Cooking with Chicken (Part 2 in a series)

Cluck Cluck - Here are 8 family friendly chicken dishes that our family enjoys. 

They are all low on ingredients (or else I wouldn't cook them) and high in flavor (or else I wouldn't eat them) ~ enjoy!

1) Flavorful: Greek Grilled Chicken and veggies in Pita (a la rachel ray)

Ingredients: 6 chicken breasts, 8 pita breads, 1 ripe lemon, 3 tbsp red vinegar, 1/2 cup olive oil, 2 tbsp oregano, 1/2 cup parsley, 3 cloves diced garlic, 1/2 cup olives, pitted, 2 heads of romaine lettuce chopped, 2 tomatoes, diced, 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 red onion, chopped, 8 oz feta.

~ Warm pita bread in the oven until ready to serve.

~ Combine lemon zest, juice, vinegar, oil, oregano and garlic in a bowl to make the sauce.  

~ Use half the sauce, poured over the chicken, and cooked in a pan about 4 minutes on each side until cooked thoroughly. Alternatively can grill the chicken.

~ Make the salad with all the chopped vegetables, and remaining sauce.

~ Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, and serve the warmed pitas with the chopped chicken and green salad.

~ This dish - particularly because of the lemon and herbs - is so flavorful!

2) Traditional: Rosemary Chicken & Potatoes

Ingredients: Small potatoes (cubed), Chicken breasts (diced), crushed garlic, olive oil, fresh rosemary, fresh parmesan cheese.

~ Preheat oven to 425.

~ Fill 13x9 glass baking dish with cubed potatoes, drizzle generously with olive oil, crushed garlic and snippets of rosemary, blend together with wooden spoon.  Bake for about 20 minutes, because potatoes take longer to cook than chicken.

~ Add chunks of diced chicken breasts, a little more olive oil, stir in with potatoes, top with parmesan cheese, and continue to bake until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.  

~ Serve with green veggies, like broccoli.  

3) Tangy: Apricot Chicken (union tribune)

Ingredients: 4 6-oz chicken breasts, 1/2 cup sliced almonds (toasted), 1/2 cup apricot preserves, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp whole grain mustard, 2 tbsp butter.

~ Preheat oven to 350.

~ Oil a 13x9 inch baking dish. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, and bake about 10 minutes. 

~ On the cooktop, toast sliced almonds.

~ On the cooktop, cook apricot preserves, soy sauce, mustard, and butter over medium heat until preserves are melted.  

~ Pour sauce over chicken, and continue to bake until it is cooked through, about 10 minutes.  

~ Broil chicken for about 3 minutes, basting once or twice until chicken is glazed and browned in spots. 

~ Sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve. 

~ This dish is very flavorful ad goes great with a green salad that is tangy or fruity and white rice.

4) Asian: Chicken stir fry (eat your veggies)

Ingredients: 2 large chicken breasts, teriyaki sauce, fresh broccoli, fresh peapods, fresh mushrooms, canned baby corn, canned water chestnuts, optional can bamboo shoots, olive oil, sesame oil, sesame seeds, soba noodles (buckwheat noodles you can buy at vons).

~ Precook soba noodles (only 3 minutes in boiling water), remove from pan and immediately stir in sesame oil to prevent noodles from clumping.

~ Stir fry diced chicken breasts in a generous serving of teriyaki sauce. When it is mostly cooked, add in all vegetables.

~ Add cooked and seasoned soba noodles to chicken and veggies, and top dish with sesame seeds.

~ This dish has  a ton of vegetables and kids love it.  

5) Unexpected: Chicken with thyme & quinoa

Ingredients: quinoa, chicken breasts, fresh thyme, lemon juice, garlic, chopped green onion, slivered almonds.

~ Precook diced chicken breasts in olive oil, lemon juice and chopped garlic.  

~ Prepare quinoa according to the directions on the box.

~ Top with generous serving of diced thyme, cooked chicken, green onion, slivered almond and additional amount of lemon juice, olive oil and chopped garlic.

~ Quinoa is a texture similar to cous-cous, way more interesting than plain rice, and pairing it with thyme and lemon juice makes for a really simple yet tasty meal.  Don't knock it until you try it!

6) Comforting: Chicken Chili

Ingredients: 2 tbsp oil, 1 lb diced cooked chicken, 1 onion, chopped, 2 garlic cloves, minced, 1 15 oz can of chicken broth, 2 16 oz cans of diced tomatoes, 1 tsp of oregano, coriander, and cumin,  1 15 oz can of white beans, 2 cans fresh corn, salt, pepper lime juice.

~ In a large pot, heat old and cook onion and garlic until soft. Stir in broth, tomatoes, spices (and chile, optional). 

~ Add corn, chicken, beans, simmer 5 minutes, season with salt and pepper.  

~ Served with toppings for people to choose from like fresh lime, chopped cilantro, cheese, avocado, sour cream and tortilla chips.  This dish is perfect for a family because it is high in vegetables, but is mostly from simple canned ingredients.  

7) Spicy: Chicken Tortilla Soup (recipezaar.com)

Ingredients: 2 tsp olive oil, 1 medium onion chopped, 4 garlic cloves, 1 medium jalapeno pepper, 1/2 medium green pepper, 4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts, 2 cups frozen corn, 1/2 cup white whine, 2 tsp cumin, 1 tsp chili powder, cayenne pepper to taste, 4 (14oz) cans chicken broth, 2 (14oz) can diced tomatoes, 2 (8oz) cans tomato sauce.

~ Saute onion, garlic, jalapeno, and green pepper with olive oil in a large pot until soft.  

~ Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.  

~ After 15 minutes, remove chicken breast and shred using two forks to pull apart.  

~ Return shredded chicken to pot and cook an additional 45 minutes.  

~ Serve topped with crushed tortilla chips.  Great for events like superbowl party, etc.  If cooking for young kids, skip the cayenne pepper and jalapenos!

8) Calorie Splurge: Chicken Picatta 

Ingredients: 2-4 boneless chicken breasts, 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, 1/3 cup flour, salt, pepper, 4 tbsp olive oil, 4 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup white wine, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 1/4 cup capers, 1/4 cup parsley.

~ Butterfly chicken breasts, and pound with a meat hammer to 1/4 inch thickness.

~ Mix together flour, salt, pepper and parmesan.  Dredge them in the mixture until well coated.

~ Heat olive oil and 2 tbsp butter over medium heat, add half the chicken and  brown on each side.  Removed chicken from the pan and reserve to a plate. Cook the other chicken breasts and keep all pieces warm with aluminum foil until ready to serve. 

~ Add white wine, lemon juice and capers to the pan. Use a spatula to scrape up the brown bits and reduce the sauce by half.  Whisk in remaining 2 tbsp butter

~ Serve the chicken topped with this sauce and sprinkled with parsley.  This dish is traditionally served with pasta. Yum!