Tag Archives: Chicken

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

June 28, 2014Meat/ Poultry, Pasta and Grainsbroccoli, Chicken, egg noodles, mushroomsdmariebates

Sunday dinners are the one time most families have a chance to sit down together and enjoy each others company. Growing up, my family was no different. Every Sunday my aunt and uncle, Doll and Johnnie, would come over to our house for dinner. My mom and aunt would take turns making the Sunday meal and since both are great at cooking I looked forward to those dinners. During the summer there was one particular meal my mom and aunt Doll liked to make that was easy and refreshing. Chicken and broccoli casserole topped with bread crumbs and paired with a green jello mold with fruit cocktail.

I never knew how they came up with the combination of a casserole and green jello but for some reason it worked. I think it was the whipped cream and fruit cocktail in the jello that won me over. What kid doesn’t like fruit cocktail and whipped cream? Plus, the jello was cool and refreshing in contrast to the hot bubbly chicken and broccoli.

My version of their chicken and broccoli casserole has a little less fat but still has lots of flavor. There are simple substitutions you can make to cut down on the calories. Instead of using mayonnaise in the sauce I use cream of mushroom soup along with cream of chicken soup. Don’t let the word “creamed” scare you. You can always find a reduced fat or fat free version of the creamed soups. Also, leave off the bread crumbs (they were browned in lots of melted butter) and use a light shredded cheese as the topping. To add more flavor to the dish I stir in sauteed mixed mushrooms (button, shiitake and portobello).

This may not be my mamma’s chicken and broccoli but it is a wonderful way to make your next Sunday dinner memorable.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Ingredients:
4 boneless/ skinless chicken thighs
1 pkg chicken tenders
1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
1 10 oz can cream of mushroom soup
4 cups egg noodles
1 12 oz bag fresh cut broccoli
1 stalk of celery chopped
1 small onion sliced
½ cup shredded monterey jack cheese
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
¾ cup 2% milk
½ cup ½ and ½ milk
1 pkg mixed mushrooms (button, shiitake, portobello)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried parsley

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add a pinch of salt to 4 quarts of water and bring it to a boil. Add bag of broccoli to boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in bowl of cold water to stop the cooking process. Drain broccoli after it cools and set aside.

Bring water to a boil again. Add egg noodles and cook according to package. Drain and set aside.

Rinse chicken and place in 6 cups of water with salt, pepper, celery and onions. Cook until done. Let chicken cool then cut into bite size pieces.

Saute mushrooms in 1 tbsp of melted butter until browned. Season with salt and pepper.

In a medium bowl whip together soups, parsley and milk until smooth. Add additional milk if sauce is too thick. Soups should be slightly loose for pouring.

Spray a rectangular casserole dish with cooking spray. Place egg noodles in dish and then layer with broccoli chicken, mushrooms and ½ of the monterey jack cheese and ½ of the cheddar cheese. The remaining cheese will be used for the topping. Pour soup over the layers and gently mix. Top with remaining cheese and bake for 30 minutes until cheese has melted and top is slightly browned.

Curried Chicken

June 10, 2014Meat/ PoultryChicken, Currydmariebates

Curried chicken is one of those dishes that looks complicated but really is very easy to make. Prepping the chicken and the veggies is probably the hardest part of making this dish. I am big on adding vegetables to any meal and this one is no exception. Of course it is up to you to decide how far to go when adding veggies. Although I have a basic recipe for making curried chicken, I like to change it up once in a while. I may add different vegetables or I might change the flavors to give the chicken an extra kick.

Speaking of flavors. The secret to making wonderful curried chicken is layering the flavors. Mixing certain types of veggies, adding fruit and choosing the right seasonings will wake up your palate and excite your taste buds. If you are a fan of hot spice, you can use hot curry seasoning or jalapeno peppers to provide some additional heat to the curried chicken. When I use jalapeno peppers I remove the seeds to tone down the heat. But, if you really, really like the spiciness of the pepper, leave the seeds. Just make sure your guests also like heat.

I remember attending a pot luck dinner at my cousin’s house years ago and tasting a shrimp dish that a friend had made. The dish looked beautiful with jumbo shrimp, tomatoes and herbs. I was forewarned that the shrimp was a little spicy but what is a little spicy to one person can be off the charts for someone else. After taking my first big bite of shrimp I thought I would pass out. My mouth was on fire and I could not taste anything but HOT! Once I could speak again I asked my friend what was in the shrimp. She had used a can of cayenne pepper which was not unusual for her. You see, she was from the Philippines and her family loved spicy foods. I on the other hand was a wimp and couldn’t finish eating her beautiful looking dish.

