Smothered Chicken

This is a very good meal that does take a bit of effort to put together, but is really worth it. It's a bit heavy on the dairy, but oh-so-good. There are 3 parts to the recipe, so I'll try my best to get everything in the right order. Make sure to read through the entire recipe and portion out everything before starting.

Ingredients:

Chicken:
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
10 slices mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp seasoned salt
1 tsp pepper

Creamed Spinach:
1 large bag spinach leaves
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp onion, minced
2 tbsp olive oil

Sauteed Mushrooms:
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat Oven to 350
2. Mix the garlic powder, seasoned salt, and pepper together and coat the chicken.
3. Bake the chicken for 16 minutes

4. While the chicken is baking, heat the 2 tbsp of oil for the creamed spinach in a large pan over medium-high heat.
5. When the oil is hot, add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes
6. When the onions are sauteed, add the spinach and garlic and cook until cooked through. The spinach will reduce to a small amount.
7. When cooked through, add the cream cheese and shredded Parmesan cheese and stir until melted.
8. Set aside the the creamed spinach.

9. In a fresh skillet, melt the butter and oil.
10. Add the mushrooms and cook until browned all over.
11. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan.
12. Add in the garlic, salt, and pepper.
13. Cook until most of the wine is cooked off.

14. At this time, the chicken should be done baking.
15. Remove the chicken from the oven and turn over in the pan.
16. Add the creamed spinach to the top of the chicken breasts.
17. Add the sauteed mushrooms on top of the creamed spinach.
18. Place 2 pieces of the mozzarella cheese on top of each breast.
19. Cook another 12-14 minutes or until the cheese is browned and the chicken is done.

That's it.  A lot of steps, but it was very yummy. We ended up using the broiler to get the cheese a bit browner at the end, but you may not need to.

This recipe was from a blog called: baconbuttercheesegarlic

Chicken Fricassee

This works great as a normal meal or as leftovers/served the next day. Letting it sit for a while will let the flavors blend and make it even more tasty.

Ingredients:
3 celery stalks
1 carrot
2 tomatoes
2 leeks
1/2 head of cabbage
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp chopped tarragon
1 tsp celery seed
1 bay leaf
3 cans (14.5 oz) chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Prepare the veggies. Cut the celery and carrot into 1" pieces; quarter, skin, and seed the tomatoes; wash and trim the leeks, removing the tough green end, split them, then cut into 1/2" pieces; chunk the cabbage into 4-6 pieces.

2. Grease a 5 qt pan with cooking spray and lightly brown the chicken breasts on each side.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper before browning. We used whole breasts this time but will try them with each breast cut into 2-3 pieces next time.

3. Add the leeks, celery, garlic and wine and cook for 5 minutes

4. Add everything else, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to low and cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until vegetables are done, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve in soup bowls and garnish with parsley, cheese, or anything else you would like.

This recipe was based on one in the 501 Recipes for LC Life book.

Mexican Chicken

Here's a fantastic crock pot meal for those days when you don't have much time to make anything. It takes about 10 minutes to prep and then cooks for 8 hours while you are gone or busy.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp adobo seasoning
1 cup chicken broth
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp chili flakes
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 green bell peppers, chopped
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts, trimmed
1 15.5 oz can black beans, drained
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies, drained
Shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
Sour cream (optional)

Directions:
1. Add the first 11 ingredients (from tomato paste to the green peppers) into the crock pot and mix well.
2. Add chicken thighs or breasts and stir well to coat the chicken pieces.
3. Add the black beans and chilies but do not stir.
4. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours
5. Stir thoroughly before serving.
6. Serve with cheese and sour cream if desired.

This recipe was from the Every Day LC Slow Cooker cookbook.

Chicken Avocado Soup

A great recipe my wife found on Pinterest that we had to try. It was fantastic. Needs a bit of a kick of heat so may had some hot pepper spices next time, but was still wonderful. We did tweak it a bit and the link to the original is at the bottom.

