Creamy Crock-Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

At times during my life I've been one of those well organized people who plans dinner, makes the grocery list and only buys what I need. 

I'm not that person right now. 

We basically decide what we're having for dinner while we're eating lunch. Don't be like me. 

Luckily, this recipe was pretty easy to throw together into a slow cooker and have ready in 4 hours. My husband chose this recipe from Pinterest.  Since he rarely gets to be the one to choose the recipe I'm gonna make I jumped on this one.  Finally something new and good for you!

We both loved this recipe.  Ton's of flavor, most of the ingredients are in your pantry right now.  I did have to run out for a couple of items but overall I had most of it. I started cooking the rice (in the microwave) at the same time you begin to add the last couple of ingredients and it all came together at the same time.  

Obviously you don't have to serve with rice, it'll just depend on you personal tastes but I thought it was fantastic with rice. 

Creamy, tender chicken and the last minute addition of the lemon juice was perfect.  I didn't need salt at all, the lemon juice was perfect. 

If you're feeling adventurous tonight, you should give this recipe a try. Delicious! 

Creamy Crock-Pot Chicken Tikka Masala

Recipe from The Iron You

Ingredients

• 2 pounds chicken breast, cubed
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp Garam Masala
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or full fat coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp arrowroot powder or corn starch
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

Cooking Directions

1. Place all the ingredients except the bay leaves, heavy cream, arrowroot powder and lemon juice in a bowl and mix together until the chicken is well coated.
2. Rub the inside of your slow cooker with olive oil.
3. Pour the ingredients into the slow cooker and place the bay leaves on top. Cook on low for 8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.
4. Mix the heavy cream with the arrowroot powder and then pour into the crock-pot and mix together. Cook for an additional 20 minutes.
5. Pour in the lemon juice right before serving.

Top 10 of 2015

Thank you all for making 2015 a great year!  I hope you got to try some new recipes and ended up with some new favorites.  I'm so excited about 2016.

I've ordered the links below by most viewed at the top.  Enjoy!

Top 10 of 2015

1. Nutella Bread Star
2. World's Best Cookie (Ranger Cookie)
3. Four Ingredient Chicken
4. Starbucks (CopyCat) Lime Refresher
5. Sloppy Joe Cornbread Casserole
6. 2-Ingredient Pizza Dough
7. Proper English Scones
8. Pumpkin Tea Cake with Honey Cream
9. Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake
10. Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

Chicken and Dumplings

This recipe reminds me of one my gramma used to make.  We always had Sunday dinner at my gramma's house and this was one of my favorite dishes. This is not her actual recipe, but it was still close enough to make me homesick.

Perfect for a cold winters day, this dish firmly falls in the "comfort food" category.  Chicken soup topped with big fluffy dumplings that have steamed to perfection.  You just can't ask for more than that in my opinion.

I live in the South now, and they make their dumplings completely different here.  Totally delicious but totally different. The dumplings here are basically flat, wide pieces of pasta that are cooked inside of the soup so they sort of float around in there.  I also have a recipe for that sort of chicken and dumplings posted on this site but this recipe is the one that brings back memories for me.

Chicken and Dumplings

Recipe from jocooks.com

Ingredients

Dumplings:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 whole egg, beaten
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp chives, chopped
• 1/2 cup buttermilk

Chicken Soup:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups roasted chicken, shredded. (Any part of the chicken will work, an assortment of both dark and light meat will add nice flavor)

Cooking Directions

1. In a large dutch oven or stock pot add the oil and then add the carrots, celery and onion. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the onion becomes translucent.
2. Add the thyme and chicken broth. 
3. In a small dish, whisk together a label full of broth and the flour.  Pour the mixture back into the pot and whisk to make sure there are no lumps. 
4. Add the frozen peas and the shredded chicken. 
5. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer to thicken, while you make the dumplings. 
6. Place all the dumpling ingredients in a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.  Do not over mix or the dumplings will be too dense. 
7. Dollop the dough onto the soup, keep in mind that the dumplings will double in size. I used a large tablespoon, perhaps 1/4 cup. 
8. Cover the pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Do not remove the top to check on them or it'll flatten your dumplings. Test them for doneness by using a toothpick inserted in the middle of the dumpling to come out clean. 

