Tandoori Chicken Skewers

The Best Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers

Whole and Heavenly Oven https://wholeandheavenlyoven.com/2019/07/15/the-best-grilled-tandoori-chicken-skewers/

Ingredients

Tandoori Chicken1 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-in pieces

Tzatziki Sauce1-1/2 cups plain yogurt
1/2 cup minced fresh cucumber
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
2 tablespoons fresh minced parsley
2 tablespoons fresh minced mint
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Tandoori ChickenIn a large bowl, whisk yogurt garlic, ginger, all the spices and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken cubes in marinade toss until they're evenly submerged in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and marinade chicken in fridge at least 2 hours or overnight.
Once chicken is done marinating, remove from marinade and pat dry. Discard marinade. Thread chicken onto wooden skewers. (for best results, soak skewers in water 10-15 minutes to prevent them from breaking while grilling)
Grill tandoori chicken over medium-high heat 4-5 minutes on each side, turning occasionally until chicken registers 165F, about 8-10 minutes of cook time total. Keep chicken warm.
Alternatively if you don't have access to a grill: in a large skillet, pan sear the skewers in 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, turning occasionally until chicken is browned and registers 165F.

Giordanos Copycat Salad

David ate this salad (or similar) at a restaurant called Giordanos in Chicago. This is the best version of a copycat I could come up with - we both really liked it.  

Giordanos Copycat Salad (Salami BBQ)

Source: https://giordanos.com/ and David's memory

Ingredients:
Green leaf lettuce
Cooked chicken, chopped
Hard salami (1/8 lb)

1/2 cup BBQ sauce - 1/2 cup ranch

toppings:

Dried, roasted red peppers
red onions, sliced, 

corn

cucumber, diced

cherry tomato, halved

cheddar cheese, grated (or feta cheese)

Wash and chop lettuce. Chop and heat chicken. Slice salami into small sticks and fry in small frying pan until slightly crispy. Top salad with all toppings, and serve with BBQ Ranch dressing. 

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This was the easiest chicken cordon bleu recipe I've ever seen and it was DELICIOUS! From the website: "A midweek version of Chicken Cordon Bleu. All the flavor, all the crunch, much faster to make, and it's better for you because it's baked!" I used the quick-dredge method and seriously, I will never make chicken cordon bleu any other way.


When David and I were engaged, we decided that we wanted to hold our wedding luncheon at The Bluebird restaurant in Logan. We scheduled to go meet with the owner about booking a luncheon in their beautiful top-floor hall. I don't think we realized that we were also going to be able to taste the food that we could choose from, but it was delightful. One of our favorite memories from being engaged. We selected Chicken Cordon Bleu and mashed potatoes and it was the perfect wedding luncheon - we loved it so much. This past year we randomly saw some frozen chicken cordon bleu at Sams Club pretty close to our anniversary and we bought it and served it to the family for our anniversary dinner. We decided right then that we would always have chicken cordon bleu to celebrate our anniversary with our kids. I had counted on just buying it frozen, but when I came across this recipe I decided to give it a try (especially because the kids had liked it so much the first time) and it was a winner! I see lots of anniversary dinners in our future.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Source: Recipe Tin Eats

INGREDIENTS: 

BREADCRUMBS

Panko breadcrumbs - 1/2 cup for Super Easy or 1 cup for Quick Dredge
Oil spray

CHICKEN

2 small chicken breasts, around 6-7oz/180-210g each
Salt and pepper
4 slices swiss cheese (Note 1)
4 to 6 slices of ham, about 2.5oz/75g (Note 2)

METHOD 1: SUPER EASY

3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

METHOD 2: QUICK DREDGE

1 egg
2 tsp plain flour

DIJON CREAM SAUCE (MAKES 1 CUP)

1 1/2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp flour
1 1/4 cups milk (Note 3)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 200C/390F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan).
Spread panko breadcrumbs on a baking tray and spray with oil. Bake for 3 minutes or until light golden. Remove and scrape into bowl straight away.
Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, as per the photo below.
Fold the cheese in half and place 2 pieces inside each pocket. Do the same with the ham. Close the pocket, seal with 2 toothpicks. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

SUPER EASY METHODMix the mayonnaise, mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread onto the top and sides of the chicken (not underside).
Sprinkle panko over the chicken, using your other hand to press the breadcrumbs onto the side of the chicken. Spray with oil.

