Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir Fry

Hello, readers! It certainly has been a while. The past 2 months have been absolutely crazy for me, which explains the lack of posts. The holidays always seem to be crazy, huh? The normal craziness of the holiday season was compounded by my 2nd teaching job (you know, grading finals and what not) and me starting my 3rd job (yes, 3rd job) as a contract writer. I swear, I don't know how to not be busy. What the eff is wrong with me?

Anyway, even with all the craziness 2013 came to an end with, I managed to find this AWESOME recipe for Sweet & Spicy Chicken Stir Fry. This recipe has now turned into a weekly staple on my dinner menu. It's pretty simple, has only a few ingredients (assuming you have most of the sauce ingredients on hand), and is sure to please. 

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbs honey
• 4 Tbs Sriracha or other chili sauce
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 6 Tbs soy sauce, divided
• 6 Tbs rice vinegar, divided
• vegetable oil
• 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips or bite size pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-2 inches freshly chipped ginger
• 6 scallions, chopped
• 2 heads broccoli, cut into florets
• 2 cups cooked rice, optional

How to:

• Whisk together honey, Sriracha, broth, cornstarch, 4 Tbs soy sauce and 4 Tbs rice vinegar. 
• In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining soy sauce and rice vinegar. Add chicken to the bowl and toss to coat.
• In a large skillet, warm vegetable oil over high heat. Stir fry chicken until no longer pink, and then transfer to a clean bowl.
• Reduce heat slightly, and add some more oil to the skillet. Stir fry garlic, ginger, scallions, and broccoli until fragrant (only ~30 seconds or so).
• Return chicken to the skillet with the sauce you've prepared. Cook, stirring until sauce thickens, about 2-3 minutes. 
• Serve over rice.

You can adjust the heat of this recipe by backing off (or adding more!) on the Sriracha. If you're not in the mood for chicken, try adding in tofu or beef strips instead. Let me know how your variation turns out!

This recipe was modified from the one found here.

Enjoy!

Chicken Tostadas

As the summer is coming to an end, I find myself getting busier and busier. In the past month, Jake and I have had three weddings (although we could only make it to two of them), I've traveled to visit friends all over the place, and have started training to run the Baltimore marathon relay. Things don't seem to be slowing down anytime soon - Jake and I are making a trip up to Massachusetts in the next few weeks to attend ANOTHER wedding, and I'll be starting a second job in September. As hectic as things are, I've had a pretty fantastic summer, and am excited for all the fun things I have planned over the next year! But I can delve into that at another time...

Anyway, because things have been so crazy (especially with trying to fit in a work out after a long ass day in the lab), I'm finding less and less time to craft fab gourmet meals for Jake and I. Which leads me to introduce this recipe for Chicken Tostadas. This recipe uses leftover chicken, and can be assembled in less than 30 min.

Ingredients:

• 8 6-in flour or corn tortillas
• 2 avocados, pitted, and cut into 1/2 cubes
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup fat-free refried beans
• 2 cups shredded, cooked, boneless chicken breast
• 1 1/2 cups (~4 oz.) shredded pepper Jack cheese
• 2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
• 1 cup tomato salsa

How To:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty foil.
• Mist both sides of tortillas with cooking spray, place on sheet, and bake until crisp (~ 8 minutes). Set aside.
• Toss avocado with lime juice, and season with salt.
• Spread some beans on each tortilla, top with chicken and avocado, and sprinkle with cheese. 
• Return to oven and bake until warmed through (7-10 minutes).
• Top with lettuce and salsa and serve immediately.

Jake and I had a ton of leftover chicken from the last time we made Jerk Chicken using my recipe for Jamaican Jerk Marinade. I diced up a bunch of that chicken and used it in this recipe. The spices and heat from the marinade worked well with the coolness of the avocado here, so I recommend trying that out! You can also just use a rotisserie chicken if you don't have any grilled chicken laying around.

Enjoy!

Skillet Chicken Parmesan

Sorry for the LONG break between posts! February has proven to be quite a hectic month thus far. I actually prepared this dish about a week and a half ago, and am just now getting around to posting this. YIKES!

