Pan-Seared Chicken with Balsamic Sweet Onions and Potatoes

My santoku knife really wanted me to make this recipe. He was desperate to boastfully show off his newly-sharpened edge. Since I cannot say no to him, well, I gave in to his wish.

Actually...

After a busy day of moving things into storage today, I wanted to make a hearty (and well-deserved) meal to end the day. I've had my eye on this recipe for a while now, and I decided it was long overdue to finally make it.

This is easy to prepare, and chopping the onion and potatoes was easy and fast thanks to my awesome knife. (Boast away, Sir Santoku.)

The pungent balsamic vinegar is muted slightly by the stock and along with the savory sweetness of the rosemary makes a delicious, flavorful sauce. Word to the wise, though: Stand Back As You Add The Balsamic Vinegar To The Pan!!! Whoa!!! I didn't prepare myself (or my poor nose) for that smell. I should have known better. Live and learn (and I learned I won't EVER do that again). The original recipe called for four chicken breasts, but I only used two chicken cutlets instead. Usually there is not enough sauce for my tastes in written recipes, so I always double the sauce, but this time I kept the amount of vegetables and sauce the same as the original recipe and reduced the pieces of chicken from 4 to 2 instead. However, I do think that there would be enough to make four servings of chicken with the sauce amounts below. Serve this in pasta bowls to keep the chicken and vegetables swimming in the sauce. Serve with steamed green beans. The green beans taste just as good swimming in the sauce as the main course does.

Enjoy (and please don't forget the balsamic vinegar advice)!!!

Pan-Seared Chicken with Balsamic Sweet Onions and Potatoes

Adapted from Food & Drink, Holiday 2004

Choose round waxy-type potatoes to make sure they hold their shape while cooking. Make sure the potatoes are almost tender before adding the vinegar because the acid can prevent potatoes from softening.

2 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
4 small potatoes (about 1 lb.), cut into ½-inch cubes
1 large sweet onion, halved and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (or ¼ teaspoon dried)
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup turkey stock

Sprinkle one side of chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add half of butter and swirl to coat pan. Add chicken breasts, seasoned-side down, and season remaining side. Brown, turning once, until well-browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Melt remaining butter in skillet. Cook potatoes, onions and rosemary, stirring, for 2 minutes or until some liquid is released. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, shaking pan often, for about 15 minutes or until potatoes and onions are almost tender and starting to brown. Increase heat to medium-high and add vinegar. Boil, scraping up any bits stuck to pan, until reduced and syrupy. Pour in stock and bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan with any accumulated juices, spooning some of the sauce over chicken. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, turning chicken halfway, or until potatoes are tender and chicken is no longer pink inside.

Transfer chicken to serving plates. Season sauce and vegetables with salt and pepper to taste and spoon over chicken.

Notes: I used Yukon Gold potatoes (which kept their shape nicely), a Vidalia onion and dried rosemary. Original recipe used chicken stock, but I used turkey stock since that's what I had on hand.

Add chicken to these ingredients...

 
















...to get this:

 

Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Salad

My friend Kurt is coming over tonight to eat dinner and watch the hockey game with me (our last dinner and hockey game together before he moves to Scottsdale on Wednesday...Boo Hoo!!!), and since it's warm outside and I was looking for something easy to make, I decided to make Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Salad from an old issue of Everyday Food magazine. It looked like a tastebud-friendly meal that both of us would enjoy, and since I had all of the ingredients on hand, it was a no-brainer to make it.

Since I actually (sort of) planned ahead for dinner tonight, last night I made Key Lime Pie with Coconut Graham Cracker Crust to have afterwards for dessert. (There are two reasons I chose to make a key lime pie. You'll have to wait for the next post.) I'll post a review of both recipes later tonight or tomorrow morning, but I just wanted to get a head start now and post the recipe for our main course (if that's what you want to call it).

