Pollo

Everyone who visits Turkey says that the kebab there is nothing like the ones we eat in Spain, so at this point I'm not entirely sure what to call this. In any case, what I can promise you is that it's delicious and the preparation couldn't be simpler. We discovered this recipe thanks to the YouTube channel Recetas de Cocina, which is always worth a visit. Give these kebabs a try and let us know how it goes.

What do we need?

• 400 g (14 oz) lamb leg chops
• 400 g (14 oz) chicken thighs
• 4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 4 tablespoons Ras el Hanout (a North African spice blend)
• Salt and pepper
• Lettuce (chopped or julienned)
• Sliced tomato
• Sliced or finely julienned onion
• Pita breads

For the yogurt sauce:

• 2 Greek yogurts
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 or 2 garlic cloves
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 pinch of cumin
• Salt, pepper and fresh parsley

How do we make it?

1. Cut the lamb chops and chicken into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a bowl, combine 6 tablespoons of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of Ras el Hanout and mix well. Add the chopped chicken, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle in two teaspoons of garlic powder.
3. Mix well so all the meat is fully coated and let it marinate for at least 1 hour in the fridge (the longer it sits, the more flavor it will pick up).
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the chopped lamb.
5. While the meat rests, let's prepare the yogurt sauce. Mix the yogurt with the mayonnaise. Then add the crushed garlic, the sugar, the cumin, salt, pepper, and finally the lemon juice and chopped fresh parsley. Mix everything thoroughly (no blender needed) and keep it in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
6. Once the meat has had enough time to marinate, you have two options: cook it in the oven, or in a frying pan or on a griddle.
   a) For the first option, line a baking tray with parchment paper and spread the pieces of meat out separately. Bake at 200°C (390°F) until they look golden. When you take the meat off the tray, drain off any excess oil.
   b) If you prefer, you can sauté them in a pan or cook them on a griddle. There's no need to add oil since the marinade is enough. This option is faster since there's no oven preheating and the cooking time is shorter.
7. All that's left is to assemble the kebabs. In a pita bread, layer meat, lettuce, tomato, onion and yogurt sauce to taste.

Tips:

– You can adjust the yogurt sauce to taste, but it's better to go light than to overdo any one ingredient, especially garlic and salt, which are hard to fix once you've added too much. I recommend adding little by little and tasting as you go.

– It's better to cook the meats separately so people can choose whether they want their kebab with just one type of meat or mixed. Lamb tends to have a much stronger flavor than chicken, which not everyone enjoys.

– The meat quantities are just a guide. Adjust them depending on how many kebabs you want to make.

Believe it or not: we’re back! After months (literally) with our blog in some kind of hibernation, we’re back at it and hoping that this time our willpower won’t fade so fast. We’re returning with that recipe that’s been sitting at the top of the blog for so many days now, the one we know plenty of you have been dying to make: the Crispy Chicken. For lovers (or at least, frequenters) of fast food joints, the Crispy Chicken is a Burger King staple, a chicken burger with a spicy kick. But here we’re sharing the upgraded version. Meaning, the one we make with an actual chicken fillet and not some suspicious mystery patty pretending to be one.

What do we need?

• 4 tablespoons of flour

• 1 tablespoon of onion powder

• 1 tablespoon of garlic powder

• 1/2 tablespoon of paprika

• Salt

• Black pepper

• 2 eggs

• Cornflakes

• A splash of white wine

• 2 chicken breast fillets (not too thin)

• 2 burger buns

• 2 tomato slices

• 2 lettuce leaves

• Mayonnaise

How do we make it?

• First, we’ll prep the breading for the chicken. Mix the flour with the onion and garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.

• In another bowl, beat the eggs with a splash of white wine.

• In a third bowl, add the cornflakes and crush them with your hand. Grab fistfuls and squeeze them little by little. We don’t want the pieces too small, so it won’t take much time.

• Take your chicken fillets and bread them in the same order as the bowls you prepared: flour, egg, and cornflakes. Let them rest while the oil heats up in a frying pan (or deep fryer).

• Fry the breaded fillets until golden and transfer them to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.

• Now all that’s left is to assemble our ‘burger’. Spread a bit of mayo on each half of the bun, add a fillet, a tomato slice, and a lettuce leaf. Ready to eat.

Tips:

• Instead of onion powder, we used a packet of onion soup mix. A pretty curious ingredient that we’ll use in other recipes like COCA-COLA CHICKEN.

