Sweet & Crunchy Honey Nut Chicken

Ingredients:

4 ounces, 2 small packages, honey roasted peanuts,about 2/3 cup

1/2 cup plain bread crumbs

1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Seasoning by McCormick)

2 eggs

A splash half-and-half or whole milk

2 teaspoons hot sauce, several drops

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 (6 to 8-ounce) pieces of chicken breast

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Put nuts, bread crumbs and grill seasoning in food processor and pulse grind to combine the nuts into bread crumbs. Pour nutty-breading onto a plate.

Beat eggs and half-and-half or milk with hot sauce in a shallow dish.

Pour flour out on a plastic board or plate.

Dust both sides of the chicken with flour. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture and then coat with the nutty-breading.

Preheat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add vegetable oil to coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer, 2 or 3 turns of the pan. Brown chicken pieces 2 minutes on each side in hot oil or until evenly light golden in color. Transfer to a baking sheet and cook in oven until juices run clear and breasts are cooked through, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Baked Parmesan Tenders

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken tenders

2 cups Italian breadcrumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

2 eggs, beaten

1/3 cup milk

1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.

2. Combine beaten eggs and milk in medium bowl. Combine breadcrumbs, cheese and seasoning in large bowl.

3. Dip each tender in the egg/milk mix and then toss in breadcrumbs.

4. Place on baking sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear.

Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound ground chicken

1 medium onion

1 green pepper

1 can kidney beans

1 can whole stewed tomatoes

6 ounce can of tomato sauce

1 small can chopped jalapenos (omit for mild chili)

1 1/2 cup water

1 packet of chili seasoning

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (omit for mild chili)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup flour

Shredded cheese (optional)

Fritos or cornbread (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop onion and put in large pot with ground chicken. Cook over medium-high heat until chicken is cooked.

2. Stir in remaining items except flour. Cover and let simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes.

3. Stir and reduce heat to low for 45 minutes. About 5 minutes before serving add flour (if needed) to thicken the chili up to your preferred consistency.

Serves 4-6 people.

BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1-3 pounds of chicken

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In large bowl mix all ingredients together except the chicken. reserve 1/3 cup of the sauce; set aside. Add the chicken to the remaining sauce in the bowl, turning to coat.

Arrange the coated chicken on a roasting pan. Cook 40-45 minutes or until cooked through, basting with the reserved 1/3 sauce after 20 minutes.

3 Step Quickie Chicky Parm

Have you missed me? I have been so busy getting ready and recovering from my travels that I haven't been cooking (well I did make some pancakes for my lovey in Hawaii.) The good news is, I have some really yummolicious things coming up. I have a new recipe that I got in Hawaii and then lots of Halloween stuff coming up!!

Since I just got back I haven't been to the store so I had to whip something up with what I had in the house. The good thing about this recipe is it is simple but you can also amp it up with gourmet ingredients if you like.

Ingrediets:
4 frozen breaded chicken breasts ( I use Tyson's)
1/2 box of spaghetti noodles
1/2 jar spaghetti sauce
4 slices of mozzerella cheese to melt over chicken

Directions
1. Prepare noodles and mix with spaghetti sauce.
2. Bake chicken brests in oven as directed.
3. Place slice of mozzerella cheese on top of each chicken breast and place under the broiler to melt.

Combine on plate. Serve with vegtables of your choice or a side salad.

Almond Chicken Stir-Fry & Noodle Cake

This is an easy stir-fry recipe that you will be able to make without looking at the recipe after the first time. Also, the chicken recipe is really good if you want to make chicken for a salad or some other dish. Coating chicken with egg white and cornstarch gives them a light and velvety texture.

Ingredients:

2 packages of Chicken flavored Ramen noodles

1 egg white

2 tablespoons of corn starch (divided)

1 pound chicken tenders

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon ginger root

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup silvered almonds (divided)

1 can of chicken broth (about 15 ounces)

2 bags of stir-fry vegetables (I use Birds Eye.)

