I cook this when I don't have the time to sit in the kitchen preparing an entire meal, but I do have time for prep-work.

I mix up the homemade BBQ sauce, chop up the onions and garlic, plop the chicken into the crock pot- turn it on, and let it GO!

And I am rewarded with a ready for later dinner for that night. It only gets better with age, and the leftovers seem to be better than the first night.

I'd never heard of adding chocolate to BBQ sauce, but when I tasted it, it seemed Oh so right! (Just make sure it's the dark variety).

I paired this BBQ pulled chicken with a toasted bun. Enjoy.

Spicy-Sweet-Smoky BBQ Slow Cooked Chicken

 

Ingredients: 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive oil 1/4 cup minced red onion 1 yellow onion-sliced into thin slices 4 cloves garlic, minced 2 cups ketchup 2 tbsp molasses 2 tbsp worcestershire sauce 2 tsp chipotle chili pepper, ground 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ¼ tsp Ancho chili powder 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder ½ cup Adobo sauce 2 tbsp honey 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon Siracha 3 tablespoons soy sauce Salt and pepper to taste 1/2 cup water 8 ounces dark chocolate squares (I used Godiva) or 1 cup cocoa powder 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast   Directions: In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the ketchup, molasses, Worcestershire, adobo, honey, vinegar, siracha, soy sauce, water, olive oil and spices. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the red onion and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add in the ketchup & spice mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, remove from heat.   Turn crockpot to medium. Add chicken, chocolate squares, and then cover with sliced onions, & pour BBQ sauce over the top.  Cook for 4-6 hours, turning heat down to low after the first hour. Stir chicken about once an hour. In the last hour, shred chicken, and then place back into sauce. Stir again. The longer you let it simmer in the sauce, the better your chicken will taste. The sauce will thicken as it cooks down. Taste before serving and make any seasoning adjustments. If the BBQ sauce gets too thick, dilute with water until you get the desired consistency.

 

Sate Chicken Skewers

This is BY FAR one of my family's favorite meals. We usually grill this in the summer, then sit outside in the evening and enjoy a delcious meal together. The skewers are healthy, and low in fat, yet highly flavorful. We hope you enjoy it too.

Sate Chicken Skewers with Spicy Peanut Sauce

**Inspired by a Rasa Malaysia Recipe

Ingredients:

2 ½ pounds skinless and boneless chicken breast, sliced into chicken tender sized slices

30 wooden skewers, pre-soaked in water for 30 minutes

2 Cucumbers, sliced

Marinade:

3 tablespoons Fish sauce

4 whole cloves of Garlic

2 teaspoons sweet Soy sauce

1 teaspoon Soy sauce

2.5 teaspoons Coconut or Palm Sugar

1/4 teaspoon white Pepper

1 teaspoon Turmeric

1 teaspoon Coriander

4 tablespoons Red Curry Paste

1 cup Coconut milk

1/8 cup Olive (oil optional)

Peanut Sauce:

2 teaspoons Red Curry paste

2 tablespoons Fish sauce

3 tablespoons Tamarind puree

3 tablespoons creamy Peanut butter

1 tablespoon Palm or Coconut sugar

1 teaspoon paprika powder

2 whole cloves Garlic

2 cups Coconut milk

1 cup crushed Peanuts

Directions:

Prepare the marinade by adding all your ingredients to a blender, blending on high until smooth and creamy.

Slice the chicken breasts, then add to a large zip lock bag, then mix in the Marinade and make sure all pieces are coated. Marinate the meat overnight, or at least 4 hours in a large zip lock bag in the refrigerator.

Prepare the peanut sauce by adding all the Peanut Sauce ingredients in a 2 quart sauce pan. Mix well and cook on medium heat. Stir the sauce while cooking. Turn off the heat when the sauce is slightly thickened. It takes about 10-15 minutes.

Take out the marinated chicken from the refrigerator. Insert the wooden skewers through the meat lengthwise. Grill the Sate for 4 minutes on each side or until desired tenderness. I grill them on the lowest heat, turning frequently so they don't burn.  

