Cooking At Home

How to clean a Chicken Breast

2012-03-26T21:26:00.003-07:00

New email from a reader:

"Dear Chef Mike,

My wife wants me to cook for her. I have No clue. I want to do something simple. So I want to make Chicken Parmesan.

Can you please give me a recipe for it? And any advice or tips to make me seem like I know how to cook. We have only been married 4 months, and I dont want to pop her bubble and show her I cant do something she asks. I'm Italian... I should know how to cook.

Thanks,

[Name withheld to keep wife from busting his chops]"

So, we will start out with cleaning the chicken breast. I am going to do the entire post on this, and another on the Chicken Parm, which will include a video.

I have seen many methods for this. Some result in throwing out an unnecessary amount of pieces. Some, it leaves nastiness that I do not want in my sautes. The method I am going to show you is simple, and will leave scraps for other applications.

Let's begin. Start off with 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts. I like to lightly rinse before I clean them.

Trim off all things noted. I use a Chef's Knife for this. My personal preference is Wustoff Classic 10". Remember, the sharper it is, the easier you work.

After trimming, you should have something like this:

The scraps you have left over are good. Now, I left 4 different types you will run into. Top left is garbage. It is mostly fat. I would throw it out, but the ultra frugal can put it in stock. The Top Right is the large piece of fat and connective tissue from the previous photo. Definitely good for stock, and if you feel like close trimming, you can remove any junk and put it in chicken salad. The bottom 2 are good for soup and chicken salad.
I mention chicken salad often. It is a good use of scraps. I boil the chicken to remove any scuzz. Then I put it into a food processor to finely chop it. It comes out almost like tuna once you mix it with mayo.

Once it is trimmed, you can begin filetting. Again, make sure you have a sharp knife. I am doing this with a Chef knife to show you that you do not need a bunch of different knives. In my house, I get by with a Chef, a Paring, and a Cleaver. That's it. My knife roll has all the different varieties of knives. The right knife does make the job faster, but when I clean chicken, I am cleaning 80lbs at a time.

Let the knife do the work. Don't force it. If you hold the top and slide the knife, it will cut. Do not try to do it in one swipe. It takes practice. I place my entire hand on it when I filet and slowly pull the knife through the breast. If your position feels awkward, change it. I have my left hand at to the right of my center, and draw the blade to the left of center. You need to find where you are most comfortable. But use the method to hold the breast in the picture instead of the entire palm until you are comfortable with the technique and your knife-comfort increases.

If you are cleaning chicken for the BBQ, just run a single pass on the bottom of the breast to even the thickness. If a slice is not full size, that is fine. Just slice it into smaller pieces (see right box). That is great for sautes tossed with things. Like the ravioli and chicken and green been dish in this post. I tossed it in a cheddar version of alfredo sauce and gave it to my kids. What you will have at the end is filetted chicken breasts that can be used for quick grilling in a home electric grill, saute, Chicken Parm, and many other sautees.

If you are making Chicken Francaise, keep the breast a little thicker. For chicken scampi, I like them extra thin. That way they cook with the sliced garlic.

Before sauteing chicken, lightly dredge them in flour. That helps to prevent sticking. Also, I have found that it generates a coating that helps to keep the moisture in while it cooks, yet is not actually a coating so when you serve it you do not taste it. I just lay them in the flour, both sides, shake them off, then right into the hot pan with a little fat.

Here are the dishes I did with the chicken.

Boneless breast, lightly pounded, sauteed with mushrooms, onions, and sliced garlic. The sauce was done by deglazing the pan with a nice Red Catalunya. As it reduced, I added a bit of chicken stock and marinara.

This was the smaller pieces sauteed with onions, garlic, and green beans. The sauce was a touch of Chablis, then I added some heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and once it reduced a bit, I added a few handfulls of shredded cheddar. I served it with mini cheese ravioli. My kids (3, 7, and 14) didn't leave a drop in the pan.

Lasagna

2012-03-14T00:15:00.000-07:00

Well... today was supposed to be Lasagna day. I had gotten an email asking how to make one that stands up when taken out of the pan, yet isn't overcooked or burnt. Unfortunately, my camera decided to pick today to not record sound. So.... instead of letting my reader down, I am going to write about some key points to a good lasagna.

