Category: POULTRY

Chicken Noodle Soup


2-4 packages of Ramen Soup mix
Boneless chicken
Bag of frozen vegetables
Water or Chicken Broth

I use this recipe to clean out the fridge…
Using leftover chicken, vegetables, rice, whatever looks good to add…


Simmer on stove…


Happy Eating…

Simple Saturday: Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Hello my foodie friends and welcome to Simple Saturday!

When I read Jenn’s post yesterday here at Our Krazy Kitchen featuring Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken it reminded me of an appetizer I made way back in 2009 that my kids just loved – Sweet and Spicy Bacon Wrapped Chicken Bites.

I found myself suddenly craving a sweet and spicy chicken dish!

I had some chicken cutlets in the fridge ready to go for last night but had no idea what I was going to make. I don’t have access to a grill at the moment and didn’t want to make appetizer portions for the chicken bites – and didn’t have enough bacon to wrap all the chicken bites anyway. I decided to wing it and come up with something similar. It’s more of a simple process than a recipe.
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I washed and salted the cutlets, dredged them in a combo of brown sugar and a Cajun seasoning blend – lots of Cajun seasonings! I placed the cutlets in a baking dish, topped with crumbled  bacon (I used the precooked packaged kind), baked for 25 minutes at 350 and served with steamed broccoli and rolls.
It was a nice dinner, I love all the flavors of this chicken dish together, but to be honest there are a couple things I would change about this next time – I would cook the chicken on a rack instead of in a baking dish and instead of just coating the chicken in the brown sugar and Cajun seasoning I would top it with a heaping helping for more flavor – and  I know this would be even better on the grill!

Join me over at Seaside Simplicity for more quick and easy recipes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Fire Day Friday: Sweet & Sticky Grilled Chicken

 

I’m sure that most of you have had this happen:  you find a recipe that you really want to try, so you print it out or bookmark it or whatever you do to save it, and than put it away with all the other recipes you want to try.  One day, you are scouring through those said recipes and all of a sudden, the one (you know the one…. the one you wanted to try so bad so long ago) is right there in your hand and you know this time you aren’t letting it go! 

That is this recipe for me.  I saw the original recipe for this on Comfort of Cooking.  If you have not seen Georgia’s site, I suggest heading over there as soon as you are done here (no, don’t go now…finish mine first, than go see hers…..thank you!!)…not only are her recipes fantastic but her pictures will leave your mouth watering!!

Anyway, this chicken turned out perfectly…it lived up to it’s name…it was sweet, it was sticky….it was FANTASTIC! 

Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken
Adapted from Comfort of Cooking
Printable Recipe 
Ingredients:
1/3 cup red wine (I used Chianti)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon Wondra (you can use cornstarch)
2 Tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Directions:
Bring wine, brown sugar, Wondra, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan.   Reduce heat and stir occasionally, until sauce becomes thicker. (it should not take long)  Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.  Reserve 2 tablespoons of the sauce and set aside.

Place the chicken in a shallow dish or Ziploc bag and pour the remaining sauce mixture over the chicken, making sure to coat all sides.  Let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat grill to 400 degrees.  Remove the chicken from the dish or bag; discard the marinade.  Place the chicken directly on grill grates that have been rubbed down with oil.  Grill for 8-10 minutes per side, making sure to brush with the reserved sauce mixture, or until the chicken is cooked through, 165 degrees.  Enjoy!

 

CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET

CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, diced
1 pound fat sausages of choice, cut into bite sized pieces
3 tablespoons butter
1 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots, sliced
1/2 pound snap peas, washed and deveined
1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
1 14-ounce can petit diced tomatoes, basil, garlic & oregano
1 tablespoon Classico sun-dried tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
2 +/- cups chicken stock
2 cups seasoned bread crumbs**
salt and ground black pepper

  •  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Brown the bacon until browned and crumbly in Dutch oven casserole dish.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
  • Add chicken and sausages and brown on all sides. Remove from fat and set aside. 
  • Add the onions and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. 
  • Add the carrots, snap peas and parsley, sauteing 3-4 more minutes.
  • Add tomatoes, tomato puree, spices and salt and pepper to taste.
  • Add meat back in.
  • Add enough of the stock to just cover the meat and veggies, you don’t want things swimming around too much.  You can always add more stock during the cooking if needed. 
  • Cover dish and cook 1 hour.
  • Add more stock if necessary. Spread crumbs over the top and cook uncovered for 40 more minutes or until browned. 

