Posts filed under ‘Chicken’
Rice Cooker Buffalo Chicken Wings
By Desiree
Quite frankly, buffalo wings are one of those finger foods I could eat just about every day. Fried, grilled, sweet, tangy… I’ll take them any way you give them to me, on game day or otherwise. But when it comes to perfecting my own wing recipe I haven’t had the best luck. Wings are one of those lazy foods I’d really rather just have brought to my table instead of cooked up in my kitchen. So, when I heard you could cook chicken wings in a rice cooker, I thought the method just had to be too good to be true. No frying, flipping or worrying about burning? It was worth a try. And let me tell you, these messy little morsels are delicious. The rice cooker does all the work for you (just check out how simple the directions are) and creates a slightly browned crust on the bottom of the wing I didn’t expect to achieve. Have a go at them yourself and feel free to experiment with other sauce flavors which I can’t wait to do myself.
RICE COOKER HOT WINGS
1 lb chicken wings
1/2 cup hot wing sauce (like Frank’s Red Hot)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
optional: extra sauce and blue cheese dressing for serving
Place chicken wings in the inner pot of your rice cooker.
Whisk together hot sauce and melted butter and pour over wings.
Set to White Rice. When the rice cooker beeps check for doneness.
Serve with extra sauce or blue cheese dressing, if desired.
Tip: I think these are perfect right out of your cooker but if you need a crispier skin broil wings for 3-4 minutes per side after cooking.
Risotto with Stuffed Italian Chicken Breasts
by Desiree
I have always been intimated by risotto. After hearing about all that stirring and various other technical points I could fail to hit, I never had much motivation to try it out. But since my rice cooker came equipped with Aroma’s Saute-The-Simmer function (which I’ve now discovered might as well be renamed the most-amazing-risotto-ever making function) I was finally brave enough to give it a go. The function lets you brown and simmer in one pot, making a lot of non-traditional rice cooker dishes ridiculously easy in your rice cooker… think chili, one-pot meat and rice dishes, stews, etc. But we’re talking risotto here, quick, easy, creamy risotto. And the best part? No stirring required.
RISOTTO WITH STUFFED ITALIAN CHICKEN BREASTS
1/2 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups Arborio rice
6 cups chicken stock
3-4 tblsp butter
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 chicken breasts
2 ounces mozzarella cheese
1/2 medium tomato, diced
5-6 basil leaves, chopped
Preheat your rice on Sauté-The-Simmer for 3-5 minutes. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the inner pot and add the onions and garlic. Sauté until translucent.
Add in rice, stirring to completely cover in butter, adding more if needed. Add chicken stock and close the lid. The rice cooker will automatically switch to a simmer.
Toss together the mozzarella cheese, tomatoes and basil. Slice a pocket lengthwise into each chicken breast. Stuff the filling into each pocket, put in the Steam Tray and set inside the inner pot.
After 18 minutes have passed check the chicken for doneness and remove it from the rice cooker. Wrap in foil and set aside. When the cooking cycle ends stir the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and the Parmesan cheese into the risotto.
April 30, 2013 at 3:33 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Huli Huli Chicken
By Tia
My friend just got back from Hawaii and couldn’t stop talking about Huli Huli chicken. She was so excited about it that she searched all over San Diego so I could experience what she was talking about. When her search didn’t turn up exactly what she was looking for we decided to create our own version at my house. I am not claiming a completely authentic rendition of the Hawaiian specialty but I am guaranteeing happy diners at your next barbeque.
Huli Huli means “turn, turn” in Hawaiian. Originally this dish is cooked in a rotisserie, turning and turning until perfectly cooked. Since I do not possess a rotisserie I thought the Super Pot would be a perfect fit for the job. And my friend ended up thinking I’d cooked the chicken on an actual bbq. I decided to forgo cooking an entire chicken and went for the great flavor and kid-friendly shape of drumsticks. No matter what part of the bird you use, it is important to marinate well and use a bone-in cut for full flavor. Although the recipe gets it’s name from “turn turn” I personally feel the reduced sauce that tops off this bird is the real star. I used my rice cooker to prepare the marinade and topping in a snap.
