Chicken Tikka with Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Almonds

I’ve been craving Mediterranean food lately.  This is a new craving for me, because while I have craved Mediterranean food in the past, it was always French, Italian or maybe Greek food.  I didn’t realize there was another whole section of the Mediterranean food I’d been overlooking.   I’ve been missing out on a more eastern Mediterranean culinary experience (Turkish, Syrian, Lebanese).  Well, that changed a few months ago when I met some girl friends for a good-bye dinner for our friend Barb at a local Mediterranean restaurant.  I loved every bite of my dinner!  We ordered the appetizer platter with flat bread and more toppings than I can remember.  For dinner, I ordered a chicken dish with aged yogurt and saffron rice, and I was in heaven.  My dinner was full of exotic spices and tangy yogurt.  I couldn’t wait to have eastern Mediterranean food again. 

Les and I went out to another Mediterranean restaurant on another night, and we enjoyed it, so I knew I needed to try my hand at Mediterranean food myself.  I bought a few Mediterranean cookbooks and drooled over the recipes (I will be testing other recipes from my new Mediterranean cookbooks, so stay tuned).  But, I played it “safe” and tried a kabob recipe from Food Network Magazine.   My family loved the kabobs, and I knew this would be a great recipe for entertaining.

A few weeks ago, I served Chicken Tikka and Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Almonds for dinner to some of my friends who were at Barb’s good-bye dinner.  The dinner was on a Friday night, so I needed an easy menu I could throw together quickly (with the help of my husband who grilled the chicken).  Chicken Tikka, Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Almonds and a simple green salad was the perfect menu for dinner, and this menu satisfies my craving for Mediterranean food. 

The chicken was moist and tender and perfectly spiced.  Be sure to serve it with the yogurt sauce as the sauce adds great flavor.  Food Network Magazine had the recipe in their 50 Kabob booklet, but I like the whole pieces of chicken as they stay moister, but you can kabob the chicken with some green onions if you would like.  The cranberries in the pilaf added a touch of sweetness to the rice while the slivered almonds add a great crunch.

Chicken Tikka
Adapted from Food Network Magazine 50 Kabob booklet
Printable Recipe
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 cups Greek yogurt, separated
2 tablespoons garam masala
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, separated
1 ½ teaspoons grated ginger
1 ½ teaspoons grated garlic
2 tablespoons lime juice, separated
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup Greek yogurt, garam masala, ½ cups chopped cilantro, ginger, garlic 1 tablespoon lime juice, salt and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.  Take out 2 tablespoons of yogurt mixture and set aside.  Add the chicken to the large bowl with the remaining marinade, and marinate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

In a small bowl, add 1 cup Greek yogurt, the 2 tablespoons of reserved marinade, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, and 1 tablespoon lime juice.  Set aside.

Take the chicken out of the marinade, and grill over medium heat until done, about 3-5 minutes per side.  Serve with yogurt sauce.

Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Almonds
Printable Recipe
1½  cups basmati rice
2¼  cups chicken broth
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
½ cup chopped dried cranberries
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, add vegetable oil and butter.  When the butter is melted, add the onion, and cook until softened.  Add the dry rice, and mix until the rice is coated with the butter and vegetable oil.  Cook the rice until it becomes opaque.  Add the chicken and cook until the rice is cooked and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes.  Add the slivered almonds and cranberries, stirring to combine.  Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Grilled Herb Chicken with Vinaigrette

With all the rain we’ve been having this year, the garden is looking especially green and beautiful, and my herb garden is no exception.  I have a plethora of oregano, thyme and rosemary.  I suppose I could dry the herbs or freeze them, but their fragrant leaves call to me to use them fresh.  I think I’ve hit on a good way to use my fresh herbs.   Grilled Herbed Chicken with Vinaigrette is fresh and flavorful, and tastes like spring. 

I used a mixture of thighs and breasts since that is what I had on hand.  My husband was late coming home from work on Sunday, so I had to grill these babies myself.  I think I did a good job, but don’t tell Les I said so.  He is the “grill master” in this family!

Grilled Herb Chicken with Vinaigrette
6 Boneless skinless chicken breasts or 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (or a mixture)
¼ cup chopped fresh oregano
Juice from 2 lemons, separated
4 Tablespoons olive oil, separated
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tablespoon, tequila or dry white wine
4 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt, separated

In a small bowl, combine the oregano, juice of one lemon, 2 tablespoons olive oil, thyme, rosemary, tequila or wine, garlic, lemon zest, and ½ teaspoon salt.

Remove 2 tablespoons of the marinade mixture, and place it in a small bowl.  Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the juice of the remaining lemon and ½ teaspoon salt.  Set the vinaigrette aside.

Place chicken in a non-reactive baking dish, and poke the chicken all over with a fork.   Pour the marinade over the chicken and let it sit for 15 to 30 minutes.  Preheat the grill to medium high heat.  Place the chicken on the grill and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes and serve whole or sliced with the vinaigrette spooned over the top.

Click here for a printable version of Grilled Herb Chicken with Vinaigrette

Olive-Brined Chicken with Grilled Onions and Pimenton Oil

Are you looking for a great chicken recipe to serve for a 4th of July Barbeque? I have just the recipe for you. How do I know? I served this chicken for 4th of July last year, and I received rave reviews from my guests. Best of all, this chicken is easy to make for a crowd.

