Tag Archives: Chicken Breasts

Pan Seared Chicken Breasts

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Another recipe from my new favorite show, America’s Test Kitchen.  These Pan Seared Chicken Breasts are so amazing.  They are crispy on the outside and moist on the inside.  Served with a simple pan sauce, and you have a perfect weeknight dinner.  The original recipe called for shallots and chives in the pan sauce, but all I had was onions and green onions.  Use either and you will have a delicious pan sauce to go with these fabulous chicken breasts.

 

Ingredients:
4 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 teaspoons Salt
1 Tablespoon Vegetable Oil
2 Tablespoon Flour
2 teaspoon Cornstarch
1 teaspoon Black Pepper
4 Tablespoons Melted Butter

For Pan Sauce:
1 Small Onion, minced
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Green Onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon Butter

 

Preheat oven to 275°F.  Poke each chicken breast deeply in the thicker end 5-6 times.  Sprinkle salt on both sides of the chicken breasts, about 1/2 teaspoon per breast.  Lay in a baking dish and cover with foil.  Bake until the internal temperature of the chicken breasts are 145°F-150°F, about 30-40 minutes.  After baking, dry chicken breasts on paper towels.

Heat 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil in a 12″ skillet over medium/high heat until just smoking.

Whisk together flour, cornstarch, black pepper and melted butter in a small bowl.  Brush butter mixture on one side of the chicken breasts and lay brushed side down in the hot pan.  Cook for 3-4 minutes to brown.  Brush butter mixture on the chicken before flipping them over.  Cook an additional 3-4 minutes to brown and until they reach an internal temperature of 165°F.  Reserve on a plate.

Add minced onion to the same skillet, cooking until softened.  Sprinkle in flour, cook for 30 seconds.  Whisk chicken broth in slowly.  Simmer 4-5 minutes to thicken slightly.  Pour in any juices that have accumulated on the plate of chicken.  Stir in lemon juice, green onions and butter.

Serve chicken breasts with pan sauce on top.

 

Serves: 4

-Recipe slightly adapted from America’s Test Kitchen-

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

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In preparation of moving, I’ve been trying to use up all our food.  We only have a small cooler, so I needed to tackle the fridge and freezer.  I decided to make soup and just throw everything in.  The freezer is practically empty now!  This Chicken and Vegetable Soup turned out great and it is super healthy since it’s packed with tons of veggies.  Yum!  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Onion, chopped
2 1/2 lbs Chicken Breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 Inch Ginger, peeled & finely grated
1 Bulb Garlic, peeled & finely grated
6 Carrots, peeled & chopped
4 Cups Chopped Celery
2 Quarts Chicken Broth
2 Cups Frozen Corn
1 Cup Frozen Peas
1 Cup Tuscan Kale, chopped
1 Cup Frozen Chopped Spinach
2 Cups Cooked Brown Rice
2 Tablespoons Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)
Salt and Pepper, to taste

 

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook until softened, 2-3 minutes.  Add chicken pieces, cooking until no longer pink, 6-8 minutes.

Add ginger, garlic, carrots and celery.  Cook until veggies are tender, 5-7 minutes.

Stir in broth, corn, peas, kale, spinach, brown rice, and liquid aminos.  Bring to a bubble, reduce heat a simmer an additional 5-10 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

 

Yield: 1 Large Pot of Soup – About 8-10 servings or more

Chicken Cordon Blue

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Chicken Cordon Blue is a super fancy dinner that will certainly impress your friends.  Oh, and this is so delicious!  You will be amazed at how delicious this chicken is!  I was certainly impressed.  Go ahead and make yourself some Chicken Cordon Blue and be amazed.  You never would have thought chicken could be so good!

 

Ingredients:
25 Ritz crackers
4 Slices Sandwich Bread
6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
8 Thin Slices Deli Ham
2 Cups Shredded Swiss Cheese
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
3 Large Eggs
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour

 

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Put the Ritz crackers and bread in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.  Drizzle in the butter and pulse a few times to combine.  Scatter the bread crumbs on a baking sheet and bake on the middle shelf in the oven until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes.  Place toasted bread crumbs in a shallow dish and set aside.

Roll 1/4 cup cheese in each slice of ham.

Cut a pocket in each chicken breast and stuff with 2 ham rolls.

Beat the eggs in a shallow dish.  Place the flour in another shallow dish. 

Dip the stuffed chicken breasts in the flour, then eggs, then coat with the bread crumbs.  Place on a baking sheet.

Bake on the bottom rack in the oven until the bottoms are browned, about 10 minutes.  Move to the middle rack and reduce temperature to 400°F.  Bake until browned and have an internal temperature of 160°F, 20-25 minutes.

Tent with foil for 5 minutes before serving.

 

Yield: 4 Servings

-Recipe slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated magazine-

Hatch Green Chile Stuffed Chicken

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In New Mexico, green chilies are in season right now and can be found everywhere you look.  Green chilies are actually one of New Mexico’s state vegetables, along with the pinto bean.  You might be thinking, “hey, chilies and beans aren’t vegetables!”…I thought the same thing, but Wikipedia doesn’t lie.  OK, so maybe they are just the state food.  Another state food is Bizcochito, which is a kind of cookie.  I actually saw a package of these cookies at the store this morning and wondered what they were.  I will add them to my list of things to do while in New Mexico.  This Hatch Green Chile Stuffed Chicken was a great way to use up some of the green chilies in my freezer.  If you aren’t in New Mexico and don’t have access to freshly roasted Hatch green chilies, you can still make this delicious Hatch Green Chile Stuffed Chicken.  Just get some long green chilies, usually Anaheim peppers, and roast them under your broiler until charred.  I served our Hatch Green Chile Stuffed Chicken with black beans and corn seasoned with some Mexican seasonings.

 

Ingredients:
1 Cup Flour
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper
3 Eggs
1 Cup Bread Crumbs
4 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless)
4 Roasted Hatch Green Chilies, seeds removed
1 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

 

Preheat oven to 450°F.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, cumin, cayenne pepper and season with salt and pepper.  In a second shallow bowl, beat the eggs.  In a third shallow bowl, pour in the bread crumbs.

Make a pocket in the chicken breasts by slicing through the thickest part of the chicken breast, going about 3/4 of the way through.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place one green chile in each chicken breast and stuff with 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese.  Dredge in the flour, dip in eggs and coat with the bread crumbs.  Place on a baking sheet.

Bake until the bottoms are brown, about 10 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 400°F and bake until the chicken is cooked (internal temp of about 160°F), about 20-25 minutes.  Remove from oven, tent with foil and rest 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 Servings

Chicken Pepian

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This Chicken Pepian recipe is one I have made a few times.  It has a wonderfully nutty flavor from the toasted pumpkin seeds.  I have also made this as a freezer meal and it froze very well.  Just prepare the sauce and freeze.  Go ahead and freeze some chicken breasts too, separate from the sauce so you have everything you need to make Chicken Pepian.  Thaw the sauce and chicken in the refrigerator overnight and cook as directed below.  You could even make a double batch of the sauce and freeze half.  It’s great having a couple meals in the freezer for days you don’t feel like cooking or planning a meal.  I roasted up some yellow crookneck squash to serve alongside the Chicken Pepian.  It was a great pair because the squash develops a nice nutty flavor when roasted.

 

Ingredients:
1 lb Fresh Tomatillos
1 Large Poblano Pepper, seeded and cut into 4 pieces
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil, divided
1/2 Cup Raw Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds
5 Peppercorns
2 Whole Allspice (or 1/4 teaspoon ground)
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1 Medium Onion, chopped
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Cup Cilantro
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeded
1/2 teaspoon Salt
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

 

Preheat the broiler.  Remove the paper-like husk from the tomatillos and rinse them to remove the sticky coating.  Cut them into quarters and place on a baking sheet along with the poblano pepper.  Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil and toss to coat.  Put under the broiler until charred, about 10 minutes.

Toast the pumpkin seeds, peppercorns, allspice and cumin in a large skillet over medium heat, about 3-4 minutes.  They will smell very fragrant when toasted.  Reserve on a plate.

Add 2 teaspoons olive oil to the same skillet and soften the onions over medium heat.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

Blend the tomatillos, poblano, onion, garlic, cilantro, chicken broth, jalapeno, toasted seeds and spices and salt together in a food processor or blender.  Blend until smooth.

Heat the last 2 teaspoons olive oil in the skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides.  Add the sauce and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

 

 

Yield: 4 Servings

-Recipe by Ellie Krieger of Food Network-

Chicken Fricassee

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I’ve been watching a lot of America’s Test Kitchen and trying out some of their recipes.  This one looked amazing, so I just had to try it.  It was certainly impressive and something to make for company.  You can enjoy the rest of the bottle of wine with dinner too!

Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
4 Chicken Breasts (boneless/skinless)
Salt & Pepper
1 lb Mushrooms, sliced
1 Onion, chopped
1/4 cup White Wine
1 Garlic Clove, finely grated
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 1/2 Cups Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
1/3 Cup Sour Cream
1 Egg Yolk
2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
1/2 teaspoon Nutmeg
2 teaspoons Chopped Tarragon

 

 

Heat the butter and olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel then season with salt and pepper.  Brown the chicken breasts, about 4 minutes on each side.  Reserve on a plate.

Add the mushrooms, onions, and wine.  Cook for 8-10 minutes to soften.  Stir in the garlic and flour, cooking for 1 minute.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a bubble.  Return the chicken to the skillet along with any juices from the plate, cover and turn heat to medium.  Simmer for 5-10 minutes to fully cook the chicken.  The chicken should be at about 160°F.  Remove the chicken to a plate and cover with foil.

Measure out 1/2 cup of the sauce into a bowl.  Whisk the sour cream and egg yolk into the bowl.  Pour back into the skillet and stir to combine.  Stir in the lemon juice, nutmeg and tarragon.

Serve chicken with the mushroom sauce on top.

 

Serves: 4

-Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen-