Chicken Pot Pie

YUM! Really yum! This was such a tasty recipe. I am utterly delighted! I was going to bring my parents some but I think I will just make them their own. I think they'll enjoy it immensely (especially if I add the peas that I omitted because we dont like peas in this house). It had the wonderful thick sauce that I love and a nice crispy crust. I think I might add a bit more flour next time just to get it a tad bit thicker and hopefully it will hold together a bit better.

I think this one is a keeper!

Chicken Pot Pie
Adapted slightly from The Girl Who Ate Everything



1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas (I omitted these because neither of us are big fans of peas)
1/2 cup sliced celery (These were omitted because I thought I had celery and didnt.)
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon celery seed
32 oz. carton chicken broth for boiling(reserve 1 3/4 cups chicken broth for sauce)
2/3 cup milk
2 (9 inch) unbaked pie crusts (I used one in a tin for the bottom crust and a rollout crust for the top)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C.)
In a pot, combine chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add the carton of chicken broth to cover and boil for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, drain (reserving 1 3/4 cup chicken broth for filling) and set aside.

In the saucepan over medium heat, cook onions in butter until soft and translucent. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat and combine with the chicken, carrots, peas, and celery mixture. Here you can add more chicken broth if you like depending how runny you want your filling.

Place the chicken filling in bottom crust. Cover with top crust, seal edges, and cut away excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.

Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Herbed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ok so I really love Paula Deen. She's my idol. I've mentioned this more then once. Her food is definitely not great for any kind of low cal or low fat diet but my gosh it's good. I grabbed this recipe from her cookbook "The Lady & Sons Savannah Country Cookbook" and we liked it so much it's going in the "Paula Deen's Kitchen Wisdom and Recipe Journal" (that's where the recipes I really like are going!) The Hermit even liked it and he's not a chicken fan!

Herbed Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 whole skinless boneless chicken breasts (approx 5 to 7 oz each)
One 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried sweet basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning (see below)
4 slices bacon
1 leek (optional) (I left this out)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.

Wash and pound each chicken breast flat. Lay chicken breast on cookie sheet or large platter and spread it with cream cheese, followed by a quarter of the feta cheese.

Mix together basil, oregano, and House Seasoning and sprinkle over chicken.

Roll up each breast and wrap with a slice of bacon. At this time, if desired, you can tie up each rolled chicken breast with the green top of a leek. Cut the green top off the vegetable, leaving it long enough to tie around the breast and allowing a couple of extra inches for a knot.

Place chicken breasts in a casserole dish and pour melted butter over all. Cover casserole dish with foil and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Uncover dish and increase temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to bake, allowing the bacon to brown, for 15 to 20 minutes. Or you could place dish under broiler for a few minutes to brown. Serve over rice, with pan juices poured on top.

Island Chicken

Island Chicken

4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/4 teaspoons salt-free Jamaican jerk seasoning, divided (recommended: The Spice Hunter)
Salt
1 (20-ounce) can no-sugar added pineapple slices, in juice with juice reserved (recommended: Dole)
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat grill or cast iron grill pan to medium-high heat.

Remove any excess fat from chicken and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Use a pastry brush to brush with olive oil and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons jerk seasoning and salt, if desired. Set aside.

Drain pineapple slices and reserve juice. Season both sides of pineapple slices with 1/2 teaspoon of jerk seasoning; set aside.

In small saucepan, bring reserved pineapple juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon jerk seasoning, and brown sugar to a boil over high heat. Reduce liquid by 1/2, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Just before grilling, oil grate. Place chicken breasts on grate and grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove to platter and tent with foil.

Place pineapple slices on grate and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side until grill marks appear and pineapple is heated through.

Serve chicken breasts with pineapple slices and warm sauce.

