Chef Cat Cora’s Cinnamon Chicken

FoodTV Network and Iron Chef Cat Cora was on Oprah a couple weeks ago to help out a family save on groceries by actually cooking at home. Instead of relying on boxed or frozen food all the time, youd be surprised how delicious food are if you buy them fresh, and cook them at home. The amount of money wed save in the end is also good. Quite frankly, I was smirking the whole time. I love dining out as much as the next person but our Family rule is twice a week. I happen to love cooking and well, we cant afford to go to restaurants all the time. Dont get me started with frozen foods. That would be an entire different post of it own, heh. At the end the show Cat Cora, along with Tyler Florence and Curtis Stone, shared their most loved and easy home cooked meal. Chef Cat Cora shared her Grandmothers Cinnamon Chicken. I was so intrigued by it that the day after that show, I made it. Cat Cora's Cinnamon Chicken (Image, Dexie Wharton) Heres Cat Coras Cinnamon Chicken recipe that I followed from Oprahs website. INGREDIENTS: Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. A wet chicken will cause the oil to splatter while the chicken is sauting. Mix the cinnamon, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the chicken pieces on all sides with the seasoning. Heat the olive oil in a large, nonreactive, deep skillet over high heat. A 12-inch skillet with sides about 2 1/2 to 3 inches high will allow you to brown all the chicken at once. If you dont have a skillet large enough, brown them in two batches using 1/2 the oil for each batch. Whats important is that the chicken isnt overcrowded, which would cause them to steam rather than brown. Add the chicken to the oil and brown for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Turn the pieces using a metal spatula, as they have a tendency to stick to the pan. Remove the pieces when they are well browned on all sides. Mince three of the garlic cloves. Lower the heat to medium-high, and add the onions and minced garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the onions have softened and are a rich golden brown. Add about 1/2 cup of the water and scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula or spoon to deglaze the pan, loosening any particles stuck on the bottom. When the water has evaporated, add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of water, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and remaining 2 garlic cloves, minced. Return the chicken to the pan. The liquid should cover about 3/4 of the chicken pieces. Cover the pot and simmer over medium-high heat for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken is tender and thoroughly cooked. If the sauce becomes too thick, it can be thinned with a little more water. Season the finished sauce with kosher salt and pepper to taste. Cat Coras recipe mentioned serving it with orzo or rice. I served it with steamed veggies and pasta sides instead. The cinnamon chicken were surprisingly good. I thought the cinnamon would render the chicken sweet but not at all. It only gave the skin a slightly sandy texture. I apologize for the quality of my picture. The DSLRs battery was charging so I had to use my Nikon L18 camera instead. And I was rushing that day too because the people around me were hungry. But I hope you get the idea . (Source : Oprah) (Image : FeistyCook/Blisstree)