QUICK DREDGE METHODWhisk egg and flour. Dip chicken into egg mixture, then into the panko breadcrumbs. Transfer to tray, spray with oil.

BAKINGBake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and just cooked through. Remove toothpicks, serve with the Dijon Cream Sauce.

DIJON CREAM SAUCEMelt butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add flour and cook for 1 minute.
Add half the milk and whisk until the flour mixture is blended in.
Add remaining milk, mustard and cheese. Cook for 3 minutes, whisking constantly, until thickened. It will thicken as it cools.
Remove from heat, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with chicken.
Make Ahead: Use the Dredge Method and then refrigerate for up to 24 hours (probably ok longer, I just haven't tried) or freeze uncooked. Keep leftover breadcrumbs and touch up if required before baking. Thaw then cook per recipe.

Butter Chicken

Our friend Hannah Brand-Grimmett (Brooklyn's sister, so she's basically family) made this for us this summer and I loved it so much that she sent me home with a little baggie of fenugreek leaves and the recipe to make on my own. It was SO good. When I made this at home, I was practically swooning each time I took a bite. I already have this on my meal plan again for the next couple of weeks. 

I made it with Naan bread and Garlic Butter Rice and it was just melt in your mouth delicious. 

Butter Chicken

Source: Cafe Delights

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken marinade:28 oz (800g) boneless and skinless chicken thighs or breasts cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger (or finely grated)
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon of salt

For the sauce:2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons ghee (or 1 tbs butter + 1 tbs oil)
1 large onion, sliced or chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1 tablespoon ginger, minced or finely grated
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon ground coriander
14 oz (400 g) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon red chili powder (adjust to your taste preference)
1 1/4 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
1 cup of heavy or thickened cream (or evaporated milk to save calories)
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kasoori methi (or dried fenugreek leaves)

INSTRUCTIONS
In a bowl, combine chicken with all of the ingredients for the chicken marinade; let marinate for 30 minutes to an hour (or overnight if time allows).

Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. When sizzling, add chicken pieces in batches of two or three, making sure not to crowd the pan. Fry until browned for only 3 minutes on each side. Set aside and keep warm. (You will finish cooking the chicken in the sauce.)
Heat butter or ghee in the same pan. Fry the onions until they start to sweat (about 6 minutes) while scraping up any browned bits stuck on the bottom of the pan.
Add garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, then add ground coriander, cumin and garam masala. Let cook for about 20 seconds until fragrant, while stirring occasionally.
Add crushed tomatoes, chili powder and salt. Let simmer for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce thickens and becomes a deep brown red colour.
Remove from heat, scoop mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water to help it blend (up to 1/4 cup). Work in batches depending on the size of your blender.
Pour the puréed sauce back into the pan. Stir the cream, sugar and crushed kasoori methi (or fenugreek leaves) through the sauce. Add the chicken with juices back into the pan and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and bubbling.
Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with fresh, hot garlic butter rice and fresh homemade Naan bread!

Garlic Butter Rice

Source: Crave It All

Garlic Butter Rice has so much flavor, it makes the perfect side to go with anything! All cooked in one pot, forget about plain rice!

Ingredients
4 tablespoons (2oz. | 60g) butter, divided
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice, long gran, Basmati or Jasmine
2 1/2 cups chicken broth, or vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, plus extra to garnish

Instructions
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in rice to coat with the garlic butter.
Add broth, dried parsley, salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil.
Cover with lid and reduce heat to low so the liquid is simmering very gently. Cook until all liquid has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Uncover and stir through fresh parsley.
Remove from heat, cover with lid and let stand 5-10 minutes, until soft.
Fluff rice with a fork. Stir through remaining butter and season with a little extra salt, pepper and dried parsley.
Garnish with some fresh chopped parsley.

Onion Smothered Chicken

 We tried the meal delivery subscription EveryPlate and loved it. Sometimes it's fun to try meal kits like that because it gives me new ideas to incorporate into our meals. This is a great example of that. It's a slightly different flavor profile than I usually make, and the addition of the biscuits and carrots on the side made a big difference. I'm not sure I have ever made biscuits as a side for a chicken dinner - but I definitely will in the future. It was a hit. The chicken tasted so good on it's own, I wasn't sure if we'd enjoy the sauce on top but I really liked the combination of the two. 

Onion Smothered Chicken
(with roasted carrots, and biscuits) 

Source: EveryPlate

Ingredients: 

7-10 chicken tenders

6-8 carrots

1 yellow onion

1 tbs chicken stock concentrate

blackening spice (cajun spice) 

1/2 cup Sour Cream 

Garlic

Flour

3-6 Tbs Butter

1-2 Tbs Vegetable Oil

Salt and Pepper, to taste

Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits, recipe below. 

(optional: combine hot sauce, softened butter, and a bit of honey to serve on biscuits.) 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Peel, trim, and cut carrots on a diagonal into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Peel and finely chop garlic. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Prepare biscuits.

2. Toss carrots on one side of a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. Roast on top rack for 12 minutes. (You'll add the biscuits at the midway point.) 

3. While carrots roast, pat chicken dry with paper towels (this ensures even browning rather than steaming the chicken). Season with blackening spice, salt, and pepper. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 5-6 minutes per side. Turn off heat, transfer to a cutting board to rest.

4.  Once carrots have roasted 12 minutes, remove sheet from oven. Carefully add biscuits to empty side. Return to oven until biscuits are browned and cooked through and carrots are browned and tender, 8-11 minutes more. (Depending on the number of carrots, you may need to leave the carrots cooking and add the biscuits to a second sheet to bake on a second rack.) 

5. While everything roasts, heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for chicken over medium heat. Add onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until softened, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and 2 tbs plain butter; cook stirring until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add 1 tbs flour; cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 1 minute. 

Gradually stir in 3/4-1 cup water into pan until fully incorporated. Bring to a boil; cook scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of pan until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup sour cream and 1 tbs chicken stock concentrate. Season with salt and pepper. 

Thinly slice chicken crosswise, divide among plates along with carrots and biscuits. Top chicken with gravy and serve. 


Biscuits

Source: Sugar Spun Run

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour (250g)
1 Tablespoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
¾ cup whole milk, 2% milk will also work

Directions: 
For best results, chill your butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before beginning this recipe. It's ideal that the butter is very cold for light, flaky, buttery biscuits.
Preheat oven to 425F and line a cookie sheet with baking mat. Set aside.

1. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.

2. Remove your butter from the refrigerator and either cut it into your flour mixture using a pastry cutter or (preferred) use a box grater to shred the butter into small pieces and then add to the flour mixture and stir.

3. Cut the butter or combine the grated butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

4. Add milk, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until combined (don't over-work the dough).

5. Transfer your biscuit dough to a well-floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. If the dough is too sticky, add flour until it is manageable.

 
6. Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeating this step 5-6 times but taking care to not overwork the dough.

7. Use your hands (do not use a rolling pin) to flatten the dough to 1" thick and lightly dust a 2 ¾" round biscuit cutter with flour.

 
8. Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and drop the biscuit onto your prepared baking sheet.

9. Repeat until you have gotten as many biscuits as possible and place less than ½" apart on baking sheet.
Once you have gotten as many biscuits as possible out of the dough, gently re-work the dough to get out another biscuit or two until you have at least 6 biscuits.

10. Bake on 425F for 12 minutes or until tops are beginning to just turn lightly golden brown.
If desired, brush with melted salted butter immediately after removing from oven. Serve warm and enjoy.

