A Day from Scratch

Concierge cooking - Tailored nutrition

Pecan Crusted Chicken Sammy

by Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes 1 Comment

If you know me, you know I associate a lot of foods with “food memories.” Maybe recalling the first time I ate something or the best of something I ever ate. When I think about a chick-fil-a chicken sandwich, I think of high school.

I was on the dance team in high school, even more I was a Pacesetter! I loved everything about dancing; the music, the competition, my friends and I sharing in something bigger than ourselves. I remember those days with extreme fondness. Sometimes, after a 3 hour practice some fellow setters of the pace and I would go to CFA for an “afternoon snack.” Healthy, right? We would sit around in our matching leotards gabbing about the dance routines, boys, competition music, boys, weekend shenanigans… boys.

So for whatever reason, every time I think of chick-fil-a, I think of high school.

One of my favorite things to do no as an adult is try to recreate foods that I love, but in my own way. As much as I love a chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-a, it ain’t got nothin’ on this baby!

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My favorite way to bread chicken is using a pecan/ breadcrumb mixture with spices and herbs and let me tell you, it really works on this sammy. It’s simple, yet delicious, just the way I like it!

I may have to round up some old Pacesetters for a chicken sandwich reunion! That would be a hit, wouldn’t it?

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Whether you ate chicken sandwiches while wearing a leotard in high school, or not, I promise you’ll enjoy this sammy just the same.

Ingredients: makes 2 sammies

1 large boneless skinless chicken breast

1 cup AP flour

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary

1 egg

1 roma tomato, sliced

1 Tbsp dijon mustard

1/2 Tbsp honey

Romaine lettuce to garnish

Whole wheat buns

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

 

Recipe:

Start by cleaning the chicken and then cut in half lengthwise so each piece is about the same size. Then set up your breading. Set out 3 small pans- in the first add the flour with a touch of salt, in the second add the egg mixed with a small dash of water and whisk together, in the third add the pecans, breadcrumbs, cayenne and rosemary. Then bread your chicken- flour, egg, breadcrumb.

In a saute pan heat the grapeseed oil on medium/high heat. Brown the chicken on each side for about 2-3 minutes. Then transfer the chicken to a baking sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes.

While the chicken is baking make your honey mustard dressing by combining the dijon and honey. Slice up the tomato, wash and tear the romaine and toast your bun.

When the chicken is done, just assemble your sammy. Reminisce about the leotard days and devour!

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BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

by Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes 2 Comments

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What’s more Texan than BBQ chicken in an enchilada? Not a whole heck of a lot if you ask me. However when my wrangler wearing, truck driving, country music lovin’ dad makes homemade BBQ sauce it definitely kicks it up a notch.

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For the past few years my dad has been dabbling in making his own homemade BBQ sauce. He’s had some hits and misses, but this batch was delicious. A bit on the spicy side, but what Texan doesn’t like a little spice?

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Thanks pops for the yummy BBQ sauce, butttttt I used the whole jar so I’m gonna be needing some more, ok? Ok, great!

Ingredients: makes about 6 enchiladas

4 small boneless skinless chicken thighs

2-3 cups BBQ sauce, divided

1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (I used the small balls and shredded in a food processor)

6 tortillas

1/4 red onion, sliced thin

3 T. roughly chopped cilantro

Recipe:

Marinate chicken thighs in BBQ sauce in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. You can either bake them off right away or I like to sear them in a sauté pan on each side for about 2 minutes and then bake them for 12-15 minutes. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before pulling apart into bite size bits.

Assembly time: Start by spreading a good amount of BBQ sauce on the bottom of a 6 x 13 baking dish. In a tortilla spread some BBQ sauce, add some mozzarella cheese and chicken then roll up and place in the dish. Do the same with all tortillas until your ingredients are gone and the baking dish is full. Top with remainder of mozzarella.

Cover the dish in foil and bake for 12-15 minutes. Then uncover and add red onion. Bake uncovered for another 5 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with cilantro and serve! I had mine with a side of sautéed corn in butter with S&P.

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I lurve me some enchiladas- cheese enchiladas, enchiladas verdes, beef enchiladas. These BBQ enchiladas however, will be taking first place in the enchilada rotation in this house.

Oh, I also like veggie enchiladas.

Breakfast of Champions

by Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes 2 Comments

Let’s have a little chat about breakfast shall we, the most important meal of the day. I have a little confession: I’m not the biggest fan of breakfast food. Don’t get me wrong I like a good bacon and eggs dish every now and then but you will rarely ever find me eating pancakes or waffles on a daily or even monthly basis. That being said I typically eat the same things day in and day out for breakfast- and I quite enjoy it!