**Try adding other vegetables such as broccoli or white beans for variety.   I used crushed Ritz crackers today and they worked reallllllllllllllly well as a substitute!

CHICKEN STROGANOFF

CHICKEN STROGANOFF
2-3 slices bacon, diced
2 large chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/3+ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon flour
egg noodles

  • In a large skillet brown bacon.  Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
  • Add onions and garlic, saute for a few minutes.
  • Add Chicken pieces.
  • Saute’ 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add spices and blend well.
  • Add chicken broth and bring JUST to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes JUST until liquid is absorbed.  Boil your noodles at this point.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the sour cream and flour.
  • Add sour cream mixture to chicken mixture along with the bacon pieces. Blend well and stir constantly for 2-3 minutes until heated through.  Sauce will become creamier and thicken at this time.
  • Serve over hot noodles.
To make this meal quicker for a weeknight you can use rotisserie chicken and save time.

    CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET

    CHICKEN COUNTRY CASSOULET
    3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
    1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, diced
    1 pound fat sausages of choice, cut into bite sized pieces
    3 tablespoons butter
    1 large Vidalia onion, diced
    4 garlic cloves, minced
    4 carrots, sliced
    1/2 pound snap peas, washed and deveined
    1/4 cup fresh minced parsley
    1 14-ounce can petit diced tomatoes, basil, garlic & oregano
    1 tablespoon Classico sun-dried tomato puree
    1/2 teaspoon dried sage
    1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 1 tablespoon dried
    2 +/- cups chicken stock
    2 cups seasoned bread crumbs**
    salt and ground black pepper

    •  Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
    • Brown the bacon until browned and crumbly in Dutch oven casserole dish.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
    • Add chicken and sausages and brown on all sides. Remove from fat and set aside. 
    • Add the onions and garlic and cook 3-4 minutes until softened. 
    • Add the carrots, snap peas and parsley, sauteing 3-4 more minutes.
    • Add tomatoes, tomato puree, spices and salt and pepper to taste.
    • Add meat back in.
    • Add enough of the stock to just cover the meat and veggies, you don’t want things swimming around too much.  You can always add more stock during the cooking if needed. 
    • Cover dish and cook 1 hour.
    • Add more stock if necessary. Spread crumbs over the top and cook uncovered for 40 more minutes or until browned. 

    **Try adding other vegetables such as broccoli or white beans for variety.   I used crushed Ritz crackers today and they worked reallllllllllllllly well as a substitute!

    IT’S TASTE & CREATE TIME – SLOPPY JOES

    The whole purpose of Taste and Create was, and has been, and continues to be to create a community of bloggers who test each others’ recipes and share links. The participants of the event are paired together and try a new recipe from one another’s blog.  This month my partner is Debbi from Debbie Does Dinner Healthy.  Hubby requested Sloppy Joe’s for football food so I decided to try Debbi’s recipe and compare it to my beef version to see if hubby noticed a difference.
    Debbi’s Hearty Sloppy Joes
    Adapted from The Life and Loves of Grumpy’s Honeybunch
    3 pounds ground turkey
    2 teaspoon each salt and pepper
    1 cup carrots, finely diced
    1 cup celery, finely diced
    1 cup zucchini, finely diced
    1 cup red pepper, finely diced (about 1 medium)
    2 cups onion, finely diced
    4 cloves of garlic, minced
    1 – 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
    3 tablespoon tomato paste
    2/3 cup ketchup
    3 tablespoon dijon mustard
    1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
    2/3 cup brown sugar, not packed
    1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

    In a large pan, cook ground turkey.  When ground turkey is about half way done, add the veggie and saute along with the ground turkey.  Cook until ground turkey is done.  Drain if necessary. Season with salt and pepper as they cook.  Add the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and allow to simmer for about 10 – 15 minutes.  Serve with buns or 100 calorie Arnold Select sandwich thins. 

    Divide into 2 containers for 2 meals.  Freeze one for another quick and easy meal.  When ready to eat, thaw completely and either warm on stovetop, slow cooker or in microwave.   6 huge servings per container. 

    Total calories = 3062 calories for whole batch
    12 servings = 255 calories without bun per serving**

    While Debbi’s recipe tasted great yo me, hubby said he could tell the difference (what is it with guys and their beef?)  Next time I’ll try half turkey, half beef and see if he notices a difference.

