Tag: chicken

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms

Chicken, Crockpot /Make Ahead Meals

First day of school. My girls had a great day as students. I had a great day as a teacher. It is going to be a wonderful year!!! This morning I made this crock pot meal. I served it with sauteed spinach and rice pilaf. Everyone loves rice. Spinach, on the other hand, is not so loved. Spinach is not the girls’ favorite vegetable. Too bad; they all have to take at least one bite. This dish may not be super photogenic, but it is super tasty.

Crock Pot Creamy Chicken and Mushrooms

Ingredients

4 skinless chicken thighs (bone-in) seasoned with salt and pepper
1 container of sliced mushrooms
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
heavy cream as needed

Directions
Chop onions
Slice mushrooms
season chicken
place all in crockpot
add chicken broth
cook on low for 6-8 hours
Come home to juicy shredded chicken
Add in sour cream; let melt and stir. Add a bit of heavy cream if needed- can leave this out

Serve over pasta, rice, couscous, polenta, or with crusty bread or toast.
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Chicken and Shrimp with Mustard, Bacon, and White Wine Sauce

Chicken, One pot meal, Seafood

How ya’ll doin’ tonight? Not sure how to describe this bad boy. Creamy, smoky, mustardy and succulent. I have been thinking of combining these ingredients for quite sometime. Whole grain mustard, bacon, white wine…awesome combo! I was thawing some chicken thighs today and have been thinking of this dish all day. So here is how I put it together…

Chicken and Shrimp with Mustard, Bacon, and White Wine Sauce

Ingredients

6-8 pieces of bacon
1 onion chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced
6-8 red potatoes (yellow or fingerling can substitute) Chopped in even small pieces. Depending on the size of your potato, I would say in quarters or 6ths.
1 heaping tablespoon stone ground mustard
3-4 Chicken thighs
1/2 pound- 1 pound of raw shrimp (anywhere from 10-20 shrimp depending on size.
a few tablespoons of white wine (can substitute with chicken or seafood stock)
2 tablespoons heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large cast skillet or pan (cast iron or dutch oven)…
Cook your bacon. Take out and place on a paper towel to cool.
Brown chicken in your bacon grease. Take out chicken.
Add in your onions and potatoes. Cook and stir occasionally for 10-15 minutes. Add in your mustard. Stir for 5 minutes. Add in your wine/stock and reduce for 5 minutes.
Chop your cooled chicken. Add back in your chicken. Cook for 10 minutes.
Chop your cooled bacon. Add in your raw shrimp, chopped bacon, and heavy cream. Cook and stir just occasionally under 10 minutes- when until your shrimp curls and turns pink.
Done =)

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Deconstructed Chicken, Steak, and Veggie Kabobs with Couscous

Beef, Chicken, One pot meal, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

So what is a kabob, really? I have a little history lesson tonight to go along with your dinner courtesy of Wikipedia… look it up for the whole story…Kebab is a Middle Eastern dish of pieces of meat, fish, or vegetables roasted or grilled on a skewer or spit originating in the Middle East, and later adopted in Central Asia and by the regions of the former Mongol Empire and later Ottoman Empire, before spreading worldwide. In American English, kebab with no qualification refers to shish kebab cooked on a skewer, whereas in Europe it refers to doner kebab, sliced meat served in a pita. In the Middle East, however, kebab refers to meat that is cooked over or next to flames; large or small cuts of meat, or even ground meat; it may be served on plates, in sandwiches, or in bowls. The traditional meat for kebab is lamb, but depending on local tastes and religious prohibitions, other meats may include beef, goat, chicken, pork or fish. Like other ethnic foods brought by travellers, the kebab has remained a part of everyday cuisine in most of the Eastern Mediterranean and South Asia. It is also popular among Western youth as a snack after a night-out.

Long story short; Meat on a stick, people. Unless you are preparing your own homemade skewers, not a good idea to grill ones from the store or add combinations of meats and veggies. Skewers require a good soak in water to prevent burning- at least 20 minutes- not sure I trust 22 year old Shane to properly soak my skewers for the proper amount of time. Plus, different meats and veggies take different times to cook, so you really have to be careful.

But these skewers were on sale and they looked so pretty. 2 chicken and 2 steak skewers. I took the chicken off the skewers first and cooked them in a hot skillet with a little bit of oil to cover the pan. After the first side was browned, about 10 minutes, I added the steak and veggies. I cooked the other side of the chicken for another 8 minutes. I cooked the steak on 6 minutes per side. I took the meat out and let the veggies cook for another 5 minutes while I cooked the couscous (boxed-follow directions) and steam fresh veggie (cauliflower and broccoli). I got a large bowl and plated the couscous, veggies, then meat on top. Make sure you add in all that delicious juice. This meal came together in under 30 minutes! Take that, Rachel Ray! =) 005

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Lemon and Herb Chicken

Chicken, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

It is summer… hot and most of us spend more time in our bathing suits and short shorts than anything else. Summer is a time that we want to eat a bit lighter and fresher. Luckily, it is not hard to do. Just take a stroll through your local farmer’s market or even grocery store and there is fresh food abound! I had some chicken breasts defrosting this morning, and I was trying to think of a different way to cook them. I was sitting outside watching the girls play and reading magazines. I saw a chicken recipe in a Cooking Light Magazine that seemed intriguing. It was a spread on different kinds of summer skewers; they all looked delicious. One caught my eye…chicken, veggies, (tomatoes and peppers) and lemon skewers served with a side of herb dipping sauce. Eureka! I used this idea for my Lemon and Herb Chicken. I served it with a side of green beans and a lemon couscous with parsley and almonds. So good!!!!

Lemon and Herb Chicken

4-6 pieces of chicken- I used chicken breasts; they were on sale this past week. Use any cut you have on hand or that you like. Chicken thighs, and legs are a favorite in this family. I always try to find what is most affordable, though.
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped- never throw out those beautiful leaves. I chop them up with the rest of the stalk.
3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
lots of fresh herbs, chopped- I used parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram. I saved a handful for my couscous…
3 lemons- 2 for the juice and zest. 1 sliced and put on top of chicken pieces.
2 glasses of white wine- I used Pinot Grigio
salt and pepper

Directions

Salt and pepper your chicken. Heat a pan with a bit of olive oil on the bottom- about 2 tablespoons. Brown each side of your chicken. Depending on the kind and size of chicken you use depends on the time. For my chicken breasts, each side browned up in about 4 minutes on each side.
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Take out the chicken and add in a bit more oil. Add in your veggies. Add seasoning. Cook for 15 minutes or so.
Add your wine. Cook down for 6 minutes or so.
Add your lemon zest and juice. Add your herbs.
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Add your chicken back in. Add a lemon slice on each chicken. Cook for another 15 minutes or so, depending on the size and kind of your chicken. Thicker cuts and dark meat will take longer. I slice in to the bottom to make sure they are cooked through.
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Lemon and Herb Couscous

I have started to buy plain couscous. You can add your own flavors and be creative. Until you get the feel for the amount of liquid to use, follow the directions on the container. Instead of water, I used 2 juiced lemons, lemon zest, and chicken stock. So much more flavorful! At the end, I mix in the rest of my chopped herbs and a couple of handfuls of sliced almonds. My girls LOVE almonds! You could sub slivered almonds, pine nuts, etc. 011013

Deconstructed Chinese Chicken and Veggie Noodles

Asian, Pasta

Alright. Here is the deal. I make my kids eat what I make. They have to try a bite of everything. No if, ands, or buts about it. I know my kids like chicken. I know they like noodles. They like MOST veggies. But kids will be kids and sometimes one bite of the veggies is enough and all they want is the chicken and noodles. It is all good. That is the great thing about deconstructed dinners. They get a little of everything and you feel like a rock star!

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Cook the chicken with a stir fry mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, teriyaki sauce, and hoisin sauce. I did not really measure…just a shake of this and a shake of that.
Lots of different veggies- bok choy, mushrooms, ginger, baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, and whatever else you want!
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Once the chicken is done, take it out and add your noodles. Add a few more shakes of your asian sauces and a few cups of water to cover your noodles. Cook until done. Follow package directions. I just left the pasta in the broth. One of my daughters wanted soup, the other didn’t want the food to be wet =)
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I added mine together in a bowl! It paired well with a nice glass of Spanish red wine =)
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