Update (as promised): This salad is fantastic and very filling. Kurt's first words after his first bite was, "Damn, this is good." I guess that could sum up my reaction to it, too. I followed the recipe exactly as written. I did leave in the seeds from the jalapeno, and it added a nice kick. I also used a generous 1/2 teaspoon of cumin. I used a few pinches of sea salt and generously grinded fresh black pepper over the salad before tossing it one last time and serving. This recipe makes a LOT of food. (Kurt left tonight with a big plastic container of it, and I cannot wait to eat it again for lunch...and probably dinner...tomorrow.) This would be great to take along to a picnic or BBQ as a different kind of cold salad...you know, not the typical (boring) pasta salad and potato salad you see all the time.

Chicken, Rice, and Black Bean Salad

Source: Everyday Food magazine - June 2005, p. 105

1 cup brown (or white) rice
1 cooked chicken (about 2 ½ pounds), shredded (about 4 cups)
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
6 plum tomatoes, sliced*
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno chile, minced (seeds and ribs removed for less heat, if desired)
¼ cup white wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Cook rice according to package instructions. Spread on a baking sheet; refrigerate until cool.

Place cooled rice in a large bowl; add chicken, beans, tomatoes, scallions, jalapeno, vinegar, oil, and cumin. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Serve immediately, or refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day.

*How to slice plum tomatoes:
Quarter tomatoes lengthwise. Lay quarters skin side down, and slice out seeds. Slice flesh crosswise about ¼ inch thick.

In serving bowl (without flash):

 
















Scooped out into individual bowl (with flash):

 

Mindy can cook, too!!!

I am pretty sure I was born to bake. As a matter of fact, I consider it my favorite hobby. (I wish I could say I prefer exercising to baking, but...)

As long as I have friends and family to bake for, I'm quite happy in the kitchen making a mess measuring, sifting and mixing. However, sometimes I even like to cook. (Really, it's true.) Cooking for one is a challenge, though, since so many recipes yield such large amounts of food. I prefer baking simply because I can try numerous recipes of cookies, brownies, muffins, etc. and always have somebody willing to eat it. I'm pretty sure that nobody would appreciate my dinner leftovers the way they do a heaping plate of freshly baked cookies.

Anyway...

Recently in Paris, I ate a lot of roasted chicken and haricot verts (okay, I ate frites, too), and I was craving something similar today. Since I didn't leave my apartment at all today and still am in the same nightgown I woke up in over 11 hours ago, I figured I didn't have the "I'm too busy to cook" excuse tonight. Alas, I cooked Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers from Eating Well and Sautéed Green Beans from Robin Miller (yes, the woman with the cheesy theme song and creepy eyes). Although my dinner tonight was frites-less and not as charming as eating in the late evening at a St. Germain des Pres bistro, it was nonetheless c'est magnifique.

Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers

Source: Eating Well

Canola oil cooking spray
½ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup whole-wheat flour
1 ½ teaspoons paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dry mustard
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 ½ teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 egg whites
1 pound chicken tenders

Preheat oven to 475°F. Set a wire rack on a foil-lined baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.

Place almonds, flour, paprika, garlic powder, dry mustard, salt and pepper in a food processor; process until the almonds are finely chopped and the paprika is mixed throughout, about 1 minute. With the motor running, drizzle in oil; process until combined. Transfer the mixture to a shallow dish.

Whisk egg whites in a second shallow dish. Add chicken tenders and turn to coat. Transfer each tender to the almond mixture; turn to coat evenly. (Discard any remaining egg white and almond mixture.) Place the tenders on the prepared rack and coat with cooking spray; turn and spray the other side. (This is a little bit messy.)

(At this point, I let the chicken tenders sit for 15 minutes before baking so the coating would set and not come off after baking.)

Bake the chicken fingers until golden brown, crispy and no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

Makes 4 servings.

Sautéed Green Beans

Source: Adapted from Robin Miller/Food Network

2 cups green beans, trimmed
1 tablespoon salted butter
1/4 cup sliced almonds
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a skillet, sauté the green beans in butter until tender-crisp. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Before serving, add the almonds to the skillet and heat through until the almonds are toasted.

