Baked Reuben Chicken

  Ever since I learned how to ferment my own homemade sauerkraut, I've been looking for different recipes in which to use it. I mean, yes, you can't go wrong just serving it with some grilled brats, or any kind of favorite sausage, but I wanted to explore using sauerkraut as an ingredient in other dishes too, not just as a stand alone side dish.
  I thought, what if we paired it with chicken instead of pork? A quick google search led me to this recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com. YES! This is exactly what I wanted! A chicken variation of a Reuben sandwich. YUM! I've always been a huge fan of a Reuben, so why not bake it with chicken instead of corned beef or pastrami? Yes please!
 It's just a few ingredients, easy assembly, and into the oven it goes. I should mention, btw, that I tweaked a couple things, but it's still basically the same recipe. The original said to bake it for 90 minutes at 325º, and that just seemed FAR too long for a piece of boneless chicken. So I decided to do less time at a slightly higher temp. MUCH better. I also tweaked some of the ingredient amounts too. Turned out perfectly! Serve it with some noodles, potatoes, or a simple veggie on the side, and there's dinner. LOVE it. This one definitely falls into the category of "why have I never thought of this?" Definitely a keeper!!



4-6 boneless chicken breast halves
S&P to taste
16 oz sauerkraut, drained and pressed
4 slices Swiss cheese, or more to taste
1 cup Thousand Island salad dressing*
1 tbs chopped fresh parsley


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Place chicken in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place sauerkraut over chicken and top with cheese slices. Spread dressing over all, and cover dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through (fork can be easily inserted and juices run clear). Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.

Update!!
When I first made this, I followed the original recipe, and layered the ingredients as directed. In other words, chicken on the bottom, then the sauerkraut, then the cheese, and then the dressing on the top.
 But when I made it again (because it's so freaking delicious you'll want to make it again), I decided that I wanted the cheese to be on top so it would get all melty and gooey. So I layered it, chicken on the bottom, then the sauerkraut, then the dressing, and then cheese on top. This was a MUCH better plan, in my opinion.




*To make your own Thousand Island dressing, simply stir together a half cup each of mayonnaise and ketchup along with 1 or 2 tbs of sweet pickle relish. The tiny pieces of pickles in the relish look like a thousand tiny little islands in a sea of dressing. Get it?

Tips:
Full disclosure, I didn't even measure anything. As my Mom would say "Just add everything until it's enough." Cover each piece of chicken with just enough sauerkraut, just enough dressing and just enough cheese. Cook it until it's done. If you like a lot, add a lot! If you need more than 4-6 pieces of chicken, make more!! Only cooking for 2? Make less! It's very adaptable, and very simple!
Oh, one other thing.. usually, if I'm making something with cheese, I'll try different kinds of cheeses, just for a variation, or just because I like to use whatever I have on hand. In this case, though, I wouldn't swap out the Swiss cheese. That's kind of one of the best parts of a Reuben , I think. So swapping it for something else doesn't give the same Reuben experience. Just sayin'!

Joey's Baked Reuben Dip

 Many people ask me where I get my recipes. Well, sometimes I'll see something on a cooking show that will spark an idea. Sometimes it'll be whatever looks freshest at the supermarket. Sometimes it'll be what I'm craving (which usually means some sort of fresh produce). And sometimes it'll depend on whatever ingredients I happen to have on hand, which was exactly the case with this recipe.
 I wanted to make something that would be great to serve at a party, whether it's a holiday, or a celebration, or for whatever big game you happen to be cheering. (Frankly, I've never been one to scream at the television, but hey, you do you.) Anyway, I quickly surveyed the ingredients that were in the fridge and figured this recipe would be an easy something to throw together before your guests arrive. My brother, Chris, happens to make the BEST homemade sauerkraut, check. All of the condiments and a jar of my homemade pickles, check. Cream cheese and Swiss cheese, check. The only thing I was missing was the corned beef! Awesome. I really wasn't following any recipe, just adding Reuben ingredients and some cream cheese to make it a dip! Simple, right? It only took a few minutes to mix everything together and into the oven it went. SO EASY! And seriously just as delicious! If you like a Reuben sandwich, then OF COURSE you'll love this dip because it's basically the same thing!
 And everyone will be so impressed! But you don't have to tell them how easy it was.
 So make this for your next party or game day. Hope your team wins!
Betcha everyone will cheer for YOU too!



