Chicken

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

10.06.2015 40 Comments

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings

You’ve got to dig a little deeper.

At first blush, this seems like a cop-out. It’s beer and chicken wings, it’s such an obvious pairing you want to scratch your eyes out, scream "Milk and cookies, peanut butter and jelly, jalapeño and avocado! Give me something new!" But calm down, it’s more than that. It’s a revelation.

Really, it’s because I’m a nerd. Which is what drew me to craft beer, the geeky side of beer: the what, the why, and the how of beer. It’s the same with food. I don’t just want to know how to brine a chicken, I want to know why it works.

I want to know what the difference between baking soda and baking powder, and I want to know how temperature affects meat. That’s why I read Cooks Illustrated. It’s not food porn, really there aren’t too many pictures, it’s food nerd porn. It’s the why, it’s not just the how.

Cooks Illustrated did a story on how to bake chicken wings in a way that the skin gets just as crispy as when you fry it. The fat is rendered, the skin is so crisp it makes a thump sound when you tap it with your nails. They nerd out on food in a way that makes me feel like I’m not alone. They tell you the kitchen fails, the reason they tried what they did, and what finally worked.

For this: baking powder that draws out moisture, low temperate to render fat, and high temperate to make the skin golden brown. If you’re still reading this, you might just be as big of a nerd as I am. And next time we meet, I’ll buy you a beer and we’ll talk all kinds of food nerd talk.

IPA Sriracha Chicken Wings + How To Get The Crispiest Baked Wings Ever

Adapted from Cooks Illustrated

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

2 lbs party wings
1 tbs baking powder
½ tsp salt
¼ cup IPA beer
4 tbs melted butter
¼ cup Sriracha
1 tbs honey
1 tbs cornstarch
up to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 250.
Add the wings to a large bowl. Sprinkle with baking powder and salt, toss to coat.
Place a wire rack over a baking sheet, brush with oil or spray with cooking spray.
Place the wings on the wire rack.
Bake in the lower section of the oven for 30 minutes. Move to the upper 1/3 of the oven, increase oven temperature to 425. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown.
In a large bowl stir together the beer, melted butter, sriracha, honey, cayenne pepper (as little or as much as you want for the heat level you want) and cornstarch.
Toss the wings in the sauce, serve warm.

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

15.05.2015 2 Comments

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

I met a 70-year-old woman at a bar in a tiny town in the backwoods of Northern California last week, she was tying to set me up with her friend Chad. Chad is no longer in possession of his teeth and had a very relaxed relationship with hygiene. Flattered as I was I had to decline.

The town was started during the gold rush, the small mountain community was so off the grid that the bars never shut down during prohibition, and since then the population hasn’t grown over 4,000 people. Evelyn moved there a few years ago, drawn to the place by the idea of spending her retirement as a bartender. Feist and happy, she served the locals on one side of the bar, and then grabbed a glass of Chardonnay and chatted them up from the other side once her shift was over. I clearly wasn’t from around there, I was just passing through for the night, she instantly struck up a conversation with me.

I asked her why she decided to leave the South to move West and serve booze to a rowdy crowd of men half her age. She laughed, "This is the best job I’ve ever had!" She told me about her years as a secretary, raising babies, paying bills, wearing heels. That was a life she made for other people, this life, this was just for her. Sure, she can make more money doing something else, sure her feet get tired at the end of the day, but she has another way to look at it. "You can’t take any of that with you, all you have is what you leave behind. And everyday I make someone smile, and that’s what I leave."

I like her. Although her taste in men is still somewhat questionable.

Roasted Beer Brined Chicken Legs over Grilled Corn Puree and English Pea Herb Salad

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

4 chicken legs
1 tbs salt
1 tsp all spice berries
1 cup very hot water
12 ounces brown ale
1/2 cup ice
1 tsp black pepper

For the Corn:

4 ears corn
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper

For the peas:

½ lbs fresh English peas shelled
1 tbs olive oil
2 tbs balsamic vinegar
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
1 tsp chopped fresh chive

Instructions

Add the chicken legs to a large bowl or baking dish.
In a bowl combine the salt, all spice, and hot water, stir to dissolve. Add the beer, and ice, stir until ice has melted and the brine is room temperature or below. Pour over chicken, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours and up to 12.
Remove from brine, rinse well and pat dry.
Preheat oven to 450.
Place the chicken on a baking sheet, sprinkle with pepper.
Roast until skin is golden brown, juices run clear and the internal temperature of the chicken is 170F, 30-40 minutes.
Grill the corn until grill marks appear on all sides. Cut the kernels off the corn.
Add the corn kernels, cream, paprika, salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor, process until fairly smooth.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil, prepare a smaller bowl with ice water.
Add the peas to boiling water, boil for 2 minutes, then drain and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop the cooking.
Add the peas to a bowl along with the olive oil, balsamic, basil, oregano, and chives, toss to combine, salt and pepper to taste.
Plate the corn puree, and then chicken and peas.

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

29.04.2015 2 Comments

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

We try too hard.

We always do. We underestimate the beauty of simple food, and we miss it. The value of doing something really well. We over complicate a basic Mac N Cheese and it ends up a dried mess of pasta and $30 worth of inedible cheese. We buy a pork loin, cook it wrong, and it’s dry and tasteless. We try too hard, and miss the point.

Chicken can be that way. We grew up with bags of frozen chicken breasts thawing in the sink so we think that’s what chicken tastes like. We don’t connect the dots when we have incredible teriyaki glazed chicken thighs at the fair, or when we pick the dark meat during Thanksgiving, it takes us a while to realize that white meat, our default cut, sort of blows. Dark meat, that’s where the joy is.

There are a few recipes I make all the time, beer brined chicken is one. It’s a go-to, it’s a meet the parents meal, casual dinner party, easy sunday supper, type recipe. A brine will give you the juiciest chicken you can get, the dark meat will give you the flavor, a nice olive an herb rub will make it feel important. Even when it’s simple, it’s exceptional.

Plus the left over beer will help you relax and enjoy the evening, and help you stop over thinking every thing.

Beer Brined Roasted Rosemary Chicken Legs

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken legs and drumsticks
2 tbs kosher salt
12 ounces brown ale
¼ cup olive oil
3 large cloves garlic grated with a Microplane
2 tbs chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

Add the chicken to a baking pan or large bowl, sprinkle on all sides with salt. Pour the beer over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for one hour and up to six.
Remove chicken from beer, rinse well and pat dry.
Add to a baking sheet.
Preheat oven to 450.
In a small bowl stir together the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and pepper.
Drizzle the chicken with the olive oil mixture, turning to coat.
Roast at 425 for 25-30 minutes or until the skin is browned and the chicken is cooked through.