Makes 4 servings.

 

Curried Turkey and Barley Casserole

I made this casserole this afternoon since I had time on my hands and since I was looking for anything else to do but ride my stationary bike or start cleaning out cabinets and packing boxes. Also, I wanted to use my casserole dish one last time before it makes its way to Goodwill next week (I'm donating a box of my cookware and bakeware before my move next month). From start to finish, this casserole takes almost two hours to prep, cook on the stovetop and finish baking in the oven, but the end result is worth the time involved. This is the best casserole I have made in a long time. The chewy barley, the flavorful curry powder (I used Penzey's Tandoori), the creamy sour cream and the boozy bite of the dry sherry make this casserole a real winner. Actually, I think a splash of dry sherry makes ANYTHING taste better...and this casserole is proof of that. The yield says four servings, but I'd say it more like six.

Curried Turkey and Barley Casserole

Source: Adapted from www.barleyfoods.org

1 cup pearl barley
3 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups cooked and cubed turkey
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons dry white wine or dry sherry
Salt and pepper, to taste

In medium saucepan with lid, bring chicken broth to a boil. Add pearl barley and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 45 minutes or until barley is tender and liquid is absorbed. Melt butter in skillet. Add curry powder and onion. Sauté until onion is translucent, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion mixture to cooked barley. Mix in turkey, almonds, sour cream and white wine. Season with salt and pepper and turn mixture into oiled 2-quart casserole or baking dish. Cover and bake 45 minutes in 350° F oven. Remove cover and bake 5 minutes longer.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: I used shredded rotisserie chicken instead of turkey.

Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Since I like to bake a lot of goodies, I tend to cook primarily from lower-fat/lower-calorie magazines such as Cooking Light to counterbalance the effects of being a baking addict. In my perfect world, eating laden-with-fat cookies and lower-fat entrees is the way of life.

I had a bottle of roasted red bell peppers in my pantry screaming, "Use me, please. I've been sitting here in the dark for over six months now." Well, that wish was granted this evening when I decided to make Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce. This is so quick and easy to make, and it's a really tasty chicken dish. I halved the amount of chicken and spices in the original recipe below yet I still made the whole amount of roasted red pepper sauce. There was enough sauce for the two chicken breasts I cooked, but if you ask me, there definitely wouldn't be enough sauce for four. The sauce cooks down as it simmers. Cooking Light is rather notorious for its recipes almost always needing more sauce than written. If you make the full recipe using four chicken breast halves, definitely double the sauce.

I decided not to use any Parmesan cheese, but if you do, make sure to use real Parmesan cheese...freshly grated...not the yucky stuff in the green can. I served this with orzo and steamed broccoli. I forgot how much I love orzo, and it's perfect with this. Although I steamed some fresh broccoli since I had some I needed to use up in the fridge, I think this would be really good with green beans or zucchini, too.

Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6 oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1 (7 oz.) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained
1/4 cup (1 oz.) grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper. Add chicken to pan, and cook 3 minutes on each side.

While chicken cooks, place broth, vinegar, and bell peppers in a food processor; process until smooth. Add bell pepper mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes. Uncover and simmer 3 minutes or until chicken is done. Sprinkle servings evenly with cheese.

Yield: 4 servings

Pretzels, Peanuts and Chicken

Believe it or not, these ingredients combined make one fabulous chicken dish.

When I got this month's issue of Better Homes & Gardens and saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it. (Why do I get BH&G when I neither have a home nor a garden? Well, I'm not quite sure.)

Anyway...

The chicken is easy to make with only five ingredients. It is a bit messy with the egg and crumb mixture, though, but that's half the fun of cooking...making the mess that results in the yummy final product.

