Take 5 Chicken Marinade

Marinade. Throw ingredients in a baggy and let sit overnight. Cook it. Eat it. Savor it. I literally threw 5 ingredients in a bag in 5 minutes. There's enough sauce left over once the cooking is done to drizzle over the meat and whatever side you choose to serve. This will become a frequent flyer in my kitchen - I bet it would be perfect for a slowcooker kind of day too!


Take 5 Chicken Marinade
Adapted from http://bakedbree.com/kellys-overnight-chicken


Ingredients:
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 TBSP curry powder
4 TBSP soy sauce
4 chicken breasts


Directions:
1. In a medium sized bowl stir in honey, mustard, soy sauce, and curry powder. Pour into a large ziplock baggy.
2. Place chicken breasts in plastic bag and slosh around to coat evenly. Look at your watch and say - Yes, it really did take 5 minutes! Then place in fridge for overnight.
3. After your busy day at work, open the fridge to find your supper waiting. Place in an oven safe dish and pour any remaining sauce into the dish. Cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 50 minutes. For the last 10 minutes, remove foil.
4. Remove from oven and serve with remaining sauce and side of choice.

Chicken Kiev

I love chicken. But there are a few ways that I typically end up cooking it - and get stuck in a rut. So I decided to branch out and try something I'd never had before - chicken kiev. As soon as I saw there was butter involved - I knew that it couldn't be too bad.  The initial prep is a little bit of work - but the chicken turned out so moist, tender and full of flavor it was worth every pound of the meat mallet.

Chicken Kiev
Taken from America's Test Kitchen 2001-2011.


Ingredients:

Herb Butter:
8 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
1 TBSP juice from lemon
1 small shallot minced (about 1 TBSP)
1 TBSP minced fresh parsley leaves
1/2 tsp minced tarragon (or if you want a different flavor - use oregano)
3/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

Chicken:
1 cup bread crumbs finely processed
salt and pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions:

1. Herb Butter: Mix the ingredients in a medium bowl with a rubber spatula until well combined.  Form into a 3 inch square on a sheet of saran wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate for about 40 minutes.

2. Chicken: Preheat oven 300 degrees.  Add 1/8 tsp of salt and pepper to bread crumbs. Add the oil and toss until the crumbs are evenly coated. Spread the crumbs on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden brown - approximately 20 minutes.  Cool to room temperature.

3. Butterfly each chicken breast and place in a ziplock bag. Pound the chicken with a meat mallet (smooth end) until the meat is 1/4 inch thickness. Remove from bag and repeat with other chicken breasts.

4. Unwrap herb butter and cut into four even pieces. For each piece of chicken, place a piece of the herb butter in the middle and fold the chicken around it so that it's completely covered - and place the chicken seam side down on a plate. Season with salt and pepper. Place in fridge, uncovered, for for 1 hour.

5. Preheat oven to 350. Place flour, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate plate or shallow dishes. Season the flour and breadcrumbs with salt and pepper.  Whisk the mustard with the eggs. Dredge chicken in flour, dip in egg, and evenly coat with breadcrumbs.

6. Place in oven safe dish and bake for 40-45 minutes until instant-read thermometer reads 160-165 degrees. Serve with your favorite style of mashed potatoes or green veggies.

Curry Chicken Casserole

Curry Chicken Casserole was a favorite growing up. However, despite my slightly disproportionate ratio of chicken to broccoli consumption as a child - I've come to love eating the broccoli too :)  This recipe is simple and is great for the family or for a small setting with the benefits of great leftovers.  I made this after a long hiatus probably about 5 years! I kind of forgot about it until I was looking through the family recipe book and was reunited again!

Curry Chicken Casserole
From my family cookbook
Serves 6 people


Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts
2 cups of broccoli florets (frozen or fresh)
2 tins cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 TBSP curry yellow powder (more if you like spicier - less if you don't like a strong curry taste)
2 cups of grated cheddar cheese


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.


1. Boil chicken breasts in lightly salted water for about 20 minutes.  Remove and discard bone and skin and cut chicken into small cubed pieces.


2.  Parboil broccoli for 5 minutes and place on the bottom of a rectangular casserole dish.

3.  Place cubed chicken atop of the broccoli.

4.  Combine soup and mayonnaise and curry in a separate bowl.

5.  Pour mixture over the chicken, and top with grated cheese.

6. Bake for 30 minutes. Serves well with jasmine or basmati rice.

Keeps well for a few days in the fridge and is excellent for leftovers.  Enjoy!

