Oh yum!!! This is such an easy, absolutely delicious chicken entree for you. The sauce is incredible. Fast, easy, serve it simply with a side salad and baked potato if you'd like. Piece of cake (and that, too, if you'd like!)
PANKO CRUSTED CHICKEN with MUSTARD MAPLE SAUCE (serves 4)
4 chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2" thickness
1 egg
1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 tsp plus 2 Tbsp dijon
1 cup Panko
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp maple syrup
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp coarse-ground mustard
1 Tbsp chilled butter
Whisk egg, parsley, and 2 tsp dijon mustard in large bowl. Place chicken in egg mixture; turn to coat. Season with S&P. Dip each chicken piece into the panko; turn to coat. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken; cook until brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes a side.
Meanwhile whisk together broth, syrup, coarse-ground mustard and remaining 2 Tbsp dijon in a glass bowl.
Transfer chicken to plates. Add broth mixture to skillet; boil until reduced to 3/4 cup, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add butter; whisk until melted. Spoon sauce alongside chicken.
We are officially into soup weather!!! Yea!!!! Cool, gray, slow rainy day and an extraordinarily wonderful classic soup......could it get any better? Not for me! Absolutely delicious. I served this with a wheatberry salad and a warm, crusty, whole-grain bread. I'm so glad there are leftovers. (Omit the cream and yogurt for a dairy-free soup.)
POTATO TARRAGON SOUP (4-6 servings)
1 Tbsp butter
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only) sliced
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbsp water
1# red-skinned potatoes, unpeeled and cut into 1/2" pieces
4 cups chicken broth
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup plain whole yogurt
S&P
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add leeks, onion, garlic, and 2 Tbsp water. Cook until leeks are just golden, about 10 minutes. Add potatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Puree half of the soup. Mix in tarragon. Cool slightly. Stir in cream and yogurt. Season with S&P.
OK, first let me apologize for this awful photo. But I absolutely had to share this recipe! It is fast, easy, and delicious! This sauce is so smooth you'll just want to drink it! Again, fast and easy, too. I served this with roasted red potatoes and artichokes, but just about any side dish would work nicely.
TOMATO CREAM CHICKEN (serves 2)
2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 4 oz each)
S&P
1 Tbsp EVOO
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp heavy cream
Salt and pepper chicken breast halves to taste. Heat olive oil in skillet and brown chicken breasts on both sides. Remove from skillet and keep warm. Add tomato paste and tarragon to skillet. Cook briefly, stirring constantly. Whisk in chicken broth and balsamic vinegar and cook until thickened. Stir in cream and reheat to simmering. Slice chicken breasts and fan out slices on dinner plates. Drizzle sliced chicken with sauce.
Yep, another black bean and corn salad recipe! Can you tell we eat a lot of this stuff around here? I will generally just throw the basic ingredients together, but this time I used an official recipe, courtesy of Rachel Ray. I served this with my Power Enchiladas (a chicken/zucchini mixture) instead of my traditional Spanish Rice and seasoned black beans or refried beans. And the leftovers make a wonderful, healthy snack.
BLACK BEAN AND CORN SALAD (serves 4)
1 (14 1/2 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn kernels
1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 small red onion, chopped small
1 1/2 tsp cumin (more for me!)
2 tsp hot sauce, or to taste
1 juicy lime, juiced
2 Tbsp EVOO
S&P
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Let stand for 115 minutes for corn to fully defrost and flavors to combine, then toss and serve.
I caught a show featuring a new cookbook, "Eat What You Love" by Marlene Koch. She likes to take favorite recipes and make them a bit healthier by lowering the fat/calorie contents. Her favorite makeover is this take on "Panda Express'" Orange Chicken. This entire recipe serves 4 and each serving (1 cup) contains just 290 calories with just 9 grams of fat. I served this over steamed brown basmati rice and steamed asparagus. It was absolutely delicious. Fantastic make-over meal.
QUICKER-THAN-TAKE-OUT ORANGE CHICKEN (Serves 4)
Sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup light orange juice
1/2 cup Splenda granulated sweetener
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Chicken:
1+ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into about 1" cubes, or bite-sized
1 large egg (or 1/4 cup egg substitute) beaten
1/4 cup flour
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 small red pepper, cut into small strips, or chopped
1 small onion, chopped
To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan, whisk together the first nine ingredients (water through pepper flakes). Place the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a low simmer.
In a small bowl, mix together 2 Tbsp of water and the cornstarch to create a slurry and whisk into the sauce. Bring the sauce to a low boil and cook for 1 minute, or until the sauce thickens and clears. Reduce the heat to low and allow to simmer.
Roll the chicken in the egg and toss with flour to coat.
Heat 1 Tbsp of the oil in the large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add half of the chicken and cook 4-5 minutes, or until well browned on all sides and chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and cover. Heat the remaining oil and cook the remaining chicken pieces. Add the chicken to the bowl and set aside.
Add the red pepper and onion to pan and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the chicken to the pan and then the orange sauce. Stir to coat and serve.
Happy Halloween!!! I love this holiday. Gorgeous fall colors, crisp air, and a whole new menu. I hadn't made these little mice in decades and had a bit of trouble remembering how to assemble them. My original notes said to use mini chocolate chips for the eyes, nose, and ears, but when I did that it looked just like a chocolate ball with a few chips. So I used peanut butter chips (cut in half) for the ears. I might try red hots for the eyes next time (you know how mice eyes are pink?). I used black licorce strings for the tail (not easy to find, I'll tell ya). Also, this time I used the Hershey's Kisses with Caramel. Before I used the original Kisses. Plus during the holidays, Hershey's usually releases several "holiday flavor" Kisses. I don't think you would go wrong with any of them. A fun, delicious treat any time of the year.
BON BONS (makes 4-5 dozen)
12 oz (2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup butter
2 cups flour
Hershey's Kisses
1/2 cup finely ground nuts, your choice
mini chocolate chips for eyes, ears, and/or nose
other color chips, optional
cinnamon red hots, optional
black string licorce (I found mine at a candy store in the mall or in the bulk section of a health food store)
Heat oven to 350.
In medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips and butter. Cook and stir over very low heat until chips are melted and smooth. Add sweetened condensed milk. Mix well.
Lightly spoon flour into measuring up. Level off. In medium bowl, combine flour, nuts, chocolate mixture, and vanilla. Mix well.
Shape 1 Tbsp (20 grams) of dough around each Kiss, covering completely. Place 1" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 6-8 minutes. Cookies will be soft and shiny, but become firm as they cool.
To decorate as mice:
Cut the licorce into about 3" strands. Push into dough while still warm. For the ears, eyes, nose, use whichever chips you choose. If you use the minis for the eyes, I find it easier and better looking to push the pointy-end into dough. Place the nose pointy-end out. Also, don't do this too early. The dough is still quite warm and will melt the minis if inserted too soon. Wait about 4-5 minutes.
