Spicy Curried Chicken Salad

Herbed and Rosemary Crackers served with Spicy Curried Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is a great relief from the old boring, plain salad.  And you can serve it anyway you want… Great with garden salad or serve it with your favorite crackers and of course as sandwiches!

Note:  If you are short on time… you can buy whole roasted chicken from the grocery store or at Sam’s Club.  You’ll save a dollar or two if you buy it at Sam’s Club.  Or you can also use canned chicken chunks.

The skins of these roasted chicken are great to eat – crunchy, when they first came out of the oven.

Shred or chop roasted chicken…

What you need to make Spicy Salad Dressing…

Make the dressing…

Mix the chopped chicken and dressing…

Serve Spicy Chicken Salad over a bed of garden salad…

Serve Spicy Curried Chicken Salad with your favorite crackers.
These are Herbed and Rosemary Crackers served with Spicy Curried Chicken Salad…

Spicy Curried Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts halves (about 2 pounds) – roasted, skinned, deboned, and chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ of small red onion – diced

2 TBSPs. hot banana pepper rings – chopped

Curried Chicken Salad Dressing:

½ cup mayonnaise

1 TBSP. no sugar added sweet relish

1½ tsps. hot madras curry powder

1 tsp. kosher salt (less if using regular table salt)

¾ tsp. smoked paprika

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 TBSP. spicy brown mustard

½ tsp. hot sauce (optional)

In another bowl, combine dressing ingredients.

Pour curried dressing mixture over the chicken.  Stir to mix until dressing coats the chicken pieces.  Add the chopped celery, red onion and hot banana peppers.  Chill in the refrigerator before serving.

Serve over garden salad, with crackers, and as sandwiches.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

Upgrade Your Sandwich: From Mayo to Greek Yogurt

This is Ramon’s great idea of a sandwich. Turns an ordinary sandwich to a more nutritious sandwich by using Greek Yogurt instead of mayonnaise.

The traditional Greek Yogurt really made a difference in taste plus all the goodness that yogurt has to offer. You can add any veggies you want such as spinach, sliced green bell peppers, sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, sliced banana peppers, etc. And of course serve it with your favorite chips on this side.

Ingredients:
Slices of bread: white, Italian, 7-grain, wheat, etc.
Deli Meats: ham, turkey, corned beef, roast beef, etc.
Traditional Greek Yogurt Veggies: spinach, chopped olives sliced green bell peppers, sliced cucumbers, sliced onions, sliced banana peppers, etc.
Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Potato Chips, Corn Fritos, etc.

Generously spread Greek yogurt on the slices of bread.

Line bread with a combination of your favorite veggies.

Line 3 or 4 slices of deli meats.
Sprinkle kosher salt and ground black pepper. And place another sliced piece of bread with Greek Yogurt on top.

Serve with your favorite chips.

Enjoy!

Tess Harris

Gourmert Burgers at Home

I really do feel guilty for haven’t been posting here.  I feel like I have abandoned you guys… And you know I haven’t.  I usually post my blog with step-by-step photos… however, this method of posting is very time consuming. And that is what I do not have much of these days… time! So… you’d have to forgive for having only a few photos for this post.  At least you get an idea of what these burgers look like… So here it is…

Gourmet Burgers at Home

Serves 6 people

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef 90% lean

1 pound ground pork – lean

¼ medium red onion – minced

4 garlic cloves – minced

4 teaspoons coarse sea salt or 2 ½ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. cayenne or to taste

1½ tsp. smoked paprika

½ tsp. ground coriander

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ tsp. ground cumin

1 TBSP. steak sauce

1 TBSP. Worcestershire sauce

1 TBSP. spicy brown mustard

2 tsps. Liquid smoke

Combine all ingredients, as listed, in a large mixing bowl.  Mix until meats and spices are combined well.  Form into 6 large patties.  Set aside while you cook the bacon slices.

Other Ingredients, Toppings, Condiments and Sides:

6 Ciabata breads or Kaiser Rolls – halves

1 pound thick slices bacon, cooked and broken each slice into halves crosswise

2 large red onions, halves and sliced crosswise – caramelized (see below)

Thick slices of large tomatoes (about 3 large tomatoes)

Romaine Lettuce leaves – washed and dried

Mayonnaise

Extra Crispy Fast Food Fries (Ore-Ida) – Cook as directed on the package

Heat a large skillet and cook the bacon slices until crispy.  Drain on paper towels.  Set aside.  Remove all but 3 tablespoons bacon grease.  (Keep bacon grease in a bowl or small jar).  Keep the heat on medium.

