Zucchini Alfredo with (or without) Chicken

We were skeptical but this was reallllly good!  Adapted from allrecipes.com.

The recipe as provided was vegetarian and can easily be kept that way, but I had leftover chicken from the rotisserie earlier in the week that I added in.  My adaptations to the original added below-

Half of a 12 ounce package uncooked egg noodles
Vegetable oil for sauteeing
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, sliced w/mandolin to matchsticks

1 summer squash, sliced w/mandolin to matchsticks

8-10 oz chopped chicken breast (optional)
1/2 cup milk
4 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Cook egg noodles according to package instructions.
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook 2 minutes. Mix in zucchini/squash, and cook 8-10 minutes, until some of the moisture has evaporated.
Pour the milk into the skillet, and stir in cream cheese until melted. 

Make sure hungry dog does not steal skillet

Mix in basil. Season with salt and pepper, serve over the cooked pasta.

Grilled Chili Chicken

For whatever reason, I rarely make recipes from the many magazines I get.  However, the "Piri-Piri Chicken" in the July 2010 issue of Bon Appetit looked right up our alley :)  I mostly stuck with the recipe except I used a combination of Sriracha chili sauce and sweet red chili sauce in lieu of Piri-Piri; and we rotisserie'ed instead of halving and grilling.  It was delicious - we will definitely make this again.

• Glaze
  3 tablespoons butter
  3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  2 garlic cloves, minced
  2 tablespoons total of Sriracha & sweet chili sauce - depending on your heat preference.
  2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  
  Chicken
  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  2 tsp ginger (I keep a jar of minced ginger in the fridge)
  1 large shallot, peeled, quartered
  3 garlic cloves, peeled
  1/2 cup of chili sauce - again; sweet to hot according to your preference.  The Sriracha is hot!!
  1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
  1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
  1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken
  
  Chicken Marinade
  Finely chop cilantro, ginger, shallot, and garlic in processor. Add piri-piri sauce, 1/4 cup oil, lemon juice, coarse salt, and pepper; process marinade to blend.
  Rub marinade into chicken and cover; chill at least 4 hours or overnight.
  
  
  
  
  
  Remove chicken from marinade and set it up on the rotisserie at around 350-400 deg F. Cover barbecue; grill for one hour wrapped in aluminum foil.  
  
  
  While the chicken is grilling; prepare the glaze.  Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cilantro and garlic; cook until garlic begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Add chili sauce and lemon juice. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 2 minutes. (Glaze can be made up to 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm before using.)
  
  
  
  
  
  Remove foil and cook for another 45 minutes until skin is browned and instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F-
  
  
  
  
  
  I served this with an asian coleslaw and sauteed zucchini and onions with fresh thai basil - yum!!

Thai Basil Chicken

One of my favorites when we go out for Thai.  Came out pretty close to our favorite restaurant!
I made my own recipe based off of this one from TempleofThai and this one from Thaitable.

~1 lb chicken breast, cut into thin strips
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, sliced
peanut oil for sautéeing
4-6 tbsp soy sauce
1-3 thai chili peppers
1 cup fresh thai basil (not cut up) - be generous!

Saute garlic, shallots, and peppers in peanut oil until lightly browned.

Add chicken and cook through.  Add soy sauce and thai basil, stir until basil is wilted.  Serve over white rice.

Jerk Chicken Dry Rub

We loved this!  I was doubtful with the Cinnamon in it but it came out so delicious.  Adapted from this allrecipes.com recipe.

1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper flakes pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
Chicken (whole or breasts)

Rub on chicken

Grill and enjoy!

Lots of Chicken!

We found a great local farm last week in perfect timing - they were processing their chickens on Tuesday.  So Chris headed to Tomenchock Farms after work and picked up 10!  The Tomenchocks pasture raise heritage breed birds with no hormones or antibiotics and only feed non-GMO corn!  We bought 4 wholes and the rest as halves for easier cutting.

 

So now we are happy to be very stocked up on great local natural chicken! 

We grilled one of the halves - with just some salt and pepper and garlic and it was delicious!!

 

Chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and gorgonzola

The gorgonzola was a bit strong for Chris so I would probably use different cheese next time, but a good recipe regardless.  The gorgonzola gets a much stronger taste when it's baked and hot so you don't have to be too generous.

Ingredients:

1 pkg chicken breasts

spinach

gorgonzola

flour

salt and pepper

Slice chx breasts in half lengthwise so they are thin sliced.

