Category: Chicken

Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie Stew

Chicken, Crockpot /Make Ahead Meals, Soups

Another great crockpot recipe! I love putting all the ingredients in the crockpot in the morning and coming home to have dinner ready! The family LOVED it! It is a great fall dish on a chilly night!

Crockpot Chicken Pot Pie Stew
Ingredients

3 chicken breasts
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 carrots, chopped
1 container sliced mushrooms
1/2 bag frozen mixed veggies (corn, peas, etc.)
10 small yellow potatoes (I halved some of the larger ones, but left the small ones whole)
1 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, poultry seasoning, celery salt, nutmeg, garlic powder, and onion powder
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
8 oz. chicken-flavored cooking stock
1 container of cream cheese and 1 dollop of sour cream
puff pastry

Directions

Place chicken breasts in a large slow cooker. Add veggies and seasonings. Pour chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce. Stir mixture on top of chicken, cover crockpot and set to cook for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

Thirty minutes before cook time is up, remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Shred the meat using two forks and return shredded meat to crockpot. Add the cream cheese and sour cream and let melt and mix together, about 20 minutes. Add the chicken back in and mix together.

Ladle in individual ramekins and top with puff pastry. Bake in the oven until the puff pastry is golden brown and puffed up =)

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Chicken Parmesan

Chicken

Hey guys! I made this for dinner a couple of nights ago. I got some chicken thighs super cheap this past weekend at Publix. I was thinking of a way to make them and spied some slices of mozzarella in the fridge, so I changed up my regular Parmesan recipe just a bit. The pieces were a little uneven, so at the end, the bigger pieces had to be cooked more, but otherwise, it was fantastic! I paired it with some jarred pasta and ziti noodles. My family was super happy =)

Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients

5 chicken thighs, bone in, skin on
2 cups all-purpose flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
4 eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water and seasoned with salt and pepper
2 cups mixed Panko and Italian bread crumbs
1 cup vegetable oil or pure olive oil
2 jars of your favorite marinara sauce(or homemade https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/10/13/homemade-marinara-101213/)
1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
1 pound noodles- I used ziti
1 cup buttermilk (you can make your own buttermilk substitute by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or cider vinegar to 8 oz of milk)
about a tablespoon of paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Dry your chicken and put it in your buttermilk and let sit for about 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350.

Take it out of the milk and season the chicken on both sides with paprika, salt and pepper. Dredge each piece in the flour (with more paprika, salt, and pepper), then dip in the egg, then dredge on both sides in the bread crumbs. Shake off any excess in each step.

Add oil to a large cast iron pan. Add each piece and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Cook the chicken in batches or use 2 pans if needed. Transfer to a baking sheet or casserole dish. img_9540

Cook the chicken until the internal temperature is 160. Then place a bit of sauce, a few slices of the mozzarella, and salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until the chicken is cooked through, 165, and the cheese is melted, about 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven. While your chicken is cooking in the oven, cook your pasta. Enjoy!

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Roast Chicken

Chicken

Happy Sunday! Just got finished watching Game of Thrones! No spoilers, but how can we wait until at least next year to find out what happens???

Made a happy roasted juicy chicken tonight…

Ingredients
Roasting chicken (mine was a giant, almost 7 pounds!)
salt, pepper, and a bit of poultry seasoning
handful of herbs- thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley
1 lemon, halved
1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
1 stick unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, peeled and sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and cut lengthwise  and in long strips (or baby carrots)
olive oil
Directions 
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees .
Remove giblet packet from chicken. Gross, but must be done.
Rinse chicken; this is debated, but if you get if from a package from the grocery, rinse it. Then sanitize your sink like a crazy person. If you get it from a butcher or farmers market, skip this step. Either way, pat the outside of the chicken dry with a paper towel. And still sanitize your sink like a crazy person, because no one wants Salmonella.
Stuff the chicken cavity with 1/2 of the garlic, 1/2 of the lemon, and your herbs.
Separate the skin from the flesh of the chicken breast, making a pocket. Put 1 TBS butter under each breast. Press butter until evenly distributed. Using your fingers rub extra butter into the skin of the chicken.
Tie the legs and try to tuck the wings underneath the chicken (I always fail at this part). Put the chicken in a roasting pan. Salt and pepper the outside of  the chicken.