HULI HULI CHICKEN
For the chicken:
10 chicken legs, skin on or 2 chicken halves
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tblsp ginger, grated
For the sauce:
2 cups pineapple juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup rice vinegar
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tblsp fresh ginger, grated
2 tblsp red pepper flakes
To make the chicken: Sauté the ginger and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Place in a bowl with the soy sauce, water and chicken and let marinate for 1 -4 hrs.
Heat up your Super Pot to 350 degrees and brown chicken on all sides. Lower to 200 degrees and continue cooking for another 30 minutes with the lid on, turning occasionally.
If you are using half chickens, cook them skin side up for 35-40 minutes. Turn and cook, skin side down, for 5 minutes to get crispy skin and grill marks.
To make the sauce: Place all ingredients in your rice cooker and set to Steam for 30 minutes. Let reduce until thick, stirring occasionally. Drizzle on cooked chicken.
April 29, 2013 at 3:27 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
An Aroma Game Day Feast
Take a European food-loving gal who, even after 20 years, doesn’t quite get what’s so great about football. Now mix in a Texan boy who grew up on watching and playing it. You’ve just created the perfect combo of great food and extreme football passion ready to take over game day. We’re in mutual agreement that every February my husband gets this weekend and I get an Oscar pre-party (crowd-pleasing, Oscar-worthy recipes coming soon!). So, as my husband gears up for the big game with his friends and football memorabilia, I retreat to the kitchen to whip up some tasty snacks.
Chicken wings are a tradition in our house, as with most households this weekend. We can’t get enough of the tangy, spicy flavor and pop-in-your-mouth portability. This year I’m sneaking in a healthier (and less messy) version of the snack with grilled buffalo chicken tenders, cooked on a skewer to avoid the sticky digits all over my living room 
. My Aroma Super Pot™ whipped these babies up in a flash and left virtually no clean up. Now that’s a winner in my book… GO AROMA!
But what’s a big game without something a little indulgent to snack on? I thought I’d defend my case for serving a healthier wing by also offering up a spicy cheese dip, made with beer and served with corn chips. It doesn’t get much more game day appropriate than that. This dippable cheese is perfect for your Aroma Rice Cooker to keep warm for the entire length of the game. Whoever your rooting for this Sunday, these snacks are sure to make you a winner in the kitchen!
BUFFALO CHICKEN TENDERS
For the tenders:
2 lbs of chicken tenders, cut in half
1 cup of Greek yogurt
1/4 cup of red hot sauce
1/4 cup of honey
48 6″ bamboo skewers
salt and pepper to taste
For the blue cheese dip:
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt
1/2 cup of blue cheese
1/2 cup scallions
juice of 1 lemon
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste
To make the chicken tenders: Blend together Greek yogurt, hot sauce, and honey. Place 3/4 of the mixture in a bowl or Ziploc bag along with the chicken tenders. Refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours or overnight.
Preheat your Super Pot™ to 350 degrees F. Skewer chicken and brown on both sides until cooked through, approximately 10-15 minutes. Brush tenders with remaining marinade. Serve with blue cheese dip and fresh cut veggies.
To make the blue cheese dip: Blend together all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
SPICY RICE COOKER CHEESE DIP
1 small onion, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, chopped
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup Mexican beer
12 oz grated pepper jack cheese
4 oz grated sharp white cheddar
Set your rice cooker to Sauté-Then-Simmer™ and add oil. Fry the onion, jalapeno and tomato until soft. Add 1/2 of the beer and cook until evaporated.
Add grated cheese and the remaining beer and let melt together. Switch rice cooker to Keep Warm. Serve with corn chips. Enjoy!
