Heather's Dijon Chicken

HEATHER'S DIJON CHICKEN


6 chicken breasts
1/2 c- 1 c chicken broth
2 T Dijon mustard
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 c butter
1 can milk (split)
1/2 c flour

Place chicken breasts in crock-pot and add mustard, curry, and butter.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  An hour before add half of the can of milk, then mix in 1/2 c flour into the other half of the can of milk.  Pour remaining milk/flour mixture on chicken and combine all.   Serve warm over rice.

Haylee's Note:
This is a staple at my sister's house, and now it will become a staple at ours! It is the EASIEST recipe and it turns out so good!  Thanks Heather!!

Cilantro-Lime Grilled Chicken with Strawberry-Jalapeño Salsa

CILANTRO-LIME GRILLED CHICKEN WITH STRAWBERRY-JALAPENO SALSA

Chicken Marinade :
2 limes, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon honey
¼  cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
4 thinly sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Pepper

Strawberry-Jalapeño Salsa:
2 cups diced strawberries
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon minced red onion
1½ tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
½ lime, juiced
Salt

In a shallow baking dish, whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, honey and cilantro with a pinch of salt. Briefly set aside.

Place each chicken breast between two pieces of plastic wrap. Using a rolling pin or tenderizer (or random heavy object), pound the chicken until about ½-inch thick. This process is sort of noisy, but also cathartic. Just go with it.

Place the pounded chicken breasts into the baking dish, and make sure each one is well coated in marinade. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the chicken and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. (Obviously, the longer you can let your chicken marinate, the better.)

While your chicken is marinating, place all the ingredients for the salsa in a medium bowl. Gently mix the ingredients with a fork (you don’t want to smoosh your strawberries), and season with salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat a clean, lightly oiled grill or grill pan over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade and pat them dry. Season both sides of each breast with kosher salt and coarse black pepper.

When the grill/grill pan is hot, add the chicken and cook for about 3½ minutes per side until grill marks appear and chicken is just cooked through.

Remove chicken to a plate and serve with strawberry-jalapeño salsa

Haylee’s Note:
Darin found this recipe and we gave it a try!  We LOVED it!  I was worried it would be too hot for my kids, but they loved it too!  For the original recipe, click HERE.

Mel’s Sweet and Sour Chicken

MEL’S SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. While the oil is heating, cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Place the cornstarch in a gallon-sized ziploc bag. Put the chicken into the bag with the cornstarch and seal, tossing to coat the chicken. Whisk the eggs together in a shallow pie plate. Dip the cornstarch-coated chicken pieces in the egg and place them carefully in a single layer in the hot skillet. Cook for 1-2 minutes and then flip each piece over to cook on the other side until nicely golden but not all the way cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish and repeat with the remaining chicken pieces.

Mix the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl and pour over the chicken in the baking dish. Bake for one hour, turning the chicken once or twice while cooking to coat evenly with sauce. Serve over hot, steamed rice.

Haylee’s Note:

We LOVED this dish!  Definitely a winner!  But, I am really excited to try a combination of this and another one from my mom.  The way this chicken is prepared is so yummy, but I REALLY love THIS sweet and sour sauce.  I think if you combined the two you would end up with the ULTIMATE sweet and sour chicken! For the original recipe click HERE.

Pecan Chicken with Blackberry Sauce

PECAN CHICKEN WITH BLACKBERRY SAUCE

CHICKEN:

4 chicken breasts
1/2 c. pecans
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 Tbsp. olive oil

In a processor mix the pecans, salt, bread crumbs, and pepper.  Dredge the chicken in the buttermilk then in the breading.  Fry the chicken in the olive oil until lightly brown on each side (about 3 minutes per side.  Move to a baking dish and bake at 300 for 1 hour.

SAUCE:

1/4 c. onion
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sumbol
10 oz. blackberry preserves
1 c. chopped cilantro
1/4 c. chicken broth
1/2 c. whipping cream
1/8 tsp. tabasco
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Dice onion and sauté in olive oil. Add remaining ingredients.  Simmer over medium heat.  Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with blackberries and cilantro.

