Chicken for Christmas

Garlic Ginger Chix, originally uploaded by passitonplates.

Our extended family is getting together tomorrow to do Christmas.

We'll all gather at my local sister's house and the crowd will include both sisters, spouses, kids, dad and his S.O. (our kinda-step-mom, of sorts) and the three of us.
Rachel called and got Caesar invited, too, so he's already had his bath.

Because the family Christmas is tomorrow, I spent some time tonight making Dad's gift. He likes food gifts, and this year, instead of buying him food he could buy for himself, I decided to give him a food he would not otherwise have.

I seasoned and vac sealed 6 individual chix breasts, two of each variety. This one is the Garlic Ginger chicken and the seasoning includes a little granulated onion, smoked paprika, black pepper, garlic, and ginger of course, and oh darnit I forgot to add cumin.

Oh well, it'll taste just fine.

We call our food vacuum sealer "The Food Sucker." This was my first time using Frank's food sucker and it was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

Chicken Provencal, originally uploaded by passitonplates.

This is the Chix Provencal, with a classic French combination of herbs, cracked black peppercorns, and a slice of dried black truffle. (The orange arrow points to the truffle on one of the breasts.)

I have a good friend who is a professional mycologist (mushroom hunter.) Every now and then we're lucky enough to get a few of the highly sought-after black truffles and Oregon white truffles. Just a sliver transforms a dish, and the little slice of black truffle on these chicken breasts will turn them into an amazing meal.

Enchilada Chicken, originally uploaded by passitonplates.

This seasoning blend includes everything I throw in the pan when I make Chix Enchiladas: Oregano, onion, garlic, chili powder, cracked black pepper, lots of cumin, lime juice, and bay leaf.

I left the salt out of everything because Dad is on a low salt diet. That's another big advantage to making my own seasoning mix: total control over added sodium.

Six Vac-sealed Seasoned Chix Breasts, originally uploaded by passitonplates.

This is the neatest homemade gift I think I have given in a long time.

I bet Dad will love it.

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