BBQ chicken

It's time for more tasty photo's of what I've been cooking outside on the BBQ pit and today I've got some BBQ chicken. I fixed these up  with some of my own homemade BBQ rub and BBQ sauce, both of which were a smash hit. I am thinking of keeping both a secret so that it can possibly become a hand me down family recipe some day. I started making my own rubs and sauces last year, but have really taking to trying some new things and dialing them in for what I like. It all really started though with it being so much work to find out if the stuff I'm feeding my daughter is peanut free and safe for her. Since I started making my own sauces for her to enjoy I always have her be the first to try them and tell me what she thinks, there have been a two shes turned her nose up to. If you haven't tried making your own rubs and sauces, I highly recommend it. It's a lot of fun to make, you can make it to fit your taste buds, and when someone asks what you use you can tell them it's a secret family recipe. Which always seems to make everything taste better.

Top 5 Recipes of 2011; Mexican Chicken Casserole

It's time for my number two pick in this year's Top 5 Recipes of 2011! The number two pick has become a part of our weekly rotation because it's so delicious, pretty easy to put together, and the whole family loves it.


My wife has been bugging me lately to go look at her Pinterest site to see what recipes she has linked to. Well I finally gave in and I found two new recipes to try, there were quite a bit more so the list of things to fix has grown.

Now we love enchiladas at our house, but they can be a little tedious to make, hello ADD. Well not to worry because this recipe doesn't have you going all OCD and rolling all the delicious filling into a tortilla, instead it all gets put in a casserole dish and everything gets to mingle together making for some really great flavor. I fixed this for a recent get together we had with another couple while our kids had a little play date. It was a hit with most every body, one of the little girls was more interested in playing then eating which is no surprise for a two year old, so I feel confident in calling this one Tot Approved.

Recipe from myrecipes.com as seen in Cooking Light December 1998

Ingredients
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 (4.5 ounce) cans chopped green chiles divided (I omitted this in fear of being to spicy for the kids and substituted with 1/4 cup of mild Pace Picante Salsa)
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
Cooking Spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces)shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)

Directions
Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken ; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterrey jack, cream cheese and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixtures. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Grilled Chicken Gyro

Last week we had what may be the last of some truly beautiful weather and I decided to take the opportunity and fire up the grill for some grilled chicken gyro. It was delicious and every one loved the chicken, but the Tzatziki was just ok, which could be to the type of greek yogurt I used.

Ingredients
Sauce
1 cup Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped ripe tomato
1/2 cup finely diced English cucumber

Marinade
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon dired oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1-1/2 pounds chicken tenders
1 small red onion, cut crosswise into 1/2 inch slices
Extra-virgin olive oil
6 flat breads or pitas

Directions
1. In a medium bowl whisk the yogurt, mint, oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add the tomato and cucumber and stir to combine.
2. In a large bowl whisk the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss to coat evenly. Marinate at room temperature.
3. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over medium heat (350º-450ºF)
4. Lightly brush the onion slices on both sides with oil. Remove the chicken from the bowl, letting the herbs cling to the chickn. Discard the marinade. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the chicken and onion slices over direct medium heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is firm to the touch and the juices run clear, and the onion is tender, 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Remove from grill.
5. Warm the pitas on the grill over direct medium heat until lightly charred, about 2 minutes, turning once or twice.
6. Layer some chicken, sauce, and onion inside the flat breads and serve warm or at room temperature.

Chicken Parmesan

Here's a recipe from Cooking Light and this is not the first time I've fixed this recipe. I actually fixed this recipe a few years ago when I did not have this blog. The first time I fixed it we loved it and I've made it a couple of times since, but since having our dear daughter we have not had the time for more involved meals. That is slowing starting to change, Sammie is slowly becoming more independent and has begun with the independent play. Which opens up time for meals that are a little more involved. The recipe claims to be a 30 minute meal from start to finish, but the first time I fixed it I ran a little longer and with practice I was doing it in 30 minutes. This makes it a great weeknight meal for this fall and winter, but it is a bit heavy in calories at 614 for a serving.

