Chicken Lettuce Cups

Chicken Lettuce Cups
Recipe from Taste of Home

• 1 packet stir-fry seasoning powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 pound ground chicken breast
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1/4 cup diced water chestnuts
• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 head of romaine lettuce (inner leaves only), or 2 heads of butter lettuce and /or radicchio
• For garnish: Mint, cilantro, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts

Directions

• In a small bowl, combine stir-fry seasoning, water, soy sauce, lime
• juice and sugar. Set aside.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken meat and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Cook until browned, about 10
• minutes. Add red bell pepper, water chestnuts, scallions and red
• pepper flakes and cook 5 minutes. Stir in reserved stir-fry seasoning mixture. Cook until liquid evaporates, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Serve in lettuce cups garnished with mint, cilantro, bean sprouts and chopped peanuts. Yield: serves 6 to 8.

Our verdict: AWESOME!! I've made these for a couple of get-togethers/parties and they are always a big hit! We love them - and actually think they have better flavor than the lettuce wraps at PF Changs!! I haven't made them in awhile...I think I'm going to have to make them soon!! :)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

6 cups chicken broth
One 14.5 ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Six 6-inch corn tortillas, cut into strips - 1/2 inch wide and 2 to 3 inches long
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves or 3 thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded & minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used pepper jack)
Chopped fresh cilantro
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

1. Combine broth and tomatoes in a soup pot, and bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add tortilla strips in a couple of batches and cook, stirring once or twice, until light brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove fried strips to paper towels to drain.
3. In same skillet, cook chicken 3 to 5 minutes without stirring, until nicely browned on first side. Add onion, garlic, jalapenos, cumin, and salt; cook 5 minutes or so, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are softened.
4. Add contents of skillet to simmering broth; cook 10 minutes.
5. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each with tortilla strips, cheese, and cilantro; serve each bowl with a wedge of lime.

The verdict: We LOVED this!! It was a really quick soup to put together - and has a LOT of flavor! If you don't want to make the tortilla strips, it'd be a great way to use up the last few tortilla chips in the bottom of the bag!! Will be making this again for sure!!! Yum!!

Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

Slow-Cooker Chicken Cacciatore
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 to 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs (I didn't have these, so I used boneless chicken breast)
Two 6-ounce cans tomato paste
Two 4-ounce cans sliced mushrooms (we don't like mushrooms, so I left these out)
1 green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon celery powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
1/2 cup dry white wine or chicken broth
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1. Layer onion over bottom of a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. Add chicken pieces to cooker. Combine next 12 ingredients and red pepper, if using. Pour over chicken in cooker. Cover and cook on Low 7 to 9 hours or on High 3 or 4 hours.
2. Serve over pasta or rice.

The verdict: REALLY good! Brandon really liked this a lot - said it reminded him a little of mole - which is one of his favorites! :) It had a good amount of heat, and flavor - but not overwhelming - it had a touch of sweetness, but it wasn't too sweet! Very dark and earthy tasting - but really really good!! I will make this again for sure!! (I served it with pasta)

Mexican Chicken Salad

Mexican Chicken Salad
Recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup frozen (thawed) or canned (drained) corn
1 cup chopped ripe tomatoes (I used a can of petite diced tomatoes , drained)
1 15-oz can black beans, drained
2 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 10-ounce package lettuce mix
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (I used pepper jack)
2 cups slightly crushed tortilla chips
1 cup sour cream
1 cup thick, chunky salsa

1. In a small jar with a lid, combine vinegar, honey, cumin, salt, and black pepper. Shake vigorously until well mixed. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet. Sprinkle chicken cubes with garlic, then cook until no longer pink in the center, about 5 minutes.
3. Place chicken, corn, tomatoes, beans, green onions, and red pepper in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add honey dressing and toss until well coated. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 1 hour.
4. When ready to serve, combine chicken mixture with lettuce. Serve with cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, and salsa in separate bowls.

Our verdict: AWESOME!!!! We LOVED this salad!! I made it for dinner last Sunday, and then made it again on Tuesday to take for a potluck!! You could add things depending on your tastes - I think the next time, I will chop up a jalapeno and add it and maybe some fresh cilantro as well! But, it doesn't need to be changed, it's delicious just the way it is!!

**Sorry there's not a picture, I'm sure I'll make this again before long, and I'll take a picture and add it to the recipe then! :)

Crunchy Baked Chimichangas

Crunchy Baked Chimichangas
recipe from: Family Feasts for $75 a Week by Mary Ostyn

1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup picante sauce or your favorite salsa, plus more for serving
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, plus more for serving
2 green onions, chopped, plus more for serving (I didn't have green onions, and just chopped up a small onion instead)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Six 8-inch flour tortillas
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 400*F.
2. Combine chicken, picante sauce, cheese, green onions, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper and oregano in a medium-size bowl. Divide mixture evenly among center of tortillas. Fold opposite sides of tortillas over filling, then roll up from the bottom and place, seam sides down, onto a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter.
3. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Garnish with additional cheese and green onions; serve salsa on the side.

Our verdict: These were DELICIOUS!! This will be added to our regular rotation of meals for sure! :) They were crispy and had good flavor - and as Brandon said, they were the perfect balance between Chimi & Changa - which of course is crucial in a good chimichanga! :) I loved that they were baked not fried, and didn't have any cream cheese or cream of something soup inside them, which made them a bit healthier!! I also loved that all the ingredients in this recipe are always in my house!! :) I will make these again for sure!!!!

