Country Captain Chicken Stew – Throwdown Winner

It’s been over a year since we made the decision to cut our cable.  In the end, we simply couldn’t justify the rising cost of cable TV, given how little we actually sat down to watch it.  We’ve been happy going without; the mainstream channels that we receive are more than sufficient for us.  But there are those once-in-awhile nights…when the kids are tucked in bed…when I feel compelled to respond to my exhaustion by sitting in front of the screen.  During those nights, one of the shows I miss kicking back with the most is Throwdown! With Bobby Flay.

I love Throwdown! for its fun entertainment factor.  It’s positively wild exposure for fabulous cooks around the nation who are brave enough to throw it down against the famous Iron Chef.  I lingered on every episode, even the reruns, back when Food Network was at my fingertips.  Don’t feel too sorry for me though, because I have access to something even better – the Throwdown! cookbook.  I’m a huge fan of the food that Bobby’s talented opponents dish up.  In fact, take a peek at Throwdown! winner Major Dominijanni’s hot ‘n tangy steak.  (Pssst… the Major himself graciously stopped by this little blog and commented on that post!  Is that little bit squeal-worthy?!)

This time my hungry tummy begged to try a hearty southern stew, given the tough guy moniker “Country Captain.”  Like many people, I had never heard of Country Captain Chicken, but it sounded like a good hearty dish.  Plus, the ingredients looked  tempting yet simple.  With an attractive listing of chicken, veggies, curry, and fluffy rice…can’t go wrong, right? 😉

This is not the type of dish that comes to mind when I think of typical southern fare.  With some vegetable additions, this stew is robustly flavorful and full of nutrition to boot!  It’s a phenomenal one-pot dish.  We really appreciate how this stew reveals a succulent blend of both savory and sweet, with a richly tasty sauce that is generously poured over fluffy rice.  What a delicious variation from the usual pastas or potatoes.  Next time, I’ll go even crazier and steam up our usual brown rice to be drenched in this delish stew.

As always, my favorite part about this dish is that it is easily made ahead of time and reheats beautifully.  It’s one of those dishes that makes mouth-watering leftovers that you will actually look forward to eating again.  Bonus: It makes just as good weeknight family grub as it does a weekend dinner for friends.  Enjoy!

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RECIPE (serves about 6)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup raisins
1 TB yellow curry powder
1 TB garam masala
4 oz slab bacon, chopped
12 chicken thighs and/or drums, skin and bone on
2 1/2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups celery, thinly sliced
2 cups diced yellow bell peppers
2 cups diced onion
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (28 oz ) can crushed tomatoes
3 TB honey
1 TB ginger powder
3 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper, plus more to taste
light olive oil
6 cups cooked white rice, hot
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F.  Pour chicken stock into microwavable dish and microwave on high for 1 minute.  Pour raisins into hot stock, and let sit to plump up.  In another small bowl, combine curry powder, garam masala, 3 tsp salt, and 1 tsp black pepper.  Set aside.

Saute chopped bacon in large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium high heat.  Cook until bacon is golden brown, about 5 min.  Transfer bacon to a small bowl and set aside.  Using bacon grease still in heavy pot, brown the chicken pieces in small batches over medium high heat.  Do not overcrowd.  Cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.  Repeat until all chicken is browned.  Add 1-2 TB light olive oil if needed to finish cooking chicken.  Remove chicken from pot and set aside.

If pot is dry, add 1 TB olive oil.  Saute carrots, bell peppers, onions, and garlic until softened, about 6 minutes.  Add tomatoes, honey, curry powder mixture, ginger, and raisins with their stock.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens around the vegetables, about 8 minutes.

Nestle chicken pieces gently into the sauce, so that skin side faces up and stays above surface.  Tent pot loosely with foil and place in lower middle rack of oven.  Bake 25 minutes.  Uncover, and bake another 20 minutes.  Sauce should be thickened and chicken skin should just begin to crisp.

Remove from oven and skim fat from surface.  If needed, season to taste with additional salt and pepper.  Spoon 1 cup hot rice into a wide bowl.  Arrange a couple of chicken pieces on top, and generously spoon sauce over chicken/rice.  Garnish with reserved bacon, toasted almonds, and parsley.

by Chewoutloud, adapted from The Lee Bros., from Bobby Flay’s Throwdown!

