Asian Chicken Salad

The first time I had this salad was back in October of last year.  I was in Georgia visiting old friends and they shared this recipe with me.  I LOVED it!  Not only is it pretty to look at with the red cabbage and green onions, but it tastes FABULOUS.  There is so much fun for your mouth - crunchy cabbage and almonds, soft yet firm ramen noodles, and the slight spice of cilantro.  The recipe makes a lot: doubling it would definitely feed a crowd.  And for a great price!  Many of the ingredients are super cheap.  I plan to take this next time I'm invited to a potluck.

The dressing comes from a bottle, and while I'm usually more inclined to make my own dressing, I doubt I could top the flavor of this one.  It's Ken's Steak House Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy:

You'll only use 1/2 a bottle for the recipe below, but the flavor of this stuff is amazing.  You won't regret having some left over.

This can be made the day before, but I really think it's best the day of (though it does need to chill an hour or so for the flavors to fully develop).  I've eaten it 2 days later and still been happy with it.  I've been told it holds up left out in the heat on a buffet, but haven't tried that out yet myself.

ASIAN CHICKEN SALAD
serves 6 as a main dish, 8-10 as a side

1/2 head red cabbage, shredded (thinly sliced and chopped)
2-3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works!)
3 pkgs. (3 oz each) ramen noodles (Oriental or Chicken flavor are best)
1 bunch green onions, sliced
heaping 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro (about 1/2 a bunch)
1/2 cup sliced or slivered almonds
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds (plus more for garnish, if desired)
1/2 bottle Ken's Steak House Lite Asian Sesame with Ginger & Soy dressing

In a large bowl, toss chicken with about 1/4 cup of dressing.  Set aside.

In a skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds and almonds just until fragrant and light, light brown.  Remove from heat and let cool.

In a large pot, bring 2 quarts of water mixed with ramen flavor packets to a boil.  Break ramen into quarters like so:

Add ramen to boiling water and cook for 30 seconds (this is to simply soften the noodles slightly, not cook them); drain and toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.  Remove to a cutting board and roughly chop the ramen:

Add the cabbage, ramen, onions, cilantro, almonds, and sesame seeds to the chicken in the large bowl.  Toss with about 1/2 the bottle of dressing, or to taste.  Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. 

Chicken Pot Pie Stew and Southern Style Biscuits

During the month of November, the restaurant chain Sweet Tomatoes (in some areas known as Souplantation) has a special, limited-time soup called chicken pot pie stew.  It is my favorite of all their soups/stews.  It is so creamy and delicious eaten with a biscuit.  LOVE IT.  I've always wanted to make something similar at home and I've tried loads of recipes, but nothing quite hit the nail on the head for me.

To my surprise, I discovered the company shared the recipe on their website back in 2011!  However, the posting is all jacked up and difficult to read.  And once I got it deciphered, the number of steps and sheer amount of stew it made was way too much for a typical household.  I was able to condense the steps and reduce the amounts and came up with something doable.  It's by no means a quick and easy meal, but it's worth the work every once in a while when you get a craving.

As for the biscuits, I am very happy with the recipe found here.  However, I'm always interested in trying new recipes and methods and thought I'd give these "southern style" ones a try.  Anyone from the south who knows their way around a biscuit will tell you to only use White Lily brand flour.  Well, it's not available everywhere, and I discovered that you can get the same result by using a mix of all-purpose and cake flour.  So, if you are living somewhere other than Dixie, you can use this trick to get the same fluffy biscuits.

CHICKEN POT PIE STEW
adapted from the Sweet Tomatoes recipe

4 large red potatoes, cubed
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
4-5 cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion (or 1/4 lb. pearl onions)
1/4 cup butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
1 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
1 cup frozen peas
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried thyme

In a small pot, cover cubed potatoes with water.  Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or until fork tender.  Drain and set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat; add chicken and brown on both sides.  Once chicken breasts are cooked through, remove them to a cutting board.  Reduce heat to medium and add carrots, celery, mushrooms, and onions to the pot.  Saute for about 10 minutes or until tender.  While veggies are cooking, chop chicken into 1 inch chunks and place in a medium-sized bowl.  When veggies are ready, remove them to the bowl with chicken.

