Category Archives: Chicken

30 Minute Chicken

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 16 April, 2014 None comments

In the midst of the chaos life still goes on. I knew my family needed to be fed tonight even though I simply don’t want to. Making dinner is the last thing on my exciting “to do” list. So, since we have been eating very little lately and not the greatest food, I decided I would make a 30 minute meal of delicious chicken and lots of veggies.

Our fridge has been packed full of food but since we haven’t been home and haven’t felt like eating, it will go to waste if it isn’t used. We have my parents coming in to town as well and they need to have some meal options and even though I don’t want to prepare anything, I know I need to. Life goes on.

Tonight’s easy meal is Gorgonzola breaded chicken.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
¾ cup mayo
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp celery salt
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
1 cup crumbled crackers (Ritz, Saltines, or Trader Joes Gorgonzola crackers)

In a small bowl mix together mayo and seasonings. Set aside.

In a greased pyrex pan, place the thawed chicken.

Top with Mayo spread.

Crumble crackers on top and drizzle with EVOO to keep moist. This helps them not burn while the chicken cooks.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with baked asparagus and Caesar salad.

BBQ’d Chicken

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 31 March, 2014 None comments

Last night we had my husbands sister and her family over for dinner. They came into town last minute after finding out how quickly their mother had gone down hill with her fight in cancer.

We decided barbequing chicken and burgers would be a great way to spend some time together.

Michael did the marinade for the chicken.

Chicken Marinade:

5 chicken breasts
2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
Splash of lemon juice
¼ cup sweet chili sauce
Splash of grapeseed oil
Splash of rice vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 ½ tsp cinnamon

In a gallon Ziploc bag add chicken with ingredients and marinade for 6-8 hours for best results. BBQ when ready to eat!

This chicken is so moist and flavorful! The cinnamon is a key ingredient.

Here are the cousins playing in Cooper’s tent!

Chicken Quesadilla

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 25 February, 2014 None comments

Okay so this is NOT your ordinary quesadilla. It’s down right delicious and we couldn’t stop eating them. They are SO delightful and filled our hungry tummies last night when we got home from “shopping.” I use that word lightly as when shopping with a toddler and a husband who hates malls is never an enjoyable experience. Shopping to me is beyond enjoyable and I could shop most everyday. But lets be honest, I rarely shop these days as Cooper becomes quite the terror running all around, pulling hangers from the rack, and hiding below so I get that panicked feeling that those 2 seconds I blinked, he disappeared. He is quite the runner now-a-days that I can’t even blink while out and about with him.

Last night we were at Nordstrom shopping for some new clothing for my husband and definitely new shoes as his are letting water in and getting his little tootsies soaked to the bone. I couldn’t figure out if this statement was actually true as we waded through puddles to get indoors or if it was an excuse for new kicks. :) (If you live in Portland, you know we are far from a drought!)

We scored fabulous deals and he got lots of goodies for a reasonable price. He hates shopping and decided to get anything and everything at once so he could be done. He didn’t try on anything as for the most part, we are good at guess-timating his size. We returned home around 7:30 and had to feed Coop real quick and get the sick boy off to bed.

I premade the vegetable mix knowing we were going to be out later. This helped the dinner progress a lot faster. I pulled out our griddle and was able to make 5-6 halves at a time in the midst of all the chaos.

We ate quickly as by 8pm our tummies were grumbling beyond belief.

Ingredients:

6 tortillas
1 ½ cup cooked chicken, diced
½ can diced chilies
1 can black beans
1 cup shredded cheese
½ cup chicken broth
1 tbsp flour, cornstarch (for thickening)
1 red pepper, chopped (I use the mini peppers and do a combination of red, yellow and orange)
1 small onion, chopped

Cook chicken until no longer pink. Season as desired. Set aside.

Chop peppers and onions and begin to sauté over medium-low heat. Once tender, add in cooked chicken and chilies.

Add 1 tbsp flour and mix well to coat all the vegetables and chicken.

Add in chicken broth and let simmer until it thickens. Roughly 3 minutes.

Add in black beans and cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

On a griddle fill each tortilla with mixture and hold over. Let cook until light brown and crispy. Rotate sides and crisp up both sides.

Serve with salsa, sour cream and avocados.

Enjoy! Probably the best quesadillas I’ve ever made!

