One Perfect Bite: drumsticks

Friday, May 17, 2013

Frugal Foodie Friday - Chicken in Chipotle Sauce

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From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This recipe turned out to be a delightful surprise. At first glance it didn't appear to have a lot going for it, but I chose it for Frugal Friday testing because it cost next to nothing to make and I was tired of featuring bean dishes. Obviously, my expectations were low. As it turns out, the dish is enormously flavorful and downright easy to make. The chipotle cream sets this dish apart from others of its kind. It lightly penetrates the chicken and gives it a modest heat that is really pleasant on the tongue. I made the recipe, which comes from Allrecipes.com, exactly as specified, up to the point the chicken was removed from the sauce. The chipotle cream still looked thin to me, so I tented the chicken in foil to keep it warm while I reduced the cream until it had a slightly thicker consistency. I then returned the chicken to the pan, rolled the drumsticks in the sauce to coat all surfaces and let it sit, off-heat, for 10 minutes before I served it. I realized after the fact, that I could have thickened the chipotle cream with cornstarch had I been in more of a hurry. This is a really nice recipe and it has made it to my personal recipe rotation. I do hope you'll give it a try. It is hard to beat fast, easy, cheap and delicious. Here's how the chicken is made.

Chicken in Chipotle Sauce...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
4 chicken leg quarters or 8 drumsticks
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream or Mexican crema
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
Salt to taste

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2) Roast chicken legs in preheated oven until skin is crispy, and the meat is cooked through, about 30 to 40 minutes.
3) While chicken is roasting, puree milk, sour cream, chipotle pepper, and chicken bouillon granules in a blender until smooth.
4) Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Pour in chipotle puree, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and season with salt to taste. Add cooked chicken legs, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until chicken has taken on the flavor of sauce. Yield: 4 servings.

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Friday, May 10, 2013

Frugal Foodie Friday - Japanese-Style Chicken Drumsticks

My Thought for the Day can be found, here. If you like it, please let us know with an official thumbs up.

The Discovery Fit and Health website has included One Perfect Bite in the Chilled Soup and Summer Salads link of their round-up, 7 Low-Calorie Summer Recipes. You can find the complete feature, here. Try not to miss it. It contains some great recipes and you'll enjoy the time you spend there.

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This week's Frugal Foodie Friday feature is the first in a series of posts that will explore ways to use inexpensive chicken parts. Not to worry, I'm talkin' chicken drumsticks, not innards or parts with odd sounding names and slippery surfaces. For reasons I don't fully understand, the cost of drumsticks has not inflated as quickly as other chicken parts and they remain a bargain, even when not on sale. Tonight's recipe comes from Food.com where it has it's called, Japanese Mum's Chicken. Chicken prepared in this manner is very popular in Japanese homes and there are as many versions of this recipe as there are Japanese moms to cook it. This recipe, though simple, is exceptional, but it contains one ingredient that is beyond the reach of those with truly limited food budgets. Balsamic vinegar is expensive and its cost could feed a family of four for at least two nights. I have found a way around that with a simple substitute that is workable in this recipe and others like it. If you combine a tablespoon of apple cider or red wine vinegar with a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar you have a reasonable substitute for balsamic vinegar. In the recipe below, a mix of 1/2 cup vinegar with 4 teaspoons sugar will give you a sufficient quantity of poor man's vinegar to make this recipe workable. This method of cooking and the marinade in which the drumsticks cook works well for chicken wings as well. This recipe is fast, easy and inexpensive. It is also delicious. I hope you will enjoy it. Here's the recipe.

Japanese-Style Chicken Drumsticks...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks, skin on
1 cup water
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
2-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 garlic clove, peeled and bruised
1 small hot chili pepper, slit open, seeds removed

Directions:
1) Place all ingredients (chicken through chili) in a deep skillet and bring contents to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, spooning off surface scum as needed, for about 20 minutes.
2) Increase heat, turning drumsticks frequently, and cook until liquid has reduced to a sticky glaze, about10 minutes longer.
3) Arrange chicken on a serving platter, remove garlic clove and chili from the liquid, then spoon remainder of glaze over chicken. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 servings.