Easy Herb Chicken

I love this easy, fall-off-the-bone-tender-goodness crockpot recipe.

Easy Herb Chicken

1 whole chicken (giblets removed)
poultry seasoning
salt

1. Rinse the chicken.

2. "Blacken" the chicken with poultry seasoning and sprinkle salt on the chicken.

3. Put the chicken in the crockpot. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Creamy Garlic Chicken

Creamy Garlic Chicken

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1/2 cup butter, divided (the butter helps make the sauce)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 red onion, cut into strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips

1 red bell pepper, cut into strips

3 cloves garlic, minced

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 to 1 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 1/2 to 2 lbs Penne Pasta

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Cut up chicken to bite sized pieces, saute in a large skillet in 1/4 cup butter and 3 Tbsp olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook until done, and set aside. In the same pan add 1/4 cup butter and add the onion, red and yellow bell pepper. Cook until soft. Add the 3 garlic cloves that have been minced. When you can smell the garlic, add the unwhipped whipping cream and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the sauce is thickened.

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Add chicken to the cream mixture. Cook pasta and toss with the cream mixture. Top with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

This recipe serves about 8-10 people. This recipe is adapted slightly from a recipe given to me by Kelli M.

Navajo Fry Bread

Navajo Fry Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp yeast
1 1/2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp salt
about 3 cups of white bread flour ( you may need just a little bit more flour)

In a mixer, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Allow it to rest for a few minutes to make sure the yeast is activated. Add oil and salt. Add the flour and mix with a dough hook to combine. The dough should be a little tacky still. Cover with a damp towel and let rise for about 30-45 minutes. Put dough on a floured surface, and cut into equal pieces (usually 8-10 balls of dough).

Begin with a ball of dough and with a rolling pin, flatten out the dough until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick. It doesn't have to be a perfect circle (my kids like rectangles personally).

In a large fry pan on the stove, heat a little canola oil. When the dough starts to bubble it is about time to flip. It should be golden brown.

After it is cooked on both sides, drain on a paper towel and enjoy!

This fry bread is a great substitute for tortillas. You could do Tacos as well as Chicken, Beef or Pork Fajitas.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Sweet and Sour Chicken

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp garlic salt
Cornstarch
2 large eggs, beaten with about 2 Tbsp of water
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup vinegar (I use the non-seasoned rice vinegar)
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tsp salt
4 Tbsp soy sauce (I like the low sodium one since you are already adding salt)

Cut up chicken into about 1 inch cubes (bite sized, but not too small). Sprinkle with garlic salt and let it sit for about an hour. Dip in cornstarch, then in the beaten egg. Fry in hot canola oil until golden brown (does not have to be completely cooked through since it will cook in the oven). Place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchip, chicken broth, salt and soy sauce in a medium mixing bowl and microwave for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through. Pour over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes. If you want your sauce a little thicker add 1-2 tsp cornstarch to 1 Tbsp cold water. Stir into the sauce then return to the oven for a minute until it comes to a boil. Serve over rice. Serve 6-8 people.

This recipe was from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook under "Little Pink Chicken" on page 108.

Southwest Lettuce Wedges

I decided to try something new and found a fun recipe. We really like this one.

2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey breast or ground chicken breast meat
1 medium red pepper, chopped (optional)
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 jar of salsa
1 (15.5 oz) can of lower sodium kidney or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 head of iceberg lettuce cut into 4 equal parts (to make wedges)
1 medium tomato, chopped (optional)
1 small container nonfat Greek yogurt

1. In a skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat for 1 minute. Add the meat, red pepper (optional), chili powder, ground cumin and 1/8 tsp. salt. Cook until the meat is done (about 8 minutes).
2. Add the salsa and beans to the meat and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Make lettuce wedges and arrange on everyone's dinner plates. Top each lettuce wedge with the meat mixture, Greek yogurt and fresh, chopped tomatoes (optional).

You could also make these as lettuce wraps.

Delicious!

**Adapted slightly from "Southwest Chicken Wraps", Good Housekeeping, p. 207. (I need to find out the month, year)

Shauna's Chicken Artichoke Pasta

This dinner is what Cory wanted for his birthday dinner. I like to have all the chopping and everything done when I start cooking because it does come together pretty quickly. Thank you Shauna for putting this in our family cookbook, and since that was done about 10 years ago, I thought I would add it here to remind everyone how yummy it is! Here is a tip: I save time by getting the chicken already roasted at the store.
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Chicken Artichoke Pasta

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter

3 large garlic cloves, chopped

12-16 oz fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

2 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered (be sure to get the cans of non-marinated artichoke hearts in the vegetable aisle)

2 tsp dried basil

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup white wine (may be substitute for chicken broth)

1 cup heavy cream

2 1/2-3 Chicken, roasted, skinned and deboned then shredded into bite-sized pieces

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

freshly grated Parmesan Cheese

3/4 lb Fusilli Pasta

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for about 3 minutes. Add the artichokes and cook for another 3 minutes. Stir in the basil, oregano, and chicken broth, and turn up the heat to high. Boil until broth is reduced a little bit, add the wine (or substitute with chicken broth), and continue boiling until it is reduced some more. Add cream; add chicken when the sauce is slightly thickened. Heat through, stir in salt and pepper and parsley. Toss with hot pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese. If you like it a little more "saucey" add a little more chicken broth and cream. Serves 6-8 people.

Honey BBQ Chicken with Apple Cole Slaw

We first saw this recipe on the Food Network on Emeril Live and made it while we lived in Bountiful. I was going through old cookbooks recently and all of a sudden I was craving this again. I know that it is long and has quite the list of ingredients, but it really is a yummy recipe (which I can not take credit for at all since Emeril did it!) and is worth the effort.

Honey BBQ Chicken

1 cup soy sauce (I use the less sodium one)

3/4 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup honey

1-2 Tbsp sriracha (hot red pepper garlic chili paste found in the oriental section) we do 1 Tbsp so it isn't too hot for the kids

2 Tbsp white sesame seeds

2 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp sesame oil

12 skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 1/2 pounds) (we usually de-bone them to make it easier to eat)

In a large bowl, combine soy sauce, onions, rice vinegar, honey, sriracha, sesame seeds, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Stir well to combine. Place the chicken in the marinade. Toss to combine, cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.

Preheat grill to medium..about 300-350 degrees. Leave the skin on the chicken to help keep it moist. Cook on the grill on both sides until done. Use a digital thermometer to verify the temperature.

Apple Coleslaw

1/4 cup mayo, plus 2 Tbsp

1/4 cup sour cream

1Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

3 cups green cabbage, chopped (about 1/2 head)

2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1 large carrot, peeled and shredded1/2 head Romaine Lettuce, washed and cut into bite sized pieces

1/2 cup finely chopped sweet onion

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

In a large bowl, combine the mayo, sour cream, honey, vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk well. Add cabbage, apples, carrot, Romaine, onion and parsley. Toss to combine. Cover and put in fridge until ready to serve.

This recipe was slightly adapted from Emeril Lagasse from Emeril Live.

Chicken with Curry Sauce

In this day of budget cuts and "stay-cations," it can be hard to visit other countries. Take a journey with me through the jungles of India and taste the spices of that land. This recipe was originally featured by Robin Miller on the Food Network and was slightly adapted by Melanie G. I tried this recipe with chicken and I liked it, and I have done it with a pork tenderloin, and it was fabulous as well.

Chicken with Curry Sauce

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
Salt and freshly gound black pepper
Olive Oil
1 (14 oz) can coconut milk
1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
1 tsp curry powder *
1 tsp Garam Masala**
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup couscous, cooked according to package directions
2 Tbsp fresh cilantro for garnish


*There are two different types of curry spices. One is a green curry (which is the one Robin used) and there is a red Indian curry. I used the red curry because it smelled better to me, but either one will work for this recipe.

**Garam Masala is an Indian spice combination, just like Italian Seasoning is used in Italian cooking. I had trouble finding it at Smiths, so I had Cory go the International Market. I read that you can get it at Walmart. If you get desperate and can't find it, let me know and I will mail you some! :-)

Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 2 minutes per side until golden brown. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together coconut milk, green chilies, curry powder, garam masala, and cumin. Add mixture to chicken. Simmer 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce reduces slightly. You can choose to add 1 tsp cornstarch to 2 Tbsp water and pour that in the sauce and let simmer to thicken it, if you want it a little thicker. Serve the chicken and sauce over the couscous and garnish with the cilantro.

+for the pork tenderloin, I sliced it into medallions and pressed them with the palm of my hand to flatten them slightly. I followed the instructions as listed for the chicken.


With the chicken I did fry bread and couscous with it. With the pork I did a regular dinner roll (for time's sake) and sticky rice and both versions were great. We are sauce people, so you might want to 1 1/2 times the sauce recipe if you like to have it with rice and have leftover to dip your roll in. This dish is not as spicy as it sounds. Brynley eats it just fine, and I always add red pepper flakes to it. I hope you enjoyed your trip to India with me. I wonder what country I am going to do next???? :-)

Matthew's Chicken Nuggets with Dipping Sauce

Mc What? Matthew prefers these homemade nuggets and sauce to any breaded, deep-fried mystery meat meal. Chris and I really like them, too. More sauce, please!

