Chili-Spiced Chicken - This Time Done Right!

This is a redo of a recipe that I totally failed last week. 

Well, I can report that when you follow the recipe as written, it is quite tasty.  Actually, it is tasty enough that I wish that I had made an extra few chicken breasts to shred and freeze for use in other recipes.  There is just enough heat to keep it interesting but not enough to make you look for the nearest piece of bread. 

We both decided that this recipe goes quite nicely with corn on the cob and Cilantro-Lime Rice that you usually find at Chipotle. 

Again, the recipe is from the Best Ever 3 & 4 Ingredient Cookbook which is fast becoming one of my favorite cookbooks.  If you can find a copy, I wholeheartedly think you should get a copy for your own cookbook collection. 

Chili-Spiced Chicken
Source:  Best Ever 3 & 4 Ingredient Cookbook
Ingredients
Chicken Breasts (we used 3)
1 Tbs Chili Powder
1 Tbs Ground Cumin
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 Tbs Olive Oil

Directions
Rinse and dry chicken breasts
Heat grill pan to medium high
In a small bowl combine chili powder, ground cumin and olive oil. 
Stir to combine and turn into a thin paste.
Brush chicken with spiced paste using a basting brush.
Place on grill pan and cook until cooked through.

Serve with rice or potatoes. 

A Different Chicken - Sweet not Savory

I have had Mark Bittman's Bitten blog from the New York Times in my Reader for a long time now.  I like his writing style and am a regular reader.  One thing I am always checking out are the recipes, to see if anything looks good for both Mr. Gooch and myself since I am the picky eater in our duo (mushrooms, shellfish and tomato chunks are just a few of my "oh heck no" ingredients).

Most of the time, unfortunately, I have to take a pass on his recipes.  However, back on March 10, 2009, the Recipe of the Day "Roast Chicken With Cumin, Honey and Orange" seemed right up our alley.  Mr. Gooch loves honey, I love cumin and we both love orange juice.   Additionally, it looked like it had just the right combination of sweetness and heat to keep things interesting.  Yes, it has taken me months to get around to making this recipe.  Please don't ask me how many more recipes I have in my recipe queue.  It will just make me sad. 

Unfortunately, as written the recipe didn't quite live up to our expectations.  Don't get me wrong, the meat was moist and there was nice flavor.  However, it was just a bit too sweet for our taste.  I guess we have palates that like more savory dishes.  We do plan on trying this again, however, we are going to up the cumin and substitute some of the orange juice for other citrus (since they have a stronger/sharper flavor).  So all is not lost. 

We did not have the burning problem of the skin that the recipe alludes to, however, I did keep a very close eye on our bird and kept the roasting pan toward the front of the oven so that may have made the difference.  The skin just got a quite crispy in a few places on the legs.   Mr. Gooch liked those crispy bits so that was a success. 

We recommend this dish as written for those who like things on the sweet side, but if you like a more savory flavor, you may want to improvise a bit by adding some stonger flavors.

Roast Chicken With Cumin, Honey and Orange
(Source:  Mark Bittman's Blog Bitten on www.nytimes.com)
Ingredients
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3-pound chicken, giblets and excess fat removed
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Use a nonstick roasting pan, or line a roasting pan with a double layer of aluminum foil.
Combine orange juice, honey, cumin, salt and pepper in bowl, and whisk until smooth.
Place chicken in pan, and spoon all but 1/4 cup of liquid over all of it.
Place basted chicken in oven, legs first, and roast for 10 minutes.
Spoon accumulated juices back over chicken, reverse pan back to front, and return to oven.
Repeat four times, basting every 10 minutes and switching pan position each time.
If chicken browns too quickly, lower heat a bit.
If juices dry up, use reserved liquid and 1 or 2 tablespoons of water or orange juice. 3.
After 50 minutes of roasting, insert an instant-read thermometer into a thigh; when it reads 155 to 165 degrees, remove chicken from oven, and baste one final time.
Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Chicken Sate Stir Fry

Have you ever purchased a spice mix without any clue of what you are going to make with it? Up until now, I can say that I hadn't. But upon Mr. Gooch's urging, I grabbed a small jar of Sate Seasoning during a browsing of our local Penzeys.

Not having any bamboo skewers, traditional sate was out. However, I was not deterred. I decided to make a bit of a stir fry out of the mix and can say without a doubt this is one of my new favorite dishes. And a big bottle of the sate seasoning is definitely coming home with us in our next shopping trip.

Chicken Sate Stir fry
(Source: modified from a recipe for lamb sate found on the Penzeys website)
Ingredients
2 TB. Sate Seasoning Mix (from Penzeys)
2 TB. water
1 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast (cubed)
3 colored peppers (cut into strips)
1.5 TB. soy sauce
1.5 TB. canola oil
2 TB. apple vinegar

Directions

Combine sate seasoning, water, soy sauce, canola oil and vinegar in a bowl and mix completely.

Place cubed chicken and marinade in a quart sized zipper bag. Place in refrigerator to marinade for at least 1 hour (2 is better).

Heat large saucepan to medium high heat. Place entire contents of bag into saucepan, cooking chicken until about half done (about 10 minutes).

Add sliced peppers, stirring to coat with sauce.

Continue cooking uncovered for about 5-7 minutes or until peppers begin to soften.

Cover and cook until chicken is done.

Serve with jasmine rice and a side salad.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

There are a number of creamy chicken enchilada recipes floating around the Internet. Having never made enchiladas before but having all the seemingly necessary ingredients in my pantry, I cobbled together my own recipe.

Before I go any further, I have to tell you Mr. Gooch was so impressed that I had made a dish with such heat and flavor. You see, when we first started dating, heat and/or spicy were not really in my repertoire. To be honest, I was pretty close to the queen of bland. My idea of spicy was using Italian dressing as a marinade on a salmon fillet. And any heat was to be avoided. Yeah, it was that bad. But Mr. Gooch began to rub off on me. Starting with the Barbacoa beef burritos from Chipotle and moving onto spicy marinades for various meats. Apparently, hanging out with my hubby has opened my food horizons. Of course, living within 1.5 miles of a Penzeys doesn't hurt either.

Now back to the recipe review, I was nervous since this was my first enchilada attempt but the results were very very good. So good that we both has second helpings. As written below, the heat in the mouth factor may be considered by some to be quite high. This was especially pronounced since we did not eat it with any rice. To lessen the heat, you can remove the seeds from the chilies before you mince them.

Creamy Chipotle Enchiladas
(Source: the depths of my brain and about 50 different recipes found scattered around the Internet)
Ingredients
2 large cooked and shredded chicken breasts (approximately 3 cups)
10 taco size tortillas
1 jar enchilada sauce
2 chipotle peppers, minced and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 red onion chopped fine
1 green pepper chipped fine
1 Tablespoon olive oil
8 oz low fat cream cheese, cubed

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet, heat olive oil and sweat onions and green peppers.
Add adobo sauce and chipotle peppers.
Saute for another 3-5 minutes.
Add cubed cream cheese.
Stirring frequently until melted.
Add shredded chicken.
Mix thoroughly and remove from heat.
Fill tortillas with chicken mixture, roll and place seam side down in a 9x13 nonstick pan. (I was able to fit them in a 2 x 5 configuration.)
Once pan is filled, cover with enchilada sauce.
Sprinkle cheese on top of sauce.
Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes.
Let sit covered for 10 minutes before serving.

Creation Success - Chicken Roulade

Have you ever had an idea for a recipe rolling around your head? All you know is the ingredients you want to use? Well, I had this happen. It took a few days but I finally figured it out.

I would make a chicken roulade. With that decision, I was off searching for my meat pounding mallet. Or as I was calling it that night, the meat smasher. (Picture me rummaging in the lower cabinets in our buffet unable to find sad item yelling to Mr. Gooch, who was upstairs, "did you move the meat smasher?!?" Yeah, it wasn't pretty). But ultimately, I found the smasher and proceeded to smash the tar out of the chicken breasts.

Now the recipe below is approximates. Why? Because in my haste to put this together, I totally forgot to write down any amounts. Whoops.

However, the fact remains that it was so tasty! I will definitely be making this again.

