Thai Coconut Chicken Soup

As for most of my inventions, these ingredients are approximate. As your own chef, you'll have to gauge. Prep & Cook Time: Ready to serve in 30 minutes.

Ingredients

3C of chicken broth
1 can of coconut milk (I used the reduced fat from TJ. 1/4 of the fat - all flavor)
1 breast of chicken, sliced & cubed
2 Garlic Cloves, diced
4 Scallions
Red pepper flakes
Turmeric, dash
Paprika, dash
Sea Salt, 3-4 pinches
Shredded fresh ginger, optional if you have it and/or like it.
Mint leaves, for a little extra and for color (& if you like it.)
Hot sauce, Thai hot sauce preferred - to kick it up a notch

Directions:
1. In a dutch oven, Saute until translucent - garlic and the white end of the scallions (save green for end)
2. Add in broth, coconut milk, chicken & seasoning - bring to a boil then reduce to med-high heat until chicken is cooked (about 10-15 minutes).
3. Add in green part of scallions (cut in half) let it simmer (for about 10 minutes).
4. Add in hot sauce to your liking and serve.

Garlic-Roasted Chicken

Anyone else need a good cleanse as you kick off 2012. Garlic is one of the best things to cleanse, build up your immune system & prevent illness. If only I didn't have to avoid the human population for 48 hours after consumption, but it's worth the benefits. Dr. Weil eats 2 raw cloves {gag} everyday as part of his routine.

{Taken from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast book}:: "Roasting softens and mellows garlic, turning it into a mild, delicious spread for crusty bread. Leftover chicken can be used in dishes like chicken enchiladas. The garlic tops serve as a rack for the chicken. Garlic bottoms are flipped halfway through to soak up juices." And wow...that garlic is SO good spread over fresh bread.

This chicken was moist, full of flavor & EASY! Enjoy.

Serve with your favorite sides. I served it with Sauteed Broccoli Rabe.

Serves 4-6; Prep: 10minutes; Total time: 1 hour, 10minutes

Ingredients:
4 heads of garlic (see I wasn't messing around)
8 sprigs of fresh oregano (I used dried b/c I didn't have fresh)
2 whole chicken breasts (3.5lbs) rinsed and patted dry
2T olive oil
Coarse Salt & Fresh ground pepper.

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice the tops from garlic heads, reserving the bottoms; arrange the tops, cut sides down, in the center of an 11-by-17-inch roasting pan. Place 1 sprig of the oregano over each garlic top, and arrange the chicken breasts over the garlic.
2. Place the reserved garlic bottoms, cut sides up, next to the chicken in the pan. Drizzle the chicken and garlic bottoms with the olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper; place the remaining 4 sprigs of oregano on top.
3. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes; turn the garlic bottoms cut sides down, and rotate the pan. Continue roasting the chicken until the skin is browned, the juices run clear, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat registers 165 degrees, about 30 minutes more.
4. Pour the pan juices into a measuring cup; skim the fat from the top. Serve the juices with chicken and roasted garlic.

Burning Man Chicken Noodle Soup

Not sure about you, but when I got sick, my mom always made me chicken noodle soup. Guess what? Mom was right! http://www.unmc.edu/chickensoup/

I call this the "Burning Man Chicken Noodle Soup" because if you've ever watched the "Sam, the Cooking Guy" show, you've probably noticed that he burns himself ALL the time. Oscar started watching him a year ago and totally got me hooked. I love our mutual cooking hobby.

Ingredients
A whole chicken (skin + bones too) chopped up ($8 @ Trader Joes)
4 celery stalks chopped, angle
1/2 bag of mini carrots, chopped in 1/2 angled (or 2-3 large carrots)
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
chicken stock (extra broth @ the end, if needed)
Egg Noodles - mini/thin or large - up to you
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Place chicken in the pot, cover with water so that there is 1" above the chicken.
2. Boil on high for 30 minutes, drain fat from top with a spoon (throw out)
3. Continue boil for 30 minutes.
4. Drain broth & chicken - save broth, set chicken on a cutting board. Remove skin & bones and chop chicken into large bit sizes (if needed), place into pot with broth.
5. Add vegetables into chicken & broth, cook another 30 minutes
6. Add in noodles, cook until done.

Enjoy!

Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken

6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (12 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce
1/2 cup Italian salad dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1t of liquid smoke (Opt'l)

DIRECTIONS
2 options:
EASY OPTION: Mix all together and cook on high for 4-6 hours.
OR
EASY, but longer:
1. Season defrosted chicken w/ garlic powder, salt & pepper and put in the slow cooker w/ 2-3C of chicken broth - Cook on high for 6-8 hours or until you can Shred chicken 2. Drain off fat & liquid
3. Put chicken back in the pot - Add in sauce
4. Cook for another 2 hours.

TIPS
*I used a small bottle of Jack Daniel's original BBQ sauce; perfect for kids who don't like a "kick" in their sauce, but parents who like a ton of flavor
*Great with boneless ribs & shredded beef - I follow option 2 w/ this meat.

Chicken Verde

The title sounds good but it was SO yummy. Get ready for the easiest meal of your life...just made it up!

2 chicken breasts - butterfly cut them so they're thin
1 can of TJ's verde salsa
1 small yellow onion
* yep! that's it. The salsa is so mild but FULL of flavor, it's all you need.

Directions:
1. Sautee onions in 2T of olive oil until onions are caramelized/clear.
2. Place chicken in a 9x9 pan.
3. Drizzle onions over chicken.
4. Cover with the entire bottle of verde salsa
5. Cover with tin foil.
Bake at 400 for about 25 minutes (until cooked all the way through).

*Serve with black beans, corn & rice. Could be great w/ mashed potatoes too, instead of a Mexican meal, make it an American one.

Linguine with Sausage & Peppers by M. Lazaro

Oh, yum! This was delicious, light, easy AND fast! I just modified {see brackets} the "Everyday Food" recipe and it was a smash hit! Only took 15 minutes!

Coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
1lb linguine {I adapted to what our family eats- 1/3 bag & used whole wheat spaghetti b/c I didn't have linguine on hand}
1lb turkey sausage {I use chicken apple sausage from trader joes}
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced {I used a teaspoon of canned, minced garclic}
4 yellow or red bell peppers thinly chopped {I used yellow and only 1 for a family of 4 - depends on how much you like these}
4 T butter {I used only 1.5T}
4 C argula {I used a 1/4C b/c that's all my garden had}

1. in a large pot boil pasta.
2. while pasta is cooking, cook sausage + 2T water *covered* in a non-stick pan over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to med-hi. Brown the sausage, breaking it up w/ a spoon, about 7 minutes
3. Add the garlic, bell peppers and 1/4 C of the pasta water; cook until peppers soften about 6 minutes. Add 3/4C pasta water AND butter; swirl to combine.
4. Transfer drained pasta to sausgage/peppers. Add argula, salt & pepper (to taste) and toss; Simmer for 2 minutes. Add more pasta water as desired.
4.

Poppy Seed Chicken by J. Robinson

An old southern favorite {so lots of butter}. My friend Jen passed this on.

Boil 3 chicken breast with salt and pepper and tear apart
1 can cream of chicken (I prefer cream of mushroom, but up to you)
1 cup sour cream
about a tablespoons of poppy seeds (really it is just to add "color")
a cup or more of cheese (I like more!)
Mix all of that together and pour into medium casserole dish
Crumble one sleeve of ritz crackers and mix with 1/2 stick of melted butter and spread over top.

350* for about 20 - 30 minutes

Lemon Chicken by. M Ivans

This family recipe has been around for decades. My aunt reminded me of it. Yummy & Easy!

2 whole chicken breasts-split, boned, skinned (I use chicken strips, tenders)
1 can Campbell's Cream of Broccoli Soup
1 Tbsp. olive/vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
2 tsp. lemon juice
1/8 tsp. pepper
4 thin lemon slices.

Directions:
1.In skillet in hot oil, cook chicken 10 min. or until browned on both sides.
2.Spoon off fat.
3.Combine soup and milk, stir in lemon juice and pepper; pour over chicken .
4.Top with lemon slices, reduce heat to low; simmer 5 min. or until chicken is fork tender, stirring occasionally.

I serve with Chicken Rice-a-Roni or wild rice, whatever you like and veggies. Such a fast, tasty dinner.

Simple Italian Chicken & Linguini by T.Krupa

Saute (on low) chicken breast in bite size in chopped cilantro, basil, garlic, olive oil and cooking white wine. Serve over linguini with a squirt of fresh lemon juice and top with Parmesan cheese. Red pepper flakes optional.

