Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chicken. Show all posts

11.27.2009

Lomo Saltado

This is one of my favorite dishes from my mission. It is a Peruvian dish. And every time Marcos and I go to a Peruvian restaurant, we have to order this!

Ingredients:
1 lb. tenderloin or chicken, cut into small pieces (2x1/2" wide strips)
2 sliced onions
2 tomatoes, peeled & cut
4 cloves garlic, chopped
Parsley, chopped
1 red or green sweet pepper, cut in strips
salt & pepper
Hot, cooked french fries

Directions:
Brown mean in oil. Add onions, tomatoes, pepper, and parsley. Cook until meat is tender. Just before serving, toss in the french fries. Serve, usually over rice. (Note: add a little liquid when cooking if it seems dry; this recipe should come out slightly juicy.)

Prep Time: a good 30 mins due to all the chopping (and peeling that tomato--which I hate doing) and then you're cooking for about 30 mins as well

Source: www.cook.com

Variations: So next time I'll definitely do both red and green pepper (instead of just one). And I'll make sure I cut that chicken into smaller strips. Marcos ended up putting his rice in the skillet with his food, but I didn't like it that way. Oh, and I won't drain the fat after cooking the chicken (which wasn't in the recipe, but for some reason I drained it and then it was really dry.)

Marcos Rating: 6 (but he LOVES the real stuff so we're going to keep looking for a better recipe for this dish!)

9.13.2009

Cafe Rio Salads

Ingredients:
Tortillas (large, burrito size)
Crispy tortilla strips (like those skinny chips)
Guacamole
Sour Cream
Pico de Gallo
Tomatillo Dressing
Lettuce (I use Romaine, then shred it into strips)
Shredded cheese (Cheddar or Fiesta mix work well)
Chicken
Lime Rice
Corn Salsa

Directions:
Make above dishes as explained in previous posts (click on links above).
In a shallow, round, tin pan (like a pie crust pan, but with vertical sides instead of slanted), lay your warm tortilla. Then add shredded cheese (or add before warming up tortilla so the cheese will be melted). Then add rice, chicken, corn salsa, and lettuce. Then add remaining ingredients as desired. Dressing should be last.

Prep Time: Okay, honestly, it took me about 3 hours to make all this stuff on the same day. But it's so good and the left-overs can last for a long time. The other idea is to have a dinner party & then assign each person/couple one of the big dishes.

Source: My sister Erin

Variations: We turned this into burritos last week because I forgot to buy lettuce. The crispy tortilla strips aren't necessary, but they sure make it taste like the original salad.

Marcos' Rating: 9

Cafe Rio Salad Chicken

Ingredients:
5 lbs boneless chicken
1 small Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
3 cloves garlic

Directions:
Add all to crockpot. Cook on low, 5-7 hrs. Shred & let sit in juices until serving.

Prep Time: 2 minutes tops

Source: My sister Erin

Variations: I use frozen chicken so there's quite a bit of juice. And I never put in 5 lbs. I usually put in about 2-3 lbs worth but I still use the same measurements for the rest of the ingredients.

Marcos' Rating: 8 when by itself, 8.5-9 in the salad

11.26.2008

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more
1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Mix milk & egg. Dip the chicken breasts in milk/egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Brown on both sides until golden in skillet. Set aside in baking dish. Slice mozzarella cheese and put two slices on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake 30 minutes at 350 F or until bubbly. Serve with garlic bread and a nice green salad.

Source: the wife of our former Bishop

Serves: 4

Prep time: 15-20 minutes, maybe a little more

Marcos' rating: 8

Variations: You can make your own Italian bread crumbs by adding Italian seasoning to regular bread crumbs.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayo
2 oz (1/4 brick) cream cheese
1/2 cup chopped celery
thinly chopped onion to taste
1/4 tsp salt & pepper
cooked, chopped chicken, to taste
halved grapes
cashews

Directions:
Soften cream cheese. Combine with mayo. Mix in salt & pepper. Add celery and onion. Add chicken. Don't add grapes or cashews until right before serving. Serve in pitas or croissants.

Source: My sister Erin

Serves: It depends on how much salad you put in each sandwich, but it makes enough to feed Marcos and me for one dinner or two lunches.

Prep time: 5 minutes after cooking chicken & doing all the chopping

Marcos' rating: 7

Variations: I leave out the grapes because Marcos doesn't like fruit in his food. I also leave out cashews because they are expensive. Instead, I add craisins and pine nuts to mine but not Marcos'.

Chicken and broccoli stir-fry with spaghetti

Ingredients:
150g spaghetti
2 tsp sunflower oil
4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into strips
300g broccoli, cut into florets
2 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp sweet chili sauce
200g beansprouts
2 mild red chilies, deseeded and finely chopped
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted

Directions:
Cook spaghetti in boiling water according to packet instructions. Heat oil in a wok and stir-fry chicken for 2 minutes, then add broccoli and stir-fry for a further 2 minutes. Mix together soy sauce and sweet chili sauces with 2 Tbsp water. Add to the pan and, once bubbling, add the beansprouts. Cook for 1-2 minutes until beansprouts look translucent. Drain spaghetti and add to the pan with the chilies, spring onions and sesame seeds. Stir together and serve.

Source: (some random magazine that I bought for a friend, and then photo copied this recipe before giving it to her--and now I can't remember what it was called) Sorry.

Serves: 4

Prep time: 20 minutes

Marcos' rating: 9-10

Variations:
Substitutions: vegetable oil for sunflower oil
Things I left out: sweet chili sauce, beansprouts, red chilies, and sesame seeds
Instead, I added lots of soy sauce and some other seasonings (like Season All). I didn't use that much pasta, and broke it in half before cooking.
You could also add other vegetables, like those baby corns or thin/shredded carrots.

6.21.2008

Santa Fe Chicken

I serve this with warm tortillas to make burritos. You could also serve over rice. And the left-overs are great as a dip for tortilla chips!

Ingredients:
1 can black beans, drained
2 cans corn
2 cups salsa
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed
2 oz cream cheese
1 cup cheddar cheese

Directions:
Add all ingredients except for cheeses into the crockpot. Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours. Shred the chicken with a fork while inside the crockpot. Right before you serve, add the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Wait until it melts, then mix into other ingredients.

Prep time: 5 minutes

Source: my sister Amberly

Variations: The original recipe calls for 2 cups frozen corn instead of canned corn.

Marcos' rating: 7 or 8 (depending on his mood)

Chicken Lasagna

This is really yummy and fills you up! I usually serve it with noodles or rice and a side salad.

Ingredients:
4 boneless chicken breasts (not frozen)
1 jar Prego spaghetti sauce
1 package mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 can pinto beans, drained

Directions:
In a 9x13 glass dish, layer chicken, sauce, beans, & cheese. Cover with foil. Cook for 1 hour at 350°. Uncover and cook for another 10 minutes.

Prep time: Maybe 15 minutes.

Source: my sister Bekah

Variations: I usually don't use the whole jar of sauce.

Marcos' rating: 6

Chicken Divan

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked chicken, chopped into pieces (usually about 3-4 breasts)
2 packages frozen broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream
1 tsp curry powder
1 cup shredded cheese
2 cups bread crumbs

Directions:
Cook chicken. Put broccoli in a 9x13 pan and top with cooked chicken. Mix soup, mayonnaise, sour cream, and curry. Pour mixure over chicken. Sprinkle bread crumbs on top of souce & chicken. Cover with foil. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

Prep time: About 20 minutes to cook the chicken. Then another 10 minutes to mix sauce & put ingredients in the pan.

Source: College roommate

Variations: Can add more chicken or sauce if desired. Also, could add carrots, but I've never done it.

Marcos' rating: 6, but doesn't like it as left-overs

Chicken for Burritos

Ingredients:
3-4 large chicken breasts unthawed
1 16oz jar of salsa
Sour cream
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Cheese
Beans
Tortillas

Directions:
Cook chicken and salsa in crock pot for 6-8 hours. Take out and shred chicken. Place back in warm crock pot. Serve in tortillas with your choice of toppings.

Prep time: Five minutes

Source: Me

Variations: You can also use this chicken for tacos, salads, sandwiches, enchiladas, or quesadillas.

Marcos' rating: 7

BBQ Chicken

Ingredients:
Frozen chicken breasts, skinless, boneless (I usually put in 1 and 1/2 per person)
BBQ sauce

Directions:
Put a little water on the bottom of the crock pot. Put chicken in crock pot. Add BBQ sauce until chicken is well coated. Cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours.

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Source: My dad

Variations: You can use fresh chicken, just don't cook it for so long.

Marcos' rating: 7

5.17.2008

Pesto Chicken

Ingredients:
1 cup artichoke hearts
1 cup diced red peppers
1 lb chicken, cooked & chopped
2 Tbsp pine nuts
1 cup pesto sauce
1 lb pasta

Directions:
Cook pasta. Drain. Cook & chop chicken. Put pasta, chicken, & all other ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Prep time: about 1/2 hr if you cook the pasta & chicken (not frozen) at the same time (in separate pots of course) and then do your chopping while waiting

Source: my sister Amberly

My variation: I don't measure any of the ingredients. Instead, do one chicken breast per person (and boil it) and about a half a bag of pasta (I would stick with bow ties or penne). I leave the red pepper as big chunks and quarter the artichoke hearts. The last time I made this I used artichoke hearts that came marinated in parsley, garlic, oregano, sunflower oil, and olive oil. It gave the meal extra flavor and was delicious! I've also added mozzarella cheese when serving. Add pesto sauce to taste (adding a little at a time while mixing). When eating left-overs, you'll want to add a bit more pesto as it tends to soak into the food over time.

Vegetarian style: This pasta dish would be delicious even without the chicken!

Marcos' rating: 8.5-9

5.13.2008

Tin Foil Dinners

Soon after I posted this recipe on my other blog, my best friend and one of my sisters made this. So I thought it appropriate for this EASY DINNER to be the first post!


Chicken-in-a-Packet
(aka Tin Foil Dinners)

Ingredients:
Boneless, skinless chicken (I cut it up)
Chopped Veggies (you can use anything you want, but here's what we did)
Small Potatoes
(red potatoes would be delicious but I couldn't find any in the store)
Carrots
Green Pepper
Red Pepper
Yellow Pepper
Zucchini
Broccoli
Mini Cobs (that looks like baby corn-on-the cobs)
Onions
Olives
Mushrooms
Green Peas (still in the pod)
Seasonings (really, just add whatever you want)
Salt
Pepper
Season-all
Garlic Salt
Italian Seasoning (basil, thyme, oregano)

Directions: Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Put about 1 Tbsp butter on foil. Pile desired veggies onto a large sheet of foil. Trim fat from chicken. Place chicken on top of veggies. Sprinkle with seasonings of your choice. Add desired amount of butter. Fold foil over to create sealed packets. You may have to add another sheet of foil to ensure that it is sealed so no juice escapes. Poke a couple holes in the top of the packets. Place packets on baking sheet and cook for 35-40 minutes. (If you don't cut up the chicken, you will need to allow it to cook for a bit longer.) Can be served over rice or pasta. But we like to eat it straight from the foil (after spreading butter on top) and then dip bread in the remaining juice.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can be as picky as you want and not hurt any one's feelings if you get to put your own "packet" together.

Preparation Time: however long it takes to cut up the veggies

Source: some recipe card that was mailed to me from some company

Vegetarian Style: leave out the meat!

Other Variations: It might be fun to add tator tots like we used to at girls' camp.

Marcos' Rating: 20