March 14, 2012

Grilled Wings using the Airfryer

I love the Philips Air-fryer. It makes frying so much easier, and healthier too, since it uses hot air to crisp up food instead of hot oil. I discovered that it does a pretty good grill too! One just needs to control the temperature well. Before we got the air-fryer, I hardly fry food at home. It is too oily, greasy, unhealthy, and creates too much of a mess. I bought it because I thought that maybe, I could cook healthier “fried” food alternatives for my little one in future. I discovered more use for it than just that.

These wings were simply marinated in oyster sauce, dark soya sauce, pepper and loads of minced garlic. They were then placed in the air-fryer for 10 minutes at 200°C and then for 5 minutes at 150°C. The results? Succulent, juicy grilled chicken wings. More air-fryer experiments to follow!

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February 25, 2012

Chicken Cacciatore Reloaded

I enjoy one-pot dishes. It means less fuss, less washing and meals get prepared in a much shorter time. An added bonus if both adults and children can enjoy it. My other chicken cacciatore recipe on this blog uses pepper flakes to add depth to the sauce. This will definitely not go well with my 13 month old daughter and hence, I cooked up another version of  chicken cacciatore, a more child-friendly one. Interestingly, this turned out just as well, if not tastier, than the previous version.

Chicken Cacciatore
Serves 3 – 4

Ingredients:
4 chicken thighs, cut into 3 pieces each
salt and pepper
2-3 tbsp flour
3 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced finely
1 carrot, chopped finely
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
3 bay leaves
1 can diced plum tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Season chicken with salt and pepper and coat with flour.
  2. In a large deep pot/french oven, brown chicken pieces in olive oil.
  3. Remove chicken and set aside.
  4. In the same pot, add garlic and onion and sauteed till onion is translucent.
  5. Add carrot and green peppers and stir fry for about 3 – 4 minutes.
  6. Add in dried herbs, bay leaves, brown sugar, tomatoes and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
  7. Nestle the chicken pieces in the sauce, cover the pot and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes or until chicken is tender and sauce is thickened.
  8. Season with salt and pepper.
  9. Serve hot, over rice or mash potatoes.
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December 18, 2010

Chicken Cacciatora

J’s family were coming over for dinner and I wanted something simple and quick, yet tasty. I decided on chicken cacciatora, an Italian classic favourite. It is simply put. chicken cooked in a rich tomato gravy, served over mash or boiled potatoes. Definitely heartwarming if served on a cool evening. Though the dish made from the original recipe was tasty and flavourful, I felt it could do with more heat. Hence, in the recipe below, I upped the original amount of crushed red peppers. If you prefer less heat, you can decrease the amount to suit your palate.

One thing we realized when cooking this dish is that the brand of canned plum tomatoes used matters a lot. We usually use the brand Cirrio, which has a good balance of sweetness and tang. This time however, J wanted to try another brand, Lutti. I realized that the tomatoes from the latter brand were a lot more tangy. The resulting taste was not quite balanced and I had to add some sugar towards the end to balance the flavours.

Chicken Cacciatora
Serves 4 to 5
Recipe adapted from Patricia Wells’ Trattoria

Ingredients:
1 chicken (1.5 to 2 kg), cut into 8 to 10 serving pieces
Sea salt and black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
1 onion, minced
2 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
3/4 tsp crushed red peppers flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 can of Italian plum tomatoes in juice, crushed
3 sprigs of fresh parsley
3 pieces of bay leaves
1/2 tsp dried crushed rosemary

Method:

  1. Season the chicken liberally with salt and black pepper.
  2. In a large skillet, combine oil and butter over high heat. When hot, add several pieces of chicken and cook on the skin side until it turns an even golden brown.
  3. Turn over the chicken pieces and brown the other side. When all pieces are browned, transfer them to a platter.
  4. Add the onions, celery, crushed red peppers flakes and salt to the same skillet and cook over moderate heat until the onions and celery are soft and translucent.
  5. Add the crushed tomatoes and their juices to the skillet. Add in the remaining herbs and stir to blend. Simmer the sauce for about 5 minutes.
  6. Bury the chicken pieces in the sauce, and simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through, another 25 minutes more.
  7. Remove the parsley sprigs and bay leaves.
  8. Transfer the chicken to warmed dinner plates, along with the sauce. Serve with mash potatoes or boiled potatoes.
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