Fried (not) Italian Chicken in the Oven with Hazelnuts

A guilt free fried chicken and very tasty.  Everyone loves fried chicken once in a while, but with our health conscious society and adopting "healthy options" in our daily nutrition, this recipe is not just delicious, but very satisfying and guilt free.

I learned this recipe many years ago when I was just starting to play in the kitchen in my 20's.  I had several friends from Greece and from the middle east at the time and I learned from them, to use yogurt in savory cooking.  At that time, I had no idea that yogurt could be used for cooking other than for a breakfast item.  I did not grow up eating yogurt at all; as a matter of fact, the first time I ever tried yogurt was in my 20's with my friends and it was not a store purchased yogurt in a container, it was the real thing, made at home by my friends whom had learned these skills from their mothers & grandmothers.    It was beyond delicious!  They served it with fruit at the bottom of the bowl or honey and then yogurt on top.  Nothing else, that was it and it was delicious.  I learned how to make yogurt from my dear friends and then I learned to incorporate it into my savory and sweets.  Have you ever tried a brownie made with yogurt?  It's delicious and very healthy!

Spending time in the kitchen and recreating recipes is one of my passions; it's actually, every chef's passion.  You recreate a dish that is to your liking with your favorite herbs, spices and ingredients.  This recipe is written with Italian spices and with hazelnuts, but you can change it to be a Moroccan fried chicken with Moroccan spices and add walnuts or almonds, an Indian fried chicken with Indian spices, a Greek fried chicken with oregano and served with yogurt Tzatziki sauce or a Mexican fried chicken and serve it with salsa and beans or even better, a Jamaican/Caribbean fried chicken and topping it with a mango salsa!  I've tried all these at home through the years and it is quite delicious, but it is also fun to feed my family different meals by changing the spices and the side dishes.  Create what you like by changing the spices in this recipe and enjoy a different way to eat a healthier and tastier meal without the guilt.  

Fried Italian Chicken Breast in the Oven with Hazelnuts

Leftovers you say?  Oh yes!  Next day for lunch, slice the chicken breast and eat it on a bed of organic greens! 

Salad for lunch

CLICK BELOW FOR RECIPE:
http://lacucinalaurenti.com/recipes.aspx

Buon Appetito!

Indian Curry Deviled Eggs

Deviled Eggs are one of our favorite protein treats at home.  I love that you can play around with spices, herbs and create a new flavor with deviled eggs.  I have made so many different flavors through the years and most recently; creating a Southwestern, Moroccan and Indian flavored deviled eggs. 

When I was in culinary school, we had to create a quick appetizer in 30 minutes and present it to our chef instructor as a two bite appetizer.  The rule was that we had to use whatever was available to us in a "mystery basket".  When the chef instructor started the clock; the first thing that I thought of was making deviled eggs, so I quickly grabbed a few eggs, boiled them and looked around the class "mystery basket" to see what I could find to create a gourmet and different deviled egg.  There was no mayonnaise available and I certainly did not have the time to make my own in just 30 minutes, but I did find a fresh bottle of "school-made" Harissa (a Tunisian hot red pepper sauce), Bells and Whistles went off in my head and I quickly created this delicious tasting deviled egg with Harissa.  It was so tasty and I got a high score on my two bite deviled egg.  Not only did I get a high score and a high five from my instructor, but I was asked to make 300 deviled eggs for a special function at school...Oh yeah, that was the first time working with so many eggs and I was so nervous that they would not turn out as the one that I had made in class in 30 minutes.  Well, I succeeded in creating the same flavor for the 300 deviled eggs and received many praises.  Ever since, I have loved making different flavored eggs and the bonus is, that my family enjoys them as well.  A healthy protein treat for everyone to enjoy!

Indian Curry Deviled Eggs with sprinkled paprika and fresh leaf of oregano

CLICK BELOW FOR RECIPE:
Indian Curry Deviled Eggs