Tag Archives: poultry

Apr29

One Very Easy and Healthy Complete Chicken Casserole

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breasts ready for oven corn unshucked and breasts dish ready to eat plated

One Very Easy and Healthy Complete Chicken Casserole

Serves 4

Very often I don’t have any specific plan or recipe in mind however one always seems to pop up.  Atkinsons’ had some very delicious looking and well priced whole (with bone and skin) chicken breasts which I had bought. That was my main ingredient.  I also had bought some fresh California corn (2 ears for $1), fresh organic red chard and for an additional side goodie, some huge CA artichokes (2 for $5).  At home I had some garlic heads, yellow onions, and one red and one white new potato.  So, there you go————I took out my 13 X 9 Pyrex dish and below is what I came up with.  I made it just for myself, but it’s a nice complete dinner for 4 and I envision a busy mother or dad being very happy to make something so healthy but yet so easy for the family—or even for guests because it did look very pretty.   Also, it’s a fun dish to eat because part of it entails just using your hands.  Be sure to have some extra bowls set on your table for discarding the artichoke leaves and corn husks.

 

Ingredients:

  1. 2 large whole chicken breasts, with skin and bone—rinsed and pat dried
  2. 1 large bunch of red or white chard, washed and rough chopped
  3. 1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced
  4. 2 or 3 large new potatoes, thick sliced
  5. Olive oil and/or olive oil spray
  6. Fresh ground pepper to taste and salt if you wish
  7. Several generous squirts of one of your favorite hot sauce—I used a hot mango sauce
  8. 1 C. vegetable or vegetarian broth
  9. 4 whole heads of garlic
  10. 2 ears of corn, soft end slightly cut off, left in most of its shucking and soaked in water for 10 to 15 minutes.

Directions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375.
  2. Spray your 13 X 9 Pyrex dish with olive oil and layer first with the onion slices, then the potatoes, and last the chopped chard.  Sprinkle some hot sauce over it and then pour the broth over it all. Then place one chicken breast at each end—on top of the greens, etc.  Sprinkle the chicken with fresh ground pepper/salt and some more of your favorite hot sauce and place the whole garlic heads at each corner.
  3. Put the dish on the middle rack in your preheated oven for 30 minutes.
  4. After the initial 30 minutes, take the dish out, turn the oven down to 350, and place the two un-husked presoaked corn ears in the middle of the dish.
  5. Cook for half-hour more and everything should be done just perfectly.
  6. Take the corn out with gloved hands and remove the husks.  Break each ear into two and place back on top of your dish.  If you wish place a small pad of butter on each corn ear.
  7. As I said, I served this with a side of artichoke.
  8. As always, bon appetit
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Mar19

Roasted Turkey Thigh

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roasted turkey thigh

minnestrone cup Roasted Turkey Thigh

One Serves Two

 

 

Who says that turkey is just for Thanksgiving.  I love it year round. However, remember that if for a Thanksgiving dinner there are just 2 of you (or maybe even just your lonesome) this is a an easy turkey dish to make and have and still celebrate that turkey day without having to deal with the whole bird. But I divert. This is the day before spring and when I discovered this lovely 1.69 Lb. turkey thigh for $3.19 at Atkinsons’ the other day turkey sounded good to me so I bought it and had that evening a delicious and economical meal.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 Turkey Thigh (or more if you are serving more than 2)
  2. 1/4 C. olive oil or butter if you don’t mind the extra cholesterol
  3. 1 Tsp. salt
  4. 1/4 Tsp. ground pepper
  5. 2-4 cloves of garlic—peeled or unpeeled-whole or roughly chopped
  6. 1 large carrot chopped in large hunks
  7. 1/2 onion sliced
  8. 2 celery stalks roughly chopped
  9. 4 sprigs of thyme
  10. 4 basil or sage leaves
  11. 1/2 C. turkey or chicken broth

