Recipe: Sweet Asian Grilled Chicken

We have been in such a funk lately with grilled chicken. Every week we pick up a few of the Mccormick Spice packs and use that as our marinade. And, they're delicious and all, but I'm tired of eating the same thing over and over again.

Sunday, when Mike said we were going to have grilled chicken for dinner....again...I went online to see if I could find anything interesting, and that we didn't have to go to the store for. Luckily, as soon as I went to Pinterest and typed in "grilled chicken" this was the second thing to pop up!

P.S. Mike says..."That's not burnt, it's caramelized."

Sweet Asian Grilled Chicken

2 lbs. chicken

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 oil

1/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

Mix marinade ingredients together. Pour into ziploc baggie with chicken. Refrigerate and let sit at least 4 hours. Preheat grill to medium or high heat. Cook chicken about 5 minutes on each side. Enjoy!

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Recipe: Copycat Chick -Fil-A Chicken Nuggets

This is kind of a repost. A while ago I posted a link to my other blog post which had this recipe, but I didn't actually post it on here so I figured I would repost!!

I am in love with Chick-Fil-A. The closest one, however, is up the highway for 15 minutes so we tend to stick to the one delivery place in our town. haha. So, when I found this recipe for copycat Chick-Fil-A nuggets I knew I had to try it. Not to mention it was a SKINNY RECIPE!!

The only problem was it called for pickle juice and I had just thrown away my last jar. However, finishing off a jar of pickles is never a problem for me so the next time we headed to the store I was sure to pick up a jar! (Always save the juice!! If you don't want the copycat chicken nuggets, pickle juice is always good for pickle shots!! pickle shots = pickle juice + vodka)

While I was preparing the nuggets, super easy by the way, Mike looked up the recipe for copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce and we tried that out, too!! Yes, I had mac-and-cheese. I have been craving it, but I didn't feel guilty at all. Especially because one serving of these nuggets (4) is only 149 calories!! For full nutritional info see the original recipe at Skinny Mom.

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. boneless chicken breasts

1/2 cup pickle juice

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour

2 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp celery salt

1/2 tsp dried basil

coconut oil (really any oil)

DIRECTIONS:

Cut chicken breast into large nugget size pieces and marinate in the pickle juice for 30-60 minutes. The chicken will shrink just a little when cooking.

Put oil in skillet and heat. The temp should be about 350º. While that is heating up, mix wet ingredients together in a bowl. Then, mix dry ingredients into a separate bowl. 

Place chicken into the wet ingredients. Dip each piece into the dry ingredients and place in the skillet. Cook on each side about 3 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. 

Remove chicken from oil and let dry on a paper towel covered plate. Serve and enjoy!!

Ooops and here's the link to the copycat Chick-Fil-A sauce!!

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Tostadas

I have had this recipe for a while and keep forgetting to post it. At least I think so...I've looked back and can't find it so, if it's a repeat.....get over it.

These were so good. They were kinda annoying on the grill but I think we might have it perfected by now. If it doesn't work out for you, you can always do it in the oven, or on a pizza stone, or....any other way you can think of.

Grilled Chicken Tostadas

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. chicken breast, grilled, cubed

chicken taco seasoning

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

1/2 red onion, diced

1-2 roma tomatoes, diced

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

cilantro

tortillas

Toppings:

salsa

sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Cook chicken with taco seasoning. Preheat grill or oven. Spray the bottom of each tortilla and place on sprayed cookie sheet. Option 1: Mix all ingredients except toppings together in a bowl and pile on tortillas. Option 2: Layer all ingredients except toppings onto tortillas. Top with cheese. Pull tortillas off cookie sheet and directly onto grill. Close top and let cook through. When tortilla is crunchy, pull off grill, top with toppings, and enjoy!!

Holy Lard Ass...

Let's just start with...I skipped the gym today...

It's not often that I get to come home and spend the entire night with my husband. He works nights. So on most days we see each other for a total of 2 hours. I usually head into the gym when he heads into work 7:30 ugh!!. On nights that he doesn't work I go to the gym after work, which means I don't get home until at least 6:30.

Yes, we have the whole rest of the night to spend together, but, by the time dinner is ready and I'm showered and changed, it's usually 7:30 or 8. And let me admit something....I can't stay awake past 10. Usually we have a lot of shows to catch up on which I plan to post about at a later date and staying awake through them is a difficult task. Hence the messages exchanged on Facebook yesterday...

