Instantpot LCHF / Keto Hot Wings

 There was a time when I was growing up that, chicken wings were the part of the chicken that no one wanted to buy. Like skirt steak (now used for fajitas), chicken wings were the cheap leftovers. Fast forward thirty years and chicken wings are as popular as hamburgers and french fries, and they now command a premium price as well. If you have read any of my articles and or recipes, then you know that we raise not only chickens but meat rabbits on our small homestead. And before you ask, no rabbit doesn't taste like chicken. Having said that, when you dress out a rabbit, each carcass presents you with two forelegs that are very similar in size and weight as a chicken wing.

In fact, you can cut the forelegs at the joint, and they are not only very similar in size to chicken wings, but they can be cooked in exactly the same way. So whenever we butcher some of our rabbits, we separate the forelegs and vacuum seal them by themselves so that we can prepare rabbit forelegs (hot wings) whenever we get the hankering for some hot wings. Having said that, if you do not raise rabbit and want to cook some great chicken wings, then you can follow this same recipe and simply substitute chicken wings in place of the rabbit forelegs.

As you may know, my wife and I have embarked on a low carbohydrate high fat (LCHF) way of eating about a year ago. The great thing about this recipe is that is a great LCHF / Ketogenic way to cook not only chicken wings, but rabbit forelegs. Because we do not use any flour or other ingredients other than the sauce (hot sauce and butter) to coat the meat, they are virtually carbohydrate free! Keep in mind that if you use any commercially prepared sauces they may have hidden carbs in the form of sugar and or sugar alcohols. You can find a number of LCHF sauce recipes on our blog if you need a good LCHF / Keto sauce for your chicken wings or rabbit forelegs. If your not eating LCHF, then sauce them as you wish.

I will say this, I love my Instant pot electric pressure cooker. It is great for reducing the cook times for a wide variety of dishes, and it is perfect for this recipe. Start to finish you can have a mess of wings ready for your friends and family to enjoy in less than 45 minutes, or less than 30 minutes if you use the quick release cooking method. So grab your electric pressure cooker and let's go make some hot wings / forelegs.

Chicken / Rabbit Hot Wings

You will need 2 to 4 pounds of chicken wings or rabbit forelegs for this recipe. I like to keep it simple when I am making buffalo style hot wings and simply season the meat with salt and pepper, but you can use any number of flavored seasonings, just keep in mind the final flavor profile you are looking to present as some seasonings may not be compatible with your sauce of choice.

2 – 4 pounds of rabbit forelegs or chicken wings

½ cup hot sauce of choice (Franks' or Louisiana Hot Sauce)

½ stick of butter (melted)

salt and pepper to taste

Cut the rabbit forelegs at the joint so that you have two pieces similar to that of a chicken wing. Season with salt and black pepper. Place a steamer rack in your electric pressure cooker and add 1 cup of water. Add the rabbit forelegs on top of the rack and close your pressure cooker making sure that the vent is closed. Cook the forelegs on high pressure (manual mode) for 10 minutes and then quick release the pressure; or, you can pressure cook them for cook for 8 minutes and let the pressure come down naturally (about 15 – 20 minutes.)

Chef's Note: I personally like to cook my wings/forelegs for the 8 minutes and allow the pressure to release naturally. I find that this way the wings/forelegs are cooked to perfection and they are nice, tender and juicy. Using a steamer rack is an important step, I do not like my wings to sit in the bottom of the pressure cooker in the water, but this is just a personal preference.

While the wings/forelegs are cooking combine 1/2 cup of hot sauce with 1/2 cup of butter in a medium sized plastic bowl and heat in the microwave until the butter melts and them whisk until thoroughly combined. If you wish to melt the butter separately and them combine it with the hot sauce you can, but it does not really matter.

Once the pressure is released from your pressure cooker, remove the the wings or forelegs and pat dry with a paper towel if necessary. Place the wings/forelegs into the bowl with your wing sauce and toss them until they are totally coated with the sauce. Then remove them from the bowl and place them on a foil lined baking sheet.

Chef's Note: At this point the wings/forelegs are completely cooked, and you could eat them striaght form the bowl, and they would be quite good. However, broiling them for 5 minutes and then tossing them into the wing sauce a second time gives the final product a greater depth of taste as more sauce adheres to the wings/forelegs after they have been broiled and tossed a second time.

Once the wings/forelegs have been arranged on your foil lined baking sheet place it in your preheated oven and broil the wings/forelegs on high for about 5 minutes. Because every oven's broiler is slightly different carefully watch the wings/forelegs as they can quickly go from light brown to burned rather quickly. In my particular oven, 5 minutes is perfect.

Once your wings/forelegs have been broiled for 5 minutes and they are nice and brown, remove them from the foil and place them back in the bowl with the wing sauce and toss them one more time to re-coat the wings/forelegs. Then serve the wings on a platter, divide them onto equal portions, or simply eat them out of the bowl. 

