Chicken and Dumplings

This dish was delicious. It filled my belly and the house with an amazing, mouth-watering smell. My boyfriend Nick complained that the only thing bad was that there wasn't enough dumplings--- but he could eat truck-full of dumplings, so you might not want to take his opinion. For an average family of four this made plenty.

Chicken and Dumplings
*Note: The original recipe called for a whole chicken cut into pieces. I used chicken breasts because that's what I had on hand.

1/4 cup unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
Handful baby carrots
4 chicken breasts
6 cups water
6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
5 to 6 fresh thyme sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon chopped leaves
Small bunch parsley stems, plus 1 tablespoon chopped leaves
2 fresh sage sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon chopped leaves
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 stalk celery, trimmed and halved crosswise
2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning

Directions

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, melt 1/4 cup butter and lightly saute the onions and garlic, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots, chicken, water, and stock, making sure liquid covers meat. Tie the thyme sprigs, parsley stems, and sage sprigs together and add to the pot along with the peppercorns, and celery. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the chicken until it is tender, about 30 minutes, skimming off scum as it simmers. Remove the chicken from the pot to a cutting board and let cool. Remove the herb bundle and the celery and discard. Reserve the stock. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, pull it from bones and cut into bite-sized pieces.

In a large bowl, mix together 2 cups of flour with the remaining chopped herbs and the tablespoon of salt. Make a well in the middle and pour 1 cup of the reserved chicken stock, including fat, into the well. Using a fork, slowly stir the stock into the flour. Repeat, adding more flour and/or stock until a soft, doughy consistency is reached. Add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if it gets too sticky. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 to 1/4-inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to slice the dough into 2-inch squares, then cut the squares in half on the diagonal into triangles.

Return the stock to a simmer and slowly add the dumplings, allowing some excess flour to remain on the dumplings to increase the body of the broth. Be careful not to let the dumplings touch as they are added to the pot. Cook until the dumplings rise to the surface. If the broth does not thicken to your liking, mix together 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon flour in a small bowl with a fork. Slowly add the mixture into the broth to help thicken the soup. Stir in the reserved chicken and ladle into serving bowls.

Maple Orange Chicken

I found the recipe on Taste of Homes. It looked like a quick and simple recipe so for a busy weeknight it was worth a try. It was pretty good. Nothing special, but a tasty quick meal.

Orange-Maple Glazed Chicken 

1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
In a small saucepan, combine the orange juice, syrup, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup, about 5 minutes. Stir in basil and orange peel. Remove from the heat; set aside.

Sprinkle chicken with remaining salt and pepper. Grill chicken, covered, over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until a meat thermometer reads 170°, basting frequently with orange juice mixture. 

 

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Fingerling Potatoes

This recipe comes from the Queen of 30-minute meals-Rachael Ray. I changed a couple of things from her original recipe--Swiss cheese, different seasonings on the potatoes---but this meal was delicious. The best part is that it is so simple. This is definitely a meal I will make again!

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato and Basil and Fingerling Potatoes
-Adapted from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/parmesan-crusted-chicken-breasts-with-tomato-and-basil-and-potatoes-with-peppers-and-onions-recipe/index.html
*Serves 4

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1/4 teaspoon chilli power
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Coarse salt and pepper
1 cup shredded Parmesan
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of fingerlings -- thin, small fingerlings may also be left hole, larger potatoes should be quartered to speed cooking process. If you are using small red potatoes, halve or quarter them in the same way.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with spices and cheese. Coat the potatoes with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and peel the foil off the cookie sheet and discard for super-quick clean up!

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper or foil. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes.

Lime Chicken Tacos

I am a big fan of the crock pot. You get up early, throw a bunch of stuff into it, and voila-- 6 hours later you have a delicious meal, almost no work required.

I found this recipe in an old issue of Simple and Delicious; I had the 6 ingredients on hand so I figured why not? Let me just say wow. The chicken, after cooking for 6 hours, just shreds into these delicious moist pieces. However, the sauce, made from mostly store bought salsa, leaves a little to be desired. If I make this again, which I figure I will, I will play around with the sauce... maybe add some taco seasoning... Or go a completely different route and make this BBQ chicken instead!

The salsa sauce isn't that bad, especially if you use a yummy salsa (I used Newman's Own Salsa with Pineapple which I adore --sweet and just a little bit spicy). And the most important part: It is quick and easy.

Lime Chicken Tacos
*Yields 12 tacos

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lime juiced
1 Tablespoon chili power
1 teaspoon creole seasoning (optional)
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa (Newman's Own with Pineapple!)
12 flour tortillas

Toppings (optional): sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce

Place chicken in a 3-qt slow cooker. Pour lime juice, chili powder, and creole seasoning (if using) over the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove chicken, cool slightly, shred, and return to the slow cooker. Stir in corn and salsa. Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with toppings.

Corn-breaded Chicken Tenders with Asian Slaw

Tonight's dinner didn't go as smoothly as possible. This new recipe from Simple and Delicious has you dip the chicken tenders in ranch dressing and then into corn-muffin mix before pan frying. This combination tasted great- the ranch seasoned the chicken and the corn-muffin mix adds a sweetness. However, the coating came off very easily and burnt to the bottom of my pan. Next time I make this I will try coating the chicken in flour first.

The Asian Slaw on the other hand, is a great dish that I have made about once a week since I first tried it at a family reunion. My aunt made this and I find it to be the perfect summer treat. Yes it has sugar in it, but I feel healthier when I eat it. Did I mention how great it tastes and how easy it is to make?

Corn-breaded Chicken Tenders
1/4 cup corn bread/muffin mix
3 Tablespoons ranch dressing
6 Chicken tenderloins
2 teaspoons olive oil

Place cornbread mix and ranch dressing in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in dressing, then roll in corn-muffin mix. In a skillet, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 3 minutes on each side or until juices run clear.

*Serves two

Asian Slaw
1 package coleslaw mix (or make your own--shred green and red cabbage and some carrots)
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 package uncooked Ramon noodles --broken into small pieces
1/4 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup Olive oil

Mix coleslaw mix, almonds, sunflower seeds, and uncooked noodles together. In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients and whisk together until blended. Just before you are about to serve pour the sauce over coleslaw mix and toss to combine.