Marry Me Chicken (or Pork!)

 I am a skeptic.

Just because someone makes up a name like "Marry Me Chicken", doesn't mean it's that good, you know?  My hubby is a notorious chicken hater, I mean... how is that even a thing? I happen to like chicken, so he does eat it (which is very good for him, LOL). I made this recipe from Pinterest (there are dozens of versions) and did not tell him the name. He was immediately a fan the recipe, so maybe there is something to this name!  This year we celebrate 37 years of marriage, so I guess I didn't need this back in the days before we got engaged. I think this recipe would work well with thin sliced boneless porkchops or pork loin medallions too.

My kitchen is a bit of a mess in the picture below, but it includes my houseplants in old crocks from a salad bar, my French Gien mini Christmas plate that I bought on a holiday trip to France in 2018, and also my favorite cheap white wine, Kirkland/Costco Sauvignon Blanc. The entree is served on my Lenox Winter Greetings Christmas china. I take it out and use it every year from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year's day.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1-2 Tbsp olive oil

4 thin chicken breasts

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine (like sauvignon blanc), or chicken stock

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/4-1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

1/2-3/4 cup finely shredded fresh parmesan (i used a microplaner)

2 Tbsp fresh basil, minced

1/4-1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes (optional)

Salt & Pepper

Salt and Pepper the chicken breasts. In a frying pan (cast iron or stainless will work best), over medium heat, put the chicken on to brown on each side, about 6-8 minutes per side.

While the chicken is cooling, mince your garlic and grate your parmesan.

Chop up the sundried tomatoes

Here's what my chicken looked like when I flipped it.

When the chicken is done (or almost done...) take it out of the pan. Add a bit more olive oil, if needed, and cook up the garlic. 

Deglaze the pan with the white wine (or chicken stock) and adding the sundried tomatoes and the pepper flakes (if using). Cook for a couple more minutes, then add the cream and the cheese.

Stir to combine, then add the cooked chicken and any juices back to the pan.  Continue to cook and stir gently around the chicken breasts. Don't let it boil though!

Almost done... just add the shredded basil and continue heating gently to thicken the sauce and cook the basil slightly. Serve at once. Great with noodles, but nice on it's own with a green salad too.

Puerto Rican Soupy Chicken and Rice

I've been traveling for work in Asia lately and came home with a little tummy bug.  The funny thing is, I am pretty positive it's not from something I ate in Thailand, but actually something I ate on the airplane!  Yikes.  

When  you've been gone so long and eating all sorts of fresh, spicy and delicious food, you want a bit of comfort food.  I had saved this recipe from a Food & Wine issue as it looked delicious. I am happy to say this one is a keeper.  Easy to make, mostly healthy and not too spicy.  

This makes a large batch, and I had to swap out my 5.5 qt dutch oven for my 7 qt dutch oven once I got all the ingredients into the pan and ready to cook it. I could tell that once the rice cooked, it was going to overflow, so plan accordingly.  These leftovers make great lunches, but it isn't as saucy when it gets reheated as the rice continues to soak in all the liquids. No worries... I think you will still enjoy it.

The recipe calls for Adobo seasoning, which I didn't have, and since I had all the spices I needed, I made some.  At the end of this post is the recipe I found online for Adobo seasoning. I did reduce the salt as I felt it was too salty, it would be better to add your own salt than risk over seasoning with this mix.

Ingredients
Serves about 8

5 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon adobo seasoning* (Goya brand is good, or make your own)

Salt  and freshly ground black pepper

2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

2 (14.5-ounces) cans diced tomatoes

2 cups water

1 bay leaf

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 1/2 cups medium-grain rice

2 cup thawed frozen peas

1 cup small pimiento-stuffed olives

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

In a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Season the chicken with the adobo and black pepper. Brown the chicken in 3 batches over moderately high heat, 6 to 8 minutes per batch, turning each halfway through. Transfer the browned chicken thighs to a plate.

In the pot, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the bell peppers, onion, and garlic to the pot, and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook until it turns brick red, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes and their juice, 2 cups water, bay leaf, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a simmer. 

Return the chicken to the pot, stir in the rice, and cook, covered, over moderately low heat until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir in the peas and olives, and let stand until heated through, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Here it is once it was browned.

Peppers, onions and garlic, oh my!

Mixing in the tomato paste

Adobo Seasoning

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 1⁄2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 1⁄2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon chili Powder

Chicken Piccata Soup

Yum!
This soup has some of my favorite flavor combinations- chicken, capers, lemon!
I also have to add this is a very simple and fast soup to make. 
I may have pulled some very lazy manuevers when making this....
But, you know, you need a soup like that, right?

