Maple Baked Chicken Breasts

Maple Baked Chicken Breasts

4 single chicken breasts (or cut-up boiler-fyer}
1/4  cup all-purpose flour
Salt and ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons butter
1 and1/2  cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon dried savory
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 onion, peeled and  sliced
 
Rinse chicken and pat dry. Dredge in flour seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. In a heavy, flameproof casserole, heat butter until bubbling and brown chicken pieces quickly on both sides over medium high heat. Pour maple syrup over chicken. Sprinkle with savory, thyme and sage. Arrange onion slices atop chicken. Pour 1/ 2 cup water into the bottom of casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes or until tender, basting chicken occasionally with pan juices. Serves 4.

Homemade Garlic Parmesan Wings

These homemade Garlic Parmesan Wings make a nice hot lunch, or an appetizer, or make them in quantity and share with friends. I make this is batches of 5 wings, because it’s just me.  So if you want more - scale up the ingredients. 

5 Wings – fresh, or thawed fully. I like the bigger ones if you can get them. 

Dry mix - Put together in a bowl 1 cup of flour and about a tsp or so of Italian dried herbs. I use something called McCormick’s Perfect pinch Italian seasoning but you could make your own blend easy enough. Add about two tablespoons of Parmesan cheese… either the stuff that comes in the green canister or if you’re using fresh you’ll want it grated very fine, like tiny breadcrumbs. Some folks would add a shake of salt to this, but that’s up to you.

Wet mix – crack either one extra large or two regular eggs into a separate bowl. I use two. Add a tsp or more garlic – fresh, or the stuff that comes in a jar from the store.  Add a few drops of olive oil.  Beat that all up til frothy.

I heat up a little marinara or spaghetti sauce to dip in, and add a little more Parmesan to it.

Take the wings, roll them quickly in the dry mix, and then let them sit for a bit – at least 15 minutes.  This helps the chicken dry so the crust will form better.   While they are sitting, mix up the wet mix. 

Take your wings that have been sitting resting and dip into the wet mix to coat them.  Then dip them again into the dry mix fully covering them. Lay them out on a small rack or plate that will fit in the fridge.  This works best if one hand coats with the wet mix, and another coats with the dry mix.  The wings now sit either overnight or for at least a hour or so in the fridge. Don’t stack them up, lay them flat. This seems like a silly thing but I’ve discovered that this resting cold with the dry-wet-dry coating really makes a difference in how crunchy they are.

I deep fry these wings in Crisco. I’m lucky enough to have a secondhand deep fryer (a Presto – Granpappy fryer), but you could do it in a cast iron Dutch oven on the stove. You’ll want about three inches of Crisco, so get yourself a couple of big cans, and just commit that fat to deep frying*.  Heat the fat up to 350 degrees before you start.  Make sure there’s plenty of room for them to fit – I add one at a time, and sometimes if they are bigger only do three at a time, In a Dutch oven, probably 5 at a time is fine. The wings should reach an internal temp of 165 degrees. In the Fryer this takes 7-8 minutes, but your time may vary.



* Once you’re done cooking the wings in the cast iron pan, let the whole thing go cold. The Crisco can be used again for a number of times.

Strawberry Chicken Salad

Bob's Strawberry Chicken Salad

1 marinated cooked chicken breast (or salmon or steak)
1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1/3 cup Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese
1 cup of toasted walnuts
2 or 3 cups of spring mix or your favorite greens
1 cup diced cucumber
5 Cherry tomatoes halved or a similar type
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon seedless preserves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place the salad greens, chicken,berries in a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, preserves, salt, onion powder and pepper. Drizzle over salad; toss gently to coat. Top with toasted walnuts.

Garlic Butter Meatballs

Garlic Butter Meatballs

1 lb. ground chicken
5 garlic cloves, minced and divided
1 egg, beaten
1/2 c. grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
2 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 tbsp. butter
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

In a large bowl mix together ground chicken, 2 garlic cloves, egg, Parmesan, parsley, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper then form into tablespoon sized meatballs.

