Oven Fried Chicken Milanese

This chicken was so, so good! Unlike other Oven "fried" chicken recipes that tend to have mushy breading, this kept it's crunch and was just plain delicious.

I got the recipe from FN's "Ask Aida". I am not a fan of the show, but since my tv seems to be on that channel often, it was on and I watched the episode. It looked good, but even better, EASY.
I'm all about easy these days. I deviated from the original recipe a smidge, (noted in red) but it is a great and simple recipe.

I planned on making this the night before, but, with a newborn, you can't really plan things. I was thrilled to be able to finish what I started... (the next day). : )

Oven Fried Chicken Milanese

adapted from FN's Ask Aida

My adaptations in red.

Ingredients:

32 oz. buttermilk

4 skinless chicken legs and 4 skinless chicken thighs
1/2 cup all-purpose flou

1 tsp. kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups panko breadcrumbs
2 Tbs. cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon zest (I omitted)
3 large eggs, beaten thoroughly
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions:

Marinate chicken at least 5 hours or overnight in buttermilk.

Heat the oven to 425F and arrange rack in the upper third. Set a rack on a foil lined baking sheet; set aside.
Combine flour, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 3/4 teaspoon of the pepper in a shallow bowl, mix until well combined; set aside. Combine Panko, 1/3 cup of the parsley, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the salt, and all the lemon zest in a separate shallow bowl, and toss until evenly combined; and set aside. Whisk together eggs and cheese in a shallow bowl until evenly combined; set aside.
To coat chicken, dredge a piece in the flour mixture and shake off excess. Then dip into egg mixture, let excess drip off, and finally roll in the breadcrumbs, pressing to adhere as necessary. Place chicken piece on baking sheet and repeat with remaining chicken.

Bake until coating is golden and crispy, juices of chicken run clear when poked, and internal temperature is 160degreesF, about 40 to 45 minutes.

*If you can't find skinless, bone-in chicken, by it with skin on and pull it off ( I recommend this, the skinless is much more expensive!). To get a better grip, grasp skin with a paper towel and pull!

Walima Cooking Club- Tajine Ezzitoun

This month is the debut of the Walima Cooking Club. Our Logo, as many will recognize, is taken from one of Lebanese famous Painter, Mustapha Faroukh’s “Still Life Album".

The May 2009, Challenge is brought to us by Khadidja Zehani from www.dessert-world.blogspot.com. Khadidja worked on two recipes to give us two choices; one for a wonderful savoury dish and one for outstanding dessert....

Our club is devoted to Arabic Cooking, and each month a country and dish from that country is chosen by one of the members. This month the county of Algeria was chosen and Khadidja picked the Tanjine Ezzitoun (olive tanjine) for our savory challenge, and Slilet laaroussa which is -translated- "The Bride's Basket" for the sweet part. As a memeber, you get to choose which recipe (or both) you want to make. (both recipes can be found on her blog).

I chose the savory, particularly because it incorporated olives. I have a huge craving for them lately (pregnancy? ; ) ), and don't put them in dishes because my hubby hates them. The recipe turned out to be delicious, even though I had way too much sauce left over. I know it is because I modified the recipe to feed just the two of us. I also added some additional spices, and omitted the lamb. Lamb here is just way too expensive, and I would have probably had to go to a specialty grocery to get some. I served everything over rice, but in retrospect I wish I would've used the cous cous I have. Oh well, I'll remember that for next time.

I'm so happy to be a member of this new club, and can't wait to see what is in store for next month!

Tajine Ezzitoun - Olives Tajine

(my modifications in red)

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken cut into pieces (I used 6 chicken thighs/skin on)

2 lbs of lamb (omitted)

1 large onion

1 Tbsp butter or oil

2 cups pitted green olives

2 medium carrots, cut into circles

1tsp salt,

1/2 tsp cinnamon, (I also added 1 tsp. ground coriander, a bay leaf and 1 tsp. cumin)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 chicken cube ( I omitted)

water (I used chicken stock)

parsley

Meat balls (optional)

1/2 lb ground beef

1 small onion1 small egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/4 cup chopped parsley

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Flour to dredge the meat balls

To thicken the sauce:

1 Tbsp soft butter ( I just used water and flour slurry)

2 tbsp flour

Preparation:

1- In a pot / pressure cooker put the butter /oil, chicken pieces, lamb pieces (if using), the onion, salt, pepper cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken cube and enough water to cover the meat. Bring the mixture to a boil then cover and cook until the meat is tender. If using both meats, half way through cooking, remove the chicken pieces and continue to cook until the lamb is tender.

2 - In a sauce pan, put the olives and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let the olives boil for 3 to 5 mn. Drain and repeat the same process 2 to 3 times until the olives are no longer bitter.They should not be too salty neither. Set the olives aside.

3- Prepare the meat balls: mix all the ingredients and make balls. Put about 1/2 in of oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Dredge each meat ball in flour and fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

4- Once the meat pieces are cooked, add the olives, the sliced carrots and the meat balls. Bring the sauce to a boil, cover the pot and cook until the carrots and the olives are tender, and the meat balls are cooked through.

5-To finish the dish, mix the butter and flour to form a smooth paste. Bring the sauce to a boil and gradually add the butter/ flour mixture, stirring continuously. Let the sauce boil for 3 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be slightly thick. Add 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Serve the dish accompanied with lemon wedges.

Check out the other members blogs to see their challenge results:

http://alyaman2002.blogspot.com
http://amour-des-saveurs.over-blog.com
http://antoniotahhan.com
http://chahiraelkhabira.blogspot.com
http://culinaryinfatuation.blogspot.com
http://hommuswtabbouli.blogspot.com
http://jouhayna.canalblog.com
http://lailablogs.com
http://mimicooks.com
http://souska.canalblog.com
http://sousoukitchen.blogspot.com
http://tasteofbeirut.com
http://themiddleeasterncook.blogspot.com
http://www.bbacuisine.canalblog.com
http://www.dessert-world.blogspot.com
http://www.phoeniciangourmet.blogspot.com
http://www.yumeezy.blogspot.com

Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Strips

I found this recipe browsing the My Recipes site. I needed something to do with my chicken breasts, but wanted to try something new.

The recipe is originally from a popular "light" cooking magazine, and it got great reviews so I decided to try it out.

I'm so glad I did. The flavors were fantastic, and even Chad was surprised (he's not a fan of coconut) and delighted. The corn flakes added a crispy crunch, and the curry powder gave it just enough heat.

I was skeptical about baking the strips and them coming out crispy, but they did, and what a great way to cut fat and calories.

Here is the recipe with my modifications.

Crunchy Buttermilk-Coconut Chicken Strips

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips

1 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used whole fat, but you can save calories by using non-fat)

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 large egg and 1 egg white beaten

1 1/2 cups crushed corn flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. curry powder

1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut chopped

1 tsp. salt

butter spray

Preheat oven to 425; line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with butter spray.

Combine chicken and buttermilk in a dish; cover and chill at least 1 hour. Drain chicken, discarding liquid, but do not rinse. Combine chicken and flour in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.

Combine egg and egg white in a small bowl. Combine crushed cornflakes , coconut, salt, curry powder, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Dip strips into egg mixture, then dredge in cornflake mixture. Lay on foil lined cookie sheet. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg mixture, and cornflake mixture. When all strips are breaded lightly spray with butter spray. Cook on middle rack of oven for 8-12 minutes.

Chicken Enchiladas

When I bought a rotessirie chicken the other day, I planned on making chicken pot pie with it. But, I just wasn't in the mood for it the next day. I knew I had to use the chicken soon, so I narrowed down a list of possibilities to chicken tetrazzini, chicken stew, or the enchiladas. Enchiladas won. Mostly because I really wanted something cheesy.

I added refried beans to my mixture this time, and it was oh so good.

Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups chicken cooked

1/2 can refried beans

1 can petite diced tomatoes pulsed in the food processor a few times (or just use tomato sauce)

1 can tomato paste
1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth (divided)

1 1/2 Tbs. chili power (divided)

1 1/2 Tbs. cumin (divided)

2 tsp. smoked paprika (divided)

2 tsp. oregano (divided)

pinch of sugar

salt and pepper

pinch of cayenne

1/2 poblano pepper finely chopped

1 small/medium onion finely chopped

2 large garlic cloves minced

2 Tbs. parsley chopped

12 corn tortillas warmed in the microwave for about 30 seconds

1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese (or a Mexican blend)

2 Tbs. olive oil

Sour cream for garnish.

Preheat oven to 350

Heat a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat. Add tomato products,1 1/4 cup chicken stock, 1 Tbs. of the chili powder, 1 Tbs. of the cumin, 1 tsp. of the paprika, and 1 tsp. of the oregano. Add salt, pepper to taste, then add the pinch of sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer, and let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, pepper and parsley. Let saute for about 4 minutes and add chicken and the rest of the spices (salt and pepper too if you like), beans and stock. Stir until well combined and cook for about 5 minutes.

Put a little sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

Put about 2 Tbs. of chicken mixture on one end of a corn tortilla and roll up.

Place seam down in the pan.

Repeat until all tortillas are used. Pour about 1-1/2 cups of sauce on top of enchiladas and top with cheese.Bake covered for 10 minutes, and uncovered for another 10, or until cheese is nice and bubbly. Serve with sour cream.

**I had a bit of sauce leftover. This can be put in the freezer for a later use.**

Brined Chicken Breasts in Foil Packets

Cooking boneless, skinless chicken breasts can be a hassle. Especially when they turn out dry and stringy, and not worth the money you paid for them. I discovered that brining them first, and then steaming them in foil packets prevents the dryness, and results in delicious, juicy chicken.

Tonight I used 4 chicken breasts, trimmed of fat and of relatively equal size. If your chicken breasts are not the same size, you can either pound them and then trim, or trim them until they are. Use the excess trimmings to make a stock, or cook them to put in a salad.

After the chicken is nice and uniform, prepare the brine. I use 5 cups water, 3 Tbs. kosher salt, and 2 tsp. of sugar. Mix together, pour in a gallon sized ziplock, and add chicken. Put in the fridge and let osmosis go to work.

I brined mine for an hour, but you can certainly go longer. I feel this is sufficient enough for a lb. of chicken breasts, as they come out so tender and moist. Rinse the chicken under cold water to remove the brine and pat dry.

Season the chicken with your favorite seasonings; tonight I used fresh parsley, dried oregano, dried basil, salt and pepper,

then I seared them in my cast iron grill pan drizzled with olive oil (mostly because I like the marks, but also because it help to seal in the juices) for a couple minutes on each side.

When finished, onto the foil they went and then I topped with sliced garlic, a bay leaf, sealed the packet and put on a baking sheet. (here I brushed the foil with a little more olive oil)

I baked at 450 degrees for 12 minutes, removed the baking sheet and then poked holes in the foil and let them rest another 3-5 minutes.

They came out perfect, no dryness here!

Herb Roasted Chicken Pieces

Yesterday at the grocery store I saw that whole roasters were on sale. Not wanting to tress and fuss with a whole bird, I asked the butcher if she would cut it into pieces for me (one less thing for me to do). When I got home I used a few simple ingredients, threw it in the roasting pan an voila, perfect roasted chicken.

Herb Roasted Chicken

1 4-5 lb. chicken cut into pieces

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp fresh thyme

2 tsp. fresh parsley

2 tsp. fresh basil

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400

Put chicken in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well and put into a roasting pan. Roast for about 1 hour or until juices run clear.

Chicken Ricotta Meatballs over Pan Fried Polenta and Mushroom Ragu

Thanks to Cooking Light, and Elly My dinner tonight was the bomb! I subscribe to CL and I always can find something, usually a bunch of things that I want to make. I usually forget though, but I didn't tonight. Tonight I remembered a meatball recipe in this month's issue that looked to die for. I didn't have any ground turkey so I used the ground chicken I had on hand instead. I can see these going into my regular rotation, they were that good.

Not wanting to make just the meatballs by themselves I ask the advice of my Nesties. Elly had commented on making a chunky tomato sauce to go with them, and I remembered a fabulous recipe she had on her blog. It was the mushroom ragu and pan fried polenta. I had found my pairing for the meatballs. : ) I did make a few slight modifications to the CL recipe, as well as Elly's due to what I had on hand.

I have enough left over for about 4 more lunches too, which is a huge bonus while I'm on this weight loss kick.

The meatballs were 5 points per serving (4 meatballs), the ragu was one point per serving (about 1/4-1/2 cup), and the polenta was 3 points per serving (2 slices). You can make the polenta healthier without the pan frying, but I just wanted the crispiness tonight.

Chicken-Ricotta Meatballs

(Inspired by Cooking Light)

I got 23 meatballs out of this

Preheat oven to 375

1 Lb. ground chicken

1/2 cup panko

1/2 cup part skim ricotta cheese

1/4 cup eggbeaters or one egg

1/4 cup fresh basil chopped

salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients and shape into balls. Put foil on a cookie sheet and a cooling rack on top of that. Put meatballs on top of cooling rack and cook for about 20-25 minutes.

Pan Fried Polenta and Mushroom Ragu

For the Polenta

1 Tbs. light butter

1 cup corn meal (I used white)

1 cup low fat milk

3 cups water

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp. oregano

2 cloves garlic

flour for dredging

2 Tbs. olive oil

Heat butter in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic and oregano and cook until fragrant. Add liquids and bring to a boil. Whisk in corn meal in a steady stream and continue to whisk until incorporated. Lower heat and continue to whisk for about 5 minutes.

Pour into a 9x13 pan and cool a few hours or overnight. Cut into squares, dust with flour. Heat oil into a medium sized pan and brown on both sides.

Mushroom Ragu

1 Tbs. light butter

2 tsp. olive oil

1/2 lb. crimini mushrooms sliced

1/4 cup diced onion

1 bay leaf

2 garlic cloves minced

2 1/2 Tbs. tomato paste

2 Tbs. fresh basil

1 Tsp. dried oregano

1 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup marsala wine

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil and butter in a med. sized sauce pan over medium heat. Saute onions for about 2 minutes. Add garlic, mushrooms, basil, oregano, and bay leaf and saute another minute. Lower heat and cook about 20 minutes until moisture from mushrooms has been released. Add tomato paste and cook about a minute. Add wine and cook about 3 minutes. Add broth and cook another couple of minutes. Serve over polenta and meatballs.

Braised Chicken Drumsticks with Vegetables

Tonight I had the idea to braise my chicken drumsticks like I did with my short ribs a while back. I wanted to keep it healthy so I omitted some ingredients and added some. I loved this meal, and don't worry if you haven't had your share of vegetables for the day, you will double that requirement with this meal.

I added wine to give this dish some depth and it really made a difference. You can choose whatever veggies you like, or just use up what you have on hand. The thing I liked about this meal is that you don't have to wait as long as if you were braising beef. It took about 10 minutes to prep, 15 on the stove top, and about an hour in the oven. This came out to 6 WW points, but when I used Spark Recipe's calculator I plugged the info in to WW and it came out to 3. Go figure. I'll go ahead and put up the estimated nutritional info, but I don't always think the Spark calculator is accurate.

Braised Chicken Drumsticks with Vegetables

(serves 4)

8 drumsticks skin removed seasoned with salt and pepper

1 cup carrots chopped

1 cup celery chopped

1/2 cup onion diced

2 cups diced potatoes

1 1/2 cup cubed eggplant

1 cup zucchini

1 cup fresh mushrooms chopped

2 cups canned diced tomatoes

3 cloves garlic chopped

2 Tbs. fresh basil chopped

2 Tbs. fresh oregano chopped

1 Tbs. parsley chopped

1 large or 2 small bay leaves

red pepper flakes for spice

2 oz. red wine

2 tsp. olive oil

butter spray

1 cup fat free, less sodium chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350

Add 1 tsp. and butter spray to a large dutch oven or large, heavy, oven proof skillet. Heat over medium heat and add chicken. When browned on all sides remove to a plate. Add the last tsp. of oil and more butter spray. Add all veggies except garlic. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add garlic, parsley, oregano, basil and bay leaf. Saute about 3 minutes longer. Add wine and deglaze the pan, let cook a minute longer. Add the stock and tomatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken on top of veggies and submerge as much as possible. Cover and cook one hour. Serve 2 drumstick with about a cup and a half of veggies. 6 Total WW points.

