Teriyaki Chicken

Over the last few months, I’ve had a family member, Phyllis, languishing from the effects of cancer.  She passed away last Sunday and I am putting a few recipes onto this blog in her honor. This recipe is from Phyllis’ niece, who sent the recipe up in Phyllis’ early days of convalescence.


Category: Chicken


Preheat: --


Ingredients:
12 Chicken thighs, skins removed
1 Tbsp. Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tsp. Ground ginger
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Water
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Sesame seeds


Directions:
1.  In 1 Tbsp oil, Brown thighs in a large skillet on medium-high heat.  Season with Salt and Pepper.
2.  In a large pot, stir in ginger, sugar, soy sauce, water, garlic powder, and sesame seeds.
3.  Transfer the browned thighs into the pot and cover.  Simmer on a low heat for about two hours, rotating thighs every 30 minutes.  The meat should be tender and ready to fall off of the bone. 
4.  Serve hot with steamed rice, using the extra sauce over the rice.  You can use my yummy rice recipe to complete this recipe!  This sounds amazing with broccoli, mmmm!  And it sounds SOOOO EASY!

Chicken Tacos

This Food Nanny (BYU television) recipe was AMAZING.  We have since come up with a modified recipe that we eat at least once a week (beef tacos).

Preheat: 200*F
Categories: Mexican, Chicken, Tacos, Food Nanny

2 Tablespoons Butter
Canola oil - for frying
2 pounds Chicken breast, cut up into bite-size pieces
3 Tablespoons chopped Onion
2-3 Garlic cloves, minced
2 Tomatoes, chopped
1/2 Cup chopped fresh Cilantro
12 Corn tortillas
Salt, ground pepper, garlic salt

Toppings
Shredded cheddar, pepper jack or combination
Sour cream
Fresh spinach, thinly sliced
Fresh salsa or Tobasco sauce
Lime wedges

1.  Put butter and oil into a skillet on medium-high heat. 

2.  Add chicken, onions.  Cook until onions are soft and chicken is tender and cooked.

3.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Decrease heat and add cilantro and tomato.  Add chicken broth and water if mixture is too dry.

4.  Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt.  Cook for two minutes, cover, and turn off the heat.

5.  Heat oven to 200*F. 

6.  Use 3/4 Cup of Canola oil to fry tortilla on both sides.  Fold half-way to make a taco.  Place in oven on cookie sheet to keep warm.

7.  Serve mixture in shell, adding chosen toppings.

Rockin' Moroccan Chicken

We've been eating this dish for over a year, and we all love it.  It is served over rice (check out my favorite recipe for rice here).  I like spooning extra liquid over my rice, yum, and my not-very-saucy husband likes to eat it as dry as possible.   I love the simplicity of this recipe--it tastes like I worked a lot harder than I did! 

Preheat: 400*
Category: Chicken, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice, raisins, main dish

2 Chicken breast halves, cut into 1" pieces
1 Sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1" pieces  (I LOVE sweet potato with this dish, but don't always have them on hand.  I like to add to and/or replace the sweet potato with regular potato chunks)
1/4 Cup Raisins (I HATE raisins in baked goods.  But raisins in this dish is surprisingly spectacular!)
1 Cup Vegetable stock (It's all about what you have and don't have.  The vegetable stock is good, flavorful and full of vitamins.  But today, I used chicken broth instead, and it's a delicious substitute.)
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Cumin
1 teaspoon Ginger
1 teaspoon Tumeric
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt

1.  Place chicken pieces into baking dish.  I use my wonderful covered baker from Pampered Chef, but a 9x13 pan and foil will do just fine.

2.  Measure out and stir in all spices.  It is VERY important that you stir in spices before adding in the sweet potatoes or raisins.

3.  Measure out, then stir in the raisins, sweet potato chunks and vegetable stock.

4.  Cover dish and bake at 400* for one hour.  Stir at 20 and 40 minutes.  The second you put your baking dish into the oven is a great time to hurry and measure out and steam your rice!  Your rice will cook in about 15 minutes or so (depending on your method) and then the remaining time, it will cool very slightly, absorbing any remaining moisture, making it perfect and read at the same time as your chicken!

Lemon Glaze (for fish or chicken)

From the Mayo Clinic website for healthy recipes.  Sounds delicious--we're going to make it next week to accompany our tilapia.  :)  And what a good idea to microwave it!!

