mashed potato

Let’s Cook Chicken in Milk! Really?

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As I spent the weekend browsing through the food blogs and Instagram accounts that I follow, I came across the mention of Jamie Oliver’s infamous recipe for “Chicken in Milk” as the best chicken dish they had ever tasted.

Chicken cooked in Milk!? Really?

When you look at the components of the recipe it is quite a peculiar combination. Lemons, cinnamon, sage and milk.

OK Lets do this….

Chicken in Milk Recipe

Prep: approx. 15 min
Cook: 1 hr 40 min

Adapted from Chicken in Milk | Chicken Recipes | Jamie Oliver Recipes
Chicken in Milk served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach

Chicken in Milk served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach

Ingredients

Assembling the ingredients

Assembling the ingredients

  • 1 (3 pound/ 1.5 kilogram) whole chicken
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup of  butter or 4 tbsp of EV olive oil
  • 1/2 of chopped Sweet Vidalia onion
  • 1-2 cinnamon sticks
  • 1 good handful fresh sage, leaves picked
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 10+ garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 1/2 cups of skim milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and find a snug-fitting covered pot for the chicken. (I used my Oval French Oven | Le Creuset Canada )

Season the chicken very generously all over with salt and pepper, and fry it in the butter/olive oil, turning it to get an even colour all over, until golden.

The tasty goodness at the bottom of the pan can be used to lightly saute the onions.

Add the remaining ingredients and place your chicken back in the pot, and cook covered in the preheated oven for 1 hour.

Braised Chicken

Braised Chicken

Baste with the cooking juice when you remember. Cook under covered for the last 40 minutes of cooking.

The lemon zest will sort of split the milk, leaving little curds bathed in chicken juices, and not homogenized; this appearance is less appealing. Remove the cinnamon sticks, and used an immersion hand blender to make sauce infused with lemon and balanced with an aromatic flavour from the cinnamon and sage.

To serve, pull the meat off the bones and divide it on to your plates. Spoon over plenty of the lemony sauce over the chicken.

Serve with wilted spinach and some mashed potatoes. And a crusty baguette would be great to sop up the delicious sauce.

 

 

 

Chicken in Milk with sauteed Spinach, grilled Asparagus, smashed potatoes in a Lemony Corn Sauce

Chicken in Milk with sauteed Spinach, grilled Asparagus, smashed potatoes in a Lemony Corn Sauce

Tip: Make sure that you season the chicken very generously. Any extra time that you take to brown the chicken on ALL sides will embark more flavour in the end product. Try to achieve a deep golden colour on the skin.

The next time I make this I will also add the juice of 1 lemon for an added kick. 😉

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St. Patrick’s Day Lighter Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

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One of my favourite shows on daytime TV is “The Chew”. The ABC Daytime’s lifestyle series “The Chew”, centres on food related and lifestyle topics. It is a hosted by Mario Batali, one of the most recognized and respected chefs in America today, alongside fellow restaurateur and “Iron Chef America” star Michael Symon, “Top Chef” alum Carla Hall, entertaining expert Clinton Kelly and health and wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz. 

The show consistently inspires me for my daily dinner solutions. On St. Patrick’s Day this year, Mario Batali composed a shepherd’s pie in one pot cast iron skillet with piped mashed potatoes. Brilliant! One pot and cast iron to boot.

A cast iron skillet/pan Lodge Logic Cast Iron Skillet – 12 Inch – Consiglio’s Kitchenware and Gift is like the LBD (little black dress) of the kitchen. It is my most used kitchen “gadget”, next to my chef knife.

Since I had all the components for this recipe either in my fridge/freezer, I ventured to make my version. I didn’t have to make the mashed potatoes; sweet or Yukon so dinner came together relatively quick.

Tip: Whenever you make mashed potatoes for large holiday events double the amount, and flat pack the extra/leftovers in Ziploc bags, labeled and freeze. Once thaw the potatoes will be a little watery so add some milk and whip up until the right consistency.

St. Patrick’s Day Lighter Shepherd’s Pie Recipe

 Adapted from Shepherd’s Pie Recipe | Michael Symon – The Chew
St. Patrick's Turkey Shepherd's Pie

St. Patrick’s Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

 

Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients:

Browning the ground turkey and vegetables

Browning the ground turkey and vegetables

  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 pkg. of ground turkey
  • 2 carrots, peeled and cut in 1/2 moons
  • 2-3 ribs of celery, chopped
  • 2 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 can of beer, any brand preferably full flavoured
  • 3 tablespoons Flour
  • 1 cup Chicken Stock
  • 1 cup Peas (fresh or frozen)
  • Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
  • 3 Yukon gold potatoes (peeled)
  • 3 sweet potatoes (peeled)
  • 1 1/2 cups of grated cheddar cheese
  • fresh chopped italian parsley
  • 1 cup Olive Oil

In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and ground turkey and cook until brown. Add the minced garlic, celery and onions.

Add the carrots, cooking until the vegetables have softened. Deglaze the pan with beer.
Add the flour and cook until the flour has integrated and a wet sand texture. Add the peas and chicken stock. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the sauce comes together and thickens, about 10 minutes.
Simmer for 10 Minutes

Simmer for 10 Minutes

Pipe alternating between mashed sweet potatoes and the mashed potatoes over the top of the filling. Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese evenly over the top. Place on a baking pan and transfer to the oven.
Pipe sweet and yukon mashed potatoes on top

Piped Sweet and Yukon Mashed Potatoes on top

Broil for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.
Let cool and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
Let Cool

Broiled Goodness!

For Both Sweet and Yukon Mashed Potatoes: Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water by 3 inches. (Cook the 2 kinds of potatoes in separate pots) Bring to a boil and season with salt. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle.
Press the potatoes through a ricer. Whisk in about 1 cup of olive oil. Transfer to a piping bag.