Smoked Gouda Bacon Chicken Roulade
(Source: the depths of my brain)
Ingredients
Boneless skinless chicken breasts, smashed to 1/4 inch thick
3 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
Smoked Gouda, shredded
Penzeys Northwoods Fire spice mix (my new favorite)
Salt and Pepper
Olive oil
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Using a brush, coat the chicken breast with olive oil
Season both sides with salt, pepper and Northwoods Fire spice mix
Lay flat and spread crumbled bacon and smoked Gouda cheese
Roll breast, from the small end to the wide end.
Once rolled up, secure with a toothpick.
Place seam side down on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray
Bake for 30-40 minutes, until juices run clear

Chicken, Ranch, Cheese and Crunch - Does It Get Better (WW Friendly)

I was reviewing the starred recipes in my Google Reader and came across this recipe for Parmesan Ranch Chicken on Kara's Kitchen Creations. It had all the things that I like chicken, cheese, ranch dressing and cereal. Mr. Gooch and I have discovered using corn flakes works really well to have a oven baked crispy dish (check out the WW recipe Southern "Oven Fried" Chicken to see what I mean). If this had bacon in it, it would be perfect!

Even better, it looked like with a couple tweeks, I could cut down the fat even more and make it Weight Watchers friendly. My changes are reflected in the recipe below. I also did all the computations to figure out the Weight Watchers Points. The point total for the entire dish is 32. And since we got 6 servings out of our breasts, that made it 5.5 points per serving.

Parmesan Ranch Chicken
(Modified from: Kara's Kitchen Creations)
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (total pre-cooked weight: 18 oz. )
3/4 cup crushed corn flakes
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp dry ranch dressing mix
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Cooking Spray

Directions
Rinse chicken breasts, pat dry with paper towel and set aside.
Combine corn flakes, Parmesan cheese, and ranch dressing mix in a shallow container. Mix thoroughly.
Coat chicken with olive oil, using a basting brush to make sure chicken is completely covered. Then dredge in crumb mixture, pressing mixture onto chicken breast to ensure coverage.
Place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.
Drizzle any leftover olive oil over the coated chicken pieces.
Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes or till juices run clear.

Braised Herb Chicken Thighs With Potatoes

I love one pot cooking. I especially love cooking in a pot that cleans up easily, like my dutch oven.

I love it even better when the dish you are cooking in your one pot turns out to be good and something you wold make again. You know what I am taking about. You see a recipe, all the ingredients are things you like, the preparation isn't that complicated, it smells fabulous as it is cooking, but it tastes bleh or blah or worse blech. This isn't one of those dishes.

I found this recipe on cookingcache.com. Based on what we had in the pantry I made some adjustments which are to be found in the recipe below.

Braised Herb Chicken Thighs With Potatoes
(Source: cookingcache.com)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons Italian herb blend
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skinned
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 cups baby carrots
1 large onion, cut into 16 wedges (cut into 8 wedges, then cut those wedges in half)
1 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes

Directions
Combine first 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag.
Add the chicken, seal the bag and shake to coat.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Add the chicken and remaining flour mixture to the dutch oven.
cook for 3 minutes on each side or until the chicken is lightly brown.
Add the carrot and onions; cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chicken broth, vinegar, water and potatoes, bringing entire mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and cover, simmering for 35 minutes or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 thighs and about 1 1/3 cups vegetable mixture)

WW Chicken Cooked with Grapes

I have always wondered about the taste of chicken and grapes recipes. Especially this one, since the seasonings are pretty minimal. But the low point count and the ease of the recipe overrode my concerns and the recipe made it into the menu plan.

I was pleasantly surprised at the results. The simmering of the grapes made them so soft and sweet. The seasoning was a bit lighter than I liked but Mr. Gooch thought that it tasted great. Great enough to ask that I make it again. In my book, that is success!!

I hope you enjoy this dish as much as Mr. Gooch did.

Weight Watchers Chicken Cooked with Grapes
(Source: WW My Turnaround Program Cookbook)
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 lbs total weight)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly gound pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 pound seedless grapes, removed from the stem

Directions
Rinse and dry the chicken breasts.
Heat canola oil over medium heat in large nonstick skillet.
Season chicken with salt and pepper.
Add chicken to the skillet and cook until browned on each side, approximately 5-7 minutes on each side.
Once browned, add chicken broth to the skillet bringing to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer until chicken finishes cooking. Approximately 10-12 minutes.
Add grapes to skillet, cover and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Once cooked, remove the chicken and grapes from the broth mixture, place on a platter and serve.

