Chicken in Mustard-Cream Sauce

Ok. This is a really, really good recipe. I would be very pleased to be served this dish in a restaurant. I can not believe how simple it is. This would be the perfect dinner to serve to last minute dinner guests. It is elegant and packed with flavor, but extremely simple to make. Oh, and did I mention that I don't even like mustard?? :)

Chicken in Mustard-Cream Sauce
Source: Fresh Food Fast

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 T. Olive oil
1/4 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. heavy cream
2 T. Dijon mustard
1 t. dried tarragon

Season each chicken breast liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.Add chicken and saute until cooked completely- 10-12 minutes, turning once. Transfer to plate and keep warm.

Pour the wine into hot skillet and cook stirring until reduced (about 1 minute). Whisk in cream, mustard and tarragon. Cook, whisking about 2 minutes, or until thickened. Right before serving drizzle sauce over chicken.

Greta and Miles rating: (5 year old and 3 year old) They could not eat this fast enough!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I adore recipes like this! You know, recipes that have simple ingredients, but some how it comes together to make something divine! I heard raves about this recipe from some friends and when I read the ingredient list, I thought, "hmmm...can't be that good, can it?" Oh, yes it can! The best part is that this recipe is super quick. The original recipe is from Kraft foods website. I've made a few changes as noted below. Enjoy!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

6 corn tortillas, cut into thin strips
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts- cut into bite sized pieces
1 t. oil
1 T. taco seasoning

4 C. low sodium chicken broth
1 C. salsa
1 C. frozen corn
*1 C. beans (I used black beans and pintos) optional
1 C. shredded cheddar

Cut tortillas into strips. Toss in a little oil and salt well. Bake at 400 degrees until crispy. Stirring every 3 minutes or so. Remove from oven and set aside.
 
Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken in taco seasoning until completely cooked. Combine remaining ingredients (except cheese) in soup pot and cook until hot. Serve with cheese, greek yogurt (or sour cream), avocado slices, or scallions. Top each bowl with tortilla strips.


Greta and Miles rating: They LOVE this. As with all soups, they are not crazy about the broth, so I just strain most of the broth from their bowls.

Brothy Chinese Noodles

I was recently fortunate enough to get to visit my sister in Switzerland! She is a fabulous cook! I promise to share some of the wonderful meals she made for us. This is a recipe she prepared for us that came from the EatingWell website. If you have not visited this site, it is a must! It is one of the few websites with healthy food that are actually tastes good! My sister substituted ground chicken for the ground turkey. I've made it both ways and the chicken is the best! Thanks, Jill for this recipe :)

Brothy Chinese Noodles
2 T. sesame oil
1 lb. ground chicken
1/2 C. chopped onion (or scallions)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. ginger, minced
8 oz. dried Chinese noodles
4 C. chicken broth
3/4 C. water
4 C. thinly sliced bok choy
3 T. soy sauce (I used Bragg's Aminos)
1 T. rice vinegar

Heat 1 T. oil over medium heat. Add chicken, onions, garlic and ginger. Cook until no longer pink and transfer to plate. Add noodles, broth, water, bok choy, soy sauce, vinegar and 1 T. of oil to pot. Cook, stirring until noodles are tender. Approximately 5 minutes. Return chicken mixture to pot and serve.

Greta and Miles rating: The whole family loved this comfort dish!

Chicken Salad with Curry

On our vacation to Wyoming, we ate at a lovely cafe called "Lollipops". It was so good that we actually ended up eating there on three different occasions. And on each of those three occasions, Joe and I both ordered the Chicken Salad with Curry. It was that good! Naturally, I had to come up with my own copy cat recipe.  Here it is~
Chicken Salad with Curry
3 c. chicken, cooked and cubed
1/3 c. walnuts, chopped
1/2 c. celery, diced
1/3 c. onion, finely diced
1/2 t. onion salt
1/2 t. garlic powder
3/4 c. mayo (I like the olive oil mayo)
Curry powder for sprinkling
4 large croissants
4 romaine leaves
Combine chicken, nuts, celery, onion, onion salt, garlic powder and mayo in bowl. Mix well. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes before serving. To serve, generously fill croissants with chicken mixture, sprinkle with curry powder and top with one romaine leaf.

Mom's Picante Chicken

This recipe tastes like 1987. My Mom used to make this one growing up. I remember requesting this meal for my Birthday meal on more than one occasion. It is simple, kid friendly and cheap! Tastes pretty darn good too.

