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Cajun Blackened Chicken Frittata

After a dinner trip to Popeye’s for some Cajun style dinner the wheels started turning to figure out how to make my dinner into a quiche. The flavors should work so off we went looking for portioning and trying to figure out how to get the right spices into the chicken. And of course we included Red Beans and Rice into this because that is one of the best Cajun sides. All this combines to make this a very tasty Cajun Blackened Chicken Frittata.

Cajun Blackened Chicken frittata
Cajun Blackened Chicken Frittata
This took some research and testing to get the flavors close to the original. And had to come up with a similar seasoning that would taste like the little flavor packs that most people don’t know are available at Popeye’s. Or you could just get a dinner there and ask them to throw in a bunch of extra Cajun Sparkle packets. Personally, I think the Sparkle makes this dish, but it could also be the Red Beans and Rice. Who am I kidding, it’s the Blackened Chicken. We made this frittata style, but you could also use a buttermilk biscuit style crust to make this a quiche. If we ever get that perfected, we’ll add this to the recipes.

Ingredients

Cajun Sparkle

  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Sage (ground)
  • 1/2 tsp Paprika
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Accent Flavor Enhancer (Optional)

Filling

  • 1/2 lb Chicken Breast
  • 3/4 Cup Buttermilk
  • 3 Tbsp Tabasco Sauce
  • 4 Tbsp Zatarains Blackened Seasoning
  • 8 oz canned Red Beans (about half a can)
  • 1/4 Cup finely chopped Andouille Sausage
  • 1/2 Cup Cooked Rice
  • 1 tsp Butter
  • 1/4 chopped Onion
  • /4 Cup finely shredded Mozzarella Cheese

The Rest

  • 1 – 9 inch Pie Pan
  • 1 Tbsp Butter
  • 1/4 Cup chopped Green Onion or Chives
  • 1 – 2 Tbsp Cajun Sparkle (to taste, how strong to you want your Cajun flavor)
  • 1/4 Cup shredded Smoked Gouda
  • 4 large Eggs
  • 3 oz. Greek Yogurt
  • 1/4 Cup Half and Half

Preparation

You can make the Cajun Sparkle anytime before making this dish and store it for later use. The portioning makes a little more than 2 Tbsp of the seasoning, which is the amount you’ll need, so you can combine all of the Cajun Sparkle ingredients above and put this into a spice container for storage. Also, if you don’t like MSG you should leave out the Accent, as it’s mostly MSG.

To prepare the chicken you’ll need to start at least 24 hours before you’ll need the chicken to be cooked as this needs to marinate for 24 hours. Prepare the marinate by mixing the Buttermilk and Tabasco Sauce in a bowl. Chop up the chicken into 1/2 inch cubes and place in the marinate. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Prepare a cooking sheet by lining with foil and then either using a light cooking spray or oil coating to keep the chicken from sticking to the foil. Then heat a skillet over high heat. When the skillet shimmers, take the marinated chicken chunks out of the marinate and roll in the Blackening Seasoning. Knock off the excess so that each chunk is evenly coated.  Immediately place the chunks into the skillet for about 2 minutes turning the chunks about every 30 seconds. When they have a little char around the edges, transfer to the cooking sheet and place in the oven for another 5 – 7 minutes. Remove when done and set aside until ready for final assembly.

To prepare the Red Beans and Rice, you’ll need to mix the half can of Red Beans with the Andouille and Onion and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes over medium high heat to reduce the liquids and mix the flavors together. You can even add a pinch or two of the Cajun Sparkle while this is cooking. When thick like a gravy, reduce heat and allow to cool. Properly store until ready for final assembly.

The only thing remaining is to prepare the rice. Simply prepare it by the instructions on the box and add in 1 tsp butter when it’s done and thoroughly mix in. Store this separately until ready for final assembly.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Coat the pan with the butter. Layer in the rice just so that it makes an even layer in the bottom of the pan. Then in a mixing bowl mix together the Green Onion, Mozzarella and the Blackened Chicken chunks. After you get them thoroughly mixed, then place them on top of the rice in the pan. In a mixing bowl combine the Eggs, Yogurt, Half and Half and Sparkly and whisk together for about 3 -4 minutes to thoroughly mix. Then gently add the Red Beans to the egg mixture mix thoroughly. Pour this mixture over the chicken and rice in the pie pan and top with the shredded Gouda cheese. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes or until the cheese is a golden brown. Remove from the oven as it’s ready to serve or pack it up for the rink.

