Chicken

Strawberry Balsamic Pizza

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Earlier this month a Publix opened up across from our neighborhood. I absolutely love Publix. Growing up in Southwest Florida it was pretty much the only grocery destination – sure we had Walmart, an Albertson’s, which I don’t even think exists anymore, and Sweet Bay. Every Sunday after church we’d go to the grocery store. (I am not looking forward to moving away from the land of the Publix.)

Grocery shopping is not my favorite thing. Despite my efforts to remain organized I always manage to miss something and have to back track throughout the store. But, now that I have a Publix within walking distance I use the Publix App on my phone. Not only can I browse the circular to find what’s on sale this week, but I can create my grocery list. Yes, Winn-Dixie and other grocery apps have the same ability, but Publix – the place “where shopping is a pleasure” – has surpassed customer service in the app alone. When you input your specific store, it’ll tell you what aisle that item is in. Not just “baking” but “aisle 9”. It might just be the best thing since sliced bread.

I apologize greatly for my Publix add, but there is a point! I used pre-made pizza dough from the Publix bakery instead of making my own. And it is delicious. Almost every grocery store does offer dough in their bakery, so don’t fret if you don’t live in the land of Publix. (Other alternatives include making your own, refrigerated pizza dough, or even the dry pizza dough usually hanging on an end cap in the store with pepperoni.)

Another benefit of living in Florida is that I can still find beautiful, ripe, Grown in Florida Strawberries at the store. I hadn’t thought strawberries to be in season, but Winter Strawberries are harvested between November and March. I swear, these are more beautiful than the ones I get in July. So, again, I apologize if you cannot find fresh strawberries in your local area – pin this recipe and save it for the summer. I promise you it’s worth it!

This pizza rivals any that you find at a gourmet pizza shop, and although you can roll your dough to your desired thickness, a thicker crust works beautiful with this masterpiece. Stuart questioned this dish – he thought strawberries on a pizza would be weird. But they complement the chicken and bacon and the cilantro provides a note of lightness. He pointed out, and I agree, that mint would also work well here (if you happened to have that instead).

Strawberry Balsamic Pizza

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 C balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 C strawberry jam
  • 1 tsp sriracha
  • cornmeal, for pizza peal
  • 1 ball pizza dough, rolled out to approximately 14″
  • 1 C diced, cooked chicken
  • 3 strips, cooked thick-cut bacon, diced
  • 1/4 red onion, finely diced
  • 2 C shredded Italian blend cheese
  • 4 large fresh strawberries, diced
  • fresh cilantro (or mint), for garnish

Steps:

  1. Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 475 degrees F.
  2. In a small saucepan bring balsamic vinegar to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 4 minutes. Add in jam and sriracha. Toss chicken with 2 tbsp of sauce and set the remainder aside.
  3. Sprinkle cornmeal onto a pizza peal, if you don’t have a a pizza peal an edge-less cookie sheet works well too.  Place dough on peal.
  4. Top dough with balsamic sauce, leaving a 1″ crust. Top with chicken, 3/4 of the cheese, then the bacon and onion. Top this layer with the remaining cheese.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes.
  6. Garnish with fresh strawberries and cilantro (or mint). Allow pizza to cool a few minutes before slicing.

*This recipe is adapted from Chris at http://www.thecafesucrefarine.com/2011/07/strawberry-balsamic-pizza-with-chicken.html*

Strawberry Balsamic Pizza 1 Strawberry Balsamic Pizza 2

Cilantro Lime Chicken

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Today’s edition of Mexican Monday requires prep on Sunday, even though it’s a slow cooker dish! But that’s also what makes it perfect for your Monday, whether you follow my Mexican Monday Menu plan or not. The chicken needs to marinate over night, but in the morning all you have to do is drop it into the slow cooker – no chopping, no measuring!

I found this recipe on a Pinterest post of Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes. Although we don’t follow the Paleo diet trend in this house, I may have some readers who do. Or maybe I’ll get new readers from it! 😉 If you’re looking for new Paleo inspired recipes, check out Jason’s blog, Paleo Pot. 

But because we don’t follow Paleo, I served this chicken with Rice and Beans! 

