Grilled Chicken Breast with Sun-Dried & Fresh Tomatoes

A double does of tomatoes lets you enjoy not only the sweet summery flavor of fresh tomatoes but the deeper, richer tones supplied by the sun-dried variety.

Ingredients:

½ lb small red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

2 TBSP chopped drained sun-dried tomatoes

2 tsp. capers, rained

½ tsp finely chopped garlic

1 TBSP sherry vinegar

2 tsp lightly chopped fresh thyme

3 TBSP plus 2 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, tenders removed and reserved for another sue. Breast butterflied.

In a small bowl, combine the cheery tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, capers, garlic, vinegar, 1 tsp of chopped thyme, 3 TBSP olive oil, ¼ tsp kosher salt and few grinds of pepper. Set aside, stirring occasionally to let the flavors combine.

Heat a gas grill to high. Put the chicken in a shallow nonreactive pan or plate. Rub it over with kosher salt, a few grinds of pepper, and the remaining 1 tsp thyme. Drizzle ½ tsp olive oil over each side of each piece of chicken and rub all over.

Lay the butterflied breast on the hot grill grates and cook, covered, until they have grill marks, 1 ½ minutes. With tongs, rotate the breast 90 degrees and continue grilling until grill marks form, another 1 ½ minutes. Flip the breast and cook the second side in the same way but for a little less time, grilling for 1 minute in one direction and 1 minute in another, until cooked through.

Transfer the breast immediately to two warm serving plates. Sitr the tomato miture and spoon equal amounts over each piece of chicken. Garnish with a sprig of thyme, if you like.

NOTES: I doubled but could have tripled the sun dried tomatoes. It adds a lot of taste to the dish. I am not a caper fan, so I reduced the capers to half; however, next time I will leave them out of the dish. It is up to you on how you want to make it. It is also great with couscous.

Chicken with Mango Salsa

This month's Bon Appitee magazine is great. There are lots and lots of great recipes inside. In one section, G. Paltrow is highlighted with her new cookbook. This is a recipe from there. They have it with fish, which I don't eat, so I made it with chicken. It was really, really good. They also suggest (in anohter section) to submerge your avocado half into ice water to help maintain the great green color. I tried it and it worked really well. It will keep it nice and green for a while.

Ingredients:

1 cup Mango, diced into 1' pieces

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup avocado, diced into 1' pieces

4 basil leaves, thinly sliced

3 TBSP freshly squeezed lime juice

3 TBSP olive oil

4 chicken breast

In a plastic baggie, marinate the chicken breast with 2 TBSP olive oil and 2 TBSP lime juice. Add Salt and pepper for taste. Let marinate for 20 minutes (but no longer 1 hour).

Preheat oven to 350' or grill.

Place in baking pan and Bake for 20 minutes, broil for 3-5 minutes if baking. If grilling, place on grill and cook about 7-10/side until chicken is tender.

While cooking, combine mangoes, cherry tomatoes, avocados, basil leaves and remaining olive oil and lime juice in a bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Plate chicken and generously scoop salsa over top. Serve immediately.

You can also use white fish instead of chicken breast. Same recipe and ingredients as above.

I have served it alone or with couscous or rice. But a great summer recipe.

Honey Chicken on Apricot Rice

So I have not technically tried this recipe yet, but is sounds oh so yummy that will be added to next weeks list. This weeks menu is complete. I got it out of the Mayo Clinic Williams-Sonoma Cookbook. they have a ton of great looking recipes. I may post more about them as I try them.

Honey Chicken

Ingredients

3 TBSP ground wheat germ

2 TBSP honey

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard

1 TBSP canned apricot nectar or apricot Jam

3/4 tsp soy sauce

6 skinless bone-in chicken breast (~5 oz each), trimmed of visible fat

1. Preheat oven to 375”

2. In a small bowl, mix together the wheat germ, honey, mustard, apricot nectar or jam, and soy sauce until well blended.

