Category Archives: chicken entrees

Roasted Kabocha Squash with Coconut Curry Chicken and Hearts of Palms.

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This is a family favorite recipe. It has a beautiful presentation and it’s full of exciting flavors. It’s perfect for the fall when kabocha squash is in season.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large kabocha squash
  • 4 chicken breasts cut into thin strips.
  • 1 large shallot finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 sweet red pepper cut into chunks
  • 1 lemon or lime
  • Olive oil
  • Salt/pepper
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 can coconut milk or coconut cream.
  • 1 table spoon mild curry powder
  • 1 tea spoon tumeric
  • 1 tea spoon powdered ginger
  • Dash red pepper flak
  • 4 hearts of palms sliced.
  • 2 star annise
    Bunch fresh cilantro chopped .

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 400f. Cut the top of the squash off like a lid and remove the seeds. Rub the inside with olive oil. Wrap the outside with non-stick aluminum foil, leaving the cavity open, and place it in a pie pan (wrap the top of lid with aluminum as well). Place the squash and the lid in the oven and bake for about 90 minutes–or until flesh is soft (you can check by using a fork). Turn oven to broil, and roast for another 10 minutes.
  2. While the squash is baking, Sautee shallots and garlic in olive oil; add chicken, lime or lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste and slightly brown the chicken. Add sweet peppers, stock, and spices and cover it. Bring to a boil and let it cook at medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add coconut milk and a pinch more salt– if needed. Add hearts of palms and red pepper flakes. Bring it to a boil again and reduce heat to low. Cover and keep at low until squash is ready, stirring it sporadically.
  3. When the squash is ready, remove the foil and move it to a serving platter and fill it with curried chicken. Not all of the chicken and sauce will fit in the squash, so reserve the rest and keep adding to squash as it’s been served. Scoop the flesh from the lid and add to squash bowl.
    Remove the star annise and scrape some of the flesh, with a fork, into the sauce to thicken and add color. Garnish with cilantro and scoop amounts to serve over white rice (and a side salad of your choice). Enjoy!

Roasted Pumpkin Stuffed with Saffron Chicken in Cream Sauce and Cream Cheese

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“Abóbora Recheada com Molho de Frango de Açafrão e Queijo Cremoso”

I really love this recipe, it is great to share with everyone in the fall, when pumpkins and squash are in season in the USA.

It is very easy to make, and it is very delicious. I have experimented with many types of pumpkins to find the closest one to a Brazilian pumpkin called “moranga”, and I like to use “butter cup” or “kabocha”.

In the original recipe a Brazilian creamy cheese called “Catupiry” is used, but it is very difficult to find here, so I have been using cream cheese instead. Although cream cheese does not have the unique taste of catupiry, it gives you a good idea of what this dish is like.

Saffron is an expensive spice, so this dish can be made with turmeric.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 large butter cup pumpkin or kabocha
  2. 4 chicken breasts cut into thin slices.
  3. 4 cups chicken broth
  4. 1/2 cup white or rosé wine of your liking
  5. 1 large shallot chopped
  6. 4 garlic cloves chopped
  7. 11/2 cups heavy cream
  8. 1 package cream cheese cut into small pieces
  9. 1 lemon
  10. 1 tea spoon saffron or tumeric
  11. a dash of nutmeg
  12. salt and pepper
  13. olive oil
  14. 2 table spoons butter
  15. fresh parsleys chopped

Directions:

  1. Heat oven to 400F.
  2. Draw a circle around the top of the pumpkin and cut a lid. Remove the seeds. Drizzle inside the pumpkin: olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap the pumpkin or kabocha with aluminun foil, leaving the opening uncovered. Place in a baking sheet and bake for 90 minutes or until soft inside. You can bake the cut lid as well to use the flash in the filling or as a lid.
  3. While pumpkin is roasting, season chicken with lemon juice, salt, pepper and set aside. Sautée shallots and garlic in butter and drizzle olive oil. Add chicken and stir. When chicken is browning, add wine, broth and saffron/ turmeric; cover and let it cook until liquid reduces a little. Add heavy cream, nut meg, salt, and pepper to taste, if necessary. Bring sauce to a boil and remove from heat, set aside.
  4. When pumpkin is ready, remove from oven ( leave oven on) and scoop approximarely a cup of the cooked pumpkin from shell and smash it with a fork. Arrange a layer of cream cheese pieces inside the bottom of the shell. Spread half of the smahed pumpkin on top, pour half of the chicken in cream sauce in the shell. Add the rest of the smashed pumpkin and pour the rest of the chicken with sauce, (If there is too much sauce to fit in the shell, save the extra sauce in a nice bowl to be added to the shell later to refill). Arrange the rest of the cream cheese pieces on top and place it back in the oven for another 30 minutes. Then broil for 4 minutes to get a crispy top. Garnish with fresh parseleys.
  5. Serve hot over white rice or by itself with a side salad.

Enjoy and Happy fall!

French Casserole

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French, Food, Cooking, Casserole, French Casserole

Here it is!

 

This recipe is a family favorite and very popular among Brazilians specially at family Sunday meals when extended family gathers to share a big lunch. It is easy to prepare, simple and elegant.  A wonderful dish for every occasion.

Ingredients:

  • 3 Chicken breasts
  • 1 lemon
  •  1 Cup chicken broth
  • 1 Package of Farfalle pasta
  • 3 Table spoons butter
  • 4 Cups of milk
  • 2 Table spoons of corn starch
  • 1 Pint of crème fraiche* or heavy cream
  • 1/2 Tea spoon of nutmeg
  • 2 Tea spoons of herbs de Provence
  • 3/4 Cup shredded Asiago cheese
  • 1 Cup shredded Gruyère cheese
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
  2. In a frying pan, brown chicken breasts with olive oil and 1 tbsp. of butter, season with salt and pepper and squeeze lemon juice. Add chicken broth, cover and let it cook over medium heat until fully cooked. If liquid dries, add more broth or water.
  3.  Meanwhile, cook pasta according  to package directions. Scoop pasta with a skimmer into a large rectangular glass or ceramic dish. Set aside.
  4.  When chicken is cooked, pull it apart into several shredded pieces and add to pasta. Drizzle with some olive oil, salt and pepper. Set aside.
  5. Dissolve corn starch in milk, mix in nutmeg and herbs de Provence. Melt 2 tbsp. butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add milk mixture, salt and pepper and bring to a boil stirring constantly until slightly thickened. Add cream and bring to a boil again stirring constantly until bubbly. Turn off heat and stir in gruyère cheese until melted.
  6. Pour cream over pasta and chicken. Cover all with Asiago cheese. Sprinkle some herbs de Provence over it and drizzle with olive oil. Cover with aluminum paper and bake for 30 minutes. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

 

Serve with a Caesar salad or your favorite salad and Bon Apetite!

* Crème fraiche is easily found in the gourmet cheese area of many grocery stores.