Category Archives: Chicken

June 23, 2010 · 12:07 am

Fajitas

My goal here was to make a tasty fajita without having to use one of those packages of powdery spice mixes. I did not get what I was going for, so if you have any suggestions, please send them my way.
I am going to go ahead and include the recipe so you can see what I did and then you can help me from there. Thank you!!!

Ingredients:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 T lime juice
1/4 tspn. salt, divided
1/8 tspn. pepper, divided
2 T sour cream
1 1/2 tspn. fresh cilantro
1/8 tspn. ground cumin
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, chopped
Tortillas

Instructions:
Preheat broiler.

Place chicken in a shallow dish and sprinkle with lime juice. Season with 1/8 tspn. salt and pepper and let sit at room temperature for ten minutes.

Whisk sour cream, cilantro, cumin and 1/8 tspn. salt in a small bowl.

Place the onion and the chicken on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and broil for 3-5 minutes. Stir onion and turn chicken over. Broil chicken and onion for 3-5 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (The onion may get done before the chicken.) When chicken is done, cut into thin slices on a cutting board.

Assemble tortillas with chicken, sour cream mixture, tomatoes, salsa, cheddar cheese…whatever you like to put on your fajitas.

Did I change anything? I added green peppers that I just sauteed in a skillet with some onions. You can’t have a fajita without green onions. 🙂

What did the family think? I think everyone thought they were just okay. Not as much flavor as we would have liked. Any suggestions?

recipe from Food Network

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Filed under Chicken, Mexican

June 18, 2010 · 10:57 pm

Chicken and Chickpea Pilaf

I am a sucker for chickpeas…love’em.

Ingredients:
Rice (long-grained, brown, jasmine or basmati)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tspn. ground coriander
1 tspn. turmeric
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
15 oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tspn. ground cumin
2 bay leaves
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/3 c. golden raisins

Directions:
Cook rice according to directions on packaging.

Heat 1 T. olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and sprinkle with coriander and cumin. Cook chicken until it is thoroughly cooked. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add remaining oil to the pan the chicken was in. Add onion, garlic, bell pepper, basil leaves and turmeric. Cook until onions are tender. Then add chicken back to the pan. Add chickpeas and raisins and stir.

Serve chicken mixture on top of rice.

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for chicken thighs and a whole onion. We didn’t have chicken thighs and a whole onion would have been way too much. The original recipe called for saffron. I don’t have any saffron, so I added turmeric instead…similar effect and WAY cheaper. The original recipe called for long-grain rice. I had jasmine rice in the pantry, so that’s what I used. I figured it suited the dish, so I went with it.

What did the family think? Hubby and I thought it was okay, but we felt like it needed a sauce. The kids ate the raisins and the chicken out of it.

from iVillage

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June 17, 2010 · 9:26 pm

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

This dish was awesome. I think I am going to just start making the salsa part of this recipe to have with tortilla chips. Yummo!!!

Ingredients:
Salt and pepper
1/4 tspn. cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T olive oil
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 T fresh lime juice
1 Haas avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks

Directions:
In a small bowl combine 1 tspn. salt, 1/4 tspn. black pepper and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until done, about 8 to 10 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice. Set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into the onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Did I change anything? I ended making twice as much rub as the recipe above calls for. It wasn’t nearly enough for 4 chicken breasts. I also only used 1/2 of a red onion. The original recipe called for an entire red onion. I felt like 1/2 was almost too much.

What did the family think? Hubby and I could eat that avocado salsa all day long. Not only would it be scrumptious on its own, but it was fantastic on the chicken as well. The coolness of the avocado went along nicely with the spice of the chicken. The chicken was way too spicy for our oldest. The youngest loves spicy things, so he ate it even though he kept wiping off his tongue with his napkin.

We had this with leftover Spanish rice, watermelon and some tortilla chips.

from Everyday Food

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Easy, Mexican, Spicy

June 6, 2010 · 9:41 pm

Greek Chicken Cutlets

Broke out the indoor grill tonight which I probably haven’t used in two years. It was a great change of pace and brought our youngest into the kitchen to see what I was doing.

Ingredients:
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz. feta cheese crumbles
3 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. chicken cutlets

Directions:
Mix the tomatoes, feta, 1 T olive oil, salt and pepper in a medium-sized bowl and set to the side.

Heat a grill pan over high heat; brush lightly with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Cook chicken about 2-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.

Put chicken on a serving platter and top with tomato mixture.

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for mint and Kalamata olives. I am not a huge fan of either so I left them out.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked the chicken. I like anything that has feta on it though so I am probably not the best judge. The boys ended up eating leftover pasta from a few nights ago along with leftover pizza. We will never get all of that pasta eaten up, but it was worth a try. Hubby and I even had some alongside our Greek chicken. I still have half a pan of the pasta left though. Oh well, we tried. 🙂

from Everyday Food

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Filed under Chicken, Everybody Ate It, Six Ingredients or Less, Super Easy to Make

June 1, 2010 · 10:11 pm

Greek Chicken Pasta

The feta is what makes this dish yummo!

Ingredients:
1 lb. uncooked penne or similar shaped pasta
1 T olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. chopped red onion
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
14 oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 large tomato, chopped
1 c. crumbled feta cheese
1 T. dried parsley
2 T lemon juice
2 tspn. dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cook pasta per directions on the packaging.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes.

Add garlic and onion to pan. Cook until chicken is cooked through.

Reduce heat to medium low and add artichoke hearts, tomato, parsley, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir until heated through.

Put a serving of pasta in a bowl for each person. Put chicken mixture on top of pasta. Sprinkle a generous amount of cheese on top of each serving.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really liked it. I must say though that without that feta cheese, I don’t think it would have been very tasty. Our oldest really liked the feta. He even asked for more. He pretty much ate everything except the tomato and the artichokes. Our youngest ate the chicken after much-MUCH whining about how he ALLLLLWAAAYYYYS has to eat chicken. I told him tomorrow we won’t have chicken. That will give him something new to complain about. 🙂

from allrecipes.com

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May 31, 2010 · 10:07 pm

Black Bean and Chicken Salad with Brown Rice

I got this recipe from someone I used to only know via our blogs until we ran into each other at the library one day. Anyhow, she posted this recipe on her blog the other day. It sounded awesome and right up our alley, so I made it tonight. I really loved it…I think what I loved about it the most, besides that it tasted great, is that it’s so colorful. 🙂

Ingredients:
Dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of 1 1/2 limes
1/4 tspn. chili powder
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

Salad:
1 c. canned corn
1 bell pepper, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste
1 c. cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and diced
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped
2 large chicken breasts, already cooked and cut into bite-size pieces or shredded

Rice (brown or white) whichever you prefer

Directions:
Cook rice according to directions on package.

For salad:
Cook the bell pepper, onion, and corn in the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until the onions have started to soften.

Add the beans and heat through for a few minutes.

In a large bowl, stir together the bean mixture and the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir.

Gently fold in the avocado, tomatoes and cilantro.

For dressing…place all ingredients in a Mason jar. Put the lid on the jar and shake until everything is blended. Pour over salad and then gently mix it all together.

Place a serving of rice in the bottom of each person’s bowl and then spoon the yummy salad on top. Enjoy!

I am so excited that we have leftovers of this. One, we hardly ever, ever have leftovers. Two, I think this salad will taste even better tomorrow once all of the flavors have had time to blend together a little bit.

What did the family think? Hubby and I really, really liked it. Our oldest tolerated it. He ate everything, but tomatoes just aren’t his thing. The youngest ate the chicken and the rice.

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Salad

May 28, 2010 · 10:25 pm

Herbed Vegetable Chicken

I found this recipe written on a notecard among my recipe books. It is dated May 1, 1999 and is from my mother-in-law. I used to make this all the time when my hubby and I were first married.

Ingredients:
1 small onion
3 c. broccoli
2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, thinly sliced
1 tspn. basil
1 tspn. garlic salt
2 ice cubes
2 T butter
2 chicken breasts
Aluminum foil

Directions:
Preheat over to 450 degrees.

Rip off two fairly big rectangles of aluminum foil. All of the ingredients are going to go onto these sheets and then you are going to fold them up into little packets, so the aluminum foil has to be big enough for you to do that.

Place one chicken breast on each sheet of aluminum foil. Equally divide all of the ingredients between the two sheets of aluminum foil. Wrap them up and place them on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Be careful when you open the packets. Very hot steam will come out… I have burned my fingers more than once.

What does the family think? I have not made these in probably eight or nine years. It turns out very good though and is great with some rice….fairly quick and easy, too, and only a little clean-up.

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Filed under Chicken, Easy

· 12:29 am

Spicy Asian-Style Pasta

I don’t know if I would say it was “spicy” but it was definitely good.

