Baby Shower Chicken Salad

 

It has happened.  I thought the worst had already begun, with friends getting married.  That was bad enough.  But now, a good friend of mine is having a baby.  I feel so old.  Thank goodness she’s a few years older than me, otherwise I’d have to do a pretty big reevaluation of why I’m still lame and single.

But, baby Most is coming either way, and we are VERY excited for his arrival.  So excited, in fact, that my dear friend (and former roommate) Jess and I decided to host a baby shower.  Needless to say, this is the first baby shower either of us had ever hosted.  Frankly, it’s only the 2nd baby shower I’ve ever attended…and since the first was for someone in high school, I’m not entirely sure that counts.

We had a Winnie the Pooh brunch themed baby shower.  It was adorable, but I was so nervous.  As you can expect, I was in charge of a lot of the food, and that is what I was worried about.  Nobody shows up and everyone has a bad time? Ehhhh, I can deal with that.  There isn’t enough food or nobody likes it? OMG, why am I such a failure?!  Priorities.

Luckily, my worries were unfounded.  Everyone loved my Apple Cheddar Scones (and the Lemon-Blueberry and Cranberry Almond versions I made too!), and this chicken salad was the talk of the shower.  I made a double batch, and I was kind of scared I’d made way too much, but everyone scarfed it down.  The water chestnuts add a nice crunch, and the grapes make it nice and sweet.  I’d also consider adding apples too, either as substitutes for the water chestnuts, or in addition just because.  The bacon, however, really is a must.  I made one batch with bacon and one without, me let me assure you, the one with bacon was infinitely more delicious.  But then, isn’t everything more delicious with a little bacon?

Ingredients:

2 1/2 C cooked chicken, diced

4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled

1 (5 ounce) can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/2 C thinly sliced celery

1 C halved grapes (I prefer the red ones)

1/2 C light mayonnaise

1/4 C onion, finely chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

 

Directions:

1. Combine the chicken, bacon, water chestnuts, celery and grapes in large bowl; set aside. In a smaller bowl, combine remaining ingredients; add to the chicken mixture and stir to coat. Chill until serving.

Chicken Couscous Salad

I made this light couscous salad about a month ago, and I’m only just now getting the recipe up here.  Sorry about that.  With the end of the school year and my slow process of moving, adding recipes got put on the back burner.

It gets hot FAST in Mississippi, and some days the mere thought of cooking seems unbearable.  Especially when you’re AC is broken, which is exactly what happened the day I decided to make this couscous salad.  The less time I had to spend with the stove on the better, and I figured since I already had leftover chicken I could deal with the 5 minutes of stove time it takes to make couscous.

This is a fantastic summer meal, it makes for a great light dinner or easy lunch. I’d even take it as a dish to a potluck.  Make it vegetarian by omitting the chicken and maybe adding a few more vegetables (maybe artichokes? yummm), I think it would still be just as delicious.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 C chicken broth

1 C couscous (or 1 box of the prepackaged kind like Far East)

3/4 C olive oil

1/4 C lemon juice

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp rosemary

salt and pepper to taste

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

1 cucumber, chopped

1/2 C sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

1/2 C kalamata olives, halved

1/2 C  feta cheese

Directions:

1. Prepare couscous according to package directions.  OR: Place olive oil and couscous in a medium pot, cook and stir until couscous is lightly colored.  Add broth, keep the burner on high until the water starts to bubble.  Turn the burner off and put a lid on the pot.  Allow couscous to set until all liquid has been absorbed (7-10 minute).

2. Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, and vinegar in a bowl and whisk until combined (to speed things up, you can always blend it in a food processor or blender). Stir in rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Combine the chicken, cucumber, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives in a large bowl. Stir in the couscous and feta.  Toss the salad with half the dressing. Taste, and add more dressing as desired.

Pineapple Chicken Curry

Yeah, I know…another curry recipe.  Seriously though, curries are one of my favorite ways to use up random bits of veggies.  Plus, they’re just so delicious and everyone thinks you’re super awesome and impressive because you can make the sort of food they’d order at a restaurant.

This curry, in my defense, is a bit of a break from the norm.  It’s more of a Thai-style curry than an Indian-style one.  That’s a legitimate difference, right?  Whatever, I’m rolling with it.

I especially like this recipe because the colors contrast so nicely.  The curry itself is yellowish of course, but then you have the bright red and green of the peppers, it’s really a very pretty dish.

Ingredients (serves 4):

1 tbsp oil

2 chicken breasts, cut into strips or chunks

2 tbsp curry powder

1 (13.5 ounce) cans coconut milk

3 tbsp fish sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1 can bamboo shoots, drained

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned (ie cut into strips)

1/2 green bell pepper, julienned

1/2 onion, sliced into strips

1 can pineapple, drained

Directions:

1. In a wok or large pan, saute chicken in oil for about 5 minutes.  Add curry, coconut milk, fish sauce, sugar and bamboo shoots.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat slightly and cook for about 10 minutes.
2. Add peppers and onions; continue cooking for about 10 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked and peppers are tender.  Stir in the pineapple and serve over rice.