Cook burger patties, 3 at a time, depending on the size of your skillet, in the bacon grease. Cook burgers, about 4 minutes on each side, depending on how well done you want your burgers.

Place cooked burgers in a large plate and wrap with aluminum foil to keep them warm.  Continue cooking the remaining burgers.

Once all the burgers are cooked.  Suit the sliced red onions in the burger drippings until onions are soft and caramelized.  About 5 minutes.  Place all the burgers back in the pan and top each patty with the caramelized onion.

In the meantime, heat another skillet or pancake griddle and grease with butter or a tablespoon of bacon grease. Toast the cut sides of the Ciabata breads or Kaiser Rolls.

Smear the toasted breads or rolls with mayonnaise.  Line with romaine lettuce leaves and top with 1 or 2 tomato slices.  Place one burger patty with the caramelized onion over the tomato slices.  And place 2 or 3 slices of cooked bacon over the caramelized onion.  Finish the burger by placing other toasted bread halves on top.

Serve burgers with Fast Food Fries.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess

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Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

1. For each pound of meat, use 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.  Use ½ teaspoon more for each pound of meat if using coarse sea salt.
2. Use 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper for each pound of meat.
3. To save time, buy a bag of romaine that’s already been washed and cut.  And ready to serve.
4. By the way… these burgers are excellent grilled over charcoal.

burger, caramelized onion and toasted ciabatta bread.

burgers on toasted kaiser rolls, over a bed of lettuce and tomatoes, topped with caramelized onions and thick slices of bacon

definitely better than what you can buy at Fast Food chains… these are real foods!

Barbecued Pork Steaks in a Bun

One stormy day several years ago, I was watching Food Network and they were showing one of Pillsbury’s Bake – Off Contests, where contestants win as much as $1 million dollars for their recipes…

My reaction was – WOW!  A $1 million dollar for a recipe?  Are these recipes really worth that much?  Do they really taste that good to be awarded a $million dollars?  So I went to the library and borrow one of Pillsbury’s Cookbooks.  I was curious to try some of these million dollar  recipes.  I want to know, and taste for myself, what makes these recipes won $1 million dollars.

One of the $1 million dollar winning recipes that caught my eye was the Chinese Roast Pork Buns by Wayne Hu.  The picture looked good and the buns reminded me of Siopao, another Chinese dish that I used to enjoy in the Philippines years ago.  Siopao is a steamed bun filled with pork and boiled eggs, served with a sauce.  Thus, I decided to give this dish a try…

The verdict…?

Overall… my family loves these buns.  They are great travel food.  And can be eaten as a snack, lunch, or dinner accompanied with a light soup.

And the preparation is fairly easy because I did not make my own buns.  Instead, I used store bought Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits.

My question is… are the really worth $1 million dollars…?

The Barbecued Pork Blade Steaks are awesome.  This is a stand alone dish that can be served with cooked rice and sauteed vegetables on the side.  And they’re easy to make.

As for the buns…

I don’t think so.  They are good… and the preparation is easy, but I don’t think it’s worth a $1 million dollars.  But then again, this is a very good example that food and taste is very subjective!  According to the judges of the Pillsbury Bake – Off Contest in 1994, this recipe – Chinese Roast Pork Buns is worth the $million dollar prize.

The recipe that I am posting here is my own adaptation of that $million dollar winning recipe.  I made a slight deviation from the original recipe by using red wine and olive oil, instead of using sherry and peanut oil, but I think the taste is still pretty close.  Also, I made extra barbecue sauce for the pork and I mixed about ½ cup of the remaining barbecue sauce with the filling below.

This recipe serves 4.  Two buns per person.

(I apologize.  But I don’t have step by step photos for this, yet…)

Prepare the Barbecued Pork Blade Steaks first.

I realized that I cooked four blade steaks but I only need 2 for these buns.  So I made sandwiches with the ones I did not need…

Barbecued Pork Steaks

4 large pork blade steaks – about 3 pounds

Sweet Barbecue Sauce:

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup ketchup

½ cup soy sauce

½ cup hoisen sauce

¼ cup red wine

¼ cup deli style mustard with horseradish

2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

6 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

 

Combine barbecue sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Pour sauce into a large bowl.  Reserve 1/2 cup of this sauce to be used for the Barbecued Pork Steaks in a Bun…

 

Preheat oven to 400°F.

 

Line a heavy duty cookie sheet with foil.  Place a wire rack in the cookie sheet.

 

Wash pork steaks and pat dry with paper towels and place them on the wire rack.  Liberally brush both sides of each pork steak with the barbecue sauce.

 

Bake pork steaks in a preheated oven at 400°F for 30 minutes.

