Sweet and Sour Chicken

I got this recipe off of the Food Network, courtesy of Cathy Lowe. It's pretty easy and yummy.

2 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced into strips (I cubed mine)
salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
4 tsp cornstarch mixed with 4 tsp water
1 cup canned pineapple chunks, drained with 1/2 cup reserved juice
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock

In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Season chicken and add to pan. Brown chicken and remove to plate. Add red and green peppers and cook for 1 minute. Stir in pineapple chunks, juice, sugar, vinegar and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sauce begins to reduce. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring liquid to a simmer. Stir in chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Chicken A La Carbonara

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 pint heavy whipping cream
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
5 slices bacon
1 egg
1/2 lb. bag of bowtie pasta
2 Tbs. Italian Seasonings
1 tsp. Garlic salt
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. Basil
2 tsp. Salt
2 tsp. Pepper

Melt 1/8 cup butter in a saucepan, and add the onion, garlic cloves, 1 Tbs. Italian seasoning, and chicken breasts. Stir often on medium heat, until chicken is almost cooked. Add garlic salt, and basil. Stir. In another pan, place 5 slices of bacon, and cook until somewhat crisp, yet not stiff. Remove from pan, and lay aside to cool. Once bacon has cooled off, cut in 1 inch sized pieces. Use another saucepan for the pasta. Fill saucepan with desired amount of water for pasta, and bring to a boil. Add a dash of salt to water. Once chicken is cooked, add the heavy whipping cream and remaining butter while stirring often. Whisk in egg and do so quickly, so the egg can be mixed in evenly without any egg chunks. Remove egg chunks, if they cannot be avoided. Stir often, while adding salt and pepper. Allow the cream mixture to come to a boil. Add the bacon pieces to cream mixture and let it boil for 5 minutes. Stir often.
Makes 4 servings.

Buffalo Wings

This is our new go-to wing recipe.


Ingredients
12 whole chicken wings
3 ounces unsalted butter
1 small clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt


Directions
Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Replace the paper towels with parchment paper. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

While the chicken is roasting, melt the butter in a small bowl along with the garlic. Pour this along with hot sauce and salt into a bowl large enough to hold all of the chicken and stir to combine.

Remove the wings from the oven and transfer to the bowl and toss with the sauce. Serve warm.

Chicken Florentine Style

This is a Food Network recipe my sister in law told me about. I can't get Food Network to cooperate today, so no link for you. But here's the recipe (with my shortcuts):

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
all-purpose flour
4 T butter (less than original recipe)
2 T diced shallots or mild onion
1 T chopped garlic
1 1/2 c dry white wine (you could use chicken stock if you aren't a wine person)
1 c whipping cream (or milk)
1 T fresh parsley
2 10 oz packages frozen cut spinach, cooked in the microwave

Season chicken and dredge in flour, shake off extra. Melt 2 T butter in heavy skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 5 min per side or til browned. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Meanwhile, cook the spinach in the microwave.

Melt 2 T butter in the same skillet as before over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and saute until translucent, scraping the skillet as you go. Add wine and increase heat to med-high; boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 3 min. Add cream and boil until reduced by half, about 3 min, stirring often. Add parsley and season to taste. Add chicken and any accumulated juices back to the sauce and turn to coat. To serve, put chicken on top of spinach and pour sauce over. (I also added some whole wheat angel hair pasta because there was some extra sauce.)

Classy enough to serve to the in-laws!

White Chili

Hi! I don't know most of you, but I'm a friend of Jen Barnes. Here's a recipe I got from a friend of mine (Jen Trulock) and made for the first time tonight. I usually throw some cheap chicken in the crock post with some water, a little soy sauce, salt and pepper and let it cook for 4-6 hours. Once it's done I pull it out and make 4-6 dinners with it, and this is one I made today:
White Chili

4-6 chicken breasts, shredded or cubed
2 15-oz cans Northern beans
2 15-oz cans chicken broth/stock
1 small can chopped green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup

Mix together and heat. Freezes great!

