Emerson Microwave Grill - Chicken Breast

I recently got a new microwave oven with a grill unit. Emerson, who made the unit, had info about microwaving various types of food, but no help at all on using the grill/microwave combo.

So tonight I decided to experiment with a couple of chicken breasts. I soaked them in salted water for several hours and added some McCormick Montreal Chicken seasoning. Lemon pepper would work too.

I tried to warm the grill as some sources suggested, but it didn't work. When ready to cook, I took the chicken out of the water, dried it off, and salted and seasoned (again Montreal Chicken) both sides, and sprayed each side with olive oil cooking spray. I put them on the grill and set the oven on combo cooking (combination 2 which is 64% grill, 35% microwave) for 7 minutes.

After the timer rang, I turned the chicken and used combination 1 (55% grill/45% microwave) for another 3 minutes. As soon as I took the chicken out, I wrapped them in foil for 5 minutes.

Result: Juicy, tasty chicken breast!


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Sweet and Sour Chicken

My local grocer had pineapple on sale this week, so I bought one. While I love pineapple, with only 2 people in the house it can be challenging to use it all.

I incorporated the fruit tonight using this recipe. while the recipe suggests green pepper, I had none on hand. Most Chinese restaurants serve with onion pieces, carrot, and green pepper, so I used the first two. See the result below.



YUM!

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Brazilian Chicken Curry

My friend in Florida, Val, writes:

I know you are always looking for interesting things to do with chicken. Here's one I tried once and it's spicy but not hot. It calls for the crockpot - don't know if you cook with one. I assume you could simmer on the stovetop for an hour or two and get the same results. BTW: The sauce was a bit thin, so I'm still working on this one... also, curry scent is tricky to get off of hands - try lemon juice rinse, then soap & water.

- V.

Original source: Women's Day 2010

Ingredients

• 3/4 Cup Coconut Milk (found in Asian food aisle. If you like a sweeter taste, I used "Crema de Coconut")
• 2 TBS Tomato Paste
• 1 TBS Minced Garlic (I use fresh)
• 1 TBS Minced Ginger (I use pre-packaged jar)
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Fresh ground Pepper
• 1 Medium Vidalia [or sweet] Onion; thinly sliced
  (Can't say this enough - get a mandolin for chores like this!)
• 2 Medium Green Peppers; cut into 1 inch strips & halved crosswise
• 3/4 Cup Yukon Gold [or yellow] Potatoes; cut into 1 inch pieces
  (I upped these to a full cup)
• 1/4 tsp Curry Powder
  (more, if you like more spice)
• 8 (2+ Lbs) Chicken drumsticks [or 4 leg quarters]; skin removed
  (I used a whole, cutup fryer, minus the wings and back pieces.)

Preparation
Mix coconut milk, tomato paste, garlic, ginger, salt & pepper in a slow cooker. Add onions, green peppers, and potatoes. Mix well until veggies are evenly coated.

Rub curry powder all over chicken. Place chicken on top of veggies in the slow cooker. (I found that simply sprinkling the small amount of curry over the chicken parts was sufficient.

Cover and cook on high 4- 5 hours/ low 6 - 8 hours, until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender.

PS - As I mentioned above, try and get a mandolin if you are serious about your cooking. My knife skills aren't perfect, and I have a lovely chunk off of my left forefinger to show for it. Ginsu knives are great, but they are hella sharp!!!

Whole Roasted Smoked Chicken

Ingredients:

•  4 lb roaster
  
• Marinade
  
•  1 TB parsley
  
•  1 Tsp celery seed
  
•  1 Tsp Marjoram
  
•  1 Tsp Sage
  
•  1/2 tsp Thyme
  
•  1 TB salt
  
•  1 tsp pepper
  
•  1 tsp garlic powder
  
•  1-2 TB lemon juice or vinegar
  

Mix dry ingredients (test spices by smelling - it should smell "green") and rub into bird, inside and out.

Sprinkle lemon juice over all and let marinate at least 1-2 hrs before cooking.

Spray bird with Pam spray before cooking. Cook over indirect heat until thermometer reaches 170 (about an hour). Add wet smoke chips after 15 min of cooking, keep adding them when smoke dies out.