P.S. #PrayforBoston

So, to come home and have so many hours to spend with My Goober is awesome.

We had been planning all week to have my favorite "summer" staple. Shish kabobs!! I LOVE shish kabobs. Don't know why, but when I eat them I'm in heaven.

We put everything on our kabobs. Tonight we used kielbasa, chicken, red onion, red pepper, and zucchini. But we have also had pork, sausage, squash, tomatoes, mini corns, etc. LOVE THEM!!

While The Goober was grilling I had the grand idea to eat dinner on our porch for the first time this year. Only problem was our porch was DISGUSTING. Our table was covered in pollen, dirt, and random debris. But, neverfear!! I was determined. So, we cleaned her off and had our first porch dinner, too.

After dinner we decided to head to the local dock bar and get some drafts while we watched the O's game. Many of you don't know that we have a beer obsession. Possibly the reason I gained 20 lbs.??? We love to try out new beers and then make our friend Hassan order them for his liquor store. :) We even have a homemade kegerator in our basement. Although we have been too broke to have any kegs for like 6 months.

My favorite color is purple. Better believe this
became mine. :)

This beer is like $9 per bottle. But soooo worth it.

The beer was delicious, however, whenever you drink beer you know you have to have something else to snack on. Unfortunately, we left thinking we would be good...Until 5 minutes later when we came across The Freeze, our local ice cream shop. 

Yes yes.....1 root beer milkshake, 1 medium mix cone, and a small ok a medium fry later....HOLY LARD ASS...

Cajun Chicken Pasta

     Mike and I have been struggling with trying to find more ideas for healthy meals that aren't so boring. We have had the quiche a few different ways lately and we have also made the pot pies a few times as well. It also seems like most of the ideas that I find from Pinterest don't always seem all that "healthy". So I went on a search...

     I came across a website that I have now fallen in love with. Skinnytaste.com is AMAZING!! They have so many wonderful ideas that are definitely family-friendly and easy to make. On each recipe it provides you with nutritional facts. It also gives Weight Watchers point information in case you are keeping track of that. Now, I don't have to worry so much about trying to figure out all that information myself. It's right there for me.

     Tonight I decided I was going to try one of the dishes that has been catching my eye. It's called Cajun Chicken Pasta on the Lighter Side. Now, normally I'm very cautious of pasta recipes, however, this one really did seem like it would be healthy. I was able to find some whole wheat linguini noodles so it might even be a little healthier than what they say. It also looked quite easy, and with the week this has been that was exactly what I was looking for. (Too bad I have to hit the gym tonight because a bottle of wine would be AMAZING with this dish....and this day.)

Cajun Chicken Pasta
INGREDIENTS:
     8 ounces whole wheat uncooked linguini
     1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
     1-2 tsp Cajun seasoning. (I just used a little bit of homemade stuff I had)
     garlic powder to taste
     1 tbsp. olive oil
     2 medium bell peppers, your choice in colors, sliced thin
     1/2 red onion
     1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
     1 cup fat free low sodium chicken broth
     1/3 cup skim milk
     1 tbsp flour
     3 tbsp light cream cheese
     fresh cracked pepper
     salt to taste
     2 scallions, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
     In a small blender, make a mixture of the cream cheese, milk and flour. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

     Season chicken generously with cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and salt. Cook pasta in salted water according to directions on the package.

     Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, spray with cooking spray. Sauté chicken until done and set aside. Add olive oil to the skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add in bell peppers, onions, and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Season with salt, garlic powder, and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

     Reduce heat to low-medium and add chicken broth. Pour in the cream cheese mixture and stir for about 2 minutes. Return chicken to skillet and season accordingly. Cook until hot, then add linguini and toss well to coat. Top with chopped scallions.

     Enjoy!!

Skinny Mini Chicken Pot Pies

     Mike and I have been eating healthy for about 2 weeks now. There isn't much variety in our meals. Salad, cheeseburger wraps, chicken and rice, salad with chicken, salad with tuna, etc. Boring...so I made it a point today to find something that would be completely different yet still healthy.

     I have been keeping a board on my Pinterest page for healthy ideas. It's just any exercises, food, inspiration, etc that I come across to keep this healthy living up. A few days ago I came across this recipe for these mini chicken pot pies. They seemed pretty east and looked delicious so...I went for it!!

These were AWESOME!! You would never even guess they are skinny!! Supposedly only 185 calories!!!

Skinny Mini Chicken Pot Pies
INGREDIENTS:
     1 can Pillsbury Grands Jr. (10 count)
     1lb chicken, cooked and diced
     1 10.75 oz can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
     1 cup frozen mixed veggies, thawed
     3/4 cup shredded cheese
     1 tsp dried italian seasoning
     1 tsp onion powder
     1/4 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a 12 cup muffin pan, spray 10 of the cups with cooking oil. Pour a little water in the other two when baking.

2. Separate the biscuits and flatten out each so when they are placed in the muffin tins they create a cup.  The dough should come up the sides of the muffin cups.

3. In a medium sized bowl, mix together the chicken, soup, mixed vegetables, cheese, and seasonings. Spoon the mixture into the "biscuit cups" evenly.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Remove from oven and let stand for 2-3 minutes. Serve right away. Use a knife to help you pull each "pie" from the tin.
   

Slow Cooker Cheesy Rice and BBQ Chicken Burritos

     I know what you're thinking....what a stretch!! Well, it's that kind of night here in the O'Neil household. We really didn't know what we were going to do until my ride home from school. When Mike got off work this morning (that's right, he works night shift I work day shift. What a marriage!!) he said he was going to put some chicken in the crock pot with BBQ sauce. Truthfully, I was exhausted and on my hour long drive to work so I could care less what we were having for dinner.

     On the way home I started thinking about what Mike thought we were going to do with the BBQ chicken. We usually do BBQ Chicken sandwiches but we have been trying to eat a little healthier. (Don't mind the peanut butter cookies in the last post. Those were from Christmas.) Plus, we don't have any rolls and I hate stopping on the way home. Something popped in my head about wraps, but I had one for lunch. Then...ding, ding, ding!!! I called Mike to make sure we had everything I needed, which is only 2 additional ingredients, and then planned my attack!

     This was so easy, especially because when you get home the chicken is already done. All you have to do is shred it!! And you can really use whatever rice you want, but all we had was Rice-A-Roni. Yes, we're aware that isn't really the healthiest choice but...that's what happens when it's what you have in your pantry and you're broke because they have now decided to take even more taxes out of our paychecks. :)

Ok, so here it is. Sooo easy!!

Slow Cooker Cheesy Rice and BBQ Chicken Burritos (whew that was a long title)
INGREDIENTS:
     1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
     1 thing (brainfart) of your favorite BBQ sauce (We used some kind of Heinz something? Sale!!)
     1 pkg Four Cheese Rice-A-Roni
     flour tortillas (use whole wheat and make it even healthier)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Put chicken and BBQ sauce in slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours. Shred in slow cooker and leave cooking until rice is done.
2. Prepare Rice-A-Roni as directed on the package.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Put a healthy spoonful of rice onto tortilla. Then, put an even healthier few spoonfuls of BBQ chicken on top of the rice. Fold/roll the tortilla into a burrito.
5. Place in a baking dish and bake for 15ish minutes until burrito is a little crispy. (Can you tell when I make up my own recipes??)
6. Enjoy!!

So many things you could do to this, too. Add cheese. Do some kind of white beans instead of rice. Add french fries. Don't judge me. Whatever you usually do with BBQ chicken, put it in the wrap!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Sorry about the horrible pic...

 

     I hosted our monthly Book Club at my house last night which gave me the opportunity to try out some things I have been looking forward to. I have been searching Pinterest and made one of the new "secret boards" in order to keep my thoughts straight. Might I say that those boards have come in handy lately. Especially for Christmas present ideas.

My menu included:
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
Deviled Eggs
Mini Pizza Bites
Tortilla Roll-ups
Warm Cheese Dip
Cheese and Crackers
and Pumpkin Spice Cake
     (I can post the recipe to most of these but I, unfortunately, did not get to take many pictures.)

      I have been really getting into soup mode since it is getting so much colder outside. I, unlike Mike, must prefer potatoey, creamy, chicken soups. He is more of a vegetable beef, brothy type of person. I came across this recipe from Pinterest and decided it seemed cheap easy enough. Most of the ingredients I already had in my pantry or fridge and it's a crock pot recipe!! So much easier for something on a school night!!

     As usual I changed some things around but here is the final recipe!

