Chicken Marsala

Chicken Marsala
Adapted from Pillsbury's Slow Cooker Chicken Marsala recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 8 boneless skinless chicken breast cutlets (2-3 pounds)
• 16 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup sweet Marsala wine
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Saute' mushrooms and garlic in one tablespoon oil until soft.
2. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Add one tablespoon oil in bottom. Add chicken breasts, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread mushroom and garlic mixture over the chicken. Pour the wine over the chicken.
3. Cover, cook on low for 5 hours.
4. Remove chicken from cooker, place on a plate and cover to keep warm. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water, making a slurry. Slowly add to the liquid in the slow cooker (you will probably not need all of it!). Turn the slow cooker on to High for 10 minutes, or until liquid thickens.
5. Return chicken to slow cooker, and cook another 5 minutes, or until chicken is hot. Serve chicken with mushroom mixute on top, and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

As a meal:

Serve Chicken Marsala with a small side of angel hair pasta and marinara sauce, and roasted broccoli and cauliflower.

Chicken Spiedini

Chicken Spiedini

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 pounds chicken breast tenderloins
• 2/3 cup bottled sweet Italian salad dressing
• 3/4 packaged seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup halved fresh mushrooms
  
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped prosciutto
• 34 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 lemon, quartered

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken in salad dressing for 2-24 hours.

2. Drain chicken, discard marinade. Dip chicken in bread crumbs to coat. Thread chicken on skewers, accordion style, leaving 1/4 inch space between pieces

3. Heat grill to medium. Grill skewers for 10-12 minutes, turning once halfway thru grilling.

4. In a large skillet, melt butter. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook until tender. Add prosciutto and cook 2 minutes.

5. Remove chicken from skewers; arrange on plates. Sprinkle chicken with mushroom mixture, top with cheese. Squeeze lemon to finish.

Source: Family Circle Hometown Cooking cookbook

My notes:

Everyone seemed to love this dinner. The chicken had a nice flavor, and even though I'm not a fan of prosciutto, it was quite tasty as part of the mushroom mixture. This is definitely a recipe I will make again. In place of regular bread crumbs I used panko. Also, I used baby bella mushrooms and quartered them. Next time, I think I might add just a few slices of onion and possibly introduce a little white wine to the mxiture and try to create a bit of a sauce.

I served this with roasted broccoli, cauliflower and carrots, Alexia french rolls, and fresh cherries.


Roasted broccoli, cauliflower and carrots are made by tossing veggies in a little bit of olive oil, sprinkling with freshed cracked black pepper, a little kosher or sea salt and roasted in the oven for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. If you like a little kick, toss in a few red pepper flakes before roasting.

Parmesan Chicken & Rice

Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 (8-ounce) package presliced mushrooms
• 3/4 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup uncooked instant rice
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, and mushrooms; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Add chicken; sauté 4 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned. Add wine, salt, and pepper; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates.
Stir in rice and broth. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in cheese and parsley.

My Notes:
I haven't made this yet, but I'm not a big fan of instant rice. I plan to cook my rice separately using chicken broth, and add it in at the end. I'll make changes to the recipe to indicate this change if it goes well.

Source: Cooking Light

Chicken with Cranberry Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken tenderloins
• Flour
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 2/3 cup chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons country-style Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup Craisins
• 1/4 cup sliced green onions, green part only

Directions:

Lightly toss chicken pieces with flour; shake off excess. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and oil in a large skillet. Add half of the chicken; cook about 2 minutes, turning once until chicken is golden brown on each side and cooked through. Add more butter and oil if needed. Remove to a platter; keep warm. Repeat with remaining chicken.

Add wine, chicken broth and mustard to skillet, scraping up browned bits. Combine cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir into skillet. Add dried cranberries. Boil 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce thickens. Stir in green onions; cook 1 more minute. Pour sauce over chicken.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Ocean Spray

Notes: I like to serve this Cream Drop Biscuits.

