Celebrating Memorial Day with Stoli Vodka! Grilled Honey Orange Chicken Skewers w/ Cucumber-Orange-Cilantro Salsa | Honey Orange Blossom Cocktails
There’s no better time than Memorial Day weekend to break out the grill and cook up some tasty BBQ to celebrate the beginning of Summer! I had the opportunity to create some recipes with Stoli Vodka for the holiday and decided to make Grilled Honey Orange Chicken Skewers with a Cucumber Orange Cilantro Salsa – a savory and light dish with tons of flavor and a hit of refreshment from the oranges and cucumbers. I used Stoli Ohranj (Orange flavor) and Stoli Sticki (Honey flavor) in both the chicken marinade and my delicious Honey Orange Blossom Cocktails.
The cocktails are made with a shot of each Stoli vodka flavor, honey, orange blossom water, vanilla extract, and organic lemon infused sparkling spring water, garnished with fresh orange slices and edible flowers. It’s light and refreshing with just a dash of honey and orange to cool your palette. It reminds me of a Creamsicle (remember those??) – the perfect treat for a hot Summer day.
I hope you enjoy the recipes and have an amazing Memorial Day weekend with family and friends..as for me, I’m hitting the beach for a dose of sunshine and R&R!
Ingredients
- Honey Orange Chicken:
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Stoli Ohranj vodka
- 1 tablespoon Stoli Sticki vodka
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cloves garlic, minced fine
- 6 chives, minced fine
- ½ teaspoon grated orange zest
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ red onion, cut into large chunks
- 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, cut into large chunks
- Cucumber-Orange-Cilantro Salsa:
- ½ large orange, chopped fine
- ½ cucumber, diced fine
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
- 6 chives, minced fine
- 1/2 jalapeno, minced fine
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Honey Orange Chicken:
- Cut chicken into large chunks and set aside.
- Soak wooden skewers in water for at least an hour before using (or simply use metal skewers to make your life easier).
- Combine next 11 ingredients (orange juice through S&P) in a large mixing bowl, add chicken and let marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes up to 2 hours.
- Remove chicken from fridge and let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.
- Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
- Thread marinated chicken, red onion and bell peppers onto skewers (should make at least 4 large or 5 medium skewers).
- Grill chicken skewers about 10-12 minutes until cooked through (internal temperature should read 165 degrees), turning once.
- Serve with Cucumber-Orange-Cilantro and grilled pita or flatbread and Stoli Honey Orange Blossom Cocktails.
- Cucumber-Orange-Cilantro Salsa:
- In a medium mixing bowl, add diced cucumber, orange pieces, fresh cilantro, chives and diced jalapeno.
- Add olive oil and vinegar, and S&P to taste, mixing thoroughly.
- Serve on top of grilled chicken skewers or on the side.
Ingredients
- 1 shot Stoli Ohranj vodka
- 1 shot Stoli Sticki vodka
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon Orange blossom water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 10.5 fl oz Sparkling lemon spring water
- Orange slices, for garnish
- Edible flowers, for garnish
Instructions
- Add vodka, honey, orange blossom water and vanilla into a cocktail shaker and mix together with a tall spoon.
- Add ice and sparkling lemon spring water and close lid securely.
- Shake gently until mixed together.
- Serve in cocktail glasses over ice, garnish with orange wedges and edible flowers.
About Stoli Vodka
Stoli Sticki has hints of honey and herb flavors, slightly sweet and floral.
Stoli Ohranj has a bright orange flavor of orange zest and varied flavors such as mandarin, kumquat and tangerine with a hint of lemon.
The two mixed together are the perfect combination for my BBQ marinade and refreshing cocktails!
Find out more about Stoli Vodka
Become a fan on Stoli’s Facebook page
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This is a sponsored post created for Stoli Vodka – I received samples of Stoli product for purposes of sampling and creating recipes and photographs for the Stoli brand. All opinions, recipes, ideas and photographs are my own, copyright © 2013 Kristen Hess/The Artful Gourmet.
Please do not share or use images without my expressed permission. If you want to share this post on social media, feel free, as long as you credit the story and recipes and photos to Kristen Hess/The Artful Gourmet and provide a link back to the original story on my website. Thanks!