Moroccan Beer Chicken with Herb Yogurt Sauce & How to Stock A Summer Beer Tub

15.04.2015 No Comments

Moroccan Beer Chicken with Herb Yogurt Sauce

A summer evening dinner party on the patio, the perfect guest list, beautiful food, the right playlist, and of course, the right offerings in the beer tub. Stocking a beer tub for a party is as important as planning the food. It’s as much about offering your friends their favorites as it is about introducing them to new ones.

When planning the brew menu keep in mind the types of drinkers you’ve invited as well as how far you want to push their palates. Use it as an opportunity to show your friends how great beer is, not to use your preference for craft beer to alienate people and act like an asshole. It can be a fine line, but remember, if someone shows up at your door with a case of Stella, just smile and thank them and remember that you are socially obligated to add it to the beer tub. If you feel the urge to launch into a diatribe about green bottles, imported mass produced lagers or the importance of supporting local beer, just stop talking. Don’t be that guy.

Wheat beer.: Recommended: Hangar 24 // Orange Wheat, Allagash // White, Bell’s // Oberon Ale, Dogfish head // Namaste

Pilsners: Recommended: North Coast // Scrimshaw, Oskar Blues // Mama’s Little Yella Pils, Victory // Prima Pils

Session IPA’s: Recommended: Founders // All Day IPA, Firestone Walker // Easy Jack IPA, Lagunitas // DayTime,

Classic Pale Ales: Recommended: Sierra Nevada // Pale Ale, Stone // Pale Ale, Oskar Blues // Dales Pale Ale

A Little Something Different. For the guy who only drinks Newcastle, grab a Big Sky // Moose Drool. For your friend that only drinks sweet white wines, grab a Dogfish Head // Festina Peche. For your friend who refuses beer in all forms, try a Finn River // Black Current Cider. For your friend who always wants something new and is up for trying anything, Victory // Kirsch Gose

When filling the beer tub you want to offer beer that’s accessible to your guest but with a slight push to try something new. My last party had the following: Allagash white, Moose Drool, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Scrimshaw and a bomber of Rogue Sriracha Stout for the brave souls.

I served it with this homemade beer flatbread. SO good.

Moroccan Beer Chicken with Herb Yogurt Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Chicken:

½ tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ tsp nutmeg
¼ tsp paprika
1 cup pale ale
2 tbs olive oil divided
1 lbs chicken thighs boneless and skinless, chopped into bite sized cubes

Yogurt sauce & Tomatoes:

1 cup grape tomatoes
½ red onion chopped
2 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp chopped fresh mint
½ tsp garlic powder
Rice for serving

Instructions

In a large bowl stir together the cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, nutmeg, paprika, 1 tablespoon olive oil and beer. Add the chicken cubes. Cover and allow to marinate for 2 hours and up to 12.
Preheat the oven to 400.
Add the grape tomatoes and onions to a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, toss to coat. Roast for 10-12 minutes or until blistered.
Remove chicken from the marinade, pat dry.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to a cast iron skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
Add the chicken, cooking on all sides until cooked through.
Transfer the chicken to a serving platter, top with tomatoes and onions.
In a small bowl stir together the yogurt, lemon juice, cilantro, mint, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Serve yogurt sauce along side chicken and tomatoes.

Crispiest Beer Brined Chicken Thighs with Brown Ale and Sweet Pea Puree

18.03.2015 11 Comments

Crispiest Beer Brined Chicken Thighs with Brown Ale Bean and Sweet Pea Puree

Crispiest Beer Brined Chicken Thighs with Brown Ale and Sweet Pea Puree

I’m going to give you one of my secrets. I have a lot. This one is about food, and it’s a new secret.

I’ve been told for years to sear my chicken in a hot pan. I did it, dutifully, obediently, and I was given beautiful chicken. But here’s the secret: there’s a better way. I obsessively read about food (not a secret). About the history behind it, about the experiments to improve recipes, about what the difference between baking soda and baking powder is, about marinate vs marinade vs brine, it’s all very boring. Unless you’re me, and in that case, it’s fascinating.

I’ll save you the thousands of words that brought me to the door of this secret, I’ll give you the Cliff’s notes. In a smoking hot pan you just have a few minutes to sear the skin of a chicken before it burns. This will render some of the fat and give you a fairly crispy skin. BUT if you start in a cold pan the fat has more time to render as the pan heats giving you an even crispier skin. I told you. Very boring unless you’re me.

Try it. Try out this little secret, cold pan, no oil, crispiest skin ever.

Kept the secret, share the chicken. Or share both, it’s up to you, but you should always share the beer.

Crispiest Beer Brined Chicken Thighs with Brown Ale and Sweet Pea Puree

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

4 chicken thighs bone-in, skin on
salt and pepper
12 ounces brown ale

For the Peas:

12 wt oz about 2 ¼ cups green peas (thawed if frozen)
1 cloves garlic smashed
¼ cup sour cream
3 tbs brown ale
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
¼ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
2 tbs olive oil
¼ cup green onions

Instructions

Sprinkle the chicken thighs on all sides with salt and pepper. Place in a large bowl or baking dish, pour beer over chicken. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
In a high powdered blender or food processer add the peas, garlic, sour cream, brown ale, salt, pepper, parmesan and olive oil, process until smooth.
Add the peas to a pot over medium low heat, simmer until warmed through, remove from heat.
Remove chicken from the brine, pat dry.
Place the chicken skin side down in a cold cast iron skillet, add the pan to medium high heat. As the pan heats, fat will render making the skin crispy. Once the skin is golden brown, turn the chicken thighs and cook until internal temperature reaches 165.
Plate the peas puree, add the chicken, sprinkle with green onions.

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones

11.03.2015 5 Comments

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones. Your new favorite grill recipe.

Sure, you can grill meat. You can throw hot dogs on the grill, and a couple burgers. You can have yourself a hot meat party and invite your friends over.

