Monterey Chicken (or Turkey)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!  We had a nice quiet day just our little family of 3.  It was close to 70 degrees in Colorado, and just a beautiful day.  I of course made way too much food, but how can you not on Thanksgiving!  I did buy the smallest turkey I could found, but even that was 13 pounds.  Needless to say we will be eating turkey for awhile! 

I made this chicken dish the other night,and it was really good.  You could easily use left over turkey for this and transform it into something completely new.  It was supposed to be topped with green onions (which would have been perfect), but I didn't have any.  Next time I am going use a few slices of real bacon to crumble on top, instead of the store bought ones.  I am sure with that and the green onions it will become a family favorite.  I promise, it tastes better than it looks!  I need to get the hang of taking pictures when it is completely black out!

Monterey Chicken or (Turkey)
Adapted from All the Simple Things
Printable Recipe

4 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup Barbeque Sauce
1/4 cup  real bacon bits
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1 14 oz. can Rotel tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
Dash black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pound out chicken breasts to about 1/2 in thick.  Season each side with black pepper. Cook chicken (grill, saute, bake) until no longer pink.  Put on a baking sheet covered in foil.  Top each chicken breast with about 1 Tbls barbeque sauce, 1/4 c cup cheese, 1/4 cup tomatoes, 1 Tbls green onions and 1 Tbls of bacon bits. Bake for about 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. 

Chick Fil-A Chicken Nuggets

Today we finalized some plans for our move to Colorado.  On Friday November 11^th the movers will be here to load the truck and start the trek out there.  I am excited to have a plan and get to be a family again!  But, then I realize how much I have to do in the next 10 days, and I start to hyperventilate.  So if I am not around as much, you know why! 

I have mentioned this before, I love Pinterest!  If you are not on there, but want to be let me know and I will send you an invite!  Awhile ago, I found a recipe on Pinterest for Chick Fil-A chicken nuggets.  I have grown up in the Midwest my entire life, so my exposure to Chick Fil-A is very limited.  My sister-in-law lives in Florida, so we go there when we are visiting her.  But really, that is about it.  That being said, I am still a big fan of Chick Fil-A. And really, who doesn’t love the cow commercials?  So I was super excited to try this recipe.  Unfortunately, I didn’t think it lived up to Chick Fil-A (to be completely fair the recipe doesn’t say they taste exactly the same, just close).  They were great, and I will make them again for sure. My 6 year old and I ate all of them!  But, they weren’t Chick Fil-A to me. 

Chick Fil-A Nuggets

From My Name is Snickerdoodle

Printable Recipe

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
2 Tbls powdered sugar
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Canola Oil for frying

Trim and cut the chicken into bit sized pieces.  Whisk egg and milk together. Place chicken in milk mixture, and cover. Let stand for 2-4 hours in the fridge.

Place 2 inches of oil into a deep pan.  Heat over medium high heat until the oil is hot (375 degrees).  If you don’t have a thermometer you can see the oil is hot enough by placing the handle of a wooden spoon straight up and down in the center of the pot.  If bubbles start to form around the spoon, your oil is hot and you are ready.

In a zip-lock bag mix together flour, powdered sugar, salt and pepper. Remove chicken from mix, and place in the flour mixture.  Shake to coat.  Put about 8 nuggets into the pan.  It depends on how big your pan is for how many you can fit in.  Just be careful not to overcrowd.  Cook for about 1 minute on each side, or until golden brown.  Remove chicken and drain on a paper towel.  You could place on a rack in a hot oven to keep them warm if you are making a lot of them. 

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.  Enjoy!

Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken

It is that time again….Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day!  Don’t know what Secret Recipe Club is?  Go check it out here!  Amanda puts so much work into coordinating this fun event each month.  Thanks Amanda, you do a wonderful job!

