Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Ginger and Watercress

Here's a soup so easy and so soothing, you'll find yourself turning to it again and again. Look for fresh Chinese egg noodles in the supermarket produce section.

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

3/4 oz. fresh ginger (a piece about 1 inch long)
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs (6 to 8 oz)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
1 qt. home made or lower-salt chicken broth
4 oz. fresh Chinese egg noodles (I used dry Chinese egg noodles, it only changes the cooking time slightly)
2 cups tender watercress sprigs
1 tsp. ponzu sauce (or a mix of soy sauce and lemon juice, equal parts)

Directions

Peel the ginger and slice it thickly. Lay the slices on a cutting board, cover with plastic wrap, and smash the ginger with a meat mallet or heavy pan.

Heat the vegetable oil in a 5- to 6-quart soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper and brown each side for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate (the chicken will not be full cooked). Reduce the heat slightly, add the shallots and ginger, and saute until browned, stirring to break up the ginger about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Return the chicken thighs to the pot and bring the broth to a simmer.

Cook, partially covered, for 3 minutes, skimming off any foam that comes to the surface. Add the noodles (cut into shorter lengths if you like) and simmer for another 3 minutes (more or less if the package instructions differ). Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Add the ponzu and watercress to the soup and stir well. Roughly shred/chop the chicken and return it to the pot. Serve right away.

Recipe source: Entry from Fresh & Quick 2010 magazine.

Szechuan Chicken Burgers with Cilantro Slaw

Delicious, zesty, nicely spiced- this Asian take on a burger is a fun new twist with a cooling cilantro slaw. For some extra spicy-flavor, amp things up by adding a dash of sriracha sauce!

Ingredients

1/3 cup KRAFT Cucumber Ranch Dressing
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons orange juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 1/2 cups loosely packed shredded coleslaw mix
1/2 cup diced green onions
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
Vegetable cooking spray for grilling
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast
1/4 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons Szechwan Seasoning
6 sesame seed hamburger buns

Directions

Whisk together first 3 ingredients and 1/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl. Stir in coleslaw mix, green onions, and sesame seeds. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

Coat a cold cooking grate with cooking spray, and place on grill. Preheat grill to 300° to 350° (medium).

Combine ground chicken, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 3/4 tsp. salt in a large bowl until blended. Shape mixture into 6 (3/4-inch-thick) patties.

Grill patties, covered with grill lid, over 300° to 350° (medium) heat 5 minutes on each side or until done. Grill hamburger buns, cut sides down, 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly toasted.

Place 1 burger on top of each bottom bun; top evenly with coleslaw mixture and tops of buns.

Recipe Source: [Southern Living Cookbook]

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

Talk to me about warm, hearty comfort food any day! Who doesn't love a good, savory pie hot out of the oven? This is a recipe my mother and I adapted from a Food Network recipe by The Neely's (see recipe source below). We replaced a few of the ingredients and switched things up a bit. Instead of onions we used leeks, we replaced pearl onions with mushrooms, rotisserie chicken with home made chicken breast seasoned with thyme and rosemary, and standard pie dough was replaced with airy, crispy puff pastry. (Personally I even think some corn along with the peas would be a nice touch).

A delicious, hearty recipe to keep you warm on those chilly nights!

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/2 tsp. dried crushed rosemary

1/2 tsp. dried thyme

Salt and, ground black pepper for seasoning

Olive oil (or olive oil cooking spray)

4 cups chicken broth
1 bouillon cube
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 leeks, washed, halved and sliced into half-moons
2 large carrots cut in 1/2-inch rounds
1 rib celery, sliced

6 oz sliced cremini mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped chives
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons dry sherry
1 (9-ounce) box frozen peas
1 package of Pepperidge Farm®  Puff Pastry Sheets, thawed

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

To make the chicken:

Coat a baking dish with olive oil cooking spray (or lightly grease with olive oil). Season both sides of chicken breasts with rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Place in baking dish and bake in oven for 30-35 minutes (or until no longer pink). Allow chicken to cool slightly and then cut into 1/2" cubes. Set aside.

Reduce oven temp to 375 degrees F.

In a large saucepan heat chicken broth and bouillon cube over medium heat until hot.

In a Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add leeks, carrots, celery, mushrooms, chives and garlic, and sauté until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir together until it becomes pasty and lump-free, about 2 minutes. Stir in the hot broth, heavy cream, sherry, chicken and peas. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.

With a ladle, fill ovenproof ramekins or bowls with the filling. Place on baking sheet.

Pastry cutting method for 4 servings: Unfold the thawed pastry sheets. (Tip: unfolding and cutting them is easier if they are thawed but still slightly frozen). Lay the unfolded pastry sheets out on a cutting board and cut each of the two pieces diagonally from one corner to the other to make four large triangles.

Position and fold the pastry triangles over the ramekins accordingly. Bake pastry over filled ramekins in over for 15-20 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve.

Original Adapted Recipe Source: [link]

Lemon-Pepper Roast Chicken

I've tried a lot or recipes and even some basic non-recipes seasonings for roast chickens-- this recipe, by far, results in some of the best roast chicken I've ever had. The kicker here? Butter. (I think so anyway). I feel like it must be the butter, both underneath and on top of the skin, that makes it taste like a perfectly brined bird without actually having to brine it and with the wine to help flavor and steam-- Perfection.

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature

Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 4-to-5-pound chickens, rinsed and patted dry
1 cup dry white wine

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Pulse the butter, lemon zest and juice, garlic, thyme, paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon pepper in a food processor until smooth.

Put the chickens on a rimmed baking sheet. Loosen the skin on the breasts and legs with your fingers. Rub about three-quarters of the lemon-pepper butter under the skin, then rub the rest all over the chickens. Refrigerate, uncovered, 2 hours or up to 8 hours before roasting.

Tie the chicken legs together with twine and tuck the wings under the body; place breast-side up on a rack in a large roasting pan. Pour the wine into the pan and transfer to the oven; roast until the chickens are golden and crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, about 1 hour, 50 minutes. (Tent with foil if the skin browns too quickly.)

Let the chickens rest 10 minutes before portioning (see below). Season with salt.

Grab one of the legs with tongs and pull it away from the body; cut through the skin with kitchen shears.

Pull the leg out and back to pop the joint; remove the leg with the shears. Repeat on the other side.

Separate the drumsticks from the thighs with the shears.

Cut off the wings as close to the body as possible.

Insert the shears into the tail end of the chicken and cut along the breastbone.

Pull back one of the breasts and cut it off the backbone. Repeat on the other side.

Recipe Source: [link]