Makeover Mama: Chicken in Sweet Corn Sauce

This post was written for 5 Star Foodie Natasha's Makeover Summer '10 Special and she has generously agreed that I could post it here, too! Please be sure to check out the other entries (listed at the end of this post) as well as more to come until the end of August. If you are not yet familiar with Natasha's site, then read no further - just head straight to 5 Star Foodie. The name says it all . . .

Manok sa Mais (Chicken in Sweet Corn)

I was so pleased and excited when Natasha of 5 Star Foodie invited me to participate in her marvelous Makeover Summer ’10 Special, in which 10 fellow bloggers recreate a classic dish of their choice. It was particularly flattering to find myself in the company of such accomplished and creative cooks, although it did cause a twinge of anxiety – after all, they set a high bar for cooking and food blogging! But with a surprise box full of incredible ingredients from sponsor Marx Foods, I couldn’t help but be inspired. So, reaching into my recollections of family dinners past, I found a once-favored but since forgotten dish from my mother’s repertoire of on-the-fly recipes. Made with a convenience food, I though it could use a bit of a makeover . . .

Don’t bother asking my mother for a recipe. It’s not that she wouldn’t be delighted to share – she’s as much a recipe collector as anyone and appreciates the value of exchange. And it’s not that she would prefer to keep the glory of an amazing dish to herself – she’d be flattered that you enjoyed her food enough to try making it yourself. But like many intuitive cooks who have an innate grasp of flavors and methods, she cooks spontaneously and without measured deliberation. Some dishes come from memory, made so often that reaching for this vegetable or grabbing that spice is automatic; others may start with, say, a good cut of beef, and be followed by ingredients on hand or whatever strikes her fancy. Unless she is following a recipe herself, the chances that one of Mama’s dishes would be committed to written form are next to nil.

To be sure, my mother’s cooking is not some grand mystery of special ingredients, secret sauces and intricate technique. Having juggled marriage, four kids and a career, she often embraced the value of ease and convenience in cooking as countless working mothers have, and still subscribes to the notion that making good food need not be a laborious process. But when the period between coming home from work and setting dinner on the table was the duration of the evening news, Mama unabashedly made use of shortcuts.

From Can to Pan

Homemade Creamed Corn

One of these shortcuts was the integral element in a dish that had no name; we just called it ‘chicken with creamed corn’. Care to guess the critical ingredient? If you answered any brand of canned cream style corn, then you’re halfway to deciphering Mama’s recipe. As I recall, she fried seasoned chicken leg quarters in a cast iron pan until they were nice and crispy on the outside (mind you, this was when leaving the skin on was still all right). Then, she would open that can, poured the contents directly over the meat and let it come to a simmer. There may have been a few other additions – a pinch or dash of this and that, here and there – but otherwise, that was pretty much how the dish was made. It was fast, easy and convenient for my mother to cook, and it was fast, easy and delicious for us to eat.

Unfortunately, I discovered shortly after we married that my dear Mr. Noodle was not terribly fond of creamed corn and so, that favored family meal was sadly relegated to memory. But when Natasha sent me an invitation to make over a dish of my choice, it was the first thing that came to mind. As fond as I was of Mama’s chicken with creamed corn, I knew this was a chance to make it my own. Where she had used a convenience food because she was challenged for time, I would make it from scratch in order to challenge myself.

Canned food is perhaps the most popular kitchen aid; from canned vegetables and meat, canned soups and pastas, and even canned sandwiches, they serve as a convenient ingredient or a no-effort meal. They’ve helped me over the years as I slowly honed my cooking skills and I still keep my pantry stocked with tins of diced tomatoes and a variety of beans. But I will admit that they have been enablers. For as long as I’m able to reach for a can of black beans, I can tell myself that preparing them from dried takes too long; that for each container of tomato sauce, I save myself precious minutes of laborious chopping, seasoning, and simmering. This time, I decided to ban the can and make chicken with from-scratch creamed corn. In the end, I rediscovered an old favorite and found that the flavors gained from making an extra effort are worth more than a few minutes saved by opening a can.

