Chicken Curry

Chicken Curry is one of my husband's favorite meals.  He served an LDS mission in the Philippines and this is one of the few Filipino dishes he enjoyed (have I mentioned he's a picky eater?).  I really had never tried very many curry dishes before we were married, and I have to be honest....the first time he made chicken curry for me (using a powdered curry seasoning), I was not a fan!  I figured I just wasn't a curry eater.  However, a few years ago a friend recommended Golden Curry seasoning and we gave it a try.  It not only makes it a breeze to make chicken curry, but it's GOOD!  I don't know what the big difference is, but ever since he started using the Golden Curry bricks, I've decided that chicken curry is one of my favorites too.

Disclaimer on this recipe:  I don't have actual measurements.  We just kind of go with it!

Here's what you will need:

Golden Curry packet, 3-4 chicken breasts cubed, 1/2 onion (Greg chops his really big...I think this is the ONLY dish he will put onions in because he likes the flavor but still picks them out while eating it), soy sauce, 2 large peeled and diced potatoes, and diced carrots (I was lazy today and used a couple handfuls of baby carrots). 

This is what the Golden Curry packet looks like.  We buy it at Walmart.  It has about 5 little sections in it and we only use about one and a half sections per meal.

Directions:

1.  saute chicken and onion in a little oil.

2.  when chicken is is close to being done, pour enough soy sauce over to lightly cover chicken (probably about 1/4 cup)

3.  add vegetables and enough water to barely cover vegetables.  Cover and let everything boil on med/hi heat until potatoes and carrots are tender

4.  When veggies are tender, add 1-2 bricks of golden curry (depending on how much curry flavor you want).  Stir in seasoning until it dissolves.

*if you added too much water earlier and need to thicken it up, add a water/cornstarch mixture to thicken.  We like our sauce a little thin.

And there you have it!

Chicken Nuggets

This recipe is from Cooks Country. It is very flavorful.

Serves 4 to 6

Don’t brine the chicken longer than 30 minutes or it will be too salty. To crush the panko, place it inside a zipper-lock bag and lightly beat it with a rolling pin. This recipe doubles easily and freezes well.

Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups water
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup panko bread crumbs, crushed
2 teaspoons onion powder
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3 large egg whites
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil

Instructions

1. CUT AND BRINE Cut each chicken breast diagonally into thirds, then cut each third diagonally into ½-inch-thick pieces. Whisk water, tablespoon salt, and Worcestershire in large bowl until salt dissolves. Add chicken pieces and refrigerate, covered, for 30 minutes.

2. COAT CHICKEN Remove chicken from brine, discard brine, and pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine flour, bread crumbs, onion powder, remaining salt, pepper, garlic powder, and baking soda in shallow dish. Whisk egg whites in second shallow dish until foamy. Coat half of chicken with egg whites and dredge in flour-crumb mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Transfer to plate and repeat with remaining chicken (don’t discard flour-crumb mixture). Let sit 10 minutes.

3. FRY Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 350 degrees. Return chicken to flour dish and turn to coat, pressing flour-crumb mixture gently to adhere. Fry half of chicken until deep golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning halfway through cooking. Drain chicken on wire rack set inside rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Return oil to 350 degrees and repeat with remaining chicken. Serve with dipping sauces (see related recipes.)

MAKE AHEAD: Cool fried nuggets, transfer to zipper-lock bag, and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place nuggets on rimmed baking sheet and bake, flipping once, until heated through, about 15 minutes.

White Cheese Chicken Lasagna

picture from allrecipes.com

We had this for lunch today.

YUM!

It goes against all of my normal recipes since it takes some prep time, quite a few ingredients, dirties a couple different pots, and is SO not low in the calories.  But IT IS GOOD!

Mango Chicken

This is a recipe I got from Gwen, who got it from our friend Kari. It is the perfect summer meal and the chicken in this marinade is DELICIOUS!!!


Mango Salsa:
1 8oz can pineapple tidbits, drained (reserve juice for marinade)
3/4 cup fresh mango/peaches diced
1/3 cup red bell pepper, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
1 Tbs lime juice
1 tsp jalepeno pepper, diced
1/2 tsp ground ginger

Combine all salsa ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve. I have found that this is best if you let it sit awhile for all the flavors to blend together.

