chicken – Page 2

Margarita Chicken

April 8, 2016

When a drink after work isn’t enough, make this Margarita Chicken!

I make chicken for dinner a lot. It’s easy and requires almost no thought on my part, which is great for those long days. But plain ol’ chicken can get boring after a while. Which is why I try to mix things up every now and then.

One of our more recent chicken experiments is this Margarita Chicken. It is exactly what it sounds like. Imagine marinating chicken in a margarita and this is what you would get, more or less.

In case you aren’t sure what goes into a margarita, its a lot of lime juice, a hint of Triple Sec (orange liquor), some simple syrup, and a shot of Tequila. Since this is a chicken recipe, I decided to forgo the sweetness. But just about everything else in the marinade is just like the drink – lime juice, orange juice (instead of triple sec), tequila, and a generous amount of sea salt! Because I like my margaritas with salt. There may also be a hint of garlic and cumin in there, too. I definitely wouldn’t recommend putting either of those in your drink.

To make sure that the lime flavor was coming through loud in clear, I also topped off the chicken with some lime zest along with some salt and pepper.

After the chicken is done getting drunk on it’s very own margarita, all it needs is a good sear on a hot grill or in a pan and it is done! And don’t worry about overcooking this chicken. The lime juice and tequila makes the chicken breasts nice and moist and tender, so you won’t dry it out if you tend to overcook chicken like me.

I hope this recipe will inspire you to mix up your chicken routine. It would be perfect with a side of rice, on a nice salad, or in a taco. The options are endless!

Enjoy!

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Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad

April 4, 2016

Pasta Salad-8

If you are looking for an easy, crowd-pleasing recipe, look no further. This pasta salad is one of those recipes my mom has made for years whenever she has to feed a large group. She can easily double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe if she needs to, and the recipe doesn’t have to be exact every time. Somehow it always ends up tasting delicious.

For me, the unsung hero of this pasta salad is the sun dried tomato. Hence why I am calling it the sun dried tomato pasta salad. Even though they don’t stand out in the picture above, they impart their subtle, yet unmistakable flavor to the dish. The tomatoes themselves are obviously mixed in to the salad, but the oil from the tomatoes is also mixed in with the dressing. A true testament to how good this salad is, is that my husband, who does not like sun dried tomatoes, can’t get enough of it.

Pasta Salad-1

But of course, you can’t have pasta salad without the pasta. I like to use whole wheat pasta, because, you know….it’s a bit healthier. Penne or ziti pasta is ideal for this so that the flavors and dressing gets all up in the nooks and crannies.

Pasta Salad-2

To round out the rest of the cast are chicken (not pictured), snap peas, cilantro, and green onion. It may seem like a random combination of thing, but trust me, it all works together perfectly.

Pasta Salad-3 The dressing for the salad is a combination of Champagne dressing, the reserved oil from the sun dried tomatoes, balsamic, and olive oil. I know it’s a quirky combination, but I assure you it makes this such a difference. On it’s own, the Champagne dressing can be too acidic, but mixed with the rest of the oils and vinegar, it really tones it down.

Pasta Salad-4

The beauty of this salad is that I can prep everything ahead of time, even the day before and then dress the whole thing right before serving. That’s what makes it perfect for a big group or party. Very little prep work.

Pasta Salad-6

I hope you try this recipe and love it as much as my family does!

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Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala

February 26, 2016

TIkka-Masala-12b

As I sit here writing this post I am laying in bed. It’s 8:00pm. I have been here since 5:30pm. I am not sure if it’s the fever, the cough, or just the lack of inspiration, but I have no idea what to write about this Paleo Chicken Tikka Masala.

I guess I could write that I had very little exposure to Indian food until grad school. That definitely does not make me an expert on it, but I think that makes me the best person to tell any of you who are afraid to try Indian food to give this recipe a try! Chicken tikka masala is the best gateway into Indian food you can find! This dish has quickly become one of my favorites and can easily be made a bit healthier with just a few tweaks.

At first I was a little intimidated to make Tikka Masala at home because of all the fancy spices. Then I realized, I already had just about all of them in my spice collection. But despite the exotic name, I found that it’s almost like making a classic meat sauce!

I started by marinating the chicken in coconut milk and spices overnight. Then I broiled the chicken just to get it a bit charred and added it to the simmering tomato sauce. Once the chicken is cooked through and the flavors have melted together, it’s ready to go! Easy right?

TIkka Masala-10

Chicken Tikka Masala is typically served with rice and/or naan bread. To stick make this extra Paleo, we served ours over cauliflower rice. But, if I am being perfectly honest, we also had some naan bread with it. Don’t call the Paleo Police. It was Friday night and we wanted to go a little crazy, okay? If you are Paleo, I don’t have to tell you to skip the bread and stick with the cauli-rice.

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Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Soup

October 21, 2015

I am on a major soup kick lately. Something about a hot bowl of soup just makes me feel so cozy! One of my absolute favorites is enchilada soup! This recipe reminds me a lot of Chili’s version I loved so much in college, but even better (because I know what’s in it!).

My favorite part about it is that 95% of the work is done by the crock pot. The night before I saute up some diced onion and garlic and just about everything else goes in the slow-cooker as is: Chicken breast, chicken stock, roasted tomatoes, and spices. Once it’s done, I mix in some cheese and top off with some tortilla chips.