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Crispy Street Taco Frittata

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Crispy Potato and Chorizo Frittata
Crispy Potato and Chorizo Street Taco Frittata

Trying to get a little more crunch into the meats and fillings of the frittata, we found this method works fairly good.  It’s normally used to make street tacos, but it serves the purpose here of making the taco style filling a little crisper and the bonus is that it also adds a little extra flavor too, at least that is what the Heathens that finished it off so quickly said.  Maybe they were just hungry after a 2 hour skate.

This works because par-cooking potatoes in water with a little vinegar helps them crisp more when fried in hot oil or fat.  This also works best if prepared in a cast iron skillet.

Also cooking Chorizo past where you think it’s ready makes it crisper, better browned, tastier end results.

You could also top with a few corn chips or slices of avocado to dress this up even more.

Serves: 16 – 22 (2 frittatas)

Ingredients

  • 3/4 lb Russet Potatoes, cubed to 1/2-inch (2 large potatoes)
  • 3 Tbsp Kosher Salt, divided
  • 2 Tbsp Peruvian Chile Lime Seasoning
  • 2 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp White Vinegar
  • 8 Tbsp Vegetable Oil, divided (I recommend Avocado Oil)
  • 2 lb fresh Chorizo
  • 1 White Onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped
  • 1/2 cup favorite Green Chile Salsa
  • 1/4 cup Lime juice
  • 1 cup Cheese, either Queso Freso, Cojito or a “Mexican Blend”, shredded
  • Base Quiche Mix with the addition of 2 Eggs and 1/4 pt Half and Half
  • 2 pie pans

Preparation

First thing to do is clean and cube the potatoes.  Add them into a large pot and cover with water until all of the potatoes are underwater by 1/2 inch.  Heat on High heat until boiling, then add 2 tablespoons of Kosher Salt, and the White Vinegar.  Set a timer for 5 minutes.  When that is done, drain and strain the Potatoes in the sink, allowing them to dry out a bit.  When they are almost dry, sprinkle liberally with 2 tablespoons Chile Lime Seasoning and 1 tablespoon of Ground Pepper, shaking to make sure all sides get a little of the coating.

In a large skillet, preferably a cast iron skillet, over high heat add 4 tablespoons of Oil and heat until it starts to smoke.  Then carefully add in the seasoned potatoes and shake to distribute evenly in the skillet.  Continue cooking, tossing and stirring occasionally, until browned and crispy on all sides.  This should take about 15 minutes.  Remove and set aside, drying on a paper towel until final assembly, refrigerating if that is more than 1 hour away.

Again in a large skillet, cast iron is better, over high heat add the remaining Oil and heat until it starts to smoke.  Then carefully add in the Chorizo, breaking it up into about 1/2 inch sized chunks.  Cook this until you think it is fully cooked.  Then continue cooking, stirring and tossing frequently, until all the liquid, except the fat the breaks out, has has boiled off.  The Chorizo is sizzling and well-browned, about 15 minutes.  Remove and allow the remaining grease to drain off on to a paper towel.  Set aside until final assembly, following the refrigeration rule above.

Whenever you have time during the above process, you should chop up the remaining Onion and Cilantro and reserve until final assembly.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Add a thin coating of Oil to the pans.  In a large mixing bowl, mix together the Chorizo, Potatoes and Onion.  Spread this mixture evenly into the pie pans.  Prepare the Base Quiche Mix, and add the 2 extra Eggs and 1/4 pint of Half and Half to the Mix.  Then add in the Salsa and Lime Juice and continue whisking until fully mixed and fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Slowly pour this equally over each filling making sure to fully coat all the filling.  Top with the Cheese equally to each and then sprinkle with the Cilantro.  Place in the oven and cook for 35 – 40 minutes, until the Cheese is turning golden brown.  Remove and serve, or pack up to take to the rink.

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Sriracha Bacon Cheese Burger Frittata

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Sriracha Bacon Cheese Burger Frittata
Sriracha Bacon Cheese Burger Frittata

We are seeing all these fancy designer burgers making it out from the specialty burger shops to the fast food joints.  Some are pretty good, so we had to get in on the action.  Making a batch of bacon with a Honey Sriracha sauce coating, got this one going.  We made this using the original cheese burger style quiche but added in the fancy bacon and a few other choice ingredients.