Chicken Marinade:
reserved pineapple juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 glove garlic

Combine all marinade ingredients in a ziploc back, Add your boneless skinless chicken breast and refrigerate. You can marinade for as little as 1 hour or up to as long as overnight. I suggest at least 2-3 hours. This chicken comes out so moist and delicious. We usually grill it.
Serve chicken with mango salsa and rice. Yummy!

Chicken Primavera Pasta

So we all know that I am a girl that loves food and that I love an easy great tasting meal that appears you were a slave to the kitchen when in reality, well lets just keep that our little secret!  Kraft Philadelphia has a new product called Cooking Cream and it is amazing, I mean AMAZING!  So here is my take on the recipe that we tried last night and wow!
(If you want the original recipe go and pick up an Italian Cheese and Herb Cooking Creme at your local store as it's on the back)

1 box of Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
1/2 bag of Match Stick Carrots
1 Red Pepper sliced thinly
2 Chicken Boobs sliced/chopped (I prefer mine thinly sliced across the grain)
2 containers of Philadelphia Cooking Creme in Italian Cheese and Herb

Directions:

Pull out a pot to cook your noodles according to the package directions.  While your pasta is cooking grab your wok add a little veggie oil and cook your chicken when the chicken is done add all of your veggies at once and stir until cooked/ heated thoroughly.  By then your pasta should be cooked drain those and add them to the mixture in the wok and add the Cooking Creme.  Stir until well combined and serve!  Seriously it was that easy and super yummy!  I can't wait to try all of the other Cooking Creme's!

Chicken Marsala

This was one of my favorite dishes at the restaurant Ottavios. I've searched for a long time to come up with my own version of it (especially since Ottavios went out of business) This one does not taste exactly the same, but it does taste awesome and it is really easy and quick to prepare!

1. Take your chicken breasts and pound them between two sheets of wax paper until they are about 1/2 inch thick. This helps the chicken cook more evenly/quickly and also somewhat tenderizes them.

2. Mix about one cup of flour with salt & pepper (I use about 1 teaspoon of each). Dredge Chicken in flour mixture.

3. Heat up your pan with about 2-3 T of canola oil.

4 Add chicken and quickly brown on both sides (about two minutes each)

5. Add 1.5 cup of Marsala wine (this is assuming you are using four chicken breasts in your pan), and one package of mushrooms that have been washed and sliced.

6. The alcohol should all burn off in a couple of minutes and the sauce begin to reduce. Continue to cook your chicken on medium until cooked through. If the sauce begins to reduce to much, you can add some chicken stock in to keep it a nice consistency.

7. Serve the chicken with the mushrooms & Marsala sauce. I feel this pairs nicely with rice or pasta.

Ginger Lime Stir Fry

My cousin Jandee posted the link to this recipe on her blog as part of a menu post. As soon as I saw it I knew it had to go on our list. Let me tell you, I looked forward to this meal all week. It did not disappoint! Actually, I loved it so much that I called 3 different people in between bites just to tell them how delicious it was. (yes, I may be that lame.) This will be added to our "regulars" list. Which is huge because we try so many new recipes most, regardless of how delicious, never make it to the "regulars" list. But this one will.

This image is from here. Sorry, I'm just not a food photographer...

My favorite quote about this dinner came from my 4 year old son Cooper. When I sat the bowl down in front of him he said "Oh wow! Yum yummy!" Then after his first bite, "Mom, I love the spices on these noodles. And I love the broccoli. And I love the carrots. And I love the chicken. I love this because it has everything I love." and then a little later on he guestured to the bowl and said "Are we going to keep this?" I said yes, to which he responded "Oh good, because I want to eat this again and again." And there you have it.

I made a couple adjustments from the original recipe found here... my cooking process was just a little different.