It really is so easy and is hearty enough to satisfy any appetite for lunch or dinner. Plus it tastes just like a chicken enchilada, but is so much less work!

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Chicken Chili Verde

September 14, 2015

Do you need an extremely easy recipe that will basically make itself while you’re at work? Well, I’ve got one for you! This chicken chili verde is really easy and just requires a bit of prep, but the slow cooker does all the hard work for you so that you can have a yummy bowl of chili when you get home from work.

The night before, I jsauteed up some peppers and an onion. Then the next morning I dumped a can of white beans, a half bag of frozen corn, and the peppers and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker. I topped that with two frozen chicken breasts. 1 carton of chicken stock, and some spices. Then I went off my merry way to work, and let the slow cooker do the rest. When I came home my kitchen smelled amazing and dinner was already made! What’s better than that?

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Lite and Healthy Pad Thai

September 23, 2014

At the end of a long week, there is nothing that I want more than some take-out food and a large glass of wine. But the last time my husband and I got take out from our local Chinese food place, we felt pretty disgusting afterwards. Everything was fried and greasy (albeit…delicious). So this past Friday I set out to make a more healthy version of one of out take-out favorites: pad thai!

I started by making some zucchini noodles with a mandolin to supplement the rice noodles that are traditional in pad thai.

I also added lots of julienned carrots and bell peppers to boost up the veggie factor. I tossed all the veggies and thinly sliced chicken breast in a hot pan and sauteed them in a bit of vegetable and sesame oil and seasoned with garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger. In the meantime, I cooked about half the normal amount of rice noodles in a pot of boiling water.

Once the chicken was cooked, I added in the rice noodles and poured the sauce over the top and tossed it all together.

I served up a healthy portion of the noodles into bowls, and topped them with some bean sprouts, peanuts, and a squeeze of lime. Our craving for take-out was totally satisfied and we didn’t feel like we had just ingested a cup of grease. And just like your favorite take-out, this pad thai is almost better eaten cold the next day. Oh you don’t do that?? Well, try it…it’s awesome!

Whats your favorite take out food?

[Sorry – Yum Prints wasn’t working…will try adding the recipe again later. For now, it’s included below]

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, thinly sliced
1 zucchini, julienned
1 bell pepper, julienned
2 carrots, julienned
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp garlic, minced or grated
1 tsp red pepper flakes
5 oz rice noodles
2 tbsp light soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp fish sauce
1/4 cup bean sprouts
2 tbsp peanuts, chopped

Directions:

Place a large skillet over medium high heat and coat with 1 tsp with vegetable oil. Toss in chicken and cook for about 2 minutes.
Add in vegetables, 1/2 tsp sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes. Stir every couple minutes to cook evenly. Cook another 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook rice noodles in boiling water according to package directions.
In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, lime juice, fish sauce, and honey. Pour over vegetable and chicken mixture. Add in noodles and toss to coat.
Spoon pad thai into bowls, and top with bean sprouts and peanuts. Serve and enjoy.

Perfect Baked Chicken Wings

April 14, 2014

Who am I to tell you what the “perfect” baked chicken wing is? To be honest, I didn’t eat chicken wings until I started dating my husband. Well, I shouldn’t say dating…because wings are a horrible date food. I started eating wings when my then-boyfriend, now-husband, and I were in a deep, committed relationship. The kind of relationship where you can get sauce all over your face and rip crispy flesh from tiny chicken bones. It is probably what cemented our relationship.

Whoa. Sorry for the tangent. But really, my husband loves chicken wings, so it takes a lot to impress him.

The perfect baked chicken wings aren’t about the sauce you use. We all have different flavor preferences and spice tolerances. No. It’s about how you bake them (and how many times) to make sure they are nice and crispy.

First, I lined the chicken wings on a rack (like a cooling rack you use for cookies), over a foil lined baking sheet. Then I seasoned the chicken wings with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika and baked them at 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

Next, I tossed the baked wings in my favorite barbeque sauce and baked them in the oven for another 5 minutes.

The final step might seem trivial, but I think that it makes all the difference in the wings. After they baked a second time, I coated them again in sauce then I threw them on the grill to caramelize the sauce ans get a little char on the wings.

In the end, we had crispy, juicy, and flavorful wings that rivaled some of our favorite (fried) versions.

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Chicken Pita Burger

September 19, 2013

Sometimes, not very often, I head to the grocery store with no plan. No list. Nothing. This happens very very rarely. As much as I find meal planning to be a chore, I hate having to come up with a meal on the fly during the week when all I have in the fridge/pantry is hummus, some spinach, and black beans.

That’s what happened this week.

But, thank goodness I had more than just hummus, spinach, and black beans around the kitchen. Thanks to the ground chicken I didn’t use last week, left over mini pita pockets, Greek yogurt I always have in the fridge, and all the random veggies in the fridge I came up with the idea for a Greek-inspired chicken burger.

Despite the lack of planning and preparation, these burgers turned out so well! B went back for seconds, which is not all that common (I know it’s a good recipe when he goes back for more). And as a bride to be, I really appreciated that these burgers were pretty light, especially since I used extra lean chicken and pitas instead of buns.

Have you ever made something amazing just trying to use up things in your fridge?