Chicken Stroganoff {Slow Cooker} by S.Hutchison

Ingredients

* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
* 1/8 cup margarine
* 1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
* 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions

1. Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
2. Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm.

Braised Chicken w/ Mushrooms & Oven Baked Polenta

Serves 4

Ingredients
* 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 pound white mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced 1/2-inch-thick
* 4 garlic cloves, halved
* 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
* 1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
* 1 Trader Joe's polenta. I sliced it 1" think and served them round. {Follow instructions...can be baked while chicken is cooking.}

Directions

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over high. Add chicken, and cook until light golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
2. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and garlic, and season with salt. Cover; and cook over medium heat until mushrooms release their juices, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove lid. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add wine, and cook, stirring, until evaporated, about 1 minute. Add broth and parsley, cook over medium-high heat until mushrooms are tender and liquid is reduced, 8 to 10 minutes.
4. Return chicken to skillet. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve chicken topped with mushrooms, and drizzled with cooking liquid. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Southern Chicken Crunch by J.Robinson

This is my friend's "go-to" recipe. I haven't tried it yet, but seems easy and she says it's "yummy!"

3-4 chicken breasts - cubed and sautéed with salt and pepper

1 can cream of chicken {I think cream of mushroom tastes better}

1 cup sour cream

2 T mayo

2 T milk

1 small bag sliced almonds

1 can sliced water chestnuts

2 cans fried onions

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients except one can of onions and bake at 350* for 30 minutes. Top with can of onions and bake an extra 5-10 minutes or until onions brown (you could always turn on the broiler if you are in a hurry).

chile-chicken posole soup by J. Massie

1lb. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, raw, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 Tblsp. veg. oil
1 white onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped, seeds removed for less heat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can whole green chiles, drained
1 cup fresh cilantro
4 cups chicken broth
2 15 oz. cans hominy, drained

garnishes: sliced avocado and radishes, tortilla chips

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and 1/2 tsp. thyme, set aside.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over med heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeno and cook 5 minutes until soft. Transfer to a blender, add chiles, celantro and 1/2 tsp thyme and puree until smooth. Return to saucepan and cook over med heat until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

3. Add broth, hominy and chicken to the saucepan. Cover and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 10 minutes.

Captain's Chicken by J. Peters Robinson

she says "I used chicken tenderloins because I bought them by mistake and cooked about 8. I sprinkled with season salt and a little pepper while it was cooking. I also cut the onion/celery/pepper in half as well as the ketchup mix. I didn't include bell pepper and it was great!"

8 chicken breasts
oil
1 med. onion chopped
1/3 cup celery chopped
1/3 cup green pepper chopped
1 c. ketchup
1 c. water
2 T worcestershire sauce
2 T brown sugar
salt to taste
garlic salt to taste

1. Cook chicken either by pan frying or broiling. Arrange in casserole dish.
2. Saute onions, celery and green pepper in oil until tender.
3. Mix ketchup, water, sugar, worcestershire sauce, salt and garlic in pan and bring to boil
4. Add onions, celery and green pepper to ketchup mixture and pour over chicken.
5. Cover with foil and bake 1 hour at 350*.

*Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.

fabulous smoky chicken tortilla soup (and easy) by J. Massie

TACO SEASONING: (make a big batch of this and keep it for seasoning grilled chicken)

1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

SOUP
4 strips thick smoked bacon
1 package chicken breasts
3 Tblsp. canola oil or veg. oil
28oz. fire roasted canned tomatoes
1 chipotle pepper, chopped, plus 2 Tblsp. adobo sauce
1 box of chicken broth (or 4 cups)
1 cup frozen corn
3 large cloves of garlic
1 medium onion

TOPPINGS
cilantro, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup smoked cheddar or smoked mozzarella cheese (or both!), shredded

DIRECTIONS
1. Put raw chicken breasts in a large ziploc. Pour in oil and taco seasoning. Coat chicken and grill.
2. Heat a soup pot and add bacon. Cook until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.
3. Cook chopped onion and garlic in bacon grease for 5 minutes.
4. Add chopped chipotle pepper and tomatoes and heat thoroughly.
5. Add chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
6. Add chopped grilled chicken, chopped bacon and corn.
7. Simmer for 10 minutes.
8. Put crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl. Top with soup, cilantro, onion, and smoked cheese.

Roasted Chicken by D. Kendall

I had to add in this photo. Danielle always does such a spectacular job with the table. This is a regular pumpkin that she dipped in glue and then covered in black glitter. SO creative!

We had our annual Halloween dinner this weekend and it was another DIVINE, 5 course meal by Danielle. YUM! Lize surprised us with a new soup & tart this year, so I'll post that next, even have a picture.

Serves 4
Hands-On Time: 10m (my favorite part!)
Total Time: 1hr

Ingredients
1 chicken (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), cut into 10 pieces
2 pounds carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (halved lengthwise if thick)
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
4 bay leaves
1 lemon, cut into wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Directions
Heat oven to 425° F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the chicken, carrots, olives, bay leaves, lemon, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Arrange in a single layer and sprinkle the chicken with the paprika.
Roast, tossing the vegetables once, until the chicken is cooked through and the carrots are tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

cream cheese chicken roll ups by J. Allen

ingredients:
4 chix breasts
8oz. cream cheese softened
4 green onions
4 slices of bacon

directions:preheat oven to 375. pound chix breasts to 1/4". mix cream cheese and green onions in a small bowl. spread cream cheese mix on chix and roll it up. then wrap bacon around the chix. bake for 35-45 mins.

Four Cheese Chicken by B. Walker

Serves 4
1/2 C part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese
2 Tablespoons Grated parmesan chees
1 C chopped cooked spinach
4 Skinless chicken breasts (pounded 1/4 in thick)
1 teaspoon butter

For the Sauce:
3/4 C skim milk
1/2 C reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon butter
3/4 cup shredded chedder cheese

1.Preheat oven 400 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, Combine: ricotta, mozarella and parmesan. Mix well and set aside
3. Cook and drain spinach well. 
4. Spread 1/4 C of spinach over each cutlet.
5. Then Spread cheese mixture over the spinach.
6. Roll up the cutlets , jelly-role style. Might want to stick tooth picks in them to help stay. ( i didnt, and they fell apart a bit)
7. In a medium skillet melt the 1 teaspoon of butter and add the cutlets to cook/brown- then add to baking dish.
8. Prepare sauce in same skillet just used to brown chicken. Melt the 1 teaspoon of butter in the sauce recipe.
9. Mix milk, chicken broth and cornstarch in bowl together.
10. Once butter is melted, add the milk mixture to the skillet constantly stirring until it comes to boil!
11. Once sauce is boiling- remove from heat and stir in the chedder cheese.
12. Last but not least- pour cheese sauce over cutlets and bake for 20 min or until it is browned on top and boiling.

It is a bit of a extensive recipe.. but worth it!! sooo yummy. Serve with roasted red potatoes or baked potato and some kind of greens.
YUMMY!! Enjoy this calcium, iron, protein packed meal!!

Sundried Tomato Chicken by E. Seaton

1. pound chicken breast to thin
2. fill with sundried tomato pesto (TJ's has a *great* one)
3. fresh spinach
4. feta cheese (ricotta might be good too!)
5. roll & secure with a tooth pick
6. sprinkle breadcrumbs on top (i like "italian" flavored)
7. bake uncovered in foil lined pyrex @ 350 degrees for one hour.

Summer Tostadas by W. Russell

A californian twist on traditional mexican tostadas.

Pre-made corn tostadas
1-2 Chicken breasts (1/2 kind) with bone-in & skin
a handful of dried cranberries (or raisins)
1/2 - 3/4C thinly chopped celery
3T thinly chopped chives
1/2C plain yogurt
1/2 C sour cream
1/8C mayo
1t minced garlic
olive oil
butter
salt/pepper to taste.

1. Saute garlic, oil and butter (enough to cover) in saute pan - just hot enough to melt butter, then add chicken. Brown on both sides. Reduce heat to cook thoroughly.
2. Remove chicken. Remove skin & bone. Shred chicken.
3. While chicken is cooking - In a bowl combine yogurt, sour cream & mayo
4. Add chicken, cranberries (or raisins), sliced almonds, sliced celery and chives to #3 mixture.
5. Serve atop pre-made crunchy corn tostadas