For the past month or so, almost every single day, I have eaten a piece of toast with smashed avocado and a poached egg on top. It’s heavenly and I feel like I’m giving myself a treat just for getting my rear out of bed.

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Deliciouso!

If I’m feeling extra healthy I will have a green smoothie; this one has spinach, mango, greek yogurt, coconut water and chia seeds.

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If it’s a Saturday or Sunday morning and I’m at my parent’s house or at the bay I tend to roll with the good ole breakfast taco. Venison sausage, eggs, cheese and salsa mmmm mmmm.

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(sorry for the blurry photo- I was hungry and took the picture in a hurry so I could gobble up the tacos)

What are your breakfast habits? Do you eat a stack of pancakes drizzled with maple syrup, a bowl of cereal or meat and eggs?

 

Thai Chicken Burger and Kale Salad

by Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes 1 Comment

I LOVE a good burger, don’t get me wrong, but sometimes I really love a burger salad. Is that weird? I like beef burgers in a spring salad, turkey burgers with caesar salad, veggie burgers in a taco salad. I never caught on to my burger quirk until now.

This weekend I had a hankering for a chicken burger, but instead of craving it on a burger bun with all the fixins, I wanted it on a version of this kale salad.

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I decided to go with some Thai flavorings for the burger because it adds a great savory component to the chicken.

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This burger is very versatile. It would taste great on its own or built up with a bun, cheese, dijon mustard, red onion, lettuce and tomato. Yum, I may even make that with the leftovers.

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Cooking these in a sauté pan is a great way to sear in some flavor, but they would be great on the grill too.

Ingredients: makes 4 burgers

1 lb ground chicken

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2/3 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1 shallot, finely minced

1 teaspoon red chili flake

2 teaspoons fish sauce

2 tablespoon safflower or canola oil, for sautéing

Pinch S&P

Recipe:

In a mixing bowl, add the first 6 ingredients and mix together until incorporated evenly. Form into 4 burgers and hold on parchment paper.

Heat oil in pan over medium high heat. Rub each burger on both sides with a bit of the safflower oil and cook for about 8 minutes on the first side and another 5 minutes on the second, or until nicely browned.

Assemble with kale salad or the burger fixins of your choice.

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Happy eating!

Pecan Crusted Chicken with Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta

by Filed Under: Pasta, Poultry, Recipes 3 Comments

Who doesn’t love crispy chicken and creamy pasta? I know I do! This pasta just screams Spring to me so, if you are looking for the perfect spring pasta and chicken dinner, look no further.

I’m definitely not the first to pecan crust chicken and I won’t be the last, but if you haven’t tried it I highly recommend it. IMG_2193

I like to sear the chicken breasts in a little bit of oil to brown the outsides and finish it off in the oven.

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Now let’s talk about this pasta… it is so creamy from the goat cheese but equally crisp from the lemon. I used peas and spinach as some added veg, but you could easily sub some asparagus or kale. Feel free to get inventive!

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Just don’t skimp on the goat cheese!

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Pecan Crusted Chicken, serves 4

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

2 cups pecans, finely chopped

2 tsp finely chopped rosemary

2 tsp finely chopped thyme

S&P to taste

2 cups flour

3 eggs

Recipe:

First finely chop your pecans and herbs and combine well with a pinch of S&P. Then set up a breading station- one pan with flour, one pan with eggs whisked, one pan with the pecan crust. Start by dredging the chicken with flour, tap off any excess. Then coat with the egg mixture followed by pecan crust and set aside. (You can do this part ahead of time and keep the chicken wrapped in the fridge for a few hours)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat a pan with 2 tbsp oil. Sear each side of the chicken breast for about 3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Then on a baking sheet with a chicken rack bake the chicken for about 20 minutes.

As the chicken bakes get the pasta ready to go.

Goat Cheese and Lemon Pasta, serves 4

Ingredients:

14 oz bow tie pasta

2 cups peas (I used frozen)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 Tbsp lemon zest

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp olive oil

8 oz goat cheese, crumbled

2 oz fresh spinach

S&P to taste

Recipe:

Cook the pasta in boiling salted water per directions, adding the peas at the last minute. Drain and return to the pan (reserve a little pasta water in case you need to thin out the sauce) Add the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil and toss to coat. Add the goat cheese, spinach, salt and pepper and mix until combined well. At this point you can add a tablespoon of pasta water if needed.

Top with 1/2 pecan crusted chicken breast and enjoy.

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Happy eating!

Blue Cheese and Chicken Quesadilla

by Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes 1 Comment

Do you ever feel like the day just slips away from you? I have been feeling like that quite often lately, let’s just say I’ve been a little busy. I am in the process of moving, finishing up my last two weeks at Le Cordon Bleu, have been out of town for a few weeks in a row and also working, so sorry if I seem a little MIA. When the days seem to get away from me like they have been lately I have to squeeze in some grub when I can.

