By Larry Levine –
Here’s to the chickens that have been sacrificed in the name of my healthful diet. I know not how many there have been. But I’ll tell you a secret – this whole post coronary bypass diet business would have been far more difficult, maybe even impossible, without chicken
I liked chicken long before my coronary arteries became clogged. I cooked chicken frequently at home and ordered it often in restaurants as far back as I can recall. Only difference now is I don’t roast up a pan of chicken wings with onion salt and paprika, or bake a batch of Asian style wings and eat them skin and all. And I don’t eat the skin when I roast chicken anymore, no matter how crispy it may. OK, so I cheat on that last part a little and if I roast a whole chicken I grant myself dispensation for the wings. But I haven’t bought a package of wings in more than three years.
Other than the wings, my favorite part of the chicken is the thigh. Dieticians will insist that we eat only skinless chicken breasts if we want to eat healthfully. I find the thigh more flavorful and moist.
For the few weeks in the immediate aftermath of the bypass surgery I followed the dietician’s dictates; I ate only the breast of the chicken. Even that infamous and disastrous no-salt chicken soup in Chapter 4 of this book was made with only breasts.
Then I had a post operative check up with my cardiologist. She was impressed by my progress, loved the amount of exercise I was doing and took particular note of my weight loss. I told her a about what I was eating and that I really prefer the legs and thighs of a chicken to the breast.
“So eat the leg and thigh,” she said. “Just take the skin off and trim the fat before you cook it. If you eat breasts all the time you’ll begin to resent it and eventually you’ll drop the whole diet. When you take the skin and fat off the thigh or leg, it isn’t that much different than the breast.”
Another important lesson learned: if you ask your dietician a question and you don’t like the answer, ask your cardiologist. You’ll get a better answer, one rooted in the real world. My cardiologist and I even had a great conversation about how to go to a sushi bar on a low sodium diet. Try that on a dietician. The sushi bar secret: easy on the soy sauce, or substitute a citrus sauce for the soy sauce, cut way back on the pickled ginger, and cut way back on the sushi rice, which is high in sodium. Most sushi restaurants will be happy to serve the same two pieces of fish as sashimi instead of as sushi.
My collection of chicken recipes was extensive even before the surgery. I have a cookbook that boasts 365 ways to cook chicken. Not all of them fit into a low fat, low cholesterol, low sodium diet and too many of them call for chicken breasts, not that substitutions are beyond me.
Since the surgery I have created a raft of new recipes for chicken and adapted some from other cookbooks. Here are some chicken recipes upon which I depend. You can substitute the breast in most of them if you prefer, but remember the breast will cook more quickly and become dry if cooked too long, even if it’s cooked in liquid. Also, whenever I can I like to cook the thigh with the bone in. I find it cooks more evenly and retains more of its flavor and moisture.
CHICKEN CURRY
2 Tblsp olive oil
1 brown onion – sliced into half rings, ¼ inch thick
1 cup water
3 Tblsp flower
1 Tblsp hot curry powder
1 Tblsp medium curry powder
2 cups homemade chicken broth – heated
4 chicken thighs – boneless, skinless and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
1 large tomato – diced into ½ inch pieces
1 cup currants
2 cups frozen peas
1 cup brown rice
2 ½ cups cold water
Heat a pan on the stove. Pour in the olive oil. When it ripples, add the onions and toss to coat. Sauté the onions over medium heat until they begin to brown. Add water, bring to a boil, turn heat down to low, cover and let the onions stew for 1 hour, or until they are nicely browned. Stir occasionally and add a little more water if necessary. Add flower and stir well with the onions. Let sauté about 5 minutes, until the flower starts to brown. Add the curry powders and stir well with the onions. Add the chicken broth and stir well. Cover and let simmer about 10 minutes. Add the chicken and the tomato. Turn the heat up to medium-low, cover and let cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, prepare the peas as per package directions. Add the currants and peas to the curry pan, stir well and serve over a bed of brown rice.The rice will take about 45 minutes to cook. So, start it early enough. Put the rice and water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, stir once, turn the heat down to low and let simmer on a slow boil for 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes and add a little hot water if necessary. Let the rice sit for about 10 minutes off the head in the covered pan.
Serves 2
CHICKEN FRICASSEE
5 Tblsp Olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 chicken thighs – skinless and trimmed of fat
1/8 cup all-purpose flour
½ lb. fresh mushrooms, caps and stems separated, caps halved or quartered, stems halved
lengthwise
1 can (14 ounces) fire roasted, diced tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Warm 3 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic. Sauté the garlic, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Dredge the chicken pieces lightly in flour. Raise the heat to medium high. Add the chicken pieces and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes per side. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a different frying pan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 to 6 minutes. When the chicken is browned, stir in the tomatoes and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook the chicken 20 minutes. Uncover and cook another 10 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Sprinkle with parsley.
