Pan Frying 101: Buffalo Chicken

Pan frying is a form of frying, using a minimal amount of oil or butter to cook with.  I'm sure you already use this method in your daily cooking.  Most of us pan fry chicken in various ways.  Using this method you rely  a good pan temperature and a short cooking time to retain the food's moisture. 

It's an easy way to cook beef and pork, chicken, lamb.  It a cousin to the sauteing technique.  This method is better suited to cooking larger pieces of food, usually pieces of meat, but you can also pan fry other foods like potatoes, or vegetable cakes.

You should use a heavy pan and make sure to preheat it before adding oil or fat.  Use one large enough so you don't overcrowd the pan.  this will cause steaming instead of frying.  

Make sure to preheat the oil in the pan to insures that the food starts cooking the second it hits the pan.  This prevents your food from absorbing excess oil.  When the meat is placed into the pan, the oil should sizzle.  If it doesn't sizzle, the pan and oil are not hot enough.  Pan frying takes a little time, so when the 1st side is golden brown, turn to complete the cooking.

That's the simplicity of pan frying.  So let's get cooking!

Buffalo Chicken has all the flavor of your favorite hot wings, but made in to an entree with a chicken breast.  This dish will please the man in your life to no end!  It impresses the ladies too.  Simple to make, yet bold in flavor.  This is the ultimate weeknight meal.  Done in under 30 minutes.  This might be a little hot for the little ones, or anyone not fond of hot wings...but boy oh boy, does this pack a punch and have you wishing for your favorite game and a beer! (or wine!!)  Serve it with a nice Parmesan pilaf, a great foil for the spicy main dish.

Make sure to come back soon.  I'll be posting another quick but unique pan fry dish later this week.  

Hope you enjoy this.


Buffalo Chicken

Serves 4
Time: 20 minutes

1 Tablespoon canola oil
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
1/2 c Buffalo Chicken Sauce
1/4 c crumbled blue cheese

Pound chicken between wax paper or plastic wrap to 1/4 inch in thickness.  Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil and allow to heat.

Add chicken to skillet and cook until browned on each side about 2-3 minutes total.  Pour buffalo sauce evenly over the chicken, turning to coat.  Allow to cook about 8 minutes total, turning once.  During the last 2 minutes of cooking sprinkle blue cheese over each of the chicken breasts.  Cover and allow to cheese to melt, about 1 minute.  Serve immediately.

Lemon Tea Bread

Has anyone ever held a Tea Party?

I've always wanted to either go to or hold my very own Tea Party.  I think it's just something about spring that reminds me of flowers and a nice tea party.  A garden tea party would be my preference.  One with little dainty sandwiches and sweets, and of course some nice English Breakfast tea, Green tea, and I would add another such as a Peach Tea.  I see small little round tables with pretty table cloths and vases full of flowers.  Nice silver and flatware to accompany pretty plates and tea cups.  Sounds perfect doesn't it?

More than likely it might end up like the Mad Hatter's Tea Party!  Just kidding...but who knows, right?

So I decided to have a Tea Party, but since I didn't have a garden to have it in, MGG and I took our party to one.  We wanted to go to a special place to honor my mom.  She always loved Descanso Gardens, in La Canada.  They have a forest of Camelia trees, tulips, daffodils, lilacs, flowers of all kinds.  They also have a Japanese Garden that has a tea house surrounded by Cherry Blossom trees and a quiet brook.  My mom loved to come during the spring when the Camelia trees were in full bloom and wander through the trees.

So I know they have nice tea there, hence the Japanese tea house.  Tea, check!  Garden, check!  Sweets?  That's where I come in.  Since this tea in honor of my mom, and as I posted many, many times, her favorite flavor was lemon.  So I decided to make a Lemon Tea Bread.  Easy to make, easy to transport.  Sweets, check!
 

This tea bread is just perfect.  It's easy to make in a loaf, but is more of a light cake consistency.  It is lightly flavored with lemon, light in texture, just perfect for a tea party.

So we got our tea, headed for the huge Cherry Blossom Tree and had our party on a bench under the pretty pink blossoms.  Then as we were done we noticed they were having an outdoor play, so we watched for a little wile and enjoyed the entertainment.

What a perfect day, and what a perfect Lemon Tea Bread!

Lemon Tea Bread

Adapted from Southern Living OCTOBER 2004

Makes 1 (8-inch) loaf
Time: 1 hr 15min. start to finish

1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 c Splenda Sugar Blend (or 1 cup granulated sugar)
2 eggs
1 1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 c 2% milk
1 T lemon zest

Beat softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 1 cup granulated sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Stir together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to butter mixture alternately with milk, beating at low speed just until blended, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Spoon the batter into greased and floured 8- x 4-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour until golden on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let the bread cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

Chicken Tortilla Verde Soup

I've got a soup to spice up your weekend.

Loving Latin flavors this soup is right up my alley.  If you love them too, you'll just die over this soup.  It's not your typical tortilla soup.  This one, inspired by Paula Deen , is white in color.  Yes, white.  It also has several types of green chilies.  Yum for green chilies.  A mild tart flavor that just calls me.  I think it started in the 80's with Enchiladas Suizas...but I digress.

Oh, and another important 'green' item is tomatillos.  Have you cooked with them yet?  They have the most fabulous flavor!  This is a good way to experiment with them.  The canned variety is used here for ease or making the soup.

Her method is interesting.  She actually poaches the chicken in the soup and then removes it it shred and replaces it back to finish it off.  I was eager to try this, and we were both glad I did.  The end result was a wonderful warming spicy (with flavor, not heat) soup with excellent flavor!  You've gotta try this one.  

Thanks to Paula for the creativeness of this soup!

Chicken Tortilla Verde Soup

adapted from Cooking with Paul Deen January/February 2013

Serves 4 - 6

2 T canola oil, divided
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 1/2 c chopped yellow onion
1 c chopped poblano pepper
4 cloves of garlic, minced
6 c chicken broth
1 28 oz can of tomatillos, drained and chopped
1 T cumin
2 t dried thyme
3/4 c sour cream
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
Garnish: fried tortilla strips

In a large stockpot, heat 1 tablespoon of oil.  Add add chicken, and brown both sides, about 6 minutes.  Remove chicken.  Add remaining tablespoon of oil, heat over medium-high heat.  Add onion, poblano, and garlic.  Cook about 7 minutes or until onion has softened.  

Add a couple of tablespoons of the broth and scrape up any browned bits.  Add remaining broth and cumin and thyme.  Add chicken and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until chicken has cooked through.  

Remove chicken from the pot and cool slightly.  Shred meat and return to the pot.  Stir in sour cream and cilantro.  Serve topped with tortilla chips.