Spicy Blackened Chicken with Avocado Relish

My kitchen facelift is finished! I'm so happy and pleased with how it all came together. But, we'll talk more about that later- I've gotta get this post published so I can get Lily to swim lessons!

This dish was one of the first things I made after I got my kitchen all put back together. The pictures were taken with my iphone-- I'm a lazy lame-o, I know. I've had this recipe bouncing around my head and I'm so glad that it tasted as good as I imagined it to be. Creamy avocado with some tang mixed with the spicy blackened chicken is a really killer combo. Serve this with some corn on the cob and you've got yourself a meal! Here's the recipe:

Recipe (serves 4):

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded evenly to 1/2 in thickness

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for cooking

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (reduce this by 1/2 if you want to make it less spicy)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 large garlic clove, minced

-Preheat your grill to medium-high (or large pan, medium-high over the stove). Clean and lightly oil grill. 

-In a small bowl, combine paprika, ground pepper, salt, cayenne, oregano, thyme, minced garlic and tablespoons of oil. Rub all over chicken breasts

-Grill chicken, about 2-3 minutes per side or until juices run clear and the breasts are firm to the touch. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

-Transfer chicken to a serving tray and top with avocado relish. 

The avocado relish recipe is from my sister in law, Megan- we all lick the bowl clean when she makes it-

Avocado relish:

2 large avocados, cubed

2 roma tomatoes, washed and cubed

3/4 cup red onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon, red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

2 dashes habanero sauce

Combine all ingredients, toss gently, cover and refrigerate before serving.

Hope you're all having a great week thus far! Thanks for stopping in!

iphone images by Briana

Barbeque Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Chicken Enchiladas are a favorite at our house!  So, a few weeks ago, I decided to take our traditional chicken enchilada recipe and switch it up a bit by cooking the chicken in barbeque sauce and adding black beans to the mix.  The results worked great and the flavor combo was awesome!  

Follow the quantities and directions for our traditional Chicken Enchiladas.  The only differences will be cooking your chicken in bbque sauce.  And instead of mixing the chicken in with the cream of chicken/sour cream mixture, you will spread a layer of the cream of chicken/sour cream on top of the corn tortillas followed by a layer of shredded bbque chicken and then a layer of black beans.  Repeat one more time.  Baking temp and time remains the same.

images by Kara

Fajita Stacks

These are lick-your-plate-clean delicious and healthy! And they're easy to make. The first time I made these I made some lime brown rice to layer with the rest of the ingreeds, but then my rice burned in my rice cooker (I was scratching my head over that one). I didn't have time to whip up another batch of rice, so I moved forward and made do without and wouldn't ya know, the dish was fantastic without it! So filling and just plain yummy. If you do feel inclined, you can make some rice to go with it, but it's just one more step and really and truly it doesn't need it. 

Recipe (yields 4-6 servings):

4 raw chicken breasts, preferably organic

1 large red bell pepper, rinsed and sliced into strips

1 large green bell pepper, rinsed and sliced into strips

*1 large red onion, peeled and sliced into ribbons

2 15oz cans black beans

1 lime

kosher salt and black pepper

cayenne pepper

paprika

cumin

olive oil

1. Sprinkle and rub both sides of chicken breasts lightly with salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and cumin. Pound each chicken breast out to 1/2-1/4 inch thickness. 

2. Pour black beans into a medium sauce pan and set heat to low. Heat a 1 1/2-2 tablespoons olive oil in an extra large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat another couple tablespoons olive oil in another large skillet over medium-high heat. When both skillets are hot, add the vegetables to the extra-large skillet and your chicken to the large skillet. Stir vegetables around to coat (use a pair of tongs to stir the vegetables and flip the chicken breasts), turn heat down to medium-low, cover and allow vegetable to sweat for 4 minutes. This is going to really bring out the flavor of the vegetables.

3. Allow chicken to sear for 3-4 minutes. Flip chicken breasts to other side and sear for 3-4 minutes or until chicken breasts are firm when pushed down on. Lift lid on vegetables and stir them around. Adjust heat if you feel it is too hot. Cover vegetables and allow to sweat for another 5 minutes.

4. Remove cooked chicken breasts to a cutting board and tent with foil. Check on vegetables, they should be done. Hit them with kosher salt and pepper. Stir and remove from heat.

5. Build your stacks. Using a slotted spoon, scoop black beans into the center of plate. Pile peppers and onions on top of beans. Slice chicken breast into strips and finish the stack with as many strips of chicken as you want. Finish the dish with a squeezing of fresh lime juice. Serve and enjoy! 

*I highly recommend using red onion, like I think it's an absolute MUST. We have a fabulous mexican restaurant here in Midway and they use red onion in their fajitas and now I do it and I have never looked back. THE BOMB, guys.

images and recipe by Briana

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Enchilada Soup

Yay happy Friday!!!!  I hope you all have exciting things planned for this weekend! Here at my home, we'll be doing a lot resting and hopefully recovering.  It's been a rough 1 1/2 weeks!  We've been bombarded with runny noses, sore throats and coughs!  I thought we were to the end of it and now my little guy has the flu, with the fever and all!  It's times like this I wonder why I even bother sending him to school!  So, the poor little guy is quarantined{with plenty of books and movies} for the next several days!  I cannot let my 8 month old get this!  My wise Mama said you are supposed to "feed a fever".  So that is exactly what I'm going to do!  Hibernate and make some of our favorite foods!  Starting with this soup!  It is so so so good you guys! I was introduced to it by my sis in law Megan, who kindly shared the recipe!  It really does taste like a cheesy chicken enchilada in soup form!  No hassle, easy to make!  Enjoy!

Here is the recipe:
1/2-1 lb cooked chicken(diced or shredded)
1 1/2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup diced onion
1/2 clove garlic(minced)
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup masa harina
1 1/2 cups water(divided)
1/2 cup enchilada sauce
1 cup shredded cheddar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin
In a medium sauce pot, saute onion and garlic in oil over medium heat.  Add broth.  In a small bowl, whisk together masa harina and 1 cup water.  Pour into pot over the broth mix.  Add remaining 1/2 cup water, enchilada sauce, cheese, salt, chili powder, cumin and mix thoroughly.  Bring to a boil.  Add chicken and reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally.


Recipe from Megan Lettich Asay
image by Kara    

Perfect Roast Chicken

I'm excited to share this classic recipe today! I know there are countless recipes for roast chicken floating around the internets, but this one is special because it's Ina Garten's! I've made this roast chicken many times and it always comes out perfect. I play around with the flavoring a little here and there but I always use her method, which is very straight forward and simple. Whenever I make this, my husband oohs and aahs over it- little does he know that it takes me the same amount of effort to throw together a casserole. Win, win. If you don't have a roasting pan, don't fret, just use a glass baking dish like I did here (you can place the glass baking dish on a cookie sheet if you are worried about drippings). I also recommend playing around with the root vegetable combinations you use: carrots, potatoes, onions (a must), a bulb of fennel, turnips, golden beets, etc. In the pictures, I've used carrots and onion because that is what I had on hand. Enjoy!


Recipe (8 servings): 


1 5-6 pound roasting chicken (I've used smaller chickens in the past and just decreased the cooking times and ingredient amounts slightly)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper (in addition to the salt and pepper, I like to use a little Lawry's season salt to season the bird)
1 large bunch fresh thyme
1 lemon, halved
1/2 a head of garlic
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
4 carrots, cut into 2 in chunks
3-4 small to medium potatoes, cut into cubes similar in size to the carrots (remember, you can sub in a different vegetable for the potatoes if you like)
Olive oil


Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
Place onions, carrots and the other vegetables you are using in a roasting pan (or in my case a glass baking dish). Toss with salt, pepper, 15 thyme sprigs (the rest will be stuffed in the cavity of the chicken) and a glug of olive oil, about a heaping tablespoon. Spread around the bottom of the pan to make a bed for the chicken. Set aside.