Nutritional Information

The nutritional information for this recipe is based on a two pounds of rabbit forelegs and or 2 pounds of chicken wings. Farm raised meat rabbits like we raise are lean all white meat, and it is closer to chicken breast when you look at the fat content. Because of this, rabbit forelegs have quite a bit less fat than chicken wings with the skin on. However, the butter in the sauce does add a substantial amount of fat which still makes these rabbit hot wings a good LCHF option. Having said that, chicken wings with the skin on has almost six times more fat, so they are really a better choice if you need to increase your fat uptake.

Total Recipe

Rabbit Forelegs (2 lbs): Calories – 1682, fat 20 grams, protein 198 grams, carbohydrates 0 grams

Chicken Wings (2 lbs): Calories – 2091, fat 113 grams, protein 246 grams, carbohydrates 0 grams

Remember, if you are eating LCHF / Keto, the chicken wings would probably be a better choice if you had to choose between the two. Fortunately for us, we do not have to choose and all I can say it that the rabbit “wings” were fantastic.

Conclusion

As I have mentioned before, I love my Instantpot. Whether you have an Instantpot or other electric pressure cooker, you can make delicious hot wings in 30 to 45 minutes that both you and your family will love by following this simple recipe. Heck, you can have a big batch of LCHF / Keto friendly wings ready in less time than it takes to have a pizza delivered. So if you like hot wings, but have been missing out on them because those deep fried, flour coated deliciousness will blow you out of ketosis, then this recipe is for you. So fire up your electric pressure cooker, and turn on your broiler and let us know how you like this recipe.

As always, we ask that if you have found the information in the article enjoyable and informative that you share it with your friends and family. Don't forget to send us a friend request at CulinaryyouLCHF, or add us to your circle on Google+. You and also click on the follow button on our blog so that you will not miss any of our latest recipes or articles.

King Ranch Chicken Or Chicken Enchilada Casserole

 

Well thanksgiving is over and now that the relatives are all gone, what are you going to do with all the turkey leftovers? Canning is one good way of preserving any leftover meat and it has the added advantage of not having to be refrigerated once it has been properly processed, however many of you living on a food budget may not have access to the proper equipment to do so. Freezing is always an option, but if you are like my family, sometimes it gets thrown into the back of the freezer and get forgotten until it is almost to late.

Most often I have found one of the best ways to use any leftover turkey is to cook with it as a replacement for chicken in various dishes. One of the most affordable and easy type meals to make are casseroles. Like soups and stews, casseroles are a one dish meal in which all the ingredients are combined together and layered in one form or another into a dish and then baked in the oven. Popular in the 1950's and 60's they somewhat fell out of favor during the 80's and 90's as more people began to abandon leftovers and head to the fast food restaurant.

We make quite a few casserole dishes here on the homestead, as they are great way to use leftover ingredients from previous recipes. I have not blogged about many of them because casseroles just do not take good pictures. They just look like...well casseroles. Having said that casseroles are an important way to stretch your food budget and use up any leftovers you may have in the fridge. Now I am not saying you only have to make casseroles when you have leftovers, but they are a good tool to keep in your recipe box. In this article I will show you how to make one of our favorite casseroles “King Ranch Chicken” sometimes called “Mexican Lasagna” or “Chicken Enchilada Casserole” with leftover turkey in place of chicken. We also use rabbit in this recipe (which is delicious BTW) as we always can some up and place in the pantry after butchering. This recipe uses few ingredients, is a great budget stretcher, tastes great (no matter which meat you choose), is quick to make and is minimalist pantry friendly.

King Ranch Chicken

This casserole is a layered casserole such as the filling is placed between two or three layers of flour or corn tortillas depending on the depth of your casserole dish. We have a plethora of corning ware dishes here on the homestead that we use for a variety of dishes. Another great option is to make a few extra casseroles in small aluminum foil containers and freeze them uncooked so that you can pop one from the freezer straight into the oven. This can be a life saver if you are short on time. Below is my basic recipe for this dish, however I often modify or add ingredients depending on what I have leftover in the fridge. This time I added some sauteed banana peppers which are still growing in the garden and added about 4oz of green chile salsa leftover from making breakfast burritos. I did not put my additions in the basic recipe. I have included two recipes in this article, a small recipe for 2 to 4 people and a family size recipe for 4 to 6.

Small Recipe

8 ounces leftover chicken, rabbit, or turkey, diced

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

4 to 5 flour or corn tortillas

1 (10.5oz can) condensed cream of chicken soup

½ (10oz can) tomatoes and green chilies (total of 5oz)

1 teaspoon cumin, ground

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cilantro, dried

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon salt

Combine all the ingredients except the tortillas into a large mixing bowl and mix completely. Spray your casserole dish or aluminum foil pan with non-stick cooking spray. Then tear the tortillas into small to medium sized pieces and cover the bottom of your casserole dish. Then place half of the casserole mixture ontop of the tortillas and spread evenly as much as possible and cover the filling with another layer of tortillas. Add the remaining filling and top with one last layer of tortillas.