Haylee’s Note:

My mom gave me this recipe 10 years ago, and this is the FIRST time I’ve ever made it.  We have a large blackberry bush, and I decided to give this a whirl.  I now realize I have wasted the past 10 years not making the best recipe EVER!  Honestly, this is probably in my top 10 favorite things I have ever made!  Darin said he could have easily eaten 5 chicken breasts!  We all LOVED it!  Give it a try—guaranteed success!

Chicken Tikka Masala

CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA

Marinade:

1 cup yogurt
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp salt
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
4 long skewers

Sauce:

1 Tbsp butter
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

In a large bowl, combine yogurt, lemon juice, 2 tsp cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, pepper, ginger, and 1 tsp salt. Stir in chicken, cover, refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat a grill for high heat. Lightly oil the grill grate. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade. Grill 5 min. on each side.

For the sauce: Melt butter in a large skillet. Saute garlic for 1 minute. Season with 2 tsp cumin, paprika and 1 tsp salt. Stir in tomato sauce and cream. Simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Add grilled chicken, and simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. Serve over rice and naan.  

Haylee’s Note:

If you only try one recipe on this blog, this might be the one I suggest.  It is a little time consuming, but it is excellent.  I want to try doing it again using whole milk instead of cream, just to try making it a little healthier, but then it probably wouldn’t be as good.  Give it a try, let me know what you think.  Thanks Suzanne for the recipe.  For the original recipe click HERE.

Ginger Sesame Pasta with Asparagus, Chicken, and Nuts

SESAME GINGER PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS, CHICKEN, AND NUTS

Bow tie pasta
Sesame Ginger Salad Dressing
Chicken (boneless, skinless)
Asparagus
Sugar
Walnuts (or another kind)

Marinate the chicken in the salad dressing (about 6 hours). Then cook/grill chicken, and cut into bite sized pieces. Cook pasta to liking, drain, and set aside. Parch asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes and cut into bite sized piece. Candy the walnuts with the sugar (cook over medium-high heat and stir in sugar until nuts are coated). Toss all ingredients together and add more salad dressing to taste.

Haylee’s Note:
I know this title isn’t too creative—basically tells everything in it, but I wasn’t sure what else to call it! My mom made this for a neighbor and I tried it, loved it, and made it for dinner that same night! Give it a try it is a winner!!

Spring Rolls

SPRING ROLLS

1 (8 ounce) package rice vermicelli
8 ounces cooked, peeled shrimp, cut in half lengthwise (Or chicken)
rice wrappers (They are round disks that have a basket weave texture on them. You can find them just about anywhere.)
1 carrot, julienned
1 cup shredded lettuce (I used spinach)
chopped Napa Cabbage or purple cabbage (I used both. It was pretty.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or mint or cilantro

Bring a medium saucepan of water to boil. Remove from heat. Place rice vermicelli in boiling water, remove from heat, and let soak 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Drain, and rinse with cold water. I then added a can of coconut milk, a little sugar, curry powder or paste and a dash of fish sauce. I cooked the noodles until they had absorbed the coconut milk. Fill a large bowl with hot water. Dip one rice wrapper in the hot water for 5-10 seconds to soften. You don't want them too soft. They'll be totally soft by the time it is ready to roll up. Lay wrapper flat, and place desired amounts of noodles, shrimp, carrot, lettuce and basil in the center. Roll the edges of the wrapper slightly inward. Beginning at the bottom edge of wrapper, tightly wrap the ingredients. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Serve the spring rolls with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

Chopped garlic
Sambal chili paste
sugar
lime juice or vinegar
fish sauce or soy sauce

Add little amounts of the above ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Taste before using and add what you think it needs. I like it a bit sweeter. Experiment!