This recipe serves our family of 5:

• 1 1/2 chicken breasts sliced on the diagonal as thin as possible
• 2 cups of chopped broccoli florets
• 1 cup sliced asparagus
• 1/2 cup carrots (cut in matchsticks)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tbs oil
• 1/2 of a 16oz box of thin spaghetti
• ginger lime sauce:
  4 T. soy sauce
  2 T. brown sugar
  1 T. ginger, I used fresh
  2 large cloves garlic, minced
  1 tsp. white vinegar
  1 tsp. lime juice
  1/4 tsp. black pepper
  pinch red pepper flakes
  1 to 2 tsp. cornstarch for desired thickness
  2 T. water
  
  
  combine all ingredients in a glass bowl. cover and let sit in the fridge until ready to use. let sit overnight, if you can. will keep in fridge for 2 weeks.

Special Note: This recipe comes together rather fast, so it is best to prep all your chicken and vegetables before you begin cooking. Also, you can really use whatever veggies tickle your fancy. We found the asparagus, broccoli, and carrots combination to be absolutely PERFECT. But my family loves, loves broccoli and asparagus.

1. In a large skillet, heat your oil over medium-high heat. Also, start cooking your spaghetti. (When your pasta is done, drain it and set it aside)
2. Salt and pepper your chicken and then stir-fry in your hot oil. This won't take very long. Remove from heat as soon as the chicken is fully cooked.
3. Add your chopped vegetables to the same pan your chicken was in. Salt these for best flavor. Stir them around and saute until they change color. Your broccoli and asparagus will turn bright green. They won't be fully soft, more of a crisp tender. For us this took about 5-6 minutes.
4. While your veggies cook, put together your ginger lime sauce if you haven't already.
   
5. When your veggies are done add the pasta, chicken, and sauce to the pan. Stir well to coat and cook for just another minute or so. Then dig in... and show a little more restraint than I did.

Chicken Spiedie Sandwiches

I was talking to my friend Gwen this morning about the "thousands" of recipes I use all the time that aren't on this blog.

Gasp!

She told me I needed to get on that. (wise advice)

And so, when I was craving this for lunch... and then again when I devoured this at lunch, I said to myself, spend the 15 minutes to post it on the blog. You'll be happy I did.

I adapted this recipe from My Kitchen Cafe (which is were the picture came from... sorry I ate mine way to quickly to even think of taking a picture myself) She adapted the original recipe from Cook's Kitchen

1/2 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

2 Tbs fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1/2 Tbs dried basil)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 1 1/2 pounds

salt and pepper for seasoning chicken

6 6-inch sub rolls (buy the costco ones, you won't regret it.)

2 Tbs butter

Prick chicken breasts all over with fork, cut into 1 1/4 inch chunks, season with salt and pepper and place in a ziploc bag. Combine oil, garlic, basil, oregano, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes in a large bowl. Pour all but 2 tablespoons oil mixture over chicken, seal bag and set in refrigerator to marinade. Marinade chicken for 30 minutes to 3 hours.

Whisk mayonnaise and vinegar into reserved 2 Tbs of oil mixture. Sauce can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, covered for 2 days.

Remove chicken from marinade and place on grill. (You can thread it onto skewers if you're worried about the chicken falling through your grate. I always just cook it on my foreman.)

Grill chicken until cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice if necessary.

Split your rolls in half lengthwise and butter. Place them on your grill or griddle and get them nice and toasty (this is an essential step to yummy-ness. Don't skip it unless you hate yourself.) Place your cooked chicken on your toasted sub rolls and drizzle with mayo mixture.

Yes, that's all. That's it.

You may be tempted to add cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, etc. but just go ahead and try it plain and simple once. Believe me, I'm a "I bet I could make this a little better by adding ____" but this one... I just don't know. I always love it the most just plain and simple, chicken, bun, and sauce.

Anyway, enjoy!

Garlic Lime Crockpot Chicken

This recipe, is one I got from 365 days of crockpot, that I adapted to meet my needs.

5 chicken breast halves
1/2 c soy sauce
1/3 c lime juice
Lime zest
1 T Worcestershire sauce
2 garlic cloves finely minced
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t ground pepper

-place chicken in crockpot, combine other ingredients and poor over it. Cook on low for about 4 hours. check periodically as this dish cooks quickly and chicken can dry out. When your chicken is done, take out & cover with aluminum. Take sauce and poor into sauce pan, over medium heat stir in about 2 T of cornstarch. Stir constantly until "gravy" reaches desired consistency. Serve chicken & gravy over rice!

