Tag Archives: chicken recipe

Apr 25 2012

Broccoli Salad Snacks

My husband got home from a business trip tonight so I decided to make his favorite thing for dinner – appetizers! Along with salami, cheese, crackers, carrots and dip, I made these tasty broccoli salad squares. They are one of his favorite things I make.

This recipe is based on a recipe I got from Pampered Chef about 15 years ago. I haven’t been able to find that slip of paper for a while, but luckily there’s not much to it so I just wing it!

Ingredients

2 crowns of broccoli, chopped

2-3 TBSP chopped red onion

1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup real bacon bits

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 TBSP sugar

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

Directions:

  1. Roll out the crescent dough in a sheet (don’t break up into triangles). Bake according to package directions, checking for it to reach a nice golden brown color. Allow to cool completely.
  2. While dough is baking, chop broccoli and onion. In a small bowl mix mayo, vinegar and sugar until smooth.
  3. Spread mayo dressing onto the bread. Sprinkle with broccoli, onion, bacon, raisins and sunflower seeds.
  4. Cut into squares with a pizza cutter or knife.

This makes an excellent dish to bring as an appetizer for pot-lucks.  I like to make a batch and just split it between the two of us for dinner! The kids turned up their noses at it. That’s OK, more for Paul and I.

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Feb 7 2012

Quick Lemon Chicken

The kids were sick last week.  Really sick. Which meant I was not able to leave the house to grocery shop.  I hadn’t shopped since before the What’s For Dinner challenge week, so it has been almost two weeks.

Luckily I try to keep a well stocked pantry.  I came up with this quick version of lemon chicken based on what I had on hand. I made it quick by doing the whole thing in a pan instead of in the oven.

If you don’t have a meat tenderizer (or time) to pound out the chickens, don’t  worry, it will still be good.

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp coarse ground garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP olive oil

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup lemon juice

lemon zest

1 cup chicken broth

Directions:

  1. Cut the chicken breasts in half so you have two thin breasts from each one.
  2. Place between layers of plastic wrap and pound until even thickness.
  3. Place four, garlic, salt and pepper in a gallon zipper bag and shake to mix.
  4. Place chicken in flour dredge.
  5. In a large (12″) skillet heat butter and olive oil on med-high heat.
  6. Brown the chicken on both sides.
  7. Reduce heat to med-low and add lemon juice, zest and broth.
  8. Simmer for 5 minutes or until the sauce is reduced and slightly thickened.
  9. Serve over rice.

 

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Oct 17 2011

Russian Chicken – Crock Pot Version

Russian Chicken is a big hit with us. It was served at our wedding rehearsal dinner and more recently it was the subject of my first article on BlogCritics.org.

Today it was my turn to make dinner for a friend who just had a baby.  I decided I would make the family Russian Chicken, and some for us too. But the timing was going to be off if I put both dishes in the oven early.  I quickly came up with a solution using my trusty Crock Pot.

I prepared the dinner for delivery in the usual way – baked in the oven.  Knowing that I would be away from the house for an hour or more to make the delivery, I set up our chicken in the crock pot.  I had to guess on the time and temperature, so I  placed it on high and set the timer for three hours, just to be safe.  The total cooking time was just 2½ hours. It was just as good as the usual method, perhaps even better.

Russian Chicken in the Crock Pot

4-6 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 cup Wishbone Russian salad dressing

1 cup apricot preserves

1 package onion soup mix

Mix dressing, jam and soup mix in a small bowl.  Place chicken pieces in the crock pot. Cover with sauce and cook on high setting for 2-3 hours.  Serve with steamed rice and salad or vegetable. It was great to be able to leave the house with dinner safely cooking. Crock-Pot to the rescue once again!

 

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Apr 11 2011

Yummy chicken salad – salad!

This is one of my favorite salads that is packed with protein and leaves me satisfied.  I like to use the canned chicken breast from Costco for the chicken salad.  It’s SO tender and moist!  I also like to add a lot of veggies and just enough mayo to get it to come together.

chicken salad ingredients

2 cans all white meat chicken breast
1 large carrot, diced
1/4 white onion, diced (or subst. 2 green onions, sliced)
1 to 2 ribs of celery, diced
Mayonnaise to taste
Ground black pepper
Coarse ground garlic OR yellow curry powder, to taste

chicken salad on a bed of greens

Mix up your chicken salad and then place it on top of a bed of greens!  I like to use spring mix for this, but any greens you like would work.  Sometimes I also add sprouts.  It’s a tasty, fresh lunch that is high in protein and veggies!

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Feb 25 2011

Frugal Friday

I’m starting a new series of posts “Frugal Friday” that are all about ways to save time, money, effort or just great values!

Do you buy rotisserie chickens at the store?  They are very convenient and reasonably priced, but you can do better!

Try buying a whole chicken and roasting it yourself!  If you don’t cook a lot that may sound like too much work, but I assure you it’s easy, cheaper and you are guaranteed to have it hot and juicy.  Here’s what you need to know:

  • Buy a whole chicken when it’s on sale.  Anything under $1 per pound is a good price, but I got one this week for $0.79 per pound.  That was a 6lb chicken for Roasted chicken$4.74!  Less expensive than the store’s rotisserie bird and a lot bigger.
  • You need a pan to cook it in.  If you don’t have a roasting pan with a rack you can use a 9×13 pan and put some celery, chopped onion or carrots underneath it in place of the rack.
  • Rub it with olive oil and seasonings.  Or you can use a marinade.  Add veggies like carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms and potatoes if you like.
  • It takes a few hours to cook – allow up to 2 1/2 hours for a 6 lb bird.  The breast meat should reach 170°; legs should be 180°.

For complete details on how to do it see this article from eHow, or check your favorite cookbook.  I use the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook as my reference for temps and times!

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