chicken Archives - The Tasty Fork

Family Recipe Friday: Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze

May 10, 2013 by admin · 7 Comments

Happy Friday!! With Mother’s Day being this weekend, I thought I’d share a recipe from one of my Mom’s cookbooks. One of tons of cookbooks. After my Mom passed away, I learned she collected lots of things… black pants, beauty products, boxes of Triscuits. I wouldn’t call it hoarding but more along the lines of forgetting what she had, so she’d buy things thinking she needed it. Same thing went for cookbooks. I stopped off at my parents house last weekend to get some of her cookbooks and I forgot how many she had. I only grabbed a few; the ones that looked the most familiar or most used.

Growing up, my Mom and I would have lunch together when I didn’t have school. We would always have chicken and vegetables…and watch All My Children. This was our routine until I went off to college and had to work during the summer. As I was going through her cookbooks, I had my eye on chicken recipes. Picking a chicken recipe would be perfect for my Family Recipe Friday Series.

Today’s recipe is Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze. Honestly, I have no idea if she made this for us. When it came to dinner, my Mom stuck to 10 different dinners and we really didn’t sway too much from those. That aspect of dinner has probably made me the way I am and not ever wanting to eat the same thing too many times. There is just so much amazing food out there.

Buuuut Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze sounds like something she & I would of made together for one of our afternoon lunches. It’s a light and easy meal. Plus, it only requires one skillet which means easily clean up.

Using boneless skinless chicken breasts makes this meal a healthy option. And by loading it up with a variety of veggies – red peppers, leeks, carrots and potatoes – you have a well rounded meal. I love using vinegar when I cook, but balsamic is my favorite! It gives this chicken recipe a tangy and sweet taste.

This is NOT your average chicken recipe. Chicken with Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze is very flavorful and filling. It would be a great week night dinner, especially when you don’t want to spend a lot of time cleaning up!

Family Recipe Friday: Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Glaze

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lb baby red potatoes, cut in half
1 small onion, sliced
1/2-1 cup of beef broth
1 leek, well washed and cut into 2 inch long strips
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch long strips
1 red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4-1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar
Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a large skillet over medium heat, add oil and chicken seasoned with salt & pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes (or until the internal temperature is 165 degrees). Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add potatoes and onions to skillet; cook for 2-3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of broth. scraping and loosening brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add leeks, carrots and red peppers. Heat till boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
If the skillet is looking dry, add additional broth. Add garlic and balsamic vinegar. Heat to boiling. Return chicken to pan and spoon sauce over chicken. Lower heat and cover for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

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This recipe is from 365 Easy One-Dish Meals by Natalie Haughton.

Inside Out Chicken Enchiladas

February 7, 2013 by admin · 29 Comments

If I had to pick only one type of cuisine to eat for the rest of my life, I’d pick Mexican. No doubt. I could live on chips, salsa and queso… oh and guacamole. And I’d be so happy!

But seriously, Mexican food is amazing. My only complaint – when we go out to dinner, I have a hard time picking what I want….and then when the waiter arrives to take my order, I’m usually debating between 4 items and I’m forced to chose. When in doubt, I’ll pick enchiladas. It’s a safe choice. Who doesn’t like meat, veggies & cheese wrapped in a warmed tortilla??

I’ve found a way to make create my own spin on chicken enchiladas — Instead of wrapping all of the ingredients in a tortilla, try chicken. Yes, stuff and roll a chicken breast. It’s a bit different, but it’s darn good…. oh and I also made an enchilada cheese sauce. I clearly need someone to take away my cheese grater. This is the second bechamel cheese sauce I’ve made this week.

Ok, so this is how everything comes together. The filling has veggies, sour cream, cheese and cut up tortillas. On a butterflied and pounded/flattened chicken breast, place a large spoonful of the filling on one side and start to roll. Secure with at least 2 toothpicks. When all of the chicken breasts are ready to be baked, top with the enchilada cheese sauce. Bake for 45 minutes.

This is a bit more of a labor intensive meal than I’d prefer for a week night meal. So it’s perfect for a weekend or if you plan ahead, the chicken can be rolled up a day before and top it with the enchilada cheese sauce right before it’s baked.