Savor Stoli Responsibly. STOLICHNAYA® Premium Vodka. 40%
Alc/Vol. Distilled from grain. William Grant & Sons, Inc. New York, NY. © 2012 Spirits International, B.V
Citrus Honey Soy Chicken with Toasted Almond Farro
Tuscan Fields, provider of organic, Italian farro, is offering a scholarship to this spring’s Eat Write Retreat food bloggers conference in Philadelphia. They sent some of their delicious samples to me to create a farro recipe for a chance to win a scholarship to the conference this year!
If farro is new to you, you’ll love discovering this ancient grain made of 100% organic semi-pearled farro. It has a mellow, nutty taste, a pleasing “al dente” texture when cooked, and offers loads of nutrients in each bite. Plus, it’s versatile enough to elevate side dishes, salads, soups and main courses to culinary excellence. You can use farro in place of white or brown rice, couscous or pasta and pair it with roasted vegetables, meats and poultry or make a fresh spring salad with farro as your whole grain base, layered with vegetables, fruit or fresh herbs tossed in a vinaigrette dressing.
I decided to create a recipe for Citrus Honey Soy Chicken with Toasted Almond Farro – made with stir-fried chicken marinated in honey, soy sauce, orange juice, garlic, sriracha hot sauce, ponzu sauce, white pepper, black and white sesame seeds, and water chestnuts topped with green onion, fresh orange slices and toasted almonds over a bed of cooked farro. The sauce has a sweet and tangy zing that pairs great with the nutty farro and toasted crunchy almonds. The fresh orange slices give it a fresh and healthy twist.
I am lovin’ this grain – and plan to come up with some other cool recipes to make with it!
Learn more about Tuscan Fields Farro
Learn more about Eat Write Retreat food bloggers conference
Ingredients
- CITRUS HONEY CHICKEN
- 1/4 cup organic wildflower honey
- freshly squeezed juice from half of a large navel orange (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon citrus Ponzu sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha (asian hot sauce)
- 1/2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon black and white sesame seeds
- White pepper, freshly ground, to taste
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 can water chestnuts, diced
- 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into medium-size chunks
- TOASTED ALMOND FARRO
- 1 box Tuscan Fields Organic Farro Perlato
- 1 orange, peeled and sectioned
- 1/2 cup almonds, toasted
- 2 green onion, sliced for garnish
Instructions
- CITRUS HONEY CHICKEN WITH TOASTED ALMOND FARRO
- To make the Citrus Honey marinade, add the first ten ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir together well.
- Add the chicken pieces, stirring to coat, then cover with plastic wrap and let marinate in the refrigerator for up to one hour.
- Meanwhile, rinse farro in a colander under cold water and then cook in salted boiling water for approximately 20 minutes, drain and set aside.
- Toast almonds in a saute pan over medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until lightly browned.
- Peel and section oranges and slice the green onions.
- Once chicken is done marinating, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add the water chestnuts and saute for a few minutes.
- Remove chicken pieces from marinade, shaking off extra sauce and set marinade aside (do not discard).
- Add chicken to the saute pan and cook for approximately 8-10 minutes until chicken is no longer pink and starts to brown.
- Pour the reserved marinade into the pan with the chicken and water chestnuts and stir thoroughly, cook for another few minutes on medium-low heat to let the sauce thicken a little bit.
- To serve, make a bed of farro on to each dinner plate. Top with the chicken and water chestnut sauce mixture.
- Garnish with toasted almonds, sliced green onions, fresh orange slices, and additional white pepper to taste.
All photographs, copy and content on this website are copyrighted © 2010-2013 by Kristen Hess/The Artful Gourmet. Please do not use, share or distribute without expressed permission from me first. Thanks!
