Cooking During Stolen Moments» Chicken

Crock Pot Italian Chicken

Kate — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:44:35 +0000

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

Kate — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 02:56:02 +0000

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.

*Note: You can use frozen broccoli if you’d prefer. Just add it during the last 5 minutes of the simmering process instead of before boiling.

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Chicken Enchilada Chili

Kate — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:23:05 +0000

Alex joined Cub Scouts this year and now on Wednesday nights, he has his pack and den meetings at 6:30, which is our usual dinner time. And it also just so happens that Wednesday night is the only weeknight when Eric isn’t at work. So, we’ve made every effort to continue a family meal on those nights even though it can get a little crazy around the house at that time.

To minimize the stress for all of us, I’ve been relying on crockpot meals or things that can simmer all day. Chili seems to be my top choice lately. But since we all like variety, I’ve been experimenting with some different kinds. This Chicken Enchilada Chili has definitely been our favorite so far. It’s spicy, but in a subtle way so that the kids enjoyed it just as much as the adults.

This is definitely an easy meal that is a little different from my norm since it relies on canned enchilada sauce. Although I make homemade red enchilada sauce, I’ve never attempted a homemade green sauce, partially because I always have a difficult time finding tomatillos. If you have a good homemade sauce recipe though, I’d definitely recommend using that! (And if you do have a good recipe, I’d love if you’d share it with us!)

Chicken Enchilada Chili

1 T. oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 6 oz. can diced fire-roasted green chilies, not drained
1 lb. chicken breasts
4 c. chicken stock
2 14 oz. cans green Enchilada sauce
2 15 oz. cans Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/3 c. diced cilantro, plus more for garnish
2 T. corn meal
Additional garnish: shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips

1. Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and cook for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Stir in diced green chilies and liquid.

2. Add chicken to pot and pour in the stock, enchilada sauce and beans. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer at least 30-45 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked. (Or simmer all day, if you want.)

3. Remove chicken and shred or dice. Return to the pot along with the salt, pepper and 1/3 cup cilantro. Stir to combine then stir in cornmeal just until thickened.

4. Garnish individual bowls of chili with shredded cheese, sour cream and extra cilantro, as desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

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Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

Kate — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 02:41:25 +0000

I am so not a photographer. I might play one here on this little blog, but considering I have to take a least twenty shots to find one I’m even remotely happy with, I’d say I most certainly fall into that amateur-wannabe category. And that’s okay. For the most, I’m fortunate enough to get some decent shots of most of my recipes.

Unfortunately, the one thing that I consistently have the hardest time photographing is soup. Considering I could live on soup, this is not a good thing. In fact, I’ve been holding off posting this delicious recipe because I’m just not happy with the photos of it. But in the end, the taste won out. So, here you go…a creamy, flavorful, fulfilling soup paired with a not-so-lovely image. Please look past that and just trust me on this one.

Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup

1 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 red pepper, diced
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1/2 t. paprika
1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 c. chicken stock
1 c. rice
3/4 c. milk or cream
1 bunch green onions, sliced
Additional salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil and butter in a large stock pot. Add onion, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and red pepper and cook until mushrooms are browned. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.

2. Add chicken breasts and pour in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for at least 45 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked. (This can simmer all day if you want.) Remove chicken and set aside.

3. Return soup to a boil and stir in rice. Remove heat and simmer until rice is tender, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, shred or dice chicken.

4. After rice is cooked, stir chicken back into the pot. Add milk or cream and green onions. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste.

Note – If you want your soup a little thicker, combine 1 T. corn starch with 1/4 c. water . Bring the soup to a boil, stir in cornstarch mix and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.

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Creamy Chicken Marinara

Kate — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 03:19:57 +0000

For some reason, any time I’m trying to come up with a quick dinner idea my mind always instantly goes to something that involves tomato sauce. Maybe it’s because I know that’s one flavor that will always be a hit with the kids. Who knows? But whatever the reason, one thing I know for sure is that tomato sauce and diced tomatoes are probably two of the most common ingredients on this blog.

This dish evolved as it cooked. I originally was just planning to slow cook some chicken in a basic marinara sauce to serve over spaghetti. That’s a stand-by in our house on busy days. As dinner time was getting closer though, I knew I wanted to mix things up a little bit. So I improvised and tossed in a few extra ingredients that sounded good and ended up with something much better than the original. I just love it when that happens!

Creamy Chicken Marinara

1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
5 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. Italian seasoning
1 t. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 12 oz. bag frozen spinach
Spaghetti, cooked and drained
Garnish: Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic and seasonings in a bowl and stir until mixed.

2. Place the chicken breasts in a crockpot or casserole dish. Pour sauce on top. Cook on high for 3 hours in a crockpot or bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours.

