Recipe: Grilled Chipotle Chicken Tenders w/ Avocado & Roasted Corn Salsa

July 4th celebrations across the country are under way and it is all about the all mighty barbecue. This recipe for grilled chipotle chicken uses chicken tenders for quick and easy barbecuing, but it can easily be substituted with chicken wings, drumettes, breasts and even a whole chicken for roasting. The marinade used in this recipe is simply a chipotle salsa from well known Chicago celebrity chef, Rick Bayless and his Frontera Foods franchise of all-natural products. It can be found in almost any grocery store in the area. I found this one in Dominick's on Route 59 and 95th Street.

In keeping with the Mexican theme, a great accompaniment to the spicy chipotle chicken, is a cool and refreshing avocado and roasted corn salsa. Salsa has evolved from the "normal" salsa found in Americanized Mexican restaurants across the country to a more gourmet salsa. Today, salsa can be made with fresh mangoes, pineapples, avocados, and citrus just to name a few.

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Spinach & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts w/ Marinara Sauce

Chicken is awesome. There are millions of ways to make chicken. So much so, that sometimes, you just have no clue what to do with yet another chicken dinner! Here's a great recipe using chicken breasts, pounded thinly and rolled up with spinach and ooey gooey mozzarella cheese. As for the sauce, I used my favorite jarred marinara to save me some time. You can choose to make it from scratch, of course, but for the sake of saving me some time on this particular evening, I used a little help. This recipe is elegant and can be served with pasta, vegetables, or rice.

Spinach & Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken Breasts

3 chicken breasts, pounded thin
1 lb of flat leaf spinach
6 slices of mozzarella cheese
2 garlic gloves, finely chopped
1/2 of a medium Spanish onion, finely chopped
1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes
1 tsp kosher salt
twine
2 cups Italian breadcrumbs
1 egg
1 jar of marinara sauce
6 TBL of olive oil (3 and 3)
1 TBL of water

Heat a large saute pan in meduim heat with olive oil. Saute the finely chopped onions and garlic just until the onions become translucent. Add the washes and drained, chopped spinach, red pepper flakes and salt. Saute for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let cool.

Heat the oven to 420 degrees. In a bowl, beat the egg with 1 TBL of water and add a pinch of salt and pepper. Take the Italian breadcrumbs and place it in a plate. Take a pounded chicken breast and carefully take 2 slices of mozzarella cheese and place it on the chicken breast, covering as much of the surface as you can. Then, take about 2-3 TBL of the spinach mixture and spread it all over the breast.  Carefully, roll up the chicken as tight as you can and tie each end with twine, securing that it will not open. Repeat on all of the chicken breasts.

Once all the chicken breasts have been stuffed and tied, dip each of them in the egg mixture and coat with Italian breadcrumbs. Heat a non-stick fry pan with 3 TBL of olive oil in high heat and brown the chicken. It is not important that it cooks all the way, as it will finish cooking in the oven. Once all the chicken breasts have been browned, place them on a baking sheet and place in the 420 degree oven for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, check that the internal temperature is at least 165 degrees and let rest before slicing into rounds and serving. Heat the marinara and serve on top as a sauce.

Chicken Katsu

Katsu is short for katsuretsu or cutlet, and was invented in Japan in the 19th Century. The most popular Japanese version is the Tonkatsu, using a pork cutlet. This version uses chicken cutlet. The only way to make any Katsu is to use Panko breadcrumbs. It is made with bread without crumbs and is a lot crispier than the average breadcrumbs you find in the grocery isles. The end result is an awesomely crispy fried Katsu!



CHICKEN KATSU

3 chicken breasts
Panko breadcrumbs
Vegetable Oil
2 large eggs
2-3 TBL of water
Salt
Pepper

Slice each chicken breast in half and lightly pound thin in between plastic wrap. Be careful not to tear the chicken and pound it too thinly. Pat dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Beat 2 large eggs in bowl and add water and 1/2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of pepper. Take a deep dish and pour breadcrumbs inside. Take each seasoned chicken breast and dip in egg mixture, taking out the excess. Then, put the chicken in the dish of breadcrumbs and make sure both sides are fully coated with breadcrumbs. Coat all the chicken pieces and set aside.

Heat a large skillet in medium/high heat with 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Keep oil handy as you may need to add more in the pan because the breadcrumbs absorb the oil. Place only 1-2 chicken breasts in the pan at a time. Cook until golden brown and the edges of the chicken become to turn opaque and flip.

Serve with Tonkatsu sauce and over fluffy Jasmine rice.

