There were a lot of great things at our local farmer’s market this past weekend. I typically buy things that I may or may not know what I am going to use. Maybe that is a challenge, who knows, but the recent visit I bought a bunch of great potatoes, leeks, and garlic, among a few other items. When I was looking at the produce, I figured I would make a big batch of soup. The weather was getting a bit cooler, so I figured this would be a great time for a nice comforting soup. That’s when the idea of a nice creamy potato, leek, and chicken soup came to mind. Heck, I was probably thinking I wanted a loaded bake potato soup, or a leek soup, or chicken noodle soup, so I decided to bring them all together for the most part, and I’m glad I did. This soup rocked and impressed my soup eaters, that for sure.
Potato, Leek, and Chicken Soup Recipe
Let’s get started.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 whole leek, thinly sliced, washed
1 whole chicken breast, cooked and shredded
6 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of potatoes, cubed and cooked
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 whole cloves of garlic
1 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tsp cracked black pepper
pickled chili peppers, optional
Start by adding the butter to a stock pot, and melt it on medium heat. Once melted, toss in the sliced leeks. Make sure you wash the leeks after slicing as a bunch of grit typically remains in the leeks.
Cook the leeks for about 5 minutes, or until they are nice and tender. Season with salt and pepper, then add in garlic, cooking another couple of minutes. Add in the cooked potatoes, sprigs of thyme, and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the sprigs of thyme and discard.
Potato, Leek, and Chicken Soup Recipe
Now you have a couple of options at this point. You can blend this mixture in a food processor or blender, or if you have an immersion blender, use that. Blend until you have a smooth mixture, then return back to the stock pot and cook on low.
Add the shredded chicken, and continue to cook for an additional 20 minutes. Taste and season with any additional salt or pepper.
Now you are ready to serve.
Ladle into a soup bowl, and garnish with pickled chilies if you desire (I prefer).
The end result is nothing but pure comfort. The smoothness you get from the soup is perfectly balanced by the shredded chicken, and if you are using any type of pickled chilies, then it gets even better, not only from the heat, but it cuts through some of that awesomeness. Plus, this soup, as noted, brings out the best of all three soups. I hope you enjoy!
It was not too long ago when we went to visit my wife’s uncle who was in town visiting. Chinese food was on the menu, and there was one thing, the orange chicken, where I could not get enough of. There is something about this Chinese orange chicken that just has you coming back for more. I’m not sure if it is the sauce, or the crispy nuggets of chicken. Heck, it’s probably the combination that got me. So after I have made lemon chicken, which is somewhat similar, I decided to take my stab at making this delicious recipe.
Start by making the sauce. To a small mixing bowl, add the soy sauce, dark sesame oil, sugar, vinegar, orange zest, one tablespoon of corn starch, and orange juice. Stir to incorporate all of the ingredients. Set the mixture to the side until it is ready to use.
Next, get a dredging station together. To one bowl, mix the eggs, salt, and black pepper. To another bowl, mix the flour and cornstarch.
To a frying pan, add the 2 cups of canola and bring it to a medium heat. Once your oil reaches 350 degrees, you are ready to fry the chicken. During this time, add the chicken pieces to the egg mixture, lift up and allow the egg mixture to drip off a bit, then add into the flour mixture, making sure you coat the chicken. Gently shake off any excess flour mixture, the place into the preheated frying pan.
Do this in batches. Cook for a few minutes, until nice and golden brown. Remove with your kitchen spider or slotted spoon, and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Chinese Orange Chicken Ingredients
After all of the chicken is cooked, take another large skillet, and add the additional oil.
Heat to a medium heat, then toss in the ginger and garlic paste. Cook for about 30 seconds, then mix in the green onions and chili flakes. Add the Chinese rice wine, give a good stir, then add in the sauce mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken, and the sugar dissolve. Once you have accomplished that, add in the chicken pieces, give a good stir, and serve over jasmine rice.
Did this remind me of the Chinese orange chicken weeks ago? Yes. Was it better? Yes. Did it quiet my kitchen table from all of my hungry eaters? Yes.
If you are looking for a spectacular orange chicken recipe, and one that is super easy to make, give this one a try. It will satisfy your Chinese food cravings, plus it feeds a small army. Hope you enjoy!