3. Add the cream cheese and spinach. Continue cooking using preferred method for another hour.

4. Remove chicken and bay leaf. Stir sauce until creamy. Shred chicken and add back into the sauce. Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Crock Pot Country Chicken

Kate — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 02:42:39 +0000

I think my crock pot is the most under-used appliance in my kitchen, which always baffles me. Not only do I love crock pot meals but using the crock pot fits perfectly with my stolen moments method. So it’s beyond me why I don’t use it more. I’m hoping to use it more often over the next few months. We’ll just see if I remember though.

There’s a funny story behind the name of this recipe. Actually, it’s the same story that’s behind many of the recipe names that I post here. My tendency is to call whatever I’m making “skillet stuff” or “chicken casserole” (no matter what else is in it) or “noodles with sauce” or even, when I’m really desperate, “I don’t know, just stuff!” Yeah, my creativity kind of ends once I decide on all of the ingredients. Fortunately, the kids are never satisfied with those names. So they spend many a night around the dinner table coming up with recipe titles. The winning name is the one that you see here.

With this meal, we went back and forth between Country Chicken and Chicken Soup Casserole. You can see the name we settled on, but they are both equally appropriate. The flavors are really reminiscent of an old-fashioned, homemade chicken soup, which also gives it that country flavor. The slow cooking just infuses everything with fantastic flavor that is not at all boring or bland.

Crock Pot Country Chicken

6-8 Yukon gold potatoes, halved or quartered
4 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into large pieces
4 celery ribs, cut in half lengthwise and cut into large pieces
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper
3 T. corn starch
1 1/4 c. chicken stock
2 t. dijon mustard
1 1/2 t. dill
1 t. salt
1/2 t. black pepper
1 1/2 c. frozen peas

1. Place potatoes, carrots and celery in the bottom of a crock pot. Place seasoned chicken breasts on top.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and chicken stock. Stir in the dijon mustard, dill, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour into the crock pot.

3. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Add the peas during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

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Brown Sugar Chicken

Kate — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:22:56 +0000

I always enjoy the combination of sweet and savory. I know it’s not a winner with everyone, but fortunately everyone else in my family agrees. So I had this idea to make a coating for chicken that was heavy on brown sugar. I wasn’t sure what direction to take it though so I did a little research.

I found several different recipes and most of them had an Asian spin to them. That wasn’t really what I was going for, so I improvised and combined and came up with something that turned out fantastic! I veered a bit from my original plan and opted for a marinade instead of a coating. I think that was the right call because the chicken ended up being so tender and full of flavor.

This dish also got me what might possibly be the best compliment I’ve ever gotten on my cooking when our 4 year declared “this tastes like angels flying around in my mouth.” With praise like that, I think it’s safe to say you can ignore the strange sounding ingredients and just trust me that this will be a hit!

Brown Sugar Chicken

1 c. brown sugar
2 T. dijon mustard
1 large (or 2 small) clove garlic, finely minced
1 t. salt
1 t. paprika
1/2 t. black pepper
1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
About 1/2 – 1 c. lemon-lime soda (ie. Sprite, 7Up, etc.)
1 1/2 – 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Combine brown sugar, mustard and seasonings in a bowl and mix well. Stir in soda just until mixture is the consistency of a thick dressing.

2. Place chicken in a dish or plastic ziploc bag and pour marinade on top. Let chicken sit in marinade at least 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until fully cooked. Or, grill the chicken until fully cooked.

3. If desired, pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Spoon over cooked chicken.

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BBQ Nachos

Kate — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 01:02:53 +0000

Apparently, BBQ Nachos are a thing. I had no idea until after I was raving over this meal with my husband and saying how I couldn’t believe I hadn’t thought of it sooner. His reponse was “you’ve really never had them before?” Um…obviously not. I felt a bit like a dummy, but hey, I guess there are only so many new ideas out there when it comes to meals.

Sometimes, the truth hurts. But I’m so glad Eric has agreed to be my taste-tester and my truth-teller. And you all should be too. I can’t tell you how many times our dinner table conversation has included him telling me that something is not blog-worthy or that it needs to be re-worked to have some flavor before I post about it.

Anyhow, in case you’ve been living under a rock like I appearantly have, I wanted to share this recipe with you. I loved it! I’m already plotting ways to make sure I have leftover pork or chicken every single time we grill this summer just so I can whip this up.

BBQ Nachos

1/2 – 1 lb. fully cooked pork or chicken, diced or shredded (leftovers work perfectly!)
1 15 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/2 c. barbecue sauce
Tortilla chips
2 fresh ears corn, kernels cut off
1/3 c. sliced green onions
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

1. Combine meat with kidney beans and barbecue sauce in a bowl. Stir to incorporate.

2. Spread tortilla chips on a baking sheet and spoon bbq mixture on top. Sprinkle with freshly cut corn kernels, green onions and cheese. Bake at 325 degrees for about 15 minutes, until cheese is completely melted.

If you don’t want to turn on the oven, you can also prepare this on individual plates and then microwave until the cheese is melted.

So…BBQ Nachos…have you had them before?

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