We're always on the lookout for mouth-watering recipes, and here are some we've been eyeing on other blogs that we just had to share! We love Barry’s recipe for this classic Mexican food.  These look perfect for game night! Check out the recipe over on Rock Recipes.

• Lime Chicken Chimichangas with Lime Guacamole

Over on Culinary Escape, this fresh Savoy cabbage sauté looks like an excellent starter to a meal especially after all the heavy holiday treats! Quick to whip up, it also looks like a great, quick lunch.

• Quick Savoy Cabbage Sauté

We really admire how Kate makes her pasta from scratch and shares with us just how easy it is! Her pasta with chicken and spinach recipe over at Easy Gourmet Dinners looks like the perfect remedy on these cold winter nights!

• Pasta with Chicken and Spinach

We share Gail's obsession with the mango lassi. She gives us a really quick and easy recipe for this delicious and refreshing treat over on her blog The Pink Peppercorn. Who could resist a drink that's perfect for both breakfast AND dessert!

• Mango Lassi Deliciousness

It’s great to have meals on the go, and these pockets are perfect for those nights you find yourself running out the door without time for a sit-down dinner. Using leftover rotisserie chicken and pre-prepared crescent roll dough makes the preparation for this dish a breeze as well! Wrap a couple up in plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for up to two days, or toss a few in the freezer so they’re ready for you anytime. Also, feel free to experiment with the filling! Tell us all about your favorite combinations in the comments section – we’d love to hear your recipe hacks! http://www.chicken.ca/DefaultSite/index.aspx?ArticleID=1510&lang=en-CA

Have you ever had one of those moments when you say to yourself, “There has got to be a better way of doing this”?  I know I have and it’s usually while I’m preparing food.  So I decided it was time to find some practical solutions to making my life in the kitchen a little easier, and in doing so, I came across these nifty items! My first find is this silicone roast rack and lift with handles.  How genius is this?  I don’t know how many times I’ve tried removing meat from a roasting pan only to have it drop back into the pan and splash drippings all over the place! With this handy tool, all you have to do is let the handles cool down for a few minutes, then lift it and transfer the roast to a plate or a cutting board.  It is heat resistant up to 482°F (250 °C) and has holes at the bottom to allow the drippings to run through.  As an added bonus, it is dishwasher and microwave safe! My second find is this vertical roaster with an infuser.  It works just like a regular upright roaster except that it is designed to hold liquids, herbs and spices which release their aromas through perforations making the chicken very moist and flavourful.  It’s a great way to experiment with a wide range of aromas and flavours.  Why not try some fragrant Moroccan flavours using freshly squeezed orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon, cumin and brown sugar?  The possibilities are endless! My third and final find are these awesome silicone food tie wraps!  Forget the bulky string roll taking up unnecessary space in your kitchen.  These reusable tie wraps are easily adjustable and are perfect for keeping those stuffed cuts of meat and poultry together, plus they take up almost zero room in your kitchen.  You can also use them to keep wrapped sandwiches together or to bundle vegetables, such as asparagus.  They are heat resistant up to 482°F (250 °C) and are dishwasher and microwave safe. Well, that wraps it up for my kitchen gadget spotlight but don’t worry, I’ll be back with some new and helpful finds for your kitchen!

If a best friend’s job is to make everything better, then meet your new BFF for the kitchen – the marinade.  Sure, it may not seem like much, but it’s a simple way to get more flavour and variety out of anything you cook without adding a ton of fat and calories. A typical marinade is made up of three essential components: an acid, an oil, and a flavouring agent, such as an herb or spice.  These elements all work together to transform both the taste and the texture of your dish in different ways. The acid, which could be wine, citrus, vinegar or any number of elements, breaks down (or “denatures”) the proteins and allowing it to absorb more of the flavour while keeping the meat’s natural juices.   The oil penetrates the meat and helps to prevent moisture loss during cooking, resulting in a finished dish with more of the natural juices locked inside.  The herbs and spices play the most important role – making the dish taste great. For a no-mess marination, simply place everything in a zip-top bag and place it in the fridge overnight, or at least for an hour or so to let the liquids absorb. Never marinate at room temperature, as it can encourage bacteria growth, and remember the most important marinade tip – never re-use a marinade once it has been in contact with raw meat.  If you want to use the marinade to make a sauce for the dish, remember to set some aside before you add it to the raw meat. If you want to see what difference a marinade can make, try our recipe for Tequila Marinated Chicken with Rice, Corn and Black Beans. Do you have a favorite, go-to marinade or a cooking technique that’s your best friend in the kitchen? Leave us a comment and tell us all about it!

There’s nothing better on a cold day than a piping hot bowl of soup, and this recipe has hearty and nutritious goodness in spades!  Roasted garlic and the fresh citrus flavour of the lemon rind complement each other beautifully without being overpowering.  The black beans and chicken breast also give you a hit of protein and fibre to help you through the cold weather. Comfort food comes in all forms, but chicken soup is always a favorite.  Do you have a favourite dish for a chilly winter’s day? Let us know in the comments. Links: http://www.chicken.ca/DefaultSite/index.aspx?ArticleID=1281&lang=en-CA

Every great cook needs a great knife. But simply having the right tools will only take you so far. Let us help make you the very best cook you can be by offering some knife knowledge and making sure you’ve got that cutting edge. Get a Good Knife – A knife should be seen as an investment as you’ll likely be using it every time you cook. Find a solid, well-balanced knife that feels good in your hand. There are many different types of knives, so it’s good to know what knives are best suited for various jobs.  A chef’s knife, for example, generally has a long, triangular blade and is great for a variety of jobs. Smaller paring knives are good for peeling vegetables, while serrated knives are good for slicing bread. Don’t try to make a knife do more than it can, such as cutting through bones, as the blade may snap. Know How to Use Your Knife – Make sure that you always use a cutting board – never the kitchen counter, plates, or steel surfaces as they may damage your knife. Also, protect your fingers while you work with a knife. Curl your fingers under and position them on top of the item that you are working on. As you slice, the knife should follow your knuckles. Never try to catch a falling knife or cut anything in your hand. Protect your Knife - Good knives will need to be sharpened regularly. Many kitchen-supply stores will either provide sharpening services on-site, be able to tell you where to get your knives sharpened, or show you how to sharpen your knives yourself. Try to store knives in a knife holder, never loose in a drawer, as you can damage the blade. Always clean your knives immediately after using them to keep them sharp. Hand washing is best because you never know what kind of damage your knife will endure in the dishwasher.

Did you know that uncooked chicken pieces will keep in your freezer for up to six months? And a whole chicken can be frozen for up to a year? Stocking your freezer with chicken can be a great timesaver, but you can also save money if you buy chicken in bulk and freeze it. Before you put your chicken on the deep freeze, there are a few things to keep in mind. It’s important to seal the chicken in an airtight container or in a heavy-duty freezer bag. Wrap your chicken in plastic wrap when possible to ensure that freezer burn doesn’t creep in. Keep the wrap tight, because small ice crystals will start to form where there are gaps. Label your frozen packages with the date and contents to help make sure you can keep track of what’s in your freezer. It’s best to divide your chicken into small, meal sized portions. This way, when you need to defrost you’ve got the perfect amount of chicken, eliminating unwanted leftovers. Thawing the chicken will also be faster if you’ve got it in smaller packages. Try cutting your chicken before freezing to save an extra step when you do end up cooking. Cut your chicken into strips and use it for something like our Italian Stir-Fry, sometime in the future. To save even more time, you can freeze your chicken right along with a marinade. When you defrost it, the marinated chicken will be ready to go. Just remember to discard any excess marinade not cooked with the chicken to avoid contamination. To ensure even cooking, remember to thaw your frozen chicken properly before you cook it. Never leave foods out on the counter or in the sink to defrost, but in the refrigerator overnight, in cold water (changing the water every 30 minutes) or in the microwave, rotating to ensure an even thaw.

Eggplant is a hearty vegetable that, outside of Mediterranean cooking, often doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Delicious and easy to prepare, eggplants are known for bringing out accompanying flavours, making the spicy green peppers in this dish a perfect complement with just the right amount of kick. Skinless chicken thighs and whole-wheat rotini make this a healthy, fibre-filled family meal that doesn’t disappoint in the flavour department. How do you use eggplant? Share your favorite recipes for eggplant dishes in the comments section! Recipe: Grilled Chicken & Eggplant over Rotini with Spicy Peppers