This month I was assigned I Was Born To Cook.  Melissa has an amazing blog!  I had never seen her site before, but now I am so glad I found it!  Melissa was born and raised in New Jersey, but comes from a Greek/Italian family.  I think her tag line says it all “A journal of recipes, stories and more from the kitchen of a 1st generation Italian/Greek girl from New Jersey.”  I immediately decided I was going to try something Greek.  I had a really hard time picking; there were so many great looking Greek, Italian and Desserts recipes.  But I stuck to my guns, and went Greek.  And I guarantee I will be trying more of her recipes soon.

I finally decided on this Greek Cinnamon Stewed Chicken.  I must say, I loved this chicken.  Cinnamon is the Greek twist here for sure.  I hardly ever use cinnamon in savory dishes.  My husband didn’t like this as much as I did, but he ate a large piece, so he must not have had that many problems with it!  The recipe calls for skin on, bone in chicken.  I only had boneless skinless chicken breasts, but I think it worked well.  It was still crispy on the outside, and moist and juicy on the inside.  The sauce was amazing!  I liked it so much, I put it on my couscous too! 

Melissa got this recipe here by Cat Cora.  Being that I am not experienced with this type of cuisine, I did not make any changes to the recipe (well, aside from the kind of chicken I used).  I cut down on the amount of chicken I was making, because only two of us were eating it.  But I made the full amount of the sauce.  I had some leftover, but it was so good I am glad I made more than enough of it! 

 

Chicken in a French Pan Sauce and Polenta Fry Fail

What a great weekend!  On Friday afternoon my 6 year old and I drove to Minnesota.  We went to see my best friend Beth and her family.  We got to go out to my favorite pizza restaurant for dinner, and see some other great friends from when we lived there.  Saturday was the start of my girls family weekend!  It was so nice to spend time with my cousins and my aunts.  There was lots of laughs, lots of good food, and lots of shopping!  This afternoon was back to reality.  Time to drive back to Iowa, and arrive in our empty house.  My husband moved to Colorado on Saturday, so this is our new normal.  It will definitely take some getting used to. Thank goodness for Skype! 

This chicken has a fancy name, but it is super easy to make.  I saw this in Cooking Light about a year ago, and I have made it many times since.  My son will even eat this!  He calls it the chicken with the really good sauce.  I couldn't get this chicken to look pretty, but trust me you need to try it.  This is one of those posts where you aren't proud of the pictures, but the food is just so good you have to post anyway! 

I recently saw Polenta Fries on another blog, I can't remember where though!  Her fries looked great.  Mine on the other hand were a mess!  I believe the recipe is good one though, you can get it here.  The herbs were too much for our taste.  The fries didn't hold their shape, as you can see in the picture.  I will try these again without the herbs, and maybe cut them skinnier so they cook better.  I love the idea of them, I want them to work 

Chicken in a Classic French Pan Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light
Printable Recipe

1 Tbls Olive Oil
4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup white wine
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup heavy whipped cream
1/2 tsp flour

Preheat Oven to 350. 

Heat an oven proof skillet over medium high heat.  Add oil to the pan.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Place the chicken in the pan.  Cook for about 4 minutes until browned.  Turn chicken over, and put the pan in the oven.  Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through (will vary based on thickness of your chicken). Remove chicken from pan, cover with foil and let stand while you make the sauce. 

Return the skillet to medium high heat.  Add wine and bring to a boil.  Cook for 1 minute or until it is reduced to about 2 Tbls.  Scrape the brown bits into the wine.  Stir in mustard.  Stir together heavy cream and flour until smooth.  Add to pan, and bring to a boil.  Cook until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk.  Pour sauce over chicken to serve.  Enjoy!

Citrus Garlic Chicken with Coconut Lime Rice

Coconut Oil is all the rage lately.  So many people have tried it, and are posting great looking recipes with it.  I must admit, I am not a fan of coconut.  But this oil has peaked my curiosity.  So when Jen from Kelapo contacted me, I was super excited to see what all the hype was about.  When it arrive the first thing I had to do was smell it.  It smelled exactly like what I thought it would...Coconut Heaven!  I could just sit with that jar next to me all day, taking sniffs every minute or so.  It is like vacation in a jar!

