Chicken Taquitos

I have a confession.  I hardly ever use my freezer.  Sure, for things like soy ice cream, frozen veggies and, of course, vodka it’s great…but I’m a bit of a freezer snob and can always taste when something has been frozen for a period of time.  Blech!

But, I have had to use my freezer a lot more often now that I am in school 3 nights/week and C is on his own. I refuse to let him eat nothing but take-out pizza and Chinese food.  Call me old-fashioned, but I like to be able to provide a tasty meal for my husband even if I’m not home.

These taquitos are perfect – I can make a bunch all at once and throw them in the freezer for C to heat and eat when he gets home from work.  And, from what I hear, they taste just as good as fresh.

Taquitos are not only tasty, but versatile!

I used the recipe from Our Best Bites and tweaked it a bit.  I subbed sour cream for the cream cheese and added tasty goodies like black beans, refried beans and corn.

Whip up some of these today to add to your Cinqo de Mayo festivities!

INGREDIENTS
3 oz. Soy sour cream
1T. Lime juice
1t. Cumin
1t. Chili powder
1/2t. Onion powder
1/2t. Granulated garlic
2T. Green onions, sliced
2C. Shredded cooked chicken
1C. Soy cheese (we always use SoySation 3-cheese blend – but of course feel free to use real dairy if you do not have any dietary restrictions)
Small tortillas (corn and flour are both good)
Kosher salt
Cooking spray

Optional add-ins
3T. Cilantro, chopped
1/4C. Salsa (we opted to dip the taquitos in the salsa instead of putting it in the filling)
1/3C. Frozen corn
1/3C. Black beans
1/2C. Refried beans

DIRECTIONS
Heat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine sour cream, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder, granulated garlic, green onions and any of the add-ins that you will use (except for the refried beans).  Add cooled and shredded chicken and cheese and combine well.

Wrap a few tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave 20 seconds, or until soft and pliable.

If using refried beans, spread 1T. on the lower half of the tortilla.  Place 2-3T. of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet.  Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other.  (At this point, if you want to freeze for later, put the pan in the freezer for an hour, then package in labeled Ziploc bags – to cook directly from the freezer, just up the time to 25-30 minutes).  Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “Yum!  These are awesome!”

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Chicken Taco Burgers

Elly Says Opa! is one of my favorite blogs.  Her food always looks fabulous and whenever I make a recipe it’s always brilliant!  Today’s recipe is no exception.  These chicken taco burgers were delicious!

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Ground chicken
1/3C. Scallions, sliced
1.5t. Chili powder
3/4t. Cumin
1/2t. Oregano
1/2t. Paprika
1/8t. Cayenne
1/2t. Salt
2T. Parsley, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, pressed
2T. Cornmeal
Buns and your favorite toppings (we used romaine lettuce and Sriracha mayo)

DIRECTIONS
Lightly mix together all ingredients (through cornmeal).   Form into 4 patties.

Grill or pan-fry the burgers until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes per side.  Place on buns and serve with your favorite toppings.

Husband Rating – 3 out of 5 – “Just OK.  Bella loved them, though”

–

NOTE: I finally have a break from school, so H and I are headed back to Amsterdam!  I’ll be away for a week or so, but never fear, I will return with gorgeous pictures of tulips!

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Chicken Salad

I’m not a big fan of chicken salad, never have been.  Most of the time it contains either fruit or nuts or **gasp** both!  Blech!  I’m just not a fan.

I was going to serve tuna on croissants for a baby shower I hosted this weekend, but then I learned that pregnant women shouldn’t consume much fish so I decided to change to chicken salad and went in search of a recipe.  This recipe from The Rookie Chef was delightful!  It wasn’t overly sweet like most chicken salad and the water chestnuts provided a nice light crunch.

Thanks to this recipe, I can now say that I like chicken salad!

INGREDIENTS
4 Chicken breasts
2 packets Knorr dry vegetable mix
1C. Mayo
1C. Sour cream
1 can Water chestnuts, drained

DIRECTIONS
Cook chicken (I happened to have the oven on for something else, so I just baked the breasts with a little salt/pepper/granulated garlic), but if you’d rather poach or use the crock pot – go ahead and do that.  Once done, cool and shred with two forks.