Servings: 4
Points: 5 per serving

Southern "Oven Fried" Chicken - A Tasty (and Crispy) Weight Watchers Dinner

Now that Mr. Gooch and I are back to watching what we eat, I have been combing my Weight Watchers cookbooks for dinners that meet my picky eating habits.

I found the perfect dish. It is chicken, it is crunchy and it is so tasty. And the best part is that it is easy.

It is definitely crispy and it satisfies that need for a "crunch" that you sometimes miss when on a diet. I added the Smoky Paprika to add a little extra zing since the recipe seemed to be a bit lacking in that department. Next time I make this, I may add some additional spices. Just to mix things up.

And the best part is that I was able to use some of leftovers to make a large 8 point lunch salad the next day. Low fat ranch dressing (2 T), Parmesan cheese (2 teaspoons), a whole mess of romaine lettuce, some sliced peppers and one serving of the leftover chicken. No photos of this salad since I ate it before I thought to take a picture.

Southern "Oven Fried" Chicken
(Adapted from the recipe in WW New Complete Cookbook)
5 points per serving/recipe serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 cup fat free buttermilk or 1/2 cup skim milk mixed with 1 tsp vinegar
2-3 drops hot sauce
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 cup cornflakes crushed
5 TBS flour
salt and pepper
2 lbs chicken parts, skinned (I used boneless chicken breasts cut into strips)
4 tsp canola oil

Directions
Spray a baking sheet with Pam or some other cooking spray (will ensure the chicken does not stick)
Mix buttermilk and hot sauce in a bowl large enough to place chicken in.
Mix the dry ingredients in a flat bowl.
Dip chicken in buttermilk and hot sauce mixture.
Dredge chicken in cornflakes, flour, spice, salt and pepper mixture.
Place coated chicken pieces on the baking sheet with space in between the pieces.
Drizzle coated chicken pieces with oil.
Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes.
Turn chicken and bake 15-20 min more (or until chicken is cooked through).

Orzo with Sausage, Chicken and Peppers

After making Crockpot Chicken earlier one week, we had leftover chicken. Not wanting to make our usual Chicken Quesedillas, I hit the Internet and started searching based on ingredients we already had in the pantry, fridge and freezer.

I found something that looked tasty on the Food Network website - Orzo with Sausage, Peppers and Tomatoes. I only needed to modify it to meet my picky eating for it to be perfect.

Orzo with Sausage, Chicken and Peppers
Modified from Food Network Recipe
Ingredients
1 red bell pepper
1 orange bell pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 pound orzo pasta
3 cups chicken stock
3 cups water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
7 ounces (2 links) mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1/2 to 3/4 cup cup shredded chicken
2 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons dried parsley
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
In a medium saucepan, over high heat boil chicken stock, water and salt. Once boiling, add Orzo and cook per directions. Making sure to stir occasionally. This takes about 8-10 minutes.

At the same time, in a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and peppers (cut into 1/4 inch strips) sauteing until peppers begin to soften. Remove peppers from heat and place in a large bowl, cover to keep warm.

In the same skillet, cook Italian sausage completely. Once the sausage is cooked, add the shredded chicken to warm through.

Add peppers and garlic back into the skillet along with the red peppers flakes, cooking for several minutes until all ingredients are warm.

Drain the Orzo.

Transfer the Orzo to the large bowl used for the peppers. Add the meat mixture to the Orzo along with the dried parsley, mozzarella cheese seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Add mozzarella cheese.

Mix ingredients well to combine all ingredients.

Serve while warm.

Quick and Easy Chicken Pita Pockets

I was in my local Trader Joe's not too long ago and saw some whole wheat pitas. Unable to pass them up, I bought a pack (along with several other things. I mean who can leave that store without a whole bag of tasty treats?), and headed home. Once I got home and checked the cupboard and fridge, I knew exactly what I was going to make. It was going to be of my quick and easy college standby meals.

When reading this recipe, keep in mind that back in the day my cooking skills were pretty limited and I lived in a dorm room with only a mini fridge so any food prep was minimal (to say the least).

Even so, I still love this. You can also put the chicken mixture on a toasted bagel with a piece of cheese melted on top.

