Thursday, December 1, 2011

Penzey's Savory Swiss Chicken

This is Penzeys week.


We're a group of best-selling and award-winning mystery writers from all over the country who love food and cooking, and write about it in our books. We've been blogging together at Mystery Lovers' Kitchen for nearly two years. And we discovered that we all use Penzeys spices!

If you don't know about Penzeys spices, you should. They carry typical spices as well as gourmet spices from around the world. The spices can be found online and at specialty stores. I love their combination spices like Pariesienne Bonnes Herbes and salt-free chicken and meat rubs like Mural of Flavor and 33rd and Galena. Fabulous cinnamon...the list goes on.

A little history:

[Copied from Gourmet Love to Know]


Penzeys was not always exclusively a spice company. In 1957 Bill Penzey, Sr. and his wife, Ruth, started a small coffee and spice business in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Their business grew and their son, Bill, began working in the family store when he was just ten years old. Over time the Penzeys dropped coffee and focused on spices and herbs.
In 1986 Bill Penzey, Jr. began a mail order service supplying people all over the country with Penzeys spices. So determined was he to make it work that he put almost all the profits back into the business and published his own catalog on a small home computer.

So when we decided we were doing a tribute to Penzeys spices, I wanted to do something savory. I am always using the herbs that are combos. I love them. So easy, well-balance. I add them to pasta, to rice, to a basic roast that's cooking.

One of my faovrite things is working with chicken. It's such a basic flavor. [I guess a number of us felt this way this week.  LOL] I'm always wondering how I can dress it up and make it taste totally different and very gourmet in a simple way. This time, I decided to slice open the chicken, stuff it with cheese and fresh basil and lots of Pariesienne Bonnes Herbs. I tied (and or skewered) the chicken and barbecued (and/or baked...). Both ways turned out terrific. The chicken is moist. The flavors of the herbs pop with the cheese. Add a dash of paprika for color and you're done. Easy-peasy. Note: The Penzeys catalogue that comes with the spices is packed with recipes!! [This one is my own creation.]



Penzeys Savory Swiss Chicken (Barbecue or Baked)



Ingredients:
(serves 2)
2 chicken breasts (with bones leftin)
4-8 basil leaves
2-4 teaspoons Penzeys ParisienneBonnes Herbes
4 slices Swiss cheese

Kitchen twine (or kite string)




Directions:

Rinse chicken breasts. Make a slit in each breast, lengthwise starting from the rib-side. Lay open.

Season with Penzeys spices. (This is always about preference. There is no salt in the spice, so the chef needs to decide how much. I used 4 teaspoons.)

Layer basil and cheese in the center. (Again with the basil. This is a chef’s preference. I used 2 VERY large leaves in each breast. Do not skimp on the cheese. J)

Tie the chicken with twine (or kite string if that’s all you have). *If you’re going to barbecue, make sure you soak the string in water before applying.

For barbecue: heat the grill to medium high. Oil the grill. Set the chicken, bone-side down on the grill. Cook on each side for 5 minutes. Reduce the grill to medium-low and grill for another 30-40 minutes. Make sure the skin is crispy (to your liking).

For baked: Heat the oven to 300 degrees. Set chicken in a baking pan lined with foil. Close the foil tightly. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven. Open the foil and remove the TWINE from the chicken. Turn the oven to broil. Broil the chicken breasts for 10-12 minutes, until chicken skin is crispy (to your liking).

Serve hot.


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SOMETHING ELSE IS BREWING. 
A CONTEST CALLED 
THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS
STARTS TODAY VIA MY AGENT BOOKENDS' BLOG.
THE RULES AND QUESTIONS ARE ON THE BOOKENDS SITE; 
CLUES ARE ON NUMEROUS AUTHORS' SITES, INCLUDING  2 OF US (STARTING AT NOON E.S.T.): 
HAVE FUN AND HOPE YOU WIN.






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THE MLK COOKIE CONTEST!!

Don't forget that Mystery Lovers Kitchen is looking for cookie recipes!


Our Christmas Cookie Contest is on and we're ready to bake (and eat -- poor us) the cookies you love best.


Please send your recipes to:
KristaDavis at KristaDavis dot com


We want gluten-free recipes, too!
I'm hoping for an easy, tasty bar recipe.
Or something with candy!

We'll choose 10 finalists, recipes that we'll bake and post here on the blog.
Then you, our readers, will choose the overall winner!

What does that winner win?
A fabulous collection of cookie decorating supplies, that's what!

Pastel Sanding Sugar

Primary Sanding Sugar


Powdered Food Colors
Cute Flower Cookie Stencils


Don't delay. Enter today!




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And last but hopefully not least, you can learn more about me, Avery, 
by clicking this link.

Chat with me on Facebook and Twitter.

And watch for CLOBBERED BY CAMEMBERT,
coming February 2012.


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6 comments:

  1. I just happen to have some wonderful Swiss cheese in my fridge right now! It's too good for sandwiches and I was wondering how to use it. Thanks for the suggestion and recipe, Avery!

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  2. This sounds delicious and may end up on the dinner table tonight!

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  3. Elizabeth and T: glad you like this so much. I sure enjoyed it.

    ~Avery

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  4. This looks divine, Avery! Have all the ingredients on hand, so will be making this one soon. Thanks!

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  5. I love that everyone has these items in their fridge! So cool.

    ~Avery

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  6. Thanks for mentioning Bookmas, Avery. I hope some of you will play!

    This sounds terrific! Yum!

    ~ Krista

    ReplyDelete