Calories 182.2
Total Fat 3.6 g
Saturated Fat 0.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.7 g
Cholesterol 38.0 mg
Sodium 1,246.2 mg
Potassium 779.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 23.7 g

Dietary Fiber 5.5 g
Sugars 7.1 g
Protein 13.9 g

WW Parmesan Chicken

I've gotta lose weight. Really. I've put on about 20 lbs. since I got married. It's ridiculous how many beautiful clothes I have in my closet that I can not wear. Ugh. I have been on a healthy kick for about a month now, but this week I've decided to try Weight Watchers. Now, I am not really a "member", but I am using the points system. I have a friend who was a member and I am hoping to take over her WW stash. Or, I'll just browse the web for numerous ww resources.

One of the resources I stumbled upon today was the Kitchen Parade. There is a lovely list of recipe ranging from 1-8 points. I found a parmesan chicken recipe and decided to use it for our meal tonight. I added sauteed zucchini and mushrooms (sauteed in 1 tsp. olive oil and pam) which are zero points to round out the meal. The chicken was so delicious. I mean how can it not be with the parmesan and dijon mixture. I added a few dried herbs to the mixture and only used one english muffin since I was only making 3 breast halves. I didn't modify the dijon or vinegar since I think they are zero pts. , but I did use only about 1/2 cup of parm. I am seriously still full from dinner. The best part was that it is only 6 points! So I have a few points left over which is fabulous since I really want a glass of wine (2 pts.) ; )

PARMESAN CHICKEN

(recipe courtesy of Kitchen Parade)
6 servings

Hands-on time: 15 minutes

Oven time: 15 – 20 minutes

Dressing:
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper Coating:
1½ English muffins
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ teaspoon additional pepper
1 tablespoon melted butter
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 ounces each)

Whisk together dressing ingredients in a low, flat dish suitable for dipping chicken breasts. Process the English muffin halves in food processor until finely ground. Add Parmesan, pepper and butter and pulse two or three times until well blended. Transfer coating mixture to a second low-flat dish. Dip each breast in the dressing, then the coating, covering completely with each. Place on a baking sheet and bake 450F for 15 – 20 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 300 Cal (26% from Fat); 46 g Protein; 8 g Tot Fat; 4 g Sat Fat; 2 g Mono Fat; 8 g Carb; 1 g Fiber; 222 mg Calcium; 2 mg Iron; 693 mg Sodium; 114 mg Cholesterol, Weight Watchers 6 points

Swedish Chicken Meatballs

So I have been MIA. I have had a lot on my plate lately, so there wasn't much time to blog, or cook for that matter.

Now that things are a bit calmer I had the incredible urge to get back into the kitchen. I'm still on the healthy kick so when I went grocery shopping earlier today I picked up some ground chicken.

I wasn't sure what to do with it though. I thought about burgers but I really wasn't in the mood for them. I don't know what sparked it but I got the idea to make swedish meatballs. I kind of threw this together but it came out great. I served this over ditilini pasta but you can serve this over a pasta shape you like or over rice.

Swedish Chicken Meatballs

Meatballs:

1 lb. ground chicken

2 Tbs. egg substitute (or 1 egg)

1/4 cup whole wheat saltines crushed

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. fresh chopped parsley

Butter spray

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix together with hands. Shape into meatballs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter spray. Add meatballs and brown on all sides. When meatballs are evenly browned on all sides remove from skillet and set aside.

Sauce:

2 Tbs. onion finely chopped

1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

3 Tbs. Reduced fat sour cream

1 Tbs. canola oil

1 Tbs. unsalted butter

2 Tbs. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 cups reduced sodium/ FF chicken broth

1 Tbs. parsley

Butter spray as needed

Heat canola oil in the same skillet as the meatballs. Add onion and mushrooms and saute 4-5 minutes. Add butter and butter spray and add flour. Stir to make a roux and cook about a minute. Add Broth and scrape bottom of skillet to get up the browned bits. whisk until smooth. Add Sour cream and stir to combine. Add meatballs and parsley and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Serve over pasta or rice.

Chicken Kafta with Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

Traditionally, Kafta is made with ground lamb (or a mixture of beef and lamb). In an effort to continue my healthy cooking habits I decided to use ground chicken. Kafta is either grilled on a bbq, or simmered in a sauce. I did neither. I decided to make use of the broiler on my oven, and it worked wonderful. The kafta is very simple, and doesn't use many ingredients. You wouldn't know it though because the flavor is so intense. I made a cool cucumber sauce with some left over yogurt, a little mint and cucumbers to serve on top (or just dip into). The sauce complimented the kafta well, I'm glad I made it (it was a last minute decision).

This was the first time I used ground chicken and I am really happy how the kafta turned out. I don't think I want to go back to red meat, it was that good!

Chicken Kafta

1 lb ground chicken

1/4 cup grated onion

2 tbs. fresh chopped parsley

2 tsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. olive oil

1.5 Tbs. bread crumbs (I used this because the grated onion made the meat rather wet)

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to broil

Mix all ingredients together and shape into oblong patties. Lightly oil an oven safe grill pan and arrange the patties on top. put in broiler and cook for about 5-6 minutes each side. (the temp may vary so keep an eye on them.)

Serve with a simple puree of cucumber, mint, and yogurt.

This is how I enjoyed mine, but they are just as good alone.

Asian Chicken w/ Sauteed Vegetables and Brown and Wild rice

Tonight Chad and I were in the mood for an Asian inspired meal. I decided that it has been quite some time since I've cooked with Asian ingredients so I would give it a go. I decided to make a quick marinated chicken with lots of vegetables and brown and wild rice.

Just to note, I meant to make this a rice bowl of sorts, but it ended up on a plate. Same difference right?

I decided to use brown rice because I want to try to eat healthier. I remembered I had some wild rice taking up space in my pantry so I added it to the brown rice for a goof. Let me tell you, this rice does not take the normal 20-25 minutes to cook. More like 45-50 minutes. Thank God I knew that ahead of time so I could prep/marinate while it was cooking.

I loved how this came out, especially the marinade-which was made into a thick sauce while it simmered with the chicken. This meal definitely was Asian inspired, just how we wanted.

Chicken Marinade/Sauce

1 lb. chicken tender tenders tenderloin removed and cut into cubes

1/3 cup lite soy sauce

2 Tbs. Hoisin sauce

2 Tsp. oyster sauce

2 Tbs. mirin

2 tsp. sesame oil (dark)

1 large clove garlic minced

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. Chinese 5 spice

1/2 tsp. ginger

Whisk all ingredients together in a glass or plastic bowl and add chicken. Let marinate in the fridge 30 minutes to an hour. (I doubled the marinade so we'd have more sauce)

Brown and Wild Rice

1 1/2 cups brown rice

1/2 cup wild rice

4 1/2 cups water

2 tsp. canola oil

Heat a large sauce pan over medium heat and add oil. Add rices and toast about 3-5 minutes. Add water bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Let simmer for about 40-50 minutes.

Veggies

1 cup matchstick carrots

1 can bean sprouts drained

1 can baby corn drained

2 cups Napa cabbage shredded

1/2 cup green onions chopped in 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup sliced button mushrooms

1 smallish garlic clove

1 1/2 Tbs. canola oil

2 tsp. sesame oil

1/2 tsp. salt

Heat a large skillet over med. heat and add oils. When heated add all vegetables except garlic. Add salt and saute for about 6 minutes. Add garlic and saute a minute more. Remove from pan to a plate and cover.

