Chicken with Bashamel Sauce and Basil الدجاج مع البشاميل والريحان

I love chicken parmigiana but to be honest, Mozarella cheese is never a staple in my home and I usually cook with staples. I will easily make meals that require mozarella, except i will just like the cheese out. Here i made a chicken parmigiana style chicken except I used Bechamel sauce instead of cheese and I sprinkled dried basil instead of parsley. Oh and by the way, basil is amazing, really it smells fantastic dried of fresh. Try my recipe.

2 chicken breasts butterflied with knife (ask butcher to do it)
2 eggs whisked
2 cups of plain breadcrumbs
1/2 cup tomato puree
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper
Dried Basil
Oil for frying

Bechamel1 tablespoon of butter
3 cups of milk
1/2 cup plain flour

What to do:
1. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt, pepper and italian seasoning. 
2. In seperate bowl wisk 2 eggs with salt and pepper. Place chicken in the bowl. (yes the bowl with eggs)
3. Coat chicken in Breadcrumbs. set aside for later.
4. Make quick bashamel by putting all ingredients for bashamel in sauce pan and stir on medium heat until it thickens. add salt and pepper.
5. Heat a skillet with enough oil to shallow fry the chicken. Fry on both sides until golden and the remove, drain on paper towels, then place in baking dish.
6. Spread some tomatoe puree or any italian tomato pasta sauce on chicken. Top with layer of bashamel. Bake in oven until bashamel forms a crust. ( dont pay attention to mine, I couldnt wait.)
7. Sprinkle with dried or fresh basil before serving.

Shish Tawook شيش طاووق (Healthy Food)

500 gram breast chickens cubes
1/2 cup yogurt
1 tablespoon ketchup
4 garlic gloves mashed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
salt and pepper
wooden scewers

mix yogurt, lemon, ketchup, garlic & spices in bowl. Mix thourougly with the chicken and leave to marinate. once marinated, put on wooden scewers and grill in oven or bbq unti cooked. serve with hot pita bread and maybe some garlic sauce?

Chicken Mandi

Mandi is a meat chicken or lamb that is cooked underground. The rice is place under the meat so that the rice absorbs the flavour of the meat while its cooking. The high temperature underground creates a fluffy and soft rice and a melt in your mouth chicken, its a taste that you cant forget easily because its so unique. You can make this at home i promise you can produce a very very close effect right on your stove in your very kitchen just by using a 'smoking trick' that i learnt from  http://www.yasalamcooking.com/2008/04/chicken-mandy.html. (I love her blog and use it as inspiriation) So When I tried this technique i was absolutley amazed at how accurate the smoky flavour tasted to the one i ate underground. From now on this a regular in my home and I am sure it will be a regular in yours too. Just try it. trust me.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken cut into halfs
1 small onion grated
2 small tomatoes grated
Spices for chicken: 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon coarse black pepper 1 teaspoon of seven spices, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice, 1/2 teaspoon Kholenjal (Dried Galangal here in Australia)
1 teaspoon of tomato paste
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
2 teaspoon of vingegar
Spices for rice: 1 bay leaf, 4 cardamon Pods                          
 2 cups of basmati rice soaked 1/2 hour in water.3 cups of water to cook the rice



 how you do it:

1. Make marinade for chicken by placing grated onion, grated tomato, spices, vingegar, 1/2 the amount of tomato paste and oil in a bowl. Mix well and rub all over chicken. Leave to marinade for atleast one hour.
2.  Place chicken on baking dish and rub the reminder of tomato paste. Sprinke abit more all spice and oil on top of the chicken and rub. Place around 1/2 cup of water in the baking dish so the chicken stays moist. Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
3. Make rice by boiling the basmati with bay leave, cardamom, and salt with enough water to the rim. When the rice has absorbed the water and almost cooked, Remove chicken from oven and you will find drippings and fat that has released from the chicken. Pour that on the rice and mix. Put the lid back on and lower the heat. Now put the chicken back in the oven without the foil and keep in there under the chicken developed a golden colour.
4. Once the chicken is cooked and golden remove and place on top of the rice. Now take an onion shell and place a dollop of butter in it. With some Bukhoor already heating up on the stove, once hot put inside the onion shell and cover your pot immediatley. Now watch the smoke in awe. Now Keep covered until you serve.

Now give yourself a pat on the back for learning how to make Authentic Mandi at home.

Tagine, Cous Cous & Mint yogurt Salad.

This dish is really tasty! If you like different things every here and there then you will love this. I dont have a Tagine so i used a glass pyrex baking dish and wrapped it well with foil to secure the heat.

Ingredients.

1 whole chicken quatered and skinned

2 gloves garlic mashed

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon corriander

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon of saffron soaked in water.

2 preserved lemons

2 onion

1 tomatoe

1 handful of olives

2 tablespoons of oil

1 bunch parsley chopped

1 bunch of coriander stalks chopped

Mint Yogurt

1 tub of greek yogurt

1 teapsoon sugar

handful of chopped mint(finely chopped)

In a bowl place your mashed garlic spices and safron in water and chopped herbs with oil, abit of water and chopped preserved lemons. mix very vell. Place your chicken in the marinade and set aside to marinade for 2 hours.

