Honey Almond Chicken

This wonderful recipe is from my soon to be daughter-in-law Ashley. It was a great hit with the whole family. Enjoy it. Serves 7

Ingredients:
3 pounds chicken tenders
8 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup red wine (I used Shiraz)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup honey, divided
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Toast almonds when oven is ready. See directions below.
2. In a zip lock baggie combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken tenders to bag, seal and shake to coat.
3. In a large skillet heat the butter and vegetable oil, over medium high heat. Remove chicken from flour mixture then fry them about 3-minutes on each side (they will not be cooked through).
4. Add soy sauce and wine to the frying pan, scrape up any bits left behind by the chicken. Bring to a boil. Remove chicken from pan and arrange in bottom of greased baking dish. Pour this sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle chicken with brown sugar and drizzle with half the honey. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, or until 165F.
5. Remove chicken from oven, drizzle with remaining honey, and top with toasted almond slices.
6. To toast almonds: spread almond slices on a baking sheet. Toast in 350F oven. Watch closely, they burn easily. Set aside.

Nutrition:
Per Serving: 570 Calories; 22g Fat (35.2% calories from fat); 46g Protein; 45g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 132mg Cholesterol; 1249mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 4 Fat; 2 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Chicken Salad Sandwiches

This recipe is from the Rawlins Family Cookbook.  This recipe is easy to scale back for a smaller batch.

Serves 24

Ingredients:

4 cups chicken breasts without skin, cooked and diced

16 ounces chow mein noodles

4 cups romaine lettuce, cut 1" thick

6 stalks celery, diced small

3 cups red grapes, washed and halved

2 cups cashews

2 cups mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream, light

1 tablespoon sugar

salt and garlic salt to taste

Directions:

1. In a large bowl toss together chicken, noodles, lettuce, celery, grapes and cashews.

2. In a small bowl stir together the mayonnaise, sour cream ,sugar and salt to taste.

3. Add the sauce to the chicken mixture, toss to coat.

Serving Ideas: Serve in a pita half or with croissants.

For complete nutrition per serving follow the "read more" link.

White Chili

Serves 6

1 pound Great Northern beans
4 cups fat free, low-sodium chicken broth
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup canned diced green chilies
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 ounces chicken breast halves without skin, grilled, sliced 1/4"
3/4 cup low fat Monterey jack cheese, grated
2 cans white corn, drained

1. Cover beans with water and soak overnight. Drain and rinse. In a large heavy pot, combine beans, broth, 2 cups onions, garlic and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer gently 2 hours or until beans are very tender. adding  more stock as needed.
2. Stir in remaining onions, chilies, cumin, oregano, coriander, cloves and cayenne. Cover and cook for 30-minutes.
3. Just before serving, add chicken, cook until heated through. Ladle chili into individual bowls; top each with 2 tablespoons cheese.

*Recipe from the Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Petiet Marmite Soup

This is a great soup. I have added potato to this soup. The original recipe is from CIA's Book of Soups.

Ingredients:
1 chicken (3 pounds)
1 1/2 Lbs. beef bottom round
3 quarts chicken broth, cold
2 celery stalks, diced
2 leeks, white and light green parts, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 large white turnip, peeled and diced
2 large waxy potatoes peeled and diced (my addition)
1/4 head white or green cabbage, diced or shredded

Sachet: 1 bay leaf, 1/4t dried thyme, 4 black peppercorns, 4 parsley stems, 1 peeled garlic clove.

Salt and pepper to taste.
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley - for garnish
1 1/2 cup croutons - for garnish

Directions:
1. Remove the neck and giblets from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse with cold water. Place the beef and chicken in a large soup pot and cover with cold broth. Bring to a simmer over low heat. With a shallow, flat spoon, skim the scum as it rises to the surface and discard. Simmer until the beef and chicken are fork-tender, about 2 hours.
2. Remove the beef and chicken and cool. Strain the broth through a fine sieve or cheesecloth-lined colander. Return the broth to the soup pot.
3. Add the celery, leeks, onion, carrot, turnip, potato, cabbage and sachet to the broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, 15-20 minutes. Remove the sachet and discard.
4. When the beef and chicken have cooled, remove any gristle from the beef and dice the meat. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken. Dice the chicken meat. Return the diced meat to the broth, and simmer 5 minutes to heat thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve garnished with the parsley and croutons.

Sour Cream and Chicken Enchiladas

I found this recipe in a new favorite cook book of mine called "The Pastry Queen Christmas" by Rebecca Rather and loved it.

Yield 6-8 (although honestly is serves double that)

1 4-pound store bought chicken
4T Unsalted Butter
1 Lg. Yellow Onion (chopped)
8 oz. Sliced mushrooms (optional)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
4C Sour Cream (can use non fat or reduced fat versions)
1/2 C Heavy Whipping Cream (optional)
7 oz can Diced Green Chiles, undrained
10 oz can Tomatoes with green Chiles
1/4t Kosher salt
1/4t Ground Pepper
1C Frozen Corn
1C Canola Oil
12 Corn Tortillas
2 1/2C Monterey Jack Cheese (shredded)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9X13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Remove and discard the skin from the cooked chicken. Pull the meat from the bones and shred it by hand into bite sized pieces; set aside.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, mushrooms, and garlic and saute until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, heavy cream, green chile's, tomatoes, salt, and pepper until smooth. Cook until warmed through, being careful not to let the mixture boil. Reserve 2C of the sour cream mixture for pouring over the casserole. Stir the corn and chicken into the remaining sour cream mixture, which will be used to fill the tortillas.

In a large skillet, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat. Using metal tongs, dip each tortilla in the hot oil for a few seconds on each side, until softened. Stack the tortillas on a paper towel. Spoon a generous line of the chicken mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll it up, and place it, seam side down, in the prepared pan. Pour the reserved sour cream mixture evenly over the tortillas and sprinkle with the shredded cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

This is not a spicy dish at all. I was a bit worried with all the chile's in it.

Savory Baked Chicken (Day 1)

Makes 10 chicken breasts

1/2C olive oil
1/2 C butter, melted
3T fresh lemon juice
1T dried oregano leaves
1t garlic salt
1t dried crushed rosemary
1t ground black pepper
10 split chicken breasts (about 7 pounds)

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine olive oil and next 6 ingredients; add chicken. Seal bag and chill 1 hour, turning occasionally.
Preheat oven to 375F
Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Place chicken, skin side up, on a large rimmed baking sheet, Bake 45 to 55 minutes, or until done. Serve 5 chicken breasts. Let remaining chicken cool 30 minutes. Remove and discard bones and skin. Chop; cover, and store in refrigerator up to 3 days. Freeze in airtight container up to 3 months.

Note: use remaining chicken to prepare Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce, and Chicken and Prosciutto Pasta.

Serve with:
Zucchini and Squash Saute, Rice Pilaf

Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce (Day 2)

Makes 4 to 6 servings

4T butter, divided
1/3C Minced red bell pepper
1/3C minced celery
1/4C minced onion
3C chopped cooked chicken (leftover from Savory Baked Chicken)
1 3/4C Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/2C mayonnaise
2 Large eggs, lightly beaten
2T Dijon mustard
1T Worcestershire sauce
1t seasoned salt
Creole Sauce (recipe follows)

In a small skillet, melt 2T butter over medium heat. Add red bell pepper, celery, and onion, and cook 5 minutes, or until tender.
In a large bowl, combine chicken, panko, and red bell pepper mixture; set aside.
In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, eggs, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned salt. Add to chicken mixture tossing gently to combine. Form mixture into 10 patties.
In a large skillet, melt remaining 2 Tablespoons butter over medium heat. Cook chicken cakes 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Serve with Creole Sauce.

Creole Sauce
1/2C Mayonnaise
1/2C sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T prepared mustard
1T fresh lemon juice
1/2 t creole seasoning

In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, Cover and chill.

Serve with: Green Pea Salad (I love this salad)

Chicken and Prosicutto Pasta (Day 3)

Makes 4-6 servings
2T Olive Oil
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1 (8oz) package sliced mushrooms
4 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
3 C Hvy. whipping cream
3C Chopped cooked chicken (leftover from Savory Baked Chicken)
1/4C shredded Romano cheese
3/4t Salt
1/2t crushed dried rosemary
1/2t dried oregano leaves
8 oz Florentine Fettuccine, cooked and kept warm
Chopped tomato and grated Romano cheese (optional)

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook 5 mins., stirring occasionally. Add prosciutto, and cook 5 mins., stirring occasionally, until crispy. Stir in cream, reduce heat and simmer 12 minutes, or until thickened. (I actually added a cornstarch slurry to thicken mine up more) Stir in chicken, cheese, salt, rosemary, oregano, and thyme, and cook 5 to 10 mins., or until thoroughly heated. Serve over cooked pasta. Garnish with chopped tomato and Romano cheese, if desired.

Serve with: Tangy Sweet Salad Dressing Over Mixed Greens
Cheesy French Bread