Chicken and Vegetable 'Lo Mein'

Thanks to Primal Palate, I can love Chinese food again. :)
Even though this dish is mostly vegetables, you really feel like you are eating lo mein noodles in a tasty stir fry. The other bonus to this recipe is that it finally gave me a reason to guy buy a wok. I would have made a huge mess on my stove if not for the wok. It makes a difference for sure.

Chicken and Vegetable 'Lo Mein'


Chicken or beef ( I used 1 lb of chicken tenders )
1/4 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup water chestnuts
1/4 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut in half
1/4 cup celery, chopped
1 tablespoon minced Ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cups broccoli
2 cups shredded cabbage
Toasted sesame oil
Coconut aminos
Sesame seeds to garnish


Clean all vegetables and trim fat from meat (if applicable).
Cut broccoli, chicken and mushrooms into bite sized pieces.
Thinly slice 2 cups of cabbage (about half the head of cabbage).
Chop almonds, green onion, celery; mince garlic and ginger.
Heat wok over high heat.
Add sesame oil, swirl to coat bottom of wok, then add meat.
Cook meat for 3-4 minutes, until mostly cooked.
Add in broccoli, water chestnuts, celery and shiitake mushrooms; cook for 2 minutes
Add in almonds, cabbage, ginger, green onion and garlic. Add a splash of coconut aminos (2-4 tbsp). Cook 2-3 minutes, until cabbage softens a little.
Remove from heat, garnish with sesame seeds, and enjoy!

Garlic Lime Chicken with Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Tonight's dinner is currently in the oven, making our house small amazing. We made the salsa yesterday & I'm probably going to just eat it with a spoon. :) 

This recipe comes from Primal Women in the Kitchen. I'm finding that there are tons of Paleo/Primal blogs out there with great ideas, it's just a matter of putting a menu together that works for you.

Garlic Lime Chicken with Mango-Pineapple Salsa

For the Chicken

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 large lime

4 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups of raw spinach

Mango-Pineapple salsa

1 ripe mango, peeled and chopped

1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple

1 ripe tomato, chopped

1/3c sweet red peppers or 1 yellow sweet pepper, seeded and finely chopped

1 finely diced jalapeño (only use as much as the amount of heat you can take)

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 lime, juice of

salt and pepper (to taste)

Directions:

Marinate the chicken w/ the juice of one lime and the oil and garlic in a zip lock bag in the fridge for at least 2 hrs or overnight.

For the salsa- mix all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste, set aside for the flavors to blend,

Grill the chicken breasts on low heat till no longer pink.

Place chicken breast on a bed of spinach and then divide the salsa amongst the 2 plates and serve.

Cerveza Marinated Chicken Skewers

This one is right out of the Thin Kitchen Cookbook from BeachBody. We did slightly larger portions since it was our main meal, not an appetizer. The marinade is awesome. It's something my husband loved too which is important.

Cerveza Marinated Chicken Skewers

1 pound of chicken tenders, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 Cup beer
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp sea salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Combine the beer, lemon juice, oil, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper in a zip-lock bag; add the chicken. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag; shake lightly and turn to coat the chicken. Refrigerate 1 hour, turning the bag occasionally.

Transfer the marinade from the bag to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes.

If using wooden skewers, soak them in hot water 30 minutes (to prevent them from burning).

Spray the broiler or grill rack (I made them on the grill) with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray; preheat; or alternatively-spray a nonstick ridged grill pan with nonstick vegetable oil cooking spray and set over high heat.

Divide the chicken among 12 8-inch skewers. Grill or broil the skewers 4 inches from the heat until lightly browned, about 3 minutes; turn and brush with reduced marinade. Cook until the chicken is thoroughly done, about 2 more minutes. 


Serve immediately. 4 servings

Fajita Chicken Fiesta

So tonight, we were both starving so I wanted to make a big plate of food and keep the calories under control. This recipe turned out great. We were perfectly full after finishing dinner. At only 273 calories per serving ( 1/2 of the recipe ) we were still able to have some rice and beans to round it out. Enjoy!

Fajita Chicken Fiesta

1 onion, sliced 

2 jalapenos, sliced 

1 green pepper, sliced 

4 sweet mini peppers ( i used 2 yellow and 2 red )  

1 pound of boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces 

1 can of Ro*tel hot 

fajita seasoning or goya adobo seasoning

Combine everything in a large ziploc bag.
Shake to combine and get the seasoning on everything.

Pour mixture into a large baking dish.
Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Serving Size: makes 2 large servings

Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Potatoes

I love chicken & Cancy loves potatoes. We both like a little heat in our food.