Ingredients:
7 cups chicken stock
3 whole chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
2 tomatoes, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups scallions, chopped
3 ripe avocados, diced
1/2 cup cilantro
4 lime wedges
2 tsp olive oil
salt/pepper - to taste
cumin - pinch
chipotle chili powder - pinch

Directions:
1. In large pot, boil the chicken breasts in the chicken stock for about 15 minutes until the chicken breasts are cooked.
2. Remove chicken breasts and shred with a fork and pour out stock and set aside.
3. Add the olive oil to the pot and heat over medium heat, adding in 1/2 of the scallions and garlic.
4. Saute about 2 minutes, add tomatoes, and saute another minute.
5. Add chicken stock, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
7. In 6 bowls, fill equally with some chicken, avocado, the rest of the scallions, and the cilantro.
8. Ladle 1 cup chicken stock over the chicken and serve with a lime wedge*.

*Note: We forgot about the lime wedges and ended up topping ours with sour cream and cheddar cheese. Sooo yummy.

Here is the original recipe from Skinnytaste.com

Buffalo Chicken Dip

There's probably hundreds of variations on this dip, but this is one that we made recently and I really loved it, so I wanted to post it.

Ingredients:
1 whole rotisserie chicken or 2 (10 oz) cans of chunk chicken or whatever chicken you want to use.
2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup Ranch Dressing
3/4 cup hot sauce (Franks Red Hot works great)
1 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Shred and cut-up the chicken into small pieces so that is like shredded beef.
2. Heat the chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat.
3. Stir in the cream cheese and ranch dressing.
4. Cook and stir until it is well blended and warm.
5. Mix in half of the shredded cheese and move the mixture to a slow cooker or glass pan.
6. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese over the and cook on low in a slow cooker or heat in the oven until hot and bubbly on top.

One thing I will try next time is Blue Cheese dressing instead of ranch and maybe even blue cheese sprinkled on top. It goes great with celery, crackers, chips, or pork rinds.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

This recipe is a bit of work, but still pretty quick. About 45 minutes start to finish and it is very good. Our whole family likes these.

Ingredients:
1 Egg
1 tbsp water
3/4 cup almonds, finely ground
1 1/2 tsp seasoning salt
1/2 tsp dried parsley flakes
12 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 6 breasts cut in half
1/4 pound Swiss cheese, cut into 12 slices ( we used provolone and cheddar)
1/3 pound deli-style ham, cut into 12 slices
cooking oil spray

Directions.
1. Combine egg and water in a bowl large enough to dip the chicken in.
2. Combine almonds, seasoning salt, and parsley in another bowl about the same size.
3. Divide cheese and ham into 12 portions.
4. Place chicken thigh or breast on a plate cut side up and place a piece of cheese in the middle of the chicken.
5. Roll up ham and place on top of the cheese and roll up the chicken around the ham and cheese.
6. If needed, use toothpicks to hold the chicken together.
7. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then into almond mixture and place on a baking sheet that has been pre-sprayed with the cooking oil spray.
8. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

That's all there is to it. You can play around with the cheese and ham insides or the almond coating to your liking. We like cheddar or provolone instead of Swiss. I like Parmesan cheese in my coating to give a bit more flavor.

This recipe is from the Extreme LC Meals on the Go cookbook.

Ranch Chicken

Here's another super easy main dish to make. 

Ingredients:

8 pieces of chicken (a whole cut-up chicken works great)

1/2 packet of ranch salad dressing mix (powdered)

1 tsp lemon pepper

Directions:

1. Rinse chicken under running water and pat dry.

2. Mix Ranch salad dressing mix and lemon pepper together.

2. Put the chicken in a large baking dish and season with the mixture.

4. Bake for about 45-55 minutes at 375 degrees.

That's really all there is to it. I got the idea from my Extreme LC Meals On The Go cook book. 

Just grillin'

Ok, I know I haven't put up a post in a few weeks, but I've been doing some simple grilling lately with no new recipes. Just yummy food.

Dinner tonight was grilled chicken, grilled ribs-on-a-stick, and some deep fried jicama. Very simple but oh so tasty.