I have tried a couple things with it, but this rice was so good.  The chicken would have been really good as well, but it needed more citrus.  I will post the recipe as I made it.  But I think if you used the juice of the fruit just before serving, it would brighten it up and give it great flavor.  Or even marinate the chicken in some citrus and coconut oil before cooking.  This is a great dinner for fall or winter, when you are wishing you were on a tropical vacation!



The great people at Kelapo have something for you as well!  They are offering you 20% off your order.  Use the coupon code "Dinners20" at Kelapo to take advantage of this offer.  It is case sensitive, so make sure to enter it correctly.  The offer expires 10/21/11.   Be sure to visit them on Facebook or at their Blog for other great recipes! 

Coconut Lime Rice
Printable Recipe

1 cup Coconut Milk
1 cup Chicken Stock
1 Tbls Coconut Oil
1 cup Long Grain Rice
1 lime, lested and juiced

Heat Coconut Oil in the bottom of a pan.  Stir in rice to coat.  Add Chicken Stock and Coconut Milk.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook for about 20 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed.  Stir in lime zest and juice before serving. 

Citrus Garlic Chicken
Printable Recipe

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt and Pepper
1 Tbls Garlic, minced
1 Tbls Ginger, minced
1 Lime zested
1 Lemon zested
1 Cup Chicken Stock
3 Tbls Coconut Oil

Heat 2 Tbls Coconut Oil in a skillet over med - high heat.  Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper.  Add chicken to the pan, and brown on both sides.  Remove from pan (it will not be cooked through). 

Add the garlic and ginger to the pan.  Cook for a minute or until soft.  Add in chicken stock.  Return chicken to the pan.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan.  Stir in the zest and 1 Tbls of coconut oil.  Pour over chicken.  Enjoy!

**I received a jar of Coconut Oil from Kelapo.  The opinions are completely my own. 

Kara-Age Chicken - Tastemaker

I was so excited when I got home the other day and there were packages on my doorstep, that had my name on them!  Usually it is my husbands name on the boxes (he has a slight amazon addiction).  But I didn't order anything, what could it be?  Foodbuzz had sent me a box of Kikkoman Kara-Age Soy-Ginger Seasoned Coating Mix as part of the Tastemaker Program.  I am a huge fan of Kikkoman, I love soy and I love ginger, what could go wrong?! Kara-Age is a popular cooking technique in Japan.  Basically it is Japan's version of a Chicken Nugget.



Inside the box was 2 packets of the seasoning mix.  It was so simple to make.  You open the season mix, pour in a bag, add in your protein and shake!  Pan fry in oil, and you are done.  It was so good too!  I was very pleasantly surprised.  There was so much flavor in this.  The chicken stayed super moist and delicious.  I am hesitant sometimes with flavored breadcrumbs and other mixes, because I think they are bland and fall short.  This one definitely had the soy and ginger flavor bursting through.  I sprinkled with chopped cilantro, drizzled with a little lemon juice, and made a quick Ponzu sauce to dip the chicken in. Served with with a small green salad, and we had a great dinner.  Next time I might try to bake/broil the chicken to see if I can make it a little healthier. 

I didn't remember to take pictures of my Ponzu Sauce, but it was 1/4 cup Kikkoman Soy Sauce, juice from 1/2 orange and 1/2 a lime, and a splash of rice vinegar.  It was the perfect tangy pairing for the chicken. 

**This post is part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program with Kikkoman.  The seasoning was provided through this program.  The opinions in this post are all my own.

Hyderabadi Biryani

This has been a crazy busy week and weekend!  I haven't even turned on the computer in the last 3 days!  The start of this week does not look any better, but hopefully by Wed I will be back to normal.  At least that is what I keep telling myself!  But there is an end in site, so that is good.