Four Ingredient Chicken

When I recently saw this recipe on Facebook I knew I wanted to try it.  I mean, it's four ingredients so how hard could it be?  Not hard, at all.

See, I'm not a huge fan of chicken.  So when I eat it, it has to be covered in some sort of delicious sauce or be accompanied by gravy.  This recipe fit the bill for me.

I couldn't find Russian dressing at the supermarket I was at so I quickly did an online search and found out it was easy to make.  I happened to have all the ingredients at home so I just made it first and then added all the other ingredients into it.

I used my hands to make sure the chicken was coated with the sauce on all sides. Then I made sure the chicken pieces were evenly spaced in the pan and popped it into the oven. An hour later I had a delicious meal that I plan to make again.  The sauce is extremely flavorful.  I made mashed potatoes for the meal accompaniments and the sauce tasted so good with the potatoes too.

This meal does take a little bit of prior planning since it takes and hour to cook and you probably won't have every single ingredient in your pantry or refrigerator.  However, I plan to stock these ingredients now just in case I have a craving for this one, which might happen....often.

Four Ingredient Chicken

Recipe from Facebook via Kathy Kehoe

Ingredients

• 8 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin on)
• 1 package french onion soup mix
• 1 - 8 ounce bottle Russian dressing (or make your own, recipe below)
• 1 small jar apricot preserves or 1 cup

Homemade Russian Dressing

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
• 1 Tbsp prepared horseradish
• 1 tsp minced onion

Cooking Directions

1. mix all of the ingredients together (not the chicken).
2. Place the chicken in a 9x13 inch dish and pepper (no salt needed)
3. Coat the chicken thoroughly with the sauce, get all sides well coated. 
4. Bake at 400 for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until chicken is done.  Baste several times while cooking. 

Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

My husband rated this recipe as a winner. I rated it as a winner, and (drum roll please) my daughter rated it as a winner.  I just can't believe we all liked the same meal, at the same time, at the same table.  I could just cry with happiness.

This recipe is totally simple to prepare.  No foreign ingredients that you have to hunt for.  I had all this in my house and didn't have to run out to buy a thing!  The chicken was falling apart when we tried to take it out of the slow cooker. Extremely flavorful, sweet but not spicy.  Kids will like it (hopefully) if they like barbecue sauce or teriyaki sauce. Great recipe!

Honey Garlic Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Recipe from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup honey
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil

Cooking Directions

1. Place the chicken thighs in the slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients and then pour over the top of the chicken.
3. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Chinese Orange Chicken

Another chicken recipe that I'm in love with.  I'm really getting into this chicken idea.  I might end up liking it after all. I could eat this chicken recipe every week, and I would if it weren't for the frying part.  Not that I mind eating fried stuff, but that act of actually frying is more than I could do on a weekly basis. 

I absolutely adore how crunchy the chicken gets and then it's covered in this delicious thick orange sauce.  It makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Traditionally served over rice, I skipped that step.  I needed all the extra room I could get inside my belly for this deliciousness. 
Chinese Orange Chicken
Recipe from Cooking Classy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 - 1 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp finely grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp dried ginger
• 2 Tbsp grated yellow onion, and the juices
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp sriracha hot sauce (optional)
• black or white pepper, finely ground to taste
• 1 1/4 cups + 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp cold water
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• vegetable or peanut oil for frying
• diced green onion for garnish

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan add the chicken broth, orange zest, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, onion, garlic and sriracha.  Whisk together and then pour out 2/3 of a cup. 
2. In a gallon sized zip lock bag add the chicken pieces and pour the 2/3 cup of reserved sauce over the top.  Marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. 
3. While the chicken is marinading, turn the heat on under the saucepan full of sauce, bring to a boil.  In a small bowl add together 2 Tbsp of the cornstarch and 2 Tbsp of the water and then add it to the sauce.  Heat on medium low for about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit until needed. 
4. Pour enough vegetable oil in a dutch oven to measure about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep.  Heat to 350º. 
5. Meanwhile whisk the eggs in one dish and put the remaining 1 1/4 cups of cornstarch in another dish. 
6. When the oil is ready, remove the chicken from the bag and dump out the leftover marinated from the chicken bag. Roll the chicken in the egg and then the cornstarch and then put in the oil.  Let fry until golden brown, remove to a paper towel lined cookie sheet.  Work in batches until they are all cooked.  
7. Roll the fried chicken around in the thickened sauce and serve hot.  Top with green onions if desired. 

Lemon Chicken Piccata

The weather in the South is schizophrenic. One day of 70's, the next day of 40's. I know you are all experiencing the same thing.  I never know how to dress from one day to the next! Although, I do feel like spring is almost upon us.  A couple more cold days in the ten day forecast but for the most part its definitely warming up. 

I continue to try to amp up my taste for chicken.  I made a very important step in that process by brining the chicken first.  Great improvement.  Not that I would sit down and eat a brined grilled chicken breast anytime soon but it's getting better. I need lots of flavor on chicken.  This recipe has that. 

First off, I love that you cut the chicken breasts in half lengthwise first.  This allows for more lemon flavor and less big chunks of meat.  That's part of my problem with chicken breasts, too much white meat in a bite.  I need more sauce on less chicken.  That's just how I roll. 

Secondly, this is easy to put together and even though there are some steps, they aren't major.  You can get this ready pretty quickly.  I enjoyed it very much, and coming from a non-chicken lover, that's sayin' somethin'.
Lemon Chicken Piccata

Recipe from jo cooks

Ingredients

• 2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts cut in half length wise.
• salt and pepper to taste
• about 1/4 to 1/2 cup all purpose flour for dredging
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
• 1/4 cup brined capers
• 1/3 cup fresh parsley flakes, chopped

Cooking Directions

1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt 2 Tbsp butter and the olive oil.
2. Salt and pepper the chicken and then dredge in the flour, shake off the excess. Place in the hot skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes until golden brown, flip over and do the same to the other side.
3. Remove from the pan and remove the pan from the heat. Add the lemon juice, broth (or wine) and capers and place back over the heat. Heat to a boil and then reduce to simmer.
4. Add the chicken breasts back in and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken again and add the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter. Whisk until slightly thickened.
5. You can either add the chicken back into the pan and put the parsley on top or you can plate the chicken and pour the sauce over the top and add the parsley.

Basic Chicken or Turkey Brine

8:00 am

As I've mentioned several times on here before, I'm not a huge fan of chicken.  Especially boneless skinless chicken breasts.  So, I decided to try a brine, I'm told it's life changing.  I've read that once you brine you never go back.  I'm looking forward to all of this being true.  I'm obviously having chicken for dinner so I'll get back to you. 

5:30 pm

Well, I can tell you that I had a delicious dinner tonight.  Really really good, moist and juicy. I made Lemon Chicken Piccata, which was yummy.  I still have two brined chicken breasts that I plan to cook tomorrow, but based on tonight's meal I think I'm going to enjoy it very much. 

Basic Chicken or Turkey Brine

Recipe from Food.com

Ingredients

• 1 gallon cold water
• 1/2 cup kosher salt (1/4 cup table salt)
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar

Cooking Directions

1. Marinate your chicken in this liquid for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
2. This recipe can be used with parts as well as the whole bird.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken and Onions

I know I've mentioned in the past that I'm not the biggest chicken lover in the world.  I make myself eat it because I don't want to eat red meat all the time.  The secret for me is a gravy or sauce of some kind.

When I saw this recipe online the other day and it was like it was calling to me.  First off, I love dutch oven cooking. Secondly, I love the flavor of vinegar.

The recipe did not disappoint.  It had me at "pancetta". I love pancetta.

It does take a little bit of time to get this recipe on the table but it is SO worth it.  I am in love with this recipe, and that coming from me is high praise.  If you're not a vinegar fan, don't worry, the chicken doesn't have a really strong vinegar flavor. However, all of the flavors combined are out of this world.  The chicken is extremely moist and falling off the bone. The onions and pancetta are remarkable with the chicken, and the vinegar broth puts it over the top for me.  This is one of my new favorites.

