Slowcooker Chicken Artichoke Pasta

This may very well be similar to another recipe posted previously here.  It seems familiar, but it was kind of thrown together based on ingredients I had for another recipe that I didn't want to follow.  The original recipe was for baked cheesy artichokes and spinach.  But it seemed like a side dish and I had no other plan for dinner to accompany it.  So instead I threw all of the ingredients into a crock pot on top of chicken and made pasta about 10 minutes before it was ready.  Voila.  Dinner.

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, cut into 2 pieces each
1 car artichokes
1/2 bag of fresh spinach, or 1 box frozen spinach (thawed)
2 TBS garlic
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 small carton (1 1/2 cups??) heavy cream
1 block cream cheese
fresh pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Spray crock pot with non-stick spray.  Put chicken on bottom.  

In a bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.  Add to chicken in crock pot.

Cook on high for 2-3 hours.  Serve over pasta.
 

VERDICT
This was delicious.  I added a bit more skim milk to the crock pot because the cream wasn't quite enough to moisten the entire mixture, but it wasn't necessary. 

Arizona tortilla soup

 

INGREDIENTS
1 chicken breast, fat removed

1 onion (4 to 5 oz.), peeled and finely chopped
1 teaspoon minced or pressed garlic
1 dried bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon hot chili flakes
8 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth
 Salsa fresca (optional)
1 ripe or firm-ripe avocado (about 8 oz.)
1 lime (about 3 oz.)
3/4 cup shredded jack cheese
 Salt and pepper 

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet, heat 1 TBS of oil.  Cut chicken breast into 1-2" pieces and season with salt & pepper.  When oil is hot add chicken to skillet and cook through.  Once chicken has cooled enough to handle, pull apart with forks until made into bite-sized pieces.

Add onion and garlic to pan with a few TBS of oil. Stir often over medium-high heat until onion is limp, 3 to 4 minutes. Add bay leaf, oregano, peppercorns, chili flakes, and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil until reduced to about 6 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.  Add chicken and heat through.

Meanwhile, whirl half the salsa fresca in a blender until coarsely puréed. Pit, peel, and thinly slice the avocado. Rinse lime and cut crosswise into thin slices; discard ends.

Add soup to bowls, top with salsa, avocado slices, lime slices, and jack cheese. season to taste with salt and pepper.

VERDICT

 The original version of this recipe is a little more fussy and doesn't include the chicken.  You can make it vegetarian, but something this light needed the chunks of chicken for us not not be hungry again half an hour after dinner!

 

 

Double Crunch Chicken

 

Lots of ingredients here... lots of instructions.  But the end result is pretty darn tasty.

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 cup flour
2tsp salt
2tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground sage
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

For the egg wash:
2 eggs
4 tbsp water

For the sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic
3/4-1 cup honey (depending on how sweet you want it)
¼ cup soy sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Combine the flour and spices together in a medium bowl. Prepare the egg wash by gently beating together the eggs and water. Pound the chicken breasts so that they are even and season with salt and pepper. Dip the meat into the flour mixture, followed by the egg wash, and one more time in the flour mixture. If you need to, press the flour mixture into the meat to get good contact. 

Heat a skillet with a half of an inch of canola oil covering the bottom. When the oil is hot, reduce the heat to medium and  fry the chicken breasts for about 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and crispy. Since the meat was pounded thinly, it should not take longer than that. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with paper towels.

In the meantime, prepare the sauce. Combine the oil and garlic in a medium saucepan, cook slightly, making sure the garlic does not brown. To the garlic, add the honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Simmer together for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Dip the cooked chicken breasts into the sauce and serve over noodles or rice.

VERDICT

Definitely crunchy.  Probably not the healthiest when you're frying it in a skillet... but it is tasty!

 

Panko-Crusted Chicken Salad

We hit a major milestone this week- the kids ate everything we ate!  No more separate pots of mac & cheese or bologna sandwiches.   First up was the basil thai chicken stir-fry, followed a few days later with this salad. 

I'm not sure how I ended up with two kids who will eat almost anything since I was the absolute pickiest eater in the world.  But I'm certainly grateful for it!

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts, cut into 4-5 tender strips
3 tablespoons shredded coconut
1/4 cup panko style bread crumbs
1 tablespoon crushed cornflake crumbs
1 egg
pinch salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups mixed baby greens
1/3 cup shredded carrots
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 small cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup fresh mozzarella (if desired)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Combine panko bread crumbs, coconut flake and corn flakes in a bowl.
3. In separate bowl, combine egg and a splash of water.
4. Season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper
5. Dip tenders in egg mixture and then dredge them in bread mixture until they are well coated. 

6.Carefully place the strips in a frying pan with 1 TBS of oil and brown on all sides (3-4 minutes).

7. Place tenders on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

8. Combine salad ingredients and mix together

VERDICT

 

The chicken on this salad was SO GOOD!  We tend to make salads with chicken nuggets on them frequently,  using the Tyson chicken nuggets out of the freezer.  These were just as tasty, and probably a lot better for you than the Tyson variety.

Definitely a keeper recipe!