umami | The Artful Gourmet :: Food Stylist | Photographer | Blogger

January 21, 2021March 15, 2023

Savory Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs {#Keto / #LowCarb}

Hey folks, happy Tuesday! Just another chilly January day here…I had a serious craving for some seriously good chicken today so I made these Savory Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs for lunch. You guys – these are the BOMB. And seriously tasty.

Dale’s Steak Seasoning is my secret ingredient in this recipe – it’s a savory marinade made with a blend of exotic spices, originating in Birmingham AL. I discovered in the early 90’s while living in Atlanta GA when my ex introduced me to it… we were grilling burgers out with some friends and let’s just say I got quite addicted to this delicious sauce verrryyy quickly – it was love at first sight actually. Now I use it on almost EVERYTHING: chicken, steak, pork, burgers, and even grilled lamb or quail! It’s gives such a rich flavor to anything you put it on, really so you don’t need a lot of extra seasonings when using it.

The recipe is super easy too – I poured about 1/4 cup of the Dale’s Seasoning marinade over the chicken thighs into a mixing bowl and then added 2 tablespoons olive oil, a dash of black pepper and red pepper flakes, a tablespoon of dried chives, a little garlic powder…

Mushroom & Company Multipurpose Umami Seasoning Blend — photo credit: Trader Joe’s

and then a dash of my other secret ingredient, Trader Joe’s Mushroom + Co Multipurpose Umami Seasoning, which is a blend of porcini and white button mushroom powder, sea salt, dried onion powder, ground mustard seed, crushed red pepper, black pepper, and dried thyme, that add tons of #UMAMI to the dish that I can’t even describe.

Poke a few holes on each chicken thigh and mush it all over the chicken with tongs and then let it all marinate in a large plastic baggie or mixing bowl in the fridge for about 30 mins. Then, pan-sear the chicken thighs in a large sauté pan over medium-high for 5 minutes on each side until crispy and browned, and the sauce gets a little syrupy and caramelized. (You can also bake or grill them of course if you prefer.) The final crown touch was I topped the chicken with some crispy fried garlic flakes for extra crunch and flavor (the kind you find in an Asian market..if you can’t find these, you can sub crispy fried onions or shallots crushed up or make your own)…. oh my goodness, this is truly the best #chicken I have EVER tasted!

You can use my marinade recipe on any protein or veggies you prefer, it’s that versatile and full of flavor. And like I mentioned it’s super delish on grilled burgers too. I can’t even tell you how much I love this stuff. So with that said, here’s the actual recipe below. Feel free to use it on anything and everything and I promise you will never go back to dry, bland, tasteless chicken ever again and you will be as hooked on this stuff as I am..I promise!

Enjoy. 🙂

Savory Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs {#Keto / #LowCarb}

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Serving Size: 1 piece

This recipe for Savory Pan-Seared Chicken Thighs is my go-to recipe for all around full flavored delicious chicken! Marinated in Dale's Seasoning along with Trader Joe's Umami Seasoning, olive oil, black and red pepper, chives and topped with crispy garlic flakes. Easy peasy and totally amazing.

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs
1/4 cup Dale's Steak Seasoning
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon dried chives (or 2 tablespoon fresh minced)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Trader Joe's Umami Seasoning
Crispy garlic flakes, for garnish

Instructions

Pour 1/4 cup of the Dale's Seasoning marinade over the chicken thighs into a medium mixing bowl. Add 1/8 cup olive oil, a dash of black pepper and red pepper flakes, a tablespoon of dried chives, a dash of garlic powder and Trader Joe's Umami Seasoning.
Mush it all together over the chicken and let it marinate in the fridge for 30 mins.
Heat a saute pan or grill over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook for 5 minutes on each side until crispy and browned.
Top chicken with crispy garlic flakes for garnish. Serve immediately.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2021/01/savory-pan-seared-chicken-thighs-keto-lowcarb/

Other marinade recipes you may enjoy:

Best Chicken Marinade

7 Best Chicken Marinades

The Best Chicken Marinade

September 14, 2017January 19, 2021

Porcini Linguine w/ Spicy Beef + Mushroom Ragu

So Fall is finally here guys! My absolute favorite time of the year – cooler temperatures, the leaves changing, sweaters, jeans and boots, leather jackets, crickets late in the day along with spectacular sunsets… and especially the FOOD!

I had some gorgeous porcini linguine that I bought at the Rochester Downtown Farmer’s Market on hand, and thought a Spicy Beef and Mushroom Ragu sauce would be the perfect compliment for a savory tasty Fall pasta dish.

I added some Crushed Hot Chili Pepper Spread to the beef and mushroom mixture sautéed with shallots and garlic, which took the flavor and heat up just a notch…then added a little spicy marinara sauce, but not too much…

After I cooked the pasta, I mixed the beef and mushroom ragu back into the pot, and tossed it all together with some of the reserved pasta water and lots of parmesan cheese, just because.

Of course I topped it all of with a generous sprinkle of fresh parsley and torn mozzarella cheese, salt and pepper… and it happily made my day.

Porcini Linguine w/ Zesty Beef + Mushroom Ragu

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 4-6

This pasta dish has a savory umami flavor from the porcini mushroom linguine, along with a spicy beef and mushroom ragu zested up with some red chile pepper paste, shallots and garlic. Super healthy and delicious with some crusty Italian bread and olive oil and a glass of red wine.