Preheat: --
Category: glaze, chicken, fish, lemon, lime

2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon or lime zest
1 cup unsalted chicken broth
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons sugar
4 Teaspoons cornstarch

1.  In a microwavable bowl, combine all ingredients, whisking to mix evenly.

2.  Microve on high until clear and thickened, about 1-2 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Austin's Chicken Soup II: Easy and Reasonably Quick

A friend of mine were talking today about the yummiest Chicken Noodle Soup she'd ever had (we're having a church thing tomorrow and we're all bringing soups) and she wanted the recipe BUT the woman who had made it just threw in pinches of this and that...  So I said I'd write down my chicken noodle soup recipe.  It's the same receipe for chicken, for beef and for turkey noodle soup. 

I love to make this soup and eat it all week for lunch.  It's quick, it's healthy, and oh wow, is it yummy.  :)

It looks like a lot of work, but IT'S NOT.  I just want to make it clear you can't dump all of these things into one pot and be done.  They need to be taken care of individually then added together for the grand finale.  If you're a fast chopper and your meat's thawed, you can be done in 30 minutes or less.

Category: chicken, soup, noodles, comfort food, beef, turkey

Preheat: --

Part One: Meat
1-2 chicken breast halves, seasoned, cooked and cubed (when I say halves, it's half of what the chicken originally had on her in life; also I like my chicken baked or stir-fried.)
OR
1 small beef shoulder or butt, seasoned cooked and cubed(I use my crockpot.  I'll have to put that recipe on here later, too)
OR
1/2 turkey breast, seasoned, cooked and cubed
OR
(If you want to cheat, and don't we all!) Abt. 12 oz. Canned chicken meat / turkey meat

1.  Set meat aside.  You can do this step the night before.  It's perfectly fine to add cold meat to the final soup... it'll heat up fast!

Part Two: Noodles & Potatoes
12-16 ounces noodles:

• spaghetti noodles, broken up
• spiral noodles (these tend to suck up too much water--this is your fair warning!)
• fettucine noodles
• (etc.)

(opt, but recommended) 4-6 Potatoes, chopped
2 t. Salt

1.  Add salt to the water (enough to cover everything, plus an inch.  use your eyeballs to measure , or like I do, fill the water up to the handles) and start it boiling.

2.  Add potatoes.  Boil for two minutes.

3.  Add noodles.  Boil for package directions, until the noodles are al dente.  In other words, don't cook them until they're soft!  They should not be crunchy, but not super-soft, either.  8 1/2 minutes should be good  for any noodle that says 10 minutes on the package.

4.  Drain.  All of the cooking shows say to retain a little pasta water.  It helps thicken things up a little later on  I say reserve if you can remember and if it's easy... and then only 2 cups.

5.  Set aside.  Again, you can do this earlier.  In fact, sometimes I cook double the pasta when I'm making it for dinner, putting the 2nd half in the fridge.  Of course you still have to do the potatoes if you're putting those in the soup.

Part Three:
1 whole medium or large onion (yellow or sweet), finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
(opt, but recommended) 4 Carrots, sliced
(opt, but recommended) 4 stalks of Celery, chopped
(opt, but recommended) 6 Mushrooms, diced
(opt) 4 Zucchini, finely diced
(opt) 1-3 Jalapeno, diced (this changes the flavor slightly and deepens it, AND gives a nice little je ne sais quoi)
1/2 Tablespoon Butter (Usually you add more, but I opted for a little butter fat for flavor and sub in the olive oil for a heart-healthy fat.)
1 Tablespoon Olive oil
(opt) 1/4 c. Flour

1.  Get the butter and olive oil combo hot in a large sauté pan

2.  Lower the heat to medium-high (between 7 and 8 on an electric range) and add all vegetables and stir them around to get them coated.

3.  Put the lid on the pan for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to keep everything even.

4.  Test carrots for doneness.  You should be able to easily pierce them with a fork.

5.  If you want more than broth, turn off the heat and sprinkle the optional flour over the vegetables.  Stir it in.

Part Four: Broth and Throwing it All Together
16 cups Chicken broth (preferably made from chicken base), divided
1 T black pepper

1.  Whisk up 8 cups of broth and put it into the big pot.  You're ALMOST DONE.  :)

2.  If thickening with flour, stir in vegetables and stir everything up really well.  Bring to a boil.

3.  Simmer for a few minutes.

4.  Add noodles, potatoes, meat and another 8 cups of broth.

2.  Heat everything through for about 5 minutes.

CAUTION: If you leave noodles in the soup, they will continue to expand!!  Most reasonable adults will add the noodles right before eating, or what I do is reheat individual portions in the microwave.  Proceed at your own risk.

I'm making this for our get-together tomorrow, so I will reheat the broth/vegetables tomorrow... and after it's hot, add the noodles, potatoes and chicken.  I'll heat it through and then RUN over to the church.  :)

Fab Grilled Chicken

I went to my friend's house Saturday and she prepared the yummiest chicken!  She marinated it, then grilled it outside, then kept it warm in the oven, covered with aluminum foil.  I got her to send her recipe to me and I'm posting it for everyone who can find it. :)

1 fryer chicken
1 medium onion
1 head of garlic
1 bouquet of fresh parsley
1 bouquet of green onions
powdered red pepper
salt & pepper
1 cube Chicken bouillon
Vinegar

1.  Wash all ingredients (except chicken, vinegar, salt!) and then crush in a blender.

2.  Wash and cut up chicken pieces (leg, breasts, drumstick, etc.).  Rinse pieces with vinegar and then sprinkle with salt.

3.  Spread crushed marinade over chicken and let rest 15 minutes.

4.  Grill chicken on pre-heated grill.  What my friend did is braise the chicken on the grill (just get the OUTSIDE cooked and browned on a HOT grill) and then tuck the covered chicken into the oven on 200* until it was cooked thoroughly.  Either way, YUM!

Arroz con Pollo

My mom and I thought this was fantastic!  It's flavorful and satisfying.  My HUSBAND, who doesn't like "saucy" rice, and my kids, who don't like... well, anything with vegetables and adult flavors... didn't eat hardly any of it.  I'm posting it here for the grown-ups who love flavor. :D

p.s.  This is a fantastic way to use leftover rice. :)

Arroz con Pollo

Preheat: --
Category: Mexican, comfort food, rice, chicken

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1/2" strips (I used the chicken breast I had in my freezer)
3 Tablespoon oil (I used olive oil--yum)
1/2 pound mushrooms, quartered (I bought mine pre-sliced and used what I had left in the package)
1 medium onion, diced (I used a whole large yellow onion--I subbed some things instead of using premade salsa)
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used four cloves, another sub for salsa)
2 cups salsa (In addition to the onion and garlic, I added a large can of diced tomatoes and minced some seeded jalapeno.  The seeds could have been left in, but I took out the heat for my kids.  If I made this again, I'd use TWO jalapenos, seeding one.  Oh!  I added some course-ground salt to this step, just shy of a teaspoon)
1 cup monterrey jack, shredded
1-2 cups chicken broth
2 cups cooked rice
salt + pepper
parsley or cilantro, for color (I used some dried cilantro; perfect in a pinch)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/4 t. ground cayenne (unnecessary with the heat of the salsa/jalapenos)

1) Sauté the mushrooms, onion and garlic.  Oh, and I sautéed the jalapeno, too.

2) Add chicken, browning on all sides.  The recipe directions weren't very practical with the amount of sautéed vegetables in my skillet, so I settled for partially cooked.

3) Add salsa, rice.  Cook for about two minutes.  I went ahead and added in my spices at this stage.  Why not!  The cilantro needed time to freshen up.

4) Add broth.  I just used one cup of broth and it was still pretty soupy--I had to simmer down the liquid for a good 10 minutes.

5) Turn off heat and add cheese.  Mix in spices.

6)  Top with parsley and/or cilantro.  Serve hot.  We served this with broccoli, corn and peas.  :)

Chicken Packets

I've gotten sick of our regular recipe list so went poking around for new recipes--can you tell? :)  This is specifically for prepping then quickly throwing things together during the month.

Preheat: 350*
Category: Chicken, freezeable

2 c. Chicken, chopped and cooked
1 (6-8 oz.) pkg. Cream cheese, softened
1 T. Chives, chopped
2 T. Milk
Salt
1/2 c. Seasoned croutons, crushed to crumbs (I plan on using bread crumbs.)
2 (8-oz.) pkgs. Refrigerated Crescent rolls (I plan on using my recipe for Calzone dough so I don't have to buy the refrigerated rolls.)
1/4 c. Butter, melted

1.  Mix (warm is best) Chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk and salt with hands.  If you're pre-making this part, store in a 1-quart freezer bag.

2.  Put crouton crumbs in another 1-quart bag, attaching it to the first.  Freeze the two bags for future use.

3.  Refrigerate Crescent rolls.

***
4.  Preheat oven and undo rolls to a rectangle shape.

5.  Place about 1/4 c. of chicken mixture into center of each rectangle.

6.  Fold dough over, pinching shut.

7.  Dip each packet in melted butter and coat with crumbs.

8.  Bake at 350* for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Chicken Fingers with Honey Mustard

I made this a while back when the kids were begging for chicken nuggets. I made their nuggets instead and they loved 'em! Then Daddy got home and happily finished off the rest. It was messy (with the milk and flour making a mess on my fingers--yuck!), but soooo good. Definitely something to make when you don't have little kid distractions though! And the honey mustard sauce is good, too. :)


Preheat: --
Category: Chicken, Fast Food Substitutes, Honey, Mustard

16-oz. Chicken breasts
1 c. Flour (I do 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup bread crumbs--mmmm!)
1/2 t. Salt
1/4 t. Pepper
3/4 c. Milk

HONEY MUSTARD We eat it with barbecue sauce, soooo...
1/2 c. Honey
1/4 c. Dijon mustard

1. Cut chicken into 1/2 x 2" strips.  We like chicken nuggets, so we cut our chicken accordingly.

2. Mix flour and salt & pepper. Dip chicken in milk, then in flour mixture, coating well. Set on wax paper.

3. Fry chicken in a skillet, turning once, for about 3 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. I would drain the oil about half-way through and replace it with new oil.  Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't, depending on my mood. :)

Oven-Baked Chicken Parmesan

This has been on my list of recipes to try for a while--it sounds soooo good! We're having it in a couple of nights, so had to post the recipe!

Preheat: 400*
Category: Chicken

1 1/4 lb. Chicken breast
1 Egg, slightly beaten
3/4 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 jar (26-28 oz.) Spaghetti sauce
1 c. Mozzarella, shredded

1. Dip chicken in egg, then in crumbs, coating well.

2. Arrange in a 13x9 baking dish.

3. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

4. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken and top with cheese.

5. Bake another 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

6. Serve with hot, cooked pasta. I think we'll do spaghetti noodles? :)

Best Chicken Pot Pie

This is oh-so-good, and it happens to be what I'm making for dinner tonight.  I am going to make TWO so that we have leftovers to eat for lunch tomorrow. :) :)

Preheat: 425*
Category: Chicken, pie, PICTURES

2 Unbaked pie crusts (use my double pie crust recipe)
1 lb. Chicken, cooked and cubed
1 c. Carrots, sliced
1 c. Frozen green peas
1/2 c. Celery, sliced
1/3 c. Butter
1/3 c. Flour
1/2 t. Salt
1/4 t. Pepper
1/4 t. Celery seed
1 3/4 c. Chicken broth
2/3 c. Milk

1.  Combine chicken, carrots, peas & celery.  Cover with water and boil for 15 minutes.  Remove from heat and drain.  Set aside.

2.  Cook onions in butter; add flour, salt and pepper, celery seed. 

3.  Slowly add chicken broth and milk.  Simmer until thickened.

4.  Place chicken mixture in the bottom of the crust.  Pour the hot liquid over.

5.  Place 2nd pie crust on top and seal edges.  Cut 3 slits on top for steam.  Or like I do, gently fork in a C for Chicken pot pie. :) :)

6.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the insides are bubbly.

7.  Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken

Six O'Clock Scramble again!  There are million more amazing recipes in here that are just too fancy for my meat'n'potatoes family.  You should check it out!

Preheat: --
Category: Chicken, Grill

5 T. Honey
5 T. Dijon mustard
1 pack (4-5 lbs.) Chicken thighs and drumsticks (about 12 pieces)

1. Mix together honey and mustard.

2.  Place chicken in a large dish with cover. Pour or brush marinade over chicken and coat thoroughly.  Marinate 1-24 hours (the closer to 24 hours, the better in this case!). 

3. Grill the chicken on a preheated grill or broil in a preheated broiler for about 8-10 minutes on each side. (or 5-6 minutes if you are using boneless thighs).  Baste once again with marinade until it's cooked through and slightly browned.

Chicken is supposed to be good warm or cold! :)

Simple Grilled Chicken

We had the yummiest lunch today! I have been meaning to make a chicken and rice casserole, but I keep running out of time! It takes two hours of (tightly) covered baking time... SO! I needed to use the chicken and thought, "Hmmm.  Maybe grilled chicken!" I pulled out our George Foreman (the huge size my husband bought for me for Christmas last year) and served the chicken to my kids cut in hot dog-size strips, in a hot dog bun! (We ate a salad too--tomatoes for the two-year-old and me, and ranch dressing for all of us.)  Both plates were about cleared!  We were hungry and this was GOOD!

Preheat: --
Category: Chicken, grilled, simple, George Foreman

1 large chicken breast
sea salt
pepper

1.  Set your George Foreman grill on medium-high.

2.  Place your chicken breast on the grill; sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. 

3.  Poke the chicken liberally with holes.  This is to tenderize, allow for faster cooking and to allow the salt/pepper to seep through the chicken.

