Chicken Stew

I love this Giada recipe. It is so fresh and healthy, yet feels hearty. It also reheats very well for lunch or dinner the next day. I served it with cornbread.

Chicken Stew

Source: Everyday Italian

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (14-oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 1 (14-oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 C fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
• 2 chicken breast with ribs (about 1 1/2 lbs total)
• 1 (15 oz) can organic kidney beans, drained (rinsed if not organic)
• Serving suggestion: Crusty bread

1. Heat the oil in a heavy 5 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the tomatoes with their juices, chicken broth, basil, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Add the chicken breasts; press to submerge.
2. Bring the cooking liquid to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently uncovered until the chicken is almost cooked through, turning the chicken breasts over and stirring the mixture occasionally, about 25 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken breasts to a work surface and cool for 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the kidney beans to the pot and simmer until the liquid has reduced into a stew consistency, about 10 minutes.
3. Discard the skin and bones from the chicken breasts. Shred or cut the chicken into bite- size pieces. Return the chicken meat to the stew. Bring the stew just to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Ladle the stew into serving bowls and serve with the bread.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This dish is quite spicy, but so satisfying. The original recipe calls for traditional enchiladas (rolled and placed side-by-side in a dish), but I find it is much easier to make a casserole. My changes are listed below; click here for the original recipe.

Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Adapted from Tyler Florence's Chicken Enchiladas

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 18 corn tortillas
• 1 can enchilada sauce
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
• Garnishes: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions, sour cream, chopped tomatoes

1. Coat large saute pan with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, allow 7 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle chicken with cumin, garlic powder and Mexican spices before turning. Remove chicken to a platter, allow to cool. Saute onion and garlic in chicken drippings until tender. Add corn and chiles. Stir well to combine. Add canned tomatoes, saute 1 minute. Pull chicken breasts apart by hand into shredded strips. Add shredded chicken to saute pan, combine with vegetables. Dust the mixture with flour to help set.
2. Ladle a small amount of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 glass baking dish. Layer six corn tortillas on top of the sauce. Spread half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas and top with 3/4 C cheese. Repeat layering -- six more corn tortillas, remaining chicken, 3/4 C cheese. Top with the remaining six tortillas. Pour the enchilada sauce over the top, and sprinkle remaining 1/2 C cheese over the top.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Serve with sour cream.
   

Chicken Piccata

This dish has so much flavor! I serve it over couscous to soak up the delicious juices. I usually cut down on the butter and oil used, and I have not noticed a big difference.

Chicken Piccata
Recipe from Giada DeLaurentis

• 2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, butterflied and then cut in half
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• All-purpose flour, for dredging
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup brined capers, rinsed
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess.
2. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter with 3 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add 2 pieces of chicken and cook for 3 minutes. When chicken is browned, flip and cook other side for 3 minutes. Remove and transfer to plate. Melt 2 more tablespoons butter and add another 2 tablespoons olive oil. When butter and oil start to sizzle, add the other 2 pieces of chicken and brown both sides in same manner. Remove pan from heat and add chicken to the plate.
3. Into the pan add the lemon juice, stock and capers. Return to stove and bring to boil, scraping up brown bits from the pan for extra flavor. Check for seasoning. Return all the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove chicken to platter. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter to sauce and whisk vigorously. Pour sauce over chicken and garnish with parsley.

Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

I saw this recipe on Foodie Melissa's blog and I knew I had to try it. I believe she got the recipe from AllRecipes.com. This was very good, and very easy for a weeknight meal. Next time I will try to use my own spices, instead of buying packaged taco seasoning.

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 oz) can chili beans (I assumed this meant red kidney beans)
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans
• 1 (15 oz) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid oz) can or bottle of beer
• 2 (10 oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
• 1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole, skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I used 2 breast halves, and it was more than enough chicken)
• I also added 2 cloves crushed garlic

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes (and garlic) in slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired. (I returned the chicken to the crock pot and just let it heat through -- the chicken was done).
   

Island Chicken, Couscous, & Roasted Asparagus

Tonight I made Island Chicken (courtesy of *doctorannie* from the What's Cooking board on the Nest) with couscous and roasted asparagus. The chicken was wonderful! It was so moist, and the marinade was delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper. The pan juices made the couscous very flavorful. The asparagus recipe is just one that I made up -- it's a very easy weeknight side dish, especially if you already have something in the oven. Enjoy! :)

Island Chicken

Courtesy of doctorannie

• 1/2 C vegetable oil
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pepper
• 4-6 chicken breast halves

1. Combine everything but chicken in a large bowl. Mix well. Place chicken breasts in bowl and marinate 2-8 hours.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer chicken to a baking dish and drizzle with leftover marinade. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Roasted Asparagus

• 1 bunch asparagus
• salt & pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Snap bottoms off asparagus stalks. Spread asparagus in a single layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle with minced garlic as well as salt and pepper, to taste. Drizzle with olive oil. Use tongs to evenly coat asparagus.
3. Roast at 350 for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Fruited Curry Chicken Salad

I had a ton of cooked chicken breast leftover from a weekend recipe. I decided to make some chicken salad, using ingredients I had around the house. I adapted this recipe from AllRecipes.com. I thought it was excellent! I would make a few changes next time, though. First, I was out of pecans and raisins, so I left them out, but I bet it would have been even better with them. Next time I will also double the amount of curry -- I couldn't really taste it. I also used half the amount of mayo (because I don't like mayo), so it didn't hold together like it should (but it tasted great!). I might also try it with some mandarin oranges and slivered almonds next time...yum!

Fruited Curry Chicken Salad

Adapted from AllRecipes

• 3/4 C light mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1/8 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves -- cooked and diced or shredded
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1/2 small onion, chopped
• 1 small apple (I used Fuji) -- peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/3 C golden raisins
• 1/3 C seedless grapes (I used red), halved
• 1/2 C chopped toasted pecans

1. Combine mayo, curry powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
2. In a large salad bowl, combine mayo mixture and all remaining ingredients. Mix together, tossing to coat. Salad is ready to serve!