Tag: Chicken

Coq au Vin, is the perfect French meal for a romantic dinner at home

Coq Au Vin

Coq au Vin, is the perfect French meal for a romantic dinner at home. Growing up, this meal was one of my favorites. My dad, who discovered cooking in his 40’s enjoyed making this one. He got so much pleasure out of presenting such an impressive meal. It never disappointed me or anyone else. He always had regular Sunday Dinners in the dining room with lots of wine and neighbors who crashed. He planned the menu all week. It is a wonderful memory.

The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken.

– Julia Child

Coq au vin is a French dish of chicken braised with wine, lardons (which is small cubes or strips of fatty bacon or pork fat), mushrooms, and optionally garlic. A red Burgundy wine is typically used, though many regions of France make variants using local wines. I used an Edna Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for this one and it was wonderful. I do usually use a burgundy but this is what I had on hand and it worked perfectly.

It takes some time to make, but it is not hard to do. It takes a lot of pots and pans and a lot of steps. As long as you pay attention and don’t miss any of the steps it is relatively simple. The result is impressive and it is even better the next day. Seriously, does it get any better than chicken, mushrooms, onions, bacon, and wine? This is most definitely a Sunday Dinner

So I will give it a shot for my first official Sunday Dinner in a while. We will set the dining room table, pour some wine and have a traditional Sunday Dinner for this one.

It is better the next day!!!

Allergens- Gluten (if you substitute flour with corn starch it can be gluten free), garlic

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Coq Au Vin

The traditional French Coq Au Vin, which is basically a chicken in red wine sauce, is so impressive but not that hard to make. There are just a lot of steps, but not hard steps. The final product is so worth it.
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Prep Time 4 hours
Cook Time 1 hour
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: French
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 lb. butter
  • 12 tiny pearl onions
  • 1/4 lb. bacon strips cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 4 lbs. cut up chicken With bone, but I do add in a few pieces of boneless chicken also.
  • 1/2 lb. white mushrooms sliced
  • 1 clove garlic diced
  • 1/2 cup flour can substitute corn starch to make gluten free
  • 2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
  • 1/3 cup brandy I tend to add a little more, I am heavy handed
  • 1 1/2 cups red wine A good burgundy works best and yes I usually add more than this.
  • 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Heat 4 tbsp. butter in heavy pan (I use a french dutch oven).
  2. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove bacon from pan and put aside for later.
  3. Add onions and cook until lightly browned. Remove and put aside for later.
  4. Add the chicken to the pan drippings and cook until well browned on all sides. Now set the chicken aside also.
  5. Add mushrooms and garlic to pan, cook until mushrooms are wilted. Remove from pan.
  6. Add remaining butter to pan drippings. Remove pan from heat and gradually stir in flour (or corn starch) until golden brown.
  7. Slowly add chicken stock, stirring constantly until well blended.
  8. Return to heat, stir until sauce thickens.
  9. Add brandy, red wine, thyme, Herbs de Provence and bay leaf.
  10. Add chicken and veggies (If needed transfer to a deeper pot). Cover and bring to a boil.
  11. Reduce heat, simmer 30 minutes or until chicken is fork tender. Season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaf.
  12. Alternative Final stage: Add to roasting pan and cover. Cook in 400 degree oven for 40 minutes until chicken is fork tender.
  13. Another alternative: You can eat it after the chicken is cooked through. I prefer to cook it low and slow sometimes. I put the cover on my dutch oven and put it in oven at 250 degrees and cook all day. Or you could put it in a crock pot at this time and cook all day. The leftovers are even better the next day.

Notes

Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles or even rice. My favorite is egg noodles or rice for a gluten free alternative. 
It is even better the next day!
Allergens: Gluten (but can be made gluten free), Garlic 

The Best Chicken Pot Pie

This Chicken Pot Pie is the best that I have ever had. My family and friends have been constantly asking me to make it again. This recipe is easy, but a bit time consuming. The best part is you can make it in bulk and it freezes fabulously.