 

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

I’ve really been in the mood for Mexican food lately.  Thank goodness I don’t have a car anymore, because I probably would have satisfied this craving with T-Bell at some point this week.  Sans car, however, I fulfilled this craving by inviting my friend Pat over and making enchiladas!  Yum!

Pat, Katie, and I was incredibly excited by how these turned out.  I expected them to be good, but they were great!  Chicken and black beans are always a great combo, and the spices are perfect.  Increase the chili powder or cayenne pepper if you want to amp up the spiciness.

Personally, I don’t know what I’d do with the other half can of beans here if I saved them.  Maybe you have something you’d use them for in the future…but I used them to make Rice with Black Beans and Corn as a side for my enchiladas.

Ingredients (serves 6):

1  tbsp olive oil

2 chicken breasts, cubed

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c onions, diced

1 tbsp cumin, divided

1tbsp chili powder, divided

dash cayenne pepper

1/2 c corn

1/2 (14.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (14.5 oz) can tomato sauce

1 (8 oz) can diced green chilis

8 (12 in) flour tortillas

1 c shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a large baking dish.

2. In a large skillet, saute chicken in oil for 2-3 minutes.  Add garlic and onions, sprinkle with 1/2 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tbsp chili powder, and cayenne pepper; continue to saute until chicken is browned.  Add black beans and corn; heat through and then reduce heat to low.

3. Meanwhile, combine tomato sauce, green chilis, and remaining cumin and chili powder in a small bowl.  Add about 1/2 cup of sauce to the chicken mixture and stir to combine.

4.  Fill tortillas with the chicken mixture and roll them up.  Place rolled tortillas in the baking dish; pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and top with cheese.  Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

My lovely ex-roommate Jess came down and visited me this weekend.  We drove an hour to the lake and got our Hunger Games on having an awesome adventure.  Blazing our own trail around the lake, scaling (or attempting to scale) ridges, jumping over and wading through creeks, walking across a flooded road.  It was awesome.

Needless to say though, by the time we got home we were pretty hungry.  I’ve been meaning to try my hand at Cajun pasta for a while now, so we decided to make that.  Oh man, did this turn out delicious.  Seriously reminded me of Cajun chicken pastas I’ve ordered at restaurants.  Yum.  Jess really isn’t much of a spice person (she lied to her Cajun ex-boyfriend about liking his gumbo), but even she thought this pasta was delicious.  Adjust the spicy-ness for your own personal tastes, but this has a pretty decent kick to it as is.

Ingredients (serves 4):

8oz spaghetti (or linguine, or whatever long pasta you have)

2 chicken breasts, sliced into thin strips

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp pepper

2 tbsp olive oil

1 green pepper, sliced into strips

1/2 red pepper, sliced into strips

1/2 onion, sliced

4 fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups half and half, divided

1 tbsp corn starch

1/4 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, place chicken, paprika, cayenne pepper, onion powder, and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat.

3. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute chicken in olive oil until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 5-7 minutes. Add green and red bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms; cook for 4-5 minutes. Reduce heat, and stir in 1 c half and half. Season the sauce with basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper.

4. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 1/2 c half and half.  Slowly stir mixture into sauce and heat through.

5. In a large bowl, toss pasta with sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Lemony Artichoke and Sundried Tomato Pasta

Somehow I got roped into coaching the girls track team at my school.  I say somehow, because I have never run track in my life and know absolutely nothing about it.  In fact, before this year, I’d never even voluntarily run in my life.  But here I am, Coach Pearce.  Well, at least it gives me street cred with the kids.

We had a meet this last Friday, and the captain of the boy’s team (the one who conned me into doing this…) and I had to meet up so we could register the kids for their events.  We were going to go out, but then I realized that that was silly, the restaurant probably didn’t even have wi-fi, so we would have had to come back here anyway.  Instead, I (rather last minute) decided to have him come over to my place, and I made this pasta.  Most of the ingredients are things I always have on hand in my kitchen, so it was really easy to throw this recipe together after a quick walk up to the store for some artichoke hearts.  I made this with chicken, because I’ve found it’s usually safer to make dishes with meat when boys are involved, but I think it would be delicious as a vegetarian dish without the chicken as well.

Ingredients (serve 4):

6 oz spaghetti (or other long pasta)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/3 c flour

1/4 tsp salt

2 chicken breasts, chunked

3 tbsp lemon juice

1 c chicken broth

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried basil

1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

6 oz sun-dried tomatoes

1 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 c water

Direction:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.

2. Combine the flour and salt on a plate, then gently press the chicken breast chunks into the flour mixture to coat. Arrange the chicken in the skillet and cook until browned.  Add the lemon juice, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, bay leaf, and basil.  Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes and continue simmering for about 10 minutes.

3. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir the mixture into the chicken, and continue cooking until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Grilled Herbed Chicken

It’s getting warmer (at least in Mississippi…) and that means it’s grilling season!  This weekend was so beautiful, it really made me want to start grilling.  Sadly, I don’t actually own a grill…one day I will, and it will be awesome.  Luckily, this doesn’t mean I can’t grill, it just means I grill inside with my george foreman.  I love this chicken marinade because it’s easy and I don’t usually have to buy anything special for it.  Marinade your chicken for as long as you can manage, I know I NEVER think to start marinading the night before, that would involve way more planning than I can muster some days.  Luckily, even an hour of marinading will make delicious chicken, but the longer your chicken is marinading, the more delicious it will be (of course).

Ingredients (serves 4):

4 chicken breasts

1/2 c olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp rosemary

1 tbsp thyme

1 tbsp oregano

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 c lemon juice

 

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a plastic freezer bag and allow chicken to marinade, refrigerated, for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Remove chicken from bag and discard remaining marinade.  Cook on a heated grill for 15 minutes per side.

Garlic Roasted Chicken with Rosemary and Lemon

This is one of my favorite simple-yet-elegant recipes, I can’t believe I haven’t made it in over a year!  I was planning on making pasta with random vegetables in my fridge the other night for dinner, but sadly I only had one serving of pasta left.  I wasn’t about to head to the store, so instead I started shuffling around in my recipe box for something to make.  And lo, what did I stumble upon?  But this lovely recipe I had nearly forgotten about made with ingredients I always have on hand.  Love.

This roasted chicken is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but it looks, smells, and tastes, delicious enough for company.  If you don’t cook with wine, you can substitute chicken broth instead, though some of the amazing aroma will definitely be lost.  This pairs well with roasted potatoes (like I did Monday night), but also with rice (like I did with the leftovers on Tuesday).  Either way, you’re in for a treat.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 lb chicken breasts, chunked

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp dried rosemary

3 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp grill seasoning or salt and pepper

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 c white wine or chicken broth

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Arrange chicken in a baking dish and add garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and grill seasoning.  Ross to coat and place in oven; roast 20 minutes.

3. Remove from oven and add wine/broth and lemon juice to dish and stir in to combine with pan juices.  Return to oven and turn oven off.  Let stand 5 minutes, then remove chicken from oven.  To serve, spoon pan juices over chicken.

 

Chicken with Balsamic Vinegar and Garlic

I’m a big fan of balsamic vinegar.  I usually have a bottle tucked away in my cabinet and, frankly, I prefer it (with a little olive oil) on my salads rather than most dressings.  I’ve made this chicken a number of times, and it’s always a big hit.  After I made it for Adam, I think he put it in his own arsenal of recipes, an impressive achievement that puts it in the ranks of my favorite corn and crab cakes.  Since Katie’s a big mushroom fan, she really enjoyed this chicken when I made it tonight as well.

I like to serve this chicken with roasted potatoes (the sauce with the potatoes is a great combination) and a vegetable, like garlic carrots.

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

2 tbsp olive oil

2 chicken breasts, diced

salt and pepper to taste

3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 c balsamic vinegar

1/4 c white wine

1/2 c chicken broth

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp thyme

1 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and saute chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, for about 5 minutes.

2. Add garlic and mushrooms.  Cook for another 5 minutes, then add vinegar, wine, broth, bay leaf, and thyme.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Uncover and continue simmering for 10 minutes.  Swirl in butter and discard bay leaf before serving.

Mango Chicken Curry

 

By the shear number of curry recipes I’ve put up here, you may have noticed that I really love curry.  I’ve had this mango curry recipe for a while, but I’ve been holding off making it, mainly because mango’s aren’t exactly standard fare at the Greenwood Walmart.  This is our last week before spring break though, and it’s going to be CRAZY: 9-weeks testing and district benchmark tests for the state tested subjects, screwed up schedules, classrooms without desks…you get the idea.  Katie’s told me before that Mango Curry is her favorite and she always gets it at the Thai place she goes to at home.  With that in mind, and knowing what a crazy week it’s going to be coming up, I decided to make mango curry as a surprise dinner.  Now, she figured out what it was half-way through the week (I wasn’t trying too hard to keep it a secret…), but she was still really excited about it anyway.  The effort was definitely a success!  She said it looked just like the curry she gets at the restaurant and that it was amazing!  An excellent recipe.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2 medium mangoes, peeled and sliced, divided

1 (10 ounce) can coconut milk

2 tbsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 onion, sliced

2 chicken breasts, cubed

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 large cucumber, seeded and sliced

Directions:

1. Place half of the mango slices into the bowl of a blender with the coconut milk.  Blend until smooth and reserve for later.

2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir in garlic and onions, cook until onions are translucent about 5 minutes. Add the chicken, red peppers, curry powder, ginger, and cinnamon; cook until the chicken is done, about 5 minutes.

3. Pour in the mango puree, and cook until heated through. To serve, stir in the remaining mango slices and cucumber.