Recipes

Recipes by Anne Mann

Chicken meals are comforting in winter

When the wind is blowing and the temperature drops, I love to fill the house with the warm, comforting aromas of a chicken dinner all ready at the same time. All three of these dishes are slow cooked, whether in the oven or crock pot, with the preparation done earlier in the day so you can relax and enjoy them later. Be sure to freeze any leftover sauce from any of these recipes to add to your next pot of chicken stock or minestrone soup to give it some added depth.

Leeks and Chicken with Vermouth

Leeks are the last vegetable we harvest from the garden, often after they are covered with snow in the new year. When that happens, I cannot get Nigella Lawson’s “leeks in vermouth sauce” recipe out of my head. She noted that you could bake salmon or chicken breasts on top of leeks in one of her cookbooks but I have never been able to find the recipe again. This is my attempt to make that aromatic, comforting meal as simply as possible. You can cook the leeks in white sauce on their own but I always feel the more vegetables you have in a meal the better so I add the potatoes and mushrooms to make it seem complete. Next time you see some lovely leeks at the store or your cold room see which way you like best.

Ingredients:

4 - 6 chicken breasts with skin and bones (boneless if you prefer) 2 - 4 leeks, depending on the size, white and light green parts only chopped 1 or 2 potatoes (optional) 8 oz mushrooms, sliced (optional) 1/3 cup vermouth or dry white wine 2 cups GF stock or water 1 tsp salt *1 tbsp potato or corn starch *2 tbsp rice flour or other AP glutenfree flour mix 3 tbsp butter 1 cup milk 1 tsp Dijon mustard 2 tbsp whipping cream 1 - 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped or if you prefer 1 tsp dry oregano freshly ground pepper to taste *You may substitute 3 tbsp wheat flour if you are not making it glutenfree

Directions:

If using mushrooms, cook in a tablespoon of butter before browning chicken and set aside. Sprinkle chicken breasts with pepper and place skin side down, in a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven** with a tsp of oil. Cook without moving until the skin is browned then turn and lightly brown the other side. Remove from the pan and set aside until later. Clean and cut leeks into 1 to 2 inch pieces and place in the same skillet with a tsp of oil. I always cut leeks in half so I can wash between each layer to get all the dirt out. Cook gently, but do not brown, for several minutes, then cover with vermouthand stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, if using and simmer

Chicken makes such comforting meals for families to share around the kitchen table. Clockwise: Leek and chicken with vermouth uses leeks dug out of the garden; the creole stewed chicken habib recipe calls for chicken to be marinated and at bottom, slow cooker butter chicken with squash is tender and tasty.

for 10 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together corn starch, rice flour and milk in a microwaveable dish. Microwave together with butter and mustard until hot and beginning to thicken, whisking often to prevent lumps forming. Add to the finished leek mixture, pouring through a sieve to smooth out any lumps. Stir together then add cream and cooked mushrooms. Place browned chicken over leek mixture and bake, uncovered, at 375°F for about an hour until chicken is done. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is well done. Serves 4-6. ** If you do not have a large enough pan that goes from stovetop to oven you may brown and simmer on the stove then move to an ovenproof lasagna pan or other ovenproof dish.

Creole Stewed Chicken Habib

I used to think of this recipe whenever I saw whole, cut-up chicken in the store. I don’t see that often any more so I had forgotten about this great meal for a while, and was glad to rediscover it! You can use a combination of chicken pieces or buy a whole chicken and cut it yourself. This gives you the added bonus of making a pot of stock with the backbone and neck when you are finished. I watched How to Cut Up a Whole Chicken | Melissa Clark Recipes | The New York Times for some advice on doing this job. The “Habib” part of the name comes from the family that contributed this recipe to Gourmet magazine in 1991. It is nice to make it in the fall when there are fresh tomatoes and parsley and green onions or chives but I use frozen tomatoes and parsley in the winter. I get it marinating in the morning or the night before and leave it in the refrigerator all day then finish it a couple of hours before dinner. Wrap a couple of sweet potatoes in foil and put them in the oven and make a pot of rice to complete the meal. You will be amazed at how much flavour this dish packs!

Ingredients:

2 - 4 lb of mixed chicken pieces or a whole cut up chicken 1 cup onion, chopped 2 green onions, chopped (optional – often I do not have any on hand) 1 large tomato, cut in wedges, about 1 1/3 cups 3 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced 1 clove garlic, crushed 1/8 tsp thyme 1 tsp salt 1/8 tsp black pepper 1 Tbsp cider vinegar 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar, packed 2 Tbsp ketchup 2 cups water reserved marinade

Directions:

Combine chicken, both onions, tomato, parsley, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce in a large bowl that can be covered. Shake well to mix then chill for at least one hour or all day. Two or three hours before serving heat the oil and brown sugar in a heavy Dutch oven or covered dish that can go from the stove to the oven. When it begins to bubble add the chicken, browning a few pieces at a time, and remove it to drain on a paper towel. Add ketchup, water and remaining marinade to the pan the chicken was in. Simmer and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the chicken back and bring to a boil. Move to a 350°F oven and cook, covered for an hour then uncover and continue to cook an hour or so longer. Allow 1 - 2 pieces chicken per person and serve with rice. Serves 4.

Slow Cooker Butter Chicken with Squash

I love the traditional butter chicken recipe in my cookbook with the spices toasted and ground but it seems a bit intimidating sometimes so I was intrigued with the slowcooker version on The Suburban Soapbox blog. I decreased the spices to my taste and did not bother browning the chicken but threw everything into the crock pot except the milk and spinach. The squash cooked down into the sauce so you may wish to add the squash one to two hours before the end if you are going to be home then. The dish was extremely flavourful and definitely one to keep in the winter rotation.

Ingredients:

3 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed or minced 1 tbsp turmeric 1 tbsp garam masala 1 tbsp cumin 1 - 2 dried hot peppers* or 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper 1 cinnamon stick (optional) 1 cup tomato sauce or strained tomatoes 3 tbsp fresh ginger, grated or finely minced or 1 tsp dry ginger 1 tbsp butter 3/4 cups golden raisins 2 cups stock or water 2 cups butternut squash peeled and cubed 1 can (200 ml) coconut milk or 1 1/2 cups half and half 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach (optional but highly recommended)

Directions:

*I always leave any excess hot peppers from the summer to dry in a basket in the kitchen and use them in any stock or sauce that wants a bit of heat. If you leave the pepper whole it is not too spicy. Shake chicken with cornstarch, salt and pepper and place in a slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, turmeric, garam masala, cumin, peppers, cinnamon stick, tomato sauce, ginger, butter, raisins and stock to chicken and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours. You may add the squash with the chicken but it will just become part of the sauce if cooked all day. Turn the slow cooker up to high and add squash, if waiting, and continue to cook for another two hours. If you are late getting home and want to eat in an hour, par-cook squash in the microwave and add for the last hour. Temper milk by adding a little of the hot sauce before stirring it into the crock pot with the spinach 10 minutes before serving. Serve with basmati rice. Serves 8. ◊