Have You Ever Tried Canned Chicken?

Back when the Covid-19 pandemic started, I laid in a lot of supplies.  Gradually, though, I’ve been using them up in my daily cooking.  Only one item I bought gave me pause—the 12.5-ounce cans of cooked chicken breasts.  I noticed them at my big box store because they were sitting alone on a shelf that had been stripped of everything else.

Make Chicken Tikka for Dinner!

 

Chicken Tikka – serves 4 

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch cubes.  Set aside. 

Combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add the chicken cubes and mix again so that they are covered with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. 

Pre-heat the oven to 545 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil.  Place the chicken cubes on skewers and the skewers onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.  Check to make sure it’s white in the middle, not pink.  If it’s pink, bake for several more minutes.  Serve immediately.

                          For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!" 

Make Chicken Tikka for Dinner!

 Chicken Tikka – serves 4 

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch cubes.  Set aside. 

Combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add the chicken cubes and mix again so that they are covered with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. 

Pre-heat the oven to 545 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil.  Place the chicken cubes on skewers and the skewers onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.  Check to make sure it’s white in the middle, not pink.  If it’s pink, bake for several more minutes.  Serve immediately.

                          For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!" 

Chicken Tikka – serves 4 

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch cubes.  Set aside. 

Combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add the chicken cubes and mix again so that they are covered with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. 

Pre-heat the oven to 545 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil.  Place the chicken cubes on skewers and the skewers onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.  Check to make sure it’s white in the middle, not pink.  If it’s pink, bake for several more minutes.  Serve immediately.

                          For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!" 

Make Chicken Tikka for Dinner!

 

Chicken Tikka – serves 4 

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch cubes.  Set aside. 

Combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add the chicken cubes and mix again so that they are covered with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. 

Pre-heat the oven to 545 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil.  Place the chicken cubes on skewers and the skewers onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.  Check to make sure it’s white in the middle, not pink.  If it’s pink, bake for several more minutes.  Serve immediately.

                          For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"

Make Chicken Tikka for Dinner!

Chicken Tikka – serves 4 

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch cubes.  Set aside. 

Combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add the chicken cubes and mix again so that they are covered with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. 

Pre-heat the oven to 545 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil.  Place the chicken cubes on skewers and the skewers onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.  Check to make sure it’s white in the middle, not pink.  If it’s pink, bake for several more minutes.  Serve immediately.

                          For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"
 

Try Chicken Tikka for Dinner!

 Chicken Tikka – serves 4 

2-3 boneless chicken breasts (1 1/2 – 2 pounds)
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika 

Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut them into 1-inch cubes.  Set aside. 

Combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, chili powder, cumin and paprika in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.  Add the chicken cubes and mix again so that they are covered with the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 12 hours. 

Pre-heat the oven to 545 degrees.  Cover a baking sheet with a silicone mat or foil.  Place the chicken cubes on skewers and the skewers onto the baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.  Check to make sure it’s white in the middle, not pink.  If it’s pink, bake for several more minutes.  Serve immediately.

                          For more recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"

Question for Mom

Why does ground beef sometimes shrink more than ground turkey when you cook it?  ---Hannah B.

Ground beef often has more fat.  In fact, some ground beef can contain as much as 30% fat.  Fat melts during the cooking process, so not surprisingly your burgers become smaller.  Ground turkey does have some fat, and if it’s made from dark meat the fat content can approach that of ground beef.  Be sure to read the label.  I prefer the 7% fat ground turkey.

               For more easy recipes, order "Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen!"

Cooking Chicken Thighs Is Easier Than I Thought

The first time I bought chicken thighs I had no idea how to prepare them.  I was used to roasting whole chickens, which is one of the easiest meals ever.  How hard could it be to cook chicken thighs?