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat with garlic.  Whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute.  Whisk in chicken broth, pepper, and salt until smooth.  Heat to a low boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in milk and cream and simmer for another 3 minutes.  Add chicken and veggies, potatoes, peas, parsley, and thyme and simmer for 10-15 minutes.  Season as needed with additional salt and pepper.  Serve with biscuits.

SOUTHERN STYLE BISCUITS
slightly adapted from Southern Buttermilk Biscuits on Food.com

1 1/4 cup cake flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt (or you can use table salt)
6 Tbsp. cold butter
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Combine dry ingredients in a bowl or in the bowl of a food processor.  Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour with a pastry blender until it resembles coarse meal.  If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.  Add the buttermilk and mix just until combined.  If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk.  It should be very wet.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface.  Gently pat (do not roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick.  Fold the dough about 5 times, gently pressing the dough down to 1" thick, adding flour as needed.  Use a round (about 2.5" in diameter) cutter dipped in flour to cut out biscuits, but do not twist as you cut!  You should get 6 round biscuits.  (You can gently knead the scraps together to make 2 more biscuits but they won't be as good or look as pretty.) 

Place the biscuits on a baking sheet close together for soft sides or 1" apart for "crusty" sides.  Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a light golden brown on top and bottom.  Makes 6-8 biscuits.

Chicken and Barley Soup

This is just a variation of the classic chicken noodle soup.  I wanted to try adding barley instead of noodles and I was pretty happy with the results.  The barley adds a great chewy texture and is very filling.  I just throw all the ingredients in a pot and let it simmer.  You could just as easily make it in a slow cooker, so I've added instructions for that as well.

CHICKEN BARLEY SOUP

2 large chicken breasts (skinless, on the bone or not - up to you)
3 carrots, sliced
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 small onion, diced
3 cups water
2 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup pearl barley (uncooked)
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper, to taste

Stove top instructions:
Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a large pot.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 45 minutes - 1 hour.  Remove chicken and shred, then return to pot.  Season with salt and pepper.

Slow cooker instructions:
Combine all ingredients except salt and pepper in a slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours.  Remove chicken and shred, then return to slow cooker to heat through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Raspberry Chipotle Sauce and Cilantro Avocado Dressing

Last October we had a weekend where we had two family weddings to attend in addition to our church's children's program.  It was crazy, but it was great.  My parents flew out for the occasion and my family was in charge of catering one of the wedding luncheons.  However, this post is about the other wedding luncheon since that is where I encountered something new to me.  The combination of raspberries and chipotle peppers! 

The (other) luncheon was catered by a local Mexican restaurant and was a do-it-yourself taco bar.  Genius!  One of the options was raspberry chipotle chicken.  At first I thought, "Huh?" but I tried it anyway and, oh my, was I hooked!  What a great combination of sweet and tangy and spicy!  And to top it off, they offered a delicious cilantro avocado dressing to drizzle over your tacos.  I loved how it cooled down your mouth from the spice of the chipotle peppers (although, let's be honest - it wasn't that spicy).  I filed it away as something to try at home.

Well, here we are a year later and I finally got around to it.  I investigated recipes for raspberry chipotle sauce and cilantro avocado dressing and never found exactly what I was looking for, but I came close enough.  I ended up adapting each recipe to fit what I wanted.

If you don't already know, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are most likely found in the Hispanic food section of your grocery store.  They come in a little can like this:
 

They pack some heat, but in this sauce I would say the heat is between mild and medium.  Even my 9-year-old daughter loved it and she's not a fan of spicy.  And if you strain the sauce like I do, you lose not only the raspberry seeds but any remaining bits of pepper that might ignite your tastebuds.  If you're wondering what to do with the remaining peppers and sauce, someone recommended throwing the leftover peppers into a food processor, separating them into tablespoonfuls on a plate, and then freezing them.  Once they are frozen, throw them all into a ziploc bag in the freezer.  Then you have perfect portions for flavoring soups or what not.

