Simple Roast Chicken with roasted vegetables

All of my meals lately have been thrown together at the last minute.  This was one of those meals and it turned out so delicious!  We love roast chickens and there's never any leftovers...so next time I'm making two!!  If you have a family of 4 or more, I would definitely suggest making 2 chickens.  I love organic chickens, they are so tender and juicy.  When I'm buying a whole chicken I tend to splurge and spend a few extra dollars to buy the organic kind.  I had all of the vegetables already, so it only turned out to be an $11 meal for the entire family.  Not bad!

Simple Roast Chicken with roasted vegetables { Ina Garten }

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN:

• 1 Whole Roasting Chicken {about 5 lbs.}
• 2 Tbsp. butter, melted
• kosher salt
• black pepper
• 1 lemon, sliced in half
• 1 bunch of fresh thyme sprigs {about 15 sprigs}
• 1 head of garlic, cut in half

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Remove anything that might have been left inside chicken.  Rinse throughly and pat dry with paper towels.  Sprinkle the inside of the chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper.  Place the 2 halves of lemon, bunch of thyme and head of garlic all in the chicken cavity.  

Spread melted butter all over the chicken and season all over with more kosher salt and black pepper.  

Tie legs together with kitchen twine and tuck wings under the body of the chicken {I didn't tuck the wings under}.

Roasted Vegetables: { you can use any vegetables you like...this is what I had on hand}

• 4 large carrots, cut in thick chunks
• 5 medium yukon gold potatoes, cut in large chunks
• 2 shallots, cut in large chunks
• 1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut in 2 inch cubes
• 2 cups sugar snap peas
• olive oil
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Mix vegetables together in a large bowl and toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread vegetables around the bottom of a large roasting pan and place chicken on top{OR you can roast the vegetables alongside the chicken in a separate roasting pan}.  I roasted my vegetables in a separate pan next to the chicken for about 50 minutes.

Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between leg and thigh.

Remove chicken and vegetables onto a platter and cover for about 10 minutes.   Slice chicken and serve with vegetables.  

Chicken Cutlets with Bacon, Rosemary and Lemon

I've been trying to be creative with my cooking lately, but I'm failing!  Life has gotten in the way of my motivation and my time to devote to meals.  Maybe it's just a season, but I really am missing my meal-planning and my once a week grocery shopping has turned into daily, running in to pick up a few things, kind of shopping.  I usually can't stand that, but it's surprisingly not bugging me!
I did however, manage to steal an hour at the grocery store the other and stocked up on some meat and staples for my pantry.  Then of course, I had to come up with a plan of what to cook! HA!
Well, I found this recipe, tried it on my family last week, and it was a winner!  It has a few steps, but if you prep everything before you start cooking, then it won't seem bad at all.  Another disclaimer is that there is plenty of garlic in this dish...be prepared!  We love garlic...a lot of garlic, so this didn't phase my family one bit.  Give it a try if you're looking for something new to do with chicken!



Chicken Cutlets with Bacon, Rosemary and Lemon {adapted recipe from Ezra Pound Cake}


INGREDIENTS {serves 4}

• 5 slices bacon, chopped
• 1/4 cup flour
• 4 thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts {If you can't find thin-sliced, then just pound the chicken to 1/4 in. thickness between two sheets of plastic wrap}
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 cup chicken broth
• juice of one lemon

DIRECTIONS:  

Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees.

  Fry bacon in a large skillet until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Transfer bacon with slotted spoon to plate lined with paper towels. Spoon off all but 2 Tbsp. bacon fat.

Meanwhile, place flour in a shallow dish.  Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season chicken with salt and pepper.  Dredge in flour, and shake to remove excess.  Add butter to reserved bacon fat in skillet and heat over medium-high heat to melt butter.  Cook chicken until browned on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side.  Transfer chicken to plate {reserving fat in skillet} and cover loosely with foil.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes.  Cook until garlic is browned and crisp, about 2 minutes.  Add broth and lemon juice, scrape up browned bits from bottom of skillet with wooden spoon and simmer until slightly thickened, about 4 minutes.  

