Tag Archives: Chicken/Poultry

Coconut and Cardamom Chicken Curry

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Coconut and Cardamom Chicken Curry

Last week Piyush and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. He had to work for the day so I decided to make him a delicious meal before picking him up from the office and whisking him away to watch The Great Gatsby.

Before I get into all the details of the curry, I’ve got to tell you, this recipe was a hit! It was exotic and incredibly tasty. In fact, it was so delicious, Piyush has been asking me to make it every single day since he finished it. That’s definitely not like him…so I know I must have done something right! Continue reading →

Chicken Sausage, Pesto and Gruyere Croissant Rolls…and a Giveaway!

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Giveaway is now over! Sadly, I didn’t get a response from Emily R. before the Jan. 2 deadline, so I have to pick a new winner. Emily, if you read this…send me a message! I can’t send you the sausages, but I’d love to send you a little something else!

New winner: Congratulations to commenter #3 (picked via random.org), tcarolinep!!! I’ll be sending you an email!

It’s no secret that my family loves cinnamon rolls. Especially my Grandmother’s homemade cinnamon rolls. Oh man! They’re soft and doughy, sweet–but not too sweet–they’re everything you could ever want in a cinnamon roll…and more!

Because I work on Christmas this year, I won’t have time to go to Grandma’s and have a taste of her fluffy cinnamon rolls, nor will I have time to whip up a pan of my own. Instead, I plan on making Piyush a quick and easy recipe using Gold’n Plump Chicken Sausages, pesto, gruyere and pre-packaged croissant roll dough.

Freshly baked Chicken Sausage Rolls

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“Saucy” Asian Inspired Turkey Meatballs

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First, my apologies for not blogging as much as usual. I recently had a surgery–don’t worry, nothing real serious–and to be completely honest, I just haven’t had much energy. Instead of cooking and baking, I’ve been laying around watching absolutely too much television.

Too much Lifetime television–with my friend, Megan–to be precise.

Haha… but yeah, that’s the reason for my disappearance. I start back to work tomorrow, so I’m hoping my life gets back to its normal routine sooner rather than later.

Saucy Asian Turkey Meatballs

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Chicken Chapli Kabab: Pakistani Style

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We, Americans, eat a lot of burgers. Hamburgers, turkey burgers, veggie burgers…they’re all an important part of our culture. We love pretty much anything if it’s formed into a patty, placed on a bun, and slathered with toppings. …and who can blame us? Burgers are good!

We also love kababs. Meat, veggies, fruit–it doesn’t matter. If it’s been skewered or is served on a stick, we’ll eat it, and we’ll savor every last bite.

Now, things are really going to get interesting. I’d like to introduce you all to the spicy, tender chapli kabab!

Chicken Chapli Kabab

It’s a kabab, but it’s not served on a stick. It’s also a burger, yet it’s not on a bun.

The first time I tried traditional kababs, I’ve got to admit, I was confused. They weren’t hunks of meat or vegetables threaded onto a skewer. Heck, they weren’t even grilled! Instead they were made of ground meat, studded with spices and little bits of vegetables. They were tender, juicy, and quite unlike anything I’d had before. I was hooked.

This version of kabab, the chapli kabab, is very popular in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. They’re usually made with minced beef or lamb, but can also be made with chicken. The kababs get their name because of the way they’re shaped. Piyush tried to convince me that they were called chapli kababs because they were flat like chappals (sandals), which is sort of true.

A pair of Piyush’s chappals

In actuality, they’re not named after the chappals, although it was a good guess. They’re actually called chapli kababs simply because they’re flat. The word chapli is derived from a Pashto (spoken in Pakistan and Afghanistan) word, chaprikh, also meaning flat.

Piyush and I first tasted the incredible chapli kababs at a Pakistani restaurant here, in Rochester. The restaurant is called Kababs (if anyone is interested), and serves fabulous home-style food. The food is very, very similar to authentic Indian dishes–especially dishes served in West Bengal (although the spices are a little milder, and the curries are definitely not as hot). It’s cheap, and it’s good.

My chapli kababs were an even match, taste-wise, to what we ate at the restaurant. The only difference is that I made mine a little thicker than they should be.

Pakistani-style Chapli Kabab topped with raw onion, tomato slice and mint/corriander chutney

I plan on making these again and again. I can’t wait to grill these and serve them as alternatives to hamburgers at our next bbq. Not only do they pack some incredible flavor, but they’re also pretty healthy. Each kabab is around 140 calories, and it’s full of veggies.