Green Salsa Chicken Breasts

Here's an excellent meal that tastes a bit like a combination of chicken taco salad and a kind of soup. Very simple yet tasty.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

2-3 tbsp butter/oil

2 2/3 cups green salsa

1 cup chicken stock

3 garlic cloves, finely diced

3 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 fresh green chili or other pepper

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup sour cream

romaine lettuce leaves, shredded

3-5 scallions, finely chopped

coarsely chopped cilantro

salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Season the chicken w/salt and pepper.

2. Melt butter and/or oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken breasts. Cook until they are browned, but not cooked through as they will finish cooking later in the sauce.

3. Remove chicken from the pan and reserve.

4. Place salsa, stock, garlic, cilantro, chili (or hot peppers), and cumin in a pan and bring to a boil. Quickly reduce to a low simmer and add the chicken back in, spooning the sauce over the chicken.

5. Serve the chicken on a bed of lettuce and topped with sour cream, scallions, and cilantro if desired.

I changed it up a bit and put the scallions in the sauce and didn't top with any scallions or cilantro. Instead, I just topped with sour cream, some chipotle seasoning, mozzarella cheese, and some green Tabasco sauce. The sauce doesn't have much kick, so it could use a bit more.

Recipe was from the Greatest Ever LC Recipe Book. (It's not actually the greatest ever, that's just the name.) :o)

Grilled Chicken with Marinade

I know this chicken is a bit close to the Greek Roasted chicken recipe, but I tweaked it a bit and enjoyed the change.

Ingredients:
1 Cut-up Chicken (or whatever you want to grill)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 cloves garlic

Directions:
1. Mix marinade ingredients and put in a 1 gallon zip-lock bag with the chicken.
2. Let marinade as long as you want. I prefer letting it go overnight.
3. Grill the chicken and enjoy.

I've added a salad and cottage cheese to round out the meal.

Seriously Spicy Citrus Chicken

Wow, here's a nice simple dish that is very tasty and has a huge kick. Unless you like lots of heat, cut the red pepper flakes down to probably 1/3 of what they call for. It will still be spicy, but won't melt your mouth.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lime juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 tsp garlic, minced
4 tsp grated gingerroot
1/4 cup Splenda (skipped this ingredient)
4 scallions, finely diced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

Directions:
1. Cut chicken into 4 servings (or however many you are making) and saute in the olive oil over medium-high heat with a tilted lid.
2. While Sauteing, mix the lime juice, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, garlic, gingerroot, and Splenda (if using).
3. After the chicken has browned (about 4-5 minutes per side), add the mixture to the skillet, turning the chicken to coat both sides.
4. Saute for another 2-3 minutes per side or until chicken is done.
5. Place chicken on plates, pour mixture over top of chicken and scatter scallions and cilantro over each portion.

This recipe was from Dana Carpenders 15 Minute LC recipe book

Parmesan Chicken Breasts

I'm going through a new cookbook (another of Dana Carpenders) which are all 15 minute recipes. Here's a nice quick idea with very few ingredients, yet it was very yummy.

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (the cheap stuff in the green can)
4 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp pepper
2 eggs
2 oz heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp butter

Directions:
1. Flatten the chicken breasts to about 1/4" thick and cut into about 6 portions.
2. Combine cheese with oregano, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper and put on a plate.
3. Combine the eggs and heavy whipping cream and mix well in a bowl.
4. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.
5. Dip the chicken in the egg wash, fully coat the chicken with the cheese mixture, then saute for 3-5 minutes per side in the butter.

If you like, you can also make a simple gravy to pour over the top. Making sure the burner is on low, pour some heavy whipping cream into the pan used for sauteing the chicken breasts and stir together with the butter, leftover cheese crumbles, and bits of chicken in the pan. Makes a very tasty gravy.

This recipe was from Dana Carpenders 15 Minute LC Recipe books.

Greek Roasted Chicken

This is a very simple chicken recipe/marinade that makes the chicken taste like the stuff you get at a small town fair or at a small carnival/festival put on by local groups like the Lions Club or Snowmobile Club (for you northerners). Not sure why, but it really reminds me of that. Note that it needs up to a day for marinading.

