Tuscan Chicken

 Ingredients

•  1 small yellow onion, minced
  
•  3 cloves garlic, crushed/diced
  
•  1 cup tomatoes, diced
  
•  1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut horizontally (butterflying)
  
• 1 1/2 t salt, divided
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1-2 T olive oil, divided
  
• 3 t dried Italian seasoning, divided
  
• 5 cups baby spinach
• 1 1/4 c heavy cream
  

Instructions

1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and place in dish. Season all over with 1 teaspoon of the kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 2 t Italian seasoning. Allow to sit 15-30 minutes. 

2. Saute the onion and cook in 1 T oil, stirring occasionally until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning. Cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add 5 ounces baby spinach a handful at a time. Cook, stirring regularly, until just wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Add the Parmesan, 1 1/4 cups heavy cream, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices on the plate to the pan and cook until the chicken is cooked through and registers at least 165ºF on an instant-read thermometer, 4 to 7 minutes.

Chicken Fried Rice

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
1 T garlic, crushed or diced
1 T ginger, shredded or diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 chicken breasts, cubed
about 1/4 c soy sauce (to taste)
4-5 cups cooked rice
2-3 carrots, diced
1 c frozen peas
3 stalks green onion, diced
1 egg, scrambled
1 t sesame oil

Directions:

Sauté garlic, ginger and onion together in olive oil until onion is tender. Remove from pan while reserving as much liquid in the pan as possible. Add chicken and soy sauce to the pan and cook until no longer pink inside. Add back onion/garlic mixture. Add carrots and peas. Cook about 3 more minutes over med/high heat. Reduce heat to med/low. Add in rice, sesame oil, and scrambled egg and blend well.

Curried Chicken & Lentils

Ingredients:
1 lb chicken breast, cubed
Oil or Ghee for frying
1 1/2 dry lentils
2 tsp curry powder
2 tsp garlic
2 cubes chicken bouillon
3 cups water
salt & pepper to taste

Sides & Toppings:
Hot cooked rice
Chopped cilantro
Plain Greek yogurt
Lime juice

Heat oil/ghee in a pan and add chicken. Brown chicken on all sides. Add curry powder and garlic. Cook and stir one more minute. Add water, chicken bouillon, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then cover, reduce heat, and simmer until lentils are softened.

Serve over hot, cooked rice and top with cilantro, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and a splash of lime juice.

Variation: Add a can of low-fat coconut milk and another 1/2 - 1 tsp curry for a saucier dish.

Greek Pork or Chicken Kebabs

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs boneless pork or chicken, diced into 1 1/4-inch cubes (or purchase pork stew meat)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon or lime juice
• 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
• 6 t minced garlic
• 4 tsp dried or fresh oregano
• 1 Tbsp fresh basil (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• bamboo skewers 
• Tzatziki sauce (optional)
• Flatbread (optional)
• Greek salad (optional)

Directions:

Soak bamboo skewers in water for 5 minutes to prevent splintering. Combine olive oil, lemon/lime juice, vinegar, garlic, oregano, basil, thyme, coriander, salt & pepper in a gallon ziplock bag. Add pork or chicken and allow to marinate for 30-45 minutes. Heat up grill. Thread pork/chicken onto skewers and grill until no longer pink in the center. Serve with Tzatziki sauce, flatbread, and Greek salad.

Southwest Chicken Soup (by Novik, age 15)

I recently told Novik, my 15-year-old, live-in chef, to make us dinner (because I was exhausted and completely without culinary inspiration.) So, he whipped up this amazing soup, which was perfect for a cool, fall evening.

Serves 3

Ingredients (to the best of his recollection)

2 chicken breasts, lightly salted and cooked in a skillet in oil with 1 lime squirted over it as it cooked.
3 whole carrots, chopped and lightly sauteed in oil or butter.
1 container of chicken broth
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
Juice of 2 more limes (see chicken directions above)
2 t thyme
3 t parsley
3 t marjoram
1 t sage
1/4 - 1/2 t pepper
Sriracha (optional)

Directions

Shred chicken by tearing it with a fork. Combine all ingredients (except the Sriracha) and heat through. Serve with cracker sand Sriracha, if you like.