Chicken in a Pita
(Source: My brain, in college, when addled by too much reading and not enough Coca-Cola)
Ingredients
1 can cooked chicken
2 Tablespoons Low fat Italian Dressing (you can add more or less depending on your preference)
2 Tablespoons Grated Parmesan cheese (though I always add more)
any additional spices you prefer (I usually add a bit of garlic powder or seasoned salt and some additional Italian herbs)
Pita (s)
Veggies (like peppers, cucumbers, sprouts, carrots)

Directions
Open and drain can of chicken
Place into a medium sized bowl
Add Italian dressing
Mix completely
Add Parmesan cheese
Mix completely
Cut pita in half so you have 2 pockets
Fill each pocket with the chicken mixture
Add any other raw veggies you desire. (I often add peppers, thinly sliced carrots and cucumbers for some crunch.)

Tex-Mex Baked Chicken

I saw this recipe on foodnetwork.com and knew there had to be a way that I could make this work without the frying.

So I checked out our pantry and put together the recipe below. It was a bit "hot" but the rice we served it with, helped even that out.

We will definitely be making this one again. (Please note: This dish is much tastier than the photo makes it out to be.)

Tex-Mex Baked Chicken
Adapted from Tex-Mex Chicken Crunchies

Ingredients
3/4 cup mixture bread crumb and Panko
1/2 cup Chipotle sauce
1/4 cup Taco Sauce
2 large skinned and boned chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch wide strips
1/cup cheddar cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Whisk together taco sauce and Chipotle sauce in a small bowl.
Stir together bread crumbs and Panko in a separate shallow dish.
Dredge chicken pieces in sauce mixture and dredge in crumb mixture.
Place covered chicken pieces in baking dish.
Drizzle with remaining sauce.
Mix cheese and breadcrumbs and cover chicken.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in oven.
Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked completely.

Panko, I Finally Get It - Zesty Italian Baked Chicken

My goal is to try one new recipe each week and my Google Reader is full of possibilities. But many of them feature Panko as a key ingredient. Let me just start by saying I have always been a traditional breadcrumbs kind of girl so wasn't sure what all the hubbub was about. Well, now I get it and I am a convert. The crunchiness the Panko added to the recipe was amazing. I now want to Panko encrust everything before it goes in the oven.

I modified the original recipe since I thought it needed some crunch. To view the version I started with, click here. My version is below. Served with a salad, corn and rice made with chicken stock, this was a great meal.

Zesty Italian Baked Chicken

Ingredients
1/2 cup Zesty Italian reduced fat/low fat dressing
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into smaller pieces (I tried to make each piece about 6 oz./1 serving)
1/2 cup Parmesan grated cheese
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning
1/2 cup finely shredded CoJack cheese

Directions
1. Pour the dressing into a resealable plastic bag. Add the chicken and seal the bag. Turn the bag over several times to evenly coat the chicken with the dressing. Refrigerate the chicken in the dressing for at least 1 hour.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and discard the marinade.
4. In a large bowl mix the Parmesan cheese, CoJack cheese, Italian seasoning and Panko. Dip the chicken into the mixture, turning to evenly coat both sides. Place in shallow baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Spread left over mixture on top of chicken pieces.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is 170 degrees.

Rotisserie Style Crockpot Chicken

Whole chickens were on sale this week at the grocery. I figured this was my chance to try my hand at making a whole chicken. If it was awful, at least I didn't pay full price.

So I checked out my Google Reader where I have dozens of recipes starred for future reference. One of those was a recipe for Rotisserie Style Crockpot Chicken posted on A Year of Crockpotting. For those of you wanting to make more use of your crockpot, this is an amazing blog. I am inspired to make something every week in my crockpot.

The hardest parts of this recipe were skinning the chicken (it was pretty gross) and then taking the chicken out of the crockpot since the meat was so tender it fell off the bone. This is why the photo above is not the greatest since I actually had to take it out of the crockpot in pieces and place them on the platter.

The fact that we were able to have two meals plus making stock from one chicken for soup is a total bonus.

Check out all the steam coming out of the chicken. It was amazing.

Rotisserie Crockpot Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken, skinned (4-5 pounds)
2 tsp kosher salt (if you'd like it as salty as the ones in the store, add another 1 tsp.)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of chili pepper (probably not necessary)
4 whole garlic cloves (optional)
1 yellow onion, quartered (optional)

Directions
I used a 6 quart crockpot for a 4 pound bird. It fit perfectly.