This recipe from “My Baking Heart” turned out to be a hit in our house. The salsa is super easy to make. We’ve made the salsa several times since just to have on hand. J

Cilantro-Lime Chicken & Potatoes


 1-1/2 lbs Idaho potatoes, peeled and cubed


3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted


4 (6 oz) skinless, boneless chicken breasts, rinsed and pat dry


1 tbsp fresh lime juice


1-1/2 c reduced fat or regular Mexican blend cheese, shredded


1/2 c salsa (recipe below)


1/4 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add potatoes and spoon 1 tablespoon of the butter over all and toss gently to coat potatoes. Arrange in a single layer. Bake 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and spoon the potatoes to one side of the baking pan. Arrange the chicken pieces on the other side of the potatoes in the pan. Combine the remaining butter with the limejuice and spoon evenly over the chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center.

In a small bowl, combine the cheese, salsa, and cilantro. Spoon evenly over the chicken and potatoes.

Bake 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. If desired, serve with additional lime wedges.

C’s Salsa

2 cans diced tomatoes, with liquid


1-1/2 md onions, chopped


3 to 4 Serrano peppers, sliced


1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves, chopped


2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped


Cumin, to taste


Pepper, to taste


Kosher salt, to taste

Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency is reached. We like a thin salsa, but you can leave it chunky, as well.

Thai Basil Chicken

I love Joelen’s food blog. This girl can cook. When I came across this recipe on her site, I knew it was a must-try. I really like ground chicken so I was glad to be able to use it in a really tasty dish.  Cancy & I both really liked this.

 Thai Basil Chicken

2 cups basil leaves, packed (Thai preferred)

3 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tsp white vinegar

1 1/2 lbs ground chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

Place garlic, 1-cup fresh basil leaves and the chili garlic sauce in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped, scraping bowl one time. Transfer 1 tablespoon of this mixture to a small bowl with the 1-tablespoon fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and vinegar. Stir and set aside.

Place the remaining garlic/basil mixture into a cold 12" skillet and set aside.

Place the ground chicken in a bowl with the remaining 1-tablespoon fish sauce and refrigerate for 5-10 minutes.

In the cold skillet with the garlic/basil mixture, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and onions to the pan. Sauté over medium low heat and allow herbs and onion to soften.

Once onion is softened, add the chilled ground chicken, and stirring constantly, brake chicken up as it cooks. Continue stirring until chicken is no longer pink.

Add garlic/basil sauce mixture that you made previously. Cook about 1 min.

Meanwhile, chiffonade the remaining cup of basil leaves and add to the pan to cook 1 additional minute or so, until the basil wilts. Serve over rice.

Mexican Chicken with Jalapeno Popper Sauce

If you have ever eaten with my husband and I, you know we love spicy foods. This recipe showed up in my Google Reader and it seems like a few people have been enjoying this one. I followed the recipe from Krista's Kitchen, but you can check out the links she has back to the original.


What a fast meal. It came together in about 30 minutes. And this will score you Manly Points too. Cancy LOVED this dinner. Enjoy!!

Mexican Chicken with Jalapeno Popper Sauce

3 Chicken Breasts

A Sprinkle of Cumin per Breast

A Sprinkle of Chili Powder per Breast

A Sprinkle of Salt per Breast

2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced

3 Jalapenos, Seeded and Chopped

6-8 Oz. of Cream Cheese

2 Cups of Chicken Broth

3 Slices of Bacon

3/4 Cup of Shredded Cheddar or Colby Jack

1 Tbsp of Fresh Cilantro, chopped + more for garnish

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove to paper towel-lined plate. Sprinkle chicken with seasonings while the bacon crisps. Add the chicken to the hot bacon fat in the skillet. Cook chicken, turning every few minutes, until juices run clear and no longer pink. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Add chopped jalapenos to the skillet and cook for a couple of minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute more, until fragrant. Add chicken broth, deglazing pan. Bring to a boil. Add cream cheese and stir until melted and smooth. Add in shredded cheese and bacon, stirring until the cheese in melted. Turn off heat and stir in cilantro. Serve chicken on a bed of Mexican or Taco rice and topped with sauce. Garnish with additional cilantro if desired. 

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

A little while before the holidays, Cancy and I were both feeling a little under the weather. When you feel under the weather, nothing tastes better than chicken soup. We wanted something a little different though. I found this lemon chicken rice soup on JoElen’s page and knew it was the one.

This came together super fast and we were able to use what we had on hand. Give this a shot next time you’re not feeling that great and it will make you feel much better.