Brush pork steaks again, on both sides, with the remaining barbecue sauce.  Return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Remove pork steaks from the oven and cool enough to handle.  Chop pork steaks into small pieces, discarding the bones.  Serve pork steaks as sandwiches or use as filling for the Barbecued Pork in a Bun.

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So once the pork steaks are ready…

Prepare the filling for the buns:

1 TBSP. olive oil or vegetable oil

½ medium onion – finely diced

1 – 8 ounces can water chestnuts, finely diced

1 TBSP. cornstarch

1 TBSP. red wine or dry sherry

1 TBSP. soy sauce

1 TBSP. hoisen sauce

½ cup chicken stock (broth)

2 Barbecued Pork Blade Steaks – chopped

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet.  Sauté the onions until translucent.  Add the water chestnuts and stir a few minutes.

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce and hoisen sauce and pour over the sautéed onions and water chestnuts, stirring to combine.  Stir in chicken stock or broth and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.

In another small bowl, combine wine or sherry and cornstarch.  Gradually stir in cornstarch mixture into onions and water chestnuts, whisking constantly until thick.  Remove skillet from the heat and add chopped barbecued pork.  I mixed ½ cup of the remaining barbecue sauce to this mixture to make the filling more saucy.

As for the buns, you will need 1 can Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits…

Take the biscuits out of the can and separate them…

On a lightly floured board or clean counter, roll each biscuit, using a lightly floured rolling pin, into a 6 inch circle.

Scoop about 6 tablespoons of the barbecued pork and fill the center of the flattened biscuit.  Gather the edges towards the middle, twisting and pressing to seal.

Place buns seam side down on the greased cookie sheet.   Brush each bun with the glaze and bake in a preheated oven at 375°F for 18 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve warm.

Bun Glaze:

1 large egg

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 tsp. water

Beat all ingredients.  Brush each barbecued pork buns with this glaze before baking.

After 18 minutes or so… the buns are ready to serve.

 

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

 

Play “Catch Up” With Me

Thursday comes.  And am still not ready.  I have taken hundreds of photos of the dishes I cooked for the past four years.  And recipes I have created and tested.  In fact, it’s taking most of my computer space.  Still.  I don’t have enough.  Sometimes, none meet with what I’m looking for.  Or, that fit the occasion.

Step by step photos are what I need.  And I need them for the hundreds of recipes I have cooked up since 2006.  When I first started on this journey.

I remember when I first taught myself how to bake bread.  From scratch.  I learned it from a book with step by step instructions, with photos.

The photos and step by step instructions helped me tremendously.  And gave me the courage to keep going.

It wasn’t until over a year ago, that I’ve started taking step by step photos on the dishes or recipes I’m working on.  Before that, I only took photos of the finished product.  Which I later realized is not sufficient enough to help those who are beginners.  Just like I once was.  Not long ago.

For me a perfect food blog post has step by step photos.  With clear, concise, and easy to follow instructions.  And I’m hoping that, that is what I’m presenting here.

