Orange-Chipotle Chicken

This is a really easy and tasty recipe with a sweet, tangy, slightly smokey flavor that comes from the chipotle jam used for the the glaze. I found this recipe at LaaLoosh.com, a blog that specializes in Weight Watcher recipes. One fourth of this recipe is 4 points+ for those following WW, but don’t let the fact that this recipe is Weight Watchers compatible scare you away from trying this. It is so flavorful that you’ll never believe its diet food!

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces
Juice from one large orange (about 1/3 C.) If you don’t have a fresh orange laying around you can substitute bottled orange juice
3 T. Chipotle Pepper Jam (I think you could also substitute Asian Zing Sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 t. salt

1. Spray a large, non-stick pan with Pam cooking spray and place over medium-high heat.
2. Add chicken to the skillet along with the salt and orange juice. Saute until the chicken is cooked through and begins to brown. The orange juice will evaporate in the process.

Chicken simmering in orange juice

3. Turn the heat down to low and stir in the garlic and chipotle pepper jam. Cook until the sauce is heated through and evenly coats the chicken.

Glazed chicken pieces

4. Serve with steamed broccoli.

Simple Baked Chicken Tenders

This is one of the easiest and tastiest recipes I’ve shared and it only has 4 ingredients. It is sooooooo easy and soooooo good and kids love them!! I buy the individually frozen chicken tenders to use in this recipe. I take the chicken out to thaw in the refrigerator the night before so they have almost 24 hours to thaw. When I get home from work I can whip these up from start to eating in less than 30 minutes. If you have any leftovers, they are great on top of a salad the next day for lunch.

Ingredients
1 lb. chicken tenders
2 T. light mayonnaise
1/2 C. Italian seasoned bread crumbs (I use Progresso seasoned bread crumbs)
1/2 C. grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Mix the chicken tenders and mayonnaise in a bowl to lightly coat the chicken with the mayonnaise.
4. Mix the bread crumbs and cheese in a gallon ziploc bag.
5. Put 2 chicken tenders in the ziploc bag with the bread crumbs and cheese and shake to coat.
6. Place the chicken tenders in a single layer on the baking sheet. Continue until all the tenders are coated and on the baking sheet.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Gently flip each one, so as not to remove the breading. Bake and additional 8 minutes.
9. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Serves 4

Oven Fried Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Well, I’m back after a month long hiatus caused by breaking my arm. Boy, it’s hard to type using only your non-dominant hand. I would get home from work so tired that I couldn’t muster up enough energy to post anything! I sure don’t take for granted the full use of two arms anymore!!

I made this chicken dish awhile back for a potluck at church. It’s very easy and the chicken turned out nice and crunchy. The minced garlic in the melted butter gives the chicken a nice savory flavor with the Parmesan cheese adding another layer of goodness. Unfortunately, there were no leftovers to bring home from that potluck!

Ingredients
1/2 C. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 boneless chicken breast halves (I used 6 huge ones that I cut in half)
2/3 C. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 C. dry bread crumbs
2 T. dried parsley
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper

1. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and add the minced garlic. Let sit for 5 minutes while you prepare the bread crumb mixture.
2. Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, and pepper.
3. Dip the pieces of chicken in butter mixture; roll in the bread crumb mixtures.
4. Place in a greased 9 X 13″ baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.
Serves 8

Chicken with Kalamata Olives

We eat a lot of chicken in our house but, frankly, I run low on inspiration sometimes. I want something easy but really flavorful. So I was trolling the internet in search of a recipe that would fit the bill. I found one that inspired me at Kalyn’s Kitchen but did not have any of the spices that were a part of her recipe so just did my own thing. My son and his girlfriend really liked this so it was a keeper!

Ingredients
8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 T. olive oil
Spike Salt-Free Seasoning
black pepper to taste
1/2 onion, finely diced
1 C. chicken stock
1/2 C. kalamata olives, cut in fourths
2 t. flour for thickening (optional)

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet.
2. Generously season both sides of the thighs with the Spike seasoning and black pepper to taste.
3. Brown the thighs well on both sides until they are golden.
4. Remove the chicken to a plate and add the diced onions to the pan and cook until they start to brown.
5. Put the chicken back in the skillet along with any juices that accumulated on the plate and add the chicken stock (don’t completely cover the chicken pieces) and olives. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes.

Chicken & Olives Simmering

6. Remove chicken to a serving platter.
7. If you wish to thicken the sauce, mix the flour into 2 T. cold water until smooth, stir into the sauce, turn up the heat and simmer for a few minutes until thickened. Pour over the chicken. Otherwise, simply spoon the unthickened sauce over the chicken and you have a gluten-free dish.
Serves 4-5

Baked Pesto Chicken

This is a very flavorful and easy 3 ingredient recipe!! It’s another one that I found at Kalyn’s Kitchen and did not adapt it at all. It makes a fabulously tasty sauce as it cooks, too! I served it with steamed broccoli and mushroom stuffed tortellini over which I drizzled the pan juices. If you don’t have fresh basil and don’t want to take the time to make your own pesto simply buy a jar of already made. If you have the fresh basil and want to make your own check out this recipe for pesto.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C. basil pesto
1/2 C. shredded, low-fat mozzarella cheese
salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut each chicken breast length-wise into 2 or 3 strips depending on the size of the breast.
3. Spray a 9 X 13 inch pan with non-stick spray and then spread 1/4 C. of pesto over the bottom of the pan.
4. Lay the chicken strips over the pesto, and spread 1/4 C. of pesto over the chicken.

Ready to cover and put in the oven

5. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake the chicken for 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is barely firm and cooked through.
6. Remove the foil and sprinkle the cheese over the chicken strips. Bake for 5 minutes. Then turn the broiler on and broil for 5 minutes to brown the cheese.
Serves 4

Zucchini - Chicken Bake

Since this is the time of year for an abundant supply of zucchini, I thought I’d share this recipe that falls into the “comfort food” category. I found it on the internet somewhere but can’t remember where or I’d give credit where credit is due. Ken and I really liked this dish and it calls for ingredients that I usually have on hand like the 10 oz. cans of chicken that I buy at Costco and the Fage Greek yogurt that I eat by the tub since it’s so rich and creamy. I used the zero fat yogurt so this recipe was pretty healthy. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Ingredients

4 C. zucchini, sliced ( about 2 medium)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 green onions (if you don’t have these around don’t worry about it)
1 – 10 oz. can chicken white meat, drained
1 C. Fage Greek Yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 C. Mexican blend cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 C. salsa
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. kosher salt
fresh black pepper to taste
1/4 C. Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Saute the onions and zucchini till golden over medium high heat. Place in a greased casserole dish.
3. Combine the chicken, salsa, yogurt, Mexican blend cheese, salt, pepper, oregano, and eggs in a bowl. Mix well. Pour over the zucchini mixture and stir to combine.
4. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly. Place under the broiler for a few minutes if needed to brown the cheese.
Serves 4

Zuchini - Chicken Bake before baking

Orange Chicken & Rice

This recipe is adapted from one that I found in The Omega Diet by Artemis Simopoulos and Jo Robinson. The focus of this book is healthy eating that creates a “smart” immune system and reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer. I have liked every recipe that I’ve tried from this book which just goes to prove that healthy does not mean tasteless! This dish is very flavorful with the combination of orange juice and curry.

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
2 T. canola or olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 – 14.5 oz. can chicken broth
1 1/2 C. orange juice
1-3 t. curry
2 cloves garlic, minced
dash of cinnamon
3 T. raisins
1/2 cup wild rice and white rice blend
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute chicken and onion in oil until brown.
2. Add the broth, orange juice, and seasoning. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Add the raisins and rice to the same pot, lower the heat, and cover. Simmer for 40 – 45 minutes or until the rice is done. Add water or more broth if necessary.
Serves 4

Grilled Balsamic Chicken

This is a fabulous recipe just bursting with flavor and is a regular at our house during the summer. All you have to do is put everything into a zip-loc bag before you go to work. Let it marinate all day in the frig and throw it on the grill to cook.

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tsp. Good Season Italian Dressing mix (or 1 tsp. Italian herbs with a good shake of onion powder and salt and pepper)
3 T. balsamic vinegar
2 cloves, garlic minced

1. Place everything in a zip-loc bag and smoosh around to mix thoroughly.
2. Let marinate all day in the refrigerator.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and grill over medium heat 4-5 minutes per side or until done.

Pesto Tortellini & Chicken Soup

Since we’re going to have a spring blizzard I thought I’d go ahead and post this soup! My daughter loves pesto and pasta so on a recent visit to her house I arrived with a package of Trader Joe’s pesto tortillini and made this soup. You know you have a winner when the 20 month-old twins, the three year old, and all the adults enjoyed it! We served it with garlic bread and tossed salad and had a wonderful meal.

Ingredients
10 C. chicken broth or stock
1 medium onion, diced
1 C. diced carrots
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
8 oz. dried pesto tortellini
grated parmesan cheese for garnish

1. Place all the ingredients EXCEPT the tortellini in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour.
2. Remove the thighs and shred into bite-sized pieces and return to pot.
3. Meanwhile, cook the tortellini according to package instructions and drain. Add to soup pot, stir, and ladle into bowls. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese.
Serves 8-10

Oven Fried Chicken

When my kids were growing up this was one of their favorite dinners. We’d have baked potatoes with sour cream and a vegetable along with this chicken and it was a most satisfying meal. Just last week one of my daughter’s neighborhood friends facebooked me that she had made oven fried chicken for her husband and little boy but it hadn’t tasted like she remembered mine tasting. She asked if I could share how I made mine. So here it is . . . this is one of the recipes that used to be on the back of the Bisquick Baking Mix box. BTW, my daughter’s favorite dish at her friend’s house was her mom’s Baked Ziti. I’ll have to track that recipe down!

Ingredients
2 T. butter or margarine
2/3 C. Bisquick baking mix
1 1/2 t. paprika
1 1/4 t. seasoning salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 chicken, cut up or 6 chicken breast halves (I use boneless and skinless breast halves0

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place the margarine in a 13 X 9 inch pan and place in the oven until the margarine is melted.
3. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients in a large ziploc bag and place a couple of pieces of chicken into the bag and coat them with the mix. Repeat until all the pieces are coated.
4. Place the chicken skin side down in the pan.
5. Bake for 35 minutes. Turn pieces over and cook 15 minutes more or until done.
Serves 6