Vinegar-Braised Chicken and Onions
Recipe from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pearl or cipollini onions
• kosher salt
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 4 whole garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 5 pounds chicken, bone-in, skin-on. Thighs and legs. If using breasts, half them crosswise
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 2 bay leaves

Cooking Directions

1. Heat some water in a large saucepan, add the onions and boil for 5-8 minutes. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Cut off the root end of the onion and peel off the skin. 
2. Meanwhile, add the oil to a dutch oven and cook the pancetta until it is golden brown.  Use a slotted spoon to remove and put them into a large bowl. 
3. Add the onions to the same dutch oven and brown, about 8-10 minutes. 
4. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the onions and garlic to the same bowl the pancetta is in. 
5. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.  Cook in the same dutch oven in batches so that all the pieces are golden brown on all sides. 
6. Drain the oil.  Add both vinegars and bring to a boil.  Scrape the brown bits off the bottom.  Add the broth, raisins and bay leaves and all the previously cooked items. (onions, pancetta, garlic and chicken). 
7. Bring back up to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 35-40 minutes with the dutch oven partially covered. 
8. Season with additional salt and pepper if necessary.  Remove the chicken and them skim the fat off the top of the liquid and serve the chicken with the onions with some liquid poured over the top. 

Bacon-Chicken Crescent Ring

I know I'm not the only one who has trouble getting dinner on the table when you've got such a hectic schedule during the week.  

Right? I'm not alone here right? 

I'm going to go ahead and assume you're experiencing these issues too.  Seems like there is very little time after school and before the extra-curricular activities.  I don't usually go for store bought products like canned crescent roll dough but lets be honest, I'm not going to whip it up on a weeknight either.  A little extra help from the store can help sometimes. 

This quick dish can be made quickly and you can add or remove any of the ingredients you don't think your family will eat.  I made it exactly as the recipe called for and my daughter wouldn't touch it because of the red peppers.  Oh well. 

Fairly simple to assemble, once you know what it's supposed to look like.  I like lots of pictures so I thought this might help.

The bacon inside really adds a nice smoky flavor that my husband and I enjoyed.  The flavors all meld together really well.  This ring bakes up beautifully and is easy to reheat and even take with you on the run. Great quick dinner option. 
Bacon-Chicken Crescent Ring

Recipe from "tasteofhome 100 BEST recipes 2011" page 80

Ingredients

• 2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1 can (10 oz) chunk white chicken, drained and flaked
• 1 1/2 cups (6 oz) shredded Swiss cheese
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup red pepper, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 6 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I used coarse ground)
• 1 Tbsp Italian dressing mix

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Spray a 14 inch pizza dish with non-stick spray. 
3. Open both cans of crescent roll dough, break the dough apart into the perforated rectangle pieces and start laying them about 3 inches away from the edge of the pizza pan, wide side facing toward the middle, corner piece drooping over the edge. (see picture)
4. Overlap the dough pieces until all the pieces are down.  Squeeze the seams together on the wide side pieces. 
5. Mix the remaining ingredients together in a medium bowl. 
6. Scoop out the mixture with a large spoon and spread evenly over the wide side of the dough. 
7. Grab the triangle pieces that are hanging over the edge and pull them over the top of the filling (there will be gaps that aren't covered). Tuck the dough corner under the wide side. (see picture). 
8. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Recently we had our cousin Michelle, from Boston, stay at our house for a day before heading back home.  It was so nice to see her.  We spent a day going to the zoo, then came home to this dinner.  The following day we got some fresh strawberries.  I'm telling you, these strawberries melt in your mouth.  I just love them.  We had planned to pick them ourselves but it turns out that they weren't picking that day.  So we just made due with some already picked one's they had available. 

Michelle doesn't necessarily like spicy food, but she told me about a recipe that she tried while she was on a visit to California that seemed easy enough to make.  So I did my best, and it turned out great!  I'm happy to say that we have another favorite in our household. 

If you happen you like a lot of spice you could certainly add some of your favorite peppers or hot sauce to spice things up. 

Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas

From Alissamay's Kitchen

Ingredients

• package of 10 flour tortilla's
• 1 pound chicken breasts, cooked, shredded or diced
• 1 package (2 cups) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 can corn, rinsed and drained
• 1 can green chili's, do not drain
• 1 jar (16 oz) Salsa Verde

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Spray a 9x13 inch dish with cooking spray
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the chicken, black beans, corn, and green chili's and mix well.
4. Place approximately 1/2 cup of the mixture onto the middle of one tortilla, top with a little cheese and a spoonful or two of Salsa Verde.
5. Pull in the sides of the wrap, and then roll the top half of the tortilla over the top and tuck it under while rolling forward so the enchilada is formed into a nice tight roll.
6. Place seam side down in the dish and continue until all the enchiladas are done.
7. Pour the remaining Salsa Verde over the top of the wraps and then sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
8. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the tops are just beginning to turn golden. Remove from the oven and let cool for a minute before serving.
9. Top with sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce or whatever you like. 

Secret Buffalo Wing Sauce

It's not uncommon in my house for either my husband or I to just have a sudden wing craving.  We love them!  Some nights you just gotta have wings and they are so easy it seems silly not to cave in an make them.  Granted, this recipe does require a small amount of time to throw the sauce recipe together, but it's very likely that you have all of the ingredients on hand AND it doesn't need that much time to simmer.  I had the wings and sauce done in about 30 minutes or less.

This isn't your typical wing sauce, in lots of ways it isn't typical but it's so very flavorful.  I found myself wishing I had some bread to sop of up leftover sauce with.  It's not spicy so I gave some to my daughter to try and sadly, but predictably, she didn't like it.  But she doesn't like anything.

Feel free to spice yours up by adding more hot sauce or some minced jalapeño. I truly loved this sauce, it's got a lot of butter in it so that's probably one reason I loved it, but it's also got a lot of complex flavors that melted together so nicely.

I will absolutely make this recipe again.  No doubt about it!

Secret Buffalo Wing Sauce

Recipe from Food Network Sierra's Grandma's Secret Buffalo Wing Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 stick butter
• 4 Tbsp brown sugar
• 5 Tbsp tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp garlic
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp oregano, fresh or dried
• dash beer
• dash hot sauce (I used Franks)

Cooking Directions

1. This recipe is enough for about 20 pieces of cooked chicken wings.
2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar.
3. Use a whisk and add the remaining ingredients, adding the beer last to taste.
4. Cook over low heat until smooth and the flavors have melded, about 10 minutes or so.
5. Pour over cooked chicken, stir to coat and serve hot.

Lemon Chicken

Happy Friday!  Are you ready for the weekend? I sure am.  I don't have anything planned for the most part but we're supposed to get some nice warm weather so I'm excited to get out and enjoy it.

I've been on the lookout for some yummy lemon recipes so if you have any, send them my way!

Here is one I found on Pinterest.  What would we do without Pinterest?

Probably starve and have a dirty house.

Anyways, this one looked tempting for a lot of reasons but I especially liked how quick and simple it was.  There wasn't any need to marinate for hours or anything along those lines.  Basically just pour the sauce over the chicken and coat it well, then cook it.  I love easy recipes.

The chicken was super tender and juicy.  I used bone-in chicken so it took a little longer but I just kept checking it.  I left the skin on the chicken and if you're going to do that you might want to broil it quickly at the end just to crisp up the skin, otherwise you might want to peel the skin off or buy skinless so the flavors can really get into the meat.

Speaking of sauce, it's delicious spooned over some rice!  Good lemon flavor but it also has a lot of other flavor components.

Great easy weeknight dinner idea!

Lemon Chicken

Recipe from Shutterbean

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken thighs or 3 pounds of bone in chicken thighs
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil + more for pan
• 1 1/2 large lemons, juiced and about 5-6 lemon slices
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• kosher salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh Italian parsley, chopped for garnish

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375º
2. Use a 9x13 inch glass dish or enamel pan, drizzle olive oil lightly on the bottom.
3. Place the chicken thighs in the pan and set aside.
4. In a small dish, combine the oil, lemon juice, onion, garlic, thyme and oregano. Mix together well and pour over the top of the chicken. Turn the chicken several times to coat well.
5. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper.
6. Bake for 30-40 minutes for boneless chicken, About 40 minutes for bone-in.  Use a meat thermometer to check for doneness. 
7. Cover the pan and let sit for 5 minutes.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve with rice.  Make sure to pour some of the juice over the rice. 