Mom's Picante Chicken
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
1/2 c. flour
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
1 T. olive oil
1 c. mild salsa or Picante sauce
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 c. cooked white rice

While large skillet heats up to medium heat, combine flour, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder in shallow dish. Dredge chicken strips in flour mixture. Add oil to skillet. Fry strips in oil until golden brown and crispy. Remove from skillet. Remove any excess oil from pan. Place rice, salsa, and cheddar in skillet and combine. Fold chicken strips in and serve!

Greta and Miles Rating: They gobbled this up and asked for seconds!

Chicken Divan

Mmmmmm! I love this recipe! The hubby is not too fond of cooked broccoli, so I make this whenever he has to work overtime :) I usually try not to cook with "cream of" soups because they aren't the greatest for you, but some recipes are just too good! This recipe is based off of a recipe from my foodie friend Lisa, not to be confused with my foodie friend Leisa :)

Chicken Divan

4 slices whole wheat bread (any bread will work)

2 T. olive oil

2 T. balsamic vinegar

1/2 t. garlic salt

Black pepper

1 can Cream of chicken soup (98% fat free)

1 t. curry powder

1/2 c. mayo (I use olive oil mayo)

1 head broccoli, chopped

2 c. cooked, cubed chicken

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cut the bread into cubes the size of croutons. Toss bread in oil, vinegar, garlic salt and pepper. Toast at 425 stirring every 5 minutes until toasted on the outside, but still tender on the inside. Set aside.

Mix soup, mayo and curry powder. In 9x13 pan, add broccoli, chicken and 1 c. of cheese. Stir. Spoon soup mixture over chicken and broccoli mixture. Stir well to coat evenly. Sprinkle with croutons and then with remaining 1 c. cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Greta and Miles Rating: The kids Loooooove this! Best way I've found to get them to eat broccoli :)

Macadamia-Crusted Chicken with Gorgonzola Sauce

I make a trip to the library at least once a month. Each trip, I borrow several cook books. This month, I was on a Rachael Ray kick. The recipe is from Rachael Ray's book 30 Minute Get Real Meals. This recipe originally calls for hazelnuts, but I subbed the macadamia nuts and it worked out really, really well. I used more Gorgonzola than the original also because we looooove Gorgonzola. This will definitely be one we make again! I served this with cous cous which worked out well because it allowed us to eat more of the heavenly sauce.

Macadamia-Crusted Chicken with Gorgonzola Sauce
2 T. flour
1 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. garlic powder
2 egg whites
1 c. chopped macadamia nuts (or hazelnuts)
4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 T. olive oil
1 c. whole milk
3/4 c. Gorgonzola cheese (original calls for 1/2 c.)
2 t. chopped fresh sage or 1 t. dried

Preheat oven to 325.

Mix flour, poultry seasoning, and garlic powder in shallow dish. Beat egg whites in shallow dish. Place chopped nuts in 3rd shallow dish.

Preheat skillet over medium-high heat. Season breasts with salt and pepper. Turn in flour to dust breasts, next turn in egg whites and finally press into nuts on both sides. Add oil to pan and add chicken. Brown chicken 2 minutes each side until nuts are golden. Transfer to baking dish and cook in oven until chicken is cooked. 10-15 minutes.

Just before serving, warm milk over medium heat in small pot. Add cheese and melt into milk. If using dried sage, stir into sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.

To serve, place chicken on plate and pour a couple spoons of sauce over the center of each piece. Garnish with fresh sage (optional)

Greta and Miles rating: They both (3 years and 1 1 /2 years old) loved this! I'm glad they are fans of good cheese!

Salsa Chicken

This is one of my favorite crock pot recipes. It is incredibly easy and everyone in the family loves it. The leftovers are great as well.

Salsa Chicken
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (optional)
15 oz. jar salsa
10 oz. frozen corn
1 can (or 2 c. ) black beans, drained ***
1 pkg. reduced fat cream cheese
rice

In crock pot layer chicken, salsa, beans and corn. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or on high or 3-4 hours. With 30 minutes left, add cream cheese. Do not stir. After 30 minutes stir and serve over rice.

***I always use dried beans. They are much cheaper and have no sodium. I cook large batches on the stove top, then freeze the beans in 2 cup portions. The beans are ready for recipes--1 can= approximately 2 cups.

