Best Portola Valley Chicken Recipes

PORTOLA VALLEY CHICKEN

Steps:

• Combine soup, water, mayonnaise and curry powder. Mix well.
• Put rice in buttered 9 x 13" pan, then spinach, 1/2 the sauce, chicken and remaining sauce. Cover with cheese.
• Bake uncovered, 1 hour in 350°F oven.

VEGETARIAN CHICKEN-FRIED PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM STEAKS

Steps:

• Position an oven rack at the top of the oven, and preheat the broiler. Arrange the mushrooms on a baking sheet, and broil until the sides facing up begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Flip, and continue to broil until the sides facing up are soft, about 5 minutes more. Let cool.
• Put the mushrooms, gill-side up, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap, and pound to about 1/4 inch thick with a meat mallet. Season all over with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and 1 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Whisk together the milk and eggs in a separate shallow dish.
• Lower the oven heat to 250 degrees F. Put a rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Heat about an inch of oil to 350 degrees F in a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• While the oil heats, dredge each mushroom in the flour mixture to completely coat; shake off any excess. Then dip into the egg mixture until fully coated; let the excess drip off. Return the mushroom to the flour mixture, and dredge a second time, until completely coated, pressing firmly into the flour mixture. Arrange on one side of the rack on the baking sheet.
• Add 2 of the breaded mushrooms to the hot oil, and cook, turning once, until crisp and golden, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the mushrooms to the unused side of the rack. When the oil comes back to temperature, repeat with the remaining 2 mushrooms and keep the first 2 warm in the oven.
• Serve the mushroom steaks with mashed potatoes and generous spoonfuls of hot gravy. Garnish with chives or scallions if using.
• Position an oven rack in the top position in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Toss the onions, celery, carrots and garlic with the oil and 1 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast until the vegetables are charred in some places, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Bring the roasted vegetables, 1 cup water, mushrooms, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, soy sauce, bay leaf and 1 teaspoon salt to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is gone, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 6 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and bring back to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and gently simmer until reduced by about one third, about 45 minutes. Strain the stock into a large liquid measuring cup, then squeeze all the liquid out of the solids with the back of a ladle (there should be about 4 cups of stock); discard the solids. (If not making gravy right away, let the stock cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month; warm slightly before making gravy.)
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves to the butter, and stir for 30 seconds; remove the fried sage leaves, and set aside. Add the flour to the saucepan, and stir until smooth and lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the warm stock while whisking constantly until smooth and thick, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Chop the fried sage, stir it and the parsley into the gravy and season to taste with pepper.

LEAN PORTOLA VALLEY CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11- by 7-inch baking dish with non-stick vegetable coating.
• In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the margarine. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute; do not brown. Add stock and milk and stir, using a wire whisk, until mixture comes to a boil. Add salt, garlic powder, pepper and curry powder and continue to cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in water and mayonnaise and set aside.
• Sprinkle the rice over the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the spinach evenly over the top. Cover the spinach with half of the sauce mixture, then the chicken, then the remaining sauce. Sprinkle the cheese over the top and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

COCK-A-LEEKIE PIE

Steps:

• Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 375°. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high. Cook bacon, stirring often, until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper and cook in same skillet until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add a splash of water to skillet. Cover, reduce heat, and cook until chicken is cooked through, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add leeks to skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add a splash of water, cover, and cook until leeks are very soft, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Shred chicken and add to leeks along with thyme leaves and prunes.
• Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in 1/3 cup flour and cook, whisking constantly, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Whisk in broth, adding a little at a time, until smooth. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5-7 minutes. Mix sauce into leek mixture; season with salt and pepper. Let cool.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 14" round. Transfer to a 10" cast-iron skillet or a 9 1/2"-diameter deep pie dish. Lift up edge and let dough slump down into dish. Trim, leaving a 1" overhang. Spoon filling into skillet. Roll out second disk of dough to 11" round. Drape over filling and trim to a 1" overhang. Fold overhang under; crimp with a fork. Cut a few vents in top; brush with egg.
• Bake until crust is golden brown, 50-60 minutes. Let pie cool slightly.
• Do ahead: Filling can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

CHICKEN BREASTS WITH FONTINA AND PROSCIUTTO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F. Combine cheeses, prosciutto, and basil in small bowl. Season stuffing with freshly ground black pepper.
• Run fingers under skin of chicken breasts to loosen. Spread stuffing under skin. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper.
• Melt 1 tablespoon butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through, turning once, about 10 minutes. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet; place in oven to keep warm. Add broth and marsala to skillet; bring to boil and cook until sauce is reduced to scant 1/2 cup, scraping up browned bits, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk in 1 tablespoon butter. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Place chicken on plates. Add any juices from baking sheet to sauce. Spoon sauce over chicken and serve.