BBQ Chicken Crescents

Everyone needs one of these recipes.  You know, the kind that you can make in less than 20 minutes.

I don't usually buy processed convenience food like the crescent rolls used here, but I'm also not going to make my own crescent rolls anytime soon. If you're 100% against them, look away.

Now that my daughter is in school and sports I find myself with some nights that I barely have time to get her home and changed before we have to head out again, so this recipe is perfect.  Oh, and surprisingly she did eat this one.

Easy to assemble and pop in the oven.  I cooked my own chicken for this recipe but you could substitute with a rotisserie chicken from your market or they even have canned chicken that would work here.

My whole family loved them.

BBQ Chicken Crescents

Recipe from cooking.com

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
• 1 can (8 oz) canned crescent rolls
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 large egg and a little water for the egg wash

Cooking Directions

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Preheat the oven to 375
3. Mix the chicken and the barbecue sauce together.
4. Lay each crescent roll triangle out on the prepared cookie sheet and fill the largest part of the triangle with 1/8 of the chicken and barbecue mixture.
5. Sprinkle the top of the chicken mixture with about 1 tsp of cheese.
6. Roll the crescents up loosely.
7. Brush the tops with the egg wash.
8. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

There is something comforting about chicken for dinner, don't you think?  I mean I'm not the world's biggest chicken eater but I always feel like I'm home when I eat it.  I know that sometimes chicken can be sort of boring so I try to do it differently each time I make it.  One of the musts for my chicken making is a good seasoning or sauce that goes with it since white meat needs that extra little tang and moisture in my opinion.

This recipe was rated very well at AllRecipes and I incorporated several of the suggestions by other readers.  I think it turned out really well.  Keep in mind that I was only cooking two chicken breasts so the seasonings below were perfect.

This recipe has a nice spicy kick but I did read where some other people had spiced it up even more by either adding minced jalapeño, more cayenne and even tequila.  One person added some honey into the sauce so you get a sweet and salty taste. The wonderful thing about chicken is that you can do anything to it!

*Double this recipe for more than two chicken breasts.  You want it really well coated.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Modified slightly from AllRecipes

Ingredients

• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/8 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• 1/3 cup chicken broth
• 2 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 Tbsp lime juice

Directions

1. Mix the salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley together in a bowl and then rub onto the chicken breasts so they are completely covered. 
2. Melt the butter and add the olive oil together in a frying pan over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook for 6 minutes on each side. 
3. Add 2 tsp of garlic powder and 3 Tbsp of lime juice and the chicken broth. 
4. Cook for an additional 5 minutes so the sauce can reduce slightly and the chicken is fully cooked. 

Chicken and Wild Rice

How is your summer going? Getting nice and tan and loving all these bathing suit pictures that keep surfacing? Me either.

Well Father's Day is this Sunday, have you figured out how you're going to celebrate it? Here's a suggestion, one of my husbands favorites is chicken and rice.  The nice thing about this version is it's done in your crock pot so there's no pressure immediately before you sit down to eat.

And don't you think it's too hot to hang out over your stove? I do.

After my husband tasted this he immediately wanted it on record as one of his favorites and made me promise to make it again.

Like I have some sort of habit about making things once and then never making them the same way again....OK that part is true but jeez, that's why I HAVE a blog!  So I can remember what the heck I did.

Anyway, You can certainly omit the mushrooms if you're not a fan of them but we LOVE them and leaving them in nice big slices is the way to go here. The rice was nice and creamy and perfectly cooked and the flavors blended perfectly.  I'm going to have to look around for the chicken broth that has roasted garlic because I do think that would be lovely in this recipe.

Definitely a keeper.

Chicken and Wild Rice

Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients

• 2 pounds (about 4) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 5 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
• 2 (6 ounce) packages long grain and wild rice
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth with roasted garlic (I just used regular chicken broth)
• 2 (10 1/4 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 (8 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts (optional)
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)
• 2 Tbsp butter

Cooking Directions

1. Brown the chicken in a large pan with some oil, then remove and cut into 1 inch pieces.
2. in the same pan used for the chicken, add the onion, celery and garlic and cook until tender.
3. Combine the remaining ingredients in a 5 quart slow cooker and then stir in the chicken and veggies.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.

Roast Chicken

First of all I'd just like to say:

Boston is where my family lives and where my husband and I have lived on two separate occasions.  It's my favorite city.  I'll get off my soap box in a minute. My heart breaks for those that were affected.

Not really sure what to post about today, since I didn't make any Boston Baked Beans or Boston Cream Pie lately. So I decided on Chicken, I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

To softened butter you add lemon zest and rosemary, some salt and pepper.

Smear it all together with your fingers, or a spoon. :)

Slather the chicken with the butter, get every inch of the chicken plus under the skin and inside the cavity.

Roast for about an hour or a little longer depending on the size of your chicken.

Isn't it lovely and moist? The skin was nice and crispy and the lemon rosemary wasn't overpowering but was noticeable.

I will make this again for sure. I make roast chickens often but haven't ever tried this lemon rosemary combination.  I like it.  I like it a lot.

Roast Chicken

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 3 whole lemons
• 4 springs fresh rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste (or seasoning salt)
• 3/4 cups butter, softened

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a roasting pan with tin foil
3. rinse and pat dry the chicken.
4. In a small bowl mix together the zest from the lemons, 1 sprig of rosemary leaves that have been chopped and the salt and pepper.
5. cut the lemons in half and use your hands to rub the butter mixture all over the chicken, including inside the cavity and under the skin.
6. Squeeze a little of the lemon juice into the cavity and put the halved lemon inside. Do this with all the lemons (if they'll fit).
7. Roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

Chicken Pot Pie

We're quickly approaching spring, I can see it in the distance.  Actually yesterday and the day before we were running around in shorts and t-shirts but the rest of this week is supposed to be cooler.  It was nice while it lasted.

I have a handful of cool weather type recipes that I better hurry up and get posted.

For me, Chicken Pot Pie falls squarely in the comfort food category. Every time I take a bite it brings me back to my childhood.  Creamy sauce with veggies and chunks of chicken with a flaky crust all around.  This does take a little time to make if you're making your crust from scratch but there is no reason you can't use a store bought crust to speed things up.

You start things off with a creamy sauce, the base of the recipe, the one thing you can't do without in a good chicken pot pie.

Give your veggies a head start in a hot tub.

Line a casserole dish with the pie crust.

Fill with veggies and chicken.

Add the cream sauce, I'm drooling right now. 

Get your top crust ready...

Add to the top and then trim and flute the edges.

Ventilate the top crust with some slits for steam to escape. 

Bake up until nice and golden, the insides are already cooked remember.

Dig in, literally.  You're going to want to practice some self control here, but you probably won't be able to. Good luck with that. 
Chicken Pot Pie

Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves, cubed
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1 cup frozen green peas
• 1/2 cup sliced celery
• 1/3 cup butter
• 1/3 cup onion, diced
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp celery seed
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cups milk
• 2 (9-inch) unbaked pie crusts

Cooking Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In a large saucepan combine the chicken, carrots, celery and peas. Cover with water and boil for 15 minutes. Drain and let sit.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan melt the butter and add the onions. Cook until they have softened and become translucent.
4. Add the flour into the onion and butter and whisk so it is smooth and thick. Cook for 1 minute. Add the salt, pepper and celery seed. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and milk over low heat until the mixture becomes thick. Turn off the heat.
5. Line a small casserole dish with one of the unbaked pie crusts and then pour the vegetable and chicken mixture into the pie crust and then pour the thickened milk mixture over the top.
6. Finish by placing the other pie crust over the top of the dish and sealing the edges, cut off the crust that isn't needed.
7. Cut some small slits into the top of the crust so the steam can escape.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.