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 1 5-6 lb whole chicken
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 3/4 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 whole lime
  • juice of 2 limes
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

  1. Mix together pepper, salt, cumin, cayenne, and chili powder. 
  2. Dry chicken and rub spice mixture over entire chicken.
  3. Poke holes in the whole lime and rub with spice mixture. Place in chicken cavity.
  4. In a food processor (I actually used the single serve unit for my Ninja blender, a Magic Bullet would work great too!) combine lime juice, garlic, cilantro, and olive oil.
  5. Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag with the marinade. Marinate over night.
  6. Put chicken, breast side up, in slow cooker with the marinade. Cook on LOW 5-6 hours.

*This recipe is modified from Jason at http://paleopot.com/2013/01/chili-cilantro-lime-chicken/*

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Protein Packed Southwestern Salad

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

I am keeping with my healthy kick of Mexican Monday (previous weeks included Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers and Turkey Lettuce Wraps) with a double duty Mexican Monday & Salad Night.

It’s been way too long since my last salad post – and unfortunately that also indicates it’s been way too long since our last salad night! Stuart has been looking for healthier meals lately, and after eating this Southwestern Salad he was completely satisfied.

The dressing for the salad is made with Greek yogurt. If you’ve paid attention, or know me, you realize that I have a great dislike for Greek yogurt. But I do try and give it another chance every now and then. I was prepared to revert to bottled salad dressing, but I’m happy to state that I loved the creamy cilantro vinaigrette!

I added chicken to the salad so we’re getting 3 sources of protein: the Greek yogurt in the dressing, chicken, and black beans! I promise this is no rabbit food.

Protein Packed Southwestern Salad

Ingredients for the chicken:

  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken tenders (you can also cut up 1 breast into strips)
  • 3/4 tsp Adobo seasoning
  • 1 tsp Ancho chili powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 head iceberg lettuce
  • 1/2 C canned corn, drained
  • 1/2 C canned black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 on-the-vine tomato, chopped and seeds removed
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • crispy tortilla strips, for topping

Ingredients for the dressing:

  • 1/2 C Greek yogurt
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 C fresh cilantro
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
  • salt, to taste

Steps:

  1. In a small bowl combine adobo seasoning, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Season both sides of chicken with spice mixture (you will have some left over).
  2. In a medium skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 4-5 minutes on each side, until cooked through.
  3. In a food processor combine all dressing ingredients.
  4. Assemble salad with lettuce, corn, beans, tomato, avocado, and chicken. Toss with as much dressing as you like. Top with tortilla strips.

*This recipe is adapted from Chung-Ah at http://damndelicious.net/2014/01/10/southwestern-chopped-salad-cilantro-lime-dressing/*

Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 1 Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 2 Protein Packed Southwestern Salad 3

Chicken and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

Last weekend Tara, from Tara’s Multicultural Table, and I joined hundreds of other food bloggers in Birmingham, AL for Food Blog South. Each of the speakers at the conference had their own inspiring story and advice to give.

Before breaking up for the sessions that interested us most, Virginia Willis kicked things off with a thought provoking list of things she’s learned from cooking: FAITH, faith that sugar, eggs, and flour will turn into a cake, faith in yourself; PATIENCE, this is one that I need to work on the most, not only patience when a recipe calls for it but patience in understanding that a career in the food world takes time; SEASONING, what is life with out a little flavor?, what is a recipe without a little spice?; LAISSEZ FAIRE, don’t interfere with that steak on the grill, don’t focus on what others are doing and focus on yourself; DEDICATION, with dedication comes passion and with both comes success.

