Rachael Ray's Lemon Chicken

This is one of the first of Rachael Ray's recipes I ever saw her cook, and probably the first I ever made. I have made it before, but this time it didn't turn out as well in the past. There are several factors as to why that could be, not the least of which is that I forgot to add the vinegar, and didn't have lemon zest or scallions on hand. Also, I think I didn't brown the chicken long enough the first time it was in the pan, which contributed to a slight taste of raw flour. Still, it's a good recipe, and if you follow it better than I did, I'm sure you will have better luck than I did.

We ate this with steamed white rice and green beans. Below is the exact recipe from food network.

Rachael Ray's Lemon Chicken
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1 1/2 pounds chicken breast or chicken tenders, cut into chunks
1/4 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
Coarse salt
2 tablespoons wok or vegetable oil, 2 turns of the pan (preferred brand: House of Tsang)
1 tablespoon (a splash) white or rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth or stock
8 ounces (1 cup) prepared lemon curd
1/4 cup hot water
1 lemon, zested
2 scallions, thinly sliced or 20 blades fresh chives, finely chopped

Coat the chunked chicken lightly in flour, seasoned with a little salt. Heat a large skillet or a wok-shaped nonstick pan over high heat. Stir fry chicken until golden, 3 or 4 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and return pan to heat. Reduce heat to medium.

Add a splash of vinegar to the pan and let it evaporate. Add stock or broth to the pan and scrape up any drippings with a whisk. Thin curd by stirring in a little hot water. Add curd to broth and whisk to combine. Add chicken back to the pan and simmer for 1 to 2 minutes to thicken sauce and finish cooking chicken pieces through. Remove the pan from heat, add the scallions or chives and zest, and toss chicken pieces well to combine zest and scallions or chives evenly throughout the sauce.
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One reason why I haven't made this in a long time is because lemon curd is hard to find around here, and even when you can find it, it's usually expensive. This time, I decided to make my own lemon curd! Below is the recipe, taken from allrecipes.com. I made only 1/3 of the following recipe and again, did not have actual lemons to zest.

Microwave Lemon Curd
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 cup fresh lemon juice
3 lemons, zested
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter. Cook in the microwave for one minute intervals, stirring after each minute until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. Remove from the microwave, and pour into small sterile jars. Store for up to three weeks in the refrigerator.

Chicken Meatballs

These were SO good! We had a few leftover hot dog buns, so I toasted them, piled the meatballs inside, sprinkled a little mozzarella on top and called them meatball subs.

Chicken Meatballs

1/2 bottle of your favorite spaghetti sauce

1/2 lb. ground chicken breast

1 egg

1/3 cup* Italian bread crumbs

1/4 cup mozzarella** cheese

Garlic salt, pepper, and Italian blend seasoning, to taste

In a medium-sized skillet, heat spaghetti sauce over medium heat. Meanwhile, combine ground chicken, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Form into meatballs and place into sauce. Cook 3-4 minutes, then turn meatballs over in sauce to coat. Cover, reduce heat, and cook 10-15 minutes. Enjoy in sub rolls or over cooked pasta. This made 11 or 12 good sized meatballs.

*Note: I'm not sure exactly how much of the bread crumbs I used. I discovered as I was mixing the ingredients (I'd put in probably about 1/4 cup) that the mixture was too runny, so I poured in some more, and a little more came out than I meant, but it worked out to be the perfect amount. If your mixture seems to runny, I'd suggest adding more bread crumbs until they come to a better consistency.

**Note: I think it's more traditional to use Parmesan cheese in meatballs, but we rarely have it on hand. Mozzarella adds a nice flavor and seems to keep them very moist.