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Olive oil spray an ovenproof dish to accommodate your thigh(s) and veggies.
  3. Place the veggies and broth on the bottom of your dish.
  4. Gently loosen skin from the thigh and spread some olive oil over the meat; then insert the spices and garlic cloves. Smooth skin back over and spread the rest of the olive oil over the thigh.You can also use your olive oil spray to do this instead of using the 1/4 C. olive oil. Now salt and pepper the thigh.
  5. Place the thigh in the dish over the veggies and broth.
  6. Bake in the oven for 45 to 60 minutes or till a meat thermometer registers 175 degrees.
  7. Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil and let stand 10 minutes before serving.
  8. I sided this dish with a ramekin filled with freshly made thick minestrone topped with Parmesan and a fresh salad.  For desert, I served roasted pears.
  9. If you wish gravy, when you’ve removed the thigh and the veggies, thicken the drippings/sauce stove top in a pan over medium high heat with a bit of luke warm water in which you have well stirred a tablespoon or more of cornstarch.

 

For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com  Call Margot for personal cooking help or hosting

@ 721-3551.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.

 

Dec12

Caribbean Marinade

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Caribbean Marinade 2 celery carrots caribbeanCaribbean Marinade

Makes about 1/2 to 3/4 cupful

This is a really wonderful marinade to use in cooking pork dishes;  but it also can be delicious used in various vegetable dishes and soups.  I use several teaspoons in my Braised Celery and Julienned Carrots recipe as well as in my Creamy Greens Soup recipe.  I warrant that you’ll find even more uses for it.

  1. 1 head of garlic, peeled
  2. 2 Tblsp. oregano
  3. 2 Tsp. cumin seeds
  4. 1 Tsp. black peppercorns
  5. 2 bay leaves
  6. 1 Tblsp. olive oil
  7. 1 orange—rind sliced off and chopped small; orange juiced
  8. 1 ruby grapefruit-rind sliced off and chopped small; grapefruit juiced
  9. 1/4 C. lemon Juice
  1. In a food processor, put ingredients listed above.  The orange, grapefruit and lemon juice should add up to 1/2 cup total of juice.
  2.  Process so nice and smooth but still chunky.
Dec8

Chicken Ball Biscuit Stew

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Chicken Ball Biscuit StewChicken Ball Bisquit Stew

Serves 4 easily

The name for this dish may sound  unique and it is; but I think that even though it is a bit more complicated in making than most of my recipes, the end result is worth it.  It’s also very versatile and lastly, the “ball” part can be used for any recipe requiring meat balls and the ” biscuits” recipe for any other dish requiring a light and fluffy biscuit topping. You don’t have to serve this dish with the biscuit topping, but I find it awfully good.  Also, I use the ground chicken sometimes, but the ground veal or lamb is even tastier. So, as I said, this recipe is very versatile.  This recipe is divided in 4 parts.

  • Vegetables for this dish
  1. 1 C. julienned carrots (1 large carrot will do)
  2. 1 onion thinly sliced
  3. 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  4. 3 Tblsp. olive oil
  5. 1/2 to 1 C. frozen peas (optional but I like them and the color as well)

Directions:

  1.  Sauté the above ingredients in the hot olive oil in a 10 to 12 inch oven proof skillet over medium high heat for about 5 to 8 minutes–till onions are soft and glossy.
  2. Remove to a bowl and set aside
  • Meatballs

Ingredients:

  1.  1 lb. ground chicken, veal or lamb for this recipe
  2. 1/4 C. milk or cream
  3. 1/4 to 1/2 C. plain bread crumbs (start with 1/4 C.)
  4. 1/4 C. minced green onions
  5. 1/4 C. minced fresh parsley or 1 ½ Tsp. dried parsley
  6. 2 Tblsp. of 1 beaten egg ( I fork beat it in a cup)
  7. 1/4 Tsp. allspice for this recipe (the spice generally used for any meatball recipe can be varied according to what recipe you are making. It can be nothing or contain ground curry, cumin, chili powder, minced mint leaves, cinnamon, dill, etc.)
  8. S&P to taste
  9. 2 Tblsp. butter or olive oil

Directions:

