Emily's Hot Dish

Nadine and I first met over ten years ago when she was my 8th grade earth science teacher and I was her 6th period TA. The next year she coached the Science Olympiad team and a few years later, when she left to teach at another school, we continued to be friends. We lost touch when I left for college, but recently reconnected through Facebook. She has always been a wonderful cook – very intuitive and creative. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her use a recipe book, though she does have a couple on her kitchen bookshelf. Hospitality is never in short supply at Nadine’s house; I know when I see her I will leave with a full belly and a warm heart.

On a recent weeknight I visited Nadine and her family and she made these INCREDIBLE chicken tacos for dinner. She says that they’re easy to make. I don’t disagree, but I will add the caveat that there is a fair amount of prep work involved. The great thing about tacos is you can do almost all of the prep in advance (that morning, the night before, etc) or you can farm it out to kids/guests so you can get dinner on the table pretty quickly. You can also buy a lot of the ingredients pre-prepped (like coleslaw mix instead of a head of cabbage, or pre-grated cheese). The upside is that it’s faster and easier, the downside is that it’s often more expensive and may not taste as good or be as healthy. 

You will need:
  •1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  •½ onion, diced (save the other half for the salsa verde)
  •3-4 cloves garlic, minced
  •splash white wine
  •½ head cabbage, finely sliced
  •1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, grated (Nadine swears by the Tillamook Special Reserve Extra Sharp, but I really didn’t taste a huge difference between that and the Organic Valley Sharp Cheddar)
  •18-24 corn tortillas
  •1 avocado, diced
  •½ bunch cilantro, minced
  •pumpkin or squash puree (optional, but delicious)
  •1 lime, cut into wedges
  •salsa verde (recipe will be posted tomorrow) 

Begin by heating some olive oil in a large cast iron pan. When the pan is hot add the garlic and onions. When the onions have softened and the garlic is fragrant, push them to the sides of the pan and add the chicken thighs. When they’re cooked on one side, use tongs or a metal turner to flip them. When they’re mostly cooked through, use a metal turner to cut them into small pieces in the pan. When the chicken is fully cooked, add a good-sized splash of white wine and stir to coat. Remove the chicken to a bowl. 

Add some more olive oil to the pan and put in 3 corn tortillas. Put a few tablespoons of cheese on the inside half of each of the tortillas, and then add some pumpkin puree (if using). 

Let the cheese get a little melty, then add a couple tablespoons of chicken to each tortilla. 

Spoon in some salsa verde, sprinkle on some cilantro, squeeze in a lime wedge, and add some avocado to each tortilla. 

Fold each tortilla in half toward the center of the pan.

When the tortilla is cooked to crispy on the bottom side and the cheese is oozy, turn each taco over by flipping to the outside of the pan. Let cook for about a minute more, then remove to a plate. Stuff each taco with cabbage and eat right away while hot and ooey gooey cheesy. 

The addition of curry powder to the chicken salad really punches up the flavor in an unusual but delicious way. The grapes add a sweet pop while the nuts are crunchy and savory. I really like using yogurt along with just a little bit of mayonnaise – there’s enough mayonnaise that it makes the sauce smooth and consistent, but because it’s mostly yogurt it doesn’t pack quite the fatty, caloric punch that chicken salad usually does. 

You will need:
  •1 pound leftover roasted chicken or 2 chicken breasts
  •½ cup greek-style yogurt
  •2 T mayonnaise
  •2 t curry powder
  •¼ cup sliced almonds
  •¼ cup pumpkin seeds
  •1 cup grapes
  •¼ cup cilantro (optional) 

If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can poach 2 chicken breasts instead. Bring 2 cups of water or chicken broth to a boil and add the breasts. Let simmer for 8 minutes then cover and move off the heat for 20 minutes or until the breasts have cooked through. Cool completely.

Cut or shred the chicken into ½ inch pieces. 

Slice the grapes in half. If using, mince the cilantro. 

In a large bowl mix the yogurt, mayonnaise, and curry powder. 

In the same bowl, add the chicken, nuts, grapes, and cilantro. Mix until everything is evenly coated. Serve by itself, in a sandwich, or over dressed greens. 

This is an easy use for leftover roasted chicken. There’s almost no cooking involved and it comes together really quickly. If you’ve never tried making your own salad dressing before, do it a few times and you’ll be hooked. I can’t remember the last time I bought a pre-made bottle at the store. 

The key to making a good salad is using a variety of flavors and textures. Here the chicken is toothsome and savory, the nuts are crunchy, the tomatoes pop and are tart-sweet, and the creamy cheese has a lovely herb top note. This is complemented by the thyme in the salad dressing, which uses lemon juice instead of vinegar for a more subtle acidic component. 

You will need:
  •Salad greens (not pictured)
  •Grape tomatoes
  •Leftover roasted chicken
  •Walnuts
  •Herbed sheep cheese

For the dressing:
  •3 T olive oil
  •2 T lemon juice
  •1 t Dijon mustard
  •1 t fresh thyme leaves

Add the walnuts to a small skillet and toast over medium heat. It is important not to leave the kitchen while toasting the walnuts because they will know that you’ve left and burn to spite you. They are done when they smell really delicious and toasty.

While the walnuts are toasting, use your hands to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cut the grape tomatoes in half. Cut the cheese into small pieces. When the walnuts are toasted, chop them into small pieces. 

Place all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk until combined. Place the salad greens into a large bowl and pour the dressing over. Toss to coat.

Add the tomatoes, chicken, nuts, and cheese. Toss once more to mix, then portion into two bowls and enjoy. 

While typically I use packaged chicken stock, I like to take advantage of all the leftovers when I roast a chicken and make homemade stock. It really doesn’t compare to commercially available stock. It’s rich, flavorful, and has incredible body and mouthfeel. 

You will need:
  •Bones and scraps from 1 roasted chicken
  •Water

Put the chicken into a pot and pour in 4 cups of water. Take note of how far up the side of the pan the water comes. Pour in another 2 cups of water (6 cups total). Simmer over very low heat, partially covered, until the stock reduces to 4 cups. This will take 2-3 hours. If the stock reduces too much, just add more water and simmer for at least another 30 minutes. Strain the solids out and let the fat rise to the top. If you have a fat separator, use it to separate the fat from the sock. If you don’t have a fat separator, pour the liquid into a tall, narrow container. Refrigerate until the fat is solid, then remove it with a fork. 

This chicken broth makes wonderful chicken soup. Just add shredded leftover chicken and cooked egg noodles. 

I saw this recipe posted over on The Kitchn about 2 weeks ago and the write-up was so effusive I went and bought a chicken that night to try it out. It was as incredible as promised – so incredible, I made it again a week later. I think my favorite thing about this recipe is that you can easily get 3 or 4 meals out of it: the night you roast it, an unbelievably rich and flavorful stock for later use, salad with leftover meat, sandwiches with leftover meat, etc. To that end, I’ll post recipes over the next few days using up the leftovers from this chicken. 

You will need:
  •1 whole chicken
  •zest of 2 lemons
  •2 cups milk
  •2 T butter
  •2 T olive oil
  •½ cinnamon stick
  •handful fresh sage leaves
  •1 head of garlic, papery outer skin removed and broken up into cloves with the peel left on

Specialty equipment:
  •dutch oven with lid that the chicken will fit in snugly
  •gravy separator

Preheat the oven to 375. On the stovetop, melt the butter with the oil in the dutch oven. When the pan is hot and the butter is melted, place the chicken in the pan and brown. When the first side is browned, turn the chicken ¼ turn and brown the next side. Repeat on remaining sides so that the whole chicken is golden brown. Remove the chicken to a plate and empty out the fat. 

Return the chicken to the pan breast-side down and add the milk, garlic, zest, cinnamon, and sage. Cover the pan and roast for 1 hour. 

Remove the lid and roast for another 30 minutes. 

Remove the chicken from the oven after it has roasted for a total of 90 minutes. Stand at the stove and pick off the skin and eat it up, sharing it only with people you like a WHOLE LOT.

Remove the chicken to a plate, pull the meat off the bones, and portion between plates. Save the bones for making stock after dinner.

Fish the garlic out from the sauce in the pan and put 2 or 3 on each plate. 

Pour the liquid in the pan into a gravy separator. Pour the liquid out into a gravy boat or pitcher, leaving the fat in the separator. There is no need to strain the liquid – the solids from the separated milk and the wilted sage leaves are DELICIOUS. 

Set the pan back on the stove and put the bones and all scraps in the pot. Don’t wash the pot – all the little brown sticky bits will give lovely flavor to the stock we’re going to make after dinner.

Serve the chicken with the garlic and roasting liquid. 

One of my favorite things about living in London was the food. This surprises most people when I tell them, but it’s true! There has been a revolution in British cooking over the last generation and it’s no longer tough, overcooked meat alongside mushy, flavorless vegetables. In many English homes you’re as likely to find a curry for dinner as you are bangers and mash. The English also make incredible soups and sandwiches – I loved going into Marks and Sparks or Pret A Manger to pick out a sandwich for lunch. What incredible choices! I don’t know who first thought cheese and chutney would be delicious together, but it was a stroke of genius.

A few years ago my parents were making their annual pilgrimage to London and my mom asked what she could get for me. I asked for a soup cookbook because I’ve always loved the ready-made soup in the grocery stores there and I was eager to try some of the flavor combinations myself here at home. She returned with The Soup Bible, which I’ve been using regularly ever since.

This recipe is heavily adapted from the version in the book. 

You will need:
  • 1 leek
  • 2 carrots
  • 1 jalapeno or Serrano pepper
  • small knob fresh ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup frozen peas (not pictured - oops)
  • 3 ounces by weight smooth almond butter
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, packed medium and rinsed well
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • ½ cup half-and-half or cream
  • chicken thigh or breast - between 4 and 8 ounces 

Specialty cookware:
  • Microplane grater
  • Food processor

Begin by cutting up your vegetables. Leeks can be a bit sandy, so you’ll want to wash it out. The best way I’ve seen to do this is to first cut the dark green from the light green and white part, then to make two long cuts 1 inch from the root end toward the top. You should end up with long strips of leek attached at the root. Holding the root end UP, rinse the leek under running water to make sure any sand or dirt are removed. If you hold the root end down the water will drive any dirt between the layers. After washing cut the leek into ½ inch pieces. 

Rinse the carrots, then cut off the top and bottom and discard. There is no need to peel the carrot as long as it’s been washed. Cut each carrot in half longitudinally, then into narrow 1/8” half-moons.

Cut the top and bottom off the pepper, then slice it in half longitudinally. Using a paring knife, remove the seeds and ribs and discard. It might be a good idea to wear gloves while handling and cutting the pepper. Once I cut up a jalapeno without gloves then rubbed my eye. It hurt so much I contemplated pulling my eye out as a way to stop the burning. Slice each half into matchsticks, then rotate 90 degrees and cut into fine dice.

Using the microplane, grate a knob of ginger about half the size of your thumb. There is no need to peel the ginger first. You should have somewhere in the neighborhood of 1 teaspoon of grated ginger.

Mince the garlic and measure out 1 cup of frozen peas. 

In a saucepan, melt the butter. When the pan is hot and the butter is bubbling, add the leeks, carrots, ginger, and pepper. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the leeks and carrots are moderately soft. Add the garlic and 4 ounces of almond butter and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes more. 

While the leek mixture is cooking, cut your chicken into small pieces. 

When the leek mixture is soft and smells delicious, scrape it into a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add the cilantro to the mixture and process until everything is in very very small bits and is an even consistency. 

Meanwhile, put the pieces of chicken into your saucepan and put the lid on. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through.

Scrape down the sides of the food processor. Replace the lid and add the chicken broth through the feed tube in an even stream while the processor is running. Turn it off once all the chicken broth is incorporated.

Tip: most feed tubes have a hollow plunger with a hole in the bottom. Leave the plunger in the feed tube and pour the broth into the plunger. It will come out the hole in the bottom in a steady stream. 

Tip: Use a Sharpie to mark on the chicken broth carton how much is remaining. Because this carton holds 4 cups and I used 2, I know that there are 2 cups remaining. Then remember to put the leftover chicken broth in the fridge, because you’ll feel dumb if you come downstairs in the morning and you’ve left the carton of chicken broth you so carefully marked out on the counter all night long. Not that I would know anything about that. 

Once the chicken is cooked, pour the contents of the food processor back into the saucepan, taking care not to dump the blade into the pan and splash soup all over yourself. Not that I’ve done that or anything.

Bring the soup back up to a simmer, stirring frequently. When the soup is hot, remove from the heat and stir in the cream or half-and-half. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cilantro. Serves 3. 

To vegetarianize: replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth or water. Omit chicken or replace with fake chicken.

To veganize: replace butter with olive oil. Replace chicken broth with vegetable broth or water. Omit chicken. Omit cream.

To kosherize: Replace butter with olive oil. Omit cream. Use kosher chicken and chicken broth. 



This recipe is my entry for the April 2009 Hobo Monday over at Thursday Night Smackdown. It can be made for $2.22/serving. For more a more detailed cost breakdown, please read this post.