CROCKPOT CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS l
4 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion — chopped
3 pounds your favorite chicken parts — cut up
2 cups chicken broth
2 stalks celery
1 tablespoon minced parsley
2 carrots — peeled, sliced
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 cup dry white wine (optional but really adds a nice taste)
1 can refrigerated biscuits
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons flour
In a large skillet, brown onion in butter and oil just until tender, then brown
chicken parts and place all in a 6-quart crockpot.
Add remaining ingredients except heavy cream, flour and biscuits. Cook on high 2- 1/2 to 3 hours, or on low 5 to 7 hours.
When chicken is done, remove pieces to plate and let cool, then debone. While chicken is cooling, mix flour and cream together, then stir into crockpot. Open biscuits and cut each biscuit into 4 pieces. Drop into crockpot and turn on high.
These will need to cook about 30 minutes, until they are firm. Return chicken meat to crockpot after deboning and serve. You can use your own homemade biscuit recipe for canned if you prefer.
Layered Chicken and Yogurt Casserole
3 Pounds roasting chicken
2 1/2 Quarts water
1 Tablespoon black peppercorns
2 Inch cinnamon stick
1/4 Teaspoon cloves
1 Medium onion — coarsely chopped
2 Large Sprigs fresh thyme
2 Cups plain yogurt
1 Cup long-grain white rice
4 Cloves garlic — finely chopped
juice of one lemon 1 1/2 Teaspoons salt
4 Cups toasted pita
3/4 Cup mixed flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint — finely
chopped 3 Tablespoons pine nuts — dry-roasted
2 Tablespoons unsalted pistachios — coarsely chopped
Wash the chicken. Pull off the skin and trim off excess fat.
Place the cold water and chicken in a large soup pot. Add the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, onion, and thyme and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat and simmer gently, partially covered, for 1 hour. Remove from the heat.
Meanwhile place the yogurt in a sieve or colander lined with cheesecloth. Let drain over a bowl for 1 hour to thicken.
Remove the chicken from the broth with tongs, and place the chicken on a work surface. Let cool somewhat, then pull the chicken meat off the bones, shredding it into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones. Strain the broth and discard the solids. Pour 4 1/2 cups of the broth into a container and place the broth in the refrigerator to cool (If you are in a rush, you can skip this step and use the broth without defatting it). Set aside the remainder of the broth in the refrigerator or freezer for another use. (The recipe can be prepared ahead to this point and the chicken, broth, and yogurt stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours). Skim the fat off the surface of the cooled broth.
Rinse the rice thoroughly in cold water until the water runs clear, then drain well. Place in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and add 2 1/4 cups of the defatted broth. Bring to a vigorous boil, then cover, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Meantime, combine the remainder of the defatted broth, the chopped garlic, and lemon juice in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and simmer for 5 minutes. (If you have refrigerated the chicken pieces, place them in the broth to rewarm). You are now ready to assemble the fatteh.
Assemble the fatteh on a large shallow serving dish or platter. Leave 1 cup of the toasted pits in triangle-shaped pieces and break up the rest into bite-sized pieces. Spread the broken pieces over the bottom of the dish and lean the triangles up agains the sites, or if using a platter, place around the edge. Pour two thirds of the garlic broth over the crumpled bread. Spoon on the rices, spreading it evenly, then distribute the chicken pieces evenly over the rice Pour the remainder of the broth over the chicken.
Mix together the yogurt and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and spread over the chicken. Scatter the chopped herbs over the yogurt, then sprinkle on the pine nuts and chopped pistachios. Alternatively, you can mix the chopped mint into the yogurt, leaving only the parsley and nuts as top dressing. Serve immediately.
ASPARAGUS AND CHICKEN IN BLACK BEAN SAUCE
2 Chicken thighs
12 medium Asparagus spears
3 tablespoons Peanut or corn oil
—–MARINADE—–
1 tablespoon Dry sherry
1 teaspoon Cornstarch
2 teaspoons Thin soy sauce
1 pinch Sugar
—–SAUCE—–
2 teaspoons Fermented black beans
3 Cloves garlic — minced
1/2 teaspoon Brown sugar
2 teaspoons Black soy sauce
3/4 cup Chicken stock
Cornstarch paste
Marinating: With sharp paring knife, scrape chicken meat from thigh; slice into thin strips across the grain. (Breast meat is not preferred for this dish, as meat is too dry and spongy.) Combine sherry, soy, cornstarch and sugar in bowl; massage liquid into meat with your fingers. Marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
Preparation: Wash asparagus; peel tough white outer skin off ends; slice on diagonal in 2 1/2″ sections. Rinse fermented black beans. In bowl, combine and mash black beans and garlic, brown sugar, black soy sauce and chicken stock; stir; reserve for 15 minutes.
Stir Frying: Add 2/3 of oil to hot wok; when oil is very hot, add chicken. Stir-fry for about 3 minutes on high heat - or until chicken begins to shrink and firm up. Remove chicken to holding bowl.
Reheat wok to high, add remaining oil. When oil is hot, add black bean sauce. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add asparagus; mix with sauce. Stir sauce with asparagus. When sauce boils, add cooked chicken; toss to combine. Dribble in a little cornstarch paste if needed; cornstarch in chicken marinade might be enough. Toss ingredients until very little liquid remains and is reduced to glaze. Dish is ready when asparagus brightens. If you still have too much liquid, remove ingredients, continue to reduce sauce, then return ingredients to coat them with sauce. Serve in individual portions.