    Here’s my beef recipe:


    These are always a crowd pleaser.
    HOMEMADE SLOPPY JOES
    1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
    1 1/2 pound beef
    1 medium onion, finely chopped
    1 teaspoon minced garlic, jar
    salt and pepper to taste
    1/3 cup brown sugar
    2 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning
    1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    1 teaspoon liquid smoke
    2 tablespoons sun-dried tomato pesto
    1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
    1 teaspoon Better than Bouillon beef base

    • Heat olive oil and add ground beef.
    • Generously salt and pepper.
    • Brown beef, onion and garlic. Drain.
    • Add brown sugar, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, steak seasoning and beef base. Cook for 5 minutes.
    • Add tomato paste and tomato sauce.
    • Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
    • Serve on fresh baked buns.

    Teriyaki BBQ Beef or Chicken with Broccoli Noodle Bowls

    Last week we had an amazing Chinese-inspired dish at our house so I thought I would try another Chinese dish this week.  This is the epitome of being a home cook in that I just used what I had and I improvised.

    Teriyaki BBQ Beef or Chicken with Broccoli Noodle Bowls adapted from Rachel Ray
    For the BBQ Sauce
    1/2 cup beef or chicken stock
    1 cup ketchup
    1/2 cup teriyaki sauce or low sodium teriyaki sauce
    1/3 cup honey or agave syrup
    3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    1/2 palmful coarse black pepper
    1 1-inch piece of ginger root, peeled
    For the steak or chicken, veggies and spaghetti:
    1 cup frozen shelled edamame
    3/4 pound flank steak or boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    1 bundle broccolini or 1 small head broccoli
    Salt
    1 pound whole wheat or whole grain spaghetti
    2 tablespoons vegetable oil or peanut oil
    4 scallions, very thinly sliced on an angle
    Directions:  Place the ingredients for the barbecue sauce in a small pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes to thicken and concentrate the flavor a little. Remove the ginger root.
    Place a large pot of water on the stove to boil.  Pour a cup of edamame from the freezer into a bowl to defrost. Add the meat to the freezer to firm up, about 15 minutes.
    Trim the broccolini or broccoli and cut into 2-inch pieces. Add salt to the boiling water and cook the broccolini or broccoli to tender-crisp, 5 minutes. Remove the broccolini with a spider or slotted spoon and drain well. Drop the pasta into the water and cook to al dente.
    Remove the meat from the freezer and slice it very thinly on an angle, against the grain if you’re using beef.
    Heat the oil, a turn of the pan, in a large skillet or wok over high heat until smoking. Add the meat and stir fry until brown. Add the edamame and broccolini or broccoli and pour in the sauce. Drain the pasta and toss into the skillet to combine.
    Serve in bowls topped with scallions.
    Modifications:
    -I just used a bag of stir-fry veggies instead of cutting up broccoli/edamame.
    Here is what you’ll need:
    Put all of the “wet” ingredients into a saucepan.  Let it come to a boil and then turned down to a simmer.  Put some water on to boil for the pasta.
    Chop up 3 cloves of garlic.
    Cut about a 1 inch piece of ginger root, peel it, and throw it in with the wet ingredients.
    Throw the garlic and ginger root in.  Add the pasta to the boiling water.

    Thinly slice beef, on the grain.

    Cut up some scallions or green onions.

    After about 20 minutes, pull the ginger root out of the sauce.

    Put the canola oil in a wok or pan and get hot.  Add the beef until brown.
    Add the vegetables.
    Add the sauce.
    Drain the spaghetti and then add to the pan.
    Here’s what you’ll end up with:
    Another successful dish!  The honey really adds to the teriyaki sauce and we actually loved the diversity of the frozen stir-fry vegetables rather than just broccoli and edamame.  

    PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST with APRICOT RUM GLAZE

    PAN SEARED CHICKEN BREAST with APRICOT RUM GLAZE
    4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    2 tablespoons butter
    1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons rum
    1/4 cup white wine
    1 tablespoon champagne vinegar
    Juice of 1 lemon
    1/2 cup apricot pineapple jam
    8-12 dried apricots, finely sliced
    salt and pepper to taste

    • Melt butter in a large skillet.
    • Salt and pepper both sides of chicken pieces.
    • Brown chicken, turning once, until cooked through – about 4-5 minutes per side.
    • Remove from skillet and keep warm.
    • Reduce heat and add onion, sauteing until tender.
    • Add apricots, rum, wine, lemon juice and vinegar, simmering until reduced by half.
    • Add jam, blend well and simmer to desired consistency.
    • Serve over chicken and white rice with fresh kiwi.