Though sometimes, you’ll just have to forgive me.

~~~

As for this Roasted Chicken Club Salad Sandwiches recipe.  I think I have sufficient step by step photos to help us along…

Split chicken breasts are what we need to roast…

Rinse chicken breast under cold running water.  Place them in a large  baking sheet and pat them dry with paper towel.  Then pour some oil on the breasts and rub them all over…

And season them generously, on both sides, with salt and ground black pepper.

And roast them in preheated oven at 400°F for 50 minutes.

Remove the skins and shred the meat off the bones.

Next…

And with these ingredients. Make the salad dressing.

The salad dressing should look somewhat like this…

Add the chopped celery and onions to the shredded chicken.  Toss it to combine.

Then pour the salad dressing over the chicken, celery and onion mixture. Mix until chicken and salad dressing are combined well.

And wallah. That’s our Roasted Chicken Salad.

Get your Ciabata Rolls ready. And split them in half.

You could also just other breads such as rye, white or wheat.  Though I prefer Italian breads.  Especially the fresh ones…

First line the Ciabata roll with lettuce or spring mix greens.

Then top it with the Roasted Chicken Salad.

Top bacon over the chicken salad. (I usually allow one slice of bacon per sandwich. I break one slice in half.)

And there you are.  Our Roasted Chicken Salad Club Sandwich.

Serve with your choice of soup or your favorite potato chips or pretzels.

Roasted Chicken Club Salad Sandwiches

Yield:  8 Ciabata Rolls Sandwiches

Shredded Roasted Chicken Breasts – see recipe below

2 celery stalks – chopped

½ medium size red onion – chopped

Salad Dressing – see recipe below

8 thick slices bacon – cooked and crispy

8 green lettuce leaves – washed and patted dry or Spring Mix

8 Ciabata Rolls

In a large mixing bowl.  Combine shredded chicken, chopped celery and onions.  Add salad dressing.  Mix until salad dressing is combined well with the chicken, celery and onions.

Using a sharp knife.  Split Ciabata rolls

Line each roll with a lettuce leaf.

Scoop about ½ cup of Roasted Chicken salad mixture over the lettuce leaf

Break one crispy slice of bacon in half and top it over the chicken salad.  Place the half of Ciabata rolls over the filled sandwich.

Serve with your choice of soup or with your favorite potato chips.

Roasted Split Chicken Breasts:

3 – 4 split chicken breasts (about 4 pounds) – bone in and skin on

3 TBSPs. olive oil or cooking oil

4 tsps. coarse sea salt or 2 tsps. kosher salt

2 tsps. freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Remove chicken from the package and rinse under cold running water.  Pat dry with paper towels.  And place chicken in a heavy-duty baking sheet.  Line with aluminum foil.

Drizzle olive oil over the chicken breasts and rub the oil all over the chicken.

Generously season the chicken breasts, on both sides, with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

And roast them, skin sides up, in a preheated oven at 400°F for 50 minutes.  Cool the chicken to safely handle.

Remove the skins.

(By the way.  The skins are really crunchy.  And I usually eat them while they’re still warm.  Though they are a bit salty.  But don’t worry.  All that salt is only on the skins.  Only a negligible penetrated to the meat.)

Tear the chicken meat off the bones.  Shred into chunks and place in a large mixing bowl.  Discard the bones.  And the skins.

Salad Dressing:

1 cup real mayonnaise

2 tsps. Dijon mustard

½ tsp. dried tarragon leaves

½ tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. kosher salt

Combine salad dressing ingredients in a bowl.  Set aside.

Tess’ Kitchen Secrets:

#1 – Coarse Celtic sea salt.  I love to roast chicken breasts with coarse sea salt.  This salt gives the chicken a better taste as compared to regular or kosher salt.

#2 – Roasted chicken used for chicken salad has more texture and taste as compared to the ones that’s been boiled.

#3 – The celery and onions gives the chicken salad a good crunch.

#4 – Also.  I prefer to use Spring Mix greens over lettuce leaves.  I think the Spring Mix Greens has more nutrients than the lettuce leaves.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess Harris

Amazing Wraps

Not sure if you have tasted something like this – in terms of wrap… I know I haven’t until I made this one. This idea came to me when I made a big bowl of guacamole and I thought “why not enhance the taste of my turkey wrap?!”

Enhance it did. The plain turkey wraps zing with guacamole, chopped olives and jalapenos. You’re probably thinking… “olives in wraps?” Indeed. I myself was amazed on how all the ingredients blended into one dynamite flavor…

Try it and let me know…

Below is what you need for this wrap… or wraps. You can make up to 8 large wraps, depending on how much guacamole you use. Serves 1 wrap per person or 2 wraps for someone with big appetite.

Spicy Guacamole

3 large ripe avocados

Juice of 1 lime

1 medium size tomato – seeds removed and chopped

1/3 medium onion – finely chopped

1 large jalapeno – seeded and finely chopped

¼ cup cilantro – chopped

2 tsp. coarse sea salt

¼ – ½ tsp. ground black pepper

¼ – ½ tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ – ½ tsp. Spanish paprika

Split avocados in half and remove the seeds. Scope the flesh using a tablespoon into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle lime juice over the avocados. Mash avocados with a potato masher into desired consistency.

Add onion, jalapeno and cilantro into the bowl. Add sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and paprika.

Stir until well combined.

Serve with corn tortilla chips or carrot and celery sticks. Also great deli meat wraps.

Amazing Wraps

Garden Herb Spinach Wraps (package of 6 wraps)

Spicy guacamole – 2 – 3 tablespoons per wrap

Chopped romaine lettuce – several chunks

Garlic stuffed olives – chopped (3 olives per wrap)

Pickled jalapenos – minced (3 slices per wrap)

Deli meat – Turkey, ham or roast beef (2 slices per wrap)

Jack cheese slices – optional

Salt and black

Warm wraps in an ungreased hot skillet. (Warm and work with one wrap at a time)

Spread guacamole in the middle of the wrap – covering a four inch square. Scatter romaine lettuce over the guacamole and then top with chopped olives and jalapenos.

Line deli meat slices over the guacamole and romaine lettuce bed. Shake Cajun seasoning or salt/black pepper over the meat. Place cheese slices over the meat. Roll and cut in half.

Serve with pretzels or potato chips.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Tess