Sticky Coconut or "Tar" Chicken

Yet another recipe from Your Home Based Mom.
What can I say, I was hungry the other day while looking at her blog. Really hungry. So everything I saw ended up on my menus. And, let me say, she has yet to disappoint.
We really liked this one. It does have a spicy kick, so if you aren't a fan of a slightly burning tongue sensation, I recommend decreasing the amount of red pepper flakes in both the marinade and the sauce.
Next time I make this (which there will definitely be a next time) I'm going to make a coconut rice to go with it. This time I served it with plain brown rice. Which was very yummy, by the way. But I have 1/2 a can of coconut milk in my fridge leftover from this recipe so I figure, why not right?
Picture also from your home based mom

Sticky Coconut Chicken or “Tar” Chicken

6-8 boneless chicken thighs

3/4 cup canned coconut milk (I usually am cooking about 10-12 thighs so I just use the whole can)

1 Tbsp. minced ginger

1 tsp. fresh ground pepper

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Marinade chicken in coconut milk, ginger, pepper and red pepper flakes at least one hour. Grill on barbecue.

Chili Glaze:

3/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

Bring above ingredients to a boil over high heat and cook until mixture is reduced and thickened. 8-10 minutes depending on the size of your pan. Glaze both sides of chicken and serve.

Jalapeno Chicken

This is a recipe my husband and I tried back in the early stages of our family and we loved it. We have made a few adaptations as far as prep goes but I have included it as it is in the cookbook (for convenience sake)

INGREDIENTS

• 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness
• 1 (16 ounce) bottle Italian dressing
• 3 fresh jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 6 slices bacon
• toothpicks

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chicken breasts in a dish with the Italian dressing. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Stuff each jalapeno half with cream cheese. Roll chicken breasts around jalapeno peppers. Wrap each chicken breast with a slice of bacon. Secure with toothpicks.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Arrange wrapped chicken breasts on the prepared grill. Cook for 20 minutes, turning frequently, or until bacon is browned and the chicken juices run clear.

Stromboli

Have you ever had stromboli? We hadn't until we tried this recipe. Let's just say, we were fans. You should try it some time. It's basically a cross between a loaf of bread and pizza/calzones. The possibilities are endless. Here are the two we tried. (The cheesy garlic is a must! Don't skip out on it.)
By the way, this recipe says it will serve 4, I say closer to 8. Seriously, we had 2 teenage boys, 3 adults, and 3 kids and still had one whole one left over, and that is not due to a lack of trying. We ate and ate (and enjoyed eating, might I add) but we were no match for this magnitude of food. Don't be scared though, it's not that much food. Just by no means think you have to double it for your family of 6.


Dough:
2 ½ cups lukewarm water
2 tsp. yeast
1 Tbs. salt
3 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
6 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in water, add remaining ingredients, let sit for 20 minutes knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide dough in half, let sit 10 minutes. Roll each out into a rectangle.
-OR-
Rhodes Frozen Loaf dough
Thaw 1 loaf of bread by following package directions. Divide dough in half. Roll each out into a rectangle.

(This dough recipe is really yummy. We like to use it for our calzones as well.)

Cheesy Garlic filling:
We really loved this one, it was our favorite!
2 egg yolks(save whites for topping)
1 Tbs. oil
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. pepper
3/4 cup mozzarella

Mix together and brush evenly over one rectangle. This one is great as a "side dish" to your more filling roll.

Alfredo Deluxe filling:
1/3 cup Alfredo Sauce
1 piece boiled, shredded chicken
3 slices turkey bacon, cooked and chopped
1/8 cup canadian bacon, cooked
3/4 cup mozzarella
Spread other rectangle with Alfredo sauce. Top with chicken, turkey bacon, canadian bacon, and mozzarella.
This one didn't have quite enough big brass flavor to stand up to all the bread. Still yummy though, and the alfredo sauce was divine! (but yes, you can use store bought alfredo sauce as well)

Roll rectangle lengthwise and pinch together at seam. Place seam down on a greased 9x13 cookie sheet. Tuck ends under to prevent fillings coming out during baking. Both rolls can be placed on the same baking sheet. Top generously with egg whites, garlic salt, and oregano. Cook rolls together at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Monterey Chicken

BBQ chicken is a go-to quick meal staple in our house. Not the bbq chicken you are thinking of, this is your "cook a chicken breast in a skillet and drizzle it with bbq sauce" kind of chicken. Well a month or so I decided to kick it up a notch by adding bacon. My husband is so glad I did.

SUPER YUMMY,

SUPER EASY,

SUPER DE DUPER!

Inspiration from: The Open Pantry
4 boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
8 Bacon strips, cooked (don't cook it all the way, it will sit in the oven for a couple minutes... you don't want overly crispy bacon, unless you like that)
1 cup BBQ sauce (I use kraft honey BBQ sauce, it's cheap and it makes us smile)
1/2 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (We are cheese people...)
2 Roma tomato's, chopped
2 green onions, chopped

Preheat oven to 325. Heat your favorite skillet on medium high heat, add some olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides of your chicken breast. (you may want to go easier on the salt then you normally would because the bacon and cheese tend to up the salt anty.)
Cook your chicken in skillet 3-4 minutes on each side. They don't need to be cooked through, I usually pull mine out of the skillet when they still have a couple minutes left. (Let me rephrase that, my skillet goes straight from stove top to oven, so I don't actually pull my chicken out, I just cut the heat to my skillet.)
Place your mostly-cooked chicken in a baking dish. Top your chicken with bbq sauce (I usually just make sure it is covered) and then sprinkle with cheese. Place at least 2 pieces of bacon on each breast (we are of the go big or go home variety in our house, so we usually do 4 pieces of bacon per breast...don't hate us, just be jealous of our high caloric intake...)
Bake chicken breasts in the oven for about 5-7 minutes. (This will vary depending on how well done your chicken was before you transferred it to the oven, so be mindful of that.)
Top the chicken breasts with the chopped tomato and green onions. (unless your hubby won't eat that stuff)
Sit back and get the most compliments you've ever had on a meal so simple.
Pair it with this, at least that's what we do.

Chicken Pot Pie

This is my mom's recipe. It makes a TON! But it freezes really well. My son couldn't get enough of it. Very yummy, very filling, and just really "down home".

2 cups diced, potatoes
1 ¾ cup sliced carrots
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup all purpose flour
1 ¾ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme (or poultry seasoning)
3/4 tsp pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups milk
4 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
pastry for two double-crust pies

Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and set aside. In a large skillet, sauté’ onion and butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt, thyme and pepper until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the chicken, peas, corn, potatoes and carrots; remove from the heat.
Line two 9-inch pie plates with bottom pastry; trim even with edge of plate. (We prefer top crust only, so we always skip this step.) Fill pastry shells with chicken mixture. Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pies. Cut slits or decorative cutouts in pastry. Place over filling; trim, seal and flute edges.
Bake One potpie at 425* for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Cover and freeze remaining potpie for up to 3 months.

Yield: 2 potpies (6-9 servings each).

To use frozen potpie: Shield frozen pie crust edges with foil; place on a baking sheet. Bake at 425* for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350*; bake for 30 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown.

Stuffed Chicken Marsala Recipe courtesy of Olive Garden

Stuffed Chicken Marsala
Prep Time: 40 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Serving Size: 4


Ingredients
Cheese Stuffing
1/2 cup smoked shredded cheese (provolone or gouda)
8-oz package mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomato flakes (drain first if in oil)
1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sour cream (6 oz)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauce
1 small onion, cut in half and thinly sliced lengthwise
24 fl oz Marsala wine
8 fl oz heavy cream
2 small containers button mushrooms, thinly sliced (6 cups)
Salt and pepper to taste

2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 fl oz olive oil
2 cups all-purpose flour

Procedures


Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

1) COMBINE all cheese stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl.
2) BUTTERFLY thickest section of chicken breasts to create 2 lobes. Pound each breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap until ¼” - ½” thick.
3) PLACE flattened chicken breasts on a plate and place desired amount of stuffing on one lobe of each chicken breast. Gently press stuffing down so it resembles a hockey puck.
4) FOLD over other lobe of chicken breast; does not have to seal.
5) HEAT large sauté pan over medium heat.
6) ADD olive oil and heat until shimmering.
7) PLACE flour in a shallow pan and season to taste with salt and pepper.
8) DREDGE stuffed chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess.
9) SAUTE chicken breasts with preheated oil, cooking until each side is golden brown.
10) REMOVE chicken from pan and place in a baking dish.
11) BAKE for 10-20 minutes, or until juices run clean and center of chicken reaches 165°F.
12) ADD onions to sauté pan, and stir to loosen chicken drippings. After 2 minutes, add mushrooms and sauté until onions are translucent.
13) DEGLAZE pan with Marsala wine – make sure to incorporate drippings from bottom of pan.
14) HEAT wine to a simmer and add heavy cream. Simmer on low heat until reduced by half.
15) PLACE cooked chicken breasts on a plate and top each with onions, mushrooms and sauce.
16) SERVE with your favorite garlic mashed potato recipe.

Easy Santa Fe Chicken

My friend Joy posted this crockpot recipe on her blog and I asked her if I could post it on here. We made it this last week and it was SO tasty and SO very easy! You can't get any easier than this!!!

Easy Santa Fe Chicken

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
1 can corn (drained)
1/2 C salsa
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 C salsa
Put everything in crockpot in the order listed. Cook 2-3 hours on high or 6-8 on low. Use spoon to kind of cut up chicken and mix everything before serving. Serve over rice and garnish with grated cheese, sour cream and/or avacado. Also yummy with tortilla chips. Serves 4-6.

Chicken Flautas

A little foodie info for you: I always thought the key difference between flautas and taquitos was that flautas were wrapped in a flour tortilla then fried, and taquitos were wrapped in corn tortillas and then fried. Not so people. Truth be told (by my brother) the word taquito is a "made-up" tex-mex/American name. If you go down to Mexico, etc. and ask for a taquito they will give you a little taco. Taquito translates to "little taco" - the suffix "ito" meaning little.

A flauta, however translates to flute in Spanish, which is what these little morsels are originally called because their rolled shape resembles a flute.

Other tid bit: flautas are made with corn tortillas (just like you find the frozen taquito you buy at Costco and other fine food institutions) Bummer for me, I was totally thinking they fried in flour (much like a mini flute shaped chimichanga)

We came up with this little recipe for dinner last night. Much love and thanks to my brother who just returned home from a Spanish speaking mission. He helped ease my chronic "must have a recipe to back up my ideas" hold up. And assured that even though I couldn't find a recipe to support my plans, that I indeed was on the right track.

I hope you enjoy.

Makes 16-18

Corn tortillas

2 chicken breasts

1 small onion, diced (roughly 1/2 cup)

1 can diced green chiles

1 garlic glove, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup grated cheese (I used pepper jack, which gave them a nice kick. Next time I want to try queso fresco. Monterey jack would also work well. I'd steer clear of cheddar and swiss, not the flavor you're going for.)

Heat your oil for frying (we heat ours to 350*)

Boil your chicken breasts in a pot of water for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. Shred (or small dice) and set aside.

In a small saucepan, sweat onions in a little olive oil over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and green chiles. Cook another 3-5 minutes.

Combine chicken and onion mixture in a mixing bowl. Mix in grated cheese. Place a small amount of filling on each corn tortilla, roll them up, and secure with a toothpick. (If you find that your corn tortillas are ripping/breaking, it helps to warm them up in the hot oil for a few seconds - don't fry them, just warm them up. You could also steam them in the oven or microwave but I have found the oil works the best to get them nice and pliable.)

Fry your flautas (flutes) until they hold their shape. (Everything is pre-cooked so you only have to worry about getting them to hold their shape.) My husband likes them so they still have some chew in the tortilla. The teenage boys you came over after dinner liked theirs crispy. It's just a matter of preference, so fry them how you want. It doesn't take longer than 2-3 minutes a piece, however.

Make sure to remove toothpicks before serving. We like ours with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa (red or tomatillo) Last night we rounded out our meal with this. Yum, Yum!

Chicken & Rice

This is always a favorite of mine on a cold day or when I'm not feeling well.

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 envelope dehydrated onion soup mix
1 soup can of milk
1 cup uncooked rice
6 chicken breasts

Heat oven to 350*, mix soup with milk. Mix half of that mixture with rice and 1/2 of onion soup pouch and pour in baking dish (I like to make mine in the 6 quart Crueset Casserole dish with a lid -- it bakes faster), place chicken on top of mixture (I often use frozen chicken tenders and use 8-10)...pour reserved soup mixture over chicken and sprinkle onion soup mix on top. Bake covered for 1.5 -2 hours, until rice is done (if you are using Cast iron it usually bakes in about an hour), bake uncovered for 15 minutes longer!

Sticky Fingers

(I know this pic is of chicken wings, but finding a pic of sticky fingers proved to be rather difficult...and embarrassing. I didn't know rolling stones had an album...well we'll just leave it at that. They do look yummy though! So I guess it does the job...)

I meant to post this recipe a while ago...like a long while ago. I kind of forgot until I whipped some up this weekend...and then another batch today... Well, you get the picture. If you have ever been to Wingers (it's kind of like a diner chain in mostly Utah and Idaho) and had their wings/sticky fingers they are more of a sweet heat then the traditional vinegar heat of regular buffalo wings. Anyway, we LOVE them and this is our recipe for them. DELICIOUS! You could say they are finger lickin'!

Sauce:
2 1/2 cups brown sugar
3 Tbs corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup Frank's red hot sauce (NOT tabasco sauce. If you want generic look for "Louisiana" hot sauce - that's what we use.) - p.s. I use more...like 1/2 cup or so.
1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

Combine sugar, syrup, and water in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Heat on medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat and add hot sauce and vinegar. That's all.

Sticky Fingers:
chicken breast cut into strips (or you can use chicken tenders)
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/3 cup Frank's red hot sauce
1/4 cup water

In a large ziploc bag combine everything BUT hot sauce and water. In a shallow bowl, combine hot sauce and water. Coat your chicken in flour mixture (ps I never measure my spices, I just dump...) then dip it in the hot sauce mixture. Coat the chicken one more time in flour mixture and then fry in a fryer for roughly 5 minutes (or until they are done) We set our fryer at 355*

Once chicken and sauce are prepared, coat chicken in sauce and eat. Once they are "dipped" you can cook them in the oven at 350* for a couple minutes to sort of thicken up the sauce. My husband likes them best after they have sat for a few minutes (like ten) because the sauce gets stickier.

We don't really do bones with our chicken...but this recipe can be easily adapted for chicken wings. I think with wings you just fry them, no breading, and then sauce them. If anyone is a chicken wing expert feel free to comment if I am misinformed.

P.F. Chang's Lettuce Wraps

So, I made these the other day for myself and then took the leftovers for lunch the next day during my physics homework group. One of the guys wanted the recipe, and I figured that as long as I was typing it up, I might as well post it.

P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps
(from Aunt Jill's cookbook)

8 dried shitake mushrooms
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons chicken broth
2 teaspoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Salt and Pepper
1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, minced
5 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, minced
2 small dried chilies (optional)
1 8 ounce can bamboo shoots, minced
1 8 once can water chestnuts, minced

Cooking Sauce:
4 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoon hoi sin sauce
2 tablespoon chicken broth
2 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon sesame oil
4 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoon sugar

1 package cellophane Chinese rice noodles
Iceberg lettuce leaves

Cover mushrooms with boiling water, let stand 30 minutes, and then drain. Cut and discard woody stems. Mince mushrooms. Set aside. Mix all ingredients for cooking sauce in bowl and set aside. In a medium bowl, combine cornstarch, chicken broth, water, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and chicken. Stir to coat the chicken thoroughly. Stir in 1 teaspoon of oil and let sit 15 minutes to marinate. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Add 3 tablespoons of oil, then add chicken and stir fry for about 3-4 minutes. Set aside. Add 2 tablespoons oil to pan. Add ginger, garlic, chilies, and onion; stir fry about a minute or so. Add mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts; stir fry an additional 2 minutes. Return chicken to pan. Add mixed cooking sauce to pan. Cook until thickened and hot. Fry the cellophane noodles in hot oil for a minute or two, until they puff up. Break the cooked cellophane noodles into small pieces and cover the bottom of a serving dish with them. Then pour the chicken mixture on top of the noodles. Spoon the mixture into a lettuce leaf and roll.