Lemony Chicken & Rice Soup

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 large onion, diced

1/2 celery, finely diced

1/2 cup carrot, finely diced

4 bone-in chicken thighs, cut in half

1 cup long grain rice

6 cups chicken stock or broth

1/4 cup lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup frozen peas

In a dutch oven, add the oil and warm up over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, onion, celery, and carrot. Cook until softened.

Add the chicken and brown slightly and then add rice. Stir to toast the rice for a minute or two.

Add the chicken stock and lemon juice to the pot. Bring to a boil and stir. Lower the heat and allow it to simmer until the rice cooks completely. When the rice is cooked, allow it to continue cooking until the rice naturally thickens up the soup.

Add the cream, and frozen peas. Continue cooking until the peas have warmed up and serve.

Chipotle Chicken Skewers with Cilantro Dipping Sauce

I had been meaning to make this recipe for awhile and kept forgetting to plan for the marinade time. This is key people, the marinade is what makes this chicken taste so good. You really need to give it overnight to fully get all of the flavor it needs.

This was a super easy meal ( once you had the chicken marinated ) We put it together in just a few minutes and then we cooked the rice while the chicken skewers grilled. Use a rice cooker & you won’t even have to heat up your kitchen to make this.


*Chicken Skewers
2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 medium breasts)
1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 chipotle chile in adobo, minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
nonstick cooking spray

* Dipping Sauce
3/4 cup low-fat sour cream
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup lime juice, from 2 to 3 limes
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons cilantro leaves, minced
2 scallions, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

FOR THE CHICKEN: Slice the chicken breasts across the grain into 1/2-inch-thick strips (you should have about 30 strips). In a large bowl, toss the chicken with the brown sugar, cilantro, chipotle, adobo sauce, salt, chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the flavors meld, about 30 minutes. (The chicken, covered, can be refrigerated for up to 1 day before cooking.).

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE: In a bowl, stir all the ingredients together. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until the flavors meld, about 30 minutes. (The dipping sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Season with additional lime juice, salt, and pepper to taste before serving.).

Meanwhile, weave each piece of chicken onto individual skewers; We used metal skewers so we didn’t have to worry about the ends, but if you use bamboo skewers, just cover the ends with foil so they don’t burn. Grill until the meat is lightly browned and cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes, flipping the skewers over halfway through. Transfer the skewers to a serving platter and serve immediately with half the dipping sauce.

We served the chicken and sauce over a bed of Jasmine Rice. It was delicious!

Lemon Chicken & Sweet Pea Tortellini

I “heart” Rachael Ray. When her magazine comes in the mail each month, I dig through planning out new recipes. This one comes from the “$10 Spot” section. It’s really inexpensive and is a short list of ingredients for a Rachael recipe.

The chicken by itself is wonderful, but please try the tortellini with it. It takes a couple to get the hang of it, but then they are easy to put together. I hope you like it.



Lemon Chicken & Sweet Pea Tortellini

1 lemon, 1/2 thinly sliced crosswise, 1/2 squeezed into juice
4 chicken leg quarters
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
24 wonton wrappers

Preheat the oven to 425°. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer down the center of a roasting pan. Rub the chicken with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken skin side up on the lemon slices and bake for 35 minutes. Transfer to the broiler and cook until the skin is crisp, about 3 minutes. Drizzle the chicken with the lemon juice.

Meanwhile, using a food processor, mix together the peas, ricotta, 1/2 teaspoon tarragon and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

On a work surface, working with 2 wonton wrappers at a time, spoon a teaspoon of the pea mixture onto the center of each wrapper. Moisten the edges with water and fold the wrapper in half diagonally to form a triangle, pushing out any air pockets and pressing the edges firmly to seal. With the long side of the triangle facing you, fold the top point back toward you, then fold the right and left points to meet it and press all 3 points firmly together, securing with more water.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the tortellini until they float to the top, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the tortellini to 4 plates. Divide the chicken and roasted lemon slices among the plates and top with the pan juices. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons tarragon.

Slow Cooked White Chicken Chili

I found this in my Google Reader and knew I had to try it. We had a short burst of cold, blustery weather during March in Texas. I always crave soups/stews on cold days so this was perfect.

My favorite thing about this is that it’s in the crockpot. Throw everything in early in the day and then go about your business. Dinner will take care of itself.

