Hobo Tuesday (that's actually a Monday)

Tuesday is kickball night in the summer, and there is no way I'm going to be able to make anything when I get home from a double header tomorrow night. I'm going to be much more interested in beers and relaxation.

And with that, I decided to create my hobo submission this evening. I hope that Michelle and the other hobos can forgive me. Especially if I mention that on top of moving, there has been a bit of neck shitting in my neck of the woods lately.

To note, Whip It Up's spicy challenge fell on the same week as August's Hobo Challenge, the theme of which is also spicy food.


So I'm really not sure what to call this.

8 bone in, skin on chicken thighs, skins removed and reserved
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbs chipotle chili pepper
1 tbs paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
sprinkle of basil
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in pan. When glossy, add the onion and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes, 1/2 can worth of water and spices. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover for about 40 minutes.

Turn off the heat, and remove chicken from pot. In a large bowl, shred the chicken away from the bones. Reserve bones for stock to be made in the future.

Return the shredded chicken to the tomato and spice mixture, bring heat back up to a simmer. Add the peppers, salt, pepper and add spices to taste. I ended up adding a decent amount more of all the spices - mostly because I've really been enjoying hot food lately. Serve when the peppers are cooked through, but still crisp.

Serve over brown rice.

And remember those chicken skins? Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper and the spices of your heart's desire. Lay flat on a baking sheet, place in an oven heated to 400 degrees until desired doneness. I like mine nice and crispy - I think it took about 20 minutes.

So good.

The cost breakdown:
3.81 lbs chicken thighs - $3.77 (on sale)
crushed tomatoes - $1.00
green pepper - $0.78
red pepper - $1.80
farm share onion - $0.50 (again, I don't really know what it's worth)
all the rest - pantry staples.

Total: $7.85
Servings: 5
Cost per serving: $1.57
A serving included...the spicy chicken stuff, brown rice and crispy chicken skin

Whip It Up: Week 4: Healthy Option (The official entry)

(See that picture next to it? That's what it was "supposed" to look like.)

This week's challenge is a healthy option. I (generally) try to eat well on a day to day basis. And because of this, I know that the (not so) occasional craving hits for something that is (far, far) less than healthy. So, why not take this week's challenge and embrace those cravings - just in a version that wouldn't derail a day's (or week's) efforts?



To keep the health factor rolling, I served it with simmered/sauteed green beans and cauliflower and mashed potatoes made with chicken broth, Parmesan, Garlic Garlic, Onion Onion, and a touch of shredded reduced fat mozzarella. Delicioso!

Courtesy of Cooking Light... (originall recipe found here)




Pan-Fried Chicken

1 1/2 c all purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground paprika
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt, divided

6 bone-in chicken drumsticks, skin removed

1/4 c canola oil

Combine flour, ginger, paprika, nutmeg cinnamon and 1/2 tsp salt in a large zip-lock bag. Rub chicken with the other 1/2 tsp salt. Place chicken pieces in zip lock bag one by one. Seal the bag and shake. (Shake and bake! and I helped!)

Once well coated, remove from bag and place on a plate, platter, whatever you have (a rack over a plate is probably best) and put it in the fridge for an hour to an hour and a half to let the flour mixture settle on the chicken. Discard extra flour mixture.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and reduce heat to medium-low. The trick is finding the right temp - too high and the outer coating will brown well before the chicken is done cooking, too low and the chicken will absorb too much oil. Cook for 25-30 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.

When the outer coating is brown and chicken cooked, remove from the pan and place on a platter with paper towels (really, the brown bags on a rack is better, but I don't have those). Let rest for 5-10 minutes, turn half way through.

Enjoy!

Because this is the healthy options week, here's the health information (Probably a little different because of my ahem modifications)

Calories: 245 Fat: 10.1g (sat 2g,mono 4.1g,poly 3g) Protein: 28.2g Carbohydrate: 9g Fiber: 0.8g Cholesterol: 87mg Iron: 1.8mg Sodium: 240mg Calcium: 17mg

So...
Was it easy?
Yes! I forgot to get the peanut oil, but the canola worked well. I also didn't' read some of the directions so well - so my spice ratio is different than the original.
Was it good?
Yes! ...but still not quite the fried chicken real deal.

Would you make it again?
To be honest, I think I prefer grilled chicken to this method...put perhaps.