Chicken Chili with White Beans

  

    I absolutely love soups and stews, especially chili! It is one of my favorite things about cold weather, and here lately, it's about the only good thing about the weather we are having. Well chili, boots, and scarves are about the only good things about this yucky weather! I usually make my chili nice and spicy with beef and kidney beans. But this time I wanted something a little milder so I decided to go with chicken chili. Chicken chili is just as yummy and much lighter than traditional beef chili. I kept it mild this time by using diced green chilis but I have used jalapeños in the past when I wanted some heat. Of course this recipe is best when simmered for several hours for  it to thicken and for the flavors to meld but it would still be delicious after 30 minutes or so.

 

 

Chicken Chili with White Beans

 

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
3-4 cups cooked chicken, shredded
2tsp cumin
1/2 tsp Chipotle pepper powder(can substitute chili powder)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 cans diced green chilis or jalapeños
2 cans white beans, rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth

Garnishes:

sour cream
green onions
cheese

 

In a large stock pot, saute onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Add chicken and spices, and stir to combine. Add remaining ingredients and bring to boil. Turn heat down low and simmer for several hours if possible.
Serve in soup bowls with desired toppings. I like to top mine with the a dollop of sour cream and stir it in to make it nice and creamy. Yummmm!

I'm Baaack!!....and White Chicken Enchiladas

  
  I have not been paying proper attention to my blog. We have been so busy lately and it has been the last thing on my mind. We have remodeled about 85% of our home over the past few months (in some way or another) and I finally feel like I can breathe again. We still aren't completely finished, but we are getting there!
   So what have we done? The biggest thing was a complete kitchen remodel. We changed EVERYTHING!! We saved the floors for last because we ran them throughout the entire house. We also painted our living room and hallway and got a new sofa, curtains, rugs, and accessories. We also changed my beloved dressing room into an office. This required moving Brian's clothes from the bedroom to the new 'office' and all of my clothes from the old 'dressing room' into the master bedroom. I also bought all new bedding for our bedroom and hung some new artwork throughout the house. As you can imagine, all of this was DIY and included many, many craft projects. I will have so many things to show you and hopefully I can get back into a good rhythm with my blog posts.
   As for today's post,  dinner was White Chicken Enchiladas. I have made these a couple of times and they are very good. I changed the original recipe by using diced jalapenos instead of green chilies and added cumin and garlic powder to the cream sauce. Using a rotisserie chicken made it really easy and the perfect weeknight meal.

 

Chicken Enchiladas with Jalapeno Sour Cream Sauce
( adapted from Joyful Momma's Kitchen)
   

10 soft taco shells

2 cups cooked chicken (I used rotisserie)
2 cups shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
3 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 (4 oz) can diced jalapenos (or green chilies)
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Mix chicken with one cup cheese and roll up in tortillas. Place, seam side down, in pan.
In a saucepan, melt butter then stir in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Add broth in a slow stream while whisking, until smooth. Heat over medium heat until thick and bubbly.
Turn down heat and stir in spices, sour cream, and chilies. Be careful not to boil the mixture, it will curdle!
Pour sauce over enchiladas and top with remaining cheese.
Bake 22 min and then under high broil for 3 min to brown the cheese.

Enjoy!

 

Crunchy Asian Salad with Sesame Encrusted Chicken Fingers

    This week my vegetable box from Purple Pumpkin Produce included a head of napa cabbage and a head of red cabbage. I have never bought napa cabbage and immediately started searching for a recipe to use it in. I found a couple of different recipes for cabbage salad and decided on using this one from Farm Flavor. I have really been on an Asian kick lately so I already had most of the ingredients on hand. I changed it a little bit just to suit my tastes and the ingredients I already had in my kitchen.
   I knew these Sesame Encrusted Chicken Fingers would go perfectly with the salad. I have made them a couple of times and they are delicious. A while back,  I came across a recipe on one of my favorite healthy food blogs, Skinny Taste, and crossed it with my famous  baked chicken fingers.   They are a great spin on the traditional chicken fingers when served with Asian inspired dishes. I am playing around with even more fun twists to put on these chicken fingers. I'm thinking buffalo chicken fingers? Sounds tasty, huh?  Stay tuned for that one.

Crunchy Asian Salad with Sesame Encrusted Chicken Fingers
(chicken fingers adapted from Skinny Taste and my chicken fingers )
(salad adapted from Farm Flavor )

For the chicken fingers:
3 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 Tbsp canola oil
2 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce

For the salad:
1 head napa cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 small head red cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup matchstick carrots
4 scallions, chopped
handful Thai basil and/or cilantro
1 pkg ramen noodles, crushed (do not use spice packet)
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 Tbsp butter
1Tbsp sesame oil

For the dressing:
6 Tbsp rice vinegar
4 Tbsp honey
1/2 cup canola oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp Siracha
1 tsp hot mustard
1/2 tsp hoisin sauce


For the chicken fingers:
Preheat oven to 475 degrees and set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet; spray with cooking spray.
Combine the sesame oil and soy sauce in a bowl and marinate the chicken tenders for 15 minutes.
Combine canola oil, sesame seeds and breadcrumbs in a skillet and cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, until browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
One at a time, remove tenderloins from soy sauce mixture and coat with the panko. Place each tenderloin on prepared baking pan and coat with cooking spray. Bake 10-12 minutes until cooked through.