I nestled my bird in carrots, onion, and potatoes.

Depending on the size of your bird, roast for 1 (3-4 pounds) -2 hours (6-7 pounds) until juices run clear.  Remove chicken to a cutting board and let rest for 15.
I served with some yellow rice, but honestly, roast chicken goes with most anything!

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Crispy Chicken Thighs with Squash and Peppers

Chicken, One pot meal, Pantry Raid, Thrifty Meals

Happy weekend! Man, this past week was rough! It was the first week of school here in Georgia, and it was super exhausting. But we made it (with a bunch of naps and early bedtimes)! I made this easy dish on Thursday night when the girls were at cheer practice. I had defrosted the chicken, but wasn’t sure how I was going to make it and didn’t want to go the the store. I saw a random squash and a couple of mild hatch chili peppers in the crisper, so I decided to incorporate them somehow. I also spied a large jar of tomatoes in the pantry, so I came up with this recipe. Clean plates all around, so I know it was a winner!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
4 Skin on Bone in Chicken Thighs
1 squash, sliced
1 small mild hatch peppers
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can peeled whole (mashed) or diced tomatoes

Directions

Heat canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Season your chicken with the paprika and a bit of salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 6 minutes or so until crispy. Remove from pan.
Turn down heat to medium/medium low. Add your veggies to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender.
Add the tomato paste to the veggies and combine well.
Add the canned tomatoes and stir all the veggies together.
Return chicken to pan and continue to cook until chicken is cooked through, about 25 more minutes.

I served with couscous and side of corn. I normally would also add a fresh hot baguette as well, but I didn’t have one this time.

“Fried” Chicken (in butter and wine)

Chicken, Thrifty Meals

Evening friends! I hope you are all doing well. My mom was awesome and took the girls to cheer practice so I could stay a little longer at work. Most of you already know that I am a teacher, but may not know that the first week of pre-planning is brutal. I was in the “work zone” and getting stuff done, so I really needed to stay for a bit to feel accomplished for the day.

I was going to make them have a “whatever night” for dinner, which means they can eat what they want. They would have been fine with cereal and eggs or leftover pizza, but when my mom reminded me that they had run out of milk, I knew I had to go to the store. The girls said they wanted chicken, so after work, I ran by Publix in hopes of picking up an original rotisserie chicken. All they had were the flavored variety, so I knew I was not in the clear yet.***

They wanted “plain” chicken, so I sauntered over to the chicken area and found legs on sale. 6 legs for $4. Sold! I got home quickly and got to cooking! I also bought some pasta, jarred Alfredo sauce, and frozen broccoli. We are working busy moms who need lots of love and support! No judgement!

*** I am tired of Publix assuming that most people like their Mojo and Lemon and Pepper variety. Most people who come in at 5 pm to get a rotisserie chicken are working parents who are in a rush and need a fast delicious meal. Make more plain roasted chickens! Know your audience, Publix!!!

Ingredients

6 skin on and bone in chicken legs
1 container of your favorite jarred Alfredo sauce on sale on a Tuesday
1 package of frozen broccoli (or peas)
3/4 stick of butter and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (or 1 stick of butter)
1 cup of white wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

Directions

Brown your chicken legs on all sides in butter and oil in a medium sized Dutch oven on med. high heat.
Turn down the heat and add wine. Tent or lid with a small vent opening.
In another large pan, cook pasta. Drain. Add sauce and cooked broccoli. Combine. Serve. Kids will clean plates. Replace broccoli with peas or whatever vegetable they love.

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