I've used the raspberry chipotle sauce two ways so far:  mixed with shredded chicken for tacos (like my first encounter) and used as a glaze over pork chops.  For the chicken, I prepared it with my usual taco seasoning first and then added a few dollops of sauce.  Prepare yourself - the chicken will turn a purple-y color from the raspberries.  If this bothers you, you could always just spoon a little sauce into your taco instead.  I also drizzled the cilantro avocado dressing in the tacos and it was delicious!

For the pork chops, I just sprinkled them with a little seasoned salt and sauteed them in a little olive oil until browned and cooked through.  Then I brushed on the sauce.  Divine!  Serve them with salad drizzled with cilantro avocado dressing and you've got your second meal:

I've also read that people like to pour it over a block of softened cream cheese and serve it with crackers for an appetizer.  There are so many possibilities with this sauce since it pairs well with chicken, beef, pork, and probably fish as well.

Whatever you do, just try it!  I'm pretty sure you'll love it too.

RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE
adapted from allrecipes.com

2 (6 oz each) containers fresh raspberries
2 chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce, chopped
4 tsp. adobo sauce from can
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar or raspberry vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar

In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients over medium heat, mashing the raspberries.  Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer until sauce is thickened and reduced by half (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Strain sauce through a fine mesh sieve, if desired.  Makes a little over 1 cup of strained sauce.  Can be refrigerated up to two weeks.


CILANTRO-AVOCADO DRESSING
adapted from EatingWell

1 avocado
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro
1/2 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
2/3 cup milk or buttermilk
2 green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. lime juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt

Combine all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Chill until ready to serve.  Makes a little over 2 cups.  Can be refrigerated up to 5 days.  

Pre-Cooking and Freezing Ground Beef and Chicken

So I'm finally getting around to starting a new section of my blog:  Tips & Tricks.  This will kind of be like a "Cooking 101" class combined with posts about time and money savers in the kitchen.  You'll find the Tips & Tricks link at the top of the page, next to the Recipe Index.

Today I wanted to share something I picked up from my mother-in-law.  You know all those recipes that call for browned ground beef or cooked chicken?  How many times does that mean you have to defrost a pound of raw ground beef, then cook it up, or defrost some frozen chicken breasts, cook them, then shred or chop - all before you can get started on your recipe?  I did that for years.  Until my mother-in-law introduced me to a better way.  Pre-cooking large batches, THEN freezing!  And not only does this save you time by getting it all done at once, it saves you time with defrosting as well.  Cooked ground beef and chicken have a lot less water content than raw and defrosts in a fraction of the time.

This can also save you money - if you wait for ground beef or chicken to go on sale before purchasing as much as you can fit in your freezer and use within 6 months.  I have a teeny freezer, so I have to do this more often than I'd like, but it still saves me time in the kitchen so I keep doing it.  Here's how it works:

1.  Buy the ground beef or chicken when it goes on sale.  The last time I did this I bought 6 pounds of 95% lean ground beef for $2.77/lb (best price I can get in Phoenix).  When it comes to chicken, sometimes I can get bone-in split chicken breasts for as little as $0.88/lb. (but that is rare).  Most of the time I get boneless, skinless chicken breasts for about $1.67/lb.

2.  Cook it up.  I have a big wok-style pan that I use to brown the ground beef:

It can just barely hold the 6 pounds!  If you have to, do multiple batches.

It can take time and patience, but it WILL brown.  Once it does, drain it and let it cool.  You don't want to put hot beef in the freezer - ice crystals will form from the trapped steam and cause freezer burn. 

When it comes to chicken, I prefer to cook it in a slow cooker.  I find it tastes better than boiling, plus you can leave it for 4 hours and do something else.  If using bone-in chicken, I place the breasts skin side down after sprinkling them with salt and pepper:

 

I also add 1/2 cup of water.  I usually cook them on HIGH for 3-4 hours, because I usually stuff as many breasts in there as I can (unlike the above photo).  Basically, you cook 'em till they're done, like so:

 

 At this point, the meat just falls off the bone.  