Ingredients:
3-4 pounds of chicken (cut-up, split, whole, whatever you want)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:
1. Wash chicken and pat dry.
2. Combine lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper and stir in together.
3. For a whole chicken, rub all over the chicken, including in the cavity. For chicken parts, put in a zip lock bag and pour in marinade.
4. Let sit in a fridge for at least an hour, up to a day. The longer it sits, the better the flavor.
5. One hour before cooking, take chicken out of the bag and let sit.
6. Grill, bake, or broil the chicken as you desire. I prefer to slow grill it.

To slow grill chicken:
1. Heat 1/2 the grill (with charcoals on one side or 1/2 the gas burners turned off).
2. Sear the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side directly over the high heat.
3. Move the chicken to the indirect side, turn heat down a bit, and let sit for about 20 minutes per side, flipping once.
4. After about 10 minutes of high heat and 40 minutes of low heat it will be about done.
5. If you want to crisp up the skin, turn up to high again and put directly over the heat for a minute or two per side.

Overall it was a very easy meal, yet very tasty.

This recipe was based on one from Dana Carpenders 500 LC Recipes

Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters and Sauteed Zucchini and Onions

What do you do when you don't feel like prepping anything? Weber to the rescue. Here's a couple very simple ideas that combine for a very yummy meal.

Grilled Chicken Leg Quarters

Ingredients:
Chicken Leg Quarters
Olive Oil
Homemade Seasoned Salt (Recipe)

Directions:
1. Preheat the grill to about 350
2. Brush the chicken leg quarters with the olive oil.
3. Sprinkle on the seasoned salt.
4. Turn off 1/2 the burners (or move the charcoal to one side) and put the chicken on the side that is on/heating for about 3-5 minutes per side. Enough to crisp up the outside a bit.
5. Move the chicken to the side that is turned off/not heating for about 20 minutes per side.
6. Cook until the chicken is about 165-170 degrees and the juices are running clear.

Sauteed Zucchini and Onions

Ingredients:
Zucchini
Onions
Butter

Directions:
1. Slice up the Zucchini and Onions.
2. Put the Zucchini and Onions in a pan with the butter.
3. Saute until they are nice and golden brown.

It's easy to make up the Sauteed Zucchini and Onions while the chicken is grilling.

Thai-ish Chicken Basil Stir-Fry

Here's a nice, spicy Thai-ish Stir-Fry that our family really loved. I changed it up a bit from the recipe in the book.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (I used Vietnamese Fish Sauce as that's what we had and it worked fine)
2 tbsp soy sauce or Braggs Liquid Aminos (Braggs is my preference)
1 tsp Splenda (I skipped this)
1/4 tsp guar or xanthan
2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 tsp hot chili oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 small onion, sliced
16 oz bag of frozen, crosscut green beans, thawed
2 tbsp non-sweetened coconut flakes

Directions:
1. Combine the fish sauce, liquid aminos (Soy Sauce), splenda (if used), and guar in a blender.
2. Blend for a few seconds and then add in the basil and red pepper flakes. Set aside.
3. Heat the peanut, coconut, and chili oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat.
4. Add in the Chicken, garlic, and onions and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.
5. Add in the green beans and coconut flakes and cook until the chicken is finished.
6. Stir in the blended seasoning mixture, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.

The coconut flakes and 3 oil types (I really like the blend of those 3) were my additions. The chili oil gives it some nice heat. Next time I will also add in some mushrooms and top with either toasted sesame seeds or toasted walnuts. They will give it a bit of crunch.

This recipe was from Dana Carpenders 500 LC Recipe book.

Middle Eastern Skillet Chicken

Tonight was a very yummy middle eastern flavored chicken dish. There are quite a few ingredients, but it really is a very simple dish to make. It does taste wonderful though.

Ingredients:
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Approx 2 pounds)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 small onions (or 1 medium/large one), chopped
1/2 tsp ground coriander (We used Mural of Flavor from Penzeys instead)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp ginger, fresh grated
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chicken broth

Directions:
1. Dice the chicken breasts.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and add in the chicken and onions.
3. Saute for a few minutes then stir in the spices: coriander, cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and pepper.
4. Cook until the chicken is white all over.
5. Add ginger, tomatoes, garlic, and broth and stir.
6. Cover and let simmer on low for 10-15 minutes.

Serve in bowls and top with some mozzarella cheese.

Recipe is from Dana Carpender 500 LC Recipes Cookbook

Stickless Satay Chicken with Not-Very-Authentic Peanut Sauce

Chicken Ingredients:
1 tbsp oil (I used a mix of Olive Oil and Coconut Oil)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp curry powder
1 boneless chicken breast
*Note - Expand this as needed for however many people you have

Directions:
1. In heavy skillet over medium heat, add oil, garlic, and curry and stir for a few seconds.
2. Add chicken breasts and saute until done.
3. Serve with the Peanut Sauce (warming the sauce if desired)

Peanut Sauce Ingredients:
1 piece ginger, about the size of a walnut, peeled and sliced cross grain
1/2 cup natural peanut butter (We love Smuckers Natural)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp soy sauce or Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/4 tsp Tabasco or other hot sauce
1 or 2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tsp Splenda (if desired)

Directions:
1. Put everything in a blender and blend.
2. Heat (if you desire) and serve over the chicken.

Overall, this was a very good dish for me. I warmed up the peanut sauce and if you don't watch it, it will begin to reduce quickly. Mine is a bit thicker than planned, but it was still very good. If you don't like peanuts with your chicken, you probably won't like it, but it was a very good combination.

From Dana Carpender 500 LC Recipes Cookbook

Chicken Piccata

Here's another very simple chicken dish, but it calls for a few out-of-the-ordinary items. If you do have the ingredients on hand, it is a very simple and quick dish to make. It takes about 10 minutes after the prep is done.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1/4 cup olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp capers, chopped
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Flatten chicken breasts to 1/4 inch thick with whatever means you wish (put in a plastic bag and pound flat, pound between wax paper, step on it, whatever). The ones we had were larger, so I just cut them in half and so they were thin and it worked great.
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet and add the chicken. If you don't have a large enough skillet, cook it in 2 batches. Takes about 3-4 minutes per side.
3. Remove chicken from the pan and add in the wine, garlic, lemon juice and capers.
4. Bring to a hard boil for about a minute to reduce a bit and then stir to mix in all the yummy bits on the bottom of the pan from the chicken.
5. Put the chicken back in the pan for about a minute and sprinkle with parsley.
6. Serve and enjoy.

From Dana Carpender 500 LC Recipes Cookbook

Tarragon Chicken

Tonight was Tarragon Chicken. A fantastically simple, yet wonderfully tasty dish. Half way through the meal all the forks were on the table and it was finger lickin' good. Throw in some green beans topped with bacon and cooked in bacon grease and you have a wonderful meal.

Ingredients:
1 cut-up broiler-fryer
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp dried tarragon
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup dry white wine

Directions:
1. Melt butter in BIG frying pan over your biggest burner.
2. Brown the chicken so that all sides are brown but do not cook through or it will be dry.
3. Pour off the fat (if you want to. I didn't and although the chicken was not crispy, it was soooo good).
4. Scatter tarragon on the chicken, crushing some to release flavor, salt and pepper as desired, add the clove of garlic (crushed) and the wine.
5. Cover skillet, turn to low, and simmer for 30 minutes. Rotate and flip the chicken every 10 minutes and spoon some of the liquid onto the chicken when you rotate it.
6. Enjoy!!!!

From Dana Carpender 500 LC Recipes Cookbook

Camembert Chicken and Almonds

Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts - Pounded flat
8 oz Camembert cheese
1/3 cup sliced almonds
4 scallions sliced up thinly

Directions:
1. Brown one side of the Chicken Breasts.
2. Flip the breasts and layer on the cheese on the top.
3. When the other side is done, top with some almonds (browned in butter) and scallions.

Very simple, yet quite tasty. Feel free to substitute the Camembert cheese with any other kind. We will try provolone next time.

From Dana Carpender 500 LC Recipes Cookbook