Serve with Peanut Sauce and peeled and sliced cucumbers, and Thai sticky rice.

Chicken Pot Pie with Puffed Pastry

This recipe makes the most scrumptious chicken pot pie filling. I used to make my own crust to pair with the recipe, but I find that frozen puffed pastry dough is the best, and I only add it to the top of the pie to cut a few calories.

I place the filling into individual oven safe bowls, or ramekins. It gives each person the perfect amount for a nice sized serving. I make a few extra which store well covered in the fridge for a few days. They can easily be reheated in the toaster oven. Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie with Puffed Pastry

Ingredients

•           3 whole Chicken breasts chopped into bite sized cubes

•           3-4 tablespoons Olive oil

•           Freshly ground black pepper

•           3 1/2 cups Chicken stock

•           Sea salt

•           2 chicken bouillon cubes

•           1 tablespoon unsalted Butter

•           1 cup yellow Onion, diced

•           3/4 cup all-purpose Flour

•           1/4 cup heavy Cream

•           2 cups Peas/carrot frozen mixture

•           1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves chopped

•           2 cups Celery chopped

•           2 Bay leaves

•           2 small cloves of fresh Garlic-minced

•           2-3 sprigs fresh Oregano

•           2 teaspoons Poultry seasoning

•           2 teaspoons Herbs de Provence

•           1 large Potato-peeled & diced

•           ½ cup white

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, sauté onions, garlic, parsley & bay leaves in olive oil & 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, until golden brown. Add chicken, which have been cut into small bite sized cubes. Cook, stirring frequently until done. 

Add celery, potato, & herbs de

Add the flour and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the white wine or sherry. Simmer over low heat for 1 more minute, stirring, until thick. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and heavy cream. Mix well.

Add to individual single serving ramekins that are oven safe. Top with frozen puffed pastry in small 3x5 squares. Brush with egg wash & bake.

Ginger-Chicken Vegetable Fried Rice

In the mood for something a little different? Trying to find a way to "hide" the veggies? Okay, I'm not really trying to hide them as much as I am attempting to use every last one of them before my upcoming 6 week trip.

Here's a tasty fried rice recipe packed full of veggies, chicken & a yummy ginger-sesame flavor!

Ginger Chicken-Vegetable Fried Rice

Ingredients:

½ pound Chicken breasts-diced

4 cups cold Jasmine rice

4 cloves fresh Garlic-minced

¼ cup chopped fresh Ginger

¼ cup toasted Sesame seeds

2 small Carrots-peeled & cubed

2 cups fresh Broccoli-chopped in small pieces

1 cup frozen Peas-heated

1 yellow Onion-diced

3 tablespoons Nam Pla

4 tablespoons Soy sauce

1 teaspoon chili Sauce

2 teaspoons Sesame oil

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 Eggs-beaten with a teaspoon of Soy sauce

1 teaspoon white Pepper

Directions:

In a large wok, heat both of your oils, then sauté ginger, onions, and garlic, until golden brown. Add chicken, 1 teaspoon of soy sauce, chili sauce, & 1 teaspoon nam pla. Cook until done. Add the broccoli & carrots. Mix & then cover. Allow to sauté for about 2 minutes. Stir periodically.

Move the chicken & veggies to the side, & add your whisked eggs. Allow the eggs to cook like an omelet-do not mix, except to move your pan to allow all the egg mixture to coat the side of the pan. Once almost cooked, add rice, remaining spices, peas & seasonings, & stir well. Once everything is well combined, cook until rice is heated, then remove & serve immediately.

Chicken and Tomato Kabobs with Spicy Cilantro Sauce

This is truly an easy meal to prepare. The best part is that you can make the sauce the night before, throw your chicken into a bag, & let it sit overnight. The next day all you need to do it slide them into the skewers with your tomatoes, & pop them into the oven or onto the grill.