  1.  In a medium sized bowl, let soak the bread crumbs with the milk or cream for 5 minutes.  Start with 1/4 C. crumbs.
  2. When soaked, add the remaining of the ingredients, mix and then add your ground meat and mix well.  If your meat looks too soupy, which ground chicken can be, add up to 1/4 C. more crumbs.
  3. Make 1 ½ inch in diameter balls (there will be around 20 to 24 of them).
  4. In the same oven proof skillet brown your meatballs on all sides in the 2 Tblsp. hot butter or olive oil over medium high heat for around 10 minutes. Watch that they don’t get too brown.  For the chicken balls, make sure that they are not pink inside anymore. (You can also bake the balls in the same skillet in a 400 degree oven until done-15 minutes or so.)
  5. Remove the balls to a platter and place aside.
  • For the stew’s delicious sauce
  1. 2 Tblsp. butter or olive oil
  2. 2 Tblsp. flour
  3. 1/4 C. white wine or vermouth
  4. 1 ½ C. chicken broth
  5. 1/4 Tsp. of the following spices: curry powder, S&P, ground cumin and ground ginger
  6. 1 C. plain yogurt-non-fat is fine

Directions:

  1. Add the butter or olive oil to the same unwashed skillet over medium heat and stir in the flour till it’s well mixed (about a minute or two) and then over medium-high heat add the liquid ingredients and spices.  Once again stir slowly till the ingredients are well melded into the sauce.  At this point add your yogurt and once again stir till well combined and seems very smooth.
  2.  Put the skillet aside while you make the biscuits.  However, if you want to serve it without the biscuits, put the veggies in the sauce and top with the meatballs. Place in 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.  Serve over rice or noodles.
  • Yogurt Biscuits

Ingredients:

  1. 1 C. flour
  2. 1 tsp. salt
  3. 1 ½ Tsp. baking powder
  4. 1 ½ tsp. baking soda
  5. 4 tsp. cold butter—cut into small pieces
  6. 1/2 C. plain yogurt—non-fat is fine

Directions:

  1. In a bowl whisk the flour, salt and powders till well mixed.
  2. Cut the butter with two knives in the dry ingredients. You can also use your blender at pulse to do this.
  3. When well blended use a large spoon to stir in the yogurt until the mixture forms a ball.
  4. Drop tablespoons of the dough on top of the stew.
  5. Now put your skillet in a 400 degree oven for about 25 minutes.
  6. Serve in the skillet with a pretty napkin tied around the handle.
  7. I serve it with a nice light green salad.
Oct24

Chicken with Avgolemono Sauce

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chicken avgolemono ingredientsChicken with Avgolemono Sauce

Avgolemono Sauce comes from Greece and is made with lemon juice and egg yolks

Serves 4

One of our markets had a very good special going on packages of various chicken parts; so I loaded up. Shortly after,  I heard a bit of Greek music on the radio and this wonderful recipe came to my mind.  I had to make it right away. Avgolemono or egg-lemon sauce may originally be a Sephardic Jewish dish.  It is a sauce used often in the Mediterranean. You may have experienced it even as a soup.  I do enjoy the unique taste of it and in this chicken recipe, I think that it’s excellent.  I serve it with white rice and a good veggie dish or a nice salad.  I hope that you’ll enjoy it as well.

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs (or chicken pieces of your choice amount to match up to 8 thighs if you wish to serve 4)

1 Tsp. safflower or olive oil

1 small onion, minced

6 mushrooms, minced ( I used my frozen mushrooms duxelles from my freezer-recipe given in a previous issue)

1 celery stalk, chopped

3 C. chicken broth

S&P to taste

1 bay leaf

Paprika to sprinkle on the dish at the end

For the sauce:

2 Tblsp. water

2 Tsp. cornstarch

2 egg yolks

1/4 C. lemon juice

Directions:

  1. I actually used a wok like pan for this dish but I’m sure another larger deep pot would work as well.  Place wok over medium heat; add oil.
  2. When hot add onion, mushrooms and celery; stir-fry till crisp-tender.
  3. Add broth; bring to a simmer and add chicken parts, S&P, and bay leaf; simmer uncovered till chicken is done—depending on the parts used, anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  4. Remove chicken and cover to keep warm.
  5. At this point, you may only have about 2 cups of liquid left, however if not, simmer more uncovered till you only have 2 cups or so of liquid. Remove wok from hot burner.
  6. Strain the broth and put back in wok.  Reserve the veggies with the covered chicken to keep warm.
  7. In a small bowl or cup, stir together the water and cornstarch till smooth.
  8. In another bowl beat the egg yolks till light and lemon colored.  Slowly beat in the lemon juice.
  9. To the strained broth in the wok add the cornstarch mixture stirring till smooth.  Place wok on medium burner; bring to a simmer, stirring frequently until slightly thickened.
  10. Remove wok from heat and stir in the egg mixture.  Season with S&P.
  11. Place chicken topped with your veggies on a pretty platter; pour the sauce over all and then sprinkle with paprika.

 

For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com  Call Margot for personal cooking help @ 721-3551.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.

 

Sep22

Chicken Marengo

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Chicken Marengo

My mother used to make Chicken Marengo and we always both loved it.  So, when I ran across this recipe, it gave me good memories of sharing this dish with my mother. This dish is of historical value:  Napoleon and his traveling chef, Dunand, were the men who made this dish famous. After the battle at Marengo (Piedmont, Italy), Napoleon demanded from his chef a quick meal—imagine this after a treacherous journey over the Alps in mid-May. Cooking legend has it that even in these hinterlands, Napoleon’s forever challenged chef found a chicken, tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, olive oil and crayfish.  He cut the chicken up with his “saber” and made a dish very much like this recipe. Reportedly being thoroughly French, Dunand also added a dash of cognac from Napoleon’s flask.  Napoleon liked the dish immensely and since he won the battle, considered Chicken Marengo lucky.  So he asked for it often just as Dunand had originally made it.  My recipe here doesn’t have crayfish or cognac in it, however, I think that it might taste very good with a similarity of both of those ingredients: shrimp and brandy maybe?  Other variations could include white wine and black olives.   Crusty bread served with it is delicious or rice will do. It’s also very good served with a lightly cubed peeled baked potato and thinly sliced onion that has been sauteed in a pan with some olive oil and sprinkled with some S&P, fresh thyme and paprika.  And don’t forget a fragrant white wine to drink.

Ingredients:

  • 2 ½ Tblsp. Olive oil or other good oil
  • 8 chicken drumsticks
  • S&P
  • 1 oz. bacon cut into small strips ( I freeze bacon to make sure I have a bit when I need it)
  • 1 ½ Tblsp. flour
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced ( You can also use some minced garlic from the jar)
  • 1 large tomato coarsely chopped (or you can use drained canned tomatoes amount to equal approximately 1 large tomato)
  • 1 Tsp. tomato paste (from the tube or I freeze mine in 1 tsp. amts. and use that)
  • 1/4 C. chicken or beef broth (I use chicken)
  • 1 C. 2-percent milk (you can use whole milk or half and half diluted if you wish)
  • Several parsley sprigs plus 2 Tsp. chopped parsley(I’ve used dried parsley as well)

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 375
  • In an ovenproof skillet, heat 1 Tblsp. oil over medium high heat.  Add chicken, season with S&P, and lightly brown on all sides—about 8 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a platter.
  • Add bacon to the skillet and cook, stirring until the fat is rendered—about 2 minutes. If there is a lot of fat, drain most of it and add the remaining 1 ½ Tblsp. of oil to the skillet.  Stir in the flour until smooth.  Add the onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring until slightly softened—about 3 minutes.
  • Add the tomato and tomato paste. Cook, stirring, until the tomato softens slightly-about 5 minutes. Add the milk and broth and bring to a boil, stirring until slightly thickened-about 3 minutes.
  • Return the chicken to the skillet and add the parsley sprigs.
  • Cover the chicken and braise in the oven for about 20 minutes—until the meat is cooked through.
  •  Transfer chicken with tongs to a pretty platter and return the skillet to the stove top. Over moderate heat cook the gravy whisking constantly until smooth, about 2 minutes and add the chopped parsley to it.
  • Pour the sauce over the chicken legs and serve with crusty French bread.
  • For easy access and printing of this and past recipes, visit Margot’s blog http://blog.tempinnkeeper.com  Call Margot for personal cooking help @ 721-3551.
  • Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share.
Aug9

Curried Game Hens and Millet

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Curried Game Hens a la Muffy Ritz as shown in the Sun Valley Celebrities and Local Heroes Cookbook benefiting The Advocates (2001)