Cardamom Chicken and Chickpeas

4 chicken breasts, cut into 3 pieces each
2 T cumin powder (or toasted seeds, ground with a mortar & pestle)
8 cardamom pods (opened, pods removed, and seeds ground with a mortar & pestle)
2 T honey
1T fresh ginger, grated
2 t minced garlic
Pinch dried chili flakes (optional/You can also use jalapeno stuffed olives, below, instead of regular ones to add the spiciness)
6 T olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
1 large red onion, finely sliced
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
14 1/2 oz can chickpeas, rinsed & drained
Handful pitted green olives, sliced
1/2 - 1 cup chopped cilantro
Hot, cooked jasmine rice

1. Combine cumin, cardamom, honey, ginger, garlic, chili (if using), and 4 T of olive oil in a small bowl.
2. Place chicken pieces in a Ziplock bag and add combined seasonings. Mix well and allow to sit for 2 hours (or more) in the refrigerator.
3. Gently fry chicken in remaining oil until golden brown on all sides. Place in a tagine pot (or heavy casserole dish, or you can cook this in your crockpot). Drizzle remaining marinade mix on top.
4. Cover with onion, tomatoes, chickpeas and olives. Pour in the chicken broth.
5. Cover and cook in a 375 degree oven for one hour.
6. Stir in chopped cilantro just prior to serving.
7. Serve over rice.

Tip: If you are using a tagine or casserole dish, place a cookie sheet beneath your dish to catch unintentional drippings.

Tex Mex Soup

PREPARE 4 chicken breasts, boiled with 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 1 t garlic powder, 2 T parsley, and 5 cubes chicken bullion (or one rotisserie chicken) (Alternatively, you could marinate chicken breasts in similar seasonings and grill or fry in a skillet with some oil.) SHREDDED.

In soup pot, combine:
1 jar chunky salsa (24 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 cans chili beans (in sauce)
3 T chili powder
8 oz. sour cream
corn
Low Sodium Chicken Broth
Add shredded chicken

Cook through and serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

African Peanut Chicken

African Peanut Sauce

2-3 tbsps Oil
1 Chicken, cut up (can use beef chunks)
1 medium Onion, chopped
3-4 Hot Peppers (do not cut up, for flavor only)
1 1/2 tsps Salt (or to taste)
1/4 Cabbage, chopped or in large chunks (optional)
2-3 tsps bouillon granules
1 1/2 cup peanut butter, natural
2-3 tbsps Tomato Paste
5-6 drops Tabasco, Or, chop the cooked hot peppers and serve on side
Cooked Rice

In dutch oven or stew pot, heat oil and fry chicken and onions lightly.
Add water to cover chicken by 1/2 to 1 inch.
Add salt and hot peppers and boil until chicken is cooked.*
Add bouillon, and tomato paste and peanut butter.  (Mix peanut butter with some of the liquid and add. )
Bring to a good boil and add cabbage.
Cook well to blend flavor.  (Cook until you see till the surface of the sauce has little red dots of oil forming.  This shows that the peanut butter is cooked.)  Add liquid if needed.
Remove the whole hot peppers.
Serve over rice.

* When chicken is cooked, can be removed from broth and de-boned, but this is not traditionally African.


from Marilyn Hanscome, West Africa

Easy, Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1-2 lbs cooked chicken, diced or shredded

We had this the other night and Aaron liked it so much he said it needed to go on the regular rotation--so there you go.

1 1/2 cups cheddar or monterey jack cheese

flour tortillas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup salsa

1 cup sour cream

2 t chili powder

1-2 tomatoes, diced

2 stalks green onion, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix in a bowl the cream of chicken soup, salsa, sour cream and chili powder. Set aside. Mix together the chicken, cheese and 1 cup of the soup mixture. Fill tortillas with about 1/3 cup chicken mixture and roll up. Place seam side down in baking dish. Pour remaining soup mixture over the top. Cover with tin foil and bake for 40 minutes. Top with tomatoes and green onion before serving. Goes well with Mexican Corn.

Bruschetta n' Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I adapted this from a recipe found in the Kraft magazine.  I have a feeling the original may be a little tasteless, so feel free to change it up.  I added optional stuffing ideas, too, because you can be infinitely creative with what you choose to stuff inside chicken breasts.  Just be sure to season it well.  I'd love to hear your variations and what worked and what didn't, so be sure to leave a comment on this post when you've tried it! 1 can (14 1/2 oz) Italian-Style diced tomatoes, undrained 1 1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese, divided 1/4 c chopped fresh basil 1 pkg stuffing mix for chicken 8 boneless chicken breast halves (2 lbs) marinated in roasted red pepper Italian w/parmesan dressing (save marinade) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine tomatoes, 1/2 c of cheese, the basil and dry stuffing mix; stir in enough marinade until just moistened.  Place 2 chicken breast halves in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag.  Pound chicken with meat mallet until 1/4 in. thick.  Repeat with rest.  Spread chicken evenly with stuffing mixture.  Starting at narrow end, tightly roll up.  Place, seam-side down in 13x9 in. pan.  Bake 40 min.  Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 c cheese.  Bake an additional 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.  Makes 8 servings. Optional stuffing ideas:  parmesan cheese, diced red bell pepper, Italian style bread crumbs, diced re-hydrated sun-dried tomatoes and salt to taste.

Popovers

(Makes 2 dozen)

4 eggs

1/2 t salt

2 c milk

4 T butter or margarine, melted

2 c all-purpose flour

1 T sugar

(For a dessert-like treat, you can add 1 teaspoon of any of the following ingredients vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg.  For a luncheon style treat, try rosemary, oregano, basil, parmesan cheese, or thyme.  Use your imagination!)

Mix all ingredients together well.  Set oven to 425 degrees and put them into a cold oven.  (If using a preheated oven, check often to be sure they do not get done early.)  Leave them for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees for an additional 10 minutes.  Prick each one with a toothpick or metal skewer to allow steam to escape and for popovers to crisp on the inside.  Leave them for 2-3 more minutes.  

GET CREATIVE!

These can be eaten plain or filled with turkey, chicken, tuna or egg salad, cheeses and/or lunchmeat, scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, jams or jellies, pudding, pie filling, melted chocolate or whipped cream.  They are a fabulous appetizer or luncheon addition, main course or dessert.  They are great way to use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.  They work great with any meal--breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack-time and kids love them!

Spinach Stuffed Chicken

5-6 chicken breasts

fresh spinach (or frozen, thawed)

clove of garlic, diced

olive oil

rice wine vinegar

Parmesan cheese, shredded/grated

salt and pepper, to taste

2 small tomatoes, sliced

Pound chicken out flat.  Grind up spinach with garlic, oil and vinegar.  Salt and pepper the chicken on both sides. Spoon mixture into chicken, sprinkle with parmesan and fold over.  Place in casserole dish.  Spread tomato slices over chicken; drizzle olive oil over tomatoes and sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top.  Bake at 425 degrees until juices run clear.

Creamed Chicken and Biscuits

1/2 large onion, diced

1 1/2 t butter

6 cups chopped cooked chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 1/2 c sour cream

1 cup milk

1/2 c chopped pimiento, optional

2-3 cups frozen pea and carrot mix

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

frozen biscuits, thawed (or freshly made biscuits)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease bottom and sides of a 9x13 in. pan.  Saute onion in butter.  Combine onion, chicken, soup, sour cream, milk and pimiento in a medium bowl and mix well.  Spoon mixture into dish and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and sprinkle with most of cheddar cheese.  Arrange biscuits over top and sprinkle with remaining cheese.  Bake until biscuits are golden brown and sauce is bubbly--about 20 minutes longer.  Serve immediately.

Three-Cheese Stuffed & Wrapped Chicken

chicken breasts

3/4 c cheddar, shredded

3/4 c mozzarella, shredded

1/4 c Parmesan cheese

Turkey slices (deli-meat)

Italian style bread crumbs

1 tomato, diced

Mixed cheeses and mix in bread crumbs and tomato.  Slit chicken and stuff with mixture.  Wrap in turkey slices and secure with toothpick.  Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.  Check to make sure it's done.