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1½″ pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1½ tsp salt
1 pinch black pepper
2 cups of canola oil, plus 1 additional tbsp
½ cup corn starch, plus 1 additional tbsp
¼ cup flour
2 tbsp Chinese Shaoxing rice wine
3 tbsp ginger and garlic paste
½ tsp chili pepper flakes
3 green onions, thinly sliced
Ingredients for the sauce:
¼ cup water
1 tsp dark sesame oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp water
½ cup light brown sugar
½ cup white vinegar
zest of 2 oranges, juice of 1 orange
Cooked jasmine rice
Instructions
Start by making the sauce. To a small mixing bowl, add the soy sauce, dark sesame oil, sugar, vinegar, orange zest, one tablespoon of corn starch, and orange juice. Stir to incorporate all of the ingredients. Set the mixture to the side until it is ready to use.
Next, get a dredging station together. To one bowl, mix the eggs, salt, and black pepper. To another bowl, mix the flour and cornstarch.
To a frying pan, add the 2 cups of canola and bring it to a medium heat. Once your oil reaches 350 degrees, you are ready to fry the chicken. During this time, add the chicken pieces to the egg mixture, lift up and allow the egg mixture to drip off a bit, then add into the flour mixture, making sure you coat the chicken. Gently shake off any excess flour mixture, the place into the preheated frying pan.
Do this in batches. Cook for a few minutes, until nice and golden brown. Remove with your kitchen spider or slotted spoon, and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.
After all of the chicken is cooked, take another large skillet, and add the additional oil.
Heat to a medium heat, then toss in the ginger and garlic paste. Cook for about 30 seconds, then mix in the green onions and chili flakes. Add the Chinese rice wine, give a good stir, then add in the sauce mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes to let the sauce thicken, and the sugar dissolve. Once you have accomplished that, add in the chicken pieces, give a good stir, and serve over jasmine rice.
Recently my coworker and I have been eating at a place called Anmol, in Milwaukee. I have only been a few times now, but every time this places delivers in terms of great food. On a recent return, my coworker stated with excitement that he had stopped at one of the local ethnic grocery stores nearby Anmol, and decided to pick up a couple of the sandwich wraps for dinner. With enthusiasm, he said it was a must try, and hence why we decided to head back and try one of their wraps. They offer a handful of different ones, but the one I tried was called chicken boti roll in a paratha. Think of this as the Mexican burrito of Pakistan food. It’s the bomb, and I mean ultra delicious with just the right amount of heat. So what was a man to do? Well, head to the store to pick up some frozen paratha and knock out a chicken boti recipe.
Chicken Boti Recipe
The ingredients are simple and the flavor results are out of this world. Plus, the paratha, well I figure you will stock up on those as well.
Ingredients:
10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup of plain yogurt
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp garlic ginger paste
1 1/2 tsp chili flakes (more if you want it really spicy)
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tbsp salt, to taste
1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp red food coloring, optional
roasted shallots, or red onions
paratha, warmed (optional but recommended for a sandwich)
Start by adding everything but the chicken, shallots, and paratha to a mixing bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Give this a good mix, then add in your chicken thighs. Massage the thighs into the mixture, covering all of the thighs in the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator, for 4 hours, or overnight (which I did).
The following day, or same for that matter, take the bowl out of the refrigerator, and set it on the counter, letting it come to room temperature.
Chicken Boti Ingredients
Fire up your grill, or preheat your oven to 375 degrees, It’s up to you.
Place the chicken on the grill, and cook over indirect heat for about 20 minutes, then over direct heat to finish them off until the chicken is nice and tender and cooked through.
During that time, roast off your onions. There is something about those onions that pair perfectly with this chicken. Trust me.
Take the chicken off of the grill (or oven), and chop it up into thin, bite sized pieces. The goal is to shove this chicken boti into a warm paratha, or your favorite wrap, along with some onions, and dig in.
Seriously the result is super tender, a bit spicy, but something you cannot stop eating. These fed my family of five multiple servings and gets even better the following day. What’s not to love about that! I hope you enjoy.
