Category: Chicken

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Spinach & Mushroom Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This is a fancy-looking dish, that is nevertheless quick and easy to make. Wrapping the chicken in bacon is a bit like an inside-out Cordon Bleu, and keeps it nice and moist. As an added bonus, you get to vent any latent frustrations while pounding out the chicken breasts! 

Ingredients

  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1/4 cup Finely Chopped Mushrooms
  • 1/3 cup Frozen Spinach, defrosted and drained
  • 1/4 cup Sour Cream
  • 1/4 cup Shredded Monterey Jack  Cheese
  • 1 Clove Garlic, finely minced
  • 4 Strips Bacon

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Coat a baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  3. Slice chicken breasts most of the way through into top and bottom sections, and fold open.
  4. Using a tenderizing mallet, pound out the chicken breasts until 1/4-inch thin or less throughout.
  5. In a small bowl, mix together mushrooms, spinach, sour cream, cheese, and garlic.
  6. Spoon a large strip of spinach mixture onto each chicken breast, and roll chicken around it.
  7. Wrap each chicken breast with two strips of bacon, and secure with toothpicks if needed.
  8. Place chicken breasts in prepared baking dish, and bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes.
  9. Increase oven temperature to 475 degrees and bake for an additional 5 minutes to crisp bacon.
  10. Remove from oven and transfer to a plate immediately. (i.e. Don’t let the chicken breasts soak in a pool of bacon grease while cooling. Ew!)
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Chicken Satay

I shared my Pad Thai recipe a few weeks ago, and you know what goes fabulously with Pad Thai? Chicken Satay! The great thing about this recipe versus buying a marinade at the corner grocery is that you can customize the spiciness. This version is to my liking, and I’m a spice wimp, so increase the hot chili garlic sauce if you like to pant and say, “Hoooo! Oh, oh…. my…  whoooo!” while you’re eating supper.

Ingredients

  • 2 Skinless Boneless Chicken Breasts
  • 2 tbsp. Creamy Peanut Butter
  • 1/2 cup Light Soy Sauce
  • 1/2 cup Lime Juice
  • 1 tbsp. Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. Hot Chili Garlic Sauce

Directions

  1. Slice chicken breasts into long strips of equal width.
  2. If using bamboo skewers, submerge a number equal to the number of chicken strips in water. Set aside to soak. (Note: Even with soaking, bamboo skewers are still likely to singe, but at least they won’t flame up or completely turn to ash.)
  3. In a small bowl, blend together peanut butter, soy sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and hot chili garlic sauce.
  4. Place chicken strips and half the sauce in a large, sealable plastic bag, and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  5. Put remaining sauce in a sealed container and refrigerate.
  6. When marinating is complete, skewer each strip of chicken lengthwise, and brush with some additional marinade from the bag if you squeezed a lot out while skewering.
  7. Grill or broil chicken skewers for no more than five minutes per side until cooked through, but not dry.*
  8. Stir the second half of the sauce briefly, warm if desired, and serve with chicken skewers.

*Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not a fan of salmonella. But, I’m also not happy when chicken is overcooked. There’s nothing more disappointing than serving up a chicken dish that you slaved over the proverbial hot stove to make, only to have your dinner guests say, “Is there a sauce or something for this?” as they strain to chew and reach for their water glasses. Remember, you can always cook your chicken a little more, but once it’s dry, the party’s over.

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Not-Too-Spicy Chicken Enchiladas Suizas

I love a bit of spice, but it doesn’t love me! I’ve tweaked this recipe to suit my sensitive stomach, but you can add more chilis of various pain-inducing varieties to please your palate; just saute them along with the onions.