This is a level 3 recipe

First, let me point out the most important thing I have learned about it... do Not precook your noodles (or buy the par cooked ones). Yes.. I said do not precook them. Even though you have heard differently your entire life. And my Grandma would smack me with a wooden spoon if she heard me tell you that (since she always did), but I don't like a lasagna that looks like mush on my plate. So what do should you do? Well, there are 2 ways to go. The ambitious way and the easy way. I think the ambitious way tastes better, but it requires much more work (and also will result in much more praise).

For the ambitious: Pick your favorite fresh pasta recipe. I prefer one with Eggs in it for this. I think it adds a dimension of flavor. You are going to make sheets the size of your pan, and 1/16th of an inch thick. You will need 5 sheets ... 2 for the bottom (with a layer of sauce in the middle), then 2 layers, then one for the top.
For the easy way (which I have done almost exclusively at home, since at work I get boxes of pasta sheets), you will just use any lasagna noodle from the box. It will cook itself in the tomato sauce as it bakes. It will keep from getting too dry by adding 20% by volume water to sauce when you put it in the pan. That way, as it absorbs it, the final product will not be watery, and the pasta will be cooked in "flavored" water.

Now, for the filling. It is simple, and easy to mix more to if you find you did not make enough. But simple doesn't mean simple flavors. The amounts I am going to use are for a full chafing dish size pan, about 2" deep. Start with a 5lbs ricotta. Mix in 8oz shredded mozzarella, 4oz shredded parm, 1 tablespoon dried oregano and dried basil, garlic powder salt and white pepper to taste. Once mixed well, add 3 eggs. Do not pre mix them. Just crack them right into the bowl of filling, get your hand in there, and start mixing. I don't use an electric or a wisk. I don't want air incorporated into it.

If you are using dried pasta, place a layer of pasta down, try to make them fit, but don't worry if they are not flat on the bottom around the edges. I place a layer around the edges as well, kind of boxing it in. That way it all falls into place as it cooks. Just make sure there are no gaps in the pasta on the bottom larger then 1/4" wide. Completely cover the bottom layer with sauce. Rememebr to make sure you thinned it out first. Steam rises, so all that sauce on the bottom will assist in cooking the other layers. Then a second layer of pasta and spoon a thin layer of sauce on top of them.
For fresh, spread a thin layer of non-thinned out tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan, place your first sheet of pasta then 2 ounces of sauce spread on top, then add a second layer of pasta and sauce.
Next, take your cheese filling mix, and place half of it as a layer. Then add some sauce on it. For fresh, about 2 ounces; for dried, about 4. Then place a layer of pasta, spoon an ounce of sauce on top, and repeat with a second layer of the filling mix, sauce, and pasta.
After the last layer is placed on top, add about 6 ounces of sauce (same for dried and fresh) on top, and place in the oven covered with foil.
Make sure you do not let the foil touch the sauce. Make a dome if you have to.
Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Take it out of the oven and remove the foil. If it is not bubbling, throw it back in for another 10 minutes (foil off) and check it again. Turn the oven up to 375. Sprinkle about a 1/4 cup of grated parm on top. Then place sliced (shredded if you don't have it) mozzarella cheese on top. As much as you like. I cover every square inch, then throw like 8 more just for the love of cheese. Once you have satisfied your cheese lust, place it back in the oven until the cheese gets some color.
Remove from oven, let sit for 5 minutes, and you are done.

Few ideas...

If you want to do it in advance and use it for future meals, make a large pan of it but do not add the cheese on top before baking. Once cooled, slice into servings, double wrap in plastic wrap, and freeze. You can take them out for dinner in the morning, keep in the fridge, and 4 minutes or so in the microwave (still wrapped) will bring them back to temp. Then top with sauce and cheese, and either finish in the oven or cover and place in the microwave.

If you want meat, instead of cooking it inside, in a separate pan, cook some finely chopped onions, ground beef (or sausage or both), chopped garlic, oregano and salt/pepper. Once done, add tomato sauce and then pour it on top right before serving.

Again, my apologies for not filming. if you all have questions, or need something clarified, please email me. I will answer ALL emails.

Roux Basics

2012-03-06T23:10:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone.

Today, we discuss the Roux. I will explain what it is, how you can use it, and show you how to make it.