Always think of your audience when sharing a meal. Granted, I enjoy preparing food that appeals to my tastes but I also want to make sure my family and friends will enjoy it too. The best memories and the best feelings are often experienced over a wonderful tasting dish shared with others.

Let love be the bond that holds our memories together and we’ll always be a part of each other…

D. Marie

Curried Chicken

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless chicken thighs
1 large onion sliced
1 large green pepper diced
1 jalapeno pepper cut in half (remove seeds) then sliced
1 small red pepper diced (remove seeds)
1 small yellow pepper diced (remove seeds)
½ cup thinly sliced celery
1 green apple thinly sliced and diced
1 large red potato diced with skin
1 pkg exotic or mixed mushrooms
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups of water
1 can lite coconut milk3 dashes of hot sauce
1 ½ cups of flour
½ cup frying olive oil or vegetable oil

Seasonings
1 tbsp hot curry powder
1 tbsp red curry powder
1 tbsp turmeric
1 bay leaf
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp Adobo
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne Pepper (optional)

Wash and remove excess fat from chicken then place in a large bowl. Pour off excess water. Sprinkle with salt, pepper. On a plate mix flour, onion powder, Adobo and smoked paprika. Dust chicken in seasoned flour and shake off excess.

Heat olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chicken in batches and brown on both sides. Remove chicken and let drain on paper towels. In the same pot saute onions, peppers, celery, potatoes, apples and mushrooms until slightly soft. Sprinkle in remaining seasonings. Slowly add chicken stock, water to the pot along with bay leaf and stir. Layer chicken in the pot and stir to mix chicken and veggies. Cover and let simmer on medium low heat for 30 minutes. Stir in coconut milk until well blended. Let simmer for an additional 25 minutes until chicken is cooked all the way through and tender. Serve over rice.

Sauteed cabbage and shredded carrots goes great with the curried chicken.

Serves 4 to 6

Orange BBQ Chicken Wingettes

May 10, 2014Meat/ PoultryBar-B-Que, Chickendmariebates

Who does not like BBQ? My husband! At least he was not a fan of BBQ until I served up a beautiful plate of Orange BBQ Chicken Wingettes. I received so many compliments from him about how great the chicken tasted I was wondering if I could get away with making this simple meal a couple of times each week.

Since deciding to share my recipes with the world I have been spending more time thinking of new and creative ways to tweak the same old meals. This one came to me while I was driving to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. Usually we have chicken or fish a couple of times each week and it was a chicken day.

I have to admit I sometimes get tired of eating chicken but the idea of BBQ wingettes seemed a little more exciting than baked chicken. When I got to the grocery store there was a huge display of bright naval oranges. The smell of the oranges made me think what a wonderful combination it would be to pair the orange with a sweet and spicy BBQ sauce. I like Stubbs Sweet Heat BBQ sauce. The acid from the orange kept the spiciness in the sauce from overpowering the taste of the chicken and added a nice twang to the dish.

BBQ is not just for spring or summer. BBQ is nice to eat any time of the year and brings back sweet memories of messy fingers, cool breezes and the laughter of friends and family sharing a fantastic meal.

Spring

Cool and even, the wind blows
against green leaves and tall stems

Shadows form under the sun’s beam
moving slowly on graveled curbs

Stronger it grows creating miniature hurricanes
swirling brown dirt up to sting unsuspecting eyes

And tiny bugs tumble in somersault fashion
along the solid ground

While watermelon scents of fresh cut grass
twist ’round the nose as the breeze pushes by

D. Marie

Orange BBQ Chicken Wingettes

Ingredients:
2 lbs chicken wingettes rinsed
1 large naval orange
1 cup Stubbs sweet heat BBQ sauce
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp dried dill
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tbsp Adobo seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place chicken in a large bowl and squeeze the juice of the naval orange over the chicken. Include some of the flesh of the orange with the chicken. Sprinkle the seasonings on the chicken and mix. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Spray a long, lipped cookie sheet with cooking spray. Spread the chicken on the cookie sheet and pour the juices from the bowl over the chicken. Bake for approximately 45 minutes until chicken is done and golden brown.

Remove the chicken from the oven. Coat the bottom of a large casserole dish with BBQ sauce. Add the chicken to the casserole dish and then pour the remaining BBQ sauce over the chicken. Cover and bake an additional 15 minutes on 325 degrees to heat the BBQ sauce.

Serves 4 to 6.