Oven Braised Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

Braising it a great way to get tons of flavor out of inexpensive cuts of meat. I have posted numerous braising recipes and the below recipe for chicken with lemon and rosemary is yet another keeper. We loved the tenderness of the chicken and the mushrooms, rosemary and lemons lend tons of flavor. Plus, how can you beat a recipe that involves one dirty dish?!

Yes, this chicken is still raw. I thought it looked really pretty pre-braising.

Oven Braised Chicken with Lemon and Rosemary

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 40 minutes

8 chicken thighs (I used boneless skinless)
6 whole garlic cloves
1 small onion, thinly sliced
2 Cups Crimini Mushrooms, sliced
4 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
8 Lemon Slices, seeds removed
1 Dried Bay Leaf
2 Tablespoons Capers, drained
2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
½ Teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Salt and Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch Oven heat olive oil to medium high.  Brown chicken pieces on both sides and transfer to a plate. Lower heat to medium and add garlic cloves, cooking until lightly golden. Add onions and cook until evenly browned. Add chili flakes and sauté for an additional minute.  Add mushrooms and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Return the chicken to the pot. Add lemon slices, bay leaf, capers, and rosemary sprigs.  Place lid over the pot and put into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is done. Carefully take the pot out of the oven. Remove rosemary sprigs, bay leaves and skim off and discard any fat. Season with salt and pepper as necessary.

Rosemary Sriracha Roast Chicken

I thought I posted the below recipe earlier in the week but apparently I forgot to hit the publish button, oops!
 
It's been one of those days. I can't say it's not partially my fault though. I let 27 second graders eat birthday doughnuts at 9:30am. I paid the consequence the rest of the day. If that wasn't enough, I also had the brilliant idea to do an art project with glitter...

That being said, I am running out of steam this evening. Before I crash on the couch I wanted to share the below recipe. I made this for dinner last week and it was a big hit. The chicken had tons of flavor and I loved that most of the ingredients I already had on hand. The marinade has what seems to me like a strange combination of ingredients but somehow it works. 

Rosemary Sriracha Roast Chicken

Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes, 1 hour to marinate
Cook Time: 40 minutes

1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
2 tbsp Sriracha
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 chicken thighs (or chicken breasts)


In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, Sriracha, garlic, salt and pepper. Place chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour marinade over. Turn bag over several times to coat chicken. Place the chicken in the refrigerator and let marinate for at least one hour.

Preheat oven to 375F. Arrange chicken in a single layer in a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Spread any marinade remaining in the bag over the chicken. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Then broil on high for 4 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown.

Chinese Five-Spice Roast Chicken

As much as I cook, I have never roasted a chicken. All of the recipes I have for roast chicken talk about how easy it is but it always sound even easier to just buy the rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. A couple weeks ago, I decided to give it a try. And yes, my recipes are correct, roasting a chicken is super easy and it turns out even cheaper then buying a rotisserie chicken. I loved the flavor of this Chinese-inspired roast chicken. I served mine with a simple Asian slaw and it made for a perfect Sunday dinner.

Chinese Five-Spice Roast Chicken
*** Food Network Kitchens Cookbook

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 1 1/2 hour

Chicken
1 3-4 pound chicken, giblets removed
3 scallions, cut into 4 pieces
6 coin-sized slices of fresh ginger
a few strips of orange zest (I used my potato peeler for this)
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
2 tsp. honey
1 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder


Sauce (optional)
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. rice vinegar
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
1/2 tsp. peeled, grated fresh ginger
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 scallion, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 425. Make sure the giblets are removed from the chicken and give it a good rinse in the sink. Dry off well and then stuff the chicken cavity with the scallions, ginger, and orange zest. Set the chicken in a large oven-safe pot (I used my fake Le Creuset) or in a roasting pan coated with a little olive oil. Brush the chicken with 1 tsp of olive oil . Whisk the sesame oil through the soy sauce in a small bowl. Brush the mixture all over the chicken and then sprinkle with the Chinese five-spice powder.

Tuck the wings under the back, cross the legs, and tie them with a little kitchen twine. Place the chicken breast side down and roast until the back of the chicken is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove chicken from the oven and turn it breast side up. Cut off the twine and baste the chicken with the pan drippings. Toast the chicken again until the breast is golden brown and a meat thermometers registers 170 degrees, about 25-30 minutes more. Transfer to a carving board and let rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. The sauce can be drizzled over the chicken once it has been sliced.

Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken

Last week I made the below glazed chicken recipe from a recent issue of Cooking Light. This recipe is so simple yet tasted fantastic. I loved the combination of maple syrup and stone ground mustard and those are two ingredients that you are likely to already have in your kitchen which makes this recipe perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. I am a huge proponent of searing chicken in a skillet and then finishing it in the oven. In my opinion, this is the best way to get moist and flavorful chicken.

Maple Mustard Glazed Chicken
** adapted from Cooking Light

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes

2 tsp. olive oil 
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 
1/2 tsp. pepper 
1/4 tsp. salt 
1/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
1/4 cup maple syrup 
2 tsp. thyme, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced 
1 T. apple cider vinegar 
1 T. stone-ground mustard


Preheat the oven to 400°.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Sprinkle chicken with pepper and salt. Add chicken to pan; sauté 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Add broth, syrup, thyme, and garlic to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vinegar and mustard; cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Return chicken to pan, and spoon mustard mixture over chicken. Bake at 400° for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; tent with aluminum foil and let stand 5 minutes. Serve the mustard sauce that is in the skillet over the chicken breasts.

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce

I have exciting news to share, I got a teaching job!!! I am going to be teaching a 1st/2nd grade split class at a school in Evanston. I'm extremely excited and so thankful that I was able to find such a great job. I found out I got the position Tuesday afternoon, started yesterday and the first day of school is next Wednesday- needless to say, I have been a little busy.

I've been wanting to post the below recipe for a few days now and just haven't gotten to it. Brady made Giada's recipe for Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce for me and it was amazing. I loved the creaminess of the sauce and the addition of the mushrooms. It's not the prettiest dish (hence why I am using Giada's photo instead of mine) but it tastes great!

 

Photo Courtesy of Food Network

Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce
** recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 45 minutes

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut crosswise into 3 pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 T. olive oil
2 T. butter, divided
3/4 c. chopped onion
1 pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 T. minced garlic
1 c. dry Marsala wine
1 c. mascarpone cheese or light cream cheese
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves, plus whole sprigs, for garnish
12 ounces dried fettuccine

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook just until brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cool slightly.

While the chicken cools, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat, then add the onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 12 minutes. Add the Marsala wine and simmer until it is reduced by half, about 4 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone and mustard. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Return the chicken to the skillet. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until the chicken is just cooked through and the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped parsley. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the fettuccine and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Drain. Toss the fettuccine with 1 tablespoon of butter and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Swirl the fettuccine onto serving plates. Spoon the chicken mixture over top. Garnish with parsley sprigs and serve.

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

The below recipe is the result of last minute grocery shopping and the desire to make something simple and healthy. Stuffed chicken is perfect for weeknight meals because you can use up ingredients you have on hand or pick up a few basics at the grocery store and have a great dinner in under 30 minutes.

I used to find it hard to cook stuffed chicken all the way through on the stovetop without burning it. I have recently discovered that the best way to cook stuffed chicken is to brown it in a skillet for a few minutes on each side and then let the chicken bake the rest of the way through in the oven. Using this method, you'll end up with chicken that isn't overcooked and dry but instead tender and juicy. Stuff the chicken with whatever you have on hand but I thought the spinach and artichoke combine with the addition of a little feta and lemon had great flavor. For a couple other stuffed chicken recipes, see the following links:

Asiago, Arugula, and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken
Greek Stuffed Chicken

Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

2 chicken breasts
1/2 bag of spinach
handful (about 5) artichoke hearts, chopped
1/8 c. feta cheese
1 lemon
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Saute the spinach for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is wilted. In a small bowl, combine wilted spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, feta cheese and the juice of half a lemon. Add salt and pepper as needed. Set aside.

Cut a slit in each chicken breast, be careful not to cut all the way through. Stuff each chicken breast with half of the spinach and artichoke mixture. Use a toothpick to secure the chicken and keep the stuffing in place.

Heat a skillet over medium high heat, once hot add 1 T. olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the two chicken breasts to the pan and season each with a little salt and pepper. Cook on each side for about 4 minutes. Take the skillet off the stovetop, add the juice of the other half of the lemon, and then place the skillet in the oven for an additional 10 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink. ** Make sure you use a potholder to remove the skillet from the oven!

Asiago, Arugula, and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken

The below recipe is one of my favorites from Cooking Light. I came across the recipe last year and I have made it on numerous occasions, a few of which were for friends and everyone loved the dish.  I love that the chicken is cooked in a saute pan first and then finished off in the oven. I think finishing it in the oven really seals in the juices and makes the chicken extra tender and moist. You  may be tempted to skip making the Caramelized Shallot Sauce that is served with the chicken but it is delicious and I think it really adds to the flavor of the dish.

All of the ingredients for this recipe are incredibly cheap. I typically just buy a couple of pieces of Asiago and prosciutto at the deli counter so I don't have to worry about tons of leftover meat and cheese. This recipe is incredibly quick and easy plus it's low in calories and fat, with 300 calories and 9 grams of fat this is the perfect healthy weeknight meal!

Asiago, Arugula, and Prosciutto Stuffed Chicken with Caramelized Shallot Sauce
** adapted from Cooking Light
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Serves 2
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Chicken Ingredients:
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
2 slices prosciutto
2 slices Asiago cheese, you could also use Provolone
1/2 c. trimmed arugula
salt and pepper

Sauce Ingredients:
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1 tsp tomato paste
1 c. dry white wine
1 c. fat-free, low sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350.

To prepare the chicken, cut a slit 3/4 of the way through each chicken breast. Stuff each breast with a piece of cheese, prosciutto and half of the arugula. Season chicken with salt and pepper.** If the "stuffing" is coming out use a few toothpicks to hold the chicken together.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add a little olive oil. Add chicken; cook 5 minutes on each side. ** You can leave the toothpicks in while cooking on the first side but remove prior to flipping, at this point the chicken should remained closed. Once chicken has been cooked on both sides, place chicken in a shallow baking dish; bake at 350 for 5-7 minutes or until done.

To prepare sauce, add shallots to a small saucepan or skillet; saute 4 minutes over medium-high heat or until browned. Add tomato paste; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine; bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1 cup, about 6 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced by half, about 6 minutes. Serve sauce drizzled over stuffed chicken.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken pot pie was one of my favorites when I was little. When my parents would go out on Saturday nights and we would have a babysitter we could sometimes pick a special dinner from the grocery store. "Special" meaning a TV dinner or my personal favorite, a chicken pot pie. Yes, most kids would probably pick frozen pizza but lets just say I had an adult palette at an early age, although I probably topped off my pot pie with a grape Shasta :) 

I have been talking about making pot pie for months now and recently bought the perfect pot pie size ramekins at Crate and Barrel. After taking an inventory of the produce in my refrigerator this week I realized that I had everything that I needed to make pot pie! As I made the pot pies last night all of the reasons why I love them so much came back to me. There is just something about pot pie, it's warm and hearty and the perfect comfort food.

Chicken Pot Pie
** adapted from Everyday Food

Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 1 1/2 hours

2 T unsalted butter
1 medium onion, medium dice
1 large carrot, medium dice
1 large stalk celery, medium dice
1/2 c. mushrooms
1/2 c. all purpose flour, plus more for work surface
4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
3 c. cooked chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 c. frozen peas
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (usually takes about 45 minutes to thaw)
1 large egg yolk
salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Saute onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms until softened, about 6 minutes. Add flour and 1/2 tsp salt; cook, stirring frequently until mixture is pale golden and is the texture of oatmeal, about 5 minutes.

Whisking constantly, add broth. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens, about 8 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook 10 minutes. Stir in chicken, peas, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Divide mixture among four 12-ounce baking dishes; refrigerate until room temperature, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry to an 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into 4 equal squares, 1 inch larger than dishes and place over the four baking dishes. Cut vents into the pastry. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg yolk with 1 tsp water; brush pastry with egg wash. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Place the four baking dishes on a large rimmed cookie tray and bake until pastry is deep golden and juices and bubbling, about 35 minutes.