Meat just scratches the grilled-food surface. It’s the obvious choice, the blended margarita on taco Tuesday, the teddy bear holding a heart on Valentines day. Other foods needs a sharp heat and a quick char. Have you grilled fruit yet? Or salad? Ice cream?! Maybe that’s too far. Let’s start with pizza, and pizza like hand held beer and cheese filled pies. Grilled pizza, as well as adjacent pizza like items, are my favorite ways to indulge in fire seared foods.

Plus, beer is essential when you stand near an open flame and cook your dinner. It’s not even up for negotiations.

Grilled Parmesan Beer Chicken Calzones

Print Recipe

Servings 12 calzones

Ingredients

1 can 14.5 wt oz diced tomatoes
6 wt oz tomato paste
1/3 cup wheat beer
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp dried basil
2 lbs raw pizza dough enough for two large pizzas
8 wt oz chicken cooked and chopped
4 wt oz parmesan cheese fresh grated
4 wt ounces mozzarella grated
oil for grill

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium high.
In a blender add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beer, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and basil. Blend until smooth.
Cut the dough into 12 equal sized pieces.
One at a time doll the dough balls into flat 6 inch circles.
Add 2 to 3 tablespoons sauce in the center, top with chicken, about 1 tablespoon each of mozzarella and parmesan.
Fold the dough over into a crescent shape, rolling and pinching the edges to seal.
Brush each side with olive oil.
Place the calzones on the hot grill, close lid. Grill on each side until strong grill marks appear, about 4 minutes per side. ‘

My favorite pizza dough recipe: Beer Pizza Dough

My favorite quick dough recipe: One Hour Rosemary Beer Pizza Dough

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes

27.02.2015 6 Comments

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes. Just one pot and dinner is done.

I once tried to help a homeless woman get an apartment.

She’d wondered into the lobby of the building I was working at in Beverly Hills. She was sweet, well over 70-years-old, and seemed quite healthy for the life she was living. I was given the task of "dealing" with her and decided that she was far more fascinating that paperwork that I’d previously been laboring through.

She handed me a stained envelope of papers, ID cards, receipts and bus passes, "I’m too old for this," She collapses in a leather chair near the window, "I think it’s time for me to have a place to live."

I got her a cup of coffee and asked her questions, most of which were purely to satisfy my own curiosity. She’d been homeless for 30 years, since her mid 40’s, she was once a waitress, then a secretary. She has a daughter who now lives in Chicago, they don’t talk. I didn’t pull at that thread. She spent most of her days in the Library, reading mystery novels, or at the park watching the people. She made homelessness seem almost charming.

I made some calls. Local shelters, community centers, soup kitchens. I googled searched the city looking for housing. After an hour, I struck gold. I found a HUD funded apartment complex that had a vacant unit that was designated for a formerly homeless senior citizen. I ran to the lobby to tell her the news.

"An open apartment? Where is it?' She was much less thrilled than I was.

"It’s on Adams and La Brea."

"Mmmm, child…. Honey…. I’d rather be homeless than live east of the 405." She slowly eased herself out of the chair and walked right out the door. Not even a goodbye.

You’d think I’d be irritated, or frustrated, but I found it so entreatingly hilarious that I called everyone I knew who lived in Santa Monica. To this day I’m asked to tell the story any time I’m at a party in the home of anyone who lives WEST of the 405.

Rosemary Beer Chicken and Skillet Potatoes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

2 tbs fresh rosemary chopped
3 tbs olive oil divided
1 tbs stone ground mustard
1 tbs honey
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 cup beer pale ale, brown ale, hefeweizen
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1.5 lbs small red potatoes quartered

Instructions

Add the rosemary, 2 tablespoons olive oil, mustard, honey, salt, pepper and beer to a large bowl or baking dish. Add the chicken, refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 12 hours.
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoons olive oil in a cast iron skillet until hot but not smoking. Add the potatoes, cook until browned on cut sides, but not cooked through, about 5 minutes, remove from heat.
Place the chicken on top of the potatoes, pour ½ cup of the chicken marinate over the chicken.
Bake at 375 until chicken and potatoes are cooked through, about 25 minutes.

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup

04.02.2015 13 Comments

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup. 20 minutes, one pot, so good.

The best chicken curry I’ve ever had was in a seedy part of Van Nuys, just north of Los Angles. This was also the setting of the most awkward conversation I’ve ever had with a stranger.

The restaurant resembles a by-the-hour hotel with a history of CSI activity, flanked by a parking lot that hosts a regular rotation of drug dealers and prostitutes. It’s in a part of LA that you probably shouldn’t go to unless you have to, or really want to get a good deal on a used car or some questionable weed. I went there for the chicken panang, it was that good. Inside the place was sweet, resembling a tea house, run by a quiet family from Thailand and populated by other brave lunch time travelers, several suit and tie types that drove in from local studios.

The entire restaurant had about 11 tables, six booths and five 4 tops in the center. I sat close to the kitchen, watching what little I could see of my glorious coconut curry and sticky rice lunch come together, feeling grateful that I’d made the drive and braved the neighborhood. A few minutes after my floral ceramic dishes filled with my much anticipated lunch was set down in front of me, the agreed upon silence of the place was broken. I look up to see who is assaulting my refuge.

"Hi, I’m Pete," he looked even more smarmy than his shiny suit and slicked back hair wanted him to be, "I’m rich and I’m wondering if you’re single."

The entire restaurant stopped their quiet conversations and turned in our direction. Even the cooks stepped out of their small spaces to witness my reaction.

"Ummm….congratulations on all the cash, Pete, but I’m not available."

He gave me a confused look, as if I’d just told him that it’s actually macro beer that’s brewed "the hard way."

"Wait…but I want to take you out." He was so confused as to why exactly my panties hadn’t flow off my body at the mere mention of all his millions.

"Yeah, that’s really nice of you to offer. But I’m going to have to decline. Thank you, It’s always flattering to be asked out." I’m trying to be nice, but my "let him down easy, don’t hurt his feelings, he’s putting himself out there," knee jerk reaction to these situation was starting to wane in favor of a "who do you think you are, asshole?" sentiment.

"I have a Bentley!" He throws his hands up in frustration.

I realize at this point that the elderly woman behind me was still holding her breath and I’m fairly certain that she hadn’t blinked in several minutes.

"That’s great. But, my answer is still no."

He rolls his eyes and heads for the door. A moustached hipster in the far booth starts to laugh in a way that sounds half ironic, half nervous, and gives me an enthusiastic double thumbs up. I laugh, also nervous and ironic in nature.