In the summer, we grill these outdoors, but it is just too cold right now. It’s still a nice summery and healthy meal, which we serve over Jasmine rice….and a little of the sauce we saved. The tomatoes get a really flavorful caramelized flavor, and the chicken is delicious when you marinate it overnight. Mmmmmm!

Chicken & Tomato Kabobs with Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients:

1 pound whole, skin removed Chicken Breasts (about 3 chicken breasts)

1 large bunch of Cilantro-Washed, dried & roughly chopped

3 large cloves fresh Garlic-peeled

2 teaspoons ground Cumin

Salt & pepper

¼ - ½ cup Olive Oil

½ Serrano pepper-1/2 seeds removed

1 & ½ quarts Grape Tomatoes

Wooden skewers

Directions:

Begin by adding cilantro, garlic, cumin, Serrano pepper, and salt & pepper to food processor. As you pulse the ingredients, slowly add olive oil. Adjust & increase amount of olive oil as you reach the desired consistency for cilantro sauce. It should be fairly thick, somewhat like a dipping sauce. Retain a small amount of sauce before you add the chicken to use to serve as a dipping sauce the next day.

Cut chicken into bite sized cubes. They need to be thick enough so that they will stay on the skewer. Add cilantro sauce & chicken cubes to a large zip lock bag, and allow to marinade for at least 4 hours, and up to the next day.

 The next day:

Preheat oven to 400. Remove chicken cubes from bag, and alternate a tomato, and a chicken cube in skewers. Rub remaining marinade onto the tomatoes & place in a large greased baking sheet with sides. It should look somewhat like this:

And then this after it's cooked:

Bake for about 25 minutes, gradually turning the chicken in the pan so that all sides cook evenly. Serve immediately with rice, and a side of the sauce.

Chicken-Mushroom Stroganoff

I think everyone has heard me say that my hubby doesn't eat red meat or pork. That still leaves a lot of options for me to cook for dinner, even by eliminating it from our diets. There are so many other options, I find that I rarely miss it.

If I ever do, I may order a steak when we go out, or since we are in Bison country, possibly a spicy Bison burger. That usually satisfies my temporary craving, & I can go back to a seafood, chicken, & fish diet....which by the way, is quite delicious!

One of his favorites is egg noodles, with stroganoff. I replaced the red meat for chicken, and it still hits the spot!

Chicken-Mushroom Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 pound Chicken breasts-cubed

3 cups chicken broth

3-4 cloves fresh Garlic-minced

1 yellow Onion-diced

2 tablespoons Butter

½ cup red Wine

4 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour

1 & ½ cup low-fat Sour Cream

1 pound Mushrooms-washed & sliced

½ cup fresh Italian flat leaf Parsley-minced

1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

1-2 large sprigs fresh Rosemary

Salt & Pepper to taste

Olive Oil (for sautéing chicken)

Directions:

In a large pot, heat olive oil & sauté onions & garlic. Add herbs. Cook for about 2-3 minutes or until golden brown, & onions are clear in color. Add chicken, & cook for about 5 minutes. Add salt, pepper, spices, chicken broth, and stir well. Simmer on medium-low for about 15 minutes.

In a small frying pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add mushrooms & a pinch of salt. Sauté & toss frequently until the edges of the mushrooms caramelize & have a golden brown color. Add to pot with chicken.

In a glass, add wine & flour. Mix well to remove any lumps. Add to chicken, mixing well. Cook for about 2-3 minutes, as the sauce thickens. Mix in sour cream, and then remove from heat. I served my stroganoff over the top of buttered homemade egg noodles.

**Recipe for homemade Egg pasta to follow!

Chicken Sausage Paella

This recipe came out delicious, but if you prefer seafood, you can very easily substitute the chicken sausage for shrimp or other types of seafood. You could also add chicken (I didn't have any) & I wanted to make a meal with what I had in the house already.

Chicken Sausage Paella

Ingredients for Broth:

1 clove Garlic-peeled & to be removed before adding to rice

1/2 teaspoon Saffron threads

4 cups Chicken or Veggie Stock

2 Tablespoons Sun dried Tomato paste

½ teaspoon Green peppercorns

1 large sprig fresh Sage (to be removed later)

½ cup dry Red Wine

3 tablespoons Penzey’s Northwood Seasoning

Ingredients for Rice:

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Basil

1 package (about 6) spicy Chicken Sausage

Nature’s Seasoning

Salt & Pepper

3-4 tablespoons Olive Oil

1 yellow Onion-diced

3-4 cloves fresh Garlic-minced

½ green Bell Pepper-cored, seeded & diced

2 cups uncooked Jasmine rice

2 teaspoons smoked Spanish Paprika

2 cups peeled whole tomatoes-roughly chopped (I used the ones I canned last summer). Then extract juice to add to broth pot.

1 cup frozen Peas

4 Celery stalks-diced

Lemon wedges (for garnish)

Directions:

In a large pot, over medium heat, bring to a boil all of the ingredients for broth. Reduce heat & allow to simmer for about 10-15 minutes covered.

In either a Paella pan, or a dutch oven, over high heat, heat olive oil. Sauté onions, garlic, & basil. Add chicken sausage & cook for 5 minutes on medium heat. Add celery, & bell pepper & seasonings. Cook until tender. Add tomatoes, peas & rice. With a ladle, add exactly 4 & ½ cups of broth to your pot & stir briefly & gently so that all ingredients are evenly dispersed. Reduce heat to low & cover until rice is tender & all liquid is gone.

**I used exactly 4 ½ cups of broth & my rice was perfect. Remember that if your tomatoes had a lot of juice you may want to decrease the broth measurement a little. I use the following measurement for making Jasmine rice:

1 cup uncooked rice + 1 & ¼ cup liquid = perfect rice!

Chicken and Goat Cheese Quiche

This quiche was one of the recipes I made for Christmas Dinner (lunch). I have a couple of varieties I make of this style quiche, but this was the first in which I used goat cheese. I loved the creaminess it added to the recipe, and I will be using it again in the future. It worked very well. This also reheats well in a toaster oven, & we had it again this morning for brunch. Enjoy.

Goat Cheese and Chicken Quiche

2 frozen deep dish Pie Crusts (or homemade pie crust)

1 diced yellow Onion

2  boneless Chicken breasts-chopped finely

2 tablespoons Olive oil

½ cup Sour cream

2 teaspoons Butter

1/2 tsp. Nature's Seasoning

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 cup Mozzarella

1/8 cup Goat cheese   

1/8 cup fresh flat leaf Parsley-chopped

½ cup fresh Basil-minced

8 eggs

1 cup heavy Cream

Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Over medium heat, sauté olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter, basil, parsley, and onions till golden brown. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and Nature’s Seasoning. Cook until well done & chicken is cooked through (about 7 minutes total). Remove from heat & set aside.

Whisk together eggs, crumble goat cheese & add the remaining ingredients. Whisk together. , & add chicken.  Split the mixture between 2 pie crusts. Bake at 375 for about 40 minutes. Cover edges of pie crust with egg wash, to prevent burning.

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

When planning dinner last night I realized that I had eaten over the last week, enough sugar, carbs, and butter to kill a large horse. It was time for something a little healthier, AND totally different.....Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps...how different can that be from the many holiday foods we all eat around this time of year. After two of these, and a glass of water, I felt like I had "done my body good".....!

Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Leaves from Butter Lettuce-washed & patted dry

4 tablespoons Oil

1 teaspoon Sesame oil

3 boneless skinless Chicken breasts

1/2 cup Water Chestnut (from can)

½ cup Mushrooms-chopped

½ yellow Onion-minced

2-3 green Onions-chopped

1 cup fresh Carrots-julienned

3 cloves minced fresh Garlic

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons Soy sauce

2 teaspoons Fish sauce

2 tablespoons rice wine Vinegar

2 teaspoons Siracha sauce

1 tablespoon hot Mustard

1 teaspoon red chili paste in oil

White pepper

¼ cup toasted Sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat oil over high heat in a large wok. Sauté onions, garlic, and green onions until golden brown & fragrant. Add chicken, soy sauce, white pepper, fish sauce, chili sauce, Siracha, and stir well. Cover & cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Add carrots, and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Add mustard, rice wine vinegar, sugar, water chestnuts, and mushrooms & cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat & stir in sesame seeds. Serve immediately over washed & dried lettuce leaves.