The first seminar we attended was Photography & Food Styling run by food stylist Tami Hardeman and photographer Helene Dujardin. Together they taught us tricks of the trade in both styling the food and how best to photograph the food. Helene’s collection of food props (aka plates, bowls, utensils, trays, etc) was enough to make anyone jealous. The less than 1% of her collection that she brought to the conference was like walking through an Anthropologie, a vintage thrift shop, and a Pottery Barn all at once. I immediately had the urge to rush out and find some fantastic pieces. (not that I have) When I research food photography everyone says to use white, that white makes food pop and look more appealing, but I was excited to see that they plated soup in an off-white bowl with a navy center. I still have a lot to learn when it comes to food photography, especially in dealing with my lack of natural light. Which you will see in the photos associated with this blog post – my ability to photograph and then edit cheese shot under artificial light at night is awful! Unfortunately when I asked how to shoot photos without natural light the answer was, “If it’s dark, put it in the fridge and try again tomorrow.” Too bad I only cook after dark… Oh well, I’ll figure it out one of these days… hopefully.

Next we switched tracks where Cathy Barrow shared her experience in turning her blog into a career. Upon returning from the conference I adjusted my twitter account (@Tiny_Chef_829) to be public and have started tweeting my blog posts. In a couple of weeks we get new phones and I’ll be going over to the dark side by getting an iPhone –  I will then figure out what Instagram is and how to use it. I have figured out how to add a contact page to my menu bar! Unfortunately she informed us of the harsh reality that in a world over-saturated with food writers, it’ll be hard to “make it big”.

After lunch Tara and I split up. She attended the Creativity Lightning Round while I attended Better Recipe Writing & Development. Nancy Huges was such a delight! She gave us great advice on creating recipes, tips on how best to write the recipe, and had countless stories to share from her impressive career.  I am now in the process of going through my blog posts and addressing any recipe writing mistakes I’ve made. Attending this session really re-motivated me to create some more original recipes. And that’s exactly what I did when I got home. It’s the recipe at the end of this post. I wanted to utilize one of the many vendors’ products. I had grabbed Roland’s Instant Black Bean Quinoa from their table thinking I could use it for Mexican Monday. I used traditional Mexican spices to flavor the chicken, and am so pleased with how perfectly my end results complimented the quinoa. Additionally, the red bell pepper rounded out the flavor profile perfectly.

Stuffed Peppers

I rejoined Tara for How to Win a James Beard Media Award where Marion Laney and Diane Jackson introduced us to the world of awards.

To round out the conference, keynote speaker Molly Wizenberg, gave an inspiring speech. Before her speech she sat down at our table and spoke one-on-one with us in such a personal way. She understands where we are in our budding “careers” and I found her to be very relate-able. I enjoyed her story and how far her passion for cooking has taken her.  My favorite quote of hers (and I jotted down a few) is

What do I stand to lose by following my nose; what do I stand to lose to not follow my nose.

That philosophy is the reason she’s so successful. And that philosophy is the one I need to stop being afraid of.

An Original Recipe

Chicken and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkt (5.46 oz) Roland® Black Bean Quinoa
  • 1 1/2 C water
  • 1 lb chicken, cut into small bite-size cubes
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/4 tsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3/4 C your favorite salsa, not a chunky one though
  • 2 C shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided use
  • 5-6 red bell peppers, tops cut to create a cup and seeds and ribs removed

Steps:

  1. Bring 1 1/2 C of water to a boil. Add quinoa, stir, reduce heat and cover. Cook for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid has evaporated. Transfer to a large glass bowl.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Toss pieces of chicken in seasonings.
  4. Heat olive oil a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When hot add in chicken and cook 10 minutes, or until cooked through. Transfer to the same bowl with the quinoa.
  5. To the chicken mixture add in the salsa and 1 C of shredded cheese.
  6. Place peppers cut side up in a casserole dish. Fill peppers completely with chicken mixture. Top with remaining cheese. Place the pepper tops back on and bake for 30-35 minutes. Note: I like having a bite to my peppers, if you prefer a softer pepper cook for 45-50 minutes with 1/4 C water or chicken stock in the casserole dish.

Chicken and Quinoa Stuffed Bell Peppers

Disclaimer: I was not asked to create a recipe using a Roland product. I was provided Roland products for attending the conference. All reviews are my own.