CHICKEN NUGGETS:

1-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken tenders or chicken breasts sliced into strips
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. honey mustard
1/4 c. light mayonnaise
6 c. cornflakes

SAUCE:

3/4 c. peach or apricot preserves (we're slightly partial to peach)
3 Tbsp. light mayonnaise
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey mustard
1 tsp. rice vinegar, or to taste

Heat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl or ziploc bag, mix together the chicken, salt, pepper, mustard and mayonnaise.

To make the coating, place the cornflakes in a sealed bag and crush them. Then transfer the crushed cornflakes to a large shallow bowl or plate.

Dredge the chicken in the cornflakes and arrange the pieces on a cookie sheet. (Or on a rack over a baking sheet, if you are lucky enough to have one of those). Try to space the pieces an inch or so apart for even cooking and browning.

Bake the chicken for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and crispy on the outside (they will crisp even more as they cool).

For the sauce, mix together the preserves, mayonnaise, mustard and vinegar in a small bowl. Refrigerate until it's time to eat!


Adpated slightly from "Crunchy Chicken Tenders With Apricot Dipping Sauce," Family Fun Magazine, June 2008, p. 88.

Garlic Chicken Pasta

Garlic Chicken Pasta

4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp dried basil (crush in hand first), use 2 Tbsp if using fresh basil

6 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup chopped tomatoes (I used halved grape tomatoes)

1/2 cup chopped green onions

2 pkg. grilled chicken strips (or own chicken)

1 box pasta, (bow tie or thin spaghetti) cooked and drained

1/3 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese

(If you are cooking your own chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper; cook in Olive oil then add basil and garlic)

Cook pasta. In large skillet heat oil, basil & garlic for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken and heat approximately 4 minutes. Add pasta, onion, and tomato. Stir & heat 2 minutes. Stir in cheese, season with salt & pepper.

My kids had been begging for shrimp so I added it to this recipe (and I had forgotten the green onions, so they aren't in this picture). This is a great weekday meal that won't heat up your kitchen. You can even grill the chicken out on the BBQ'er for even better flavor.

Chicken Pasta Salad

As the temperatures start to climb, I love to cook recipes that don't require me to heat up the house. This is one of our family's favorite dinners. This recipe is versatile, so if you like more celery or grapes or whatever, just add it.

Chicken Pasta Salad

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes.
Grapes, halved (to taste like 1 cup)
Celery, sliced (to taste like ½ cup)
1 (15 oz) can of pineapple tidbits, drained
4 green onions, sliced
2 apples, peeled, cored, sliced and chunked, fuji’s are our favorite
2/3 to 1 box of bow tie noodles, cooked as per instructions on box

Season chicken with garlic salt. Fry in salted butter with a little olive oil (to keep the butter from burning) until done but not dry. In a large mixing bowl make the dressing:

Dressing
2 (one serving containers) Yoplait French Vanilla yogurt
½ cup mayonnaise
3 Tbsp honey
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste (1/2 to 1 tsp)

After the dressing has been combined, add pineapple, grapes, apples, celery, green onions, chicken and cooked and drained noodles. Stir to combine and enjoy.

Skinny Cacciatore

Pasta, dah-ling! I've missed you! LOL

Here's a low-fat version of cacciatore we tried last week. I loved it. So flavorful! It's 8 points a serving, but, baby, you get a *plateful* of food! You will not be hungry after this meal. (In fact, it made a lot for our little family, and we froze half. It'll be perfect for some crazy busy night. Yum!)

I found this recipe easiest to cook when I "Martha-ed" it. You know how all the cooks on TV have everything set aside, all prepared and measured out for them? We would all be gourmet chefs if we had a little assistant doing that for us, every time we knocked out a recipe! LOL This recipe does call for a lot of veggies and spices; if you have them ready to go when they're called for, this recipe's a breeze!

Enjoy. Ciao for now!


Skinny Cacciatore

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1 large green pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 3/4 cups sliced fresh mushrooms**
1 medium carrot, shredded
3 garlic cloves, minced**
1 can (29 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz.) Italian diced tomatoes, undrained
1 bay leaf
3 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon pepper
9 oz. uncooked spaghetti
(additional shredded carrot -- optional) **

1. In a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, brown chicken in 2 teaspoons of oil; drain. Remove and keep warm. In the same skillet, saute the green pepper, celery, and onion in remaining oil for 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms, carrot and garlic; saute 2-4 minutes longer or until all the vegetables are tender.

2. Stir in the tomato sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until thickened. Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to package directions.

3. Stir chicken into tomato mixture; cook for 8-12 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Discard bay leaf. Drain spaghetti; serve with chicken mixture. Garnish with additional carrot if desired.