So what do you do when you are so busy?  Do you rely on takeout, frozen meals, cereal?  What?  I try to plan ahead for the week, so even in busy times I have a plan and can still eat real food.  But I do rely on some convenience items.  That is not a bad thing either!

This is one convenience item that I LOVE!  It is quick and easy, but it is amazing.  The brand Kitchens of India sells premixed season pastes for a variety of Curry and other Indian dishes.  We love them!  They are authentic in flavor, without all the work.  We have tried the Butter Chicken Curry, Chicken Curry and the Hyderabadi Biryani.  All 3 of them are truly wonderful, and we eat them even when we are not in a rush!

This one is the Hyderabadi Biryani.  You mix in some lemon curd, so it has some sweet and tart and spice.  Cook up some rice, and you have an excellent dinner.  You could even get some store bought Naan bread and have a full Indian dinner!

Hope you had a great weekend!  Hopefully I will be catching up on blogs by the end of the week!

Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce

We had a great time this weekend at my family reunion.  There was lots of time in the water, and it was great visiting with family.  We drove part way there on Friday and got to see some friends we never get to see. Our friend Tony is Vietnamese, and makes fabulous Vietnamese food!  He made us traditional Egg Rolls and Pad Thai for dinner.  It was amazing!  He is not a blogger, but I am hoping I can convince him to do a guest post on our dinner that night! 

This chicken is great too.  I must admit I was skeptical when I saw Gwyneth Paltrow on the cover of Bon Appetit, but she really can cook.  This Peach BBQ sauce is wonderful.  I have never put fruit in my BBQ sauce before, but it was great!  Served with summer Sweet Corn and you have a wonderful dinner! 

Grilled Chicken with Peach BBQ Sauce
From Bon Appetit
Printable Recipe
 
1 cup chopped peeled fresh peaches (could sub frozen)
1/2 cup ketchup 
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
2 garlic cloves, minced 
1 1/2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chiles in adobo
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts 
Vegetable oil

Combine first 5 ingredients in a small saucepan. Season lightly with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer until peaches are very soft and flavors meld, about 10 minutes.

Remove pan from heat; let cool. Pour peach mixture into a blender and purée until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Place half the sauce in a medium bowl; add the chicken and turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 20 minutes, or cover and chill for up to 8 hours, turning occasionally. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce.

Prepare a grill to medium-high heat.  Grill chicken until browned and almost cooked through, 4-5 minutes per side. Brush on all sides with reserved sauce; grill until glazed and cooked through, 1-2 minutes per side. Slice crosswise. Serve remaining sauce alongside.

Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken

I think that all food bloggers, if not anyone who cooks has their "stack" of recipes they want to try.  It just grows and grows, you can never get through them all.  This recipe was in that stack.  I printed it almost 2 years ago.  It has been on the menu more than once, but then we got busy or just felt like something different, so it never got made.  Finally I put my foot down.  We were having it no matter what.  Really wish I wouldn't have waited so long - it was great!  It will get made again for sure!  It came together really fast, and was super easy!  It may look like a long list of ingredients, but it really is quick and easy! 

Spicy Asian Noodles with Chicken
Adapted from Cooking Light
Printable Recipe

1 Tbl Sesame Oil
1 Tbls fresh ginger, grated
2 garlic cloves, grated
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped  (you could use rotisserie chicken)
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
3 Tbls low- sodium soy sauce
2 Tbls rice vinegar
2 Tbls hoisin sauce
2 tsp sambal oelek (chili paste)
1 (6.75 ounce) package thin rice sticks
Chopped peanuts for garnish

Heat 2 tsp oil in a small skillet, over med-high heat.  Saute the ginger and garlic for about 45 seconds.  Stirring constantly.  Place in a large bowl.  Stir in the remaining 1 tsp oil, chicken and the rest of the ingredients (expect the noodles).

Cook noodles according to the package directions.  Drain and rinse.  Cut into smaller pieces.  Add the noodles to the chicken mixture.  Toss well to coat.  Serve with a few peanuts sprinkled on top.

