Category Archives: Chicken

Chicken Noodle Soup

There is just something about chicken noodle soup that cures just about anything. It seems like with the change of seasons among us, several people are catching a cold or their allergies are in full swing. I prepared this remedy for a sick friend. It is a very simple recipe and nothing says get well like a homemade dish.

Recipe yields: approximately 3 quarts, 8-10 Servings

Ingredients:

1 Table canola oil

2 large celery stalks, finely chopped

1 extra large (2 inches in diameter) carrot, finely chopped

1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped

1 # (uncooked) Lemon chicken breast (cooked), coarsely chopped (yields about 2 1/2 cups) (RECIPE BELOW)

10 cups water

7 teaspoons Penzeys chicken base

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoon pasta sprinkle

3/4 teaspoon ground pepper

3 cups of dry egg noodles

Directions:

  1. On medium to high heat, prepare a 6 to 8 quart stock pot.
  2. Once the vessel is ready, add the canola oil to the pan. Add the carrots, celery & onion. Allow the ingredients to cook for 5-7 minutes. Stir often.
  3. In the meantime prepare the base, boil the 10 cups of water and add the base and stir vigerously with whisk to blend until no signs any clumpy residue.
  4. After the vegetables have softened.Add the prepared base along with pasta sprinkle and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the egg noodles and cook for 12 minutes. After the time has elapsed add chicken and fresh parsley. Heat the meat through and enjoy.

 

 

Lemon Chicken:

Tip: I prepared the chicken a day in advance.

Ingredients:

1# (thawed) Chicken Breast (about 2 breasts)

1/2 fresh lemon (juiced)

1 teaspoonGarlic Salt (freshly ground)

1 teaspoon Pasta Sprinkle (Italian seasoning from penzeys)

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter)

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Take a large piece of foil and spread out on the counter. Place the chicken breasts on the foil. Sprinkle evenly both sides of the breast with the pasta sprinkle and garlic salt. Add the butter and juice of the 1/2 lemon. Fold the chicken in the foil and crimp to seal. Place the foil packet in the prepared oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until temperature of the chicken yields 165 degrees.

Actifry Pesto Chicken & Potatoes


If you don’t know it by now, we love the Actifry at our house. We use this wonderful cooking gadget at the very least weekly. It is such a time saver. It can cook just about anything main dishes,sides, desserts, and snacks.

I appreciate using this device during weeknights for a quick easy dinner. Bonus easy clean up with essentialy a one pot meal. At the end of the meal, just throw everything in the dishwasher and call it an evening. 

We have so much Pesto, I have been adding it to everything. This recipe came to made on my way home from work. 

Prep time: 5 minutes  

Cooking time: 40-43 minutes

Servings: 2 large meals or 4 small

Ingredients:

2 ounces of prepared Pesto, divided

2 chicken breast, cubed into 1 inch pieces

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 medium potatoes (about 3 cups, cubed 1 inch pieces) (washed clean & not peeled)

Tools for the Job:

  • Actifry

Directions:

1. In either a ziplock bag or sealable container marinate the chicken breast ovennight with 1 ounce of Pesto.

2. When ready to prepare the dish,place the prepared potatoes with oil & remaining 1 ounce of Pesto in the actifry. Close the lid. Place the timer on 20 minutes. 

3. Add the chicken in the Actifry with the potatoes and place the timer on for another 20-23 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Chipotle Chicken Sausage with Summer Squash 


If you are looking for a quick vibrant dinner than look no further. If you have an actifry this is a simple dinner that only requires one vessel for cooking. I love my actifry! I use it at least weekly if not a few times a week to make entrees or side dishes and snacks! 

Servings: 2 
Ingredients:

2 chipotle chicken sausage 

1 small zucchini or any summer squash (cut into quarters)

1/2 a large Green pepper

1/4 large red onion

1 tablespoon Dijon whole grain mustard 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1/c cup baby carrots

1/8 tsp kosher salt
Directions:

Place everything in the actifry. 

Tex Mex Chicken and Black Bean Lasagna

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We had some leftovers of fajita chicken from dinner the other night & my leftover slow cooked black beans in the refrigerator. I used to make a dish like this when my husband and I were first married. I am not sure why I stopped making this lasagna. I think more than likely it was because most recipes yield 12 servings or call for a 9 by 13 inch pan. I tailored this recipe to fit an 8 by 8 for smaller families and/or couples.

We always have a stack of locally made, in the strip district, handmade tortilla shells frozen. One item I try to keep in the house at all times is tortillas. They freeze very well if you place a small piece of parchment paper in between each tortilla. Tortilla shells are very versatile. You can make so many meals with them from pizzas to burritos, to chips, to enchiladas to sandwiches…. The list goes on. One of my new favorites is lasagna. I love being resourceful with leftovers and what better way then throwing everything into a lasagna.

This recipe yields 6-9 servings

Ingredients:

1- 4 to 6 oz chicken breast grilled with fajita seasoning (which equals about 1 3/4 cup shredded or chopped)

4 – 8 inch whole wheat tortillas (plus one for corners)

1 tsp fajita seasoning

6 TB chipotle salsa (I use Trader Joe’s when I don’t have fresh on hand)

6 TB black beans ( I used my slow cooked homemade black beans for this recipe)

2 TB pickled jalapeños (chopped), optional

1 1/3 cup of enchilada sauce, plus more if you like a wet lasagna

1 1/2 cup of Mexican blend shredded cheese

1/4 cup of fat free ricotta cheese

2/3 cup fat free cottage cheese

1 TB fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

2 green onions, chopped

8 by 8 glass baking dish

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree. Take an 8 by 8 dish and cover the bottom with 1/4 to 1/3 of a cup of enchilada sauce. Place one of the tortillas in the middle of the dish. If you desire cut corners of the scrap tortilla to cover the corners of the pan. This will make sure your dish goes to the edges for a nicer appearance.  Set aside.
  2. In a small bowl mix cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, and fajitas seasoning. Place half of the cottage cheese mixture onto the tortilla shell in the baking pan & spread the cheese mixture evenly. Take 3 TB of salsa & 3 TB of black beans and evenly distribute onto of the cottage cheese spread. Sprinkle with 1/2 the chicken & 1/4 cup of Mexican cheese blend. Top with 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce. Spread everything together evenly using a spatula.
  3.  Repeat previous steps by placing down another tortilla shell over the enchilada sauce and cuting corners of the scrap tortilla to cover the corners of the edges of the pan where the circle shell did not cover.  Add the remainder of the cottage cheese mixture,  & spread evenly. Add the black beans, & salsa and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with remaining chicken and 1/4 cup of shredded Mexican Cheese. Pour 1/4-1/3 cup of enchilada sauce over the chicken and cheese, spread layer evenly, use spatula to make spread coat to  the edges.
  4. Top the enchilada sauce with one more tortilla shell, cover the corners with scraps. I like to use my kitchen sheers to cut out perfect scraps for the edges. Top with 1/3 cup of enchilada sauce and spread evenly. Cover evenly the sauce with  3/4 to 1 cup of shredded Mexican Cheese. Sprinkle with chopped jalapeños. Bake uncovered for 3o minutes at 350 degrees.
  5. Once the lasagna comes out of the oven let rest for 10 minutes prior to cutting into. This will help prevent it from falling apart. Sprinkle with chopped green onion & fresh cilantro.

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Enjoy!

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Lemon, Almond & Herb Chicken Salad 


I made Ina Garten’s Lemon Baked Chicken the other day for supper. For the leftovers I decided to use some in the lasagna I made last night and the rest for this chicken salad for lunch today.

This recipe is quick and easy! Not to mention prefect for a lunch at home on the weekend or to pack for work.
Ingredients:

1 cup of leftover baked lemon chicken (chopped or diced)

4 tb olive oil mayo or greek plain nonfat yogurt

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp Dijon mustard with whole grain seeds

2 tb slivered almonds

2 tb dried cranberries

Fresh ground pepper to taste

Direction:

1. Place everything in a 2 cup airtight resealable container. Mix the salad together with small spatula. Enjoy on some whole-grain bread with spinach or on top of a mixed greens.

Quick Enchiladas

  
Who doesn’t love a fast & tasty dinner. These are my husband’s favorite go to enchilada. I love the fact that they are so versatile. They can be vegetarian or you can incorporate meat, either way you can sure get your protein in with these. This dinner cooks in 15 minutes and who doesn’t have time for that….