Chicken

Heat same skillet used for veggies over medium heat. Add chicken and marinade and simmer until chicken is done and marinade is thickened. About 8-10 minutes.

When all is finished you can serve in a bowl, or plate how you like. I mixed the components of my plate together. MMMMM.

Chicken Thighs w/ Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese

I may have mentioned this in another post but I LOVE Trader Joe's. So much so, that Chad and I usually can be caught there on a Sat. afternoon. This past Saturday something new caught my eye, a jar of roasted red pepper spread. But it wasn't just roasted peppers, it also contains eggplant and garlic. The jar said to use it as a dip for crudites, add to sauces or top chicken/pork with it. I stood there mid isle blocking everyone and envisioned the possibilities.

So for tonight's main dish I decided to use this jar of roasted red peppers with eggplant and garlic and put it on top of chicken thighs. As I was preparing the rest of the our meal (couscous and zucchini) I caught a glimpse of the goat cheese crumbles I had also purchased from TJ's. I thought "Hmmmm. Roasted red pepper chicken and goat cheese?", ABSOLUTELY.

After baking about 25 minutes in the oven I topped with the goat cheese (shaved parmesan for Chad) and knew immediately this was going to be good. And it was.

Chicken Thighs w/Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese

6 boneless/skinless chicken thighs trimmed of as much fat as possible

Salt, pepper and garlic powder for seasoning

2 tsp fresh chopped oregano

2 Tbs. canola oil

1/4 cup chicken stock/broth

About 4 Tbs. roasted red pepper dip/sauce from TJ's

goat cheese crumbles or shaved parmesan

Preheat oven to 375

Season chicken liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder on both sides. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add oil. Sear chicken on both sides about 2 minutes each. Transfer to a baking dish (or use your oven safe skillet) and add chicken broth. Top with chopped oregano then the roasted red pepper dip and cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. uncover top with cheese and bake until goat cheese is toasted or parmesan has melted.

Citi's Chicken (Katie's gma's chicken)

Katie, a friend of mine on The Nest recently posted about her Citi's chicken recipe. When I checked out her blog I put it on my menu for the week. It is basically an oven fried chicken, but different than I've ever seen. The breading and marinade is what drew me to the recipe (and the fact that I love fried chicken). This breading consists of oats and corn flakes. The marinade uses yogurt and wine. All of these ingredients sounded wonderful together and I knew it would make a great chicken dish. I ended up marinading the chicken overnight to ensure it would have the most flavor.

Chad and I loved it. So crispy and delicious. Thanks Katie for a great recipe!

Citi's Chicken

(Good Things Catered)

Ingredients:

6 chicken thighs

6 chicken drumsticks

1 egg

1 c. yogurt

1/8 c. olive oil

1/4 c. white wine (of chicken stock if you don't use alch.)

2 tsp salt (I love Lawry's garlic salt for this)

2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 c. flour

3 c. cornflakes

1 1/2 c. oatmeal

2 garlic cloves

1 tsp fresh rosemary

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp fresh oregano

Directions:-

Clean and pat dry chicken pieces.

-Place chicken into a large freezer bag.

-In a blender, combine egg, yogurt, olive oil, wine/stock, salt and pepper and blend on high to whip together.

-Pour mixture over chicken and seal bag.

-Make sure marinade is covering all pieces and sides of chicken and place in fridge to marinade.-Marinade chicken at least one hour and up to 24.

-Preheat even to 400 degrees.

-In bowl of food processor, combine remaining ingredients and pulse to a coarse meal, cutting the spices into the breading.

-Remove from bowl of food processor and place in a shallow dish or wide

-bottomed bowl.

-Line a baking sheet with heavy duty tinfoil and top with wire baking rack.

-Remove chicken from fridge and with a set of tongs, pull one piece of chicken out of the marinade, shake to remove excess and dredge in breading mixture.

-Cover completely in breading mixture, shaking lightly to remove excess, and place on wire rack.

-Repeat with all pieces of chicken.-Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and place baking sheet in oven.-Bake until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees, about 50-60 minutes.