Posts Tagged ‘chicken’

Comfort Food

January 23, 2012

20120123-154320.jpgThe Pioneer Woman’s chicken pot pie…

20120123-155924.jpgUltimate comfort food,… Especially on another rainy day like today.

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Easy and Delicious Roasted Chicken and Chicken Salad

November 13, 2008

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I rarely get to watch TV during the day, but a few months ago while in my first trimester, I milked my pregnancy for all it was worth and layed around as much as I could.

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During this time, I was able to catch a few episodes of Martha Stewart Living. I love that show. The specific episode I caught was with a chef, Jonathan Waxman. In this episode, Waxman demonstrated how to make the perfect roasted chicken with spinach and mashed potatoes.

My mouth watered while watching it…I couldn’t resist the yumminess. A few days later, I make his exact dinner…and it was delicious. Fresh sauteed spinach is divine and healthy at the same time. His potatoes were good and simple to make, although I have to admit I’m still convinced my potatoes are better. Seriously,…all the fats make anything better. But, the chicken, oh the chicken,….it was DELICIOUS. As J said, “the best chicken he has ever tasted”. It was so moist and so tender,….delicious and juicy. And, oh how simple!!! You just rinse off your chicken in the sink and pat it dry (Waxman said to let it soak in warm water for 20 minutes, but I was honestly too impatient). After it’s dry, you pour a bit of olive oil in a roasting pan, coat your chicken with olive oil, rub in some salt and pepper (and whatever else you’d like,…I added fresh thyme and also threw in some carrots and potatoes, tossed in olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper), and throw it in the oven at 475 degrees. You let it cook for about 45 minutes or until the thermometer reads 165 degrees.

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Oh man,…it was so wonderful. I encourage you all to make it! Don’t be scared by the “whole chicken” aspect,….they’re not scary at all to cook. This was such an easy meal and very rewarding. You can check out Martha’s video here.

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And not only that, but the next day I made homemade chicken salad with the leftovers. I’m not sure which was better, the chicken or the chicken salad!

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I diced up the leftover roasted chicken, added in a dollop of sour cream, a few tablespoons of mayo, diced onions, a bit of celery, a dash of cayenne pepper, salt, and ground pepper, and the secret and yummy ingredient,…..diced strawberries!! The mixture of onion and strawberry together was wonderful.

After toasting a couple pieces of sourdough bread, I threw on a few slices of romaine lettuce and then the salad and VOILA! one of the most delicious sandwiches i have ever tasted.

See, now why would you not want to roast a chicken?! You can get a two-for-one meal out of it!

Try it out and enjoy!!

Honey Lime Chicken with Roasted Corn Salsa and Pico De Gallo

May 2, 2008

Summer is quickly approaching us. The weather is getting warmer (I’ve been wearing tank tops a ton!), the sun is shining more brightly (I’ve been getting burnt a lot, remind me to buy sunscreen!), and the ice cream man is just around the corner (I heard the ice cream man jingle just the other day!). You know what that means, right?!

Grilling! And yummy, fresh ingredients!!

That’s why you should go make this delicious dish, that I’m about to tell you about, right away…or this weekend…or later next week. But, soon! Hurry!

I’ve recently subscribed to Cuisine at Home. A great magazine. No ads, purely cooking. They explain things so well and show step-by-step pictures of many of their recipes. It’s like a cooking blog, but in magazine form instead! Wow,…what a concept!!! (he he he…) This is what they offered to the public before blogs, folks!

If you’re into cooking magazines, I encourage you to try this one out. Their recipes are delicious, usually very simple to make, and thoroughly explained.

So in this months June issue, I tried out the “Honey-Lime Chicken” marinade with the “Grilled Fresh Corn in Spicy Lime Dressing” and Pico De Gallo”. Chicken sometimes gets dull for me, but this dish spiced things up and gave me a new love for our poultry friend, along with the yummy, accompanying salsas.

Of course I didn’t have enough lime or cilantro in our house when I decided to make this dish, but I improvised. Such as using a 1/2 cup of Hansen’s tangerine lime soda instead of a 1/2 cup lime juice. (HA!) And, you know what?! It was still amazing!

I switched things up a little bit and turned these “Honey-Lime Chicken Fajitas” into more of a “Honey-Lime Chicken Taco“. I served them with flour tortillas, chopped lettuce, and sprinkled shredded sharp cheddar on top, along with the corn salsa, pico de gallo, and sour cream. It was DE-LIC-IOUS!