Slow Cooked White Chicken Chili

1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken

1 cup dried beans, rinsed and sorted ( We used white beans )

1 medium onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons oregano

½ teaspoon salt
1 10
¾ ounce can cream of chicken soup

5 cups of water

1 teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 4.5 ounce can diced green chiles
* We also added 2 fresh jalapenos, chopped

Soak beans overnight. ( We skipped this step )

Drain beans. Place in slow cooker with chicken, onion, garlic, oregano, salt, soup, and water. Cook on low for 8 hours, or until beans are done. Before serving, stir in cumin, hot pepper sauce, and chilies. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Pasta Bravo

Super Easy, Really Tasty, and very fast. This is a perfect weeknight meal. This was in a recipe found in my Google Reader from The Piggly Wiggly. Oh my goodness, talk about easy. I edited the recipe slightly, just because we didn’t have any mushrooms on hand so we skipped that step. You can check out the full original recipe here.

Pasta Bravo

8-oz penne pasta
Cooked chicken (something like breaded chicken nuggets)
1 cup alfredo sauce
1 cup marinara sauce
7-oz roasted red peppers, drained well

Boil pasta according to package directions.Cook chicken, according to package directions.

Place the alfredo sauce, marinara sauce, and roasted red peppers into a blender, and mix well. Heat in a pan over medium high heat.

Plate the pasta, top with chicken, and pour the roasted red pepper cream sauce on top.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

This is what happens on a chilly night when you have too many vegetables in your fridge. I had carrots & celery that I needed to use as well as a big red onion. We always have chicken on hand so why not use that too? I wasn’t in the mood for plain chicken soup so this recipe just sort of happened. I’ve got to say, it was one tasty soup. Great for a chilly evening or just whenever you are craving some comfort food.

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

1 lg red onion, chopped
4 carrots, sliced
4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 chicken breasts
4 cups of chicken broth
3 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1 C Fat Free 1/2 & 1/2
Italian Seasoning
Garlic Salt
Pepper

In a lg stock pan, heat 1 Tbps of butter and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add vegetables and toss in pan. saute (with the lid on) for about 10 minutes. Add chicken breasts & seasoning to pan and cover with chicken broth. Simmer for about 20 minutes (or until chicken is done)

Take chicken out and chop into bite size pieces, set aside.
Using a slotted spoon, gather vegetables out of broth and set aside.
Pour broth out into a lg bowl or a small pitcher

In the empty pan, add the remain 2 Tbps butter and melt. Add flour and stir constantly. You are creating a roux. :) You’ll start to notice the roux darkening & you’ll smell the flour cooking. After about 3 minutes, add the 1/2 & 1/2 as well as about 2 Cups of the broth. Stir and let cook for a few minutes. Add the vegetables & the chicken. Stir and simmer on low for another 5 minutes. Add in the frozen peas. Stir and let cook another 5 minutes.

I served this over a couple of biscuits in a bowl. We really liked it. I hope you like it too!!

Mediterranean Chicken Packets

I love the flavors used in Greek cuisine. I saw this recipe from Proceed with Caution (Originally from EveryDay Food) This recipe was so easy to do and tasted great. We served it with roasted broccoli & garlic couscous. File this one away for a quick & easy weeknight meal.

Mediterranean Chicken Packets

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
Ground pepper
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
4 artichoke hearts (from a 14-ounce can), quartered
12 Kalamata olives, halved and pitted
4 teaspoons capers
1/2 cup crumbled feta (2 ounces)
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning ( I used the same amount but Greek Seasoning instead of Italian )

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place four 12-inch squares of parchment paper or heavy-duty foil on a work surface. Place a chicken breast on one half of each square, leaving a 2-inch border; season with pepper.

Dividing evenly, top chicken with tomatoes, artichokes, olives, capers, and feta. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. Fold parchment over ingredients, and crimp edges to seal.

Place packets on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until chicken is opaque throughout, 20 to 22 minutes.

Salsa Chicken

Always on the lookout for recipes to make in the crockpot, when I saw this recipe from the novice chef, I had to try it out. This recipe takes you no more than 5 minutes to put together and throw in the crockpot.

If not for the yummy smell taking over your kitchen, you’d totally forget about dinner until it was time to eat. This was great over brown rice, but also made for great leftovers, wrapping up in a tortilla. You can use whatever salsa you want in this recipe. We are partial to the Pace Hot Picante Sauce.


Salsa Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you may use frozen or unfrozen chicken, it does not matter which)
1 cup of your favorite Salsa
1 package reduced sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat condensed cream of chicken soup ( We used low sodium )
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream ( We used fat free )

Add chicken to slow cooker.
Sprinkle taco seasoning over chicken.
Mix salsa, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup; pour over chicken.
Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.
Shred Chicken with two forks and incorporate with all the sauce.

Serve over rice & Enjoy!

Coconut Chicken Curry

I was on the website for my grocery store when I saw this recipe. The ingredients looked simple enough, plus I already had most things on hand. It turned out great. It’s a super easy, really tasty curry. Great for a rushed weeknight. We served this with Jasmine Rice & Garlic Saute’d green beans.