1/2 teaspoon of pepper

1. For the chicken, lightly whisk egg white in a medium sized bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch and one season packet from the ramen noodles. Slice chicken into 1-inch pieces. Toss with mixture and set aside.

2. Place almonds in the skillet and cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until toasted. These are easy to burn so watch them! Remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Prepare noodle cake (directions follow) and steam bags of vegetables according to package instructions. While noodle cake and veggies cook, add oil to skillet over medium-high heat for 1-3 minutes or until shimmering. Add coated chicken pieces to skillet. (They will probably all be stuck together so break them up.) Cook and stir for 4-6 minutes or until center of chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

4. To finish stir-fry, whisk together chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Add to skillet and bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Add ginger root and garlic to skillet. Heat until fragrant, stirring constantly. Add cooked vegetables and chicken to skillet; simmer 1-2 minutes until heated through. Stir in half of the almonds. Serve over noodle cake and sprinkle with remaining almonds and pepper.

Noodle Cake Directions:

1. Prepare both packs of noodles on stove or in microwave. Drain water off and add remaining packet of seasoning and 1 tablespoon of oil.

2. Lightly spray a 10-12 inch skillet with vegetable oil or non-stick spray; heat over medium-high heat 1-3 minutes or until hot.

3. Add noodles to pan. Gently press to form a cake. Noodles will need to cook at least 3-4 minutes (if not longer) on each side until golden brown. Lift edges to make sure the first side is done before attempting to flip or it will fall apart. You will need 2 spatulas to flip - or at least I do. Mine typically looks better and is browner than in the picture below. I had to rush because I had a 2-year latched to my leg. Cut into wedges like a pizza and serve.

Taking You to School on Juicy Breasts

I am always in a hurry to get dinner done and am paranoid about my chicken being raw in the middle - because even with a thermometer it has happened before. The miracle fix for this is BRINING!!

Brining simply means soaking something in a salt-water solution, and it noticeably improves the flavor, texture and juiciness of the meat. Without getting into too much science, the salt loosens up the proteins in meat, which allows more water to be trapped in the meat when it’s cooked, making it more plump and juicy.

To make a brine solution, dissolve 1 1/2 tbsp. table salt (or 1/4 cup kosher salt) in 8 cups of cold water inside a zip-top bag. Let the breasts marinate (there’s enough brine for four breasts) for 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator.

The Pan-Roasted Chicken with Lemon recipe (in another post below) is the perfect recipe to test the brining method. Before you insert the herbs under the skin, brine the whole pieces in a solution of 3/4 cup kosher salt and 1 quart of water for one hour. You’ll never cook chicken without brining again.

Chicken breasts are also fairly uneven in thickness—the top end is usually plump and wide, and the bottom end is fairly narrow and thin—which can cause the breast to dry out in some places before the thicker section is cooked. To remedy this, you can pound and flatten the breast (with a meat tenderizer or a plastic-wrapped mallet) to a more even thickness. Flattening-out the thicker parts also means you can cut your cooking time by a few minutes.

The method you use to cook the chicken will also affect its overall juiciness. Grilling, pan-sauteing, roasting or baking the breast in an open pan allows a lot of the moisture in the meat to evaporate. If you cook the breast en papillote [in pap-ee-yoht], a fancy (but super-easy) French technique of steam-cooking meat inside parchment paper packets (aluminum foil works, too), you won’t lose much moisture. The beauty of this method is that you can throw all sorts of veggies, herbs or steaming liquid (think: wine, vinegar, citrus juice) in the packet with the chicken to make a complete, flavorful meal—with very little clean up.

The basic directions for cooking en papillote: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Season both sides of the brined chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Lay out 12-inch squares of heavy-duty aluminum foil for each breast, and place the chicken in the center of the foil. Bend opposite sides of the foil into a tent over the widest sides of the breast and crimp the edges together. Fold once or twice more to seal. Close the open sides of the packet by folding them over several times (but not so tightly that the meat touches the ends of the packet). Place the packets on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. *Be careful when opening the foil to serve. The steam will be very hot!