February 1, 2013 at 3:42 pm aromacotestkitchen Leave a comment
Braised Chicken and Mushrooms
I love French cooking. In fact I have serious doubts as to whether anyone else can produce such heart-warming comfort dishes that the French can. Just reading about French cooking makes me want to march down to the nearest cookware store, buy a large cast iron pan and start cooking those amazing dishes while ignoring everything else in life…
So, I present Chicken Fricassee a l’ancienne— or Braised Chicken and Mushrooms as I’ve renamed it for simplicity’s sake. Traditionally Chicken Fricassee a l’ancienne, as mouth watering as it is, takes quite a while to prepare and includes several steps. Although Julia Child brought this dish to stardom in the U.S. by simplifying it to our standards, it was still a “special occasion dish” that couldn’t conveniently be prepared on a weekday night. Plus you would need several hands on deck to help with the cleaning— the pots and pans alone to produce the original dish are enough to make you want to have a glass of wine instead and order take-out!
Chicken Fricassee a l’ancienne has 3 distinguished ingredients aside from the chicken: onions or shallots, mushrooms and egg yolk. The egg yolk is added to the sauce at the end to prepare what is known as a velouté. The Aroma Rice Cooker managed to make a Monday night variation of this legendary dish quite effortlessly, without sacrificing too much flavor. And in case you’re wondering, the cleanup was a breeze!
BRAISED CHICKEN AND MUSHROOMS
1 whole chicken, separated and seasoned with salt and pepper
1 cup of onions, diced
1 lb of cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups of chicken stock
1/4 cup of whiskey or brandy
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tbls of flour
1 egg yolk
2 tbls of fresh tarragon, chopped
1 tsp of nutmeg
2 tbls of lemon juice
1 tbls butter
1 tbls olive oil
salt and pepper
Set your Aroma Rice Cooker to its Sauté-Then-Simmer™ (STS™) setting and let it heat up. Add your butter and olive oil and sauté the chicken pieces seasoned with salt and pepper in batches. Once browned (about 4 minutes per side), remove from pot and set aside. Add the onions, mushrooms and garlic and sauté for 10 minutes or until softened. Add alcohol, flour and stock. Mix well and place chicken back in the pot and let cook for 30 minutes or until done (160 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature).
In a bowl whisk together the heavy cream and the egg yolk. Remove 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the chicken mixture and combine it with the egg cream mixture (tempering the yolk, as to not curdle it). Place the egg mixture into the pot with the chicken. Add tarragon, lemon juice and nutmeg and mix. Add additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve with a traditional French green salad or a side of your choice.
Vietnamese Lemon Peel Chicken
I tend to like exotic food— Indian, Thai, Vietnamese and the list goes on. So, I have a pretty well-stocked pantry for creating exotic dishes like this on a whim. I know it sounds daunting, but once you get a group of a few special ingredients necessary for each regional dish you can satisfy your exotic food craving quite easily. I, for one, don’t believe you need to follow every single recipe to a tee and buy a warehouse worth of spices to achieve a hint of exotic flavor in your dishes.
So with that in mind, I tried a variation of a Vietnamese lemongrass chicken dish where I used grated lemon instead of lemongrass. It’s really not a proper substitution since lemon peel and lemongrass don’t taste similar, yet the experiment was a success and the dish turned out quite well. And even though I’m fortunate enough to live in a city with all sorts of ethnic shops and markets, I didn’t want to make a special trip for lemongrass. Besides, sometimes it’s more fun to experiment… or just be lazy and not leave the house for special ingredients. But I do honestly feel that sometimes by not following a recipe exactly I can create a dish that’s easier for everyone to master, while still keeping the intended flavor of the dish. I hope you all will take a leap of faith and give this great chicken recipe a shot.
