Category Archives: Chicken

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans and Potatoes

Posted on March 3, 2012 | 1 Comment

We’ve been dieting (which you really can’t tell from recent posts) and part of the diet is that every other night we have Cheerios. Poor hubby isn’t a fan of this new plan. He works hard all day outside, moving huge slabs of rocks around. He doesn’t want to come home to a nice bowl of ….Cheerios.

So on those other nights, I try to cook something I know he’ll like while still trying to stay inside the realm of “healthy” or at least “healthy-ish.” And while he likes to eat unusual aka “fancy” foods, deep down he’s really a meat and potatoes man. I saw this recipe on Pinterest (I know, I know, I told you I’m an addict!!) and immediately thought that it screamed JAMES! I cooked it – it was REALLY simple to make….duh I guess that’s why it came from Real Simple magazine! He loved it. He said I should make it really often. He opted to dip his chicken into some Dijon mustard, I tried a bite and it was quite tasty with the dipper, so there’s an option for ya. I hope you enjoy it as much as he did!

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans and Potatoes

Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon-Garlic Green Beans and Potatoes
Recipe slightly adapted from Real Simple magazine

Ingredients:
1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I think bone-in, skin-on would be great though)
3/4 lb fresh green beans, ends trimmed, washed
8 small red potatoes, washed and quartered, skin-on
1 lemon
5 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
optional: crushed rosemary or Herbs de Provence

Method:

Preheat oven to 450.
Mix your olive oil, the juice of the lemon, salt, pepper and garlic (and rosemary if you’re using some) in a medium-sized bowl. Toss the green beans in the mixture, then using tongs remove the green beans to a roaster or casserole dish (coated with nonstick spray), leaving the liquid in the bowl.
Now toss the potatoes in the liquid, and using a slotted spoon remove them and add to the green beans.
Toss the chicken in the mixture and then place the chicken on top of the green beans and potatoes. Drizzle any remaining liquid in the bowl over the chicken. Sprinkle Herbs de Provence on top of the chicken.
Bake/roast for 50 minutes, then remove the chicken from the pan and set aside and cook the green beans and potatoes for another ten minutes or so – until the potatoes pierce easily with a fork. While that’s cooking, check if your chicken is done.
Return the chicken to the pan and serve.

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Posted in Beans, Casserole, Chicken, potatoes

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

Posted on January 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

For a while I haven’t really been cooking anything new, I’ve been eating a lot of soups (healthy, don’t have to cook again for several days!) but I could tell James was getting REALLY tired of that. Mostly because he said so I decided to try a new dish that looked totally him.

This was REALLY good. I mean like seriously good. It was pretty easy to make, I ended up with a ton of crushed crackers leftover, but I’d be nervous crushing up less and then not having enough and having to crush more mid-way through cooking. We loved it though, I hope you do too!

Crispy Cheddar Chicken
Recipe from Jamie Cooks It Up, originally from What’s Cookin’ Chicago?

Ingredients:
4 large chicken breasts
2 sleeves Ritz crackers (I used Town House)
1/2 tsp Tony’s Creole Seasoning, plus a little extra
1/2 cup milk
3 cups cheddar cheese, grated
1 tsp dried parsley

Sauce:
1 can cream of chicken soup
2 tbsp sour cream
2 tbsp butter

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Cut each chicken breast into three large chunks, season lightly with Tony’s.
In a small food processor, grind up the crackers. Alternatively, you can put them in a Ziploc bag, seal it and pound them with a can or something.
Place the milk in one dish, cheese in another and cracker crumbs in another. Add 1/2 tsp Tony’s to the cracker crumbs and stir to combine.
Dip each piece of chicken into the milk, then toss to coat into the cheese, then the cracker crumbs. Lay them in a casserole (9×13) coated with nonstick spray.
Lightly sprinkle parsley over the top of each chicken breast. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until the edges of the chicken are turning golden brown and crispy.
While that’s cooking, empty the can of soup into a small saucepan. Add the sour cream and butter and stir over medium heat until the sauce is heated through. Serve over chicken.

Crispy Cheddar Chicken

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Posted in Chicken

Crockpot Chicken White Bean Pumpkin Chili

Posted on November 17, 2011 | 4 Comments

Long name, huh? I’ve been *trying* to be good with the diet lately, and one of my favorite winter foods is my white chicken chili. Unfortunately it’s not the healthiest thing in the world. Needless to say, I was thrilled when in the current recipe swap, I received a recipe for a white bean chili – that’s “skinny.” Thanks Ellie!

