Chicken Florentine Bowtie Pasta

This is a really yummy way to introduce kids to spinach- it's so creamy and cheesy they'll love it.
*Modified recipe from Picky Palate.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove minced garlic
4 cups baby spinach leaves
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken breast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3-4 tablespoons milk
1 pound whole grain bowtie pasta or other small noodles
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring pasta to a boil and cook according to package directions.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add spinach leaves, chicken, salt and pepper. Cover and cook until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.

Add cream cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in milk to thin the cream and prevent sticking to the pan.

Drain pasta and stir into chicken mixture. Transfer to baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is melted.

Lemon Chicken with bacon, potatoes and roasted asparagus

Wow. I think this might have been the best meal of my entire life. Seriously, it is so yummy. These pictures don't do it justice at all. I thought the other roasted chicken recipe was pretty fabulous, but I think this beats it. Not only is the taste out of this world but the smell is so amazing, don't be surprised if your neighbors invite themselves to dinner...

Lemon Roast Chicken with Bacon and Red Potatoes

1 whole chicken

4-5 lemons

3-4 cloves of garlic

2 tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon Sea salt

1 teaspoon Pepper

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh thyme (you can also use dried italian seasoning if you don't have any fresh herbs)

3-4 slices of uncooked bacon (the least processed kind you can find, nitrate free of course!)

4-5 Red potatoes washed and chopped, tossed with olive oil or butter, salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice one lemon in half and the other lemons into thin slices. Peel the cloves of garlic and slice in half lengthwise. In a small bowl, mix together salt, pepper and thyme (or italian seasoning).

Layer half of the lemon slices on the bottom of your roasting pan. Wash chicken, pat dry and place breast down on top of the lemon slices. Rub with melted butter inside and out. Squeeze the ends of lemon over the top of the chicken. Rub with seasonings inside and out. Fill cavity of chicken with two of the garlic cloves (cut in half) and both halves of one lemon.

Put all lemon slices and ends around chicken (for added lemon flavor, place slices on top of chicken). Cover the top of the chicken with bacon slices.

Toss chopped red potatoes with olive oil or butter, salt and pepper and arrange around chicken. If you choose not to cook potatoes (which you really should- the bacon drippings mix with the olive oil and make perfectly browned and delicious potatoes), I recommend putting 1/4 to 1/2 cup water in the bottom of the pan to keep the chicken most.

Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until chicken is no longer pink.

Remove bacon strips, chop and mix in with potatoes (or just eat plain- it will be the best bacon you've ever had- the chicken flavors soak in and make it seriously amazing). Remove the lemon halves from the chicken cavity and squeeze over chicken slices before serving. Save a bit of lemon juice to squeeze over asparagus.

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch of asparagus

Olive oil

Salt

Pepper

Dash of lemon juice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees (or place in oven next to chicken during last 20 minutes of baking).

Wash asparagus and prepare each stalk by bending it until it snaps. Discard the bottom half and place the top half on baking sheet.

Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender but still crisp. Squeeze with a dash of lemon juice.

And, in case you missed my previous post on making chicken stock with the leftover chicken- click here, it can stretch one meal into 3 or 4.

Barley Jambalaya

I got this recipe a few years ago from my friend Elysa and it is so yummy! It makes a HUGE pot and even tastes better the next day when the spices have had a chance to meld. The kids love it and it's super healthy.
2 cups barley
5 cups chicken broth or water
2 bay leaves (optional)
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (can use canned) or shrimp
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup diced fresh peppers (I prefer red & yellow)
1 cup diced celery (4-5 stalks)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 15oz can diced tomato (or two large fresh tomatoes, diced)
2 8oz cans tomato sauce (or 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce)
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I never add this, I'm wimpy when it comes to heat and I don't have any)

1. In a large stock pot cook barley, chicken broth or water and bay leaves, cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer 1 hour.

2. In large pan heat olive oil and saute vegetables and garlic. Stir in meat, spices, tomates and tomato sauce and cook over medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat, cover and simmer on low until barley is done.

3. Remove bay leaves from barley. Stir vegetable/tomato mixture into barley. Serve warm. Tastes great reheated the next day- add a little water or spaghetti sauce to thin if desired.

Roasted Chicken, with vegetables

I've posted a time or two before about how much I love rotisserie chicken...I decided to be brave and try roasting one myself. I was actually very intimidated by the thought until I saw an episode of the Food Nanny that featured someone with an even greater raw meat phobia than I.