Sweet Fire Chicken Breast

My very favorite entree at Panda Express is Sweetfire Chicken Breast. I LOVE IT!!! I love the breaded chicken pieces, but like that they're breast meat and not bits and pieces like in orange chicken. I like the sweet and sour and spicy sauce and the bell peppers and pineapple in it. So, I decided I wanted to try to recreate this - and I found a recipe. It was SOOOO good! Brandon told me it was better than the stuff at Panda. This is going to be a regular for us - which will ultimately save us a lot of money, because we go to Panda fairly often!! :) Bonus!! :) I was SOOO happy with how this turned out! :)

Sweetfire Chicken Breast
Recipe from here

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into approx. 1" pieces
1 cup flour
salt & pepper, to taste (we hardly use any salt and add more pepper)
canola oil, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan or PAM cooking spray
1/2 of a red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 of a small onion, chopped
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped (could substitute a can of pineapple, drained - this is what I used)
Thai sweet chili sauce (I used about 3/4 cup, but we both would have liked it hotter, so next time I'll probably add more and maybe a shake or two of red pepper flakes)

Chop and prepare all ingredients before starting. Heat oil in pan on stovetop. Mix flour, salt and pepper in a gallon ziplock bag. Add chicken pieces and coat evenly. Once pan has heated, add the chicken pieces. Throw out the leftover flour mixture. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring several times to cook chicken. If the pan surface gets dry, spray some additional cooking spray on the surface or add a little bit more oil. Once the chicken has browned, add the bell pepper and onions. Stir in and cook about 3-4 minutes. Add the sweet chili sauce and stir. Then immediately add the pineapple and stir. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Serve over rice immediately.

Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes

This is really tasty! Really great for lunch the next day too! I served it with some pita chips on the side, and I think it would be really good in some nice whole wheat pitas as well! I did add a little extra curry powder (not sure exactly how much!) because it was still smelling a little mayonnaise-y for my taste - and both Brandon and I could have actually used even more curry powder, so I'll probably double the amount next time! Other than that, it was really great! It's really excellent for the summer!! I love the combo of the sweet crunchy grapes with the curry.

Curried Chicken Salad with Grapes
Recipe from: Quality Health

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked chicken, cubed

2 tbsp scallions, sliced

2 tbsp orange juice

1/2 cup celery, sliced

1-1/2 cups red or black grapes, halved

3/4 cup light mayonnaise

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp pepper, to taste, ground

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

Cooking Directions:

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl. Combine remaining ingredients in another bowl and whisk together until smooth. Toss the dressing with the salad and serve.

Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Thai Peanut Sauce

Originally posted April 4, 2011

I made these for dinner the other night (in April), and they were different, but good! I think I will make a few changes to the sauce the next time I make it, but other than that we really liked it!! :) I will use less soy sauce, a little more rice vinegar and more hot sauce the next time. But those are our preferences! :) Here's the recipe!

Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Thai Peanut Sauce
Recipe found here

Sauce

1/2	cup creamy peanut butter
1/2	cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4	cup rice vinegar
1/3	cup sugar
1/4	teaspoon red pepper sauce

Kabobs

6	boneless skinless chicken breasts (2 lb), each cut lengthwise into 4 strips
1	large red bell pepper, cut into 24 pieces
	Cooking spray

1. Heat gas or charcoal grill. In 2-quart saucepan, mix peanut butter, soy sauce and vinegar until smooth. Stir in sugar and pepper sauce. Cook over medium-high heat about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Place 3/4 cup sauce in small serving bowl to use as dipping sauce.
2. On each of 6 (12-inch) metal skewers, thread 4 chicken strips and 4 bell pepper pieces alternately, leaving about 1/4-inch space between each piece. Brush chicken and bell pepper with some of the remaining sauce.
3. Spray kabobs with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Place kabobs on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 5 minutes. Turn kabobs and brush with sauce; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Discard any remaining sauce used for brushing kabobs during grilling. Serve kabobs with reserved sauce for dipping.

Chicken Bruschetta

Originally Posted March 29, 2011 (I've left original blog text in this one)

This was dinner a couple of nights ago. (in March!) It's different, Brandon really liked it. I have had a migraine so my appetite is a little off. I liked it - will try it again, hopefully without a jackhammer in my brain!! :)

Chicken Bruschetta
Recipe found Here

INGREDIENTS

Tomato Topping

1 large tomato, chopped (1 cup) - I actually used 4 Roma tomatoes, because I like them better!

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (4 to 5 oz each)

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1 egg

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup Progresso® Italian style bread crumbs

2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

• In medium bowl, mix tomato topping ingredients. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.
• Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.
• In shallow bowl, beat egg and milk with fork until blended. Spread flour on shallow plate. Spread bread crumbs on another shallow plate. Coat chicken with flour, then dip into egg mixture and coat with bread crumbs.
• In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken; cook 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until crumbs are golden brown and chicken is no longer pink in center. Serve tomato topping over chicken.

Salsa Chicken With Black Beans

Originally posted: March 14, 2011

Salsa Chicken with Black Beans (adapted from Crockpot Salsa Chicken recipe)

4 chicken breasts
1 jar of salsa (however hot you want! I usually use medium)
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 cup of frozen corn

Put chicken and salsa in a large skillet. Cover and cook (until chicken is almost done) Sometimes, I cut the chicken into cubes, sometimes I cook the pieces whole - kind of depends on my time frame! When chicken is almost done, add black beans and corn, cover and cook for a few more minutes. (maybe 10 or so) While chicken is cooking - I steam some rice (usually in rice cooker) and serve the chicken and salsa combo over the top of the rice. Great with a side salad! Super easy, and super yummy!!!