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Chicken

Most sweet & sour chicken I've had in the U.S. has the chicken battered & deep friend before adding the sweet & sour sauce. This is a much healthier and lower fat version, but is still equally as satisfying. Enjoy!

Sweet & Sour Pineapple Chicken

Ingredients:

1 pound whole Chicken Breasts-boneless & skinless-cut into bite sized pieces

2 cups fresh Pineapple, peeled & cute into large cubes (I cooked mine ahead of time **see below)

1 red bell Pepper

1/8 cup Rice Wine Vinegar

2 tablespoons Nam Pla

A few dashes Red Pepper flakes

2 medium sized Yellow Squash

4 teaspoons Corn Starch

3 tablespoons Soy Sauce

1 cup yellow baby Corn

1 yellow Onion-sliced

2 medium sized carrots-peeled & sliced diagonally

3-4 cloves fresh Garlic-minced

1/8 cup fresh Ginger-minced

2 tablespoons granulated white Sugar

Directions:

Place pineapple into a small pot over stovetop. Add 1 cup water & sugar. Bring to a boil, remove from heat & set aside. Drain juice, add an additional ½ cup water, & mix well with corn starch. In a large wok, heat oil, then sauté ginger, onions, and garlic till golden brown & fragrant. Add chicken, soy sauce, nam pla & red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add carrots. Cook for 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients (except water & corn starch) & cook for another 2 minutes. Once all ingredients & veggies are tender, add cornstarch & water. Cook for 30 seconds. Turn off & remove from heat. Serve over Jasmine Rice

Chicken Venetian

*Adapted from a Chef Dennis recipe

Ingredients:

·         4-6 boneless, skinless, trimmed chicken breasts (depending upon size) **the ones I had were enormous, so I only used 3, and cut them in half prior to serving.

·         2 cups Ricotta cheese

·         1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

·         1 large egg (for Ricotta mixture)

·         6 ounces baby spinach cooked and drained

·         1 small clove fresh garlic-minced

·         ¼ cup chopped fresh Basil in Olive oil

·         1 tablespoon Natures Seasoning (or another all-purpose seasoning)

·         2 cups bread crumbs

·         2 eggs (for milk)

·         1/2 cup milk (to mix with egg)

·         1 cup flour seasoned with black pepper and salt to taste

·         1/4 cup olive oil (for pan frying chicken breasts)

Instructions:

1.       Place pieces of chicken individually in a large zip lock bag to keep it from coming apart. Pound chicken breasts with meat hammer until almost double in size.

2.       Mix ricotta, Romano cheese, spices, basil, egg and drained spinach together to make stuffing for chicken.

3.       Place about 1/2 cup of the stuffing mix in the center of the chicken breast and form a small oval shape while closing in around the stuffing. Continue until all the breasts are stuffed. Wrap each chicken breast with plastic wrap tightly to help them set. Place stuffed chicken in refrigerator for 30 minutes to help them set up.

4.       Prepare a breading station of flour seasoned with salt and pepper, egg wash (milk & egg), and seasoned bread crumbs. After 30 minutes dredge stuffed chicken in flour, using this time to make sure its sealed well, then the egg wash and finally the bread crumbs, making sure the entire breast is coated.

5.       In a hot saute pan add a little olive oil, and with the seam side down first, and saute each stuffed breast on both sides until they are golden brown. Place onto greased baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

I served my chicken over fresh Penne pasta with a light Basil-cream sauce I mixed up. These are very versatile and could be paired with virtually any type of pasta.