Chicken Recipes: Grilled Spanish Chicken Supper

We had a taste of summer in southern Minnesota last week when the temperature reached the low 90s—unusual but not unheard of this time of year. I usually prefer cooler weather, but this time, I thoroughly enjoyed the heat, because it was such a welcome change after a colder than normal winter.

Last Friday night, before a series of thunderstorms rolled through, I grilled up a simple chicken dish called, “Grilled Spanish Chicken Supper,” that I found on BettyCrocker.com. It’s one of those all-in-one meals that have the meat and vegetables and sauce all cooked together—kind of a grilled casserole. Anyway, whatever you want to call it, this dish was very tasty and is one that I’ll definitely be making again.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ pounds of chicken breast tenders (not breaded)
• 3 medium unpeeled baking potatoes, cut into half-inch cubes (4 cups)
• 2 medium green or red bell peppers, chopped (2 cups)
• 1 large onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)
• 12 large olives stuffed with pimiento, coarsely chopped
• 1 can (14 ½ ounces) diced tomatoes with garlic, undrained
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Preheat the grill for direct heat cooking.
• In a large bowl, mix the potatoes, bell peppers, onion, olives, and tomatoes.
• Stir in the flour, 2 teaspoons of the chili powder, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Spoon the mixture into large heavy-duty aluminum foil bag.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1 teaspoon of chili powder and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt over the chicken.
• Arrange the chicken on top of vegetables; then double-fold the open end of the foil bag.
• Slide the foil bag onto the grill and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is no longer pink in center.
• Open the bag and serve!

 

Chicken Recipes: Spanish Style Chicken Casserole

The author of this recipe said that it was “something to shake up the taste buds,” and I agree. It certainly wasn’t the usually chicken casserole made with creamed soups and egg noodles that many of us are familiar with (and love). The friends I invited over for dinner also agreed that it was “different,” meaning that it wasn’t typical Minnesota fare, which in some cases, is probably a good thing. Anyway, they loved it, so I thought I would share it with you: “Spanish Style Chicken Casserole” submitted by “Mountainmama” on GroupRecipes.com.

Ingredients:

• 4 portions of chicken (I used 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 6 chopped tomatoes
• 3 medium potatoes cut into quarters
• 12 pitted black olives
• 1 chopped green pepper
• 1 large chopped onion
• 2 crushed cloves of garlic
• 1 oz. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• ½ cup red wine
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Black pepper to taste

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Rinse the chicken pieces under water and pat dry with a paper towel.
• Mix the flour, paprika, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish or bowl; then coat the chicken portions with the flour mixture.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan; then add the chicken pieces. Cook until the chicken pieces are browned, about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the saucepan and set aside.
• Add the chopped onion and garlic to the pan and cook for several minutes until the onion has softened; then add the chopped green pepper and the tomatoes. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes more.
• Return the chicken to the pan; add the chicken stock, the red wine, and the potatoes.
• Stir all of the ingredients together and cook on low heat for several minutes; then add the olives and the bay leaf.
• Transfer the casserole mixture to an ovenproof casserole dish, cover, and bake for 1 hour.

I don’t know whether this is truly a Spanish dish or whether it’s Mountainmama’s conception of Spanish cuisine, but I guess that really isn’t important. What I do know is that it’s delicious, and I’m sure you’ll agree when you try it.

 

Chicken Recipes: Paella a la Valenciana

Grilling was out of the question yesterday as the weather was about as terrible as it could be for late October in southern Minnesota: cloudy, cold, rainy, sustained winds of 40 mph, even occasional snow flurries—definitely not a welcome sight this time of year. It was a good day to stay indoors, warm myself in front of the fireplace, and read a good mystery novel—you know, one of those stories that fit the day so well: “It was a dark and stormy night …” It was also a good day to make a great new chicken recipe for Sunday night supper called, “Paella a la Valenciana,” submitted by “Darbar” on the GroupRecipes.com Web site.

Paella has always been one of my favorite types of rice dishes and this version, prepared with chicken (of course), is one of the tastiest. This chicken paella features chunks of white and dark meat and a number of vegetables including green bell pepper, roasted red pepper, onions, green beans, snow peas, artichoke hearts, and tomatoes. The seasonings include fresh rosemary, kosher salt, garlic, minced parsley, Spanish smoked paprika, and of course, saffron, which is an ingredient that is common to all paella recipes. Although saffron is very expensive, it is actually quite economical, because only a small amount is necessary to provide a tremendous amount of flavor and color. Paella just wouldn’t be paella without the use of saffron, and there really isn’t anything that can duplicate it. Some recipes state that turmeric can be used as a substitute, but the flavor is nothing like saffron.

The other ingredient that makes paella recipes authentic is the type of rice that is used. You cannot make a decent paella dish without the correct type of rice. The best types of rice to use are Valencia or Bomba or a similar short to medium-grain Spanish variety. I would caution you about using any type of rice that you have on hand, because paella is not as good when using substitutions (especially when using long grain varieties). Other rice varieties, such as Arborio or pearl, can be used if necessary but only if Spanish varieties are unavailable. When the wrong type of rice is used, you don’t get those dry, separate grains on the top layers of the dish and the delicious crusty brown layer that forms on the bottom of the pan, which is one of the distinguishing features of paella.

I highly recommend “Paella a la Valenciana” for its lively flavor and ease of preparation. It really is a complete one-pan meal, and it was just perfect for a cold autumn day, especially when served in front of the fire and accompanied by a good bottle of wine. Life just doesn’t get any better than that.