I didn't have already cooked chicken so I threw a raw chicken breast in the chicken broth, cooked it gently for about 20 minutes, let it cool and then shredded it.  You could also used already cooked chicken, like from a rotisserie chicken too.

Ingredients
Serves 4

4 cups of chicken broth
2-3 Tbsp celery, minced
2-3 Tbsp carrots, minced
1/4 cup onions, minced
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2-3 Tbsp capers with brine
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1/2 cup dried spaghetti, broken into 1" pieces
2-3 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste

Bring the broth to a boil, add the celery, carrots and onions. Cook for about 5-6 minutes on a low boil.  Add the lemon juice, the capers and the broken spaghetti noodles, and continue to boil until the noodles are done.  Add the chicken and parsley, bring back to temperature and serve! Taste for salt and pepper.

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Indian Spiced Chicken with Chickpeas and Spinach

Golden and fragrant, we loved the beautiful color and flavors of this dish.  This one is somewhat healthy too.  This one is a quick dinner to pull together, and reheats nicely too.
Inspired by this recipe, but simplified by me (because I am like that).

I usually have boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the freezer, canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) on the pantry shelf and fresh spinach hanging around. We have made this with the yogurt addition at the end, and without, and frankly, both are delicious.  If you don't have the yogurt, skip it, but don't skip this recipe it's so tasty.  If you don't like spicy hot, omit the cayenne pepper, otherwise, curry powder and turmeric are not that spicy, just golden and fragrant.

One caution, be sure to put on an old shirt when cooking, and eating, this. If you don't, you're sure to have some yellow spots adorning your shirt. Ask me how I know...

Ingredients

Servings: 6

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 Tbsp butter

6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

 Kosher salt

1 large onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled ginger

2 teaspoons ground curry powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1 cup (or more) chicken broth

5 ounces baby spinach (about 8 lightly packed cups)

1/4 cup Greek yogurt (optional)

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems

Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt. Working in batches, cook chicken, reducing heat as needed to prevent over-browning, until golden brown on all sides, 8-10 minutes per batch. Transfer to a plate.

Add butter and onions to drippings in pot; season with salt. Cook, stirring often, until onions are soft and golden brown, 10-15 minutes.   Stir in garlic, ginger, curry powder, cumin, turmeric, and cayenne. Cook, stirring constantly, until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in chickpeas and 1 cup broth. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to pot. Add more broth if needed to cover chicken about three-fourths of the way up. Bring to a simmer. Cover pot and turn the heat to low, braise chicken until fork-tender, 45-55 minutes. Add spinach to pot, cook until spinach is wilted, 3-4 minutes. Turn off heat, stir yogurt into cooking liquid. Season with salt and sprinkle with cilantro. Spoon chicken mixture over white, or basmati, rice.

Fireball Whiskey Barbeque Chicken

Seems like everyone has a bottle of Fireball whiskey hanging around.  
If you haven't tried it, I would recommend you do.  
Delicious.
It got me thinking, what else could I do with this stuff?
Why not barbecue sauce?  It's sweet, its spicy... Fireball is perfect for it.
This is a simple throw together sauce, takes 5 minutes.  You could use minced fresh onions and garlic... but powdered is so easy in this recipe.

This sauce would be equally good on pork, especially Pulled Pork, or beef too.

Makes 4-6 servings (Makes about 1 cup of sauce)
Ingredients
 
4-6 chicken breasts
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup Fireball Whiskey
salt and pepper

In a saucepan, over medium heat, add the ketchup, the sugar, the vinegar and spices.  Cook for a couple minutes to thicken and combine flavors.  Add the Fireball and stir to combine.  It may be a bit thin for your liking, so you can continue to cook to thicken it back up a bit.

Cook your chicken to your liking on medium hot grill (or smoker).  Usually about 5 minutes per side, but it depends on the thickness of your chicken breasts.  You want to cook the chicken most of the way, but not completely.  You will finish cooking the chicken with the sauce on it.

Sorry about the bad pictures.... but it was cold and dark out.  We used a smoker, so there aren't any grill marks on the chicken.

Brush on the sauce and cook for another 1-2 minutes per side to "set" the sauce on the chicken.  Serve with a bit of sauce on the side.  This chicken is good cold as leftovers too.

 

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Chicken, Spinach & Artichokes Baked in Foil

Simple and super delicious

Baking the boneless chicken breasts with the spinach, artichoke hearts and cheese makes a fantastically tasty combination of flavors.  Plus, all the juices from the spinach, chicken and tomatoes combines with the cheese to make a rich and delicious sauce.  This dish tastes far more complex than the sum of its parts.