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
INGREDIENTS:
     5 cups chicken broth
     1 10.75oz can cream of chicken soup
     1 15oz can whole kernel corn
     1/2 cup carrots, sliced
     1/2 cup celery (I don't like celery so I left this out)
     1 cup onions, diced
     2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
     1 1/2 cups egg noodles 
     salt and pepper to taste
     

DIRECTIONS:
1. Combine everything except for the chicken and egg noodles in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

2. Add chicken and egg noodles. Turn crockpot up to high and cook another hour. Salt and pepper to taste.

Chicken Corn Chowder

 

   Last Saturday seemed to be a very uneventful eventful day. I guess what that means is, although nothing was really going on, the day seemed to be quite a busy one. I woke up early in order to get to my hairdresser so she could chop 10 inches of my hair off. After that, I made a few stops in town at our local farmers market, the consignment shop, and then a few stores to pick up some groceries.

   Mike decided on Friday that he wanted to go race the car at the track one last time before winter. He left early Saturday morning in order to get the car ready and inspected before testing. While I was walking around the farmer's market I realized how cold it was getting and decided I would make some soup. Mike would be outside in the cold all day and figured he would enjoy something to warm his bones. The only problem was that I wasn't exactly sure what soup to make, nor did I have a recipe in mind, so, I bought a few different things that I figured would get me started at least.

   When I got home I checked our stock and noticed we still had some potatoes left from the potato soup we made last week. I also knew I wanted some kind of corn chowder so I got to work on both my Pinterest board and the web. I finally came across this soup from Tasty Kitchen and, judging by the picture, it looked AMAZING!!! I read through the ingredients and had everything but the bacon. (bummer!!) I kept looking but eventually decided I would just suck it up and go get the bacon because this soup looked awesome! AND IT WAS!! I changed the recipe a little, as usual, but I'm hoping it only made it better.

Chicken Corn Chowder
INGREDIENTS:
     1 lb cooked chicken, shredded (The recipe didn't tell me whether to cook it first but better safe than      sorry)
     1 cup chopped onions
     1 cup chopped red pepper
     2 cloves of garlic, minced
     1 4oz. can chiles (I used Rotel chiles and tomatoes)
     5 cups of chicken broth
     2 cups russet potatoes, peeled and diced
     1 can whole kernel corn, drained
     1 14oz. can creamed corn
     1/2 cup all-purpose flour
     1 cup skim milk
     1 1/2 cup grated cheese
     a couple hits of hot sauce
     salt and pepper to taste
     3 slices of bacon

DIRECTIONS:
Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon and let it drain on a paper towel. Place off to the side. Keep drippings in the saucepan.

Add chicken, onion, red bell pepper, and garlic to the saucepan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or so. Add diced chiles and cook for another minute. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Add whole kernel corn and creamed corn, stir well.

Pour flour into a medium bowl. (I use a mason jar instead, easier to mix.) Whisk in the skim milk, or pour it into the mason jar and shake. It should get to be like a pancake mix consistency. Add the milk mixture to the soup and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. Stir in grated cheese and hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with crumbled bacon and extra cheese.

Enjoy!!
   
   
   

Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole

So, Mike decided at about 1pm today that he was going to drive to New Jersey in order to get a new tire for his race car, therefore, I needed something easy for tonight. Because he works tonight, he only had 30 minutes home, and that is including the time it took us to drop his car off at the shop. I have been craving this dish for so long, but we never have the items on hand and Velveeta is so expensive at the local grocery store. Luckily, a brand new Wal-Mart has just opened across the street from my school!!! (P.S. Velveeta is WAY cheaper at Wal-Mart.)

Disclaimer: When you eat this, you will want more...and more. It's not exactly healthy for you, but, who cares?!?! It's delicious! And even better re-heated up!!

Easy Cheesy Chicken Casserole

INGREDIENTS:

     1lb cooked chicken, shredded

     1 can cream of chicken

     1 packet of stuffing

     8 oz Velveeta

     1/5 can corn (optional)

     Enough breadcrumbs to sprinkle (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

     1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 2qt casserole dish with cooking spray.

     2. Prepare stuffing as directed on the package.

     3. Mix together all ingredients in a medium sized mixing bowl.

     4.  Spread mixture into casserole dish.

     5. Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

ENJOY!!!

EASY Crockpot Ranch Chicken Tacos

So last night was a game night which means super simple dinner before the friends come over. Our house seems to be the game house and truthfully, we LOVE it that way!! After all, we have the 60-something inch tv, the huge couch, and a kegerator. Pretty sure it doesn't get better than that (except for the annoying pit bull :) whom I love). 