Chef's Note: If using frozen tortillas you have may saved before they expired, you may want to cut them into wedges with a knife as they do not tear easily. If you do not have any tortillas, the crushed small pieces leftover in the bottom of a bag tortilla chips work great. We save these small pieces in a bag in the freezer and use them in place of the tortillas we we get enough.I generally do not add any salt when using the tortilla chips as they are usually lightly salted already.

Add a layer of cheese to the top of the casserole and lightly garnish with dried cilantro, cover and place in a pre-heated oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 60 minutes or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the top of the casserole has browned. If you like your casserole to be more crunchy or brown on the top then remove the lid during the last 10 to 15 minutes.

Chef's Note: If you are cooking a pre-made casserole that has been frozen and take straight from the freezer or even if you bring it out to thaw and hour before it will probably take and additional 15 to 20 minutes to cook completely.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. This allows some of the filling to firm up and cool some as it can be a mouth scourcher if you attempt to eat it strainght from the oven.

Large Family Recipe

16 ounces leftover chicken, rabbit, or turkey, diced

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

8 to 10 flour or corn tortillas

1 (10.5oz can) condensed cream of chicken soup

1 (10.5oz can) condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 (10oz can) tomatoes and green chilies (total of 5oz)

1 – 2 teaspoons cumin, ground

2 teaspoons onion powder

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cilantro, dried

¾ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

Conclusion

Using leftovers to create additional meals for your family is a great way to stretch your food dollars. By using the strategy of menu planning you can maximize your food dollars and minimize food wastage. If I take a pound of cooked meat from the freezer, I think of how many different meals can I use it in. Items like tortillas (flour and corn), tortilla chips and bread can be placed in the freezer when they near their expiration date and can be used in casseroles such as this without any loss of quality. I have in fact used corn tortillas that even had a fair amount of frost on them and they taste great in such recipes as 'King Ranch Chicken'. Don't forget to save the small pieces from the bottom of your tortilla chips to use instead of tortillas. Throw them in the freezer in a zip lock bag until you get enough, then make a casserole of goodness for your family.

This casserole is quick, fast, delicious and a whole lot easier than making chicken enchiladas. Give it a try, I am sure you and your family will enjoy it as much as mine does. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Other Money Saving Articles On Our Blog:

Buying More With Less: Strategies To Stretch Your Food Dollar.

Spices: Save Up To 80% By Shopping At Your Local Ethnic Supermarket.

Shopping At The Dollar Tree: Bargins Abound, But Buyer Beware.

The Minimalist Pantry Series On Our Blog:

The Minimalist Pantry (Phase 1): Dry Good Essentials.

The Minimalist Pantry (Phase 2): Canned Goodness.

 
The Minimalist Pantry (Phase3): Finishing Up.

Chicken Or Rabbit Tortilla Chowder

A while back we went over to our good friends house Steve and Sue Coyne's author of the (I Grow Vegetable's Blog) to spend the day, share a meal and play a somewhat addicting, sometimes annoying, but always entertaining game of 'Pegs & Jokers'. For dinner Sue and Steve served us their variation of this fantastic 'Chicken Tortilla Soup' recipe. Sue happily gave us the basic recipe she had, but of course like all good cooks, they tweaked it to fit their own personal preferences.

Not knowing exactly which additions or substitutions Sue made, I brought the recipe home and tailored it to fit our own personal preferences. The recipe is labeled as a 'Chicken Tortilla Soup' but the reality of it is it is really a 'chowder'. Now a chowder is a soup, that is generally thickened with flour to give it a rich hearty texture. In the case of this recipe as written it uses two thickeners. The first, being the cornstarch that is in the taco seasoning, and the second, is the addition of flour tortilla's which act very similar to dumplings as some pieces will dissolve and thicken the sauce when the are cooked for a while.

I have included two variations of the original recipe that Sue gave me. One is the version which I use to make this chicken or rabbit chowder. The second, is a 'minimalist pantry' version which Includes those ingredients that you should have at a minimum in your pantry. Finally, I have included a picture of the original recipe as given to me by the Coyne's. This chowder goes great with any white or dark meat (chicken, turkey, or rabbit), so if you raise chickens or rabbits like we do, you can make excellent chowders with either.

The Recipe

This recipe is pretty much what I call an 'everybody in the pool' recipe. That is you saute your vegetables and then all the rest of the ingredients get thrown into the stockpot or slow cooker to cook, the tortillas are the one exception here. So you have a couple of options with the tortillas, one you can add them all at the beginning and allow them to cook or breakdown into the soup and act as a thickener. Two, you could add half of the tortillas at the beginning an then add the remaining tortillas 20 – 30 minutes before serving. In this version, half of the tortillas break down and help to thicken the soup while the remaining tortillas add some texture. Lastly, you could add all of the tortillas 20 – 30 minutes before serving. With the third version, the tortillas assume the role more of a 'pasta' or 'dumping' addition, and they will continue to breakdown over time when you reheat the leftovers, if you have any. Personally, I add all of my tortillas during the last 20 – 30 minutes of cooking, but this is a matter of personal preference.

TexMex Chicken/Rabbit Chowder

1 pound chicken thighs or rabbit hind legs, deboned and browned *

1 quart soup base (or 32oz chicken broth)

1 onion, diced

1 can (10oz) tomatoes and chilies

1 can (15oz) corn, drained

1 can (15oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can (15oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 container (8oz) sour cream (add just before serving)

8 flour tortillas, cut into small pieces

½ package taco seasoning

1 tablespoon tomato paste

* If using rabbit or chicken that you have canned from your pantry, then substitute one pint jar for the one pound of deboned chicken or rabbit.

If using chicken thighs, rabbit hindquarters or any bone in meat, you want to debone the meat and then brown it in your sauté pan with a little non-stick cooking spray or olive oil. We are only browning the meat here, you do not have to cook it all the way through. Try and leave the chicken or rabbit in as large of pieces as possible, it makes them easier to brown and you can cut them into bite size pieces before adding them to the soup. Brown all of the meat and set it aside on a plate and allow it you cool while you sauté the onions, and any other additional vegetables you wish to add. If using chicken or rabbit meat you have canned from your pantry, substitute 1 pint jar.

Once you have the meat of your choice browned, add the chopped onion to the sauté pan and cook them just until they are translucent. The moisture in the onions should start to break away any small bits of meat (fond) that has stuck to the bottom of the pan as they release their water. If the onions begin to look dry, add some water one tablespoon at a time. Once the onions are ready, you want to transfer them to your stockpot or slow cooker along with any bits of fond left in the bottom of the pan. You may need to add ¼ cup of water to the sauté pan and take a wooden spoon or plastic utensil to help release all that goodness from the bottom of your sauté pan. It of course goes into the stockpot as well.

Add all of the remaining ingredients (except the sour cream and tortillas) to the stockpot and stir them to combine them throughly before adding the chicken (it just makes it easier this way). Then take your cooled chicken or rabbit and cut it into bite sized pieces and add it to your stockpot or slow cooker.

Stove Top Version

Bring the chowder to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. While the chowder is cooking take your knife or rolling cutter (I use a pizza cutter to cut my tortillas) and cut the tortillas into ½ to 1 inch strips each a half inch long making then resemble small flat noodles. After the chowder has cooked for 30 minutes, add the tortilla pieces and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the sour cream just before serving.

Slow Cooker Version

Set your slow cooker on low and cook for 4 to 5 hours. About 30 minutes before it is ready, take your knife or rolling cutter (I use a pizza cutter to cut my tortillas) and cut the tortillas into ½ to 1 inch strips each a half inch long making then resemble small flat noodles. Then add the tortilla pieces and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Add the sour cream just before serving.

Minimalist Pantry Version TexMex Chicken/Rabbit Chowder

4 cups water

3 cans (5oz) cooked chicken packed in water *

1 onion diced

1 can (10oz) tomatoes and chilies

1 can (15oz) corn, drained

1 can (15oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 can (15oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup

1 container (8oz) sour cream

8 flour tortillas, cut into small pieces

½ package taco seasoning

1 tablespoon chicken bouillon

1 tablespoon tomato paste

* If using rabbit or chicken that you have canned from your pantry, then substitute one pint jar for the three 5oz cans of commercially canned chicken.

The easiest version of all, saute the onions until translucent in a little olive oil, then put everything (except the sour cream and tortillas) in the stockpot or slow cooker and cook as described above depending on whether you are cooking on the stove or using your slow cooker (crockpot).

Taco Seasoning

The original recipe for this chowder called for using one package of Taco seasoning. You know the type you use to make tacos with. Because you may not have a package on hand, I have included my recipe for making you own taco seasoning to use with this chowder. It is the same recipe that you will find in my article 'Fast Food Tacos, The All-American Mexican Food'.

Taco Seasoning Recipe (Equivalent to 1 package)

2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons beef bouillon

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Omit the red pepper flakes if you want a mild taco seasoning. To make a ½ package recipe, simply cut the taco seasoning recipe in half.

Conclusion

This recipe has humble beginnings, originally starting out as an 'open the can and pour it in the pan' style soup. It still shares some of those qualities with the original and besides tasting great, it is quick and easy to make. I made this chowder in my crockpot, because we had work to do on the homestead and throwing it together and setting it on low allowed us to do the chores we needed and have a hot meal ready from when we came in out of the rain. The reality of it is, most of the ingredients are precooked and the soup only needs to be heated for about 45 to 60 minutes before it is ready to be served.