Ingredients:
I lb. linguine, broken in half

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-size pieces

4 T oriental sesame oil
3 T honey
3 T soy sauce
3 T balsamic vinegar
1/4 tspn. cayenne pepper

1 T olive oil
1 red bell peppers
2 c. snow peas
1/2 large red onion
1/2 c. chopped fresh basil

Directions:
Cook pasta according to directions on the box. Drain and set aside.

Whisk sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, vinegar and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, onion and snow peas. Saute about 5 minutes or until veggies are crisp, but tender. Add basil to skillet.

Divide pasta between four bowls. Divide veggies in the same way and spoon on top of pasta. Divide chicken and spoon on top of veggies. Evenly divide sauce between bowls, toss and serve.

Did I change anything? The original recipe called for three bell peppers. I like bell peppers as much as the next person, but that seems like a whole lotta bell peppers. I cut down on the snow peas and the red onion, too. There were still PLENTY of veggies to go around. I also added the chicken so it could be a meal instead of a side salad.

What did the family think? Hubby said he really, really, really liked it. Our oldest was literally slurping up the noodles. They both loved the sauce that went into this. Well, the youngest ate the chicken and acted like he might die when he ate a noodle tainted with the sauce. He is a pasta purest…red sauce only with that boy’s pasta.

adapted from a recipe from Bon Appetit

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again

May 24, 2010 · 10:22 pm

Chicken with Herbed Vegetable Sauce

This is a great dish to make out of all of the fresh veggies that are in season now.

Ingredients:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 T fresh thyme
3 T olive oil
2 small zucchini, cut into thin strips
1 small leek (white and pale green parts only) cut into thin strips
1/2 medium carrot, cut into thin strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. chicken broth
8 large fresh basil leaves, chopped
Salt and pepper to season

Directions:
Heat half the oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add chicken to skillet and season with salt and pepper and half of the thyme.

Cook chicken until cooked through then transfer to a plate.

Add zucchini, leek, carrot, garlic and remaining thyme and oil to skillet.

Saute vegetables for about five minutes.

Return chicken to skillet and add chicken broth. Bring to boil, reduce heat and cover.

After about five minutes, add basil and cook an additional five minutes.

We had this with parmesan risotto that our oldest had been begging me to make. It was actually a pretty good combo.

Did I change anything? Yes…I left out the celery and the tomatoes which were on the original recipe and not because I meant to but because they never made it onto the grocery list. Frankly, though, I think the tomatoes would have been too much; there are already a lot of veggies in this. I also didn’t read the recipe very well and I added an entire can of chicken broth instead of just a cup. It turned out fine though. I just got it out of the pan with a slotted spoon.

What did the family think? Hubby and I liked it. I really liked all of the fresh herbs in it. Our oldest liked it and ate just about everything. Our youngest ate the chicken with some catsup and he also ate the carrots.

Original recipe from Bon Appetit

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Filed under Chicken, Definitely Making it Again, Everybody Ate It

May 23, 2010 · 9:56 pm

Quesadilla Pie

This is a great dish because you can add just about any reasonable ingredient to it and it comes out fabulous.

Must-have Ingredients:
4 large flour tortillas
1/2 lb. shredded cheese (cheddar, Mexican blend or Pepper Jack)

Possible Ingredients:
Beans, cooked (black, pinto)
Tomatoes, chopped
Onions (green, red, white, yellow)
Corn
Squash, chopped or shredded
Pork, chicken or beef-cooked and shredded
Rice (plain or Mexican) already cooked
Chiles
Cumin
Chili Powder
Cilantro

Garnishes:
Avocado
Salsa
Sour Cream

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Butter bottom and sides of a pie dish that is about the same size as your tortillas.

Place one tortilla on the bottom of the pie dish.

Next add 1/3 the ingredients that you have chosen to add to your quesadilla pie. (Note: all layers don’t have to be the same.) Make sure you put cheese in all of the layers though.

Place a tortilla on top of the first layer and add another 1/3 of the pie fillings. Top that layer with a tortilla, add more fillings and then place the last tortilla on top.

Spread a little butter on top of the last tortilla. Don’t skip this step. 🙂

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. Then remove aluminum foil, turn oven up to 400 degrees and cook for another 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and let the pie set for about ten minutes before you cut into it.

Did I change anything? One thing we always have with this is a concoction of salsa and sour cream mixed together that we use as a dip for these. Yummo!!!

What does the family think? Hubby and I really like these. The kids are inclined to eat anything that involves sour cream. 🙂