I like to chop my chicken, but if you prefer to shred it, go for it.  If you want another shortcut, you can shred the chicken in a stand mixer.  I like to add about 1/4 - 1/2 cup of the broth back into the chopped chicken.  It adds flavor and keeps the chicken moist.  You can reserve the rest of the broth and put it in the fridge.  Once the fat solidifies at the top, you can scoop it off and then freeze the broth for future use.

3.  Bag it up.  I use quart-size Ziploc freezer bags to store my ground beef and chicken.  I've found that 2 1/2 cups of ground beef or chicken is roughly equal to 1 pound.  So, I divide up the 1 pound portions, squeeze out the air as best I can, then spread the bags flat for storing, like so:

You can label them if you want, but it's not hard to guess what's in there.  If you are worried about using it in time, you can certainly add the date it was cooked.  This can help if you end up doing another batch before using up what's left in the freezer. 

4.  Freeze it.  Here's what my teeny freezer looks like:

Believe it or not, there's more stuff behind what you can see.  I'm all about organization in there (not necessarily in the rest of my house...).  As you can see on the left, once something is frozen flat, you can stack it vertically!  It's a lot easier to pull things out when they are stored this way - less risk of dropping frozen food on your foot.  The ground beef wasn't frozen yet, so I set some already frozen bags down for the beef to rest on until it froze.  Then I could rearrange it vertically again.

Obviously there are other things in there besides the cooked chicken and beef, but we'll get to those in another post.  As I mentioned before, you want to use it up within 6 months.  

5.  Defrost it and use it!  Now that your ground beef and chicken are cooked, you have them ready whenever they are called for in a recipe.  Just defrost it in the microwave - I promise, it only takes a couple of minutes at most.  Sometimes I don't even bother defrosting it - I just plop the frozen ground beef in my spaghetti sauce and let the stove do the work.

Chicken Pot Pie Biscuits

 

I happen to be one of those people who appreciate comfort food.  Chicken pot pie is right up there with hugs and snuggly blankets.  However, I don't always want to make a full-on pie and this version goes together pretty quickly.  My daughter ate hers in less than 3 minutes - it was like watching a Hoover commercial.

The biscuit recipe comes from my friend Michelle.  She made them for us over a month or so ago and I had to have the recipe.  Thankfully, she was willing to share!  You can cut them out with a biscuit cutter, but I find it's easiest/fastest to pat the dough into a square or rectangle and just cut the biscuits with a pizza cutter.  They won't be round, but they'll bake and taste the same - tender and delicious.

CHICKEN POT PIE FILLING
adapted from Chicken Pot Pie IX on Allrecipes.com

2 1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup diced onions
1 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. celery seed
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup frozen peas

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add onions, carrots, and celery and cook for about 8-10 minutes or until carrots begin to soften.  Stir in flour and cook for one minute.  Slowly stir in chicken broth, milk, and celery seed.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens and carrots are tender.  Stir in chicken and peas and cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes.

SKY HIGH BISCUITS
courtesy of Michelle H.

2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cold!
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a large bowl, whisk together first 5 ingredients.  Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.*  Stir in beaten egg and milk; dough will be sticky.  Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly, adding more flour as needed.  Pat dough out to 3/4" thickness and cut as desired.  Place on greased or parchment-lined baking sheet.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until fluffy and lightly golden.  Makes 8-9 biscuits.


TO ASSEMBLE CHICKEN POT PIE BISCUITS:

Cut biscuits in half and place bottom half on plate.  Spoon pot pie filling over biscuit and top with remaining half.

Chinese Cabbage Salad

I've already shared a family recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad.  This one is a little different.  It uses Napa cabbage instead of lettuce and has a great crunchy topping made up of ramen noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds.  In case you were wondering, Napa cabbage (or Chinese cabbage) looks like this:

 image source

Most grocery stores carry it, but if you can't find it for some reason, you can substitute a head of green cabbage.