The original recipe called for using ground turkey, but to make it more like the one I like I opted to use chicken, I just used some shredded meat from a roast chicken. I’m sure that didn’t alter the calorie count too significantly. The chili was really great, it wasn’t exactly like my regular recipe since you’re not adding the gobs of cream, but it tasted great all the same. The only thing I would caution you on is to watch the cumin. I’m going to cut down the amounts in this recipe because what it called for was really way too much cumin. Serve this on a cold winter night – it’ll be great to come home to and your soul will be happy

P.S. Don’t worry about the pumpkin flavor – it adds nutrients and you honestly don’t even taste it – ask my husband!!

Crock Pot Chicken White Bean Pumpkin Chili
Recipe adapted from Ellie’s blog, The Wanna Be Cook

Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1/2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder
2 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz can pure pumpkin puree’
4.5 oz. can chopped green chilis
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
optional toppings: fat-free sour cream or greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, lower fat cheese.

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a slow cooker sprayed with nonstick spray. Stir well to incorporate and cook either on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Serve and enjoy.

Crock Pot Chicken White Bean Pumpkin Chili

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Posted in Chicken, Crockpot, Light and Healthy, Pumpkin, Quick Fix, Soups, Stews, Chili and Gumbo

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Posted on October 24, 2011 | Leave a comment

The other day it was cold and rainy. Since we were in 100+ degree heat and NO rain for the longest time, it was very welcome weather. Instead of making the roast chicken I had planned for that day, I decided the mood of the day really called for soup.

I really wanted to make a vegetable beef soup, but when I asked my husband what kind he wanted he said either chicken tortilla soup or some creamy chowder type. I really wanted that vegetable soup, which is NOT creamy so I decided we would meet in the middle and I concocted this chicken pot pie soup. I figured it’s got the filling that a pot pie would but in a chowder. I wasn’t sure what to do for the customary crust, so I figured a little crescent roll on the side to dip would do nicely. The end result was delicious, he was happy and I was happy and we all lived happily ever after.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Recipe a Cooking With Christen original

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
about 1 cup frozen chunk potatoes with onion and peppers (I use Ore-Ida brand)
1 lb. frozen mixed vegetables (corn, peas, green beans)
6 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1 cup half and half
1 cup heavy whipping cream
Seasonings desired (I used Tony’s Chachere’s Creole Seasoning on the chicken and added a little thyme and salt later)
Crescent rolls for dipping

Instructions

Heat the butter over medium heat until it melts, add the chicken and season to taste. Cook until no longer pink inside, then add the onion and garlic and saute’ until soft.
Add the mixed vegetables and potatoes, all to cook until warmed through, a few minutes. You can add more butter at this point if needed, if it’s starting to stick.
Add the chicken stock and cooking sherry, cover and allow to simmer 30 minutes.
Stir in the half and half and whipping cream and allow to warm through. Taste for seasonings and serve with crescent rolls for dipping.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

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Posted in Chicken, Soups, Stews, Chili and Gumbo

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas

Posted on October 11, 2011 | Leave a comment

The weather here has been really beautiful lately. We’d love if it were a little cooler, but hey after temps over 100 for months, we’ll take it! When its beautiful out, we like to grill, so we decided to do these quesadillas.

I apologize in advance, my picture doesn’t look great. Looks like I can add quesadillas to the “Hard to Photograph” category. I tried, I really did. But don’t worry about the picture because these were really great! We really liked the flavor combination and the extra zip of the bbq sauce. We used our old standby for the bbq sauce, Stubbs. Great stuff, you should try it. Anyway, these were slightly involved, since you had to grill the chicken first. But you could easily cheat and head over to a bbq joint and just pick up some bbq chicken!

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas
Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 flour tortillas
1 pineapple, cut into long strips (see Pioneer Woman’s website for pictures of how to cut it)
butter
seasonings to taste (we used Tony’s)
3 cups Monterey Jack Cheese (shred your own, it melts better)
1 whole jalapeno, sliced (optional)
BBQ Sauce – we used Stubbs

Instructions:

Prepare grill, make sure coals are ready.
Season chicken with desired seasoning, grill until no longer pink in the middle. When the chicken is almost done, baste with bbq sauce and allow to finish cooking.
Thread pineapple onto long skewers and grill just until warmed and grill marks appear.
Cut the chicken into slices, cut the pineapple into chunks.
Inside: heat a skillet over medium heat, melt a little butter. Add 1 tortilla and on one half of it, layer the chicken, pineapple, jalapeno, cheese and a little drizzle of bbq sauce if desired. Fold the empty side over the filled side and cook until cheese melts. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Cut into wedges and serve with your favorite quesadilla condiments.

Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Quesadilla

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Posted in Appetizers, Chicken, Grilling

Peruvian Chicken Kebabs with Garlic and Orange Salsa

Posted on July 18, 2011 | 3 Comments

I recently checked a cookbook out from the library mostly for the picture that was on the cover. Yeah, I totally judge a book by its’ cover! The picture was these little chicken kebabs and my husband was shocked because I am usually very anti-kebob. It’s just so much work. But that picture looked good.

It was not that much work. It wasn’t hard by any stretch of the imagination, just some chopping. For some reason, NONE of the grocery stores in my town had red onions in stock. None. What’s the deal?? I used regular sweet onions but I think if I had red ones, the salsa would have been a lot better. It was still good, but it would have been awesome. This is a great dish, it’s fun to eat and it’s actually diabetic-friendly!

Peruvian Chicken Kebabs with Garlic and Orange Salsa

Peruvian Chicken Kebabs with Garlic and Orange Salsa
Recipe from The Essential Diabetes Cookbook by Antony Worral Thompson
Serves 4

Ingredients:
6 garlic cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp sweet paprika
4 tbsp cilantro, half of it chopped
juice and grated zest of three limes
2 large chicken breasts, skinned and cut into 1 inch cubes
5 oranges
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp toasted almond flakes (I just realized I forgot this! It was still good though)
Nonstick spray
Green salad and tortillas for serving

Method:
In a small food processor, blend the garlic and salt together. Scoop half of it out and set aside. Add the cumin, coriander, paprika, the whole cilantro leaves and half of the lime zest and juice, process until it makes a paste.

Mix the chicken with the salty garlic that you set aside and cover and put in the fridge for at least half an hour to marinate.

While that is marinating, zest 2 1/2 of the oranges and juice two of them. Mix the zest and juice with the remaining lime juice and zest and add the onion, the rest of the chopped cilantro and the remaining garlic paste to form a salsa. Peel the oranges and combine the wedges with the salsa.

Thread the chicken onto four skewers and spray a grill pan with nonstick spray. Cook until done, about 15 minutes, turning to cook on all sides. Serve with warmed tortillas, the salsa and some lettuce if desired.

Calories: 154; Protein: 20.5g; Fat: 3.1g; Saturated Fat: 0.4g; Carbs: 11.8g; Total Sugars: 9.3g; Fiber: 0.9g; Salt: 0.44g; Sodium: 175mg

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Posted in Chicken, Diabetic, Light and Healthy

Chicken Enchilada Ring

Posted on June 16, 2011 | 1 Comment

I first had an enchilada ring at my friend Angie’s house. It was so delicious! I absolutely love crescent rolls so this was right up my alley. I had sort of forgotten about it until visiting my parents, my mom said she wanted to try making one. Then she clarified that she wanted ME to try making one while she played with my super-cute baby girl! No problem!

This was pretty easy to make and it really makes a nice presentation. You’ll have to forgive my picture, the lighting wasn’t good. I’ll have to make another one soon. A note about reheating: If you have some left, don’t reheat in the microwave. The bread just gets too soft and soggy, reheat in the oven.I think black beans (drained and rinsed well) would be a great addition.

Chicken Enchilada Ring
Recipe from: Pampered Chef

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into pieces
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayo
1 cup salsa
1 small can chopped green chilis, undrained
1 lime
1/4 cup chopped black olives
2 cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 tbsp taco seasoning
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack/Cheddar cheese blend
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup crushed corn or tortilla chips, divided

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.

Put chicken in a food processor and chop until fine (but not pureed). Put in a large bowl. Add the chopped olives, green chilis, mayo, seasoning and garlic. Slice lime in half and squeeze the juice of half the lime into the mixture, reserve the remaining half for garnish. Add the chopped tomato and all but 3 tbsp of the crushed chops to the mixture and mix well.

On a large board, sprinkle the 3 tbsp chips. Unroll the cans of rolls and press them down onto the chips, then separate into triangles. Arrange the triangles in a circle with the wide ends overlapping and the long piece pointing outwards. Scoop the chicken mixture onto the dough, then pull the points over, tucking under in the center. They won’t cover the whole thing, you’ll see some chicken mixture. Bake 20-25 minutes until golden. Serve wedges with salsa, sour cream and guacamole.

Chicken Enchilada Ring

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Posted in Chicken, Cinco de Mayo, Mexican

Baked Creamy Chicken and Bean Taquitos

Posted on May 23, 2011 | 1 Comment

It seems like there is always an “it” recipe going around the blogging world. For a while it was white chicken chili, then creamy taco mac (both are delicious) and now it seems to be creamy chicken taquitos. I’ve heard enough people rave about it so I finally gave it a try.