Ingredients
4 skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 cups cooked spaghetti
3 cups Pasta Sauce
1 cup pre-shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions
1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin.
2. combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 chicken breast half in flour. Dip in egg whites; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, flour, egg whites, and breadcrumb mixture.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook 5 minutes on each side or until done.
4. Preheat broiler.
5. Place 1 cup spaghetti in each of 4 gratin dishes. Spoon 1/2 cup Pasta sauce over each serving. Top each with 1 chicken breast half. Spoon 1/4 cup sauce over each serving. Sprinkle each serving with 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese. Place gratin dishes on a baking sheet; broil 3 minutes or until cheese melts. Garnish with basil, if desired. Yields 4 servings.

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

This is something I have been wanting to do for a while and just never got around to doing, make chicken noodle soup from scratch. It was pretty easy to do and the end result is well worth it. The only downside is that I chose the recipe when the temps were in the upper 60's, well the day I got to make it it was almost 90.  Which could be why my little girl was only so-so about it, it was just to warm for a hot bowl of soup. I'll have to try it again this winter when I need a warm bowl of soup.

Ingredients
10 cups water
1 cup carrots, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 cup onions, chopped
1 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 roasting chicken
3 cups wide egg noodles, uncooked

Directions
1. in 4-1/2 to 6 quart slow-cooker bowl, combine water, carrots, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, 4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper.
2. Place while chicken on top of vegetables.
3. cover slow cooker with lid and cook as manufacturer directs on low setting 8 to 10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
4. Transfer chicken to cutting board. Discard bay leaves. Add noodles to slow-cooker; cover with lid and cook (on lo or high) 20 minutes.
5. While noodles cook, remove and discard skin, fat and bones from chicken; shred meat.
6. Skim fat from soup and discard. Return to soup to serve.

Mexican Chicken Casserole

My wife has been bugging me lately to go look at her Pinterest site to see what recipes she has linked to. Well I finally gave in and I found two new recipes to try, there were quite a bit more so the list of things to fix has grown.

Now we love enchiladas at our house, but they can be a little tedious to make, hello ADD. Well not to worry because this recipe doesn't have you going all OCD and rolling all the delicious filling into a tortilla, instead it all gets put in a casserole dish and everything gets to mingle together making for some really great flavor. I fixed this for a recent get together we had with another couple while our kids had a little play date. It was a hit with most every body, one of the little girls was more interested in playing then eating which is no surprise for a two year old, so I feel confident in calling this one Tot Approved.

Recipe from myrecipes.com as seen in Cooking Light December 1998

Ingredients
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 (4.5 ounce) cans chopped green chiles divided (I omitted this in fear of being to spicy for the kids and substituted with 1/4 cup of mild Pace Picante Salsa)
1 3/4 pounds skinned, boned chicken breasts
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup evaporated skim milk
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) tub-style light cream cheese
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
Cooking Spray
1/2 cup (2 ounces)shredded reduced-fat extra-sharp cheddar
1 ounce tortilla chips, crushed (about 6 chips)

Directions
Combine broth and 1 can of chiles in a large skillet; bring to a boil. Add chicken ; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once. Remove chicken from cooking liquid, reserving cooking liquid; cool chicken. Shred meat with two forks, and set aside

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 can of chiles and onion; saute 3 minutes or until soft. Add reserved cooking liquid, milk, Monterrey jack, cream cheese and enchilada sauce; stir well. Stir in shredded chicken; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Place 4 tortillas in the bottom of a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Spoon 2 cups chicken mixture over tortillas. Repeat layers twice, ending with chicken mixtures. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and chips. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Gameday Wings!

  I hope you have enjoyed the few recipes I've shared with you. Their nothing new but I'm sure I'll come up with some new one's and I'll be sure to pass them along. But in the mean time how about some grilled chicken wings? No Tailgating party is complete with out some hot wings and beer, so to satisfy your need for some great grilled wings this is the recipe for you.

  The only downside to this recipe is that it's very mild in regards to spice, I believe I will be doubling or tripling the amount of hot sauce the next time around. Also I chose not follow the recipe on cooking them on a skewer, which involves threading the skewer through the wing as if it was in flight. I instead chose to cut the wings into pieces at the joints and discarding the wing tips. It made for a little more excitement and work during the direct grilling as I was  doing a lot of shuffling during the flare ups, but if your cooking in front of your friends this can make for a great show.

