Chicken Giardiniera Recipes

Steps:

• Pound out chicken breasts, so that they cook quickly and evenly.
• In saute pan, heat oil. Add giardiniera and garlic and saute lightly for 2-3 minutes.
• Push giardiniera and garlic to the side of pan and add chicken.
• Saute 2-3 minute per side, spooning pan juices and giardiniera over them.
• DO NOT salt chicken. I made that mistake once. It was so salty, it became inedible. The giardiniera has plenty of salt on its own.
• Plain, buttered pasta or a baked potato with cool sour cream are good sides for this spicy dish.

Steps:

• To poach the chicken: Rinse the bird, and put it in the pot with all of the seasoning ingredients nestled around it. Pour over it cold water to cover, and bring to a boil, then cover the pot and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook until the chicken is tender, about 45 to 50 minutes.
• Lift the chicken from the pot, set it in a colander or strainer over a bowl, and let it cool. Remove the fat and skin, and discard. Take the meat off the bones, remove any cartilage or tendons, and tear the chicken into nice salad-sized shreds (about 1/2 inch wide and 2 inches long)-you should have about 5 cups chicken pieces. (If you want to finish the stock to put away, return the bones, cartilage, and the broth in the bowl to the poaching pot, and simmer for another hour or more. Strain and cool it, then refrigerate or freeze.)
• To assemble the salad: Toss the chicken, giardiniera, artichokes, olives, parsley, and capers in a large bowl. Drizzle over it the olive oil and vinegar, and tumble and toss to coat all the salad pieces. Taste, and adjust the seasoning with more salt, olive oil, or vinegar. Give it a final toss, and serve.

Steps:

• Bring the vinegar, sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, the bay leaves, fennel seeds, red pepper flakes and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cauliflower, fennel, red onion, carrots and garlic. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the vegetables cool in the brine, then refrigerate until chilled. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Pound chicken breasts with a meat mallet to an even 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
• Pulse croutons in a small food processor until they have a fine consistency. Put flour, eggs, and crouton crumbs into 3 separate shallow dishes.
• Dip each breast first into flour, shaking off the excess. Next, dip into egg mixture, letting any excess drip off. Coat chicken in crouton crumbs and set on a plate.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a large oven-proof skillet until hot. Fry chicken for 2 minutes, flip, and fry an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Top each breast with 2 tablespoons giardiniera and 1 slice of cheese.
• Cook in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 8 to 10 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Top with parsley before serving.

Steps:

• For the honey giardiniera butter: Add the butter, honey and salt to taste to a bowl and mix until smooth. Stir in the giardiniera until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the chicken: Add the chicken thighs, reserved giardiniera brine and pickle brine to a plastic zip-top bag and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours.
• When ready to fry the chicken, fill a Dutch oven halfway full with oil and heat to 350°F.
• Set up a dredging station: Pour the buttermilk into a large bowl and in a separate large bowl, stir together the flour, cornstarch, paprika, salt, pepper and cayenne until well combined. Use your tongs to drizzle some of the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture.
• Remove 1 or 2 pieces of the chicken from the brine at a time and submerge in the buttermilk. Add 1 piece of the buttermilk-soaked chicken at a time into the flour mixture and turn to completely coat the chicken. Transfer to a plate and repeat until all the remaining chicken is well coated.
• Add the chicken to the hot oil in batches, 2 or 3 pieces at a time, and cook until brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to a wire rack on a baking sheet to drain. Serve immediately with the giardiniera butter or let cool and store on a wire-rack on a sheet pan, lightly covered, in the fridge overnight. Serve at the picnic at room temp. Served with softened honey giardiniera butter.