Tag Archives: Chicken

Roasted Garlic Chicken Thighs

Here is a terrific recipe for chicken thighs, great for a party or a special dinner.  Or use legs/thighs. Yes, you do have to love garlic, so be sure only to invite those who have an acquired taste for this tasty allium.

This recipe should be prepared the day before and as a note, the longer you marinate it – the taster it becomes.  It is best to marinade for at the very least, 6 hours up to 24 hours in advance.  Please use only fresh herbs and fresh garlic cloves with this recipe, or you will rob yourself of the intoxicating aroma and flavor of this dish.

INGREDIENTS

  • 3 – 4 pounds of skin on and bone in chicken thighs
  • 1 cup of olive oil
  • 16 fresh garlic cloves
  • 2-tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 2-tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
  • 1/2 cup (or more) fresh parsley, chopped

MARINADE

  • About 1 cup of olive oil – more or less to cover the chicken pieces
  • 6 peeled and smashed garlic cloves – cut in half after you smash them
  • ½ cup of fresh minced flat leaf Italian parsley

PROCESS

  •  Wash, and trim extra skin and fat from chicken thighs, pat them dry.
  • Spread them flat in a baking dish large enough to hold all thighs
  • Combine olive oil, garlic cloves and parsley and pour over thighs
  • Cover baking dish with plastic wrap or lid and refrigerate for up to 24 hours, turning only once during that time.

After 6 – 24 hours

  • Remove chicken from marinade and scrape off excess olive oil and place chicken in a shallow, foil lined, rimmed  cookie  sheet. 
  • With a slotted spoon, scoop up garlic and parsley from marinade and spread on top of chicken.
  • Reserve 1/3 cup of olive oil from marinade.
  • Preheat oven to 400F. 

In a bowl combine

  • 8 more garlic cloves, minced or grated
  •  1/3 cup reserved olive oil
  •   2 tablespoons fresh rosemary chopped
  •   2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  1. Pour this mixture on top of chicken in pan.
  2. Bake at 400F.  for 45 minutes – do not turn chicken during baking.
  3. *Note: do not crowd chicken pieces in roasting pan – this will steam the chicken rather than roasting it.

Enjoy

Herb Crusted Chicken Breast

herbed chickenNot sure what to call this dish, so I researched other recipes that claim they are “oven cooked herb chicken” but most of them incorporate flour or breadcrumbs, and a stick of butter and/or olive oil. They didn’t seem all that healthy too me and took too much time in the oven. I decided to stick with my tried and true herb crusted chicken breast, coated with my own fresh herbs that I cut from my garden, from start to finish it took all of 15 minutes to prepare and cook. Yes, my chicken breast is “sautéed” in coconut oil I feel it is so much healthier than the alternative. This recipe is for an individual 7oz chicken breast, if you have two chicken breasts to add to the pan, you should probably increase the cooking time by one minute on each side or until done. My recipe does not use flour, breadcrumbs or an colossal amount of grease, oil or butter to cook with and it only takes 8 minutes to cook, so I consider this “fast food” for dinner.

Ingredients

  • 7oz chicken boneless, skinless
  • ¼ cup of chopped fresh herbs, I used a combination of: parsley, sage, oregano, rosemary
  • ¼ tsp kosher salt
  • 2 tsp of coconut oil
  • 1 tsp of butter

Directions

  1. Place chicken breast inside a plastic quart bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap and using a meat mallet begin to gently pound the chicken on both sides until all the same width
  2. Take half of the chopped herbs and spread on one side of chicken breast, sprinkle with salt and gently pound the herbs into that side of the chicken breast
  3. Turn chicken over and spread remaining herbs and salt on other side of breast and pound into the chicken breast.
  4. Melt coconut oil and butter in a heavy pan or non-stick pan over medium high heat, when oil is hot place the chicken in the oil and cook uncovered for 4 minutes each side.
  5. Turn the heat down to medium if it looks like it is browning too fast. When the chicken is ready to flip to the other side after 4 minutes, be careful not to splash yourself. Cook the second side for 4 more minutes. Slice the chicken breast to be sure the meat is white (cooked) before serving.

