Chefs please help me with......?

Question

Well I'm 12 years old. My parents hold this competition with the four of us, me and my brothers. The competition is "Who Can Cook the Best Dinner." This week, we have to cook something involving chicken as the main course. Any ideas and recipies that are slightly challenging. PLEASE I'M DRAWING A BLANK!

Answer 1

Do a Chinese dinner. Fairly impressive if you do it all from scratch. Of course, you have to start with a soup, you know.

Egg Drop Soup

3 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 egg (slightly beaten)
1 green onion, with tops,finely chopped

Bring chicken broth to a boil in soup pot.

Add soy sauce & mix.

Combine water and cornstarch and stir into boiling broth.

Stir a small amount of hot broth into slightly beaten egg. Add egg mixture into hot broth slowly, stirring all the time. Cook until clear and slightly thickened, stirring constantly.

Garnish with scallion


Sweet and Sour Chicken (homemade sauce)

Part 1
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon msg
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Part 2
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Part 3
3 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste or fresh, minced ginger
1 tablespoon olive oil

Over medium heat bring Part 1 ingredients to a boil.

Mix Part 2 ingredients and add to boiling mixture.

Cook until bubbly and thick.

Remove from stove and add Part 3 ingredients. Keep warm.

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 small onion, cut into wedges

Cut chicken into 1/2 inch strips or cubes.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 2 tablespoons oil; stirfry chicken until no longer pink, about 3-5 minutes.

Remove and keep warm.

Add remaining oil; stir fry broccoli, celery, carrots, and onion for 4-5 minutes or until crisp-tender.

Return chicken to pan, add sauce and cook until all is heated through.

Serve over rice.

A good side to serve with this would be Chinese Garlic Green Beans. Very easy and tasty. Tastes just like the ones they serve in a restaurant near me.

1 lb fresh green beans
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Bring beans and water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until beans are crisp-tender.

Drain and set beans aside.

In lg skillet, saute garlic in butter until light brown.

Add beans, salt and pepper.

Heat through.

For dessert, use fresh cut fruit for a traditional Chinese meal. But if you really want to go 'all out' you could make Almond Cookies. Fortune Cookies are fun, but kind of a pain. If you decide you want those, let me know and I'll send you the directions and recipe.

Almond Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup shortening
almonds, cut in half
1/2 cup coconut
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon almond extract

Cream together; shortening, sugar, egg, water and extract.

Add sifted dry ingredients. Add coconut.

Knead dough for a few moments. Shape into small balls.

Placed on greased cookie sheets. Flatten with bottom of glass dipped in flour.

Put 1/2 almond on top of each cookie.

Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes

Good luck with your competition and don't forget the hot tea!

~Morg~

Answer 2

Chicken Cordon Blue...so good!

* 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
* 6 slices Swiss cheese
* 6 slices ham
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon paprika
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
* 1 tablespoon cornstarch
* 1 cup heavy whipping cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Pound chicken breasts if they are too thick. Place a cheese and ham slice on each breast within 1/2 inch of the edges. Fold the edges of the chicken over the filling, and secure with toothpicks. Mix the flour and paprika in a small bowl, and coat the chicken pieces.
2. Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and cook the chicken until browned on all sides. Add the wine and bouillon. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.
3. Remove the toothpicks, and transfer the breasts to a warm platter. Blend the cornstarch with the cream in a small bowl, and whisk slowly into the skillet. Cook, stirring until thickened, and pour over the chicken. Serve warm.