Recently a friend and her family were going through some difficult times and I wanted to make them dinner. I needed something to make in bulk, because I wanted to get three meals out of it. One for my family and two for them. I needed something that would travel well and would also freeze well if they wanted to eat it at a later date. After many hours of contemplation.. Chicken Pot Pie was the answer.

I haven’t made one in years, but I was willing to give it a try. I told everyone if it doesn’t come out good, don’t tell me! Let’s be serious when it comes to comfort food and home cooking, chicken pot pie is in the top ten of all recipes, so I figured it was a good choice.

The most indispensable ingredient of all good home cooking:

Love for those you are cooking for.

Sophia Loren

My thought process was to go to the store and buy some rotisserie chickens and use them to speed up the process (Next time I will do that), but because it was so early in the morning the store did not have any. So I needed to go in a different direction. Therefore, I bought one whole roaster chicken and two large split breasts. I came home and rubbed them with olive oil and salt and pepper and put them in the oven at 375 degrees until they were cooked through. While this was going on, I prepped the vegetables. For the carrots, I decided to roast them instead of blanching them. This was a great idea and they came out great. I will do this again. But you could blanch them or even use frozen if you are in a pinch. I sauteed the diced onions until translucent and add the chopped celery later. That is what I love about this recipe, it is so adaptable to whatever your needs are.

With the pie crusts that I bought (Yes, I bought them, I know my limitations and pie crusts are not my thing. No matter how hard I try) I had enough for 4 pies. My advice is to be prepared for this and have extra on hand. This recipe would also work as a one crust pie. You could put the filling in a casserole dish, cast iron pan or even little individual ramekins and top it with the pie crust, phyllo dough sheets or even biscuit mix. Any of these would work and you could also use a gluten free option to make it gluten free friendly.

Because this recipe made four pies instead of three, I froze one uncooked for a later date. We had it yesterday and it was wonderful. I will be making this recipe again. I served it with rice pilaf and cranberry sauce. It is a perfect home-cooked meal for any day of the week. I would love to hear back if you make it, so feel free to reach out.

Check out my other pages here on my Recipes page of my blog Sunday Chefs.

The Best Chicken Pot Pie Recipe

My most requested meal to make. Easy to make in bulk and freezes fabulously!
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Prep Time 7 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, english
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 6 lb Roaster Chicken You could use a rotisserie chicken already cooked, boneless chicken breasts or split chicken breasts
  • 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 32 oz. Chicken Broth I use the low salt version.
  • 2 or 3 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
  • 1 stick Butter
  • 1 large White or yellow onion Chopped
  • 3/4 cup Flour
  • 1/4 cup Heavy cream
  • 2 cups Carrots Roasted in oven whole with olive oil, salt and pepper, then diced
  • 3 stalks Celery Diced
  • 1-2 Potatoes (Optional) Peeled and Diced
  • 1 10 oz Package of frozen peas Not defrosted
  • 1/4 cup Parsley Minced
  • 1 tsp. Thyme
  • 1 Egg For egg wash
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2-4 Pre-made pie crusts (regular or deep dish) You need both a top and bottom for both pies.

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  2. Place your chicken on a cooking sheet. Rub with olive oil and add a generous amount of salt and pepper and roast for: About 40 minutes for split breasts with bone in, 30 minutes for boneless breasts and about an hour at least for roaster chicken. Once the chicken is cool, remove the meat and diced into 1/2 cubes. (Save the bones to make stock!)
  3. If you bought a rotisserie chicken, you can skip ahead to this and just remove the meat from the bones and dice.
  4. I liked to roast the carrots. Peal and coat in a little oil, salt and pepper. Use a roasting pan and cook in a 350-400 degree over for about 30 minutes.
  5. If I am adding potatoes to this (It is optional, but we really like it). I would peel and dice.
  6. The potatoes should be par cooked a little bit. You can roast them in the oven with the carrots or put them in a little water and boil or microwave for a bit.
  7. In a saucepan heat the Chicken Broth/Stock and add the bouillon cubes. Heat until bouillon cubes dissolve.
  8. In a large pot with a heavy bottom, melt the butter over medium/low heat and sauté the onions until translucent. (About 10 minutes).
  9. Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly (this is very important) for about 2 minutes.
  10. Add the chicken broth and stir until smooth and thick. Add 2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. pepper and the cream.
  11. Now add the vegetables, herbs and chicken and mix well.
  12. Let it cool down a bit and divide evenly into pie crusts. I found with the pie crusts that I used it made more than 2. Add the top crust, crimp the edges and brush with the egg wash (In a pinch, milk will work in place of the egg wash).
  13. Cut three slits in the top of the pie to release the steam as it is cooking.
  14. Cook for an hour at 375 degrees.
  15. Use a meat thermometer to make sure the interior is at least 165 degrees.

Notes

There are so many ways to adapt this recipe. My original intention was to use rotisserie chickens (I was making a lot), but there were none. It would cut out a lot of time if you used them. 
You could also make it a one crust pie and add the filling to a casserole dish or a cast iron pan or even little ramekins and top with pie crust or puff pastry which would be wonderful. 
ALLERGY TIPS: As far as allergies are concerned, you could use gluten free flour or substitute some corn starch for the flour. I have also recently seen gluten free puff pastry, which I am dying to try. I have a family with carrot allergies, so you could leave that out also. I like recipes that are easily adaptable and this is one of them. 

Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Red Grapes

This Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes is the perfect dish for cookouts, hot summer nights, easy lunches or any day you want something quick and wonderful

This Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes is the perfect dish for cookouts, hot summer nights, easy lunches or any day you want something quick and wonderful

What I love about this recipe is it is so easy and very different from your usual pasta salad. It is very lemony so the red grapes are needed to balance it out. There is nothing better on a hot summer night then this. It is so cool and satisfying. This summery pasta salad is the perfect one dish meal for any occasion. A pasta salad this easy is something you need in the rotation. Get a rotisserie chicken, break it apart, add it to your favorite pasta with chopped spinach and chopped grapes along with the wonderful dressing in the recipe below and you are good to go. A warm summer night just calls for this cool and satisfying Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Grapes/

My good friend Pam has always made this summery pasta salad and I finally convinced her to share the recipe with me. So she will get full credit for her culinary prowess.

Check out my other products here on the RECIPES page of my blog Sunday Chefs.

Summertime is always the best of what might be

Charles Bowden

Summery Chicken Pasta Salad with Red Grapes

Print Recipe
Course: dinner, Salad
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 12 oz box Pasta Bowties or Rotini work well
  • 3 cups Cooked Chicken Breast rotisserie chicken works great here
  • 3 cups red grapes sliced in half
  • 3 cups Baby Spinach coarsely chopped
  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • 1/2 cup Fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup Olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Red wine vinegar
  • 1.5 tsp garlic powder
  • 1.5 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Cook the pasta as directed and rinse under cool water.
  2. When the pasta is cooled, add the chicken, grapes, and chopped spinach
  3. For the dressing. Mix lemon juice, zest, olive oil, red wine vinegar and spices.
  4. Mix the dressing well. Add to the dry ingredients and mix well.
  5. Refrigerate for about a half hour and enjoy.

Notes

Great for a hot, summer evening!
Allergy Friendly: Contains gluten but can be made with gluten free pasta.
 

French casserole Chicken – Supreme of Old Hen

This recipe brings back such fond memories of my childhood. It is not hard, but it is a bit time consuming. For some reason my late-father who loved to cook did not like to cook this. But he always made it for me on my birthday because he knew it was my favorite. It still is…. I have such wonderful memories of my birthday and this meal. I remember one time, he spent all day making it and we were all sitting at the table waiting for dinner. He liked to make a big deal out of the fact that he made it and was presenting it with a flourish, as he brought it to the table.