• The fillets should be a bit thick so they stay juicy, but you have to be careful when frying them to nail the perfect point: golden on the outside and fully cooked on the inside. We recommend cranking up the heat at first and then turning it down a bit to make sure they cook through properly.

After a crushing victory by four votes, against the two for the Crispy Chicken (irony mode on), today we bring you a delicious recipe we’ve been making for a long time and that we’ve been in love with ever since we first tried it.

What do we need?

• One chicken breast

• One cup of rice

• Half an onion

• 200 ml (3/4 cup) heavy cream

• Curry powder to taste

• Salt

• 2 garlic cloves

How do we make it?

• Pour a bit of oil into a small pot. Chop a garlic clove and add it. When the garlic is slightly golden, add the rice.

• Stir-fry the rice for a moment and add twice as much water as rice. Add salt.

• When it starts to boil, lower the heat to medium-low and cover. It’ll be ready in 15-20 minutes.

• While the rice cooks, slice the onion into thin strips.

• Place a frying pan with a splash of oil over the heat and add the onion.

• Cut the chicken into strips and toss it into the pan.

• When the chicken is partly cooked, add a couple of tablespoons of curry powder.

• Let everything cook together for a bit and stir in the cream.

• Bring to a boil and add more curry and salt to taste. You’ll have to keep tasting as you go.

Tips:

• If you want a nice presentation, you can fill half a glass with the cooked rice. Press it down a bit with a spoon so it packs together. Flip it onto the plate and you’ll have a little rice tower.

• The first time Pastelera tried it, it was served with grilled peaches in syrup. Give it a try.

[English version] CURRY CHICKEN WITH RICE* *Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast

• 1 cup of rice

• 1/2 onion

• 200 ml cream

• *Curry *

• Salt

• 2 garlic cloves

• *First prepare the rice. In a cooking pot, pour a bit of olive. Peel and chop the garlic cloves and stir fry. When it’s slightly golden brown, add the rice. *

• *Stir fry the rice and add 2 cups of water. Add some salt. *

• When the water boils, turn the heat down and cover with the lid. It will be ready in 15-20 minutes.

• *Now, slice the onion. *

• *Pour some olive into a frying pan and add the onion. *

• *Cut chicken breast into strips and add to the frying pan. *

• *After a few minutes, add a couple of tsp of curry. *

• Stir fry again and add the cream.

• *Simmer for a while and add more curry and salt if needed. *

Tips:

- You can have an easy and nice presentation just using a cup to create a rice tower. Fill a cup with cooked rice, press with a spoon and turn the cup upside down over the dish.

- You can serve it with some canned peaches. Just grill them a bit and serve them as a garnish.

This dish is a classic of Peruvian cuisine. I’m not claiming this recipe is the authentic or one true version — it’s simply the one my mother and her family have made all their lives. They brought this recipe with them from Peru and honestly, I love it. I’ve tried ají de gallina at several Peruvian restaurants and the recipe isn’t even the same in all of them. So, as the saying goes, “to each their own,” and here I’m offering you a finger-licking-good Peruvian ají de gallina.

What do we need?

• 1 chicken

• 4 onions

• 4 slices of sandwich bread

• A splash of milk

• Turmeric

• Ground ají paste (Peruvian hot pepper)

• 4 potatoes

• 4 eggs

• Salt

How do we make it?

• First, cook the chicken in a large pot with plenty of water and a bit of salt. Cook it until it’s nice and tender (you’ll know it’s done when the meat falls off the bone easily).

• Take the chicken out, strain the broth, and set it aside.

• Once the chicken has cooled down a bit, remove the skin and bones and shred it. Set the shredded chicken aside.

• Boil the potatoes and eggs and set aside.

• Meanwhile, crumble the slices of sandwich bread and soak them in milk.

• Chop the onions very finely and toss them into a pan with olive oil to sweat them down. Cook them over medium-low heat slowly so they soften without browning. We want them really soft, almost like a yellow paste.

• Once the onion is ready, add the milk-soaked bread and stir well.

• Slowly add the chicken broth bit by bit, stirring continuously so it all comes together.

• Add a couple of teaspoons of turmeric, which will give it that signature yellow color.

• Add the shredded chicken and stir again. If it looks too thick, add a bit more chicken broth. The texture shouldn’t be like mashed potatoes, but not like soup either — somewhere in between.

• Adjust the salt and add a bit of heat (ground ají paste).

• On the side, peel the potatoes and cut them into thick slices. Peel the eggs and cut them into quarters.