Read MoreRochester-Style Chicken French & Lemon Broccolini
Rochester-Style Chicken French & Lemon Broccolini
This is an amazing dish that is popular in my hometown in Upstate Rochester, NY. The Italian-American immigrants first introduced this dish in NYC and then migrated Upstate. The recipe stems from the French Veal Francaise or Chicken Francaise dish, which uses lightly-floured thin veal or chicken cutlets, which are then coated with a parsley-parmesan cheese-egg mixture and sauteed until golden brown. The luscious sauce is made with garlic, butter, lemon, white wine or sherry, and parsley which is served over the top of the golden brown chicken. I decided to serve this with steamed broccolini, a Chinese broccoli that is similar to Broccoli Rabe, and topped it with the lemon butter sauce and an extra splash of fresh lemon juice for a light and healthy dinner.
This dish has a lovely tangy and buttery flavor with the lemon, wine and garlic, and the flour coating is super light as I made it with an ultra-fine flour (Wegman’s Pan-Searing Flour) or you could use Wondra, then seasoned it with salt and pepper and a hint of cayenne. If you want to use sherry instead of a white wine, this will give you a sweeter flavor to the sauce. I made my sauce with a Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which is light and fruity and gives it a nice semi-sweet tangy flavor.
Serve the chicken and broccolini with some crusty french bread or some pasta (with more lemon-butter sauce, parmesan cheese and parsley over the top!) and a glass of white wine. Enjoy!
Mince the parsley for the egg, cheese and parsley mix.
Prep the wet and dry ingredients to dip the chicken in (flour first, egg-cheese-parsley mixture second).
Saute the chicken in olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat for approx. 6 minutes on one side.
Flip chicken over and saute another 6 minutes until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside, covered in a foil tent.
Saute minced garlic for 1-2 minutes.
Add wine, scraping up brown bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil.
Add broth and lemon juice and let cook for approx. 5-7 minutes to reduce liquid by half. Stir in cold butter and red pepper flakes.
Return chicken to the pan and bring to a boil, simmering for another 5-10 minutes to let liquid reduce further and infuse flavors in the chicken. Throw in some extra chopped parsley. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Insert steamer basket with broccolini and steam covered for about 5 minutes.
Remove cover and let cook over boiling water for another 5 minutes or so, until broccolini is fork tender but still bright green.
Plate the chicken and broccolini and spoon the lemon-wine-garlic butter sauce over the top of both. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
Garnish with fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley.
Enjoy with a glass of white wine and some crusty Italian bread or pasta (with some of that luscious buttery-lemon-wine sauce over the top).
Bon appetit!
This is an amazing dish that is popular in my hometown in Upstate Rochester, NY. The Italian-American immigrants first introduced this dish in NYC and then migrated Upstate. The recipe stems from the French Veal Francaise or Chicken Francaise dish, which uses lightly-floured thin veal or chicken cutlets, which are then coated with a parsley-parmesan cheese-egg mixture and sauteed until golden brown.
The luscious sauce is made with garlic, butter, lemon, white wine or sherry, and parsley which is served over the top of the golden brown chicken. I decided to serve this with steamed broccolini, a Chinese broccoli that is similar to Broccoli Rabe, and then topped it with the lemon butter sauce for a fresh and healthy Sunday dinner. It has a lovely tangy and buttery flavor with the lemon, wine and garlic, and the coating is super light as I made it with an ultra-fine flour (Wegman's Pan-Searing Flour) or you could use Wondra, or a regular flour then season it with salt and pepper and a hint of cayenne.
If you want to use sherry instead of a white wine, this will also give you a sweeter flavor to the sauce. I made this with a Marlborough New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which is light and fruity and gives it a nice semi-sweet tangy flavor.
Ingredients
- CHICKEN FRENCH:
- 1/4 cup olive oil/canola oil blend for sauteing (I used Colavita Garlic Oil Blend)
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets
- 2-3 eggs
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Dash of cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 cup of superfine flour (Pan Searing flour or Wondra)
- 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine or sherry
- 1 cup chicken broth
- Juice from 1 1/2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
- Lemon wedges, for garnish
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
- LEMON BROCCOLINI:
- 1 bunch broccolini, trimmed
Instructions
- CHICKEN FRENCH:
- Heat oil in a large non-stick saute pan over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, whisk together eggs, cheese, salt and pepper, cayenne and fresh parsley in a large mixing bowl.
- Place flour in another flat bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Rinse and pat dry chicken breasts, then dredge each one in flour first (left hand), then egg mixture (right hand).