Answer 3

Sous chef. Sous means (loosely) beneath so it is a lower rank than head chef. You have lots of ranks in a big kitchen..........Chef de partie Head Chef (the authority in the kitchen) Sous Chef (second-in-command) Chef Steward Working Chef Chef's Assistant Chef de Partie Night Chef Banquet Chef and the list goes on with Cooks preparing different parts of a meal i.e. soups, broilers, vegetables, etc. Wikpedia will give you the list

Answer 4

* Exported from MasterCook

CHICKEN BREASTS PARMESAN

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Main Dish Poultry
Appetizers Microwave

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1/2 c Seasoned dry bread crumbs,
Fine
1/4 c Grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 lb Boneless chicken breasts
2 Eggs, at room temperature
3 T Olive oil
1 c Shredded mozzarella cheese
8 oz Can tomato sauce
1 t Dried Italian seasoning
1/4 t Garlic salt
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. On wax paper combine bread crumbs and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.
Dip
chicken breasts first in egg and then in bread crumb mixture until well
coated.
2. Heat oil in a large, heat-resistant, non-metallic skillet over high heat
on top of a conventional surface unit. Quickly brown coated chicken pieces
on
both sides.
3. In a small bowl combine tomato sauce, Italian seasoning and garlic salt.
Spoon tomato sauce over chicken.
4. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the tomato sauce.
5. Heat, loosely covered with wax paper, in Microwave Oven 5 to 6 minutes
or
until sauce is bubbly and chicken is tender. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan
cheese and heat, uncovered in Microwave Oven an additional 30 seconds or
until cheese is melted.

Answer 5

All in one recipe. My favourite for last minute planning when we have guests.

Chicken filet in vegetables bed.

Vegetables:-
Potatoes - peel and cut in halves
Broccoli - cut up into bit sizes
2 Paprika - cut into strips of about 2cm (different colors)
1 big red onion - cut about same thickness of paprika
2-3 carrots - cut into strips as paprika
1-2 cubes of chicken broth - dissolve into 1.5 cups of water- pour into a deep casourole with the veggies
salt and pepper to taste
Sprinkle some dried basil and thyme

Chicken Filet :-
4-6 pcs of filet - lightly fried on a frying pan - sprinkle some salt, pepper, paprika powder and grill (BBQ) powdered spice
Lay chicken on top of the veggies. Cover with aluminium foil.

Set oven on 225 degrees celcius. Put casourole into the oven with foil for about 30 minutes. Turn down temperature to 200 degrees celcius and remove foil, continue to bake for another 10 minutes.

Dinner is served. Hope this helps. Good Luck!

Answer 6

I started when I was 12. Chicken paprikas
1 fryer cut up
1large onion diced
2cup sour cream (fat free)
1 tsp salt
1tbs pepper
4tbs sweet paprika

In a dutch oven add whole chicken
and onion. a little water and bring to a lite simmer, when the chicken is done remove. cool and debone keep the juices that the chicken cooed in. add sour cream and paprika reduce (low heat) by 25% add the chicken mix well. serve on top of wide egg noodles

Answer 7

Try this. It's a good dish and I've never met anyone who didn't take seconds when we've served it.


CHICKEN PESTO

1 lg. onion
1 lb. boneless chicken
1/4 lb. mushrooms
14 oz. can tomato wedges
1 c. chicken broth
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. pesto

Brown chopped onion and chicken. Add mushrooms and tomato wedges. Then add chicken broth and pesto. Simmer 20 minutes or until chicken is tender. Serve chicken pesto over fettucini with a tablespoon of pesto in it.

Answer 8

Chicken and vegetable stir fry, lemon chicken, chicken Marsala, chicken parm, or roasted chicken with root vegetables. The possibilities are endless.

Good luck to you. What a great way to get the family involved in daily meal planing.

Answer 9

Chicken & Garlic = always a crowd pleaser

Roasted Chicken with 4o Cloves of Garlic

A 3 1/2 to 4-pound chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 large head of garlic, separated into individual cloves
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup rich chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 to 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Fresh herbs, i.e. parsley, rosemary and/or thyme, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper. Rub the skin with 1 tablespoon of the softened butter. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up, and transfer to the preheated oven. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices.

In a saucepan bring 4 to 6 cups of water to a boil. Blanch the garlic cloves for 15 to 30 seconds, drain and transfer to an ice water bath. Peel the garlic and reserve.

After the chicken has roasted for 30 minutes, distribute the garlic cloves around the pan. Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees F. and continue to roast for another 15 to 25 minutes, until well browned and the juices run clear when the fleshy part of the thigh is pricked with a fork.

Transfer the chicken to a platter along with 1/3 of the garlic cloves. With a large spoon skim the fat from the pan taking care not to remove any of the juices and discard. Place the roasting pan over moderately high heat and deglaze with the white wine, scraping up the brown bits clinging to the bottom and sides. Simmer the wine until reduced by half. Add the chicken stock, bring to a boil and reduce by half. Season with salt and pepper.

Carve the chicken into serving pieces and pour any of the juices into the simmering sauce.

Pour the sauce with the remaining garlic into a blender and puree, in batches if necessary, until smooth. Return the sauce to the roasting pan and bring back to a simmer. Swirl in the cold butter in pieces. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Stir in the fresh herbs. Serve the chicken with the sauce.

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 4 servings
User Rating: 5 Stars
Recipe courtesy of Gourmet Magazine
http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/cda/recipe_print/0,1946,FOOD_9936_7929_PRINT-RECIPE-FULL-PAGE,00.html

OR
Chicken Piccata
Source: © Cooking Light Magazine
Yield: 4 servings

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons butter or stick margarine, divided
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups dry white wine, divided
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
4 cups hot cooked linguine (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)

RECIPE METHOD

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.

Combine flour, salt, and pepper; dredge chicken in flour mixture.

Heat 1 teaspoon butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Add 3/4 cup wine, juice, and capers to pan, scraping pan to loosen brown bits, and cook 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan, and keep warm.

Stir in 3/4 cup wine, and cook over high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Stir in 1 teaspoon butter and parsley. Serve chicken over linguine. Drizzle with sauce.

Recipe reprinted by permission of © Cooking Light Magazine. All rights reserved.
http://www.cooking.com/recipes/static/recipe5032.htm

Answer 10

Caprese Stuffed Chicken Breasts
Serving Size : 4

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 ounces mozzarella cheese packed in water
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon olive oil, divided
4 cups mixed salad greens
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
4 teaspoons chopped chives
1/2 cup packaged seasoned croutons

Spray 9x9x2 baking pan with cooking spray. Flatten each chicken breast half to 1/4-inch thickness; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place equal amount chopped tomatoes in center of each chicken breast half. Cut mozzarella cheese into 4 equal portions and place on chicken. Top with equal amounts basil leaves. Roll chicken, folding in sides; fasten with wooden pick.

Place in prepared pan, seam side down; drizzle 1 teaspoon of the olive oil over chicken and bake in 375degree F. oven for about 30 minutes or until fork can be inserted in chicken with ease. Remove picks from chicken. Place salad greens on serving platter. Cut each piece of chicken into 5 or 6 slices and arrange on greens. Mix remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with vinegar and drizzle over chicken. Sprinkle with chives and garnish with croutons.
----------------


Buffalo-Wings-Style Cheese-Stuffed Chicken

2 whole large chicken breasts, boneless
2 Tbl butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ounce bottle Tabasco
8 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 cup Ranch dressing
3/4 cups celery, chopped
5 Tbl butter, softened
1/2 lb crumbled bleu cheese
Olive oil

Mix together cream cheese, Ranch dressing, celery, 5 Tbl butter and blue cheese. Form into two 3" oval patties.

Melt 2 Tbl butter. Add Tabasco and garlic. Flatten chicken until 1/4" thick. Place cheese mixture on chicken and roll up, tucking in sides to enclose filling. Secure with wooden picks. Dust chicken rolls in flour. Dip chicken rolls in the butter/Tabasco/garlic mixture. Roll in bread crumbs. Brown chicken rolls on all sides in olive oil. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes.