Tag: unsalted butter

Chicken Kiev – A High Degree of Difficulty Always Scores Extra Points

Unlike virtually every other recipe featured here, I’m not going to say this chicken Kiev is “easy to make.” It’s really not. You could follow this exactly as shown, and still have undercooked meat, or leaking butter, or any number of other tragedies. So, why try?

Because, if and when you pull this off, you’ll be enjoying one of the greatest chicken experiences of your life. It’s also one of the greatest garlic experiences of your life, as well as one of the greatest butter experiences of your life.

What makes this so challenging is that you can’t really cut, or poke into the Kiev to check for doneness. That would release the garlic-parsley butter prematurely, and be anticlimactic, to say the least. So, we go blindly by time. There are also variables like breast size, freezer temps/time, and oven crowding to deal with.

However, if you use 8-oz breasts, and freeze exactly as shown here, then after a 2 to 3 minute deep-frying, these should take about 15-17 minutes to bake. The good news is that you have a few minutes after that before the meat gets noticeably drier, so you can give it a little extra time if it seems like it needs it.

One rule great of thumb is to listen for the butter. These are generally done when the garlic butter inside is hot enough to be forced out through the seams on the bottom, and when that happens you’ll hear a sizzle, and maybe see some butter leaking on to your pan. This is usually time to pull them out, and let them rest five minutes.

If you’re cooking more than four of these, make sure they are well spaced, and give them a few extra minutes. If I do these for a larger group, I always do a few extra, so I can cut into one and double-check. Don’t worry, it will be our secret.

Anyway, if you’re feeling brave, and want to enjoy something named after a place sort of near where they are holding the Winter Olympics, then I hope you give this amazing chicken Kiev recipe a try soon. Enjoy!

For 4 portions chicken Kiev:

For the butter:

2 cloves garlic, finely crushed

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley (you can also add tarragon and/or chives)

pinch of salt

4 large (8-oz) boneless skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup flour with 2 tsp salt mixed in

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups panko breadcrumbs

vegetable oil for frying, enough for 2-inches in a small pot

*Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes or until cooked through

Incoming search terms:

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup

Rainy days and soup go hand in hand. If you’re a mushroom lover like me, you’ll love this simple savory soup that takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish!

This is a variation of my meatless Creamy Mushroom Soup^[1], which we all love in my home. I like to have that as a first course since it’s such a light soup, but to make it a little more substantial as a main dish, I added some chicken breast. Still light at under 115 calories, and 3 Weight Watchers points, you could easily serve this with a salad or half sandwich on the side.

I did some Spring shopping at Target a few weeks ago and couldn’t pass up these pretty, inexpensive beaded bowls and dishes from the Target Threshold collection^[2]. I love using white bowls and dishes to plate my food. I find food always looks prettiest on a white dish, and since we eat with our eyes, I usually have fun at dinner time and try to style our plates. Also a great tip if you like to photograph your meals.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Soup
gordon-ramsay-recipe.com
Servings: 4 • Serving Size: 1-1/2 cups • Old Pts: 2 • Weight Watchers Points+: 3
Calories: 111.5 • Fat: 3.4 g • Protein: 13.6 g • Carbs: 12 g • Fiber: 0.9 g • Sugar: 1.4 g
Sodium: 538.8 mg

Ingredients:

4 cups water
3 tbsp flour
1 celery stalk, cut in half
5 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
8 oz baby bella, sliced
4 tsp Chicken Better Than Bouillon (or to taste)
2 tsp unsalted butter
7 oz skinless chicken breast
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

Place cold water and flour in a blender and blend until smooth; pour into a medium pot and set heat to medium.

Add celery, mushrooms, chicken bouillon and butter and bring to a boil. Add chicken, cover and simmer on low 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Remove chicken and set aside; continue to cook the remaining soup an additional 5 minutes, until vegetables are soft.

Place celery and 1 cup of soup into the blender; blend until smooth, then return to the pot and simmer a few minutes. Shred or cut the chicken into small pieces and add back to the soup, garnish with fresh parsley.

Makes about 6 cups.

References

^{^} Creamy Mushroom Soup (www.gordon-ramsay-recipe.com)
^{^} Threshold collection (www.target.com)

Incoming search terms:

Lemon Curd “Lite” Not Light

I’m calling this lemon curd “lite” because it does have less
fat than most traditional recipes, but that doesn’t mean it’s a “light” recipe.
Calling this recipe “lite” is kind of like calling thin-crust pizza,
“low-carb.” It’s all relative.

Speaking of relative, as I mention in the video,
this would make a great holiday gift, so even if you’re not a big fan of lemon,
pay attention nonetheless.

Above and beyond the nominally fewer calories, I really like
the appearance and texture of this style lemon curd better anyway. Recipes that
contain all yolks instead of whole eggs, and up to twice as much butter, are
just too rich and heavy for my taste.

Since this is typically served as a sauce for things like
gingerbread and scones, or as a filling for cakes, I don’t see the advantages
of an overly heavy concoction. The one exception for me would be pies and
tarts, where you probably do want the more hardcore variations.

I know a lot of you get nervous when whisking eggs over heat
is involved, but as you’ll see, this is really simple to do. Besides, if
tragedy does strike, and you get a few pieces of overcooked eggs in the
mixture, simply put it through a strainer before adding the zest and butter. No
one will ever know! With the holidays right around the corner, I hope you give
this easy, old-fashioned lemon curd I try. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 1 1/2 cups Lemon Curd:

3 whole large eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 1/2 tbsp freshly grated lemon zest

5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp, cut in 3 or 4 pieces