Shredded Chicken Tacos

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 dried chili peppers
• ¾ cup of your favorite beer
• Salt and pepper to taste

1.    Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot or saucepan and add water to cover. Turn the heat to high, bring to a boil. Partially cover and adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Skim any foam that comes to the surface. Cook until meat is very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and set aside to cool.

2.    Strain the solids from the simmering liquid and return to the heat.  Let simmer until slightly reduced.  Turn off heat and let cool. 

3.    While your simmering liquid is cooling, shred your chicken thighs.  Do so by pulling the pieces of chicken apart by hand – this seems to be the easiest and most effective way.

4.    Once your simmering liquid is cooled, add about ½ cup of it back into the shredded chicken and toss.  Your chicken is now ready; you can now assemble your shredded chicken tacos.

Shredded chicken thighs

Shredded Chicken Taco Assembly

What You Will Need:

• Flour or corn tortillas, 6 inch in diameter
• Cheese, shredded –  I like Chihuahua cheese for this recipe
• Lettuce, shredded
• Tomato, seeded and diced
• Cilantro, the leaves removed from the stems
• Sour cream
• Siracha, or your favorite hot sauce

Chihuahua cheese for chicken tacos...delicious

Directions:

1.)   Wrap your tortillas in foil and place them in an oven at 350 Degrees to soften for 5-7 minutes. 

2.)   Lay your softened tortilla down on a plate, add your shredded chicken and top with your favorite toppings.  Be sure to add hot sauce.   

3.)   Eat and repeat.

Ingredients:

Stir Fry with Chicken, Shrimp, Filet & Veggies.

If you are looking for a healthy recipe that can be modified to your taste- stir fry is for you. It is hard to mess up a stir fry – overcooking the vegetables, sure… but changing the amounts of any one ingredient will not make that much of a difference.  In fact, it’s probably better if you tweak the ingredients to suit your taste. 

My mother sent me her stir fry “recipe” – more like a long paragraph with tips on how she makes her stir fry rather than an actual recipe.  She stresses the “use what you like” concept, along with some basic sound stir fry principles.  Prep everything ahead of time; use a heavy, large pan; don’t overcook the vegetables; pick a sauce you like.  Her “recipe” has no accurate measurements just approximations, so experiment.  If you like more garlic, add more. If you go crazy for Bok Choy, go for it.  You like mushrooms, go bananas…you get the picture. 

It is made different every time, and it is probably important to say that it comes out good every time.  Remember, don’t get hung up on the measurements – do what feels right and follow the basic principles and I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

What You’ll Need:

• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 yellow or orange pepper, sliced into strips
• ½ of a large onion, sliced
• ½ cup chopped spring onion
• 1 cup mushrooms, halved
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 cup pea pods
• 1 chicken breast, cut into 1-inch by 2-inch strips
• 1 small filet, cut into 1-inch by 2-inch strips
• ½ pound raw shrimp
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup tablespoons dark soy sauce, we recommended Tamari
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 2-3 cups chicken stock, more for deglazing
• 2 tablespoons of honey
• 2-3 tablespoon cornstarch (depending on how thick you like your sauce)

Directions:

1.) Prep your vegetables and set aside.

2.) Prep your filet and chicken. Place them in separate bowls. Cover them both in a bit of soy sauce and pepper and set aside.

3.) Clean your shrimp, set aside.

4.) Prepare your sauce by combining the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ginger, garlic, chicken stock, corn starch & honey. I usually do this in a mason jar with a lid. Shake to combine, set aside.

5.) In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat.

6.) Cook each protein (chicken, filet & shrimp) separately for a minute or two. Remove and set them aside in a separate bowl.

7.) Now it’s time to start the vegetables. First, sauté your onions and garlic for few minutes, careful not to burn the garlic.

8.) Add in the vegetables that take the longest – your carrots. If your pan is dry you can add a bit of chicken stock. Next, add in the pea pods, bell pepper, mushrooms & celery. Again, if your pan is getting dry – add more chicken stock. This is the step that makes or breaks most stir fry – do not overcook those veggies.

9.) Add in your sauce, let it come to a boil, now add all of your proteins back into the pan, let them warm through. Your pan will be pretty full by now, hopefully you used a large pan.

Add Your Chicken, Filet & Shrimp Back Into The Pan

10.) You are almost done; add in the green onion and bean sprouts.