Serve with steamed white rose potatoes or steamed rice.
Serves 2.
CHICKEN WITH MORELS
1 ½ oz. package dried morel mushrooms
2 cups hot tap water
3 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil
½ medium brown onion – sliced thin and quartered
1 ½ Tblsp all-purpose flour
Fresh ground black pepper to taste
Pinch fleur d sel
¾ tsp dried thyme
2 large skinless chicken thighs, fat trimmed
Put the mushrooms in a small sauce pan. Cover with hot water. Soak for 30 minutes. Pour the water through a strainer into a measuring cup. Reserve the water for later use. Rinse the mushrooms several times in hot water to remove all grit. Chop mushrooms into moderate size pieces and rinse again.
Heat the olive oil in a frying pan. Sautee the onions until slightly browned. Sprinkle with flour, stir and cook to brown the flour – about 10 minutes. Slowly add the mushroom liquid, stirring continuously, allowing it to thicken slightly. Add salt, pepper and thyme. Let simmer on low heat 5 minutes. Place the chicken and the mushrooms in the pan. Cover the pan and let the chicken poach in the sauce 20 minutes. To serve, spoon the sauce and mushrooms over the chicken thighs.
Serve with mashed potatoes and green beans, spooning some of the sauce and mushrooms on the potatoes.
CHINESE STYLE ROAST CHICKEN
1 whole fryer, about 3 ½ to 4 lb.
6 Tblsp soy sauce
2 Tblsp sesame oil
1 Tblsp rice vinegar
2 Tblsp sweet sherry
1 tsp chili powder
1 Tblsp powdered ginger (or 1 tsp grated fresh ginger)
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp Chinese Five Spice
1 tsp grated, dried orange peel (optional)
Combine the soy sauce, oil, vinegar, sherry, chili powder, ginger, turmeric, five spice and orange peel and in a bowl. Mix together thoroughly. Gently separate the skin from the chicken using your fingertips. With a small teaspoon, spread the sauce mixture under the skin and in the cavity of the chicken. Rub the chicken skin with some of the sauce. Let the chicken marinate several hours in the refrigerator. Place the chicken breast side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast 30 minutes in pre-heated oven at 425 degrees. Turn the chicken breast side up. Roast the chicken 30 minutes more. Remove the chicken from the oven, cover it with tin foil and let the chicken sit about 10 minutes so juices can run. Cut the chicken into pieces and serve with fried rice.
Serves 4.
(NOTE: You can create different ethnic versions of this dish simply by changing the mixture of herbs and spices you use.)
CHICKEN PITA POCKETS WITH CUCUMBER/TOMATO RELISH
1Tblsp olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon
½ tsp crushed, dried basil
½ tsp parsley
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp crushed, dried dill
¼ tsp garlic salt
½ tsp cumin
1 Tblsp mild curry powder
3 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium brown onion, halved and sliced
1 cup water, room temperature
2 medium button mushrooms, sliced
Prepare a marinade by mixing together 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the next eight ingredients. Cut the chicken into half-inch cubes. Pour the marinade over the chicken in a glass bowl. Stir to coat the chicken. Cover and marinate several hours in the refrigerator, stirring occasionally. Bring 2 tablespoons of olive oil to high heat in a wide frying pan. Add the onions and stir constantly until onions are well browned. Add the water and stir with onions. Reduce heat to low, cover and stew one hour. Check occasionally to be sure the water stays at a slow boil and stir the onions. When the onions are deep brown and sweet smelling, tip the cover of the pan to allow water to evaporate, about 15 minutes longer. Add the mushrooms and stir to mix with onions. Replace the cover and allow to stew for 15 minutes. Remove the cover. Return the heat to medium high. Add chicken and stir constantly until the chicken is cooked through. In the meantime, cut two pita pockets in half and heat in the oven. Serve each person 2 pita halves to be filled with chicken mixture. Remove the chicken mixture to a serving bowl with a slotted spoon to eliminate the liquid. Serve with a spoon and allow each diner to fill the pita pockets with the chicken mixture.
Serve with cucumber and tomato relish.
Serves two.