Serving: 1 1/3 cups of chicken mixture with 2/3 cup spaghetti
Yield: 6 servings
8 points per serving


** We used canned mushrooms from the pantry, instead of fresh. We used minced garlic spice. Both times these substitutions worked fine. BTW, we skipped the shredded carrot garnish on top. Bleh.

recipe and picture credit: Healthy Cooking magazine, December/January 2009, p.55 (original recipe: Anita Webb)

Sticky Coconut Chicken

Sticky Coconut Chicken

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 cup canned coconut milk
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced or finely grated
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Marinade chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes for at least 1 hour (the flavor is a little better if left to marinade for 4 or 5 hours). Grill on barbeque.

Glaze:
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp red pepper flakes

While chicken is grilling, bring the glaze ingredients to a boil over medium-high heat and reduce until mixture is thickened, which takes about 8-10 minutes. Once it reaches a "syrupy" consistancy, removed from heat. Glaze both sides of the chicken the last few minutes of grilling and serve chicken over rice.

Note: When cooking the rice, you can add the remaining canned coconut milk with water for a slightly sweet flavor.
Serves 4-5. Recipe courtesy of Melanie G.

Chicken Souvlaki

The Washington D.C. Temple Visitors Center Missionaries recommended we try the chicken souvlaki at Continental Pizza (in Kensington, MD). It was so amazing that when we moved, I had to create my own recipe in remembrance.

1 pkg. pita bread (whole wheat, if available)

7 fl. oz. Balsamic Vinaigrette made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or half of a 14 oz. bottle)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced into strips

1 8 oz. container plain, non-fat yogurt

1 cucumber, peeled (one half shredded*, the other half sliced)

1/2 tsp. garlic salt**
1 tsp. rice vinegar**

a pinch or two of sugar (as needed)

2 Roma tomatoes, sliced

4 red-leaf or green-leaf lettuce leaves, cut in half or chopped

1 small container feta cheese, original or Mediterranean Herb

Put Vinaigrette and chicken in a Ziploc bag and marinate in the fridge for a minimum of half an hour.

In a small bowl, mix yogurt, shredded cucumber, garlic salt, rice vinegar and sugar (if needed to combat bitter cucumbers). Put your tzatziki sauce back in fridge until ready to use.

Cook chicken and marinade over medium-high heat until chicken is done and sauce has reduced.

Stuff pita pockets with lettuce, chicken, sliced cucumbers and tomatoes. Add tzatziki sauce and sprinkle with feta.

Enjoy

*Dab your shredded cucumbers with a paper towel to absorb excess water.

** Chris and I like a strong tzatziki sauce; you may want to first try 1/4 tsp. garlic salt and 1/2 tsp. rice vinegar and then add more if you think you'd like more kick.

Tip: Chicken is easier to slice this way if it is still partially frozen.

Super Fast Chicken Parmigiana

I made this recipe a lot in Hawaii while Chris was in school. He thought it was fancy. I thought it was easy. Everyone was happy.

16 oz. package thin spaghetti noodles
1 jar or can of spaghetti sauce
4 frozen or refrigerated, fully cooked breaded chicken patties or cutlets
2 Tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Prepare noodles and breaded chicken patties as directed on their packages. Warm spaghetti sauce. On dinner plates, place desired amount of noodles and top with chicken, sauce, cheese and parsley.

Serves 4

Don't have parmesan and mozzarella? Substitute with whatever cheese you've got in the house; it still tastes great. Want to make it healthier? Use grilled chicken and homemade spaghetti sauce.

(Last night I couldn't find any jars of spaghetti sauce in the pantry, so I used some of Jen and Eric's home-canned tomato sauce and tomatoes to make a Chunky Garlic and Onion Spaghetti sauce. It tasted great with this meal.)

Adapted from Campbell's Easy Family Meals, p.4

Low-Fat Quesadillas

Just in time for the Superbowl.... this simple recipe lets you make low cal quesadillas that could be easily mistaken for the fat-filled real thing. Found this recipe at Hungry Girl's website. These go from 12 points per serving to just 3! SCORE!
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Low-Fat Quesadillas

1 La Tortilla Factory Low Carb, Low Fat Whole Wheat Tortilla (small size)
1/4 cup shredded fat free cheddar cheese (or ff mozzarella, ff American, ff jack)
2 oz. chicken breast, grilled and sliced
1 tablespoon green onion, diced 1 tablespoon salsa
1 teaspoon light sour cream

Directions: In a pan lightly spritzed with nonstick cooking spray, set down your tortilla. Spread the cheese, chicken and green onion evenly on top. Let set (cheese will just be beginning to melt), then fold over. Cook on medium heat for a minute or so, flipping quesadilla halfway in between. Slide your quesadilla onto a plate and serve with the salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!

Picture credit: HG's Cheesy-Good Chicken Quesadillas, Hungry Girl site