When I was younger, I was really self-conscious about my family being different and eating “unusual” things for dinner. I would beg my mother to make mac and cheese or spaghetti for dinner like all my friends ate. As soon as I left home for college, I missed those Jamaican dishes TERRIBLY.

I would send my parents a list and they would cook huge batches of all the foods I missed, freeze it, pack it, and ship it off to me at school. I requested this dish every single time. (Though the version my Dad makes uses pig’s feet instead of chicken thighs.) Not only that, but I would ask my parents to make it for me every time I came home on a break. I am looooong out of college and my parents STILL make this for me every time I come home to visit. I know it will be warm and waiting for me on the stove no matter what time I arrive. That’s being loved your parents! 🙂

It is, quite simply, my favorite dish.

• 10 chicken thighs
• 1/4 cup oil
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 3 stalks of scallion, minced
• 2 cans of butter beans, drained
• 1 cup of water
• Salt and Pepper

Salt and pepper your chicken thighs. I also de-bone my thighs so I can eat the chicken more quickly, using Olga from Olga’s Flavor Factory’s method, but feel free to leave the bone in or use boneless, skinless thighs.

Add oil, curry powder, and scallion to a large skillet.

Sauté on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until all the oil is infused with curry (about 2 minutes).

Place the thighs skin side down and let them sear in the curry oil for about 5 minutes.

Flip them over and let them cook in the curry oil for another 5 minutes.

Add your water and drop the heat down to medium.

Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.

Add your butter beans and gently stir so the butter beans get down into the curry.

Leave uncovered and cook for an additional 15 minutes. The butter beans will sort of cook out partially into a nice, thick curry sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve.

5.0 from 2 reviews

Curry Chicken Thighs with Butter Beans

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

47 mins

Total time

57 mins

 

Jamaican curry chicken cooked with tender butter beans

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 5

Ingredients

• 10 chicken thighs, deboned
• ¼ cup oil
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 3 stalks of scallion, minced
• 2 cans of butter beans, drained
• 1 cup of water
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Salt and pepper your chicken thighs.
2. Add oil, curry powder, and scallion to a large skillet.
3. Sauté on medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until all the oil is infused with curry (about 2 minutes).
4. Place the thighs skin side down and let them sear in the curry oil for about 5 minutes.
5. Flip them over and let them cook in the curry oil for another 5 minutes.
6. Add your water and drop the heat down to medium.
7. Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes.
8. Add your butter beans and gently stir so the butter beans get down into the curry.
9. Leave uncovered and cook for an additional 15 minutes. The butter beans will sort of cook out partially into a nice, thick curry sauce.
10. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
11. Serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 474 Fat: 29 Carbohydrates: 29 Sugar: 2 Sodium: 747 Protein: 27

3.2.1303

You know that certain combination of flavors that you would happily eat every day for the rest of your life? This is my husband’s. I once made a version of this and he took it to work for lunch every day and ate it for dinner every night until it was finished. Then he asked me to make it again. Score!

For that version, I shredded an entire chicken into large pieces, layered it with alfredo sauce and chopped broccoli, and baked it in a loaf pan with mozzarella on top. It’s easier to slice and take to work.

This version is a little less labor-intensive and you can get really creative pairing it with sides. It’s excellent on its own or served on a baked sweet potato or over pasta or with some nice, crusty bread for dipping.

You’ll need:

• 1 cup of raw broccoli florets
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 tbsp garlic paste or puree
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 block of fontina cheese, shredded
• 1 pint of heavy cream
• 1/2 cup water

In a large skillet, add your fresh broccoli, chicken breast pieces, and 1/2 cup water.

Cook on medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through. The water should be completely evaporated, but if it isn’t, drain the chicken and broccoli. You don’t want the water to dilute your sauce.

Remove the red wax from your fontina cheese and shred. You’ll find fontina cheese in the fine cheese section of your grocery store, usually near the deli. I don’t know if they sell pre-shredded fontina cheese, but if they do, don’t use that. You need to freshly shred your cheese here for it to seamlessly melt into the sauce.

In a small pan, combine butter and garlic paste.

Cook on low heat until the butter is melted.

Add 1 cup parmesan cheese to butter mixture and stir.

Add the heavy cream and shredded fontina cheese and stir.

Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until fontina cheese is completely melted into the sauce (approximately 15 minutes).

Combine cheese sauce with chicken and broccoli.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

20 mins

 

Tender chicken breasts and fresh broccoli with cheesy garlic alfredo sauce

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 cup of raw broccoli florets
• 2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 tbsp garlic paste or puree
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 1 block of fontina cheese, shredded
• 1 pint of heavy cream
• ½ cup water

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, add your fresh broccoli, chicken breast pieces, and ½ cup water.
2. Cook on medium high heat for approximately 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked all the way through. The water should be completely evaporated, but if it isn't, drain the chicken and broccoli. You don't want the water to dilute your sauce.
3. Remove the red wax from fontina cheese and shred.
4. In a small pan, combine butter and garlic paste.
5. Cook on low heat until the butter is melted.
6. Add 1 cup parmesan cheese to butter mixture and stir.
7. Add heavy cream and shredded fontina cheese and stir.
8. Cook on medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until fontina cheese is completely melted into the sauce (approximately 15 minutes).
9. Combine cheese sauce with chicken and broccoli.
10. Serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 701 Fat: 61 Carbohydrates: 6 Sugar: 2 Sodium: 1016 Protein: 34

3.2.1284

I got this recipe from Framed Cooks’s Braised Chicken with Spring Vegetables and it’s one of our favorite dinners. As soon as it starts to warm up after a chilly winter, this is one of the first things I make. It just tastes like spring!

Don’t be intimidated if you have never cooked with radishes before. My first time eating radishes was when I made this recipe. They are hard and sort of bitter when raw, but when you cook them like this in sweet chicken broth, they soak up all the flavors and taste a lot like potatoes.

4 chicken thighs, cut in half
1 tbsp oil
Small bag of radishes (6 oz.)
Small bag of baby carrots (6 oz.)
1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
1 14.5oz can of chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper

First, grab your chicken thighs. I cut mine in half (one half has the bone and the other half is boneless) because I think the chicken goes further that way, but you can leave yours in tact if you wish. Salt and pepper each side of your chicken thighs.

Put some oil in a skillet.

Now prepare your veggies. Cut both ends off your radishes and cut each one in half. Chop up your chives. Set out your baby carrots.

In a skillet on medium high heat, cook chicken thighs skin side down for 8 minutes. You just want to brown the skin, not cook it all the way through. Remove chicken thighs from pan and use a spoon to get rid of the oil and grease left in the pan.

Pour your chicken broth and sugar into the pan.

Bring the mixture to a boil and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits of chicken or skin stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Add your radishes and carrots to the skillet.

Snuggle your chicken thighs back into the skillet between the veggies.

Drop the heat down to medium, cover, and cook for 30 minutes. The chicken broth and sugar mixture will reduce into a nice thick glaze.

Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve.

Chicken with Spring Veggies

 

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Prep time

2 mins

Cook time

38 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Braised chicken thighs with fresh spring vegetables in a light, flavorful broth.

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs, cut in half
• 1 tbsp oil
• Small bag of radishes (6 oz.)
• Small bag of baby carrots (6 oz.)
• 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
• 1 14.5oz can of chicken broth
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions

1. Cut chicken thighs in half and salt and pepper each side.
2. Put some oil in a pan.
3. Cut both ends off your radishes and cut each one in half.
4. Chop up your chives.
5. In a skillet on medium high heat, cook chicken thighs skin side down for 8 minutes. You just want to brown the skin, not cook it all the way through.
6. Remove chicken thighs from pan and use a spoon to get rid of the oil left in the pan.
7. Pour your chicken broth and sugar into the pan.
8. Bring the mixture to a boil and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up any browned bits of chicken stuck to the bottom of the pan.
9. Add your radishes and carrots to the skillet.
10. Snuggle your chicken thighs back into the skillet between the veggies.
11. Drop the heat down to medium, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.
12. Sprinkle with fresh chives and serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 179 Fat: 10 Carbohydrates: 6 Sugar: 4 Sodium: 803 Protein: 15

3.2.1294

I spent most of my childhood in Miami, Florida. Because of my time in Miami, cooking Latin food makes me feel all warm and fuzzy and reminds me of my youth.

In elementary school, all of us girls were obsessed with “the bar” – a long, u-shaped bar on the playground. We would sit on top of it, grip the bar with our hands behind us, and swing forward. We would dangle there, upside down, talking about our days and what new slap bracelets were out.

One time, a friend and I rushed out to the bar and as we sat on top, we had the bright idea that instead of placing our hands behind us to grip the bar, we would place them next to us, facing forward. This, we thought, would be a truly athletic move. If we swung ourselves fast enough, the momentum would keep us from falling off the bar and we would have perfected a special, secret move no one else could do. The more we talked, the better the idea sounded, and at last we were ready to give it a try.

We sat there, side by side, hands at our sides, and on the count of three we launched ourselves forward with all of our might. Immediately, we face-planted onto the ground. Naturally, the placement of hands did nothing to keep us secure to the bar. If anyone was watching us, they would’ve thought two dim-witted girls climbed onto some playground equipment, made the world’s most ridiculous suicide pact, and then launched themselves with great force straight into the ground. What a ridiculous idea! With dirt all over our faces and sore noses, we picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and climbed on top of the bar the usual way and never spoke of our experiment. Ahhh, youth.

This recipe is far from the disaster my bar experiment was! It reminds me of going to my friends’ houses and watching Sabado Gigante, of seeing whole pigs roasted in a backyard, and of eating 12 grapes on New Year’s Eve. It’s one of those recipes that makes me want to turn up the music and dance around the kitchen as I cook.

It’s actually a Dominican recipe (Dominican Flavor’s Pollo Guisado, pronounced poy-yo gwee-SAH-doh) with my own Cuban twist.

The olives, capers, and citrus give the sauce a nice tang. If you like anything with a slightly pickled flavor (like Brats with Sauerkraut, Jamaican Escovitch Fish or Fillipino Chicken Adobo), you will love this dish. The flavors remind me of Miami and put a smile on my face.

You’ll need:

• 1 whole Chicken, cut into pieces
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tbsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Oregano
• 1/4 cup of Olive Oil (for marinade)
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 cup Sliced Green Olives and Pimientos
• 1/4 cup Capers
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 5 cloves of Garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 Orange
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
• 1/2 bunch of Cilantro, minced
• 1/4 cup of Olive Oil (for cooking)
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 8-oz can of Tomato Sauce
• 1 cup of Water (you can fill the can of tomato sauce with water as 8 oz is 1 cup)

Get a really big bowl and toss your chicken into it.

Add a big pinch of salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano (about a tablespoon of each).

Add a 1/4 cup of olive oil and turmeric.

Rub the chicken all over. This step gives the chicken a deep yellow color. We eat with our eyes, too!

Add the olives and pimiento, capers, and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl.

Prepare your garlic, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, onion, green bell pepper, and cilantro….

and add them to the bowl.

Give everything a good squish with your hands and leave this to marinate for anywhere between 15 minutes to 24 hours (beyond 24 hours, the lime juice will start to break down the chicken and change it’s texture).

Add a little olive oil to a large pot on medium high heat.

Sprinkle in the sugar.

Use a wooden spoon or swirl the pan around to make sure the sugar and the oil are well-mixed.

Let the sugar mixture slightly caramelize (turn light brown) and start to bead. This step will give the chicken a slightly sweet crust. You won’t be able to taste the sugar in the finished dish, but your guests will wonder why the skin tastes so good. It’s such a simple step, but it creates such a depth of flavor.

Fish the chicken out of the bowl and place it into the pot, skin-side down. (Don’t throw away the marinade and all the onions, peppers, etc! Set it aside for now.)

Don’t touch the chicken for 4 minutes. This will ensure the chicken gets a nice sear.

Drop the heat down to medium. Flip the chicken over, cover the pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes.

Remove the cover and dump all the yummy marinade contents…..

…and the tomato sauce into the pot, along with 1 cup of water. You can use the same can the tomato sauce was in since 8 ounces equals 1 cup. If you have picky eaters who will not go near chunks of green peppers and onions and olives, toss the marinade in a blender with the tomato sauce and water until smooth and add that to the pot.

Give it a good stir, cover and cook for another 30 minutes.

5.0 from 4 reviews

Latin Braised Chicken (Pollo Guisado)

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

45 mins

Total time

55 mins

 

Latin fusion braised chicken with blend of citrus juices, olives, pimientos, capers, peppers, onions and savory tomato sauce

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1 whole Chicken, cut into pieces
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tbsp Cumin
• 1 tbsp Oregano
• ¼ cup of Olive Oil (for marinade)
• 1 tsp Turmeric
• 1 cup Sliced Green Olives and Pimientos
• ¼ cup Capers
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 5 cloves of Garlic, minced
• Juice of 1 Orange
• Juice of 1 Lemon
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 1 Onion, chopped
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped
• ½ bunch of Cilantro, minced
• ¼ cup of Olive Oil (for cooking)
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 8-oz can of Tomato Sauce
• 1 cup of Water (you can fill the can of tomato sauce with water as 8 oz is 1 cup)

Instructions

1. Get a really big bowl toss your chicken into it.
2. Add a big pinch of salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano (about a tablespoon of each).
3. Add a ¼ cup of olive oil and turmeric and rub the chicken all over.
4. Add the olives and pimiento, capers, and Worcestershire sauce to the bowl.
5. Then add your garlic, orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, onion, green bell pepper, and cilantro to the bowl.
6. Give everything a good squish with your hands and leave this to marinate for anywhere between 15 minutes to 24 hours (beyond 24 hours, the lime juice will start to break down the chicken and change it's texture).
7. Add a ¼ cup olive oil to a large pot on medium high heat.
8. Sprinkle in 1 tbsp of sugar.
9. Use a wooden spoon or swirl the pan around to make sure the sugar and the oil are well-mixed.
10. Let the sugar mixture slightly caramelize (turn light brown) and start to bead.
11. Fish the chicken out of the bowl and place it into the pot, skin-side down (don't throw away the marinade and all the onions, peppers, etc! Set it aside for now).
12. Don't touch the chicken for 4 minutes. This will ensure the chicken gets a nice sear.
13. Drop the heat down to medium.
14. Flip the chicken over, cover the pot and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
15. Remove the cover and dump all the yummy marinade contents and the tomato sauce into the pot, along with 1 cup of water. You can use the same can the tomato sauce was in since 8 ounces equals 1 cup. NOTE: If you have picky eaters who will not go near chunks of green peppers and onions and olives, toss the marinade in a blender with the tomato sauce and water until smooth and add that to the pot.
16. Give it a good stir, cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
17. Serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 670 Fat: 58 Carbohydrates: 21 Sugar: 11 Sodium: 3274 Protein: 33

3.2.1284

When my husband and I first started living together, I had never seen him cook before. I knew that he could cook well enough to keep himself alive, but I’d never seen the process. One day I was making dinner and I asked him to season some chicken drumsticks in a bowl on the counter. “With what?” he said. “Salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder! Isn’t this what everyone seasons raw chicken with all the time?? What the heck are we really talking about here?!?” I thought. I was thoroughly confused when I looked over and saw him very lightly shaking the seasonings over the bowl and then stepping away.

In my family, we season food aggressively. Not just in the amount, but in the way we physically do it. Meat isn’t “seasoned” unless it has been slapped around in the bowl, crushed into neighboring pieces, and massaged above and below the skin. I don’t know if it’s a Caribbean thing or just my family, but I can’t season my meat any other way.