Sicilian Chicken

Last night I stumbled upon what turned out to be another great Cooking Light recipe. I wanted to make something using a few of the random ingredients that I already had on hand. After searching the internet for a bit, I came across this recipe for Sicilian Chicken. The dish was incredibly simple to make and it only took about 20 minutes. I loved that despite the fact that it's healthy (300 calories/6 grams fat), the dish had tons of flavor. This is a great week night recipe for when you want something fast and healthy.

Sicilian Chicken
** adapted from Cooking Light
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Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. sliced Sicilian or Spanish olives
1/4 c. golden raisins
1 T. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 (14.5 oz) can diced no-salt added tomatoes, undrained
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Add wine; cook 1 minute. Add olives and the next 4 ingredients (through tomatoes); bring a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve garnished with chopped basil.

** I served mine with a side of orzo and a big salad. If you make orzo, I suggest boiling a pot of water while you cook the chicken. The water will be boiling about the same time you start adding the remaining  ingredients to the chicken and everything will be done at the same time.

Lemon-Vodka Pasta

I am a big fan of Trader Joe's. I think they have some really great products at a very reasonable price. I have many favorites at the store that have become staples in my pantry. Brady received the Trader Joe's Cookbook for Christmas and it was such a great gift. The cookbook is full of quick recipes with minimal ingredients. I had to "borrow" it so I could share the recipe on the blog, I haven't decided if I will return it or not....

This past week we made a Lemon-Vodka Pasta with Chicken. Probably not our healthiest meal but it was cold and snowy and we were both in the mood for something filling and comforting. I think that it could definitely be lightened but I thought it was worth the extra calories.

Lemon-Vodka Pasta
** adapted from The I Heart Trader Joe's Cookbook
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Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 20 minutes

1 (16 oz) bag whole wheat linguini, spaghetti, or capellini
2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
1 (8 oz) container mascarpone (or you could use light cream cheese)
zest and juice of one lemon
bunch of asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 T. vodka
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
lemon pepper
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta till al dente. While the pasta cooks, in a medium saucepan, warm the mascarpone, lemon juice and vodka. Season to taste with salt and pepper. About four minutes before the pasta is done add the asparagus to the pasta pot. Once cooked, drain the pasta water.

Meanwhile heat a skillet with a little bit of oil and add chicken to the skillet. Sprinkle chicken with lemon pepper and cook till no longer pink in the middle.

Add the cooked chicken to the vodka sauce and pour over the pasta and asparagus. Garnish with chopped basil. 

Chipotle Honey Chicken with Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes

I cook with chicken pretty frequently. It's cheap, doesn't take long to cook, and you can buy it frozen and use it when you need it (huge plus in my book). I have a few favorite tried and true chicken dishes and am always on the search for new chicken recipes. This week Brady made Chipotle Honey Chicken with Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes from Eats Well With Others blog and it was awesome. I am definitely adding this to my "favorites" list and I am not just saying that to humor my boyfriend.

I can't say anything about the cooking process because I got there with only enough time to burn the walnuts for the salad (totally my fault) and help serve up the food. What I can say was that the food tasted great and was a perfect winter dish plus it's healthy! I thought there was just enough spice, the honey and cinnamon helps cut the heat from the chipotle peppers, but if you aren't a fan of a little heat I would suggest only using 2 or 3 of the peppers.

Chipotle Honey Chicken with Butternut Squash and Sweet Potatoes
** from Eats Well With Others
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Serves 4
Prep/Cook Time: 1 hour

20 oz butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
20 oz sweet potato, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
4 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp honey
2 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
chopped cilantro or basil for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400.  Toss the sweet potatoes and butternut squash with 1 tbsp of olive oil.  Spray a roasting pan with cooking spray and then spread the sweet potatoes and squash over it.  Roast for 15 minutes.

While the sweet potatoes and squash are cooking, in a small bowl, mix together the remaining tbsp of olive oil, chiles, garlic, honey, cider vinegar, salt, cumin, and cinnamon, until they form a paste.  Rub the paste all over the chicken.  Carefully place the chicken on top of the sweet potatoes and butternut squash.  Put back in the oven and continue to roast until the chicken is just cooked through, about 25 minutes.  Serve garnished with cilantro or basil.