Chicken Adobo

3 lbs chicken thighs

1/2 c vinegar

1/2 t peppercorn

3 bay leaves

3 t garlic

3 T sugar

3 T soy sauce (or use gluten-free soy sauce.)

1 c water

hot, cooked rice

Boil first.  Cook at medium, partially covered for approx. 2 hours.  If nec, add more sugar or soy sauce for taste and cornstarch or flour for thickening.  Serve with hot, cooked rice.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Salad

1 (4 oz) package goat cheese
4 chicken breasts
package of mixed lettuce
2 cups frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, diced
2-3 green onion stalks, chopped
1-2 avocados
lime juice
tortilla chips (optional)

Slice chicken breasts to make a pocket. Fill each with 1 oz goat cheese. Grill. Meanwhile, chop avocado and liberally sprinkle with lime juice; set aside. Fry up corn, red bell pepper and green onion in butter. To serve: Slice grilled chicken and place on a bed of lettuce, covered with corn mixture and garnished with avocado. Use lime juice to season.

Honey Almond Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts, split down the middle lengthwise to thin
1-2 cups almond meal

1/2-1 c flour (or Red Mill gluten-free, 1-to-1 baking flour)

1/4 t salt

Dash pepper

2 T honey

1/4 c water

1-2 cups oatmeal/gluten-free oatmeal (optional--if you don't have enough almonds or want to add some different texture, add some oatmeal.)

Butter or oil for frying

Heat water and honey together until honey is completely dissolved. Allow to cool. Get three bowls. In first, combine flour, salt and pepper. In second, pour in the honey water. In third, combine almond crumbs and oatmeal, if desired. Fry at medium heat in an iron skillet in butter or oil until chicken is done all the way. Drain on paper towels and serve with your choice of sides.

By S. E. Thomas

Chicken and Dumplings

1 whole chicken
4 quarts water
2 TB salt
Pepper to taste
1 basil leaf
2 Carrots/cut into bite size
4 Celery stocks/cut in half

Boil chicken whole in the salted/peppered water. Boil until chicken is completely cooked. Remove from heat, and allow chicken to cool enough to handle. Remove all skin and bones from the chicken, and cut into bite size pieces, placing back into the broth. Add basil leaf and any other herbs you desire and vegetables. Simmer until vegetables are cooked, and remove celery. Bring to a boil and begin adding dumplings by Tablespoon. Cook about 10 minutes more, and serve.

Dumplings:
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 TB parsley
1/8 tsp poultry seasoning
3/4 cup milk
1 egg

Mix together dry ingredients separately from the wet ingredients and then mix together until smooth. Drop by Tablespoons into the stew.

Beef or Chicken Gravy

Basic White Sauce
½ c chopped onion
1 t garlic, minced
1 T butter
1 cube or 1 t beef or chicken bouillon

Sauté onion and garlic in butter. Add white sauce ingredients to onion and garlic mixture and prepare sauce. After white sauce has thickened, add bouillon and mix thoroughly. Add more milk to thin as needed and heat through.

Fricasé de Pollo

2 ½ lbs chicken pieces (legs and thighs)
1 T salt
1 t vinegar
¼ c olive oil
2 garlic cloves or 1/4 t garlic powder
¼ t oregano
1/8 t black pepper
1 T olive oil
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
A handful of olives
1 can tomato sauce
1 ½ c water
3 medium red potatoes, sliced
1/3 c white wine
Salt to taste
Hot cooked rice

Wash chicken pieces and rub the with the 1 T of salt. Place in a ziplock bag. Mix together vinegar and ¼ c olive oil, pour this over the chicken, seal bag and marinate overnight. Mix together the garlic, oregano, pepper and 1 T olive oil. Pour this into a pan and add marinated chicken pieces. Brown and remove from pan. In same pan, sauté tomato, green pepper, onion and olives. Add back chicken, water and potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes. Add wine and cook on low for 30 minutes or until done. Season with additional salt as needed. Serve over hot cooked rice.