Avoiding dry bird meat - just in time for Thanksgiving!

3 great tips borrowed from The Mamas Girls blog:

3 Steps to Never Grill Dry Bird Again!

1. Use a Jaccard Tool

How many of you even know what a jacaard tool is? I sure didn’t. It is, essentially, a small hand-held kitchen tool that tenderizes meat. Depending on the type, they can have anywhere from 15 to 50 tiny blades that pierce the meat with many holes. This does a few things to help the end result. It forms tiny channels through the meat which heat can pass though. This means more even cooking, less shrinking, and can yield faster cooking times. These channels also allow juices and marinades to flow through. Tenderizing before using a marinade can allow flavors to penetrate deeper into the meat. This means more a flavorful result! 

2. Brine the chicken

Many of you have probably heard of brining a turkey for Thanksgiving. Many of you probably dismissed the idea because you were afraid of messing it up and ruining Thanksgiving dinner, and having to order take-out on the most important meal of the year. Some of you just said, “what ever it is, isn’t worth the extra hassle of an already long day in the kitchen”. NOT TRUE! A brine has an acidic quality which tenderizes the driest of meats. Turkey, like chicken, is high on the dry scale. A brine also infuses flavor into the meat. It is basically just a marinade.  Now are you warming up to the idea? Here is the brine recipe:

8 c. water

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 T. black peppercorns

1/4 cup kosher salt

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 T. lemon juice

3 whole bay leaves

4 cloves garlic, sliced

Stir ingredients together in a large pot and bring to a boil. Continue stirring until sugar is dissolved. Allow to cool until room temperature. ( I try to make the night before if I remember) After cooling the marinade, place meat or poultry in a Ziploc bag inside another container for support and leakage. Pour cooled marinade into the bag and squeeze out as much air as possible. Seal. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours

Discard brine before using.   Make sure to pat chicken dry. Grill chicken until inside  temp reaches  165° F.

3. Let the Meat Rest

I know you’re anxious to dive into this delicious piece of meat, and to experience what the meat tenderizer and the brine have done, but leave it alone for 10 minutes after you take it off the heat. Don’t poke it, don’t prod it , don’t cut into it.  If you’re worried about it being cold when you serve it, place it on tin foil, and cover it. This allows the fibers to relax and settle into that mouth watering tenderness.

Homewrecker BBQ Chicken Bacon Wraps - YUM!

This is inspired by 101cookingfortwo

Homewrecker BBQ Chicken Bacon Wraps - great for football parties and tailgating!



Ingredients:

• 1¼ pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch cubes
• 1½ pounds bacon
• Toothpicks
• Homewrecker BBQ Rub
• ½ cup brown sugar
• Homewrecker BBQ Sauce (for dipping)
• 
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 convection. In a large mixing bowl, combine brown sugar & Homewrecker BBQ Rub, mix well.
2. Clean and trim about 1¼ pounds of skinless boneless chicken breast. Cut into approx. 1 inch cubes.
3. If using thick bacon, thin out with the back edge of a chef knife. Cut the bacon in half, roll around the chicken cubes and secure with a tooth pick. This is the point to cover and refrigerate for better timing.
4. Prep baking sheet with aluminum foil a rack and spray with PAM.
5. Roll the pieces in the brown sugar mixture. Be sure to pack some in the ends. Place on the rack.
6. Bake until golden brown. About 35 minutes for me. Cover with foil on heavy dish to keep warm until served.
7. Can toss in Homewrecker BBQ sauce, or just have some on the side for dipping.

You could also do these on the grill - just make sure they're done all the way!

Chicken Avocado Lime Soup (low carb!)

Chicken Avocado Lime Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts*

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped green onions (including whites, mince the whites)

2 jalapeños, seeded and minced (leave seeds if you want soup spicy, omit if you don't like heat)

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

3 medium avocados, peeled, cored and diced

Tortilla chips, monterrey jack cheese, sour cream for serving (optional)

Directions:

In a large pot heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add green onions and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 2 minutes, adding garlic during last 30 seconds of sauteing. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, cumin, season with salt and pepper to taste and add chicken breasts. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. Then reduce heat to medium, cover with lid and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken has cooked through 10 - 15 minutes (cook time will vary based on thickness of chicken breasts). Reduce burner to warm heat, remove chicken from pan and let rest on a cutting board 5 minutes, then shred chicken and return to soup. Stir in cilantro and lime juice. Add avocados to soup just before serving (if you don't plan on serving the soup right away, I would recommend adding the avocados to each bowl individually, about 1/2 an avocado per serving). Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream if desired.

Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

Chicken Cordon Bleu Soup

¼ cup butter

¼ cup flour

2.5 cups half & half

2.5 cups whole milk

1 tbsp chicken base, or two chicken bouillon cubes crushed.

2.5 cups chopped rotisserie chicken (cooked chicken breast will work)

8 oz cream cheese
½ cup cooked & chopped bacon

1 cup cubed ham

2 cups grated swiss cheese

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In large sauce pan melt butter and then add the flour to make a roux. Cook for about a minute. Then add half & half, milk and chicken base. Heat for a few minutes and then add the cream cheese. While continuously stirring, bring to a boil and add chicken, bacon and ham. Take off heat an stir in swiss cheese. Bring back to the stove on low heat and stir until cheese is melted.