Rinse chicken inside and out. Remove giblets, if any, from the cavity. Most chickens, I've found come w/o them. Pat the outside dry with a paper towel. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the lemon halves, the rest of your thyme, and all the garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen string (this is optional). Place your chicken atop your bed of vegetables, making sure to tuck the wing tips under the cavity of the bird. Pour melted butter over the whole bird, use a brush to spread it around.

Sprinkle outside of chicken with salt, pepper and Lawry's (if using). Make sure you are thorough in covering the whole chicken, but do so with a light hand.
Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 hours, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Use a meat thermometer and place it in the thickest part of the breast to check the temperature, as well. When it registers between 160-165 degrees it should be done. If the juices are still not running clear, though, leave it in for another 3-5 minutes then check it again. When done, remove the chicken and vegetables to a serving platter, tent with foil and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before slicing and serving with the vegetables. 

images by Briana

Lemony Herb Chicken

This chicken can either be baked in the oven or thrown on the grill. Pick your poison! I decidedly pounded out the chicken breasts, making them thinner and therefore decreasing the cooking time. This meal was just right for a summer evening- quick, light and satisfying.


Recipe:
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Juice of 1 lemon, make sure it's ripe and juicy, if not use two lemons 
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dried tarragon
1 bunch green onions, chopped finely
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt + more for seasoning each chicken breast
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper + more for seasoning each chicken breast


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 


Pound each chicken breast out to an even thickness. About a 1/4 to 1/2 in thick. Season each chicken breast lightly with salt and pepper on both sides. Set aside.


Squeeze juice of 1 lemon directly into baking dish (9x13). Remove any lemon seeds that may have fallen in. Add in olive oil, tarragon, S and P, minced garlic and green onions. Stir mixture with spoon to combine.


Side note: I halved this recipe. That's why you only see three chicken breasts in the pictures!

Lay chicken breasts in with marinade. Spoon marinade over chicken breasts and move them around to coat evenly. Cover with tinfoil and refrigerate for a couple hours to marinade further or bake (or grill) immediately. 


Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken breasts are cooked through. Remove from oven, serve and enjoy!

images by Briana

Cowboy Quesadillas

Crock-pots are magical contraptions. Time and time again, I throw chicken breasts in the crock-pot with some kind of sauce, cook it on low for the better part of the day and then call it dinner. MA-GIC. One of my favorite sauces to crock-pot with chicken breasts is barbecue. OH, it's yours too?! I thought so.

Crock-potted barbecue chicken gets AROUND in my kitchen. I toss it in salads, sprinkle it on pizzas, pile it in potato rolls, layer it in quesadillas, or serve it up with a loaded baked potato on the side (my favorite way).

This quesadilla is just one of the many, many ways to use crock-potted barbecue chicken. It's messy and I have to say, I LOVE that about it. Sometimes you just need a little messy in your life. These are meant to be made and then immediately devoured with plenty of finger lickin' along the way. I don't serve them with anything on the side- no sour cream or salsa. These can stand alone. At our house, we usually lay a paper towel down for each place setting and then I serve the quesadillas straight from the cutting board after cutting up into wedges.

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do! Thanks for stopping by!

Recipe (will make 3 10 in sized quesadillas, serving up to 6 people):

For the crock-potted chicken:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Enough barbecue sauce to coat and cover chicken breasts

Place chicken breast in crock-pot. Pour barbecue sauce over chicken. Stir to combine and coat. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. After cooking, remove from crock-pot and shred using a fork. Cover and refrigerate or move right into making the quesadillas if you are ready.

For the quesadillas:

6 10 in tortillas

Roughly 3-4 cups shredded cheese (mozzarella or jack, preferably)

1 15 oz can chili beans, divided between three quesadillas (chili beans are simply pinto beans with seasonings and tomato paste)

Cooked and shredded barbecue chicken

3-4 tablespoons red onion, FINELY diced (you could also use green onions)

Barbecue sauce for drizzling in the quesadilla

Start by heating your skillet, over medium to medium-low heat. After skillet is heated, in this order, layer a single tortilla, 1/2 cup-3/4 cup shredded cheese, shredded chicken (equal to 1 chicken breast), chili beans, and a healthy drizzling of barbecue sauce.