Serving Size 2 

Ingredients:

4 Corn Torilla’s (I like the trader joe’s reduced fat 6 inch ones)

2 TB salsa

1/4 cup black beans

1/2 cup Mexican Blend or Colby Jack Cheddar Shredded Cheese or 2% cheddar, divided

2 green onions, chopped, divided

1 tsp ground chilli powder

1 large garlic clove, finally diced

3-4 oz of grilled chicken breast, shredded, if making vegetarian switch out the meat for tofu or more beans pinto is a good combo

1/2 cup of fat free ricotta or fat free cottage cheese

1/2 cup enchilada sauce, divided

 

Directions:

  1. Place 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of an oven proof  8 by 10 glass baking dish. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. In a small to medium bowl mix, ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup shredded cheese, garlic, chili powder, green onion (save a few slices for garnish), salsa, chicken,& black beans.
  3. Down the center of each tortilla place 5-6 TB down of the filling. Roll the tortilla up and place it fold side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with all the tortillas.
  4. Evenly add the remaining enchilada sauce ontop and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes on 375 degrees.
  5. Once you remove the dish from the oven you can sprinkle with remaining green onion for garnish.
  6.   

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pizza

 

Chicken Cordon Bleu used to be something we made often when my husband and I first got married. Now a days we rarely make this dish.  This is a take on one of my husband’s favorite chicken dishes and well who doesn’t love pizza.

  
This recipe yields 6 slices

Ingredients:

1 lb package of pizza dough or a fresh batch (we make fresh and freeze it) 

1/3 – 1/2 cup Alfredo Sauce

1 cup Baby Swiss cheese shredded

1/2 cup cooked cubed ham

1 (6 oz)  baked chicken breast seasoned (sliced 1/8 inch thick) I like to season the meat with Penzey’s Ruth Ann’s Muskego chicken and fish seasoning 

1/8 cup bread crumbs
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 

2. Place the dough in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Form the dough to fit the pan. 

3. Spread the Alfredo sauce on the dough evenly. 

4. Evenly distribute the chicken and ham ontop of the sauce. Bake the pizza in the oven for 20-25 minutes. 

5. Remove from oven and sprinkle the cheese over the top and return the pizza to the oven for 3 minutes or until the cheese melts. 

6. Remove from oven and sprinkle with bread crumbs. 

7. Remove the pizza from the cast iron skillet and cut into 6 slices. 

Enjoy!

Chicken Parm Casserole

 

This is for all of you who enjoy using leftovers in creative ways. I love being resourceful with the leftovers. My husband and I made chicken parm, with homemade fettuccine noodles & homemade alfredo sauce for his birthday. 

We had some leftover chicken parm in the refrigerator and I was trying to think of a way to reinvent the dish then I remembered making a similar dish with meatballs so I thought I’d give it a try with the parm.

Ingredients:

4 slices of provolone

1/2 cup 2% mozzarella shredded

1 1/2 cups homemade marinara sauce

1 large leftover chicken parm breast (cut into 1/2 inch pieces) 

1 can of grands biscuits (reduced fat) (quartered) 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cooking spray a glass deep glass dish 8 by 10″.Set side. 

2. In a medium bowl mix the marinara and cut biscuits and toss to coat. Place evenly in the prepared baking dish.

3. Top the biscuits with the cut up chicken. Spread the meat over the biscuits evenly. Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese and provolone cheese.

4. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes. 

  

Nanny’s CornFlake Crust Chicken

  
   

 My husband’s Nanny Kessman used to make this classic baked chicken dish with cornflakes instead of breadcrumbs. My husband mentioned she would make this family favorite for every holiday. Even when he was going up she baked this entree. She would usually pair this dish with her green beans and bacon side with cottage cheese and applesauce. 
This dish comes out very crunchy on the outside and moist in the center without the grease. The pasta sprinkle adds a lot heightened flavor. 
The other day I recalled this dish and thought I don’t think we have ever made it. What a perfect quick dinner recipe that pairs well with actifry fries and any steamed veggie. 

Ingredients:
3 thin slices pork chops or thin chicken breast 
1 1/2 cups of cornflakes, then crushed (you can buy gluten free if needed)
1 TB pasta sprinkle or Italian seasoning
1 large egg
1 TB skim milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil optional 

Directions:



1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Take a half sheet pan lined with parchment paper and then place a wire rack in the inside of the pan on top of the parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Take two shallow small bowls. Place the crushed cornflakes in one mixed with pasta sprinkle. In the other bowl place the egg and beat it lightly with the milk. 
4. Take the meat and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the meat in the egg wash enough to coat entire piece. Allow excess to drop off and then place the meat in the cornflake dust. Flip the meat and allow to coat both sides. Place the fully coated meat on the rack inside the pan. Repeat with remaining meat. If you wish you can drizzle with olive oil (Nanny did)
5. Bake the meat in the center of the oven at 350 degrees. Set the timer for 12 minutes and flip the meat and bake for 12 more minutes. 
**The internal temperature of the pork should be 145 degrees. The chicken may take longer.If baking chicken the temperature should be 165 degrees. 
Enjoy!