Thai Grilled Chicken with Spicy, Sweet, & Sour Dipping Sauce

I use my BBQ all year round.  And with this recipe - it's certainly worth a few cold brushes of wind to have a sizzling juicy product of Thai grilled chicken.  You will need some time to brine the chicken - don't skip that part! I served mine with some sticky white rice - but you can substitute for another kind - or even some veggies.

Thai Grilled Chicken with Spicy, Sweet, & Sour Dipping Sauce

Taken from The Complete America’s Test Kitchen 2001-2011.

Makes for two.

Ingredients:

Chicken & Brine:

 ½ cup sugar

½ cup table salt

2 (1 ½ pound) boneless skinless chicken breasts

Sauce:

1/3 cup sugar

¼ cup distilled white vinegar

¼ cup squeezed lime juice (1-2 limes)

2 TBSP fish sauce 

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tsp)

1 tsp red pepper flakes

Rub:

 2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

12 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about ¼ cup)

¼ cup squeezed limejuice

2 TBSP minced or grated fresh ginger

2 TSBP ground black pepper

2 TBSP ground coriander

2 TBSP vegetable (or olive) oil

Directions:

For the Chicken & Brine:

Dissolve the sugar and salt in 2 quarts (8 cups) of cold water in a large bowl.  Submerge the chicken, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 HOUR.

Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

For the Sauce:

Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves and set aside.

For the Rub:

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. 

Working with one chicken breast at a time, rub the mixture so it coats the entire surface evenly.

Grill chicken on BBQ.

Transfer chicken to platter and let rest for five minutes. Serve with rice and dipping sauce. This has lots of taste - great with a milder rice to calm your taste buds. Spicy - at a medium-mild range for me.

Jerk Chicken Nachos

This dish was first tried at a Pampered Chef party that my friend Melissa and I hosted - which was a huge success! These nachos have been a favorite ever since! Please try these and don't forget to check out the salsa and guacamole recipes on my blog too to go along with this meal if you haven't already :) 

Jerk Chicken Nachos Modified from The Pampered Chef  Ingredients:

6 cups (1.5 L) LIME tortilla chips  1 TBSP olive oil  3 cups (750 mL)  diced or shredded cooked chicken   8 oz (250 g) shredded marble cheese (2 cups/500 mL)   2 tbsp (30 mL) Jamaican Jerk Spice Rub (Pampered Chef), divided   1 small yellow or red bell pepper or combination  1 small tomato   1/4 cup finely chopped red onion 1 lime   2 tbsp (30 mL) snipped fresh cilantro   1/4 cup (50 mL) sour cream Directions: Cook cubed chicken in frying pan with about 1 TBSP  of olive oil.  Add 1 TBSP jerk chicken spice while cooking. Lay out lime tortilla chips on a cookie sheet. Once chicken is cooked, take a slap-chop like device and chop the chicken into small  pieces. In a medium sized bowl, mix chicken and cheese together well. Depending on the size of your cookie sheet - you may want to do one single layer of  toppings or double it up. Layering: Sprinkle chicken/cheese mix over the tortilla chips.   Next, sprinkle chopped fresh cilantro, red pepper, tomato, and red onion. Squeeze the juice from a lime over the nachos. Bake in oven @ 350 for approximately 10 minutes until cheese is melted. For serving - take 1 cup of sour cream and mix with remaining 1 TSBP of jerk chicken spice. This is amazing dipping sauce! If you want, you can also serve with regular sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. I promise you will not be disappointed! Serve with your favorite beverage :)

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

My track record for eating green leafy veggies has been less than stellar. I know I'm not going to get any gold stars any time soon, however, I am making more of an effort to eat a variety of veggies. My trick is usually much like that of a child where the meat-veggie ratio is slightly skewed - or the veggies are in some type of sauce and hidden well. I know - you are allowed to shake your head in shame. I am learning. 

Proof of my expansion of things that are green is this dish.  Think of it like eating a taco - be careful not to fill the lettuce leaves too much or you will be having one very big mess! 

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Taken from America’s Test Kitchen Light & Healthy 2010.