Top with more cheese.

Top it all off with another tortilla.

Cover skillet with lid. Cook quesadillas for 5 minutes per side (medium-low to medium heat), or until the cheese is all melted through. It's important to cover the quesadilla while it cooks. It will trap the heat, ensuring that the layers of beans, cheese, and chicken get properly heated through.

Transfer cooked quesadillas to cutting board. Cut into wedges. Serve.

images by Briana

A Fresh Take On Swiss Cheese Chicken

I was stumped on what to make for dinner the other night. I looked in my fridge and pantry and started putting ingredients together in my mind. What I came up with was quick and easy. Not to mention, my husband and little guy are now big fans!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Ingredients needed:

3 chicken breasts, if using frozen, thaw before hand

1 can progresso chicken corn chowder

3 slices deli ham

6 slices swiss cheese

3 heaping tablespoons breadcrumbs

Spray a 9 by 9 inch baking dish w/ cooking spray. Place chicken breasts in dish and pour chicken corn chowder evenly over the top. Bake for 40 min. Open oven and place 1 slice of ham over each chicken breast. Then 2 slices of swiss cheese over each. Finish with 1 heaping tablespoon of breadcrumbs on the top of each. Then back in the oven for 10 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden.

Image by Kar

Chicken Chile Lime Tacos

These are more of a “fajita taco” if you will. I made these for my husband for Father’s Day and he ate six of them.

Recipe:

3 raw chicken breast, sliced thinly into 3 inch strips

3- 4 bell peppers (pick any variety of colors), thinly sliced

1-2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

White corn tortillas (cover and warm them up in the microwave before serving)

Ingredients for dry rub:

3-4 teaspoons sea salt

2 tablespoons chili pepper

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried onion

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Combine all dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. With clean hands coat and massage dry rub into chicken strips. Set aside. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a good drizzle of olive oil. When hot, add peppers and onions. Stir occasionally, allowing the vegetables to cook evenly. It will take about 10 minutes. Multi-task and grill the chicken while the vegetables are cooking.

You can cook the chicken many different ways. I have a grill pan that I love to use when the propane is out (like it was on sunday :/). You could also use a skillet. Heat your pan over medium-high heat for a few minutes. You want to get the pan nice and hot to get a good sear on the meat to lock in the juices. When pan is hot, working in batches, place chicken strips in a single layer on the bottom of the pan. Cook on each side for 2 minutes. Don’t be tempted to move the meat before your two minutes is up or it will tear. The meat will cook quick, so be careful not to over do it. You don’t want jerky tacos.

When chicken is cooked place a couple strips on a warm tortilla. On top of the chicken place cooked onion and peppers, sour cream, cheese, diced tomatoes, and some torn cilantro. Serve lime wedges on side for squeezing right before devouring.

Recipe by Bri

Chicken and Rice

This is a meal we’ve been eating since childhood. It isn’t fancy at all (condensed soup, check!), but that’s one of the things I love about it. This is comfort food at its finest. One more thing, you have GOT to serve it with peas. It’s the only way.

Recipe:

5-6 chicken breasts (I highly recommend using organic. Also, you don’t have to use this much chicken. If you only have two chicken breasts to use, that’s fine.)

2 cans (10 3/4 oz size) cream of chicken soup

2 cans (10 3/ oz size) cream of celery soup

2 cups long cooking rice (I like to use white basmati)

1/2 cube butter

3/4 cup milk

1 bag frozen petite peas

Place chicken breasts across the bottom of a 9x11 baking dish. Pepper each breast generously. Set aside. In a large pot mix together soups, rice, butter, and milk over medium low heat. Cook until the butter is all melted. Pour rice mixture over chicken breasts. Use a rubber scraper to help get all the rice mixture out of the pot. Smooth the top evenly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Or, you can bake at 300 degrees for 2 hours. When finished baking, remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes. Cook frozen peas according to package instructions. Use a slotted spoon to serve peas.

I like to eat the peas, chicken, and rice all in one bite. The bomb, dudes.

Post by Bri

Recipe from my Aunt Marsha