Trust me, this meal is well worth the effort! I love all of the cheese (obviously!) and you can still taste the tortillas in the filling. Plus, do we ever get enough chicken in restaurant enchiladas? Heck no! For this recipe – Inside Out Chicken Enchiladas – chicken is the star of the show.

Inside Out Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

2.5 tbsp Taco Seasoning
1 Red Pepper, diced
1/2 Onion, diced
4 Corn Tortillas, sliced into strips and then cut again. (will look like squares)
4 oz can Mild Green Chilis
15 oz can Black Beans, drained
1 tbsp Cilantro, diced
1 cup Sour cream
1 cup Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend
Salt, to season
Cooking Spray
2 10 oz cans Enchilada Sauce
6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, butterflied and flattened
2 tbsp Butter, cut into cubes
2 tbsp Flour
1 cup Skim Milk
8 oz block Monterey Jack & Chedder Cheese, shredded

Instructions

Pre-heat oven 375 degrees.
To make the enchilada filling, combine the taco seasoning and the next 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir and taste. Add salt if needed.
Coat a large casserole dish with cooking spray. Pour 1 can of enchilada sauce into the dish.
For the chicken roll ups - take one large spoonful of the enchilada filling and place it on one side of a chicken breast.Fold over and roll chicken. Secure with toothpicks. Place in the casserole dish. Repeat 5 more times.
In a sauce pan, add butter & flour. Stir and cook until the mixture is a deep blonde color. Add 1 cup of milk and stir with a whisk. When the sauce has thickened, add the other can of enchilada sauce. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and stir in half of the Monterey Jack & Chedder cheese. Stir until all of the cheese is melted. Pour sauce over chicken.
Bake chicken for 45 minutes. Take out chicken and sprinkle the remaining cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove chicken and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

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Filed Under: Chicken, Recipes · Tagged With: chicken, chicken enchilada, chicken recipe, enchilada roll up, inside out chicken enchilada, mexican recipe, recipe, The Tasty Fork

Smoked Almond & Rosemary Chicken Tenders

November 15, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 2 Comments

Chicken Tenders. Chicken Fingers. Whatever you wanna call it, I LOVE them.

I created this recipe to find a healthier option. Most chicken tenders are breaded & fried. I’ve seen recipes which are oven baked, but the crust of the tender is covered in breadcrumbs, eggs and cheese. No thanks.

I’ve been eating a lot of hickory smoked almonds lately. It’s the perfect combo of smokey & salty. Did you know if you’ve got a food processor or a good blender, you can grind nuts so they have a consistency of breadcrumbs? It’s true!

I made these chicken tenders for dinner, but I think they would be a great appetizer for a holiday party! I threw in some fresh rosemary, which is a perfect herb for the holiday season. Have some dipper options, like bbq sauce or honey mustard, and you’ll be all set!

I added about 1/4 cup of panko bread crumbs, but if you can’t find panko or wanting a gluten-free recipe, just cut them from the recipe.

Smoked Almond & Rosemary Chicken Tenders

1 cup smoked almonds
1/4 panko bread crumbs (optional)
2 tbsp rosemary, chopped
Salt & Pepper
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
8 chicken tenders
Cooking Spray

Directions:

In a food processor (or strong blender), put in almonds. Grind until the texture is very fine, like breadcrumbs. Heat skillet to medium heat and toast panko until it’s slighty brown. In a shallow dish, combine bread crumbs, almonds and rosemary. Mix well.
In a bowl, stir buttermilk, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper. Dip chicken one by one into the butter milk and then into the almond coating. Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet; coat rack with cooking spray. Arrange chicken on rack; coat chicken with cooking spray. Bake at 425° for 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Garnish with rosemary leaves, if desired.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Chicken, Entree, My Kitchen · Tagged With: almond coating, Appetizer, blog, chicken, chicken fingers, chicken tenders, dinner, food, food blog, healthy, healthy coating, recipe, rosemary

Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo Risotto

October 22, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 3 Comments

Have you ever had one of those days where everything is thrown at you and you’d really like to hide from the world? This has been my Monday…and a majority of last week. At my place of employment, I’ve been running the warehouse, which isn’t what I normally do. My counterpart who handles this has been out on vacation for the past week. During this time, I’ve had to deal with a lot of warehouse headaches which has taken time away from what I should be doing. Here are just a few things I’ve had to deal with..

