Community service has gone to the birds. Or, for some critics, at least the Chicago legal system has after a judge told a defendant he could either do 100 hours community service or bring him some jerk chicken.
When Darrius Logan plead guilty to misdemeanor battery and criminal trespass charges in August, he told Associate Judge Robert Livas that he'd already worked 100 unpaid "community service" hours at Uncle Joe's Jerk Chicken, a South Side Chicago Jamaican restaurant chain. The judge told him to come back in two months with proof he'd completed the community service elsewhere or to bring back enough chicken to feed the court room, the Chicago Tribune reports.
"If you walk in with enough chicken to feed everybody, I'll accept these community service hours," Livas said, according to court transcripts from Aug. 4 obtained by the Tribune. "If you don't, I'm not taking any of them."
Few of us want to make a complicated lasagna for solo dining -- by day six, you'll never want to see lasagna again! In this series, AOL Food staffer Sarah LeTrent taste-tests simple recipes suitable for a "table for one."
The time-honored Italian dish, saltimbocca, traditionally calls for veal cutlets, but the classic is easier and more practical for singletons to make with commonplace chicken breasts.
Saltimbocca, roughly translated, means to "jump into your mouth" -- and with thin slices of chicken wrapped in savory prosciutto and autumn sage, the translation seems fitting. Paired with roasted tomatoes on the vine, this 10-minute, one-pot meal yearns for a table under the Tuscan sun. In a concrete jungle, fresh sunflowers will have to suffice.
The beauty of this variation is that everything is cooked in the oven, at one temperature, in one pan. After all, when it's just one person doing the cooking, that same person has to do the cleaning too.
Will the Colonel's third grilled chicken giveaway be a charm?
KFC will once again hand out free pieces of its Kentucky Grilled Chicken on Monday, Oct. 26, in a promotion hailed as "UNFry Day."
Customers can stop by KFC locations throughout the day on Monday and receive a free piece of Kentucky Grilled Chicken. No coupon is required.
"Already, more than 60 million Americans have joined 'Grilled Nation' by trying our new Kentucky Grilled Chicken," KFC spokesman Rick Maynard tells Slashfood. "But we're not satisfied with just 60 million, so we're giving away free KGC again."
A new class-action lawsuit filed Wednesday in Connecticut alleges McDonald's,Burger King and Friendly's failed to warn customers that their grilled chicken could cause cancer.
The suit, filed by two Connecticut residents in the Superior Court of the State of Connecticut: Judicial District of Hartford, claims the chains failed to warn consumers that they're serving grilled poultry containing the compound PhIP, which the state of California considers to be a carcinogen. A similar lawsuit filed in California last month against KFC targeted the Colonel's Kentucky Grilled Chicken.
The Cancer Project, the nonprofit that filed the suit on behalf of the residents, says eating PhIP -- even in small amounts -- can increase one's risk of cancer.
"Consumers deserve to know that grilled chicken from McDonald's and other fast-food chains can increase your risk of cancer," Cancer Project President Dr. Neal D. Barnard said in a statement. "Even a grilled-chicken salad increases the risk of developing some cancers, including breast and prostate cancer."
But a McDonald's spokeswoman said customer "safety and well-being" is a "top priority."
"Scientific research shows that PhIP is naturally occurring, and is created when chicken is grilled -- whether at home -- or in a restaurant. It may be present at low concentrations in oven-broiled, pan-fried, and grilled meats, as a result of normal cooking," Cynthia Goody, McDonald's nutrition director, said. "There is no scientific evidence to suggest the small amount of PhIP that can be created as a by-product of cooking methods humans have employed for thousands of years, poses a health risk.
"Like other restaurant companies and food establishments, at McDonald's, we continue to look to the FDA and USDA for their guidance on PhIP," her statement continued. "Beyond that, because this is a pending legal matter, it would be inappropriate to further comment or speculate."
Chicken bog is a seasoned chicken, rice and sausage dish that's not half as soupy as its name suggests. What chicken bog isn't -- at least according to the organizers behind the 30th annual Loris Bog-Off being held this weekend in Horry County, S.C. -- is pilau.
Samantha Norris, executive assistant to the Chamber of Commerce's board of directors, maintains that bog is distinct from the beloved African-tinged casserole served one county over, also known as pilau, perloo, pilaf and perlau.
