Chicken Salad with Spicy Peanut Dressing

As promised in my last post here is the recipe for the Chicken Salad. My brother found this recipe and we made it at my PC party. I have made it several times before and since, including this morning for our playgroup. As usual it was polished off very quickly. So here it is - I will give it to you as it is written and then I will tell you my revisions:

Dressing

1/2 cup canola oil

3 Tbsp smooth peanut butter

1/2 cup juice from 3-4 limes

2 Tbsp water

Table salt

3 small garlic coves, minced or pressed

2 tsps very finely grated ginger

2 Tbsp light brown sugar

1 1/2 tsps hot red pepper flakes

Salad

1/2 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 inch by 1/4 inch matchsticks

1 medium carrot, peeled and grated

4 scallions, white and green parts sliced thin

3 Tbsps minced fresh cilantro leaves

5 cups shredded roast chicken, room temperature

1/2 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1. Puree oil, peanut butter, lime juice, water, 1/4 tsp salt, garlic, ginger, brown sugar and red pepper flakes in blender until combined. Transfer to large bowl.

2. Add cucumber, carrot, scallions, and cilantro to vinaigrette, toss to combine. Add chicken and toss gently to combine. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning with salt and sprinkle with peanuts. Serve immediately.

Now for my changes:

I used a little over 1/3 cup of olive or grapeseed oil

juice from 2 limes seemed to be plenty of lime

I used palm sugar instead of brown sugar

I have not used the red pepper flakes as I serve it to my children but imagine it would be very good if you like a little spice

I use a whole English cucumber or equivalant and 2 carrots. We decided we like it with more veggies and a little less chicken. I probably only use 2 cups of chicken.

The dressing makes way more than you need - I use about half the dressing even with revisions and then save the rest for a regular lunch salad the next day.

Today I knew that our hostess did not care for cilantro so I left it on the side for people to add if they liked.

You can roast your own chicken or a store bought roasted chicken for an even faster meal. I have done it both ways.

Tortilla Soup

Last night I had a craving for tortilla soup - though I have never made it and not sure I have ever eaten it - it sounded good. As I often do I looked at several recipes for inspiration and then made my own variation. This is what I came up with and it was good! The kids loved it which is always a good sign - though they are not picky eaters.

Tortilla Soup

4 cups chicken broth (I used my homemade)
4 cups water
2 chicken breasts
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bag of Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
salt and pepper

Toppings

green onion
mozarella cheese (leave out to make dairy free)
yellow peppers (that is all I had on hand)
tomatoes
tortilla strips (recipe to follow)

other suggestions that I did not have on hand
avacado
cilantro
green pepper


For the soup I boiled the chicken breasts in the broth and water for about 20 minutes. (You could use thighs as well but breast was all I had on hand.) I would add the chopped onion here as well but added mine near the end as an afterthought. Once the chicken breast is cooked take it out of the broth and shred it. Season the broth with cumin and chili and salt and pepper to taste. Return the chicken and add frozen corn to the broth and simmer until corn is cooked.
Serve with the toppings and enjoy.

Tortilla strips
6-8 corn tortillas
oil (I used grapeseed oil)

Brush both sides of tortillas with oil and stack as you go. I used a pizza cutter and cut the tortillas in half then cut crosswise in 1/4 inch strips. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes in a 400 degree oven until they are golden. Stir every few minutes while they are baking.

Sorry this recipe may be a little hard to follow as I am doing it from my head on what I did last night. Hope you can follow and enjoy! :-)

Crispy Chicken Fingers

We were invited to join a couple other families on an outing today. At 8:40 am the one who organized the day called me to say everyone was running late and it came up that I was supposed to make chicken :-) She had sent an email at 6 something this morning but I had just turned my computer on when she called. Unfortunately, I had no chicken in the house. Fortunately Troy had just left the house and I called him to run to the store for chicken and cereal. Unfortunately he forgot the cereal. Fortunately I needed to let the chicken soak in the buttermilk for 15 minutes. Anyway, my fortunately and unfortunately could go on and on but I will get to the point. I got the call at 8:40 am with no chicken in the house and out the door at 10 am with these chicken fingers cooked and ready for our yummy lunch. It is a fast, easy, semi-healthy (compared to McD or W*ndys) recipe. We had the leftovers tonight for dinner and they were still yummy :-)

1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut across into 1/2 inch-thick slices
1/2 cup lowfat buttermilk (could use coconut milk or almond milk for dairy free option)
Cooking spray
4 cups whole grain cereal such as Corn Chex (for a gluten free option) or corn flakes (not gluten free)
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine the chicken and buttermilk in a shallow dish, turning the chicken to coat it with buttermilk. Cover and chill for 15 minutes.
Coat two baking sheets with cooking spray.
Put the cereal in a sealable plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a shallow dish and season them with salt and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in the cereal to fully coat and arrange on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Leave the chicken on the baking sheet to cool slightly. It will become crispier.
Serve with honey mustard sauce or other sauce if desired.

Ok - now for my notes :-) First I did a lot more chicken than this recipe called for. I did about 3 or 4 pounds and since I was making it for several 3 year olds and younger I cut it up into chunks rather than strips. I used the Corn Chex and ended up using the whole box.
I baked mine for double the time it says here as well. After 8 minutes they were still pretty pink in the middle - 16 minutes was good and they were still very moist. I did not have time to let them cool on the baking sheets as I was short on time so they were not as crispy as they could have been. I reheated the leftovers in the oven for dinner and they were nice and crispy. Everyone who tried them today thought they were great.