- Place chicken into the heated saute pan and cook for 6 minutes on one side. Flip chicken over and saute for another 6 minutes until golden brown.
- Remove from pan and set aside, covered with a foil tent.
- In the same skillet, saute the minced garlic for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to burn.
- Add the wine and bring liquid to a boil over high heat, scraping up the brown bits in the pan.
- Pour in the chicken broth and lemon juice and red pepper flakes (if using) and let reduce by half, another 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in the butter and whisk until it melts.
- Add chicken back into the pan with the sauce and let simmer another 5-10 minutes.
- Place chicken on serving plate with the steamed broccolini and spoon lemon butter sauce over the top of both.
- Garnish with lemon wedges and additional chopped parsley if desired.
- LEMON BROCCOLINI:
- Steam broccolini for about 5 minutes, covered. Remove lid and steam for another 5 minutes until fork tender but still bright green.
- Top broccolini with Lemon Butter sauce, additional lemon, salt and pepper to taste.
Other recipes you may enjoy:
Closet Cooking’s Chicken Piccata
Martha Stewart’s Chicken Paillards in Lemon Butter Sauce
Read MorePot of Gold: Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Mom’s Chicken Noodle Soup
I love coming home for the holidays, not only to spend some quality time with family and friends but for some of Mom’s cooking! With all this crazy weather lately I haven’t been feeling so hot and of course, just in time for Thanksgiving. I flew home to stay with my parents earlier this week, and Mom had the perfect remedy – a big ol’ pot of her homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. I could smell the delicious golden aroma brewing on the stovetop the second I walked in the door and knew I was home.
My Grandmother used to make this recipe with a secret ingredient called George Washington Golden Seasoning, a powdered chicken soup base with chicken fat and seasonings that gives an extra savory, golden chicken-y flavor to the soup broth, developed by a distant relative of George Washington. I’m not sure if this is even around anymore, but my Mom uses Lisa Marie chicken base (a brand from Syracuse, NY). If you can’t find this brand, use a few tablespoons of any quality chicken bouillon or chicken soup base to bump up the flavor of the chicken broth – you can find plenty of these at your grocery store or at Amazon online. Make sure to add plenty of fresh veggies (carrots, celery and onion) and let the soup simmer to it’s shimmering, golden delicious state for at least a few hours to let the flavors meld.
One tip: we always keep the egg noodles and cooked, pulled chicken separate from the broth to avoid the broth getting cloudy – this also ensures the noodles don’t get soggy and you are left with an absolute pure and delicious golden broth that will warm your bones and lift your spirits.
All I can say is three words: Pot. Of. Gold.
Ingredients
- 1 (5-6 pound) whole stewing chicken
- Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 tablespoons Chicken Soup Base seasoning (or quality chicken bouillon)
- 4 carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds
- 4 stalks celery, halved length-wise, sliced thin
- 2 small onion, diced
- 1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped, for garnish
- 1 package dried wide egg noodles
Instructions
- Wash and drain chicken, put in large soup kettle. Cover with water, heat to a boil.
- Remove scum before complete boiling starts and add seasonings.
- Let simmer until chicken is half cooked, about 1 hour.
- Add vegetables and cook until tender, another 2 hours.
- Remove chicken and take all white and dark meat off the bone, set aside in a separate bowl.
- Boil noodles separately according to package directions and drain.
- Ladle soup broth over chicken and noodles, garnish with fresh parsley and additional salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve with crackers or fresh crusty bread.
Notes
This recipe makes a double batch which serves 8-10. Cut recipe in half for a smaller crowd.
