Category — Chicken

Hey sweet readers . . . . do you know what today is?  My 200^thpost!?  I can hardly believe I’ve been squawking at you this long, but the numbers don’t lie.  Let’s raise a cup of quinoa to 9 months of sharing, and here’s to many, many more.  I couldn’t keep this up if it weren’t for the kind “atta-girls” I get from you guys.  Thanks for reading me! 

Today I’ve got another “transitional” recipe for you . . .  one that’ll bridge the gap between winter and summer (a.k.a. spring) if you’re in a Northern clime.  It also utilizes one of my favorite foods, Greek yogurt, to make a creamy sauce, without adding lots of fat and calories. This’ll take you 30-45 minutes to get to the table, depending on how long your chicken takes to cook.

Greek Chicken & Kale (adapted from Donalyn Ketchum’s blog, dlyn)

Prepare your chosen starch according to its package directions.

Sprinkle both sides of each chicken breast generously with salt, pepper, thyme and oregano.  Heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet and cook the seasoned breasts until no longer pink in the middle – approximately 7-10 minutes on each side.  Remove to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. 

Add the onion and garlic to the pan with a little salt. Sauté over medium-low heat until the onion is translucent.  Add the kale to the pan in batches, stirring to incorporate and wilt the kale.  Add the chicken broth, 1 t. oregano, ½ t. salt and a few grinds of pepper, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is tender; approximately 10 minutes.  Taste for seasonings and remove from heat.  Stir in the yogurt.  Add the chicken and any accumulated juices back into the pan and sprinkle the cheese over the top.  Cover and let sit for 5 minutes to the cheese get a little warm – but don’t put the heat back up or your yogurt will curdle.  Serve the kale and chicken over rice or orzo, and pass a plate of lemon wedges – squeeze a little lemon over the lot just before eating. Enjoy!

Serves 4. 

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It’s very cold again here in Boston.  And rainy.  And it might actually snow a little bit tomorrow.  Not the stuff that dreams are made of . . . no no no.  These antics definitely throw a body off food-wise.  I mean, not too many days ago it was close to 90 degrees here!?  What to do?  While you may not feel like heading for the salad bar in times like these, try moderating your cravings for rich food with more vegetables and fruits.  I made this easy braise the other night and D. and I both loved it.  It’s comfort-food, but not too heavy.  Perfect for the wackadoo springtime weather in New England.

Braised Chicken & Polenta (adapted from Everyday Food Magazine)

In a large pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown it on both sides, approximately 5 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate.  Add the garlic, tomatoes and oregano and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add the wine/vermouth and cook until almost evaporated, another minute.  Stir the beans into the mix for 2-3 minutes to let them thaw.  Add 1.5 c. of the broth and return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot.  Bring the mixture to a boil, cover and reduce to a simmer.  Cook an additional 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the beans are tender.  Season with salt and pepper and squeeze in the lemon juice.

Meanwhile, for the polenta, combine 4 ½ c. of broth, 1 ½ t. of kosher salt, and ¼ t. of pepper and bring to a boil.  Add the cornmeal as you constantly whisk the broth.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, whisking frequently, until the polenta has thickened, approximately 20 minutes.  Whisk in the butter.

Serve the chicken and veggies over the polenta in large bowls.

Serves 4.

A note:  Did you know that you can substitute vermouth for white wine in most any recipe?  I can’t remember where I learned this years ago – but it has revolutionized my life.  We don’t drink a lot of white wine here, so it’s rarely around.  So who wants to use a little bit of a bottle and have it go to waste?  Vermouth’ll keep forever in your cupboard so you’ll always have it on-hand for recipes like this one.

Happy weekend, everyone – I hope the weather is better where you are!

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Today’s recipe is born of fridge-cleanup and a need for speed.  All the ingredients can be purchased at Trader Joe’s, but feel free to sub your favorites.  Although the sauce for the spinach is “creamy,” it’s healthful because it’s made with Fage 0% Greek yogurt.  Make sure that your mixture isn’t still simmering when you stir in the yogurt, though, because the yogurt will curdle.  This is super-speedy – ready in about 20 minutes, and could easily be scaled up to serve more people.

TJ’s Lemon Chicken With Creamy Spinach Sauce

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Cut chicken into strips. Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken, stirring to warm it through. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and stir. Add spinach and toss with tongs until it’s just beginning to wilt. Remove pan from heat and cover to wilt spinach completely, approximately 1 minute more. Remove the lid, stir in yogurt and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve spinach sauce over pasta.

Serves 2 to 3.