I look down at my bowl of coconut curry chicken and decide that I need to learn how to make this at home, I can handle the prostitutes and drug dealers but the arrogant Bentley drivers make me uneasy.

Coconut Curry Beer Chicken Soup

Print Recipe

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

1 lbs chicken breasts cubed
salt and pepper
3 tbs olive oil
1 red bell pepper sliced
1 large shallot diced (about ¼ cup)
1 jalapeno chopped
2 cups shitake mushrooms sliced (not dried)
3 cloves garlic minced
¼ tsp fresh ginger grated with a microplane
1 cup wheat beer hefeweizen, white ale
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tbs red curry paste
2 14 oz cans full fat coconut milk
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbs fresh basil thinly sliced

Instructions

Sprinkle the chicken cube on all sides with generous amounts of salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the chicken, cooking until browned on all sides, remove chicken from the pot.
Add the bell pepper, shallots, jalapeno, and mushrooms, cooking until the vegetables have softened, about ten minutes.
Stir in the garlic and ginger.
Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Add the broth, curry paste, coconut milk, chicken, and brown sugar. Allow to simmer for about ten minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls, top with fresh basil.

Baked Buttermilk Beer Popcorn Chicken with Honey Beer Dipping Sauce

16.01.2015 5 Comments

Baked Buttermilk Beer Popcorn Chicken with Honey Beer Dipping Sauce. So easy and even freezer friendly!

When I was 22 I worked at a locked down level 14 facility that housed juvenile delinquents. I was only there to work with one. A baby faced 12-year-old named Tyrell with dark chocolate skin and big brown eyes. His sweet spirit and quiet voice made it impossible for me to believe that this was the kid that had been locked up in Baby Jail for 6 months due to assault, then moved to locked down half-way house before he could go back into foster care. He was just way too gentle.

Filling out the initial forms I asked him about himself. I asked him to pick three words that described himself. He didn’t hesitate, "Male. Athletic. Japanese." He might not have thought twice but I did, he was clearly African-American.

"Umm…Japanese?"

"Oh. Yeah. I’ve been in foster care since birth and no one knows who my bio parents are. So it’s possible. I could be Japanese. It’s possible. And I feel Japanese. konichiwa!" The last word was accompanied by an exaggerated bow.

"It’s definitely possible," I smiled at how completely endearing it was.

I made a deal with him. If he agreed to work with me on anger management skills, on Fridays I’d bring him something to explore his Japanese culture. He was thrilled. We tried out Origami, we went through an English-Japanese dictionary to learn words, we played mahjong and drew Japanese cartoons. Then we came to the idea of food. I explained different dishes, each of which were met by a horrified expressions. "I only been eating group home food. I never heard of none of that." Despite his completely institutionalized palate, he wanted to try some japanese flavors. After a lengthy discussion we decided to just try some sauces, sampled with his favorite food: chicken nuggets.

The following week I brought him 16 chicken nuggets along with Ponzu sauce, Wasabi mayonnaise, Hoisin sauce, taberu rayu, and a variety of other condiments. He wasn’t impressed. Other than the hoisin, he didn’t sample any more than once. He was disappointed that his taste buds rejected the idea that his relatives were from Japan, "Well," he sighed, "Maybe I’m only half Japanese."

Baked Buttermilk Beer Popcorn Chicken with Honey Beer Dipping Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the chicken:

1 lbs chicken breast cut into cubes
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup pale ale
½ cup flour
1 cup panko
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 tbs Olive oil
Olive oil spray

For the sauce:

½ tsp chili powder
¼ cup honey
2 tbs pale ale
1 tbs garlic chili sauce

Instructions

Place the chicken in a large bowl.
Cover with buttermilk and 1 cup beer, stir gently to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour and up to 8.
Prepare a baking sheet by covering with aluminum foil and dizzling with an even layer of 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Preheat oven to 425.
In a small bowl stir together the flour, panko, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
One at a time remove the chicken cubes from the buttermilk, toss in the panko mixture until well coated. Gently dip back in the butter milk mixture and then toss again in the panko mixture.
Place on a prepared baking sheet.
Spray gently with olive oil spray.
Bake for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over, bake until cooked through about an additional 10 minutes.
In a small bowl stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons beer, ¼ cup honey and garlic chili sauce.
Serve the chicken bites with sauce on the side.

Notes

These freeze well. Just cook them completely, allow them to cool and then transfer to a gallon sized freezer zip lock bag. Freeze for up to three weeks.
Once ready to eat, cook for 15 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven or until warmed through.

I use the Chili Garlic Sauce from Huy Fong foods, it can be found in most supermarkets in the Asian foods section (affiliate link).

I also use this Olive Oil Sprayer, it’s perfect if you want to avoid using cooking spray. (affiliate links)

Stout Harissa Chicken Thighs

14.01.2015 4 Comments

Stout Harissa Chicken Thighs. Crazy good one pot chicken.

Let’s talk about an interesting question. A specifically head-tilt inducing question I’ve been asked a few dozen times over the past few months, "How do I get people to try craft beer?"

My furrowed-brow-blank-stared response is usually as simple as, "Why wouldn’t they?" The logic for trying something new is simple: To see if you like it. The request to sample anything isn’t a contractual obligation to fall in love, we don’t want you to propose to beer, to have babies with beer, we are asking for a first date. A quick meet over coffee at a strip mall Starbucks to see if there are sparks. A few sips of a flight of diverse beers to see if something strikes your fancy. Hate hoppy beers? Lots of people do, try a Belgian or a white ale. Can’t get past that stale Miller Light from college? Neither can we, it’s not what we serve here. Saying you don’t like beer based on a few run-ins with off balanced brews a few years ago is like saying you hate California and won’t visit Napa Valley because you didn’t like the traffic in Anaheim when you went to Disneyland when you were 7.

Beer is broader that most people realize with a flavor database that is arguably larger than any other alcoholic beverage on the market. A few tactics to try? Sure, let’s talk strategy. Peer pressure? We all know from 8th grade health class and high school parties that it works like magic, use it to your advantage. Shame and guilt! I grew up with Catholic grandparents and can attest to the effectiveness of this approach. Tease them and call them afraid? If Marty McFly taught us anything it’s that being called a chicken will get people to take on any dare regardless of personal consequences.

We do need to delve a little deeper in this discussion. Why do you want this specific human to fall in love with your adult beverage of choice? Because you want a brewery buddy for on location beer mecca visitation? Do you want someone to talk to about beer? Or are you just being bossy and controlling? Once you isolate your reasons for wanting to push beer on others, you’re at a better jumping off point for negotiations (unless you’re being bossy, then you just have to let it go). Regardless of the outcome, we still have to respect the fact that some people just don’t like any beer. Which isn’t always a bad thing. More for us, right?

Stout Harissa Chicken Thighs

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Harissa Paste:

8 dried guajillo chiles stem and seeds removed, broken into pieces
2 dried ancho chilies stem and seeds removed, broken into pieces
1 cup room temperature stout or porter
1 cup warm water
3 cloves garlic grated with a microplane
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon cumin

For the Chicken:

6 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
salt and pepper
1 tbs olive oil
½ white onion chopped (about 1 cup)
1 can 14.5 wt oz diced tomatoes
½ cup stout beer
2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Make the Harissa:

In a small bowl add the guajillo chilies and ancho chilies. Pour the beer and the water over the chilies. Use a heavy object such as a coffee mug to make sure the chilies are submerged. Allow to sit at room temperature for one hour. Drain the chilies reserving 2 tablespoon soaking liquid.
Add the chilies, 2 tablespoons soaking liquid, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, coriander, caraway and cumin to a food processor. Process until the mixture is a paste. Harissa can be made up to a week ahead of time and the flavors develop over time. Make at least one day ahead if possible, store in the refrigerator in an airtight container until ready to use.

Make the chicken:

Salt and pepper the chicken on all sides.
Heat olive oil in a cast iron skillet until very hot, add the chicken, skin side down. Cook until skin has browned, turn over and brown on the other side. Remove from pan (chicken will not be cooked through).
Add the onions, cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Stir in 1/3 cup harissa and tomatoes. Add the chicken back in the pan, skin side up.
Roast at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from oven, preheat the broiler.
Place pan under the broiler until skin has crisped, about 2 minutes.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley prior to serving.

Fried Buttermilk Beer Chicken Salad with Sriracha Honey Vinaigrette

24.12.2014 4 Comments

If there is one type of book that I will always want in the print version, it’s a cookbook. I want to feel the pages, make my own notes, and someday pass it down to future generations. It becomes a conversation between decades, an engagement among generations, that connects people in a way that nothing other than food has the ability to do.

Maybe it’s the end of a brutal year that was illuminated by the writing of my second book, a lifeline to stability, that makes me want to defend the print cookbook. Maybe it’s the ghosts of the past that seem to haunt the holidays. Maybe it was a small moment over the weekend while standing in the middle of a book store in Portland and finding a note card written 50 years ago wedged in the middle of a antique Sunday Suppers cookbook. It doesn’t matter, I have an analog soul, I like things that I feel with my hands. I love the smell of old books. As much as I love innovation and the sexiness of new technology, my heart will always belong to what I can pass down, or what I can receive from those who have gone before me. Like old cookbooks and fried chicken recipes. Somethings are just made to be shared.

Fried Buttermilk Beer Chicken Salad with Sriracha Honey Vinaigrette

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Chicken:

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tbs kosher salt
½ sweet white onion sliced
¾ cups buttermilk
6 ounces pale ale
2 tsp sriracha
2 cups flour
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
canola or peanut oil for frying

For the Salad:

2 heads red leaf lettuce chopped
1 large avocado diced
½ cup pomegranate seeds
8 wt oz Burrata Cheese or goat cheese

Sriracha Honey Vinaigrette

¼ cup honey
1 tsp sriracha
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 tbs olive oil

Instructions

Arrange the chicken in an even layer in a large baking pan.
Sprinkle evenly with kosher salt, top with sliced onions.
In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, beer and sriracha, pour evenly over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
In a medium sized bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, chili powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
One at a time remove the chicken pieces, dredge in the flour mixture then gently re-dip in the buttermilk/beer marinade and recoat with the flour mixture (double coating of the flour mixture will give you a crispier chicken), set on a wire rack that has been set over a baking sheet.
Allow the coated chicken to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200.
Add the oil to a large pot until about 6 inches deep, heat to 350 degrees using a cooking thermometer clipped to the pan, adjust heat to maintain that temperature.
Working in batches fry the chicken until golden brown and cooked through (between 4 and 8 minutes each, depending on the thickness of the chicken)
Once each piece is done, place on a wire rack over a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm. Slice the chicken.
In a small bowl whisk together the honey, sriracha and vinegar. While whisking vigorously, slowly add the olive oil until well combined.
Add chopped lettuce, pomegranates, and avocado to a large bowl, toss to combine.
Top with burrata cheese and sliced fried chicken, drizzle with dressing.

Spicy Chicken Sausage White Bean Beer Chili

12.12.2014 14 Comments

Spicy Chicken Sausage White Bean Beer Chili. One pot, twenty minutes, crazy good.

For the first time in my life, winter has been the best season of the year. 2014 has been hard on me, beating me up in ways I didn’t expect, traumatic in ways I’ll never forget. Seattle, and the beautiful winter, has been like aloe on burnt skin.

Rain on the windows when I’m alone in bed, mid-50s, and overcast as I run through the trees along moss covered trails, drizzly days at small coffee shops when I finish my second book that was like the fragile line to a lifeboat pulling me out of the storm. The dark clouds in my life are starting to lift, the new normal is starting to feel like it actually is, in fact, normal, and the frenzy is starting to mellow.

For the first time in my entire life, I’m looking forward to January, a month that has always been hideous to me. It can’t be worse that the previous 11 months, and it will mark a new beginning for me. For now, to make it through the most difficult year of my life, I need comfort food, not just for my body but for my soul.

Let’s hope 2015 is my year, I’m already looking forward to it.

Spicy Chicken Sausage White Bean Beer Chili

Print Recipe

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 lbs spicy chicken sausages raw, removed from casing
1 white onion chopped
1 jalapeno chopped
12 oz pale ale
2 cup chicken broth
4 15 oz cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sour cream
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 large avocado diced

Instructions

Add the sausage to a large pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Cook, breaking up with into small pieces as it cooks.
Add the onions and jalapenos, cooking until softened.
Add the beer and broth, scraping to deglaze the pan.
Add the beans, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin. Simmer for ten minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in the sour cream, salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into bowls, top with cilantro and avocado.

Slow Cooker Mushroom Winter Ale Chicken & What is a Winter Ale?

04.12.2014 6 Comments

What is a Winter Ale?

This is the time for generalities. With the Winter Ales, these seasonal favorites, it’s essential. Because you can get specific, and even technical with other beer styles, but the vast spectrum that these beers run along won’t allow for strict categorization. Winter ales are often what’s called an Old Ale, a rich amber-colored malty ale with an above average alcohol content. But of course, that’s frequently not the case. Winter ales can be stouts, Belgians, brown ales, and even IPA’s.

ABV (alcohol by volume) is a bit of a commonality among these late-in-the-year beers, most of which have an ABV around or above 8%. But, here we are again with the discrepancies. Winter Ales can be as low as 5% and as high as 20%.

Flavor seems to be the best way to round-up these beautiful beers, most of them taste like the holidays. Winter warmers (as they are often called) most commonly have flavors of cinnamon, cloves, figs, dates, nuts, toffee, and chocolate. Most are malty and low hops, but there are of course outliers, some of these beer will give you all those holiday flavors you love while still kicking you a big hop flavor, like this Abominable Winter Ale from Hopworks Beer. It’s pretty perfect for those of you IPA loving hop heads that still want to get into the Christmas Beer spirit.

So, in summation, Winter Ales are mostly Ole Ales, with a higher ABV, malty, with flavors of nuts and spice. But they can be IPA’s. Or stouts. Or have a 6% ABV. To clarify, a winter ale is whatever the brewer wants it to be, and if you’re smart, you’ll just drink it without asking too many questions.

Slow Cooker Mushroom Winter Ale Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 tbs olive oil
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
¼ cup chopped white onions
8 wt ounces sliced crimini mushrooms
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh sage
3 tbs all purpose flour
1 ¼ cups chicken broth
1 cup winter ale or brown ale
1 tbs brown sugar omit if using a low hop, malty beer

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a pan over high heat.
Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear chicken on both sides in a hot pan until browned (chicken will not be cooked through).
Transfer the chicken to a slow cooker.
Lower the heat to medium, stir in the onions, cook until browned. Add the mushrooms, rosemary and sage, cook until darkened and softened.
Sprinkle with flour, stir until combined. Add the chicken broth, beer, and brown sugar, scraping to deglaze the pan. Pour the mushroom mixture over the chicken, stir to combine.
Cook in a slow cooker on high for 4 hours or until chicken shreds easily with a fork. Salt and pepper to taste. (if sauce doesn't thicken as much as you like, add to a pan over medium high heat, simmer until thickened.)
Serve over rice or pasta.

One Pot Tomato Parmesan Brown Ale Fettuccini with Chicken

24.10.2014 8 Comments

One Pot Tomato Parmesan Brown Ale Fettuccini with Chicken. Even the pasta and chicken get cooked in the same pot!

Sometimes I like to look at photos of old living rooms I used to occupy. The one when I was kid with the brown tweed couch, and the one with the tan futon from college, and the one I painted orange from right after I graduated. I stare at these images and think that if I just tried hard enough I could go back. I could walk in the door, throw my bag on that weird built in shelf next to the stove that Sophia chewed on when she was a puppy. That the awkward wrought iron table would still be there and the bad bathroom tile would still be covered in lady bug decals.

Then I remember that fight I got into with my academic advisor when I was in college. He was also the dean of my department and the type that would wear thin short sleeved button down shirts without the obligatory Hanes barrier between my eyes and his man nipples. He always had a way of pissing me off, but for some reason I told him that I was having a hard time adjusting, that friends had never been that easy for me to come by, that even going home felt more empty than I’d imagined.

"It’s true what they say," as he leaned back in his chair his large mass caused the seat to creak in protest under his weight, "You really can’t go home again."

I stood up, angry at him. He was right, and it made me furious.

Sometimes I think he might be wrong. For a second I think that there might be way, if I could find the key, that I could open the door and it would all be the same.

One Pot Tomato Parmesan Brown Ale Fettuccini with Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 chicken thighs
salt and pepper
3 tbs olive oil
½ yellow onion diced
1 large carrot diced
15 asparagus stalks trimmed
3 cloves garlic minced
12 ounces brown ale
2 lbs fresh tomatoes diced
6 wt oz tomato paste
4 wt oz parmesan with rind
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
8 wt ounces fettuccini noodles

Instructions

Sprinkle chicken thighs on all sides with salt and pepper.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Cook chicken on both sides until cooked through, remove from pot, chop.
Add onions and carrots, cooking until softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the asparagus and garlic, cook until asparagus is slightly browned.
Stir in the beer, scraping to deglaze the pot.
Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, simmer until the tomatoes have broken down. Grate the parmesan, reserve the rind. Sprinkle the pot with parmesan, stir until combined, Add the rind to the pot as well.
Stir in the garlic powder, oregano. Add the fettuccini noodles, cooking until noodles are al dente.
Plate the noodles, top with chicken.

Sriracha and Beer Fried Chicken with Sriracha Honey Glaze

20.10.2014 8 Comments

Sriracha and Beer Fried Chicken with Sriracha Honey Glaze. The best fried chicken I’ve ever made, and really simple.

The best fried chicken I’ve ever had was in a trailer park in Compton, a particularly rough part of South Central Los Angeles (you can read that story here). Since then I’ve had a mild obsession with perfecting the at-home fried chicken recipe. It’s an easy recipe to obsess over, its meant to be an at-home recipe. It’s origins are in home kitchens in the South, kitchens that don’t have fancy equipment or any need for expensive ingredients. It’s a recipe that often turns out better in a home kitchen than in a commercial one. Fried chicken is meant to be shared, made in larger batches, and eaten with both hands. I’ve learned a few things along the path of my obsession that help get that perfect bite that turns Fried Chicken into Crack Chicken:

1. Brine. Always, always brine. A mixture of beer and buttermilk gives you an incredibly juicy chicken that has no trouble standing up to the heat of a deep frier.

2. Sweet and heat. A little brown sugar and chili powder will give you a nice full, rounded flavor to your breading that can’t be matched. Don’t be afraid of the sugar, it’s a secret ingredient for many, many chefs and home cooks.

3. Wire rack. Skip the paper towel covered plate, it’ll make the bottom part of your chicken soggy. Place a wire rack over a baking sheet and the entire thing will stay crispy.

4. Skip the spendy oil. Because of the low smoke point of olive oil, it’s the last thing you want to use. Use canola oil or peanut oil for best result. Some home cooks (particularly the Southern Grandma types) like to use a mixture of Crisco and peanut oil.

