Recipe - Chicken Grenades

Indulge me - this one has a back story.

I'm chatting with a buddy of mine, and knocking chain restaurants pretty hard (life's too short to eat at chain restaurants), and I mentioned that I get why parents take their kids to chains, this is, as best as I can recall, how the conversation proceeded from there:

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Me: I get it - if your kid likes the Chicken Grenades at Applebee's, he'll eat Chicken Grenades at any Applebee's.

Him: Right.

Me: Wait - does Applebee's sell Chicken Grenades.

Him: I don't think so.

Me: Well, somebody should! Imagine the hook! "Chicken Grenades - Exploding with Flavor!"

Him: ...

Me: You know what? I'm going to make me some damn Chicken Grenades this weekend!

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Thus, the Chicken Grenade recipe was born!


Ingredients:
For the grenades:
6 Boneless, Skinless chicken thighs (Pounded Flat)
6 Jalepeno Peppers
6 Oz. shredded cheddar cheese (or a Mexican blend, or whatever, man, your call)

For the sauce:
1 quart Chicken Stock
1 large Onion
1 medium Bell Pepper
6 oz. can Tomato Paste
1 Tbsp. Sugar
Pinch Salt
4 oz. Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp. Instant Flour
Vegetable oil
Handful chopped Fresh Cilantro

Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 375

Start the sauce
Dice the onion and pepper into 1/2" squares
Sweat the onions and peppers in a medium sauce pan with the vegetable oil and salt.
Once soft, add the chicken stock, sugar and tomato paste, bring to a boil.
Whisk the flour and heavy cream together, and add to the sauce to thicken it.
Once the sauce is thickened, add the cilantro.

Make the grenades
Wash the jalepenos, cut off the tops, and remove the seeds and pith.
Wrap a chicken thigh around each pepper, and place them open-side up in muffin pan.
Stuff each pepper with around one ounce of cheese, and then add a bit more to the top.

Put it all together
Bake the grenades for around 35-40 minutes.
Top them with the sauce.
Eat them.

You're going to need:
A standard-sized muffin or cupcake pan
Optional: Foil liners for the pan if you don't want your next batch of cupcakes to taste of jalepenos.

Serves:
Makes six grenades.

Recipe - Chicken Marsala

Slightly different take on the traditional Marsala Sauce recipe.

Ingredients: 
For the chicken
2-3 pounds chicken - boned, pounded, and cut into medallions
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

For the dredge 
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
Pinch salt

For the sauce
4 cups sweet Marsala wine
1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half
8 oz. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 tbsp. instant flour
1 tbsp. butter
Chicken stock (if needed)

Preparation:
In a large, heavy chef's pan or dutch oven, begin heating the butter and vegetable oil over medium-high heat.

Prepare the dredge by combining all ingredients and whisking.

Lightly coat the chicken with the dredge mixture, and pan-fry them in the oil and butter. Don't crowd the pan. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside as they complete.

Once all of the chicken is cooked, add the butter, and/or a bit more oil, allow the pan to return to temperature, and brown the mushrooms.

When the mushrooms have browned, add the wine to to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Reduce by about a quarter.

Whisk the cream and instant flower together, and add to the pan. Stir to dissolve, and heat to a low boil. Reduce the heat again to a simmer.

Extend the sauce (if needed) with the chicken stock.

Add the cooked chicken to the sauce, stir, and simmer for 5 minutes or so to allow the flavors to blend.

Serve over linguine or fetuccini.

Serves:
2-4

You're going to need:
A large, heavy pot