Ranch Chicken

Do you all know about Pintrist? I'm sure you do, but just in case - go check it out! If you want an invite, let me know. It's a virtual pinboard of E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G!!! Quote, recipes, craft ideas, decorating tips, photography, etc... you can find anything & everything on Pintrist! And that's where I saw this recipe. It looked yummy & seemed pretty easy & kid-friendly (my top 3 musts!) so we tried it - and it was pretty good! My oldest, Luke, kept coming into the kitchen while it was baking with his nose in the air like a hound dog, sniffing & taking deep breaths & asking with anticipation when it would be ready. And he was no disappointed when it hit his plate - the kids all loved it! Woo hoo!

The ingredients list is pretty simple:


Chicken tenders - or just breasts cut into wide strips, corn flakes , shredded Parmesan cheese, a packet of Ranch powder mix & butter!

Put your corn flakes into a dish & smash them up just a little bit. Add in the ranch mix & Parmesan cheese & stir it up.


Melt the butter in the microwave, dip the chicken in it....


... and dredge it through the breading mixture.


Spray a 9x13 pan with Pam & then load it up with your chicken. Drizzle a little of the leftover butter over the top of your chicken strips.


Bake them at 350 for about 40 minutes.

**A tip - as this bakes the bottoms will likely get a little soggy. If you use a little of the extra breading mixture to make a bed for the tenders to sit on, the soggy will soak down into the bed rather than the bottom of the strip. Also, after the baking time was up, I pulled them from the oven, drained off the excess butter from the bottom of the pan & stuck them under the broiler for a few minutes to help them crisp up.


These were really good! I thought they were 'good enough' but the kids loved them which makes them woooooooonderful in my book! Less stress at the dinner table is always welcome in my home!

Ranch Chicken:

3 chicken breasts, cut into wide strips (3-4 per breast)
3/4 cup corn flakes
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 packet Ranch dressing/dip mix
1 stick butter, melted

Melt butter; set aside. Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

Combine cornflakes (slightly crushed), Parmesan & ranch mix in a shallow dish. Dip chicken in the butter then dredge through breading mixture & line them up in the prepared pan. Lightly drizzle with a little of the leftover butter.

Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes.

Orange Chicken (similar to Panda Express)

I'm not really a very adventurous eater. I like to stick with what looks safe & has ingredients that I know. This strategy doesn't always work well when you're out for Chinese food!! LOL Thankfully when I'm craving it I know I can head over to Panda Express & get my happy little serving of sweet/heat with their orange chicken (and yes, I know - calling Panda Chinese food is like calling Taco Bell authentic Mexican food! I realize that - but I like it & it makes me happy so for my purposes, it's Chinese food!!! LOL) I was so delighted to find a recipe to try it out at home! I will say that this recipe came out with a stronger orange flavor than I get at PE but I think that was mostly my fault - I didn't measure the orange zest & I think I just put too much. It was still delicious. And even if you think you don't like heat, you *must* add just a pinch of the red pepper flakes to get any sort of heat out of this dish. Just do it - you'll love it!

The ingredient list is a little long - but don't get overwhelmed! It goes quick & easily.


Diced raw chicken breast, flour, salt, pepper, an egg, water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic, green onion, corn starch & red pepper flakes - and enough oil to fry up the chicken pieces. Whew!

First get your oil heated in a large pan or wok (375 if you have a temp dial) - I did medium/high heat. Closer to medium, though.

Mix your flour, salt & pepper in a dish. Crack your egg & scramble it with a fork.


Dip the raw chicken in the egg then into the flour mixture & then plop it right into the hot oil.

Now that we've made this once, I think next time we'll put the flour mixture in a gallon zip lock bag. Then dip all the chicken in the egg at once, stirring to coat & then toss it all into the bag & give it a good shake.


Cook it 'til it's done (I did it in 3 batches). I can't really say "10 minutes" because it really depends on how big your cut your chunks & how hot your oil is. Just get it cooked through. Pull a test piece & cut into it if you need to.


While that is going we're gonna simmer up our sauce. Get your garlic & ginger diced up & zest your orange.


In a sauce pan mix water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar & soy sauce. Allow it to heat through for a few minutes then add the ginger, garlic, zest, green onions & brown sugar.



Bring it to a boil over medium heat. In the meantime, blend your cornstarch & water in a separate dish & then add it to the sauce mixture.


Chicken's done... Sauce is done.... Now mix them together!!!


Serve it up on a bed of rice (on not, I suppose!) and drizzle a little extra sauce over the top. Garnish it with some more fresh green onions and the red pepper flakes. Remember - don't go super heavy on the pepper flakes but definitely don't go without!


Mmmm...... This was seriously so yummy. I want it again right now!


We had it with brown rice & steamed broccoli & it was just perfect!!

Enjoy.

