Lemon Glazed Chicken

(adapted from a recipe in Don't Panic: Dinner's in the Freezer)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or thighs
1/2 cup flour
1/2 t pepper

glaze:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 T soy sauce

Pound chicken breasts to 1/2 inch thickness.  Mix flour and pepper together.  Dredge chicken through flour mixture and place in a baking dish. Mix glaze with the remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour.  Glaze thickens as it cooks.

I made this in a Pampered Chef stone baker and was really glad I did.  The glaze was pretty burned at the end of an hour.  I wish I had checked it earlier and used a spoon to baste the chicken a few times through the cooking process, but WOW it was good!  I used the juice of a whole lemon and (oops) forgot the soy sauce.  I didn't notice the lack.

Roasted Chicken with peppers and onions

In deep dish stoneware baker:
Drizzle about 1 Tbsp. olive oil over bottom of baker to keep from sticking. Place chicken parts on top of oil. I used 2 thin-sliced breasts and six thighs.  Sprinkle with garlic powder, thyme, marjoram, poultry seasoning and about 1 tsp. Kosher salt.

Slice 1/2 to 1 whole onion and place over top of seasoned chicken. Slice 1 red pepper and put on top of that. Drizzle about 1/2 tsp. black strap molasses and 1 T olive oil over vegetables.  Cover with lid and bake at 350 45-50 minutes- until chicken is done.

Cornish Hens

Today for dinner I fixed stuffed Cornish hens, baked yams and roasted Brussels Sprouts. Ornery calls them green eggs, and launches into a monologue of Green Eggs and Ham (I do not LIKE green eggs and ham; I do not LIKE them, Sam I am!) He ate them, and I actually thought that cooked to death they were a little less distasteful.

I got a recipe from AllRecipes.com, and altered it just a bit. Mostly, I used more celery, added Blackstrap Molasses, (1/2 tsp) and cut the butter in half and added a T of olive oil instead. I used olive oil on the outside as well.  I cooked them in my Pampered Chef covered stoneware baker for about 2 hours at 350 degrees F and they came out great.  I cooked the yams wrapped in aluminum foil for the same length of time. They were tasty, but I couldn't finish all the food!

Lettuce Wraps

The first time I heard about lettuce wraps I thought, "That sounds disgusting!" Imagine my surprise when I tasted them and loved them!  I found a recipe through Pinterest for P.F. Chang's Chicken Lettuce Wraps. The note says it is from Food.com, but I couldn't find it there to link back. Anyway, my recipe is a lot different, less complicated and quite a bit lower in sodium than the original.

Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small can mushroom stems and pieces
3 T finely chopped onions
3 stalks finely chopped celery
1 garlic clove minced or pressed
4-5 leaves iceberg lettuce

Stir Fry Sauce:
2 T soy sauce
2 T brown sugar
1/2 tsp. rice wine vinegar

(Their recipe had a special sauce to dip it in, but it had a lot of stuff in it that I didn't have on hand, so we just did without.  It was quite tasty.)

If you aren't starting out with cooked chicken (which is what I did) saute your chicken breasts 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until done.  Chop finely--about the size of small peas.  Chop mushrooms, onions and celery to about the size of small peas.  Cook mushrooms, onions, celery and garlic in 1 T olive oil in hot wok or skillet.  Add chicken and stir fry sauce and mix well.  When it is mixed and heated throughout, remove to a bowl.  Serve in lettuce "cups".

Depending on whether you have other foods with it (I cooked brown rice to serve with it) the recipe could feed 4.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 (5-6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 slices uncured turkey bacon

8 basil leaves

4 T. shredded fotina, dill havarti or garlic cheddar cheese

2 tsp. olive oil

Butterfly breasts and pound to 1/4" thickness

Layer 1/2 slice of bacon, 2 basil leaves and 1 T cheese over 1/2 of each breast, leaving 1/2" border. Fold over other 1/2 to cover filling and press to seal.

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat, then add chicken. Cook till golden brown and cooked through--4-5 minutes on each side.

Serve with steamed baby spinach leaves and fresh fruit salad Makes 4 servings

Chicken Tacos (ish)

Another new recipe from Miller Manor Kitchen!  Today I was cleaning out more stuff from my refrigerator, and put this together.  Mmm. It was mighty tasty!

• 1/2 rotisserie chicken, boned and chopped
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and very finely chopped
• 2 small cloves of garlic, pressed
• 1 small red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 large tomato
  
• 1-2 T. olive oil

Combine all above ingredients and cook over medium heat until heated through and veggies are tender.  Then add 8 oz. fresh baby spinach and cover.  Steam will cook spinach until wilted.  Remove from heat.   Mix together and put in prepared taco shells, or over corn chips, or just serve plain topped with:

• shredded cheese
• guacamole made with green onions, one avocado, 1/4 large tomato, 1/2 lime, cilantro and salt to taste.
  

