Chicken

Ingredients
For the rub
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
1 pound chicken breast tenders or chicken breasts cut into strips

For the sauce
¹⁄₂ cup fresh cilantro
¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley
¹⁄₄ cup slivered almonds
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
¹⁄₈ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons water

Instructions
1. Prepare grill pan, grill or broiler for cooking. 

2. Combine chili powder, cumin and salt.  Rub spice mixture over over chicken and let sit 10 minutes.  Cook for 15 minutes or until chicken reaches 170*F on instant read thermometer. 

3. Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in food processor or immersion blender cup.  Process until sauce is smooth.  Serve sauce with chicken. 

Comments
I think this recipe might have come from a South Beach Diet book a long, long time ago.  It’s one of Art’s favorites and I’m surprised that it’s taken me over two years of blogging to make it.  We used to have this dish somewhat often.  The sauce is super flavorful and the rub on the chicken is lovely. 

Shown here with Skillet Cornbread with Corn.

South Beach Diet Cookbook

Ingredients_
For the chicken_
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cutlets
¹⁄₂ cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten
1 ¹⁄₂ cup panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper

For the sauce
¹⁄₂ cup ketchup (Thankfully more and more brands have HFCS-free bottles!)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400*F.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 

2. Place flour in shallow container, eggs in a second container, and panko in a third. 

3. Dredge chicken cutlets in flour, then dip in egg, then coat with panko, patting to adhere.

4. Place breaded chicken on baking sheet and bake 20 minutes or until cooked through.  Remove from oven and let chicken rest on sheet for 1 minute before slicing. 

5. Meanwhile, mix all sauce ingredients together.  Serve sauce with chicken. 

Comments
This recipe is from Food Republik.  I’ve had katsu before in restaurants and it is delicious.  The entire recipe is super simple to bring together and takes a total of about 30 minutes if you’re slow at breading like I am.  The sauce has a great flavor and the panko gives the chicken nice crunch.  I can see this becoming a standby when I have an exciting new veggie dish to try and want a pretty simple chicken preparation to pair with it. 

Shown here with Spicy Stir-Fried Sugar Snap Peas (that turned out not to be sugar snap peas, but that’s another story).

Internet - Food Republik

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
8-10 soft taco-size flour tortillas
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies
Fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions
1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook chicken 5-10 minutes per side, or until cooked through.  Remove from heat and shred with forks. 

2. Heat oven to 425*F. 

3. Mix 1 cup cheese and chicken in medium bowl.  Place equal amount of chicken mixture into each tortilla.  Roll tortillas up and place seam-side down in lightly greased 9 x 12-inch baking dish. 

4. Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Slow add in chicken broth, stirring constantly.  Increase heat to high and bring to boil.  Cook, stirring, until sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and stir in sour cream and chilies. 

5. Pour sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.  Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until cheese and sauce are bubbly.  Sprinkle with cilantro before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from [Let’s Dish](http://letsdish(recipes.blogspot.com/2011/02/white-chicken-enchiladas-with-green.html) and I think  they’ll be called Mexican Crepes from this point on since they reminded us quite a bit of crepes and not too much of enchiladas!  I loved these the most and claimed all of the leftovers for my own.  The guys enjoyed them as well, but I was the one who really dug them.  This would be delicious with spinach added to the chicken mixture. 

Shown here with Mexican Rice.

Internet - Let’s Dish

Ingredients
6-8 ounces Greek yogurt
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
2 sweet onions, roughly chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and roughly chopped
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons ground coriander
3 bay leaves
2 large vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
3 tablespoons ground almonds
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¹⁄₂ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions
1. Place yogurt, half of garlic, half of ginger, and chicken into a ziptop bag or plastic container with lid.  Mix and refrigerate for 2 to 24 hours. 

2. Place onion, remaining ginger and garlic, jalapeno, and salt in food processor and blend until smooth. 

3. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Pour onion mixture into skillet.  Bring to low boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 minutes.  Remove lid and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes, stirring often. 