Ingredients

  • 3 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1/4 cup (half-stick) of Margarine
  • 1 cup Chopped Onion
  • 1 can Mild Green Chilis (4 oz.)
  • 1 cup Shredded Colby, Monterrey Jack, or Cheddar Cheese (or a blend of these cheeses)
  • 8 Flour Tortillas
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
  • Additional 1/2 cup Cheese
  • Sour Cream and Fresh Cilantro to garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
  2. In a large pot, boil chicken breasts until just cooked through.
  3. When cooked, remove chicken from water an cut into small cubes. Place in large bowl and set aside.
  4. In a skillet, melt margarine over medium-high heat.
  5. Add onions to skillet and cook until translucent.
  6. Add cooked onions, chilis, and 1 cup cheese to chicken and mix to combine.
  7. Spray a baking pan* with cooking spray.
  8. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture, and arrange in pan.
  9. In a large bowl (or a plastic juice pitcher works great for this) combine corn starch and chicken broth and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  10. Add whipping cream to broth mixture and whisk.
  11. Pour chicken broth mixture over filled tortillas.
  12. Sprinkle with an additional 1/2 cup of cheese.
  13. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes, until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.
  14. Allow to cool for several minutes before serving. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprig of cilantro if you’re feeling fancy.

*Any size that will accommodate the width of your tortillas and will hold eight of them will do. The best part of this recipe is the creamy sauce, so leaving a little space for extra sauce is a good idea.

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Chicken Pad Thai

Pad Thai is one of my favorite take-out treats. So of course, I had to figure out how to make it at home, too! I’ve tweaked several recipes into this version, which mimics my favorite restaurant’s flavors, but without the styrofoam box and disposable chopsticks. 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 (12 ounce) Package Rice Noodles
  • 1 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast (cut into bite-sized pieces)
  • 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1-1/2 tsp. White Wine Vinegar
  • 3 tbsp. Oyster Sauce
  • 1 tsp. White Sugar
  • 1/2 to 2 tsp. Hot Chili Garlic Sauce*
  • 1 cup Bean Sprouts
  • 2 tbsp. Peanuts (finely chopped)
  • 1 to 2 Green Onions (chopped)
  • 1 Lemon or Lime (sliced into wedges)

* Hot Chili Garlic Sauce is a powerful concoction, suitable for Asian cuisine or removing rust stains from a shower drain. Add it sparingly, and taste frequently so as not to damage your palate or your esophagus.

Directions

  1. Soak rice noodles in cold water for 40 to 50 minutes, or until soft. Drain, and set aside.
  2. As with much Asian cooking, once you heat the oil there’s not a lot of time to dilly-dally. So, before your noodles are finished soaking, cut the chicken, chop the green onions and peanuts, and slice the lemon or lime. Then get the remainder of your ingredients assembled and ready.
  3. Heat oil on medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet.
  4. Sauté chicken until just barely cooked. Remove chicken from pan, and set aside.
  5. Add additional oil to wok or skillet if needed.
  6. Beat egg and cook in hot oil until firm, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks.
  7. Return chicken to pan, and cook while mixing for 3 to 5 more minutes, until chicken has browned.
  8. Add softened noodles, vinegar, oyster sauce, sugar, and hot chili garlic sauce. (Adjust seasonings to taste.)
  9. Mix while cooking, until noodles are tender, about 5 minutes.
  10. Add bean sprouts and chopped green onions, and cook while mixing for 3 more minutes.
  11. Serve, and garnish with chopped peanuts and wedges of lemon or lime. Squeeze juice onto serving before enjoying.
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Creamy Chicken & Dumplings

It’s a cold, grey, and rainy day here in the Pacific Northwest, which is the perfect time for some filling comfort food. In my opinion, nothing can counteract the clouds like a big bowl of Chicken & Dumplings. Grab a big spoon and warm up from the inside out!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Chicken Broth
  • 2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cubed
  • 1 cup Frozen Mixed Vegetables
  • 1 Stalk Celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 3/4 cup Whipping Cream
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch, mixed with water
  • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 1-1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1 tsp. Shortening
  • 1/2 cup Milk

Directions

  1. Combine chicken broth, chicken breast cubes, frozen vegetables, celery, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in a large pot.
  2. Bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat to medium low, cover pot, and simmer until chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. While chicken mixture is cooking, place flour, baking powder, salt, and shortening in a food processor and pulse until thoroughly combined and resembling cornmeal.
  5. Transfer flour mixture to a bowl, and set aside.
  6. When chicken is cooked, add whipping cream to pot and stir to combine.
  7. Mix corn starch with water, and add to pot. Stir to combine. Cover pot.
  8. Add milk to flour mixture. Mix until well combined and sticky, adding a little extra milk if needed.
  9. Drop spoonsful of dough, approximately 1 inch in diameter, into the pot.
  10. Cover pot and cook until dumplings are cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

