Sticky Lemon, Thyme and Honey Chicken Drumsticks

This pregnancy is like a roller-coaster trip in food tastes. It was not like this with Ethan, I could eat anything, I could even drain down 2 bowls of fishy fish soup even though I am not a fish person. 

But this time, over these first few months, ANY SECOND I'm either throwing up or wanting to throw up, the only exception is when I'm asleep. Once I wake up, I want to puke. Anything I eat has some annoying smell and strange taste. Even that glass of water I sip is the most distasteful liquid in the universe.

When my craving hits me, I feel like my savior has arrived, I want an enormous portion. And I just eat and eat, that couple minutes when I gobble up that bowl of pho, I want to strip naked and jump into the bowl and swim with the noodle. After that, what I mean "after that" is around 10 minutes later, the after-taste starts to attack me, so bad that I don't want to eat for the rest of my life.

My best friend is lemon. 2000 packs of super lemon candy in my purse, 4000 cans of lemonade soda in my pantry, 7000 fresh lemon in my fridge. I cook with lemon ALL THE TIME......until the day my husband decides to divorce me.

(serves 2 - 4)
Ingredients:
8 - 10 large chicken drumsticks
salt and freshly ground pepper to season
3 tbsp olive oil
4-5 slices of ginger
1 head of garlic, all cloves peeled and lightly crushed
few thyme sprigs
2 tbsp white wine
2 tbsp dark soy sauce
3 tbsp honey
1 cup hot water or chicken stock
1 lemon, finely sliced

Directions:

Season the drumsticks with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan. Brown the chicken pieces on each side over high heat for 2-3 mins until golden brown. Remove from pan.

Add ginger, garlic and thyme to the pan. Stir fry lightly.

Add white wine to deglaze the pan. Drizzle over the soy sauce and honey.

Pour in hot water, add the lemon slices and drumsticks. Lower heat to medium high, let the liquid bubble until it becomes thick, about 10 minutes or until the drumsticks cook through. Add spoonful water at a time if the sauce becomes dry.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Chicken Pot Pie

For any day of the following week, if you come across with a problem about not knowing what to make for dinner, I highly recommend you this chicken pot pie.

My very first improvised chicken pot pie is not about the pie itself. Weird, huh?! Yes, cause it's all about the filling which was completely-beyond-my-expectation easy to make, delicious and versatile. I made extra to go with pasta and white rice.

If the crust sounds too intimating for you, use store brought puff pastry instead or just forget it. Again, it's the filling which you can have it plain.

Yet, don't make it if you don't have white wine and cream. Extremely important!

The portion I had was way bigger that the one in the photo. That was Ethan's bowl. He loved it too!

(serves 4 - 6)

Ingredients:

6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, thinly sliced
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock

1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup white wine
6 cups shredded chicken thigh meat
3/4 cup green peas, frozen or fresh

3/4 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 egg, lightly beaten

short crust pastry (double portion)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large skillet, melt butter on medium heat. Add the onions and carrots, and cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 mins.

Add the flour and cook, stirring for another minute. Slowly whisk in chicken stock to blend completely with the flour. 

Add milk and cream. Decrease the heat to low and simmer for 10 mins, stirring often. Add the chicken meat, wine, peas, corns, salt and pepper and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Divide the filling among  4 to 6 ramekins.

Roll out the crust dough on a lightly flour surface to around 1/4" thick. Cut into rounds with around 1/2" larger than the circumference of the ramekins. Lay a dough round on each pot pie filling. Fold the excess dough under itself and use a fork to press the dough against the edge of the ramekins. Cut a 1-inch vent into each individual pie. 

Lightly brush the beaten egg on each pie. Line a baking sheet with foil, place the pies on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 mins, until the pastry is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for 5 mins and serve.

Chicken Marbella

Getting back to work after a full year of maternity leave might not be easy for most of the new moms like me. Yes, I heard you, non-Canadian moms, sometimes life is just so unfair at the other side of the planet.

Besides what I had anticipated before about my returning to the office, I also have hard time keeping my blog updated. I do still cook as we still need to eat though I'm tired after work. And so I have tons of finished product photos archived in my folder that I have to post them before I forget how I cooked them.

(serves 4)

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs, skin on

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tbsp fresh oregano, finely chopped

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dried fruit (prune, raisin or cranberr)

1/4 cup green olives, sliced or halved

1/4 cup capers with 3 tbsp juice

2 bay leaves

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white wine

2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

In a large bowl combine garlic, oregano, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, dried fruit, olives, capers with caper juice, and bay leaves. Add the chicken pieces and coat completely. Cover and let marinate overnight in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Arrange chicken in a single layer in a shallow baking pan and spoon marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle chicken pieces with brown sugar and pour white wine around them.