A quick quesadilla is a frequent guest in my repertoire of afternoon snacks, especially if I had a late breakfast. They are super simple and pretty much have endless ingredient options. I was running low in the grocery department today so I went with chicken, blue cheese and spinach.

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Even though I’ve been extra busy lately I have still been having a ton of fun- I got to visit my grandparents in Fredericksburg, I went to Houston for the Livestock Show and Rodeo, I also got to celebrate a dear friends father’s 60th birthday. Time flies when you’re having fun, right?

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What have you been up to lately?

Ingredients: for each quesadilla

2 corn tortillas, 1 cup shredded chicken, 2 Tbsp crumbled blue cheese, and enough spinach to cover the bottom tortilla- about 1/2 cup, and 1 Tbsp butter.

Recipe:

Add your butter to a warm skillet. Place your first tortilla down on the pan once all of the butter is melted. Put down a layer of spinach, a layer of chicken and then your blue cheese. Top with another corn tortilla. Flip after 2 minutes and cook another 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is good and melted.

Next time you are in a hurry whip up a little “dilla”

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Happy eating!

Mock Chicken Parmesan

by Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes Leave a Comment

Don’t get me wrong, I love a crispy gold piece of chicken baked with a heavy amount of cheese; but let’s get real sometimes a healthier version is in order.

I have to admit, the first time I made this I was scouring through my kitchen trying to come up with a quick dinner and had everything on hand for chicken parm except for breadcrumbs… or any bread for that matter, so I couldn’t make any myself. What turned out was surprisingly great and making it this go around definitely quenched my hunger for the real deal.

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I’ve been on quite a mushroom kick lately- which is odd, because for the longest time I was NOT a fan of the little fungi.

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This chicken breast is definitely big enough for two. I’d like to have met this bird on the farm, he must have been a pretty big guy.

Ingredients:

1-2 organic chicken breasts, 2 roma tomatoes-sliced, fresh rosemary- finely minced, parmesan cheese- freshly grated. S&P to taste. 3-4 cups spinach, 6-8 crimini mushrooms- sliced, 2 cloves garlic- minced, olive oil.

Recipe: 

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. With a mallet, lightly pound the chicken to an even consistency. Season with S&P and add to a greased baking dish. Layer the sliced roma tomatoes over the top of the breast and bake for about 20 minutes or until 165 degrees internal temperature. Once completely cooked- top with parmesan and return to the oven for just a minute to melt the cheese. Top with freshly minced rosemary and plate.

Meanwhile heat some olive oil in a sauté pan. Once heated add freshly minced garlic to bloom just about 30 seconds. Add the crimini mushrooms and sauté for about 3-5 minutes. Add spinach to the pan to wilt along with some S&P. Once the spinach has wilted- remove from the heat and plate with chicken.

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This would be perfect for a healthy Sunday dinner after a weekend of indulgence.

Happy eating!

Braised Chicken with Apples and Leeks

by Filed Under: Poultry, Recipes Leave a Comment

Happy Presidents Day! Hopefully you were one of the lucky ones and didn’t have to go to work today.

This past weekend I went home to Katy to meet a dear friends new little baby boy and to see another dear friend who was in town wedding dress shopping. After a few days of celebrating with mi amigas I also got to spend Sunday with my little sister. We went to Alamo Drafthouse and had a few beverages while watching Safe Haven. Then we went home and cooked up a yummy dinner.

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Working in the culinary world I tend to work most weekends so I love when I get to go back to Katy for a weekend and get to see my friends and family- it’s always very eventful.

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While my sister doctored up some baked macaroni and cheese I tackled these beauties.

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Braising may just be my favorite way to cook chicken- the skin stays nice and crisp while so much flavor is infused from the base fruits and vegetables.

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This dinner was the perfect wrap up to a wonderful weekend! Congrats to Missy and Mike on sweet baby Nate and to my lovely Kendra for finding the most beautiful wedding dress!

Now if you like sweet tender chicken, go get in your kitchen!

Ingredients:

A few chicken legs and thighs, 2-3 Braeburn apples slices, 3 leek ends sliced, a few sprigs of rosemary, 2 Tbsp olive oil and a dash of water.

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl toss the sliced apples, leeks and rosemary in olive oil and a touch of S&P.

Then in a medium flat bottom pan layer the apple and leek mixture to cover the bottom. Lightly rest the chicken pieces in the pan with a touch of room between each. Top with S&P. Add about 1/4 cup water to the pan-avoiding the chicken and cook for about 55 minutes.

Happy eating!