VIETNAMESE LEMON PEEL CHICKEN
4 lbs of chicken thighs, cubed
1 large onion, halved and cut into thin slices
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 red chili, sliced
1 tbls of salt
1 tbls of pepper
1 tbls of sugar
2 tbls of ginger, grated
2 tbls of lemon peel, grated
2 tbls of curry powder
sesame oil, for frying
14 oz of coconut milk
Heat the oil in your Aroma Rice Cooker using the Sauté-Then-Simmer™ (STS™) setting. Add half of the onion and all of the garlic, ginger, salt, pepper and sugar to the rice cooker. Cook until soft. Add chicken, curry powder and lemon peel and continue cooking until chicken is done. Add the rest of the onion, red pepper and chili with the coconut milk and close the lid for another 10 minutes or so. Serve with basmati rice.
Chicken Tikka Masala
One of my favorite all time dishes is Chicken Tikka Masala. There are literally hundreds of ways to prepare this dish, all of which create a unique and different taste: from sweet and creamy to spicy and savory. In fact, the only common ingredient in many of these dishes is the chicken.
My favorite Indian restaurant prepares this dish perfectly. Succulent moist chicken pieces marinates in yogurt and spices before being grilled and drenched in a creamy pink-ish orange sauce; it’s an array of exotic flavors blended together in perfect symphony. But I like challenges so I opted to make this dish using my Aroma rice cooker for comparison. Well, let me tell you that I was pretty happy with the end result. In fact, my family devoured the entire meal short of licking their plates— and they don’t even like Indian food!
The interesting thing about Chicken Tikka Masala, aside from the fact that it’s delicious, is that it might not really be Indian at all. I know, all these years I thought I liked Indian food too…
The history of the dish dates back almost 500 years to the Mughal Dynasty in east Asia when the emperor Babur, afraid of choking on chicken bones, ordered his staff to de-bone and cut his chicken into small pieces known as “tikka.” Now fast-forward to the 1960’s in England when supposedly a Bangladeshi chef at an Indian restaurant in Glasgow added tomato sauce and cream to a chicken dish that was considered too dry. And hence was born the dish that we call today Chicken Tikka Masala.
Below is the super fast and easy Aroma rice cooker version of this famous dish.
CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA
For the spice 
blend:
3 tbls of paprika
3 tbls of cumin
2 tbls of ground coriander seeds
2 tbls of ground turmeric
2 tsp of ground cayenne pepper
For the marinade:
1 cup of yogurt
2 garlic cloves
2 tbls of fresh ginger, grated
1/4 cup of lemon juice
O
ther ingredients:
1.5- 2 lbs of chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, chopped
28 oz can of whole tomatoes
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
butter for frying
To make the spice blend: Mix together all spices in a small bowl. (I suggest creating a double batch to use whenever you crave this.)
To make the marinade: Mix together half of the spice mixture with all marinade ingredients
Place in chicken pieces to marinate for about 2-4 hrs. Remove chicken pieces from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in the Aroma rice cooker using the Sauté-Then-Simmer™ function. Brown chicken pieces for 5 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the inner pot and set aside.
Keeping your rice cooker on the Sauté-Then-Simmer™ function, add a bit of butter, onion and garlic and sauté until browned and soft. Add the rest of the spice blend and let cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes and the tomato juice from the can and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes. 
Remove the mixture from the rice cooker, puree it with either a hand or countertop blender and then return it to the rice cooker. Add your chicken pieces and close the lid. Let cook for at least 30 minutes longer or you may leave it up to 5 hrs. Add cream and cilantro and serve with basmati rice.
September 17, 2012 at 11:50 am aromatestkitchen Leave a comment
Mulligatawny Soup
Sometimes a great recipe comes along and captures my imagination. And if it has potential to spread across all seasons, then I like it even more. My next thought will have you thinking I’m on the crazy side, but what would life be like without original and sometimes crazy thoughts and moments? So although the temperature is currently close to the 90s, I still sometimes have the urge for a nice warm soup.