The next day, J and I had the chicken on top of a salad with the salsa’s on top and other various toppings. It was DE-LIC-IOUS once again! See,….you get a 2-for-1 meal!

Honey-Lime Chicken Marinade (adapted from Cuisine at Home, June 2008 Issue):

-1/2 cup fresh lime juice (or if you’re like me and don’t have lime juice, you can use Hansen’s Lime and Tangerine soda,..YES! It worked and was delicious or you could even use lemon instead of lime)

-1/3 cup honey (more or less)

-1/4 cup minced garlic

-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

-1 1/2 lb. boneless chicken breasts (or, chicken tenders is what I used)

Marinade for about 45 minutes…as long as you like ’til you’re ready to grill. I’m sure you could also cook these in a skillet too!

Grill for about 6 minutes on each side til chicken reaches internal temperature of 165 degrees inside. Brush with marinade every few minutes. Slice into strips before serving.

Grilled Red Peppers (as shown above)

-2 Red Peppers

Slice into flat strips, throw onto grill, keep on til cooked through, flipping a couple of time.

Voila! Grilled Red Peppers! Yummy, Healthy, and good to throw in a taco, salad, or fresh corn salsa!

Fresh Corn Salsa (adapted from Cuisine at Home, June 2008 issue)

This recipe called for a bunch of cilantro and fresh corn off the cob. I didn’t have either of these, so instead. just mixed together what I had and added a few things of my own… such as frozen corn, grilled red peppers and diced onion.

-1 bag of frozen corn (doesn’t matter what size really, just go with what you have)

-2 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Throw oil and frozen corn into a skillet. Cook on medium til frozen corn is thawed out and cooked through. Let sit and cool for a few minutes while you combine the rest of the salsa.

Rest of the Salsa Mix:

-2 tsp. of vegetable oil

-1 tbsp of fresh lime juice

-1 tbsp. of Hot Sauce or Tabasco (I ended up adding about 2 Tbsp. by the end of the mixing. Add as much as you like!)

-1/4 cup. fresh cilantro (I didn’t have this, but it still turned out delicious. Add if you like, but don’t worry if you dont’, it’ll still be good!)

-2 tsp. of seeded and minced jalapeno

-1/2 tsp. sugar

-About 1/3 cup of diced onion

-About 1/3 cup of diced red pepper (grilled or raw)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Crumbled Queso Fresco

Mix these ingredients together with a whisk. Once corn has cooled a bit, throw it in with the rest of the mix. Stir together and sprinkle with Queso Fresco (Mexican Cheese).

Pico De Gallo (adapted from Cuisine at Home, June 2008 issue)

-2 cups diced tomatoes (seed before you cut, then it won’t be overly runny)

-1/2 cup fresh cilantro (once again, I had no cilantro… didn’t use it and it was still yummy!)

-1/4 red onion, diced

-2 tbsp. jalapeno, seeded and diced

-2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

-2 tbsp. vegetable oil

-1 tsp. minced garlic (yeah,… I think I added more than one tsp.!)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl. Stick in the fridge to chill before serving.

Extra stuff you’ll need for the tacos:

-Flour or Corn tortillas (I used 6 inch)

-Sour Cream

-Shredded Cheese (whatever kind you like)

-Shredded romaine lettuce

-Whatever else you’d like to top it with!

So, my friends….try this out. You’ll thank me later….and, uh,…Cuisine at Home. Let me know how it turns out!

Chicken Enchiladas!!

March 10, 2008

My husband notified me late last night that I have not been up to par on my postings. I was told that I was writing posts that weren’t as deep and detailed. I agree. It’s been busy for me and I find it hard to keep up with detailed posts and such when I’m chopping paper and making detailed invitations.

But,…in honor of my hubby, here is a detailed post for you!!

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Enchilada’s (I made a few weeks ago)!!! They’re yummy and delicious and can feed a whole crowd! I’ve made these a TON in the past couple of months. They have become J’s favorite and he is always requesting them. The great thing about these is that you can make as much or as little as you like. Just separate them into two dishes, freeze one and cook the other and you have two dinners done in one sitting. It’s marvelous!! I’m sure you could even freeze just the filling and then wrap up your enchiladas when you’re ready for them. I haven’t tried that yet, but I’m sure it will work.

