Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken with Poblano Spinach Vinaigrette

Pin It

Wow the name of this recipe is super long but I promise it isn't complicated!  I love grilled chicken.  We have it once a week during the summer months.  It is so flavorful and easy and my whole family loves it!  I came across this recipe in an ad for Kashi in my Real Simple magazine a while back.  It doesn't use any Kashi ingredients so I thought it was kind of random but it looked good enough to give it a try.  It was so delicious and fresh tasting!  I think we will be enjoying this one all year round. 

GRILLED CILANTRO LIME CHICKEN WITH POBLANO SPINACH VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade:

4 TB extra virgin olive oil

4 limes, juiced (about 2 TB)

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 TB fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 tsp kosher salt

pinch black pepper

3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Vinaigrette:

1 medium poblano pepper, roasted

1 C baby spinach, steamed for 2 minutes and squeezed to remove excess liquid

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, minced

1/2 C cilantro, minced

2 limes, juiced

1 heaping TB Dijon mustard

pinch kosher salt

pinch black pepper

Directions:

1.  Place chicken breasts between 2 layers of plastic wrap or in a sealed ziploc bag.  Using a meat mallet or heavy cast iron skillet, pound the breasts out until they are evenly about 1/2 inch thick. 

2. To make marinade: Whisk together olive oil, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper.  Pour into container, add chicken, and put in fridge to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

3. To make vinaigrette: Preheat oven to 375 F.  Lightly coat poblano pepper with olive oil.  Place in oven safe dish and bake in oven until its skin is covered by dark brown and black spots.  (About 25 minutes).  Remove from oven and let pepper cool.  Then, remove stem, skin and seeds.  Add pepper and all vinaigrette ingredients in to a blender or food processor; puree until smooth. 

4. To make dish: Heat grill pan or grill to medium high heat, add chicken.  Grill for approximately 6 minutes on once side, 4 minutes on the other, until chicken is cooked through. 

5. Place chicken on serving plate and drizzle with a few TB of the vinaigrette.  Serve with extra vinaigrette on the side.  Garnish with cilantro and lime slices if desired. 

* You can also roast the poblano pepper over an open flame on your gas cook top if desired.  Just hold it over the flame using tongs turning it over until the skin is all black and brown.  No oil necessary for this method. 



Chicken Pot Pie

Pin It

I have been making this amazing chicken pot pie for about 7 years now.  It is so delicious that I don't bother trying a different version.  The first time I made this was the first time I'd ever made a sauce from scratch and I remember being so proud of myself.  I practically have this memorized now!  You could replace the chicken with leftover turkey which would be a great and yummy way to use up leftover turkey from your holiday meal.  You can even make these and freeze them before baking for a quick meal later on.  I rarely have frozen mixed veggies so I usually just add frozen corn, frozen peas, and finely chopped fresh carrots.  I also think rotisserie chicken is the best in this.  If I don't have one, though, I just throw some chicken breasts in the crock-pot with seasonings (salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, rosemary) and a little water and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6.  Enjoy!

CHICKEN POT PIE

Ingredients:

2 pie crusts (I use Pillsbury pre-made)

1/3 C butter

1/3 C flour

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 1/2 C water

2/3 C milk

2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 C cooked chicken, cubed or shredded

1 heaping C frozen mixed veggies

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425.

Melt butter in saucepan.  Stir in flour, garlic, and S&P until blended.  Gradually stir in water, milk, and bouillon.  Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes.  Mixture will be thick.  Remove from heat and stir in chicken and veggies.  Pour into pie crust and bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. 

Oven Chicken Risotto

Pin It

This is such an EASY dinner!  I was really hoping it would turn out to be a winner because of how quick and simple it was.  I love finding ways to use rotisserie chicken because they are always so flavorful, moist, and versatile.  You're probably thinking what I was thinking, "Risotto?  But that is time consuming!"  This isn't your traditional risotto that you have to stir, add liquid, stir, add liquid and so on.  My kids liked this too so it was a winner all around at our house!  Just serve with a veggie (I did green beans) and some kind of bread and you have the perfect busy weeknight meal. 