Ingredients

Honey Sriracha Bacon

  • 1 pkg Thick Sliced Bacon (at least 12 slices)
  • 4 Tbsp Honey
  • 6 Tbsp Sriracha
  • 2 Tbsp Soy
  • 2 tsp ground Black Pepper

The Rest

  • 1 – 1/2 lb Ground Beef, 80/20 is best
  • 1 medium White Onion, chopped
  • 1 Egg
  • 2 tsp Black Pepper, ground
  • 1 tsp Sea Salt, ground
  • 1/4 cup Green Onion, chopped
  • 1 large Beefsteak Tomato, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Blue Cheese Dressing
  • 6 Tbsp Sriracha
  • 1 – 1/2 cup Swiss Cheese, shredded
  • Base Quiche Mix, with 2 extra Eggs
  • 2 pie pans

Preparation

Honey Sriracha Bacon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a small pot over medium heat, mix together the Honey, Sriracha and Soy Sauce and bring to a slight boil for 2 minutes.  Stirring the whole time.  Lower the heat to keep warm.  On a baking tray lined with foil, place a baking grill and then cover with slices of bacon laid with a little overlap between slices.  Then brush the top side liberally with the honey sriracha sauce.  Place in the oven for 10 – 15 minutes, keeping an eye on it so that the top is just starting to turn dark brown.  Remove, drain the grease and flip the bacon over.  Then brush the bacon again with the honey sriracha sauce.  Return to the oven for another 10 15 minutes, making sure that you don’t burn it.  Remove, drain and allow to cool.  When cooled chop into 1/2 inch pieces.  Refrigerate until final assembly.

The Rest

In a large mixing bowl, mix the Ground Beef, Chopped White Onion, Egg, Pepper and Salt together thoroughly.  If there is any Honey Sriracha Sauce left, mix that in too, just for fun.  Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Now would be a good time to chop up the Green Onion and Tomato and put them in separate container and refrigerate until final assembly.

You can finish the burgers by either pan frying or fire grilling.  I prefer the grilling method, but both are done on high heat.  When your ready, take the meat out of the refrigerator and form into patties just like you would for making burgers.  Cook these until medium well, no pink inside and a little char on the outside.  Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.  Then chop them up into smaller chunks, or hand tear them up, no larger than 3/4 inch.  Refrigerate until final assembly.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line the pie pan with either a thin coating of olive oil or coconut oil.  Mix into the pans equal amounts of the bacon, hamburger and tomato.  Add in a little of the shredded Swiss Cheese as well.  Prepare the base quiche mix, with 2 extra Eggs, and add in the Blue Cheese Dressing and 6 tablespoons of Sriracha.  Mix this thoroughly with a whisk and gently pour over the ingredients in the pie pans.  Top with the remaining Swiss Cheese and Green Onions.  Cook in the oven for 30 -40 minutes, until the cheese starts to brown.  Remove and either serve or pack it away for the rink.

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Lasagna Frittata

Lasagna Frittata
Lasagna Frittata

Almost every hockey player knows that one of the best recovery foods is comprised of either beef or chicken, tomatoes and pasta.  If you’ve ever been around a game that goes to multiple overtime periods, you’ll find trays of meaty lasagna or other meaty pastas being devoured by the players in the overtime intermissions.  So why not make a quiche.  Here is and update to the original Lasagna Quiche from the Real Men DO Eat Quiche cookbook.  This actually makes mini-lasagna in each pie pan, instead of what we came up with before.

Serves: 16 – 22 (2 Quiches)

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Hamburger
  • 1 lb Italian Sausage
  • 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
  • 1 large Onion, finely chopped
  • 1 Shallot, finely chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 Tbsp Pepper
  • 1 Tbsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 2 cups Porcini Mushrooms (chopped)
  • 1 cup Spaghetti or Bolognese Sauce (pick your favorite)
  • 12 pieces of Lasagne Pasta
  • Base Quiche Mix
  • 6 tsp Butter
  • 2 Pie Pans
  • 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded

Preparation

In a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat add the Olive Oil.  When the oil is hot, add in the Onions, Shallots and Garlic and stir.  After about 2 minutes add in the Pepper, Salt and Cinnamon and continue to stir until the onions are soft and translucent, about 2 minutes more.  Add in the Beef and Sausage and raise the heat to high.  Continue cooking this until the meat is just starting to brown, about 5 – 10 minutes.  Add in the mushrooms and continue cooking for another 5 – 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  You’ll know your done, when the meat is starting to get a crisp browning and the mushrooms have soaked up most of the grease.  Remove and stain to reduce the grease.  If you want you can use the grease later in the Spaghetti Sauce and Base Quiche Mix to add flavor, I don’t because this makes a greasy quiche.  Put the strained mixture in a container and refrigerate until final assembly.