 

Sneaky Trick: There are a lot of recipes out there that call for the use of “baking mix” (e.g. Bisquick), but it’s very easy (and cheaper) to make your own. In fact, we do a scaled down version of just that in this recipe! You can also make a bigger batch and store it for up to three months. Here’s the full-sized recipe:

  • 6 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 3 tbsp. Baking Powder
  • 1 tbsp. Salt
  • 1 cup Shortening*

*Use vegetable shortening if you plan on storing this, or any shortening or even lard will do if you’re going to use it all right away.

  1. Place flour, baking powder, and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly.
  2. Cut in shortening and pulse again until thoroughly combined and resembling cornmeal. 
  3. Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
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Paprikrazy Chicken

This is a great “go-to” recipe when your family chants “We’re starving!” as you walk through the door after work, or when you just want something just a wee bit more exciting than boring, bland chicken and rice. It contains ingredients you probably already have handy, and is super quick: Twenty minutes and it’s done! On your marks… Get set… Go Paprikrazy!

Ingredients

  • 4 Servings White Rice
  • 2 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Large Onion
  • 2 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 2 tbsp. Paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
  • 3/4 cup Sour Cream

Directions

  1. Prepare rice and keep warm.*
  2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  3. Cut onion into slices about 1/3-inch thick and separate into individual rings.
  4. Add onion to skillet and cover. Cook for approximately 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  5. While onion is cooking, cut chicken into large chunks.
  6. Add chicken to skillet. Cover skillet and cook for about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked and onions are soft and translucent.
  7. Add paprika and cayenne pepper to skillet and stir to combine.
  8. Remove skillet from heat and add sour cream.
  9. Stir until well combined.
  10. Serve over prepared rice.

*Of course, you can always cook your rice concurrently with cooking the chicken. In fact, this recipe is so quick to prepare that your rice should be ready at about the same time as the rest!

 

Sneaky Trick: Are your knives a little dull, making it difficult to slice your onion evenly as it wobbles from side to side? Make a tiny slice on the side of the onion to make a flat spot. Then put that side down on your cutting board while you slice. The onion will stay put, making your slices easier and more consistent. And for goodness sake, sharpen your knives; a sharp knife is a safer knife. 

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Pollo Molto Limone

This chicken has more than just a kiss of lemon; it’s a full-on groping of lemony tartness that’ll make you pucker up and say, “Delizioso!” Perfect over fettuccine or angel hair pasta that’s been drowned in the sauce it cooks in. Mangiamo!

Ingredients

  • 2 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 cup Whole Milk
  • 1 cup Plain Bread Crumbs
  • 1 cup Grated Romano Cheese
  • 2 tbsp. Dried Parsley
  • 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
  • 1 Lemon (Thinly Sliced)
  • 1 cup White Wine
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth
  • 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Cut chicken breasts into three thin slices: top, middle, and bottom. (Not strips.)
  2. Using a meat tenderizer, pound sliced chicken breasts until 1/4-inch thick.
  3. Place tenderized chicken breasts in a large bowl and pour milk over the top. Allow to soak for 30 minutes.
  4. While chicken is soaking, mix bread crumbs, Romano cheese, and parsley in a medium-sized baking dish. Set aside.
  5. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
  6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  7. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.
  8. Remove chicken from milk and dredge with bread crumb mixture, patting to get as much of the bread crumb mixture on the chicken as possible.
  9. Cook chicken in skillet until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.
  10. Transfer cooked chicken to a large baking dish.
  11. Place one lemon slice on top of each piece of chicken.
  12. Return skillet to heat. Add white wine and bring to a boil, stirring to incorporate any browned bits left in the pan.
  13. Add chicken broth and lemon juice to skillet.
  14. Cook and stir until reduced by about one-half (about 10 minutes.)
  15. Pour wine mixture over chicken in baking dish.
  16. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  17. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is cooked through and sauce is bubbling.
  18. Remove from oven and serve over pasta.
  19. Spoon a healthy portion of the sauce onto the pasta, and enjoy the remaining white wine!
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Chicken Pot Pies

What’s not to love about this classic comfort food? If you’re planning on spending a couple of days binge-watching your favorite show, it’s easy to make a whole passel of small pot pies ahead of time for reheating when you’re between episodes. This will make four single-serving pot pies or one humongous one.

