Savory Strawberry Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry
Strawberries, a few per serving, cleaned and sliced thick (or leave whole if they are small)
2 T. strawberry jelly/jam/preserves
1/4 cup lemon Juice
1/4 cup diced onion



Spice rub
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Preheat: 400F
Heat a medium skillet on medium-high. Rinse chicken and pat dry, then roll in brown sugar mixture. Place chicken in hot skillet and sear, undisturbed, for about a minute. Flip and sear other side, about a minute, then turn heat down to medium and add strawberry jam and lemon juice. Stir until jam has melted into liquid, flipping chicken breasts to coat. Place chicken into glass baking dish and drizzle sauce over top.

Add strawberry slices to hot skillet and sear on each side for a few seconds. Carefully place slices on top of chicken, sprinkle with onion, and place in oven for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.


Slice chicken on a diagonal, drizzle with sauce, and top with strawberries.

Served with strawberry salad and bread.

Sesame Pork Chops

Wow. Bless your bones, Mark Bittman. Found a recipe for Sesame-Glazed Grilled Chicken in Kitchen Express and switched it for pork... yum. And super-quick! I also threw a steamer bag of broccoli in the microwave for a quick side.

• Boneless pork chops (or boneless skinless chicken breasts), pounded to 1/2-1/4 inch thickness
•  3 T. hoisin sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. sesame oil
• cayenne pepper to taste, start with just a pinch
• sesame seeds, about 1 tsp. per pork chop
• scallions

Preheat the broiler to high (you could also grill this) and mix together hoisin, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and cayenne into a thin paste. This was about the amount I made for two chops; feel free to increase. Taste and adjust amounts to personal preference. Brush the paste thickly on both sides of chops and place in broiler pan. Broil until cooked through, about six minutes, flipping once. Meanwhile, lightly toast sesame seeds in a dry pan. Sprinkle the pork with seeds and garnish with sliced scallions (optional). If you like, serve over rice.

 on my lap, no less, about to be devoured!

Chicken Curry with Raisins and Couscous

vegetable oil
boneless, skinless chicken breasts (generally one per person), cut into 1-inch chunks
couscous
red onion, sliced
2 T. curry powder
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup apple juice
big pinch of salt

Pour just enough vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a big, deep skillet with a lid, and heat over medium-high heat. Check out the couscous package to see how much cooking liquid you need for the amount of servings you're making. Go ahead and put the water (or apple juice, or a mixture of both) into a small pot. Add some oil or butter if you want (I used butter) and turn it on medium-low.

Once the oil is hot, add the chicken to the skillet and sear until browned on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate with a slotted spoon and turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion and more oil if necessary, cooking until onion begins to soften, a few minutes. While you're waiting, turn up the heat on the juice/butter mixture until it comes up to a boil. Stir in the couscous, put a lid on it and remove from the heat.

Return the chicken to the skillet along with curry powder, stirring to coat. Add the raisins and stir for a minute before adding the apple juice and a pinch of salt. Stir, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of skillet, then cover. Let cook a few more minutes to heat through and ensure chicken is fully cooked.

After couscous has sat at least five minutes, remove lid and fluff with fork. Mound onto a plate or in a bowl and top with chicken mixture, pouring extra liquid on top.

note to self: next time, less couscous...

Inspired by two different recipes from Mark Bittman's Kitchen Express

Southwest Baked Chicken

Servings: 4

• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. onion powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine first 8 ingredients in a small bowl. Rub over all sides of chicken and place in glass casserole dish. Roast chicken in oven until no longer pink, about 40 minutes. Transfer to serving platter.

Served with sweet & tangy carrots, country green beans, and pan-fried potatoes.
recipe for sides below.

adapted from food.com 

Chicken and Gravy

2 Servings

• 1 garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. crumbled dried thyme
• 4 tsp. lemon juice
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 T. vegetable oil
• 1/2 T. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 T. all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley

• Accompaniment: cooked rice

In a shallow bowl stir together garlic paste, thyme, and 3 teaspoons lemon juice. Add chicken, turning to coat, and marinate, covered, 15 minutes. Pat chicken dry. 

In a 9-inch heavy skillet heat oil and butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté chicken until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken with tongs to a plate. Add flour to skillet and cook roux over moderately low heat, whisking, 3 minutes. Whisk in broth and remaining teaspoon lemon juice in a stream, whisking until gravy is smooth. Return chicken to skillet with any juices accumulated on plate and simmer, covered, 15 minutes, or until springy to the touch and just cooked through.

Stir in parsley and serve over rice.

source

 mmmm... carbs.

Served this with Jamaican Carrots- quick, easy, sweet & spicy!