Mediterranean Pasta

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 15 February, 2014 None comments

Okay, let me start by saying I am not the biggest pasta fan but certain recipes I can’t live without. Although, if you served me pasta I would probably eat it as in my book, you can’t go wrong with carbs. But for some reason it’s not a high priority for me to cook pasta as I would prefer other things first.

With that said I was craving pasta the other night and had no idea what I wanted to make. I normally love Chicken Alfredo but was definitely not in the mood for that dish. I wanted something that was full of rich delicious flavors. Let me say “OH WOW!!!” For some reason this was so satisfying to my soul last night I had two servings!

Mediterranean Pasta

1 lb macaroni pasta
2 chicken thighs (breasts work great too)
¾ cup cherry tomatoes
1 small onion, chopped
3 tbsp mushrooms, this helps create the “sauce”
2 cups mushrooms, sliced
½ cup red pepper, chopped
1 can olives, chopped
Sundried tomatoes (Casa Di Oliva is fabulous)
¾ cup artichoke hearts, chopped
Salt and pepper
1-2 cups fresh parmesan cheese
Avocado, diced for topping
Mozzarella cheese for topping

Cook chicken until no longer pink. Chop into small pieces and set aside.

In a large fry pan, add EVOO cherry tomatoes and onions. Cook over medium heat until tomatoes begin to burst.

Once almost all have burst, add butter, mushrooms and peppers.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Drain pasta. While pasta is still hot place in a large glass serving bowl and add olives, sundried tomatoes, and artichoke hearts. I used Casa Di Oliva it’s more a bruschetta mix which is helpful for the sauce.

Add sautéed veggie mix to pasta, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix well.

Sprinkle 1-2 cup fresh parmesan cheese on hot pasta and give it a good stir.

When serving sprinkle with freshly grated mozzarella cheese and diced avocados.

Serve with garlic bread an enjoy!

Leave and Let be Chicken

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 13 February, 2014 None comments

Friends! Friends! Friends! This is by far the EASIEST meal yet! I must say one day when you don’t quite have the time to step into the kitchen, you can throw chicken breasts into the crockpot along with cream of chicken soup. Now I know these cans of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom are not the healthiest for you, but every now and again it’s wont hurt you. My motto: EVERYTHING in moderation! Don’t forget this and you won’t feel guilty on nights when you use the unhealthy options. :)

It is almost impossible to eat Paleo, Atkins, gluten free and all the other diets out there on a continual basis without cheating. The same days you cheat on your “diet” are probably the same days you eat many chemicals that are saturating our food products. So with this said, the sweets you crave, the carbs you run to, and so on and so forth are no better than a can of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, in fact they may even be worse for you. So again, moderation is key. If you live by this rule you wont go astray. And lets be honest, you are consuming very little of this product when eaten by an entire family.

Okay enough of my rant, you all know I try and be as healthy as possible but reality is when you simply don’t have the time, cooking will always be better for you than eating out or grabbing fast food. So here is a great meal for those busy days.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 can cream of chicken soup
Parsley
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
Garlic salt
½ cup sour cream
Rice

In a crockpot place chicken and cream of chicken soup. You may use frozen chicken (I did tonight) as the crockpot is our miracle worker.

Sprinkle with parsley, garlic salt, cayenne pepper or any other seasonings that you prefer. No need to stir. Cover and let cook for 3 hours on high.

Yup that’s right, I didn’t stir it!

Get out the rice maker, yes I told you this was an easy meal. Everything is done for you. No standing over the oven cooking, chopping, and pealing other ingredients. Begin cooking your rice.

5 minutes before serving add 1/2 cup sour cream and stir well.

Serve over rice or stuffing and VIOLA this meal is complete! Serve with salad to get your fresh greens in for the day or fresh green beans! :)

Everyday Chicken

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 3 February, 2014 None comments

The other night I was unsure what to make for dinner as this thought often comes across my head. I am trying to cater our eating to more basics and hoping to be a titch more healthy.

While making dinner I allowed Cooper to play on the counter top in our glass cupboard as he loves to organize his cups and put straws in each and every glass. He could play here for hours and often does when I allow it. :)

Lately, as you all know I have been addicted to salads with all the yummy toppings my mama had got me hooked on at Christmas. This has been beneficial for us to get our veggies for the day as well as our green smoothies. Trying to get back to the basics as we don’t eat unhealthfully but not enough veggies and fruit. Tonights dinner was back to the basics, salad, quinoa rice blend and chicken.