I made the kababs using a pound of skinless, boneless chicken thighs. I tossed the meat in my food processor and processed it until it was a smooth, paste-like consistency. I then chopped a whole bunch of veggies: tomatoes, onion, green onion, serrano chilies, garlic, ginger, corriander…and tossed them all in with the meat.

I mixed everything really well, making sure to squeeze the juices from the tomatoes as I mixed–this helped keep the meat juicy and flavorful (I think…). I added freshly ground corriander seeds (not ground to a powder), ground cumin seeds, dried pomegranate seeds, a little besan flour (chickpea) and even some crushed red pepper. I seasoned the meat with salt and black pepper, and then formed into patties.

I used a pastry cutter to make the patties, mostly because I wanted them to be the same shape and size. Also because I didn’t want to get my hands dirty after I had just washed them. …What kind of cook am I?!

After the patties were formed, I tossed them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. You don’t have to do this, I just find it helps hold the patties together a little better. In fact, it seemed to work so well, I didn’t have a single patty fall apart on me. Surprising, considering how much other stuff I had tossed in with the meat.

When I was ready to cook the patties, I put a little oil in a non-stick pan–just enough to coat the bottom.

If you’re trying to avoid oil, you could just use a non-stick cooking spray. It should do a similar job, although you might not get that beautiful golden sear on the patties.

Chapli Kababs, ready to serve!

These patties were so juicy! Chicken tends to get really dry, really fast; but I really think all the water from the veggies helped keep everything tender and moist. This photo isn’t the best shot, but I think you can really see how juicy the kabab is.

Chicken Chapli Kababs (Pakistani Style)

Makes 9 medium-sized patties

Ingredients:

1 lb. skinless and boneless chicken thighs (alternatively, you can use a combo of thigh/breast meat)- minced or ground in food processor
1/2 medium white onion- diced
2 roma tomatoes- diced
2 large green onions- chopped
3 serrano chilies (may use jalapenos)- seeded and chopped
handful corriander leaves (cilantro)- chopped
1 tbsp. garlic paste
1 tbsp. ginger paste
1 tsp. corriander seeds – ground, but not into a powder*
1 tsp. cumin seeds- ground, but not into a powder*
1 dried red chile- ground to a powder (optional. This will make the patties very spicy)*
1 tsp. dried pomegranate seeds- ground*
2 tsp. besan flour (chickpea flour–alternatively all-purpose flour would work too)- more if needed to hold the patties together
salt- to taste
pepper-to taste
oil- for frying (I think I used about 4 tbsp. total)

* Note: Any ingredient with a * after it could be substituted by using a pre-made chapli masala mix. This mix may be hard to find, but many Pakistani grocers (and even some Indian grocers) will carry it.

Directions:

If your meat is not minced, grind it in a food processor until it is broken down and is paste-like in consistency.
Add all chopped veggies and spices to the meat, and mix together using your hands. Squeeze the tomatoes as you mix everything together, releasing their juices. Mix until everything is well combined.
Form the meat mixture into patties. Either roll the meat into balls and flatten with your hands or use a burger press/mold.
Freeze patties on parchment paper for about 15 minutes. They don’t need to be frozen through, just cold enough that the meat sticks together better.
Heat oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil gets hot, add the patties. Cook in batches so they are not over-crowded in the pan.
Cook each side for about 2 or 3 minutes, until you notice a nice golden color on the outside. Watch the sides of the patties, once they are no longer pink or raw, your kabab should be nearly done cooking. Total time, about 5 minutes a patty.
Remove cooked patties from pan and lay on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve immediately, garnished with corriander leaves, tomatoes, raw onion, and lemon wedges. Serve the kababs along with chutney and rice or naan. Enjoy!

Printer Friendly Recipe

And now, because I shared Piyush’s pretty chappals, I wanted to share some of my own Indian-style footwear! …I mean, what girl doesn’t love shoes?!

These were bought in Kolkata. I love them, but have not worn them yet. I’m putting it off because I know it’ll be painful (at first…).

These are my favorite, and were purchased in Amritsar, India–near Pakistan.

Yes, I really am that white. It’s sad, really. I wish I could tan… I also have hideous feet. They’re ugly, but they’re mine. 🙂

These shoes aren’t called chappals. I can’t remember what they are called, actually. They took about a month to break in (after struggling though some bad shoe bite! They even made my feet swell HUGE), but are now my most comfortable pair of shoes.

…and since I was mentioning Pakistan, I thought I’d share a photo from the India Pakistan boarder. This is as close as I got…You see that big white structure in the back of the photo? That’s the entry to Pakistan.

