I have 3 lbs of chix to use today - favorite recipe?

[MISSINDI]

I made the Slow Cooker Thai Chicken last night for tonight's dinner and have about 3 lbs of boneless skinless chicken breasts leftover that need to be cooked somehow tonight. What's your first choice in using them up (slow cooker ok too)?

[Molli526]

I would just cook the meat and tehn freeze in 1-2 cup portions.

[MISSINDI]

Originally posted by Molli526
I would just cook the meat and tehn freeze in 1-2 cup portions.

If I get stuck, I will... just trying to get ahead and take care of tomorrow's dinner while I have the chance. ;)

[SandyM]

I did a search for the word chicken, choosing the option in the title only and came up with a bunch of threads:

http://community.cookinglight.com/search.php?action=showresults&searchid=604430&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending

This will give you something to go through. You can pretty much tell by the title whether or not the recipe will interest you.

Lori's Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas are wonderful. You can find them on this board.

[deniseannsc]

Wish I had checked this bb before I left for work. All of my recipes are at home on MC. So I checked the CL site and found one that sounds real good. Plus I have all the ingredients and will try it myself this week!

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta

When kids make this recipe, they substitute apple juice or apple cider for the wine, Hafer says. It makes it sweeter, and the kids enjoy it. This is a great way to get them to eat their spinach because it's rolled with cheese.


Filling:
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup (about 1 1/2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 large egg

Chicken:
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 cup dry white wine

To prepare filling, combine first 7 ingredients.
Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare chicken, place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Divide and spread filling evenly over chicken breast halves. Roll up jelly-roll fashion. Tuck in sides; place chicken, seam side down, in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Pour wine over chicken. Cover dish with foil.

Bake at 350° for 30 minutes, basting chicken with wine every 10 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Strain wine mixture through a sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Serve wine mixture over chicken.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed breast and 3 tablespoons wine mixture)

CALORIES 265 (25% from fat); FAT 7.3g (satfat 3.6g, monofat 2.1g, polyfat 0.7g); PROTEIN 40.5g; CARBOHYDRATE 4.7g; FIBER 1.5g; CHOLESTEROL 131mg; IRON 2.4mg; SODIUM 367mg; CALCIUM 247mg;
Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2004


Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar Pan Sauce

To assure the chicken gets done, use breasts on the small side, about 4 to 5 ounces each. Serve with polenta or orzo to absorb the sauce.

1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 (5-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
Chopped parsley (optional)

Combine broth, vinegar, and honey.
Melt butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over low heat.

While butter melts, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour; shake off excess flour.

Increase heat to medium-high; heat 2 minutes or until the butter turns golden brown. Add chicken to pan; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add shallots, and sauté 30 seconds. Add the broth mixture, scraping to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 3 minutes). Serve sauce over chicken. Garnish with chopped parsley, if desired.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 breast and 2 tablespoons sauce)

CALORIES 2tried this one and it's 69 (27% from fat); FAT 8.1g (satfat 2.7g, monofat 2g, polyfat 2.5g); PROTEIN 34g; CARBOHYDRATE 13.1g; FIBER 0.2g; CHOLESTEROL 90mg; IRON 1.7mg; SODIUM 331mg; CALCIUM 29mg;
Cooking Light, MARCH 2004

I found this one too, and I've tried this one. It's really good. A repeater at my house.

Chicken with Artichokes and Olives

Serve over buttered bow tie pasta.


1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 (14-ounce) can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
Combine wine, broth, cornstarch, and mustard. Add to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Stir in olives and artichokes; cook 1 minute. Spoon sauce over chicken; sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 chicken breast half and 1/4 cup sauce)

CALORIES 323 (28% from fat); FAT 10.1g (satfat 1.6g, monofat 6.1g, polyfat 1.4g); PROTEIN 42.4g; CARBOHYDRATE 10.1g; FIBER 3.8g; CHOLESTEROL 99mg; IRON 2.1mg; SODIUM 788mg; CALCIUM 50mg;
Cooking Light, JANUARY 2003

[Kayaksoup]

Stuffed chicken breasts are always popular in my house. And the Roast Chicken Chimis and the Indonesian Satay Wraps...

[swquilts]

Where they frozen to start with? You could just repackage and freeze if you bought them thawed.

How about some White Chicken Chili? A chicken tetrazini perhaps?

[MISSINDI]

No, they weren't frozen to start. Thanks for the suggestions -- off to look. Hope you all don't think I was being lazy about searches -- was more looking for a tried-and-true...

[Love to Run]

This recipe is from The Entertaining Survival Guide by Lora Brody.

PICADILLO

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
3 tsp. ground cumin
3 Tbsp. olive or vegetable oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 large red bell pepper, halved, seeded, and diced
3 large ripe tomatoes, diced or 1 16-ounce can chopped tomatoes, drained
20 pimiento-stuffed green olives, finely sliced
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup bottled capers, drained
1 cup canned chicken broth [I ended up adding the rest of a can of broth before I froze the leftovers so they wouldn't be so dry]
3 Tbsp. tomato paste

4 cups cooked long grain white rice (or lemon orzo)

Slice the chicken into 1 inch pieces and place it in a bowl with the salt, pepper, and cumin. Stir to combine.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or heavy-bottomed pan set over medium heat. Cook the garlic, onion, and red pepper for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring ocasionally. Do not let the garlic brown.

Stir in the tomato and chicken. Cook 3 to 4 minutes [I cooked about 8 min.], or until the chicken begins to lose its translucent look. Add the remaining ingredients and reduce the heat so that the mixture is at a slow simmer. Continue stirring every few minutes for 20 minutes. Serve over rice or lemon orzo.

I'm at work and have misplaced my lemon orzo recipe but it is pretty simple:
cook your orzo and add about 1/4 cup of lemon juice and a generous amount of lemon zest and some chopped parsley. This really makes the picadillo a fantastic dish.

Notes on the picadillo:

Can be frozen up to 2 months. Can be doubled or halved. Serves 8.

This is a fantastic dish for company since you can make it up ahead.

Carole

[Sheila in MD]

I just finally got around to trying the Cooking Light Chicken Scampi(I got it off this board...can't remember what year it was in the magazine...) last night and it was OUTSTANDING! I pretty much followed the recipe except that I sauteed mushrooms and added them with the chicken to the broth mixture. I followed others suggestions and only simmered for about 10-12 minutes...it was really tasty! I loved the mushrooms in it. I also didn't use any Mrs. Dash-probably used a bit more oregano and a shake or two of lemon pepper. That reminds me, I also added about a tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon juice with the broth and wine...did not give a strong lemon flavor but rather a hint. Yumm...hungry thinking of my leftovers:-).

Sheila in MD

[tbb113]

I make boneless/skinless breasts frequently (my older son doesn't "do" bones :D )

Here are some that we have liked

Three-Cheese Linguine with Chicken and Spinach
Food and Wine October 03

Total: 35 minutes
4 servings

12 oz linguine
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I used just the 3 tbsp)
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp finely chopped thyme (I used dried)
1/2 tsp finely chopped marjoram (I used dried)
1 pound skinless, boneless cicken breast, cut into 3-by-1/2 inch strips
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Two 5-oz bags prewashed baby spinach (I only used one bag)
3 oz Asiago cheese, coarsely shredded (1 cup)
3 oz Fontina cheese, coarsely shredded (3/4 cup)
3 oz finely grated Parmesan cheese, (3/4 cup)

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the linguine until al dente. drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine 3 tbsp of olive oil with the garlic, thyme and marjoram. Add the chicken; season with salt and pepper and toss.
3. Heat a large skillet. Add the spinach and cook over moderate heat until wilted. Transfer to a colander and drain well. Wipe out the skillet.
4. Heat the remaining tbsp of oil unitl shimmering (I omitted this step). Add the chicken and the marinade. Cook over moderatley high heat until just cooked through, about 3 minutes. Toss in the spinach.
5. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the chicken, spinach, Asiago, Fontina, and half of the Parmesan. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved water. Cook over low heat, tossing until creamy, 1 minute; add more water if needed. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Serve

Chicken with Spicy Yogurt Marinade
The yogurt marinade in this dish serves both to tenderize and to protect the delicate chicken breasts, which are easy to overcook. For accompaniments, try rice pilaf studded with peas and carrots or a chopped tomato salad flecked with cilantro

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger (I didn't measure)
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp lemon juice (I didn't measure...used the juice of 1 lemon)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large garlic cloves, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1. In shallow dish just large enough to hold chicken, stir together everything but the chicken. Add chicken, turn to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours (I did 2 hours).
2. Heat grill, oil grill grate (I skipped this since I have a non-stick Foreman grill). Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Place chicken on gas grill over medium-high heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium-high coals; cover grill. Grill 7 to 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center and juices run clear, turning once.

BEER/WINE
A spicy beer such as the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is a nice refreshing choice, while the 2002 King Estate Pinot Gris from Oregon helps tone down the heat of this entree

4 servings
Per serving: 170 calories, 4 g total fat (1 g sat fat), 28.5 g protein, 3.5 g carbs, 75 mg cholestrol, 240 mg sodium, .5 g fiber


Curried Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Onions
Serves 4 (1 1/4 cup servings)

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 lb skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces (I used breasts)
1 large sweet potato, peeled, chopped (1/2 inch thick)
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 tbsp curry powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 (14-oz) can unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil; heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until browned. Place on plate. Add sweet potato and onion to same skillet; cook 5 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring frequently

2. Return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet; sprinkle with curry powder and salt. Cook 1 minute. Stir in coconut milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Garnish with toasted almonds.

Tips: Look for coconut milk in the Asian section of grocery stores. For a richer flavor, use coconut milk that only lists coconut milk, not water in the ingredient list. To toast almonds, place on baking sheet, bake at 375 for 4 to 6 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool.


Per Serving: 540 calories, 37.5 g total fat (20 g saturated) 29.5 g protein, 24g carbs, 70mg chol, 515mg sodium, 5.5 g fiber
Wine: Choose a flavorful white that will stand up to the curry but not add more heat. Two well matched choices are the 2002 Vina Carmen Sauvignon Blanc from Chile or the 2001 El Coto Rioja Blanco from Spain.

Suggested Menu:
Serve with Steamed Couscous
Mango-yogurt sundaes (top vanilla yogurt with fresh or canned mango slices. Sprinkle with toffee chips and toasted coconut)

Chicken Saute with Pear and Ginger
Cooking Pleasures Oct/Nov 03
Serves 4

1 bunch green onions (I didn't have any, I subbed regular onion)
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 tsps canola oil
3 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp sugar
2/3 cup dry white wine, or pear or apple juice
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 1/3 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 large firm ripe Anjou or Red Bartlett pear, peeled, cut lengthwise into 8 wedges (I didn't peel)
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

1. Chop white portion of green onions, place in small bowl. Chop 1/4 cup of the green portion; reserve for garnish. (Store remaining green onion tops in refrigerator of another use.

2. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In large non-stick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add chicken, cook 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned and no longer pink in center turning once. Place on plate.

3. Add vinegar and sugar to skillet, stir to dissolve sugar. Cook 30 to 60 seconds, swirling skillet or until syrup turns dark amber. Add wine, green onion whites and ginger, bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute. Add broth and pears; return to a boil Cook 5 minutes or until pears are tender, turning occasionally.

4. In small bowl, stir together cornstarch and water; add to sauce. Cook, whisking constantly 30 seconds or until slightly thickened. Reduce heat to low, return chicken and any accumulated juices to skillet. Simmer gently 1 to 2 minutes or until chicken is heated through. Drizzle with sauce; garnish with green onions.

Per serving: 260 calories, 6 g total fat (1.5 g saturated) 27.5 g protien, 23 g carbs, 60 mg cholestorol, 2.3 g fiber 375 mg sodium

[Chocolate Rose]

Originally posted by MISSINDI
was more looking for a tried-and-true...
The Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Vinegar Pan Sauce is one of our favorites.

For me, it just depends on my mood. I want different flavors at different times so I don't really have a number one choice.
I made the Curried Chicken, Sweet Potatoes and Onions a few weeks ago and it was excellent.
The Brie-And-Carmelized Onion-Stuffed Chicken Breasts are also very good. Here's some more we've liked:
*Chicken Breasts with Blueberries
*Chicken Parmesan
*Pacific Rim Chicken with Wild West Sauce
*Raspberry Balsamic Chicken
*Smothered Chicken and Barley
*Sweet Crunchy Mustard Chicken
*Grilled Chicken with Whiskey-Ginger Marinade
*Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken
*Chicken in Orange Sauce
*Ginger Chicken Wraps
*Smokey Orange Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

[tbb113]

Here are some more

From Cooking Pleasures

Chicken with Sesame-Ginger Vinaigrette

Chicken
1 tsp olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 lb snow peas (2/3 cup)
8 asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced

Vinaigrette
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp dark sesame oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in large non-stick skillet until ot. Add chicken; cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Place in a large bowl.
2. Place snow peas, asparagus and bell peppers in steamer basket over boiling water. Cover and steam 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add to chicken along with onion; toss.
3. In small bowl, whisk together all vinaigrette ingredients. Drizzle chicken mixture with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette, toss to mix. Pass remaining dressing.

4 (1 1/4-cup) servings

Per serving: 375 calories, 24 g total fat (4 g saturated fat), 30.5 g protein, 11.5 g carbs, 70 mg cholestrol, 980 mg sodium, 4 g fiber


Garlic Chicken with a Crunchy Chip-Basil Crust
by Elizbeth Terry

Yes, I admit, there really are potato chips in this recipe. They make the crust extra crunchy.

Serves six.
For the marinade and chicken:
6 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. minced garlic
1/2 tsp. cayenne
3 Tbs. Dijon-style mustard
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz. each)

For the coating:
One 6-oz. bag potato chips, crushed
1 cup well-crushed cracker pieces (about 10 crackers)
1/2 cup roughly chopped basil
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs. melted butter

For the marinade -- In a nonreactive bowl, combine the olive oil, garlic, cayenne, mustard, and basil. Rinse the chicken breasts, pat them dry, and add them to the marinade; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 to 4 hours.

For the coating -- In a large, shallow dish, mix the chips, crackers, basil, and pepper. Drizzle the melted butter over the crumb mixture and toss until well combined.

To coat and cook the chicken -- Heat the oven to 450°F and butter a baking sheet or rack. Follow the directions in the photos at left for coating the chicken. Roast the chicken until it's crisp, browned, and cooked through, 25 to 30 min. Check after 15 min. If the chicken is getting too brown, reduce the heat to 400° and add 5 min. to the total cooking time.


The following recipe is from the April/May Cooking Pleasures. I made it as written (except I didn't measure the basil, I just used a bunch and I didn't chop the baby spinach) This was very good. I ended up with a lot of filling so I used the extra on the bottom of the pan when I baked it. I also didn't make pockets, I just used the space between the tenderloin and the chicken breast. If you didn't have that I think just baking it on the filling would be just as good.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Spinach, Basil and Parmesan
6 tsps olive oil, divided
1 medium white onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (5 oz) bag baby spinach, chopped (about 5 1/2 cups)
2/3 cup chopped fresh basil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 (14 1/2 oz) can diced tomatoes - undrained
3/4 cup (3 oz) shredded Parmesan Cheese - divided
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
6 tbsp Italian-seasoned dry bread crumbs

1. In large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsps of the oil until hot. Add onion, cook 2 minutes or until onion just begins to wilt. Add garlic, cook 30 to 60 seconds, or until fragrant. Add spinach , basil, salt and pepper, cook 1 minute or until spinach and basil are limp. Add tomatoes, increase heat to high. Cook 8 minutes or until almost all liquid has evaporated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Place in large bowl; refrigerate unitl completely cooled. Wipe skillet clean.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. With small sharp knife, cut pocket in each chicken breast, cutting almost to other side but not all the way through. Spoon about 1/3 cup filling into each pocket; secure with toothpicks.
3. Place bread crumbs in shallow bowl. Dip chicken in bread crumbs to coat both sides. In same skillet, heat 2 tsp of oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add half the chicken breasts; cook 3 minutes or until browned on all sides. Place in medium shallow baking dish. Repeat with remaining 2 tsps of oil and chicken breasts.
4. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown and chicken is no longer pink in center. During last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese

6 servings

Per serving: 305 calories, 12.5 g total fat (4 g sat), 34.5g protein, 12.5 g carbs, 85 mg chol, 865 mg sodium, 2.5 g fiber




Chicken Saute with Mango Sauce (http://eatingwell.com/articles_recipes/recipes/recipes_wint04/chicken_saute_mango.html)

[MISSINDI]

Awww, you guys are the best! Now it's really hard to choose ... I'm going to have to buy more chicken breasts!!! I'm going to do the Chicken with Spicy Yogurt Marinade and then the Garlic Chicken with a Crunchy Chip-Basil Crust. Printed out the rest for next week's menu. Thanks SO much!! :D

[wallycat]

Chicken Enchiladas,

White Chili,

BBQ chicken pizzas (I use pita bread and use BBQ sauce and grilled onions with diced chicken and some cheese melted on top.),

Asian BBQ chicken (thighs) but I've used boneless, skinless breasts as well.

[wallycat]

I forgot to add the Pasta with maple chicken that I posted a while back.
Yummmmmm.