Layer spinach and gorgonzola, roll up the chicken, and secure with toothpicks.

Flour the chicken breasts and preheat skillet to medium/high with vegetable oil.

Sauté chicken until well cooked on each side, turning to brown.  Preheat oven (or toaster oven) to 350 deg. F.

 

Once all sides are browned, place chicken in oven to finish cooking until cooked through, approximately 10 minutes.

Rotisserie Chicken

A classic summer meal!  An easy way to get moist, delicious chicken.

Ingredients:
1- 3-4 lb. whole chicken, giblets removed
3-4 tsp seasoned salt
2 tsp black pepper
recycled aluminum foil

Season chicken and put on rotisserie holder

Wrap chicken in foil and place on rotisserie in preheated grill

Enjoy a margarita while the chicken cooks at approximately 375 deg F for 1 hour

After 1 hour, remove foil and cook for another 1/2 hour.  Take temperature at this time so you see how close to/ far from 180 deg F you are.

When temperature is reached, carve and enjoy!

Slow Cooked Lemon Chicken

We have made this both baked and slow cooked and it's great both ways.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs.), giblets removed
2 tbsp each of basil, parsley, garlic powder, kosher salt, and onion powder
2 whole lemons, quartered
1 pint water

Place chicken in slow cooker and season.  Place quartered lemons around chicken, and 2 inside the cavity.
Add water and cook on low for 9 hours.

You can make gravy with the juices if you wish, we were too hungry this time!

Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken Thighs

This is a recipe we make fairly often.  We love the Asian flavors as well as easy slow cooker meals.  My version has been adapted from this version on allrecipes.

Ingredients:
1 large package chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in, skinless)
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup lite soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon powdered ginger

crushed red pepper to taste
1 -20 ounce can pineapple slices, juice for the sauce and slices reserved.

Combine the soy sauce, honey, ketchup, pineapple juice, garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper.  Whisk well until the ingredients (especially honey!) are completely blended:

Add chicken to crock pot and cover with mixture.  Add some chicken broth if you need more liquid to cover the chicken (at least 3/4 covered).  Save pineapple slices in the refrigerator.

Cook on low for 8 hours.

When you get home from work (or 8 hours have otherwise elapsed), mix the chicken up and add pineapple slices to the top.  Cook white rice and serve!

Roasted Bone-in Chicken Breasts

Bone-in chicken breasts are underrated - they cook great and come out so juicy with crispy skin!  They are also cheaper than boneless breasts.  They are quickly and easily roasted in the toaster oven to conserve energy; you don't need to use the big oven for these guys.

Directions:

Rinse and season chicken breasts with Lawry's seasoned salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic.

Preheat the toaster oven to 375 deg F.

Bake breasts (bone side down) for approximately 45 minutes (use a thermometer to make sure you reach the proper temperature of 180 def F without overcooking)-

When you have ~5 minutes left on the chicken, wilt some fresh baby spinach-

And prepare a box of mashed potatoes (these are not bad in a pinch!):

and enjoy!!

Asian Chicken Stir Fry

We love asian foods & flavors.  This is going to be hard for me to blog because we just add sauces to taste, but I will do my best!

Ingredients:

1 package of asian stir-fry noodles
1 package of chicken breast, approximately 1 lb.
1/2 head chopped broccoli
2 peeled, chopped carrots
1/2 yellow onion
1 bag of frozen asian veggie mix (or more fresh if you have it!)
1 tbsp chopped garlic
~2 tbsp of asian Five-Spice Seasoning
Sesame oil for stir-frying
Kikkoman Thai Style Chili Sauce (this is so good)
Hoisin Sauce
Low Sodium Soy Sauce
House of Tsang "Hunan Smokehut Spicy Grill Sauce (this is also great stuff)

Cut up chicken breast into small (bite size or 2-bite size) pieces.

Heat up some sesame oil and vegatable oil (1/2 and 1/2) in a large skillet or wok.
Add garlic & chicken, stirring frequently to cook.  Sprinkle with the 5-Spice Seasoning.
When chicken is about 1/2 way cooked, add the onion.
Once onion has cooked for a couple minutes, add the fresh chopped vegatables.  Add a bit of soy sauce (about 5 shakes).
Cook noodles according to package instructions.  I prefer boiling to soaking since it's quicker.
Once the chicken is cooked through and the fresh veggies are softened a bit, add the frozen vegatables to the mix.
::This is the part that is at your discretion.  The Smokehut sauce and Thai Chili Sauce are the spicier ones, so if you want it to be more mild, add more of the regular Hoisin than these::
I add about 2 large tablespoons of each of the Smokehut sauce and Thai Chili Sauce, and about 1 tbsp of the Hoisin.  Add the noodles into the mix, and serve!  The noodles will soak up the sauces so serve quickly after mixing or you will just have to keep adding sauce as it will dry out!