It was incredible to see all the patriotism–from both India and Pakistan. There were tons and tons of people, lots of dancing and music, and even a peace ceremony between both countries. It’s something I feel blessed to have attended, and I hope to attend again (although we’ll get there earlier next time. It fills up fast, and can be really hard to see anything).

If you’d like to see the ceremony, here is a video that explains it pretty good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeSX6AZ5xEI

Home-Style Chicken Masala (Indian-Spiced Chicken Stew)

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It’s no secret that I love Indian food. Love may even be an understatement. Truthfully, I am obsessed with the cuisine!

Sure, I enjoy the typical restaurant fare: chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and even heaps of naan slathered with ghee (clarified butter). Yes, I admitted it. I love ghee. But, that’s not the point…(**quickly changes topic**)

What I’m trying to say is that the restaurant stuff is good, but it doesn’t even hold a candle to the rustic and inventive food served in the Indian home. There is absolutely no comparison.

The curries my mother-in-law (Maa) and my father-in-law (Baba) create aren’t just food. No way. If you could just have one taste, you’d understand; these curries are love.

Home-Style Chicken Masala

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Spicy Chicken Sausage Pizza with Chipotle Pepper and Pepita Seed Pesto & Giveaway!

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This giveaway is now closed. Random.org chose #2

So, Mona…you are the winner! I hope you enjoy your chicken sausages!!! You should be receiving an email soon!

A couple weeks ago I received an email from Gold’n Plump asking me if I’d be interested in trying their new line of chicken sausages. I don’t typically buy Gold’n Plump products, so I didn’t really know anything about the company. I was surprised to learn that they are based out of St. Cloud, Minnesota–just a few hours drive from where we live.

In fact, these chickens are probably more “local” than what I can get at my neighborhood butcher shop (sad, huh?)–and a whole lot cheaper than buying them straight from the farmer’s market/farmer. Now, if you read my blog regularly, you’re probably already aware that I’m pretty picky when purchasing my meat.

I try to buy organic as much as possible, but sometimes that’s not always the practical thing to do. Do you know how much money 12lbs of organic, cage-free, vegetarian fed chicken breast for a potluck would cost me? A small fortune, I’m sure. It’s the sad reality.

I replied to the email and asked a few questions about the chicken–what they’re fed, how they’re raised, and if they were given any hormones/antibiotics. I was satisfied with the responses I was given, so I agreed to give the chicken sausages a try.

I was sent 4 different varieties to try: Lean Chicken Bratwurst, Lean Hot Italian Chicken Sausage, Lean Parmesan Italian Chicken Sausage and Lean Apple Maple Chicken Breakfast Sausage.

I decided to try the Hot Italian Chicken Sausages first.

…And I had the perfect recipe in mind: Spicy Chicken Sausage Pizza with a Chipotle Pepper-Pepita Seed Pesto.

Piyush always tells me how much he loves the chicken sausage pizza at Zpizza–a place he eats lunch at occasionally. He’s actually bought chicken sausages from Trader Joe’s, Hyvee, Walmart and Sam’s Club–trying to find one with the same taste as the one on that pizza. They all ended up in the garbage, and we continued to buy pork when we got the craving for sausages or brats.

Sure, pork sausage is delicious; but it’s also incredibly fatty–definitely not good for my already over-expanded waistline. The spicy chicken sausage from Gold’n Plump contained 8 g. of fat and less than 180 calories per link. That is a whole lot healthier than pork! …and the apple maple breakfast sausages were 100 calories for 3 links–I say that’s awesome! I can’t wait to give those a try this weekend.

Now, before I go on telling you what I think about the sausages, let me just state that yes, Gold’n Plump provided the sausages to me at no cost…but I will be honest, and all opinions/statements are completely my own.

So, the nutrition stats look pretty good–aside from the sodium levels, but even that was less than most pork sausages I’ve bought in the past; and sausage is usually high in salt in the first place. But how was the taste?

I removed the sausage from the casings so that I could top the pizza with ground meat instead of sliced.

In my personal opinion–and Piyush’s too–the hot Italian sausage was definitely as good as any pork sausage we’ve tried. It was very well spiced (it actually is hot) and wasn’t dry at all. After I removed the sausage from the casings (I wanted ground meat instead of sliced rings–although Piyush would have preferred I kept the sausages in the casings), I cooked it in a little olive oil until it browned up nicely.

Because Piyush loved the chicken sausage pizza from Zpizza, I thought it would be fun to make my own version. I’ve never tried a slice before…so I went to their website and checked out the toppings. It had chipotle pesto, red onions, corn, chicken sausage, mozzerella, tomatoes, cilantro and serrano chilies–it sounded fantastic!