Welcome to the World of Canned Chicken

Back when the Covid-19 pandemic started, I laid in a lot of supplies.  Gradually, though, I’ve been using them up in my daily cooking.  Only one item I bought gave me pause—the 12.5-ounce cans of cooked chicken breasts.  I noticed them at my big box store because they were sitting alone on a shelf that had been stripped of everything else.

I Need Something New for Dinner

As the chief cook in our house, I usually make the executive decision as to what’s for dinner.  It used to be easier.  When our children were small, they ate what was put in front of them, with just a few exceptions.  

A Teenager Improves My Recipe

I have several food-savvy friends whom I consult when I have cooking questions.  But until recently none of them were younger than 45.  Then Jake, my 19-year-old grandson, decided he wanted to learn to cook.  He retrieved our second cookbook (“Help! My Apartment Has a Dining Room”) from his mother’s cookbook shelf and flipped through it until he found Chicken Sultana, a recipe that looked appealing.

Now Versus Then

When I look at what I eat now, as opposed to what I ate a decade ago, I am surprised by how adventurous I have become.  What happened to me?

Raiding-Your-Vegetable-Bin Stir-Fry

Yesterday was a super-busy day, and by 5 pm I still hadn’t figured out what we would be having for dinner.  I thought about the package of chicken tenders in the freezer.  Boring!  Then I looked in the vegetable bin and saw bok choy, onions, mushrooms, an orange bell pepper and garlic.  What more did I need? 

Basic Roast Chicken - Easiest Meal Ever!

Basic recipes have existed for centuries because 1) they are simple, and 2) they taste good.  Once you master their preparation, you’re free to improvise…or not.  I usually don’t because I know what I’m getting, and I don’t have to think twice about how to make it.

Question for Mom

Now that uncooked boneless chicken breasts often weigh more than 1 pound each, I’ve been wondering what’s the best way to prepare them.  Do they need to cook longer than smaller breasts? –Evelyn K.

One large chicken breast can feed a family of 4, especially if you cut the meat into stir-fry pieces and supplement with some fresh vegetables.  Spices would help provide flavor because this size breast is pretty bland.  Cooking time would be a few minutes longer because of the greater amount of chicken, but you could get a meal on the table in 30 minutes.

In Love with Chicken Again

Within a day of my complaining about how I’ve been eating too much chicken, my sister-in-law Sue sent me her latest recipe—Chicken Rice Soup.  Of course I tried it immediately, and it was delicious.  It also offers flexibility.  A small bowl can be an appetizer, while a large bowl can be a main course.

Oh No! Not Chicken Again!

Cookbooks often tell you that one 3½ pound chicken will feed four people. Somehow when I roast a chicken this size, we end up with a week of leftovers. 

Mom Cooking Tip 173

This Mom Cooking Tip comes from a life-long friend who spent many years working in a New York test kitchen.  She told me that whenever she buys a cooked rotisserie chicken, she roasts it for 1- 1½ additional hours at 375 degrees before serving it.  She thinks it tastes better that way.

I tried out this tip last night, and everyone at the table liked the end result.  The chicken was firmer and not as salty as usual.  I had planned on serving the leftovers tonight, but there was hardly anything left.

                                                       See all my Cooking Tips!

I Like Fried Chicken, But…

I like fried chicken, but I will never make it because of the amount of oil involved.  Years ago while working in a Little League snack bar, I learned how to handle a deep fat fryer. That’s when I decided I would not cook this way at home.  For one thing, I’m too clumsy to be around boiling oil.  For another, I don’t want to deal with all that oil in my kitchen.  It’s too potentially messy.  And if the words “fire extinguisher” are mentioned in the cooking instructions, that is a turn off.

If Eating Out, Do You Prefer a Restaurant or a Friend’s Kitchen?

Sometimes eating at a friend’s home is so much better than going to a restaurant.  My friend Dorothy is a whiz in the kitchen.  No matter what she serves, it is guaranteed to be better than anything ordered at a restaurant.  Try her Shish Kebab recipe and see for yourself.