Marinade
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds chicken wings
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1. In a large bowl combine 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the garlic, salt and pepper. Add the wings and turn to coat them evenly. Cover and refrigerate for up to  4 hours.
2. In a small bowl combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, the honey, and hot sauce. ( Be sure to add more hot sauce as you like)
3. Prepare teh grill for direct and indirect cooking over medium heat.
4. Brush the cooking grates clean. Brown the wings over direct medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once. then move the wings over indirect medium heat and cook until the meat is no longer pink at the bone, 15 to 20 minutes, basting with the honey mixture once or twice during the last 10 minutes of grilling time. Keep the lid closed as much as possible during grilling. Remove the wings from the grill, brush once more with the glaze, and serve.

Chicken and Summer Squash Skillet

   A few weeks ago I took my Wife and Daughter to a small farmers market that's close to our home. While there my daughter picked up a nice big round summer squash, it was very nice looking. So when it came time to make our biweekly menu, I made sure to choose a recipe that included the specially selected squash. I found this recipe from Kraft that fit the bill perfectly, I mean it was a perfect match, so it should of been at them point that I should of figured out something would go wrong. When it came time to for dinner, I began slicing the squash and it was incredibly tough. It was like it was preparing to become a gourd and just needed to be hung up to dry. I tried cooking a few pieces to see if they would soften up, but no such luck. But despite the lack of squash the recipe was great and earned a Tot approved. My picky little girl loved this dish, so I'm sure I will be repeating it next year when summer squash and zucchini is in season.

Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves
1 tub (10 oz.)Philadelphia Italian Cheese
2 zucchini, cut lengthwise in half, then sliced
2 yellow squash, cut lengthwise in half, then sliced
2 cups cooked orzo pasta
2 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions
Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; cook 4 to 5 min. on each side or until done (165ºF). Transfer to plate; cover to keep warm
Place 1/4 cup cooking creme in small microwaveable bowl; set aside. Add vegetables to skillet; cook 5 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Stir in remaining cooking creme; cook and stir 2 min. Add orzo; cook and stir 2 min. or until heated through.

Spoon orzo mixture onto 4 plates; top with chicken. Microwave reserved cooking creme on HIGH 15 to 20 sec. or until heated through. Spoon over chicken, top with basil.

Creamy Chicken &Broccoli Casserole

My wife chose this recipe from Kraft while working on the grocery list on a day I was at work. This dish is lives up to it's name as it's creamy, loaded with flavor, and has a veggie in it. Now broccoli is on of my toddlers favorite veggies, believe it or not, and she loved this dish because it had cheese melted onto the broccoli.

This recipe was in the spring edition of Kraft Food & Family and we fixed it smack in the middle of the dog days of summer, while delicious it was incredibly heavy for a hot day. But this recipe will definitely be making its way into our rotations come this fall and winter when we need a good healthy comfort food.

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 pkg. frozen broccoli florets, thawed, drained (it is very important to make sure their thawed as it will add more cooking time if they are not)
1 1/2 cups Kraft 2% milk shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tub Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme
1/2 cup milk
24 Ritz Crackers, crushed (about 1 cup)
1 tbsp. butter, melted

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover
3. Bake 25 min. Meanwhile, mix cracker crumbs and butter
4. Stir chicken mixture; top with crumbs. Bake, uncovered, 10 min. or until topping is golden brown.

Fettuccine Alfredo

I've always enjoyed Fettuccine Alfredo when I've been out at restraunts, but never really liked anything store bought. I came accross this recipe in my Cooking Light cookbook and it was incredibly quick, easy, and tasty making it great recipe for a week night meal. This recipe also let me do one of the things I have never done before, make a white sauce from scratch. I was impressed with how easy it was and I will be doing this one again, oh and did I mention it's Tot Approved?