I made two types of chicken dishes, here’s the first method:

Ingredients:

2-4 chicken thighs (breasts work great too)
¾ cup mustard (I used hot and sweet mustard and Dijon mixed)
1 tbsp red vinegar
Dash of salt and pepper
Fresh Parmesan cheese

Lay chicken in a 8×8 greased pan. Season with 1 tsp of each: parsely, garlic salt and Italian seasining. In a small bowl mix everything together except parmesan cheese and spread atop chicken. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Mustard mixture

Ready to bake!

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until no longer pink.

Second Method:

Ingredients:

2-4 chicken thighs or breasts
¾ cup mayo
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic salt
4 tsp parsley
1 tsp Itallian seasoning
Fresh Parmesan cheese

In another 8×8 greased pan lay the chicken. Season chicken with 1 tsp of each: parsley, garlic salt and Italian seasoning. In a small bowl mix together mayo along with remaining seasonigns except parmesan cheese. Spread on top of the chicken and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Ready to bake!

Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until no longer pink.

Serve with quinoa rice blend and salad. I used the sauce in the pan from the chicken on top of the rice to add a consistent flavor.

Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken and Corn

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 22 January, 2014 None comments

Crockpot meals tend to never look pretty but give your tastebuds complete fulfillment. In my perspective they actually are beautiful disasters; beautifully ugly! This meal was unbelievably easy and a great change in chicken. I got this meal from my sweet sister Kristen who prefers tasty yet simple meals. This one was a keeper.

I have been on a salad kick since Christmas. My mom made a killer salad bar multiple times during Christmas as a side dish. It was so amazing I continued to do this since we’ve been home and have yet to become sick of it. Basically the salad consists of:

Salad:

Mixed Greens
Diced red, yellow and orange peppers
Sliced mushrooms
Candied Walnuts
Chow Mein noodles
Sunflower seeds
Dried cranberries
Croutons
Lite House Chunky Blu Cheese

Seriously amazing and filling.

Creamy Chicken and Corn:

4-5 chicken thighs
1 can corn
1 can black means
1-2 cups salsa (I add more for the spice)
1 8oz package of cream cheese
Rice

Combine chicken, corn, beans and salsa in the crockpot and cook for 4-6 hours on med-low heat.

30 minutes before serving add the cream cheese and allow it to melt and mix thoroughly.

Remember crockpot meals are never pretty but the beautiful taste is what makes them glorious and always a return meal.

Prepare rice and serve over rice.

Enjoy this tasteful menu with a beautiful taste and a not so beautiful look. :)

Buffalo Chicken Log

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 18 December, 2013 None comments

Tonight I made this bread loaf and stuffed yummy goodness items such as chicken, blue cheese, mozzarella cheese, and buffalo sauce. Mmmm how could you possibly go wrong with these items? You can’t.

I’ve made this previously but always add whatever is on hand which helps switch it up a bit. :) I think I get bored of recipes and get to “lazy” to drive a half mile down the road and pack my son with me while we traipse through the store for a couple random ingredients. In fact I know I become to lazy for this. Taking Cooper in and out of the car seat and driving 200 feet from door to door while needing bananas is beyond frustrating. Not my thing. The contemplation process of wishing I could lock him in the car for a super quick minute has passed my mind. With my luck something would happen, so I would never attempt this. With that said, I will avoid the store as much as possible. Every two weeks I do my bulk shopping with only a couple random trips for produce items or “run-outs;” items I hadn’t known I was low on.

tonight’s meal turned out fabulously and allowed for me to play with Cooper outside for a bit and even take a walk. This recipe allows for flexibility to prepare this meal when you want.

Ingredients:

Filling:

1 cup chicken, diced (any kind any style* see notes below)
½ cup Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce
½ cup Ken’s blue cheese dressing (any dressing works)
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Chopped brussel sprouts (sub any vegetable)
Chopped onion
4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

For the bread: (can use store bought croissants**)

½ cup warm water
2 tsp instant active dry yeast
3 tsp sugar
½ cup melted butter
1 cup milk
2 tsp salt
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
4 ½ cups flour

Directions:

If you aren’t using croissants, begin bread recipe first. In a mixer add water and yeast and let sit for 3-4 minutes. Then proceed to add remainder of ingredients mixing slowly, except the flour. Once well mixed add flour 1/2 cup at a time until thoroughly mixed.