I determined then to conquer my fear. And I'm glad I did, it turned out fabulous! Moist, juicy, tender chicken. Even better than from the store. Not only that but for less than $5 we had a yummy dinner, enough leftover for another dinner plus after making chicken stock and "picking the bones" had enough left to make our new favorite chicken taquitos, not to mention the chicken stock and gravy I will freeze and use for later. It's the tastiest budget meal, I just wish I'd known years ago how easy it was to do!

Roasted Chicken with Vegetables

1 whole chicken

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon

3 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon thyme

1 cup water

1 onion, diced
4 carrots, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
5-6 potatoes, cubed

Pair of rubber gloves (if you're wimpy like me)
Large roasting pan (I picked mine up for only $30 at BB&B)

Chop all veggies and mix all dry seasoning ingredients in a small bowl. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Then don those gloves unless you're brave enough to touch raw meat (I finally am!) Now, remove and discard giblets from chicken (this is the gross part but fortunately I discovered mine were neatly packaged in a bag so I didn't even have to see them!) Rinse chicken cavity and pat dry with paper towel.

Give the chicken a good rubdown with some olive oil and then rub the seasoning mixture inside and out. Set chicken in roasting pan and place chopped veggies all around it. It's recommended to refrigerate this for a few hours or overnight, I didn't because I didn't plan ahead- and it still turned out perfectly tender and juicy, so don't worry if you miss this step.

It is recommended to place the chicken breast side down but honestly I have no idea which is the breast and which is the back and since you rotate it halfway through cooking it really doesn't matter (details, details). So just put the thing in however you want and after about 45 minutes turn it over. I also added a cup of water at this point to keep the veggies tender and help the chicken stay moist. I baked for another 45-50 minutes. It should take about an hour and a half for the entire cooking process. Just cut into the center to make sure the pink is gone- but do not overcook or it will be dry. The vegetables are flavored nicely by the drippings so no need for extra seasonings.

After spooning out the vegetables I poured the leftover drippings into a saucepan and made some delicious gravy by just adding some flour and thinning it with milk to make it creamy. There are some pretty good instructions for that here http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/how_to_make_gravy/

Then took the remaining chicken bones and skin and made some chicken stock to use later (see below. It freezes really well so you don't have to use right away and is much more flavorful than storebought stock). So there you go, a good 2-3 meals (soup, chicken taquitos, chicken salad sandwiches, etc.) for $5.

Chicken Stock

Chicken- bones, skin and all, including pan drippings

1 onion chopped- with skin

1-2 stalks celery roughly chopped

Other stray vegetable parts

I'm sure there are lots of ways to make chicken stock, but I'll share the way I do it.

After you've removed the meat you want to eat from the chicken, put the entire thing in the pot including any pan drippings and vegetable trimmings, and fill the pot to almost cover the chicken (the more water the thinner the stock will be).

Add all ingredients into large stock pot and fill to cover two thirds of the chicken.

Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer on low for 1-2 hours. You'll know when it's ready because your entire house will start to smell like chicken noodle soup. Turn heat off and let sit on the stove until cooled (just don't be like me and forget about it until the next morning!)

Strain the liquid into a container- it will look something like this (right). Throw away the vegetable trimmings and pick the meat off the chicken bones- it will be soft and come off easily. You'll be surprised- you should get around a cup or so of shredded chicken which is perfect for taquitos, adding to soups or making chicken salad sandwiches.

Put the liquid in the refrigerator overnight. It will solidify into a jello-like substance which looks /7kind of  gross- but that means you did it right. Now you can either freeze it or add water to thin it out and use in your favorite recipe- everything you make with this will taste SO much better than with storebought stock. Here are a few of my favorite recipes that use chicken stock:

Lemon Chicken Picatta

White Chicken Chili

Chicken Noodle Soup (simply add noodles and veggies!)

Barley Jambalaya

Chicken Tortilla Soup (perfect for using this leftover chicken)

Creamy Chicken Taquitos

My friend Melissa posted this on her blog a few weeks ago and I finally made them. They are so delicious! Definitely being added to my regular meal rotation...

Creamy Chicken Taquitos
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
3oz cream cheese
1/4 cup salsa verde
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (1/2 lime)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sliced green onions
1 cup grated cheese (I used 1/2 pepperjack and 1/2 monterrey jack)
12 small flour tortillas
Oil for misting

Preheat oven to 400.