Barbecue Chicken Cups

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground chicken
  
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup finely diced sweet onion
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  
• 1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough
• 1/3 (or more) cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the cups of a muffin pan.
2. In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, saute' onion in the olive oil til tender, about five minutes. Add chicken and cook until browned. Drain excess fat. Stir in barbecue sauce and dried onion. Simmer for a few minutes over low heat.
3. Flatten each biscuit, and press into cups of the prepared muffin pan. Make sure the dough comes to the top of the pan. Spoon a portion of the meat mixture into each dough cup.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 3 more minutes.

Notes: I have cut the biscuits in half and doubled the meat mixture to make twice as much. Obviously the cups are thinner, but we didn't notice it. Also, I have used a pre-made pizza dough (Publix makes one fresh in the bakery) in place of the biscuit dough and it's very good!

Pasta with Chicken Sausage & Broccoli

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces rigatoni
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, sliced
• 6 ounces fully cooked chicken sausage links, sliced (I like chicken & apple sausage)
• 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions
2. Meanwhile, heat the oli in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onlion, stirring often, for three minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broccoli and 1 1/4 cups water and simmer, covered, until the broccoli is tender, 5 to 6 minutes.
3. Toss the pasta with the sausage mixture and any remaining liquid and the Parmesan.

Source: Real Simple/September 2009

My notes:
I use about half the pasta in the recipe and double the sausage. I steam the broccoli while the onions and sausage are cooking, add a little of the water I steamed the broccoli in along with the broccoli to the onion/sausage mixture. Then I throw in the cooked pasta and toss it all together with the cheese. Also, I like to use chicken and apple sausage.

The boys aren't big fans of this, but I love it!

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Lemon Garlic Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
• 15-20 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• Dash of Lemon Pepper
  
• Salt & Pepper

Directions: Place chicken thighs and garlic cloves in baking dish and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Pour olive oil, lemon juice and lemon pepper over the chicken. Cover chicken with thin lemon slices. Bake at 325 for 45-55 minutes. Serve with rice.

Source: B. Knowlen

My notes: I've only made this once, but it is so good. I should make this again!

Black Bean & Chicken Enchiladas

Black Bean & Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 6 small corn tortillas
• 6 oz. chicken breast (cooked and shredded)
• 1/2c 2% shredded cheese (I used colby/monterrey jack combo)
• 1/2 can black beans
• 1-2T taco seasoning
• 1 small can enchilada sauce

Directions:
Pour small amount of enchilada sauce into bottom of casserole dish – just enough to cover bottom and prevent sticking.
Put shredded chicken into a bowl and mix in taco seasoning and black beans. Add mixture to the tortillas and roll up. Place in casserole dish.
Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas.
Top with shredded cheese.
Bake COVERED at 350 until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.

Source: K. Hays, via Weight Watchers

My notes:

I've doctored the original recipe up quite a bit, but the original is a great jumping off point. I double pretty much all of the ingredients and I mix in a little salsa to give it a little kick. Sometimes I use flour tortillas instead of corn, for a different flavor. I also use ground chicken instead of shredded. I just love the flavor of ground chicken in Mexican and Asian dishes.

This is another dish that I like to take to a family in need of a meal. I pack up a little extra shredded cheese, salsa and sour cream and also bring some tortilla chips.

Curry Craisin Chicken Salad

Curry Craisin Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C Mayonaise (Hellman’s Light)
• 1/2 C Chutney (Honey Baked Ham’s Cranberry Walnut Chutney)
• 1 t curry powder
• 2 t lemon zest
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1/2 t salt
• 4 C chicken (I marinated my chicken for an hour before baking it in Zesty Italian dressing)
• 1/4 C walnuts
• 1/4 C Craisins
  
• dash of sugar (if needed to cut the acidity of the lemon juice)

Directions:

Wisk everything in a bowl except chicken and walnuts. When well blended add chicken and walnuts. Cover and chill until time to eat.