Bake for 50 mins, basting frequently with the pan juice.

Transfer chicken, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Add some of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with parsley. Serve remaining juice in a gravy boat.

Lebanese Styled Stuffed Eggplant

When I thought this dish from Smitten Kitchen would definitely be the hit for the dinner gathering I planned the other night, it turned out one of the ladies was allergic to eggplant. And I didn't know that until she told me at the table before we started eating. I was all "how stupid I am, I should've let them see the menu before!"

But thank God who did help me a bit. Since there was too much stuffing for the eggplants I had, and so happened a couple of red peppers just appeared in my refrigerator without telling me, I made some stuffed red peppers as well. Gosh, I was so glad that I made extra peppers or.....I don't know what "or" would happen.

Honestly, the stuffed red peppers did taste better than the eggplants. One thing was the natural sweetness of peppers, another reason was I did not season the inside of eggplants (which I think is hugely necessary) according to the original recipe, and so the eggplants tasted a little bit plain.

(serves 4 to 6)

Ingredients:

6-8 baby eggplants

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp pine nuts, lightly toasted
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock
5 roma tomatoes, diced
3/4 lb ground chicken, lamb or beef
1 teaspoon thyme or oregano, finely chopped
1/2 lemon
3 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley

salt and pepper for seasoning

Directions:

Hollow out each eggplant with a melon-ball cutter or a pairing knife, leaving about 1/3 inch eggplant flesh along interior walls.

Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water until water runs clear. Drain well.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 mins. Transfer 1/2 cup onion mixture to bowl with pine nuts.

Add stock and tomatoes to the covered skillet and simmer, season with salt and pepper, while stuffing eggplant.

Add rice, meat, herb, salt and pepper to bowl with onion mixture and mix well.

Sprinkle a little salt along the inside walls of eggplants. Stuff eggplant with meat mixture, being careful not to pack tightly (rice will expand during cooking).

Transfer stuffed eggplants to skillet with tomato sauce and simmer, covered, carefully turning once, until rice is cooked through, 50 mins to one hour.

If sauce is watery, transfer eggplants to a plate and boil sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, 3 to 5 mins, then adjust seasoning if necessary. Return stuffed eggplants to sauce. Squeeze lemon over dish and sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Simple Roast Chicken

I totally support Jamie Oliver's "Ministry of Food". In case you haven't heard about this campaign, this is basically about inspiring people who used to cook or have never cooked before to get into their kitchens and make simple and delicious food from scratch. Once you've mastered a recipe, you'd teach it to two more people and then ask them to teach it to someone else, he called it "Pass it On".

So, my friend, if your family dinner has been cursed by those fast-food chains for ages just because you barely cook, I'm now passing it on this super easy recipe hoping that you could give your family a break for just one day a week.

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 lemon, cut into 8 wedges

4 springs rosemary

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 tbsp unsalted butter, soften

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 tsp cornstarch (dissolved with 2 tbsp warm water)

Directions:

Heat oven to 450F. Remove giblets and liver from cavity, discard. Let chicken rest at room temperature for an hour.

Trim excess fat from cavity. Rinse chicken thoroughly under cold water, inside and out, then pat as dry as possible all over the cavity and the skin.

Season cavity with salt and pepper, then stuff with lemon, rosemary and garlic.

Rub skin with 2 tbsp soften butter. Season all over generously with salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a large ovenproof skillet. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165F, about an hour. Transfer chicken to a platter, let rest for 15 mins before carving.

To prepare gravy, discard fat from juice in the skillet. Place pan over medium high heat. Pour in wine and broth to deglaze pan, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon.

Cook until reduced by half, add cornstarch mixture to thicken. Pour through a fine sieve into a serve bowl.

Serve chicken with gravy.

Chicken Stew

I don't have much to say about this dish, because it's super dumb-free, but really tasty!

This is actually one of my inventions. Yes, I heard you, "Really? Such an easy recipe, you call it an invention?" Well, honestly, I didn't plan to post it until my sister-in-law, who's a huge fan of this dish, kept begging me to put it on my blog so that she can make it on her own.

Now, Keturah, if you ever try to make it, but ruin it. You are not eating in my house for the rest of your life!

(serves 6 persons)

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs
salt and freshly ground pepper to season

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced
5 tomatoes, diced

1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp tomato paste 

1 tbsp capers

1 tbsp chopped rosemary

Directions:
Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat oil on medium high heat in large sautee pan. Add the chicken (skin side down) and cook until browned on each side. Set aside.

Add onion, garlic and tomato, and cook for 10 mins. Stirring occasionally.

Add wine, cook for about 5 mins over medium heat.

Add broth, tomato paste, caper and rosemary. Mix well.

Put in chicken thighs. Cook until the juice bubbles. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 mins.

Serve with spaghetti or rice.

Broiled Buffalo Wings

I don't have a deep fryer at home. The thought of buying one have come across my mind occasionally for the past few years, especially the moment when I saw it's being used on Food Network. It doesn't take up much space, it has a sleek design, the non-stick parts make cleanup a breeze. And most importantly, the fried food tastes so much better than pan-fried food.

However, I still can't figure out what to do with the large amount of used oil. I find it really a waste to consume so much oil to just make a plate of fries, maybe half dozen of donuts, maybe some calamari.....The delicious taste of fried food just can't overcome my guilt of not being able to fully use a full can of oil.

So, over these years, I've been using my oven to create the "artificial" fried food to satisfy my cravings.

(makes around 20 chicken winglets)
Ingredients:
20 chicken winglets
3 tbsp butter, melted
4 tbsp tobasco
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Make the marinade by mixing together the melted butter, hot pepper sauce, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper. Reserve 2 tbsp for coating after the wings come out of the oven.

Marinade the wings with the remaining marinade at room temperature for half an hour.

Drain the marinade off the wings. Place wings on the rack of a broiler pan. Broil on the top shelf in the oven for 15 mins, until wings are no longer pink. Remove from oven and baste with reserved marinade.

Serve hot with blue cheese dip.

Chicken Paella

I was advised not to eat seafood when I was pregnant and breastfeeding because baby would be allergic to it. I still don't figure out the reason. Isn't it supposed to be that the more you eat that food, the easier your baby gets used to it?

Anyway, I wasn't dare to take risk. Afterall I don't want my child to miss any chance to taste one of the best food in the world when he grows up. So, I stopped having seafood for more than one freaking year! Not only myself, but my husband also had to cut it down since I'm the chef in the house who controls our daily menu. But, just because you have to sacrifice one of the best food, it doesn't mean you can't have another delicious alternative. So, instead of having seafood paella, I made chicken paella.

(serves 6 persons)

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/2 tbsp ground coriander
6 garlic cloves, minced
1-3 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken broth 2 cup balsmati rice 2 carrots, diced 3 tbsp finely chopped parsley Salt and pepper

Directions:
Mix cumin, coriander, garlic, salt and pepper together. Rub the seasoning on the chicken pieces.

Heat oil on medium high heat in large sautee pan. Add the chicken (skin side down) and cooking until browned on each side. Set aside.

Add onion and tomatoes, and cook for 10 mins. Stirring occasionally.

Add wine, cook for about 20 mins over medium heat until the liquid is reduced by half.

Add broth, rice and carrots. Mix well.

Put in chicken thighs. Cook until the juice bubbles. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 15 mins or until the rice is tender but still slightly firm.

Stir in parsley and serve.

Moroccan Duck with Couscous (Served with Mint Yogurt Dressing)

This recipe is an adaptation of Tyler's Ultimate's Brick Chicken with Apricot Couscous. Since I only had a whole duck at home the other day, and I've roasted duck for many times, I was confident that this dish would turn out good. And the result? My husband and me enjoyed it a lot!!!

I didn't use brick nor cast iron skillet as I don't have any. The trick for having really crisp skin is to really flatten your bird. How? I'd suggest you to have your butcher to split the bird and remove the bone for you. (I did it myself though, and it took me 45 mins @_@ ) Then you will have a really big bird "carpet" that you can easily slide and flatten onto you pan.

(serves 4)
Ingredients:
For Moroccan Duck:
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 tbsp ground coriander
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 whole duck (Bone removed and flattened, gently prick the skin all over using a fork to help render the fat when cooking)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

For Couscous:
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, diced
1/4 cup pinenut, lightly toasted
1 cup couscous
1 1/2 cup chicken broth, warm
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint leave, chopped
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

For Mint Yogurt Dressing:
1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
1/2 bunch fresh mint leave, chopped
2 green onion, chopped
2 tbsp honey
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Mix all duck ingredients (except the whole duck and extra virgin olive oil) to make a paste. Rub the blended spice all over the duck. Marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 375F.

Heat a large heavy oven-proof pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add extra virgin olive oil, and place the duck skin side down in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10-15 mins until duck is golden brown and has a nice crust. Pull away half of the fat from the pan. Finish cooking in the oven for another 30-mins.

When duck is cooking, prepare mint yogurt dressing. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender. Blend until mixture is fully incorporated and has a smooth consistency.

Around 5 mins before the duck is done, prepare couscous.

In a saucepan, sautee red onion gently in olive oil over low heat until slightly fragrant.

Mix red onion with couscous. Add in warm chicken broth. Stir with a fork to combine. Add lemon zest and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 10 mins, then uncover and add pinenut, green onion, mint and parsley. Fluff again with a fork. Season to taste.

Oven Fried Chicken with Creamy Garlic Sauce

I craved for KFC the other day after work. Wherever this happens, my husband will warn me KFC here in Vancouver is not as good as those in HK.

Where we were in HK, we would spend some nights having take-out from KFC. We would have a bucket of 10-pc chicken (either thighs or dumbsticks, we love dark meat!!!), corn sticks or coleslaw, and finish them with a movie!!! I just miss that moment.

Since we couldn't make one of the KFCs on the way home, I had to make my own fried chicken to fulfill my crave then.

(makes 8 chicken thighs)
Ingredients:
For Chicken:
2 cups fresh bread crumbs
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp onion powder
8 chicken thighs (if you prefer, you can have chicken breast)
3 tbsp melted unsalted butter

For Sauce:
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 cup mayo
1 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to season

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400F.

Mix sauce ingredients. Keep in refrigerator.

Mix chicken ingredients except chicken and butter.

Press chicken into the melted butter and turn to coat thoroughly with the mixture. Arrange the coated chicken in the baking dish.

Bake for 25 to 35 mins, turning after 15 mins. Chicken is done when juices run clear when pricked with a fork.

Serve hot with garlic sauce.

Tandoori Chicken with Coconut Rice

Lately, just too busy to cook, too busy to make something nice, sometimes even too busy to eat. But unbreathable schedule does make us deserve a better meal, so I've decided to prepare this dish. This dish does sound complicated, but after you make it, you know how simple it is to go for something orientally special.

(serves 2-3)
Ingredients:
For Tandoori Chicken:
6 chicken drumsticks
3 tbsp tandoori powder
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/4 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp oil

For Coconut Rice:
2 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallot, chopped
1 cup jasmine rice
1 can coconut milk

Directions:
Prick the chicken legs at several places with a fork.

Rub the tandoori paste and the minced garlic on the chicken and allow the chicken to marinate, covered in a bowl, in the fridge for an hour.

Stir the remaining ingredients into the yogurt. Add yogurt mixture to the chicken and mix well. Push the marinade into the gashes. Let the chicken marinate, covered in the fridge for overnight.

Grill for about 20-25 minutes or until cooked.

Meanwhile, for coconut rice, heat the oil in a saucepan over high heat,add the garlic and shallots and cook for 3 minutes until starting to crisp.

In a rice cooker, add rice, coconut milk, cooked garlic and shallots.

Cook for around 20 minutes.

Open lid and let the rice sit for 5 minutes.

Serve both chicken and coconut rice with few drops of lemon juice.

Roast Whole Duck

Finally, the powerful Anaheim Ducks took the Stanley Cup from Canadian's only hope, Ottawa Senators. While the city is probably in mourning, me and my husband took a retaliation to make ourselves feel better - roasted a whole duck and finished it with a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc!

Cooking whole bird may sound intimidating. But trust me, this unbelievably easy recipe only needs good marinate ingredients. As it calls for a fair amount of soy sauce, I highly recommend to use a brand with well-balanced flavor.

Duck has higher fat content than chicken or turkey. I still love eating duck as its darker meat has more delicious and richer flavor.

I used frozen whole duck which makes the whole preparation process way much relaxing. It's cleaned with neck and giblets removed. To defrost frozen duck, it's best to do it slowly by putting it in the fridge 2 days ahead.

(makes 1 whole duck)

Ingredients:

1 2-lb whole duck

3/4 cup dry red wine

3/4 cup soy sauce

juice from 1/2 lemo

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

4 garlic cloves, smashed

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

Directions:

Rinse the duck inside and out, pat dry. Remove any remaining feathers and quills with tweezers.

Combine all ingredients except flour. Pour the sauce into a large sealable bag, add duck, and marinate overnight.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Remove duck from sealable bag. Reserve marinade. Place duck breast-side up and gently prick the skin all over using a fork (It helps render the fat when roasting).

Transfer duck on rack in a large roasting pan. Cover with foil and cook in a preheat oven for 1 hour.

Strain and boil the marinade. Reserve 1/4 sauce. Baste duck every 15 minutes with the remaining marinade.

Roast duck uncovered for additional 30 minutes until the skin turns brown and crispy.

Simmer the 1/4 marinade over low heat. Whisk in flour, stir until thick enough to coat back of a spoon about 3 minutes. Keep warm over low heat, stir occasionally.

Remove duck from oven and let stand 10 minutes before carving.

Serve duck with sauce.