A quick and easy vegetarian version is to substitute yellow or white boiling potatoes for the chicken or rabbit, and add a can of drained black beans, making it more like a traditional potato and corn chowder. BTW, black beans are also a nice addition to this chowder as well. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Related Articles On Our Blog:

'Fast Food Tacos, The All-American Mexican Food'

Tomato Products Don't Waste Them

White And Brown Stocks, The Workhorse Of The Restaurant

Additional Articles For Saving Money On Our Blog:

Buying More With Less: Strategies To Stretch Your Food Dollar

Spices: Save Up To 80% By Shopping At Your Local Ethnic Supermarket

TAP Homestead Rabbit Salad

If you have been following any of my articles, then you know that in addition to chickens, we raise New Zealand meat rabbits here on the Todd and Peggy (TAP) homestead. Each time we butcher rabbits, we cook the bones down to make stock and remove any meat left on the bones which we can in paint jars. For the most part we use the canned rabbit interchangeably with chicken in casseroles, soups and in salads.

Recently, we were visiting some friends and family of ours (Steven and Sue Coyne) to celebrate both her and my birthday. As we were to have a cold buffet style lunch I decided to make some rabbit salad to bring to the party. There were four different types of bread, five types of deli meats and various cheeses. The rabbit salad was especially tasty on the pumpernickel bread. Anyway, this recipe is easy and quick to make, especially if you have some canned rabbit sitting on your pantry shelves. If not, it is also a good recipe for any leftover cooked rabbit you might have sitting in the fridge.

The great thing about this recipe is that is is very versatile. If you do not like apple or do not have any, then try green or red grapes. Rabbit goes well with grapes and sometimes we make this salad with grapes (sliced or whole) instead of apples. If you do not like pecans, walnuts are another great choice. When we have green onions in the garden I like to add one or two stalks, but unfortunately we did not have any. Anyway, I have also included a variation to make your one Waldorf Rabbit Salad using diced rabbit. Try them both I am sure you will enjoy them as much as we do.

TAP Homestead Rabbit Salad Sandwich

1 pint canned rabbit meat (12 to 14oz)

½ to 1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

4 hard boiled eggs, chopped (yolks removed)

1 gala apple, peeled, cored, then chopped

¼ stalk of celery, diced small (optional)

2 tablespoons pecans, chopped

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

The night before, boil your eggs and allow them to cool, then peel and remove the yolks and roughly chop them up and then place them in a small bowl in the refrigerator until the next morning. I only do this to make sure my eggs are nice and cold before combining with the rest of the salad. Chef's Note: If you are making the salad the day before use, you can omit this step

Open the canned of chopped rabbit meat and drain in colander in the sink, or chop up 2 cups of leftover cooked rabbit and set it aside.

In a medium sized bowl, add ½ cup mayonnaise, onion and garlic powder, pecans, parsley, and celery (if using) and mix throughly. Add the chopped eggs and the drained rabbit meat and mix again until combined. If at this point you feel the salad is to dry, add an additional ¼ of mayonnaise and mix well again. Continue to add mayonnaise as needed in 1 tablespoon increments until you reach the desired consistency. Then season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now all we have left to do is add the apple. So cut your apple into eighth's, then peel and remove and of the core and seeds that may remain. Coarsely chop the apple then add it to your rabbit salad and mix it once again. Sometimes I leave the peel on the apple, it just kinda of depends on my mood and who I am making the salad for. Personally, I feel the salad tastes best when allowed to rest for a few hours in the refrigerator, especially if you are using rabbit straight from the pantry that has not been refrigerated. Serve on your favorite type of bread, roll or croissant for a delicious cold sandwich.

TAP Homestead Rabbit Waldorf Salad

1 head Boston Bib lettuce, or lettuce of choice

2 cups cooked rabbit meat, diced

½ to 1 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

2 gala apples, cored, then chopped (peeling optional)

¾ cup seedless red or green grapes or combination

½ stalk of celery, diced small

2 tablespoons walnuts, chopped

1 teaspoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon dried parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Follow the same directions as for the TAP Rabbit Salad Sandwich, with the exception of the eggs. Serve the salad over Boston Bib lettuce with a variety of crackers and cheeses for a nice cool refreshing lunch on a hot summer day.

