Balsamic Chicken Tortellini

I'm baaaaaaack!  This summer has been a whirlwind for us, and it seems that new recipes always move to a back-burner when life gets in the way.  Here's a recipe I found on Pinterest at the beginning of the summer.  We've made it many times, and think you'll like it too.

1 (19 oz) pkg cheese tortellini - frozen or fresh (up to you!)
1 c grape tomatoes, cut in halves
1 c flat-leaf spinach, chopped
1 large boneless chicken breast
1/2 c Newman's Own Lite Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper

Prepare tortellini according to directions.  Allow to cool for 10 minutes in strainer.

Cut chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, and cook over medium-high heat until thoroughly done.  Toss in 2-3 TBSP balsamic dressing and coat chicken.

Chop spinach and cut tomatoes.

Add chicken, spinach, and tomatoes to bowl with tortellini.  Toss in balsamic dressing until evenly coated.  Sprinkle with dried basil (I used about 1 1/2 tsp) and add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve immediately, or chill for a few hours before serving.

Comments from the cook:  We love pasta salad around here, and this one is a great addition to our arsenal.  The balsamic dressing listed above has been one of our favorites for a while, so basing a dish around it couldn't fail.  

We modified the recipe just slightly from the original (we don't marinate the chicken, and don't use the ground mustard), and have loved the results.  We have used fresh tortellini and really liked it...but have also had success with the frozen kind for a lot less (the Great Value brand at Walmart is about $2.75). We also use fresh basil when it's in season, and use 8-10 leaves diced for the recipe.

Originally found here, which links back to this great site.

P.s. May we have a quick moment of silence for how the countertops in this new apartment are SO MUCH BETTER LOOKING than the ones in the last!?  Hooray, times one thousand...

Baked (not fried) Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan is a hands-down favorite around here (only behind pizza, I would submit).  We'd been wanting to try a baked Chicken Parmesan for a while... and found this one to make after church today.  It's a winner!

3 chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced into cutlets
2 c marinara sauce, warmed
3/4 c mozzarella cheese, grated
---
1 1/2 c Panko crumbs (Japanese-style bread crumbs)
1 TBSP olive oil
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese
---
1/2 c flour
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP salt
1/2 tsp pepper
---
3 egg whites
1 TBSP water

Combine bread crumbs and olive oil in saucepan, and cook over medium heat until golden brown.  Allow to cool for a few moments, then add Parmesan cheese.

Combine flour, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish.  Set aside.

Whisk egg whites and water together in a shallow dish and set aside.

Dry chicken cutlets with paper towel and season with a bit of (additonal) salt and pepper.  Dip in flour mixture, and shake off excess.

Next dip in egg mixture, until all flour has been thoroughly moistened.

Next dip in bread crumb coating.  (You may need to press down on the cutlets to make sure that crumbs stick to them.)

Place foil over a baking sheet, then place a wire baking/cooling rack over the foil-covered sheet.  Spray rack with non-stick spray, and place coated chicken on rack.  Spray tops of coated chicken with non-stick spray.  Bake at 475° for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Add 2 TBSP marinara sauce to tops of each cooked cutlet, then top with cheese.  Bake for 5 more minutes.

Serve over spaghetti or pasta of your choice.

Comments from the cook:  We hardly changed anything from the original recipe, except for using a Parmesan-Romano cheese blend...which turned out to be amazing.  We served our chicken over spaghetti, and used extra marinara sauce to add more flavor.


Hope you love this as much as we did!

Recipe found at BrownEyedBaker.com, here.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

This recipe has been in my "to make" folder for years now.  I got it from a former co-worker, who brought it for lunch one day.  I didn't need to taste it to know that I needed a copy of the recipe. Fast forward about five years, and it turns out I was right.  I'm only kicking myself about not having made it sooner.

While this soup doesn't make for a very beautiful photograph, the taste is enough to put vanity aside! :)

Original recipe calls for DOUBLE these quantities...which would be enough for you to eat for at least a week.  Also, don't be intimidated by the number of ingredients.  The final product is worth it!

1 TBSP canola oil

1/2 c chopped onion

1 tsp minced garlic (or 2 cloves)

1 (4oz) can diced green chiles

4 1/2 c water

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp beef bullion (I used 2 cubes)

2 tsp chicken bullion (same)

1 can cream of chicken soup

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

1 TBSP A-1 sauce

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

12 corn tortillas

3 c cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 tsp paprika

Saute onion and garlic in oil.  Add remaining ingredients (except tortillas, cheese, and paprika).  Bring to a light boil.  Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 20 min.

Cut tortillas into 1/2 inch pieces, and grate cheese.

After the 20 min of simmering, add tortillas, cheese, and paprika.

Simmer uncovered 10 minutes.

Comments from the cook:  I had a 7oz can of green chiles, and used the entire can.  Next time I'll probably opt for a few less, but it's certainly a way to amp up the flavor.  I also just used 2 cups of grated cheese instead of 3.  The flavor of the soup is so good that the cheese isn't the main attraction, and I think I'll add even less next time.

Reheats really well the next day (with a bit of extra water added).

Originally shared by John Wadley, former co-worker at Provo Craft.

Chicken Pasta Salad

(Hello, first real food pics from my new lens. You are beautiful. The end.)

4 svgs farfalle (bowtie) pasta
3 svgs garden rotini pasta
1 chicken breast
1/2 cup Italian dressing
1/2 cucumber, cut into 1/2" chunks
pasta salad seasoning, to taste

Prepare pastas as directed. Drain and run under cool water until room temperature (or cooler if desired).

Cut chicken breast into small chunks and pan fry over medium heat. Add 1 TBSP of Italian dressing to chicken chunks when chicken is almost finished cooking.

Toss chicken, cucumber, and pastas together.

Add dressing (amount is really up to you, and depends on your tastes) and pasta salad seasoning.

Best when served chilled for an hour or so. Serves 6+.

To rejuvenate the next day, toss with a bit more salad dressing and another couple of shakes of pasta salad seasoning.

Comments from the cook: I debated whether or not to post this recipe. It's not really MY recipe. It's just 6 ingredients. Nothing is really homemade (unless you call browning a chicken breast HOMEMADE). But we eat it (or some version of it) at least once a week in the summertime. And I'm the boss of this very food blog, so I can post whatever I want! :)

If you read my other blog, you'll know that pasta salad seasoning is a BIG DEAL to me. My mom found a seasoning called "Salad Elegance" long ago (made by Johnny's), we got hooked on it, and then I moved to Utah. It was hard to find there, but not impossible. And then the place I always bought it stopped carrying it. So I did what any normal person would do. I ordered a $30 2.5-lb tub of it. And I've not been happier with a purchase ever since.

McCormick makes a version called Salad Supreme (sold in the spice section), which will work, if you don't have access to the loveliness that is Salad Elegance. My observation was that McCormick's SS has more celery salt, and is not as light tasting...but we ate it when times were hard and Johnny's got the boot from our local store. Until we took matters into our own hands, that is.

Variations of pasta salad are endless. My mom has added fresh tomatoes and olives to hers before. We also do a version that is just spaghetti noodles, cut-up pepperonis, chunks of cheese, Italian dressing, and Salad Elegance (for dinner when we're trying to UP the taste and HOLD the healthy!)

Either way, this is one of our favorites. And, I tell you, I've never been happier to own $30 of a spice.

Originally made by my mom, Alane Sleight.

Teriyaki Kabobs

Marinade:
1 cup water
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup sugar
1 tsp garlic
2 TBSP green onion, chopped
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

To be skewered:
1 green bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 small onion
1 fresh pineapple
fresh chicken breasts (frozen ok, defrosted)
steak (stew meat ok)

Potatoes:
3 russet (or red) potatoes
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 TBSP olive oil

Combine marinade ingredients in glass bowl. (Separate into 2 medium bowls if doing separate containers for chicken and beef).

Cut meat (chicken and beef) into 1" pieces and place in marinade. Refrigerate and allow to sit for 2 hrs.

In the meantime, cut potatoes into 1" pieces and boil for 4 minutes. Drain and allow to cool and dry on dishcloth for about 30 min. When cooled, toss in about 3 TBSP olive oil. Add rosemary, thyme, sea salt, and pepper.

Cut veggies and pineapple into 1" pieces.

Assemble skewers. Grease skewers slightly (dip your thumb and index finger in oil and run it down the skewer) before adding meat and veggies.

Alternate veggies, potatoes, meat, and pineapple as desired.

Heat grill to hottest temperature, and cook skewers evenly over fire. Rotate as needed.

Don't have a grill? Have one and it gives out? Broil them in the oven! Place skewers on a cookie sheet, and cook on top rack. Watch them closely and turn them every couple of minutes in order to avoid overcooking.

Comments from the cook's wife: This really is Brian's recipe, so I can't say much...beyond how much I LOVE these, and how much you need to try them!

The measurements for the marinade are not set in stone. If you don't think it's enough, double it. If you only want to make a few skewers worth, make a bit less. Brian learned to combine sugar, garlic, soy sauce, ginger, and green onions from a man on his mission, and has never been the same since! We have eaten many-a-meal with that sauce as a base, and look forward to more in the future.

