Loaded Chicken and Potato Casserole Is Superb!

Ever have those days when you are tired of making the same old recipes and  you want something different - something delicious?  You look in the refrigerator to see what's there to use.  Looking back at you are three boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  We all know how it goes with chicken.  It can be fabulous or it can be totally blah.  I wanted fabulous.

I had pinned this recipe on my Pinterest board some time ago because it sounded amazing.  Tonight was the night to give it a try.  I actually had all the ingredients for once.  No trip to the grocery was necessary.  Yay!

This recipe is like a big loaded baked potato with some slightly spicy chicken.  When I say spicy, I mean just a hint.  You could make it much more spicy if you preferred, but our grandsons were coming over so I went with the recipe as written.  It was perfect.  Here is what you need.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in approximately 1 inch cubes
6-8 medium russet potatoes, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1/3 cup live oil
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 TBSP paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSPS hot sauce (I used Tapatio)

Topping

2 cups grated cheese - cheddar, jack,  or pepper jack (I used Monterrey Jack)
1 cup crumbled bacon  - about 1/2 pound (fry crisp and crumble)
1 cup diced green onions - whites and greens

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Mix the salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, and hot sauce together.  Add the cubed chicken and potatoes, stir to coat.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and spread it out evenly.  Cook for 55-60 minutes, stirring EVERY 20 minutes.  Fry the bacon while the casserole cooks.  Set aside until cool.  Crumble.

Once the chicken and potatoes are fully cooked (potatoes fork tender), remove the casserole from the oven.  Top with cheese, bacon, and onions.  Return to the oven and bake until the cheese melts.  Took about 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and serve.

I put some sour cream on the table to add to the dish if wanted and extra hot sauce.  This is a dynamite recipe, is so easy to make and could easily be halved and baked in a 9" casserole if you wanted.

Thanks to Singing Through the Rain for this recipe.  Everyone LOVED it.  We will be having it again and it reheats very nicely in the microwave.  Great leftovers for lunch the next day.

Give this recipe a try the next time you want something truly superb and easy to make.  Add a green salad and you are good to go.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Try one new recipe a week just for some variety in your dinner routine.  They are not all keepers, but when they are it is great to have something new to add to the rotation.  donna

Grilled Chicken With Lemon, Thyme And Some Other Good Stuff

Wow, it was a lovely day today.  Sunny, 80 degrees, balmy breeze - perfect weather.  We ran errands all afternoon and got home later than usual.  This is what we have been waiting for all winter.  These are the nights I don't mind cooking a late dinner because we can grill.  Oh yeah.  It was so lovely out of doors.   We ate on the deck and I really didn't want to come inside.

For dinner I made these delicious grilled chicken breasts that are marinated with fresh lemon juice and thyme with some red pepper flakes for a little heat and garlic for depth of flavor.  All of this is added to some good extra virgin olive oil.  Yum.  The recipe is from foodandwine.com.  The lemon and thyme give the chicken such a nice, bright citrus flavor which is perfect for warm weather.  It would be fabulous sliced and served on a beautiful green salad if you are watching your calories.  It would also be wonderful sliced and served as a sandwich.

Here is what you need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (I zested one lemon and added the zest to the marinade)
1/4 tsp dried thyme (I used 5 sprigs fresh thyme)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (add more if you like more heat)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Mix the lemon juice, lemon zest, thyme, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl.  Put the chicken breasts in a gallon sized zip lock bag and add all the marinade.  Squish it around until all the chicken is coated in the marinade.  Put the bag in a bowl in case it leaks and put in the refrigerator for at least 1/2 hour.  I moved it around a few times to make sure everything was good and coated with the marinade.  After 1/2 hour, remove the chicken from the marinade and grill until the juices run clear and there is no pink in the middle of the chicken.  Remove from the grill.  Let sit for a few minutes before serving.  Delicious.  If you don't have an outdoor grill, you can use a stove top grill also.

I added a twist of fresh lemon slice to the top of each breast when serving so that we could add a little more lemon flavor by squeezing some fresh juice over the cooked breast.  It's not necessary, but it also looks pretty.

Now is the time to start building up some new recipes for summer grilling season.  Give this one a try.  It's quick, easy, no unusual ingredients and it is SOOOOOOOO good.  It is also pretty low calorie.

Don't know about you, but I am beyond happy for this weather to finally make its appearance.  It was a long winter.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

“Never throw away squeezed lemon, but keep them for the day by the sink. Then you can use them to remove fish, onion or garlic smells from your fingers. Or you can stick them on your elbows while you are reading a book, to soften and whiten your skin.”   Jennifer Paterson, Two Fat Ladies Obsessions

Monterrey Chicken - You Can Make 1 or 100 Using This Recipe

Does it frazzle your brain to come up with ideas for dinner day after day after day?  Sometimes I think it would be interesting to know how many dinners I have made through the 43 years we have been married plus all the years I cooked at home growing up.  I was 12 when I started cooking the family dinner.  That's a lot of years and a lot of dinners.

Needless to say, the worst part is variety - not fixing the same meals over and over again.  I love cookbooks and magazines with recipes in them.  I have spent hours studying recipes, reading them, making them.  Now, there is the addition of the internet which has taken cooking to a whole new level. There are a bazillion recipes at your fingertips at any given moment!  I mean seriously, how fabulous is that?

We have four children and I cooked in large quantities for many years.  It is difficult to make things in smaller batches, but I do  - OR I invite people to join us for a meal.  That takes care of the over cooking part.  It is really difficult to cook for two people don't you think?  Sometimes you think it's just not worth the effort or it's easier to eat out.  But, it's so much healthier to prepare food at home where you know what has gone into the recipe and it is less expensive  - unless you are eating really cheap fast food which is not healthy.

This monterrey chicken recipe can be prepared for 1 or 100 just by dressing each chicken breast in the same way and it's easy and delicious.  If you get tired of bland chicken, try this recipe.  It will take care of that issue for you in one easy meal.

Here is what you need:

boneless, skinless chicken breasts (however many you want to prepare)
your favorite barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray's original)
real bacon bits - I used real bacon (yum)
colby jack cheese (I used pepper jack)
1 can RoTel tomatoes with chiles, drained

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet or something heavy to flatten them out a bit.  It really does help keep all the toppings on if you are wondering why it is necessary.

Grill the chicken breasts just until done.  That means juices will run clear and there will be no pink in the middle.  Dan cooked ours on the grill, but you could use a George Forman grill if you have it or a stove top grill.  That is up to you.

When the chicken is done, place the breasts on a baking sheet and top each one with the following.

2 Tbsps. barbecue sauce
1 Tbsps. bacon bits or regular bacon
1/4 cup grated cheese (colby jack, monterrey jack, or pepper jack)
1/4 cup Rotel

Place the baking sheet in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.  It doesn't take very long, so keep an eye on them.

Remove the baking pan from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before serving.

This is one of the easiest, tastiest ways to fix chicken breasts.  It's also very colorful and looks so appealing on a plate.  You can make it as spicy as you like or as mild as you like by changing the ingredients just a bit.  If you don't like spicy, don't use pepper jack cheese.

Warm weather is on the way and this is a wonderful way to enjoy chicken without too much effort.  Your kitchen doesn't heat up from using the stove for a long period of time and it goes beautifully with so many side dishes.  We all love this.  I think you will too!

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember

Chicken Facts

•  Americans consume an average of 8 billion chickens each year.
• That's a lot of chicken, so you need some new recipes.  Try this one.  : )

Parmesan Chicken Sticks - Perfect For Super Bowl Sunday

Iiiiiitttttttt's Monday!  Again!  Hope your weekend was spectacular.  We spent ours at grandsons' (plural) basketball games on Saturday and helped our other daughter pack her house for their big move this week.  Have you ever packed to move with two little ones running around?  I have, and all the help you can wrangle is a major bonus.  Some to pack and some to chase children.  They are moving to a new house all on one level.  She is so excited.  No more flights of stairs to navigate with two little boys.   Talk about a workout.  Wow.

On Friday night, I felt ambitious and wanted to fix something different for dinner.  Don't you get tired of the same things all the time?  I sure do.  Well, that huge package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts  in the fridge looked like they were it whether they wanted to be or not.  I hunted around the net to see what I could find as far as recipes using chicken breasts.  One of the first places I always look is Foodnetwork.com.  Lots and lots of good recipes on there and Ina Garten, better known as the Barefoot Contessa, always has awesome recipes that are not hard, but always flavorful and delicious.  What did I spy, but a recipe for parmesan chicken sticks.  Sounded good to me!  I mean, who doesn't love chicken parmesan?   And, what to go with them?  Why my 3 cheese mac and cheese of course (made from scratch) and a recipe for zucchini cakes that I found on Pinterest a while back.  They are like potato pancakes made with zucchini and a tzatziki sauce to go with them.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.

I put our youngest son to work grating zucchini while I prepared the parmesan chicken sticks.  They are really easy and oh my goodness delicious.  These would be perfect for Super Bowl serving!!  For Super Bowl you want some finger type food that guys will love and these certainly fit the bill.  Here is what you need:

1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts (3 to 4 - I used 4 and had a mound of chicken sticks)
1 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 extra large eggs
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used Italian bread crumbs)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Unsalted butter
Good olive oil
Bamboo skewers 6-10 inches long, optional

Directions

Lay the chicken breasts on a cutting board and slice each diagonally into 4 or 5 large strips.  (The chicken breasts I had were very large so I got 6-7 strips per breast).  I also ended up doubling the breading recipe.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.  Beat the eggs with 1 TBSP of water in a second shallow bowl.  Combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan in a third shallow bowl.  Dredge the chicken breasts on both sides in the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and roll in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly to coat.

Heat 1 TBSP of butter and 1 TBSP of olive Oil in a large saute pan and cook the chicken sticks on medium low heat for about 3 minutes on each side, until just cooked through.  Don't crowd the pan.  (I used my non stick electric skillet so I could cook more at a time).  Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken sticks.  Serve each stick on a skewer if you want.  (We didn't bother, but could be good for the Super Bowl).

You can keep the chicken breasts warm for about 15 minutes on a sheet pan in a preheated 200 degree F oven until you finish all the chicken sticks.

We ate these with some Trader Joe's marinara sauce (warmed) for dipping.  Mm, mm, mm, mm, mmm.  Dan and Tyler declared these fantastic and we certainly will be making them again!  We had a huge plate of chicken sticks and enjoyed them for two more meals.

If you have children, I guarantee they will love these scrumptious pieces of chicken.  So will anyone at a Super Bowl gathering.  They were so tender and tasty we could not stop commenting on how delicious they were.  Tyler, who is somewhat of a foodie, TRULY liked them if you want a good testimonial from someone with rather discriminating taste.  Dan declared the meal better than most restaurant meals which made the effort more than worthwhile.

Thanks Ina for a great recipe!  Hope you all give it a try.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

I predict that one of the teams will win the Super Bowl.  ; )