1 lb sauerkraut
1 lb corned beef or pastrami
1 lb Swiss cheese
1/4 cup sweet pickles
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tbs mustard
Salt and pepper to taste


Heat oven to 350ºF.
Drain sauerkraut very well. Chop the corned beef and shred the Swiss cheese. Chop the sweet pickles. Add all to mixing bowl with remaining ingredients. Mix until well combined. Place in a 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until melted and bubbly and a little browned on top. Remove from oven and let it sit for a good 10 minutes. Serve with your favorite crackers.



Tips:
Instead of adding the ketchup/pickles/mayonnaise, just add a cup of thousand island dressing. It's the same thing!
If you want to add a little spice, add a little cayenne pepper.
To make it a little extra creamy, add a tbs or two of sour cream.
If you're only feeding a small group, cut the whole recipe in half!
I used Triscuits because I like how sturdy they are with a dip. But you could also try rye crackers to echo having a Reuben sandwich on rye bread. You could also add a tsp of caraway seeds to the dip to echo that again! Come to think of it, you could even serve it with those little party rye breads. Maybe cut them diagonally and toast them first, just for presentation and proportion. Perfect!

Joey's Sauerkraut and Sausage Casserole

 Whenever I'm planning to have friends over for dinner, my first question is "what is your favorite food?" Dinner is almost guaranteed to be a success if you cook someone's favorite, am I right? So when I asked my friend, Anthony, what his favorite dish is, he said that he loves sauerkraut! Well, it just so happens that I make the BEST homemade sauerkraut ever! Perfect! But now, I can't just serve a bowl of sauerkraut. I need to make this into more of a dinner. (Although, I'm sure Anthony wouldn't have minded one bit). Then I figured, why not turn it into something even more fabulous! I added some smoked sausage, some aromatics, and a few fresh herbs. Boom! We have a casserole! Basically, I just started throwing a few things into the pan, and it all seemed to work out perfectly! Anthony loved it, and I must say I did too. 
 So if sauerkraut is high on your list of food faves, you should give this a try. It's seriously everything you want a sauerkraut casserole to be!



4 tbs butter
1 lb kielbasa or other smoked sausage
1 large onion, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lb sauerkraut, drained
4 large red potatoes, roughly diced
2 tbs brown sugar
a few sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed from the stem
a few sprigs fresh oregano, leaves removed from the stem
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 350ºF.
In a large skillet, melt the butter. Slice sausage into coins and saute over medium heat until browned. Add onions and garlic. Continue to saute a few minutes longer,, until onions have softened. Meanwhile, add remaining ingredients to a large bowl. Add sausage mixture and toss all ingredients until well combined. Pour all into a casserole dish, and cover with foil. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.  Can serve with a big dollop of sour cream, if desired.

Note- if you want to save a little time, chop your potatoes into smaller chunks. Larger pieces take longer to cook!

Tips:
As always, whenever I'm making a casserole, the amounts in the recipe are just guidelines. If you like a lot of onions, add a lot of onions! If you worship in the house of garlic, go for it! Make it the way YOU like it!
Not a fan of kielbasa? Add any other kind of sausage you like! Of course it would be great with hot dogs. You could even do it with chunks of boneless pork! Yum.
I always prefer fresh herbs to dried, but if you only have dried herbs, use 'em! I would say probably just about a half tsp of each, but add as much or as little as you like!
Another variation would be to add a diced apple to the onions as you saute. That would be a delicious hit of sweet with the sour! Hmm.. I think I'll do that next time!
Oh, btw, I didn't rinse the sauerkraut. I always feel like that just washes away all that delicious flavor. But if your palate finds sauerkraut to be a bit harsh, then by all means give it a good rinse!