“To be a good cook you have to have a love of the good, a love of hard work, and a love of creating” – Julia Child

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Simple Suppers – Chicken Tortellini Soup

This soup is a staple in our house and now that my college student daughter has her own apartment, it is time she had some simple dinners for college students that are easy and cheap. We need to get her going, so she and her friends can join the Sunday Chefs Club and not starve in college. Soups and Stews are always a great go to when you are looking for a simple and hearty meal. This meal is both impressive and simple.

Nothing brings people together like good food…. Unknown

  • Two 32 oz. cartons of low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 bag of baby spinach
  • 8 -16 oz package of tortellini (depending on how many you are feeding)
  • diced chicken (Optional)
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top (Optional)

Boil water and cook the tortellini separately. Cook it a little al dente. If it says 7 minutes cook it for 5, so it doesn’t get mushy when you add it to the soup.

In another big pot add the chicken broth, chicken (if you don’t have leftover chicken for the soup, you can leave it out or add a raw boneless chicken breast and poach it in the broth until its done, then remove it, shred it and then add it back) and spices. Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and then add the spinach. It will seem like too much but it wilts down to nothing. Simmer for a few more minutes. Put the tortellini in a bowl and spoon the soup over the tortellini. Top with a little Parmesan cheese and serve with some crusty bread.

Allergens: Gluten

Perfect Roast Chicken

I spoke before of the fact that you need to learn how to cook three things in order to survive….one good breakfast, one good lunch and one good dinner.  Well this is the dinner. Roast Chicken is something I can make and be confident of.  Everyone is always so impressed and it is really quite easy.  Plus you can also make a great chicken soup after, which I will show you later. Here is a simple version for you to try….

You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces. Just good food from fresh ingredients – Julia Child

Ingredients:

  • Roaster Chicken 7-8 lbs.
  • Kosher Salt
  • Fresh cracked pepper
  • Softened butter
  • Lemon

Preheat the over to 375 degrees F. Remover the giblets (I have to admit, I did leave these in one time and the whole meal was ruined. I believe more people have done it than they care to admit). Rinse the chicken inside and out. Pat dry with a paper towel. Put the chicken in a heavy duty roaster pan on a rack.

DSC05587

Salt and pepper the chicken well, inside and out. Loosen the skin on the breasts and insert some lemon slices under it.

DSC05599

Add the remaining lemon (cut up) into the cavity.  Rub the softened butter all over the chicken (Messy, but worth it!). Add some water to the bottom of the pan, (this helps with broth for soup later on).


DSC05607

Cook for approximately 2 hours until juices run clear when the leg is cut or pulled on. (Internal temperature should be app. 165 degrees at breast and 175 degrees at thigh).

I usually shoot for 170 degrees at the breast, but that is my preference.   Let the chicken sit for a bit before cutting into it. Everyone in my family loves this and that is very hard to do with five picky eaters. Serve with rice or potatoes and some seasonal vegetables. Great for leftovers also
roast chicken

Spinach, Lemon and Bacon Risotto

My first attempt at Risotto! Do you believe it? I have always been a big fan, but very intimidated to make it. It was so worth it.

No one is born a great cook, one learns by doing – Julia Child

Ingredients:

  • 5 slices of bacon, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups Arborio Rice
  • 4 cups of low-salt chicken broth (plus 1/4 to 1/2 cup for the end)
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
  • Zest of the lemon
  • 1 cup of cooked chicken (chopped)
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
  • 3-4 cups of fresh spinach
  • 1 roasted shallot (chopped)
  • 1/2 -3/4 cups of freshly grated Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large, heavy, oven-safe pot, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove the bacon and drain on paper towels.

Add the onions and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cook for about 3 more minutes, stirring frequently. Add the lemon juice and 4 cups of the chicken broth. Stirring frequently, bring to a boil. Cover the pot and put in the oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and return to stove top over medium-low heat. Now add the spinach, chicken and roasted shallots and remaining chicken broth. Stir for about 2 minutes (until spinach is wilted). Add more broth if needed. Add the bacon, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese and stir until creamy.

Garnish with parsley and Parmesan cheese.

 

Allergens: Dairy