Return chicken and bacon to pan and simmer in pre-heated 200 degree oven about 5-10 minutes.  Sauce will become nice and thick and this is a good way to keep chicken nice and warm and crispy until you need to serve it.  

Serve with these potatoes...YUM!

Chicken Scallopini with Asparagus

I'm pumped to be back!  I can't promise I'll be super consistent until after school gets out though.
This last month before the end of the school year seems to be jam-packed full of activities.  Baseball will be winding down in the next few weeks and that has taken up a lot of time!  With two boys and daddy as coach, we've been eating, breathing and sleeping baseball :)
It's all fun and exciting, but the down time will be much needed come June.  Needless to say, our meals have been quick and easy, leaving no time for experimenting with recipes or blogging.  But yesterday I managed to dust off the pots and pans to make a nice meal for my family.
This type of chicken is very easy, mostly because the thin cut breasts make cook-time very quick and the sauce is super simple.  The chicken can be served on top of pasta {which is my fav}, rice, or mashed potatoes.  You could also use mushrooms in the sauce instead of asparagus, or no veggies at all.
Try this recipe and you'll love the simple but tasty flavors.  Scallopini refers to any cutlets {usually veal or chicken} pounded thin and coated with flour.  So, you could really make many alterations to the sauce itself as long as you have the thin, crispy cutlets.  Enjoy!


Chicken Scallopini with Asparagus {my recipe}


INGREDIENTS: {Serves 4}

• 1 1/2 lbs. thin sliced chicken breasts {if you can't find these, then pound out your chicken breasts}
• 1/2 cup flour
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 small shallots, finely diced
• 1/2 lb. thin asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces, rough ends removed
• 1 lemon, juiced {about 3 Tbsp.}
• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 1 lb. linguine {optional}

*Can be served with pasta, potatoes, or rice

DIRECTIONS:

*Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

  I bought the Foster Farms thinly sliced chicken breasts, but if you can't find them go ahead and place your chicken breasts between two sheets of plastic wrap.  Pound until they are nice and thin.  Season all chicken breasts with salt and pepper.  Pour the flour into a pie plate and coat each breasts liberally with the flour, shaking off the excess.  

Heat a large skillet to medium high.  Add the 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 2 Tbsp. butter.  Let the butter melt and become frothy then place a few chicken breasts into the pan and fry {5 minutes} on the first side, turn over and fry 5 minutes more, or until golden brown.   Drain on paper towels then set aside on a baking sheet.  Once all of the chicken is fried, place the baking sheet into the oven while you prepare the sauce.  This will help make sure they are cooked all of the way through.

Pour off all but 2 Tbsp. of oil that is left over in the pan.  If you find you don't have much oil left, then just add another tablespoon of olive oil.  Add shallots and asparagus and season with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 5 minutes.  Pour in chicken broth and let reduce another 4-6 minutes.  Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the sauce and let cook for a couple of minutes.  Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and finish the sauce with 1 Tbsp. of butter and the fresh parsley.  Season with more salt and pepper to taste.  Remove chicken from oven.

If you are using pasta, I like to add a few Tbsp. of butter to my noodles so they don't stick together.  Pile a big heaping full of pasta on a plate, place a chicken breast on top, then pour a nice ladle-full of the sauce and asparagus.  

Not many ingredients in this dish...I only used one of the lemons!

Season the chicken first then pat into the flour

Trying to be patient and not turn them until they have a nice golden brown color

Here's the shallots and asparagus sauteing in the pan

Here's a little of what we've been up to the past few months...

Go TWINS!                                                      

Jaden's new love...pitching!

Ella turned 6 on Mother's Day

The best Mother's Day gift of all...these 3 kiddos!

Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts Wrapped in Prosciutto

I buy a lot of food magazines.  Not as many as I used to buy, but definitely more than I can keep up with.  I'll usually scour through them really quick, pick out a couple of recipes that I like, then put it away with great plans to make something from the magazine later.  Well, months go by and I'll forget about the magazine and it will just pile up along with the other ones!
So recently I've been determined to either try the recipes from the magazines that I buy, or throw the magazines away.  The other day I picked up a really good Fine Cooking Grilling magazine {from last year} and found this recipe.  It looked very easy, with simple ingredients, so I tried it out on family and friends!  They're always my guinea pigs and they usually tell me the truth about the recipe.
It turned out to be a keeper!

Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breasts Wrapped in Prosciutto 
{adapted from Fine Cooking, Grilling 2010}


INGREDIENTS: {serves 4}

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves 
• 8-10 large fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 lb. fontina cheese, cut into 4 long sticks
• 4 Tbsp. mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 4 thin slices prosciutto
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• salt
• freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

  I prepared these chicken breasts much earlier in the day and kept them in the refrigerator in a glass dish covered with plastic wrap.  

To prepare the chicken breasts, cut through each one horizontally almost all the way through and open like a book.  Sprinkle the chicken all over with 1/2  tsp. each salt and pepper.  Layer 2-3 basil leaves, one stick of fontina, and one Tbsp. mozzarella evenly on half of each breast and then fold it closed.  Wrap a slice of prosciutto around each breast to hold it closed and then brush lightly on both sides with the olive oil.  

When ready to grill, heat grill to medium high.  Reduce the heat on the gas grill to medium and grill the chichi breasts, covered, until they are well marked, about 4 minutes.  Flip and cook, turning every few minutes, until the chicken is just firm to the touch, about another 10-12 minutes.   

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Quesadillas are a quick and easy meal.  You can stuff them with just about anything...which is especially convenient when you have some leftover meat or some veggies to use up.  I decided to go with a bbq chicken quesadilla this time around.  I made up some guacamole to go with it and served some black beans on the side.  I actually think next time I might add the black beans in the quesadilla!

BBQ Chicken Quesadillas {serves 4}

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 roasted chicken breasts, shredded or cut into chunks
• 4 large flour tortillas
• 2 cups fresh corn, toasted in a saute pan
• bbq sauce {any kind you like}
• 4 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded {or any kind of cheese you like}
• fresh cilantro, chopped
• butter to grill quesadillas

To Garnish:

• guacamole
• sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Have all of your ingredients ready to go so you can assemble and grill a couple at a time.  I really liked roasting the corn in a hot pan for a couple minutes just to get that toasty flavor out of the corn.  

Take a tortilla and butter one side.  Flip it over and sprinkle a layer of cheese on one half then top with some chicken, corn a couple tablespoons of bbq sauce, a little chopped cilantro, and another sprinkle of cheese.  Fold the tortilla in half and place on a hot griddle, grill, or saute pan and brown for 3 minutes.    Repeat with the remaining tortillas.  Flip quesadillas over to brown the other side.  Remove quesadillas from pan and cut in half or in thirds.  Serve some sour cream and guacamole along side.  Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie

This to me is the ultimate in comfort food.  My mom used to make chicken pot pie and we would scarf that thing down in no time!  I've kind of changed things up a bit from her recipe, but it still reminds me of dinner-time when I was a little girl.
I only use a top crust on my pot pie, mostly because my husband isn't a crust guy, and also it's easier to just roll out one crust instead of two!  I've also swapped in fresh vegetables instead of frozen.  Every now and then I'll make it with frozen veggies, but I try to buy fresh when I can.
If you don't want to buy fresh vegetables, look for the package of frozen veggies you like best, a 10 oz. package will work.