CUCUMBER/TOMATO RELISH
½ cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 medium tomato, diced
2 Tblsp white vinegar
1 Tblsp dried crushed dill
Mix together all ingredients. Allow to set at least four hours to blend flavors. Stir occasionally.
CHICKEN CACCIATORE
2 Tblsp olive oil
2 lb. chicken legs and thighs
1 cup sliced onions
½ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 medium clove garlic, minced
1 can fire roasted no-salt added tomatoes
2 Tblsp chopped parsley
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt
Dash pepper
¼ lb. button mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup dry red wine
Heat the oil in large skillet. Add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Remove the chicken and set aside. Add the onion, green pepper to the skillet and sauté until the onion is tender but not browned. Force tomatoes through a food mill and add to the skillet with the garlic, parsley, oregano, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and baste it with the sauce. Cover and simmer. Turn the chicken after 20 minutes. Simmer 25 minutes longer. Stir the mushrooms and wine into the sauce. Cook uncovered about 15 minutes, until sauce is desired consistency.
Serve over steamed rice.
Serves 4. If you are making this for just two people, reduce the amount of chicken but do not reduce any of the other ingredients.
HERB BAKED CHICKEN
¼ cup homemade chicken broth
¼ cup red wine vinegar
1 Tblsp parsley
1 Tblsp chives
2 Tblsp olive oil
Pinch of salt
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp marjoram
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp cumin
12 chicken legs or thighs
Place all the ingredients, except the chicken, in a blender. Blend for about 30 seconds. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in a baking pan. Pour the blended liquid over the chicken. Place uncovered in 475-degree preheated oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Bake about 1 hour, turning and basting frequently.
Serve with parsleyed potatoes.
Serves 6 to 8.
LEMON CHICKEN
12 skinless chicken thighs, bone in
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried marjoram
1 Tblsp grated lemon peel
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup water
Arrange the chicken in a shallow baking dish. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour them over the chicken. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. Turn the chicken and bake 20 minutes longer. Baste occasionally with pan juices.
Serve over steamed rice with pan juices as sauce.
Serves 4 to 6 people.
OVEN CHICKEN AND WEDGE FRIES
4 skinless chicken legs and thighs
salt and black pepper
¼ cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
½ to 1 tsp chili powder (to taste)
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp paprika
1 Tblsp lemon juice
2 medium baking potatoes, scrubbed and cut into six wedges each, lengthwise
Lemon slices
Season the chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken in a large baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Heat the olive oil in a small saucepan. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin and paprika. Heat for 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice. Set aside in a warm spot, but not on the heat. Place potato wedges around the chicken pieces. Brush the chicken pieces and potato wedges with the olive oil sauce. Return to the oven and continue baking another 30 minutes, until chicken and potatoes are tender, brushing both occasionally with more olive oil sauce and drippings. Place the chicken and potatoes on a serving platter and garnish with lemon slices.
Serves 4.
TANDOORI CHICKEN
8 skinless chicken thighs
½ cup plain yogurt
4 Tblsp fresh lime juice
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp red pepper flakes
½ tsp each – cinnamon, cumin & turmeric
¼ tsp coriander
Score chicken lightly with sharp knife. Mix all other ingredients together. Put them in a plastic bag with the chicken. Toss to coat the chicken. Put the bag in non-aluminum bowl. Marinate 24 to 48 hours. Remove the chicken from the marinade. Broil or barbque the chicken 6 to 8 inches from the heat for 35 to 45 minutes, turning occasionally.
Instead, you may bake the chicken covered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Then broil it to brown approximately 5 minutes on each side. Or you may roast the chicken at 350 degrees uncovered for 1 hour.
Serve with a vegetarian rice dish.
Serves 4.
MEDITERANEAN GRILLED CHICKEN
2 large skinless chicken thighs
4 Tblsp olive oil
1 Garlic clove, chopped
½ tsp Coriander
½ tsp Paprika
½ tsp Oregano
¼ tsp Cardamom
¼ tsp Cumin
1 medium tomato, chopped
2 slices from the middle of a medium size red onion, diced finely
1 Tblsp white vinegar
1 tsp dried dill
Make a rub from the olive oil, garlic and the next five items. Apply the rub to both sides of the chicken. Put the chicken on a rack atop a roasting pan. Broil the chicken for 20 minutes about 4 inches under the heat source. Turn the chicken over and broil another 5 to 7 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the tomatoes and onion. Put them in a glass mixing bowl. Add the vinegar. Stir well. Sprinkle the dill over the mixture and serve relish with the chicken.
Serve with a favorite grain, or caramelized carrots.
Serves 2.
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