Cinnamon Lime Fajitas

I know grilling season is quickly disappearing -- but these fajitas are baked! I tried them at first because when we lived, like, 20 feet from the Rio Grande River, we ate a lot of fajitas and Mexicans (and Mexican Americans) squeeze lime on everything. (A salad down there is shredded lettuce with lime squeezed on top.) The Lime part caught my eye, but we weren't sure how the rest of it would taste. It was fantastic!

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 large baking potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno peppers
• 1 lime, juiced
• 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas, warmed (we use the freshly made flour tortillas from our HEB plus! which we cook just a tad more than they're already cooked)
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Place potatoes in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with about 1/2 the oil, and season with salt. Bake 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, until tender.
3. Meanwhile, season chicken with cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Arrange in a separate baking dish, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Cool and shred.
4. Heat remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat, and saute onion and garlic until tender. Mix in shredded chicken, jalapeno, and lime juice. Cook until heated through.
5. Serve the chicken and potatoes in warmed tortillas.

Original Recipe on allrecipes.com with nutrition information and portion options

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

Yes, it's my "signature" recipe, and one of the fastest dinners I know how to make. It is kind of expensive, so you could totally substitute homemade pizza crust and mozzarella, but we save up for the occasional treat of the fontina. Mmmm...it's just so nutty and gooey and elegant.

1 Boboli original pizza crust
1 cup cooked shredded chicken
1 small box frozen chopped spinach
2 t lemon juice
1 t minced garlic
1/2 small container light alfredo sauce (buy in the refrigerated pasta section)
1 c shredded fontina cheese (I just buy the smallest block for sale in the deli, usually it is enough)

Heat oven to 450. Thaw spinach in microwave and squeeze dry. Mix spinach, chicken, lemon juice, and garlic in a big bowl. Spread alfredo on pizza crust, spread spinach mixture over it, top with shredded cheese. Bake for 8-10 min or until cheese in center is melted. I like to top this with tons of red pepper flakes and chopped walnuts.

Chimichurri Rojo

This is from an epicurious.com recipe here. It is intended to be used as a sauce, which we enjoyed, but our favorite use for it is as a marinade for grilled chicken fajitas. It is DANG SPICY so if you aren't a fan of heat, consider yourself warned. I love to put a sweet salsa with this, like something with pineapple.

4 T olive oil
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 1/2 T hot paprika
2 T cayenne
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh ground black pepper
1 T cumin, toasted if you can
1 bay leaf, broken in half
1/2 t kosher salt

Mix well. For a marinade, let meat marinate at least 30 min.

Grilled Honey Lime Chicken Sandwiches

This is one our favorite Rachel Ray 30 minute meal recipes. Great on or off a sandwich, and great leftover the next day, too!

1 lime, juiced
2 tbspn honey
1 rounded tspn cumin
handful cilantro, finely chopped, about 1/2 tbspn
2 Tbsp EVOO (extra vergin olive oil)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast (I use the thin ones)

Kaiser Rolls

Combine 1st 5 ingredients in a bowl. Coat chicken in dressing and set aside for 10 minutes. Grill chicken on grill pan, or outdoor grill if you prefer, 6 to 7 minutes on each side. Or you can pan fry over medium high heat 6 minutes a side.

Toppings: lettuce, tomato, red onion, and sliced avocado
We spread ranch dressing on the Kaiser Rolls. She also recommends salsa verde as a condiment.

On the side, we serve Chili Roasted Potatoes

Chicken-n-dumplings

I won't attempt to recreate the recipe here. Let me just put up a link and direct you to the experts. This recipe took a long time and made a huge mess but it was Worth. Every. Bite.

Check it out - smittenkitchen.com

The pictures are superb and the food was even better. I think I want this on our menu next week. Totally.

Grilled Greek Chicken Kabobs

I found this recipe in the Summer 2007 issue of Kraft's Food & Family magazine. David grilled it up and it's delicious. We have it whenever he feels like grilling something and we want a light meal.