While the chicken cooks, crush up veggie soup mix in the packet by using a rolling pin over it.  Also, chop water chestnuts into fairly small pieces.

Mix sour cream and mayo together, add veggie mix and water chestnuts.

Add chicken to the veggie/mayo mix and toss to coat.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

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Orange Chicken

I’ve never ordered orange chicken in a restaurant before, so I don’t have anything to compare this to – but WOW!  I don’t think any take-away food could ever be better than this!

The chicken was moist yet crispy and the sauce was a little sweet and a little spicy.  The orange flavor was not obnoxiously orangey, which was great.

Orangey…is that even a word?  Well, it is now!

Recipe from What’s Cookin, Chicago?.

INGREDIENTS
Marinade & Sauce:
1 1/2lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3/4C. Low sodium chicken broth
3/4C. Fresh squeezed orange juice
1 1/2t. Orange zest
6T. Distilled white vinegar
1/4C. Low sodium soy sauce
1/2C. Dark brown sugar
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1T. Grated fresh ginger
1/4t. Cayenne pepper
1T. plus 2t. Cornstarch
2T. Cold water

Coating & Frying oil:
3 Egg whites
1C. Cornstarch
1/2t. Baking soda
1/4t. Cayenne pepper
3C. Frying oil (I used vegetable oil)

DIRECTIONS
Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag; set aside.

Combine the chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in a large saucepan; whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture and pour into the bag with the chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal the bag, making sure that all the pieces are coated with the marinade. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, but no longer.

Bring the remaining mixture in the saucepan to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold waterl which the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Simjmer, stirrig occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute.  Set aside.

Place the egg whites in a pie plate, using a fork, beat until frothy. In a second pie plate, which the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne until combined. Drain the chicken; thoroughly pat the dry. Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat; transfer the pieces to the cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the dredged chicken pieces on a clean plate.  Repeat with the remaining chicken.

Heat the oil in a dutch oven or staight sided saute pan over high heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Carefully place half of the chicken in the oil; fry to golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Return the oil to 350 degrees and repeat with the remaining chicken.

Reheat the sauce over medium heat until simmering, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated. Serve immediately.

Husband Rating – 4.5 out of 5 – “Loved the chicken…thought the sauce was just a little too sweet…but I could totally eat those fried chicken pieces all day long!“

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Crunchy Honey Chicken

I’ve been a bad, bad blogger!  I’m SO sorry for the unintentional hiatus.  Ever since Thanksgiving life has been go-go-go and I haven’t had 2 seconds to myself to blog.

That changes today.

So, today we’re talking chicken.  I’m always looking for a new way to prepare chicken and was so excited when I saw this recipe on How Sweet It Is.  And, it definitely did not disappoint.  The chicken was nice and crunchy, but not too sweet and the veggies were nicely cooked.

Give this a try, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed either.

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breast tenders
2 Egg whites
1/3C. Cornstarch (or flour – for dredging)
1C. Broccoli florets
1/2 Red pepper, thinly sliced
3/4C. Sugar snap peas
1 clove garlic, minced
3T. Olive oil
1T. Soy sauce
1/4C. Honey
salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Prepare and slice all veggies – feel free to add whatever you would like. In 2 separate bowls, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and the cornstarch or flour. (The cornstarch will yield a “crispier” chicken). Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet (or you can use a different one, I just use the same to make it easier) over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil. Dip chicken pieces in egg whites and then lightly dredge in cornstarch. Add to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip. Continue with remaining chicken pieces, and do so in batches if needed.

Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce. Serve with rice.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Delicious!”

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Lemon Chicken

I once read an article that said that if you are cooking for a first date, to make the man lemon chicken (basically, a lemon cut up and inserted into the cavity of a whole chicken).  Evidently, that dish wins over the hearts of men everywhere.

I know I have already won over my hubby’s heart but, tonight, I felt like making Christopher a lovely Sunday night meal to thank him (both for being a wonderful supportive husband while I’m going to culinary school and for taking such good care of me this past week when I was sick with an ear infection).  So, I figured this would be a great ‘thank you meal’  – and it was!