This is one of those recipes where you really need to aggressively season the meat for the dish to come alive. There are so few ingredients, so you really need to rub everything against each other for the flavors to meld.

You’ll need:

• 5 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 lemon, cut into thin slices
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp Fines Herbes Seasoning (mix of parsley, chives, chevril, and tarragon)
• 1 tbsp Onion Powder
• 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Pepper

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Season your chicken thighs with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Fines Herbes seasoning.

Thinly slice your lemon and mince your garlic.

Aggressively season the chicken in a baking dish.

Bake for 1 hour and serve.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Garlicky Lemon Chicken

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 5 mins

 

Chicken thighs baked with a simple sauce of lemon slices, heaps of garlic, and fine seasonings. Low carb, paleo, and gluten free!

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 3

Ingredients

• 5 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 lemon, cut into thin slices
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp Fines Herbes Seasoning (mix of parsley, chives, chevril, and tarragon)
• 1 tbsp Onion Powder
• 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tbsp Salt
• 1 tbsp Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Season your chicken thighs with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Fines Herbes seasoning.
3. Thinly slice your lemon and mince your garlic.
4. Aggressively season the chicken in a baking dish.
5. Bake for 1 hour and serve.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 215 Fat: 14 Carbohydrates: 6 Sugar: 0 Sodium: 74 Protein: 17

3.5.3208

When I was in law school, I was one of the managing editors of our law review. Part of this job entailed waking up obscenely early in the morning on weekends and editing articles line by line in the basement of the library. One of the best parts of this job (other than the excellent company… hi Nicole! hi Mike!) was that we’d usually stuff ourselves with fresh bagels slathered with Boursin cream cheese.

I had never heard of Boursin cheese before then and I developed an obsession with the stuff. It has a soft, crumbly texture like goat cheese, but it tastes like scallion cream cheese. Only much lighter.

The other day I was craving some and, as I’m staying away from bagels at the moment, I searched around for a suitable recipe. This one is slightly adapted from Baked Bree’s Chicken with Boursin Mushroom Sauce and it is absolutely heavenly. The velvety sauce would be good on anything, but it really shines against juicy chicken breasts.

You’ll need:

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 thinly sliced shallot
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 pkg Boursin Garlic and Fine Herbs cheese
• 2 tbsp dried parsley

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.

Slice your shallot and mushrooms and set aside your Boursin cheese and butter.

Add extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet and cook the chicken breasts on high heat for 5 minutes. Flip the chicken breasts over, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes. The chicken should be fully cooked at this point. Remove chicken from the skillet, put on a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add the mushrooms, butter, and shallots to the same skillet the chicken breasts were in.

Cook for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are golden brown.

Add the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Turn the heat to low and add the Boursin cheese and parsley.

Stir until the cheese has melted.

Slice your chicken breasts into strips and drizzle with the Boursin mushroom sauce.

4.0 from 1 reviews

Boursin Mushroom Chicken Breasts

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

35 mins

 

Chicken breasts with a creamy Boursin cheese and mushroom sauce

Author: Tekesha @ EatMoreFoodProject

Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pkg baby bella mushrooms, sliced
• 4 tbsp butter
• 1 thinly sliced shallot
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 pkg Garlic & Fine Herbs Boursin Cheese
• 2 tbsp dried parsley

Instructions

1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper on both sides.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet and cook the chicken breasts on high heat for 5 minutes.
3. Flip the chicken breasts over, reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes. The chicken should be fully cooked at this point.
4. Remove chicken from the skillet, put on a plate, and cover with foil to keep warm.
5. Add the mushrooms, butter, and shallots to the same skillet the chicken breasts were in.
6. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are golden brown.
7. Add the wine and cook until the wine has reduced by half.
8. Turn the heat to low and add the Boursin cheese and parsley.
9. Stir until the cheese has melted.
10. Slice your chicken breasts into strips and drizzle with the Boursin mushroom sauce.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 578 Fat: 43 Carbohydrates: 5 Sugar: 1 Sodium: 85 Protein: 36

3.5.3226