Before I left for work in the morning I put all the ingredients in the crock pot and set it on low. One awesome thing about this recipe is that is uses FROZEN CHICKEN BREASTS!!!! Only thing Mike had to do was shred the chicken about an hour before dinnertime. During the day Mike sent me a message that I was to go on a mission after school. Avengers in 3D came out this week so I had to go to Target and pick it up. The husband and I are obsessed with the superhero movies and love to spend our very few weekends together watching our 3D tv :). Sorry. Hope I'm not rubbing it in too much. lol. 

Anyway, it was a good thing I decided to do these crockpot tacos because by the time I got home we had no time at all!! Luckily all we had to do was heat up the tortillas and stuff!!

Here they are!!

EASY Crockpot Ranch Chicken Tacos

INGREDIENTS:

     1 can chicken broth (however I recommend only using about half or 3/4 of it)

     1 packet of taco seasoning

     1 packet of Ranch reasoning

     2-4 chicken breasts FROZEN!!!!

     tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place FROZEN :) chicken breasts into the crockpot. Cover with chicken broth, taco seasoning, and ranch seasoning. Do not stir or mix. Just leave it.

2. Put crockpot on low for 6-8 hours or high for about 3-4.

3. About an hour before eating, shred the chicken and let it sit in the broth mixture to soak in the flavor.

4. Stuff your tortillas and enjoy!!!!

THAT'S IT!!! These were so simple it's crazy. Something I can definitely do in the morning before work and have a nice dinner to enjoy when I get back. Next time we are going to try to use pork or beef and see what that tastes like. I'll let you know!!

     P.S. GO RAVENS!!!!

Easy Garlic Chicken

When this says "easy" it means EASY!! Today was a rough day. Mike and I had a long night last night. We decided to do a date-ish kind of night because the friends who were supposed to come over couldn't. So, we lit the fire pit and got ourselves some cocktails and hung out. The only problem is that when the fire went out, the cocktails did not. So, inside we came to drink and watch the O's. Bad O's night, which led to a few more drinks and then some laughter with the help of Rob Dyrdek and "Ridiculousness". By then we were quite tipsy tired so we decided to head to bed. RAVENS TOMORROW!!

11:00 am came quite quickly. We had invited some friends over for the game so we knew we couldn't watch it in bed and therefore, we had to drag ourselves up. After the banana pancakes it wasn't so bad and we sat down to watch the pre-game. Apparently, our friends had also had a little too much fun at the wedding the night before so they decided to stay home. Mike's parents also claimed they were not going to come by so we lounged on the couch to watch the game. 

It was a terrible start but the Ravens started to pick it up. Then, I guess someone spiked the Gatorade because they turned into a bunch of Slop Mops. Ravens lost to the Eagles 24-23. I don't know why but I always get so depressed when the Ravens lose. I know it sounds silly, it's just a game, there's always next week...blah blah blah...but I feel very dejected. Therefore, I needed some EASY in my life for dinner. 

That brings me back to this meal. I have a friend who has started a 365 Days of Pinterest blog. I remembered that she tried out this meal and had mentioned how easy it actually was. The recipe can be found here but, like always, I'll put it below, too. I have to make a confession that I hate how recipes always write the "Prep time" on them. It makes me feel very inferior because their prep time never matches my prep time. I don't know whether it's that I move in slow motion, or that I'm definitely somewhat of a perfectionist, so I take a little more time to make sure that I'm doing it right. Whatever it is, I'm slow. This prep time claimed that it took 10 minutes to get everything ready. I'm not sure if it even took me 10 minutes. I had to trim and tenderize the chicken, but I didn't count that in the prep time since it wasn't part of the recipe. Prep is literally sauteing some garlic and stirring in some brown sugar. 

I have to say it wasn't my absolute favorite chicken ever. But, it was good. Considering how easy it was I'm sure it will be something I would make again. 

**Mike and I both agreed that maybe a little orange zest would make the glaze a little more interesting. Not sure how to incorporate this but I would probably mix it in after stirring in the brown sugar. Let me know if anyone tries it this way!!**

Easy Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

     4 boneless chicken breasts

     4 garlic cloves, minced (I used about 4 teaspoons of already prepared minced garlic)

     3 teaspoons olive oil

     4 tablespoons brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees (Yes, 500. I was a little iffy about that too, but...it worked.) and spray or lightly grease a casserole dish.

2. In a saute' pan, saute' oil with the minced garlic until it's tender.

3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.

4. Put chicken breasts in the greased casserole dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.

5. Bake uncovered for about 15-30 minutes. 

Enjoy!!!

Alice Springs Chicken (Outback Knockoff)

 

On Tuesday, Mike had to have surgery on his shoulder. Too many years of MMA fighting and working out, plus the motorcycle accidents, has left him with no cartilage in between his shoulder bones. So, they had to break off a piece of his collarbone in order to make some. (Something like that, I'm not a good listener.) So, being the nice wife that I am...I love saying that word...I decided to make him an amazing dinner!! 

Alice Springs Chicken from Outback is Mike's favorite meal. I found this recipe for a knockoff of Alice Springs Chicken so I thought, what better way to make him feel better?!? I haven't had much luck with those "Just like insert popular restaurant item" recipes so I didn't have high expectations, however, I was totally wrong. This was awesome!! Mike loved it, too (although he didn't have that much of an appetite...figures). It was even great reheated the next day. So, if you like bacon, chicken, honey mustard, and cheese, TRY THIS OUT!! 

"Alice Springs" Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
    4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    Salt
    6 bacon slices
    1/4 cup regular mustard
    1/3 cup honey
    2 tbsp. mayo
    2 tsp. dried onion flakes
    1 cup slices fresh mushrooms (We're not mushroom fans so...no mushrooms for us)
    2 cups shredded Colby/Jack cheese (We used cheddar)
    
DIRECTIONS:
Sprinkle and rub the chicken with salt. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

While the chicken is in the refrigerator, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside *DO NOT DISCARD GREASE*

Saute chicken in the bacon grease for about 3-5 minutes on each side or until browned. Place the chicken in a 9"x13" casserole dish or pan.

In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayo, and dried onion flakes.

Spread some of the honey mustard mixture over each piece of chicken, then layer the mushrooms, bacon, and shredded cheese. (I kept the cheese off until about 15 minutes before the chicken was ready. Then I even added a little more right before I served it and put it under the broiler for a few. I thought the cheese would melt all off if I put it on too early.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve with leftover honey mustard for dipping.

Recipe Courtesy of: Debrapate blog


   

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This is another one of those recipes where you can really change up what you decide to "stuff" your chicken with. I like this kind of thing because then you can kind of do the same things each week for dinner but it doesn't get as boring so quickly. It still seems different.

Truthfully when I do this it's all guesstimation. There are many different options for stuffed chicken. Originally I did the broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken from Eat Yourself Skinny. I followed it almost exactly only I used American cheese instead of swiss. Tonight I made bacon, stuffing, and cheese stuffed chicken, so I'll use that for the recipe, but please be open about what to stuff with. Mike and I literally just sat on the couch tonight and we were like, "I think I'm going to use bacon. " "You should use bacon AND stuffing!! That would be awesome!!" And so it happened. :)

Stuffed Chicken Breasts
INGREDIENTS:
     2 chicken breasts, cut in half
     1 egg
     1-2 cups bread crumbs
     4 slices american cheese or about 2 cups of shredded cheese
     4 pieces bacon, cooked but not crispy (we used turkey bacon)
     3ish cups of stuffing
     salt and pepper to taste
     toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a medium sized baking dish with non stick spray.

Pound out chicken breast halves until it's about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Wisk egg into a bowl and pour bread crumbs into a separate flat dish. I use a small baking dish usually used for making dips. Place to the side until you are ready to dredge.

Now, layer your stuffings on top of each other. I usually break the cheese up into smaller pieces to make it easier to place them where they belong. I break the bacon into two pieces as well. It just seems to make it easier when it comes time to roll. Don't pile on too much stuffing or it will just squeeze out of the sides when you roll.

Now, roll the chicken up so that the ends meet and the stuffings are completely covered. In order to keep in place use toothpicks. I use toothpicks to close up the sides of the chicken as well. It just seems to keep the cheese in better.

You're ready to dredge. Roll the chicken pockets in the egg wash and then place in the dish with bread crumbs. Make sure the entire pocket gets covered in the bread crumbs. Do this with each of the chicken breasts and then place them in the greased baking dish.

Bake about 20-30 minutes or until you see the bread crumbs browning on the top. Enjoy!!