11.) Serve with steamed white rice and top with fried rice noodles. BTW, my mom stresses the rice noodles.

 Hint, hint:  You can always use a ready-made sauce from the grocery store.  They make so many varieties – General Tso, sweet and sour, teriyaki – experiment.

Two Chimney Starters are Better Than One!

I am looking out my window today and what a dreary day it is.  Why can’t every day be cook out weather? 

We had great weather this past weekend – perfect  for a few Corona’s and the Weber.   Ahh…the beauty of the charcoal grill.  My husband loves his Weber, he prefers it to a gas grill any day.   Most people say that it takes too long to get the coals hot enough – those people have probably never used a chimney starter.  Chimney starters eliminate the need for of lighter fluid which can taint the flavor of foods, they also get your coals extremely hot, quickly! 

We used a combination of standard pressed charcoal briquettes and natural hardwood lump charcoal briquettes.  The hardwood lump charcoal doesn’t contain chemical binders or igniting agents – you get a clean, hot burn that produces a superior flavor in your grilled foods.

Steak and Chicken on the Charcoal BBQ

You can find a chimney starter at most houseware retailers or home improvement stores.  To use your chimney starter place your favorite charcoal in the chimney, stacking it to the top.   Place a waded up piece of newspaper under the grate within the starter.  Set the chimney starter on top of your barbeque grill grate and light the piece of newspaper  – it should catch quickly with no need for lighter fluid.  Check out this video for a more detailed look at using a chimney starter. 

You will be amazed how quickly your coals heat up. Once you see grey ash appearing on the coals, they are ready in about 7-10 minutes.  Remember to wear heat-resistant gloves when you handle the hot chimney.  Pick up the chimney by the handle and pour out the coals into your bbq grill. 

Vegetables Grilled on a Charcoal Grill

We cooked chicken, steak and vegetables that day.  Some simple seasonings and perhaps some barbeque sauce and you are good to go.  Happy Grilling!

Looking to purchase your chimney starter – or an extra chimney starter?  Amazon sells them at a great price.

Chicken Pot Pie

A recent Food Network program prompted this sudden exploration in Pot Pie. Growing up pot pie was something that strictly came from the freezer. Thick pie style crust concealing a whole lot of gravy peas and not much more. I can’t say I would ever consider pot pie to be a comfort food…times have changed!

Simple Chicken Pot Pie

What You’ll Need:

2 whole (4 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2.5 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 chicken bouillon cubes
4 tablespoons (1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1/2 cups yellow onions, chopped (1/2 onion)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup heavy cream
1 package of good frozen vegetables(peas, corn, carrots, green beans)
½ cup pearl onions
Fresh herbs to taste

Directions:

1.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F

2.) Place chicken on baking sheet. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and your favorite fresh herbs.

3.) Cook breasts for 35-40 minutes or till cooked through.

Roasted Chicken for Chicken Pot Pie

4.) After the chicken is completely cooked set aside until cool enough to handle. While chicken is cooling down get going on the creamy sauce.

5.) Warm stock and bouillon in pot and set aside.

6.) Take chopped onions and saute with butter on medium-low heat until translucent…about 10-15 minutes. Then add your flour and cook another 2 minutes, be sure to stir.

7.) Add stock to the flour mixture and cook until mixture thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and herbs to taste followed by the heavy cream.

8.) Your chicken should be cooled by now and will be easy to remove skin and shred or cube breast meat. I personally prefer to shred.

Shred Your Chicken For the Pot Pie Filling

9.) Add the chicken meat and all frozen vegetables to the creamy sauce. Mix well, taste for seasoning.

10.) Pour mixture then into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.

11.) This is where one can make another personal taste decision. Puff Pastry or Pie Crust?  I choose Puff Pastry. Why?  Simply because I love the stuff. I simplify this process by purchasing frozen puff pastry dough rather than make my own. Be sure to let it thaw before topping the pot pie filling with puff pastry. Roll sheet of dough out slightly and cover the baking dish edge to edge. I cut two slits in pastry to give it some breathing room…and then bake!  Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30-40 minutes or until bubbling and hot…let stand for a bit (as long as you can wait) and serve!

The magic of this recipe is you, the home cook, can tweak it any way you like to make it your own!  Spice up the sauce…choose different veggies…change up the crust. I have a new found affection for Pot Pie and will continue to make it.