NOTE: Chicken may also be broiled 4 to 6 inches from heat source for 6 to 8 minutes per side. Broil pineapple 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Super Easy Chicken

I am moving over some posts I'd made back when my cooking blog was on livejournal. Unfortunately I wasnt the best at crediting back then so if you recognize a recipe as your creation please please please let me know so I can give appropriate credit!

Super Easy Chicken

4 frozen chicken breast halves
1 pkg dry Italian dressing mix
1 c chicken stock

Place chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle with dressing mix. Pour stock over chicken.

Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hrs.

Chicken Corn Chowder

The weather here has been a bit insane lately. One day it's in the upper 80s and the next it's almost (if not) freezing. It was one of the cold days I decided to make some Chowder. Chicken and Corn. How could I resist??

I liked the recipe but felt like it was missing something. I'm not sure what that something was though. I would like to try it again sometime.

Chicken Corn Chowder

found via Myrecipes

1 tablespoon butter
6 green onions
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (10-ounce) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed and divided
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups fat-free milk
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded cheddar cheese

Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove green tops from green onions. Chop green onion tops; set aside. Thinly slice white portion of each onion. Add sliced onions to pan; sauté 2 minutes. Add flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in chicken, salt, pepper, 1 package of corn, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

While mixture simmers, combine the remaining corn and milk in a blender; process until smooth. Add milk mixture to pan; simmer 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Ladle 2 cups chowder into each of 4 soup bowls; sprinkle evenly with green onion tops. Top each serving with 2 tablespoons cheese.

Orange (sorta) Chicken

Once again, Sandra at Full Bellies, Happy Kids posted a recipe I had to try. This time it was a very yummy and easy orange chicken. I was a little leary since there isnt actually any orange in the recipe but my goodness it was soooo good! I served mine with brown rice and even had great leftovers for lunch the next day.

This one is going in my Paula Deen book that Dawn at Eat, Play, Live gave me for my birthday.

Orange Chicken

3 lbs. Chicken, cut into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of cornstarch
4 beaten eggs with a little milk
oil

Sauce:
1 1/4 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of water
2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Beat 4 eggs together and add a little milk. Mix cornstarch, flour and garlic powder together. Dip chicken pieces in the flour then egg. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

Place chicken in casserole dish.

Sauce:
Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved and ingredients are blended.

Pour sauce over chicken

Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly. (There wasnt actually a baking temp listed so I baked mine at 350 for 35 min and it turned out perfectly)

Spicy Honey Chicken

Yum yum yum! I <3 chicken! Especially spicy chicken and this one is spicy sweet! I think next time I'll use breasts instead of thighs though. I found this via Home Based Mom so be sure to check it out (and all the other yummy recipes)

Spicy Honey Chicken

Rub:

2 t Garlic Powder
2 t Chili Powder
1 t Salt
1 t Ground Cumin
1 t paprika
1/4-1/2 t Cayenne pepper (depending on how hot you like it)

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs

Glaze:
6 T Honey
2 t Cider Vinegar

Combine first 6 ingredients (all the spices) in bowl and mix well. Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Toss chicken with spice rub to coat all sides well. Brush grill surface lightly with oil. Grill chicken a few minutes on each side, until cooked through.
Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well until combined. Brush mixture on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling. Now because the glaze is sugar-based, you’ll want to turn the heat down so it doesn’t burn, but let it cook for a few minutes to caramelize. You can also cook this under the broiler if you don’t have a BBQ or the weather is bad.

mMm Manicotti!

Ok seriously, stuffing chicken tenders into manicotti shells is gross! It was worth it though because this manicotti was yummilicious! I've never had manicotti before and figured I'd try something easy so I wouldnt be grumpy if it turned out bad. Well not as grumpy at least.

I found this recipe via the blog Full Bellies, Happy Kids. Y'all should visit. She has tons of great recipes! My tummy was very happy with this recipe and Ron's was too!

Easy Chicken Manicotti

1 jar (26 to 30 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety) I used Ragu Onion and Garlic
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
14 uncooked manicotti shells (8 ounces)
1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)

Heat oven to 350 F. Spread about one-third of the pasta sauce in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches.

