Chicken — Cooking During Stolen Moments

Guest Post: Easy Chicken Fajitas

March 6, 2013 By Kate 1 Comment

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I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but I have never eaten fajitas! I always love smell them at restaurants, and always say that that’s what I’ll order next time, but it just never happens. And as for making them, it’s pretty much the same thing. I tell myself to add fajitas to our weekly menu on a regular basis, yet here I am confessing that I’ve never eaten a fajita. I’m not sure what my hang-up is with them. I think I just might have to finally make them now that I’ve seen this recipe guest post from Meredith. They sound super easy to throw together and they look delicious, don’t you think? Enjoy!

The best kind of weeknight dinners all have a few important things in common. First of all, they should be quick; no busy parent has time to leisurely prepare an elaborate, multi-course meal every evening—not when you have chatty, crying or active kids to deal with! Another important feature of great weeknight dinners is that they should be easy to throw together. There’s no need to run out to the organic grocery store for one crucial, hard to find ingredient that would probably cost you a pretty penny anyway.

And when you have small kids, the best weeknight meals should also be easy to eat and serve; it’s no fun to spend all of dinnertime dicing up meat or picking out bones from the kids’ plates. Eating as a family should be enjoyable, not stressful, so picking simple, tasty and easy dishes are guaranteed to make your life a lot easier once 5:30 rolls around.

One of the best ways to speed up dinnertime and take the pressure off is to choose meals where everyone can “build their own” dinner, and this recipe for easy chicken fajitas is perfect for just that. Mexican recipes like fajitas, tacos and quesadillas are ideal for customizing to fit specific tastes—kids have the option of adding whatever fillings and toppings they like, so everyone is happy!

For this recipe, simply warm up some tortillas, prep the chicken and fajita veggies and set out bowls on the counter to let everyone pack their own tortillas with sour cream, salsa, cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes or jalapenos to their hearts’ content. It takes less than half an hour to get everything on the table and is great for those nights when you want something fast but satisfying and lick-the-plate good. Enjoy!

Easy Chicken Fajitas

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4 (2 fajitas each but this recipe doubles or triples easily, if needed)

PAM® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
3 cups bell pepper strips (fresh or frozen)
2 cups vertically sliced onion
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin slices
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cans (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, drained
8 flour tortillas (6 inch), warmed

1. Spray a large skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers and onion; cook for 7 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Remove from skillet and set aside.

2. Add chicken to skillet. Sprinkle with chili powder and cumin. Cook for 4 minutes or until no longer pink, stirring occasionally.

3. Return peppers and onion to skillet; add drained tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes or until everything is hot. Divide chicken mixture between the tortillas.

Author Bio: This is a guest post by Meredith K. on behalf of Ro*Tel. To explore other easy dinner, breakfast and appetizer recipes, from grilled guacamole to Ro*Tel’s famous queso dip, visit www.ro-tel.com.

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Crock Pot Italian Chicken

February 20, 2012 By Kate 5 Comments

We recently made a pretty big switch to our dinnertime routine that has been awesome in the execution but a little difficult in the transition, at least for me. We bumped our dinnertime up an hour. Eric and I realized that if we did this, he could eat dinner with the family 5 nights a week instead of 3. It means he leaves a little later in the evenings to head out to work, but since his schedule is so flexible, it works perfectly. There are still two nights a week where this isn’t possible, but we all love eating dinner as a family, so we’ll take what we can get!

This change has meant I’ve had to adapt my usual cooking habits a bit so that I can make sure dinner is ready to go and on the table at 5:30 each night, instead of 6:30. Fortunately, the “stolen moments” method that I so love makes this a little easier than it would otherwise. But I’m still struggling a little bit because I’m a lover of routines and I like being set in my ways! Changes in the schedule like this are always a little difficult for me to cope with. So, I’ve been relying on my crock pot more than usual, just because it somehow makes the whole new process feel easier.

Anyhow…on with the food! This Crock Pot Italian Chicken was so tasty and it smelled amazing as it simmered all day. I served it over pasta to make a nice complete, filling dinner. You could also add some chicken stock to turn it into a soup if you’d like, which was what I did with my leftovers for lunch the next day. It’s delicious either way!

Crockpot Italian Chicken

1 T. olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 c. chicken stock
1 can sliced black olives, drained
2 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
1 t. salt
1 t. black pepper
Cooked pasta, optional

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onions, red pepper, garlic, mushrooms and zucchini. Cook for 5-10 minutes, until onions are translucent and mushrooms are browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

2. Pour cooked veggies into a large crock pot. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.

3. Before serving, remove chicken and shred or cut into cubes. Stir back into the sauce. Serve over pasta, if desired.

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Lemon Chicken & Broccoli with Rice

January 8, 2012 By Kate 3 Comments

Here in Michigan, Coney Island restaurants are a staple. You’ll find one in nearly every strip mall and it’s rare to drive more than a block or two on a main road without seeing at least one, at least in the Detroit-area. The restaurants serve Greek-American style food in addition to the ever popular Coney Dog.

One of my favorite things to get when we go to a Coney restaurant is Chicken Lemon Rice Soup. It’s a rich, flavorful, creamy soup that is so comforting. It’s one of those recipes I’ve thought about recreating countless times, but I always opt not to because I love it as a rare treat, and that’s how I want it to remain.

However, the flavor is definitely worth duplicating on a regular basis. So, when I’m craving the soup, I love to throw this quick replacement together instead. The flavor is very similar, although this dish is definitely much healthier and lighter without all the additional cream and the addition of broccoli. And best of all, it’s a one-dish meal, so it takes very little prep work or clean up. Sure, it’s not as easy as sitting down at a restaurant and being served a big, steamy bowl of soup, but this definitely fulfills my cravings without any of the guilt.

Lemon Chicken & Broccoli with Rice

2 T. olive oil
1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips or cubes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. fresh broccoli, cut into florets*
1 1/2 c. white rice
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. thyme
1/2 t. black pepper
1 large lemon, juiced and zested
2 c. chicken stock
1 c. water
1/4 c. chopped fresh parsley (or 1 T. dried parsley)
Freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook about 5 minutes, just until browned. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Stir in broccoli, rice, salt, thyme, pepper and lemon zest.

2. Pour in the lemon juice, chicken stock and water. Stir just to incorporate. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in parsley and season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.