Chicken Yakisoba

Don't ask me what chicken yakisoba is. I found this recipe on Pinterest and thought it looked good. All I can tell you is that it tastes delicious!

1/2 head of small green cabbage, sliced

1 medium onion, sliced

2 medium carrots, grated

1 small crown broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces 

2 inches fresh ginger

1 chicken breast

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 packages ramen noodles (seasoning packs discarded)

1 tsp sesame oil (optional)

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce (I reduced slightly)

2 tbsp ketchup

(Up to) 1 tbsp hot sauce

1 tbsp sugar

Begin boiling a medium pot of water for the noodles. Peel and grate ginger. Heat oil in large frying pan over medium-high heat, add ginger and saute for up to a minute. Slice chicken and add to pan. Cook about 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan.

Add all the veggies to the pan. Stir and cook until wilted (about 5-10 minutes), then add chicken back to the pan. Meanwhile, once the water boils, add the noodles and cook just until done (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, drain, return to pot and toss with the sesame oil to keep from sticking. 

In a measuring cup mix together the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, and sugar. Stir until dissolved, then pour over the veggies and chicken. Add the noodles, stir to coat everything in the sauce and heat through. 

* from www.budgetbytes.com/2012/03/chicken-yakisoba/

Chicken & Barley Soup

Okay, so it's been quite cold here. I guess since it's not even mid-January I shouldn't be surprised. Nonetheless, soup is always a good option on a cold winter day.

1 tsp olive oil

1 cup diced onion 

1 cup diced celery 

2 cups diced carrot

1 clove garlic 

1 large chicken breast, chopped into bite sized pieced

1/2 tsp oregano 

1/2 cup barley, rinsed

2 cups chicken broth

4 cups water

1/2 tsp black pepper

In a large stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onion, celery and carrots until onions are soft. About 10 minutes. 

Add garlic and chicken and cook until chicken is no longer pink inside. 

Add oregano, barely, stock and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for an hour. 

Season with black pepper and serve. 

* from http://www.heartandstroke.com/

Spicy Orange-Ginger Chicken

Here's a sort-of Chinese recipe with a bit of a kick to it, depending on how much hot sauce you add... Feel free to adapt. It was delicious and not very hard to make at all.

1 1/4 cups orange juice
2 tsp orange zest
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, shredded
6 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tsp hot sauce
1 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp black pepper
4 medium chicken breasts, cut into 1/4 inch strips
1 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp water
green onions or chives, sliced
sesame seeds

In a bowl, whisk together the orange juice, zest, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, hot sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and black pepper. Place cut up chicken in a large ziploc bag and pour in 1/3 of the marinade. Seal the bag and let marinade for 1 hour.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken (in 2 batches) in frying pan until lightly browned. Discard used marinade. Once chicken is cooked, remove from pan.

In the same frying pan add the reserved marinade and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix together the corn starch and water. Whisk into the marinade, making sure it doesn't clump. Let boil for a minute to thicken.

Return chicken to the pan and heat through. Serve over cooked rice. Garnish with green onions or chives and sesame seeds.

*Adapted from http://www.foolproofliving.com/spicy-orange-ginger-chicken/

Chicken Tetrazzini Bake

This is a really good recipe that uses stuff that is usually in your pantry or fridge. No crazy weird ingredients that you need to go buy. And its really easy!

2 cups uncooked pasta (whatever kind you have)
1 pkg chicken bouillon
3/4 cup boiling water
1 can condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 tsp pepper
2 chicken breasts, cooked & cubed
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a bowl, dissolve bouillon in boiling water. Blend in soup and pepper. Add celery, onion and chicken to soup mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese and transfer to a greased 2 qt casserole dish. Top with the rest of the shredded cheese and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until heated through. Enjoy!

Wild Rice & Mushroom Soup?

Please don't let the picture fool you, this tastes a lot better than it looks. And it was supposed to be a soup, but ended up being quite thick, so not sure, maybe its a stew? I guess if you shortened the simmering time it wouldn't end up being quite so thick.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup onions, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
2/3 cup corn
1/2 cup flour
5 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 1/2 cups wild rice (or wild rice blend), uncooked
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp dry mustard powder
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tbsp dry parsley
1 1/2 cups cream (I just used 1% milk cause that's what I had and it worked fine!)

Melt butter over medium heat in soup pot. Stir in the onions, celery, carrots and green pepper and saute a few minutes until tender crisp. Add mushrooms, corn and flour. Stir until well combined. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the chicken, wild rice, all the seasonings and the cream/milk. Simmer until done, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours (or less if you don't want it too thick).

*Adapted from http://www.mennonitegirlscancook.ca/2013/10/wild-rice-blend-soup.html

Cheesy Bacon Mushroom Chicken

Now this recipe is apparently a copycat of a dish at Outback Steakhouse (US chain restaurant) called Alice Springs Chicken. But I've been to Alice Springs and nothing about this dish makes me think "Australia". So I had to change the name. That being said, it is still very tasty, how can it not be with bacon, cheese and mushrooms??