Orange Chicken:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite-sized cubes)
1 1/2 cup flour
1 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Canola or Veg oil (for frying)

1 1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp orange zest (grated)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ginger root (minced)
1/2 tsp garlic (minced)
2 Tbsp green onion (chopped)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a gallon zip lock bag. Place beaten egg into a medium-sized bowl. Dip chicken in beaten egg, stirring to coat. Put the chicken into the bag with flour mixture & shake to thoroughly coat. Deep fry chicken in batches at 375 degrees in a deep fryer (or use a wok) until completely cooked.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan combine 1 1/2 cups water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger garlic, and onion. Bring to a boil.

Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken. Garnish with red pepper flakes and green onion.

Source: Tasty Kitchen by way of Portland Mama.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Sometimes in the summer I just don't want a heavy dinner. Tonight was one of those nights. Enter = Chicken salad! It's so light & yummy but filling at the same time. And, a bonus, it doesn't heat up the house! Woo hoo! Let's go!

You'll need:


Cooked chicken, red grapes, celery, slivered almonds, mayo & black pepper.

Come by the cooked chicken whatever way you'd like - leftovers, a rotisserie from the grocery store, grill it, bake it, boil it - today I threw some frozen breasts in the crock pot with a little bit of broth & seasonings. Just make sure if you cook it fresh for this that you give it time to cool. Hot chicken salad isn't quite as yummy as the cold stuff!

Mix everything but the pepper & mayo in a bowl.


Then add in your mayo & pepper! Start out light on the mayo & add more as you see the need. You can always add more but once you have too much there's not a lot you can do.

I started out with 1 cup of mayo for 4 cups of chicken & ended up adding about 1/4 cup more.


You can cover it & chill it until you're ready to eat or just serve it up right away!


YUM!! The celery & almonds give it 2 different types of crunch while the grapes add a splash of sweet. And of course the creaminess of the mayo with the chicken.... goodness. YUM! As a throwback to my childhood we had a loaf of whole grain WHITE bread here at the house so that's how we served it up. But you choose - Hubby at all the leftovers scooped out of the bowl with Ritz crackers! Put it in a pita, a tortilla, a little dinner roll.... oh the possibilities!!

Doesn't this just look like the perfect summer dinner!!?

Chicken Salad Sandwiches:

4 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
1 1/2 cups diced celery
1 1/2 cups red grapes, either halved or quartered
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1 - 1 1/2 cups mayo
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients & mix until thoroughly combined. Cover & chill or serve immediately.

Chicken [Corn & Black Bean] Tacos - Crock Pot!

It's deep into the heat of summer around here so the last thing I want to do is heat up the oven and, in turn, heat up the house! Thank goodness for the crock pot! This crock pot recipe is very similar to a stove top chicken/corn/black bean taco I make but, unlike the stove top version, you just throw the frozen chicken into the crock pot! You don't have to plan ahead enough to have the chicken thawed so you can dice up the raw meat - straight from the freezer to the crock! (Of course, if you have thawed chicken this will work perfectly, too!) Love it.

You need:

Chicken breasts, frozen corn, canned black beans & salsa.
(Plus whatever fixings you need to turn this filling into a taco! Tortillas, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, etc - whatever you like!)

Start out by rinsing your beans - get all the thick, black can juices off of them & shake off the excess water.

Then just throw it all into the crock pot together, put on the lid, set it to low & walk away for about 8 hours. (If you choose to use frozen breasts I'd come in after a couple of hours & just make sure the breasts are separating as they thaw!)

You can just pull it out & serve the whole breast as a main dish, if you'd like, or attack it with your tongs right there in the crock & mash it around to shred it into taco filling. After you shred it I'd put the lid back on & let it go another 30-60 minutes just to distribute the yumminess all throughout the meat.

That's it! Now turn the darn thing into a taco!

(Yes, we truly are that lame - all we added was cheese!!)

Happy eating!

Chicken [Corn & Black Bean] Tacos - Crock Pot:

3 chicken breasts
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 1/2 cup salsa
1 can black beans, rinsed

Combine everything in the crock pot & set on low for about 8 hours. Shred meat in the crock with tongs. Allow to heat for another 30 minutes.

Serve as tacos with your favorite fixings.

Chicken Almond Stir-Fry

I don't make stir-fry often enough - and I think it's because my kids don't like rice & they usually complain about the sauce. But I really, really like it so I decided I got to be #1 on the list for a change & I made it for dinner this past week. I loved it, Hubby loved it & the kids tolerated it & danced it around their plates with their forks trying hard to make it look like they at least tried it!! LOL Thank goodness there was an enormous bowl of fresh watermelon on the table, too - I think that is the only thing that made it into their bellies that night! But Hubby & I had a great meal! He's often hesitant of stir fry because people sometimes go overboard with the soy sauce, making the sauce too salty for him. This recipe here is definitely not that kind of a sauce - the perfect amount of each flavor to compliment one another & make a perfectly tasty meal.

Here's what you need:

Chicken breasts - sliced into strips, sliced almonds, a bag of frozen veggies (the original recipe says broccoli/carrot/water chestnut - I used broc/carrot/caul), pineapple juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, corn starch, ground ginger, sesame oil.