3. Arrange the chicken pieces, bone side down, on a baking sheet. Spread the wheat germ mixture evenly over the chicken breast. Bake until the chicken is opaque throughout and the wheat germ mixture has formed a crust, 35-40 minutes.

4. To serve, divide the rice among individual plates. Top each with a chicken breast.

Apricot Wild Rice

Ingredients:

1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, stemmed

1 ½ cups warm water

2 cups wild rice, rinsed in a fine mesh sieve under cold running water

½ cup coarsely chopped dried apricots

2 shallots

In a small bowl, soak the mushrooms in the warm water until barely softened, about 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms, reserving the liquid, Coarsely chopped mushrooms. Strain the mushroom-soaking liquids through a fine mesh sieve into a measuring cup. Add enough water to equal 5 cups liquid. Pour the liquid into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the wild rice, mushrooms, apricots and shallots. Return to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

I don't do mushrooms, but instead I would use chicken stock or broth to enhance the flavor of the wild rice.

Doesn't it sound good. I will let you know. I am also thinking of serving it with saute spinach or asparagus. I am trying to think of another vegetable that could go with it too. Any suggestions?

Washington Cooking and Entertainment Show Recipe

Michelle and I went to see Bobby Flay on Saturday morning at the Washington Cooking and Entertainment show. He made this great set of recipes. Our mouths were watering for it, but not the one he made. So I thought I would share it with you all as well. This recipe can be found on their website at: http://dc2010.metrocooking.com/media/recipes. But his recipes are as follows:

CAST IRON ROASTED VEGETABLES

Ingredients

1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large dice

3 carrots, peeled and cut into large dice

12 shallots, peeled

2 poblano chiles, cut into large dice

Canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Chopped cilantro

Directions

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Combine squash, carrots, shallots, and poblano chiles in a large cast iron pan, toss with a few tablespoons of the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until golden brown and just cooked through, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and stir in the cilantro and season with more salt, if needed.

ROASTED BUTTERFLIED CHICKEN WITH CHIPOTLE HONEY GLAZE

Ingredients

1 3 ½ to 4 lb chicken, rinsed, patted dry and butterflied

½ cup honey

1 Tbsp chipotle puree

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 550 degrees F. Whisk together the honey, chipotle, mustard, salt and pepper. Set aside for to allow the flavors to meld.

2. Brush the chicken with oil on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast, skin side up until the skin begins to turn light golden brown, about 25 minutes. Brush with the glaze and continue roasting until an instant read thermometer inserted into the breast, registers 158 degrees F, about 15 to 20 minutes longer. Brush liberally with the glaze during the last 10 minutes of roasting.

3. Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before carving.

MASHED YUKON GOLD POTATOES WITH GREEN CHILI QUESO SAUCE

Ingredients

3 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice

Kosher salt

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp flour

2 cups hot milk

1 ¼ lbs Monterey Jack cheese, coarsely grated

½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, grated

Freshly ground black pepper

2 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded and finely diced

1 stick unsalted butter

1 ½ - 2 cups heavy cream, heated

Chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

1. Put potatoes in a large pot, cover by a few inches with cold water and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and cook until a paring knife inserted in the center meets no resistance.

2. While the potatoes are cooking, heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the hot milk, increase the heat to high and cook until thickened and flour taste is cooked out, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the Monterey Jack cheese until smooth and melted. Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano and poblano chiles and season with salt and pepper.

3. Drain the potatoes well. Put through a ricer set over a bowl, Return the riced potatoes to the pot on the stove over low heat, add the butter and 1 ½ cups of warm cream and using a wooden spoon, gently stir the potatoes while folding in the butter and cream, season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl, make a well in the middle of the potatoes and fill with the cheese sauce, garnish with the cilantro.