For the salad:
Combine napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrots, scallions, and herbs in a large bowl.
Melt butter and sesame oil in a medium skillet. Saute ramen noodles, almonds, and sesame seeds until toasted. Remove from heat and let cool.
Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a mason jar and shake until well combined.

To serve:
Toss vegetables, noodle mixture, and dressing in a bowl and top with chicken fingers.

Enjoy!

Thai Chicken Pizza on Homeade Naan

   This pizza was unlike anything I've ever made before....and it was DELICIOUS! Brian always likes it when I make pizza, but of course I always want to try something new and interesting besides the normal pepperoni. I'm not a huge fan of store bought pizza crust, but making it homemade can be a real chore. Then this recipe for homemade naan caught my attention. This makes 8 (6 inch) flat breads. I made four pizzas and saved the rest for another night. The flat breads come out soft and chewy but get crispy in the oven. These flat breads would also be great for wraps, quesadillas, or just by themselves.

    I got the pizza recipe from Simply So Good. It is originally from the CPK cookbook. I've never ordered the Thai Chicken Pizza from CPK, but if you like it, this is the recipe for you! The sauce was easy to throw together and the toppings were simple. I sprinkled some chopped Thai Basil on top of the pizzas after taking them out of the oven. I have Thai Basil in my herb garden, but cilantro would work just as well. The recipe is for 8 individual pizzas. I think this was a successful dish and a nice twist on traditional pizza. Nothing about it is complicated, but it does take time to prepare the flat breads, so I would probably only make this on the weekend.  Give it a try and tell me what you think!

Homemade Naan
(from Budget Bytes )

2 tsp dry active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup water
2-3 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg

In a small bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and water. Stir to dissolve then let sit for a few minutes, until frothy. At that point, stir in the oil, yogurt and egg until evenly combined.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of the flour with the salt. Next, add the bowl of wet ingredients to the flour/salt mixture and stir until well combined. Continue adding flour a half cup at a time until you can no longer stir it with a spoon (about 1 to 1.5 cups later).
At that point, turn the ball of dough out onto a well floured counter top. Knead the ball of dough for about 3 minutes, adding flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. I ended up using about 3 cups of flour total. The dough should be smooth and very soft but not sticky.
Loosely cover the dough and let it rise until double in size (about 45 minutes). After it rises, gently flatten the dough and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a small ball by stretching the dough back under itself until the top is smooth and round.
Heat a large, heavy bottomed skillet over medium heat and spray lightly with non-stick spray. Working with one ball at a time, roll it out until it is about 1/4 inch thick or approximately 6 inches in diameter. Place the rolled out dough onto the hot skillet and cook until the under side is golden brown and large bubbles have formed on the surface. Flip the dough and cook the other side until golden brown as well. Brush with melted butter.

Thai Chicken Pizza
( adapted from Simply So Good )

Spicy Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp roasted sesame oil
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp siracha
2 Tbsp water

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring, until well combines and slightly cooked. (Sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.)

Pizza Toppings

2 chicken breasts, chopped
1 Tbsp siracha
3 cups shredded mozzarella
4 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup shredded carrots
3 Tbsp roasted peanuts
4 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
fresh Thai basil or cilantro, chopped

Saute chopped chicken breast in a little olive oil over medium high heat until cooked through. Stir in siracha.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
To assemble pizzas, spread about 1 Tbsp peanut sauce over each flat bread. Sprinkle 1/8 mozzarella over top of each pizza. Continue topping each flat bread pizza with about an 1/8 of the remaining toppings; cooked chicken,  green onions, carrots, and peanuts.
Place pizzas on pizza stone or directly on oven rack. ( I only made four pizzas which fit nicely in my oven, but you may have to do it in batches if making all 8)
Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is golden brown.

Remove from oven and drizzle with sweet chili sauce and sprinkle with fresh chopped herbs.

Enjoy!

The Best Baked Chicken Fingers You'll EVER eat!

 
       I have made these chicken fingers twice in the last two weeks. That NEVER happens! Most dishes never make a repeat appearance, and if they do, it is several weeks later. This is looking like a weekly meal for us. Brian just can't get enough of these and I don't mind because they are such a healthy version of chicken fingers.
        I have tried to make baked chicken fingers a few times and have never been happy with the results. They just never seem to get crispy enough. But these chicken fingers, from Sweet Pea's Kitchen, are the exception. They are super crispy and light; and they aren't the least bit greasy. The trick is to toast the panko in a pan before crusting the chicken. That way they are nice and crispy before they even hit the oven. GENIUS! They are also quick and easy to prepare, which makes them the perfect weeknight meal. So please, make these tomorrow....and the next day...and the day after that......

