Cooking on the Go
By Janet Groene, F47166
March 2007
As you head out to see spring flowers along the highways, keep these easy recipes handy. Chicken is so versatile. You can buy it fresh, frozen, fully cooked, or canned. Buy it boned or boneless. Grill it, stew it smothered in dumplings, baste it, braise it, bake it, stuff it. It’s hard to beat the humble chicken for economy and taste.
Alo-Hen
This one-skillet main dish with an aloha twist goes well with boil-in-the-bag rice and a bag of microwave-steamed vegetables.
2/3-cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2-teaspoon cinnamon
1/4-teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon garlic salt
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
16- or 18-ounce can pineapple rings
1/4-cup soy sauce
1/4-cup pancake syrup
Using a fork, mix the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and garlic salt on a paper plate. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and brown in hot oil. Drain the pineapple and combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, and pancake syrup. Pour half of the sauce over the chicken. Cover; reduce heat; and braise until the chicken tests done, which should take approximately 20 to 30 minutes. Place a pineapple ring on each chicken breast and save the extra pineapple for another use. Pour on the rest of the juice mixture and bring to a boil. Spoon the pan juices over the chicken and a mound of rice. This recipe makes six servings.
Slow Lane Lemon Chicken
This recipe is easily doubled for company. You also can make double or triple batches in a larger slow cooker and freeze it in separate containers or resealable plastic freezer bags. It warms up beautifully.
1 large lemon
1-1/2 cups water
2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 large, meaty, skinless chicken thighs
Salt, pepper, dried thyme
1/4-stick butter
1 cup instant rice
Garnish
Slice the lemon paper-thin and discard the seeds. Put the water, bouillon, and garlic in a 3- or 4-quart slow cooker and stir. Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper, and a little dried thyme, and place it in the cooker, turning it over several times to coat with the bouillon mixture. Cover with the lemon slices; dot with butter; and cook on low for eight hours. Remove any lemon slices you can easily fish out. Stir the rice into the juices and cook for another 15 minutes. Arrange four serving plates, place a piece of chicken and a spoonful of rice on each, and garnish with something colorful, such as minced parsley, finely chopped tomato, snipped chives, or diced pimentos.
Note: A sliced, seeded small orange or large lime can be used instead of the lemon.
Scalloped Chicken
This creamy, tasty dish bakes carefree while you spend time with guests before dinner. The recipe makes eight servings. It involves several steps, but you can use the same pot (preferably nonstick) to make the stuffing, the egg sauce, and the mushroom sauce.
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt, pepper
8-ounce package saucepan stuffing mix
1 stick butter
1/2-cup flour
1 quart chicken broth
6 eggs
Mushroom sauce:
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/2-cup milk
1 cup sour cream
8-ounce can sliced mushrooms, drained
Cut the raw chicken into bite-size pieces and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Make up the stuffing according to package directions and press it into a greased 13-inch-by-9-inch-by-2-inch casserole. Press the chicken into the stuffing. In the same pot used to make the dressing, melt the butter and stir in the flour to make a paste. Gradually add the chicken broth, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and stir a little of the heated sauce into them, then add the egg mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Pour the chicken broth and egg combination over the chicken and bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Let stand for a few minutes and cut into eight squares. To make the mushroom sauce in the previously used pan, whisk together a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup, milk, and sour cream. Heat through, then stir in the mushrooms until they’re heated. Spoon over the scalloped chicken squares. Serve cranberry sauce on the side.
Currantly Chicken
This deceptively simple dish combines the flavors of currants and Worcestershire sauce to create a sweet, exotic taste.
6 chicken breast halves
Salt, pepper
12-ounce jar currant jelly
6 ounces water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper the chicken and cook it any way you wish. It can be grilled, braised in butter, broiled, etc. Just make sure the chicken tests done with an instant-reading thermometer. Meanwhile, melt the jelly over very low heat in a small saucepan. Stir the cornstarch into the water and stir into the melted jelly. Keep stirring while the mixture comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce. Place a piece of chicken on each plate and spoon on the sauce.
Coast-Of-Cornwall Chicken
This festive dish is easy on the cook, because no carving is required. Just plunk a whole chicken down on each plate, add a side of buttered peas and carrots with a baked potato, and dinner is done.
6 Cornish hens, thawed
1 stick butter, softened
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 small green pepper, diced
2 cups seasoned croutons
1 pint oysters
Take any giblets out of the hen cavities and discard. Rinse and drain the hens well. Rub the outside of the hens with some of the butter and put the rest of the butter in a large skillet with the oil. Saute the onion, celery, and green pepper in the butter-oil mixture until tender. Stir in the croutons and the oysters with their juice and cook until the oysters begin to curl at the edges. Stuff the hens with the oyster mixture and tie the legs together with clean string. Bake the hens at 350 degrees for 60 minutes or until they test done. Using tongs, transfer the hens to plates.
Note: If all the stuffing won’t fit in the hens, bake the rest in a buttered casserole.
Roadside Picnic Chicken Salad
It’s easy to double or halve this whole-meal recipe. Plan ahead by cooking extra rice the day before, or make a batch of instant rice. If the chicken and rice were seasoned before cooking, no further salt and pepper should be needed.
1 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons curry powder (more or less to taste)
1/4-cup cream or milk
2 cups cooked, diced chicken
3 cups cooked rice
1 small sweet red pepper, cut into strips
Shredded lettuce
Broken cashews
Whisk together the mayonnaise, curry powder, and milk. Fold in the chicken, rice, and pepper. Mound onto beds of lettuce and sprinkle with cashews. This recipe makes six servings.
Chicken Cheese Pie
Buy diced, cooked chicken in the meat department or use leftover chicken. This rich main dish goes well with steamed broccoli and boiled, buttered baby carrots.
2 piecrusts
3 eggs
1 pound diced, cooked chicken (approximately 2 cups)
4 fully cooked breakfast sausage links, thinly sliced
1 pound ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2-cup frozen peas
Put one of the piecrusts in a 9- or 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and mix in the remaining ingredients. Pour everything into the pie pan. Moisten a finger in water and run it around the edge of the piecrust (this helps to seal it to the top crust), then place the second crust over the top and flute the edges. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes and cut into wedges. This recipe makes six servings.
Chicken Yorkshire Pudding
Bake chicken in a toasty crust, add a vegetable and salad, and soup’s on. Be sure to preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Traditional Yorkshire pudding relies solely on the eggs to rise, and it collapses soon after leaving the oven. This recipe calls for baking powder and stands up better.
3 cups diced, cooked chicken
15- or 16-ounce can ready-to-serve chicken broth
1 stick butter
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 cup milk
1 egg
Butter a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole, add the chicken and broth, and dot with the butter. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, milk, and egg and pour over the chicken mixture. Do not stir. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.
Chicken In The Chips
Use leftover chicken or buy diced, cooked chicken that’s been vacuum-packed. Use up stale potato chips in this recipe. If you don’t have a food processor, put the chips in a plastic freezer bag and roll with a bottle or rolling pin.
1 pound diced, cooked chicken (approximately 2 cups)
1 cup diced celery
3 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced
1/2-cup milk
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup grated cheese
2 cups potato chip crumbs
Spread half of the diced chicken in a greased casserole and sprinkle with half the celery and scallions. Whisk the milk and soup together and pour half of it over the top of the chicken. Top with half the cheese and half the crumbs. Repeat the entire process, ending with chip crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. This recipe makes four servings.
Chicken Crepes
Make pancakes ahead of time or buy frozen pancakes or crepes. Unlike traditional crepes, these are not rolled. Just put the pancakes on a plate and spoon the creamy filling over them.
1 can cream of chicken soup
2/3-cup milk
2 slices deli Swiss cheese, cut into slivers
1/4-teaspoon Angostura bitters (optional)
1/2-cup grated coconut
2 cups diced, cooked chicken
8 pancakes
1/2-cup slivered almonds
In a heavy pot over very low heat, whisk together the soup and milk. Stir in the cheese to melt it and then stir in the bitters, coconut, and chicken. Heat through. Place two pancakes side by side on each plate, ladle the chicken mixture over the top, and sprinkle with almonds.
Honey-Fried Chicken
6 serving-size pieces of chicken
1 egg
1/3-cup honey
1/2-cup pecan meal
1/2-cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 stick butter
Rinse and pat the chicken dry. Whisk together the egg and honey. Mix the pecan meal and bread crumbs together on a paper plate. Dip the chicken into the honey mixture, then into the pecan mixture, coating well. Put the chicken in a buttered casserole and drizzle with melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 60 minutes, or until it tests done
Books for cooks
Chow Baby! ($12.95, The Mountaineers Books) is written for backpackers and hostelers, but it’s also a bonanza for motor coach chefs because of its small size and loads of recipes for two. It’s a sturdy little volume with a few pages of color photos to set your mouth watering. The accent is on fresh, healthful ingredients and ease of preparation.
Visit Janet often at CampAndRVCook.blogspot.com. Each week she adds a new recipe and a new Campground Potluck Recipe of the Week, plus tips on simplifying recipes and cutting down on dishwashing. The second edition of her book Cooking Aboard Your RV is available through bookstores, by calling (800) 262-4729, or by visiting