Makes for 4.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups water

1 cup short-grain rice, such as sushi rice, rinsed

3 TBSP fish sauce

3 TBSP fresh lime juice

2 TBSP grated lime zest

1 ½ TBSP brown sugar

1 tsp. Cornstarch

1 pound of ground chicken

2 tsp. Oil

1 Thai or jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded, and minced

¼ up fresh basil

3 green onions, sliced

12 Bibb or Boston lettuce leaves (about 1 head)

Directions:

1. Bring the water and rice to a boil in a medium pot over high heat.  Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the rice from the heat and let sit, covered, until tender, about 15 minutes.
2. While the rice sits off the heat, whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, brown sugar, and cornstarch together in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Add the chicken, chile, and lime zest and cook, breaking up the meat into small pieces, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. 
4. Whisk the fish sauce mixture to recombine, then add it to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened, about 45 seconds.  Remove from heat, and stir in the basil and green onions. 
5. In assembling these lettuce wraps:
   1. Use lettuce leaf as a base
   2. Place a few spoonfuls of rice
   3. Cover with chicken mixture
   4. Eat like a taco!

I was skeptical about this actually turning out – but it did and is even excellent leftover. Enjoy!

Cheese & Chicken Enchiladas

This has been a favorite dish since since second year university when my friend Melanie introduced it to me.  She used to always serve them as bite-sized appetizers at parties by slicing the enchiladas and having them secured with a toothpick. Now that undergrad days are far away, I serve it as a supper-time meal. It tastes even better if you're feeling festive and are drinking a margarita!

Makes 6.

These enchiladas are quick and easy after a long day at work.  If you like it on the spicy side - substitute the medium salsa to hot and throw in 1/4 cup of chopped jalapeños.

Cheese & Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

1 medium chopped onion

2 TBSP olive oil

1 1/2 cups chopped chicken

1/2 cup medium salsa

125g light cream cheese (about half the size of a normal package)

1 tsp ground cumin ( 1 1/2 if you like a stronger flavor)

1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese

White flour tortillas (can substitute for other flavors)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Heat oil and onions on medium heat in pan until onions are translucent (about 2 minutes)

3. Add chicken and cook until done; add 1/2 tsp cumin

4. Stir in cream cheese and 1 cup of cheddar cheese until melted

5. Stir in 1/4 cup of salsa (save what's left for topping)

6. Once it is mixed into a cream-like sauce, turn off burner and place chicken mixture into the centre of each tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in a 12 x 18 baking dish.  

7. Top with remaining salsa and cheddar cheese.

8. Bake for 15 minutes.

Serve with sour cream for dipping!

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Feta, and Mint

There are at least six different types of cheese in my fridge at all times. Extra old cheddar, cambozola or basic blue, mozzarella, parmigiano reggiano, goats cheese (likely infused with something fruity or herby), and feta. If I let myself, I would eat cheese on everything.

This dish brings Greek influences with it’s feta, olives, and cherry tomatoes. Having not married a Greek myself, although some of my friends are so lucky, I’ve had to figure out and get words of wisdom from books, online sources, and bug my Greek friends for guarded family recipes.

This one was taken from a great cookbook, “America’s Test Kitchen: Light & Healthy 2010”.

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives, Feta, and Mint

Makes for 4.  If desired, basil can be substituted for mint. Whole lot of amazing.

Prep time - approximately 30 minutes. 

Ingredients:

Chicken:

½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 tsp olive oil

Relish:

2 garlic cloves, minced

12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved (about 2 cups)

1/3 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped (fresh ones from the deli section are best)

2 TBSP water

Salt and pepper to taste

1 ounce crumbled feta cheese (about 1/4 cup)

¼ cup fresh shredded mint (can be substituted for basil)

Directions:

For chicken:

Spread the flour in a shallow dish. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.  

Lightly dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any extra.  

Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.  

Carefully lay the chicken breasts in the skillet and cook well browned on the first side, about 6-8 minutes.  

Flip the chicken and reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until the chicken is not pink in the middle and white and juicy.  

Transfer chicken to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest while making the relish.  

For the relish:

Add the garlic to the oil (you may need to add a little extra oil) and return to medium heat, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.  

Stir in tomatoes, olives, and water, and cook scraping up any browned bits until the tomatoes are just softened, about 2 minutes.  

Stir in any accumulated chicken juice and season with salt and pepper to taste - but remember that feta cheese is salty so not too much salt! 

Plate the chicken and pour the relish over the chicken breasts, sprinkle with feta and mint to serve. 

It must, if at all possible, be drank with a glass of wine while you pretend you are sitting on an island in Greece. Opa!