In a pyrex dish slice onions and place at the bottom of the dish. Then place your chicken and marinade on top along with another sliced onions on top. Slice tomatoes go on the top as well olives. Garnish with lots corriander. Now place it in a hot oven for 2 and a half hours or 45 minutes if you are using a proper tagine. Serve with cous cous and Minted yogurt which is light and refereshing. Il post the recipe below.

Minted yogurt is simple, place your yogurt in a bowl along with sugar and mint and mix well. very refreshing with spicy dishes.

Chicken Stiry Fry

Ingredients

1/2 kilo boneless chicken breast cut into cubes

1 onion slices lengthways

1 tablespoon garlic paste

1 tablespoon ginger paste

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

2 teaspoons of chilli sauce (asian brand)

2 tablespoons of Barbeque sauce

2 cups of frozen stir fry vegetables.

Method:

In a wok or normal pan (I used a normal non-stick pan) Place your chicken with with garlic and ginger. Mix them well and when chicken has turned white, add your sliced onions. Stir fry for 5 minutes or until onion has softened slightly. Add the honey, oyster sauce BBQ sauce, chilli sauce and simmer for 10 minutes. Now add your frozen vegetables and leave to cook with lid on for further 10 minutes. Serve with rice and enjoy. This really is one of the nicest stir fry i have tastes. Very tasty.

In a wok or normal pan,

Chicken Boftek

This is the egyptian versian of chicken schnitzel or chicken escalope. Its really filling and its quick to make. Every home has their own versian but here is the one that i grew up with.

Ingredients.

half kilo of boneless chicken breast

1 onion grated finely

2 eggs beaten

1 1/2 cup of breadcrums

Salt and pepper

vegetable oil

Method:

Start by filleting the chicken breast. This increases the quantity and makes the chicken cook faster. Place the chicken breast flat on a chopping board and place your knife at the top and slice all the way down. Repeat until you have about 4 fillets of breast for each chicken breast. You will have a good quantity this way.  Now Grate the onion in a bowl and add generous amount of salt and pepper.

Place your chicken fillets in the bowl and rub very well until its all coated.

Leave to marinade (covered) in the fridge for 1 hour or more if you like.

So you all know the breading process. First dip the chicken breast in the egg, dont worry about any excess onion, it gives it a nice flavour and it disapears when you fry it. so once you have dipped it in the egg, straight to the breadcrums. This recipe doesnt need flour because I find it doesnt really need it and it tastes better.

Fry for 6 minutes in hot oil on each side until golden brown

Serve with potatoes and salad and enjoy!

Home Style Chicken burger

These burgers are very delicious and perfect for everyone. Instead of lettuce I use coleslaw to fill the burger and the combination is very tasty. They are healthier because it uses chicken breast and they are taste lighter and are very filling. I make these and everyone loves them. Ive been told they taste better than takeaway which is always a good thing.

Ingredients

Chicken Patty
Half kilo of minced chicken breast (request your butcher to mince it for you)
1  spring onion finely chopped
1 mint leave finely chopped
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon of onion salt
1 pinch of sweet paprika
generous amount of salt and pepper for seasoning


Coleslaw Filling.
1 cup of shredded cabbage
1 carrot shredded
handful of shredded red cabbage (optional)
1/4 cup real mayonaise or as much as you like depending on the creaminess you want.
salt and pepper.

Addition of burger bread rolls needed. Bought of home-made is fine.

1. To make the burger patty, in a bowl place your minced chicken, breadcrums, chopped spring onion, spices, mint, oil and egg white and mix together with your hands until its very well combined. Get a generous amount and with the palm of your hand form a patty shape and place on wax paper.

2.  Once you have placed it on the wax paper, place another sheet of wax paper on top and leave to set in the fridge for 15 minutes to 30 minutes. This will help the patties take their shape.

3. While thats in the fridge, make your coleslaw filling. Place the coleslaw ingredients in a bowl and mix very well.

4. In a nonstick fry pan, add a drizzle of oil and when its hot place your patties and cook on each side for 7 minutes. Once you see beautiful crisp browning flip. Do not press your burger patty down otherwise it will become tough.

5. Once theyre all ready, its time to fill up your burger with your delicious chicken patty and your coleslaw filling. The delicious chicken is tasty with the soft bread and crunchy coleslaw.

Molokhia ملوخيه

Molokhia is one of those things you cant explain. Its green and delicious. You serve it with chicken and its a meal that everyone loves.

Ingredients:

1 packet of Frozen Jews Mellow chopped (Molokhia)

1 whole chicken for stock

1 table spoon of salt and pepper

1 onion peeled

2 tablespoons of ghee fat

1 teaspoon ground corriander

6 cloves of garlic mashed

First you need to prepare the stock. Add water to a pot and add salt pepper and onion. Bring to boil and add chicken. Boil and skim the fat off the top until chicken is tender and cooked. Remove chicken to the side and remove skin from chicken. Now you have prepared your chicken for the molokhia and the stock.

With the remaining stock add the frozen molokhia packet to it and simmer on low until the molokhia has disolved and mixed thorougly. Now you will add the "tusha" to the molokhia. In a small pan add your ghee and minced garlic and corriander and fry them together until its all golden and nice. Add to the molokhia. Add a generous amount of salt and pepper to molokhia and simmer on low for 15 minutes. Serve with rice and bread and chicken. You can put your chicken on top of the molokhia this is very popular in egyptian cuisine.