In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil and cook meatballs until golden on all sides and cooked through, 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and wipe out skillet with a paper towel.

Melt butter in skillet then add remaining 3 garlic cloves and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.

Add cooked pasta (or zucchini noodles) to skillet and toss in garlic butter then squeeze in lemon juice.
Add meatballs back and heat just until warmed through. Garnish with Parmesan to serve.



Thanks to https://www.delish.com/cooking/a23029289/baked-chicken-thighs/

Sweet and Sour Something

This is great sauce for Sweet and Sour Meatballs which I often take in a slow cooker to parties, or Sweet and Sour Chicken which I like to make at home. I bet it even works well with Pork.

Serve it whichever way over rice, and you've got a meal that can't be beat.

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup vinegar 1 green pepper, cut in strips
1 cup pineapple juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/3 cup soy sauce
8 ounce can of pineapple chunks, drained

Instructions
Combine all ingredients except the pineapple.
Cook, stirring, until thickened.
Add pineapple just before serving.

Lemon Chicken Romano

Lemon Chicken Romano, a bright refreshing chicken recipe, great with rice.

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed, and pounded to 1/2-inch thick
2 oz shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup)
2 oz shredded Montrey cheese (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup semolina flour
1/2 cup italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 oz finely shredded Romano cheese (1/2 cup)
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 1/2 Tbsp  olive oil
Lemon juice as desired


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pound the chicken thighs let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Combine Mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese in a bowl, set aside.
In a shallow dish,  place semolina flour. in the next shallow dish, fill with 1/2 milk.In a separate shallow dish, toss together seasoned bread crumbs, Romano cheese, oregano, and garlic powder

Working with 1 chicken  thigh at a time, dredge chicken in  semolina flour, then in milk coating both sides and allowing excess to run off, then immediately transfer to Romano mixture and coat both sides with cheese & crumbs, while pressing gently to allow crumbs to adhere. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat process with remaining chicken pieces. Wait at least 5 minutes before continuing to the next step.

 Pour Olive oil into a 10-inch non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add 2 coated chicken thighs and fry without moving them until bottom is crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes, then using metal tongs flip to opposite side and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer fried chicken to a large plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat process with remaining 2 pieces of chicken.

Place browned chicken on pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle tops with Mozzarella/Monterey Jack cheese mixture. Squirt a little lemon juice on each piece of chicken and transfer to preheated oven to bake until internal temperature registers 165 degrees. This is about 12-14 minutes. Remove from oven and garnish with lemon slices or wedges and serve warm. Squeeze fresh lemon juice from lemon slices over chicken just before enjoying.


An adaptation of recipe originally found on http://www.cookingclassy.com/2013/03/lemon-chicken-romano/ 

CHICKEN FRANCES

CHICKEN FRANCES:

Serves 4 – 6 (*See Note)

4 Boneless and Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 14.5 oz. Can Low Sodium Chicken Broth
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup Flour (or more if needed for breading)
1/4 Olive Oil
3 Lemons
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
3 Tbsp. Butter
1/4 Chopped Fresh Parsley
Trim chicken breasts of any fat.  Take each breast and flatten it out with a mallet.  If the breasts are very thick, you will want to filet them before pounding them out thin.  I had four thick breasts, which I had to filet and then pound out thin.

Set the chicken to the side and then prepare your work station for dipping and flouring.  Crack the eggs into a shallow bowl and beat together well.  You can add a teaspoon of cool water to the eggs to help thin them out a bit.  In a separate shallow bowl add your flour and season with your salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.

Dip each chicken breast first in the flour, then the egg, and then the flour again, pressing to make sure you get a nice even coat.  Set each breast on a plate until you finish dipping and breading each one.

Set the oven to 350 degrees.

In a non-stick skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and set the heat to medium.  Once hot, add two chicken breasts at a time and cook until just done on each side.  You want them to be a very light golden brown.  We are not looking for a deep brown color to these.  Cook each breast until just about done.  Remove to a casserole dish and continue browning each chicken breast, continuing to add oil 2 tablespoons at a time as needed.  Once you are done, place the casserole dish with the chicken in the oven uncovered and allow to cook for 10 – 12 minutes.

Meanwhile wipe out the skillet with some paper towels.  You don’t want to clean the pan completely, but you do want to remove all that flour that has browned in the bottom.  You won’t remove the flavor by doing this, but you will allow yourself to have a nice lemon colored sauce.

Set burner to medium heat and pour in your chicken broth.  Add some salt and pepper if you feel it needs it.  Squeeze in the juice of two lemons.  Bring to a boil and then quickly whisk in about 1 teaspoon of flour.  Add in the 3 tablespoons of butter and whisk again.  Turn the heat down to simmer and allow to reduce to almost half.

Once the sauce is done, add the chopped fresh parsley and stir.  Set the chicken breasts out on a rimmed platter or baking dish, and pour the sauce all over the top of each breast.

Take your last lemon and slice it thin, with the skin on.  Place pieces of sliced lemon across the whole dish and serve.

Excellent with some angel hair pasta or rice.

Note:  If you are using 4 thin chicken breasts, even before pounding them thin, you will serve about 4 with this dish.  If you are using 4 thick cut breasts like I used, you should filet them into 8 breasts and then pound each thin.


Many thanks to Boredcook.com who originally posted this delicious recipe!

Miami Chicken

Here's one of those summer favorite recipes. This time of year its a nice reminder of summer, so its something different to make to stave off cabin fever. A tangy change from that sweet BBQ taste in a bottle, Miami Chicken is good baked, broiled or grilled. You'll get a slightly different flavor depending on how you cook it and what kind of chicken you use.

On the grill I like bone in chicken but boneless works as well. You'll use the sauce as a mariinade and then baste frequently to build a lovely glaze and seal in the flavorable juices. Under the broiler, I find boneless chicken will cook much more evenly than bone in chicken, but I've done both. Here, the sauce is a marinade, and then you'll baste two or three times getting a bbq type sauce, but not as much of a glaze as the grill will give you. Just baking in the oven, I use skinless and sometimes boneless chicken because you're going to get a sauce that will not be as sticky, and the skin creates far too much fat drippings for my liking.

Whatever chicken you use, this makes about 2 cups of the sauce/marinade. I think its supposed to work well for 2 pounds of chicken, but I tend to go heavy on my sauces so I use about a pound and a half of chicken per batch of marinade. 

Make sure you wash and dry off your chicken before starting. Salt and Pepper the chicken lightly. Once you have asssembled the ingredients and created the sauce, you'll want to marinade the seasoned chicken it  in for a while. Usually I go between 20 minutes and 4 hours, in the fridge. Of course the longer you soak the chicken, the more flavor it will have. Once you go to cook the chicken this sauce will become a sauce or glaze. Only use sauce that is cooked, throw away the portion that is uncooked.

If Grilling, turn the chicken often (5-7 minutes) and baste with the sauce each time. Grill for 30 minutes or until the chicken is done and the juices run clear.

If Broiling the chicken, you'll want to watch it doesn't burn. The cooking works similar to grilling, turning and basting every 10 minutes until the chicken is done. If you cut back the brown sugar by a tablespoon it will be less likely to burn using this cooking method.

If Baking, Double line the pan (it should have a lip around the edges) with foil. Cover the chicken with sauce, using about half of it. Cook about 15 minutes at 350 degrees before turning the chicken over and covering it with the remainder of the sauce. Bake another 15 minutes or until done. once you have put the chicken on a platter for serving, use the foil to lift the resulting sauce out and pour over chicken for serving. I serve this with a spoon in case folks want a little extra sauce with their meal.

This also is good made with chicken wings for a party.

Miami Chicken Sauce

About 1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 Tbsp. oil
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. Dijon-style mustard
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 &1/2  tsp. dried basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, minced

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Chicken with Rosemary Sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil
4 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves or 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs pounded thin.
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup dry white wine or vermouth
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup half-and-half
Preparation

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side. Add green onions, wine, and rosemary; cook 30 seconds. Stir in broth; cook 2 minutes. Add half-and-half; cook 2 minutes.

From Cooking Light Magazine

Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

1 pound of boneless skinless chicken (more if you like)

1/4 cup of chicken stock or chicken broth
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp grated ginger
3 Garlic cloves
Sesame seeds

Remove as much fat as possible and put the chicken in the crock pot.
Mix every thing else together in a bowl before pouring over chicken.
Pour over the liquid and cook. I cooked overnight, 8 hours on low. If you let it cook on low just a bit longer it will start to fall apart when you stir the pot.
About 15 minutes before serving, add a tablespoon of sesame seeds.

Barber's Garlic Chicken

Quick and easy garlic chicken for dinner.

4 boneless chichen breasts.
4 cloves garlic minced
4 tbs brown sugar
I tbs butter.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Use a baking dish or a cookie sheet lined with foil to lay the chicken out.
Sauté garlic until tender. Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir till melted.

Pour over chicken  and thenbake 15-20 minutes or until done.

Chicken Gone Nuts

To make 4 servings of Chicken Gone Nuts:

3 and 1/2 tablespoons shelled pecans or walnuts
2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 1 and 1/4 pound boneless thighs)
2 tablespoons oil
nonfat cooking spray
milk

Preheat broiler or grill. combine nuts and breadcrumbs and grind in blender or food processor until fine. put nuts/breading mix in plastic baggie.

Separately, dip each piece of chicken into milk, then place into plastic bag and shake until well covered with mixture.

Heat oil in skillet, brown chicken over medium heat a few minutes on each side. Transfer chcken to spray coated broiler pan, or grill. cook another 4 minutes or so on each side, until chicken is done all the way through.

Honey-Beer Chicken

2 tsp oil
1 & 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken
1/4 black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
3 Tbsp finely sliced shallots
1/2 cup beer
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp Honey
2 Tbsp fresh Parsley leaves

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. add oil and coat bottom of pan bottom.  Salt & Pepper Chicken. Saute chicken in pan 6 minutes per side or until done.  Remove chicken from pan, put in warm oven.  Cook Shallot in pan for a minute. combine beer, soy sauce, dijon mustard and honey in a small bowl with a whisk.  Add  beer mixture to the pan, bring to a boil. Scrape pan to loosen brown bits.  cook about 3 minutes, reducing the sauce. Return chicken to pan and turn to coat with sauce.  Sprinkle with parsley just before serving.

Baton Rouge Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or other chicken pieces, but breasts seem to work best)
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
Spice Mix:
2 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
1/2 tsp. salt

Dip chicken breasts on both sides in the melted butter. Place on a sheet of waxed paper.
Combine the ingredients in the spice mix. Sprinkle over the chicken breasts on both sides of the meat evenly. Pat mixture onto the meat firmly.
Place a cast-iron skillet over medium high heat for 8 minutes.
Add chicken pieces, first with the skin side down, and cook until "blackened."
This may produce smoke, so be sure to turn the range vent on.
If you do not have a range vent, do not cook over so high a heat, but the chicken will not, then, actually blacken.

Turn chicken over. Saute just until chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes in all.
Serve immediately

* from the Great American Recipes Cooking Collection

Stuffed Chicken Roll-ups

2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 c. bread crumbs
1 and 1/2 c. packaged stuffing crumbs
1/2 lb. butter or margarine
8 chicken breasts, boned and skinned, beaten with mallet to 1/4" thickness

Combine stuffing crumbs with butter or margarine and small amount of water to make very soft.   Put approximately one table-spoon on each chicken breast leaving space on all sides for stuffing to expand.   Starting at narrow end, roll up chicken breast, securing with tooth picks.   Dip each stuffed breast into the egg and then the bread crumbs coating well.  

Place in shallow baking pan and bake at 375 degrees approximately one hour.   Serves 8.

Oven Barbequed Chicken Wings

2 Tbs olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onion
½ cup Ketchup
2Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tb White Vinegar
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp pepper
½ tsp dry mustard
1 ½ lb. chicken wings

Heat oil in medium sauce pan Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add ketchup, worcestershire sauce vinegar, lemon juice, pepper and dry mustard. Simmer for 12 minutes. Cut chicken wings at the joint, rinse and pat dry. Place chicken pieces in a pan and coat liberally ¾ of the sauce. Bake in preheated 450 degree oven for 50minutes. Baste occasionally with remaining sauce.

Southwestern Chicken

A favorite of a friend, Southwestern chicken is low-fat and flavorful.

For 6 servings of Southwestern Chicken, you will need:
6 chicken breast halves, boned and skinned
2 tsp cumin, divided
1 tsp minced garlic
1 15 ounce can of black beans rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
2/3 cup picante sauce
1/2 cup diced red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

First, season the chicken with 1 tsp cumin and  the garlic. coat a skillet with non stick cooking spray and place over medium heat. add chicken and cook 3-4 minutes. in a separate bowl, combine beans, corn, picante sauce, bell pepper and remaining cumin. spoon mixture over chicken  cook 6-8 minutes more or until done at a reduced heat.  Then remove chicken to a platter and keep warm. continue to heat the bean mixture at high heat another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  spread bean mixture over chicken and top with cilantro. serve with picante sauce over rice or on non-fat flour tortillas.

Per serving, 211 calories, 30 g protein, 16 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat.

Cornish Hen Halves

Here's a Cornish Hen recipe for the grill, not the oven.

Take 4 cornish hens and half them lengthwise
2 small onions minced
2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup red currant jelly
3 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
Salt and pepper

season hen halves with salt and pepper.  place cut side down on a grill with medium-low heat. combine all other ingredients well. Cook hens 10 minutes on each side. brush with well blended sauce  and cook 10 more minutes per side, basting with sauce.

Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken

Ingredients for lemon herb marinade:
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
grated rind of one lemon
2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 and 1/2 tsp onion powder
1 and 1/2 tsp crushed sweet basil
1/2 tsp crushed thyme
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 cup oil

Combine all ingredients and put in a freezer bag or container for marinating.
Add 1 frying chicken cut up in parts and marinate for 6-8 hours.
place on grill skin side up over medium heat. cook for 20 to 25 minutes basting often with marinade.
Turn over, cook for 20 minutes later. Serve once juices run clear.

Sesame Crunch Chicken

Take about a pound of boneless for skinless chicken and flatten it a little. Soak the chicken in about a cup of milk with a 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder. Combine in a shallow bowl 1/4 cup of cornmeal, 1/4 cup flour, 3 tablespoons of sesame seeds with a tablespoon of dried parsley and a dash of salt and paper.

In a large frying pan, add a couple of tablespoons of olive il and heat. Dredge your chicken in the sesame coating. Pat the coating on with your you hands to ensure the chicken is fully coated. place the chicken in the oil on medium heat  (you may have to do this in batches depending on the size of the pan) for about 6 minutes on each side until browned on both sides and cooked throughout. Once all the chicken is done, remove to a plate with some foil over the chicken.

Drain off about 1/2 of the remaining oil. Add about a cup of white wine (I use Vermouth) to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits and turn up the heat to get the wine bubbling pretty good.  Add a pinch of two of the coating mix and let it cook down a little to thicken a tad.

Serve the sesame crunch chicken and serve the sauce in a gravy bowl or creamer cup. I like this with rice and i bet some stir fried veggies would go well too. drizzle just a bit of the pan sauce over the chicken and dig in.