Sprinkle garlic salt on chicken. Insert chicken into uncooked manicotti shells, stuffing from each end of shell to fill if necessary. Place shells on pasta sauce in dish.

Pour remaining pasta sauce evenly over shells, covering completely. Sprinkle with olives and cheese.

Cover and bake about 1 1/2 hours or until shells are tender.

Odd Chicken Tastiness

This was kind of an odd recipe. Most chicken salads are munchable on their own with no bread needed. This one....not so much. It was really good as a sandwich but alone. Eh.

Parmesan Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Source: Easy Family Food Magazine 1st Quarter 2009 - page 23

1/2 cup light mayonnaise or salad dressing
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons snipped fresh basil
2 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or turkey
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion (2)
3 tablespoons finely chopped celery
salt and ground black pepper
12 slices whole wheat bread

1. For dressing, in a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice and basil. Set aside.

2. For salad, in a medium bowl, combine chicken, Parmesan, green onion, and celery. Pour dressing over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 to 4 hours. Serve chicken salad on toasted wheat bread. Makes 6 sandwiches.

Cal: 194, Fat: 12g, Sat Fat: 3g, Chol: 61mg, Sod: 366mg, Carb: 2g, Prot: 18g, Fib: 0g

This recipe is included in my 2009 Cookbook Challenge!!

Pineappley Goodness and Chicken that........

Ron's favorite cake is a Pineapple Upside Down cake and when I stumbled across this recipe for one over at No Special Effects I knew I'd make it for him.

Wow! Uber yum! I'm not going to post the recipe here because I followed exactly how it was originally posted but here's the link : Pineapple Upside Down Cake. The directions are laid out in a way that even a beginning baker could follow them and it was just fun to make!

Ron liked it so much that when I woke up this morning I saw he had eaten half of the cake while I slept. heh. That's a good thing!

On the other end of the cooking spectrum, the chicken & dumplings I made were horrible. The recipe called for entirely too much thyme, especially considering it was the only spice it used, so when you took a bite that was all you tasted. I was extremely disappointed but I am not giving up on that cookbook (Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2000.)

Tonight we are going out to The Melting Pot for our anniversary. I've been wanting to go there for eons and no one has wanted to go with me. I had joked that since I got him tickets to Cats that I got to pick the restaurant we went to next and voila, now we will be dining with fondue fantasticness tonight. YAY! I'll let y'all know how it was!

Chicken Tenders ala me!

I am trying to cut out fried foods because they really arent good for you but gosh they taste so darn good and last night I was craving chicken tenders. Now the recipe is gonna suck because I didnt measure anything. heh that's why I always use others recipes.

Chicken Tenders


2 lbs chicken tenders, tenders cut in half
flour
2 eggs
splash of milk
7-8 drops Frank's hot sauce
black pepper
cayenne pepper
canola oil

1. Whisk egg, milk, and hot sauce together in a bowl.

2. In 2nd bowl mix flour, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

3. Heat canola oil in large frying pan.

4. Dip tenders in egg mixture then flour and drop (carefully) into hot oil.

5. Turn once. When golden take from oil and drain on paper towel covered plate.

6. Serve with ranch dressing, honey mustard, or just munch alone!

Italian Sausage with Peppers and Tomatoes

This is a quick and easy recipe that's perfect after a long day at work when your brain has shut down and you arent in the mood to cook but dont want a tv dinner.

Italian Sausage with Peppers and Tomatoes

adapted from Weight Watchers Five Ingredients 15 minutes Cookbook - p46

2 c uncooked penne
cooking spray (I used garlic cooking spray for a little bit extra garlic taste)
3 links hot italian turkey sausage (about 12 oz), cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 (16 oz) pkg frozen bell pepper and onion stir fry
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
1/2 t black pepper
preshredded fresh parmesan cheese (optional)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta, and set aside.

