Chicken is great in all forms - fried, stewed, smoked, grilled or charcoal, on a baking sheet or in a regular skillet. It is quite difficult to spoil this juicy meat, but the use of "secret" recipes guarantees the hostesses special delights of the guests. Culinary experts from different continents and countries have their own opinion on how to cook chicken deliciously - Indian curry, French fricassee, Georgian satsivi are loved all over the world. But the choice is not limited only to them, therefore it is extremely useful to make gastronomic excursions.
Paprikash - Hungarian chicken
Once in Austria-Hungary, this dish was considered a soup - very thick, incredibly satisfying, perfectly warming. For the sake of greater nutritional value, it was brewed with flour, adding dumplings from the dough when serving. However, in the modern variation, traditional paprikash is more of a meat and gravy. It does not require adult chickens, but tender young chickens. For two carcasses, you should additionally take:
- two onions;
- two fresh sweet peppers (preferably red);
- ground dried paprika (2 tablespoons);
- a little salt and a pinch of hot pepper;
- pork lard or ghee (2 tablespoons);
- 4-5 heads of garlic;
- salt to taste;
- an incomplete glass of sour cream;
- one and a half cups of rich broth (preferably - also chicken).
The result is unusual, but the preparation of the dish is quite simple. Both carcasses are divided into quarters, salted and browned well in hot lard, laid out in a saucepan (deep frying pan).
Then make a gravy: on the lard left over from roasting the chicken, saute vegetables with spices, add the broth, bring to a boil and pour into a container with chicken. Now the dish will have to be stewed for about half an hour - over the tiniest fire, under the lid. Ten minutes before readiness, sour cream is poured on top, but they do not stir, but continue to slowly simmer the paprikash. It is served hot, with fresh herbs, potato garnish or boiled pasta.
Kiev cutlets - chicken in Ukrainian
An interesting fact: initially, Kiev cutlets were invented not in Ukraine, but in France. De-volayay - this is how the original name of the dish sounds in Russian transcription. In Kiev, much later, they had a hand in its design - they began to insert a bone inside to give the finished product the appearance of a fried chicken leg. In principle, this does not affect the taste at all, so it is quite possible to do without such a culinary device.
For cooking, you need poultry fillet, butter, garlic, herbs (any - from domestic parsley to "foreign" basil), a good pinch of ground pepper (black), and - flour, bread crumbs, eggs and a lot of vegetable oil. Frying Kiev cutlets is best in a deep fryer, but you can do with a frying pan with high sides.
The fillet is cut into slices and beat well, then salted and pepper abundantly. The classic filling for a cutlet is butter, grated with herbs and garlic. Lovers also add fried mushrooms, cheese and even potatoes, but these are already variations.
The filling is placed on a thin slice of meat, rolled into a roll, all edges of which are neatly tucked inward. Each cutlet is generously sprinkled with flour, then dipped in a beaten chicken egg, rolled in breadcrumbs. But this is not the end yet - the last two stages of breading are repeated once more so that the crispy "fur coat" becomes thicker and denser.
Using a spoon or slotted spoon, the cutlets are dipped in boiling oil, quickly fried on both sides and spread on a baking sheet. The last stage is bringing the dish in the oven to final readiness. Another 10-15 minutes, and the de-volay can be served at the table.
Fillet "Torero" - Mexican chicken
In America, birds are loved no less than in Asia or Europe. It is prepared in different ways, but the spicy bullfighter (or Mexican chicken) is one of the most savory dishes. The recipe is known in two different flavors. For example, in Acapulco or Playa del Carmen eateries, they will serve chicken fillet on a crispy tortilla.
The filling itself is made from bird breasts and peppers of various varieties (including the hottest chili), which are finely chopped, breaded in flour, fried in oil with various spices, and then stew with white wine and tomatoes for a few minutes. In addition to such meat filling, fresh vegetables, greens of various types and legumes are put into envelopes made from Mexican corn "lavash" (first of all, beans so beloved by the locals).
You can cook delicious chicken for a family feast in another way, adapted to the traditions of European cuisine. According to the recipe, the hostess will need:
- fleshy parts of the bird (drumsticks, thighs, breast) - 600-800 g;
- 5-6 pieces of dense ripe tomatoes;
- two large onions;
- a pair of multi-colored sweet peppers;
- a can of canned corn or a package (400 g) of frozen corn;
- half a head of garlic;
- dry greens, black and red pepper - to taste;
- mayonnaise, salt and vegetable oil;
- hard cheese - 200-300 g.
The pulp is removed from the bones, the fillet is cut into small portions, which are marinated in spices. Pepper and onion are chopped into cubes in a separate bowl, garlic is squeezed out there, the mixture is additionally sprinkled with hot pepper and salted. The tomatoes are divided into quarters, the corn is thawed or drained through a colander.
The next step is placing the ingredients on a greased baking sheet. The first layer is onions and peppers, the second is tomatoes, the third is corn, and the fourth is chicken. From above, the semi-finished product is greased with mayonnaise and covered with finely grated cheese. The dish is baked for about forty minutes. You can serve it with any usual side dish.
Sichuan Fillet - Chinese Chicken
Fans of spicy oriental cuisine will love the recipe, which was presented to the world by culinary experts from the Chinese province of Sichuan. It requires a chicken fillet, or rather white meat from the breast. About 700-800 g of pulp will go to the dish. Additional Ingredients:
- one onion;
- two carrots;
- one green (or yellow) sweet and hot red chili pepper each;
- a tablespoon of starch (preferably corn starch);
- soy sauce (3-4 tablespoons);
- for frying - vegetable oil.
The breast is cut into equal cubes and soaked in soy sauce with the addition of starch - in such a marinade, the meat should stand for half an hour. During this time, you can just have time to prepare vegetables: cut carrots with long thin strips, bell peppers in large squares, fresh chili in small ones. The onion is also chopped - either in half rings, or in small pieces.
Oil is heated in a frying pan, chicken pulp is laid out and brought to a golden state over high heat (with active stirring) - the process will take no more than ten minutes. All vegetables are fried at the same time on the second burner in a separate container. Finally, the ingredients are mixed in a bowl, cooled slightly and served.
“Wellington” - chicken in English
The traditional cuisine of Foggy Albion is also ready to please the admirers of chicken delicacies - gourmet fillets are served in a puff “a la Wellington”. Beautiful, amazingly tasty, stylish and completely without spiciness - perhaps this dish cannot be called dietary, but it will be perfect for a festive table.
For an English lunch you need to stock up:
- about a kilogram of chicken fillet;
- mushrooms (fresh or frozen) - 150-200 g;
- one medium onion;
- puff pastry (you can make yourself or buy a ready-made frozen layer);
- 3 tablespoons of white wine and butter;
- cheese - 50 g of suluguni or gorgonzola;
- salt to taste and a drop of black pepper;
- a small bunch of parsley;
- egg yolk.
Mushrooms are finely chopped, greens are crumbled, onions are finely chopped. The fillet is divided into several oblong pieces, salted and sprinkled with a pinch of pepper.
Next, you will need to brown the onion on a spoonful of oil, secondly - stew the mushrooms with herbs and wine, and then fry the strips of chicken. All three types of fillings are prepared separately.
Put the dough on the table, sprinkled with flour, let it sprinkle slightly. Carefully place the filling in the center: first the onion, parsley with mushrooms, cheese slices and fillets on it. Tuck up the edges of the puff and pinch well to make an airtight envelope. Transfer the pie to a baking sheet with the seams down, brush with whipped yolk and bake until the dough rises and turns brown.
The finished dish is served slightly cooled and cut directly on the dining table.
Without any special frills - simple, but tasty
If you do not want to cook something exotic, you can simply bake the bird on a baking sheet - in parts or in whole. The second option is more suitable for a festive table, the final result turns out to be very beautiful. First, the carcass is qualitatively cleaned of viscera and small hairs (if any), washed and salted.
To cook a chicken deliciously and beautifully (that is, to achieve a special golden crust), the bird will need to be greased with something. For this purpose they usually take:
- mayonnaise;
- sour cream with garlic;
- olive oil with herbs (basil, parsley, oregano - to taste);
- mustard.
The carcass is rubbed on the outside and placed in a baking dish. But before you send the chicken to the oven, it is worth filling it with something - in this case, the dish will be juicier and tastier. There are literally countless options for filling, but the most popular are:
- raw potatoes in cubes;
- diced apples (including the peel);
- dried apricots or prunes with garlic;
- buckwheat porridge.
Among other things, cereal or potato filling will solve the problem of a side dish, it is enough to add fresh vegetables and herbs when serving - the dish comes out fragrant and very festive. Cooking takes from forty minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the bird.
Bon appetit!
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