Ingredients
2 quarts water
8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
1 tablespoon stick margarine or butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups fat-free milk
1 1/4 cups grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons tub-style light cream cheese
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
1. Bring water to a rolling boil in a dutch oven. Add pasta;cook 10 minutes or until "al dente." Drain.
2. Melt margarine in a pan over medium heat. Add garlic; saute 1 minutes. Stir in flour. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended; cook until thickened and bubbly (about 8 minutes), stirring constantly. Add 1 cup Parmesan cheese, stirring constantly until in melts.
3. Rinse pasta well with hot water. Set aside. Add cream cheese to pan; cook over low heat stirring until it melts. gradually add cheese sauce to melted cream cheese, stirring constantly.
4. Add cooked pasta to sauce mixture, tossing well. Spoon into a serving dish; top with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, and pepper. Yield 4 servings (serving size 1 cup).

I served it up with a boneless skinless chicken breast that I seasoned with some Italian seasoning and cooked in a covered skillet coated with Pam. It made a great addition to this dish.

Kung pao chicken wrap

I have another Kraft recipe that was an excellent light lunch, which believe it or not is Tot Approved. Perhaps I need to start finding a rating system for such recipes, anyways I digress. This recipe is incredibly easy and would be a great one to take the ingredients to work and assemble right before lunch or wrap it up and take it on the go. There is one ingredient that you will want to use sparingly and that's the Kraft Hot and Spicy Flavored Mayonnaise, it's SPICY! Like the name didn't give that away. I would suggest if your not into a lot of spice, then mix it with some regular mayonnaise to cool it down a bit.

For our little girl we took and gave her all the ingredients in small pieces, as this is usually how she likes her sandwiches. Well she wanted in on the wrap action so we took a slice of cheese and made crude wrap with the chicken, lettuce, and shredded carrots which she really got a kick out of.

Make it
1 Whole wheat tortilla (8 inch)
1 tbsp. (or less, be sure to taste it first to know how much you will like) Kraft Sandwich Shop hot & Spicy Flavored Mayonnaise
1 slice Kraft Big Slice Mild cheddar Cheese, cut in half
2 oz. Oscar Mayer Carving Board Rotisserie Seasoned Chicken breast.
4 thi cucumber slices
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
2 tbsp. drained canned pineapple tidbits
2 tsp. chopped Planters Cocktail Peantus (this was ommitted because we have yet to test our little one for peanut allergies)

Chicken Thighs

The other night at the firehouse I barbecued some chicken thighs for the guys. I marinated them in some Herb and Garlic, seasoned them with some John's BBQ Sauce Dry Rub, and smoked them with chunks of hickory. Now I've never heard of the Dry Rub before, but I found it at one of the local grocery stores and it's actually pretty good.

The thighs cooked for about an hour and half at about 350ºF, sadly though the skin came out pretty tough. I sauced them with KC Masterpiece and honey, then gave them a very light dusting with the rub. I liked the flavor, but I'm going to have to do a lot more practice to get that bite through skin that I'm after.

Chicken Capri Pasta

This recipe comes straight out of the Kraft Foods Magazine, which is always loaded with some really delicious seasonal recipes that are quick and easy to prepare, which is a must for any busy family. To top it off it's even approved my little girl! She loves noodles and bell peppers, so I knew I was in good shape there, but she ate every bit of it with out a fight. The Philadelphia Cooking Creme's I believe is a new product as I've never heard of them, or simply never took notice of them, either way I'm so happy I got to try them. Their creamy with a nice garlic flavor and they really help make this dish. I served it up with a little whole wheat garlic toast, which is a little healthier and was a wonderful side to this dish.

Ingredients
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/2 cup halved red pepper strips
2 cups frozen broccoli florets
1 tub (10oz) Philadelphia Savory Garlic Cooking Creme
2 cups hot cooked angel hair pasta
1/4 cup Kraft Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Directions
Cook and stir chicken and peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5to 7 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in broccoli; cook 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.
Add cooking creme; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through.
Serve over pasta; sprinkle with Parmesan.

Grilled chicken with Mango-Pineapple Salsa

I've started to dig into my new Cooking Light; Cooking through the Seasons cookbook and I am loving this book. Which I think has more to do with all the fruit and veggies that are starting to come into season. I always have so much fun in the produce section of the grocery store when the fruits and veggies start getting fresher and fresher looking.