Throwdown! Hot ‘n Tangy Steak

This is the famous Throwdown! winner steak, where Bobby Flay’s competition, Major Eric Dominijanni,  fought hard and won.  Before I dish on the recipe,  I have to reveal what went down before any cooking actually occurred in my kitchen.  The beef in this steak recipe is supposed to be marinated 4-6 hours.  I decided I wanted to let it marinade overnight, so I started to prep the ingredients the night before.  Why I decided to do this just as the kids were transitioning from dinner to bedtime, I have no clue.  As I dug around my kitchen, I was able to find everything but the meat.  “Where’s the beef?!”  Heh Heh.  You have to remember the 80’s to get it… humungous buns, teeny-tiny patty…

I had a sinking feeling that maybe I left my not-so-cheap beef tenderloin at the store, where I had been frazzled due to my boys either laughing or fussing or both.  I vowed – for the 40th time – that I’d never bring more than one child to the grocery store again.  After making Hubby dig through the big trash can for the itsy-bitsy store receipt (I did my share of digging), would you believe what I found?  The silly ‘ol beef surfaced in the fridge.  Yep, just surfaced.  How funny!  Hubby didn’t think it was funny.

I happily went on to make the marinade.  This marinade is surprisingly easy to make.   When I followed the instructions to toss the marinade over the beef in a plastic bag, I accidentally spilled some of it.  OK, a lot of it.  This is why my kitchen rug now smells like soy sauce.

Thankfully, there was still enough marinade left to soak the steaks in, because the recipe makes a whole slew of sauce.  Good.  I didn’t have to go and remake the marinade.   Let’s just hope this steak is worth it.

Throwdown! Steak – the one that took down Bobby Flay

This steak looks and smells so good, you’ll grow hungry just standing near it.  There is an approximate amount of minutes for cooking, but we always make sure to press down on the meat to feel for the right amount of doneness.  That’s because steaks vary in thickness.  Medium rare feels semi-soft.  Not soft like when it was rare, but not firm either.  If it feels firm, you’ll have a well-done steak.

Throwdown! Steak – perfectly medium-rare

The sauce is an eclectic combination of spicy, tangy, and sweet.  I didn’t put as much heat into my sauce, just out of personal preference.  If you like it hot, absolutely go for the whole habanero!

Throwdown Steak – Spicy, Tangy, and Sweet

The orange zest and fresh lemon gives this sauce a nice citrus complexity.  The soda (or pop, for Midwestern peeps) provides the sweet.  As you know, I used tenderloin for my steaks, which means they were super tender.  The original recipe uses New York strip steaks, which I think would be awesome as well.

Throwdown Steak – U.S. Marine Captain Eric Dominijanni beat out Bobby Flay

So, did this steak turn out tasting like it could take down Bobby Flay?  You be the judge.

RECIPE (serves 4)

INGREDIENTS

1 can regular cola (12 oz)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup garlic teriyaki sauce (I used regular teriyaki and added minced garlic)
1 habanero chile, with seeds, finely chopped (use gloves!)
1 TB grated orange zest
1 TB grated fresh ginger, peel removed
1 TB extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing steaks or grill
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3/4 tsp fresh squeezed lemon
4 New York strip steaks, about 3/4 in thick (I used tenderloin steaks)

DIRECTIONS

Mix all the ingredients, except for beef, in a bowl.  This can be made ahead of time and kept in fridge when ready to use.  Place steaks in resealable bag and pour just enough marinade to completely cover the meat on both sides.  Set aside remainder of marinade.  Set steaks in fridge 4-6 hours or overnight.  Take steaks out 30 min to 1 hour before grilling, so it can get closer to room temp.

Take the unused marinade and reserve about 1/3 cup of it in a bowl for basting.  Pour the rest in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer, and stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes.  It should thicken a bit, to a dipping sauce consistency.  Set sauce aside.

Preheat grill to high.  Oil the grill or coat steaks with oil.  Grill over direct high heat, basting occasionally.  Turn over once, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare.  Remove steaks from grill and let rest for 3 minutes before slicing.  Serve warm, with dipping sauce.

Recipe adapted from Bobby Flay’s cookbook, Throwdown!