3. Grill until the insides are no longer pink and/or until the juices flow clear when chicken is poked with a fork.  I always, always cut mine to make sure!

If you don't have a Foreman grill, you can still prepare this simple feast, but you need 2-3 T. Oil to do it:

1.  Turn on your stovetop to medium-high.  Put in your oil and allow the pan to heat up.

2.  Poke the chicken liberally with holes.  For the same reason as above, ha ha.

3.  Cook the chicken on one side until you see the edges are getting cooked.  You do the majority of cooking on the first side of the chicken breast.  My husband likes to use steam to cook the chicken, so oftentimes, he'll cover the pan with its lid.  Another idea is to cut the chicken into strips ahead of time--the chicken will cook MUCH faster if it's in strips.

4.  Flip the chicken.  Finish cooking on the other side.  The cooking time on this side is much less, so you'll want to watch carefully for when the chicken is done, and beautifully browned.

Portion sizes for cooked poultry for an adult are two to three ounces and active preschool kids need need about five ounces of meat/beans per day.

Austin's Chicken Noodle Soup

It takes a half-day of crock-pot and then normal dinner prep time. And it's soooo good. :)

Preheat: --
Category: Chicken

Crock Pot Chicken:
1 whole Fryer chicken
Water
Salt and Pepper

1. Put chicken into crock pot and add water until it's up about two inches. Season with pepper and liberal salt.

2. Turn crockpot onto Low and let the chicken cook until thermometer reads at least 165* when inserted. If the chicken was frozen when you put it into the crock pot, it'll take about five hours; if the chicken was thawed, it'll be more like three. I start my chicken first thing in the morning. I'm not kidding about liberal salt... it acts as a tenderizer for the chicken. Finally, the thermometer reading is right if you're reading from deep within the thigh. If you don't have a thermometer you can be sure the chicken is done if you pull gently on a wing or a thigh and the bone slides out. ;)

3. Carefully remove cooked meat. Save the liquid! I try to take the chicken out of the crock pot and let it cool for a little bit before attempting to remove the meat.

Soup:
3 cups Spiral noodles, uncooked
Chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
Liquid from crock pot, strained
3 Tablepoons Chicken stock
5 Potatoes, unpeeled and washed, cubed
3 Carrots, unpeeled and washed, sliced
3 stalks of Celery, washed and diced
1/4 cup Flour
3 Tablespoons Onion powder
3 Tablespoons Garlic powder
2 Tablespoons Oregano
1/4 cup Chicken stock
1/4 cup Butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Cook noodles according to package directions. Strain and set aside. I like to make extra noodles when having pasta, then I refrigerate until I need them so I can skip this step! :)

2. Strain the liquid (again) into the stock pot. Add chicken stock, potatoes, carrots, celery and salt & pepper. Stir until the chicken stock is dissolved.

3. Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Add Oregano.

4. In a small dish, stir together the flour, onion powder and garlic powder

5. Pull out about 2 cups of broth from the stock pot. Gradually add the flour mixture, whisking rapidly. We don't want lumps here! :)

6. Pour the flour into the stock pot and stir in. Bring to a rolling boil so soup will thicken. Boil two minutes and then lower to a simmer. Stir in chicken stock and butter while waiting for the soup to boil.

7. Soup is ready when the potatoes are finished--easily pierceable by a fork. Add cooked pasta and chicken at this stage and serve while hot. I like the soup best after it's had an overnight in the fridge and is reheated. Mmmm. :)

Quick and Easy Chicken Noodle Soup

We like quick and easy! :)

Preheat: --
Category: Chicken

1 Tablespoon Butter
1/2 cup Onion
1/2 cup Celery
4 14.5-ounce cans Chicken broth
1 14.5-ounce can Vegetable broth
1/2 pound Chicken breast, cooked and cubed
1 cup Carrots, sliced
1/2 teaspoon Basil
1/2 teaspoon Oregano
2-3 cups Noodles, cooked
Salt & Pepper

1. Sauté the onion and celery in butter until tender.

2. Put everything into a pot and bring to a boil.

3. Simmer 20 minutes and serve while hot.

Amy's Mom's Chicken Quesidillas

This is a yummy (and quick, if your chicken's cooked and cubed ahead of time!) twist to quesidillas. I run out if I don't make a double batch. :)

1 cup Chicken, cooked and cubed
1 cup Mozzarella
1 cup Sour cream
1/2 cup Salsa
Tortillas

1. Mix chicken, mozzarella, sour cream and salsa together.

2. Butter the outside of the tortillas and fill with mix.

3. Fry tortilla in a pan until a dark golden brown on each side. Serve hot.