Pork and Kraut

 This is a slightly tweaked version of a recipe that I saw Paula Deen making not so long ago. She used baby back ribs, but I decided to use boneless country style ribs instead. Actually, I was gonna use pork chops, but the country ribs just looked so good that I had to go with them. Basically any kind of pork will work, though....even a small pork roast. I think I may try that next time....hmm.....
 OK, so, here we go...let's discuss sauerkraut... I know, I know....some of you may not be fans of sauerkraut, because it's too this or it's too that....yeah yeah yeah, I've heard it all before. But seriously, give this one a try! Have I ever lied to you? For starters, rinsing the sauerkraut makes it less harsh. So right off the bat, it's not, like, crazy sour. Not only that,  I always add apples to sauerkraut because, frankly, that's what my Mom always did. It makes it a little sweeter and besides, pork and apples are a classic pair. And when everything gets together...the pork, the apples, the onions, and the kraut, it all comes together PERFECTLY and it tastes anything but sour. It's just slightly tart and big time flavorful! So there. That's my sauerkraut argument. And can we just talk about the pork??? OMG it just falls apart! I absolutely LOVE how tender it comes out. If you don't own a heavy cast iron Dutch oven, I SERIOUSLY recommend getting one. I use mine ALL the time and it's quite literally my favorite piece of cookware. Just sayin! So give this recipe a try.
It's REALLY easy and just as yummy! Promise!!

2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1-2 lbs any kind of pork (roast, ribs, chops, boneless or bone in, all fine)
Salt and pepper
2 medium onions, chopped
2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
6-8 medium, white new potatoes, quartered
1 pound bag sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 cup chicken broth (or any other kind of stock, white wine, or even just plain water)


Heat oven to 350F.

Set Dutch oven over medium-high and heat the vegetable oil.

Season the pork generously with salt and pepper. Place in the pot and sear on all sides. Transfer to a platter. Add the onions and apples. Saute until softened, scraping up any browned bits from the pork. Add potatoes. Add the meat back to the pot, along with any juices. Place sauerkraut on top. Poor chicken broth over all. Cover and place in oven for 2 hours or until the meat is very tender.

Tips:
If you use another kind of potatoes, it might be a good idea to go ahead and peel them before you quarter them. The skins of the new potatoes are very tender, so there's no need to peel, but other types of potatoes have thicker skins and may not be as tender. 
You can also cook this dish at a low simmer on the stove top for the same amount of time. You could do this in a crock pot as well.
And as always.....
Whenever you cook sauerkraut...add some chopped celery leaves to the pot. It'll help to make the sauerkraut as pleasing to your nose as it is to your taste buds. Really!

New Year's Day Crock Pot

When I was growing up, on New Year's Day, my family would always bundle up and go to my grandparents' house in South Philly for the Mummers' Parade. My Dad became involved with the Mummers when he was just a boy of 13 and most of my family has been involved with the Mummers at one time or another, so it's kind of a big deal. (Just ask anyone who lives in South Philly!) Anyway, we'd spend the better part of the day outside watching the parade, and then we'd go back to my grandparents' house to have something to eat and to warm up. There was always a great big pot of soup and a huge pot of hot dogs and sauerkraut. It's one of the childhood memories that I'll always hold dear to my heart.
  Now we don't always make it over to the parade, but we still get together to watch it on TV, usually at Michael and Karen's house. And of course, we still have a great big pot of soup and a huge pot of hot dogs and sauerkraut. It just wouldn't be New Year's Day without it. I got the recipe from my sister Reen who had just given it to her son, Jude, at college. She said to him "Just throw everything in the crock pot and it'll smell like New Year's Day". When she sent it to me she said "Just the smell of it makes me think of Mummers." It's funny because it's true! And every person in my family will tell you the same thing! So give it a try! Invite a big gang of people to your house on New Year's Day and watch the Mummers Parade. You're likely to see my brother Denny's choreography or maybe even  hear a musical arrangement by my brother Michael!
Happy New Year!