White Chicken Chili

Sunday was a perfect chili day, cold and dreary. Brady and I decided to go see "The Fighter" but I wanted a warm dinner waiting for us when we got home. So I pulled out the crock pot and threw in the ingredients for one of my favorite crock pot recipes, White Chicken Chili. The idea of my kitchen catching on fire definitely crossed my minds multiple times throughout the movie but luckily the crock pot worked the way it's supposed to and the chili turned out great.

My friend Sarah gave me this recipe a few years back and I love it. I have made it countless times and it never disappoints. It's great because you can let it cook on low for up to 10 hours and doesn't require too many ingredients. I tried a jalapeno cornbread recipe that I had been wanting to make for awhile and unfortunately you wont be seeing it on the blog. I like spicy food but this was just miserable. Brady couldn't stop coughing, I couldn't drink enough water; it wasn't pretty. But at least the chili turned out well! 

White Chicken Chili
** from my friend Sarah Kelly
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Serves: 8
Prep/Cook: 8-10 hours on low, 4 hours on high

3 15oz cans cannellini beans
2 1/2 c. cooked chicken, chopped (I just use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
1 c. yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground oregano
3 1/2 c. chicken broth
shredded monterey jack cheese
broken tortilla chips
salsa verde

In a 3 1/2 - 5 quart crock pot combine drained beans, chicken, onion, peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, cumin, salt, and oregano. Stir in chicken broth. Cover; cook on LOW heat for 8-10 hours, or on HIGH for 4-5. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with cheese, tortilla chips, and salsa verde.

Greek Stuffed Chicken

The other night Brady and I both wanted to make dinner but we were not in the mood for anything too labor intensive.  Brady found a recipe for Greek Stuffed Chicken on the We Are Not Martha blog and it sounded perfect. Their recipe used words like "a handful of," "a bunch of," and "a splash of"- no measuring required, just tossing stuff in a bowl and spooning it into a piece of chicken.  This recipe is about as easy as it gets, in terms of effort level it's just a step above opening the freezer and pulling out a Lean Cuisine.  Besides being easy to prepare the stuffed chicken tasted great!

Greek Stuffed Chicken
** adapted from We Are Not Martha
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 40 minutes 

half a red onion, chopped
small roma tomato, chopped
a handful of feta cheese, crumbled
a bunch of kalamata olives, pitted and halved
handful of parsley, chopped
splash of balsamic vinegar
pepper
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Preheat the oven to 350. Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Set aside while you prepare the chicken.

Cut slits in both chicken breasts, being careful not to cut all the way through. Spoon the onion/tomato/cheese mixture into the chicken breasts. Season the chicken breasts with pepper. 

Cover a small pan or baking dish with foil. Spray the pan with PAM cooking spray. Place the stuffed chicken breasts on the pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Chicken Quesadilla with Cranberry Salsa

I was so happy to come across this Cooking Light recipe a while back.  Chicken Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa was a favorite dish of mine at Coyote Grill, a Southwest-inspired restaurant in Kansas City. I had tried to recreate the dish but it just never turned out quite as good.  Then I found this recipe and honestly it is just as good, if not better!

Chicken Quesadillas with Cranberry Salsa
** Adapted from Cooking Light
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Serves 2
Prep/Cook Time: 15 minutes

Salsa
1 c. whole-berry cranberry sauce
1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
2 T. chopped green onions
1 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 Anjou pear, cored and finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

Quesadillas
1/4 c. sliced green onions
3/4 c. shredded light Monterey Jack cheese
4 (8 in. four tortillas)
1 cups chopped cooked chicken (or turkey)

To prepare salsa, combine first 7 ingredients. Cover and chill.

To prepare quesadillas, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray.  Add 1/4 cup sliced onions to pan; saute for about 3 minutes or until tender. Remove onions from the pan.

Reduce heat to medium and coat skillet with cooking spray. Add a tortilla to the pan, top with half the cheese, half the chicken, and half the green onions, and another tortilla.  Cook for about 2 minutes and then carefully flip and cook the other side for an additional 2 minutes are until the cheese is melted.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.  Cut each quesadilla into 6 wedges and serve with the cranberry salsa.

Mom's Oven "Fried" Chicken

Monday night my brother came over for dinner and I made him one of our favorite meals- oven "fried" chicken.  This is a dish that my mom would make for Sunday dinners, birthdays and other special occasions.  There really isn't anything fancy about the dish, the recipe is actually incredibly simple, but the chicken always tastes great and reminds me of home.  Plus a major bonus is that the chicken isn't actually fried and therefore is much better for you!

My mom typically uses Chex or Corn Flakes as the crunchy coating for the chicken.  I didn't have either so I used panko bread crumbs that I had recently purchased.  The panko worked just as well and provided the same crunchy consistency that I was hoping for.  She usually uses a egg wash prior to coating the chicken with Chex- again I didn't have eggs (not very prepared apparently) so I made a marinade of a little Dijon mustard and honey.  Either way works and I have noted instructions for both below.

I served the chicken with basic mashed potatoes and sauteed green beans.  I have to admit that I need to work on my timing on everything, the potatoes may have been a lukewarm by the time the chicken was ready but that's nothing that the microwave couldn't fix :)

Mom's Oven "Fried" Chicken

Serves 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45min-1 hour depending on oven temperature and size of chicken breasts

4 chicken breasts, boneless and skin removed
2 cups panko (chex or corn flakes work too)
1/8 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
6 T. flour
1 egg, beaten with 2 T. water (or mix 2 T. Dijon mustard and 1 T. honey)
1 tsp salt
dash of pepper
2 tsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375.  On a large dinner plate mix panko, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper; set aside.  In bowl, mix 1 egg with 2 T. water; set aside.  Put 6 T. flour on another large dinner plate.  Set up assembly line of flour, egg mixture (or mustard/honey mixture) and then bread crumbs.  Take chicken breast, coat in flour mixture, dip in egg, and then roll chicken in bread crumbs; repeat with the remaining chicken.  Place chicken breasts in a glass baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Drizzle 2 tsp of melted butter over the chicken.  Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Lobster Mac and Cheese

I came across this recipe for Lobster Mac and Cheese awhile ago and after months of talking about it and speculating how wonderful it would be Brady and I finally made it this past Sunday.  It was everything we had hoped for; it was delicious!  Many of the lobster mac and cheese recipes that I came across used tons of butter, cream and cheese.  This recipe is on the lighter side but is still creamy and loaded with flavor. 

We served our lobster mac and cheese with a black olive and provolone stuffed chicken breast.  Brady found the recipe on eatingwell.com and it tasted great. This is a low calorie dish that was easy to throw together while making the mac and cheese.  I will definitely be making this recipe again, with our without the lobster mac and cheese!

Lobster Mac and Cheese
** adapted from Healthy.Delicious
printable recipe

Serves 2-4
Prep/Cook Time: 30 minutes

1/2 lb rotini pasta

1 tsp olive oil
1 leek, cut into half moons
1 T. flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup skim milk
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup fontina, shredded
black pepper to taste
3 lobster tails (about 1.5 pounds), steamed
1/4 cup panko (japenese bread crumbs)

Prepare pasta according to package directions.

Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add leeks and sautee until they begin to soften. Add flour and cook for 1 minute. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add milk, and cook until it begins to thicken – about 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and cayenne and cook another minute or two. Stir in fontina and allow to melt. Set aside.

Remove lobster meat from the shell. Set aside a few nice looking pieces to use as garnish, and roughly chop the rest. Stir chopped lobster into the cheese sauce. Fold pasta into the sauce. Season to taste with black pepper.

Spray the insides of 2-4 ramekins or crocks with cooking spray. Fill with lobster and pasta mixture and top with panko. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until panko begins to brown and crisp up. To serve garnish with small pieces of reserved lobster.

** To steam the lobster I used a steamer insert in a medium size saucepan.  I added about a cup of water to the saucepan and then laid the lobster tails down in the steamer.  I steamed on medium high heat for about 5 minutes or until the lobster shells turned red.  To remove the meat I used kitchen scissors to cut open the shell and then pulled the meat out.  I promise this is not as scary or difficult as it sounds!  Having an uncooked lobster tail waived in your face is much more traumatic...

Provolone and Olive Stuffed Chicken Breasts
** adapted from eatingwell
printable recipe

Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 30 minutes

1/8 cup shredded provolone cheese

2 T chopped California Ripe Olives
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup panko, Japanese breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with sides with cooking spray.


Combine the provolone, olives and pepper in a small bowl.

