Chicken Parmesan

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes (quality varies dramatically; I prefer Redpack, Progresso and Muir Glen brands)

½ teaspoon dried basil

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon sugar

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each), halved crosswise

1 large egg

½ cup dry bread crumbs

8 ounces spaghetti or linguine

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

½ cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for passing at the table

1.      In a large saucepan, heat garlic and 2 Tbs. oil over medium-high heat until garlic starts to sizzle. Stir in tomatoes, basil, oregano, sugar, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a simmer; simmer until sauce thickens a bit and flavors meld, 10 to 12 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

Remember, this makes twice the amount of sauce you need, so put aside half for another meal.  Or, just use spaghetti sauce.

2.      Put chicken pieces between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound, using your fists or a heavy pan, until the cutlets are about 1/4-inch thick.

3.      Bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large soup kettle.

4.      In a pie pan, beat egg until well-blended. In another pie pan, mix bread crumbs and more black pepper. Preheat broiler.

5.      Working one cutlet at a time, dip both sides of each in beaten egg, then in bread crumbs. Put cutlets on a wire rack set over a cookie sheet (this step helps breading stay put).

6.      Heat remaining 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat in a 12-inch skillet. When oil starts to shimmer, add cutlets and sauté until golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes total. Wash and dry the wire rack and return to cookie sheet. As the cutlets sauté, cook pasta in boiling water according to package directions.

7.      Transfer cutlets to clean wire rack over cookie sheet. Top each with a portion of the cheeses. Broil cutlets, 4 to 5 inches from heat source, until cheese melts and is spotty brown.

8.      Drain pasta. Put a cutlet and a portion of pasta on each of 4 plates. Spoon 2 or 3 tablespoons of sauce over part of each cutlet, then sauce the pasta as desired. Serve with extra Parmesan.

Shrimp or Chicken and Pasta Pesto

Made using chicken and broccoli

8 oz whole-wheat fettuccine

1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1/2 c sliced jarred roasted red peppers
1/4 c prepared pesto
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb raw shrimp, (21-25 per pound), peeled and deveined
1 c dry white wine
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
 
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add fettuccine and cook for 3 minutes less than the package directions specify. Add asparagus and continue cooking until the pasta and asparagus are just tender, about 3 minutes more. Reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water, drain the fettuccine and asparagus and return to the pot. Stir in peppers and pesto. Cover to keep warm.


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shrimp and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 3 minutes. Add wine, increase heat to high and continue cooking until the shrimp are curled and the wine is reduced, about 3 minutes. Add the shrimp and the reserved cooking water to the pasta; toss to coat. Season with pepper and serve immediately.
 

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

3/4 tsp salt, divided
3/4 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
4 (6-oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
2 c thinly sliced red bell peppers
1 c thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
1/2 c thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
1 1/2  tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 c fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

**Used chopped peppers from freezer and had no shallots.
Preheat oven to 450.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Combine 1/2 tsp salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 tsp pepper, garlic powder and oregano.  Brush chicken with 1 1/2 tsp oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken.  Add 1 1/2 tsp oil to pan.  Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned.  Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute.  Arrange chicken in an 11x7-in baking dish coating with cooking spray. Bake at 450 for 10 min or until done.

Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; saute 3 minutes.  Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits.  Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes.  Increase heat to medium-high.  Stir in vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Source: Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2010

Chicken Quesadillas

1 onion, chopped
3/4 c red pepper, chopped
3 T butter
1 c cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 lb chicken, cooked and shredded
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
1 pack taco seasoning
2 - 6 inch flour tortillas (or whatever size/kind preferred)
Sour cream
Salsa (store bought pico de gallo)
Lettuce


Melt butter in saucepan and add onions and peppers.  Sauté are almost tender.  Add chicken and taco seasoning (along with the amount of water suggested in directions).  Stir until water has evaporated.

Mix in the cilantro and cheese, stirring until cheese is slightly melted; remove from heat.

Get toppings ready by shredding lettuce and placing on a plate.  Top with sour cream and salsa.

Heat a larger saucepan on medium.  Spray with cooking spray.  Fill one half of tortilla shell with chicken mixture, fold and place in pan.  Repeat with second shell.

Cook quesadillas in pan for 3-5 minutes a side.  Remove from heat, and use a pizza cutter to slice quesadillas into wedges.  Serve immediately.

**This is how our family enjoys them.  You can add/subtract all the different ingredients you prefer.  Mushrooms, green peppers, jalepenos - have fun experimenting!

Mediterranean Orzo with Chicken

**Note: In my attempt to buy groceries with 3 children along, I bought "acini de pepe" instead of orzo - if you are wondering why the "orzo" above doesn't look like orzo.  We liked it with the change and may just keep it.

1 lb orzo or acini de pepe, uncooked
3/4 lb chicken breast
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp garlic, minced
3/4 c jarred sun-dried tomatoes, drained, coarsely chopped (reserve 1/4 c oil from jar)
1 yellow pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 tsp oregano
2 Tbsp parsley
1/4 c red wine vinegar
2 oz feta cheese, crumbled
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 350 (I use convection roast).  Heat olive oil in cast iron pan over medium heat.  Sprinkle black pepper and salt over both sides of chicken.  Add to pan and cook for 5 minutes, turning halfway.  Remove from cooktop and place in oven for 30 minutes.

Cook orzo (acini de pepe) according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat reserved sun-dried tomato oil in skillet.  Add garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and peppers. Saute until soft, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Toss together hot pasta, cooked vegetables, seasonings, parsley, red-wine vinegar, chicken and feta cheese.

Makes 9 servings.

**This recipe also calls for 1/4 c black olives, chopped, which I left out.

Chicken & Biscuits

3 c cooked chicken, shredded

3 cans cream of chicken soup
8 oz sour cream
1/3 c milk
2 Tbsp butter
1 small bag frozen peas and  carrots
Pillsbury Grands buttermilk biscuits

Preheat oven and follow package directions to bake biscuits.  Place the first 6 ingredients together into a saucepan stirring to combine.  Heat on low until mixture is hot.  To serve, separate biscuits and spoon chicken mixture on top.  Shredded cheddar cheese may be added on top.

Crescent Chicken Squares

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1 Tbsp butter, melted
3 c cubed cooked chicken
1 Tbsp onion
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp milk
1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1 Tbsp butter, melted
¾ cup seasoned croutons, crushed

Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and 1 Tbsp melted butter; beat until smooth. Add chicken, onions, salt, pepper, milk; mix well.

Separate or cut dough into 4 rectangles; firmly pressing perforations to seal. Divide chicken mixture into 4 equal parts and place one part onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture, layering on top and pinching edges to seal. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 Tbsp melted butter; press top and sides of chicken square into bowl with crushed croutons. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Adapted from Pillsbury.

Cashew Chicken Salad

1/4 c fat-free sour cream

1 Tbsp light mayonnaise

1/4 tsp curry powder

2 c chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)

1/3 c chopped celery

2 Tbsp chopped dry-roasted cashews

1 Tbsp finely chopped green onions
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Add chicken, celery, cashews, and green onions; stir well. Serve chicken salad on buns. (I served mine on small loaves of the "simple whole wheat bread")

Feta-Stuffed Chicken - New Dieter's Cookbook

Can replace spinach with broccoli

1/4 c crumbled basil-and-tomato feta cheese (1 oz)

2 Tbsp fat-free cream cheese (1 oz)

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1 1/4 lbs total)

1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Dash salt

1 tsp olive oil

1/4 c chicken broth

1 10-oz package prewashed fresh spinach, trimmed (8 c) **I used half

2 Tbsp walnut or pecan pieces, toasted (optional)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Lemon slices, halved (optional)

In a small bowl combine feta cheese and cream cheese; set aside. Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slit through the thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff pockets with the cheese mixture. If necessary, secure openings with wooden toothpicks. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt.

In a large nonstick skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat about 12 minutes or until tender and no longer pink, turning once (reduce heat to medium if chicken browns too quickly). Remove chicken from skillet. Cover and keep warm.

Carefully add chicken broth to skillet. Bring to boiling; add half of spinach. Cover and cook about 3 minutes or just until spinach is wilted. Remove spinach from skillet, reserving liquid in pan. Repeat with remaining spinach. Return all spinach to skillet. Stir in the nuts and lemon juice.

To serve, divide spinach mixture among 4 dinner plates. Top with chicken breasts. If desired, garnish with lemon slices.