I wound up fixing this recipe for a spur of the moment get together with the in-laws. It was a great hit with everyone, including our little girl, so it's tot approved! We served it up with a side of frozen mixed veggies, did I mention I can't wait for all the fresh produce to roll in?

Salsa
2/3 cup diced peeled ripe mango
2/3 cup diced fresh pineapple
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced seeded jalapeno pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Chicken
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup pineapple juice
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
dash of crushed red pepper
cooking spray

1. To prepare salsa, combine first 8 ingredients. Cover; refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. To prepare chicken, place each chicken rest half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2 inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine pineapple juice and next 5 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic gab. Add chicken to bag; seal. Marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.
3. Prepare grill.
4. remove chicken from bag, reserving marinade. Place chicken on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until done.
5. Place reserved marinade in a small saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 5 minutes). Drizzle over chicken. Serve salsa with chicken. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half, t tbsp sauce, and 1/4 cup salsa)

Fried-Chicken Salad

I have another Tot approved recipe and I so did not see that coming! My dear daughter is always so hit and miss when it comes to meat of any kind, so I prepared this recipe with the idea that I would be heating up some leftovers for her to eat, boy did she prove me wrong! She must have devoured two and half chicken strips and even ate a small amount of the romaine lettuce, of course it all had to be drowned in the Honey Mustard Dressing, but she ate it.

Ingredients
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
14. cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup low-fat or nonfat buttermilk
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cups thickly sliced romaine lettuce (cut across ribs)
1 (15 ounce) can whole baby beets, drained and halved(I omitted these)
1/2 cup fat-free honey mustard dressing
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions
1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a shallow dish. Combine chicken and butter-milk in a bowl; cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes. Drain chicken; dredge a few strips at a time in bread-crumb mixture.
2. Coat a nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add oil; place over medium heat until hot. Add chicken to skillet; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done.
3. Arrange 1 cup lettuce on each of 4 plates; divide chicken and beets among plates. Top with 2 tablespoons dressing and 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese

Chicken With Linguine, Leeks, and Tomatoes

Here's another delicious chicken recipe that will have you coming back for more. The best part it, it's Tot approved! That's right, my little girl loved this recipe as did my wife and I.

4 skinned, boned, chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons stick margarine or butter
3 cups sliced leeks (about 3 medium)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can fat-free, less sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 (14.5 ounce) can no salt added whole tomatoes, un-drained and chopped
4 ounces linguine, uncooked and broken into 2-inch pieces

Directions
1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Combine 1/4 teaspoon salt and next ingredient; sprinkle over both sides of chicken.
2. Melt margarine in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook 1 1/2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove chicken from pan.
3. Add leeks and garlic to pan; cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently. Add chicken, chicken broth, and remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 20 minutes. Uncover, and increase heat to medium-high. Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes or until liquid evaporates and pasta is done. Yeild:4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 2.3 cup pasta mixture) 326 calories, 4g fat

Honey-Garlic Chicken Wings

I know it's been well over a week since the Super Bowl and the rest of the world had moved on, but I really wanted to share what I fixed at our house for dinner.

I've been setting on this recipe for a while, but just never got around to actually fixing it. The only downside to this recipe is that it's very mild in regards to spice, I believe I will be doubling or tripling the amount of hot sauce the next time around. Also I chose not follow the recipe on cooking them on a skewer, which involves threading the skewer through the wing as if it was in flight. I instead chose to cut the wings into pieces at the joints and discarding the wing tips. It made for a little more excitement and work during the direct grilling as I was  doing a lot of shuffling during the flare ups, but that made for a great show.

Marinade
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 pounds chicken wings
1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce

1. In a large bowl combine 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the garlic, salt and pepper. Add the wings and turn to coat them evenly. Cover and refrigerate for up to  4 hours.
2. In a small bowl combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, the honey, and hot sauce. ( Be sure to add more hot sauce as you like)
3. Prepare teh grill for direct and indirect cooking over medium heat.
4. Brush the cooking grates clean. Brown the wings over direct medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once. then move the wings over indirect medium heat and cook until the meat is no longer pink at the bone, 15 to 20 minutes, basting with the honey mixture once or twice during the last 10 minutes of grilling time. Keep the lid closed as much as possible during grilling. Remove the wings from the grill, brush once more with the glaze, and serve.