Velvet Chicken

Ok, I really struggled with a title fcor this recipe... I was originally thinking earth chicken, but that kind of makes me think of chicken with dirt all over it. Anyway, I wanted to make this recipe for dinner tonight. When I started getting the ingredients out to make it, I realized that I did not have most of the ingredients. What we ended up with was a really amazing meal that everyone enjoyed. I'm just not sure what it should be called because there is not one flavor that stands out above the others. I guess velvet chicken will have to do.

Velvet Chicken

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

Salt and Pepper

2 T. olive oil

2 T. butter

3/4 c. chopped onion

8 oz. bella mushrooms, sliced

2-4 garlic cloves, minced (I use 4)

1 c. chicken stock

1 pkg. reduced fat cream cheese

3 T. spicy peanut sauce (store bought)

3 T. fresh basil, chopped

1lb. box penne pasta (or your favorite pasta)

Salt and pepper chicken and brown in oil over high heat. Remove from pan. Set aside. In same skillet, melt 2 T. butter and add onion. Saute until tender. Add mushrooms and garlic. Saute until mushrooms are tender. Add stock and simmer about 5 minutes. Add cream cheese and peanut sauce. Add chicken and basil to sauce.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste and serve over pasta.

Greta's rating: She loved this and our 1 year old loved it as well!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Chicken

Who doesn't love spinach and artichoke dip? When I found this recipe at Joelen's Culinary Adventures, I couldn't wait to make it. I have made a lot of substitutions from the original recipe because we were out of Parmesan AND cream cheese. This would be even better as Joelen originally made it, but was still amazing! If you've never ventured over to her blog- I'd highly suggest it. She does a TON of entertaining and always has a plethora of fabulous recipes!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts, seasoned with salt and pepper
1/3 c. light vegenaise (or light mayo)
1/3 c. light sour cream
3/4 c. shredded mozzarella
1 garlic clove, minced
1 can artichokes, chopped
3/4 c. defrosted frozen spinach (1 c. frozen= about 3/4 defrosted)
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne pepper
1/2 c. panko

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place seasoned chicken breasts in baking dish. combine all other ingredients except panko. Top each chicken breast with the artichoke mixture. Sprinkle with panko and bake for 25-35 minutes or until juices run clear.

Greta's Rating: She loved it!

Bruschetta Chicken

I wanted to use up some of my fresh basil-so I created this recipe!

Bruschetta Chicken

2 or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (depending on size)

1-2T. Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Garlic powder

1/2 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

6-8 fresh basil leaves

sliced (or shredded)mozzarella cheese

grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Sprinkle each side of chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Cook chicken in oil until both sides are browned (turn only once) About 3-4 minutes each side. Remove to baking dish. Set aside. Add onion and garlic to skillet. Cook until onion is almost translucent and add tomatoes. Stir until combined and spoon over chicken. Cover each breast with 2-3 basil leaves. Then layer mozzarella slices on top of basil and grate fresh Parmesan over top. Bake for 10-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Greta's rating: Eh. She wasn't crazy about this one. She ate all of the cheese and some of the chicken, but the tomatoes were a no go.

Quick Curry Chicken

Oh, how we love curry! This recipe was inspired by one at Good Things Catered. It was easy, but not particularly quick with all of my additions :)
Nonetheless, it was a delicious meal and I would most definitely make this again!


Quick Curry Chicken

Ingredients:
3 large (4 modest) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1 1/2 in cubes
1 Tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion, cut into 1 in. chunks
1 summer squash, sliced about 1/4 in thick
1 large carrot, chopped into chunks
1 c. cranberry potatoes, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
8-10 oz. red curry saute sauce

Directions:
-In wide braiser pan over medium heat, heat 1 tsp olive oil until almost smoking
-Meanwhile, pat chicken breast dry and season with salt and pepper.
-Add cubed chicken to pan and cook until side has lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
-Flip cubes and cook until other side has lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
-Remove chicken from pan, place in covered dish, and set aside.
-Add 1 tsp of oil to pan, repeat browning with remaining chicken and set aside.
-Heat remaining oil in pan and add onion pieces.
-Cook, stirring occasionally until beginning to cook down, about 3 minutes.
-Add potatoes and carrots, cook until just beginning to soften, about 10 minutes.
-Add summer squash and cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables have begun to brown, about 5 more minutes.
-Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
-Deglaze pan with scant 1/8 c. of water, scraping browned bits from bottom of pan.
-Stir in chicken and curry sauce
-Turn heat down to a low simmer, cover pan and cook for 10 minutes, or until chicken has cooked through.
-Can be served immediately over fragrant rice.
Greta's rating: She loved this, but she loves anything with rice. She especially liked the cooked carrots, the squash- not so much.