Filling Ingredients

  • 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1  16 oz. Package of Frozen Vegetables
  • 3 cups Chicken Broth
  • 1/2 tsp. Salt
  • 1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • 1/4 tsp. Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. Dried Parsley
  • 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
  • 2 tbsp. Water

Crust Ingredients

  • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1 tsp. Salt
  • 2/3 cup + 2 tbsp. Shortening
  • About 6 tbsp. Ice Cold Water

Directions

  1. Cook chicken breasts in a large pot of boiling water until cooked through, about 15 minutes. If chicken is still frozen before cooking, increase cooking time to 20 minutes.
  2. Remove pot from burner and drain. Transfer cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board.
  3. Cut cooked chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Return to pot.
  4. Add frozen vegetables, chicken broth, salt, garlic powder, black pepper, and parsley to pot and cook over medium high heat until it begins to bubble, stirring occasionally.
  5. Mix corn starch and water in a small, sealable container, and shake until well combined.
  6. Add to chicken mixture and stir until it begins to thicken. (If not thick enough, add up to another teaspoon of cornstarch with water, but don’t go crazy. It will thicken some when it cools.)
  7. Remove chicken mixture from heat and set aside.
  8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  9. Mix flour and salt in a large bowl.
  10. Add shortening and combine with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
  11. Slowly add ice cold water, thoroughly combining with flour mixture until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and is joined into one large, slightly moist lump.
  12. Turn approximately half the dough out onto a floured surface, flipping until the exterior is coated in dry flour.
  13. Press down with your hands into a very rough approximation of the shape you want.
  14. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough until it is just under 1/4 inch thick.
  15. Place a pie tin(s) upside down on the dough, and cut a circle wide enough to cover the interior slightly beyond the lip of the pan(s).
  16. Line pan(s) with the dough you have just cut. It should protrude above the lip of the pan(s).
  17. If using multiple pans, repeat cutting dough and lining pans until all pans have been lined with dough.
  18. Spoon chicken mixture into prepared pie pan(s), about 3/4 full.
  19. Turn the remaining half of the dough out onto a floured surface, flipping until the exterior is coated in dry flour.
  20. Press down with your hands into a very rough approximation of the shape you want.
  21. Use a floured rolling pin to roll dough until it is just under 1/4 inch thick.
  22. Cut rolled dough to a size suitable to cover the top of the pie(s).
  23. Cover pie(s) with crust, and crimp edges together all the way around to seal.
  24. Using a sharp knife, cut a simple design in the top crust to vent the pie. (This is not the type of pie on which you want to try a fancy-schmancy cut crust design. This filling is lumpy and bubbly, and all of your artistic toil will be for naught.)
  25. Arrange pie pan(s) on a baking sheet lined with foil.
  26. Bake in pre-heated oven for 40-45 minutes, until crust just begins to brown.
  27. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before serving.
  28. To reheat pot pie, wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. (Defrost first if frozen.)
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Charlie’s Chinese Chicken

I traded my Lemon Meringue Pie recipe with a co-worker whose parents had a very popular Chinese restaurant to get the secrets to this dish. You can customize it with more or different veggies, by varying the ratio of Hot Chili Garlic Sauce and Honey to increase or decrease the spiciness, or make it with different meats. 

Ingredients

  • Four Servings White Rice
  • 2 lbs. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
  • 1 ½ cups All-Purpose Flour
  • ½ cup Corn Starch
  • Water (enough to create a thick batter)
  • 4 cups Vegetable Oil
  • 4 cups Frozen Asian Vegetables
  • 1 tbsp. Hot Chili Garlic Sauce
  • ½ cup Honey
  • ½ tsp. Sesame Oil
  • 1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Directions