Fix a printer..which included going out to buy new parts and installing them.
Handling an email migration since we switched servers.
Another printer broke and this one I couldn’t fix… but I spent countless hours talking & skyping with support to try to get everything resolved.
Trying to recover a new password for production’s email account because the girl who set the new password forgot it. Aaand since she forgot it, I wasn’t able to access things I needed from that email account.

So, I was very happy to come to work on Monday because my co-worker would be returning and I can get back to my things. Oh but guess what??!! Co-worker’s flight got delayed and wouldn’t be in the office until Tuesday. Just.My.Luck.

Thankfully, I have something to look forward to this afternoon. Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo Risotto. I know gumbo is usually a soup, but I really wanted risotto. I also really wanted gumbo. And I don’t see a reason why I had to pick between the two. Risotto is an italian rice, it just takes a little longer (and a lot more attention) to cook.

If you don’t already have a Cajun spice mix in your spice drawer, do yourself a favor and go get one. I absolutely love Penzey’s Cajun Spice Blend. It provides so much flavor and just a hint of spice. I can see myself using this blend for more than just gumbo.

I really enjoyed this recipe! It has everything I love — loads of veggies, meat, rice and spice. This is an easy recipe to make your own, too. If you don’t like chicken, replace it with shrimp. Don’t have andouille sausage in your grocery store? Try a spicy turkey sausage instead. Hate okra? Green beans would work.

The highlight of my afternoon will be this risotto. I’m planning on shutting my office door, turning off the light and hiding under my desk in hopes no one will approach me with, “Meghan, we have another problem…” Wish me luck for some solitude!

Chicken & Andouille Sausage Gumbo Risotto

1 green pepper, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
6 okra, sliced
4 skinless boneless chicken thighs, cubed
1 lb andouille sausage, removed from casing
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup Arborio Rice
1 tbsp Cajun Spice Blend
1/2 cup wine (could use water or chicken broth)
5-6 cups of warmed chicken broth
1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes, drained
Salt & pepper
Chopped parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Put some olive oil in a warm skillet and saute green peppers and celery. Saute till tender crisp. Take off heat and set aside.
Add okra to warm skillet. Okra cooks up fast, so be sure not to over do it. If you do, you will know. It gets slimy. (Gross!!) Once it’s done, remove it from the skillet and set aside.
Cook chicken and sausage. Set aside when done.
Add olive oil to the skillet. Saute onions and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste. Cook and stir for another minute. When all of the tomato paste is incorporated into the onion mixture, add rice and Cajun spice blend. Add salt & pepper. Cook and stir for a minute. Add wine. Stir the rice mixture until all of wine has been completely absorbed.
Are you ready for a little arm work out?? Add 1/2 cup of warm chicken broth. Stir constantly until the broth has been absorbed. Repeat this task until risotto is cooked. It took me about 25 minutes. If you run out of chicken broth, just use warm water.
Once rice is cooked, add the cooked veggies, meat and diced tomatoes. Continue to stir and make sure the added elements are warm. You may need to add some broth or water to make everything come together. Season with salt, pepper and additional cajun spice blend if needed. When you’re ready to serve, garnish with parsley.

Filed Under: Entree, My Kitchen · Tagged With: blog, cajun, chicken, dinner, entree, food, gumbo, meat, recipe, risotto

Crock Pot Meal: Sesame Chicken & Mushroom Cilantro Rice

August 1, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 1 Comment

I started thinking about dinner by 8am on Tuesday. Don’t judge me. I was up at 4am to get to a client by 5am. (I know, it’s early but its the life in produce.) I’m usually thinking about dinner a couple of hours after being awake, so I guess my early morning thoughts weren’t that strange after all.

I stumbled across a new blog today. I saw a posting on Facebook about a new avocado slicer. Being intrigued by any kind of kitchen gadget, I found myself on Very Culinary. After making a mental note of “I NEED that avocado slicer,” I surfed through some of Amy’s recipes. She had so many delicious looking posts. I probably drooled a couple of times.

There was a post on Very Culinary I kept coming back to… Crock Pot Sesame Chicken. I’m always looking to use my crock pot, it does the work for me. I had almost all of the ingredients on hand and by adding vegetables, I could stretch out this meal for a few days.