There are lots of variations of this cabbage salad.  Some include peanuts or peanut oil, others don't add chicken.  This is my favorite version so far and it comes from Your Homebased Mom.  I've only adapted it slightly.  Leigh Anne recommends using the leftovers of a rotisserie chicken (good flavor that way), but I had some diced cooked chicken already on hand.

CHINESE CABBAGE SALAD
slightly adapted from Your Homebased Mom

Topping:
1 pkg. chicken flavored ramen noodles
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Salad:
1 large head Napa cabbage (about 2 1/2 lbs.), chopped
6 green onions, chopped
2 1/2 cups diced, cooked chicken
1 can mandarin oranges, drained; optional

Dressing:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil

Break up the ramen noodles into small pieces, reserve the flavor packet.  Melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet; add the noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown.  Watch it carefully so the sesame seeds don't burn.  Stir in the flavor packet and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine chopped cabbage, green onions, mandarin oranges (if using) and chicken.  In a jar or resealable container, add dressing ingredients and shake to combine.  Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with crunchy topping.

Alternately, you can serve the dressing on the side.

Honey Lime Chicken Skewers

My husband was in charge of dinner for Mother's Day.  He wanted to grill.  I was down with that.  I suggested marinating a flank steak (my next post) and he agreed.

We don't have our own grill at the moment, but our neighborhood has a few small ones located here and there.  He bought a bag of charcoal and I suggested that to get full use of the bag, we should grill more than one dish.  Luckily I had some chicken tenderloins in the freezer and a recipe I wanted to try.  We thawed out the chicken, made up the marinade, and soaked the bamboo skewers.  I'm so glad we did, because these babies are delicious!

HONEY LIME CHICKEN SKEWERS
slightly adapted from Kitchen Meets Girl

1-2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
zest and juice of one lime
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tsp. hot sauce, optional
red pepper flakes, to taste (I used 2 pinches)
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges for garnish (to squeeze on skewers before serving)

Combine all ingredients except wedges in a gallon-size resealable bag and marinate in fridge for at least 1 hour.  If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water as the chicken marinates.

Preheat grill to med-high heat.  Thread chicken chunks on skewers.  Grill skewers about 6-8 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.  Squeeze lime wedges over skewers before serving.

Shoyu Chicken

I originally posted this recipe back in October of 2009.  I never liked the crummy photo that accompanied it and I finally decided to update it.  I plan to occasionally update some of my older posts with new photos this year, but I'll still post new recipes as well.

This recipe comes from my mom. She grew up in Hawaii where you find a large mix of Asian cultures. Shoyu is the Japanese name for soy sauce.


SHOYU CHICKEN

3-4 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed and trimmed of fat
1 cup soy sauce (I highly recommend the less-sodium variety)
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tsp. grated fresh ginger root (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. cornstarch + 2 Tbsp. water
Sliced green onions for garnish, optional

In a large pot, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, ginger, garlic, and sesame seeds.  Add chicken thighs and stir to coat.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove chicken to a plate and whisk in cornstarch mixture to sauce; cook for another 2 minutes.  Serve chicken with sauce over white or brown rice.  Garnish with green onions, if desired. 

Oven Fried Chicken

I love fried chicken.  I get cravings for it sometimes, though I usually don't indulge them.  Mostly because the closest fried chicken place to me is Church's and I don't like theirs.  I also don't like the mess involved when frying your own.  I've spent a couple of years searching for a homemade, oven-fried version that is both crispy and flavorful (meaning it actually tastes like it's fried).  I've found the recipe that works for me!  I've made this a few times now and I can confirm it tastes like fried, but without all the fat and mess.

The secret to the crispiness of the coating is in part due to the melba toast.  If you've never heard of melba toast, you're probably not the only one.  It's thinly sliced bread that's been toasted to the crunch of a cracker.  The only brand I've ever seen is this one:

You will most likely find it on either the top or bottom shelf of the cracker aisle in the grocery store.  If you can't find it, bagel chips will also work.

I like to use drumsticks for this recipe because they're usually cheap.  I was able to coat 11 pieces with just one batch and probably could've done a few more.  If you want to use other chicken pieces, that's fine.  However, if you're using boneless chicken, it will cook a lot faster so you'll need to adjust your baking time accordingly.

OVEN FRIED CHICKEN
slightly adapted from FoodNetwork.com

1 1/3 cups Crispex or Rice or Corn Chex cereal (I prefer Crispex)
2 1/4 cups broken bagel chips or melba toast
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (or 1/2 tsp. if you like it spicy)
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 lbs. bone-in chicken pieces, skin removed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Set a wire rack in a foil lined baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Finely grind the toasts and cereal together in a food processor.  Transfer crumbs to a large gallon size plastic bag and add the salt, cayenne, paprika, and pepper.  Add in the oil and shake to distribute.

In a bowl, whisk together the mayo and mustard; add chicken pieces and turn to coat evenly.  Add chicken pieces, one at a time, to crumb bag and shake until evenly coated.  Place chicken on wire rack.  Spray chicken pieces evenly with cooking spray and bake for 35-40 minutes or until coating crisps and browns and juices run clear.  (Proper temp for cooked chicken is 160 degrees.)

If using boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders, reduce baking time to 20-25 minutes.

Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Over Rice

For me, this recipe falls under the category of "comfort food."  There are no surprising flavors or textures, just warm, gooey, easy goodness.  It's similar to chicken divan, but is made in a slow cooker.  And I'll be honest, it really benefits from the sprinkling of cheddar cheese when serving.  But I like that you get a protein, a veggie, some dairy, and a grain all in one dish.  Simple!  And it won't heat up your kitchen.

CHEESY CHICKEN & BROCCOLI OVER RICE
slightly adapted from clippingmoney.blogspot.com

4-6 (depending on size) boneless/skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
1 (10 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 (10 oz) can cheddar cheese soup
1 (14 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup dried, minced onion
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup sour cream
salt & pepper, to taste
4 cups broccoli florets, steamed until crisp-tender
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
steamed rice

Whisk together the soups, broth, onion, and garlic powder in a slow cooker.  Add chicken and turn to coat.  Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours.  Shred the chicken and stir in the sour cream.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in broccoli florets and heat through.  Serve over rice and sprinkle with cheese.

Pesto Pasta Salad

This recipe comes from my friend Cathy.  She was very influential in my desire to try new recipes (she always had such great ones).  Some of her other gems include Whole Wheat Muffins, Sweet Potato Casserole, and Almond Chocolate Kiss Cookies.  This is a great pasta salad that can be served warm or cold.

PESTO PASTA SALAD

1 (12 oz) box tri-color penne pasta
1 (0.5 oz) packet Knorr pesto sauce mix
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
half an (8.5 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
3-4 boneless, skinless breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 (6 oz) can medium pitted olives, drained
1/2 cup feta cheese

Cook pasta according to package directions; rinse and drain.

Heat 1 Tbsp. oil from jar of tomatoes in a skillet over med-high heat.  Cook chicken until browned and cooked through; set chicken aside on a plate.  In same skillet add pesto sauce mix with water and olive oil and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, chop 1/2 the jar of tomatoes.

In a large bowl, toss together pasta, chicken, tomatoes, olives, sauce, and feta cheese.  Serve warm or cold.

Lemon Dill Chicken

I love lemon anything.  I recently discovered lemon custard ice cream at Baskin Robbins and let me tell you, it is heaven.  I keep lemons in my refrigerator at all times, in case I get a hankering for something tart.  This time around I decided to try a Greek-inspired recipe I found online at EatingWell.com.  We're taking lemon chicken to another level by adding dill, garlic, and onions.  It's light, healthy, full of flavor, and perfect for spring.

LEMON DILL CHICKEN
adapted from EatingWell.com

1 - 1 1/4 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders, trimmed
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup minced onion
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp. dried dill (or 1 Tbsp fresh, chopped)
1 Tbsp. corn starch
salt & pepper, to taste

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, lemon juice, onion, garlic, dill, and corn starch.  Heat olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat; add chicken and brown on both sides (you do not need to cook it through).  Transfer chicken to a plate and reduce heat to medium; stir in broth mixture.  Cook until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  Return chicken (and any juices) to skillet and cook for another 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Season with salt and pepper as needed.  Sprinkle with a little more dill for garnish, if desired.

