How to Cook a Frozen Chicken

From frozen to fall-off-the-bone goodness! Did you know you could take a chicken right from the freezer and cook it without thawing? You can!

Ingredients:

2 3/4 lb frozen chicken

4 or 5 carrots, halved or quartered lengthwise

1 onion, sliced thick

1/4 cup of your favourite BBQ or dipping sauce

1/2 cup broth or water

1 lemon, zested and quartered

2 sprigs fresh dill, chopped

Layer the carrots and onion on the bottom of the slow cooker crock. Zest the lemon and reserve. Quarter the lemon and place in with the carrots and onion. Two quarters are enough for a nice lemony taste, four make the carrots very lemony. Or leave them out all together depending on your taste. Now sit the chicken on top. Look, you can still see some ice crystals on it!

Brush your BBQ sauce all over the chicken. I used leftover General Tao sauce from my Easy General Tao Chicken recipe of last week. Pour the broth or water in the bottom then sprinkle the lemon zest on the chicken and the dill over the veggies.

Cover and cook on high for 1 hour, then reduce heat to low and cook another 4-5 hours. NOTE: If you are not using a frozen chicken the whole thing should take about 3 hours on high. It's done when the internal temperature reads 165°F.

Beauty!

Honey and Kale Shrimp

A few common ingredients combine for an uncommonly good dinner for two that's ready in 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

300g (2/3 lb) raw shrimp, size 16/20

2 tbsps honey

2 tbsps sodium reduced soya sauce

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

3 tsps minced garlic

pinch red pepper flakes

2 tsps light olive oil

1 tbsp butter

black pepper to taste

2 kale leaves, de-stemmed and chopped

Sauce:

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp soya sauce

1 tbsp sweet chili sauce

Start by marinating the shrimp. Mix 2 tbsps honey, 2 tbsps soya sauce, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Add the shrimp and marinate 20 minutes. 

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large skillet on medium high. Discard the marinade and cook the shrimp until no pink remains, about 1-2 minutes per side. Toss with kale and black pepper, cover and cook 1 minute to wilt the kale.

Mix the sauce ingredients together and pour into the skillet. Toss to coat and simmer 2 minutes then you're ready to serve.

Serves 2

Feta and Fusilli

Roasted tomatoes, lots of seasonings, insanely cheesy deliciousness and the fusilli pasta holds all of it in it's little twists.

Ingredients:

7 oz (oregano) feta

1 pint grape tomatoes

3 tsps minced garlic

1/4 cup olive oil

pepper to taste

2 pinches red pepper flakes

a few shakes of Mrs. Dash original blend

3/4 lb tricolour fusilli

1 cup reserved pasta water

1 1/2 cups lightly packed baby greens.

Toss tomatoes and garlic with half of the olive oil and place in a 10 inch cast iron pan. Make a space in the center of the tomatoes for the feta. (I used oregano flavoured feta, but plain is good too) Sprinkle pepper, red pepper flakes and Mrs. Dash. Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the cheese and bake in a 400°F oven for 30 minutes.

About halfway through cooking the cheese and tomatoes cook the fusilli. Before draining reserve 1 cup of pasta water then drain and toss the fusilli with the greens.

When the cheese is ready break it up with the back of a spoon and crush down the tomatoes. 

Stir in enough of the pasta water to reach a creamy consistency that coats everything when stirred together.

Serves 4

Easy General Tao Chicken

Fried chicken that's crispy, sweet and a little bit spicy... what's not to love?

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 tsp low sodium soya sauce

1 cup General Tao prepared sauce

2 tbsps cornstarch

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken strips

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 small red onion, sliced

2 cups snowpeas

1/2 cup diced red pepper

1 small carrot, sliced thinly on the diagonal

1/3 cup water

sesame seeds to garnish

In a large bowl whisk the egg, soya sauce and 2 tbsps of General Tao sauce together. Then whisk in the cornstarch and add the chicken strips. Stir to coat. I like this V-H General Tao but use any you like. Or make your own but that takes the "easy" out of Easy General Tao Chicken 😉 

Heat vegetable oil in a wok to 350°F and start cooking the chicken in batches for about 2 minutes or until golden and crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and continue until all the chicken is cooked.

Remove all but 2 tbsps of oil from the wok then add the onion and cook 2 minutes. Add the snowpeas, red pepper and carrots with 1/3 cup of water, cover and steam for 3 minutes.

Pour in the General Tao sauce and add the chicken, stir to coat everything and simmer and few minutes until heated through.

Add sesame seeds and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Gingerbread Banana Streusel Muffins

Ginger root gives these Gingerbread Banana Streusel Muffins a spicy bite that just plain old ground ginger can't give you. Perfect to kickstart your holiday baking!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground ginger 

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 egg

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana

1/2 cup melted butter

1/4 cup minced gingerroot 

1/4 cup molasses

Streusel:

1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger 

Mix the streusel ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and dry spices. In another bowl beat the egg, banana, melted butter, gingerroot and molasses together.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix just until combined. Set paper liners in a muffin tin and fill about 1/3 with batter. Then add a heaping spoonful of streusel followed by more batter. Top with a light sprinkling of streusel. (I like more of the streusel in the middle of the muffin. When it's on top it tends to fall off when eating.)

Bake in a 375°F oven for 22-25 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.

Makes 12 medium sized muffins. Sit back and enjoy their spicy intensity!

Pulled Pork Wrap or Taco

Typically served in a bun, I thought I'd give this pulled pork a light makeover using flour tortillas and taco shells. You could even go lettuce-only Asian style.

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, sliced

2 1/2 lb pork shoulder

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup ketchup

1 cup salsa

3/4 cup cola

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp ground cumin

3 tsps minced garlic

1 tsp red pepper flakes

flour tortillas, taco shells, and/or lettuce leaves to wrap

rice (optional)

Start with putting the sliced onion on the bottom of the crockpot and sit the pork on top. Then mix the rest of the ingredients together for the sauce and pour it over the meat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. Easy peasy right?!

If you want to use a conventional oven use a casserole deep enough so the sauce keeps the meat covered. Then cover and slow cook in a 300°F oven for 3 1/2 hours.

Once the meat is cooked transfer to a plate and shred with forks, discarding the layer of fat from the shoulder. Return the shredded pork to the sauce and keep warm until ready to serve.

Wrap it up in a tortilla with lettuce and rice or skip the tortilla and go gluten-free with just a large lettuce leaf.

Or tuck some into a taco shell! NomNomNom 😋

This recipe serves 6-8

Rigatoni Chicken Helper

This one pot helper turns a cup of leftover cooked chicken into an awesome pasta plate!

Ingredients:

2 tsps olive oil

1 tsp butter

1 small onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 tsps minced garlic

2 tbsps tomato paste

4 cups chicken broth

1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 tsp dry oregano

14 oz (6 cups) rigatoni

1 cup cooked chopped chicken

1 cup shredded cheddar (I used jalapeño cheddar)

Heat olive oil and butter in a large pot. Add the onion and cook until lightly golden, then add the salt, pepper and garlic for 1 minute. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, canned tomatoes and oregano and bring to a boil. Add the rigatoni and make sure it is covered with liquid. Cover the pot and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender.

Remove from heat and add the chicken and cheese. Cover 2 minutes then stir and serve.

Makes 5-6 servings