Chicken Tikka Masala

by Filed Under: Culinary School, Poultry 1 Comment

Today was my final cooking practical at Le Cordon Bleu for my Cuisine Across Cultures class. Starting Monday I will start my last class of culinary school. I can’t believe how fast it has gone by, but that’s a story for another day. Back to the practical.

For our assignment each student in the class drew a card which had a different ethnic food. There was Italian, Chinese, Mexican, Cajun and drumroll…. Indian. I drew Indian. Now I was excited and anxious at the same time when I drew Indian, I am not as familiar with Indian cuisine as I am of other cuisines; I mean imagine if I had drawn Italian.

Anyways, we were to come up with a recipe and memorize it. Then today we had to fabricate a chicken and use that chicken to produce our dish without a recipe. In thinking of Indian food and having to incorporate chicken I immediately knew I wanted to do a chicken tikka masala along with homemade naan.

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I’ve never made this dish before today and I have to admit, I had more fun cooking it than I thought I would.

IMG_1352 The flavors in this dish are incredibly bold, a little bit sweet and very decadent. When my Chef instructor was grading me he said he was so impressed… I got an 80 out of 80. I’ll take that any day!

If you have never made Indian food from scratch I highly recommend you make this. I was pleasantly surprised and I know you will be too.

Ingredients:

3-4 chicken breasts, ground coriander, ground cumin, garam masala, 1/2 cup yogurt, 2 Tbsp butter, 1 onion- diced, 4 cloves garlic- minced, 1 small chunk ginger (about 1 inch minced,) 28 oz diced tomatoes, 1 cup cream, basmati rice, 1 cup peas

Recipe:

Start by seasoning the chicken breasts with some kosher salt. Next sprinkle them on both sides with some coriander and cumin. Then coat the chicken breasts completely with the plain yogurt. Grill the chicken breast about 4 minutes each side. You could also broil this in the oven.

In a large skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Toss in the onions and sauté until they are slightly browned. As the onions cook, mince your garlic. Next, cut off the outer skin and mince or grate a 1 by 2 inch chunk of fresh ginger. Add the garlic and ginger to the onions. Also throw in about 1 tablespoon of salt.

Next you are going to add about 3 tablespoons Garam Masala spice. Then add your can of diced tomatoes. Continue cooking and stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze it. Add about 1 tablespoon sugar. Let this mixture simmer on medium for about 5 minutes.

Cook 2 cups Basmati rice, 4 tablespoons butter, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon Ground Turmeric in 4 cups water. Make sure that you use Basmati rice. Once cooked add your peas.

After the Tikka Masala sauce has had a chance to simmer for a little bit, add in the 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Now, chop up your chicken breasts into chunks and stir them into the Tikka Masala sauce. A handful of chopped fresh cilantro is a nice addition if you like cilantro.  Serve the rice with the Chicken Tikka Masala over top. Make sure to have some Nann bread handy, too.

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Happy eating!

Stay tuned for the garlic naan bread I made to go with the Chicken Tikka Masala!

Chile Relleno

by Filed Under: Culinary School, Home, Poultry Leave a Comment

I’ve been trying to break away from my Italian food tendencies and today at Le Cordon Bleu was the perfect day. In my cuisine across cultures class we have been making up all different ethnic foods and today we made Chile Relleno. When I go out to eat at Mexican restaurants I tend to order the same things- enchiladas or fajitas. I never order the Chile Relleno because I tend to steer clear of fried foods. This dish however, was quite yummy.

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There are many different combinations that can be used to fill the pepper. You can use a beef or pork base, but we chose to use chicken.

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My classmate Joann is Mexican and she shared the way her family makes Chile Relleno. It was fun to get her input and see the different ways a relleno recipe can evolve. She even made a delicious Mole for us to try.

If you are feeling a little adventurous in the kitchen today- give these a try!

Chile Relleno:

Filling ingredients:

3 oz boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 Tbsp vegetable oil, 3 Tbsp yellow onion sliced, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 roma tomato diced, 1 tsp oregano, 1 pinch cumin, 1 1/2 oz monterey jack cheese

Relleno ingredients:

1 Poblano chili, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 3 egg whites beaten until whip like texture

Recipe:

Season the chicken with S&P and in a sauté pan heat oil. Saute the chicken until it’s lightly browned. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the chicken is completely done (165 degrees) and the onion is lightly colored. Add the tomato, oregano and cumin. Hold this filling on the side.

Roast the chili until blackened lightly. Seal in plastic wrap to allow to steam for 15-20 minutes. When done, remove and carefully peel. Cut a small slip in one side and remove the seeds. Fill the chili with the chicken mixture and cheese. Mix flour and salt. Dredge the chili in flour then dunk in the egg whites. Cook in 375 degree oil until light golden brown. Serve over Mole or sauce of your choice.

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Happy eating!