4 servings, 231 calories per serving

Source: Better Homes & Gardens New Dieter's Cookbook, 2003

Chicken Crackers

1 1/2 c flour
1 stick butter
A dash of salt
4-5 Tbsp milk

Put first 3 in bowl and blend, slowly adding 1 Tbsp of milk at a time. Spread thinly onto cookie sheet. Cut into bite size pieces. Bake at 350 for 10 min, til crackers are a light golden brown.

Serve topped with chicken and gravy.

Update: For my chicken and gravy, I usually use split chicken breast and put them in the crock pot for a few hours. I pull it off the bone. I use the packets of powder to make my gravy - when it is done, I just add the chicken. I have failed over and over at attempts to make my own gravy...sad I know!

Polynesian Chicken Bundles

12 oz pineapple juice
6 Tbsp soy sauce
4 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp water
1 15 oz can fried rice*
3 green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
6 chicken breast halves, pounded flat

Place juice and soy sauce in saucepan. Mix cornstarch with water and add to saucepan. Heat to boiling; remove from heat.

Heat fried rice* in skillet; add green onion and green pepper. Add a little juice from the saucepan to the skillet.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place one scoop of rice mixture in center of a chicken breast and roll from the narrow end, holding together with a toothpick at each end. Continue with each breast until complete. Place in baking dish and pour sauce over them. Bake for 50 minutes, basting with sauce in baking dish after the first 20 minutes. Cover dish for the remaining 30 minutes.

*I used a box of Rice-a-Roni Fried Rice.

**Freezer directions: After rolling stuffed breasts, wrap each individual roll in plastic wrap, and place together in a large freezer bag. Freeze sauce in a separate freezer bag. Thaw chicken bundles and seperate bag of sauce.

Source: Don't Panic - Dinner's in the Freezer

Croquettes

In the past, I've made these with chicken - but they were an excellent way to use leftover turkey!

I'm listing the recipe first, as given in the cookbook - but I've included how we make them.

2 c chicken (or turkey) cooked and cubed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion salt
2 Tbsp chopped celery
Pepper to taste
Un-salted saltines

White sauce:
2 Tbsp butter
2 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 c milk

Cook white sauce until thickened. Mix white sauce with chicken mixture. Form into balls. Dip balls in crushed saltines*, then into beaten eggs and again into crumbs. Fry in fat 3 to 5 minutes. Can be frozen. Reheat at 400 for 20 minutes.

*If using salted saltines, reduce salt in chicken mixture.

Personal Variation: I do not dip them into the eggs or do the second cracker dip.

We fry** them if we are eating them right away - but I like to make them ahead and freeze. After dipping them into the crackers, I put them on a wax paper covered cookie sheet. I place it in the freezer for a few hours until solid. Then I put them all in a freezer bag.  Thaw before baking - spray both sides with cooking spray and put on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 20 min. Serve with chicken gravy.

**I fry them in a small amount of olive oil.

Source: New W.O. Church Cookbook

Poppy Seed Chicken

6 c cooked chicken, cut in bite size pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 c sour cream

Crumbs:
1 stick butter, melted
2 Tbsp poppy seeds
2 pkgs crushed Ri*tz crackers (about 60 crackers)

Mix chicken, soup and sour cream. Put in greased 13x9 pan. Mix all crumb ingredients together and put on top of chicken. Bake in a 350 oven for 1 hour.

Source: MC church cookbook

Chicken and Dumplings

1 (32-oz.) container low-sodium chicken broth

1 (14 1/2-oz.) can low-sodium chicken broth

3 c shredded cooked chicken (about 1 1/2 lb.)

1 (10 3/4-oz.) can reduced-fat cream of celery soup

1/4 tsp poultry seasoning

1 (10.2-oz.) can refrigerated jumbo buttermilk biscuits

Stir together first 5 ingredients in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.

Place biscuits on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat each biscuit to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips.

Return broth mixture to a low boil over medium-high heat. Drop strips, 1 at a time, into boiling broth. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent dumplings from sticking.

Personal Variation: Buy a second can of buttermilk biscuits to enjoy with dinner.

Source: Southern Living magazine, November 2006

Roman Chicken

2 c diced chicken

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 c broth or water

1 c diced celery

1 c diced onions

1 c chow mien noodles

1 c cashew nuts

Combine chicken, soup, broth, celery, onion and 3/4 of the noodles. Add nuts and sprinkle remaining noodles on top.

Bake 30 min at 350.