Haylee’s Note:
I saw this recipe on Studio, and had to try it! It was so good, and I LOVE recipes that call for things that I always have on hand. I had everything on this list except the wraps! I love any recipe that is a “build your own” and let people chose their own toppings and amounts. Give them a try—they are pretty healthy and super delish!!

Paula Dean’s Gumbo

PAULA DEAN’S GUMBO

3 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons margarine
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic minced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 stalks celery chopped
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped, plus chopped leaves for garnish
4 cups hot water
5 beef bouillon cubes
1 (14-ounce can) stewed tomatoes with juice
2 cups frozen sliced okra
4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts
1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of margarine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let the roux cool.

Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1hour. Just before serving add the green onions, shrimp and chopped parsley.


Haylee’s Note:
This is definitely a “man’s meal.” I often do meatless dishes when I am cooking, and I can honestly say this is the first, and probably last meal I will cook with three kinds of meat. I thought it was really good, but it was a little time consuming and had a lot of ingredients that I don’t usually have on hand.

Good Seasons Chicken

GOOD SEASONS CHICKEN

6 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
Stick of melted butter
1 package dry good seasons Italian salad dressing
1 package cream cheese
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 cup water

Blend cream cheese and cream of mushroom soup together. Add butter, dressing, and water. Pour mixture over chicken. Cook in the crock pot until the chicken is tender. (4-8 hours). Serve over rice or noodles.

Haylee’s Note:

I got this recipe from my wonderful mother, who got it from her friend Sherrill. I left the chicken breasts whole, and they were still really good. We had our chicken over rice with mixed vegetables and warm rolls. It was a super yummy dinner! This is a great one for when you are going to be gone all day and want to come home to a warm dinner. I love crock pot meals, especially with rice, because we have a delay button on our rice cooker! Enjoy!

Dan Dan

DAN DAN

Marinate chicken in:
2 large limes
1/4 c soy
1 T grated ginger
2 t sugar
2 cloves minced garlic

Peanut Sauce
2 T lime
1 T soy
1/4 c honey
1 t chicken bullion
4 t rice vinegar
1/4 c. hot water
1/4 c peanut butter
1/8 t crushed red pepper
sumbol to taste

Toppings
Cilantro
Grated Carrots
Crushed Peanuts

Mix all peanut sauce ingredients on stove until thick. Cook chicken as desired. Can be cut up and put in sauce or served on top. Serve sauce over angel hair pasta or rice. Top with cilantro and grated carrots.



Haylee's Note:
If you like anything thai with peanut sauce, you'll love this!! The story behind this is I think my family went to a restaurant and my uncle Richard has "perfect taste"--(kind of like how people have perfect pitch) and he recreated the meal from the restaurant!! My family has always served this over angel hair pasta, but sometimes we do it over rice. They are both yummy! This is a family favorite!

Jadi's Parmesan Chicken

JADI'S PARMESAN CHICKEN

2 cups crushed Ritz crackers
3 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. garlic salt
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup plain yogurt or 1/2 cup melted butter
1/4 cup butter, melted

Combine cracker crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic salt. Dip each piece of chicken in yogurt to coat and then in crumb mixture. Arrange in greased 9X13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with 1/4 cup melted butter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes. Top with Sour Cream Chicken sauce, if desired.

Sour Cream Chicken Sauce

2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1 cup sour cream

In a small saucepan heat soup and sour cream together over low heat, stirring frequently.

Haylee's Note:
Anything made by Jadi is always good!! Darin and I both really liked this chicken!! It was especially good with the sauce! Thanks for the yummy recipe Jadi!! For more of Jadi's amazing recipes click here.

Black Bean Soup

BLACK BEAN SOUP

1 large onion, chopped
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 larch green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 can diced tomatoes with juices
1 can diced green chilies
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. salt
1 can chicken broth
4 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

Saute onion, peppers, and garlic with the oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 15 minutes. Garnish with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and cilantro.