1 or 2 large onions, sliced
1 bag of sauerkraut, rinsed
1 or 2 cans chicken broth
1 bottle of beer
Hot dogs
bratwurst
kielbasa

I suppose you could just throw everything in the crock pot and let it cook, just as Reen said, but I like to saute the onions and brown the sausages a little in a skillet before adding everything to the pot. Throw everything together in the morning while you're watching the Comics and the Fancies. Turn it to low for a few hours, just until the sausages are cooked through, then turn it to warm. It'll be all ready by mid afternoon when you're watching the String Bands and you can let everyone serve themselves right out of the crock pot. It'll keep everything nice and hot. It's so yummy, I bet there won't be any left by the time you get to the Fancy Brigades! Oh, btw, the amounts are just guidelines. If you have a lot of people to feed, just add more!

Tip from Reen:
I use turkey kielbasa and turkey hot dogs to lighten it up,
but you could use whatever you want.

Tip from Joey:
Whenever I'm having sauerkraut, I always like to add one or two diced apples. I think the sweet helps to balance the sour.
If your nose is not particularly fond of sauerkraut, try adding some chopped celery leaves to the pot. Seriously!

Reuben Stromboli

Usually, when you think of a stromboli, you think of pizza sauce and mozzarella or provolone cheese wrapped up and baked in a hearty dough, right? Sometimes you add pepperoni to it.....basically anything you'd put on a pizza, right? Well, how about something completely different? This recipe takes all of the components of a Reuben sandwich and rolls it all up into a fabulous stromboli. Brilliant! Now why didn't I think of that?
I recently received this recipe from my sister Cathy, who got it from her friend, Jane. As soon as I read it, I immediately knew I'd soon be making it. It's so simple! I've always loved a good Reuben sandwich, and this is a great twist. Thanx Jane! And of course, I love that she serves it with thousand island dressing. It's a must! How can you have a Reuben without it, right? Oh, and btw, a big hello to Jane's mom and her bridge ladies! Hello Ladies!

Here's the recipe in Jane's own words:

Hi....
I lost my recipe but this is what I did.


3/4 lb of corn beef
3/4 pound Swiss cheese
can of sauerkraut - drained - I used 3/4 of a can the size of soup -
believe I used entire small can before
mayo-few tablespoons
Dijon mustard - I used about 1 heaping
2 packages of pizza crust dough


I always make 2 small strombolis out of it but the recipe calls for
one big-so what ever you want to do.
I chop the meat & cheese into tiny pieces and then add everything. I
think mayo and mustard are really just to hold together.
It also calls for caraway seeds but I rarely use.
It takes a long time to bake...
I usually serve with thousand island dressing.


Jane


Note from Joey-
I made it a couple times. The first time, I chopped everything up, and then rolled it up in the pizza crust, then baked it at 350 for about 30 minutes.
It turned out great. SO delicious! But here's the thing..
I was missing the swirl design in the cross section of the cut stromboli. So, I tried it again, and this time, I just did a little spread of mayo and mustard on the dough, then I layered the pieces of corned beef, the sauerkraut, then the cheese. Now when you roll it up, bake it and slice it, you have the pretty spiral design that I missed with the first technique.
Whichever way you decide to make it, I'm sure you'll love it!
Oh, and for the dressing, choose your favorite brand, or make it fresh!
Click here for the recipe: Thousand Island Dressing

Tip:
If you'd prefer to have a milder sauerkraut flavor, either use a little less, or rinse it well, then squeeze it dry before adding it to your stromboli.