CHICKEN POT PIE


INGREDIENTS:

• 2 half chicken breasts, bone in
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup fresh corn, cut off cob
• 1 cup red potatoes {find the tiny ones and cut in half}
• 2 carrots, cut into large dice
• 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped finely {or 1/8 tsp. dried thyme}
• 2 tsp. salt
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

*Pie Crust recipe below, or use refrigerated pie dough {works great}

DIRECTIONS:

  Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chicken in a roasting pan, drizzle with some olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast in oven uncovered for 50 minutes, then cover with foil, turn oven off, and let sit in oven for about 30 minutes to an hour.  This will make your chicken nice and tender.  Remove chicken from roasting pan and cut into chunks or shred; discard bones.  Set chicken aside.

In a medium stock pot, heat butter.  Add cut potatoes and carrots.  Saute for 5-7 minutes.  Add corn and green beans.  Saute for another 7-10 minutes, or until veggies are tender.  Add flour and stir.  Once vegetables are coated with flour, pour in chicken broth and milk, and stir.  Heat to medium-high and bring to slight boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer. Add thyme, salt, and pepper.  Stir until thickened, about 5 minutes.  

Remove from heat and stir in chicken.  

To make pie crust:

Combine 1 cup flour and 1/2 tsp. salt.  Cut 1/3 cup cold butter into small chunks.  Add butter to flour mixture and, using your hands, crumble the butter into the flour until the butter turns into tiny pea-sized balls.  Slowly add 3 Tbsp. ICE COLD water.  If the dough seems way too crumbly, add another 1 Tbsp. of water.  Bring the dough together with your hands and turn onto a floured surface.  Lightly turn the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 20 minutes.  Roll dough on floured surface to about a 9-inch circle.

To assemble Pot Pie:
Heat oven to 425 degrees.  Grease a 9-inch pie dish.  Pour chicken mixture into pie dish and top with pie dough.  Fold the overhanging dough under the edges to make a nice thick crust.  Cut a couple slits in the middle of the pie to let steam escape.  If you would like you can brush the top of the pot pie with a little egg wash {1 egg yolk beaten with a little water}.  This will give it a nice golden top.
Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.  If the edges begin to brown too quickly, cover them with some foil. 

Chicken with Apples, fresh Cranberries and Gorgonzola

Wow, that Thanksgiving break sure did come and go fast!  We were blessed to spend Thanksgiving in Nashville with my brother and his wife.  It was a fun trip filled with lot's of cooking, eating, laughs, and great memories!  Here's a couple pictures of the kids enjoying his big yard.  Oh, and one of Jaden rocking out with the electric guitar!

This recipe was originally created by one of my good friends and since it has been a couple years, I couldn't quite remember how she made it.  So, I kind of made it up from what I remembered.  The cranberries make it a little on the tangy side, so what I would do next time is toss the cranberries in a little bit of brown sugar before adding them to the chicken.  This is a great Fall/Winter dish and it goes great with the Acorn Squash recipe and roasted vegetables.

Chicken with Apples, fresh Cranberries and Gorgonzola {serves 5-6}

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts {cut in half}
• 2 fuji apples, sliced
• 1/2-1 pkg. fresh cranberries
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar {to toss cranberries in}
• salt
• pepper
• gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS:  Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

  Heat oil and butter in a large {oven proof} saute pan to medium-high.  Add chicken, season with salt and pepper and brown on first side for 5 minutes.  Turn chicken over and brown for another 2-5 minutes.  Add apples and cranberries and cook for 2 minutes.  Place lid on pan and put in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

Place a couple pieces of chicken on plate, spoon on cranberries and apples, and top with crumbled gorgonzola cheese.