OVEN CHICKEN RISOTTO
(Southern Living Magazine)

Ingredients:
2 TB butter
2 1/2 C chicken broth
1 C uncooked Arborio rice (short grain)
1/2 small onion, diced finely
1/2 tsp salt
2 C chopped rotisserie chicken, any flavor
1 (8 oz) package FRESH mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 C cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 C shredded fresh basil
Freshly cracked black pepper (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place butter in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish; bake 5 minutes or until melted.  Stir in broth and next 3 ingredients. 
Bake, covered, for 35 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Fluff rice with a fork.  Stir in chicken, mozzarella, and tomatoes; sprinkle with shredded basil and pepper.  Serve immediately. 
*Make sure the chicken is heated before adding it!

Curry Kebabs

Pin It

This picture is terrible but I really want to have a picture with every recipe. I am learning how to use my camera now though! This recipe is so simple and delicious! Don't be afraid of the mayo because my sister hates it but loved these. You'd never know that they were marinated in it!

CURRY KEBABS
serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 cup light mayonnaise
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
8 oz whole button or baby bella mushrooms

Directions:
1.In a large ziploc bag, mix the mayonnaise, garlic, curry powder, chili powder, ginger and S&P. Place the chicken in the mixture, zip the bag and massage it until it is all coated. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
2.Preheat the grill for medium-high heat.
3.Thread chicken pieces and mushrooms onto skewers and discard marinade.
4.Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers, turning often, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear.

Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup

Pin It

I've had this recipe forever and finally made it a couple of weeks ago. Why oh why did I let that recipe sit there for so long? It is soooo good! I've tried many tortilla soup recipes and haven't found one yet that I loved, until now. This is fast prep and easy to make. The best thing was that my kids liked it! They are the pickiest kids when it comes to soups, casseroles, chili or anything that has lots of "stuff" in it. Most of the time my kids like all of the ingredients individually but when it's all mixed up they are scared to try it. When they saw their bowl of soup topped with tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream and cilantro they were all for it! All of 3 of my kids love cilantro. When they smell it or see me chopping it up they come running for their own little stem of it to munch on. It just warms my heart since I'm in love with cilantro too! I'm training them well aren't I? At least I'm trying to anyway. I used rotisserie chicken because it is easy, flavorful and moist and I didn't have to cook it. I didn't have frozen corn that day so I just used canned but added it in the last 30 minutes. Oh, and I did not make my own tortilla strips. Who has time for that? I just grabbed some tortilla chips from the pantry and crunched them up over the top. The directions are here, though, if you decide to venture that far.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
(www.allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil

Directions

1.Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Pin It
No need for Chinese take-out with this recipe in your file! It's a little time consuming but worth the effort. All of my kids LOVE it! I just serve it with rice and egg rolls or pot stickers (my faves are from Schwan's).

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN
www.melskitchencafe.com

Chicken:
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:
1 1/2 cup sugar
8 tablespoons ketchup
1 cup vinegar
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Stir chicken every 15 minutes.

Chicken with Yellow Rice and Sausage

Pin It

Here's a great one pot dinner that is delicious! Check out my tips and suggestions at the bottom of the recipe.

CHICKEN AND YELLOW RICE WITH SAUSAGE

This one only takes about 10-15 minutes of prep time, then you put the lid on and let the rice cook. So in actual start to finish time it's 40 minutes, but your part is over after 10.

2 TB olive oil
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
1 lb sausage (chorizo, kielbasa), cut into 1/2 moons
1 onion, diced chunky
1 red bell pepper, cut into bite sized strips
10 oz yellow rice mix
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
S&P

Using a large pot with a lid or Dutch oven, drizzle olive oil and cook the chicken, sausage, pepper, and onion on med-high heat for 3-5 minutes. (will finish cooking later) Add about 3/4 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper-or more or less-whatever you like.
Add the yellow rice mix and as much water as the mix calls for (usually 20 oz of water). Once the water boils, put the lid on and turn the heat down to low and cook according to the rice directions (about 20-25 minutes).
When the rice is done, stir in the frozen peas and serve.

Tips & Suggestions:
* I like to use turkey kielbasa when I can find it to lower the fat. You can hardly tell a difference!
* My favorite chicken to use for this is shredded or cut up rotisserie chicken. I love buying those chickens because they usually are enough for 2 meals. Or I throw a couple of chicken breasts and a little water in the crock pot with some seasoning (poultry, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder) and shred it when it is done. If you use pre-cooked chicken just add it in when you add the rice.
* Sometimes it can take 30 minutes for the rice to get done all the way. Just check it at 25 minutes and see if it needs more time.
* It goes very well with cornbread!

Garlic and Citrus Roasted Chicken

Pin It
This was my first attempt at a roasted chicken and Ben and I were both surprised at how good it was. I've been making this for 2 years now and it's a family favorite. Ethan gets so excited when he sees me making it. I serve it with mashed potatoes and a vegetable. The pan sauce is so good on the potatoes! This picture is from Food Network and there's no way I'd present it like that. I'm not that fussy! This also usually takes longer than it says for me so I always start at least 2 1/2 hrs before I plan on eating. If I can do this so can you!

*NOTES: Just wanted to add a couple of things I've learned from experience with this dish. Dried oregano is fine but do 1/2 TB. Store bought lemon juice works great too. Go ahead and add some chicken broth to the roasting pan before you put it in the oven. If not, the drippings will burn fast on you. I usually use a whole carton of chicken broth. I make this so often that I divided a whole can of orange juice concentrate into individual baggies and froze them. That way, I wouldn't waste a whole can. It freezes for a long time!

GARLIC AND CITRUS ROASTED CHICKEN
Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
• 1 (5 to 6-pound) whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 orange, quartered
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise, plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 (14-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth or a whole carton
• 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
• Kitchen string or butcher twine
Directions
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.
Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding some chicken broth to the pan, if necessary, to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and chopped garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked 1 hour. Continue roasting the chicken until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting occasionally with the juice mixture and adding broth to the pan, about 45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).
Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce

White Chili with Roasted Garlic and Chilies

Pin It
This recipe is adapted from a recipe I recently found in Food Network magazine. It is amazing! This picture is from Food Network's website but mine looked the same. This is our whole family's new favorite chili/soup recipe.

WHITE CHILI WITH ROASTED GARLIC


Ingredients:

(For the roasted garlic)
12 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 TB extra virgin olive oil

(For the chili)
7 whole shallots, chopped finely
2 TB extra virgin olive oil
3 Anaheim chili peppers (look up online if unsure)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 TB all purpose flour
8 Cups low sodium chicken broth, divided
4 C shredded rotisserie chicken
1 TB chili powder (I used a little less for the kids sake)
½ tsp cayenne pepper (I omitted for kid’s sake)
1- 15 oz can navy beans, undrained
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
10 oz box frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
¾ tsp smoked paprika
1/3 C heavy cream
2 C grated Monterey jack cheese, for garnish

1. Make roasted garlic. Preheat oven to 350. Make a foil packet for the garlic and olive oil. Place packet in oven and roast for around 40 minutes. Set aside and let cool.
2. Make roasted chilies. Preheat broiler. Place the 3 chili peppers on a foil lined broiler pan (or cookie sheet). Broil until charred on all sides turning every few minutes. Should take around 10 minutes total but go longer if they aren’t charred yet. When they’re done transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Peel the peppers with your fingers. Then stem, seed, and chop. Set aside.
3. Cook the shallots in olive oil over med-low heat in a large stock pot until caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add more olive oil if it looks to dry and starts to stick too much. Add the minced garlic to the shallots and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring, about 2-3 minutes. Increase the heat to high and add 1 C chicken broth; simmer 2 minutes and scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Add the roasted chilies, 6 cups broth, the chicken, chili powder, cayenne, beans, and S&P. Return to simmer.
4. Meanwhile, squeeze the soft pulp from the roasted garlic into a blender or food processor. Add the remaining 1 C broth and process until smooth. Add to the chili and simmer until thickened, about 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes add spinach, smoked paprika, and heavy cream. Add more S&P if needed. Garnish individual bowls with cheese.

THIS TAKES ABOUT 2 HOURS TOTAL BUT IS TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!