Source: MC church cookbook

Jambalaya Red Beans & Rice

1 bag (12 oz) frozen, deveined shelled cooked small shrimp
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 c)
3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken, cut
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 dried bay leaves
15.5 oz can red beans, drained, rinsed
6 oz can tomato paste
14.5 oz can garlic-seasoned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp dried Creole seasoning
1/2 lb precooked Kielbasa, halved lengthwise, 1 inch slices ** I use a full pound
4 c uncooked instant rice (white or brown)
water

Thaw shrimp in fridge. In slow cooker, layer onion, chicken, garlic, bay leaves, beans, tomato paste, tomatoes, sugar and Creole seasoning.

Cover, cook on low 6-8 hours.

35 min before serving, remove and discard bay leaves. If necessary, remove tail shells from thawed shrimp; gently stir in shrimp and sausage into chicken mixture.

Increase heat to high - cover - 20-30 min more.

Cook rice in water as directed on package.

Serve meat mixture over rice. If desired serve with red pepper sauce.

**Corn bread tastes excellent with this!

Source: Pillsbury Slow Cooker 2005

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg. (6 oz) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1/2 c water
1-1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tsp dried basil leaves
1 c mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes in medium bowl. Add stuffing mix, water and garlic; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside.

Place chicken in 13x9-inch baking dish; sprinkle with the basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture.

Bake 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.




Source: Kraft Foods
Personal Variation: If you link to the Kraft site, you'll notice they call for 2 cloves or garlic, I omitted this and we loved it.

Sour Cream Chicken Quiche

1 (9 inch) frozen prepared pie crust, thawed

1 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 c chopped onion

1/4 c chopped green bell pepper

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 c cooked, cubed chicken meat

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 c shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

1/2 c shredded Swiss cheese

2 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 c milk

3/4 c sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a 9-inch pie plate with thawed pie crust; refrigerate until ready to fill.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium hight heat. Saute onion and bell pepper for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add flour, then cook and stir for an additional 2 minutes. Finally stir in chicken, salt, nutmeg and pepper until well mixed.

Spread chicken mixture over the bottom of the unbaked pie shell, and top with Cheddar cheese and Swiss cheese. In a small bowl whip together the egg beat, milk and sour cream and pour mixture over chicken mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min, then reduce temp to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 to 35 min, or until a knife inserted into the pie comes out clean.

Source: What's Cooking at Carrie's

Originally: allrecipes

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

1 (6.2) pkg fast cooking long grain& wild rice (Uncle Ben’s)
2 Tbsp butter
1 c medium onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 (8 oz.) can sliced water chestnuts, drained
2½ cups chopped, cooked chicken
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1 (10 ¾ oz. ) can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz sour cream
1/2 c milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Prepare rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add onion, celery, and water chestnuts. Sauté 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Stir vegetables into rice. Add chicken, 1 1/2 cups cheese, & next 5 ingredients. Mix well. Spoon mixture into lightly greased 4 quart casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake 5 more minutes.

Source: I found this recipe on Tracy's blog and our family has come to love it! She now has it posted on her new cooking blog, Mama's Fixins. Here's the link to her recipe.

Personal Variation: I cut her recipe in half and it makes a full 9x13 dish for us (I always add extra chicken). Above is the recipe for a half portion and the picture shows how much it makes. Its a perfect to make and freeze or to share a meal with another family.

Honey Mustard Barbecued Chicken

SAUCE
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 c brown sugar
1 c chicken stock
1/2 c prepared honey mustard
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp curry powder

Chicken
4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast (6 to 8 oz each)
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Vegetable oil, for drizzling
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat grill pan or griddle over medium-high heat.

Add vegetable oil to a small saucepan over moderate heat. Add red onions and sauté, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vinegar and reduce by half, 1 minute or 2. Add brown sugar and cook 1 minute to incorporate. Whisk in stock and honey mustard, allspice and curry powder. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to lowest setting.

Coat chicken with a drizzle of oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken on hot grill and cook 4 to 5 minutes, then turn. Baste chicken liberally with sauce and grill another 5 minutes. Turn once again and baste. Cook 2 or 3 minutes more, then transfer chicken to a platter and serve.

Source: Rachel Ray's 30 Minutes Meals 2

Personal variation: I didn't have a red onion so I used a vidalia onion. I only do 4 breasts and the sauce can be reduced to a half portion. I did not have my pan hot enough so it took much longer to cook, and you can see I cut them in half to speed up the cooking process.