Skin the chicken and get rid of the neck and other stuff from the cavity. This takes a while, and is gross. I skinned the chicken because I hate the idea of the chicken fat simmering all day in the crock. Bleck!

In a bowl, combine all of dried spices. Rub the spice mixture all over the bird, inside and out.

Place the bird breast-side down into the crockpot.

Place 4 whole garlic cloves and a quartered onion inside the bird.

Do not add water.

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8.

The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat. When I took mine out, the meat was so tender, it fell off the bone.

Dijon Thyme Chicken - A Quick and Easy Entree

"This is so good." Those were the words that greeted me after Mr. Gooch sat down to dinner last Monday night. He thought this dish was a total winner. How I love it when a recipe that I found on the internet turns out so tasty. And the best part about this recipe is how easy it was to put together.

The butter mixture is so tangy with the Dijon mustard and garlic. I am trying to figure out other types of meat it would work with. We liked it that much.

This will definitely be added to the dinner rotation on a regular basis.

Dijon Thyme Chicken
Source: Allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted (substituted Smart Balance 50/50 spread)
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 small onion, chopped (omitted)
2 garlic cloves, minced (used 3 cloves as they were small)
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (used 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into chicken strip sized pieces (used 2 very large breasts)
bread crumbs, enough to cover all pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a bowl, combine the butter, mustard, onion, garlic, thyme and pepper flakes.
Dip chicken in butter mixture, then coat with bread crumbs.
Place in a greased baking dish.
Bake, uncovered for 30-35 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Calzones - Holy Tastiness!

I saw this recipe on a couple blogs including What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen and Laura's Home Cooking. The photo above does not begin to capture the gooey, ranchy goodness of these calzones.

Looking to spice up the usual chicken, this recipe was a great choice. What is there not to like. Ingredients include chicken, bacon, cheese and bread. All positives in Mr. Gooch and my eyes.

Several minor changes I made from the original recipe were skipping the tomato, using Ranch dip instead of Ranch dressing inside the calzone (the thickness kept the crust crunchy), cubing the chicken into 1x1 to 1/2x1/2 inch cubes to save time in cooking, using co-jack finely shredded cheese.

We will definitely be making this again.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Calzone

Source: What's Cooking in the Orange Kitchen

Ingredients
1 recipe pizza dough divided (I used this recipe)
2 chicken breasts (Cubed)
3 slices of center cut bacon (I used pieces, 2 per calzone)
1/2 cup diced tomatoes (omitted)
2 tsp fresh parsley finely chopped
1/2 cup cheese (I used Co-Jack)

Salt and pepper to taste

Ranch Dip for inside the calzone and dipping

Directions

Start by cooking the bacon in a skillet over medium high heat, careful not to burn it!

When the bacon is crisp set aside between 2 pieces of paper towel.

Drain all but 1 tbsp bacon grease from skillet (if your super health conscious just drain it all and use cooking spray).

Brown both sides of the chicken breast in the bacon grease then cover the skillet and continue cooking until the chicken is no longer pink.

When the chicken is done shred with forks and season with salt and pepper.

Then crumble the bacon and add to the chicken.

Roll out the pizza dough in 2 circles.

Fill one side of each circle with chicken and bacon mixture, then diced tomatoes, then chopped parsley, and finally cheese.

Fold the other half of the circle over the top of the filling and pinch to seal the edges.

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Serve with ranch dipping sauce.

Apricot Peach-Honey Dijon Glazed Chicken

This evening I modified a recipe for Apricot-Dijon Glazed Chicken from Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes 2004. I love Martha but some of her recipes are quite involved so I was thrilled to find one that was so easy and had so few ingredients.

In my modified version, almost every ingredient was changed. The original recipe calls for apricot jam (substituted no sugar added apricot peach jam), Dijon mustard (substituted honey Dijon since that is what I had) and chicken thighs (substituted chicken breasts). On the plus side, the instructions stayed the same. The modified recipe is below.

It turned out quite nicely paired with rice made with chicken broth (instead of water) and a salad. I think this will have to be added to the rotation.

Apricot Peach-Honey Dijon Glazed Chicken

Ingredients
2 skinless boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 jar (mine was 9 oz.) of no sugar added apricot peach jam
2 Tablespoons of Honey Dijon Mustard
2 Tablespoons of Honey

Directions

Preheat Oven to 425. Wash and dry chicken breasts then place in a baking dish. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small sauce pan, combine jam, honey and mustard over medium high heat. Once simmering, lower heat to medium low and cook until sauce is thickened and reduced by about 50 percent.