Haylee’s Note:
I got the beginning of this recipe off of the can of tomatoes. But, I usually am not a good recipe follower, so this is what the recipe turned into. The original doesn’t call for green peppers, chicken, cheese, or cilantro. And it calls for less cumin, and also calls for red wine vinegar. We LOVED this recipe! My parents came down last night and tried it, and now dad wants the recipe so they can have it again tonight!! Defiantly a winner!! Give it a try!! Delicious!!

Rachael Ray’s Apricot-Balsamic-Glazed Chicken with Grilled Beets

RACHAEL RAY’S APRICOT-BALSAMIC-GLAZED CHICKEN WITH GRILLED BEETS

1/2 cup apple juice or cider
1/4 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup aged balsamic vinegar
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
4 chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper
4 large beets, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
8 ounces ricotta salata, feta or goat cheese, crumbled

Preheat a grill to medium-high. In a medium saucepan, bring the juice, preserves and vinegar to a boil. Lower the heat and cook until thick and syrupy, 7 to 8 minutes.

Drizzle EVOO all over the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through, 6 minutes on each side.

Coat the beets with EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Grill until well marked and tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Slice the beets and top with the cheese.

Brush the chicken with the apricot glaze and serve with the beets.

Haylee’s Note:
I was SOOO excited to try this chicken. I will admit that the chicken was good, but the beets were the star of this meal!! I am not a huge beet fan, but this recipe converted me! Darin and I were both raving all night! Sooo good! I think that I would like to try this whole thing again, but next time I would marinate the chicken. But these beets I would do over and over again! Also, don’t just use the beets—use the greens too! They are super yummy! Just like swiss chard. Hope you enjoy!! For the original recipe click here.

Heather’s Larbgai Lettuce Wraps

HEATHER'S LARBGAI LETTUCE WRAPS

Mix and Set aside:
1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
1 tbsp Fish sauce
¼ c. cilantro (chopped)
¼ tsp Tamarind (Mexican fruit) coolaid

Larbgai Sauce:

Mix:
1/4 c. hoisen sauce
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 c. soy sauce (I would do 1/4 c. or less)
2 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. lime juice
1/8 tsp. Lemon zest

Saute:
2 tbsp oli
1 glove garlic, minced
1/4 c. chopped red onion
1/4 c. sauce
2 tsp basil fresh or 1 tsp dried basil
1/2 c chopped water chestnuts
Meat mixture that was previously set aside


Dish on lettuce (iceberg lettuce)
Serve with sauce and rice


Haylee’s Note:
Again, another Heather recipe. Sooo yummy!! I really like hoisen sauce so when I do the actual wrap I like to put the hoisen straight on. Also, when making the sauce, I would only do ¼ c. of the soy sauce. Thanks Heather for yet another winner!

Heather’s Chocolate Chip Cookies

HEATHER’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1/2 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2/3 tsp soda
3 c. flour (or 2 c. flour + 2 c oatmeal)
1/2 c. shortening
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 pkg. chocolate chips

Mix and bake at 350 for 8-10 min

Haylee’s Note:
My sister Heather makes the BEST chocolate chip cookies ever!!! But for some reason I can NEVER make mine as good as hers!! But I still love the recipe! It is delicious!!

Chicken Rolls

CHICKEN ROLLS

1 can crescent rolls
1 ¼ c. diced cooked chicken
3 oz softened cream cheese
Pepperidge farm stuffing mix
1 tbsp. butter
½ tsp. lemon pepper
1/3 c. sliced mushrooms
¼ c. chopped nuts

Mix all but rolls, stuffing, and butter. Form into 8 balls. Place at point of the roll and roll towards wide end. Pull dough around until ball is covered. Dip in butter and roll in stuffing or seasoned bread crumbs. Bake on cookie sheet 20 min. at 375. Serve with gravy from broth or diluted cream of chicken soup with herbs.

Haylee’s Note:
I have seen lots of variations with this and I thought this one was excellent. Does anyone have a favorite chicken roll recipe?

