Category Archives: Chicken

Taco Chicken

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This is so good, super simple but oh, so flavorful. While looking through Publix’s online ad, I discovered that boneless, skinless thighs were on sale this week and immediately I thought of this recipe. It’s marinated in some of my favorite flavors – lime, cumin and chili powder.

I’m serving these grilled with tortillas, this salsa (I was craving it) and my “orange” rice. I’m pretty plain when it comes to taco night because there is always rice, cheese and pico de gallo, or in this case salsa. My family is (thankfully) easy to please most times:) Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Taco Chicken – adapted from Our Best Bites

  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
  • A couple of juicy limes
  • A splash of red wine vinegar
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions –

1. Combine all ingredients minus the chicken. Place the chicken in a gallon size Ziploc bag and pour the marinade over top. Mush the bag to coat all the chicken well. Place the plastic bag in another container to protect the rest of the fridge in case the bag leaks. Marinade for 4 but no longer than 8 hours.

2. Preheat outdoor grill and cook the chicken pieces for 7 minutes a side. Take off grill, cover with foil and let rest for about 5 minutes. Enjoy!

Super Bowl Appetizers

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Quick Post: I don’t care much for football, but I do like making appetizers! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Guacamole Ingredients – adapted from Alton Brown

  • 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

Directions –

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Restaurant Style Salsa ingredients – adapted from The Pioneer Woman

  • 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
  • 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies) *I drain these*
  • ¼ cups Chopped Onion
  • 1 clove Garlic, Minced
  • 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
  • ¼ teaspoons Sugar
  • ¼ teaspoons Salt
  • ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
  • ½ cups Cilantro (more To Taste!)
  • ½ whole Lime Juice

Directions –

Combine whole tomatoes, Rotel, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro in a blender or food processor. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you’d like—I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip and adjust as needed.

Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips or cheese nachos.

I know this looks gross, but I assure you – if you love blue cheese you’ll love the taste of this!
Buffalo Chicken Dip ingredients –

  • 1 skin-on, bone-in chicken breast, roasted and shredded
  • 1 – 8 oz package of cream cheese at room temp
  • 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese
  • 1/2 blue cheese dressing
  • 1/2 cup Frank’s Red Hot

Directions –

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a 8×8 inch baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with celery sticks.

Cobb Salad

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Quick Post: M requested this for dinner – I am usually appreciative of meal suggestions because that’s less pressure on me. Cobb salad has a lot going on, but it’s super easy to throw together. I made this one a little more flavorful by marinating the chicken “souvlaki style”. For my salad, I added bell pepper and portobello mushrooms to up the veg content! Thanks for reading:o)

Stuffed Portobellos

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Quick Post: This photo is in no way a representation of its taste! I think bacon would have been a great addition to this, but sadly, M ate the last of the leftover bacon tonight. I added some cooked chicken instead which was a fine substitute – but bacon it isn’t!;o) This meal came together fairly quickly and cooked up in the oven in 15 minutes. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Stuffed Portobellos Ingredients – adapted from How To: Simplify

  • 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 3 portobello mushrooms caps, with stems removed
  • Salt and pepper (I added a 1/4 tsp of Italian seasoning too)
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/3 cup of crumbled goat cheese
  • 1 whole tomato, diced
  • 3 slices bacon, fully-cooked and crumbled (I used some cooked chicken instead)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly chopped basil (I love basil but I didn’t have any)

Directions –

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking dish by covering it with aluminum foil.

Whisk together the olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Brush the mixture on the aluminum foil and then brush the mixture on the tops and bottoms of the mushrooms caps. Sprinkle the caps with salt and pepper and then set them, gill side down, on the baking dish.

Pour 1 tablespoon of the oil and vinegar mixture in a saucepan and saute the onion until it becomes translucent.

Place baking dish in the oven and bake the caps for about 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, flip the mushroom caps and continue to bake for 5 minutes. Remove the mushroom caps from the oven.

Fill each of the mushrooms caps with goat cheese, tomato, onion and bacon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and basil.

Place in the oven for 5 minutes and serve warm.


Chicken Noodle Soup

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Poor M is sick with the flu, but thankfully the fever and headaches haven’t made him nauseated. I asked what he’d like for dinner and of course, he requested chicken noodle soup. “Great” I thought…I always want to go the extra mile (as much as possible) when he requests something, and I really didn’t feel like making stock from scratch…it takes too long. This method I used seemed like a good substitute for it. I took a little help from the store with some stock in a box and doctored it up a bit to cook the chicken, which enriched the flavor and richness. This took more effort than I originally wanted to put into it (the rainy, cloudy weather makes me lazy) but it was so worth it because the whole family enjoyed eating it and the leftovers will taste even better. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Chicken Noodle Soup ingredients – a Mom Makes original recipe

  • 1 – 4 pound whole chicken, rinsed well
  • 1 carton of chicken stock
  • 1 carton of vegetable stock
  • 2 carrots, cut into chunks
  • 2 celery ribs, cut into chunks
  • 1/2 onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 5-7 sprigs thyme
  • 2 sprigs rosemary
  • 1/2 TBSP of whole peppercorns
  • 4 – 6 cups water

Soup ingredients –

  • 3 cups egg noodles
  • 3 carrots, diced
  • 3 celery ribs, diced
  • 1 – 2 cups frozen peas
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 10 – 12 cups chicken stock
  • 3 cups of shredded chicken
  • 2 TBSP unsalted butter
  • 1 TBSP olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • dried parsley flakes (optional)

Directions for Stock –

1. In a 8 quart stock pot or larger, place all ingredients and cook for one hour. Be sure to skim fat and scum off the top while cooking. Once the chicken is cooked, carefully remove it from the stock pot and place on a foil lined half sheet pan to cool – at least 40 minutes.

2. Strain the stock through a fine sieve and discard all vegetables and herbs. Skim the remaining fat off the top of the stock.

3. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle shred into uniform pieces.

Directions for Soup –

1. Heat a saute pan to medium and add butter and olive oil. Once the butter melts, add all your diced veggies to the pan. Saute for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, place a soup pot with the 10 – 12 cups of chicken stock to simmer and add the cooked vegetables and shredded chicken to the soup pot. Bring to boil, season to taste and add the egg noodles and peas. Cook until the egg noodles are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Taste again, season if needed – enjoy the soup with a crusty loaf of bread…yum!

Buffalo Chicken Soup

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I was in the mood to cook something and I had some chicken breasts in the fridge that were about to go bad. TasteSpotting is my favorite website for inspiration and it hasn’t let me down yet. I bookmarked this recipe months ago and today I decided to go ahead and try it out. Thankfully, it doesn’t require lots of ingredients or take too much time. It’s nice, light and pretty spicy depending on how much Frank’s Red Hot you put in. Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Buffalo Chicken Soup ingredients – adapted from My Fiance Likes It so It Must be Good

  • 2 large chicken breasts, cut into chunks
  • 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 stalks of celery, sliced
  • 4 cups chicken broth
  • 1/4 to 1 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (depending on your taste)
  • 1 cup shell pasta
  • blue cheese for topping

Directions –

In a medium bowl, add flour, salt, and pepper. Dredge the chicken chunks and set aside.

In a dutch oven over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the chicken and set aside again.

Add remaining tablespoon of butter to pot and add vegetables. Cook until soft and translucent, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add back in the chicken, chicken stock, hot sauce, and shells. Cook until noodles becomes soft. The longer you let it sit, the spicier it will get!

Top with blue cheese and dig on in!

Greek Night!

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Our first ever! Lots of prep, but it’s hopefully well worth it all. I made Greek dressing, tzatziki sauce, and marinated the chicken souvlaki. Oh – and I decided to make the pita bread to eat the chicken like a gyro. I love making bread especially different types like this one. The recipe is super simple with one rise lasting an hour, shaping then a rest of 15 minutes. They baked up really quickly too – just make sure your oven has preheated for at least 20 minutes.

Anyway, this dinner turned out fantastically which is always the desired outcome – especially when it’s my first try! The chicken flavorful, moist and juicy; the tzatziki sauce was creamy, garlicky and perfect with the gyros and the pita bread was a hit too. I bet the leftovers will be even tastier.

Souvlaki Ingredients – adapted from The Eclectic Cook

  • 2 lbs pork loin and/or chicken cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice (the juice of about 1½ lemons)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp pepper

Whisk together garlic, oregano, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Combine the marinade with the pork in a large freezer bag. Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 24 and up to 48 hours. Rotate the bag to redistribute the marinade at least twice during this time.
Preheat the grill to medium high heat. If you are using wooden skewers, soak them in water before using, or use metal skewers. Thread about 5 pieces of meat onto each skewer, enough for one serving. Grill the skewers for about 15 minutes, turning two or three times. The chicken will take less time to cook than the pork, so start checking for doneness at about 10 minutes. The meat should register about 150°F for the pork and 160°F for the chicken when you take them off the grill. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Because of the marinade ingredients, the meat (both the pork and the chicken) may still be slightly pinkish inside even when fully cooked.

Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients – adapted from Culinary Cory

  • 2 (7 oz) containers of Greek yogurt
  • 1 hothouse cucumber, seeded and unpeeled
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
  • 1 TBSP white wine vinegar
  • 1 TBSP fresh dill, minced
  • 1 ½ TBSP garlic, minced
  • salt and pepper

Directions –

Shred the cucumber with a grater and squeeze out the excess liquid. Add the dip ingredients to a medium mixing bowl. Stir until well combined. Garnish with any remaining dill. Serve with assorted fresh vegetables. Makes approximately 2 cups of dip.

Golden Pita Bread ingredients – adapted from King Arthur Flour

  • 3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions –

1. Combine all of the ingredients, mixing to form a shaggy dough.

2. Knead dough, by hand ( 10 minutes ) or by mixer ( 5 minutes ) or by bread machine ( set on the dough cycle ) till it’s smooth.

3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, and allow it to rest for 1 hour it’ll become quite puffy, though it may not double in bulk. If you’ve used a bread machine, simply let the machine complete its cycle.

4. Turn the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and divide into 8 pieces.

5. Roll two to four pieces into 6″ pieces ( the number of pieces depends on how many rolled-out pieces at a time can fit on your baking sheet ).

6. Place the circles on a lightly greased baking sheet and allow them to rest, uncovered for 15 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 500 degrees. ( Keep the unrolled pieces of dough covered. Roll out the next batch while the first batch bakes ).

7. Place the baking sheet on the lowest rack in your oven, and bake the pitas for 5 minutes; they should puff up. ( If they haven’t puffed up, wait a minute or so longer. If they still haven’t puffed, your oven isn’t hot enough; raise the heat for the next batch.)

8. Transfer the baking sheet to your oven’s middle-to-top rack and bake for an additional 2 minutes, or until the pitas have browned.

9.  Remove the pitas from the oven, wrap them in a clean dishtowel ( this keeps them soft ), and repeat with remaining dough.

10. Store cooled pitas in an airtight container or plastic bag.





Quick Post

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I was contemplating not having the promised pizza night because of my laziness…I needed to roast the chicken, brown the sausage, make a batch of pizza dough in order to have this dinner ready tonight. I promised the family pizza, and I kept that promise. Because the kids already knew it was coming, I decided against the lazy-butt-mom route and did all the extra work anyway. I’m glad I did, cause this pizza was so good. I made two pizzas, but this one is the mom/kid pizza – you see, normally one pizza is the “Mom/Dad” pizza and then there is the “kid” pizza – that way everyone is happy. M gets his BBQ chicken pizza with smoked gouda and the kids get their pepperoni. I thought it best to load up my half with bell pepper, tomato, mushroom and chicken while the kids’ side was sprinkled with Italian sausage…( Publix deli is so slow…I couldn’t pick up the good pepperoni ). Thanks for reading!:o)

Taco Night!

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Taco night is everyone’s favorite night:o) I have used this recipe before and it’s always a hit. Whenever it’s taco night, I always make my “orange” rice. It’s something I grew up eating and all the ladies in my family make variations of my Gram’s. It’s so simple and so comforting to me, and I love that my kids both really enjoy eating it, too. I remembered I had some homemade salsa verde in the freezer that was waiting to be used, so that’s what that green sauce is on the taco. I will be sure to post the recipe for that the next time I make chile verde or my husband’s favorite – chicken enchiladas with roasted tomatillo salsa. I haven’t made that meal in so long – it’s a lot of work and it makes so much food, but the flavor is excellent.

Anyway, these turned out great – the two men of the house had seconds. I however refrained from indulging in more carbs (frown). I did eat a nice green salad with lots of extra veggies, though. I am on my annual “health kick”…well, I guess it can’t be called annual if this is my third time this year. The holidays and all the yummy-bad-for-you-food caught up with me, along with the lack of exercise. Basically I have been feeling uber-blah, so in the past when this blah-ness has reared its ugly head I cut out a lot of junk and add in lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains and cut out lots of empty carbs. I feel a difference within a day of these changes so it’s totally worth it and then I wonder why I don’t eat like this all the time. Oh, yeah! It’s because it takes thought, preparation and discipline! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken – adapted from goodLife(eats)

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (*I used 2 pounds)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 2 limes
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium sized sauté pan. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika and garlic and sauté two more minutes. Deglaze the pan with the chicken broth making sure to scrape up any browned bits. Turn off and set aside.

Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to crock pot. Squeeze the lime on top, add the cilantro, jalapeno, and pour the onion and garlic mixture over top.

Cook on low for 3-5 hours, or until cooked through (different crock-pots cook at varying heats) and tender. Remove chicken breasts from the crock pot, shred and place in a bowl. Scoop out the onions and add to the chicken. Depending on the amount of juices produced, you may want to add some or all of the juice back to the shredded chicken.

For fast and easy soft tacos, add this chicken to taco sized flour tortillas with shredded lettuce, avocado, tomato, cilantro, red onion, and cheese (I like cheddar, pepper jack, or feta best). Add a dollop of sour cream and salsa, too, if you like.

Marinated Chicken Breast

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I came across this recipe the other day while trying to find a simple marinade for some chicken that I had sitting the fridge. This marinade has lemon zest, garlic and some dried herbs, but I decided to add two tablespoons of fresh lemon juice to go along with it. The night before I prepared the marinade in one of my dressing carafe and placed it in the fridge to let the flavors marry. Plan on marinating for at least four and up to twelve hours – any longer than that and the lemon juice will start to cook the meat. This morning I pounded the chicken breasts in a sealed, one gallon Ziploc bag – you don’t want all that chicken juice flying around your kitchen! Plus, once the chicken is nice and evenly pounded, you can pour the marinade over the chicken, mush the bag around a little and finally place it in the fridge. Whenever I marinade meat, I either put it in a Pyrex container and cover it, or as with this method I place the bag in another container. It’s just a way to be extra safe in keeping any raw meat juices from contaminating the rest of your fridge and it’s contents.

This chicken grilled up moist and flavorful and paired perfectly with the green salad. I added tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, avocado and grated carrot to the greens – the more veggies for me the better! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Perfectly Grilled Chicken Breasts with Lemon Zest, Garlic & Herb Marinade – adapted from Once Upon a Chef

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1¾ pounds total)
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced (use a garlic press)
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1½ teaspoons lemon zest (you’ll need one lemon)
  • * I added 2 TBSP of lemon juice

Directions –

1. Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of wax paper and, using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness.

2. Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a 1 gallon zip-lock bag. Add chicken breasts and massage marinade into meat until evenly coated. Seal the bag and place in a bowl in the refrigerator (the bowl protects against leakage); let the chicken marinate at least 4 hours or up to 12 hours.

2. Clean grill and preheat to high. Lightly dip a wad of paper towels in vegetable oil and, using tongs, carefully rub over grates several times until glossy and coated. Place chicken breasts on the grill (make sure they are well-coated with the marinade; the more garlic, lemon zest and herbs on the chicken, the better!). Grill, covered, for 2-3 minutes per side.

Use a fine or Microplane grater to zest the lemon. Simply rub the lemon in one direction against the blades, turning the lemon as you go. Be sure to remove only the yellow part; the white pith underneath is bitter.

 

If you are using less than 4 chicken breasts, you’ll need to reduce the salt accordingly.