 

Crispy Baked Chicken Fingers
(from Sweet Pea's Kitchen )


2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 large egg whites
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 1/2 lb chicken tenderloins (or boneless, skinless breasts cut into 3/4-inch strips)

Preheat oven to 475 degrees and set a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet; spray with cooking spray.
Combine canola oil and breadcrumbs in a skillet and cook over med-high heat, stirring constantly, until browned. Remove from heat and let cool.
In a shallow dish, combine flour, cayenne, and garlic powder.
In another shallow dish, combine egg whites, water, thyme, and Dijon mustard. Whisk until eggs are broken up and mixture is foamy.
Season chicken with salt &pepper. Dredge each piece in flour, then the egg whites, and finally the toasted panko; coating evenly. Place on wire rack making sure not to crowd them to close together.
Spray chicken lightly with cooking spray and bake 10-12 minutes until cooked through.
Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Enjoy!

Beer-Can Chicken with White BBQ Sauce

   We ate some amazing food this past weekend for my Birthday. Saturday, we ate with a bunch of friends at one of my favorite local restaurants Slice Pizza & Brew . Then Sunday, Brian's family and some friends came over and we cooked out on the grill. We never have cookouts for my birthday because it's always so cold, but we decided to brave the cold this year. Luckily, it warmed up a little in the afternoon and, with the grill and fire pit going, it was pretty comfortable.

   We decided to change it up a little this time and made beer-can chicken, smoked sausage, grilled vegetable kabobs, and potatoes au gratin. Of course, I had to make my FAMOUS white BBQ sauce! It is the easiest thing in the world to throw together and it always gets the most raves from our guests. I have yet to meet a person who doesn't LOVE this sauce. It is traditionally served with chicken, but we serve it with all kinds of BBQ. I'm usually pretty vague about the ingredients in my 'secret sauce' but today I am sharing it with all! So make it and enjoy it!

Beer-Can Chicken

3-4lb whole chicken
Can of light beer
Fresh herbs
Garlic
Spice rub
Olive oil

Make a rub for your chicken. We usually just grab whatever catches our eye from the spice rack. This time we used Lawry's seasoning salt, cayenne pepper, black pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Feel free to use whatever you like though.
Rub the outside and under the skin of the chicken with olive oil and spice rub.
Pour out (or drink) half of the beer, leaving half in the can. Stuff some whole garlic cloves and fresh herbs into the can. We used thyme and rosemary.
Place the can, right side up, inside the cavity of the chicken. Stand the chicken up using the can as a base to steady the chicken. (You can get metal stands to aid in this, but don't really need one.)
Grill chicken, over direct heat, about 10-15 minutes to get a char on the outside. Then move to indirect heat until temperature reaches 165 degrees. This should take 45-60 minutes depending on the size of the chicken.
Serve with White BBQ Sauce.

    The chicken on the left was basted with a sweet BBQ Beer Sauce during cooking.

White BBQ Sauce
(I always double this recipe, sometimes triple it, and have been known to quadruple it!)

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp horseradish
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp (or more) black pepper
1 Tbsp brown sugar
pinch of garlic powder
pinch (or more) cayenne pepper,depending on how spicy you want it (I say more!)

Mix all ingredients with a wire whisk. Taste and adjust heat/sweetness. This shouldn't be hot, but a little kick is a must!
Chill for several hours and serve!

Enjoy!

Get recipe for Potatoes Au Gratin with Gruyere and Caramelized Onions here.
Stay tuned for recipes for Smoked Sausage with BBQ Beer Sauce and Balsamic Vegetable Skewers.

Creamy Chicken Marsala

   Have I ever mentioned my love of Italian food? I could eat it everyday. There has actually been a couple of times in the past I've prepared an Italian dish almost every night of the week without realizing it until Brian said, "Are we having Italian again tonight?"  This recipe is a nice change of pace from your average American Italian dish because it doesn't contain tomatoes and it goes really nicely with mashed potatoes instead of pasta. I even substituted bacon for the pancetta because that's what I had on hand and I felt like being a little rebellious.


Creamy Chicken Marsala
   From Simply Recipes

Olive oil
2 oz pancetta (I used 3 slices bacon) cut into 1/4in cubes

1/2 medium onion, diced 

Flour for dredging

1 lb chicken cutlets

3/4 cup dry Marsala wine

6 Tbsp heavy cream

Salt&pepper

Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Coat pan lightly with olive oil and heat on medium high. Add the pancetta and cook until just crisp and lightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan, and set aside. Add the onions to the pan and cook until translucent and slightly browned. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat in the pan, and set aside. If needed, add more olive oil to pan so you have about 2 tbsp.

Season chicken cutlets with salt&pepper and dredge in flour. Working in batches, brown the cutlets on both sides until cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Pour off the excess fat and add the Marsala wine to the pan. Scrape brown bits from the bottom and cook until wine is reduced by a quarter. Stir in the cream and boil until sauce thickens. Add chicken, pancetta, and onions back to the pan and heat through, 1-2 minutes.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve.