Category: Chicken

Homemade Shake and Bake

Chicken, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Kids, Pantry Raid

Hey guys! Hope you are having a great week! When I went to the store a couple of days ago, I was planning on making a chicken, broccoli, and rice casserole with all real ingredients, i.e. homemade cream of … soup. Tonight just did not seem like a casserole kind of night, so I put my plan in a new direction. One of my most popular posts is my oven baked chicken…
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/08/31/oven-baked-chicken/

I thought, “Maybe I could make that recipe, but even better.” I did just that. I made my own version of “Shake and Bake” and added it to boneless skinless chicken breasts (you could substitute pork chops) with a plenty of salt and pepper and olive oil.

Homemade Shake and Bake- I eyeballed all these servings- Add more or less of what you want.

2 cups plain breadcrumbs
1 cup shredded or crumbled parmesan cheese
1 handful of chopped fresh herbs- basil, sage, marjoram, oregano
Mix together in a large zip top bag.

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.
I took 2 chicken breasts and salt and peppered them liberally on both sides. Then I covered both of them with olive oil. I added the chicken breasts to the zip top bag with the Homemade mixture and shook them up. The girls had fun with this part. I put them in a sprayed baking dish. Bake for about 45 minutes.

Pantry Raid sides- I served with steamed fresh broccoli (steam for 20 minutes in a steamer), a side of rice (boxed Zataran’s mild), and cheesy garlic bread (frozen).

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Chicken and Orzo Soup

Chicken, Soups

I don’t really make a whole lot of soup in the summer. I had some leftover chicken from the other night, https://funfoodiefamily.com/2014/05/26/herb-butter-roasted-chicken/
so I knew I needed to use it up. My husband isn’t feeling well today, so I made him this homemade chicken soup. I added tons of fresh herbs and veggies along with the chicken and orzo. I recently ran out of my homemade chicken stock, so I used a low sodium one here. Because I had a leftover carcass, I am currently making more stock. I made a big pot of this soup, so I will be eating it for a few days and freezing some.

Chicken and Orzo Soup

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
2 carrots. chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 container of mushrooms, sliced (I cut mine in strips)
fresh herbs chopped- tarragon, rosemary, parsley, sage, basil, oregano, marjoram
chicken- cooked and sliced into strips or chunks
1 small box of orzo (small rice-like pasta) You could use rice or any other pasta you have.
1 lemon- juice and zest
1 quart of chicken broth
water

Directions

Heat a good amount of oil in the bottom of a big pot on med. meat- I used my circular Dutch oven.
Add your chopped veggies. Cook down for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add your lemon juice and zest. Stir and cook for a minute or so.
Add the stock and orzo. Stir occasionally to make sure the orzo does not stick to the bottom. Follow the directions for cooking time, less than 10 minutes. halfway through, add your cooked chicken. Depending on how liquidy you like your soup, add water a little at a time during the cooking process. The orzo will absorb lots of the broth, so I added about 2 more cups of water.

Perfect light healthy meal for a summer night in the air condition!
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Herb Butter Roasted Chicken

Chicken

On to the main course…
This roast chicken is simple and delicious.
Preheat oven to 500…yes, that is the right temperature.
1. Pick out some of your favorite herbs. I used tarragon, rosemary, sage, marjoram, and basil.
2. Get out a stick of butter (I always use unsalted unless otherwise noted). Let it get soft on the counter for about 30 minutes, or soften it up in the microwave for about 20 seconds, 10 seconds at a time.
3. Hand mix the herbs and butter with a spatula or slowly pulse together in a food processor.
4. Pat dry the whole chicken. Salt and pepper librally on all sides. Smear the bird all over with your herb butter.
5. Roast for about 1 1/2 hour. flipping and basting every 20 minutes or so.

I set off my fire alarm. The chicken was fine, but apparently I had some food in the oven that caught on fire. Nothing major. Just run of the mill cooking stuff. Ain’t no thang =)

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Chicken Kabobs, Oven Roasted Corn, and Naan with Arugula and Walnut Pesto

Chicken, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Sandwiches

I have been in the kitchen cooking since 3 pm. I made marinara sauce for my baked shells, cooked hamburger meat, marinated my chicken, made pesto, cooked dinner, and assembled my baked shells for tomorrow’s dinner. Any day I get to spend in the kitchen is a great one! Here is what we ate tonight…

Chicken Kabobs

I cut up chunks of chicken (4 breasts) and marinated it in olive oil, garlic (6 cloves, smashed and chopped), and salt and pepper to taste. Let set in fridge for at least 20 minutes. This is a great mild marinade, but heat would have been amazing in this. I might have added some diced jalapeno, a splash of hot sauce, or a few shakes of red pepper flakes if the girls were not eating this with us. Maybe next time I will do 2 marinades.
I also cut up some onion and added whole mushrooms to skewers I soaked in water for 20 minutes (while the marinade was going). Rotate on smoking hot grill or grill pan for about 6 minutes or so per side until the inside is no longer pink. 002

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Arugula and Walnut Pesto

You guys know I love to make pesto. This is the same as all the others. Greens (arugula), nuts (walnuts), cheese (Parmesan), and olive oil streamed in to the right consistency.
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Oven Roasted Corn

I wrapped 6 ears of corn in aluminum foil with 2 pats of butter per ear. I placed them in a 450 oven for about 20 minutes. Fresh corn is always a big hit! We planted some in our garden this year, so hopefully we will get a few ears out of it!

I heated some Naan bread on my gas eye and assembled a sandwich of sorts.It was heaven.

 

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Meal Plan 4/6/14

Chicken, Weekly Meal Plans

Spring Break!!! I am so excited to stay home with my girlies this week! Hope everyone is enjoying this sun and warmer weather. Good riddance, winter!

Sunday- Beer Battered Fish, pan roasted potatoes, and skillet green beans
https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/09/22/beer-battered-fish/
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Monday- Braised Beef Short Ribs, mashed potatoes

Tuesday- Lemon Rosemary Chicken with risotto and broccoli
Stuff your chicken with a few halved lemons. Put rosemary leaves under the skin, and rub the bird with olive oil and salt and pepper. Cook on 450 for about 25 minutes. Drop temp to 400 for another hour or so. Mine ended up being undercooked, so I needed to add it in another 30 minutes. Always use a oven thermometer or a meat thermometer.
chicken 2

chicken

Wednesday- Date Night

Thursday- Leftovers/Clean out the Fridge Night

Friday- Family Fun Night

Hope you guys have a great week!