5. Use your oven too. It’ll take a while to cook 3 pounds of chicken, make sure that the first batch is as warm as the last by sticking it on a wire rack over a baking sheet and placing that in the oven while you finish up. It will also help keep the crispy coating from turning soggy.

6. Let it sit for a few minutes. Allowing the chicken to rest between the buttermilk/flour step and the deep frier will help your chicken cook more evenly and help the breading to stick to the chicken.

My last advice is to pair it with a highly carbonated, moderately hopped pale ale. But that’s your call. Have a great fried chicken tip? Please add it in the comments section!

Sriracha and Beer Fried Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken pieces thighs, legs, wings
2 tbs kosher salt
1 sweet white onion sliced
1 ½ cups buttermilk
12 ounces pale ale
1 tbs sriracha
2 cups flour
2 tbs brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
canola or peanut oil for frying

For the Glaze:

¼ cup honey
3 tbs sriracha

Instructions

Arrange the chicken in an even layer in a large baking pan.
Sprinkle evenly with kosher salt, top with sliced onions.
In a small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, beer and sriracha, pour evenly over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
In a medium sized bowl stir together the flour, brown sugar, chili powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne.
One at a time remove the chicken pieces, dredge in the flour mixture then gently re-dip in the buttermilk/beer marinade and recoat with the flour mixture (double coating of the flour mixture will give you a crispier chicken), set on a wire rack that has been set over a baking sheet.
Allow the coated chicken to sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 250.
Add the oil to a large pot until about 6 inches deep, heat to 350 degrees using a cooking thermometer clipped to the pan, adjust heat to maintain that temperature.
Working in batches fry the chicken until golden brown and cooked through (between 4 and 12 minutes each, depending on how thick the chicken and if the piece has a bone in it, use a meat thermometer to check for doneness).
Once each piece is done, return to the wire rack and place baking sheet in the oven while the remainder of the chicken is cooking.
Whisk together the honey and sriracha, drizzle over the chicken just prior to serving (alternately, it can be used as a dipping sauce).

Stout Mushroom Gravy and Chicken with Beer Biscuits

01.10.2014 9 Comments

Stout Mushroom Gravy and Chicken with Beer Biscuits

I was once friends with a man who was 100 years old. We had a bit of an unlikely friendship, since he had reached retirement age long before I was even born. He was smart, funny, and seems to have no concept of the age gap.

Life was a constant opportunity to make people laugh, and he took full advantage of it.

When he moved to Los Angeles in the 1940’s to get his pneumonia stricken daughters out of the frigid East Coast winters, he was without money, without a job, and without an education. He walked in to a Taxi company headquarters and asked for a job. He had a fantastic driving record and a winning smile, in his book, that’s the only resume he needed. As soon as the hiring manager found out that he had only lived on the West Coast of a week, knew nothing about Los Angeles freeways, and had never driven a cab, he shut down the interview.

“If you don’t know how to get from LAX to the Roosevelt Hotel, how are you going to get the client there??”

Jack responded with this famous smile, “Well if you don’t give me the cab, it’s gonna take a whole lot longer!”

He got the job.

Jack worked as a cab driver, running tourist from the Airport to Hollywood for over 30 years. He was also the very first Employee of the Month for the cab company, and to date, the recipient of the most complimentary letters ever sent to the cab company about any one of their employees.

As I sat with him only a few months before his 101’s birthday, eating biscuits that his nurse had made us, I asked him if he had any regrets.

“Not really. The secret to living 100 years old and not regretting anything is this: Do your best. Don’t hurt anyone. Make friends with anyone who will let you.”

When my job moved me farther from his apartment in the valley, I wasn’t able to visit as often as I used to so I wrote letters, postmarked from my Santa Monica office. One day I got a return letter, addressed to me with flowery handwriting. It was from his 76 year old daughter:

"Jackie,

I’m not sure what it was that formed a friendship between you and my Dad, but I wanted you to know how much he valued you. Your visits brightened his day, even his week. If there was a highlight from his last decade of life, it was the time he spent with you. He spoke of you often, and although my sister and I were at first skeptical of a friendship between him and a girl in her 20’s, it quickly became clear that there was a special bond between you two. I’m so sorry to tell you that he passed away, just a week shy of his 101’s birthday. I do want you to know that we appreciate the time you spent with him in his last year. Thank you."

I cried. And ate biscuits in his honor, his favorite breakfast. To this day, "Do your best. Don’t hurt anyone. Make friends with anyone who will let you” is some of best advice I’ve gotten.

Stout Mushroom Gravy and Chicken with Beer Biscuits

Print Recipe

Ingredients

For the Biscuits:

3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
8 tbs unsalted cold butter cut into cubes
1/2 cup buttermilk
2/3 cup Belgian ale or wheat beer
2 tbs melted butter
¼ tsp course sea salt

For the Chicken and Gravy:

3 tbs butter
2 boneless skinless chicken thighs
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
¼ cup chopped yellow onion
8 wt oz chopped crimini mushrooms
¼ cup flour
1 cup beef stock
¾ cup stout beer
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tbs honey
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400.
In a processor add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar.
Pulse to combine. Add the cold butter, process until well combined. Add to a large bowl.
Add the buttermilk and beer. Mix with a fork until just combined.
Add to a well-floured flat surface, pat into a rectangle. Using a cold rolling pin (preferably marble) gently roll into a large rectangle, about 1 inch in thickness, using as few strokes as possible.
Fold the dough into thirds as you would a letter about to go into an envelope. Roll lightly, once in each direction to about 1 inch thickness, fold in thirds again. Gently roll into about 1 1/2 inch thickness (this will give you the flakey layers).
Using a biscuit cutter cut out 6 to 8 biscuits. Place in a baking pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Brush biscuits with melted butter, sprinkle salt.
Bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.
While the biscuits bake, make the gravy.
Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat.
Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sear on each side until golden brown, remove from the pan, chop (they do not need to be cooked through).
Add the onions, cook until softened, about five minutes. Add the mushrooms, cook until mushrooms are dark brown and soft.
Sprinkle with flour, cook until the flour has turned brown, about 2 minutes.
Add the beef stock and stout. Simmer until thickened. Add the chicken cubes back into the pan, simmer until cooked through.
Add the cream, honey, stir until well combined.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Split the biscuits, fill with gravy.