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What do you eat when you eat alone?  Do you pick and nibble and eat at the counter or in front of the t.v.?  Or do you make yourself a full-on meal?  Although we all need an occasional junk-food feast, I advocate eating a real meal, even if you’re by yourself.  Chances are, you’ll feel more satisfied and that you’ll eat better if you do.

Although we’re a family of 3, I make a lot of meals just for me.  D. travels a lot, and L. won’t eat anything interesting or reasonable (most of the time), so I’m stuck eating makeshift suppers or else biting the bullet and cooking a meal for myself.  In the wintertime, I do big batches and eat them during  the week, but now that the weather’s getting nicer, I want lighter, fresher fare. 

Last night’s dinner was so fast, and so tasty, I had to share it.  I had everything in the pantry or the freezer, and in fewer than 30 minutes I’d whipped up a lovely, healthful meal for myself (along with leftover noodles and plain chicken plus an apple for L.).  The Lemon-Tarragon chicken has a sunny taste and cooks up super-fast thanks to pounding it out.  The salad is fruity and bright as well – and can you say “antioxidant blast?”  Spinach, beets, oranges, walnuts . . . this’ll set you up right.  Better than that bag o’ Doritos you were thinking about,  for sure.

Lemon-Tarragon Chicken (adapted from Cooking Light)

Place the chicken breast in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag, or between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to ¼-inch thickness with a meat mallet or a heavy skillet.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt.

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice and tarragon in a small bowl and whisk to combine. 

Coat a small skillet with cooking spray, and place over medium heat.  Once hot, add the chicken and cook for approximately 3 minutes on one side.  Turn the breast over, and cook for another 3 minutes on the other side, or until no longer pink.  Drizzle the lemon-tarragon mixture over the chicken and turn to coat in the pan.  Serve.

Serves 1.

Spinach Salad with Beets & Oranges (adapted from Cooking Light)

Peel the orange, segment, and cut each segment into 4 pieces.

Place the spinach in a salad bowl.  Arrange the beets and orange pieces over the spinach. 

Combine the oil, vinegar and pepper in a small bowl and pour over the salad. Top with walnuts.  Serve.

Serves 1.

If you’re cooking for 1+, I’m sure the recipes as written would be terrific.

What’re your favorite solo meals?  Share them in the comments!

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Today’s recipe saved my you-know-what last week.  On Thursday, we chaperoned 16 Brownie Girl Scouts through the rainy woods of an Audubon Sanctuary until dusk.  I arrived home at dinnertime with a very damp, very tired bubba who was bordering on hypoglycemia.  Luckily, I had the foresight to take some chicken breasts out of the freezer, and because I’m sorta nuts, I had all these ingredients in my pantry/freezer . . . at noon I dumped it all in the Crockpot (the chicken breasts weren’t even fully thawed).  When we arrived home at 5:45 p.m., you could smell the warm, home-cooked spicy goodness when we opened the door.    

This is from a site called Gina’s WW Recipes, which, for all you Weight Watchers devotees, is a great resource.  Gina’s got lots of good recipes, and you can even search her recipes by points value.  Even if you’re not a WW devotee, if you’re interested in healthful recipes, she’s got a lot of inspiration for you. 

D. ate this over rice, which was great.  I spooned it over shredded romaine lettuce, which was also very good.  It’s delicious stuffed into a whole-wheat tortilla (I had that for lunch the next day), with or without cheese (I abstained, mostly because I was thinkin’ of making a cheesy dinner that night).  Any way you eat it, it’s a great dump-n-go slow-cooker meal to have in your arsenal.

Slow Cooker Southwestern Chicken (adapted from Gina’s WW Recipes)

Combine all the ingredients except the chicken breasts and salt & pepper in the slow cooker. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and lay them on top. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Approximately one half-hour before serving, remove the chicken breasts and shred them. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker, stirring to combine. Taste the mixture and add additional salt & pepper to taste. 

Serves 8.

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Last night’s recipe was a winner.  Less of a salad and more of a happy mix-up, the tangy mango chutney dressing and pinch of cayenne turn every-night chicken and potatoes into something a lot more memorable.  This’ll take you about 45 minutes from counter to table if you roast your potatoes, but if you need to shorten it up, see my directions for steaming the potatoes following the recipe.  Two thumbs up from D. on this one!

Roasted Potato Salad With Chicken & Chutney (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Scrub the potatoes and quarter them.  Combine the potatoes and 2 T. of the oil in a baking dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss to coat.  Roast, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, rub the chicken with 1 T. of the oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and curry powder to taste.  Spray a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Once the pan is hot, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes each side.  Remove from heat, let rest 5 minutes.  Cut into bite-sized chunks.