1½ tsp chili flakes (more if you want it really spicy)
½ tsp cumin powder
1½ tsp turmeric powder
½ tbsp salt, to taste
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp red food coloring, optional
roasted shallots, or red onions
paratha, warmed (optional but recommended for a sandwich)
Instructions
Start by adding everything but the chicken, shallots, and paratha to a mixing bowl large enough to hold the chicken. Give this a good mix, then add in your chicken thighs. Massage the thighs into the mixture, covering all of the thighs in the marinade. Cover and place in the refrigerator, for 4 hours, or overnight (which I did).
The following day, or same for that matter, take the bowl out of the refrigerator, and set it on the counter, letting it come to room temperature.
Fire up your grill, or preheat your oven to 375 degrees, It’s up to you.
Place the chicken on the grill, and cook over indirect heat for about 20 minutes, then over direct heat to finish them off until the chicken is nice and tender and cooked through.
During that time, roast off your onions. There is something about those onions that pair perfectly with this chicken. Trust me.
Take the chicken off of the grill (or oven), and chop it up into thin, bite sized pieces. The goal is to shove this chicken boti into a warm paratha, or your favorite wrap, along with some onions, and dig in.
It’s official, well it’s been official, it’s finally grilling season in Wisconsin. Not that I haven’t been grilling all year long, but the weather is finally getting a lot more nice in Wisconsin. So this past Mother’s day weekend was full of cooking for my loved one(s). As we progressed into the weekend, I decided to use up a bag of frozen lemongrass I had. I’m trying to purge my freezer and use up lots of yummy leftovers. As I was thinking of what to make with the lemongrass (I always have Thai on my mind when it comes to lemongrass), I decided on making a lemongrass infused oil, and use that for grilling a spatchcocked whole chicken. The lemongrass infused oil was phenomenal, but a simple marinade was also created to make this Thai lemongrass chicken even better.
Start by marinating your chicken. To a small mixing bowl, add in the ingredients for the Thai lemongrass chicken, with the exception of the chicken, and mix well. Rub the marinade all over the chicken. Cover and place into the refrigerator, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
During this time, make the lemongrass infused oil.
Lemongrass Chicken Ingredients
To a food processor, add the lemongrass. Pulse and blend until you have broken down the lemongrass. Take a good smell. I love that smell.
Heat a small pot on medium-low heat, add in the oil, and add in the shredded lemongrass and garlic. Cook this on medium low heat for about 40 minutes. Then strain the oil into a container. Reserve for grilling, and for later use.
Before grilling, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and set it on the counter, allowing it to take the chill off.
Heat up your grill. Again, I use charcoal and some wood chunks, but use what you got. The goal is to cook it over indirect heat as you do not want a burnt chicken. So when you are ready, set the chicken on the grill grate, and cook for about 40 minutes, brushing with the lemongrass infused oil during the grill period. Cook until your meat thermometer reads a safe temperature.
Thai Lemongrass Chicken
Plate, and shower with sliced green onions and additional cilantro if desired.
The end result is really, really great chicken. You are left with not only a garlic flavored chicken, but one that has the subtle hints of a lemon-lime and ginger flavor from the awesome lemongrass infused oil. It was a hit, and a great start to the weekend. Hope you enjoy!
Start by marinating your chicken. To a small mixing bowl, add in the ingredients for the Thai lemongrass chicken, with the exception of the chicken, and mix well. Rub the marinade all over the chicken. Cover and place into the refrigerator, at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
During this time, make the lemongrass infused oil.
To a food processor, add the lemongrass. Pulse and blend until you have broken down the lemongrass. Take a good smell. I love that smell.
Heat a small pot on medium-low heat, add in the oil, and add in the shredded lemongrass. Cook this on medium low heat for about 40 minutes. Then strain the oil into a container. Reserve for grilling, and for later use.
Before grilling, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and set it on the counter, allowing it to take the chill off.
Heat up your grill. Again, I use charcoal and some wood chunks, but use what you got. The goal is to cook it over indirect heat as you do not want a burnt chicken. So when you are ready, set the chicken on the grill grate, and cook for about 40 minutes, brushing with the lemongrass infused oil during the grill period. Cook until your meat thermometer reads a safe temperature.
Plate, and shower with sliced green onions and additional cilantro if desired.