Heather’s European Connection Crepes

HEATHER’S EUROPEAN CONNECTION CREPES

Crepes (CLICK HERE FOR RECIPE)
Grilled Chicken
Mushrooms
Tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
Lettuce
Caesar dressing
Olives
Fresh lemon
Fresh ground pepper

Mix mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese, lettuce, and olives with the dressing. Place on crepe. Squeeze fresh lemon and sprinkle with pepper. Fold and enjoy!!

Haylee’s Note:
My sister is AMAZING!! I am convinced she can do anything! She tried these as a special and European Connection, then when they stopped making them she recreated them at home!! We loved them!! Enjoy!

Simple Chicken Cordon Bleu

SIMPLE CHICKEN CORDON BLEU

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast
4 slices Swiss cheese
4 thin sliced smoked ham
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg; beaten
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream

Pound chicken breast to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle each piece on both sides with salt and pepper. Place 1 cheese slice and 1 ham slice on each breast. Roll up each breast using toothpicks to secure if necessary. Dredge each in flour, shake off excess, then in egg and finally in bread crumbs. Place seam side down in baking dish that has been sprayed with Pam. Place 1 tablespoon butter on each piece of chicken.
Bake at 350°F for 35 minutes until juices run clear. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine broth and whipping cream; season to taste (salt, pepper, garlic, oregano). Simmer on low stirring until thickened; Pour over chicken.

Haylee’s Note:
Wow! I had no idea that making Chicken Cordon Bleu would be so easy!! Darin LOVED this!! I also added a little nutmeg to my sauce and I started with a roux. I will definitely be making this again! I got this recipe from Cooks.com for the original click here.

Kendra’s Orange Crumbed Baked Chicken

KENDRA’S ORANGE CRUMBLED BAKED CHICKEN


2 T orange juice (use the juice from the orange you need zest from)
2 T Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. soy sauce
3/4 c. cracker crumbs
1 T grated orange zest (about 1 orange)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp pepper
Recipe calls for 4-3oz boneless chicken thighs, but I've always used boneless breasts.

1. In a shallow bowl, combine first 3 ingredients. On a sheet of wax paper, combine cracker crumbs, zest, onion powder, and pepper. Brush or dip chicken in mustard mixture, then coat with crumbs, pressing firmly on both sides.
2. Bake at 350 degrees on greased (with cooking spray) baking sheet, for 15 mins. Then turn over and bake about another 15 mins.

Haylee’s Note:
I got this recipe from my friend Kendra who got the recipe from a weight watchers cookbook. This is an excellent recipe, but you CANNOT make it thinking it will be like a Chinese restaurant orange chicken, because it isn’t like that at all! Kendra and Jeff love it because it's different, it's easy, and it's low fat. She said that the cookbook also says you can substitute w/ lemon juice and lemon zest as well.

I also made my own sauce to go with some rice using mustard, soy, orange juice, water and cornstarch! That was pretty tasty too!!

Nutrition info per serving: 179 calories, 4g fat, 1g sat. fat, 20g carbs, 16g protein

Rachel Ray’s Pesto Chicken

RACHEL RAY’S PESTO CHICKEN

Chicken breast
Pesto Sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese
Fresh tomatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Butterfly cut the chicken breast. Spread the insides with pesto sauce. Insert a large slice of mozzarella cheese in the breast. Close the breast and lay sliced tomatoes on top of each breast. Drizzle tomatoes and chicken with extra virgin olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese. Bake in oven at 350 for 1 hour.

Haylee’s Note:
AMAZING!!! One of our new favorites!! In fact I think I should make this again for dinner tonight!! You won’t believe how good this is! I saw Rachel Ray make this meal, however, I couldn’t find the recipe on line, so I just made up my own version. I assume it is pretty close. She made her own pesto sauce, and I just bought mine in a jar at the grocery store. So delicious!! “That’s what’s for dinner tonight!”