Conclusion

Making our own rabbit salad out of meat removed from the cooked bones of rabbit that we have canned is one way we expand the yield of our harvest. Having canned rabbit on the shelf in your pantry allows you to make so many quick and delicious meals for your family to enjoy. This recipe is another one of those that is great for introducing people to the joys of eating rabbit. And I really hate to say it, but in this recipe, the rabbit really does taste like chicken. So I hope you will try these recipes and that your family will enjoy them as much as ours does. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Additional Rabbit Recipes On Our Blog:

Brined And Grilled Rabbit

Canning Rabbit:Poultry, Beef, and Wild Game

Grilled Tandoori Rabbit

Jamaican Jerk Rabbit

Make Your Own Rabbit Brautwurst Sausage

Oven Fried Rabbit

Tandorri Rabbit

One of my all time favorite grilled Indian/Pakistani dishes, the deep fiery red orange color of the meat really stands out, while the yogurt and spice marinade add a unique depth of flavor. This dish tastes great whether you make it with the more traditional chicken, or my favorite rabbit. More often than not, this recipe can leave your lips tingling with it's generous use of red chili peppers, but the dish does not have to be spicy hot. That is a major misconception about Indian/Pakistani food, that it is always served flaming spicy hot. There are indeed some dishes that are made that way, but tandoori is generally mild in regards to the heat factor.

There are a wide variety of commercially prepared tandoori spice mixtures available at your local ethnic (Indian or Pakistani) market. One of my favorite is the Pakistani 'Shan' brand, but like many package mixes, it tends to be hotter than the average American enjoys. And as we have previously discussed on multiple occasions, buying pre-packaged mixes is always more expensive than making the recipe from scratch. As always, using your own recipe allows you to control the ingredients. You decide if you want your tandoori to be flaming hot or not.

As almost no one here in the states has a tandoori oven at home, we will be cooking our rabbit or chicken on the grill. I will also include instructions on how to cook it in the oven, but I prefer the method of grilling. Again, I give you the options, you make the decisions. If you want to make your own Indian pastes to use in you dishes check out my blog article 'Basic Masala Paste' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Tikka. Included in this article are recipes for more than 6 different curry pastes that you can use in recipes like this one instead of having to use the dry spices. I actually have some canned up in small jelly jars in my pantry.

The Recipe

This brine is a slight variation of my all-purpose brine used in my blog article: Brining: Adds Flavor and Juiciness to Chicken, Turkey, and Rabbit http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Brine. I highly recommend that you brine your rabbit before grilling, the flavor and juiciness of a rabbit that has been brined and grilled is phenomenal compared to one that has not been brined. I promise you, if you just try brining your rabbit once, before you grill it, you will never grill it without brining again.

Grilled Rabbit Brine

8 cups (2 quarts) water

1/3 cup kosher salt

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

8 whole allspice berries
2 bay leaves dried

1-inch piece of cinnamon

In a large stock pot add all the ingredient except the cold water and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the stockpot from the heat and allow to cool. After cooled down completely, place in the fridge overnight for use the next day. I try and always make a brine the day before we are going to butcher. If you like your rabbit with a kick, then add two whole jalapeños chopped with seeds to the brine.

Once the brine has been refrigerated, add your rabbit and allow it to brine for 8 to 16 hours. I usually place the rabbit in the brine and allow it to soak overnight or until I am ready to cook it the next day. About an hour before you are ready to begin cooking, drain the brine from the stockpot and add the marinade. 

The Recipe

8 to 10 pieces of chicken or rabbit

1 recipe yogurt marinade with spices added (see below)

Yogurt (wet) Mixture

1 cup plain yogurt

¼ cup canola oil or ghee (clarified butter)

¼ cup lemon juice

1 drop red food coloring

3 drops yellow food coloring

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and mix throughly with a spoon or whisk and set aside and make you dry spice mixture.

Spice (dry) Mixture

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¾ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon sugar

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine your dry spices together and mix throughly and then add to the yogurt mixture and mix throughly with a spoon or whisk. If you like your tandoori hot double the amount of cayenne pepper, or combine the dry spices with the wet mixture in a blender and add 2 whole pickled or fresh jalapeño peppers seeds and all and puree your yogurt marinade until smooth.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken or rabbit, season with salt and black pepper as desired. Place in a large bowl or 1 gallon zip lock bag and pour the marinade over the meat. Place the marinating meat in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 to 6 hours, for the best flavor marinate the meat overnight.

In Case You Could Not Guess...This One Is Chicken.

When you are ready to cook, heat up your grill or preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Remove the meat from the marinade and placed on a plate (if grilling) or a foil lined baking sheet if you are cooking it in the oven.

Grilling Procedure – If using a a charcoal grill heat until coals turn ash white then place meat on the grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes per side for a total of 35 to 45 minutes or until the juices run clear. When using a gas grill, I heat mine for 5 minutes, then turn one burner off and place the meat on the side of the grill in which the burner is off and cook for 15 minutes. Then turn on both burners and turn the meat and place it on the other side of the grill and turn the burner under the meat off and cook for another 15 minutes. Repeat as necessary until the meat has cooked for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Oven Procedure – Bake chicken or rabbit for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, then place under broiler and heat until browned. Be careful to check regularly when broiler on as meat can burn easily.

Chef's Note: If you are going to use one of my pre-made curry pastes found in the article: 'Basic Masala Paste' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Tikka, substitute 3 tablespoons of the curry paste for the dry spice mixture.