Buffalo Chicken Calzones

So, I have to admit that this is something Mike and I do all the time. I mentioned that I'm a teacher, but I also have an hour drive to and from work. Mike works nights so on those nights we only have 2 hours to eat and cuddle. :) Sometimes there just isn't enough time to make an elaborate meal. When in doubt, we always have pizza crust on hand and we always make calzones. There is just so much you can do with them! At the end of this recipe I'll list all of the different ones I can think of that we have done. Either way I promise to you that this is the easiest dinner EVER!

Buffalo Chicken Calzones

INGREDIENTS: (all of these are approximate so give or take...)

    1 can refrigerated pizza crust

    about 2-3 cups of cooked shredded chicken

    1/2 -3/4 cup buffalo sauce (depending on what kind you use. I really just pour until the chicken is nicely covered)

    2 tbsp ranch dressing

    1 1/2 cup shredded cheese of your choice

    3-4 slices of cheese of your choice

    2 tbsp olive oil

    salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Mix together the shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, ranch, and shredded chicken.

Unroll the pizza dough onto the coated cookie sheet. Spread it out so that the dough covers the majority of the cookie sheet. With a pizza cutter or knife cut the dough in half the long way (hot dog style for all you teachers out there).

Fill one side of each piece of dough with the chicken mixture. To make it easier, fill the opposite of the side you do first. For example, if I load the bottom of one piece, load the top of the other piece. This way when you create the calzone they won't be directly next to each other.

Layer a piece or two of the sliced cheese on top of the filling. 

Fold the top of the dough over the filled bottom. With a fork press the sides together to create a seal. (I cut off the corners a little to have less of the dough.)

Brush a little olive oil over the top of the calzone. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings of your choice. 

Bake for about 15-20 mins or until the top is golden brown.

Enjoy!!

Variations: Pepperoni Pizza Calzone, Cheeseburger Calzone, Burrito/Taco Calzone, Hamburger Helper Calzone (we were really exhausted that night...), BBQ Chicken Calzone, Jambalaya Calzone (another tired night). 

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Crescent Braid

Came across this recipe while, yes, on Pinterest. :) I've seen a lot of these "braids" and decided I would take it on this evening. While getting my list together to send Mike to the store, however, I remembered I had Book Club tonight, so I double-checked to make sure it would be something easy. It seemed easy enough to me, so off he went. I started on the chicken (which I grilled) while he was gone because these breasts were thick!! I also started steaming some broccoli so that would all be ready by the time he got back.

So, before I give the recipe let me tell you how I changed it. :) ...

First off, as I mentioned, I grilled our chicken. The recipe doesn't say one way or another it just says "cooked chicken".
I chopped up some garlic and threw the broccoli in a saute pan with some butter to steam it.
One more change, and this was kinda big....We have tried a few other recipes with a similar feel and in them it calls for crescent rolls. This was no different. Mike, however, has said that he thinks the crescent rolls are too buttery and sweet. With that being said, we decided to use pizza crust instead for this recipe. And....with that being said....use the crescent rolls.

Here it is...

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Crescent Braid (whew)....

INGREDIENTS:

     2 cans Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls

     2 cups chicken chunks, cooked

     2 cups cheddar cheese

     2 cups broccoli, frozen, steamed, and chopped

     1/2 cup light mayo (I'm sure you can use greek yogurt with this to make it a little healthier, but to be    honest I have never used it before so I don't know...)

     1 egg yolk (I forgot this)

     fresh rosemary (forgot this too...)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

On a parchment paper lined cookie sheet, spread both cans of crescents lengthwise to form a long rectangle.

Press each of the seams to form a single layer of dough.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, cheese, broccoli, and mayo.

Spread mixture over the center of the crescent dough evenly to create a log. I wasn't sure about this, but this is how I did it...

Using a sharp knife, cut horizontal strips 1 inch apart down each side of the crescent dough.

Fold the dough strips over the top of the chicken mixture, alternating left and right to create a braid.

Brush the top of the braid with a beaten egg yolk and sprinkle fresh rosemary on top. 

Bake for 28-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Recipe Source: foodfamilyfinds.com

Here are my thoughts...this was very good, but I would definitely change some things. I think it would be really good to use Velveeta for this instead of just cheddar cheese. I would also add either more cheese or more mayo then what was suggested. Like I said earlier, use the crescent rolls. It needed the sweetness. I also don't think it would hurt to experiment with some spices in the chicken mixture. It needed just a little something more...

However, with that being said, when I got back from Book Club only about half of the "braid" was left. I think Mike took leftovers to work, which by the Mike-o-meter, means it wasn't that bad!!