Also the recipe for Spicy Southwest Chicken Sandwich (also in another post below) calls for leftover chicken, but you could easily cook a few breasts, lightly coated in some of the adobo sauce mixture, in foil packets. The difference in flavor—between the leftover chicken and the fresh, steam-cooked breasts—is kooky.

Or, customize your chicken en papillote with:

Garlic+freshly grated ginger root+soy sauce

Sliced mushrooms+sliced onions+white wine

Freshly ground black pepper+lemon juice

Dijon mustard+rosemary

Diced tomato+fresh basil

**Another option is to wrap a lose piece of tin foil around a chicken breast (pre seasoned and lightly sprayed with olive oil) and put it on the Foreman to cook (you know how I love the Foreman grill!) Very easy to cook and essentially no clean-up and the foil keeps all the juices in.**

Pan-Roasted Chicken With Lemon and Whole-Grain Mustard

This is a Wolfgang Puck recipe. And if you have ever eaten at a Wolfgang Puck resturant (a real one, not the express crap in Cool Springs) you will know that everything there is DELISH!

Serves: 2-4

 

Time: 45 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 whole frying chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, butterflied

1 sprig fresh flat-leaf parsley, 2 fresh basil leaves, or 1 small sprig rosemary

Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup chicken stock or good-quality canned chicken broth

Juice of 2 large lemons (6 to 8 tablespoons)

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into several pieces

1/4 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley or finely shredded fresh basil

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Prepare the chicken. From the neck opening, gently ease your fingertips between the skin and the meat to loosen the skin all over the breast, taking care not to tear the skin. Insert the parsley sprig, basil leaves, or rosemary sprig under the skin. Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper.

 

Heat an ovenproof skillet large enough to hold the chicken over high heat. Add the olive oil and swirl it in the skillet. As soon as you begin to see slight wisps of smoke, carefully place the chicken skin side down in the skillet. Sear the chicken, undisturbed, while reducing the heat little by little to medium, until its skin has turned golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With tongs, carefully turn the chicken skin side up. Put the skillet with the chicken into the preheated oven and cook until the chicken is deep golden brown and the juices run clear when the thickest part of the thigh meat is pierced with a thin skewer, 10 to 15 minutes more, depending on its size. When the chicken is done, remove it from the skillet with tongs and transfer it to a cutting board.

Pour off all but a thin glaze of fat from the skillet. Return the skillet to high heat, add the chicken stock or broth and the lemon juice, stir and scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits, and boil the liquid until it has reduced by half its volume, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn down the heat, add the mustard, and, stirring briskly with a wire whisk, add the butter a piece at a time to make a creamy sauce. Make sure each piece has been incorporated completely before adding the next. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and stir in half of the parsley or basil.

 

To serve, spoon the sauce into the centers of two to four heated serving plates. With a large, sharp knife, cut the chicken into two halves or four equal pieces. Place the chicken on the plates, sprinkle with the remaining parsley or basil, and serve.

Recipe from Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy.

Spicy Southwest Chicken Sandwich with Avocado and Bacon

Ingredients:

6 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1 canned chipotle chile, plus 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon light brown sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 ripe avocado, pitted

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

2 1/2 cups thinly sliced leftover chicken

4 thick slices bacon, cooked until crisp

1 large ripe tomato, cored and thinly sliced

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

8 slices focaccia or sourdough bread, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. In a blender, mini-chop, or food processor, pulse the sun-dried tomatoes, chipotle, adobo sauce, water, oil, vinegar, mustard, and brown sugar together until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste and pulse again. Transfer to a small bowl.

2. In another small bowl, mash the avocado with half the cilantro and all of the lime juice. Season generously with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Spread 4 of the slices of bread with the avocado mixture. Spread the remaining 4 pieces of bread with the sun-dried tomato-and-chipotle mixture, then layer on the chicken, bacon, tomato, onion, the remaining cilantro, and the bread. Cut in half and serve immediately.

This recipe is from 150 Things to Make with Roast Chicken & 50 Ways to Roast It.