• 1/2 cup KRAFT Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
• 2 Tbsp. KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise
• 1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red onion, cut into small wedges (we use sweet onion, Mmmm when it gets a little burnt!)
  
• 1 lemon, halved

COMBINE dressing and mayo; pour into large resealable plastic bag. Add chicken; seal bag. Turn bag over several times to evenly coat chicken with the dressing mixture. Refrigerate at least 20 min. or up to 2 hours to marinate.

PREHEAT grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard bag and marinade. Thread chicken and onions alternately onto 16 wooden skewers. (Soak the skewers for about 30 min in water to keep them from burning/catching fire when they go on the grill.)

GRILL 8 to 10 min. or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally. Meanwhile, place lemon, cut-sides down, on grill grate next to kabobs. Squeeze lemon juice over kabobs just before serving.

Easy King Ranch Chicken

2 chicken breasts, boiled and chopped/shredded
1 can rotel (we have been using mild so the boys will eat it)
1 can cream of chicken
corn tortillas - I end up using about 6
Monterrey Jack Cheese
white rice

Combine chicken, rotel, cream of chicken, and a handful of cheese. Tear up corn tortillas into pieces and add to chicken mixture. Spread in a greased casserole dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Top with cheese and bake for an additional 8-10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve over rice. Or you can serve with a bag of HEB spanish rice (frozen veggie section, 4 minutes in the microwave!) and a side of some type of beans.

Poppyseed Chicken

1-2 cups boiled, chopped/shredded chicken (2 boneless breasts)
8 oz. sour cream
1 can cream of chicken
1 Tbsp poppyseeds

1 stick butter
1 sleeve ritz crackers

Combine first 4 ingredients and spread in a casserole dish. Melt butter and crush entire sleeve of ritz crackers into it. Spread cracker mixture on top of chicken mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

We like to serve it over white rice.
My kids will even eat this one!

"Hockey Chicken" aka Teriyaki Chicken

1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I use thin)
1 bottle Teriyaki marinade (w/ sesame seeds)
1 pkg frozen stir fry veggies (I like sugar snap stir fry)
rice (white or brown)

Prepare rice. Marinate chicken in a ziploc baggie. You can pan fry, saute, or grill the chicken. I usually use the grill pan on the stove. Follow directions on the package of veggies to saute. Slice chicken and toss with rice and veggies to make a teriyaki bowl.

Medieval Roasted Chicken

OMG. This is the juiciest chicken we have ever eaten. Enough said.

• 1 roaster chicken (we usually buy a "whole chicken" that's already been cut up)
  
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup paprika
• 1/2 cup granulated garlic
• 2 cups lemon juice
  
• 1/2 cup lemon pepper
• 1/4 cup Italian spice
• 2 teaspoons salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine all ingredients together to prepare the marinade. Dip the whole chicken in the marinade. Cover chicken completely with marinade. Let sit for 4 to 5 minutes. (We usually marinate it for 30 min or so, just to get it good and soaked with all that flavor.) Place chicken on a sheet pan. Cook for 50 minutes uncovered, or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear. (We also find that 50 min is not enough for the thickest pieces of chicken. Use a thermometer to make sure the chicken is done when in doubt.)

Original Recipe on foodnetwork.com

Chicken Tetrazini

This is one of our all-time favorites. We leave out the mushrooms, but that's up to you. David and I agree that the leftovers are so much better than the day you make it. This is supposed to serve 4 but we find that we can often get 6 servings out of it.

• 1 (8 ounce) package spaghetti, broken into pieces
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sherry
• 1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain.
3. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat, and gradually stir in chicken broth and cream.
4. Return to heat, and bring to a low boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add sherry, then stir in cooked spaghetti, mushrooms, and chicken. Pour mixture into the prepared baking dish, and top with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly and lightly browned.

Original Recipe on allrecipes.com with nutrition information and adjustable serving sizes