Chicken Tostadas

My husband said tonight that he thinks I have too many desserts and sweet things on my blog.  So today, I bring you a dinner recipe.  I have a couple of them to give you, I just haven't gotten around to it.  My dinner pictures are never very good, because I am just trying to get the food on the table quickly.  Husband and Son don't wait for food!  If we have leftovers, then I take my time after dinner to get a picture, but that doesn't always happen. 

We found this Cooking Light recipe last summer, and immediately fell in love.  It is so good!  It is great for summer too.  You can use leftover chicken, or a rotisserie chicken, and then you don't even need to cook anything!  It is a fun recipe for a party too.  You could just lay out all sorts of different toppings, and people could assemble their own.  Plus it is so colorful and pretty! 

Chicken Tostadas
Adapted from Cooking Light
Printable Recipe


Guacamole (I always make my own, but this one works well with this, so I followed it)
1 avocado, peeled
2 Tbls tomato, chopped
1 Tbls Onion, chopped
1 Tbls lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, minced

Pico De Gallo
1 cup tomato, chopped
2 Tbls onion, chopped
1 Tbls lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbls cilantro, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, chopped

Chicken
2 chicken breasts
garlic powder
onion powder
salt
pepper
chili powder
cumin
1 Tbls lime juice
paprika

8 (6 inch) corn tostada shells

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with all the seasonings except the lime and paprika.  Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

While chicken is cooking prepare the guacamole and pico de gallo. 

Guacamole - mash the avocado with a fork.  Add in all of the ingredients.  Stir until well combined.

Pico De Gallo - Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl.  Toss well.

Shred the chicken using 2 forks.  Sprinkle paprika over all of the chicken, and add the lime juice.  Toss together. 

To serve spread guacamole across the tostada shell.  Top with chicken and then pico de gallo.  You can add anything else you like at this point.  Enjoy!

Chicken Meatballs with Peanut Sauce

I love meatballs!  Doesn’t really matter what kind of meat it is, I just love meatballs.  Unfortunately my husband doesn’t share my passion for balls of meat.  Not really sure why, what is not to love.   I sneak them in sometimes, trying different versions hoping to find one that does it for him.  Most are Italian based, and maybe that is where I went wrong.  I have tried a couple Mexican versions, but they have turned out bland.  So when I saw this Asian version in Everyday with Rachael Ray I was excited!  Why didn’t I think of this sooner?   Needless to say, Racheal came through for me on this one.  He liked them, and he said he would like it if I made them again!!  I will change the sauce next time,  but the ball itself was perfect! 

These were written with a Sweet Peanut Sauce, which is what I made.  It was good, but next time I am going to do a Spicy Peanut Sauce.  I was hoping that my son would eat these as well, and like the sauce, so I didn’t want to spice it up the first time.  Next time, I will do some of each. 

Chicken  Meatballs with a Sweet Peanut Sauce

Recipe from Everyday with Rachael Ray

Printable Recipe

1 pound ground chicken

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

¼ cup dried breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated onion

2 cloves garlic, grated

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 Tbls Canola Oil

¼ cup peanut butter

2 Tbls Soy Sauce

3 Tbls Sugar

2 Tbls Sesame Oil

Chopped Peanuts for garnish

Mix chicken, cilantro, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.  Roll into about 1 inch balls.  Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Cook the meatballs until they are cooked through, about 10 minutes.  

 

While they are cooking, you can make the sauce.  Mix the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl.  Microwave for few seconds to get it warm.  Stir together. 

 

Toss the meatballs with half of the sauce, reserving the other ½ for dipping.  Sprinkle with the chopped peanuts. 

Serve on toothpicks with the remaining sauce!  

 This recipe is also on Taste and Tell's Saturday with Rachael Ray Series

Chicken Skewers

Preview

It is the last day of school for my little boy today!  He is officially done with Kindergarten.  I don't know how we got here so quickly!  Only 9 short months ago he could barely read a few words, and now he is reading chapter books, he wants to walk to the bus stop alone, and just get dropped off by the door.  So bitter sweet to see him grow up and become so much more independent. 

Ok, sorry!  Proud Mom.  I will move on to the food now!

Memorial Day weekend is here!  It is practically the grilling holiday of the country.  So after you take a second to remember what Memorial Day is all about, and all the people who have fought so we can grill to our hearts content on this day, consider something other than a burger.  Oh don't get me wrong, I love a good burger!  But I do like to change it up as well.  These chicken skewers are a great alternative.  1.  They are healthy  2.  They have an avocado dipping sauce (did you read that right?  AVOCADO!)  3.  They are super quick and easy.  We had these the other night, and they were a hit all around.  My son doesn't like avocado (I know, I really need to do something about him), so he dipped his in ranch. 


Chicken Skewers with Cool Avocado Sauce
Printable Recipe
Adapted from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup lime juice
1 Tbls balsamic vinegar
2 tsp minced chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1/2 tsp salt

Sauce
1 avocado
1-2 Tbls sour cream
1 Tbls minced cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp lime zest
1/4 tsp salt

Pound chicken to about 1/4 in thick, and cute into 1 inch strips.  Combine the lime juice, vinegar, chipotle and salt in a ziploc bag.  Add chicken, and squish it around to coat.  Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. 

To make the sauce halve the avocado and remove the pit.  Using a fork mash the avocado.  Stir in the sour cream and cilantro.  Once well combined add the zest, salt, and squeeze in the juice from half a lime.   Refrigerate until serving.



Thread the chicken onto skewers.  If you are using wooden skewers, make sure they are soaked first.  This prevents them from burning, and from splinters getting into your meat.  Discard the marinade.  Grill covered over medium heat for 4-6 minutes on each side until no longer pink. 



Serve with the sauce.  Enjoy!

Chicken Vindaloo

It has been a busy day around here, volunteering at my son's school, grocery shopping, mowing the lawn, laundry, I almost didn't fit in writing about our Indian dinner last night. 

Indian food is relatively new to me.  I grew up in a pretty conservative food household.  Cashew Chicken was considered adventurous for Chinese food.  Indian, Thai, Japanese - unheard of.  We did live in the midwest, so coming across those type of restaurants would have been difficult, and it just wasn't something my Mom had any interested in cooking.  In her defense, even if she would have wanted to try it, I think my dad would have revolted.  He has gotten better as I have gotten older, but still when he goes to a Chinese buffet, he mainly goes for the fried shrimp.



So being that Indian food is new to me, I have had some hit or misses in the past.  Then my husband ordered Kitchens of India from Amazon for me to try.  I must say, I almost NEVER cook from a box or mix, but these are amazing!  Super simple, but really really good.  Then I saw Rachael Ray make this Chicken Vindaloo on her show, and I thought why not?  I will try it.  It was good, but very similar to the stuff in the mix.  I told my husband after dinner that even though it was more work than the other stuff, I am still proud that I was able to make from scratch something that tasted as good as the mix.  The mix is made in India, and it claims to be authentic - so I am going to believe that it is!



I pretty much followed her recipe exactly.  So instead of typing it all out again, I will just  link you to it.  The one change I did make was leaving out the Cardamom.  It was almost $7 for the bottle, and since you only needed 1/4 tsp, I couldn't justify buying it.  This was the first recipe I have ever seen it in, so I don't see myself going through the whole bottle of it.

 Serve with some Naan bread for a delicious meal!  (Naan recipe to follow in a different post, so stay tuned)  If you are a fan of Rachael Ray recipes you should check out Taste and Tell.  She has a great "Saturday's with Rachael Ray" series that is full of great recipes!

Chicken Tostada Bites

Friday night was Girls Night Out!!!  Well actually, girls night in this time.   We all brought something to share, ate, laughed, had a margarita, and had a great time.  It had been way to long!  I chose to make Chicken Tostada Bites, and they were a hit. I was told to make sure that I blogged about this, so they could all have the recipe! I had seen something like it over at Apple a Day, but put my own spin on it.  Usually I make something like this on real Tostada's, but I thought serving on chips was a cute idea and much more fitting for Girls Night!

Unfortunately I was so excited to see my girls, I forgot about taking pictures - oops! 

Chicken Tostada Bites
Printable Recipe

Tortilla Chips
Chicken
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar salsa
1/2 of lime, juiced


For the Pico De Gallo
1 large tomato, diced
1 small green chili, diced
1 Tbls chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbls red onion, diced
Salt

For the Guacamole
2 large avocado
5 Tbls red onion, diced
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
Salt and Pepper to taste
Juice from 1/2 of lime

Put chicken in a 13x9 baking dish.  Pour a jar of salsa (whatever flavor or heat level you like) over the chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until it is cooked through.  Once it is cooked through, using 2 forks shred the chicken.  Squeeze lime juice over the chicken.  Toss back in with the salsa. Cover with foil so it stays warm. 

While the chicken is cooking get the pico de gallo and the guacamole ready. 

Pico de Gallo - combine tomato, chili, cilantro and onion in small bowl.  Season with salt.  I squeezed a little lime juice on it as well.  Set aside

Guacamole - Halve the avocados, remove the pits, and scoop out the flesh onto a plate.  Using a fork, mash the avocados.  Mix in the onion and seasonings.  Squeeze in the lime juice.  I always taste test, and adjust the seasonings.  It really depends on the avocado how much salt and other seasonings you need.  So start light, taste and add more if you want.  I usually add in tomato with my guacamole, but because this was using pico de gallo as well, I left them out.

To serve stop each chip with a scoop of guacamole, and spoonful of chicken, and then a little pico de gallo. 

 

Grown-up Nuggets

 I may very well have the pickiest eater on the planet as a son.  He was so much better as a baby, but once he got old enough to have an opinion, things just went down hill.  For a long time the only meat he would eat was processed meat (chicken nuggets, hot dogs, sausage).  Yes, I know how bad this is, but what can you do?  Let your child starve!  In the last year he has gotten MUCH better with meat, not veggies or anything else, but meat.  I will take it....baby steps, right?

I receive daily emails from Cooking Light (among many others) with recipe ideas.  Well one day I got one for oatmeal crusted chicken nuggets.  My son was next to me as I was checking my email.  He thought they looked good, and wanted to make them.  Immediately I hit print.  I didn't care anything about the recipe, he wanted to try it, we were trying it!  It was REALLY bland, and not that great, but he claimed to have liked it.  Really, I think he thought dipping the chicken was fun, and just wanted to do it again.  So I came up with a whole different "breading" recipe, and they are much tastier! 


Chicken Nuggets
Printable recipe

1 pound boneless skinless chicken (can be tenderloins, cutlets, breasts whatever - just cut to desired size)
1/2 cup  breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flour
1 egg white
1 1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 Tbls Parmesan Cheese
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

 

You start by setting up your "breading" station.  1 bowl with flour, 1 bowl with an egg white beaten until frothy with some water, and 1 bowl with both of the breadcrumbs and the seasonings mixed together.



I like to put foil down on a baking tray for easier clean up.  Then I put a cooling rack on top of that that is sprayed with non-stick spray.  That way air goes all around the chicken, and it gets crispier.  Once everything is set up, you can start dipping.  This is where my son likes to help.  I have a few little tongs that I bought at a restaurant supply store for cheap, and they are just the right size for little hands.  Dip in the flour first, just to coat it.  You don't want a lot, so dust off the excess.  Then the egg white, and finally into the breadcrumbs.  Make sure it is covered well with breadcrumbs, this is your flavor!  Place on the tray.



Once everything is breaded spray them well with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes.  The baking time really depends on how big your chicken is.  The smaller you cut it the shorter it takes, obviously.  Serve them up with your favorite dip!