Easy Stuffed Chicken for a Crowd

Several years ago I discovered this recipe and it is my standby for a good company meal or a dish for a large gathering. I have made it for anywhere from 4 to 60 people. It is so easy but gets rave reviews whenever I fix it.

Easy Stuffed Chicken for a Crowd

1/2 skinless, boned chicken breast per guest
Stove Top dressing, prepared according to pkg. directions. 1 package will do about 12 chicken breasts.
Cream of chicken soup (about 2 cans per 12 chicken breasts)
Paparika
Sesame seeds (optional)
Fresh Parsley, chopped fine

Place chicken breast on cutting board with membrane side down (one side will be smooth and have an almost invisible membrane). Pound chicken with meat mallet until it is about double in size. Place 2 tablespoons of dressing on ckicken breast. Fold edges toward middle over dressing. Chicken will be very sticky after it has been pounded and should stick together easily.

Place chicken, seam down, in 13x9 inch baking dish and repeat with remaining chicken. After dish is full, pour 2 cans of cream of chicken soup over chicken. Sprinkle with paparika and sesame seeds. Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Remove from oven and sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve immediately.

I have made these a couple of times for "potluck" type dinners where I knew there would be other meat dishes. After stuffing and rolling the chicken I cut them in half so the portions were not to large.

Chicken with Veggies

This is another recipe that I have had for many years and it is another favorite! It is very simple to make with great results!

4 chicken breast half without skin
1 pkg (12 oz) mushrooms, halved
3 small onions, quartered
1 large yellow pepper, diced large
1 large red pepper, diced large
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons water

Stir fry chicken - then vegetables seperatley. Meanwhile mix other ingredients except basil. Add to chicken and veggies - then add basil. Cook 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Lily's Fried Noodles

This recipe is from my friend Lily who is from Indonesia. She made these the other night at a cooking class and not all the directions were written down. I have tried to write it down as she did it. She cooks like I do - by taste and sight. I am going to attempt to make these on Tuesday so if there are changes I will post them. This recipe would make a large batch - unless you are cooking for a large family I would probably half it. The vegetable seasoning that is in the recipe is like bouillon but vegetable based. It is available in an Asian market - not sure if there is a product like that in regular grocery stores. The Kepac Mannis is only available in Asian groceries at least in our area. It would be best to make this in a wok or at least a very large frying pan.


2 pounds Yakisoba noodles (you can also use spaghetti noodles)
1/2 pound chicken, cubed and marinated in soy sauce and rice wine
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup oil
3 eggs
1/2 pound napa cabbage, chopped
1/2 pound carrots, julienned
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable seasoning
2 tablespoons Kecap Manis (sweet soy sauce)
4 green onions
bean sprouts


Marinate chicken in rice wine and soy sauce for a few minutes. Stir fry chicken; when the chicken changes color add carrots and saute for a few more minutes. Add shrimp. Make a hole in the middle of the food and break the eggs into the pan; when the whites begin to turn white stir them a little and let them cook. Add cabbage and continue to stir fry. Meanwhile heat noodles in microwave for 3 minutes (if you are using dry noodles - fix according to package directions and do not microwave - they just need to be warm already when they are added to the veggies) Add noodles and other ingredients. Continue stir frying until well blended and heated through.
If you add bean sprouts - you should not keep for leftovers. If you don't think that it will all be eaten and want to include bean sprouts; serve them on the side.

Roasted Chicken Noodle Soup

In honor of our first frost this morning I am posting my very favorite soup recipe. This is such an easy, great soup to make. I use the roasted chicken from Costco as it is one of the best I have found and also one of the least expensive. I debone it as soon as I get home as it is easier to do when it is warm. If I am not going to use it right away I package up the meat for different uses and either put it in the freezer or fridge depending on when I am going to use it. Anyway, back to the soup - the pre cooked chicken makes it so simple! It is a wonderful meal on a cold fall or winter evening!


1 cup each onions, carrots, celery, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
6 cups chicken broth
4 cups potato, diced, peeled, uncooked
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups roasted chicken breast meat, diced
2 cups uncooked wide noodles
1 cup fat free evaporated milk


In a Dutch oven, saute onion, carrots, celery and garlic, in oil for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour, oregano, thyme, and poultry seasoning until blended; saute 1 minute longer. Gradually add broth, potatoes and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in chicken and noodles; simmer for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender. Reduce heat; stir in milk; heat through (do not boil)

Sweet & Sour Chicken

I found this recipe several years ago and it is one of my favorites! I made it for dinner last night and ate the leftovers for lunch today!

4 chicken breast, cut into chunks
3 green onion, sliced
1 large red pepper, diced
oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (15 oz) pineapple chunks in juice
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon cornstarch
4 teaspoons soy sauce (use gf soy sauce for gluten free dish)


Stir fry vegetables and chicken separately in oil. Meanwhile drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Mix the rest of the ingredients with juice. Mix chicken and vegetables with juice mixture in skillet. Add pineapple. Heat through. Serve over rice