Pineapple Chicken Burger with Mango Barbecue Sauce

Pineapple and chicken go well together.

My love for this combination started when I was in pre-school. I remember my mama would often cook Pininyahang Manok (Chicken and Pineapple in milk sauce) for my packed lunch. I enjoyed the sweetness of the fruit with the tenderness of chicken and creaminess of milk. The slices of hotdog sauteed with the chicken added enough saltiness into it. *slurp*

I don't remember the last time I had that dish. But because I'm too familiar with it already, I went for something I haven't done before. And to make it even better, I made a special sauce for the star of the meal. I really do hope my palate will please you.

Prepare the following:

Burger patties
- 700 grams ground chicken (no skin)
- 1 pc red bell pepper, seeded and minced
- 3 pcs minced shallots
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 3 eggs slightly beaten
- 250 grams crushed pineapple (juice included)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper

Sauce
- 350 ml tomato catsup
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin powder
- 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup minced (yes, I did that) ripe mango (should be sweet)
- salt and pepper

Here's how:

To prepare the burger patties, simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Using a molder (you may substitute any round container lid), arrange about four tablespoons of the mixture (about 1/2 inch thick) in a plastic sheet and keep in the freezer if you don't intend to cook it yet. (Yields about seven patties). When cooking, grease a non-stick pan with olive oil. Cook each side for 3-4 minutes over medium fire.

Mix together all the ingredients of the barbecue sauce except for the mango and simmer over very low fire for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mango and continue simmering for another 2 minutes.

Happy eating!

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Chicken Peri-Peri (Piri-Piri)

While reading this book about various ingredients that work really well when combined together, I came across with chicken and chili.  Quite frankly, I thought that was ordinary since most Filipinos use chili in sauces and dips for almost all proteins.  Oftentimes, we mix chilis with vinegar, soy sauce and fish sauce with calamansi (my personal preference). But my interest got tickled when peri-peri was mentioned in the book. I know I have not tasted it before. So that’s when I started checking Google.

With all the recipes I saw, the three most common ingredients are: oil, citrus juice (lemon) and, of course, chili. As usual, I put my personal spin into it.

Take two large chicken breasts, skin on and bone in. Place them in a large bowl then pour in 1/3 cup orange juice. Add two pieces minced shallots, two cloves of crushed garlic, one teaspoon each of cayenne powder, ginger powder (or two teaspoons crushed ginger), chili powder and paprika. Season with salt and black ground pepper, and add four tablespoons of olive oil. Lastly, toss in a handful of chopped red chilis. Mix thoroughly and marinate for no less than 24 hours.

After 24 hours…

Grease a grilling pan with olive oil. Make sure the pan is totally hot before placing the chicken (skin side first). Cook over medium fire. Brush the chicken with the marinade until it cooks. Serve with salad or any starch.

Happy eating.

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Pepper-crusted Chicken with Roasted Mushrooms and Pesto

I've tried this before. Not as a dish though, but as a sandwich. The one I tasted from a coffee shop in Manila (make a guess which one) was bland. Boom! So I thought of re-creating it into a dish that can be eaten with any starch.

So here's how you do this easy and satisfying meal.

1. Pound your chicken breasts to make it a wee bit thin. That way, it's quicker to cook.

2. Season it with the following: salt, thyme and paprika. Add chili powder if you prefer.

3. Heat about two and a half tablespoons of olive oil over medium fire. Coat the chicken with ground black pepper before frying. It should only take about 2-3 minutes to cook each side (that depends on how thin you pounded the poor breasts).

Tip: Make a small slice at the center of the chix. If the color is still pink, it's still raw. Remember, it's a major sin to serve raw poultry!

4. Once cooked, immediately toss some sliced shiitake mushrooms (use as many as you want) on the pan where you fried the chicken. Add some olive oil when needed.

5. Arrange on a plate with a tablespoon (or more) of pesto on the side.

Voila! Happy eating!

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Preparing Chicken Stock

Most of the recent dishes I made utilized stock. And I intend to use more of it with the dishes I'm about to create. So I thought I'd share with you the step-by-step procedures in preparing a stock. Unless you want your dish to be dull, you cannot just boil meat and use the liquid to flavor your dish. There is a way of creating an aromatic stock that will definitely bring out the flavors of a dish.

Okay. I know you're wondering what's the difference between stocks and broths. Stocks are referred to as the foundations of cooking. They are prepared using bones from poultry or meat or seafood and / or vegetables, and are used to prepare soups and sauces. Broths, on the other hand, are prepared from meats or seafood and /or vegetables simmered in stock. While broths can be served as is, stocks are used in the production of other dishes.If that still sounds complicated, just remember that broths are products of stocks.

Here are the ingredients I used:

• 500 grams of chicken neck (or bones, but chicken neck makes the stock richer) or more
• 4 liters of cold water
• 1.5 cup chopped white onions
• 1.5 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup celery stalk
• onion spring
• salt
• olive oil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp whole pepper and bay leaf

Simmer the chicken in cold water over very low fire. Do this for two hours. Skim the foams once in a while. It's not supposed to boil, just let tiny bubbles appear.

When you're about to hit two hours, start working on your veggies. Heat a minimal amount of olive oil in a pan, just enough to coat the veggies. Sauté the onions for about two minutes then add the carrots. Cook these until the onion turns translucent.

Add the celery stalks and onion spring. Cook some more until the veggies are a little soft. Then put all the veggies into the simmering chicken. Let it simmer for 30 minutes.

Cooking all the veggies

Add thyme, pepper, bay leaf and salt. Simmer for another 30 minutes.

Thyme

Pepper and bay leaves

After a total of 3 hours, turn off the heat and let cool before straining the ingredients from the stock. Transfer in clean containers.

After three hours

Tip: You can remove the oil from the stock by placing it inside the fridge. After some time, the oil will solidify. It's easier to remove now than during its liquid form.

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Pan-fried Chicken Breast with Chunky Tomatoes and Basil

I don’t always find the food in the office cafeteria appetizing. But sometimes I let myself buy a cup of white rice and a viand because I failed to bring my own packed lunch. So one evening I searched through our fridge and cabinets for something easy to prepare the next day. I found chicken fillet, fresh basil and some concasséd tomatoes, which I previously prepared.

First I pounded the chicken breasts then seasoned with salt, ground pepper, crushed garlic, ginger powder and Spanish paprika.  I heated about two tablespoons of olive oil in a non-stick pan and fried the chicken. Depending on how thin the chicken was pounded, mine took not more than three minutes on each side. Make sure it’s brown and golden.

While doing the chix, I sautéed some white onions in olive oil, added ½ cup of the tomatoes and poured in ¼ cup of chicken stock. Once simmered, I tossed some olives and fresh basil. Voila! Just top the veggies on your chicken and it’s done.

Happy eating! 

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