I told Mama about recreating her dish and promised to make it for her soon. Thank goodness I wrote down the recipe . . .

A makeover is incomplete without the finishing touch, so in honor of my mom, I’ve renamed her dish in Tagalog:

Mama’s Manok sa Mais (Chicken in Sweet Corn)

It turns out that canned creamed corn and chicken is a popular Hong Kong homestyle dish and even the Minimalist Mark Bittman offered up a recipe a few years ago. While the HK versions use chopped chicken, my mother’s preparation kept the pieces – usually the leg quarters – whole. For my iteration, I used skinless, boneless breast meat, which I marinated in a simple paste made with Peruvian aji Amarillo, a hot chile pepper with surprisingly pleasant fruity notes, courtesy of my Marx Foods treasure box. I was looking to balance the sweetness of the corn sauce with a bit of bite; however, I lost my nerve and de-fanged the peppers by removing the seeds and pith from all but one pod. The result was a nice tingle on the tongue, but for those looking for more heat, I would advise keeping the peppers intact.

As for the creamed corn, I’m fortunate in that it is peak sweet corn season here in Minnesota and the kernels used in this recipe were like candy! As a result, I did not add any sugar, although you might consider a few tablespoons if you are using a less sweet variety. Finally, there is no cream in this creamed corn – the rich texture is instead achieved by puréeing a portion of the corn and adding it back to the mixture as a thickener.

Aji Amarillo-marinated Chicken

Makes approximately ¼ cup

Aji Amarillo

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled except for last layer of skin

3 dried aji Amarillo peppers, stems removed (seeds optional)

2 Tbsps cider vinegar

2 Tbsps water or chicken broth

salt to taste

4 pieces split boneless chicken breasts

In a cast iron pan over medium-high heat, toast garlic until soft inside skin. Remove from pan and set aside to cool. Place chile peppers in hot pan to toast, turning to get all sides. Watch carefully as the peppers can quickly start to burn. Remove when toasty brown spots appear on skin. When done, place peppers in a small bowl and add hot water to cover. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.

Peel cooled garlic and place in a food processor. Add chile peppers and pulse a few times to chop them up. Add water or broth and vinegar, pulsing between tablespoons, until paste forms. Add salt to taste.

Spread paste over chicken pieces and let marinate in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

Creamed Corn

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced small

4-5 cups fresh corn kernels

¼ cup chicken broth

2 Tbsps all purpose flour

1 tsp coarse salt

¼ tsp ground white pepper

1 tsp dried oregano

1 cup lowfat (1%) milk

fresh oregano to garnish

Minnesota Sweet Corn

In a large sauté or fry pan, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Sauté onions until soft but not browned; add corn and stir to mix well, then add chicken broth. Cover and let corn cook through, about 3-5 minutes. Mix flour, salt, pepper and dried oregano, and sprinkle mixture over corn; stir to coat kernels. Add milk and cook until it begins to thicken. Take one cup of corn mixture and purée in a food processor, then add back into the pan. Stir and cook until it reaches a thick, creamy consistency.

Grill or bake marinated chicken and serve with creamed corn sauce on top and a side of steamed rice.

My heartfelt thanks to Natasha for this special opportunity to contribute to her wonderful blog, and to Marx Foods for the treasure box of ingredients – I look forward to using them all!


Natasha's Makeover Summer '10 Special will continue each Monday through the end of August. Please check out these earlier entries:

- Greg at SippitySup: Turkish Lamb Kabobs with Pistachios and Soft Herb Salad
- Lazaro at Lazaro Cooks: Cuban Fish and Chips
- Lori Lynn at Taste With the Eyes: Contemporary Bistro Duck with Wild Mushrooms
- Bren at Flanboyant Eats: Saffron White Beans with Mushroom Medley and Seared Halibut
- Linda at Salty Seattle: Steak Diane and Fennel Pollen Saffron Ice Cream
- Kerstin at Cake, Batter, and Bowl: Fennel Pollen and Ginger Salmon with Coconut Lentils