Conclusion

While this recipe is traditionally made with chicken, it is great with rabbit. My family really enjoys it both ways. This recipe is just another of the great ways in which you can substitute your home raised rabbit for chicken and share with your friends and family. I hope you will give it a try and that your family will enjoy it is much as mine. I made this recipe with both as we recently butchered seven Plymouth Rock White roosters, and ten New Zealand rabbits. I gues you could say we had something for everyone.

If you are looking to find my recipes and instruction on cooking rabbit, be sure and check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. And as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Additional References

Brining: Adds Flavorand Juiciness to Chicken, Turkey, and Rabbit

Grilled Rabbit

Of all the recipes that I use rabbit in, this simple grilled rabbit one is my favorite. Grilled rabbit that has been brined is not only succulent, but the flavor profile is out of this world. The greatness of this recipe is it's simplicity and minimal amount of ingredients that allow the flavor of the rabbit to shine. The one caveat is that you need to brine the rabbit the day before you want to grill it to ensure that the meat has time to absorb the flavors of the brine.

Now this recipe, although simple, contains two flavor components, the first is the brine, and the second is the marinade and basting liquid. The majority of the flavor inside of the meat comes from the brine, as any spices that are placed in the brine are pulled into the meat overnight. The marinade, is primarily used to give an additional flavor boost (flavor to the outside of the meat), and is not really used as a tenderizing agent as marinades often are.

Although I personally cook this recipe on the grill and it is my favorite way of preparing it, it can be cooked in the oven. I have included instructions for cooking the rabbit in the oven just in case, the weather is bad, your out of charcoal, or simply do not have an outside grill.

The Recipe

This brine is a slight variation of my all-purpose brine used in my blog article: Brining: Adds Flavor and Juiciness to Chicken, Turkey, and Rabbit http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Brine. I highly recommend that you brine your rabbit before grilling, the flavor and juiciness of a rabbit that has been brined and grilled is phenomenal compared to one that has not been brined. I promise you, if you just try brining your rabbit once, before you grill it, you will never grill it without brining again.

Grilled Rabbit Brine

8 cups (2 quarts) water

½ cup kosher salt

½ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

8 whole allspice berries
2 bay leaves dried

1-inch piece of cinnamon

In a large stock pot add all the ingredient except the cold water and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the stockpot from the heat and allow to cool. After cooled down completely, place in the fridge overnight for use the next day. I try and always make a brine the day before we are going to butcher. If you like your rabbit with a kick, then add two whole jalapeños chopped with seeds to the brine.

Once the brine has been refrigerated, add your rabbit and allow it to brine for 8 to 16 hours. I usually place the rabbit in the brine and allow it to soak overnight or until I am ready to cook it the next day. About an hour before you are ready to begin cooking, drain the brine from the stockpot and add the marinade. 

Chef's Note: I personally like the taste of this brine, my wife thinks it could use just a little less salt. I urge you to try it just as it is in the recipe, but if you discover that it does taste to salty for you, then decease the salt to 1/3 cup, or simply add an additional quart of water to the stockpot.

 

Grilled Rabbit Marinade

¼ cup olive oil

4 tablespoons lemon juice

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon dried parsley

¼ teaspoon rubbed thyme

Combine all the ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together and set aside until you are ready to add it to your rabbit. About an hour before you are ready to begin grilling, drain the brine from the stockpot and add the marinade and toss to make sure it is throughly coated, then prepare your grill to cook the meat.

When you grill is ready, remove the rabbit from the marinade and place on a platter or baking sheet. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to kill off any unwanted bacteria from the raw meat. Once the marinade has cooked for the allotted time, remove from the heat and set aside. You will use the marinade to baste the rabbit with each time you turn it during the grilling process.

Using A Charcoal Grill – If using a a charcoal grill heat until coals turn ash white then place meat on the grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes per side for a total of 35 to 45 minutes or until the juices run clear. The disadvantage to a charcoal grill is that it is more difficult to cook your rabbit using indirect heat. Having the meat directly over the coals increases the risk of flair ups from any oil or fat from the meat and the marinade.

Using A Gas Grill – When using a gas grill, heat with both burners on high for 5 minutes, then turn one burner off and place the meat on the side of the grill in which the burner is off and cook for 15 minutes. Then turn on both burners and turn the meat and place it on the other side of the grill and turn the burner under the meat off and cook for another 15 minutes. Repeat as necessary until the meat has cooked for 45 minutes or until the juices run clear.

Oven Procedure – Bake chicken or rabbit for 45 minutes at 350 degrees, make sure you turn and bast it with the marinade every 15 minutes, then place under broiler and heat until browned. Be careful to check regularly when broiler on as meat can burn easily.

Conclusion

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, brining adds not only flavor but moisture to rabbit. This is important as rabbit is extremely lean and can quickly dry out when grilled. Using a brine like the one in this article is the most reliable way to keep your rabbit from quickly becoming a meal that is tough and chewy and something that no one wants to eat. If you have friends and family that are skeptical about eating rabbit, this is one of the best recipes to use to introduce them to the joys of eating rabbit.