Another reason why I loved this recipe – I was done with dinner and clean up by 6:30. That NEVER happens! I love making a great a meal, but nothing is a bigger drag than having to clean up. This recipe will not turn your kitchen into a disaster zone. All I used was my crock pot, a pot to cook the rice and a cutting board. Between the time I saved my using my crock pot and 5 minute clean up, I felt like I had my whole evening ahead me. It’s a good feeling.

Ok, so if you have left overs of this meal, I think it would make an excellent wrap! There are a lot of places in Chicago which specialize in Asian Style Chicken and making wraps. You can do this, too. All you need is a large tortilla wrap, cabbage and your sesame chicken & rice left overs. It’s like a whole new meal and requires no effort. Love that!

Crock Pot Sesame Chicken & Mushroom Cilantro Rice, serves 4

(inspired by Very Culinary)

5 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 pounds)
salt and pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce (I used low sodium)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon Sriracha (optional)
1 teaspoon lime juice
4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
2 carrots, sliced in rounds
1 cup broccoli florets
1 green pepper, sliced
1/2 tablespoon (or more) sesame seeds
3 scallions, chopped
cilantro, for garnish
Mushroom & Cilantro Rice (recipe follows)

Directions:

Lightly season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper, put into crock pot.
In a medium bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic, pepper flakes, Sriracha (if using) and lime juice. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours.
Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce. Add veggies. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
Shred chicken into bite size pieces. Then in individual bowls, place chicken pieces over cooked rice and spoon some sauce on top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, chopped scallions and cilantro.

Mushroom & Cilantro Rice

2 cups chicken stock
2 cups instant brown rice
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:

Bring stock to a boil. Add rice, mushrooms and cilantro. When the rice mixture starts to boil again, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 minutes or until all of the liquid has disappeared. Fluff with fork before serving.

Filed Under: Chicken, Entree, My Kitchen · Tagged With: Asian, blogs, carry out at home, chicken, crock pot, food, recipes, slow cooker

Smoky Buffalo Style Chicken Chili

May 7, 2012 by Miss Tasty · Leave a Comment

Eating chili in May isn’t something I usually do. Chicago has been hit with rainy and gloomy weather the past few days. While the rain came down on Sunday afternoon, I was curled up on the couch enjoying this amazing chili.

It’s smokey. It’s cheesy. It’s crunchy. It’s like a nacho chili bowl.

I’m not going to go into great detail about this chili. We all know what chili tastes like… but there are two elements in this chili which make it a stand out. Pureed chipotle chilis and blue cheese. Never thought blue cheese would end up in my chili, but in this recipe it totally worked.

And like most chilis, it tastes even better the longer it sits. You’ll enjoy the leftovers.

Monday Night’s Dinner…YUM

Smoky Buffalo Style Chicken Chili, serves 4-6

2 tablespoons EVOO (extra-virgin olive oil)
2 pounds ground chicken
2 carrots, chopped
3 – 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
Salt and pepper
1 small can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1 15 ounce can tomato sauce
2 cups chicken stock
A couple of handfuls thin blue-corn tortilla chips
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
3/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
Pickled jalapeno chile pepper rings for garnish

Directions

Heat the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan, in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook to brown, stirring to crumble. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, 10 minutes or so.
Place the chipotles and adobo sauce in a food processor or blender and puree. Spoon 2 to 4 rounded tablespoons into a small bowl and combine with the tomato sauce to make a chipotle-infused tomato sauce.
When the vegetables are tender, stir in the chile-tomato sauce and chicken stock. Simmer for a few minutes to thicken and combine the flavors.
Meanwhile, switch on the broiler and position a rack in the center of the oven. Arrange 4 bowls on a baking sheet and fill with the buffalo chili. Top with an even layer of the tortilla chips, cheeses and jalapeno rings. Broil for a couple of minutes to brown the cheese and crisp the chips.

Filed Under: Appetizers, Soup/Chili · Tagged With: buffalo style, chicken, chili, food, game day, nacho chili, recipe, smoky, tailgating chili

Curried Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwiches

April 30, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 3 Comments

Wow. This was a mouthful. A delicious mouthful.

Grilled chicken sandwiches are great… but just the same ol’ recipe won’t do it for me. I changed up my everyday honey mustard vinaigrette recipe by adding in some curry and cilantro. YUM!

Switch out the traditional sandwich toppings with apple slices, red grapes and spring lettuce mix.

This isn’t your same ol’, same ol’ chicken sandwich.

I like this sandwich mainly because it’s tastes good (duh!) but it’s a great week night meal. It doesn’t require a lot of work, it’s healthy and you’ll love the way the curry flavor pairs with the apples & grapes.

Spice up your everyday chicken sandwich with this recipe…. and doesn’t it look like summer??!!

Curried Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwiches, serves 2

1 garlic clove, minced
1 tbs Dijon mustard
1 tbs honey
1 tbs cilantro, chopped
1/2-1 tsp curry powder (depending on your taste)
1 cup olive oil
Salt & Pepper
2 chicken breasts
1/2 apple, sliced
1/2 cup grapes, halved
2 green onions, sliced
1 cup spring lettuce minced
2 sandwich buns

Directions

In a bowl, add garlic, mustard, honey, cilantro and curry powder. Wisk. Stream in olive oil slowly while wisking. Taste. Add salt & pepper. Set bowl aside
Turn grill to medium heat. Season chicken with salt & pepper. Grill chicken 8 minutes each side, or until no longer pink. Drench chicken with vinaigrette, cook one more minute.
Toast your sandwich buns. Top sandwich bun with chicken, apples, grapes, green onions and lettuce. Drizzle vinaigrette over sandwich and on the top half of the bun.

Filed Under: Entree, Grill, My Kitchen, Sandwich · Tagged With: chicken, curry, food, fruit, grill, recipe, sandwich, summer chicken sandwich, vinaigrette

Bays English Muffin Pizza Challange

April 23, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 1 Comment

This post has been loooong overdue….but I’m happy to say I won’t be homeless come June 1st. We signed our new lease for a 2 bedroom apartment in Bucktown last week. I was VERY happy not to be looking for apartments this weekend. Instead, I made 3 new recipes! Here is the first.

“What is that,” do you ask?? It’s a very delicious Thai Chicken Pizza on Bays English Muffins. My sorority sister/Kendall Alum/Fellow Blogger, Rebecca from Homemakers Habitat, informed me of a recipe challenge with Bays English Muffins. Here are the details from Bays Website– Beginning April 1 through May 31, 2012, enter your original Bays English Muffin pizza recipe online at www.bays.com and begin competing with others for a chance to win a VIP trip for 2 to Italy, the place where pizza was born. In addition to the grand prizewinner, five finalists will win a case of Bays English Muffins. The winner will be announced on their webpage and on Facebook page in mid-June of 2012.

What’s your favorite pizza? Have you tried a Bays English Muffin? I must admit, I don’t buy english muffins too often. But after eating several Bays English Muffins, they are my new favorite brand. Why? This may sound strange, but I LOVE how easy they are to separate in half. No knife needed, no crumbs all over the place. And they taste really good!!

I’m challenging all of you to give this recipe contest a try. It’s so easy! Just think of your favorite foods and make it into a pizza on a Bay English Muffin. My only request is if you win the VIP trip, you have to take me. I promise I’ll be a very entertaining traveling companion.

Thai Chicken Pizza on a Bays English Muffin, serves 1

1 Bay English Muffin, halved
2 tbs Spicy Thai Chili Sauce
2 tsp shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 tsp red chili flakes
1/4 cup shredded chicken
1/4 cup reduced fat cheese, shredded
1 tsp cilantro
1 tsp basil

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread Thai Chili Sauce all over the english muffins. Top with shallots, zucchini, red chili flakes and chicken. Cover with cheese. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
When the cheese is melted, top pizza with additional Thai chili sauce. Sprinkle cilantro and basil as a fresh finishing touch!

Filed Under: Appetizers, Entree · Tagged With: Bays English Muffins, chicken, english muffin pizza, food, pizza, recipe, spicy, Thai, thai pizza

Spring Chicken?!?!!

March 7, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 1 Comment

Dear Mother Nature,

I want to thank you for this mild winter. It’s been relatively painless. Not a lot of snow, not too cold. And over the past two days, 70 degree weather. It blows my mind and I’m still not doubting the chance I can be bamboozled. Is this winters’ weather too good to be true??!!

Please don’t be playing a trick on me. Do you know what I did on March 6th?? Used this bad boy.