I made a few changes based upon our likes/dislikes.  If you would like to see the original recipe, please click the link below.

Adapted from Annie’s Eats (originally from Simply Recipes).

INGREDIENTS
2T. Lemon zest
1/3C. Freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2t. Fresh parsley, chopped
1t. Salt
1t. Black pepper
1T. Olive oil
2-4lbs. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs or drumsticks
2T. Melted butter
Thinly sliced lemons, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper in a large zipper-lock plastic bag.  Seal the bag and shake well to blend.

Place the chicken pieces in the bag with the marinade, pressing out excess air and sealing once more.  Refrigerate and let marinate for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.  Remove the chicken pieces from the marinade and transfer to a baking dish, skin-side up, reserving the leftover marinade.  Brush the top of each piece of chicken with melted butter.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees (if the skin isn’t as crispy as you might like, just crank up the broiler for a few minutes).  Halfway through baking, pour the remaining marinade over the chicken pieces in the baking dish.  Once fully baked, cover loosely with foil and let rest 10 minutes before serving.  Transfer to a serving platter, garnish with lemon slices and serve.

Husband Rating – 4 out of 5 – “Very moist and delicious!”

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Chicken Pot Pie Penne

Last night was a particularly chilly night here in CT.  Even though it is not technically fall yet, the cooler weather is making me crave some of my favorite fall foods.  Pot pie is one of my favorites – and this dish is perfect because it is so quick and can  be thrown together anytime the craving hits!  Yum!

Recipe from Joelen’s Culinary Adventures.

INGREDIENTS
2T Unsalted butter or olive oil
1 Medium onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves garlic, minced
10oz. white or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1T. All-purpose flour
2C. Low sodium chicken broth
1C. Half & half or heavy cream (I used soy milk)
1 Rotisserie chicken, shredded into bite sized pieces
1C. Frozen veggie mix
1T. Fresh lemon juice
1t. Minced fresh thyme
1-2C. Dry penne pasta

DIRECTIONS
Cook the pasta according to package directions.  When done, place hot penne pasta in a large bowl and set aside.

Melt the better (or oil if using) in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook onion, garlic and mushrooms in the skillet until golden brown.

Sprinkle in the flour over the mushroom mixture in the skillet and stir.  Cook for a few seconds to rid the floury smell then add the broth, half & half (or heavy cream) to the skillet.  Deglaze the skillet, scraping up any bits of fond at the bottom of the skillet.  Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered until the liquid is slightly thickened.

Add the chicken, frozen vegetable mix, lemon juice, and thyme to the skillet.  Cook until heated through and season with salt & pepper to taste.

Place the hot penne pasta into the skillet and toss to combine.  Add the cooked penne pasta and toss to coat pasta. Serve hot.

Husband Rating – 3 out of 5 – Pretty good, but I could do without the mushrooms.

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Provencal Style Chicken

Hubs and I are big fans of the site Reddit (a social news website).  Within the site there are tons and tons of sub-categories.  My favorites, of course, are based around food.  A contributor posted this recipe to the cooking category (I’m not sure where it came from before that) and it looked SO amazing, we put it on our menu for the week right away.

It is delicious!  The flavors are spot on (even though I didn’t use the capers)…it was wonderful!  I suggest you try this soon!

I decided to serve the dish over a small bed of egg noodles to help sop up all the lovely sauce.  It was perfect!

INGREDIENTS
4 Whole chicken legs
1 Small zucchini, cut into 1/2″ rounds
1/4 Medium sweet union, thinly sliced
2 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 Medium tomato, cut into eighths
1T. Sherry vinegar
2 Sprigs of fresh oregano
1T. Capers, drained
Thinly sliced basil
Olive Oil

DIRECTIONS
Add 1T. oil to a tall-sided pan and heat over medium-high for 2 minutes.

Pat chicken legs dry and season with salt and pepper.  Place in pan skin side down and brown for 5 minutes.  Flip and cook another 5 minutes.  Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Discard any fat in the pan, add 1-2T. fresh olive oil and heat until it starts to shimmer.

Add the zucchini pieces and cook until lightly browned on both sides.  Add the onions and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the onion starts turning translucent.  Lightly season with salt, add garlic for about a minute, then add the tomatoes and stir together.

Once most of the tomato juices are cooked out, add the vinegar and cook until almost gone.  Add chicken back to the pan on top of the vegetables.  Add enough water to come up to the top of the vegetables (keep below level of chicken skin so it stays crispy).  Add the sprigs of oregano, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.

Simmer 15-20 minutes.  As the chicken is braising, keep adding water so the pan does not dry out.  Once the chicken is done, let it rest for about 5 minutes.  Add the capers to the vegetable mixture and mix through.

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “Wonderful, simple flavors, amazingly crispy chicken skin!”

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Chicken Parmesan Burgers

I’ve never had a chicken burger before.  I tried chicken sausage once or twice, but wasn’t really impressed.  But, when I saw this recipe on Erin’s Food Files (originally from Elly Says Opa), and its drool-worthy photo, I figured I should give ground chicken another go and added these chicken parmesan burgers to our weekly menu.

These burgers are ridiculously good!  I can’t even put into words how awesome these are…seriously.  Go make these burgers now.  You absolutely will not regret it!

INGREDIENTS
Burgers
1t. Olive Oil
1lb. Ground chicken
1/4C. Grated parmesan cheese
1/4C. Bread crumbs
2t. Italian seasoning
1/4C. Chopped flatleaf parsley
1 Clove garlic, finely minced or pressed (I used two, mine were small)
1 Shallot, finely diced
Salt and Pepper

Toppings
1/2C. Pasta sauce
4 Slices mozzarella or provolone (I used regular mozzarella, Christopher used shredded soy mozzarella cheese)
4 Buns (toasted and brushed with a little garlic butter, if you like)

DIRECTIONS
In a small saucepan warm 1t. olive oil.  Add shallot and cook lightly over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and cook an additional minute.  Set aside to cool slightly. (This step was my addition…I was afraid the raw shallot flavor would be too harsh, so I decided to cook them first – so glad I did!)

Mix together all the ingredients for the burgers.  Form into 4 patties.

Preheat & spray the broiler with a little oil (or use the grill, or a pan).  Broil the burgers for about 4 minutes on the first side, then flip and broil for 4 minutes more.

Top each burger with 2T. pasta sauce and a slice of cheese.  Place back under the broiler for 30-60 seconds, until cheese in melted.

Husband Rating – 5 out of 5 – “These are bananas”
Chef’s note – Bananas = Good!

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Cilantro Lime Chicken Tacos

I’m sure you know by now, but my Husband is nutso for cilantro.  Can’t get enough of the stuff.  So, when I saw this recipe on Joelen’s blog I knew I had to add it to our weekly menu.  It came together very quickly and was quite tasty.

I think next time I’ll cook the chicken halfway, add the pesto, and continue cooking on warm…just to try and cook out some of the super-harsh raw garlic flavor.  Otherwise, these were awesome!

INGREDIENTS
1lb. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in bite sized pieces
1t. Garlic powder
1t. Ground cumin (my addition – I just love cumin)
1/2C. Cilantro lime pesto (recipe follows)
Flour or corn tortillas
Salt and pepper to taste
Taco garnishes (salsa, sour cream, avocado, peppers, onions cheese, etc)

DIRECTIONS
Season chicken with salt, pepper, cumin and garlic powder.  In a lightly oiled skillet, saute chicken over medium high heat and cooked through. Toss cooked, seasoned chicken with the pesto. Fill tortillas with chicken and top with preferred garnishes.

Cilantro Lime Pesto

INGREDIENTS
1C. Fresh cilantro leaves (do not include stems)
2 1/2T. Extra virgin olive oil
2T. Sliced, toasted almonds
3T. Chopped, fresh garlic
1 1/2t. Lime juice
1/2C. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2t. Salt
1/4C. Chicken broth

DIRECTIONS
Using a blender, mix together the cilantro, olive oil, almonds, garlic, lime juice, asiago, salt and chicken broth on low speed for 2 minutes.

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