The recipe called for corn tortillas. I did use them and really was not a fan. I generally do not like corn tortillas, just not big on the texture. Plus they were hideous, they all split down the middle. But the flavor of the filling was great and I had a little leftover so I tried the rest of it in flour tortillas and it was GREAT! I also added a can of black beans just because I like them. I’ve heard people say it’s a great recipe to double up on and freeze the extras (before baking) so next time I will definitely do that!

Creamy Chicken and Bean Taquitos
Recipe adapted from: Pink Parsley, originally from Our Best Bites

Ingredients:
3 oz. softened cream cheese
1/3 cup salsa verde (I used the small can found with the Mexican food)
juice of half a lime
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 tbsp green onions, chopped
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed well
1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese (I used Cabot brand)
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
small flour tortillas
Salt and black pepper to taste
Optional side dips: Salsa, sour cream, quick guacamole (need 1 avocado and the rest of the can of salsa verde)

Method:

Preheat oven to 425.

In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients (except for the tortillas) and mix until well-incorporated.

Place some filling along the lower third of the tortilla and roll tightly. Place seam side down in a baking pan (you may want to spray it with nonstick spray). Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. Bake (watching closely) until turning brown, about ten minutes. Remove and serve with your dips of choice.

To make Pink Parsley’s quick guacamole simply mash the pulp of one avocado and mix in some of the remaining salsa verde, to taste.

Creamy Chicken and Bean Taquitos

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Posted in Beans, Chicken, Cinco de Mayo, Freezer-Friendly, Mexican

Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce

Posted on February 26, 2011 | 1 Comment

You can tell I was a bit lazy when planning out this week’s menu, since this recipe was right next to the shrimp pad Thai one in the most recent Cooking Light! Lazy or not, this was really good. It was pretty easy to make, I’m glad I went ahead and made the tahini sauce a bit in advance so the flavors could blend together for a while in the refrigerator. Hubby took the leftovers to work and said that was maybe not such a great idea, as he probably didn’t have the best breath afterwards!! If you like Greek food though, you’ll be sure to like this!

Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce
Recipe slightly adapted from: Cooking Light, March 2011 issue

Ingredients:
6 tbsp plain fat-free Greek yogurt (I had plain regular yogurt so I used that)
2 tbsp shredded cucumber
1.5 tbsp tahini
5 tsp fresh lemon juice, divided
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tsp more of the plain yogurt
Cooking Spray
4 pitas, cut in half
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce (we didn’t use this)
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
16 slices cucumber
16 slices plum tomato

Method:
A few hours in advance (or even the night before): In a small bowl, mix together the 6 tbsp yogurt, shredded cucumber, tahini, 1 tbsp lemon juice and the garlic. Cover and refrigerate.

Combine the remaining lemon juice, oil, oregano, salt, pepper, remaining yogurt and chicken in a small bowl. Allow to marinate about a half hour. Heat a nonstick skillet coated with the cooking spray. Drain the liquid off of the chicken and add the chicken to the skillet, cooking until turning golden on all sides and cooked through. While this is cooking, warm the pitas.

Gently open each pita half to make a pocket and fill with the chicken, sauce, cucumbers, tomatoes and onions (and lettuce if you want some). Enjoy!

Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tahini Sauce

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Posted in Chicken, Light and Healthy

Chicken Artichoke Casserole

Posted on February 11, 2011 | 1 Comment

One of my friends recently did a whirlwind cooking day and one of the things she fixed was chicken artichoke casserole. That just SOUNDS good. All comforting and yummy. She shared the recipe, which was from Taste of Home/Simple & Delicious magazine.

Let me say that this is NOT a healthy recipe. But it’s good. Really good. So good that my husband had three servings and thought about going back for a fourth. That good. He couldn’t stop talking about how much he loved it. It’s creamy, cheesy goodness at its’ best. I’m thinking I might try making it with the fat-free cream of chicken soup and lower fat/fat-free mayo. Just so I don’t feel SO guilty about indulging in it. Because I will definitely be making it again!

Chicken Artichoke Casserole
Recipe from: Taste of Home/Simple & Delicious magazine

Ingredients:
2 cups uncooked bow-tie pasta
2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 (14 oz) can water-packed artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayo
1/3 cup of 2% milk
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 cup onion and garlic croutons, coarsely chopped (I used homemade)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350.

Cook pasta, then drain. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, garlic, artichokes, cream of chicken soup, cheese, mayo, milk and seasonings. Add pasta to the mixture, then transfer to a greased baking dish (I used an 8×8). Sprinkle the croutons over the top, then baked uncovered for 25-30 minutes.