Chicken Chile Avocado Soup

Okay, so I've been posting a few...less than healthy...recipes lately.  I thought it was time to remedy that and give y'all something good to eat.  It's already plenty warm here in AZ, but for many of you the weather is still cold enough for soup.  You're probably tired of the heavy fall and winter fare, so here's something that's light and fresh but will still warm your soul.

CHICKEN CHILE AVOCADO SOUP

2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15 oz) can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 (7 oz) can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp. cumin
salt & pepper, to taste
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 avocados, sliced
crushed tortilla chips, optional

Heat olive oil in a large pot over med-high heat.  Add chicken breasts and onions; cook chicken until browned on both sides and onions begin to soften.  Add chicken broth, beans, chiles, and cumin.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove the chicken and shred; return to pot with lime juice and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with crushed tortilla chips and sliced avocado.

Brown Sugar Glazed Chicken

It's funny how sometimes the simplest recipes can be the best.  This one only calls for 3 ingredients and one of them is the chicken!  It's so simple yet has a great depth of flavor.  My husband just loved it and ate seconds and had to stop himself from eating thirds so that he'd have some left over for lunch the next day.  As you can see, I paired it with some roasted asparagus and wild rice.  Perfect.

BROWN SUGAR GLAZED CHICKEN
slightly adapted from Simply Great Chicken on Bunny's Warm Oven

2 lbs. boneless/skinless chicken thighs or breast tenders*
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 (0.6 oz) packet dry Italian dressing mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13 baking dish with aluminum foil (for easy clean up) and lightly coat with cooking spray.  In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and dry Italian dressing mix with your fingers.  Rub mixture all over thighs or tenders and place in baking dish.  Sprinkle with any remaining brown sugar mix.  Bake for 30-35 minutes for thighs, 20-25 minutes for tenders, or until juices run clear. 

*If you want to make this with bone-in chicken, adjust the cooking time to 50-60 minutes.

Orange Sesame Chicken

This was very popular in our house the night I made it.  Even in spite of the fact that I served it with a side of broccoli.  I was surprised at how good it was and it's relatively easy and quick!  The recipe comes from a wonderful food blog called Jamie Cooks It Up that I discovered through (what else) Pinterest.  Jamie has lots of delicious recipes, all with beautiful photos - you should check her out.

Now this recipe calls for a few ingredients that not everyone has on hand (I do, but that's because I cook a lot of Asian-inspired food).  You'll need rice vinegar, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.  Personally, I think it's worth investing in these ingredients (they really aren't expensive) because I have a feeling you will add this recipe into your weekly or monthly routine.  And they are ingredients that can be used in lots of other tasty recipes like Chinese Chicken Salad, Teriyaki Chicken, and Korean BBQ Beef, to name a few.

ORANGE SESAME CHICKEN
from Jamie Cooks It Up!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
1/8 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Sauce:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from 2 large oranges)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 Tbsp. rice vinegar
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. orange zest (1 orange should be enough)
1/4 cup cold water
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Garnish:
1Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds
sliced green onion, if desired

Mix flour and salt in a medium sized bowl.  Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks and toss in the flour mixture, making sure all sides are coated.

Mix together all sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add chicken pieces to skillet (I did this in two batches) and brown on both sides.  Reduce heat to med-low and add sauce to skillet; stir to coat chicken and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until sauce is thickened and chicken is cooked through.  Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, if desired.  Goes well with steamed rice.

Chinese Chicken Salad

We've had this recipe in my family for years.  My mother got it from my aunt Renee, who was a wealth of yummy recipes.  This salad is always popular and can serve as a light main course or tasty side.

Traditionally, we've made this with iceberg lettuce, though romaine works as well.  I had to use greenleaf lettuce this time around because neither the iceberg nor romaine looked any good at the store recently.  I don't recommend it.  Greenleaf is way too flimsy to hold up to dressing for more than 10 minutes.  Wilty lettuce is very disappointing.