Pour the sesame oil around a large skillet, set it over med-high heat for a minute or two to warm the oil. Add the chicken & almonds and cook for a few minutes, stirring a time or two.

Add the frozen veggies, cover & cook about 4-5 minutes, stirring once.

While that is going whisk together the remaining ingredients to make the sauce.

Pour the sauce into the pan, stir it around & cook 2-3 more minutes - get the sauce to thicken a smidge.

And that's it! You're done! Serve it over some hot rice (we love brown rice) and dig in.

This is what I love about stirfry - look at all the great things that come together - each one maintaining its own unique flavor, while at the same time coordinating well with everything else as it is all brought together with the delicious sauce.

YUM. YUM. YUUUUUUUUUM!!!

Chicken Almond Stir-Fry:

2 TBsp sesame oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1 (2.25 oz.) pkg. sliced almonds
1 (16 oz.) pkg. frozen stir-fry veggies of your choosing
1 TBsp cornstarch
1 TBsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup pineapple juice
Hot cooked rice

Pour oil into a large non-stick skillet. Heat briefly at med-high heat. Add chicken and almonds; cook 2 minutes; stirring constantly.

Add veggies; cover and cook 4 minutes, stirring once.

Combine cornstarch and next 4 ingredients; add to pan. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until thickened. Serve over rice.

Source: Alicia's Recipe Blog

Finger Lickin' Chicken

Do you ever like to cook up some chicken & have it in the fridge to pile on a salad for lunch? Or to throw into a quesadilla for the kids? This chicken is really good. It would be great served up as a whole breast for dinner, with a few great sides. And frankly, that was my intention when I threw it into the marinade. But, as often happens with life, busy schedules ruled the days/evenings & I never got the chance to plate it up for the family. So, instead, i baked it up one morning & just diced it up & stuck it in the fridge. It all worked out in the end - the kids got something better than just the usual PBJ's for lunch!! LOL

Here's what 'cha need:


Chicken, of course! And red wine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Miracle Whip (not mayo!), garlic salt & ground thyme.

All you need to do is throw everything into a bag & give it a good stir. A tip for getting it all in the bag easily - put the bag in a pitcher & fold the sides over the top.


Add in the chicken & then toss it into the fridge. The absolute minimum would maybe be 4 hours. If you can give it a solid day that would be even better! Flip it over every now & then as it soaks in the goods.


How you choose to cook it is totally up to you. throw it on the grill, cook it in a pan on the stove top - I chose to bake it at 350 for 30 minutes. Cut in to make sure it's done. Undercooked chicken is not awesome! LOL


Isn't it so pretty!!?? Beautiful color and it's so moist & flavorful. I think you're really gonna like it. Don't be afraid of the amount of thyme you add in - it seems like a ton but it's perfect!

Finger Lickin' Chicken:

1 cup oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Miracle Whip
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper
2 tablespoons thyme
1 tablespoon garlic salt
4 chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients in a bag. Add chicken & marinate at least 4 hours, up to 24 for best results.

Remove chicken from bag & discard marinade. Cook as desired.

Source: Aubrey's Recipes

Kansas City Slow Cooker Chicken

Why Kansas City? I have no idea - that's just the way it was titled when I stumbled upon this recipe so we went with it!! LOL This is another wonderful crockpot meal. Throw it all in before lunch & know that, when you're ready for dinner, dinner will be ready for you! LOVE that! As it was cooking I kept thinking it smelled just like the sauce Arby's puts on their sandwiches & I was a little concerned that the flavor would be too strong - but it totally wasn't! It was perfect!

Ingredients:


Chicken breasts, onion, sugar, soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, *low-sodium* beef broth & dry/ground mustard.

I love it when a recipe can come together without a trip to the grocery store! Bonus!

First you're gonna brown up your chicken. Don't cook it through - just get some good color on the outside. To do that, heat butter or olive oil in a skillet over med-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with a little salt & pepper then give it about 2 minutes per side.


If you need to, grab some tongs & get the breasts up on the sides so you can get color all the way around.


Toss that in the crock pot & then mix up the remaining ingredients to make your sauce.


Pour it all over the chicken, add the lid & then set the heat to low. Let it go for about 6 hours.


If you have the chance, you might give it a baste or turn the chicken once or twice as it bakes but it's not totally necessary.

When it's done, use tongs to pull the chicken out of the juices. As you put it into a bowl give it a smoosh with the tongs to help it shred. It should just fall apart for you!

Use a spoon or ladle to put the juices into a cup & serve it on the side so that people can add as much (or little) as they'd like to the chicken.


We served it over brown rice & it was perfect! I'm sure you could go for noodles or white rice, if you prefer.


This was a really great little meal! I'm glad I found it.

Kansas City Slow Cooker Chicken:

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 onion, diced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 cup low-sodium beef broth

In a large skillet, heat the butter/olive oil. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook them for 1-2 minutes on each side, until nicely browned but not cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to the slow cooker. In a large bowl, combine all the other ingredients. Whisk well. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve with rice or noodles.

Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe