Italian Chicken Nachos

When my schedule is busy, it typically revolves around a lot of evening meetings and, unfortunately, a lot of eating out. I tried to combat that this week with a collection of crock pot meals, and this is my favorite. To give credit where it's due, the starting point for this recipe was this version at Beyer Beware.

Ingredients:

• One pound of boneless, skinless raw chicken (breasts, thighs or tenders should all work)
• One 12-ounce jar of mild pepper rings (I used 3/4 of a 16-ounce jar)
• Two .7 ounce packets of dry Italian dressing mix
• One bag of tortilla chips
• One cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 pound of sliced mushrooms
• One regular size or two Roma tomatoes, diced
• About 1/4 cup sliced black olives (half of a small can)

Combine the chicken, pepper rings (with the liquid from the jar) and dry Italian dressing mix and cook in a slow cooker on low for at least three hours. More time wouldn't hurt, but that was enough for me. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it, then return it to the slow cooker while you prepare the remaining ingredients.

Saute the mushrooms in a little olive oil until they've reduced a bit and are tender. Line a cookie sheet with foil and grease it with a little cooking spray, then layer the ingredients in this order:

• Tortilla chips
• Chicken and pepper mixture (allow the liquid to drain off as you remove it from the slow cooker)
• Cheese
• Mushrooms and olives
• Tomatoes (or you can wait and add these after baking)

Bake this on a high rack in the oven for eight minutes at 350, then switch to the broiler and allow it to cook for another two minutes or so, until the cheese browns a little.

Chicken Dumpling Soup

I LOVE chicken or turkey dumpling soup, and I've experimented with so many recipes over the years. I've never found one that's easier or turned out better than my mom's, however, and I've probably asked her for the dumpling ingredients half a dozen times over the years. Now I'm finally documenting it, so I'll have it when I need it again.

Ingredients for soup:

• 2-3 carrots
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 medium onion
• Half of a red bell pepper
• 10 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups cooked chicken, in bite-size pieces
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Chop and saute the carrots, celery, onion and pepper with a little olive oil and a pinch of salt on medium-high heat until softened a bit. Add the stock, chicken, thyme, rosemary, sage, bay leaves and more salt and pepper and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or more. At this point, remove the bay leaves.

Ingredients for dumplings:

• 2 cups flour
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• Milk (see below)

To make the dumplings, combine the flour, eggs, baking soda and salt, then add milk until a stiff dough forms. Drop into soup by the spoonful, raise the heat a bit, cover and cook for 15 minutes before serving. Salt and pepper to taste.

Crock Pot Cashew Chicken

FOUND IT: On daydreamkitchen.com, via Pinterest.

I did my best to make this a little healthier, and served it to rave reviews.

Ingredients:

• One pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 lb fresh mushrooms (I used white), chopped small
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup 
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup cashews
• Two cups steamed broccoli (optional)
• About two cups cooked brown rice.

Chop the chicken into small bite-sized pieces. Combine the flour and pepper in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, then add the chicken and shake to coat. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken. Add the cooked chicken and the mushrooms to your slow cooker.

In a bowl combine the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes, then pour this over the chicken and stir. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, then stir in the cashews and serve with the broccoli and rice.

Chicken Marsala

FOUND IT: On passthesushi.com, via Pinterest.

One of the reasons I've been neglecting this site a bit lately is the fact that I've been spending a lot of time pinning and trying recipes from Pinterest. I think I've finally got a few of them from there that I'm ready to share.

Ingredients:

• Four boneless chicken breasts, trimmed.
• 1 cup flour
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 ounces pancetta, cut into small pieces.
• 8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups sweet Marsala wine
• 4 1/2 tsp lemon juice (the juice of one small lemon was a little more than I needed)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Slice the chicken breasts in half the long way, then cover them with plastic wrap and pound them down to about 1/4 inch thick. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel, then season with the salt and pepper. Place the flour in a pie plate, then dredge the chicken in it.

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and place half the chicken in there. Cook them about three minutes on each side until they're golden brown, then transfer them to an oven-safe plate and repeat the process again with the other chicken, starting with more oil. Once all eight cutlets are cooked, tent aluminum foil over the plate and place it in a 200 degree oven while you make the sauce.

Cook the pancetta in the now-empty skillet over medium heat until it's crispy, then remove it to a paper towel-lined plate. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook the mushrooms until softened and lightly browned, around 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic, tomato paste and pancetta and cook for a minute or two, then remove from the heat and add the Marsala to deglaze the pan. Scrape up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, then return the pan to the heat and bring it to a "vigorous simmer" for about five minutes. The sauce should reduce down to around 1 1/4-1 1/2 cups.

Remove the sauce from the heat and add the lemon juice, then whisk in the butter one piece at a time. Pour this sauce over the chicken and serve immediately.

Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

FOUND IT: In the May 2012 issue of Cooking Light

I usually don't like to make a new recipe for the first time when we have company coming over, but earlier this summer Laura convinced me to try this one and I'm glad I did.

Laura and I have a difference of opinion on one of the methods here, though: I went with more chicken than the recipe called for, which created a dish with a barbecue flavor but relatively limited sauce, then served it with extra BBQ sauce on the side so everyone could determine what level of sauce they wanted individually. If you want a better sauce-to-meat ratio, though, then stick with the proportions below.

You can also, of course, make your own coleslaw. I misunderstood the initial ingredient list, though, and bought some premade from the deli counter. I think that worked fine.

I also used the leftover chicken to make a barbecue chicken pizza the next day, and that may actually have been more popular.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 tbsp honey mustard
• 2 tbsp water
• 3/4 tsp chili powder
• 3/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• a dash of salt
• 3 cups shredded boneless, skinless rotisserie chicken (a full chicken makes about 4 cups)
• 3 cups premade coleslaw (I cheated here accidentally).
• 1/3 cup chopped green onions
• 6-8 hamburger buns

Combine the ketchup, mustard, water, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, Worcestershire sauce and salt in a saucepan (I used a deep skillet, which I think turned out to be easier). Bring the sauce mixture to a simmer and cook for ten minutes. Combine the sauce and the chicken, stirring to coat.

Place about half a cup of the chicken mixture on a bun, top with the coleslaw and green onions, and serve.

Chicken And Wild Rice Soup

FOUND IT: Nowhere in particular. I followed the instructions on the box of wild rice, but eyeballed the rest.

I tend to eyeball soups, so some of my measurements here are imprecise. I think they're pretty close, though.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 3 cups water (probably could use chicken stock here)
•  1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Half of a red bell pepper, diced
• 1 or 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• Four large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
• 3 cups shredded, cooked chicken (for me this was frozen leftovers from two rotisserie chickens)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 tsp each cayenne pepper, dried thyme, sage and rosemary (I would've used parsley too, but I was out)
• 2 cups skim milk (or whatever milk you have on hand)

Bring the water, salt and butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the rice, reduce heat and simmer for 55 minutes.

While the rice is cooking, saute the red ball pepper, zucchini, carrots, celery and onion with the olive oil in a large soup pot. When they're almost translucent, add the garlic. Cook the garlic for a few minutes with the vegetables, then add the chicken, stock, cayenne pepper, thyme, sage and rosemary. Stir to combine, then allow to cook over medium-low heat until the rice is done.

Drain the excess water off the rice after 55 minutes (there will be a fair amount of excess water, don't worry about it), and add the rice to the soup along with the milk. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes or so, then serve with oyster crackers, a crusty bread and butter.

Pesto Gnocchi with Chicken and Roasted Cauliflower

FOUND IT: The original recipe came from a Penzey's catalog. I made it a few times to perfect it and changed the vegetable from potatoes to cauliflower to make it healthier.

I have an Aerogarden in my laundry room, and it's been growing nothing but basil all winter. It needs to be harvested every few weeks, which means I'm making another batch of my spinach basil pesto every few weeks. This might be the best thing I've made with it.

Cauliflower is the best vegetable I've found to use here, but it's certainly not the only option. Almost any roasted vegetable could be substituted or added.

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into bite sized florets
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Garlic powder, to taste
• 1 16 oz package of mini gnocchi (here's the brand I use)
• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 8 ounces Spinach Basil Pesto, or your favorite pesto sauce.
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, roasted if possible
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on a cookie sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper and roast at 350 for 20 minutes, stirring once in the middle.

If you haven't already browned the chicken, now is a good time to do that.

While the cauliflower is roasting, cook the gnocchi according to package instructions (if you're using mini gnocchi, this won't take long). Drain them well, then combine the cauliflower, gnocchi, chicken, pine nuts and parmesan cheese in a large serving dish.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

This is a variation on my stove top recipe. I actually developed it to enter into a contest, but then missed the deadline for submissions.

I love buffalo chicken, so for me this was a pretty natural step.

Ingredients:

• 1 boneless chicken breast, cut into small bites.
• 1/2 lb elbow macaroni or other pasta, uncooked
• 4 tbsp butter, cut into ~8-10 chunks
• 2 eggs
• 6 ounces evaporated milk (You can substitute 1/2-3/4 cup skim milk and let it cook a little longer to thicken)
• 3 tbsp buffalo wing sauce
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Black pepper to taste
• 3/4 tsp dry mustard
• 4 ounces Colby Jack cheese, shredded
• 6 ounces sharp white Cheddar cheese

Brown the chicken in a frying pan with a little salt and pepper, remove to a plate and set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water until al dente and drain.

Combine the eggs, evaporated milk, wing sauce, salt, pepper and mustard in a bowl.

Return the pasta to the pot and add the butter, stirring until melted. Pour in the egg mixture and add the cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted, then add the chicken and cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

Sesame Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Chicken

FOUND IT: In Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook. If the fact that this book got me to try (and like) Brussels sprouts doesn't convince you to buy it, I don't know what will.

My wife loves to make me try new things and give me guilt if I don't want to. She's told me countless times she doesn't like Brussels sprouts (and I'd never had them), so I set off to find a way to make them as something like revenge.

I don't think either of us expected to find a Brussels sprouts dish we'd make again, but that's what happened. This one was excellent.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp sesame seeds (I didn't have these on hand so I skipped them)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces.
• 2 tbsp minced ginger (I bought it in a tube.)
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 1 lb Brussels sprouts, washed and with stems removed
• 1/2 cup chicken stock (or other stock, water or white wine)
• Salt and pepper
• Soy sauce and lemon wedges, for serving*

* - I forgot to put these on the table and neither of us missed them.

Toast the sesame seeds in a large, deep skillet (choose a skillet you can cover) over medium-low heat until they begin to brown but don't burn - 5-10 minutes. Remove from the skillet and set aside.

Add the oil to the skillet and turn it up to medium-high. Add the chicken once it's hot, sprinkle in some salt and pepper and brown it for roughly 5 minutes. Add the ginger and continue to cook for a minute or so, then move this mixture to a plate and set it aside.

Add the sesame oil, Brussels sprouts and stock to the pan, sprinkle it with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and lower the heat so the mixture bubbles slightly but does not boil. Cook until the sprouts are tender - roughly 10 minutes. Add more liquid if needed.

Once the sprouts are tender, uncover the pan and return the chicken to it. Raise the heat to boil off any excess liquid and cook until the sprouts and chicken are glazed and browned. Don't stir too often - let the mixture cook for a couple of minutes, then give it a quick stir, then wait again. Stir in the sesame seeds once it's done and serve.

Buffalo Chicken Quiche

FOUND IT: At Ehow.com.

MODIFIED IT: A lot.

I liked the concept of the original recipe, but none of the execution. The original called for boiled chicken, which I replaced with a leftover grilled chicken breast from dinner the night before. It also called for celery, which I skipped. I had half a can of black beans left from a dinner earlier in the week, so I tossed them in. And the original recipe's cooking time is way off.

Ingredients:

• 1 premade pie crust
• 1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed (can be skipped)
• 1 large or 2 small cooked boneless chicken breasts, chopped
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp buffalo wing sauce
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 oz blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs

Press pie crust into a pie pan, poke holes in the bottom with a fork and bake at 400 for ten minutes. Remove from the oven and reset the temp at 350.

Toss the chicken and black beans with the wing sauce and flour, and pour that mixture over the pie crust.

Combine the eggs, milk and salt, and pour over the chicken.

Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. After that time has passed, sprinkle the bread crumbs on top, then sprinkle the cheese on top of that. Return to oven and bake 15 more minutes, or until quiche is set in the middle.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

FOUND IT: In a magazine from Kraft

I've tried making Chicken Parm in several different ways, and never really done it well. This one is so easy that it's probably cheating, but it's better than any of my previous attempts.

Ingredients:

3 cups rotini pasta (I had penne on hand, so I used that.)
Ten Ritz Reduced Fat crackers, crushed (I used about half a tube in the food processor.)
3 tbsp grated parmesan, plus some to top it off
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
1 egg white (I used the whole egg)
4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (I bought 3 big ones and made them into six thin ones)
2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce
At least 1 cup of shredded mozzerella cheese

Heat a large skillet (but pick one you can cover) on medium-high heat and add a couple of turns of oil. Crush the crackers, and combine the crumbs with the grated parmesan and oregano in one bowl. Beat the egg in another. Dip chicken in the egg, then the crumbs, coating the chicken in crumbs. Once your chicken breasts are coated, cook them in a single layer in the skillet, turning once. It'll take 3-4 minutes per side.

While they're cooking, boil the pasta, strain it and set it aside. Once the chicken is cooked through, add a cup of the sauce, spreading evenly, then put the mozzerella and parmesan cheeses on top and cover the skillet, simmering on low heat until the cheese is melted. Toss the pasta with the remaining sauce, and serve the two together.

Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Roll Ups

FOUND IT: In Rachael Ray's magazine.
MODIFIED IT: A little.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I've skipped this the last couple of times and not missed it)
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped (see below)
8 chicken breast cutlets (I usually just buy four chicken breasts and turn one thick breast into two thin ones, then pound them thinner.)
1/2 pound deli-sliced provolone cheese (use whatever cheese you like here)
1/4 cup olive oil

The first time I made this recipe, I had a hard time finding the sun dried tomatoes, but was able to find Classico Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto. I used about half a jar of that instead and loved it.

I also frequently add a slice of capicola or prosciutto in with each roll up.

Beat the eggs in a shallow bowl, and place the bread crumbs in another one. Dip each cutlet in the eggs, then bread crumbs, and place them on a work surface. Place one slice of cheese on each cutlet, then the capicola if you're using it, then the tomatoes and the ricotta, roll them up and secure with a toothpick. Cover a baking sheet with foil and put the finished roll ups on it. Drizzle the olive oil over the roll ups, and bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until the chicken is done.