Chicken Giardiniera Recipes

HOMEMADE GIARDINIERA

Steps:

• Place salt in a bowl, add the veggies and cover with cold water
• Stir to combine
• Cover and store for 2 days to brine
• Whisk up dressing of garlic, oregano, celery seed, vinegar and oil
• Drain salad and toss with dressing and olives

HOT ITALIAN GIARDINIERA

Steps:

• Place into a bowl the green and red peppers, jalapenos, celery, carrots, onion, and cauliflower. Stir in salt, and fill with enough cold water to cover. Place plastic wrap or aluminum foil over the bowl, and refrigerate overnight.
• The next day, drain salty water, and rinse vegetables. In a bowl, mix together garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and olives. Pour in vinegar and olive oil, and mix well. Combine with vegetable mixture, cover, and refrigerate for 2 days before using.

EASY ITALIAN CHICKEN GIARDINIERA

Steps:

• Heat olive il in medium skillet until shimmering. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook 4 - 5 minutes on each side until golden brown and has reached 165°F on an instant read thermometer inserted in thickest part of chicken.
• Top chicken with giardiniera, dividing equally among breasts. Sprinkle cheeses equally over vegetables. Cover pan and cook until cheeses are melted.
• Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

GIARDINIERA

Steps:

• Mix water and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add cauliflower, celery, carrots, serrano peppers, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and green olives. Toss to combine and refrigerate overnight.
• Drain vegetables and rinse very well. Place in a large jar.
• Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and chili flakes. Pour over the vegetables and refrigerate at least 3 days before eating.
• Keep up to 1 month.

CHICKEN GIARDINIERA

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.

CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN WITH GIARDINIERA

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.

GIARDINIERA

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.

PICNIC FRIED CHICKEN

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.