Chicken Wrap

Chicken Wrap
Source: Adapted from Valentina's Corner

Ingredients
1 chicken breast
2 cups lettuce, sliced thin
4 slices bacon, cooked

1/2 red pepper, 1/2 green pepper sliced thin
1 tomato, cubed
1/4 red onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced or cubed
3 Tbsp shredded cheese, optional
1/4 cup ranch
1 tsp Southwest Chipotle seasoning
flour tortillas

chicken breast seasoning:
¼ tsp ground paprika
¼ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp oil, for sautéing

OR Kickn' Chicken Seasoning


Instructions
In a bowl, combine seasonings for chicken. Season both sides of the chicken.
Cut bacon into small pieces. Over high heat, cook until crispy. Empty onto plate with paper towel. In same pan, using reserved bacon grease- Sear chicken 2-3 minutes per side. Turn heat down to low, close lid of the skillet and cook another 5-6 minutes, until chicken is tender.

Slice lettuce and onion, cube tomatoes and slice or cube avocado.
In a small bowl combine together the ranch and seasoning.
In a skillet, heat the flour tortillas until desired crispiness. (Or layout tortilla on wire rack in oven and bake until crispy.)
Slice chicken into thin strands, add to tortilla. Add remaining ingredients over top of chicken. Drizzle with the ranch.
Roll the wrap. Enjoy, friends.

Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken

In an attempt to help our kids appreciate healthy food, we frequently look up the physical benefits of the specific vegetable we are eating and summarize it for our kids. Every child knows that carrots help you see better, right? (you know, because of all that K12?) Broccoli has loads of health benefits, but at our house "Broccoli helps you run fast." (because of all the benefits to muscles and the cardiovascular system). And even though it's covered in bacon and cheese so it may not be truly "healthy", our kids always run races after finishing each and every bite of broccoli on their plates.

Broccoli Bacon Cheddar Chicken

Source: Adapted from Julia's Album

Ingredients:
8 chicken tenders
salt and pepper

garlic powder

seasoning salt
2 cups broccoli florets , blanched, chopped
3 strips bacon , cooked, chopped
1 cup Mozzarella cheese , shredded
1 cup Cheddar cheese , shredded

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Bring a small pot of water to a boil, when ready add broccoli and leave for about 2 minutes. 

Add chicken breasts to the casserole dish. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper, garlic powder, and seasoning salt.  Top with chopped and blanched broccoli florets.
Add chopped cooked bacon, shredded Mozzarella cheese, and shredded Cheddar cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for about 20-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 

Bacon Chicken

I really couldn't figure out what to call this. It's made in a skillet/on the stovetop so maybe "skillet chicken" (because most chicken I make is baked). It's seasoned with ranch dressing mix, so "ranch chicken"? It's got bacon and cheese. It's also got bacon and cheese, so maybe add to my numerous "chicken bacon ranch" list of recipes? I don't know. I gave up and just called it Bacon Chicken. Because it's got bacon and it's delicious. The end. 

As I said before- I usually bake my chicken and when I bake it, I like reallllly bake it. Basically bake it to death, until it's so dry that it's obviously done, no question about it. Pink chicken scares me a bit. I was throwing this together one night and realized that I didn't actually have time to bake it, so I just stuck it in a skillet on the stove and it was the juciest most delicious chicken I think that I've ever made myself. (I'm not really joking about baking my chicken until it's completely dry.)

Bacon Chicken

Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:

8 chicken tenders (or 4 chicken breasts)
4 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 tbsp dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2-3/4 cup cheese, shredded

salt and pepper, to taste

Optional additions:

1 tomato, diced
2 green onions, sliced
salt and pepper, optional

Directions:
Fry bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove bacon pieces from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper-towel lined plate. Place chicken in pan, season with salt, pepper and half of ranch seasoning, when first side is browned, flip over to second side. Season with more salt, pepper, and ranch seasoning. Top with cheese and bacon. After chicken has been cooked 2-4 minutes on each side, turn heat to low and let cook until chicken is done and cheese is melted.

(I've been told that this would be delicious topped with tomato and green onions. So next time I'm going to try that, too.) 

Serve immediately.