Although I’m told that some Lasagne Pasta doesn’t need to be cooked first, I cook it by the instructions anyway.  Instead of cooking these in a large pot with a lot of water, I’ve taken to using a skillet or large pot with just enough water to cover the pasta.  To the water I add a dash of Olive Oil and Salt.  Then when the water is boiling, add in the pasta and cook for about 6 – 8 minutes.  This is a little faster and uses a whole lot less water.  Strain the water out and put the pasta back in the hot pot and add in 4 teaspoons of butter and make sure this is all melted and fully coating the pasta.  If you need to add a little heat to get this done.  Transfer the pasta to a container and refrigerate until final assembly.  If you want to you can line your pie pans with 1 teaspoon of butter each and refrigerate.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Prepare the Base Quiche Mix in a large mixing bowl as you normally would.  Add in the Spaghetti or Bolognese Sauce and continue to whisk for an additional 3 minutes.

Place one layer of pasta in the bottom of each pie pan.  Then spoon in a layer of the meat mixture.  Slowly add the eggs/sauce mixture to form a layer.  Top this is a thin layer of the shredded cheeses.  And repeat this step until almost to the top edge of the pie pans.  Three layers is usually enough.  Top the last layer with all of the remaining cheese.

Place in the oven and cook for 30 – 40 minutes.  Keep an eye on the cheese so that you don’t burn it, but a little browning makes for a good flavor.  Remove from the oven and either serve or pack it up for the rink.

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Thanksgiving Frittata

Southwestern Thanksgiving Frittata
Southwestern Thanksgiving Frittata

This Thanksgiving themed frittata offers a Southwestern flair. Inspired by the favorite fruit of Southwest, yes Chile Peppers are technically considered fruit.  Some of us have slightly different traditions for Thanksgiving meals that are spiced up with Green Chile.  The “normal” Thanksgiving dinner in my house is actually Green Turkey Enchiladas, but that is a different story.

Serves 16 – 22 (2 frittatas)

Ingredients

  • 1 lb of Roast Turkey Breast (Try a Rotisserie Turkey, to have some extra for your Enchiladas)
  • 8 slices of good quality Bacon, chopped
  • 4 cloves of Garlic, chopped
  • 4 – 6 roasted and cleaned NM Big Jim or Anaheim Green Chile Peppers (more = hotter)
  • 1 cup Turkey Dressing
  • 3 Tbsp canned Cranberry Sauce
  • Base Quiche Mix
  • 1 cup Queso Fresco Cheese, shredded
  • 2 Pie Pans

Preparation

Rather than deal with a whole Turkey, I pulled 1 lb of breast meat off of a medium sized Rotisserie Turkey.  This is the best way to go, as these turkeys are really good.  In a skillet over medium high heat cook the Bacon until starting to get crispy.  Remove and drain on a paper towel.  Store these two ingredients separately until final assembly, refrigerating if more than an 1 hour away.

Before you take the skillet off the heat and drain the grease, put the Garlic in the skillet and cook until it starts to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove from the skillet and allow to drain for a couple of minutes on some paper towels.  Drop these into a food processor or blender with the Green Chile Peppers and Cranberry Sauce.   Blend this up to make a good Salsa.

Prepare the Turkey Dressing as directed on the package and reserve till final assembly.

Final Assembly and Cooking

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Put a light coating of oil or butter on the bottom of the pie pans.  Take the Turkey and Dressing and combine them in a large mixing bowl.  Make sure that it’s still a bit chunky.  Place equal amounts of this mixture into the two pie pans.  Then top that with the Bacon chunks and Cheese.  Then prepare the base quiche mix and add the Salsa into the mix while your whisking the eggs.  When done slowly pour over each pan, while continuing to mix to keep the Salsa evenly distributed between the pans.  Move the pans to the oven and bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the top starts to brown.  Remove from oven and either prepare to serve or take it to the rink.