So in this dish, I’ve manipulated two different recipes. One is from the Food Network’s site, made by Tyler Florence, and another from Simply Recipes website. I’ve added in a ton more spice and even a few of my own ingredients to make my own version of enchiladas.
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First, the ingredients! There are a lot of things that go into this recipe, but they can be easily found at your local grocery store, so don’t worry!

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First, finely dice 1 onion and about 5 or so garlic cloves (I love garlic and think there can never be too much garlic taste, so I add a ton!)

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Then, saute the onion and garlic in about 3 tablespoons of olive oil.

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While the onion and garlic is sauteing, pull out your roasted chicken. Hello, roasted chicken purchased at Vons! Thank you for joining us. You are delicious. And, I didn’t even have to cook you!

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Shred the entire chicken with a knife and fork…like this.

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After your onion and garlic is done sauteing, throw in 1 1/2 cups of frozen corn.

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Let that sit for a while and grab your green jalapeno chilis.

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If you weren’t smart (like me) and didn’t buy diced jalapeno’s out of the can, dump out your whole jalepeno’s and dice them up.

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Throw your jalapenos into the onion, garlic, and corn mixture,

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along with your 28 oz. can of stewed tomatoes and 15 oz. can of mexican diced tomatoes.

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Then, go back to your shredded roasted chicken. Throw it in a bowl and mix it up with 3 tablespoons of ground cumin, 4 tablespoons of chili powder, 2 tablespoons of garlic powder and a ton of salt and pepper. Make sure to taste it as you go and add more of less of the seasoning as you like.

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Mix all of the spices and shredded chicken together,…..YUM!

It’s almost time for the fun part! Don’t worry!

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Before we start the enchilada wrapping, make sure to throw your, now seasoned and shredded, chicken into your corn, jalapeno, and tomato mixture on the stove.

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Make sure to mix it up. Taste the mixture again, and if you can go for more spice, now’s the time to add it!

Yummy! Isn’t it starting to look delicious?

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Now just add about a 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar and jack cheese to the mixture and stir it all together. This will give it just a bit of a cheesy taste inside.

And now for the enchilada wrapping!!

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First we need to get the enchiladas soft flexible, so they won’t tear when we fill and wrap them.

This here, is what I like to call the “white and lazy” version of heating your tortillas versus heating them in the skillet with the enchilada sauce, which I believe is the authentic way. But, this is how my momma raised me to warm up tortillas. It may be a bit ghetto, but it works!!

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First, wet some paper towels in the sink and wring them out so that they are just damp, but not dripping with water. Lay one sheet onto a large plate. Place 3 tortillas onto the plate, overlapping a bit so they will fit. Place another wet sheet of paper towel over the tortillas and then continue the process until you’ve laid down about 15 tortillas. Cover up the last layer with a damp paper towel, making sure to tuck the edges under the tortillas. Then, heat them on high for about 30 second increments. When the paper towels feel warm and the tortillas are nice and pliable, you will know they are done!

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Now it’s enchilada time!!

*Notice that I have green and red enchilada sauce…yeah, that was a mistake. I meant to only get red, but instead grabbed a green can by accident. Use only red if you’re making enchiladas with red sauce or you can switch it up and use green if you feel like it!*

So, first things first,… pour a good amount of enchilada sauce in the bottom on your 9 x 13 casserole dish to coat the bottom. Then begin packing your corn tortillas with yummy filling!

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Pack about a heaping tablespoon into each corn tortilla.

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Then fold it up, flip it over, and stick it in the pan!

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Until your entire pan is filled!

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Then grab your red enchilada sauce and cover the entire tray of enchiladas with your sauce.

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Take the rest of your cheddar and jack cheese (about 2 cups) and cover your enchiladas entirely.

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Then, because this is how J’s sweet mommy used to do it when he was little, sprinkle a bunch of sliced black olives on top. If you don’t like them, you don’t have to add them. J just insists on having them on top. It reminds him of his childhood ;) .

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After you have sprinkled your cheese and olives on top, throw your tray of enchiladas in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

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Until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

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You can throw many different delicious toppings on top,….sour cream, freshly chopped avocados, chives, etc.

So, try it for yourself and let me know what you think!! Thanks for sticking through this long post! Hope you enjoyed ever detail ;) .


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