chicken recipes

Perfect Whole Roasted Chicken

April 27, 2014 By Lena

I’m not going to take credit for this recipe. Heck, I can’t even take credit for making this dish, because my husband did everything from start to finish. And since he can follow a recipe, truss a bird and correctly use an oven, you could say I married well. (I will take credit for that.)

Maple Leaf Prime Naturally Whole Chicken

The secret to perfect whole roasted chicken really isn’t a secret at all. First, purchase a high quality whole chicken, such as Maple Leaf Prime Naturally Whole Chicken for a consistently tender and juicy taste.

Next, find a foolproof recipe. We faithfully use the same recipe over and over – Simple Whole Roasted Chicken from allrecipes.com. My compliments to Indriani, a home chef who shared the love. As its name suggests, it’s an easy recipe that, quite frankly, is hard to mess up. The combination of unique ingredients makes this dish delicious, and the aroma that permeates your home as the chicken roasts is enough to make you drool. …

So Easy.. So Juicy… So, Do You Want to Win $2,000?

April 23, 2013 By Lena

Years ago, a recipe for a Seven Layer Mexican Dip fell into my hot little hands.

Sweet! One of the most delicious dips known to mankind, and now I could make it all on my own. I scanned the recipe, excited for my next informal shindig, where I was certain it would be a crowd pleaser. As I looked through the directions, I noticed an asterisk at the very end:

*Be sure to use Maggi Chili Sauce. It’s the best tasting sauce out there, great for this recipe.

Hmm. Since I was not familiar with Maggi products, I decided to go on and give it a try. And I concurred; it really was the best chili sauce I had ever had. Not too spicy, and with just the right twang, the appetizer went on to be a hit (of course I knew it would) and I became a fan of Maggi Taste of Asia Chili Sauce for life.

Since then, I’ve enjoyed several Maggi products, including their Vegetable Soup Mix, Premium Oyster Sauce and Season Up! Spices.

And now… Maggi introduces their NEW So Juicy!

So Juicy is a whole new way of cooking that creates delicious, juicy chicken every time – no mess and no stress! It includes the special “Flavour Lock” cooking bag that seals in the flavour and lets chicken simmer in its own juice.

That’s all! Minimal preparation and cleanup, and maximum flavour. I’ll admit that I’m normally hesitant to put plastic in the oven, but something tells me that Maggi has this down to a science. Has anyone tried Maggi So Juicy? I’d love to hear your feedback. So Juicy is available in Mixed Herbs, Garlic and Rotisserie seasonings.

Well, now that we’ve made it so easy…. with So Juicy… so, how would you like to win $2,000?…

You’d Be Loco Not to Try This Pollo

November 2, 2012 By Lena

Ever since he watched a Food Network challenge months ago, my husband has been after me to try out a recipe for Arroz con Pollo – literally badgering me with constant hints, suggestions and outright demands.

“Why don’t we try out that chicken recipe tonight?”
“Tonight’s a good day for some of that Pollo stuff…”

And finally, “I’m making Arroz con Pollo tonight. You don’t have to do a thing. Just relax and I’ll take care of everything.”

The extremely unsettling thing is, every time hubby offers to try something new, my territorial instincts set in and I basically shoo him out – unable to accept or tolerate anyone’s presence in my kitchen. It’s not that he’s not allowed to cook; it’s just that when there’s a new recipe to try, I want to be the one to uncover its deliciousness, its flavour, and have bragging rights for introducing a new a dish to our repertoire.

(Of course, if it’s a flop, I sigh and say, “I KNEW this one wouldn’t turn out well. But since you wanted to try it so badly, you can take it for lunch for the next few days…”).

Thankfully, last night’s Arroz con Pollo wasn’t a flop – it was positively fabulous.

Arroz con Pollo, or “rice with chicken”, originated in the Andalusia region of Spain, but is also considered a traditional (and very popular) dish that can be found throughout Latin America. It is distinguished by its comprehensive list of ingredients ranging from vegetables to chicken to its basic carbohydrate, rice. Bonus: Arroz con Pollo is a one-dish meal!

This dish is downright yummy – spicy, flavourful rice combined with tangy, moist chicken, and topped off with bursts of fresh green peas. The prep + baking time was a little longer than expected (about half an hour for getting everything together, plus about an hour and the half in the oven – total 2 hours) but well worth it indeed. I’d say skip this on a weeknight and enjoy over the weekend with a glass of Sangre de Toro wine.

10-12 Maple Leaf Prime Naturally boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups long-grain white rice
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads (or 1 teaspoon cumin)
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chilies
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup fresh peas
1/4 cup pimentos, drained
1/2 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives, drained and sliced
1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 325° F (165° C).

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Sear the chicken until golden, then set aside. Stir in the onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes; cook until the onions have softened, about 4 minutes. Add the rice, and season with salt, pepper, and saffron (or cumin). Cook rice until golden, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, green chilies and chicken broth. Place chicken thighs on top, then bring to a boil, cover, and place in the preheated oven.

Bake for 1 hour, then sprinkle the peas, pimentos, and olives on top. Pour in the water, but do not stir. Recover and continue baking until the chicken is fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Serves 4-6.