2. While pasta cooks, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add sausage, and cook 5 min or until browned, stirring often. Add bell pepper stirfry, and cook 3 minutes or until hot, stirring often. Add tomatoes and black pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 5 min.

3. Place pasta in a large bowl. Add sausage mixture, and toss. Top with cheese, if desired.

6 servings

Nutritional info:
Cal: 280
Fat: 6.8g
Sat Fat: 0.2g
Prot: 16.4g
Carb: 39g
Fib: 1.8g
Chol: 34mg
Iron: 3.3mg
Sod: 732mg
Calc: 56mg

Southern Oven "Fried" Chicken

I love fried chicken. Really. I'm from the south. How could I not love fried chicken. What I dont like is the icky grease and since I've sworn off deep fried foods I was happy to see this recipe. Very very yummy.

Southern Oven "Fried" Chicken

adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook - p151

1/2 c fat free buttermilk
1/2 c breadcrumbs (original recipe calls for cornflakes)
3 T all purpose flour
1/4 t salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper
1 t cayenne (my addition, I love a kick in my fried chicken)
2 lbs chicken parts, skinned
4 t canola oil

1. Preheat the oven to 400; spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Pour the buttermilk into a large shallow bowl. In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flour, salt, and pepper. Dip the chicken in the buttermilk, then dredge in the breadcrumb mixture, coating completely. Place the chicken on the baking sheet; drizzle with the oil. Bake 30 minutes then turn chicken over. Bake until cooked through, 15-20 min longer.

4 servings (2 pieces per serving)

Nutritional info:
Cal: 229
Fat: 10g
Sat Fat: 2g
Chol: 64mg
Sod: 295mg
Carb: 11g
Prot: 23g

Creamy Basil and Red Pepper Pasta

YUM! Seriously, this is probably the yummiest pasta dish I've made in a long time. Yes yes I know I havent really been cooking in a long time but still. It's good AND low calorie/fat. It was incredibly easy to make and would make a beautiful presentation if it's not scarfed down before you can plate it. ;)

Creamy Basil & Red Pepper Pasta

2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
4 oz. fat free cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup fat free milk
1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, well drained
1 tbsp fresh basil leaves
4 tsp 100% grated parmesan cheese
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

Cook pasta as directed on package.
Meanwhile, place cream cheese, milk, red peppers, basil and Parmesan cheese in blender container; cover. Blend until smooth; set aside.
Spray large skillet with cooking spray.
Add chicken; cook on medium-high heat 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Stir in cream cheese mixture.
Reduce heat to medium; cook 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring frequently.
Drain pasta. Add to chicken mixture in pan; stir gently until well blended

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

Fat: 2.7g
Carbohydrates: 32.3g
Calories:295.9
Protein: 35.9g

Garlic Clove Chicken

Well I finally made it back in the kitchen. I started with something easy but it turned out very very well. Juicy and garlicky and yummilicious!

Forgive the cruddy pics. I cant find the charger for my camera so I used my camera phone.



Garlic Clove Chicken

nonstick cooking spray
4 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
25 cloves garlic (unpeeled)
1/4 c dry white wine
4 t lemon juice
salt
ground black pepper

Spray a large skillet with nonstick spray coating. Preheat skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and brown over medium heat for 10 minutes, turning to brown evenly.

Place chicken in an 8x8x2 or 10x6x2 in baking dish. Add unpeeled garlic cloves.

In a small bowl combine wine and lemon juices; pour over chicken. Lightly sprinkle chicken with salt and ground black pepper.

Bake, covered, in a 325 oven for 45 to 50 minutes or till chicken is tender. Makes 4 servings.

Number of Servings: 4

Nutritional Info

Fat: 1.7g
Carbohydrates: 6.7g
Calories:163.8
Protein: 29.2g

Bourbon Chicken

Hmmm. I dont know why this is called Bourbon Chicken since it has no bourbon in it but it sure was good. Not to mention easy peasy which is a big plus with me today.