Sorry, there is no picture of my ingredients as I wasn't planning on blogging this until I figured out this was going to be really, really good.

Serves 2 (easy to double)
Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, boneless
4 cups fresh spinach
1 Tbsp Olive oil
4 canned brined artichokes hearts, cut into quarters
6-8 cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
1/3 cup mozzarella, grated
1/4 cup feta
Salt & pepper, or Greek Seasoning

Other ideas for add-ins:
- Capers
- Kalamata olives

Preheat oven to 375

On two large pieces of foil, layer in the following order- spinach, uncooked chicken breast, artichoke hearts, tomatoes, feta, mozzarella.

Here's the two I made, side by side.
 

Crimp edges, put packets on a baking tray.  Bake for 30 minutes.  
Serve in low bowls with some rice, or cous cous, or just some crusty bread.

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Here's a close up of this dish before I popped it in the oven.

Jalapeno Popper Baked Chicken

I've always loved jalapeno poppers, but it's not something I make a lot at home. I have made these before with my Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos, they are very yummy, but they are not dinner.  So I kept thinking how could I make it with chicken?
Yes, you could just top the chicken with the jalapeno mixture and bake it, but that would be messy looking, so here's what I came up with by rolling the chicken around the filling.

There was something very satisfying and comforting about this chicken.  I think it could easily be a new favorite.
 

Serves 4
Ingredients

4 chicken breasts

1/4 cup minced jalapenos
1/4 cup green onions 
2-3 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup bacon, cooked, and chopped
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
Salt & Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together the filling of jalapenos, green onions, cream cheese, cheddar cheese and bacon.

Flatten the chicken breasts using a mallet (flat side) or even an empty wine bottle.  They should be about 1/4 inch thick.  

Salt and pepper each chicken breast. Add about a quarter of the filling mixture to each chicken breast.  Roll them up and secure with a toothpick.

 

You could sprinkle each one with a small amount of bread crumbs, if desired.

In case you don't want to go to the trouble of flattening the chicken breasts, you could also, you could do it this way... I cut a slit in each one and stuffed the mixture in.

Fry them for 3-4 minutes a side over a medium hot burner until they get a little bit of browning/color on each side.  Then put into the hot oven for about 30 minutes.  Slice into rounds, or serve whole.  Be sure to remove that toothpick!

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Bourbon Glazed Chicken

Ah Costco frozen chicken breasts.
I know many of you, like me, buy them.  
Then what?  
Sometimes it's hard to feel inspired by all those ice covered hunks of meat hanging around in your freezer. I'm always looking for something easy and fast.  This is one.

This sauce has sweetness, a touch of smoky from the bourbon and some tang from the mustard.  I think it would appeal to many people in your family.  Since you boil the sauce (and the bourbon) for one minute, I would think that you might be able to even serve this to kids.
 
I served this with my farro, cherry and walnut salad, linked here.
NOTE- I only used onions because I didn't have any shallots hanging around.
NOTE NOTE- It sure is lucky I had enough bourbon to make this, LOL, you can see it's almost gone.

Serves 4 
Ingredients

1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup shallots, or onions, minced small
2-4 minced garlic cloves
1/4 cup, plus 2 Tbsp bourbon
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup maple syrup
4 chicken breasts, fresh or thawed frozen

Cook onions (or shallots) and garlic in the butter until they soften, add bourbon, mustard and maple syrup. Bring sauce stuff to a boil, for one minute. Let it cool.
Use half the sauce to marinade the chicken (adding a 1/2 tsp of salt to the marinade too), let sit in the fridge for a couple of hours, or even overnight.  Grill over hot coals, or a smoker until they are done to your liking.  Serve the rest of the sauce with the cooked BBQ chicken.

Need some other ideas for Chicken Breasts?

Chicken Cordon Bleu- The easiest "fancy" dish
Chicken Frankie- Mumbai Burrito
Chicken Saltimbocca
Chicken with Coconut, Lime and Peanut Sauce, Lazy Girl Crock Pot Recipe
Chicken White Bean Chili
Cilantro Chicken
Greek Chicken Souvlaki and Tzatziki Sauce
Jambalaya- Chicken, Hot Links & Shrimp
Indian Butter Chicken
Lazy Girl Salsa Chicken- Crockpot
Peppered Chicken Kebabs wrapped in Bacon
Rosemary Buttermilk Chicken
Spicy Boneless Fried Chicken
Versatile Panang Curry