BBQ Chicken Quiche

Happy Memorial Day everybody!  Andy and I are both off of work and school today so it's just a free day to do whatever we want!  We've decided to take the dogs with us to Clifty Falls to do some hiking, then come back to grill out some steaks and make some sushi.  Sounds like a good way to spend the day to me!

Since BBQ is the main attraction in many households across the nation today, I figured I'd do a little twist on a classic quiche.


Ingredients:

Rotisserie chicken, meat taken off the bone and shredded
1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 pie shell (you can use your leftover puck from the pie dough recipe)
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper, to taste
pinch of nutmeg
1/4 cup cheddar jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 F.

If you haven't already, blind-bake your pie shell until slightly golden.  Let cool to room temperature before adding filling.

Make the quiche custard by combining the eggs, milk, heavy cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Whisk until mixed well.  You can also strain the mixture at this point to remove any "egg boogers".  Yes, that's my technical term.  You know, those pieces of egg white that just won't homogenize with the rest of the mixture?  You'll end up getting a more evenly colored quiche this way, instead of random white spots here and there - but if that's your thing, then hey, you can skip the straining.

Anyway, in a separate bowl, combine the shredded chicken and BBQ sauce.  Mix well and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Place about 1/2 to 1 cup of the chicken on the bottom layer of the pie shell.  More than likely, you'll have more filling than you know what to do with - but I'm sure you're creative enough to come up with something to do with it (i.e. bbq pulled chicken sandwiches, bbq chicken pizza, ANOTHER quiche, etc.).

Pour the custard atop the chicken and then top the whole thing with the shredded cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes or until quiche is set, but still slightly jiggles in the center.  Let cool to room temperature before slicing (unless you just can't wait that long!).

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day!

Ginger Soy Grilled Chicken

This past weekend I made Andy come with me to watch the Julie & Julia film. Let's just say he felt a little emasculated after it was all said and done. Me, on the other hand, can totally relate to the movie and I thought it was rather cute. Kind of made me think of one day publishing an Asian-Fusion cookbook for Americans. Really, I think there's a market for it. How many people pack into Asian/Chinese buffets every single day? Tons! And that's not even the best part of Asian-inspired cuisine! There's such a range and such a flavor in Asian dishes that I don't think it gets enough credit.

That's exactly why I'm posting this dish. This is by far, the best way to cook chicken, in my opinion. The ginger, the soy, they mix to make just a delicate and delicious balance of flavors.


Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken thighs (about 10)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup mirin or 1/4 cup sake (I put in both)
2 cloves chopped garlic
4 tablespoons grated/minced garlic
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds (you can buy them that way or you can quickly saute them in a pan to get them hot and voila! they're toasted!)
freshly ground black pepper

This recipe is absolutely fool-proof! If you like a different part of the chicken, be my guest, but for those of you that are always scared of drying out chicken or cooking it for too long, chicken thighs are ALWAYS your best bet! It's practically impossible to dry them out so they're perfect!

Just mix all ingredients in a big enough tub to cover the chicken and let sit in refrigerator for about 6 to 8 hours, or leave in overnight so the chicken and the marinade can become one! Osmosis is your friend!

When chicken is ready, heat a grill to medium heat and cook until cooked through. Like I said, it's practically impossible to dry out chicken thighs, so really all you're worried about now is burning the chicken, so watch the grill with a keen eye!


Enjoy!