Enjoy!  I like to serve this with a big salad; use a rice wine vinegar & oil to make it a bit asian as well :)

Pesto Chicken

This is a quick & easy weeknight recipe.

1 pkg chicken breasts
flour for coating chicken
salt & pepper
vegetable oil for sautee-ing
1 jar prepared pesto (we used Bellino and it was very good.  We have tried Classico and it is not so good)

Rinse and then slice the chicken breasts in half if they are not already thin sliced.
Sprinkle chx with salt and pepper
Dredge the chicken in flour
(Boil water for pasta if you are serving with pasta)

Preheat the oven around 300 degrees.
Heat a bit of oil in a skillet.  Place the chicken breasts in the skillet, cook until browned and flip.
Cook until browned on the second side, and place in an oven-safe dish.
Spread some of the prepared pesto sauce on the chicken.
Place that chx in the oven, and add more oil to skillet if necessary, and cook the other half.
Once all the chx is done, spread w/pesto and put in the oven for ~5-10 minutes.
Serve with pasta, also coated in pesto sauce.

This was good, but I can't wait to have fresh homemade pesto from my garden!

Greek Soup

**GUEST CHEF**

Last week my husband made his mom's famous Greek Soup (Avgolmono soup).  It is a very simple but hearty soup consisting of chicken, rice, lemon, and egg.  It's delicious!  And of course I love when he cooks :)

Greek Soup

• One whole free range chicken (~ 4 lbs)
• 3/4 cup white rice
• the juice of one lemon
• 3 eggs
• s & p

Rinse chicken and put in large pot with enough water to completely cover it.  He leaves the giblets in and I pretend I don't see them, but they do add a lot to the flavor.  Boil chicken until the meat is falling off the bone; approximately 2 hours.

Remove chicken from pot, add rice and cook.  Let chicken cool enough to handle, then cut it up into smaller chunks.

Break eggs and put whites in medium bowl, set yolks aside.  Whip egg whites until they are frothy.  Then mix yolks in and add the juice of one lemon.

Once rice is cooked, turn the stove off and let the broth cool.  Pour some of the broth slowly into the egg mixture while mixing (you don't want the eggs to scramble!).  Once the bowl is full, add the egg/broth mixture to the pot w/the rest of the broth.  Add chopped chicken to soup, reheat and eat!

Tarragon Panko Chicken with Sherry Shallot Sauce

This is one of our favorite recipes.  My mom invented it, and it's a common chicken dish in our household that we just love!

Chicken is one thing that is hard for us to find from small local farms.  We do have one local farm where we buy our eggs that has whole chickens from time to time but not consistently.  So, unfortunately chicken is the one meat product that we do have to purchase at the grocery store.  We purchase Readington Farms chicken products because they are fed a vegetarian diet and Free Farmed certified by the AHA:

· Readington Farms offers a line of the highest quality all natural, fresh white meat chicken products. Readington Farms is the first poultry company in the world to meet the Free Farmed standards set forth by the American Humane Association. Readington Farms chickens are free of antibiotics, chemical medicines, growth stimulants and hormones.

So, to the recipe.

1pkg chx breasts
panko bread crumbs
the zest of one lemon
dried tarragon
shallot
cooking sherry
white of one egg
vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth. (I use Pacific):

I slice the chicken breasts in half so they are thin.

Whisk the egg white with s&p and dried tarragon in a bowl.

Put panko breadcrumbs on a plate and add the zest of one lemon and some dried tarragon.

Put the chicken first in the egg mixture, then press with panko mixture, and place aside on a plate. Repeat for all chicken pieces.

Heat some vegetable oil in a large pan. Add chicken pieces and cook until golden brown.

At the same time, add butter and sliced shallot in a separate small saucepan (Or onion if you don't have shallot). Brown shallot.

Add chx broth and about 1cup of sherry to the shallot pan. Let this simmer.

If the chicken is all done, keep warm in the oven.  Thicken the sauce with a bit of flour & water

Voila! Serve with fresh veggies and rice!