The original recipe called for unsalted peanuts, but I used salted Planters cocktail peanuts and would do so again. The original recipe also called for an optional 1/4 tsp. - 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper. If you want more flavor and a bit of heat, definitely use 1/2 tsp. like I did. If you want to make this family-friendly, though, you will probably want to omit the crushed red pepper altogether. I used refrigerated egg product because I just happened to have it on hand, but if you don't, you can substitute 2 whole eggs or 4 egg whites in its place. I did not make the couscous, but I included it in the post below since it was part of the original recipe.

The dipping sauce it fantastic, and it's non-fat, too. I made steamed broccoli florets to go alongside the chicken tenderloins and would do so again. The dipping sauce is good with both the chicken and the broccoli. Next time, I may add some oven-roasted potatoes and/or a fruit salad to round out the meal, but the chicken and broccoli was all I wanted to make and eat tonight.

Chicken with Pretzels and Couscous

Source: Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens, March 2007

1 cup pretzel sticks
2/3 cup salted peanuts
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup refrigerated or frozen egg product, thawed
1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen sweet peppers and onion stir-fry vegetables
1/2 cup uncooked couscous
2 T. seasoned rice vinegar
1 T. canola oil
1 recipe Dipping Sauce (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 15x10x1-inch pan with foil; coat with nonstick cooking spray; set pan aside. Place pretzels, 1/2 cup peanuts, and crushed red pepper in food processor. Cover; process until coarsely ground; transfer to resealable plastic bag.

Place egg product in shallow dish. Dip chicken tenderloins into egg product. Allowing excess egg product to drip off, transfer tenderloins, half at a time, to bag with crumb mixture. Seal bag; turn to coat chicken pieces. Arrange chicken in prepared pan. Bake chicken for 10 to 15 minutes or until no longer pink (170 degrees F).

Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine broth and stir-fry vegetables. Bring to boiling. Stir in couscous; remove from heat. Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Chop remaining peanuts. Stir peanuts, rice vinegar, and oil into couscous mixture. Serve couscous mixture with chicken and dipping sauce.

Makes 6 servings.

Dipping Sauce

In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup non-fat plain yogurt, 2 T. yellow mustard, and 2 tsp. honey.

Notes: I needed the full 15 minutes cooking time for the chicken tenderloins.

Before:

















After:

Fiesta Chicken Pasta and Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

After a busy day yesterday, I was too tired to post what I made for dinner for me and Kurt (who had yet another townhouse showing) last night. I was not in the mood to make anything labor-intensive (then again, I never am), and I remembered this recipe for Fiesta Chicken Pasta that I have wanted to make for a while now. While by no means gourmet, it sure was yummy...so yummy, in fact, that Kurt asked to take the leftovers home for lunch today. I didn't change a thing as the recipe below is perfect as written. Since I knew Kurt is a fan of "normal" food, I figured this would be decent enough to serve him. I didn't realize I would like it as much as he did, though. This is an easy-to-make meal that would be good for a weeknight dinner or even for somebody who doesn't like to cook who is looking for a tasty meal to make.

In an effort to use up the remaining Italian dressing, I served the pasta with a side salad of romaine, red onions and cucumber. I used the remaining shredded cheddar cheese to make Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits which are always a welcome addition to any meal.

Fiesta Chicken Pasta

Source: Kraft Food and Family Magazine

2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked

1 tablespoon oil

1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups chopped red peppers (about 2 medium)

1/4 cup Italian dressing

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese


Cook the pasta as directed on package.

Meanwhile, heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook and stir 6 minutes. Add peppers, dressing and chili powder; cook 3 minute or until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently. Stir in salsa and sour cream.

Drain pasta. Toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.

(Picture taken before being sprinkled with cheese.)

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Source: Adapted from Tampa Tribune recipe (CopyKat recipe creator)

2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold salted butter
1 heaping cup grated cheddar cheese
3/4 cup cold milk (I used 1%)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Brush on Top:
2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes


Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Combine Bisquick with cold butter in a medium bowl using a pastry cutter or a large fork. You don't want to mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter in there that are about the size of peas. Add cheddar cheese, milk and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder. Mix by hand until combined, but don't overmix.

Drop approximately 1/4-cup portions of the dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet using an ice cream scoop. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes or until the tops of the biscuits begin to turn light brown.

When you take the biscuits out of the oven, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl in your microwave. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and parsley flakes. Use a pastry brush to spread the garlic butter over the tops of all the biscuits.

Makes 12 biscuits.

Busy Day, Easy Dinner

After a day consisting of waking up early, volunteering, researching and making online hotel reservations for three hotels (for a trip overseas to the Christmas markets in December), running errands and exercising, I wanted a quick, easy dinner. Since it's gotten really warm here (the A/C is back on again) and I didn't feel like "cooking", I thought I would make Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches for dinner tonight. I made prep time even simpler by picking up a rotisserie chicken at Publix on my way home today. Serve with Veggie Crisps and a BIG glass of Simply Lemonade for a delicious, filling and easy dinner. I'm already looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow.

Cashew Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Source: Adapted from Cooking Light

1/4 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon light mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1/3 cup chopped celery
2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted cashews
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onions
Salt and white pepper, to taste
2 (2-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring until well blended. Add chicken, celery, cashews, and green onions; stir well. Add salt and white pepper, to taste. Serve chicken salad on buns.

Yield: 2 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup chicken salad and 1 bun)

Notes: I used rotisserie chicken and Tandoori Seasoning from Penzey’s.

Spicy and Delicious

I came across a can of pickled jalapeños in my pantry that surely I bought for a reason, but I don't remember what exactly that reason is...of course it was for a recipe, but what recipe? (This getting older thing really stinks sometimes.) As I was browsing some old issues of Cook's Country the other night, I came across this recipe for Jalapeño Chicken Salad. It looked too good to pass up. Maybe this was the recipe for which I originally bought the pickled jalapenos??? Since I also had a lot of fresh cilantro and a half lime remaining from Wednesday night's appetizer-turned-dinner (see Salsa Guacamole recipe), it was a no-brainer to make it. I made it for dinner last night and ate it again for lunch today. It was delicious last night, but I thought it tasted even better this afternoon after sitting in the refrigerator overnight. This is the best chicken salad recipe I have made in a long time. Well, to be honest, the last time I made chicken salad was last summer, so suffice to say, this is the only chicken salad recipe I have made in a long time. It is easy to prepare and the pickled jalapeños add a nice kick of both heat and flavor. Even if you like your food on the seriously spicy side, I wouldn't use any more than the recipe suggests, though. If you like things more on the mild side, I would recommend using about half that amount (2 tablespoons). That would be enough to add flavor but not too much heat. If you're a real wussy, you could use even less or none at all. I think this would be a great basic chicken salad recipe without the jalapeños, too. Since I had a few flour tortillas sitting around from the chicken enchiladas recipe I decided not to make, I made a tortilla bowl, too. It's adds a nice presentation, and it's yummy to eat at the end of the meal after all of the chicken salad is gone.

Jalapeño Chicken Salad

Source: Adapted from Cook’s Country magazine, August/September 2005

2/3 cup light mayonnaise

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

3 cups shredded cooked chicken

1/2 medium celery rib, chopped fine

1/2 small red onion, chopped fine

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped fine

3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup sliced pickled jalapeños, chopped fine

Salt and pepper

Mix mayonnaise and lime juice in a small bowl until combined. Toss chicken, celery, onion, bell pepper, cilantro, and jalapeños in large bowl. Add mayonnaise mixture and toss until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Note: To make tortilla bowl (see picture below), spray both sides of a large flour tortilla with nonstick cooking spray. Toast tortilla in nonstick skillet over medium heat until spotty brown on both sides but still soft, about 3-4 minutes. Using tongs, drape tortilla over small overturned bowl. Place second overturned bowl over tortilla and cool completely.