Greek Chicken Gyros

I was feeling adventurous and wanted to try some different flavors than I normally do. I really liked this, although the tzatziki sauce was a bit much for the kids (and David doesn't like red onions). I subbed HVRanch for the sauce for them and they liked it much better after that. I like having some different recipes up my sleeve and really liked the flavor of the chicken.
















Greek Chicken Gyro 
Source: Le Creme De La Crumb
Greek Seasoning Blend: All Recipes-Misty Jane Pilgrim


Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts, pounded to ½ inch thickness
1 tablespoon mediterranean/greek seasoning (you can substitute Italian seasoning in a pinch)
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
½ red onion, thinly sliced
4 pitas (this is a Greek-style flatbread you can find at almost any grocery store near the bread and tortillas or in the bakery)
optional: lettuce, feta cheese crumbles

Seasoning:
1 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoons dried Greek oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Tzatziki Sauce:
½ English cucumber, peeled and diced
2 cups cold plain Greek yogurt
4 teaspoons minced garlic
⅓ cup chopped dill, fresh or frozen (may sub 2 tablespoons dried dill)
1½ Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (juice of ½ medium lemon)
½ tsp salt, or to taste
⅛ tsp black pepper

Directions:
Puree all Tzatziki Sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor making sure to get as much moisture out of the diced cucumber as possible (use a paper towel to blot it out). Cover and chill until ready to serve. Making this the night before is ideal as it gives the flavors time to marinate.

Season chicken breasts with mediterranean/greek seasoning on both sides. Cook in a large skillet over medium heat 5-6 minutes on each side until cooked through. Cut into strips.

Lay pitas on a clean surface. Add lettuce (if desired, chicken, red pepper strips, and onions. Top with tzatziki sauce. Fold pita in half or roll it into a burrito shape.

Chicken & Zucchini (tex-mex)

I'm always looking for good zucchini recipes for our summer zucchini harvest (or in cases like this year, my parents zucchini harvest that they have been so generous to share with us). I like this one because most of my zucchini dishes are pasta-based, but this is a delicious & fresh use for that yummy zucchini.

Tex-Mex Chicken & Zucchini
Source: Adapted from iFoodReal

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb boneless & skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
1 tbsp cumin, divided
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 cup corn, frozen or fresh
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp chili powder
1 large zucchini, diced
1 cup Tex Mex or cheddar cheese

optional, top with:

1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped

(The original recipe also calls for: 2 medium bell peppers, chopped and 14 oz can black beans, drained & rinsed. I didn't have these on hand when I made the dish, and it was still super yummy. But next time I think I'd definitely make sure to add in the black beans.) 

Directions:
Add olive oil to large skillet and heat to medium. Add onion and garlic, then saute until translucent. Add bell pepper and saute for a few more minutes. Move mixture to a side of the skillet and add chicken. Sprinkle with 1 tsp cumin, salt and black pepper. Saute until golden brown, about 5 -7 minutes.

Add corn, beans, tomatoes, chili powder and remaining cumin. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add zucchini and stir. Sprinkle with cheese, cover and cook for another 5 minutes. Top with green onions and cilantro. Serve hot.

Middleton Tacos

Our friends the Middletons make the most amazing tacos. We begged for their recipe so we could add it to our repertoire. Toasted corn tortillas, melted cheese, tender marinated meat, and a avocado pico for the top. Mmmmm. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. When the Middletons invited us over for dinner, they didn't know that their name would forever live on in our dinner rotation - because we call this dish "Middleton Tacos." (Chicken tacos doesn't seem to do the dish justice.) 

Middleton Tacos

Source: Mike and Ali Middleton

Ingredients: 

Chicken

Marinade - equal parts, garlic powder, cumin, season salt, pepper, paprika, coriander, chili powder, and Caldo de Tomate, and lime juice + enough vegetable oil to coat/cover the chicken. 

Corn tortillas

Cheese

Lettuce

Avocado Pico - equal parts diced tomatoes, onion, avocado, and cilantro

(For three chicken breasts, I used about one teaspoon of each spice for the marinade and about 1 1/2 -2 cups of oil. I also used 2 tomatoes, 2 avocados, and one onion.) 