Spread mixture evenly over breasts.

Bake in oven basting with sauce from bottom of the dish about every 10 minutes or so to keep the meat moist until juices run clear when pricked with fork (usually about 30 minutes).

Thank Goodness for Food Blogs (or how a WC Nestie saved our dinner)

Our oven is broken. It has been broken for about 3 weeks now. In that time, Mr. Gooch and I have grilled like crazy, used the toaster oven, ate lots of salads, had crock pot meals and eaten out a lot. But it is starting to get old. And worse, I am running out of recipes.

So I did what anyone would do in my situation and brought up my Google Reader and searched on the keywords "chicken" and "stove top." Lo and behold, in the list was a skillet chicken recipe from the blog Paved with Good Intentions. This recipe was the basis for our dinner tonight.

Mr. Gooch kept walking through the kitchen while things were cooking and kept repeating that it smelled spectacular. After dinner he said that it tasted fabulous. So it was a success. This one will definitely be added into the regular rotation.

Skillet Chicken with Red Skin Potatoes

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts cut into pieces

1/2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Cup Chicken Broth
2 Garlic Clove, minced and crushed
1 Spring Rosemary Leaves, chopped
1 Sprig Thyme Leaves
1 Tablespoon Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto Mix from Tastefully Simple
4 Cups Redskin Potatoes, cubed

Directions
Pound chicken until it is flat, or as thin as possible. This is one of the most crucial steps for skillet chicken since you want the insides to cook evenly.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook 6 minutes per side, or until the outside is a lovely brown color. Remove from skillet.

Increase the heat to high and add broth, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and red skin potatoes. Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan and bring this mixture to a boil. Cover and cook 5 minutes.
Return the chicken to the skillet and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the potatoes are tender.

Chicken with Homemade Pesto

Monday night we had chicken with homemade pesto and pasta.

We ended up with this menu choice because we both got sidetracked in figuring out what to have for dinner. When 3 pm rolled around and neither of us had a clue, it was off to the freezer in the basement to see what meat we had "in stock." While we had several options, I went with the boneless skinless chicken breast. They are very versatile. As I was opening the door to the freezer I had remembered that our basil plant had gone a bit crazy and needed to be cut back.

Presto, we would have pesto!

I used a recipe I posted earlier for the pesto. (scroll down for the recipe).

For the chicken I didn't have a real recipe. I received, at some point, a number of spice mixes from "Tastefully Simple" so thought I would use those.


Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
3 Cloves Pressed Garlic
1 Tablespoon Italian Blend Seasonings from Tastefully Simple
1/2 Tablespoon Seasoned Salt from Tastefully Simple
1 Tablespoon Dried Tomato and Garlic Pesto Mix from Tastefully Simple
grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Directions
Cube 2 chicken breasts into small pieces.

Heat up skillet and add olive oil and garlic. Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds then added the cubed chicken.

Add spices and cook until done.

When serving, instead of mixing the chicken in with the pesto pasta, it was placed in a separate bowl so portion control was easier.

Mr. Gooch Cooks (Chicken and Peppers Marinated in Spicy Chipotle Tabasco Marinade)

Mr. Gooch was in charge of dinner this evening. He made one of his specialties - chicken and peppers marinated in Spicy Chipotle Tabasco Marinade. These are one of my favorites, let me tell you.

Marinade Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 cup TABASCO® brand Chipotle Pepper Sauce
1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions:
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat; stir in garlic and cook 15 seconds or until garlic releases its fragrance. Remove from heat to cool slightly, then stir in remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Set aside 1/2 cup marinade to serve at the table. Use remainder to marinate* poultry, meat, or seafood before grilling; discard used marinade.
We usually cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and marinade overnight for best flavor. We then add the cut peppers to the marinade about 2 hours before cooking.

To cook the chicken and peppers, we place in kebob baskets for grilling using medium-high heat and cooking until done.

I will often make a taco/fajita out of them using low-cal/high fiber/great tasting tortilla from Tortilla Factory. For those doing Weight Watchers, the point value on these is 0 points (score!)