The best ingredient in this salad, in my humble opinion, is the fried wontons.  Usually we just fry up half a package of won ton wrappers and then break them into bite-size pieces, but lately I have discovered these beauties:

Pre-made crunchy won ton strips!  How cool is that?  Now I don't have to listen to my smoke detector go off while I fry won tons.  I found them in the produce section of my local Fry's (that's the same as Kroger or Smith's).  However, it was a miracle that I saw them because they were hanging up high, over the refrigerated salad dressing.  I mean, how often do you look up in the produce section?  There were even a couple of flavored varieties.  I thought the Ginger and Garlic sounded yummy.  If you can't find them, don't despair.  Here is a video that shows you how easy it is to make your own fried won tons (though I recommend using a pair of tongs instead).

CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD

1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and diced
1 large head of lettuce (iceberg or romaine), rinsed and chopped
3-4 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1/2 pkg. of won ton wrappers, fried and broken in pieces
     (or a 3.5 oz bag of crunchy won ton strips)

Marinade for chicken:
3 Tbsp. soy sauce (I like the low-sodium variety)
1 Tbsp. sugar

Dressing:
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 Tbsp. rice vinegar (found in Asian food section of grocery store)

In a medium bowl, mix together the soy sauce and 1 Tbsp. sugar for marinade.  Add the chicken and toss to coat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour to soak up flavor.

Combine dressing ingredients in a jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.  Shake until well mixed.

In a large bowl, combine chopped lettuce, chicken, green onions, almonds, and sesame seeds.  Pour on the dressing, a little at a time (you probably won't need all of it), tossing the salad to coat.  Mix in won tons just before serving.

Sweet and Spicy Chicken

Here is a recipe I've been using for a couple of years now. You can make it as spicy as you can handle. I have an 8-year-old daughter so I don't make it very spicy at all. It's great served over steamed rice.

SWEET AND SPICY CHICKEN
adapted from Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Chicken on Allrecipes.com

1.5 - 2 lbs. chicken breast tenders (or b/s breasts, cut into strips)
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
dash or two of hot sauce (or more if you like it spicy!)
salt & pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 green onion, sliced - optional

In a bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and hot sauce. Sprinkle tenders with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Brown tenders on both sides and remove to a plate. Reduce heat to medium and add sauce to skillet. Once it begins to boil, whisk in cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp. water, until desired consistency. Return chicken to skillet and stir to coat. Continue to cook until chicken is no longer pink. Garnish with sliced green onion, if desired.

New York Chicken

Sorry for the lame photo. I took it just before my hubby started eating. My father-in-law loves this chicken. It turns out moist and tender and the sauce is great over white rice or egg noodles.

NEW YORK CHICKEN
adapted from Allrecipes.com

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts; trimmed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
1 cup chicken broth
1 (10.5 oz) can cream of mushroom soup
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened and cubed
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Heat olive oil in skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and brown both sides; remove to 9x13 baking dish. Reduce heat to med-low and add garlic and rosemary. Slowly stir in chicken broth. Whisk in cream of mushroom soup until combined; cook until hot. Remove from heat and stir in cream cheese until smooth; pour over chicken. Bake, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes or until chicken in no longer pink.

Creamy Chicken and Tortellini Soup

Yay Fall! This is an adaptation from a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com. It went super fast and we barely had any leftovers. It goes great with a crusty piece of Italian or French bread.

CREAMY CHICKEN & TORTELLINI SOUP
adapted from Chicken & Gnocchi Soup on Allrecipes.com

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, shredded
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 of a (19 oz.) package frozen cheese tortellini
3/4 cup chopped fresh or frozen spinach (thawed and drained if frozen)
2 cups fat-free half-and-half
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 2 Tbsp. cold water (optional)

In a large pot, combine chicken broth, chicken, onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts; shred or dice and return to pot. Add tortellini and let cook about 3-4 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook about 4-5 minutes more. Add half-and-half and bring back to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. If desired, stir in cornstarch mixture to thicken soup slightly.