In the new year, we’ve added a few blog features that we intend to become a regular part of the site in the coming year.  One of the features we’re most excited about is our food blogger profile series, in which we interview a new Canadian food blogger every month and hear about what keeps them passionate about food and cooking. This month, our interview is with Alexa Clark of Unsweetened.ca and Cheap Eats Toronto and Ottawa.  She’s also one of the minds behind HoHoTO, a fundraiser for the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto, and a regular culinary voice on Twitter. So, without further ado, here is our interview with food blogger and publisher Alexa Clark. When did you start blogging about food? I started blogging about food almost as soon as I started blogging in 2004.  In fact, one of the first posts on my personal blog was about a lunch at Dunn's Diner in Ottawa. I started my first food-related blogs in 2004 – the CheapEats Toronto and CheapEats Ottawa blog as a companion to the Restaurant Guides.  I started writing for a more conventional food blog - www.Foodists.ca - in 2006 after meeting one of the Foodists founders on a CBC Sounds Like Canada panel on the state of street food in Canada. Why do you blog about food? I think food is one of the most foundational connections people share. Everyone eats. Everyone has opinions on food - what is right, what is wrong; what is good, what is bad. Whether they’re shared or not, it is still one of the fundamental ways people define themselves. I was raised in a community of people who were back-to-the-landers who ran organic farms, built sustainable practices and developed humane practices for raising and slaughtering their animals. So, I grew up believing that food, how it is grown or raised, how it is handled and how it is prepared is important. Food is also big business, impacts the environment, is an economic indicator, and influences culture in a myriad of ways.   I am fascinated by how these things all come together on a plate. How often do you cook at home? As a family, we cook at home at least once a day. What’s the best cooking tip you can give our readers to help them cook at home more often? It's less of a cooking tip than a preparation tip, but keep your pantry stocked with all the things you need to make your favourite dishes, and at least a couple of extras. I find it helps to keep a list of our standard ingredients in my smartphone and run through it any time I'm in a grocery store, just to make sure I'm stocked up. The worst thing that can happen when you are planning to cook is to come home and find you are out of one of the essential ingredients. Show me someone who doesn't reach for the pizza delivery menu when that happens!  Everyone is rushed, and heading back out to pick up rice, or stock, or chili peppers seems like a huge task at the end of a long day. Another tip?  Don't be intimidated by FoodTV, food bloggers or food porn.  We're a little obsessive, we are trying to make the food pretty and enticing, AND we have interns!  If your kids or spouse don't have mirepoix freshly chopped when you walk through the door, don't compare yourself to people who have staff to do the prep work for them. Make what you like, how you like it and don't let anyone pressure you into thinking it's not fancy enough, pretty enough, or not complex enough.  Sure it's fun to play with food, combining flavours, trying out new things - but this is not the way to cook at home more.  It's a way to expand your skills and repertoire. But if your goal is just to cook more at home... make sure you have all your staples on hand and cut yourself some slack. What’s the one ingredient you couldn’t live without? Paprika - no question.  I have three varieties on hand at all times.  I'm not even sure when, or how, my deep and abiding love for paprika started. It certainly isn't from my parents, one of whom can't eat hot food and the other who teases me mercilessly about my paprika-addiction. One of my saddest memories was having to leave Spain without paprika because I upset the spice vendor in La Boqueria by taking a photo of his paprika without permission. He started screaming at me "Con Permiso! Con permiso!" All the other vendors came out of their stalls to stare and point. I didn't even have enough Spanish or Catalan to explain and apologize. I left Barcelona traumatized by my own rudeness. Always remember, don't upset the spice vendors! http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/104504/what-is-con-permiso-in-english

If you were hoping to enter the Great Canadian Chicken Recipe Contest, but were just too busy in the kitchen over the holidays to even think about it - you're in luck! We've extended the contest until the end of January, which means that you have until the end of the month to share your best original chicken recipe with us for a chance to win a Cuisinart Griddler panini press and portable grill for you, and one to give away to your readers. The details are on the original post here, but in summary, all you need to do is: 1. Post your recipe on your blog 2. Link to the original post (or this one) 3. Leave a comment or tweet the recipe with the hashtag #canadianchicken so we can find it Then we'll decide the winner based on presentation, creativity and taste.  The contest closes at 5:00pm EST on January 31, 2010.  We can't wait to see what you create!

Well, it was a valiant effort. You dodged your sneezing coworkers, took vitamin C by the handful, and washed your hands until they were dry and chapped, but it’s inevitable. You’ve got a winter cold. The prescription? Bed rest, plenty of liquids, and of course, chicken soup.  It’s comforting, it’s tasty… but can it really cure the common cold? Well, you might not be seeing it behind the counter at your pharmacy anytime soon, but according to an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, chicken soup is a remedy that’s been around for over 2000 years, and writings in the Babylonian Talmud indicate that “fowl has virtue in rectifying corrupted humours … and especially the black humours.”  In fact, chicken soup made from various sizes and ages of birds were prescribed for colds, constipation, hemorrhoids, and even leprosy. It may not be classed as such a wonder drug today, but some studies have even shown that chicken broth can help reduce congestion and some researchers believe it can also alleviate asthma symptoms. So while chicken soup may not be a cure for the common cold, there’s nothing better than a hot, comforting bowl of soup with veggies, like our Chicken Noodle Soup with Acorn Squash and Dill and it may just make you feel a little better.  Even more so if you can get someone to bring it to you in bed. Got a suggestion to cure what ails you?  Leave a comment and let us know your home remedies.

Our version of this classic Thai dish is so quick and easy, you’ll never touch food court pad Thai again. Fresh vegetables and simple seasonings – many of which are probably already in your pantry, make this dish a great option when you want to change up your regular routine. This dish is also great the next day for lunch! Have your own version of Pad Thai you’d like to share? Leave a link in the comments! Recipe: Chicken & Shrimp Curry Pad Thai

It’s January, and that can only mean one thing.  It’s time for New Year’s Resolutions.  Now that we’re into our second year of blogging, our resolution is to make our blog better – more relevant – for you.  Of course, in order to do that, we need to know what you want.  What kind of content do you find valuable?  What do you want to know more about?  What would you like to see on this site? So if you have an extra couple of minutes (really – that’s all it will take) please tell us what’s on your mind.  You can also leave us a comment here, or send an email to blog [at] chicken [dot] ca to let me know what kind of content would make you a regular reader. We expect our commitment to eating right and going to the gym every day to last at least until the end of next week, but making this site better is one that we’re committed to for the long run.  I hope you’ll help us keep that commitment with your feedback.