Enchiladas

There must be as many variations of enchiladas as there are cooks who make them, but this is what I am making right now...

Enchiladas

Makes 12

One dozen corn tortillas

1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken (thighs, breasts or combination)

Enchilada sauce (see recipe below)

finely chopped onions

shredded jack cheese

sour cream

Cook chicken in crock pot with salsa and a little water until it falls apart--about 4-5 hours. Shred chicken and set aside. Lightly fry tortillas in hot oil until soft, but not crispy. Stack on a paper towel. Shred cheese, chop onions and set up all in an assembly line fashion.

Assemble enchiladas: dip tortilla in enchilada sauce, place on the bottom of a lightly greased baking dish (9X13). Add about 2 Tbsp. of chicken, some onion and cheese, then roll tightly and set at edge of dish. Continue assembling until tortillas are all used up. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over top, sprinkle with additional cheese, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly. Serve with sour cream.

Enchilada Sauce

2 whole tomatoes

1 whole jalapeño pepper

1/4 onion

2 cloves fresh garlic

water

2 T butter

Salt

Boil tomatoes and pepper in enough water to mostly cover them in a small saucepan until the skin pops on tomatoes and pepper turns slightly brownish green. About 10-15 minutes ?

Pour contents (including water) into blender jar. Add onion and garlic and blend about 2 minutes until thoroughly liquified. In the same small saucepan, melt butter, then add blender contents and salt or other seasoning to taste. (Ale uses the chicken bullion mix, but I avoid MSG, which is the primary ingredient, so I used some chili seasoning mix I had.) Cook until thick and bubbly. I added some sour cream because the jalapeño pepper I used was REALLY hot!

Enchilada Casserole

Poor memory on my part necessitated a substitution in my usual enchilada casserole. We liked the results so well, we may not go back!

Easy Enchilada Casserole

1/2 recipe of Mango Salsa Chicken (I used 1 lb. boneless skinless thighs, and 1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast-about one pound.)
1 package corn tortillas (12)
1/2 onion, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup (I buy the organic kind that doesn't have MSG in it)
1 cup mild salsa
2 cups shredded mild cheddar (or pepper jack if you prefer more heat)

In medium sized bowl, mix soup and salsa until smooth. Spray or lightly oil 9X13 glass baking dish. Pour about 1/2 cup of soup mixture in bottom of dish and spread around to prevent sticking. Dip corn tortillas in remaining soup mixture, tearing to fit shape of the dish. Evenly distribute layers in this order: Sauce, dipped tortillas, chicken, dipped tortillas, 1/2 cheese, chicken, all of the chopped onions, dipped tortillas, chicken and remaining sauce. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top and bake in preheated (350 degrees F) oven for about 35 minutes.

Chicken Packets

Chicken Packets

2 cups cooked, chopped chicken
1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 T. chopped chives
2 T milk
Salt to taste
1/2 cup crushed seasoned crouton crumbs
2 pkg. refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup melted butter

Mix chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk and salt in a medium bowl (mixing with hands works best) to make filling. Unroll crescent rolls. Each tube will contain 4 rectangles of dough with a diagonal perforation. Press dough along each perforation so the rectangle halves will not separate. Place about 1/4 cup of chicken mixture into the center of each rectangle. Fold dough over the filling, and pinch the edges to seal tightly. Dip each packet in melted butter, and coat with crouton crumbs. Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Packets are good either hot or cold. Makes 8 packets.

Spaghetti Squash w/ Chicken Cacciatore

Spaghetti Squash with Chicken Cacciatore

In an 8 qt stock pot, immerse and boil a whole spaghetti squash for 30-45 min.
While it is boiling, saute boneless, skinless chicken breast meat, one or two as you like, along with 1/2 tsp each sweet basil and oregano, a finely chopped onion, and a pressed clove of garlic. Take the chicken out of the skillet and pour in a jar of marinara sauce to warm with the onion, garlic and herbs. Chop the breast meat in small pieces and add back into the sauce.

Butter a medium casserole dish on the bottom.

When squash gives to the touch, take it out of the pot and cut it in two. Take out the seeds and seed strings to discard. Scoop the stringy flesh into the bottom of the casserole dish, spread the sauce with meat over the top and sprinkle Parmesan cheese liberally over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15 minutes or just broil to melt the cheese.