicken breast fillet
2 tbsps sweet and sour sauce
fresh chilis, chopped
fresh ginger, grated
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps fish sauce
2 tbsps olive oil

1. Combine all ingredients except chicken in a small bowl.
2. Using a hot frying pan, heat oil and fry chicken until cooked through. I fried each side about 8 minutes. Transfer to a chopping board and slice against the grain while still hot. Toss with the sauce and serve with beets or mixed green salad or mango.