Breaded Chicken with Mustard and Sherry

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

For Christmas I received Alex Guarnaschelli’s cookbook Old-School Comfort Food: The Way I Learned to Cook. When it was announced that Alex (yes, we’re on a first name basis) was releasing a cookbook I knew I had to have it. If you’ve ever watched The Best Thing I Ever Ate or Chopped on Food Network you know that Alex has a way of speaking about food in such a poetic way. She genuinely loves food and can describe a dish in a way that will bring you to your knees. And as the newest Iron Chef, there’s no doubt (not that there was any to begin with) that her skills in the kitchen are even more impressive. One of my bucket list restaurants is her’s, Butter, in NYC.

With Alex’s cookbook I was expecting there to be a story behind every recipe, and I haven’t been let down yet. This particular recipe is one of her mother’s. And although she says not to tell anyone I got the recipe from her, I am obligated by food blogging rules to do so. According to Alex, no self-respecting chef would ever cook skinless chicken. Well, sorry Alex, I do it all the time. But I guess that’s why you’re the Iron Chef and I’m not.

I may have one more apology to make. The recipe calls for dry sherry. I used sherry cooking wine, because that’s what I have in my pantry. And because I have no idea if that qualifies or not. Probably not. So my finished product may not be perfect, but it was still delicious. And the suggestion to serve with sliced lemon is spot on, squeeze your lemon over the chicken just before eating.

Breaded Chicken with Mustard and Sherry

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1/2 C sherry
  • 1/2 C dry soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp hot sauce
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/4 C canola oil
  • 1 1/2 C plain breadcrumbs
  • 5 tbsp butter, melted

Steps:

  1. If chicken breasts are large, cut in half horizontally or pound until thin. (This step is optional)
  2. Whisk together sherry, soy sauce, Worcestershire, hot sauce, mustard, and oil.
  3. Place chicken in a large plastic bag, dump in the marinade and marinate, refrigerated, 3 hours to over night.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 deg.
  5. In a shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs and melted butter. Season with salt. Mix until the texture looks and feels like wet sand, or brown sugar.
  6. Remove marinated chicken, shaking off any excess liquid. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack. Doing so will prevent a soggy bottom to the breaded chicken. Bake 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
  7. Serve with lemon wedges.

Alex's Chicken

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. 

Crispy Buffalo Chicken

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Tonight marks the end of the BCS era. Tonight marks the end of college football until September. Tonight, the Auburn Tigers and the Florida State Seminoles battle it out to determine who is the best of the best.

Buffalo anything is a popular menu item when it comes to sitting down in front of a football game. But traditional buffalo wings don’t fall under most people’s New Year’s resolution – the recipe for wings involves a lot of butter and frying in oil.

My mom used to create her own version of buffalo chicken bites by cutting out the butter and baking the chicken instead of frying. This alternative can be applied to bite sized pieces of chicken, or whole breasts for more of a dinner sized portion. You can even throw it on top of a salad!

Crispy Buffalo Chicken

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 C buffalo sauce, not hot sauce – I use Frank’s Red Hot
  • 3/4 C panko bread crumbs
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Steps:

  1. Pat chicken dry and season with salt and pepper. Coat chicken in buffalo sauce. Dredge chicken in panko.
  2. Bake chicken at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cooked through. To avoid a soggy underside, place the chicken on a wire rack set above a baking sheet.

Crispy Buffalo Chicken

WAR EAGLE!

Chicken Noodle Soup

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

The New Year brings with it resolutions for self-improvement, hope and dreams, and a fresh start. But it is also that time of year where colds are being spread amongst family and friends. (That must be why January is National Soup Month.)

If you find your body rebelling against returning to work and post-vacation responsibilities, this slow cooker soup might be just what you need! Curl up on the couch with some warm tea, a good book, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:

  • 2 large chicken breasts
  • 4 C water
  • 4 C chicken broth
  • 2 stalk celery, sliced
  • 1-2 carrots, sliced
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1/8 C dried parsley
  • 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 6 oz dried noodles, any kind you like

Steps:

  1. Combine all ingredients, except noodles, in a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 5 hours. 
  2. Remove chicken and cut meat (away from the bones if you used bone-in chicken) into bite sized cubes. Return the chicken to the soup and add the noodles. Note: Traditionally, egg noodles are used in Chicken Noodle Soup but if you don’t have any use your favorite shaped pasta. Cook on LOW another hour, or until noodles are cooked.