When the temperature rises I serve my soup in the evenings and usually not quite as hot as I would on a cold winter day. The below soup caught my eye when I was going through some old recipes in my grandmothers cookbook. She was a nanny in London when she was very young and I guess this recipe is from that time she spent with her English family. Mulligatawny Soup literally means “pepper water,” and it supposedly found its way to the western world through British soldiers stationed in India during the 18th century. It’s originally a spicy curry based soup with chicken, lamb or beef thickened with rice. Apples and heavy cream were added later for texture and extra flavor. It has a beautiful yellow orange color from the curry and all of the right ingredients for a healthy and easy to prepare dish using my handy dandy Aroma rice cooker.
In my version I will use brown basmati rice, chicken breast, green apples and coconut milk. The green apples will add a sour, crunchy bite and the coconut milk a dose of sweetness. I can already imagine the blended taste of these flavors and cannot wait to see the reaction from my family.
MULLIGATAWNY SOUP
2 cups of Basmati rice, rinsed
1 lb. of chicken tenders cut into small bite-sized pieces, seasoned with salt and pepper
3 garlic cloves, shopped
1 yellow onion, shopped
1/2 leeks, cleaned well and sliced thinly
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 tsp of fresh grated ginger
4-5 cups of chicken broth
2 green apples, peeled and cut into small bite-sized pieces
2 cups of coconut milk
3 tsp of curry powder
1 tsp of turmeric
olive oil for sautéing
fresh parsley, chopped for decoration
hot sauce or red pepper flakes to taste (Tip: have guests add heat to their liking)
salt and pepper to taste
Add the rice into your rice cooker with 2 cups of water and set to the “Steam” function for 15 minutes. Remove, fluff with a fork and set aside. Using the Sauté-Then-Simmer™ (STS™) function on your rice cooker, set the time for 20 minutes and add olive oil and brown the chicken pieces until done or for about 7-9 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. Add garlic, onion, leeks, carrots and ginger and sauté until browned a bit or about 4-6 minutes. Add curry and turmeric and stir until mixed. Add broth and bring to a boil. Close the lid and let steam for 30 minutes. Open the lid and add chicken, apples, coconut milk and more salt and pepper if necessary.
When ready to serve, spoon the rice on the bottom of the serving bowls and ladle soup on top with chopped parsley and hot sauce. Serve with Indian style flat bread and enjoy!
Summer! Fried Chicken, Corn Salsa, and Berry Ice Cream Cake
Summer is undoubtedly my favorite season; I love the long evenings, leisurely pace of my household and get-togethers with friends. This could be because, having grown up in Finland, summer was what you waited for to plan outdoor activities. June 1st marked the day the covers came off the furniture at our summer house, the outdoor furniture was cleaned up and moved onto the large veranda, the windows were scrubbed and the entire place was awakened to 3 months of pure bliss.
When I first moved to California, I would still go home every summer to enjoy the best season in Scandinavia. Fresh produce, fish off the boats at the harbor and the abundance of great meals and conversations outside until early morning all made summers great. The Finns really know how to enjoy this time of year. After a long, dark winter nobody wants to be indoors for any reason. Once I got married and had children, those trips to Finland became less frequent (now once every 2 or 3 years), but the spirit of a Finnish summer is still alive and well in our household— no schedules, delicious food and great conversations.
The 4th of July reminds me of summer when I was growing up. I don’t know why, but maybe because it’s the one day all Americans take off to enjoy themselves like Finns do all summer. I look around and I see families on the beach, in the parks and getting together with family and friends for BBQs. I see elated children playing with friends and family members from far away without a care in the world. Aahhh…true bliss. And like any great holiday, food is a major part of its success and happiness. Our 4th of July always includes great American classics like BBQ chicken, potato salad and of course ice cream. This year in the Aroma Test Kitchen I wanted to see if our Smart Fry XL Deep Fryer could take center stage and produce some amazing fried chicken. Well, it did!
Also, the Super Pot™ helped create our spicy and sweet corn salsa and the Traditional Ice Cream Maker lived up to its potential by helping us create an amazing berry ice cream cake.