Heat cream cheese in microwave safe bowl for 20-30 seconds until soft. Stir in salsa verde, lime juice, cumin, chili powder and garlic. Stir in cilantro, green onions, chicken and cheese.

Heat 4 tortillas at a time in microwave for 20 seconds to soften. Scoop 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture into the middle of each tortilla, keeping the mixture 1/2 inch from edges and roll tightly. Place seam side down on metal baking sheet. Line up but don't let them touch.

Spray tops lightly with oil and bake for 15 minutes or until crisp and ends are golden brown.

Lemon Chicken Picatta with Roasted Potatoes

Do you get this magazine? If not, you totally should. It has amazing yummy eay recipes. Then again...you could just read my blog because a good portion of the yummies I make come from this magazine. Like this chicken picatta with roasted potatoes I made for dinner last night. So delicious...

Lemon Chicken Picatta

3 large lemons

2 large chicken breasts

1/4 cup mayo (or 1 egg beaten)

1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs seasoned with italian seasoning & garlic salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
Whole wheat pasta

Slice chicken breast in half width-wise to make four thin pieces of chicken (mine was actually thick enough to be cut into 4 large and two small pieces). Spread mayo on both sides of each chicken slice (the Pampered Chef silicon brush works great for this) and coat with bread crumbs.

You can make your own bread crumbs by broiling bread in the oven for 2-3 minutes, flipping to brown on both sides. Bread should be very crisp. Add to food processor to fine crumbs.
Cut 4 thin lemon slices from half of one lemon; squeeze juice from remaining lemons (can microwave for 30 seconds to make it easier). Set aside.


In a large pan cook half a box of angel hair pasta according to package directions, drain.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium high heat. Cook chicken for 5 minutes, turn and cook for another 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan add lemon juice and chicken broth and cook over medium high heat 6-8 minutes or until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally. Add butter and lemon slices and cook 3 to 4 more minutes.

Place chicken over pasta and pour lemon sauce over top and sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Roasted Potatoes

4-5 medium potatoes cubed (or sliced for smaller potatoes)

6 slices of bacon chopped
3 tablespoons Italian Dressing

2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 400.

Put potatoes on 15x10x1" pan. Top with bacon and zesty italian dressing. Bake for 45 minutes stirring halfway through.

Top with parmesan cheese and parsley.

*the original recipe had a sauce of mayo, lemon juice and garlic to pour over the top but these potatoes were so flavorful I didn't think it needed the extra step...

Chicken Potpies

When I was in Nashville I picked up this great kids cookbook from Williams Sonoma: Cooking Together. There are so many fun and healthy recipes dressed up to appeal to kids. Ethan loves to help me in the kitchen and one of his favorite things is to get the recipes from the Highlights High Five magazine and make them. So this book is perfect. He can flip through and choose what he wants to make. Our first selection was chicken potpies and they were YUM. I didn't have any puff pastry so I just made a pie crust, but I think puff pastry looks prettier and would be more fun for kids (and certainly easier for you). I also used homemade chicken stock which added incredible flavor, I'll outline how to do that below the recipe...

Chicken Potpie

3 T. olive oil

1 chicken breast, diced

1/2 onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 potatoes, peeled & diced

3 T. flour

4 cups chicken broth (or 3 cups chicken stock)

Salt & pepper to taste

1/2 heavy cream

1 cup frozen peas

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

2 T. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In large pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add chicken and cook until browned. Set aside. Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and cook onions. Stir in carrots and potatoes and cook until they start to get soft- about 5 minutes.

Stir in flour. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cook until vegetables are tender and mixture has thickened. Add salt and pepper and stir in cream, cooked chicken and peas. Pour chicken mixture into six 1-cup oven safe dishes.

On floured surface roll out puff pastry. Cut out six 3" circles with biscuit cutter. Using small cutter (or knife) cut out a hole in the top of each round. Top dishes with pastry rounds and pinch around the edges. Brush the tops with melted butter.

Bake until crust is puffed and golden, 20-25 minutes.

How to make Chicken Stock

One of my favorite things to buy is a rotisserie chicken. We eat the chicken with some mashed potatoes and french bread the first night. Then we can use the rest to make chicken noodle soup and/or homemade chicken stock.

For the stock, bring remaining chicken bones to a boil in a large pot filled with water. You could add onion and celery for additional flavoring. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Strain chicken mixture and put the juice in the refrigerator. The remaining chicken will have fallen off the bones and you can use this in soup- I used mine in the potpies and it was excellent.

The next morning your chicken juice should look like chicken jello. It will kind of freak you out at first- but that is a sign that it was successful. You can then thin it with water to make chicken broth or use it as chicken stock. I used about 3 cups of chicken stock and thinned it down with an additional cup of water and it was the best potpie filling I've ever had. You can also freeze this and use it for later. A great way to get the most out of a $5 chicken!

Chicken Ranch Pasta

Being a busy mom, I usually don't feel like cooking at the end of the day, so I LOVE meals that don't require much preparation, are quick to cook and include lots of veggies.

I got this recipe from my friend Joann and it is a perfect kid-friendly and mom-friendly meal. It will be added to our regular meal rotation. And FYI- I don't like cottage cheese in the slightest- but when it melts you cannot tell that it's cottage cheese, so don't let that ingredient stop you from trying it.

I halved her recipe because I only had half the cottage cheese required, we fed all 5 of us and still had a bowl of leftovers... so I'm including the halved version here...but she says it freezes well, so check out her site if you have a big family or are doing freezer meals.

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt & Pepper
1/2 box Farfalle pasta (or any other pasta)
1-2 carrots, diced
1 crown broccoli, chopped
1 cup frozen peas or lima beans
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1/4 cup ranch dressing (made from packet or other high quality brand)
Parmesan cheese, grated

Cube chicken and cook in saucepan over medium heat with a dash of olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic, and about 1/8 teaspoon of salt and pepper or other garlic seasoning. Cover and cook until chicken is no longer pink- about 10-15 minutes.

In a large pot, cook pasta according to directions. Add carrots and broccoli and cook until tender. Drain.

Add cottage cheese to the saucepan with the chicken. Stir until cheese is completely melted (mixture will be runny). Add ranch dressing and stir in pasta and veggies. Let sit 5 minutes until thickened.

If you have small children, this is where I stir in the frozen peas because they act as little ice cubes and cool the meal down. If you don't have heat-sensitive munchkins, go ahead and add the peas when you first stir in the pasta to the sauce.

Top with grated parmesan cheese (I didn't have any on hand and used feta- tasted just as delicious).

Strawberry Chicken Salad

This is my favorite salad, it's almost like a dessert. So yummy! My friend Joann introduced me to it, and it's fabulous. I used Brianna's poppyseed dressing, but I actually think Joann's recipe for poppyseed dressing is better- it's more dessert-like and just heavenly. Go here for her recipe.

I grilled my chicken with montreal chicken seasoning, then added fresh strawberries, almonds, oranges and mixed with baby greens and poppyseed dressing. You can change up the fruits for a different taste- peaches would be yummy, it also tastes great without the chicken, but something about grilled chicken and strawberries is just amazing. Perfect summer dinner.

Yummy Cashew Chicken

I guarantee this will taste just as good (or better) than the cashew chicken at your favorite Chinese restaurant. It's very simple to make and tastes fabulous.

1 boneless skinless chicken breast
1/2 cup cashews
2 stalks of celery chopped
Sliced peppers (or any other veggies you like)
1/4 onion diced
Olive oil (for frying)
Brown rice/barley, cooked

Marinade:
1/2 teaspoon Fresh grated ginger
1 tablespoon Soy sauce

Sauce:
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
1/8 teaspoon salt

Finely grate ginger and mix with soy sauce. Cut chicken into 1” chunks and marinate in ginger-soy mixture 15 minutes. Chop onion, celery and if desired, peppers. Mix sauce in small bowl and set aside. Turn oven to broil and lightly toast cashews.

Heat oil in fry pan or wok over medium high heat. Fry onions until translucent. Add celery, peppers and chicken and cook about 10 minutes until chicken is no longer pink, turning and stirring every few minutes. Add sauce and cashews, stir then serve over rice/barley.

Easy Crusted Chicken

This is a super simple but delicious dinner. It can be made even easier by using purchased bread crumbs in seasoning (I like the garlic & herb kind). For even more crunch, try adding finely chopped pecans to the bread crumb mixture. The key to getting tender but crunchy chicken is to fry and then bake.

Easy Crusted Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs (make your own using italian seasoning)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)

2T. olive oil

Beat eggs with lemon juice in shallow dish. In separate dish combine bread crumbs and pecans. Cut away fat from chicken and slice into thin strips. Thoroughly coat chicken strips in egg mixture. Press chicken strips, one at a time, into dried bread crumb mixture thoroughly coating each piece. Set aside to rest (if your coating falls off, let rest 5-10 minutes to set). Turn oven to Broil. Heat 2 Tablespoons of oil in skillet over medium high heat. Fry each strip of chicken until browned- 2-3 minutes on each side. Transfer chicken strips to an oven-proof pan and on the middle rack broil an additional 10-15 minutes, turning once, checking regularly. You want the all the pink to be gone- but don't overcook the chicken, you want it to be tender. Serve with your favorite grains and vegetables.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast

1/2 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 cup chopped onion
1 can black beans (1 cup dried beans, cooked)
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
S&P to taste
1 cup chunky salsa
3 corn tortillas (optional, here is a great recipe to make corn tortillas)
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

In a large pot over medium heat, saute the chicken in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and mix well. Then add the broth, corn, onion, chili powder, lemon juice and salsa. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes.

Cut corn tortillas into thin strips and either broil in the oven or fry in olive oil until crispy. Top with Monterey Jack cheese, tortilla strips and a little sour cream.

Notes: to double the recipe simply add another can of black beans, if you use dried beans you will need to add salt to give it flavor, but if you use canned beans, there is no need to add salt.

White Chicken Chili

This is my favorite soup recipe, it's so simple yet delicious. Thanks Heather for the recipe!

 

1 lg. onion

1 stick unsalted butter

¼ c. whole wheat flour
¾ c. organic chicken broth
2 c. milk
1 1/2 t. chili powder
1 t. ground cumin
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. white pepper (I use black)
2 cans Great Northern Beans (about 1 cup dried beans cooked)
2 cans green chilies
3-4 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 1/2 c. Monterey jack cheese
1/2 c. sour cream

In skillet cook onion in 2 T. butter until softened. In 6-8 qt. stock pan, melt remaining butter over med-low heat and whisk in flour. Whisk constantly until blended and smooth. Stir in onion and add broth and milk, stirring constantly. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer until thickened. Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt, and white pepper. Add beans, green chilies, chicken and cheese. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes. Stir in sour cream. Serves 4-6

*Recipe from Heather McVay
Notes: I only use one can of green chilies, chicken bullion instead of broth, one chicken breast marinated in zesty italian dressing and broiled in the oven, omit tabasco and black pepper instead of white.

Chicken Noodle Soup- from scratch

This is one of those recipes that seems daunting but it's actually quite simple. When we're in a hurry for dinner we love getting those rotisserie chickens from the deli- that's the perfect way to start chicken noodle soup. If you don't want to make the soup in the next few days- fine- put the bones and skin in a ziploc bag and toss in the freezer.

When you're ready, put it in a pot. Fill with water- the quantity really depends on how strong you want your soup to be flavored, I filled my stockpot halfway. Then add a rough chopped onion (with skin on), rough chopped celery and other seasonings as you desire although the skins should have pretty good seasoning already- all I do is add a bit of salt if needed (you're going to throw all this out afterwards so don't waste a lot of time chopping). I like actual chicken in my soup- so throw in one or two frozen chicken breasts or if you already have cooked chicken it's a great way to use leftovers.

Boil this concoction for an hour or two until the chicken is no longer pink inside- really you can't go wrong here- if you can smell it and it tastes like soup then it's done. Strain all that icky stuff out of there (kinda gross I know, try to squeeze out all the flavor) then throw it away (if you added chicken breast make sure to shred it before putting back into stockpot), pour your soup back into the pot and return to a boil. Add chopped carrots, celery or frozen mixed veggies and cook until tender. Now for the fun part!


Basic Egg Noodles

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 pinch salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon butter
(can add frozen chopped spinach or other herbs to flavor the pasta)

In a large bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Add the beaten egg, milk, and butter. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Let rest in a covered bowl for 10 minutes.

On a floured surface, roll out to 1/8 or 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired lengths and shapes. An easy way to get uniform shapes is to roll the dough up and slice into thin strips. Cook pasta in boiling chicken stock until tender 8-10 minutes.

See? It couldn't be simpler. Or tastier. And if you're like me and hate leftovers- a great way to use the rest- strain off most the broth and serve on top of wild rice. Enjoy!