Chicken Nuggets and Sweet Potato Fries

I had intended to get this out in time for the Super Bowl, but a blizzard in our area left me with a lot of snow to deal with and little energy for much else. However they were so good I could not let the recipe go to waste, especially when my toddler was in love with them.

Chicken Nuggets
Ingredients
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
2 eggs beaten
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions
1. Cut chicken breast into one inch strips and set aside.
2. Combine bread crumbs, onion powder, paprika, thyme, and black pepper in a medium bowl. Place two eggs in a small bowl and beat till well blended.
3. Take the chicken and dredge in the eggs and then roll in the bread crumb mixture and place in an oven at 400º F. Back for 5 minutes then turn the pieces over and bake for another 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
2 sweet potatoes
olive oil

Directions
Peel the sweet potatoes and slice them like steak fries, this will help preventing them from burning and to help get a crunchy crust. Place the strips on a baking pan and bake them in the oven at 450º for 20 minutes being sure to turn them about half way through. Be sure to let them cool for 5-6 minutes before serving.

Chicken Parmigina

I have had a Cooking Light cook book setting on my shelf for sometime now, like 6 years. Sadly it's been very underutilized as I have only prepared a small number of recipes from it, there's nothing wrong with the recipes I just never paid it much attention. But that changed this year for two reason's, one I realized that it's recipes are all designed to be light and healthy, and two the wife and I have both made new year resolutions to lose some weight. While flipping through the book I came across this recipe and I knew I had to try it.

The final result was delicious, juicy, and full of flavor. The best part is that a serving is only 312 calories which leaves plenty of room for a small bed wheat pasta or a side salad.

Ingredients
 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
 1/4 teaspoon paprika
 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
 6 (4 ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast
 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
 3 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed (I used some dried bread crumbs as I didn't have cornflakes, I doubt that it will change the calories much if any.)
 1 (26 ounce) bottle low-fat spaghetti sauce
 3/4 cup (3 ounce) preshredded part-skim moxxarella cheese
 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

 Directions
 1. Preheat oven to 350º
 2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 chicken breast half in flour mixture. Dip in egg white; dred in cornflakes. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, egg white, and cornflakes.
 3. Arrange chicken in a 13x9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350º for 30 minutes or until done.
 4. Place spaghetti cause in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake an addictions 5 minutes or until cheese melted. Yield: 6 servings ( serving size: 1 chicken breast and 1/2 cup sauce)

Pan Seared Airline Breast

I'm always on the look out for a new recipe involving chicken, esspecially if I think I can substitute in boneless skinless chicken breast. I found this recipe on an episode of Guy's Big Bite and knew I wanted to try it. It's loaded with flavor and the chicken came out juicy and tender with plenty of spice coming from the black pepper, so be prepared to scale it back if your not a big fan of the pepper.

Ingredients
4 full chicken breasts, (ribs removed and wing intact)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup julienned yellow onion
1 cup trimmed julienned leeks
2 tablespoons roughly chopped garlic
1 cup jarred pitted Spanish olives, plus 1 tablespoon olive juice
1/2 cup white wine
Pinch freshly chopped thyme leaves
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Preheat a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. combine paprika, granulated garlic, salt and pepper, in a small bowl. Rub seasoning mix all over the chicken. When skillet is hot, add oil and sear chicken, skin side first, turn over and sear other side. Remove to a sheet ray and put into the preheated oven to cook through, about 15 minutes.

To the pan you used to sear the chicken, add in to the onions and leeks. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes or until lightly caramelized. Add garlic and olives and olive juice. Saute for 2 minutes more, then deglaze the pan with white wine. Reduce wine by half. Finish sauce by stirring in thyme and butter. Adjust seasoning, if necessary, and keep warm.

When chicken is done. remove from oven, place on serving platter, and pour any juices into vegetable mixture. Pour over chicken and serve immediately.