    *Note: Melted oil must be hot before adding the chicken breast or it will absorb the oil as it is cooking. Hot oil will sear the meat as it hits the pan.

Pounded chicken breast cooks relatively fast, prepare your salad and vegetables while it is cooking.

Three Cheese Wonton Ravioli

 

Three Cheese Wonton Ravioli

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • ½ cup squeezed, chopped, cooked fresh or frozen spinach
  • ½ cup coarsely grated mozzarella
  • ½ cup ricotta (whole milk or low fat)
  • ½ cup freshly microplane grated Parmigiano-Reggiano plus extra for sprinkling
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 32 square wonton wrappers
  • shredded basil for garnish.

Directions

  1. In a large bowl combine the spinach, mozzarella, ricotta, ½ cup parmesan, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.
  2. Working with a few wonton won tons at a time, keeping the others covered, moisten the edges with water.
  3. Put a level teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wrapper, and put another wonton on top.
  4. Press out the air and crimp the edges tightly to seal. As they are filled, transfer the ravioli to a flour dusted sheet pan. Repeat with the remaining wonton wrappers and filling.

Add the ravioli to the pot of boiling water, turn down to a simmer and cook, until just tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the sauce. To serve: divide the ravioli among four shallow soup plates, top with some of the sauce and a sprinkling of the cheese. Garnish with the shredded basil.

Chicken Pot Pie Bundles – WW friendly (6 pts per serving)

Chicken Pot Pie – WW friendly (6 points per serving)

Chicken Pot Pie Bundles

Chicken Pot Pie Bundles

 Ingredients

1 tsp butter

  • ½ bag of pearl onions or one small onion chopped
  • 2 cups fresh Portobello or white button mushrooms, quartered
  • 2 cloves fresh garlic grated or chopped
  • ¼ tsp tarragon
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
  • 1 cup of low fat canned chicken broth
  • 3 cups cooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts – chopped
  • 2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup fat free evaporated milk, divided
  • 6 Egg roll wraps (Not the smaller wonton wrappers)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 F

6 Servings

Preparation: Do not spray muffin cups with cooking spray.  Gently place 1 egg roll wrap into each cup letting the edges extend over the sides.

  1. Spray a skillet with cooking spray, add butter and melt over medium heat.
  2. Add onion and mushrooms and cook until tender, stirring frequently
  3. Add garlic and stir cooking until fragrant, about 2 minutes
  4. Add frozen vegetables, broth and chicken. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes
  5. In a small cup, combine flour and ¼ cup of evaporated milk; stir into chicken mixture.
  6. Cook over medium heat until thickened, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining ¼ cup of evaporated milk and cook until mixture is slightly thickened, about 2 to 3 minutes.
  7. Place a generous 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture into each wrap, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top. Fold the corners up and over the top of the filling and press to seal the edges. Spray tops with cooking spray.
  8. Bake until golden and crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly before eating.

Note: You can substitute low-fat crescent rolls for the egg-roll wraps; and you can line a shallow baking dish with the egg-roll wraps or crescent rolls to bake pot-pie as one dish. (May affect point values)

 

Oven-fried Coconut Chicken

OVEN-FRIED COCONUT CHICKENCoconut Chicken
*This recipe could be used for chicken wings as well*

  • 1-1/2 cups (loosely packed) flaked coconut
  • 1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons butter melted
  • 1 lb of chicken pieces

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  1. Melt butter in oven in a rimmed cookie sheet (line cookie sheet with aluminum foil & spray with cooking spray.
  2. Mix coconut and bread crumbs in a shallow dish
  3. Beat eggs until foamy in a separate dish
  4. Dip chicken in egg one piece at a time
  5. Roll in coconut mixture
  6. Arrange chicken skin side down in pan
  7. Bake for 25 minutes
  8. Turn chicken and bake for 20 minutes longer or until tender and lightly browned outside.