Joey's Hot Dogs and Applekraut

In the Quaile family, New Year's Day means one thing. The Mummers Parade! For those of you who may not know, this is a yearly Philadelphia tradition that can best be compared to Mardi Gras. My Father has been a Mummer since he was 13 years old, and nearly all of my siblings have been involved with the Mummers Parade at one time or another. It's a HUGE event!
When we were little, we always went to my grandparents' house in South Philly. My Mom would always bundle everyone up and off to the parade we'd go. There was always the huge pot of Mom's Vegetable Soup, and lots of hot dogs and sauerkraut. It was the best thing to warm you up and fill your belly after standing outside in the cold weather watching the parade go by.
As much as I love sauerkraut, I think that it's sometimes a little bit too sour, which can be a little harsh and overpowering. So I came up with this recipe and this is how I've made it ever since. It has a little bit of sweet to balance with the sour, and just the perfect amount of crunch. If you're on the fence about whether or not you like sauerkraut, try my applekraut. It's REALLY tasty!!


1 stick of butter
1 small onion
2 Macintosh apples
3 ribs of celery, with the leaves
1/4 cup brown sugar
salt and pepper
1 32oz bag (or 2 16oz cans) sauerkraut
8 hot dogs

Heat oven to 350F.
In a large pot, melt butter. Finely chop the onion, apples (no need to peel them!) and celery. Saute in melted butter over medium heat until soft, then add the brown sugar. Let it cook a minute or two longer, just until the sugar is melted and caramelized. Meanwhile, place sauerkraut in a colander and rinse under running cold water. Drain well and add it to the pot. Stir until well combined. Pour everything into a 9x13x2 baking dish. Place the hot dogs on top, making sure to push them down into the sauerkraut as much as possible. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve on hot dog buns with ketchup and/or mustard and a little sweet relish.

Tips:
Be sure to rinse the sauerkraut and drain it very well. This step is key to making it a little less harsh. Also, make sure you add the celery leaves. This helps to make it more pleasing to your nose, as well as your taste buds.
This recipe also works beautifully with pork chops. Just leave it in the oven for a while longer, until the pork chops are done.

Sauerkraut Balls

Don't you just love how recipes travel? They get passed from family member to family member to friends to more friends and on and on. Denny passed this one to me and now I'm happy to pass it on to you! How fun is that? Now, before you go jumping to conclusions with your possibly preconceived notions about sauerkraut, just give it a chance. Rinsing the sauerkraut and finely chopping it changes everything. Trust me, you'll love it!

Hey,
Ok, this recipe comes from Rick's best friend Karen's mother Sonia.
Very addictive.
D.


1 cup pork sausage (8 oz.)
1/4 cup minced onion
1 (1lb.) can sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and snipped into fine shreds
2 tbsp. fine breadcrumbs
1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp. prepared mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup fine dry bread crumbs
Salad oil

In large fry pan, crumble and cook sausage and onion until lightly browned; drain excess fat. Mix in next 6 ingredients. Refrigerate until cool. Shape mixture into small (melon baller size) balls (about 40) and coat with flour. Combine eggs and milk. Dip floured balls into egg mixture, then in remaining bread crumbs. Cook in hot oil (375 degrees) about 1 1/2 inches deep until golden brown, or 2-3 min. Serve hot. Keep warm in chafing dish over warmer.


Tips:
The first time I made these, I immediately LOVED them, but I was dying to dip them into some sort of accompanying sauce. So, I tried a few different things. Pizza sauce, honey mustard, BBQ sauce, ketchup, cocktail sauce, duck sauce, even teryaki sauce. To be honest, I thought all of the sauces worked pretty well. I decided that the sweeter sauces were the ones I liked best. Maybe it's because I have an insatiable sweet tooth, or maybe it's because I've always love the combination of sweet and savory. The mustard is a key flavor, so I'm guessing that's why the honey mustard worked well. Try a few different sauces and let me know which ones you like best!