Cover with tea towel and let rest for an hour. Cook chicken now and set aside. If adding bacon, now is a good time to cook bacon and let cool.

After an hour, the dough will still be sticky and this is good. On a well floured surface begin to knead the dough for a couple turns to get rid of the sticky texture. Roll dough into a large rectangle.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Meanwhile chop chicken, Brussels sprouts, onion, and bacon.

Atop the dough spread buffalo sauce…

dressing…

and cheese….

Top with veggies and chicken
Fold the short edges in…

Roll the log up and place on a large cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with salad and a vegetable side, we had corn.

*Note: For the chicken you can use rotisserie chicken, cooked chicken breasts, or already cooked chicken strips. I use all three depending on what’s on hand and how much time I have.

**Note: You can use croissants from the store or make the bread recipe I gave. Personally I love the bread recipe better but in a pinch the croissants work well too. If using croissants, when you unroll from the package they come precut in triangles. Just leave them in one piece once you unroll and push together on the dotted lines to help make one big rectangle.

Oven Fried Chicken

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 13 October, 2013 None comments

13 years ago when I was in Palm Springs with a friend of mine and her family, we met up with an older couple who was a good family friend and lived at PGA West condos. We rented another one that we had the pleasure of relaxing in and enjoying our own private pool and hot tub. We also got to play tennis on their clay courts and I must say it was a very amazing experience. Wish I was a little older to have appreciated it more. Anyways, this couple had their condo directly on the golf course overlooking the beautiful green. They made us dinner one evening and it was to die for. Back then I still loved to cook but knew I needed to capture this recipe and make it my own. I asked her for it and she said she would get it for me but with time flying by on this trip, it never made it into my hands. I decided I would recreate this from memory when we arrived home. I must say it’s been a well talked about recipe and always gets compliments on and asked for.

Tenderizing the meat in this recipe is a must. I’ve tried both ways and it never tastes as well when not tenderized.

Ingredients:

1 ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs
1 cup parmesan cheese (may be freshly grated)
1 cup mayo
½ tsp garlic
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Chopped olives
½ cup chopped olives
½ cup sour cream
4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Tenderize the chicken breasts until they are flat as a pancake. The easiest way to do so without worrying about raw meat juice is to place one or two at a time in a zip lock bag. This keeps the juices contained and then you may just toss the baggie once done. Easy clean up. J Line a 9×13 pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. In a medium bowl combine parmesan cheese, mayo, garlic, black pepper, Italian seasoning, olives, and sour cream. Coat each side of the chicken with the mayo mixture. Coat each side with the bread crumbs and lay in the pan; I always dump the extra on top of the chicken to make it extra creamy. Bake for 15-20 minutes until juices run clear.

Each oven is a different so depending if your oven is more warm, drop the temp 25 degrees and cook longer with less heat. This will keep the chicken moist and not dry out.

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Stuffed with Artichokes

Posted by Delightfully Doable on 6 October, 2013 None comments

The other night for dinner I made the most delicious moist chicken breast stuffed with red peppers and artichokes. My husband and I watch Diners, Drive-ins and dives. We love this show and every time we watch it we get hungry even though it’s 10 o’clock at night. We like to replicate meals we see on there and create our own version of it.

Tonight I decided I would make a healthy stuffed Chicken breast. The key with chicken is you must tenderize for it to taste so much better. I have started tenderizing the breasts for most meals; it really makes a huge difference.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts
½ can chopped artichokes
½ jar chopped roasted red peppers (I used Giada)
2 tbsp oil from red pepper jar
¼ cup Shredded cheese (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Tenderize chicken breasts and place in a foil lined 8×8 dish. Spread artichokes and red peppers on top and either roll up chicken breasts and hold in place with a toothpick, or leave open faced. Sprinkle with a titch of shredded cheese and fold up the edges of the foil over the chicken to keep heat inside. Place in oven for 30 minutes or until no longer pink inside.

Served with sautéed kale and brown rice.