4. Add turmeric, paprika, coriander, bay leaves, tomatoes and tomato paste.  Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring, 3-5 minutes.  Add chicken and marinade.  Cook, stirring, for 10 minutes.  Add coconut milk, almonds, garam masala, and cumin, stirring to combine.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Sprinkle with cilantro before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from TasteInspired.  All three of us love Indian food so I’m always keeping my eyes open for good looking recipes.  This recipe is not only good looking, it’s also good tasting!  We all enjoyed the curry and I wished that I had doubled the recipe in order to have more leftovers.  This is a nice, mild curry – a great introduction for curry initiates.

I served it with a mixture of basmati and texmati rice.

Internet - TasteInspired

Ingredients
2 slices bread, torn into pieces
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise (Or use thin-sliced breasts)
¹⁄₄ cup flour
¹⁄₄ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons dried marjoram
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon milk
1 large egg
4 teaspoons olive oil
4 lemon wedges

Instructions
1. Place bread in a food processor, and pulse until breadcrumbs measure about 1 ³⁄₄ cups.

2. Place flour in shallow dish.  Combine breadcrumbs, cheese rosemary, marjoram, salt and pepper in second shallow dish.  Combine milk and egg in third shallow dish, beat with fork. 

3. Working one breast at a time, dredge chicken in flour, shaking off excess.  Dip into egg mixture then dredge in breadcrumb mixture, pressing to coat evenly on both sides.  Repeat procedure with remaining chicken pieces.  Place chicken pieces on baking sheet covered with parchment paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

4. Heat oven to 375*F. 

5. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add two breast pieces and cook, 3 minutes on each side, or until browned, return to baking sheet.  Repeat procedure with remaining breast pieces.  Bake for 12 minutes or until chicken is done and meat thermometer reads 165*F.  Squeeze lemon over chicken before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual.  It’s a pretty basic breaded chicken recipe, but it was still delicious and very flavorful. 

Shown here with Bacon and Mushroom Risotto with Baby Spinach.

Cooking Light 2011

Ingredients
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 (15 ounces each) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups medium salsa (I used salsa fresca.)
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2-3 cups cooked rice
10 -12 burrito sized flour tortillas
1 (approximately 30 ounces) can green enchilada sauce
2 cups Mexican cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Place chicken, pineapple, beans and salsa in slow cooker.  Cover and cook on LOW 6 to 8 hours. 

2. Remove chicken and shred.  Mix shredded chicken back into slow cooker.  Stir in oregano, cumin, garlic powder, and cooked rice. 

3. Heat broiler. 

4. Spray 2 13 by 9-inch baking dishes with cooking spray.  Split chicken mixture between burrito shells.  Roll tortillas, folding in sides, to form burritos.  Place burritos in baking dishes.  Pour enchilada sauce evenly over each dish of burritos.  Top with cheese and broil until cheese has melted. 

Comments
This recipe is from Real Mom Kitchen.  I love pineapple which is why this recipe appealed to me.  We all enjoyed it and the guys both agree that the leftovers the second day were even better than dinner the first night.  This seems to be a common trend with slow cooker meals. 

We were, however, all disappointed by the lack of pineapple flavor in the dish.  Next time, I believe I’d add the pineapple in step 2 instead of in step 1 to keep the pineapple from breaking down too much during the cooking.  I might also use smaller tortillas and make the dish more like enchiladas instead of burritos.  This is a delicious dish, it could just use a little bit of tweaking the next time I make it.  There will definitely be a next time!

If you don’t want to make two pans of burritos all at once, you can easily freeze half the filling for a future meal.

Internet - Real Mom Kitchen

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon black pepper
¹⁄₄ teaspoon garlic powder
¹⁄₄ teaspoon dried oregano
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 cups red and yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
¹⁄₂ cup shallot, thinly sliced
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 450*F.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in  large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine ¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Rub chicken with spice mixture. Cook chicken in skillet 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in 9 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until instant read thermometer reaches 160*F when inserted into thickest part of chicken breast.   (If the chicken does not fit in a 9 x 9, use a 12 x 9 instead.)

3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat in skillet. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, remaining ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper, cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid has reduced. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2011 Cooking Light Annual.  I used orange and yellow bell peppers because the red ones were looking very sad at the store that week.  While it would have been more colorful with red bell peppers, it was just as tasty without them!  I thought this dish was pretty much perfect, especially when paired with the mashed potatoes suggested by the cookbook.  The whole recipe also came together very swiftly, requiring just a small amount of prep work to get the shallot and bell peppers sliced. 

Shown here with Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes.

Cooking Light 2011

Ingredients
3 tablespoons yellow mustard
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons hot sauce (I used Sriracha.)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ teaspoon dried thyme
1 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon plus ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450*F. Combine mustard, mayonnaise, hot sauce, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon pepper in large bowl or container. Add chicken and toss until coated. Refrigerate, covered, 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

2. Pulse bread, butter, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper in food processor until coarsely ground. Remove chicken from bowl and transfer to wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle buttered bread crumbs evenly over top and sides of chicken, pressing gently to adhere. Bake until crumbs are golden brown and chicken registers 160*F, 20 to 60 minutes. Serve.

Comments
This recipe is from the 2010 Cook’s Country Annual and I pretty much didn’t change anything.   This chicken was deliciously spicy and very moist.  The chicken breasts I had were huge, mutant breasts, so the original cooking time the recipe called for just did not cut it.  If you’re going to be cooking the chicken for more than about 25 minutes, cover it loosely with tinfoil after the coating browns to prevent it from burning.  Next time, since I’m not a huge spicehead, I’ll probably reduce the hot sauce in the recipe to just ¹⁄₂ tablespoon.  The recipe as written was at the upper limit of my spice tolerance. 

Shown here with Tomato Mac and Cheese.

Cook’s Country 2010

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 onions, cut in half rings
3 bell peppers, cut in half rings (I used one each red, yellow, and orange.)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ cup water
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon Italian herbs
1 vegetable bouillon cube
Pinch nutmeg
Salt and pepper
¹⁄₂ cup half and half
2 cups Italian cheese blend, shredded

Instructions
1. Heat oven to 400*F. 

2. Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Heat butter and oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until butter has melted.   Lightly brown chicken on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to 9 by 12-inch baking dish. 

3. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring, until soft.  Transfer onions to baking dish.  Add bell peppers to skillet and cook, stirring, until soft.  Transfer bell peppers to baking dish. 

4. Add garlic to skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Add water, diced tomatoes, Italian herbs, bouillon, nutmeg, and half and half.  Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir well.  Simmer sauce over low heat for 5 minutes.  Pour sauce over chicken and vegetables. 

5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven and uncover.  Top with cheese and bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until cheese has melted and chicken is cooked through.  Serve over pasta. 

Comments
This recipe is from Kayotic Kitchen, one of my favorite blogs of all time.  I served the dish over thin spaghetti and we all thought it was delicious.  Lots of tasty bell pepper flavors.  If you want more color in the dish, feel free to use a green bell pepper instead of an orange or yellow.  I don’t care for the flavor that green bell peppers bring to the party, so I used other colors.  I think Art and Lance got all the leftovers for this, but they certainly vanished so I assume they were fantastic as well.  Thanks for another winner, Kay!

Internet - Kayotic Kitchen

Ingredients
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped fine
6 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
12 ounces portobello mushrooms caps, gills removed, halved and sliced thin
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
¹⁄₄ cup all purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup beef broth
1 cup white wine
¹⁄₂ cup half and half
4 teaspoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken, until deep golden brown, about 6 minutes. Flip and brown on second side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot.

2. Cook onions in remaining fat until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, thyme, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms have released their juices, about 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover and cook until liquid evaporates and mushrooms begin to brown, about 7 to 15 minutes.

3. Stir in flour and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broths and wine and bring to boil.  Return chicken and all accumulated juices to pot.  Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until meat registers 160*F, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to serving platter and tent with foil.

4. Add half and half to pot and simmer until sauce is thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2008 Cook’s Country Annual and I served it with egg noodles.  It would work well served over rice or other pasta.  The guys both found this very tasty and enjoyed leftovers. For some reason my palate is off lemon at the moment and I found it to be too lemony, which is strange since lemon is usually a flavor I love.  Maybe I’ll enjoy it more next time.

Cook’s Country 2008