Directions: 

The night before, slice chicken breasts into tenders (allowing more of the meat to come into contact with the marinade). Combine marinade spices and oil.  Pour marinade over chicken in a tupperware container and thoroughly coat chicken. Let sit overnight. 

Grill chicken until cooked through. Slice into thin strips (or you could shred). 

Place corn tortillas on a griddle, toast on one side (abt. 1 minute) then flip and cover with cheese. When cheese is melted, add chicken, pico mixture, and lettuce - and serve! 

*When making this for a group of people, you can start crisping up the tortillas and melting the cheese right before serving, then place the tortillas on a cookie sheet. You can cover them with parchment paper and then add a second layer of tortillas for people to grab as they start making their tacos. But don't use wax paper or the cheese will stick. It's also good to have someone manning the griddle to keep the warm tortillas coming. 

Indian Chicken Curry

This summer our local library is holding a Summer Reading Program for both kids and adults. It's been fun to branch out a bit to read some different books and do some different activities. One of the items to check off is "Check out a Cookbook and try a new recipe". I was excited, and ended up with "The Convenience Cook" (I will say that flipping through cookbooks is not the easiest thing of the world when trying to handle a baby and 3-year-old). It was interesting to read through the authors comments about her recipes. I ended up choosing to try the Chicken Curry and I'm glad that I did! I had an awesome experience at an Indian restaurant back in my college days and I've wanted to try to replicate that, but none of the curry recipes I've come across have really done it for me. This one was SO simple, came together really quick, and was delicious! I like feeling like I'm introducing different flavors to my kids, and I think that this is something that is a nice change in our normal flavor profile while still being yummy, affordable, and easy. 

Indian Chicken Curry
Source: The Convenience Cook, page 109, slightly adapted. I would definitely recommend getting this cookbook - there are a lot of good recipes and great cooking tips.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
4 tsp curry powder
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups cubed, chicken
S&P

Hot white rice
Naan, Indian Flatbread

Directions:
In a skillet, heat 1tbsp oil over medium heat. Cook chicken until golden brown, dump onto plate and set aside. Heat remaining oil in skilled, then add onion and cook until softened. Add flour and curry powder and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add stock and cook, stirring, until thickened. Add chicken. cover and simmer until chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Serve over hot rice and with warm Indian bread. Naan recipe HERE.

Crunchy Ranch Chicken

You know that we love Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing at our house - and this is a yummy meal that is super easy to throw together. Pair it with some twice-baked potatoes or corn on the cob and it's just perfect.

Crunchy Ranch Chicken

Source: Adapted from Chef in Training

Ingredients:
5-6 chicken tenders
1 cup ranch dressing (Hidden Valley Ranch, of course)
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (I used panko crumbs)

1 tsp Dry Ranch Dressing Mix

Instructions:
In a bread pan pour ranch dressing. In a separate bread pan, combine bread crumbs and HVR dressing mix. Coat chicken tenders in ranch, then dip into bread crumbs. Evenly cover on all sides.

Place in a greased 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for 35-45 minutes or until chicken is done and tender.

*Chef in Training recommended using a bread pan instead of a bowl and I loved it! I'll never use a bowl again. It was just so much easier to coat the chicken. 

Chicken Taco Soup

Chicken Taco Soup
Source: Adapted from All Recipes

Ingredients:
1 onion, chopped
1 can black beans
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can green chilies, undrained
2 Tbs taco seasoning (Use Bill Echols Taco Seasoning, recipe below)
1 chicken breasts
shredded Cheddar cheese(optional)
sour cream (optional)
crushed tortilla chips(optional)

Bill Echols Taco Seasoning. It really makes this recipe. 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon onion powder 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon sea salt 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
Place the onion, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
Remove chicken breasts from the soup and shred. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 1 hour. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos/Flautas

I saw these and knew that I wanted to try them. I find that I gravitate toward the same flavor of things, and thought that I'd give the "buffalo" flavor a try. In all honesty, I cut the recipe in half for my little family but forgot to cut the hot sauce in half so they were a little spicy for me. But we ate them and enjoyed them. I think that I would like them even more if I had used the right proportion of hot sauce. I also think that these would be yummy with some rice or corn in them to bulk them up a little bit more. Next time I think I will try that. I love the concept and we definitely enjoyed our meal.

Buffalo Chicken Taquitos/FlautasSource: Deal Wise Mommy  via Real Women of Philadelphia

Ingredients:

4 cups of chicken, cooked and shredded
12 flour tortillas
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
4 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup of Frank’s hot sauce
1/3 cup of milk
2 tbsp. of butter
1 tsp. of garlic powder
2 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small sauce pot over medium low heat, melt butter. Add garlic powder. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and completely combined with butter and spices.
Wisk in hot sauce and milk and simmer for 5 – 8 minutes. Add salt to taste. Combine chicken and sauce. 

Lay out a tortilla; fill with about ¼ – 1/3 cup chicken and 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese. Tightly roll up taquito and place on a greased baking sheet; repeat until chicken is gone. Brush taquitos with vegetable oil on all sides. Bake for 15 – 18 minutes; rotate them every 5 minutes, until golden brown.

Serve with Kraft Blue Cheese Dressing and celery sticks.

**Note: Next time I want to try to add rice or corn into the mixture to bulk them up a little bit. 

Creamy Ranch Pizza

It's no secret, David and I love Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. We are even shooting to be spokespeople for them in 30 years after we've taken hundreds of photos of us with out family enjoying our Ranch dressing (ala Jared & Subway). This is just one more way that HVR brings so much joy and deliciousness into our lives. 

Creamy Ranch Pizza
Source: Hidden Valley Ranch

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbs tomato paste
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Toppings such as roasted red pepper strips, olives, green onions, bacon, etc...
Pizza dough for a 12" pizza crust.

Pizza Dough:
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

Directions:

In mixing bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly.
Add salt and stir. Add about half of the flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out pizza crust and poke holes with a fork. Place in oven to pre-cook for 5-10 minutes or until slightly (slightly) golden brown. Combine dressing with cream cheese and tomato paste. Stir in chicken; spread mixture on crust. Arrange toppings on pizza; sprinkle cheese over all. Bake for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Can you tell which pizza is David's and which is mine?

Sweet & Sour Chicken

When I was in high school, I made a cookbook for a Young Women in Excellence project. It was titled "A Recipe Book of Favorites". I collected all of my favorite recipes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - typed them up and put them in a binder. That binder went to college with me and I have been grateful for it many many many times. However, in the almost-five years that David and I have been married - I've never once made this dinner for us. (Something to do with the fact that David doesn't like pineapple, soy sauce, or chinese food.) However, I've thought of it often and this week when I had a couple of peppers that needed to be used I decided to pull it out. Oh. My. Goodness. I can't believe that I have let so many years pass without enjoying this delectable goodness. I love it. I was immediately reminded why it made it into my recipe book of favorites. I'm pretty sure that the recipe came out of my family's old tattered copy of the Betty Crocker Cookbook. I love that cookbook. The pages are covered in grease/food and are all falling out but it has some of the most wonderful recipes. The new book isn't nearly as good. David didn't love it - for the reasons listed above - but he loves me and told me that I could make it whenever I wanted. Which I will be doing again soon. If you are looking for a delicious and fairly easy meal - this is it. SO good.  

Sweet & Sour Chicken
Source: Betty Crocket Cookbook/The Walker Family

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 can pineapple chunks, drained (reserve syrup)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp soy sauce
2 carrots cut diagonally into thin slices
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 3/4" pieces
1/4 onion chunked

Directions:
Cut chicken into 3/4" pieces. Heat oil in fry pan(I use a high edged electric skillet),  add chicken and brown. Right before chicken is done, add onions. When onions are slightly see-through, remove onions and chicken, set aside and keep warm.

Add enough water to reserved pineapple syrup to measure two cups. Heat syrup mixture, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, soy sauce, and carrots in fry pan. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until carrots are crisp-tender (about 6 minutes). Mix cornstarch and 2 tbs cold water; stir into sauce. Add chicken, pineapple, and green/red pepper. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Serve warm.

Ranch Chicken and Rice Soup

I found this from one of my favorite food blogs, Picky Palate. Its recipes are aimed at finding yummy foods that even picky eaters will like. We made it on a nice rainy fall evening and loved it very much. It's got a nice flavor and is super filling. Perfect when you need something delicious to warm you up.

Ranch Chicken and Rice Soup
Source: Picky Palate

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
3 stalks of celery, chopped
3 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 Cups cooked rice
2 cans chicken broth
1 Tablespoon dry Ranch Dressing seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

Directions:
Heat oil in a medium sized pot over medium heat. When hot, saute onion, carrots and celery for 7-10 minutes or until softened slightly. Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in chicken breast and rice then pour in chicken broth. Stir, then season with ranch seasoning, salt, pepper and add in Dijon. Reduce heat to low and simmer until serving. Taste and season accordingly.

Southwest Chicken Soup

My little sister Melissa introduced us to this recipe and it was an instant hit. My favorite thing is that you can double the chicken/bean mixture and freeze it for an easy weekday meal! Just defrost and add some chicken broth. We had a bad experience with a few recipes calling for salsa verde, and so I was skeptical even though this recipe technically calls for "Green Salsa." (Is that the same thing? We don't know.) But I was pleasantly surprised at the nice flavor, definitely not too spicy. Yum! 

Southwest Chicken Soup
Source: Melissa Walker

Ingredients:
2 cups shredded chicken
1 TBS El Paso Taco Seasoning
1 can White Beans, mashed
1/2 cup Green Salsa
1 red pepper, diced
34 oz chicken broth

Directions:
Cook and shred chicken. Place shredded chicken in frying pan, add taco seasoning and brown. Drain and mash white beans. (When mashing the beans, mash them really well. The inside of the beans serves to thicken the soup so you want all of the skins broken and mashed together.) Combine beans, green salsa, diced red pepper, and chicken. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Simmer ten minutes. Serve with cheese and tortilla chips.

FREEZER MEAL
Before adding chicken broth, remove desired amount of chicken/bean mixture and place in a freezer bag. (You could also place in a tupperware container.) Freeze and store. When you are ready for a quick and delicious meal, defrost and add 2 cans of chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes and serve!

Jalapeño Stuffed Chicken

One of my big accomplishments this month was chopping and freezing a bunch of Anaheim and Jalapeño peppers. We had a bunch left over from when we bottled homemade salsa with my family in Morgan. So, I decided that I needed some good jalapeño recipes and after searching around for a bit, we found this one. The original recipe called for 3 jalapeños, but it was a little too spicy for us (we are kind of wimps when it comes to spicy things). I adjusted the recipe down to one pepper, and I think that will be much better for our mouths. The recipe has a great flavor though and we will definitely be making it again. 

Jalapeño Stuffed Chicken 
Source: Adapted from Gina's Skinny Recipes (admittedly, I removed pretty much everything that made this "skinny" - but the recipe really is so good!)

Ingredients:
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 jalapeño, seeded and chopped
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz shredded cheddar jack

2 tbsp chopped green onions
8 thin sliced skinless chicken breast cutlets
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 Tbs lime juice
1 Tbs olive oil
salt and fresh pepper

non-stick spray

Directions:
Wash and dry chicken cutlets, season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450°. Lightly spray a baking dish with non-stick spray. Combine cream cheese, cheddar, green onions, jalapeño and bacon crumbles in a medium bowl.

Lay chicken cutlets on a working surface and spread 2 tablespoons of cream cheese mixture on each cutlet. Loosely roll each one. You may secure the ends with toothpicks to prevent the cheese from oozing out, or just tuck the ends over carefully.

Place breadcrumbs in a bowl; in a second bowl combine olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper.

Dip chicken in lime-oil mixture, then in breadcrumbs and place seam side down on a baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken. When finished, lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray.

Bake 22-25 minutes, serve immediately.