Source: Me!

Kate's Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Kate's Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breasts-baked and cut into bite size pieces
• 2 heads fresh broccoli, steamed and cut into bite size chunks
• 3 cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup mayonaise
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients except cheddar cheese. Spoon mixture into a baking dish. Top mixture with shredded cheese. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

My Notes: Kate is the grown up kid that I was the nanny for for many, many years. This was one of her favorite dishes as a kid, and we often ate this for dinner. You know, when we weren't eating pepperoni omelets.

Source: V. Woska

Apple Stuffed Chicken

Apple Stuffed Chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chopped apple
• 2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 tablespoon Italian-style dried bread crumbs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Combine apple, cheese, and bread crumbs. Set aside.
Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts, and roll up each breast. Secure with toothpicks.
Melt butter or margarine in a 7 inch skillet over medium heat. Brown stuffed chicken breasts. Add wine and 1/4 cup water. Cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; stir into juices in pan. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour gravy over chicken, and garnish with parsley.

My notes: I liked this dish, but remember it being quite messy to prepare and cook.

Source: Unknown. Sorry. :-(

Worms & Eyeballs

Worms & Eyeballs

Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds ground chicken breast 2 cloves garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons chopped ginger root 2 scallions, finely chopped 1 small red pepper, 1/4 finely chopped and the remainder thinly sliced 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce, Chinese style barbecue sauce Salt and coarse black pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 3/4 small red bell pepper, sliced 1 cup shredded carrots 1 cup bean spouts 1 cup snow pea pods, julienne cut 1 pound bucatini, cooked to al dente 1/4 to 1/3 cup dark soy (Tamari) sauce, eyeball it Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.Combine chicken, garlic, ginger, scallions, finely chopped red bell pepper, hoisin and salt and pepper. Roll meatballs into the size of chicken eyeballs. Place balls on a nonstick cookie sheet and coat lightly with vegetable oil, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Roll balls around with your hands to gently coat with the oil. Roast the chicken eyeballs 10 to 12 minutes in a very hot oven.About 5 minutes from the meatballs coming out of the oven, start stir-frying the veggies. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the sliced red bell pepper, carrots, spouts and pea pods to hot pan. Stir fry 1 minute, then drain noodles and add them to the vegetables. Add dark soy sauce to the noodles and toss to combine and evenly coat. Transfer noodles to a serving platter and top with chicken eyeballs. Source: Rachael Ray My notes: This recipe was created by Rachael Ray for Halloween, hence the gross name. I have not made this, but a dear friend of mine brought this to me after I had back surgery a couple of years ago. I looked the recipe up and kept it, thinking I might make it for our family one day!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip

1 8oz block of cream cheese
1 pound ground chicken, browned
1/2 cup wing sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Dump all the ingredients above into a small crockpot, and cook for two hours, taking a moment every thirty minutes to stir.

Serve with Multigrain Tortilla chips or another, far more inferior tortilla chip if you can’t find those.

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Oh my goodness, this is an amazing dip. I made it for the party on Saturday night, and after less than an hour, I was making it again because the first batch was gone! No, I can’t take any real credit for the recipe, because I took the ingredients from two different recipes in the same style and made up one that sounded the best. Plus, I really wanted to use my little crock pot!

It is my intention to bring this to the next several parties that I have to attend, so if you plan to be at the same party as me, don’t steal my recipe and bring it yourself. Or maybe you should, because it’s so good, it will be gone in a flash!

My only regret? People ate it so quickly,\ that I didn’t get to take a picture.

Other Notes: I made this again, and this time I used what little Ranch dressing I had left, and supplemented with Bleu Cheese dressing. Uhm, if you like Bleu Cheese, it’ll be good. However, if your guests are not fans of it, they will probably not like this dip. The Bleu Cheese was very strong and quite tangy. Go for Ranch if you want something smooth and subtle.