Other Chicken Soup recipes you may enjoy:
Pioneer Woman’s Chunky Chicken Soup
How Sweet Eats Healthy Harvest Soup
Kalyn’s Kitchen Chicken Barley Soup
Tyler Florence’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Ina Garten’s Chicken Noodle Soup
Read MoreCrunchy Chicken Fajita Wraps w/ Habanero-Green Chile & Pepper Jack Cream
Crunchy Chicken Fajita Wraps w/ Habanero, Green Chile-Pepper Jack Cream
This is an easy, tasty dish I whipped up the other night that is a spin on Chicken Fajitas. The main difference being that these have a crunchy, toasted tortilla that you eat the Fajitas on – either flat like a pizza, rolled up like a burrito or wrap, or folded in half like a big taco. I kicked up the heat a little bit by adding some green chiles, hot Indian red pepper (which is like Cayenne but hotter!), sliced jalapenos, and made a spicy Habanero, Green Chile and Pepper Jack sour cream to give it some more flavor and heat. The dip mixes I bought from a company called Gourmet Creations at the Corn Hill Arts Festival Upstate NY. You can also purchase their seasonings online, or flavor the sour cream with anything you like – a regular onion dip or veggie dip mix would work too. What I love about the mixes from Gourmet Creations is that they are all gluten-free, and are handmade with all natural dried ingredients and they can be used not only for dips and sauces, but to use as spice rubs on fish, veggies, poultry and meat, and they make excellent herb butters, too. I bought about 10 different flavors from them – sooo good!
Now, I’m a total spice-head and LOVE spicy food so if you aren’t interested in making the Fajita Wraps hot, just omit the Indian or Cayenne Red pepper, hot sauce, jalapenos and serve with regular sour cream and cilantro. Another idea if you want a more grilled flavor, is you can grill the chicken and corn first and then add it to the sauteed peppers, onions, chiles and Fajita mix. You can even char the green chiles over a grill or gas flame if you want to get super fancy! This requires a little more time and effort but anything grilled adds a nice charred smoky flavor to the dish.
I recommend a Spanish or Mexican rice to go with the Fajitas, and a smashing Margarita to make it official and douse the flames. Enjoy.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1/2 large or 1 small-med sweet onion, sliced thin
- 1 pound chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips
- 1 packet of Fajita seasoning
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh or 1 can green chiles (mild)
- 1 cup corn kernels (fresh or frozen, cooked)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper (cayenne or hot Indian red pepper)
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4-6 large tortillas (corn, whole wheat, flour - whatever you prefer)
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1/2 package Habanero-Chile dip mix
- 1/2 package Monterey Jack dip mix
- Dash of hot sauce, (optional, for garnish)
- Cilantro, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute peppers and onions for about 5-6 minutes until soft and onions are translucent. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add additional tablespoon of oil to skillet and saute chicken until browned about 6-8 minutes. Add water and Fajita mix and stir together with chicken. Return sauteed peppers and onions to the same pan.
- Add green chiles, cooked corn, fresh ground black pepper, red pepper or cayenne and lower heat to a simmer. Cook ingredients for another 5-10 minutes on low to heat through, allowing sauce to thicken and flavors to blend together.
- Heat another large skillet over medium-high and add 1 teaspoon of oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Cook tortillas, one at a time in skillet for about 1-2 minutes, flipping each side, until crunchy and browned. You may also heat the tortillas up in a 400 degree oven for about 5-7 minutes or so if you prefer.
- Mix 1/2 package Habanero-Green Chile seasoning mix and 1/2 package Monterey Jack seasoning mix into a medium bowl with 1 cup of sour cream. You can also make the seasoned sour cream mix ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to serve (recommended as the flavors blend better the more they sit!). Another cool idea is to chop up some Chipotle peppers and add these with some Adobo sauce to the sour cream, or even just some extra taco seasoning, or pureed cilantro if you like a cooler creamy topping.
- Serve tortillas with Chicken Fajita mixture; top with Habanero-Green Chile & Pepper Jack cream, sliced jalapenos, a dash of hot sauce and chopped cilantro, if desired.
- You can roll these up like a burrito or wrap, put the Fajita mixture on top of a flat crunchy tortilla like a pizza or tostada, or fold it in half and eat like a big Chicken Taco! Any way you serve it, it's delicious! Enjoy.
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About Me
Kristen Hess is a NYC-based food stylist and photographer, writer.
Her professional background is in advertising, design and creative direction, marketing and social media for many well-known food and beverage brands.
She is passionate about food and travel, art and design, photography, theatre and film and all things creative.
Food Styling & Photography Portfolio: http://www.kristenhess.com Search
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