This is a level 3 task. Be careful... a roux reaches around 370+ degrees and if it splashes on you, you Will get burned. If it happens, get it under cold water and rinse it immediately.The video gets paused once the roux is finished to save you the time of watching for 20 minutes while the colors change. I will be placing a picture up that shows the different roux shades. Use the video and chart when watching my future posts that require them.
As always, if you have any questions, have failed rouxs and need some advice, or successfully created one and want to share... email me and I will post it with proper Kudos to You.

My Different Levels of Instructional Difficulty

2012-03-04T17:18:00.001-08:00

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So, after reading my 1st post over again... I see I need to add a post about how I class recipes for difficulty. I will now do my best to straighten that out.

Level 1: No knife skills, no cooking. Just mix some things and enjoy. Easy for grammar school age kids with mom or dad watching and helping with larger or heavier things.

Level 2: No knife skills, minimal cooking. One pot, or microwave. Only a few ingredients. Lots of room to modify based on what you have on your shelf. Something you can do with your teenager if they want to try their hand in the kitchen.

Level 3: At most you may have to peel a cucumber or slice a chicken breast or steak after you cook it. Simple things like that. Seasonings will be more complex. You could be baking, sauteing, grilling. Simple methods like that. Gravies, marinara, and basic soups. Basic dicing skills are needed.

Level 4: Now we step it up. Now you are hand forming meatballs and meatloaf. Making cakes (with box mix), slicing them into 2 layers, and making a simple syrup to wet it with. Braising may be the hardest thing you will do at this point. This is as far as you need if you just want to feed yourself and enjoy cooking.

Level 5: The cakes now become cheesecakes in water baths. You are making Prime Rib in the oven. Brining and roasting a turkey. Homemade stuffing. Cream soups. Hollandaise variations. Homemade Mayo. By now you should be comfortable doing a chiffonade with fresh herbs.

Level 6: You are making saute station dishes. Some may say it is much easier then level 6, but I believe that if you are in tune with your food, your sautes come out so much better. Of course, I have worked Saute stations for years, so I may be a bit biased. You will also tackle home made salad dressings (beyond the Vinaigrette), and the elusive Diner Rice Pudding. We also will be making basic breads. This level is where you are impressing someone on a date. You will also have enough skill to even try your hand working in a professional kitchen... but make sure you are comfortable with Knives, tossing food in a pan, and can move quick while you prep.

Level 7: We start with advanced techniques. We start playing with flavors that seem odd.... like my 5 pepper, pineapple, and semi sweet chocolate chip pork loin roulade. Also we will dabble into Molecular Gastronomy.

Level 8: Advanced plating is now the key, with making terrines, gelees, and Garde Manger (pronounced Gard Monjay) displays beyond the petit fours.

Levels 9 and 10 will deal with things for the budding young chef to learn about running a kitchen. Inventory, scheduling, the Executive side. We go deep into food theory, understanding the what as well as the why people eat what they do. I will explain vendor selection, and developing the relationship with them.

Pantry Simple Chili Dip and Nachos

2012-03-04T14:27:00.002-08:00

I saw a commercial for chips... and got in the mood for chips and dip. But I didn't feel like anything pre-done, and I didn't want to go out.

This dish is simple. Level 2 in my scale of 1-10 for difficulty. What makes it a 2 is that it leaves room to play with ingredients heat levels, and requires temperature control so it doesn't stick to the pan. A good non stick (teflon or ceramic) will make your life easier.

This can be used as a dip, on nachos, add some garbanzo flour (and 10 minutes to the cooking time) and it thickens for tacos, toss with rice or pasta... it is extremely versatile.

Ingredients: 1 Tbsp Canola and Olive Oil blend
1 Tbsp Coconut Oil

1 cup diced frozen (or fresh) onions.
1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 can Chili with beans

1/4 can Diet 7up
1/4 cup Coconut Rum

Cumin
Dried Parsley
Garlic Powder
Fresh Ground Salt and Pepper to taste
Hot Sauce of choice (I use 911 sauce)

Cooking at home is for everyone

2012-03-04T14:03:00.000-08:00

Well... here we go.

This is the 1st step of a journey long in the making. I have wanted to do this for many years. Post videos, write a blog, teach people that cooking is for Everyone. My eventual goal is to be on TV, but that is down the road.
For now, I am here. My videos will be on Youtube (ChefMikeMichaels), you can get update info from my Twitter Follow @ChefSquared and you are Most welcome here.
So sit back, watch a few movies, and remember.... cooking at home is for everyone.