September 16
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged chicken, one-bowl
We made this dish after drooling over the recipe on Cooking With Court, and we definitely weren’t disappointed.
This is comfort food, to say the least. It was warm, creamy, and full of flavor. The best part? Slow-cooker! Throw the ingredients together in the morning, and the dish will be warm and ready for you almost as soon as you walk in the door after work.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into small chunks
2 cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup onion, finely diced
1/4 cup carrot, finely diced
1/4 cup celery, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1 chicken bouillon cube
2 cups water
2 10-oz packages refrigerated biscuits
Combine all ingredients except biscuits in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours*. 30 minutes before serving, tear biscuit dough into 1-inch pieces. Add to crock pot; stirring gently. Cover and cook on HIGH for an additional 30 minutes or until biscuits are fluffed up and cooked through.
*We let ours cook for longer without any problems.
Photo does not do it justice!
June 25
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged asian, chicken
Mandarin Chicken was actually my first exposure to orange marmalade, but WOW… what a great way to try it!
This recipe is from Food That Says Welcome by Barbara Smith (mother of artist Michael W. Smith). I love the idea behind the book: “Simple recipes to spark the spirit of hospitality.” I would certainly make this dish for company.
The picture doesn’t really do it justice, but the Mandarin Chicken was wonderful. Just the right amount of sweetness and a bit of crunch from the almonds. Great tasting, and pretty good for ya, too!
1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup orange marmalade
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dry mustard
1 11-oz can mandarin oranges
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
rice
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Add chicken and cook 4 minutes on each side until lightly browned. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Combine marmalade, cornstarch, lemon juice, and mustard in a small bowl, stirring mixture well with a whisk. Gently stir in oranges. Add mixture to skillet. Cover and cook 6 minutes on medium heat or until sauce slightly thickens. Spoon over chicken and sprinkle with almonds. Serve with rice.
June 14
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged asian, chicken, grilling
It’s grilling season. Hooray!
Grilling season can be a bit hard to navigate for the diet-conscious, with all the burgers and brats. This recipe, though, is both tasty AND good for your body. A mix of chicken, veggies, and pineapple, these kabobs are bursting with flavor, due in large part to… you guessed it… the delicious five spice.
Note: We found that these cooked way more evenly on our indoor grill, so you might try that. (And, hey! That way, you can make them all year ’round!)
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp five spice powder
dash ground ginger
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or thighs
1 cup (8-oz can) fresh pineapple chunks
1 medium green sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium red sweet pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups hot cooked rice
For glaze, in small bowl combine orange juice concentrate, honey, soy sauce, five spice powder, and ginger. Set aside.
Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. On 6 long metal skewers, alternately thread chicken, pineapple, green sweet pepper, and red sweet pepper, leaving a 1/4-inch space between pieces.
Charcoal grill: Grill kabobs on rack directly over medium coals, uncovered for 12 to 14 minutes or until no long pink, turning and brushing with glaze up to the last 5 minutes of grilling.
Gas Grill: Preheat grill; reduce heat to medium. Place kabobs on rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.
Serve with hot cooked rice.
Recipe courtesy Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book
January 11
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged chicken, one-bowl
This recipe initially came from the Pampered Chef Fall/Winter 2007 collection. I’ve made a few changes to make the recipe a touch healthier (and easier to read!)
We enjoyed this for dinner tonight and look forward to the leftovers later this week (recipe serves 6). We did a lot of the veggie prep as we went along, which threw our cooking time off a bit. Even still, the dish came out delicious! Tastes both fresh and full and really hit the spot on a cold evening.
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, cut in half crosswise
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 8.8-oz packages pre-cooked chicken-flavored rice*
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced into julienne strips
1 medium zucchini, sliced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup grated Asiago cheese
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil
Use meat tenderizer to flatten chicken to 1/2-inch thickness. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in 12-inch skilley over medium-high heat. Arrange chicken and lemon halves (cut sides down) in skillet. Cook chicken 3-4 minutes on each side or until center of chicken is no longer pink; remove chicken and lemon from skillet. After chicken has cooled slightly, slice into 1/2-inch pieces.
Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in same skillet. Cook onion and garlic over medium heat 4-6 minutes or until onion is tender. Add rice. Juice onion halves into skillet (beware of seeds!). Cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until juice is absorbed into rice. Add broth and remaining vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 4-5 minutes or until broth is slightly thickened. Stir in chicken and cook until heated through.
Remove skillet from heat and add cheese and basil. Stir until cheese is melted and sauce is thickened.
*we used Uncle Ben’s whole grain
November 24
· Filed under Recipes · Tagged chicken, FAVORITE, mexican/spanish
The name’s quite a mouthful, huh? Ha ha! 
I got this recipe from Robin Miller, who has a show on the Food Network called “Quick Fix Meals.” I made these for some girlfriends, and then again for my husband, and they were a hit. Not exactly an authentic enchilada recipe, but the dish wasn’t hard to make and was full of flavor.
Note: Robin’s recipe has you cook enough chicken to use for another recipe. If you’re just making this, use only 1 pound.
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4-oz can diced green chilies
1/3 prepared salsa, mild, medium, or hot
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro leaves
4 8-inch flour tortillas
1 1/3 cups shredded Monterey jack and/or Cheddar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 2 minutes. Add chicken and saute 5 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through. Remove half of the chicken and reserve for another use.
Stir in black beans, green chilies, and salsa and simmer 5 minutes, until sauce thickens and reduces. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.
Arrange 4 tortillas on a flat surface. Top each tortilla with an equal amount of chicken mixture. Roll up tortillas and place side by side in a shallow baking dish. Top tortillas with shredded cheese (1/3 cup per tortilla).
Bake enchiladas 15 minutes, until cheese is golden and gooey!
August 7
· Filed under Recipes, Uncategorized · Tagged chicken, one-bowl
The husband and I made this Campbell’s casserole the other night as a quick and easy dinner after work. The prep time is almost nothing. It does bake for 45 minutes, though, so be warned…
Although this wasn’t exactly bursting with flavor, it tasted good and makes a fantastic comfort food. We only used half as much chicken and took the leftover rice and veggies for lunch the next day. Yum!
I’m tempted to try this with brown rice, but don’t know whether that’ll affect the baking time. Anyone??
1 can Campbell’s cream of chicken soup
1 1/3 c water
3/4 c uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 c frozen mixed vegetables
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c shredded cheddar
Stir the soup, water, rice, onion powder, and vegetables in an 11 x 8-inch baking dish. Top with the chicken. Season the chicken as desired. Cover and bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender. Top with cheese and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir rice before serving.
July 21
· Filed under Recipes, Uncategorized · Tagged asian, chicken, one-bowl, pasta, salad
I made this for dinner for the two of us and then took the leftovers to a friend’s house. Everyone loved it — the mix of flavors and textures is really fun. You’re welcome to alter the ingredients to your taste. The only thing I will change the next time is to up the amount of soy sauce in the recipe. It was fairly plain-tasting until I added a bit more.
(recipe courtesy of Pillsbury’s “Family Gatherings” Classic Cookbook)
1 1/2 c uncooked rotini
3 c fresh snow pea pods, trimmed and cut in half crosswise
3 c cubed cooked chicken (or turkey)
3/4 c sliced green onions
1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained
3/4 c mayonnaise (or salad dressing)
2 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ginger
1/3 c toasted slivered almonds
lettuce
Cook rotini to desired doneness, adding pea pods during last 1-2 minutes of cooking time. Drain; rinse with cold water to cool.
In a large bowl, combine cooked rotini and pea pods, chicken, onions, and water chestnuts. In a small bowl, combine mayo, soy, pepper, and ginger; blend well. Pour over salad; mix well. Cover; refrigerate at least 3 hours or until serving time.
To serve, line serving bowl with lettuce leaves. Spoon salad over lettuce. Sprinkle with almonds.
Makes 8 1-cup servings.
March 24
· Filed under Recipes, Uncategorized · Tagged chicken, FAVORITE, one-bowl, slow cooker
Ok, I really can’t take the credit here as my husband did all of the cooking. However, this is a recipe that we both enjoyed VERY much last week. Again, this one comes from my 5-Ingredient Slow Cooker book, and it’s probably my favorite recipe from there so far.
8 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 16-oz pkg frozen stirfry veggies (red, green, and yellow peppers and onions)
8 oz smoked turkey sausage, halved lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups water
1 14 1/2-oz can diced tomatoes with jalapeños, undrained
1 8-oz pkg jambalaya rice mix
Place veggies in a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker. Top with chicken strips and sausage. Add water, tomatoes, and seasoning packet from rice (if present). Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir in rice mix and turn to high-heat setting. Cover and cook 45 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
This is a GREAT one-bowl recipe. It’s full of lean meat and veggies and is just the right amount of filling. It’s got a good spice, but nothing too dangerous I’m sure this would be even better with fresh peppers and onions… feel free to give that a try and tell me what you think. The frozen veggies are a nice convenience, though, and you actually don’t lose much nutritional value.
Check out the interesting history of jambalaya as well as some great ingredient variations at Wikipedia.
March 19
· Filed under Recipes, Uncategorized · Tagged chicken, italian, one-bowl, pasta
“This is one of those classic dishes that always finds its way onto Italian-American restaurant menus…”
I found this recipe in the Lund’s and Byerly’s Real Food magazine, where I always seem to find recipes that sound amazing but I’m too afraid to try. This one didn’t look too intimidating, so we gave it a whirl tonight.
1/4 c olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 lb broccoli florets (about 3 cups)
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 c white wine
1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/2 c diced roast chicken (skin removed) and any juices
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1/2 c freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 lb ziti
Boil pasta in a large pot for 10 minutes while everything else is cooking. Heat oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring, until garlic starts to brown (about 3 minutes). Add broccoli, raise heat to medium high, sprinkle with salt, and cook, stirring often, until broccoli turns dark green and starts to brown (about 2 minutes). Add wine and cook, stirring, until it almost completely reduces (aout 2 minutes). Add broth, chicken, and thyme, bring to a boil, cover, and cook until broccoli is crisp-tender and mixture is hot (about 3 minutes). Stir in half of the cheese and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. Remove from heat. When pasta is finished, drain and return to pot. Add chicken and broccoli and cook over medium heat, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.
We totally loved this dish! We made ours with a Chenin Blanc and substituted pre-cooked chicken breast. The ingredients work very well together to produce a light but flavorful result. I definitely recommend this as a fun-to-make, simple one-bowl meal.