Ingredients

* 1 pound porcini mushroom linguine
* 2 tbsp olive oil
* 3/4 pound ground beef
* 6-8 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
* 2 shallots, sliced thin
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 tablespoons spicy hot chili pepper paste (Colavita)
* 3/4 cup marinara sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
* 2-3 slices fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Cook pasta in salted boiling water for about 9-10 minutes until al dente, drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water, and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauce pan over medium heat, cook the ground beef, about 5-7 minutes, drain and set aside.
Add the additional tablespoon of olive oil and cook garlic, mushrooms and shallots for another 5 minutes or so until soft and cooked through. Mix into the cooked ground beef mixture and add spicy chili pepper paste and marinara sauce with some of the reserved pasta water until it's soft and mixes together into a sauce (but not overly saucy). Feel free to add more sauce and water to your liking for the desired consistency and thickness / thinness of the sauce.
Toss the meat ragu in with the cooked pasta, add parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve pasta with fresh torn mozzarella and chopped fresh parsley.

https://www.theartfulgourmet.com/2017/09/porcini-linguine-w-spicy-beef-mushroom-ragu/

So easy and delicious with all the flavors of Fall. Enjoy!

December 29, 2014March 21, 2015

Food Trends of 2014 + Flavor Forecast for 2015

As the year 2014 is coming to an end, it’s always interesting to see what was hot and what was not in the culinary world and what new food and flavor trends we will see in the New Year 2015. Popular trends seem to come and go each year affecting everything we see: restaurants, blogs, online stores, magazines, TV shows, and even fast food and packaged goods and advertising.

2014 had plenty of interesting ones that went big this year:

Culinary mashups: Cronuts (croissant donuts), Wonuts (waffle donuts), Quesarito (a quesadilla rolled into a burrito), bananas fosters pancakes, bagel burgers, ramen burgers, pretzel subs, Chicken waffle sandwiches, you name it – crazy Frankenfood dishes hit the scene this year.

Spicy burgers: burgers went nuclear this year with everything and anything spicy – Sriracha mayo, poblano peppers, jalapeño peppers, spicy onion rings, melted pepper jack cheese, harissa, ancho chipotle sauce, Mexican burgers with spicy ranch sauce…the list goes on.

Bahn Mi – a traditional Vietnamese sandwich made with roasted pork, marinated vegetables, and herbs on a baguette

Savory Jams – fig jam, pepper jellies, lingonberry jams topped creative sandwiches everywhere this year.

Paleo Diet – this meat-heavy, vegetable-laden, dairy and gluten free diet went crazy. Huge protein portions, cookbooks, blogs and new restaurants opened with a core focus on MEAT.

And here is the flavor forecast for 2015:

Middle Eastern mezze: hummus, pepper spreads, herb-marinated olives

Creative cookies: decadent makeovers on classic cookies

Umami veggies: savory flavors will infuse new recipes such as tomatoes, mushrooms, soy sauce, nori, sweet potatoes

Smoked spices: deeper richer flavors for foods through smoked spices

Sour notes: coarse salt with sour notes from sour cherry, pickled ginger, mango and lemon zest add zing and bling. Burgers topped with kimchi. Shrubs (preserved fruits with vinegar and sugar) will show up in cocktails.

Liquid revolution: juice blends from fruits and vegetables to make healthy flavorful sauces

Global blends: Japanese 7 spice (aka shichimi togarashi) combines chilies, sesame, orange zest and nori. Shawarma Middle Eastern blends made with cinnamon, cumin and black pepper are also going big.

Tacos: regional and modern taco joints and pop ups are going to be everywhere

Scrambled eggs: forget poached and deviled – scrambled eggs for dinner with savory sauces and ingredients are hot.

Spicy flavors: Sriracha will still be in style, as well as international spices like Thai bird chiles that give a serious kick.

Flavor without fat: Chefs are now infusing meats and vegetables with flavor by grilling, rotisseries and smoke.

Meat spreads: Nduja is an Italian meat spread made with ground pork and spices, great for spreading on toast or filling ravioli.

Artisanal candies: Bourbon and sea salt caramels, ice cream gummies and other creative confectionaries will be everywhere.

Soft serve ice cream: seasonal flavors and innovative sundae creations are another hot item in the dessert scene.

Spanish cuisine: Tapas and small plates from the Spanish region will be hot in the fast-casual restaurant world.

Savory pancakes: think potato pancakes on steroids – infused with different vegetable flavors and creative toppings and sauces.

Patty melts: this classic diner dish heats up the food scene with innovative twists on this half burger / half grilled cheese sammie.

Mini cocktails: smaller versions of cocktails served in half portions are popping up to give customers the opportunity to taste more varieties

Artisanal hard cider: move over craft beer, the new trend is using artisanal hard cider to create libations with unusual ingredients such as bourbon, house-made Dijon syrup and thyme.

Gin: new places opening up that solely serve the classic Gin and Tonic in different ways

High-end daiquiris and frozen drinks: new twists on the daiquiri and slushie drink infused with fun flavors and alcohol combinations

Meals to go: restaurants and food brands understand the consumers shrinking leisure time by creating high end meals to go making it easier to eat gourmet food without spending hours eating out or cooking at home.

Family-style dining: more restaurants will be serving meals family style with larger portions to share around the table.

Sources: McCormick and National Restaurant News