Meanwhile, make the dressing.  Measure the chutney, cutting up any large pieces (kitchen shears work well for this).  In a small bowl combine the chutney, 1 T. olive oil, the cayenne pepper, lemon juice and 1 t. curry powder. 

Place the spinach in a large bowl.  Add the hot potatoes and chicken to the spinach and toss gently to wilt the spinach.  Stir in the chutney dressing (you may not want to use all of it – use some and add more to taste).  Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

Serves 4.

If you wanted to short-cut the potatoes, I think this would be just as good if you quartered the potatoes and steamed them for 20 minutes or so over hot water.  For richer flavor, you could toss them with a little olive oil after steaming, and definitely don’t skip the salt and pepper.

By the way, are you buying conventional (i.e., non-organic) potatoes?  You might want to spring for organic.  A potato get its nutrients through its skin, so it’s like a little sponge for any toxic chemicals that come down the food and water pipeline – and there are lots.  Taters are treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.  That’s a lot of crud for you and yours to ingest . . . and since organic potatoes are only slightly more expensive than conventional, why take the risk?

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You’ll remember that I’ve made a foray into the world of wheat berries before, without success.  I’m not one to give up, so I took a second try last night, and it was a success.  Wheat berries are something we should like – they’re whole, unprocessed wheat kernels – you can’t get any more “whole grain” than that.  They’re high in fiber, protein and iron, and they’ve got a chewy texture and a nutty taste.  This recipe, adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, makes enough for 4 servings . . . which if you’re us, means that you can have it for lunch the next day.

Wheat Berry Salad (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

Combine the water and the wheat berries in a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.  Cover and cook until tender, about 1 hour.  Drain and let cool. (Note, this can be done ahead of time and the cooked berries can be stored in the fridge ‘til you’re ready to assemble the salad).

Meanwhile, toast the walnuts in a dry skillet, cool and chop.

In a large bowl, combine the wheat berries, toasted walnuts, celery, dried cherries, scallion, olive oil and 5 t. vinegar.  Season with salt and pepper.  This salad keeps up to 5 days in the fridge.

Cumin-Dusted Chicken (adapted from Better Homes and Gardens)

Rub the chicken with the olive oil, then sprinkle salt, pepper and cumin.  Spray a large skillet (cast iron will give you a nice crust) with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Once pan is hot, add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes each side.  Remove from heat, let rest 5 minutes.  Slice.  The chicken will keep for up to 3 days in the fridge.

To Serve

Place 1 c. spinach leaves on each of 4 plates.  Sprinkle each mound of spinach with 1 t. of the vinegar.  Mound ¾ c. of the wheat berry salad on top of each serving and top that with slices of the chicken. 

Serves 4.

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We are in that strange nether-place called March here in the Boston area.  It’s still quite chilly, but not thatcold.  It snows, but it doesn’t really stick.  And yet if you head into a store, it’s all about SPRING!  Bright colors, light fabrics, flowers, strappy shoes . . . really, it just serves to irritate me.  I want nothing more to be there, but, sigh.  I have to wait.  Just like every other year.

When it comes to food, I also feel in-between this time of year.  I’m all set with heavy comfort food.  I’ve got my sights set on fresh, light, leafy veggies and grilled meats.  Huge salads and big cold drinks.  Hell, I’d even settle for asparagus.  But even that’s a little premature.  So right now I’m doing in-between food.  Lightened up, but not all the way. 

This chicken, pilaf and salad combo will help tide you over ’til the really good stuff comes.  Like NO snow whatsoever.  Like birds chirping in the morning and dewy grass and patio parties.  Hang on with me, we’ll get there!

Honey Mustard Chicken

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place the chicken breasts on a large plate and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, and spread on both sides of the chicken (some will come off on the plate, that’s OK).  Let sit for 15 minute to marinate.  Transfer the breasts to a large oven-safe baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Smear any leftover honey-mustard sauce over the top of the breasts.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until the breasts are no longer pink.

Serves 4.

Barley Pilaf (adapted from the Food Network)

Bring the broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the barley, 1 t. oil, and salt. Bring back to a boil, adjust the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper in a small bowl, then gradually whisk in the oil.

Drain any excess liquid from the barley and transfer to a large bowl.  Toss with the remaining salad ingredients and the dressing.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

Fruity Spinach Salad

Divide the spinach amongst 4 salad plates or bowls.  Divide the oranges among the plates. In a small bowl, whisk the oil and vinegar and add salt and pepper to taste.  Dress the salads immediately before serving.

Serves 4.

*Fig vinegar is my new love.  I found mine at Whole Foods, and it is fruity, tangy, and delicious on salads.  Tomorrow I’ll share with you the salad I’ve been eating over and over again since I found this stuff!

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