"Some people tell me bog is wetter, some people tell me there's more chicken in bog," Norris says.
Food historians don't necessarily agree: In her book "The Carolina Rice Kitchen: The African Connection," Karen Hess posits that bog is really just pilau made on a massive scale. "It is difficult to make very large amounts of a proper pilau, so it ends up being 'boggy,'" she writes.
Turkey, Blue Cheese and Caramelized Onion Tart. Photo: Sarah LeTrent.
Few of us want to make a complicated lasagna for solo dining -- by day six, you'll never want to see lasagna again! In this series, AOL Food staffer Sarah LeTrent taste-tests simple recipes suitable for a "table for one."
Despite appearances, tarts are quite rudimentary to assemble. Plus they are a simple and elegant way to use up your leftovers. When I found my refrigerator stocked with a lone baked turkey breast, blue cheese and an onion, the endless versatility of tarts struck a cord of culinary inspiration.
Seems like caramelized onions and pungent cheese -- be it blue, Roquefort or gorgonzola -- have an affinity for one another in many recipes. This savory tart is no exception: The sweetness of the onions is absolutely ambrosial with tangy fromage bleu. And while turkey tends to be overlooked in months that don't end in "ember," it is used here as a protein-packed topping.
The combination of grill marks and paprika is a timeless and potent one, up there with martinis and olives or biscuits and gravy. It has the power to evoke all of the five senses, to say nothing of a Pavlovian response. T
his photo of grilled chicken, liberally seasoned with the smoky, peppery spice, was taken by Kristin of The Kitchen Sink. It could cause a slab of Sheetrock to salivate, to say nothing of the unfortunate mortals who happen to stumble upon this photo on an empty stomach. So behold with caution ... and possibly a napkin or two.
Turkey burgers on the grill. Photo: The Skinny Chef
Turkey burgers can be a great option for a high-protein, low-fat cookout. But what about their flavor, which often gets a bad rap for being overly dry and bland? My turkey burgers 101 guide will make your next barbecue both healthier and more delicious.
Dark or Light?
Not all ground turkey is created equal. Regular ground turkey -- labeled 93 percent lean -- is a combination of white and dark meat and sometimes contains other parts of the turkey, including skin and organ meat. Look for statements like "98 to 99 percent fat free" or check the label for calorie and fat content to make sure you're getting the lean stuff.
Get Jennifer's no-fail turkey burger tips after the jump.
Part of a continuing summer series by grilling expert Gena Knox.
Turkey burgers can be a healthy alternative to hamburgers, but they can easily lack flavor. I have enjoyed creating recipes to make what is traditionally a dry, flavorless burger into a delicious meal you will want to serve again and again.
There are usually two options when buying ground turkey. Turkey breast is 99 percent fat free, but has little flavor. Then there is ground turkey that includes some dark meat and skin, but can easily contain just as much fat as ground beef. Most of the time I purchase both and create a mixture of 75 percent breast meat and 25 percent dark meat. This gives the burger nice balance and moisture. Short on time, I use the breast meat, but add a few extra ingredients for flavor and moisture.
My favorite creation just may be my most recent: Italian Turkey Burgers.
Since they've thoroughly explored every nook and cranny of the pig, it seems reasonable to expect offal-loving chefs to turn their attentions to the chicken.
This theory is most assuredly not shared, however, by the lovely lady who mans the phones at Blue Plate Roadside Cafe, a retro Southern comfort food joint in Sandy Springs, Ga.
"Gizzards?" she blurts when we inquire if they're on the menu. She sounds as though we've chased down an obviously lousy tip: "No, no, no, not gizzards, never."
Many savvy Southern eaters are still saying no to gizzards, a humble food that's retained its stigma -- it is, after all, the tough, lower stomach pouch of the bird -- despite a wonderfully chewy, fatty flavor. But a few brave chefs are quietly sneaking gizzards onto their menus, elevating a poultry part oft dismissed as a poor man's food to a starring role.
Have you ever made chicken that came out dry, stringy or tough?I know I sure have.Chicken is one of the most popular cooking ingredients, but most home cooks aren't sure how to prepare a delicious, moist, yet healthy chicken breast.I'm here to help with my favorite method for cooking juicy, naturally low-fat chicken in four easy steps.
Get Jennifer's four steps for cooking chicken after the jump.
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