If you are looking to find my recipes and instruction on cooking rabbit, be sure and check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. And as always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us on friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Additional References

Brining: Adds Flavor and Juiciness to Chicken, Turkey, and Rabbit http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Brine

Oven Fried Rabbit

This recipe for 'Oven Fried Rabbit' is one of those great ways to get that fried taste without all the bad fats. To pull this off we are going to follow the three 'B's' brining, breading, and baking. This is one of my favorite rabbit recipes, the meat is juicy and tender and the breading comes out nice and crunchy. The three step process for this recipe is easy to follow and I am sure you will enjoy the results as much as I do.

If you have ever eaten rabbit then you now that it is pound for pound, the leanest white meat you can raise or purchase. The downside to having meat that is so lean is that if not prepared correctly it can be a challenge to make sure it is nice and tender. There are a few options to ensure that your meat is tender, one option is to use a marinade that not only imparts flavor but helps to tenderize the meat. Another option, and the one I use in this recipe is to brine the rabbit before cooking.

Brining the Rabbit

A brine is simply a combination of water, salt, sugar and spices, that are combine together and the meat is then placed in the brine for 8 to 16 hours to allow the meat to absorb the brining solution. What most people do not realize is that brines are used commercially everyday. One only has to look at the label of any packaged poultry product to see that it states ”this product has been infused with a sodium solution.” In plain English, that means it has been brined to enhance both the flavor and moisture content of the meat to keep it from drying out.

Baking rabbit without brining it can leave you with both a tough and dry meal, the exception to this would be if you were cooking the rabbit in the oven via a wet method (cooked in liquid). I use a couple of different brines depending on the meal I am looking to prepare. However, for this recipe I will be using my all-purpose brine as I want to coat the rabbit before baking. This technique is often referred to as 'oven frying' but it is in reality just baked rabbit.

Simple and easy to make, my all-purpose brine and is the base recipe for all my other brine recipes which I have mentioned in another article 'Brining, Adds Flavor and Juiciness to Chicken, Turkey, and Rabbit' at http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Brine. In my experience, I find it best to make the brine up the day before to make sure it is nice and cold before adding the raw meat.

All-Purpose Brine

8 cups water

1/2 cup kosher salt
1 Tablespoon black peppercorn crushed
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
2 bay leaves dried

In a large stock pot add all the ingredient except the cold water and bring to a boil, stirring until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove the stockpot from the heat and allow to cool. After cooled down completely, place in the fridge overnight for use the next day.

Once the brine has been refrigerated, add your rabbit and allow it to brine for 8 to 16 hours. I usually place the rabbit in the brine and allow it to soak overnight or until I am ready to cook it the next day. Once you are ready to begin cooking, remove the meat from the brine and pat dry and place on a baking dish or platter until ready to use.

Coating and Baking The Rabbit

If you grew up in the 1970's like I did, you probably remember a product called 'Shake and Bake', which can still be found on supermarket shelves, but is not marketed as much as it was back when I was younger, so if you have not heard of it that's okay. Because this blog is all about saving money, I have my own recipe for homemade 'Shake and Bake' which can be found on my blog at http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Shake%20And%20Bake. If you do not want to make your own Shake and Bake at this time, then by all means try out the commercial version to see what you think, you can always make your own later.

Oven Fried Rabbit

1 recipe all-purpose brine

1 cup homemade shake and bake mix

6 to 8 rabbit hind quarters

salt and pepper to taste

Brine rabbit overnight.

When ready to cook the rabbit, remove from the brine and pat dry and place in baking pan or corning ware dish. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Pour shake and bake mix into a 1 gallon zip lock bag and set aside. Lightly salt and pepper the hind quarters, and add them one at a time to the zip lock bag and lightly the bag to ensure that the meat is throughly coated with the breading mix. Once coated place the rabbit in a baking dish sprayed with non-stick coating, and repeat the same process until you have all of the pieces coated with the shake and bake mix.

Cover the dish and bake the rabbit for 70 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for another 20 minutes to crisp up the coating. Now you may be able to cut the cooking time down by increasing the temperature, but I cook the rabbit at a lower temperature and for a longer amount of time to keep it from drying out. For example, you would typically cook chicken at 400 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, however chicken is not as lean as rabbit. Feel free to experiment with the time and temperatures, and post a comment here, I would like to hear about your results. As always, I hope that you have found this article informative and beneficial for you and your family, if so please take the time to share it with your friends so that the can benefit as well.

Additional Resources

'Brining, Adds Flavor and Juiciness to Chicken, Turkey, and Rabbit' at http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Brine, August 12, 2015.

'It's Shake and Bake and I helped...Sorta' http://culinaryyou.blogspot.com/search/label/Shake%20And%20Bake, August 13, 2015.