I wish I would have thought of it first and could take all the credit, but no…instead I’m offering my version of Zpizza’s Santa Fe (which Piyush told me is nothing like their version—it’s different, but good on the exact same level. He really loves their pizza).

Spicy Chicken Sausage Pizza

Not only am I excited to share this crazy-good pizza recipe with you all, but I’m also excited because the nice people at Gold’n Plump have offered to send one of my readers the exact same chicken sausage sampler pack I received!

Gold’n Plump’s New Chicken Sausage Line: Parmesan Italian, Hot Italian, and Apple Maple Breakfast Sausages. There was also a package of Chicken Bratwurst.

So lets talk about this Giveaway!

To enter, simply leave a comment telling me:

What excites you about this new line of chicken sausages, and what you would make with them if you won?

The giveaway ends Monday, June 4 at 7:00 p.m. Central Time. The giveaway is only open to U.S. residents– (sorry!). Be sure to include a valid email address with your comment…if you win, I’ve got to be able to contact you!

I’ll choose the winner randomly using Random.org’s random number generator. If I don’t hear back from the winner by Wednesday, June 6 at 5:00 pm Central Time, a new winner will be chosen!

For an additional chances to win the Gold’n Plump Chicken Sausage Sampler Pack:

Like Gold’n Plump on Facebook (HERE)
Like My Fancy Pantry on Facebook (HERE)
Follow My Fancy Pantry on Twitter (HERE)

If you click LIKE on Facebook or FOLLOW on Twitter, be sure to leave a separate comment letting me know, and if you already LIKE or FOLLOW, leave a comment about that too!

In the mean time, if you’d like to try these sausages, you can head over to Gold’n Plump’s website and grab a $1.00 off coupon! They’re available at Super-Target (and some other stores too, I’m sure!).

Now, let’s get back to the pizza!

I used my basic whole wheat pizza crust recipe (using Indian Atta flour instead of regular whole wheat flour).

Printer Friendly Recipe: Pizza Crust

I topped the pizza with some Chipotle Pepper and Pepita Seed Pesto (recipe here) and finely chopped jalapeno peppers before topping with three kinds of cheeses: shredded mozzerella, shredded fontina and a locally made cheese similar to queso fresco. I then added the chicken sausage (2 links), some thinly sliced green and yellow bell pepper, whole kernels of corn (I used canned–but rinsed it all well before using), roasted tomato slices and additional sliced jalapenos for my spice-loving husband.

I baked the pizza at a little higher temp than usual: 475 degrees F…and didn’t pay close attention, so you’ll notice I burned it a little. I kind of liked it though, it reminded me a lot of a nice, wood-fired pizza–it even had that smokiness from the chipotles!

Once the pizza was finished baking, I topped it with some chopped cilantro, crumbled queso fresco style-cheese (the local stuff I used earlier) and an adobo-ranch sauce I made. I don’t like ranch dressing, but I knew this pizza would be spicy so I thought some sort of sauce would help cool it a little and also add some additional flavor.

I mixed a few squirts of ranch dressing with a little bit of adobo sauce (which the chipotle peppers were packed in) until I thought it was well balanced. I then tossed it in the fridge for a good 20 minutes, and drizzled it lightly over the pizza before I served it.

Piyush and I watched a netflix movie (some Hindi movie that I don’t remember the name of right now…) and enjoyed our pizza on the couch.

I’ve got to say, this might be the very best pizza flavor combination yet…

Chipotle Pepper and Pepita Seed Pesto

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In order to make this:

spicy chicken sausage pizza with chipotle pepper and pepita seed pesto

I had to make this:

It’s no secret that I love pesto. You could blend pretty much anything together and call it a pesto…and I’ll be in line to try it!

I wanted to make a spicy chicken sausage pizza with the new Gold’n Plump Hot Italian Chicken Sausages (which were delicious, by the way) that I received in the mail.

I was excited about the sausages because they are lower in calories and contain substantially less fat than regular pork sausage. They’re nitrate free, dairy free and also gluten free! Awesome! Gold’n Plump is also a Minnesota company, and the chickens are raised on family farms just a few hours from where I live. (More about these sausages later…along with a giveaway!)

I was aiming to recreate Zpizza’s Santa Fe pizza–it’s a spicy chicken sausage pizza that my husband absolutely loves. I’ve never actually tried it, but he raves and raves about it every Monday, so I thought I’d check out the toppings online and figure out what makes this pizza so special.

Reading the ingredients, 2 words jumped out at me. Chipotle Pesto.