Bourbon Chicken

Recipe found via Amber's Delectable Delights

2 lbs boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1-2 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/4 teaspoon ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce

1. Heat oil in skillet. Cook chicken pieces until browned lightly.

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl while chicken is browning.

3. Add sauce to chicken and bring to a rapid boil.

4. Lower heat to a simmer and let simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.

Note: The sauce will be very thin. If you want a thicker sauce just make a corn starch/water mix and it will thicken right up.

Utterly Devine Roast Chicken

Gosh I love chicken. Seriously I could probably keep a chicken farmer in business. Ok well maybe not keep them in business but I'd sure help!

When I was at Central Market yesterday they had some lovely roasting chickens so of course I had to pick one up. I decided to use A Slice of Cherry Pie's Heavenly Roast Chicken as the guide for mine and it turned out wonderfully. Very juicy and flavorful. I didnt make her gravy because we arent big gravy fans in this house but the chicken was yummmmmy!

I also added some potatoes and onions about 20 minutes into the baking then basted the whole kit and kaboodle several times. The skin was crisp and the meat tender. The potatoes and onions were also tender but not mush.


This is a picture of my baby kitty Ambit. She'll be two at the end of October and is completely spoiled rotten. I got her when she was tiny enough to fit in the palm of my hand.

Isnt she just the cutest cat ever!? *G*

Dinner with friends

I cleared off my camera and found a couple of pictures I thought I would share. These are from a dinner party I had a few weeks ago. It was all soooo good. I got the recipes from this episode of Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee on Food Network.

Island Chicken




4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 1/4 teaspoons salt-free Jamaican jerk seasoning, divided (recommended: The Spice Hunter)
Salt
1 (20-ounce) can no-sugar added pineapple slices, in juice with juice reserved (recommended: Dole)
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat grill or cast iron grill pan to medium-high heat.

Remove any excess fat from chicken and rinse under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Use a pastry brush to brush with olive oil and season with 1 1/2 teaspoons jerk seasoning and salt, if desired. Set aside.

Drain pineapple slices and reserve juice. Season both sides of pineapple slices with 1/2 teaspoon of jerk seasoning; set aside.

In small saucepan, bring reserved pineapple juice, remaining 1/4 teaspoon jerk seasoning, and brown sugar to a boil over high heat. Reduce liquid by 1/2, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Just before grilling, oil grate. Place chicken breasts on grate and grill for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove to platter and tent with foil.

Place pineapple slices on grate and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side until grill marks appear and pineapple is heated through.

Serve chicken breasts with pineapple slices and warm sauce.

NOTE: Chicken may also be broiled 4 to 6 inches from heat source for 6 to 8 minutes per side. Broil pineapple 1 to 2 minutes per side.

I loved this recipe. The chicken was wonderfully spicy and the pineapple brought in a touch of sweetness that was just devine.



Best Black Beans



1 (15-ounce) can, no-salt added black beans
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with chiles in sauce (recommended: Ro'tel)
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon crushed garlic (recommended: Christopher Ranch)
1/2 cup frozen chopped onion (recommended: Ore-Ida)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Place in a serving dish and serve hot.

This was good but had entirely too much liquid in it for my tastes.

Green Salad w/Dressing



1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cubed mango, frozen/defrosted or jarred
1 head romaine (about 1 1/2-pounds), chopped
1/2 seedless cucumber, cubed

Whisk together juice, honey, vinegar, and garlic. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper.

Toss together mangoes, romaine, and cucumber with dressing, to taste.

This was amusing to make. I've never dealt with mango before and didnt realize they had a big huge seed in the middle. It was definitely a comedy of errors as I tried to cut the mango *around* the seed. *shakes head* I'm still not quite sure how to cut the darn thing. The salad was really good though. Loved the dressing!