I found this recipe in Food & Wine’s July 2008 issue. Chef Paul Virant (a Food & Wine Best New Chef 2007) created this recipe, which he served with Warm Potato Salad with Arugula (among other recipes) for his 4th July magazine spread. I’ve made this chicken several times in the past year, and I can’t get over how moist the brined chicken is. The herbs de Provence in the brine give the chicken an almost flowery flavor, and the pimenton makes chicken deliciously smoky. The two flavors combine with the tart lemon juice and olives to create a complex dish that is simply delicious. I highly recommend Olive-Brined Chicken with Grilled Onions and Pimenton Oil.

Olive-Brined Chicken with Grilled Onions and Pimenton Oil
From Paul Virant in Food & Wine
2 quarts water
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup herbs de Provence
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
1 cup pitted Spanish green olives, smashed
10 fresh bay leaves
12 chicken drumsticks
12 chicken thighs
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pimenton de la Vera (smoked Spanish paprika)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
3 large sweet onions, sliced ½ inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup pimiento-stuffed Spanish olives, sliced
½ cup flat-leaf parsley leaves

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large saucepan, and simmer until the salt is dissolved. Pour the brine into a very large glass bowl and cool to room temperature. I poured the brine into two gallon Ziplock bags after if cooled. Add the chicken to the brine, seal the bags and refrigerate overnight.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the oil, pimenton and 1 tablespoon of chopped thyme, and place over moderate heat until the mixture is hot.

Light a grill. Brush the onion slices with the pimenton oil, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of thyme. Grill the onions over moderately high heat until lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the onions to a platter, and separate the rings. Toss the onions with the sliced olives, parsley and 2 tablespoons of the pimenton oil.

Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Grill the chicken over moderate heat, turning often until the skin is nicely charred and the meat is cook through, about 25 minutes. Brush the chicken with the pimenton oil and place the chicken on the platter with the onions. Serve.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Artichokes and Lemon

I like to plan a week’s worth of meals during the weekend, so I can go shopping on Saturday or Sunday (I like to do this, but it doesn't always happen). I then have everything ready to cook when I get home during the week, and I don't have to stop at the store. When I can plan like this, weeknight meals seem so much easier.

I am always looking for inspiration, so we don't have tacos and spaghetti every week. I picked up Fine Cooking’s Make It Tonight magazine. (With all of the cookbooks and magazines I already have, it feels a little obsessive to bring home yet another cooking magazine, but I did it anyway. I think it might be a sickness, but I’ll have to work that out later.) One of the recipes in Make It Tonight that caught my eye was the Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Artichokes and Lemon. I love artichokes, and you already know how I feel about lemon, so this recipe looked great.

I can’t believe how easy this recipe was to put together. It took about 45 minutes total time to cook, but I could leave it for most of that time to get some things on my to-do list accomplished. I loved this whole dish. My husband and daughter didn’t like the vinaigrette on top of the artichokes, but they didn’t mind it on the rest of the dish. I thought the vinaigrette finished off the dish nicely.

Roasted Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Artichokes and Lemon
¼ plus 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil; more for the baking sheet
4 to 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 package frozen artichoke hearts, 10 ounce
1 lemon
1 pound small potatoes, such as fingerling or baby Yukon Gold, those over 2 inches cut in half
4 small sprigs of thyme
Flat-Leaf parsley for garnish

Preheat over 450°. Lightly oil a heavy duty rimmed baking sheet. Put the chicken on the baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Leave plenty of room between the chicken thighs. Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse the artichokes in a colander to partially thaw, and drain. Thinly slice half the lemon and juice the other half. Place 4 teaspoons of the lemon juice in a small bowl, whisk in the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Combine the artichokes, potatoes, lemon, thyme and the ¼ cup of olive in a large bowl. Mix to coat the ingredients. Add 1 tsp of salt and a few grinds of pepper. After the chicken has cooked for 15 minutes, remove it from the oven and add the artichoke mixture. Spread the mixture out on the baking sheet keeping the lemon slices toward the middle, so they don’t burn. Continue roasting for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender. Divide the chicken and the vegetables on plates and drizzle with the lemon vinaigrette, and sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4 to 6.

Lemon Pineapple Chicken

So, did I tell you I love lemon? I did? Well, okay, then I will share another lemon dish that is also a quick weeknight meal. A friend I worked with gave me this recipe years ago. I have been making it on and off since she passed it along to me.

When I first made Lemon Pineapple Chicken, I used dried rosemary, and the flavor of the rosemary took over. I kept using less and less dried rosemary each time I made the recipe until I stopped making it all together. It was only when I moved to my new house with a rosemary bush in the backyard that I decided to try the recipe again. I used the fresh rosemary from my bush instead of dried, and it made a huge difference. Gone was the woody overpowering taste, and it was replaced by a mellow herb flavor that compliments all of the other flavors. The recipe shines with the fresh rosemary.

Now, don’t be fooled by the name of this recipe. Despite the pineapple and lemon, the sauce is not sweet. The garlic, rosemary, mustard and Worcestershire sauce work together to keep the sauce from being cloyingly sweet.

I also added a can of pineapple juice to the recipe, because I like to have plenty of sauce to pour over my rice, but you could add more lemon juice or even orange juice.

Lemon Pineapple Chicken
Adapted from my friend Vicky’s recipe

1 20oz. can sliced or chunk pineapple
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1 6oz can pineapple juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cloves garlic (crushed)
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 small lemon thinly sliced
4 chicken breasts

Preheat the oven 400°. Drain the pineapple and reserve the juice. Combine pineapple juice, lemon juice, salt, garlic, rosemary, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and cornstarch. Pour the sauce over chicken reserving a small amount of sauce for the end. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Place pineapple and lemon slices on top and around chicken, and pour in the rest of the sauce. Bake 5 minutes longer.