Crazy Girl's Kitchen

Get ready:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 cups long grain rice
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2lb broccoli florets, blanched
• 2 Tsp butter
• 2 Tsp flour
• 3 cup whole milk
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 2 Tsp butter, cubed
• salt and black pepper

Now let’s play:

Bring 4 cups of chicken stock to broil. Pour in the rice, stir, and simmer for 20 minutes. Then use a fork to fluff the rice up. Set aside. Heat up olive oil in a saute pan. Add cubed chicken breasts with garlic. Season with salt, pepper, and rosemary. Cook through, and then set aside. In a sauce pan, melt 2 Tsp of butter, and then whisk in flour till there is no lump. Pour in milk. Add Cheddar and Parmesan when milk is warm (should never not be broiled).  Whisk till the sauce runs smooth. Season up with salt and pepper to taste. Combine cooked rice, chicken, broccoli, and sauce in a large bowl. Pour into a 9*13 baking dish. Sprinkle bread crumbs and cubed butter on the top. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes or till the top is golden brown. Let the casserole for 15 minutes on the countertop before serving (about 8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

I prefer using white pepper here, as it’s more aesthetically appealing and has a more blend-in peppery flavor.

Get ready:

• 1 Tsp olive oil
• 2 skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
• 4 Tsp butter
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 1 Tsp dried parsley
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper
• 1 sheet of puff pastry, thawed

Now let’s play:

Cut the sheet of puff pastry into quarters, and bake in a 400F oven for 15-20 minutes or till it’s all puffed up. Meanwhile, heat up olive oil in a saute pan while seasoning the chicken with salt and pepper. Saute chicken till juice runs clear. Take out chicken and set aside. Melt butter in the same pan. Saute diced carrots with parsley, oregano, and a pinch of salt for 5 minutes. Dust in flour and whisk till it’s fully combined with the carrots. Pour in chicken stock and whisk vigorously till there is no lump. Stir in the peas and milk. Bring it to boil. Then turn off the heat. Stir in chopped onion.  Wait for 5 minutes. Season to taste. Place one square of puffed pastry on a plate, slit the top open, serve the chicken mix in and out the pastry as the pastry is a serving device (about 4 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Chicken pot pie always brings the cozy feeling as it’s one of the home-cooking classics. This recipe puts an elegant twist on the classic dish, and fool-prove.

Get ready:

• 3 Tsp canola oil
• Meat of a 3-lb rotisserie chicken, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 Tsp ground cumin
• 1 Tsp chili powder
• 2 14-oz cans of diced tomato
• 16 corn tortillas
• 3 Tsp canola oil
• 1 Tsp flour
• 3 Tsp chili powder
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 14-oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar
• 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack
• salt & pepper

Now let’s play:

Heat up oil in a large saute pan. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin and chili powder. Saute till onion is translucent. Add chicken and diced tomato. Cook through. Then set aside. In a sauce pan, heat up the other 3 Tsp of oil and whisk in flour till well combined. Add the next five ingredients and cook through. Microwave tortillas for 30 seconds while setting oven temperature to 350F.  Ladle some sauce into a large roasting pan to cover the bottom. Roll up a tortilla with about 4-6 Tsp of chicken mix and place it in the roasting pan. Repeat with the rest. Pour the rest of sauce over rolled-up tortillas and sprinkle cheese on the top. Transfer into the oven and cook till cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling. Cool for 15 minutes then serve (about 8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

I don’t recommend making too many ahead of time as tortillas can get mushy after sitting in the sauce too long even when refrigerated.

Get ready:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup flour
• 5 Tsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried  tarragon
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 Tsp tomato paste
• 3 cups chicken stock
• salt and pepper

Now let’s play:

Preheat oven at 350F. Split chicken breasts lengthwise into half. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dredge in the flour till well coated. Heat up 2 Tsp olive oil in a large saute pan and brown 4 chicken breast halves. Repeat with the rest. Rest browned pieces in a 13*9 baking dish. Add the last Tsp olive oil to the saute pan and saute diced onion for 2 minutes. Add garlic and carrots. Saute for 3 minutes. Add celery, and saute for 1 minute. Add white wine, and scrape off the brown bites off the bottom of the pan. Pour the mixture into the baking dish. Add chicken stock into the baking dish. Cover and bake for 1 hour. Serve chicken breast halves with baking liquid (6-8 servings).

After-play thoughts:

You can strain the baking liquid and make gravy of it.

For the Pork Chop

Get ready:

• 4 (1 inch thick) pork chops
• 1 cup AP flour
• 2 eggs, whisked together
• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• salt & pepper
• vegetable oil

Now let’s play:

Pound the pork chops to about 1/4 inch thick. Season generously with salt and pepper. Coat the pork chops with AP flour on both sides, dip into egg, and coat with Panko bread crumbs (pat the bread crumbs on the chops for better results). Pour vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or a heavy bottom pot, about 2 inch deep (the bottom of pot at your choice should be bigger than the pounded pork chop). Heat up the oil to 350F. Fry the pork chops one at time until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain off the extra oil on a cooling rack over a sheet pan lined with paper towel. Serve immediately (4 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Panko crumbs make a huge difference on how crispy the pork chops come out. Most oriental markets carry them, or you can order from Amazon as I did.

For the Vegetable Curry:

Get ready:

• 2 Tsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 medium carrots, diced
• 1 lb russet potato, diced
• 2 Tsp curry powder
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 cups chicken stock
• salt & pepper

Now let’s play:

Turn heat to medium high. Add oil. Saute the onion for 2 minutes. Add the garlic. Saute for another minute. Add the carrots. Saute for 3 minutes. Add curry powder and red pepper flakes. Saute for another minute. Add the diced potato and chicken stock. Bring to broil. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, and stir occasionally, until potato falls apart and the sauce starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately over rice (4-6 servings).

After-play thoughts:

Potato is often used in Asian cuisine as a natural thickener. Using potato results in a more light but creamy texture while using corn starch or flour can lead to somewhat gluey sauce.