This was my first attempt at making any sort of Chicken Parmesan recipe, and I think it turned out great (I can't say the same for the picture of it, though!). I love this dish, because all the taste of Chicken Parmesan is there, but the fried greasiness isn't! I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

Ingredients:

• ~1 lb of boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/3 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 3/4 cup your favorite marinara sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

How to:

• In a shallow bowl, mix together breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, and garlic salt.
• In a separate bowl, beat the egg until frothy.
• Wrap the chicken in plastic wrap and pound chicken breasts with a tenderizer until they are an even thickness. I butterflied my chicken breasts before wrapping them so they were nice and thin - about 1/2 inch.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Dip each piece of chicken in the egg, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture.
• Add the coated chicken to the skillet and cook for 4-5 min on each side, or until the chicken is well browned and just cooked through.
• Spoon the marinara sauce evenly over the top of the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella.
• Cover the skillet and reduce heat to low. Cook for ~3 more minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

I served my Skillet Chicken Parmesan with a side of spaghetti. And some red wine, of course. I recommend you try the same :)

The original recipe can be found here.

Enjoy!

Chicken Cheddar Broccoli Bake

I'm going to start off by saying this dish is TOTALLY worth the effort. I did not plan ahead before making this dish. I ended up using almost every pan I have in my kitchen because of poor planning. SO, take my advice (see below) when preparing this delicious chicken and broccoli noodle casserole, so your experience preparing this meal goes much more smoothly than mine did!

Ingredients:

• 6 oz. egg noodles (half a bag)
• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 cups chopped broccoli florets
• 1 tsp butter or margarine
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 3 Tbs flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup skim milk
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• cooking spray
• 2 Tbs Italian-style bread crumbs
• 3 Tbs Parmesan cheese, divided

How to:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Cook egg noodles so they are al dente - about 2 minutes less than the suggested cooking time. Set aside in a large bowl.
• Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until soft and fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. 
• Add broccoli to skillet with some salt and saute. Cover and cook over medium heat, about 3 minutes, until broccoli is softened. Set aside in the bowl with the egg noodles.
• In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add shallot to pot and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. 
• Add the flour and a pinch of salt, and whisk together, cooking for an additional 2-3 minutes over medium-low heat.
• Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, stirring constantly until well combined over medium heat - about 30 seconds. 
• Add milk slowly and continue to whisk. Bring mixture to a boil and allow it to thicken over 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.
• Add the cheddar and 1 Tbs of the Parmesan cheese. Mix well until cheese melts. Add a pinch of black pepper to season.
• Add the shredded chicken and the broccoli and noodles to the cheese sauce. Mix thoroughly so the chicken, broccoli, and noodles are evenly coated.
• Spray a casserole dish (9x12 inch or so in size) with cooking spray. Pour the chicken mixture into the casserole dish.
• Top the chicken mixture with breadcrumbs and remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes until breadcrumbs have browned.

Suggestions:

• Use a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken to save time here. I boiled my two chicken breasts for 20-25 minutes and then shredded them. My version turned out excellent (so if you have an extra 20 min on your hands, don't hesitate to try this!), but if you're looking to save time, buy a pre-cooked clucker.
• Prep all of your ingredients ahead of time (you know, like you should always do...). Halfway through making my dish, I realized I didn't have any chicken broth in my fridge and instead had to prepare some from bouillon. So, if you have to do this, make sure you prepare it ahead of time.

I assure you, this recipe has all the flavor of a calorie-packed creamy cheese sauce, but without the calories (win!). The sauce is super light, especially since it's made with chicken broth and skim milk (and a hint of butter or margarine). The people you're feeding will have no idea this is a 'skinny' recipe, which is pretty awesome. And this is a good way to get your fam to eat their veggies and protein.

Enjoy!

The original recipe can be found here.

Baked Chicken Tenders

Last week was definitely 'one of those' weeks, where I was so busy I felt like I couldn't even find time to sleep. I desperately needed to go grocery shopping, but I just couldn't bring myself to go back out after getting home from work. I decided it would be a week of leftovers for dinner - until Friday rolled around and I had absolutely nothing left to serve Jake and myself. 

I remembered a recipe for quick and easy chicken tenders I had experimented with in the past. This recipe for Baked Chicken Tenders is from a recipe book my mom's hair salon sold as a fundraiser a few years ago. The best part about this dish is that you likely already have the ingredients on hand, so it's a perfect dish to throw together if you're running low on meal ideas (or are too lazy to go to the grocery store sometimes, like me). Another great thing about this recipe is you can totally customize it to your liking.

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch strips
• About 1 cup of mayonnaise
• garlic powder
• Italian seasoning to your taste
• dried basil to your taste
• 1-2 stacks finely crushed Ritz crackers

How to:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with Parchment paper.
• Combine mayonnaise, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and basil in a small bowl.
• Coat each chicken strip with mayonnaise mixture, then roll in cracker crumbs.
• Place tenders on lined baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.
• Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

 Substitutions & Suggestions:

1. Try different seasoning combinations to change the whole flavor of the tenders.
2. Substitute mayo for greek yogurt for a healthier alternative.
3. Replace the garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and basil with Dijon mustard, and the crushed Ritz crackers with pretzels or Flip Sides pretzel-crackers for a different flavor.
4. Garlic-butter flavored Ritz crackers add an extra boost of flavor to these tenders.

The first time I made these, I couldn't believe how much flavor these chicken tenders packed in, considering the small number of ingredients. Needless to say, I'm glad I rediscovered this recipe! It's perfect for those crazy nights where you need a fast meal that tastes great.

Enjoy!

Pasta with Chicken & Tomatoes

Chicken was on sale this week. Like, ridiculously on sale - only $1.69 a pound. Naturally, I bought as many packages as I could without looking like a crazy chicken-hoarding lady.

This recipe for Pasta with Chicken & Tomatoes is a staple in this household. It uses frozen veggies for convenience, although fresh vegetables would work excellently here. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups uncooked penne pasta
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 bag frozen bell pepper and onion stir fry (from a 1-lb bag)
• 1 chicken breast
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp ground pepper

How to:

• Cook and drain pasta as directed on the package.
• Cook the chicken breast in boiling water until cooked through, about 25 minutes. Shred cooked chicken with two forks, or in a food processor.
• Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet, heat oil over medium heat. 
• Cook bell pepper mixture in oil until thawed, about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Stir in chicken, tomatoes, garlic salt, and pepper. 
• Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture is hot. 
• Stir in pasta until pasta is well coated and hot.
• Serve.

 Suggestions:

• If you have leftover cold pasta from another dish, this dish becomes even faster - no need to reheat the pasta beforehand, just throw it in at the end and cook the dish an extra minute or two.
• The original recipe I was working from uses 1 lb beef strips for stir fry or thinly sliced flank steak. Instead of using shredded chicken, throw the beef into the skillet after heating the bell pepper mixture, cook for 5-6 minutes until beef is no longer pink, and then continue by stirring in the tomatoes, garlic salt, and pepper. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie Bundles

Chicken pot pie is one of my absolute favorite foods. I remember back when I was in high school, my mom would buy those Marie Calendar's individual chicken pot pies, and I'd eat one at least once a week when I would get home from soccer practice. It was like my 'pre-dinner' meal. That was then I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted. Sigh. 

The problem with chicken pot pie is that generally it's packed full of calories. Which, I suppose, is what makes it such a fabulous comfort food. I've tried my fair share of chicken pot pie recipes, and nothing has really done it for me. Until I came across the recipe I'm sharing with you today! This recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Bundles has all the savory taste of traditional chicken pot pie, but a fraction of the calories. These bundles are packed full of veggies, and they are perfectly portioned. And because each one of these fabulous bundles is so low in calories (approximately 180 each), feel free to have more than 1 - your secret is safe with me.

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large carrot, peeled & diced into 1/4 inch pieces (about 1 cup)
• 1 small onion, diced into 1/4 inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp freshly chopped tarragon, or 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• pinch of ground pepper
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 3/4 cup frozen petite peas
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• 12 egg roll wrappers (NOT wonton wrappers - get the big egg roll wrappers!)

How to:

• Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add carrots and onion to skillet, stir frequently and cook until softened - about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic, mix, and cook for an additional 1 minute, stirring frequently.
• Add in chicken, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink - about 5 minutes.
• Add in peas and corn and heat until thawed, about 2 minutes.
• Whisk together chicken broth and cornstarch in a separate bowl. Add chicken broth to skillet and heat to a simmer. Cook until thickened, about 2 minutes, stirring gently to mix.
• Gently place an egg roll wrapper in each cup of a 12-cup muffin tin. Let the sides of the egg roll wrapper extend over the sides of each cup (see picture).
• Fill each cup with a generous 1/4 cup of skillet mixture.
• Top with Parmesan cheese.
• Gather the sides of each egg roll wrapper and press together to seal each bundle. It helps to wet your fingers with a small amount of water so the bundles seal better. 
• Brush the tops of each bundle with olive oil. 
• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until bundles are browned.

I found it helpful to fully 'seal' the bundles after I brushed them with the olive oil. These individual pot pies took a some time to prepare  (mostly the prep work - cutting up raw chicken always takes me forever), but the end result was SO worth it. I've never cooked with tarragon before, so I wonder if this is where all the fabulous taste came from. As soon as I added the tarragon to the skillet, my kitchen began to smell amazing. I'm going to find a way to include this magical spice into a few more recipes. 

The original recipe I worked from can be found here.

Enjoy!

Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I have been wanting to try this recipe for weeks now. I've actually never cooked with sun-dried tomatoes, but I LOVE the taste of them. This recipe for Baked Penne with Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is incredibly savory - it's sure to be a crowd pleaser!

 Ingredients:

• 1/2 box (8 oz.) penne pasta
• 1 tsp olive oil (or bacon grease)
• 1 chicken breast, halved horizontally
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 Tbsp butter + extra for greasing dish
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained (if packed in oil) and thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup shredded provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, divided

How to:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. 
• Cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente, drain, and set aside.
• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
• Generously season chicken breast pieces with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper, both sides, and cook on each side for 3-5 minutes or until opaque throughout.
• Remove chicken from pan and slice into bite size pieces. Set aside.
• In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add flour and garlic, whisking constantly until smooth, about 1 minute.
• Slowly add milk while whisking and increase temperature to medium. Heat until simmering, whisking occasionally. 
• Add tomatoes and cook for an additional minute.
• Remove from heat and stir in provolone and 1/4 cup Parmesan until smooth. 
• Generously season sauce with salt and pepper to your liking.
• Add pasta and chicken to sauce and mix.
• Pour into buttered baking dish and top with remaining Parmesan cheese.
• Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until sauce is bubbly. Before serving, let cool for 5 minutes.

I opted to use whole wheat pasta in this recipe, and I think it turned out really great. Others who have tried this recipe from Martha Stewart noted theirs turned out bland and was under salted. To prevent this from happening in my version, I actually cooked the chicken in bacon grease, rather than olive oil. In the future, I think I'll actually add cooked bacon pieces to my sauce, as well as more sun-dried tomatoes to make this recipe extra flavorful. I also heavily seasoned my sauce with freshly ground pepper and sea salt. Tasting along the way is key! My grocery store, doesn't carry shredded provolone so I ended up buying a provolone/mozzarella mix, which worked well. My recipe also has more garlic than the original, which kicks up the flavor a little bit.

I'd love to hear your experience with this recipe! Enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup

Jake is my toughest critic when it comes to the food I make. I used to think he was a picky eater, but now I realize he just likes food that tastes good. Simple as that. The first time I made this recipe, Jake had nothing but praise for me. I knew it was a keeper.

I probably make this dish at least once every 2 months. The ingredients are simple, and the end product has all of the classic Chicken Noodle Soup components. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I initially came across this recipe, but I promise if you follow my steps, you won't be disappointed!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• garlic salt
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
• 1 tsp dried basil 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

How to:

• Heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken to pan and season with garlic salt (season to your liking - I generally use ~1 tsp).
• Cook chicken 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink.
• Add onion and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender.
• In pot, combine chicken broth, water, chicken, onions, and carrots. Heat to boiling, and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.
• Stir in broccoli, egg noodles, basil, garlic powder, and black pepper. Heat to boiling.
• Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables and noodles are tender.

I love my Chicken Noodle Soup with lots of noodles. Even though you might be tempted to add more, I assure you - you don't need to! I'm interested to know what you readers love in your soup. Leave me some comments, and I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Crockpot Cashew Chicken

My mom bought me a Crockpot for Christmas a few years ago. In my opinion, I haven't used it nearly enough. I've pinned a ton of Crockpot recipes over the past few months, and have only tried a handful of them. What's not to love about throwing a bunch of ingredients into a pot, turning it on, and letting the house fill with delicious smells as said ingredients cook, all the while you tend to other things? From this point forward, it's my vow to all of you that I will try as hard as I can to use my Crockpot once a week.

I found this recipe for Crockpot Cashew Chicken via Pinterest (shocking!). At first glance, this recipe seemed to have a Chinese food-like flair to it - which I was excited about. I love any food that involves ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, and/or soy sauce, so this seemed like the perfect dish for me.

 The original recipe can be found here. I've made a few changes to my version, including adding some veggies and slightly changing the amount of chicken used.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast, cut into chunks
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• olive oil
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar (the original recipe calls for rice vinegar)
• 2 Tbsp ketchup
• 1 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
• 2 cloves garlic (the original recipe calls for 1, but I love garlic)
• 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup cashews (mine were lightly salted)

How to:

• Combine flour and pepper in a gallon size Ziploc bag. Add chicken to bag, and toss to coat the chicken with the flour mixture.
• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan. Brown chicken by cooking on each side, ~2 min each. Add chicken to Crockpot.
• Chop carrots and celery and add to Crockpot.
• In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken and veggies.
• Cover and heat on low for 3-4 hours. Add the cashews, stir, and serve. 

I decided to serve this dish over white rice. The sauce is so flavorful, and this dish pairs really well with rice, in my opinion. The crushed red pepper gives this dish just enough of a kick, so don't overdo it on the red pepper unless you like things REALLY spicy. I hope you all enjoy this! I'd love to hear your comments.