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp butter
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt
pepper
paprika
8 slices bacon, cooked
2 cups cheese

In a small bowl whisk together Dijon mustard, honey, 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil and lemon juice. Add the chicken breasts to a large container and pour about 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate chicken for 2 hours (or however long you have). Refrigerate the remaining marinade for later.

In a small frying pan, melt the butter and saute mushrooms until desired tenderness. Remove from heat. Spray a 9x13 pan or line with foil. Heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Remove chicken from marinade (discard the marinade) and season with salt, pepper and paprika. Sear chicken in hot pan (3-4 minutes per side). Place chicken in 9x13 pan. Bake in oven at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Add the mushrooms, bacon and cheese and return to oven for a few minutes to melt cheese. Serve with the remaining honey mustard sauce.

* From http://blogchef.net/outback-steakhouse-alice-springs-chicken-recipe/

Indian Butter Chicken

I first learned about butter chicken through work potlucks at my previous employer. So delicious! Many thanks to the ladies there who educated me about so many different ethnic cuisines.

1 cup butter, divided
1 onion, minced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 can tomato paste
3 cups cream (I used 2 cups cream and 1 cup milk)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp garam masala

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp tandoori masala

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt a few tablespoons of butter in a skilled over medium heat. Stir onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a dark brown, about 15 minutes

Meanwhile melt the remaining butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat along with the tomato sauce, cream, salt, cayenne pepper, and garam masala. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in caramelized onions.

While the sauce is simmering, toss the cubed chicken breast with vegetable oil until coated, then season with tandoori masala and spread out onto a baking sheet. Bake chicken in preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 12 minutes (this step can also be done ahead of time).

Once done, add the chicken to the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes before serving. Serve over rice.

Chicken Quesadillas with Carmelized Onions & Peppers

I made this about a week ago already and just haven't had time to post it until now. Another wonderful version of the quesadilla. Makes for an easy and fairly quick dinner. I'll give you the full recipe, but I have only made one at a time, so feel free to alter as needed.

2 cups cooked chicken, cubed or shredded
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers, thinkly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
8 - 10" flour tortillas

Heat oil in a 10 inch pan; add onion and peppers until onions are caramelized. You may also wish to add the chicken to warm it up a bit. Remove and set aside.

Sprinkle a small amount of grated cheese in the hot pan. Place one tortilla on top of the cheese and pat it down on the cheese. Layer the chicken, onions and peppers and more cheese. Place another tortilla on top. Use a flat plastic spatula to carefully lift the bottom tortilla from the pan so the cheese is no longer stuck to the pan. When the cheese inside the quesadilla has melted slightly and the tortilla can be easily lifted from the pan, carefully flip the quesadilla and heat thoroughly. Slide the quesadilla from the pan to a cutting board.

Repeat the process to make three more quesadillas.

*From Mennonite Girls Can Cook

Tortilla Lasagna

I was feeling like making a lasagna, but with a different twist. This is pretty simple to make really, no lasagna noodles to cook. And it was quite tasty!

6 tortillas (6 inches)
1 1/2 cups shredded or cubed cooked chicken breast (I used turkey)
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup salsa
1 cup sour cream
4 green onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, mozza, whatever you prefer)

In a greased 2 1/2 qt casserole (or adjust quantities slightly if making in a 9x13 baking dish), arrange two tortillas. Top with a third of each of the above ingredients, chicken, kidney beans, salsa, sour cream, green onions, green pepper and cheese. Repeat tortilla and topping two more times, ending with the cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Salsa Chicken

This is a very quick and easy meal to make, but people will think you spent a lot of time to make this delicious dish. Some corn and Spanish rice make this a meal!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tsps taco seasoning mix (or your own mix of spices)
1 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat each chicken breast in taco seasoning and place in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Pour salsa over chicken. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is tender and juicy and juices run clear. Sprinkle chicken with cheese, and continue baking for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Top with sour cream if desired, and serve.

Shanghai Noodles (Filipino Style)

Thanks so much to Angie for giving me her recipe! Love it!

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup cooked chicken, chopped or sliced
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup snow peas
1 cup cabbage, shredded or sliced
1 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 pkg of fresh miki noodles (rinse)
Ground black pepper

Heat oil in wide skillet or wok. Saute the garlic until a little brown, then add the onion and chicken. Stir for about 2 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, saute until tender. Add the snow peas and cabbage, then set aside.

In a large pot, combine the broth, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the noodles to the broth mixture for a few minutes. Stir to coat noodles. Add the noodles and broth mixture to the veggie mixture in the skillet. Stir to combine and heat through over low heat for a few minutes until broth is absorbed by the noodles and veggies. Season with black pepper.

Feel free to add more veggies or seafood in addition to the chicken. Angie often makes this with shrimp, but I'm not a fan of the shrimp!