Creamy Spinach Pasta

Created this last night to use up some leftover frozen spinach.

1/4 cup olive oil
1-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cooked spinach
4 oz. cream cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan
cooked pasta (penne, ziti, rotini, etc.)
kosher salt
fresh-ground pepper

Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly tanned and fragrant, a few minutes. Add spinach and stir, mixing it with the garlic and coating the spinach with oil. Cook until heated through, a few minutes, and add cream cheese. Kick the heat up to medium-high and combine with spinach until cheese is melted. Add milk, a little at a time, until it becomes a creamy, sauce-like consistency. Add parmesan, salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking until heated through. If it is too thick, add more milk. Combine with noodles and mix thoroughly.


I served this with some garlic bread, and since I wanted to serve the pasta as an entree I added chicken. You could use leftover chicken; just cut into bite-size pieces. I poured a little bit of lemon juice over a chicken breast, ground some pepper over it and stuck it in the oven as I was doing my prep work and it was done at just the right time. I cut it into bite-size pieces and added it into the spinach mixture just before adding the noodles. It was wonderfully juicy from the poaching, and the lemon juice gave it a nice citrusy kick to cut through the heaviness of the cheeses. For extra flavor, sear the chicken for a minute on each side in a hot skillet before putting it in the oven.

Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Breasts With Cheddar Mustard Sauce (Rachael Ray)

This is absolutely delicious <3 I omitted the pickle and lemon, and my thyme and parsley were dried instead of fresh, because that shit's expensive, and I'm not doing the whole greenhouse thing. Yet. Anyway, you can substitute 1 tsp. dried herbs to 1 T. fresh. Also, I added a dash of nutmeg to the cheese sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 quart-size plastic food storage bags
• 4 small, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 5-ounce bag of salted pretzels, any shape
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups milk
• 3/4 pound, about 2 1/2 cups, sharp yellow cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 heaping tablespoons spicy brown mustard
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, a generous handful, chopped
• 1/4 small yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 large sour dill pickle, finely chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

---

Preparation

 

Preheat a large non-stick skillet with a 1/4-inch of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
Sprinkle a little water into four medium food storage baggies. Place 1 chicken breast in each bag and seal it up, pushing out excess air. Use the bottom of a heavy pot or pan and pound each breast until flat, just shy of busting out of the bag. Repeat with the other 3 chicken breasts.

Place the pretzels in a food processor or blender and grind until fine. Transfer the ground pretzels to a shallow dish, add the thyme and some salt and pepper. Crack and beat 2 eggs in a second shallow dish with a splash of water. One at a time, coat each chicken breast in the egg and then the ground pretzels.

Add the pretzel-coated chicken breast to the hot oil. Cook in a single layer, in 2 batches if necessary, about 3 or 4 minutes on each side, until the juices run clear and breading is evenly browned.
While the chicken is frying, in a medium saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour to it. Cook flour and butter for 1 minute and then whisk in the milk. When the milk comes to a bubble, stir in the cheese and mustard with a wooden spoon. Season with a little salt and pepper, and remove cheese sauce from the heat.

Transfer the fried pretzel-crusted chicken breast to a serving plate, drizzle with the mustard cheddar sauce, then sprinkle with a little parsley, finely chopped onion and sour dill pickle. Serve lemon wedges alongside.

Yields: 4 servings

original source

Easy Santa Fe Chicken

serves 4


4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz. can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
8.75 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1 large red bell pepper, cut into bite-size pieces
1 large avocado, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
salsa

Prepare chicken any way you like- I usually grill it with the trusty ol' George Foreman. You can mix the rest of the ingredients together in a bowl, or you can keep them separate and allow everyone to top their own chicken breast to their liking. I like to keep everything in its own bowl, with the exception of mixing the red pepper in with the corn. Delicious, easy, and light!

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

serves 2


2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
flour
2 T. canola oil
       (note: for a healthier alternative, omit flour and oil, and fire up the ol' George Foreman grill!)
hot sauce (I like Frank's and Crystal's)
2 hamburger buns
Bleu cheese or Ranch dressing
celery and carrot sticks (optional)

Heat canola oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Dredge chicken breasts in flour and add to skillet. Cook, turning once, about 4-5 minutes per side, or until internal temperature reaches 160F. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in small saucepan or in microwave and add 1/4 cup hot sauce. If it is too spicy, add more butter. If it is not spicy enough, add more hot sauce. Remove cooked chicken breasts from skillet and coat in sauce mixture. Place on buns and drizzle remaining sauce over chicken, or over veggies, if desired. Top chicken with Bleu cheese, plus more on the side for veggie-dippin'!