*This recipe is adapted from Diana at http://southernfood.about.com/od/crockpotsoup/r/bl43c14.htm*

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War Eagle Game Day

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

A big part of Thanksgiving weekend is watching the Iron Bowl.

We gather around the TV, taking a break from Thanksgiving foods, to stuff our faces with game day dishes while watching the most stressful game of the season. This year I’m expecting a great game. The stakes our high this year – ESPN Game Day will be on The Plains, Alabama is ranked #1, Auburn is ranked #4, and a ticket to the SEC Championship Game is on the line.

Here are a few of the recipes that will be on the coffee table this year:

Iron Bowl Food

Football Game Day Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb Velveeta
  • 1 can Rotel
  • 1/2 lb ground beef

Steps:

  1. Brown ground beef, drain fat.
  2. Cube Velveeta and put in a microwavable dish. Stir in Rotel and beef.
  3. Microwave for 2 minutes at a time, stirring. Once cheese is melted serve with Tostitos!

Shake ‘n’ Bake Buffalo Bites

Ingredients:

  • 1 pkt Shake ‘n’ Bake
  • 3 lb chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 bottle Frank’s Red Hot buffalo sauce (not hot sauce)

Steps:

  1. Toss chicken in Shake ‘n’ Bake.
  2. Place chicken on baking sheet. Bake at 375deg for 20-25 minutes until chicken is cooked through.
  3. Toss cooked chicken in buffalo sauce. Serve with ranch dressing!

This year we’re experimenting with chicken wings instead! Baking them on a metal rack on a baking sheet at 425deg for 30min.

Cranberry Barbecue Turkey Sliders

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 C cranberry sauce
  • 1/2 C orange juice concentrate, thawed
  • 1/4 C brown sugar
  • 1/8 C honey
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
  • left over turkey, shredded
  • slider buns

Steps:

  1. Bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced slightly, about 10 minutes.
  2. Pour sauce into a blender or use an immersion blender.
  3. Toss turkey in barbecue sauce. Assemble slider sandwiches.

*This recipe is adapted from John at http://www.patiodaddiobbq.com/2011/11/cranberry-orange-bbq-sauce.html*

WAR EAGLE!

cranberry turkey sliders

UPDATE: We had so much food that the sliders weren’t made this year. I will be making them for the SEC Championship Game next weekend instead!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

~ lk529 ~ Leave a comment

Now that the weather is getting cooler I thought it’s time for another soup recipe. And this Chicken Tortilla Soup fits in nicely with Mexican Monday!

I made the chicken stock on Sunday so that my weeknight prep time would be shorter. If you want to shred your chicken instead of cubing it, it’s best to do while it’s hot out of the poaching liquid. Because I cooked the chicken/stock the night before I simply cubed it before adding it to the soup Monday evening. Even though my prep time was much shorter, the soup cook time was longer than the original recipe declared, I left the soup on the stove for about an hour and a half. But with soup, the longer it stews the better!

I also left the heat factor out of the soup because I was making this for childhood taste buds. I provided hot sauce on the table for the adults to flavor our soups.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients for stock:

  • 3 large chicken breasts
  • 8 C water
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 onion, left whole
  • 1 jalapeno, left whole
  • 1 tsp pepper

Ingredients for soup:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn, drained
  • 1 can diced roasted tomatoes
  • 1/4 C cilantro (I used 2 ice cubes)

Steps:

  1. Make stock by combining all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken and shred/cube. Strain and reserve the broth.
  2. In a large pot over medium-high heat saute onion and bell pepper in olive oil. When translucent add in garlic until fragrant. Stir in spices. Pour in the chicken broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and add in the cooked chicken, beans, corn, tomatoes, and cilantro. Allow soup to cook for at least 20 minutes for the flavors to combine and chicken to be warmed through.
  3. Serve with shredded cheese and tortilla chips for garnish.

*This recipe is modified from Patricia at http://www.patriciaspatticakes.com/2013/10/spicy-chicken-tortilla-soup.html*

Chicken Tortilla Soup 2

Chicken Tortilla Soup 1