Grilled BBQ Chicken

We have been making this A LOT lately. My husband is cutting out carbs so this has been a go-to dinner for us lately. We've probably had it once or twice a week.

We season everything to taste so I don't really have any measurements.

Skinless boneless chicken breasts
Barbecue Sauce
Salt
Coarse ground black pepper
Seasoned salt
Garlic Powder

Season chicken with salt, pepper, seasoned salt, and garlic powder. Start cooking chicken on grill. Dredge chicken in bbq sauce everytime you turn chicken on grill. Serve with additional bbq sauce drizzled on chicken.

Alternately you can perpare this on the stovetop in a skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil.

Marshall Field's Chicken Salad

When we first started to attend our church last year I received an invitation to attend a ladies luncheon for new women who were visiting the church. It was a lovely afternoon and I met some fantastic women. However one very memorable thing for me was the chicken salad that was served. I'm not sure if this is the same recipe but it was very close. I had never considered adding grapes or crunchy nuts to it before (I was very much a rookie in the kitchen at this point). It blew my taste buds away.

When I was planning Carson's baptism lunch I knew I wanted to have chicken salad sandwiches and had this recipe that I wanted to try. It was fantastic. My babysitter actually still mentions how great it was every morning when I drop Carson off and the party happened nearly 2 weeks ago.

Marshall Field's Chicken Salad

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I used honey dijon)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper (I used coarse ground black pepper)
2 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups shredded chicken breast, cooked
1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
2 Tbsp green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup pecans, toasted & chopped
1/4 cup seedles grapes, halved

Mix mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.



Source: Recipezaar

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan

I wanted to make something quick and easy for dinner the other night so I quickly made up the following. Measurements are estimates.

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup italian-seasoned dry breadcrumbs
1 cup primavera spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded mozzeralla cheese
Nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Spray an 8x8 glass baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
3. Take chicken breasts and pound with a meat mallet to 1/2 inch thickness.
4. Place egg and breadcrumbs in separate small bowls. Dip chicken in egg and then coat in breadcrumbs. Place in prepared baking dish.
5. Cover chicken with the pasta sauce and then with mozzarella cheese. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
6. Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.

Source: me

Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake

I saw this recipe pop up in my Google Reader a couple of different times and it looked so delicious to me that I marked it down to try at some point. Well that time arrived and I was not disappointed. This was delicious!

Chicken Florentine Pasta Bake
adapted from Crista's Kitchen Creations via Jenn and Food, Perfect Together
Makes 6-8 servings

12 ounces farfalle pasta
1 small onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
pinch of basil, oregano, parsley
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups milk
kosher salt and coarse ground pepper, to taste
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 cup oil packed sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/4 grated Parmesan cheese, divided
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs (I used italian flavored breadcrumbs)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 3-quart baking dish with cooking spray. (Or, use this method to make two separate dishes.)

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and cook pasta as directed, to al dente. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-heat. Add the onions and cook 3-4 minutes until translucent. Add the chicken and herbs and red pepper flakes and cook until heated through. Remove from heat, set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt and pepper. Stir in the chicken mixture, Monterey Jack cheese, artichokes, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, half of the Parmesan, and cooked pasta.

Transfer to prepared baking dish(es). Bake, covered with foil, for 20 minutes. In small bowl, combine remaining Parmesan, bread crumbs, paprika, and melted butter. Sprinkle mixture over pasta and continue baking, uncovered, 10 minutes more or until golden.

Garlic Lime Chicken

My parents came up to visit a couple of weeks ago and I decided to make this dish for them. It is quick, easy, healthy, and tasty. Everything a girl can want.

Garlic Lime Chicken
Source: www.savingdinner.com

1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 cup chicken broth

1. On a dinner plate, mix together salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and thyme. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium-high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown (about 5 minutes per side). Remove chicken and add lime juice and chicken broth to pan, whisking up browned bits off the bottom of pan. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan. Heat through and coat to serve.

Easy Chicken Taco Casserole

I made this dinner one night when work was a little busy. I really wanted some Mexican flavor but I also wanted something quick.

Easy Chicken Taco Casserole
a Julie original

1 pound chicken breasts cut up into bite size pieces
1 small can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 can green chiles, drained
1 packet taco seasoning
1 container Pace Salsa
1 cup taco shredded cheese blend
1-2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until no longer pink. Add taco seasoning to skillet. Then add corn, beans, and chiles and mix thoroughly.
3. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Place chicken mixture into casserole dish. Cover with salsa and then with shredded cheese.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.

It does actually taste better than it looks. Casseroles just don't photograph well.

Penne alla Betsy

I have seen this recipe in several blogs I follow in my Google Reader and it looked really yummy so I decided to make it (with a few changes).

Penne alla Betsy

Olive Oil
Butter
1 lb shrimp, peeled & deveined (I substituted diced chicken breasts because I don't like shrimp)
3/4 lb penne or other short pasta
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine (I substituted chicken broth since I am still nursing my son)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and Pepper (I accidentally omitted because Carson started crying heavily at this point and I got distracted. Would be better with the salt and pepper)
Parsley
Basil (My store didn't have fresh basil so I just used extra parsley)

1. Put water on to boil for the pasta.
2. Heat a large frying pan and melt 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp olive oil in pan. Saute shrimp (chicken) until opague (cooked) and then remove to a plate.
3. Melt anotehr 2 Tbsp butter and olive oil in same pan and cook garlic until slightly browning. Add onion and cook until translucent.
4. Add pasta to boiling water and cook per package directions.
5. Add 1/2 cup wine (broth) and allow to cook down for approximately 1 minute. Then add tomato sauce, stirring to combine, and cream.
6. Chop parsley and basil and add to sauce to taste. Add salt and pepper (whoops to me on this part).
7. Remove shrimp tails and chop shrimp into bite-size pieces (Obviously I omitted this step since chicken was already in bite size pieces). Return to sauce and stir to combine.
8. When pasta is cooked, drain, and then add to sauce, tossing to cover.

Source: The Pioneer Woman

I enjoyed it a lot. My husband thought it was a little bland, but then again I did unintentionally leave out the salt and pepper. He reheated leftovers the next night and he added garlic salt, seasoned salt, and pepper to his and he did like it that time.

I'm also sure there would have been more flavor to it had I used white wine in the sauce instead of the chicken broth so I'll have to make this again once I have weaned Carson.

Boursin Spinach Stuffed Chicken

I wanted to make something special for our anniversary which was on April 23rd but then our oven wasn't working so we ended up going to Macaroni Grill to celebrate. Then I was going to make it on Friday but my husband wanted something quicker since he was really hungry so we reheated some leftover casserole we'd had earlier in the week. And then Saturday he was volunteering all day and didn't get home until after 8pm so definitely too late for something like this. But Sunday was the day. The oven is still broken, in fact, I'm at home this morning waiting for a repairman to come and look at it, so I ended up cooking it in our toaster oven so cooking times probably WILL vary in a standard oven.

This dish was delicious and my husband said it tasted like something he could eat in a restaurant. He definitely wants me to make this again. I can't say it was based on any particular recipe but more based on every stuffed chicken recipe I've ever seen.

Boursin Spinach Stuffed Chicken
Makes 2 servings

1/3 package boursin garlic/herb cheese
1/4 (10 oz) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 chicken breasts pounded relatively flat
1/2 italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 stick butter or margarine, melted (I used margarine)

Lay chicken breasts on a plate or cutting board. Put a layer of boursin cheese on each breast. Top with a layer of spinach. Roll up chicken breasts and use a toothpick to keep rolled. (For me I had to basically fold them in half and needed 2 toothpicks to keep them in place). Dip rolled breast in melted butter and then cover in breadcrumbs. Bake for 35-40 minutes in a preheated 400F oven (again I used my toaster oven so bake times will likely vary in a standard oven).

Comfort Food

One of my favorite comfort foods my Mom would make when I was little was this Chicken Pasta Salad. Since this is my first full week back at work after maternity leave I decided to make a big batch of this salad to help me through the lunches when I'm missing my son. There are no real concrete measurements as it is really a "to taste" combination but I will put approximate measurements after each ingredient.

Chicken Pasta Salad

Chicken - I used 2 large cans of chicken, you could also use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken or turkey, etc.

Peas - I used 2 cans drained

Celery - I used 3 stalks, diced

Pasta - I used one bag of whole wheat egg noodles

Hard-boiled egg - I used the whites only of 3 hard boiled eggs

Other desired veggies, if any - I diced about 10 baby carrots

Mayonnaise or Salad Dressing - I used Miracle Whip

Combine all together in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Whenever I use canned chicken it looks too pink for my taste so this time I put some extra virgin olive oil in a skillet and cooked the canned chicken until no longer pink. I also seasoned it with garlic powder, black pepper, and basil.

I had some for lunch today and soooo yummy!