We use metal skewers (we upgraded a year ago), but the inexpensive wood ones also work. We read online that they need to soak in water for about 30 minutes ahead of time. This apparently keeps the wood from burning as quickly.

Kabobs are very filling, but making a few extra might be just what you're looking for. They make for EXCELLENT leftovers. (Just push the meat and veggies off the skewer with a fork, and store them in an air-tight container. Reheat for 3-4 minutes in the microwave and enjoy again!)

A CookieSheets&CakePans original.

Orange Chicken

(Made with fresh chicken breast chunks)

(Made with frozen tenderloin chunks)

Chicken and breading:

1 TBSP oil
1 egg
1/4 c flour
1/4 c cornstarch
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large fresh chicken breasts, cut into large chunks (Tenderloins will also work, but pieces will obviously not be as thick. Same goes for frozen chicken.)

Combine egg, oil, and salt and pepper in medium mixing bowl.

Add chicken chunks to mixture and stir together, making sure that all pieces are coated.

Add flour and cornstarch to mixture.

(Don't be fooled. These steps must happen in this order. And the mixture may not look right to you, but it works. Promise!)

Heat oil on stove. You'll need it to be medium high to high, but not the highest heat. It needs to be hot enough to crisp the outside, but not so hot that the outside gets charred and inside isn't thoroughly cooked. (Remember my outrageous paranoia about meat not being thoroughly cooked?!)

Cook thoroughly and set chunks on plate covered with paper towel (to allow excess oil to drain).

Sauce: (**Makes enough for 2 installments...so cut ingredient amounts in half, or go with these quantities and freeze the rest. Freezes like a dream!**)

1 1/2 cups water
4 TBSP orange juice
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 TBSP soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp minced garlic
1 rounded tsp chopped green onion
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
3 TBSP plus 1 tsp cornstarch
4 1/2 TBSP water

In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine all of the sauce ingredients, except the cornstarch and 4 1/2 Tbsp water. Stir often while bringing mixture to a boil. When sauce reaches a boil, remove it from heat.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and 4 1/2 TBSP of cool water. Stir until cornstarch has dissolved. Pour this mixture into the sauce and set the pan over high heat. When sauce begins to bubble and thicken, remove it from heat.

Toss chicken chunks with half of the sauce (freeze the rest!) and serve over sticky rice.

Comments from the cook: Hello, and welcome to orange chicken heaven. Since we moved to Kansas, we haven't have access to Panda Express or the fab Chinese that we loved at Smith's in Utah. I stumbled upon this recipe, and my new-recipe-trying husband dove right in one night when I was under the weather. He touches the meat in this family (he really loves me), so he's technically the expert on this one. I've made the sauce, so I can take a LITTLE bit of ownership...

We use more orange juice than the original recipe calls for (quantities already adjusted above), and use all cornstarch instead of arrowroot. If you have it around, click on the links below to fancy up the recipe (then email me and explain to me what-in-the-world you're doing with arrowroot in your cupboards).

We have been searching for an easy orange chicken recipe for a while. Well, guess what? If you want good orange chicken, it takes a little work! Love, love, love this recipe. Am SURE you will too...

Endorsed by so-incredible photographer, Tara Whitney, on here (and she found it here). Some text taken from these websites.

Chicken Pot Pie

1 pkg ready-to-bake pie crusts (2 included)
5 small potatoes
2 TBSP butter or margarine
2-3 TBSP flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
frozen peas
frozen carrots
chicken

Allow pie crust dough to defrost to room temperature. Put one crust in bottom of glass dish.

Cut chicken into small pieces and saute in a little bit of canola oil or cooking spray. Place on top of crust.

Dice potatoes (into 1/2" pieces) and pour over crust in dish. Add frozen peas and carrots to crust also, as desired. (Veggies are uncooked during assembly!)

In medium sauce pan, heat 2 TBSP butter or margarine over medium high heat. Once melted, add 2-3 TBSP flour to butter. Stir constantly, while adding 1 cup milk. Heat (and continue stirring) for 2 minutes. Mixture will thicken into a gravy.

After that 2 minutes is up, add 1 cup chicken broth and stir well until mixed (should only take a couple seconds of good stirring to be done). Remove from heat.

Pour gravy mixture over potatoes and vegetables in pan. Set aside.

Take your 2nd pie crust (that has not yet been used). Trim about 3/4" of crust off the edges. Place newly trimmed crust on top of the other to create a lid. Fold edges of bottom crust up and over.

Poke holes in top crust with a fork.