Serves 2 big appetites or 4 smaller ones

The Ketchum Art’s and Craft’s fair was really a wonderful one this year.  I went with a dear friend and she played the game at the Advocate’s booth and won this beautiful cook book with fabulous recipes and gorgeous pictures by our own Will Caldwell.  My friend never uses cookbooks so lucky me was gifted the winnings.  I read it from front to back and honestly, it has fabulous recipes in it.  One I really like is by Muffy Ritz.  So I called her and she gave me permission to reprint it here in my column in the Weekly Sun.  She prefaces this recipe by saying:  “Sauces make the world go ‘round! I don’t like spending too much time cooking when there are so many other things to do, but I love good food.  This recipe is very easy, very fast and very good”.  And indeed, every word quoted is true.  So, for those of you who don’t have this book YET, here is Muffy’s recipe:

Ingredients:

2 game hens (20 oz.) defrosted (you also can use regular chicken)

1 1/2 to 2 Tblsp. curry powder (Muffy uses a combo of sweet curry and hot curry in this recipe and reminds cooks that curry powder’s shelf life is about 6 months.)

2 Tbls. Soy sauce

1/2 C. mustard (I used the yellow ordinary kind)

1/2 C. honey

Optional: raisins (I used currents), sliced onion, sliced mushrooms

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Combine the above ingredients, including the optional ones, and place in a casserole dish.  Place the game hens in the dish and marinate for 10-15 minutes, turning frequently.  Cover with foil and bake for 30 min., then flip the hens over, remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes and until done.

Serve with couscous (I used millet) and colorful vegetables.  This sauce is great on the couscous.

Additional notes from Margot:

How to cook Millet

Millet which I buy out of the bin is a staple throughout Africa and in much of Asia. It is gluten free where as couscous is not and is rich in the B vitamins as well as containing other valuable nutrients. So for those wishing a gluten free side dish that tastes like couscous, millet is your perfect substitute.

Ingredients:

2 Tblsp. olive oil &/or butter

1 C. rinsed millet

S&P

2 C. chicken stock

Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Directions:

Place oil/butter in a medium sauce pan and turn heat to medium. When oil/butter is hot, add the millet,  S&P, and stir cooking until the millet has a glossy look to it—1 to 2 minutes.

Add the liquid, cover, turn heat to low and cook about 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the millet is tender.

Garnish with parsley leaves.

Apr20

Turkey Meatball Soup & Duxelles

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Just in time for our recent storms and brrrr weather, here’s a two for one column this week.  Enjoy!!!! And as always, Bon Appetit

Turkey Meatball Soup

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 Beaten Eggs

1 Cup Bread Crumbs

4 Tblsp. Grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese

2 Tblsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley

2 Tblsp. Chopped Onion

1 Minced Garlic

S & P to taste

1 Lb. Ground Turkey

2 Cups Garbanzo Beans (you can use a can; however, I usually make mine fresh.  They are so easy to make and so much better than the canned variety.  Follow the directions on the bean pkg.)

2 Cups of Good Beef Broth

1-14 ½ oz. Can of Italian-Style Stewed Tomatoes

1 ½ Cups of Water

3/4 Cup Sliced Fresh Mushrooms or Reconstituted Dried Mushrooms or Duxelles *

1 Tsp. Italian Seasoning

3/4  Cup Already Cooked Wild Rice Mix and/or Long Grain White Rice

4 Cups of a Combination of Chopped Kale, Cabbage, Parsley, Cilantro, Brussel Sprouts

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the first 7 ingredients and then add the ground turkey. Mix well and make small sized meatballs (1 inch circumference more or less). In a large skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, brown the meatballs over medium heat (about 8-10 minutes) turning them until evenly browned  (I turned them with two tablespoons) and done.  They will be a bit dark on the outside which is just fine.  Set them aside for the moment.

In a large pot, stir together the next 7 ingredients and then add the meatballs. Then place the pot over medium high heat till the mixture comes to a low boil.  Simmer covered for about 15 minutes.  For the last step, add the vegetables, bring to another boil, reduce to a simmer and cook till the vegetables are tender.