Mr. Brinkman is ready to make a full push back into my life and I can’t tell him no. Afterall, I barely used him last summer… but you’d never know b/c I forgot to clean him at the end of the season. (I was busy & distracted.) However, that didn’t stop Mr. Brinkman. He stepped up and grilled the heck out of some marinated chicken thighs.

Mother Nature, I know you’ve done crazy things. Chicago is the only place where you can experience all four seasons in one day. But just the thought of Spring so early in the year brings so smiles. I might have said some nasty things about you in the past… so to make amends, I’d like you think of this Spring Chicken meal as a token of my appreciation. Orange marinated chicken, bright-colored veggies and brown rice — it’s the perfect dish to make you feel like Spring is here to stay.

Now, if there is something you can do to fix all this wind, my hair would greatly appreciate it. I hate it when it gets stuck in my lip gloss.

Lots o’ love!

Meghan

Orange Chicken – “Spring Chicken” Meal

3/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1/4 balsamic vinegar
1 tbs. oregano, chopped
1 tbs. rosemary, chopped
1 tbs. thyme, chopped
1/4 tsp sriracha
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, skin removed
Salt & Pepper
2 tsp olive oil
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 green onion, sliced thick
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 head of brocoli, stems removed
1/2 cup shredded carrots
3 cups rice, cooked

Directions:

1. In small sauce pot combine orange juice, marmalade, vinegar, chopped herbs and sriracha. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes or until it starts to thicken.

2.Pre-heat grill. (Make sure you spray it with cooking spray BEFORE you light it!) Season chicken with salt & pepper and a couple spoonfuls of the orange glaze. Work it into the chicken.

3. In a heated wok, add oil & all of the veggies and garlic except for the shredded carrots. Cook for 3-5 minutes. (I like my veggies to still have some bite, cook longer if you like them softer. Add carrots the last minute. Remove for heat & set aside.

4. Grill chicken thighs 6-7 minutes per side. Brush chicken with glaze during cooking.

5. To make your spring dinner plate, first put a heaping spoonful of rice on your plate. Top with veggies and then chicken. Drizzle orange glaze all over your meal!

Filed Under: Entree, My Kitchen · Tagged With: chicken, dinner, food, grill, orange, recipe, vegetables

Very Veggie & Chicken Tortilla Soup

February 27, 2012 by Miss Tasty · 2 Comments

Hi!! Things got pretty busy for me last week…. I started a new job at a fresh herb company, Infinite Herbs. I’ll be doing sales & business development for their Mid-west clients, handling social media & recipe development. It’s the perfect job for a girl like me!

I’ll be traveling a couple of times a month but I’m still going to try to post 3 blog entries a week. That’s my goal and I hope it’s a realistic expectation.

There are a few things I find more convenient than a slow cooker. I love coming home from a long day at work and my dinner is ready for me. One less thing to do when I get home!

Tonight’s meal — Very Veggie & Chicken Tortilla Soup. I find restaurants that make this soup miss so many elements I love. Spice & veggies. This soup has a variety of vegetables, so you could omit the chicken and make it vegetarian. I included several layers of spice to this soup by using enchilada sauce, a jalapeno with the ribs & seeds and some spicy seasonings.

Every spoonful had so much flavor!! Have fun with the garnish for this soup. Bake your own tortilla chips, squeeze some lime juice into it, sprinkle cilantro or add a dollop of sour cream… or do it all!!

This soup was a delicious way to enjoy my dinner while watching E! news and get my Oscar red carpet recap. (Emma Stone was my favorite! J-Lo, a close 2nd.)

Have a great week!!

Very Veggie & Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 (14 oz) cans of chicken broth
1 cup water
1 can red enchilada sauce
1 (4 oz) can green chilis
1 (14.5 oz) can tomatoes
2 cups black beans, rinsed & drained
2 cups pinto beans, rinsed and drained
10 oz frozen corn
2 chicken breasts, uncooked and cubed
1 green pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 jalapeno, sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbs cumin
1 tbs chili powder
1 tps salt
garnish – tortilla strips, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges

Directions:

Everything goes in the slow cooker except for the garnishes. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Eat & enjoy.

If you’d like to “make” your own tortilla strips, all you need are corn tortillas, cooking spray & salt. Cut the tortillas into strips, spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with a little salt. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes (or until crispy) at 350 degrees. I made strips & chips!