I’ve never heard of such a thing, and I was curious. I needed to make it, and I needed to make it now! (Patience is not my strong point…).

I love a good challenge, so I started going through combinations in my head until I came up with what I thought would be the perfect recipe.

Not to toot my own horn or anything–but this pesto rocked!!! 🙂

I knew chipotle peppers and adobo sauce would be two key ingredients, and I figured I’d stick with the Parmesan cheese that you’d expect to find in a typical basil pesto. I didn’t want to use pine nuts for two reasons. One, they’re really expensive, and I didn’t want to use them in an experiment. And Two, I didn’t know if the flavor would be what I was looking for.

I dug through my pantry…and there was my answer. A big, unopened bag of Pepita Seeds (pumpkin seeds).

Pepita Seeds

Pepitas are the edible seeds inside the white hull of a pumpkin seed. They’re a light green color, and have a mild pumpkin flavor. They are commonly used in Mexican cuisine, so I figured they’d pair really well with the chipotle peppers.

If you’re unfamiliar with chipotles and have no idea where to find them, fear not!

Chipotle Peppers: what they lack in attractiveness, they make up for in flavor!

They’re simply smoked jalapeno peppers which are easily found in the Mexican isle of the super-market–usually packed in cans of adobo sauce. They add a really wonderful smokey flavor to a dish–along with a little spice! (Be mindful when adding adobo to recipes, the sauce can be pretty spicy).

I grabbed a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce out of the pantry and separated the chilies from the sauce. I rinsed 5 chilies under cold water–just to get the sauce off–and then split them to remove the seeds. If you really love spice, you could definitely leave the seeds in, but I thought it might just be a little too much for me.

Removing the seeds from a chipotle pepper.

When I finished prepping the chipotle peppers, I added them–along with garlic, parmesan, pepitas, adobo sauce and my homemade chili-garlic olive oil (recipe) into a food processor.

I pulsed everything together until it was well blended and at the consistency I wanted (although a little more oil would have maybe been nice).

It was so different. The taste was an exciting explosion of flavor on my tongue! It was sweet, smokey, salty, spicy all at once!

My recipe made about a cup of pesto, so I put it in a few jars and tossed it in the fridge until I was ready to use it. I’m not real sure how long it would last, as I’ve never made it before, but I’d say at least a week in the fridge–longer if you toss it in the freezer instead (freeze it in ice-cube trays, then it’s perfectly portioned too!).

I’m really excited to share my Spicy Sausage Pizza with Chipotle Pepper and Pepita Seed Pesto recipe with you, but if that doesn’t sound like something you’d enjoy, you could definitely slather some pesto on slices of toasted french bread and top with roasted tomatoes and crumbled queso fresco! YUM!

Or you could make some pasta and toss it with the pesto and a variety of vegetables. That sounds good too!

Or maybe even use it to make a really unique quesidilla! I’m imagining toasted tortillas filled with a mixture of shredded mozzarella, queso fresco, sliced green chilies (or bell peppers if you don’t want more spice), and chicken!

The options are endless!

Stay tuned for my pizza recipe—it’ll be showing up on my blog shortly. You’ll also want to check back because the nice folks at Gold’n Plump have also agreed to give a chicken sausage sampler pack to one lucky reader! Their new line includes:

Chicken Bratwursts
Hot Italian Chicken Sausage
Parmesan Italian Chicken Sausage
Apple Maple Breakfast Chicken Sausage Links

Gold’n Plump’s new chicken sausage line

Chipotle Pepper and Pepita Seed Pesto

(makes approximately 1 cup finished pesto)

Ingredients:

5 chipotle peppers- rinsed, seeded and roughly chopped
5 garlic cloves- chopped
3/4 c. Parmesan cheese- shredded
1/2 c. pepitas- dry roasted
1 tsp adobo sauce- or to taste (this can be spicy!)
1/3c. to 1/2 c. chili-garlic olive oil (can substitute a different oil)
pepper/salt-to taste

Directions:

Place the parmesan cheese in the food processor. Process until the cheese becomes a fine powder. Then add the pepita seeds to the cheese and process again. Pulse until the seeds are finely chopped–don’t process too long though–you don’t want the seeds to begin to turn into nut-butter.
Add the chopped garlic, chipotle chiles, and adobo sauce. Process until everything is well combined and it begins to take the form of a traditional pesto.
Turn the food processor onto the lowest speed and drizzle the oil into the mixture (while everything is being processed). Stop adding oil once the mixture reaches your desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer pesto into jars and store in the refrigerator for up to one week, or in the freezer for up to 2 months.