Serve in bowls with some shaved parmesan or Romano on top along with some crusty bread or nice bread sticks.

*More about Duxelles

Thanks to Mark Bittman for my discovery of this:

Here’s an additional wonderful thing to keep in your freezer and have on hand for whenever.  It’s great to put in soups, stews, omelets, etc.

3 Tbls. Butter or Olive Oil

¼ C. Minced Shallots, Scallions, or Onions

1 lb. Any Kind Mushrooms-(stems and all)

S & P to taste

¼ C. Fresh Parsley Leaves, Minced

Place the butter or olive oil in a large, deep skillet and turn heat to medium. Just as the foam begins to subside, stir in the shallots/scallions/onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until they soften—3-5 minutes

Stir in the mushrooms.  Cook, stirring until they have given up most of the liquid, about 10 minutes.  Turn the heat to low and continue to cook stirring until almost all the liquid has evaporated.  Season well, then stir in the parsley.

Use immediately or refrigerate (1 week) or freeze.

Margot is a self-taught enthusiastic & passionate cook. Having been an inn-keeper for 5 years at her own inn, she accumulated a lot of good recipes which she loves to share. For comments, questions, and ideas please feel free to email her:margot6@mindspring.com.

Apr19

Whole Chicken Thigh Soup

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The cold virus is going around.  I know because I caught it.  In calling my doctor’s nurse, she said that it would take about 7-8 days to recuperate; that I should rest; drink a lot of fluids, and make chicken soup. That’s exactly what I did and I also looked up on-line to see why that “old fashioned chicken soup remedy” was so good for you.  This is what I found out:

For starters, chicken has been shown to inhibit the production of neutrophils, white blood cells that eat bacteria and cause inflammation and mucus production (i.e. stuffy nose, sore throat, phlegm, etc.). This is important because while neutrophils kill pathogens, their antimicrobial products damage host tissues. Chicken contains cysteine, an amino acid that is thought to help thin mucus in the lungs, making it easier to expel. It sure seemed to help me. Herewith is a recipe that I used. I like it because it has a nice combination of rice, orzo, lentils; the spices seem to meld together beautifully; and it’s a dish that you can taste even when your taste buds are at their worst.   

Whole Chicken Thigh Soup a la Margot

Actual Cooking time 1 hour

3 or 4 Whole Well Rinsed Chicken Thighs (With Skin Preferably)

3 Sprigs of Fresh Thyme or ½ Tsp. Dried Thyme

2 Sprigs of Fresh Oregano or ½ Tsp. Dried Oregano

2 Tblsp. Chopped Fresh Parsley or 1 Tblsp. Dried Parsley

3-4 Bay Leaves

½ Tsp. Red Pepper Flakes (or more if you like)

1 Tsp. Panch Phoron( a Bengali combo of cumin, fennel, mustard, nigella & fenugreek)

Sea Salt & Ground Pepper to taste

2 Tblsp. Butter (I used salt free)

1 Tblsp. Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, Sliced Thin

4 Cloves of Garlic Coarsely Chopped

2 Tblsp. Fresh Cilantro- Coarsely Chopped or 1 Tblsp.Dried Cilantro

3/4 C Rinsed Lentils

¼  C Brown Rice

¼ C Long Grain White Rice

½ C Orzo

4 C. Chicken Stock

6 C. Hot Water

  1. Heat butter and olive oil on medium high. Stir in garlic, onion, and Panch Phoron until garlic and onion are soft (about 5 minutes).
  2. Add hot chicken stock and water. Bring to a slow boil and turn heat to medium.
  3. Add chicken thighs and remainder of spices & cilantro.
  4. After 10 minutes add brown rice.
  5. After 30 minutes add lentils and white rice.
  6. After 50 minutes add orzo.
  7. Total cooking time is 60 minutes.
  8. Before serving, remove bay leaves and sprigs of oregano and thyme if you used fresh ones.

If desired, add chopped fresh spinach or kale to soup about 5 minutes before serving.

You also can add some chopped carrots about ½ way through cooking.

When serving/eating, you can squirt a bit of lemon juice on top or serve with lemon slices for guests to spritz themselves; and/or also  serve or add a bit of freshly grated parmesan as an additional topping.