Chicken Cilantro Enchildadas

Last Thursday Lizbeth and I taught a class on freezer meals for the Relief Society (women's organization of our congregation). We had a great turn out. Part of the night was also using this information to serve others by preparing meals. This is one of the recipes I picked to make. It is from Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer, my latest cookbook. I really like this cookbook, it has some great recipes. What I really like is that they give you the single entree and then in a chart it is multiplied by different quantities but usually 3, 6 and 9.

This enchilada recipe is quite tasty, I made some with leftovers for dinner Friday. I followed the recipe and decided when I make it again in bulk I will add some other ingredients. Today I made the enchiladas in bulk (ended up with 6 9x9pans and a 9x13) and added roasted green peppers, tomatoes and black beans. Yummy! Enjoy.


Chicken Cilantro Enchiladas(from Don't Panic, Dinners in the Freezer)
2 lbs bonesless skinless chicken breasts
2 C water
1 onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro
1 1/3 C chicken broth
2 10oz cans mild enchilada sauce
4 C grated Monterey Jack cheese
8 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp chopped cilantro leaves
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
10 corn tortillas

Bring chicken breasts to boil in water with onion, garlic and cilantro sprigs. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken from broth and cool; shred meat; strain broth. Add 1 1/3 cups chicken broth to enchilada sauce; set aside.

For filling, combine chicken, 2 cups cheese, green onions, and chopped cilantro leaves with salt, pepper and tabasco sauce to taste. Add 1 cup enchilada sauce/broth mixture to moisten filling.

To assemble, warm tortillas on hot skillet or griddle until flexible, turning once or in the microwave. Dip each corn tortillas in enchilada sauce mixture until coated on each side and lay flat. Fill with 2-3 Tbsp chicken filling and roll tortilla. Place filled tortillas, seam side down, in 9x13 baking dish. Spoon remaining sauce over filled tortillas; sprinkle with remaining 2 cups cheese. Freeze.

Serving day instructions:

Thaw completely. Bake at 350ºF for 25-35 minute, until sauce bubbles and cheese is melted. Top with your choice of lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and sliced avocados.

Honey Lime Chicken with Rice

Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 cup honey

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, lime juice and honey, stirring well. Put chicken in a Ziploc bag and pour sauce over top. Refrigerate for about 1 hour, turning every 15-20 minutes. Remove from marinade and cook (either on grill or in oven for 350' for 35 to 45 minutes).

Rice

Ingredients:

rice

water

onions

lime juice

Cook rice with chopped onions. Right before serving, pour lime juice over top, mix and serve.

Notes: Chicken: This recipe is a freezer meal recipe. If freezing, place container in freezer after 1 hour of marinating in the frig. Then to cook, Thaw chicken in refrigerator overnight. Remove chicken from marinade and BBQ on the grill, or cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes until juices run clear and thermometer registers 165'F.

I made this as a trial for a freezer meal class I am co-teaching with Michelle. It is a summer winner! I love it. I did not freezer it, so I am not sure how it freezes. I do have extra from my first try, so I am freezing it. I hope it turns out. I am thinking it will be even better as the chicken marinades even more. I would add a little salt and pepper before I grill it next time, for a little more flavor.

Rice: I actually love this rice recipe. I added it once to rice because I had extra lime juice from a fresh juiced lime. It adds so much flavor to the rice. Now whenever I can, I try to add fresh juice to rice. I add right before serving and not during cooking (some juices change flavor during cooking). I have added lemon, lime, or orange juice. Stir well to make sure all rice received the added flavor. If you have never done it, 1-2 Tablespoons is usually enough. Taste to make sure you put enough on the rice.

Chicken Nuggets

3 chicken breast, cut into 1 inch strips

1/2 cup butter

1 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. paprika

Prepare a cookie sheet by putting aluminum foil on it (for zero clean up) and spraying it with PAM. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cut up chicken breast into 1 inch strips. Put aside.

Melt butter in microwave in a bowl. While butter is melting place remaining ingredients into a large baggie.