Chicken Wings: Honey, Barbecued, Mexican, Parmesan and Buffalo !!!

chicken wingAre you having a party? The Superbowl is right around the corner – – – lets do some Chicken Wings. Below are recipes for honey,  barbecued, Mexican,  Parmesan and buffalo chicken wings. Great for appetizers or even a main meal.

Hint: For easy cleanup – line your cookie sheet with aluminum foil and  use cooking spray to spray your foil  before cooking.  Also, did you know to make crispy wings – you should use a lipped cookie sheet rather than a deep baking dish otherwise your wings will steam rather than “bake.”

Hint:  Remove the disjointed and tip to get to the meat of the wing – and it will look like a “chicken leg.”

HONEY CHICKEN WINGS

  • 2 pounds of chicken wings
  • Freshly Ground Pepper
  • 1 cup honey
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons ketchup
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  1. Season chicken liberally with pepper
  2. Place wings in a large baking dish
  3. In a small bowl, mix together honey, soy sauce, oil, ketchup and garlic until well blended
  4. Pour over chicken and bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is well done and sauce is thick.

 MEXICAN CHICKEN WINGS

  • ½ cup corn oil
  • ¼ cup chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 12 ounces tortilla corn chips
  • 1 pound chicken wings

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  1. In a bowl, whisk together the oil, chili powder, oregano, and cumin to blend well
  2. Pulverize the tortilla chips in a food processor or in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, pour into a shallow bowl
  3. Dip the chicken pieces in the seasoned oil; then dredge in the ground chips until covered
  4. Set on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes until browned and crisp outside and tender inside. Serve hot

 PARMESAN CHICKEN WINGS

  • 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (4 ounces)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (fresh)
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter melted
  • 1 pound chicken wings

 Preheat oven to 400 degrees

  1. In a bag combine cheese, parsley, paprika, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper
  2. Pour melted butter into a shallow bowl
  3. Dip chicken pieces into butter, then place in bag and shake to coat
  4. Place chicken on foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes. Serve hot

 BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS

  • 6 tablespoons butter
  • ¼ cup hot pepper sauce
  • Vegetable oil for frying
  • 15 chicken wings (about 3 pounds)
  • Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce
  1.  Melt butter in a small saucepan
  2. Add hot sauce and remove from the heat
  3. In a large frying pan or deep-fat fryer, heat 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees. Fry wings in batches without crowding until golden brown, about 10 – 15 minutes.
  4. Drain on paper towels
  5. Brush wings with spicy butter and serve warm with blue-cheese dipping sauce

BLUE CHEESE DIPPING SAUCE

  • ¾ pound blue cheese; Roquefort or Gorgonzola
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon wine vinegar
  • Several dashes of hot pepper sauce to taste
  1. In a small bowl, mash the blue cheese, leaving some small lumps. Whisk in the mayonnaise until blended. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk to blend well.
  2. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

BARBECUED CHICKEN WINGS

  • ½ cup ketchup
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed through a press or grated
  • 2 pounds chicken wings
  1. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the chicken
  2. Mix to blend well.  Add the chicken and toss to coat
  3. Marinate at room temperature for a minimum of 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator
  4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
  5. Arrange the wings in a single layer in a large rimmed cookie sheet and bake, turning once for 30 minutes.

Parmesan Chicken Breast (easy)

Parmesan Chicken Breasts

Ingredients Chicken Parmesan

    • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
    • 2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
    • 1/8 teaspoon paprika
    • 1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional)
    • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
    • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( about 1 pound)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In resealable plastic bag, combine cheese, crumbs and all seasonings; shake well.
  3. Place one chicken breast in bag of cheese mixture, shake to coat all sides, repeat with remaining chicken.
  4. Spray cooking sheet with non-stick cooking spray (Pam)  and arrange chicken in a single layer
  5. Bake until chicken is cooked through, 20-25 minutes.