FRIED CHICKEN
1 package of fryer chicken, cut into pieces
2 cups of buttermilk
1/4 cup of paprika
1/4 cup of onion powder
1/4 cup of garlic powder
2 tbls of salt
2 tbls of pepper
2-4 cups of flour, for dredging
canola oil or similar, for frying
Soak chicken pieces in buttermilk overnight. Drain and pat dry. Mix all spices together and rub deliberately over chicken. Drench chicken pieces in flour and shake off excess. Place back in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Heat oil in the SmartFry™ XL Deep Fryer to 325F. Once the temperature is reached, place chicken pieces into the large fry basket and carefully lower into the hot oil. Cook for 10-20 minutes, making sure not to burn your chicken.
CORN SALSA
4 fresh ears of corn
1/2 white onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped
1/2 cup of cilantro, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the Super Pot™ to a high temperature and roast corn until browned on all sides a bit. With a knife, carefully remove kernels and mix with rest of ingredients. Serve with your choice of chips.
BERRY ICE CREAM CAKE
5 cups of half and half
10 oz of condensed milk
2 tsp of vanilla extract
2 cups of pureed strawberries
2 cups of heavy cream
1/4 cup of sugar
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of strawberries, sliced
Place all ingredients in the ice cream maker and follow directions. Whip 2 cups of heavy whipping cream with 1/4 cup of sugar until thick and it holds its shape. When ice cream is ready pour into a spring form pan and place in the freezer. Remove cake pan and run a hot knife around the inside of the pan and invert cake onto a serving platter. Decorate with whipped cream and berries.
Chicken Soup
Something as simple as chicken soup can lift the spirit, heal a cold, and in my house, feed all three of my children while getting rave reviews every time. So it’s no wonder it’s my go-to meal when I don’t feel like cooking but still need to prepare dinner. In the past I’ve always made my soup in a pot and let it simmer for a few hours, but the problem with that is I couldn’t leave home while it was simmering. The Aroma Sauté-Then-Simmer function has changed all that. Now I can sauté my vegetables and chicken in the rice cooker and leave it on simmer while I pick up my children from school or drive them to after school sports, knowing that warm soup is ready when we walk through the door hungry and tired. The greatest thing about chicken soup is that you can easily make it with add-ons to suit every taste bud in your family. My children like beans, so I often add beans or rice instead of noodles. Between pasta, rice, quinoa, beans and vegetables, chicken soup can become one of the best, healthiest and varied dinners for every family. With so much to choose from it’s easy to vary this recipe and make it a staple in your weekly dinner rotation!
I’m including a basic chicken soup recipe that acts as my “base,” which I can then add anything I want to make the dish special and different.
CHICKEN SOUP
2 lbs. of chicken thighs
1 yellow onion, cut into small quarters
10 celery stalks cut into bite-sized pieces
10 carrots cut into bite-sized rounds
8 cups of chicken stock
2 tbls of olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
salt and pepper, for added taste
Turn your Aroma Rice Cooker on and select the Sauté-Then-Simmer function. Add olive oil, onions and celery to the inner pot and cook until fragrant, about ten minutes.
Add chicken thighs and brown on both sides. Add the stock, carrots and herbs, then close the lid. Bring to a boil and change the setting to ‘Keep Warm’ and let cook for 2 hrs.
Remove the chicken and and with two forks. Mix it back into the inner pot with the other ingredients.
Serve with your favorite add-on or choose one or more from my list below. You can also set up a themed “add-on bar” for guests to serve themselves. For example, for a fun Mexican theme you can offer sour cream, green onions, jalapenos, tortilla strips and cheese.
My favorite optional add-ons:
cooked brown rice
cooked pasta (any type)
cooked quinoa or couscous
cooked white beans
shredded kale or mustard greens (add to soup 10 minutes before serving)
bean sprouts, croutons, Parmesan cheese, sour cream and green onions
Enjoy and be healthy