Chicken & Shrimp Chow Mein

Everyone loves a good Chow Mein. But sometimes, when ordering from your local Chinese restaurant, their recipe comes with MSG. Cooking chow mein may look complicated but it's actually quite easy and inexpensive. And what's great about it is you can customize the protein and vegetables to your liking and whatever is in season and the freshest. You can make salmon chow mein with asparagus and leeks, or shrimp chow mein with spring vegetables...whatever you fancy, you can do it!

Chow Mein is a Chinese term for stir-fried noodles. In my recipe, I use a typical flour noodle that has a distinct yellow color. A large pack cost me only about $3.50 at the local Asian market and I know it's also available at your local grocer. If not, substitute it with Soba noodles.

Chicken & Shrimp Chow Mein

1 large pack of "Flour Rice Stick" Noodles
3 chicken leg quarters
2 4 oz bags of "salad shrimp"
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 14 oz can of baby corn
2 large carrots
1/2 head of Savoy Cabbage
2 large onion
2 celery stalks
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
2 TBL soy sauce
3 TBL vegetable oil
1 TBL cornstarch
salt & pepper

Poach the chicken leg quarters in a pot with water(until chicken in completely submerged), salt, pepper, oregano, 1 carrot, and 1 onion until cooked. Once chicken is cooked, drain the poaching liquid of vegetables and put it back into the pot to boil. Discard of the skin of the chicken and pull the meat off the bones and set aside to cool.

Julienne(cut into matchstick pieces) all the vegetables. In a 14 inch pan, heat 3 TBL of oil and sautee all the vegetables and cornstarch except for the cabbage until tender (not wilted). While the veggies are sauteing, take the dried noodles and boil them in the poaching liquid for about 3-4 minutes. This will give the noodles great flavor. Once the noodles have softened, take them out of the poaching liquid (DO NOT DISCARD) and set aside.

When the vegetables are done, add 2 cups of the poaching liquid until the sauce thickens a bit and add soy sauce. Add the 2 bags of shrimp, pulled chicken and noodles, and toss gently. Add the cabbabe and heat through and until the cabbage has slightly wilted. Plate and serve!

Chicken w/ Mushroom Gravy

So, a staple in any kitchen should be chicken. I always buy what's on sale, leg quarters, thighs, drumsticks...whatever, it's a protein you can cook so many ways and very affordable. I especially love the bone-in breast. It's less expensive from it's boneless counterpart and has far less chances of coming out dry and is more flavorful because the bone helps it stay moist and has tons of flavor. The problem with chicken is that it's known to be the boring meat. My family and I love fried chicken dipped in gravy, especially from a well-known fried chicken chain now offering grilled options for the health conscious. My variation cooks the chicken in the oven and adds mushrooms to the gravy because frankly, I love mushrooms and it gives it a little gourmet twist. Here's a great recipe I made for dinner last night and it was a hit...even with the kids.

Chicken w/ Mushroom Gravy

1 Whole chicken - precut to eight pieces or 4 bone-in chicken breasts

1/2 of a LG green bell pepper - diced

1 medium spanish (or white) onion - diced

1 80z container of whole white button mushrooms - slice

2 TBL spoons of flour

2.5 cups of chicken stock (if no chicken stock, use water with 1/2 of a chicken buillion cube)

2 TBL of kosher salt

Pepper

1 tsp of dried oregano

2 dried bay leaves

Secret Ingredient : 1 TBL of Kikkoman soysauce...YES soysauce!

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Heat a 14" sauce pan with vegetable oil on high heat. I used my fave pot that I use for everything from frying to making stews. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Use as little or as much pepper to your taste. Brown the chicken SKIN SIDE DOWN. The point is to simply brown the pieces until it's golden and crispy, not to cook it all the way. Once all the chicken pieces are golden brown, place the chicken pieces on a cookie sheet and roast it in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches at least 140 degrees. (BUY A MEAT THERMOMETER! I promise you'll use it time and time again!)

Turn down the heat on the sauce pan immediately to medium to low-medium heat. Add the diced green peppers and onions with 1 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp of pepper and 1 tsp of dried oregano & bay leaves. Saute for about 2 minutes. Add the flour and stir for another minute and until all the veggies are coated with the flour. Add chicken stock and turn heat up to medium-high heat until the liquid is boiling. This is a very important step, because the flour will not thicken the gravy unless brought to this boiling point first.

Once the sauce hits it's boiling stage, turn the heat back down to medium and add sliced mushrooms and soysauce. The soysauce is an unexpected & unusual ingredient but like worchershire, it gives the gravy an great depth and makes you just go..."Hmmm, what is that?" I'll tell you, my husband was surprised when I told him I put soysauce on his gravy! Keep the gravy at low heat until all the vegetables have become tender and has incorporated with your gravy. When the chicken is cooked all the way through, plate and pour as much or as little gravy over the top as you desire.