Place chicken strips into butter than into baggie (about 5-7 at a time). Coat the chicken well. Pull chicken out of baggie and place on baking sheet in a single row. Once all the chicken is complete, put in oven for 15 minutes per side. Remember to flip at 15 minutes. Remove and serve hot.

Serves 4 people

NOTE: I really like this Chicken Nugget recipe. It is healthy (not the super processed stuff you get in the grocery store freezer), but is also delicious. You can also add 1 TBSP of ground flax seed if you want to make it healthier. It can be eaten by parents and children alike. I usually serve it with French Fries and no veggies. I haven't found a veggie I really like it with it yet. I also haven't found a kid who won't eat it yet. Also like Michelle, I tend to make these in bulk and stick the in my freezer just before the cooking part. It is a great freezer meal. I do recommend if you freeze them that you freeze them on a cookie sheet for 2-5 hours before you stick them in a baggie to freeze. This way they don't get stuck together. It is also great because then you can just pull them out of the freezer and cook when you are on tight schedule or get home late and it is still a home cooked meal.

Cooked Chicken

Cooked Chicken

1 bird, any size (but in Switzerland they are small)

1-2 TBSP butter

salt

pepper

dried thyme

1 lemon

fresh hearty herbs- rosemary, thyme, bay leaf, etc

olive oil

Wash your chicken with water and pat dry. Make sure to check that you have no insides in your bird (but usually they don't), but if they do, remove the guts. Also run water along the inside of the bird. Pat dry again. Take the butter and push inside the skin on top of the chicken. Then stuff the chicken with a lemon (use both sides of a cut lemon) and hearty herbs. I usually just use rosemary, but I have used all the ones listed above. Season the top of the bird with remaining ingredients- olive oil, salt, pepper, and dried thyme.

Place in oven for 20-30 minutes (depending on size of bird) at 425'. Then lower heat to 350' and cook for another 40-45 minutes with aluminum foil on top of the bird. Then let cook for 15 minutes without foil to brown. Pull check out of oven after 75 minutes-90 minutes (depending on bird size) and let rest for 20-30 minutes. Then carve chicken to serve.

I usually serve mine with wild rice, green beans, potatoes, sugar snap peas, butternut squash bake, etc.

Chicken Stock

chicken carcass and any remaining chicken on the carcass, plus skin

remaining chicken juice from the first bake

salt

pepper

herbs- same as you used in the original cooking of the chicken

bay leaf

vegetables- I use what ever I need to get rid of in my refrigerator-- especially if they are getting ready to go bad. Carrots, celery, onions, potatoes, etc.

water

After you pull the meat from the chicken, keep the carcass. Place in a stock pot (large pot) and cover with water. I always include any left over meat on the bones, skin, and juices from the first cook. Then I add salt, pepper, bay leaf, thyme, rosemary (or any other spices I include in the bird), carrots (roughly cut in large spheres,) onion (in quarters), celery or any other vegetables in my frig. that I need to get rid of. Place them all in the pot. Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 2-3 hours. Once done, drain the water into another pot, separating out the bulk items with a strainer--- chicken, carcass, vegetables, etc.- toss these times into the trash. With the liquids from stock, you can store it in the freezer or can it. Don't forget to date the items, so you know when you made them. The stock can be used in soups, risotto, or any other items for which you use chicken stock. This recipe can also be used with turkey as well.

Notes: I have recently fell in love with cooking a whole chicken. I like it for several reasons. One, you get a great meal with juicy chicken. Secondly, it is super easy (I thought it was a lot harder than it is) and taste delicious. Third, you get a ton of chicken for usually cheaper than just chicken breast. And fourth, I love to eat the chicken skin (which I know is unhealthy for you, but it does taste so good.) And lastly, you also can use the carcass for making chicken stock afterwards. I could not find canned or boxed stock here in Switzerland, so I researched how to make stock. This recipe is a mixture of several recipes I have found. I really love it. Thus you have a great way to create your own stock (which is healthier for you than the store bought stuff). So I included both recipes here for you.