Browning the chicken

just added the apples and cranberries...be sure to get sweet apples!

all done, after 30 minutes cooking in the oven

Cilantro-lime Chicken Quesadillas with Goat Cheese

I was really having a hankering for goat cheese the other day and thought I'd use it in a different way than I normally do. I love goat cheese...the creamy-tangy texture is amazing & it's amazing warm or cold. So, I made a trip to the Farmers Market the other morning and got a ton of cilantro and these really cute spring onions and I was determined to cook something fresh & different. I'm not usually a huge fan of cilantro, but this marinade tastes YUMMY! I think it's the combination of lime juice & the spice of the jalapeno that makes it. The quesadillas turned out REALLY good & the Corn-Avocado Salsa was super tasty & devoured in no time!

Cilantro-Lime Marinade

• 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock
• 1/2 Cup fresh Cilantro
• 1/2 jalapeno, cut up
• 1 clove garlic, mashed
• juice of 1 lime
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 4 Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless

Directions:

Place all ingredients, except olive oil in food processor or blender. Blend all ingredients until smooth, then slowly add in olive oil while processing. Pulse until well combined. Place chicken breasts in large ziploc back then add marinade & seal. Place bag in refrigerator for 4 hours. Remove chicken from bag & grill. I used my indoor grill pan for this, the spring onions and the corn. Once chicken is cooked through, let sit for a few minutes, then slice in strips and set aside for the quesadillas.

These were the cutest onions & so sweet too!

Cilantro-Lime Quesadillas with Goat Cheese

• Cilantro-lime marinated Chicken Breasts, cut up
• 6-8 oz. Soft Goat Cheese, broken up
• 3 cups monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 2 spring onions (or scallions) seasoned, grilled & sliced
• Flour Tortillas
• Butter or oil

Directions:

Heat indoor grill pan or outdoor grill over medium heat. Butter one side each of 2 tortillas. Place a small amount of jack cheese & then goat cheese on top of tortilla, then sprinkle cut up chicken, some spring onions, then a little more of both cheeses on top. Place top tortilla on then set on grill. Grill until golden, about 3-5 minutes, then flip over to brown other side.

This amount will make about 4 quesadillas. Slice quesadillas into quarters and serve with Corn-Avocado Salsa.

Corn-Avocado Salsa

• 3 ears Corn, grilled & cut off cob
• 2 spring onions, grilled & sliced
• 2 large avocados, diced
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• juice of 1 lime
• kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Combine all ingredients, season to taste. This salsa tastes best served the same day. Serve along side Quesadillas or on top of any grilled chicken, fish or steak.

This salsa tastes great with just about anything!

Weekend Eats: Greek Chicken

The sweetest thing....

This morning I turn over, still very much asleep, barely able to open one eye and see my sweet son holding a tray with breakfast for ME! He wanted to bring me breakfast in bed! I had to reward his efforts, but then politely asked him to take it back to the kitchen so mommy could get just a little more sleep. He's gonna make one good husband someday...

Well, I've been so excited to share a couple of my favorite recipes with you! We were able to get some bbq'ing in this weekend, despite the cold weather. I then decided to get out my breadmaker on Sat. night so we could have fresh-baked Cinnamon Rolls for Easter morning breakfast. It was a beautiful, blessed weekend....full of great friends, family & food of course!

GREEK CHICKEN MARINADE

I always use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but with this recipe I have used boneless, skinless chicken thighs twice and they are WAY better. Go ahead, give em' a try...i think you'll like!

4-6 chicken breats (boneless, skinless) OR 6-8 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

Combine the following:

• 1 Tbsp. fresh Oregano (chopped)
• 2 Tsp. fresh Thyme (chopped)
• 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar (I was all out & used white wine vinegar...still delish!)
• 1/4 Cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. lemon zest, from fresh lemons
• 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Place chicken in large Ziploc bag then add marinade. Seal & marinate chicken in fridge for 4-6 hrs. Grill 25-30 min., basting with leftover marinade. ***Be sure to bring leftover marinade to a boil on stove top before you baste.

I served with grilled Artichokes & homemade Rice Pilaf.

Artichokes, steamed then sliced in half, drizzled with olive oil, sea salt & pepper