Some of my favorite things to do with chicken pieces are:

• Chicken and Pork Adobo
• Touch of the Orient Chicken
• Simmering Chinese Chicken
• Fried Chicken..

How to Cut Up a Chicken

It's simple to cut up a whole chicken, and less expensive than buying all the parts individually. Reserve bones and extraneous trimmings for making homemade chicken stock.

For safety, don't use the same cutting board for meat that you use for bread or raw fruits and vegetables.

CUTTING UP A CHICKEN

1. Thoroughly rinse the chicken inside and out with very cold water.
2. Cut along both sides of the backbone with kitchen shears, and remove; discard the backbone or reserve for use in chicken stock.
3. Turn the chicken over and place it on your cutting board. With a boning knife, cut off and remove the wings at the joints. Then cut along the thighs to remove the legs - you can further separate the legs into thighs and drumsticks, if you wish.
4. With a kitchen knife, cut between the breasts to divide them. To bone the breasts, peel the flesh from the bone with a sharp knife.

Recipes

Chicken & Pork Adobo

2 cup white vinegar -- see note
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 medium cloves of garlic
1 bay leaf
ground black pepper
2 chicken thighs
2 chicken legs
1/2 pound pork -- 2 inch cubes

Place pork in marinade in non aluminum pot. Cook pork approximately 10-15 minutes. Add chicken and cook approximately 30 minutes. Transfer meats to a bowl and reduce marinade to about 3/4 cup. Pour over meat. Eat at once or chill. It is better after a day or two. If necessary, add a bit of water when reheating.

To Freeze: Bag, label and freeze.

To Serve: Defrost and heat. Serve over rice.

NOTES : I use more chicken than this. Rarely use pork, but it is so good with the pork. One can use either/or. Most Filipino recipes call for browning the chicken before cooking it in the marinade. This is messy and does not make a significant difference in the end result.

recipe listing above......... Kitchen Recipe Box

Touch-Of-The-Orient Chicken

Recipe By : Healthy Crockery Cookery by Mable Hoffman
Serving Size : 6

6 chicken drumsticks w/ thighs attached
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 clove garlic -- crushed
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds -- see note

1. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Place chicken in a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker.
3. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and tomato sauce. Pour sauce over chicken.
4. Cover and cook on LOW about 5 hours or until chicken is tender.
5. Remove to a platter; sprinkle with sesame seeds.

To Serve: Warm in microwave to desired temp. and top with the sesame seeds

Note : To toast sesame seeds: Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Spread sesame seeds in a 9 inch pie or cake pan. Toast about 5 minutes or until golden. Or toast seeds in a dry skillet over low heat 3 or 4 minutes.

This is delicious.. I used a 10 lb bag of chicken quarters and doubled the sauce ingredients. I forgot the sesame seeds.. it probably would have made it even better!! We ate it with rice and the sauce is just wonderful!!

recipe listing above......... Kitchen Recipe Box

SIMMERING CHINESE CHICKEN

Place the chicken in a 1 gallon freezer bag. In a bowl mix together the oil, water, soy sauce, sugar, catsup, sherry or juice, red peppers, garlic and onions.

Add the sauce to the chicken and seal the bag. Freeze.

To serve: Thaw the chicken overnight in the refrigerator. Place the chicken in a 3 qt. casserole and cover. Microwave on high for 5 minutes then, for 15 minutes on medium high.

Turn the chicken pieces and return to the microwave for 15 to 20 minutes on medium high. Remove the chicken to a platter.

Blend the cornstarch and the water and add to the remaining sauce. Microwave on high for 1 to 2 minutes or until thick. Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the chicken and serve the sauce on the side. Serve with hot cooked rice and steamed broccoli.

NOTE: This dish may be baked at 350°F for 1 hour, stirring once.

recipe listing above......... Kitchen Recipe Box

 FRIED CHICKEN

Makes 8 servings (I obviously double and triple this!)
I think the secret to this chicken is the baking powder myself, it makes it really crispy. My comments are in the ( ).
Always keep a big batch of crisp, Southern fried chicken in your freezer. The frozen pieces take only 35 minutes to cook, yet they taste just fried.

2 1/2 cups of flour
2 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
5 Tablespoons of Fried Chicken Seasoning (Or seasonings to your taste)
Oil for frying
Shortening for frying
2 frying chickens, cut into serving sized pieces, or 8 drumsticks, or 8 breasts

Put flour, baking powder, and seasonings in a large mixing bowl, mix well (I use a wire whisk), and set aside. Melt 1/2 oil and 1/2 shortening in a large fry pan (I use an electric one) to a depth of 1 1/2 - 2 inches; set aside over medium heat. Cut chicken into what ever pieces you want. Stand back and flick a drop of water into the hot oil/shortening. If it makes a popping sound, you are ready to fry.

Rinse a chicken piece in water (I use non fat dry milk in my water, I like it better, but you don't have to) While it is still dripping wet, dip it into the bowl of dry ingredients and coat as heavily as possible. (For those who like extra crispy dip in the water again and coat again.) Place coated pieces into the hot oil, lower the heat if necessary. Brown the chicken on both sides; reduce heat to a low simmer, then cover the pan and cook for 15 min, turning the pieces once during this time. Most chickens will be cooked through and nicely browned at this point. Test for doneness by inserting a sharp pointed knife near a bone: if the meat resists the knife tip, continue cooking and turning for up to 30 more min., depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Drain on a paper bag topped with paper towels. Repeat for the remaining pieces. You can make more mix by adding 1 teaspoon baking powder and 2 Tablespoons Fried Chicken seasoning to every cup of flour.

To freeze: Let the fried chicken cool to room temp... (I let it cool slightly but not to room temp), Place the pieces , uncovered and still on their paper, in the freezer overnight.. (I just put them in there until I think they won't stick together and aren't crumbly), or until frozen solid. Transfer pieces to a plastic Ziploc, label and use the following serving instructions...

To Serve: Preheat oven to 400 degree F. fro 10 min. Place desired amount of chicken on a cookie sheet. Bake for 15 min, turn pieces over, Bake for another 15 min, turn over again and bake for 5-10 more min or until crisped to your liking. (If it's too hot in the kitchen I just microwave them for a few min, but they don't come out crispy, but still taste good!)

recipe listing above......... Kitchen Recipe Box

FRIED CHICKEN SEASONING

Combine ingredients

I use oregano, seasoned salt , garlic powder, and pepper... I like that better!

recipe listing above......... Kitchen Recipe Box

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