Chicken with Artichokes and Avgolemono

Here is another great recipe from Elly Says Opa!
My husband loved this so much he wants me to add it to the rotation of our "regulars". The lemon and artichokes make this dish very tangy and the texture of the sauce is fabulous! I will add more dill next time, however.

Chicken with Artichokes and Avgolemono

1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pieces bone-in chicken (I used 3 chicken breasts)
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1.5 cups chicken broth
Dill, to taste (I used 3 T. fresh dill)
1 cup artichoke hearts
1 egg
1 lemon, juiced
a little cornstarch
salt and pepper

Heat a pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and then brown in the hot oil. Remove the chicken, and add the diced onions to the pan, cooking until translucent. Stir in the garlic until fragrant. Add the chicken broth, being sure to scrape up all the browned bits as you deglaze, and bring to a boil. Add the dill, chicken, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

Add the artichoke hearts and continue to cook, this time uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the artichokes are tender. Season to taste if necessary.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, lemon juice and a little cornstarch. Slowly add a couple ladles full of the broth from the pan (I find it easier to plate the chicken first, so you don't have to maneuver around that) to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking constantly so your eggs don't scramble. Then, slowly add that mixture back into the pan, again whisking constantly. Stir until thickened. Pour the avgolemono sauce over the chicken and artichokes (and rice!)

Quick and Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza

Quick and Easy BBQ Chicken Pizza

8 Whole wheat Pita bread halves
2 Garlic Cloves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
2 c. Cooked, cubed Chicken
1/3 c. BBQ sauce
Onion, sliced
Colby Jack cheese
Parmesan cheese

Preheat Oven to 425. Lay pita bread out on baking sheet to form 4 mini pizzas. Drizzle each with Olive oil. Rub the pita bread with a cut garlic clove and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss chicken in BBQ sauce and place 1/2 c. on each pizza. Top with onion, shredded Colby Jack and Parmesan cheeses. *Mince garlic cloves and sprinkle on before baking if desired* Bake for 10-15 minutes.

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

This recipe is just what chicken noodle soup should be- warm, comforting and full of goodness! This just happens to have a twist to it. I did not have all of the ingredients available and added some fresh lemon juice, but I will include the recipe as originally written and the changes I've made. It was absolutely fabulous the first time I had it and just as wonderful with a few changes! I received this recipe from my friend Lisa. She is an amazing cook- I'll have to post some of her fabulous trifle recipes soon :)

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

2 T. soy sauce (I used Tamari)
1 T. mirin (I did not have this)
1/2 t. dark sesame oil
1/2 clove garlic, minced (I used a whole clove)
1 T. fresh ginger (I did not have this)
1/2 T. sugar
2 T. rice vinegar
1/4 t. chile paste
4 c. chicken broth (I used homemade)
2 c. water
2 cooked, shredded chicken breasts
2 c. Asian stir fry veggies
3 T. fresh onion, minced
3 oz. cellophane noodles
Juice of one lemon (or lime would actually be better!)
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped (Joe is allergic)

Boil noodles for 3 minutes, drain, set aside. Mix soy sauce, oil, garlic, ginger, sugar, vinegar and chile paste. Heat broth in medium sauce pan. Add soy sauce mix, chicken and veggies. Heat through, add noodles and lemon juice. Garnish with cilantro.

Chicken Crescent Pockets

This is a quick and easy week night meal that is a great use for leftover chicken. I don't remember where I found this recipe and I've definitely altered it some. This is a great one for picky eaters, too!

Chicken Crescent Pockets

6 oz. cream cheese, softened
2 T. butter, softened
3 c. cubed cooked chicken
1 T. chopped fresh chives (or onion)
1/2 t. salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 T. milk
1 T. ranch dressing
2 (8 oz) cans refrigerated crescent rolls
2 T. melted margarine or butter
2 T. freshly grated Parmesan

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter; beat until smooth. Add chicken, chives, salt, pepper, milk and ranch. Mix well.
Separate dough into rectangles mound chicken mixture onto dough. For regular sized pockets, place chicken on one half of dough and fold remaining dough over top. Pinching edges to seal. For jumbo pockets, cover one rectangle with mixture and top with another, pinching edges to seal. Brush tops with melted butter, sprinkle with salt and Parmesan. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Garlic Thyme Chicken

Here's my recipe for Garlic Thyme Chicken. Poor Joe has been eating a lot of frozen meals this weekend since we were at the hospital all day on Thursday for his surgery and I had 2 weddings this weekend. So when he kindly asked for "real" food tonight, I knew just what to make!

Garlic Thyme Chicken

1 Whole Chicken (approx. 4 lbs)

1 T. salt

2 t. sugar

1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 T. fresh thyme leaves, chopped

6 garlic cloves, crushed

4 T. butter, cut into pats

1 small bundle thyme leaves

Combine salt, sugar, pepper and 1 T. thyme and rub together in small bowl using hands to release the oil from the thyme onto the salt, sugar and pepper.

Wash chicken and pat dry. Rub skin with salt mixture. Use remaining salt mixture inside cavity. Place crushed garlic, butter, and thyme bundle in cavity. Bake at 350 for 60-75 minutes or until done. Baste about every 20 minutes. Serve with juices spooned over chicken.

***In case you read my personal blog as well and are wondering why I sometimes post the same recipe on both blogs--I only post recipes on eat. make. live. that are either my original recipes or recipes that are just so fabulous that I have to share!

Penne with Spinach Sauce

This recipe from Giada DeLaurentiis is an old standby for me. I love spinach, garlic and goat cheese so this is heaven! I always serve this with chicken grilled with salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh lemon juice, and I ALWAYS use more cheese than what is called for. Oh, and a funny little tidbit- as my pasta was cooking, I noticed a suspiciously similar recipe on the box!

Penne with Spinach Sauce
1 lb. whole wheat penne pasta

5 oz. fresh spinach
3 garlic cloves
2 oz. goat cheese
1 oz. reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 t. salt
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. Parmesan cheese, grated

Boil pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile mince garlic in food processor. Add goat cheese, cream cheese, salt, pepper and 1/2 of the spinach. Pulse until smooth. Set aside. Place remaining spinach in large bowl. Spoon hot pasta over spinach and add cheese mixture. Toss to coat pasta and add 1/2c. -1 c. leftover pasta water to help consistency. Serve with fresh Parmesan on top.

Curried Coconut Chicken

I'm always looking for the perfect curry recipe. This one was very good. Next time I make it I will probably omit some of the tomato in the hopes of a more "coconutty" flavor. The original recipe is from allrecipes.com
As always, I've made a few changes and the recipe below is how I prepared it. I made this for some friends and everyone liked it! (Or they are good liars)

Curried Coconut Chicken

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast- cubed
salt and pepper to taste
2 T. Olive Oil
2 T. Red curry paste
1/2 onion thinly sliced
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 (14 oz)can lite coconut milk
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 (14oz) can tomato sauce (will omit next time)
3 T. sugar
1 T. cornstarch
dried, unsweetened coconut

Chop chicken into chunks and salt and pepper. In large skillet over medium high heat, heat oil and curry for 2 minutes. Stir in onion, carrots and garlic. Cook one minute more. Stir in chicken and coat with curry mixture. Cook until chicken is done, approx 10 more minutes.
Add coconut milk, tomatoes and sugar. Stir. Remove approximately 1/3 c. of sauce and mix with cornstarch. Return cornstarch mixture to skillet.
Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Serve with a sprinkling of dried, unsweetened coconut on top and over Basmati rice.

Sundried Tomato pasta

Here is my recipe for sundried tomato pasta. This is one of the dishes I make regularly. It’s delicious, not particularly healthy- but delicious. It is also great with fresh mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, or squash added. *I use the sundried tomatoes in olive oil, not the dehydrated ones.

sundried tomato pasta

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts-cooked and cubed

1 lb. penne pasta, cooked

1 T. fresh basil, chopped

1 t. dried basil

3-4 garlic cloves minced

pint of half and half (you can use fat-free half and half)

2/3 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more to top

7-10 sundried tomatoes, chopped

sea salt to taste

Cook and cube chicken. While penne is cooking, combine half and half, basil, garlic, 2/3 c. Parmesan and tomatoes in saucepan. Heat slowly stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. While stirring, use spoon to press tomatoes against side of pan. This will release the juices and soften the tomatoes. Stir until thickened. Toss chicken and pasta in sauce and transfer to baking dish. Top with additional cheese and bake at 400 degrees until cheese is bubbly.