  1. Prepare four servings of white rice.
  2. Heat oil in wok or a large skillet over Medium High to High heat.
  3. Cut chicken in to small, bite-sized pieces of equal size.
  4. Mix flour, corn starch, and water into a thick batter.
  5. Add chicken to batter and mix until all chicken is well coated.
  6. Confirm that oil is hot by flicking a few drops of water into the wok. It should be hot enough that you have the impulse to jump backward from the stove when the water hits the oil.
  7. Carefully drop individual pieces of chicken into the oil. Be brave! It’s a bit like dropping rocks into the mouth of a volcano. The closer you get the chicken to the oil before you drop it, the less it will splash, likely saving you a trip to the burn unit at the emergency room.
  8. Cook until golden brown.
  9. Remove chicken from oil and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
  10. Remove oil from wok but do not wash or wipe. You want to have a coating of oil remaining in the wok.
  11. From this point on, you will be flipping and stirring constantly, so have everything within arm’s reach!
  12. Return wok to heat and add frozen vegetables.  Cook until just hot. Do not overcook as they should still be firm and crisp.
  13. Add cooked chicken to vegetables in wok and combine.
  14. Add hot chili garlic sauce, honey, and sesame oil, and mix until chicken and vegetables are thoroughly coated. You might be thinking, “I just dumped out four cups of oil! Why add sesame oil now?” Charlie always said that adding sesame oil gives food “Real Chinese Flavor,” so don’t skip it!
  15. Remove from heat and serve over white rice.
  16. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Coq au Vin

This classic dish makes my mouth tingle, it’s so good! Coq au Vin is fantastic served over egg noodles with a side of steamed carrots, or just as good all by itself. Other than one spoiled, ungrateful child with an unrefined palate, who referred to it as “that weird purple chicken,” it’s a consistent crowd-pleaser, too. Bonus: The chef gets to sample the “vin” while the “coq” is cooking! C’est formidable!

Ingredients

  • 4 Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs
  • Salt and Ground Black Pepper to taste
  • 8 oz. Bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 10 Large Button Mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/2 Large Onion, diced (or about 20 Tiny Pearl Onions)
  • 2 Shallots, sliced
  • 2 tbsp. All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 tbsp. Butter or Margarine
  • 1 1/2 cups Red Wine*
  • 1/4 tsp. Dried Thyme
  • 1 cup Chicken Broth

*Just about any red wine will do: Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz, etc. But since you’re only using one-and-a-half cups in the recipe, make sure it’s one you like to drink, too! My current fav is Cupcake Vinyards Merlot. It’s a great balance of low price and high drinkability, and works well in this recipe.

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Season chicken thighs all over with salt and ground black pepper.
  3. Place bacon in a large, oven-proof skillet and cook over medium-high heat, until almost crisp.
  4. Remove bacon from skillet and set aside on a paper-towel lined plate, leaving drippings in the skillet.
  5. Increase heat to high and place chicken thighs, skin-side down, into skillet.
  6. Cook in hot skillet until browned, about 4 minutes per side.
  7. Transfer chicken to a plate.
  8. Do NOT drain fat from the skillet.
  9. Lower heat to medium-high and saute mushrooms, onion, and shallots in the hot skillet until caramelized.
  10. Stir flour and butter or margarine into vegetable mixture until completely incorporated.
  11. Pour red wine into the skillet and bring to a boil while stirring.
  12. Stir bacon and thyme into red wine mixture.
  13. Simmer until wine is about 1/3 reduced, about 5-6 minutes.
  14. Pour chicken broth into wine mixture and stir to combine.
  15. Set chicken thighs into skillet, skin side up.
  16. Bring skillet to a simmer.
  17. Move uncovered skillet to pre-heated oven and cook for 30 minutes.
  18. Spoon juices over the chicken and continue cooking about 30 minutes more.
  19. Remove skillet from oven and transfer chicken to serving plates.
  20. Place skillet over high heat and reduce pan juices until thickened, stirring well to incorporate any fat that rises to the top. (Tip: Remember to keep a pot holder on the handle! It’s easy to forget once the pan is out of the oven, and will require a lot of cold water, ice, and burn cream if it slips your mind.)
  21. Season with salt and ground black pepper to taste.
  22. Spoon vegetables and sauce over chicken and serve.

 

Très Important: Do NOT substitute some wimpy boneless, skinless, or white meat chicken in this recipe.  Simply put, it will suck, and therefore be a deplorable waste of wine.

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