• And there you have it — your ají de gallina. All that’s left is to serve it alongside the boiled potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. Now dig in, nomás!

Tips:

• A whole chicken makes a pretty generous amount of ají de gallina, so if you’d like, you can use half of the cooked chicken for this recipe and save the other half for a delicious chicken and pineapple salad, for example. :-)

• At some restaurants I’ve had this dish served with white rice instead of boiled potatoes.

I know, we’ve gone ages without posting (as Palstelera would say), but we have an excuse: we were studying because we’re cultured people XD. That’s why today we’re going to introduce you to two new recipes so you can see that even though we’ve set the page aside a bit, we’re always ready and thinking about what new recipes we can share with you.

What do we need?

• 4 cabbage leaves

• 1 chicken breast

• Half an onion

• Half a green bell pepper

• Oil

• Salt

• Moroccan spices

• Flour for coating

How do we make it?

• Separate the largest cabbage leaves and blanch them in boiling water with salt.

• After three minutes, take them out and lay them on paper towels to dry. Set aside.

• Cut the onion into julienne strips and the bell pepper into small strips. Pour some oil into a frying pan and add the ingredients.

• Cut the chicken into strips and season. Add to the pan.

• Throw in some Moroccan spices, for example Ras el hanout, into the mix.

• Once the chicken is cooked, remove from the heat and set aside.

• Spread out the leaves and fill them with the mixture.

• Coat the rolls in flour and deep-fry them in plenty of oil.

• Leave them in for just a short time, turning them carefully so they don’t open up.

Tips:

• If you see the rolls opening up, you can use a toothpick to help — just remember to remove it before eating… — or a piece of string to tie them up.

• You can swap the chicken for ground meat.

Whole kitchen in their Savory Proposal for October invites us to prepare a French classic, “Coq au Vin”. Or in other words, chicken in wine — you can tell I learned French at school :p.

What do we need?

(serves 2)

• 2 chicken thighs

• 1 large onion

• 2 carrots

• 3 slices of bacon

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 50 g (1.75 oz) mushrooms

• 2 glasses of wine

• 4 glasses of chicken stock

• Flour and butter

• Salt and pepper

How do we make it?

• Start by chopping the onion, carrot and bacon.

• Heat a little oil over medium heat in a wide, shallow pot. Add the chopped ingredients.

• Once they’re slightly golden, add the minced garlic, cook for a minute and set aside in a bowl.

• In a zip-lock plastic bag, add a couple of tablespoons of flour, a pinch of salt and pepper. Drop in one of the thighs and shake to coat. Repeat with the other.

• Once floured and seasoned, sear the thighs in a pan for about 10 minutes.

• Remove the chicken, add the wine and let it reduce a bit.

• Return the thighs to the pan, add the vegetables and pour in the chicken stock.

• Simmer everything together over low heat for about 50 minutes.

• Once the chicken is well cooked, remove the chicken and the vegetables.

• With a tablespoon of flour and one of butter, form a smooth paste and stir it into the sauce.

• Stirring constantly, cook over low heat for a couple of minutes until the mixture thickens.

• In a frying pan with a little oil, sauté the mushrooms until golden.

• Finally, return all the ingredients to the pot and let everything cook together for a couple of minutes so the flavors blend.

Tips:

• If you have some sauce left over, you can use it to make some tasty meatballs in sauce.

• If it doesn’t thicken enough, add a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in cold water.

[English version] COQ AU VIN* *Ingredients (serving 2):

• 2 chicken legs an thighs

• 1 large onion

• 2 carrots

• 3 bacon slides

• 2 cloves of garlic

• 50 g mushrooms

• 2 cups of red wine

• *4 cups of chicken stock *

• Flour and butter

• Salt and pepper

• Chop onion, carrot and bacon.

• *Place some olive oil into a deep sauce pan and heat it. Add chopped ingredients. *

• Cook until ingredients are slightly browned, add chopped garlic and keep cooking for one minute. Set aside.

• *Put a couple of tbsp of flour, a pinch of salt and pepper into a plastic bag. Put the chicken inside and shake it well to create a thin layer on the chicken. *

• Stir over a high heat for 10 minutes.

• *Remove chicken, add red wine and simmer to reduce it. *

• *Put the chicken back into the sauce pan, add chopped vegetables and chicken stock. *

• *Simmer for round 50 minutes, cooking over a low heat. *

• When chicken is soft and cooked, remove it from the sauce pan.

• *In a different bowl, mix some flour and butter and add it to the sauce. *

• *Keep stiring, cooking over a low heat for a couple of minutes. *

• *In another pan, stir fry the mushrooms with a bit of olive oil until golden browned. *

• Add all the ingredients into the sauce pan with the wine sauce and cook for a couple of minutes in order to combine all flavors.

• Tips:**- If there is some sauce left, you can use for preparing meatballs. It will be delicious!*
• • If you want a thicker sauce, add some corn flour.*

Comments

tía pi (2012-11-18 22:03:03):

Today I made the coq au vin following your recipe — delicious! I didn’t make it with rooster, I used a free-range chicken, one of those that look like they’ve got hepatitis, and honestly it was finger-licking good. I had some sauce left over and I’m planning to poach a few eggs to keep dipping bread. Thanks, piggies.

A summer wouldn’t really be summer without this dish. In my family this salad has been around for as long as I can remember, and it feels like an old friend — you might go a while without seeing it, but just thinking about it brings a smile to your face and makes you want to enjoy its company. The first time I offered it to Cesmm, he frowned at the whole pineapple thing, but once he got past those first doubts he became yet another addict of this delicious salad.

What do we need?

(serves 4)

•   1 whole chicken
  

•   1 can of pineapple, or fresh pineapple (even better)
  

•   1 head of lettuce
  

•   Mayonnaise
  

How do we make it?

• First, boil the chicken in a pot with water and salt. Let it cook for a good while (2 hours) until you can see it’s well done and the meat practically falls off the thigh bone on its own.

• Once the chicken is cooked and has cooled down a bit, shred it with your hands into medium-sized pieces (just right for a bite).

• Wash the lettuce and slice it into very thin strips (julienne).

• Separately, cut the pineapple slices (or fresh pineapple) into small pieces.

• Build your salad by laying down a layer of lettuce, then pineapple, then chicken. Repeat the process, pressing down well with your hands so it packs together tightly.

• Finally, add a layer of mayonnaise on top and let it rest in the fridge.

Tips:

• It doesn’t matter if there are leftovers — once it’s “rested” the salad is just as good, or even better.
• Don’t throw away the broth from boiling the chicken; you can use it for rice, soup, etc.
• You can sprinkle some chopped walnuts or hazelnuts on top of the mayonnaise. They add the perfect finishing touch.

*[English version] CHICKEN & PINEAPPLE SALAD

• **Ingredients:- 1 whole chicken

• 1 lettuce

• Fresh pineapple or canned pineapple

• Mayonnaise

• Place chicken in a large pot and add water to cover. Add some salt, cover pot and bring to boil. Cook for about 2 hours or until chicken meat is falling off the bone.

• When chicken is boiled and cooled shred chicken using your fingers.

• Wash lettuce and chop finely.

• Dice pineapple.

• Place the ingredients by layers: lettuce, pineapple and chicken. Repeat the order and press with your hands.

• Add some mayonnaise on the top.

  Tips:- If there is some salad left, no problem, it will be even better the day after!

• Don’t discard the water from boiled chicken, you can use it to cook rice, soup, etc.

• You can add some chopped nuts or hazelnuts on the top. Simply delicious!

Comments

Marisa (2012-08-07 08:24:55):

What lovely photos! I know this dish — although I don’t plate it as nicely, I chop the lettuce really, really finely and press the layers down as I go.

silvia (2012-08-07 21:39:01):

I’m getting hungry, and it looks so refreshing!! I tried it at Fuentes and I can confirm it was really tasty… maybe I’ll make it tomorrow for lunch…

zordor (2012-08-10 01:55:25):

Without a doubt this recipe is one of the crown jewels of our family wisdom, hehe. For me the best part is that one chicken yields a tooon of salad, it’s super refreshing, and you can make it the day before, for the next day, or even the day after that — just pull it out of the fridge and eat! A really refreshing dish, one of the best things going for summer.

Ociore (2012-08-30 17:23:25):

Oh, if you only knew that your brother revealed this secret family recipe of yours to me years ago, when I was just starting out with my blog (in London)… XD The truth is, looking at the photos, the salad looks amazing! By the way, congrats on your blog!! :) Greetings from Heidiland. ;)

Antz (2012-08-31 09:54:24):

Like Ces, I was wary of the whole pineapple thing… but after trying it last night, I have to say I’ve been converted to the pineapple world!! A 10/10 combo!!! :D

La Enana (2012-09-14 22:54:08):

Mmmmmmh I love this salad!!!!!!! :) I like to top mine with some lightly crushed hazelnuts!!

20 low-calorie salad recipes - Me Siento Guapa (2014-01-07 16:01:33):

[…] Chicken and pineapple salad […]

Sometimes dinner at home — and I’m sure this has happened to all of you — boils down to “I’ll just settle for a yogurt”… It always happens to me the same way: I think “okay, a yogurt… and what else.” You peek into the fridge and the freezer and the gates of heaven swing open. You’ve got a quick rescue! That’s how this recipe was born — only within reach of the great chefs :p

What do we need?

•   1 chicken breast fillet
  

•   4 teaspoons of mayonnaise
  

•   2 slices of country-style bread (pan payés)
  

•   2 lettuce leaves
  

How do we make it?

• Put a bit of oil in a frying pan.

• While the oil heats up, season the chicken and wash and chop the lettuce.

• Cook the chicken to your liking. I prefer not to cook it too much — like with almost any meat — so it stays tender and juicy.

• Grab the two slices of country bread and pop them in the toaster.

• Take out the chicken and the bread and assemble the sandwich.

Tips:

• We buy the country bread already sliced at any supermarket. If we’re not going to eat it within a short time, we freeze it.
• Another option for the sauce is to make a “mustardnaise” — mayonnaise and mustard in a 4-to-1 ratio.
• You can pair the dish with some bagged potato chips.

[English version] CHICKEN SANDWICH **Ingredients:- Chicken breast steak

• 4 tsp mayonnaise

• 2 lettuce leaves

• 2 slices of bread

• Put some olive oil into the pan.

• Wash the lettuce and salt and pepper the chicken.

• Grill the chicken.

• Creat your sandwich with mayo sauce, chicken and lettuce.

Tips:- We buy the sliced bread and we place it in the freezer. When we need it, we just take out a couple of slices and place them directly into the toaster.

• Instead of mayonnaise you can use ‘mustardnaise’. Just mix mayonnaise and mustard (proportion 4:1).
• You can serve it with some crisps.

After a two-week delay and a move in between, we’re kicking off this new adventure in the world of food and new technologies. Since I’m a person who loves to eat, I’ll mostly be in charge of the simple recipes — the kind that save you when dinnertime rolls around. And one of those recipes I love most is the chicken pita. Simple and really tasty.

What do we need?

•   1 chicken breast
  

•   1/2 red bell pepper (if you have green, throw that in too)
  

•   1/2 onion
  

•   3 lettuce leaves
  

•   Salt and pepper
  

How do we make it?

• Slice the bell pepper and onion into julienne strips, and cut the chicken into strips.

• Put a little oil in a frying pan.

• When it’s hot, add the pepper and onion. Add a pinch of salt.

• When they’re partly cooked — we like the pepper “al dente” — season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the pan.

• While the chicken is cooking, wash and cut the lettuce leaves into strips.

• Once the chicken is golden, set aside.

• Pop two pita breads in the toaster and wait until they’re lightly toasted.

• Cut off the top of the bread and tuck in the ingredients with the help of a spoon.

Tips:

• Up to you whether you want to marinate the chicken with lemon or not. To do that, before frying it, put the chicken in a bowl with the juice of one squeezed lemon, salt and pepper for a few hours.
• You can also add a sauce (mayo, ketchup, mustard thinned with mayo, etc.)

[English version] PITA BREAD FILLED WITH CHICKEN AND PEPPERS **Ingredients:- 1 chicken breast

• 1/2 red pepper (you can also use green pepper)

• 1/2 onion

• 3 lettuce leaves

• Salt and pepper

• Slice pepper, onion and chicken into strips.

• Put some olive oil in a frying pan.

• Stir fry pepper and onion. Add some salt.

• Salt and pepper chicken strips and add to the pan.

• Meanwhile, wash and cut lettuce.

• When chicken is golden, put it aside.

• Toast pita bread and fill it with lettuce, chicken and veggies.

  Tips:- You can marinate the chicken by putting it with salt, pepper and fresh lemon juice for some hours before cooking it.- You can add some sauces to your pita sandwich (mayonaise, ketchup, mustard+mayo, etc.)

Comments

ReimonStar (2012-07-17 13:20:02):

Cuz, those look great. I make them with fajita wraps instead of pita and I add some really spicy mojo picón from Carrefour and a touch of guacamole from Mercadona and yum yum yum. By the way, the photos are really cool. Keep it up! Next up TVLaElipa

Cesmm (2012-07-17 16:37:37):

Duly noted, Don Reimon.