Bake at 375° for a hour or so. If top becomes too brown, cover in foil for remaining cook time.

Comments from the cook: I made this the other night, and only cooked it at 350 for about 55 min. The potatoes were still a little crispy, so we microwaved the whole thing for 3 minutes and they were perfect!

A CookieSheets&CakePans original! (Tutored by Cathy Green)

Easy Crock-Pot Teriyaki Chicken

5-6 chicken tenders (or up to 3 chicken breasts)
2/3 c soy sauce*
1 1/3 c water*
4 TBSP brown sugar
2 TBSP grated fresh ginger (or 1 1/2 TBSP ground ginger)
2 garlic cloves, minced

Place chicken in slow cooker.

Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken.

Cover. Cook on high 1 hour. Reduce heat to low, and cook 6-7 hours.

Serve over rice.

*This is a pretty salty recipe, naturally, with soy sauce as the base. Kirsten even suggested tinkering with the amounts. We made it with 1 c soy sauce and 1 c water most recently. It's still a little too salty that way, so if you try it, I'd recommend going with the soy sauce and water amounts listed here instead. If you try it before we do, let us know how it turns out!)

Comments from the cook: The picture above is more proof that we really do eat broccoli with everything!

Originally shared by Kirsten Burrup Pratt, a dear friend who made this for us once (who found it online).

Chicken Parmesan

8-10 chicken tenders (thawed)
1 large can Del Monte traditional spaghetti sauce (our favorite)
1 package Ritz crackers (wheat ok!)
1/2 to 1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic salt
1-2 eggs, beaten
oil
mozzarella cheese

Thaw chicken tenders. Beat eggs in bowl and set aside.

Heat approximately 1" of oil to medium heat in saucepan.

Crush Ritz crackers in Ziploc bag. Add Parmesan cheese, oregano, basil, and garlic salt to cracker crumbs. Toss together in bag.

Dip tenders in beaten eggs and then in crumb mixture. Toss in bag until coated.

Fry coated tenders in oil just until browned. Use tongs to remove, and set on plate covered with napkin (to drain off excess oil).

Pour spaghetti sauce into 8.5x11 pan. Season with oregano, basil, and garlic salt as desired. Set fried tenders in pan, and cover with sauce.

Pour cheese over sauce and cover with foil.

Bake at 400° for 40 min.

Serve over spaghetti.

Comments from the cook: We prefer the Del Monte spaghetti sauce, but it's not available everywhere. We tried to "make our own" sauce by adding spices to plain tomato sauce when we made this once...and it wasn't quite the same. Your best bet is to stick with a brand you already like, and go from there.

Originally shared by Matt and Brittany Johnson

Cream Cheese Chicken

1 8 oz package 1/3 less fat cream cheese (generic ok)
1 8 oz package fat free cream cheese
1 packet italian dressing seasoning (dry)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
12-14 chicken tenders
bowtie pasta

Soften cream cheese in microwave or leave at room temperature until soft.

In slow cooker, combine cream cheese and cream of chicken soup.

Add italian dressing seasoning packet to cream cheese/soup mixture.

Add 12-14 chicken breast tenderloins to slow cooker.

Cook on low for at least 4 hours.**

Serve over bowtie pasta.

Serves 6+. (We half this, and have enough for leftovers the next day).

**Lisa, the bearer of this recipe, said that she sometimes makes this recipe in the morning before work, so it will be ready when she gets home. If that is the case, she suggests leaving the heat on warm instead of low. Cooking the dish on low for that many hours can cause it to burn around the edges. Up to you!

Comments from the cook: This recipe is a little bit rich, so I would suggest serving it with mild sides. We choose broccoli because, well, we eat it with everything. :)

Originally shared by Lisa Hjorth, co-worker at Provo Craft

Sweet & Sour Chicken

2 Tbsp canola oil
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 clove garlic (minced)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 c soy sauce
8 oz can pineapple chunks or tidbits, including juice
1 Tbsp vinegar
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
chicken, defrosted and cubed

Brown chicken in oil. Add peppers and garlic.

In a separate bowl, combine cornstarch, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, and ginger.

Add to chicken while pouring pineapple chunks (and juice) into pan.**

Bring to boil.

Serve over rice.

**If soy sauce mixture is poured over chicken first, it will thicken too quickly. To avoid this, add pineapple and juice BEFORE soy sauce mixture to avoid premature thickening.

Comments from the cook: The original recipe calls for sliced carrots also. One of us (not me) isn't a big fan of them, so we leave them out. Add other veggies as you see fit. The sauce in this recipe is fantastic, so the more, the merrier!

Originally shared by Melissa Bell, my former roommate