Honey Mustard Mushroom Stout Chicken

17.09.2014 13 Comments

Honey Mustard Mushroom Stout Chicken: 30 minute, one pot chicken dinner.

A few years ago I was stuck in a small town in south Italy on a 22 hour layover.

While trying to figure out if sleeping in the tiny terminal was feasible, I met an Italian girl about my age. Her English was good, she was stunning, and she was about half way to earning her pilots license, I was instantly enamored with her. She asked if I’d like to stay with her for the night, in the small apartment she shared with her mom. I quickly agreed, jumping in a cab with her to head to a crowded part of town.

She’d planed to drag me around Pescara, first with her boyfriend, then later with a much older man she referred to as her lover, but before then we were obligated to sit down at a small dining table with her mom, who’d been cooking all afternoon. After an incredible meal of homemade bread, a small green salad, smashed peas and a roasted chicken, I’d offered to do the dishes. Half way through the clean up, Chiara came into the small kitchen dressed in tight jeans, shiny black heels that made her well over 6 feet tall and tight, tiny tube top. She leaned against the counter as I finished drying the larger platter and asked me about my life in LA and the celebrities I’d met. As I talked, she lit a cigarette she had buried in her purse. A few drags in, she froze as we heard her mom coming around the corner, she shove the cigarette into my hand and took a big step back. Her mom gasped as she saw the American girl in her kitchen with a lit cigarette, smoke wafting towards her hanging plants. I froze.

Her mom screamed at me in Italian, shooing us out the door. As soon as we were safely on our way to the bar where her boyfriend was eagerly awaiting our arrival, she thanked me. "She doesn’t know I smoke, and she won’t care if you do. You know, because you’re American." After a long night of following Chiara around Pescara, meeting the throngs of men that where throwing themselves at her, we finally returned home to a dark apartment.

Her mom had left a note on her table for us. Chiara translated it for me, her mom had left some bread for me to eat in the morning, she knew I had a really early flight. She had also packed up some of the chicken for me to take with me on my flight. I was touched. "That’s good," I said, "She must not hate me."

"Oh no," Chiara responded, "Even if she does she would still feed you. No one will ever go hungry in my moms house, friend or enemy."

To this day I have no idea if there is an older Italian woman on the East Coast of Italy that abhors the thought of me, but either way, her chicken is fantastic.

Honey Mustard Mushroom Stout Chicken

Print Recipe

Total Time 30

Servings 4 -6 servings

Ingredients

3 lbs chicken thighs
1 tbs salt
1 tbs pepper
2 tbs butter
¼ cup chopped shallots
4 cloves garlic minced
8 wt oz mushrooms shitake, crimini, oyster. Fresh not dried
1 cup stout beer
½ cup beef broth
simmer until reduced by about half
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tbs raw honey
1 tbs whole grain mustard
¼ cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
rice for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425.
Sprinkle the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.
Melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken, skin side down, cook until skin is browned and crispy, flip the chicken, cooking on the other side until slightly browned. Remove from pan (chicken will not be cooked through).
Add the shallots, reduce heat to medium, cooking until slightly browned. Add the garlic and mushrooms, cooking until the mushrooms have softened, about five minutes. Add the beer, scraping to deglaze the pan. Simmer until reduced by half. Add the broth, thyme, rosemary, honey, and mustard, simmer for about five minutes. Add the cream, simmer until slightly thickened.
Add the chicken back into the pan, place the pan in the oven (make sure this pan is oven safe, if not everything can be transferred to a baking dish instead) roast at 425 for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked to 170F degrees.
Serve over rice with sauce.

Notes

Note: if the skin is no longer crispy after roasting, place pan under a preheated broiler for about 2 minutes or until skin has crisped.

Beer Brined Pepper Lime Chicken with Gorgonzola and Blackberries

06.08.2014 7 Comments

I was once asked to be in a porn movie. I was 21.

I was a social worker for gang members, working with a rough crowd of teenagers in an unsavory section of Los Angeles. On a particularly frustrating day of trying to convince a hot-tempered kid why punching his teacher wasn’t a "dope idea," I decide to take a break and walk a few blocks to the nearby by mini-mart for a soda and some breathing room. As a way to exagerate the few small years that stood between my age and theirs, I always came to work a bit overdressed. As a way to look like I wasn’t still at the tail-end of my teens, I was wearing black pants, red heels and a crisp white button down. Which wasn’t the usual wardrobe choice for this particular area of the Southland.

On the way back, sucking down a Diet Coke and trying to formulate a response to angry-teen-guy logic, a brand new BMW pulled up beside me. The overly tinted window rolled down and I hear a voice asking for my attention. I was completely unsurprised to see an overly tan, overly hair gelled guy in an undersized tank top. He passed me his card and told me he was a producer. Now, we need to pause for a second to explain a little bit of the LA culture. While you should ALWAYS be skeptical of anyone who tries this line on you, and under no circumstances should you meet this person in an area that isn’t highly public, it’s not the strangest situation. I was cast as an extra in two TV shows and a movie that all started with similar conversations.

I keep a safe distance from Tan Hair Gel Baby Gap Tank Top Guy, while grabbing the business card he passed across his passenger’s seat. "I need to let you know it is an adult film, we can negotiate the sex" he says with a smarmy wink.

"Ahhh, ok," I drop the card on the passenger seat, "I’m good, but thanks for the offer." I quickly make my way back to work as he yells dollar amounts at me. Which, in case you’re wondering, isn’t at ALL degrading.

Upon returning to the office I tell the office manager what happened. She was a 50-year-old former nun, and still in practice as far as the celibacy goes, and I was a little worried about her reaction to something so tawdry. "That’s so offensive!" she yells. I knew it would disgust her and I was a little embarrassed to have told her, "I walk to that QuickMart every day and I’ve never been asked to be in a porno movie! What’s wrong with me!? I’m offended."

Not the reaction I was expecting but somehow it make the entire interaction worth it.

Beer Brined Pepper Lime Chicken with Gorgonzola and Blackberries

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets
12 ounces pale ale
1 tbs lime zest
1/3 cup flour
1 tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
2 wt oz gorgonzola
½ cup fresh blackberries

Instructions

Add the chicken thighs to a large bowl or baking dish, pour beer over the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove from beer, pat dry.
In a small bowl stir together the lime zest, flour, pepper and salt.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture until well coated.
Cook the chicken until golden brown on each side and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
Plate the chicken, top with a sprinkle of gorgonzola cheese and blackberries.