Cut a horizontal slit along the thin, long edge of a chicken breast half, nearly through to the opposite side. Open up each breast and place one half of the cheese filling in the center. Close the breast over the filling, pressing the edges firmly together to seal. Repeat with remaining chicken breast and filling. Hold each chicken breast half together and dredge in panko. (Discard leftovers.)

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to the prepared baking sheet, browned-side up, and bake until it is no longer pink in the center or until an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F, about 20 minutes.

Lemon Chicken with Mushroom Risotto

I recently came across this recipe on Chaos in the Kitchen's blog.  I love risotto but I have always been a little apprehensive to try making my own.  On Top Chef someone always goes home for messing up their risotto so it has to be hard right? Wrong!  This recipe was quick and easy and tastes like something you would get at a restaurant.  Plus the food looks very impressive so it's a great dish to serve company. 

Lemon Sauced Chicken
** adapted from Chaos in the Kitchen
(printable recipe)

Serves 2
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 15 min

2 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp butter, such as Smart Balance
1 tsp oil
salt and pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth

Preheat oven to 350. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat, then when hot, add the butter and oil. You may want to spray the pan with a little nonstick spray as well.  Once butter is melted, season chicken with salt and pepper then place in the pan. Cook undisturbed for 4 minutes. Flip chicken with tongs and cook about 4 more minutes on the other side.  Place skillet in the oven and cook an additional 8-10 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove skillet using an oven mitt, skillet handle will be very hot.  Move chicken to a serving plate and keep warm under foil.

Add lemon juice and white wine to the skillet, scraping up all of the browned bits. Add chicken broth and boil until reduced by about half and sauce is slightly thick. Serve chicken drizzled with about 1 to 2 tbsp of sauce.

Basic Mushroom Risotto
Serves 2 - 4
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min

5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp oil
1 tsp butter
8 oz fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced or chopped
1 cup arborio or long grain rice
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
truffle oil or truffle salt (optional)

Boil chicken broth then turn down to a simmer. Heat a pan to medium and add oil and butter. Once butter is melted add mushrooms and saute until beginning to brown. When mushrooms are starting to turn golden, add rice and stir. Toast rice, stirring, until it turns golden. Ladle one cup of hot broth into rice and mushrooms and stir to combine. You do not have to stir constantly but just give it a good stir every now and then.

When most of the liquid is absorbed and the pan is beginning to get dry, stir in another cup of liquid. Continue stirring in hot liquid as it is absorbed until rice is tender and creamy. When rice is done, remove from the heat and stir in parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle individual servings with a small amount of truffle oil of a pinch of truffle salt if desired (we omitted this step and it still tasted great). 

** To time the preparation of the chicken and the risotto correctly I would suggest starting the risotto first. Once you get the mushrooms browned and rice added to the pan you can start cooking the chicken.  The chicken doesn't require much attention so you will be able to concentrate on adding the broth at the appropriate times and stirring occasionally to keep the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

This is a great recipe that I got while taking a cooking class at the Chopping Block.  The instructor used chicken wings and while they tasted great and are perfect for party food I thought that chicken breasts would be more practical and healthier for an easy weeknight dinner. 

Just a warning, this dish definitely has some heat but for those that don't enjoy spicy food as much as I do use less jalapeno pepper or none at all. 

Jamaican Jerk Chicken
**adapted from the Chopping Blocks recipe


Prep Time: 1 hour 10 minutes  (10 minutes to make marinade, 30 minutes to marinate chicken breasts and 30 minutes to bake or about 12 minutes to grill)

Serves 4

1/2 red onion, diced
4 or 5 green onions, diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and diced
2 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp sugar
3 T. soy sauce
1 T. olive oil
1 T. cider vinegar
4 chicken breasts

Process the first 11 ingredients in the food processor. Put chicken breasts in a ziplock bag, pour in sauce and marinate for at least 30 minutes (can marinate overnight if desired).  Grease baking dish with cooking spray and bake at 375 for 30 minutes or grill 5-6 minutes on each side.

Serve with cilantro and lime wedges as a garnish.

Suggested side dishes that I have made in the past are sweet potato fries (yum!), Caribbean slaw, or couscous with black beans, red pepper, a little lime juice and jerk seasoning.