Coconut Chicken Curry

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon oil
2 onions, diced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 medium tomato, seeded and diced (1 cup)
1 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup minced fresh mint leaves

Season chicken with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 8 to 10 minutes per side or until done (when internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees). Remove chicken to a plate and set aside. Dice onions while chicken cooks.

Add onions to skillet; cook onions in pan juices 10 minutes or until very soft. Stir in curry powder and cook 1 more minute. While onions cook, cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Dice tomato. Chop mint leaves very finely to mince.

Stir chicken, tomato and milk into skillet with onions. Cook 2 to 3 minutes to thicken slightly and reduce. Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water; stir into skillet mixture to thicken. Remove skillet from heat.

Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or to taste; stir in mint. Serve while hot.

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken & asparagus

There really isn't much of a recipe to post for this one other than some basic prep before grilling. We made this to go along with Baked Lemon Pasta and they were great together. I think grilling & roasting are going to be the only way I can get my husband to eat enough vegetables. You gotta do, what you gotta do. Get out to that grill and cook up a healthy, yummy dinner.


Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken

1/4 Cup olive oil
1/4 Cup lemon juice
1 Tbsp Lemon Pepper seasoning
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

Combine first three ingredients in a Ziploc bag and shake to mix.
Add the chicken breasts & marinate for at least 1 hour.
Grill chicken until done.


Grilled Asparagus

In a separate Ziploc bag, combine the same ingredients as above, but toss fresh asparagus in the marinade and let sit for 15 minutes before grilling.

CrockPot Orange Chicken

I love using my crockpot on the weekends. When I saw this recipe from Stephanie pop in my Google reader, I knew I had to make it. I love orange chicken when getting take-out but you know it’s fried & heavily sauced (aka not that great for you). I felt like I was cheating using this recipe because it tasted so good and I knew it was made actually pretty healthy.

The only thing I changed from Stephanie’s original is that when we were ready to eat, I steamed some fresh broccoli and tossed it into the sauce right before serving. We’ll definitely be having this again.

CrockPot Orange Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken, cut in 2-inch chunks
1/2 cup flour
olive oil, for browning the chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
6 ounces (1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed (I'd opt for little-to-no pulp. The pulp can taste a bit bitter when cooked)
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup

Use a 4 quart slow cooker for best results. Dredge the chicken pieces with the flour, and shake off the excess. Go ahead and throw away any remaining flour, we won't need it. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on the stove and brown the chicken on all sides. There is no need to fully cook it, just sear it enough for the flour to stick and get a nice coating.

Plop the chicken pieces into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Taste. If you'd like the chicken to be a bit sweeter, add a touch more sugar. Pour sauce mixture evenly over the chicken, and toss gingerly to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4. Serve over white or brown rice.

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings

I found this recipe in the November ’09 issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. The sauce turned out just a little thick but for the most part this was a easy & tasty weeknight meal. I think next time we try this I’ll probably make it into a thick soup by just adding just a bit more 1/2 & 1/2, chicken broth, some baby carrots, & frozen peas.

Creamed Chicken with Gnocchi Dumplings

One 1-pound package of potato gnocchi

4 tablespoons butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup half-and-half ( I used fat free 1/2 & 1/2)

1 cup chicken broth

2 scallions, chopped



Cook the gnocchi according to package directions; drain.



Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.



In a small saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook until toasted, about 3 minutes. Whisk in the half-and-half and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk into the chicken mixture, then stir in the gnocchi. Bring to a simmer, then season with salt and pepper and top with the scallions.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Divan

I saw this recipe pop up from Jenny’s blog. A girl after my own heart. Adding artichoke hearts to Chicken Divan. Genius!! :) I cut this down to use in an 8*8 pan so my recipe amounts are shown slightly different from Jenny’s. It turned out very tasty. I hope you’ll like it.

Easy Cheesy Chicken Divan

Cooking spray
2 cups broccoli, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 medium sized chicken breasts, cut into chunks and cooked.
1 cans cream of chicken soup (low fat, low sodium)
1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
1/2 cup light mayo
1/2 cup Panko (or bread crumbs)
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (or any other light butter)

Cut the broccoli into bite size pieces and layer the bottom of a 8*8 casserole dish with it. Sprinkle a handful of parmesan over top. Top it with the artichokes and cooked chicken. Combine the soups and mayo in a bowl and spread it on top of the chicken and veggies. Pour the soup mixture onto the chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle remaining cheese on casserole. Melt the butter on the stove. When melted add the panko and saute one minute. Spoon on top of the casserole. Bake on 350 for 30 minutes or until the panko is nicely browned.