    CLASSIC GOOD EATS ~ OVEN BBQ CHICKEN

    OVEN BBQ CHICKEN
    Whole chicken pieces cut up, washed and dried
    BBQ Marinade (recipe below)
    BBQ Seasoning (recipe below)
    BBQ Sauce (recipe below)

    • Rinse Chicken well and pat dry.
    • Loosely layer chicken pieces in a large bowl and pour BBQ marinade over and sprinkling BBQ seasoning over each layer.
    • Refrigerate overnight.
    • Remove chicken from refrigerator 30 minutes before you plan to put it in the oven. 
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
    • Spray a jelly roll pan with PURE.
    • Place chicken pieces on pan.
    • Generously brush with BBQ sauce.
    • Bake 45 minutes or until cooked through and crisp.
    • Brush with more BBQ sauce.

    BBQ MARINADE
    2 cloves roasted garlic, crushed
    1 tablespoon red pepper flakes, crushed
    1/2 teaspoon oregano
    1/2 teaspoon basil
    1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
    1 tablespoon sugar
    2-3 tablespoons BBQ seasoning
    1/3 cup Champagne vinegar
    1 cup vegetable oil (I prefer Canola)

    • Whisk all the dry ingredients together until well blended.
    • Add oil, whisking until dry ingredients are well incorporated.

    BBQ SEASONING
    1 1/2 cups paprika
    3/4 cup sugar
    3 tablespoons onion powder
    1 tablespoon garlic powder

    • Blend ingredients together well.
    • Store in an airtight container.

    BBQ SAUCE
    2 cups Heinz ketchup
    1 cup apple juice
    1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
    5 packed tablespoons light brown sugar
    2 cloves garlic, smashed
    2 teaspoons fresh ground pepper
    2 teaspoons onion powder
    Juice of 1 lemon
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

    • In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients, stirring to blend.
    • Bring the mixture to a boil.
    • Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for an hour, stirring frequently.

    EASY CHICKEN PESTO

    Surprisingly, this pesto chicken is one of my kids’ favorite meals! I think it has to do with the melted cheese and chicken. The pesto makes the dish, and the kids do not complain. And with three ingredients, it is affordable and quick to get to the table. I have also used sun dried tomato pesto and mozzarella cheese and it was super good.

    PESTO CHICKEN
    4 boneless , skinless chicken breasts
    4 teaspoons pesto
    4 slices provolone cheese
    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
    • Place chicken breasts in a oven proof casserole dish. 
    • Spread 1 teaspoon of the pesto evenly over each piece of  chicken.  
    • Place the cheese slices on top of the pesto.
    • Cover and bake for 45-50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked and the cheese is melted.if you want the cheese browned a bit, uncover the chicken for the last 5 minutes or so until is is a light golden brown.
    Come on over to THE FLOWERING DOGWOOD for more great recipes! Have a great week!

    STOVE TOP HERBED CHICKEN

    I was having a very hard time trying to come up with something for dinner tonight.  I looked for recipes and racked my brain.  Finally, I just decided to “wing” it.  I had these beautiful herbs that I did not want to go bad so I knew that I had to incorporate all of them.

    Stovetop Herbed Chicken
    3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
    1 bunch fresh parsley
    2-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
    2-4 sprigs fresh thyme
    2 green onions or scallions
    olive oil

    Directions:  Mince all herbs.  Sprinkle (or press) herbs onto both sides of chicken breasts.  Pour olive oil in a large pan.  Cook chicken 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat; turn and cook on the other side.  (Chicken will get a crust on the outside with the herbs).  Cook until chicken juices run clear.

    Here’s what you’ll start with:  (Pay no attention to my sink and to the soap on its side-LOL)
    Mince the herbs.
    Coat both sides of chicken breasts with herbs.
    Place chicken in pan and cook until juices run clear.
     Here’s what you’ll end up with:  (Yummy!!)
    Of course, dried herbs can be used instead but fresh is best!  I served these with Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Rosemary.