Crockpot Kale and Butternut Squash Stew

For those of you that know me, you know I do not often make the same thing twice.  Of course I have my favorites, but usually when given the option of old or new, I side with new.  That is half of the reason I started this blog; so that I could have a way to organize and revisit the new recipes that I have tried that I should make again.  I sometimes think that maybe it is a result of growing up in a house that had a weekly/monthly meal rotation and always knowing what to expect at dinner.  I loved the predictability back then and maybe I will again in the future.  I am working on that!  My whole point is that I have made this stew twice in the past week and at first I was shocked that I had, but then the reasons became obvious.  First, it is absolutely delicious and incredibly healthy- packed with vegetables, beans, and whole grain orzo.  Second, there is minimal prep time chopping and then it all goes in the crockpot- done!  Bonus- my 20 month old loves it! 

3 celery stalks, finely chopped
3 carrots, peeled & chopped
1 yellow onion, diced
1 bay leaf, dried
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried rosemary

32 oz. chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small pieces (I use one half package of the precut)
1 bunch of kale, washed and chopped
1 cup whole wheat orzo

1 package of mild chicken sausage (thinly sliced)
fresh ground pepper
parmesan cheese, for topping

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients except pasta in the bowl of a crockpot. Cover and cook on high, 3-4 hours.
2. Ten minutes before eating, add the pasta. Just before serving, remove bay leaf.
3. Ladle soup into bowls and top with parmesan cheese.

Roasted Chicken

I think that most people that enjoy cooking have a threshold of where their comfort zone begins and ends in the kitchen. Maybe it is triggered by uncommon ingredients, multi- step processes or fear of just going through the steps and getting it all wrong. I am very familiar with that feeling and still encounter it on a regular basis, but I have learned that the challenge always brings me back and at some point those daunting recipes become small but important feats in my culinary adventures. Believe it or not, roasted chicken was one of those dishes for me up until a couple of years ago. Even with a meat thermometer, I could not envision myself pulling a perfectly moist, yet golden brown bird out of the oven. I am so thankful that I tackled this one, because I am telling you, this is the easiest dinner to pull together for company or family. It can be prepared in advance (*see note below), it fills your house with the most inviting and comforting smell, and it presents beautifully on a platter. Fall is fast approaching; there is no better time to try it!


Perfect Roasted Chicken
Serves 3-4
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa

· 1 4 1/2 lb roasting chicken
· Kosher salt
· Freshly ground black pepper
· 1 large bunch fresh thyme- divided
· 1 lemon, quartered
· 1 head garlic, cut in half crosswise
· 2 tablespoons olive oil
· 1 large yellow onion, thickly sliced
· 4 carrots cut into 2-inch chunks

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove the chicken giblets. Rinse the chicken inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pin feathers and pat the outside dry. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the chicken. Stuff the cavity with the most of the thyme, lemon quarters, and all the garlic. Rub the outside of the chicken with the oil and sprinkle again with salt and pepper- be generous. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the chicken. Place the onions and carrots in the roasting pan. Toss with salt, pepper, and the left over sprigs of thyme, Spread around the bottom of the roasting pan and place the chicken on top.

Roast the chicken for 55 minutes-65 minutes depending on the weight of the chicken, or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh. Remove the chicken and vegetables to a platter and cover with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes. Slice the chicken onto a platter and serve it with the vegetables.

*To prepare in advance: clean, stuff, tie, and season the chicken. Place it in the roasting dish over the vegetables and cover with plastic wrap. Keep in in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you are ready to roast it, pull it out for 30 minutes so that it can sit at room temperature prior to going into the preheated oven.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

I am sure this will come as no surprise due to my lack of posts over the past two weeks, but I have taken a little hiatus from cooking. I always go through these phases where I will cook something new every night for a while, and then take a week off to eat leftovers out of the freezer and meet my take out quota for the month. It is especially difficult to get motivated this time of year when the days are long and I am not even thinking about dinner until 7:30. The nights that I can pull it together and put dinner on the table, pizza is often involved. I have mentioned before that I like to keep fresh dough in the freezer for these last minute dinners because it keeps for a month or two and it thaws out in less than an hour. One of my all-time favorite pizzas is BBQ chicken pizza. Using rotisserie chicken that I have either purchased or roasted myself and a bottled BBQ sauce makes this dinner essentially thoughtless! I usually hit this with a heavy hand of cilantro to finish it off, but this is totally optional.

BBQ Chicken Pizza
Serves 3

1 ball of fresh pizza dough rolled out to a 12-inch diameter
Cornmeal for dusting and rolling
1+ cup of bottled BBQ sauce (I use KC Masterpiece Original)- DIVIDED
1 ½ cups diced or shredded chicken
¼ finely diced red onion
1 jalapeno pepper seeded and diced
1 cup Monterey jack cheese (Gouda or mozzarella are also delicious)
½ cup chopped cilantro

Preheat oven to 450.
Mix the shredded chicken, red onion, jalapeno pepper and ½ cup of the BBQ sauce.
Roll the pizza dough out on a surface that is lightly dusted with cornmeal and place on your pizza stone or on your baking sheet.
Spread the remaining BBQ sauce over the dough followed by chicken mixture and then topped with the cheese.
Bake in a preheated 450F oven until golden brown, about 8-12 minutes.
Serve garnished with the chopped cilantro.

Grilled Lemon Thyme Chicken

It is hard to believe that we did not own a grill until about a month ago. Needless to say, I have gotten really good at cooking meat indoors! My parents surprised us recently with a new grill which has instigated a thorough dig for some old favorite grilling recipes that I have made over the years. The one I am sharing with you today is what I consider to be a summer staple; made easily from things I always have on hand. Aside from chopping some garlic, there are 2 minutes of prep time and dinner is essentially ready. This is also delicious with bone-in, skin on chicken breast; you would just need to grill them 8-10 minutes on each side.


Grilled Lemon Thyme Chicken
Food and Wine Magazine
Serves 3-4

1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
6 chicken cutlets (about 1 ½ pounds)

In a shallow dish, combine the lemon juice with the thyme, red-pepper flakes, garlic, oil, salt, and black pepper. Coat the chicken with the mixture. Marinate for 2-4 hours. Light the grill or heat the broiler. Grill over moderately high heat for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Thai Chicken with Basil and Vegetables

At first glance, you might not expect for this dinner to be flagged as one of your easy weeknight dinners, but it can be if you have 30 minutes to prepare it. For those of you that have basil plants that are starting to grow, this is a great recipe to help use it up. The original recipe calls for Thai Basil, but I ended up using regular sweet basil out of convenience and it was wonderful. What I love about this dish is how quickly the flavors develop and I can only imagine how good leftovers would be if we had any! Note to self- must double this recipe next time!  I usually will not insist that you serve a particular side dish with my recipes, but I do insist on the coconut rice.... amazing!

Thai Chicken with Basil and Vegetables
Adapted from epicurious.com
Serves 2-3

Ingredients
 ¾ lb pound skinless boneless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
 3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
¼ cup diced onion
1 large fresh red or green Thai (bird) chilies or serrano chilies, or to taste, seeded and minced
4 oz chopped mushrooms
1 ½ cups steamed broccoli
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoon Asian fish sauce (preferably naam pla)
3 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup loosely packed fresh basil

Directions

• Cut chicken into 1 inch pieces and marinate in 1 teaspoon of olive oil , salt and pepper. 
• Heat a heavy skillet over med-high heat until hot. Add oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Add chicken and brown on one side for two minutes, flip and brown the other side for 2 minutes and remove from the pan. Be sure to not overcrowd the chicken or it will steam instead of brown. 
• Add 1 tablespoon of oil, onions, garlic, and chili pepper and sauté for 2 minutes. 
• Add mushrooms and broccoli and sauté for 2-3 minutes. 
• Add broth, fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, and black pepper and stir-fry until combined. Add basil and stir seconds.  
• Serve chicken with coconut rice.

Hoisin Barbecue Chicken

Hoisin sauce is one of my favorite Chinese condiments.   Like ketchup in the US, hoisin is a dipping sauce that is also used as a base in a lot of Asian inspired barbecue sauces.  Hoisin, made with soybeans, garlic, chilies, and spices, is more complex in flavor and provides an element of saltiness and spiciness in addition to its sweet flavor.  It is also very thick in consistency which is great for this recipe because it allows the sauce to really stick to the meat and create a caramelized crust as it cooks.   This chicken truly benefits from marinating overnight, so if you have the time I would recommend not skipping that step.   I have made this as explained below and with boneless/skinless chicken thighs.  If you use the boneless/skinless thighs, decrease the cooking time to 30 minutes. 

Hoisin Barbecue Chicken

Cooking Light

Serves 6-8

Barbecue sauce:
2/3 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine or sake
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Remaining ingredients:
8 chicken drumsticks, skinned and trimmed (about 2 pounds)
8 chicken thighs, skinned and trimmed (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray

Preparation
To prepare barbecue sauce, combine first 6 ingredients in a medium bowl. Place 3/4 cup sauce in a large bowl; cover and chill remaining barbecue sauce.

Add chicken to barbecue sauce in large bowl; toss to coat. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Remove chicken from bowl; reserve marinade. Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Turn chicken; baste with reserved marinade. Bake an additional 20 minutes or until done. Discard marinade.

Bring remaining 3/4 cup barbecue sauce to a boil in a small saucepan; reduce heat, and cook until slightly thick and reduced to about 1/2 cup (about 5 minutes). Drizzle chicken with sauce.

Chicken, Bacon, and Spinach Pizza

We are BIG pizza fans in our house.  We most certainly eat it once a week whether is it take-out or homemade, but I prefer homemade because I have more control over the quality of ingredients.  When making homemade pizza the big question is homemade dough or store bought crust?  The obvious better tasting dough is the fresh dough, but I have not ever been terribly interested in making my own from scratch.  I was thrilled to recently find that most grocery stores that have a bakery will sell you balls of dough for just a few dollars.  I have started stocking up and freezing what I don’t use so that I always have it around.  Couple that with a few pizza staples (only you know your favorites) and you can have dinner on the table most any night of the week!   The following is my current favorite!

Chicken, Bacon, and Spinach Pizza

Serves 4

1 ball of pizza dough

Cornmeal for dusting and rolling out

Olive oil

¼ lb bacon, cooked and chopped

2 cups of baby spinach chopped

1 chicken breast, shredded or chopped- I usually use rotisserie chicken

1 small jalapeno, diced and seeded

2 tablespoons red onion, minced

Mozzerella and Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper to taste.

 

Preheat the oven to 425.

Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle with cornmeal. 

Prepare the toppings and set aside.

Sprinkle a large surface with cornmeal and roll out dough to desired thickness.  Transfer the dough to your prepared baking sheet.

Brush the entire crust lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Add a thin layer of cheese, then bacon, chicken, spinach, jalapeno and red onion, leaving a ½ border.  

Top with mozzarella and parmesan.

Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes, or until crust is lightly browned and cheese is bubbling.  

Chicken Thighs with Marsala Mushroom Sauce

I have been loyally committed to boneless skinless chicken breasts for as long as I can remember…and I have no idea why?! Dark meat has gotten a bad reputation over the years for being exponentially worse for you than its healthy white meat alternative. A 4oz portion of a boneless skinless chicken breast has around 120 calories and 2.5 grams of fat while the same size portion of a boneless skinless chicken thigh has 140 calories and 8 grams of fat. As far as I am concerned, that is minimal when considering the superior flavor. If you haven’t attempted cooking with chicken thighs yet, you should really give them a try. I’ve always stuck to the white meat when it comes to chicken, but after experimenting with chicken thighs just ONE time I was hooked! The chicken definitely is juicier, harder to overcook and has much more flavor. I’m not dismissing chicken breasts altogether, but I welcome the variety.
For this recipe, I roasted chicken thighs and then covered them in a marsala mushroom sauce. I served this over risotto for a complete meal. 

Chicken Thighs with Marsala Mushroom Sauce 
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of extra fat
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 large cloves garlic, minced
8 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
1/3 cup marsala wine
¼ chicken broth
1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream
Chopped parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large OVEN PROOF skillet over medium high heat. Season the chicken thighs with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper. Lay the chicken thighs smooth side down in the pan and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and place in the oven. Cook for 8 minutes or until cooked through.

Remove the chicken thighs from the pan and set aside to rest. Return to the skillet to the burner over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for one minute. Add the mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the marsala and scrape the bottom of the pan, then let reduce by half and add the chicken broth and cream. Return the chicken to the skillet, spoon the sauce over the chicken thighs and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley.

Enchiladas Verde

Today I have another use for the rotisserie chicken that might be in your refrigerator.  If you do not have one, I would run out and pick one up to make these enchiladas because they are delicious!  I have two methods for making these, either ready to eat or in advance.  

If I am serving them for a dinner party, then I will make the salsa and chicken mixture up to a day in advance and bring them to room temperature prior to rolling the enchiladas.  When making in advance, I use the small flour tortillas as they will not crack like the corn tortillas do.  Once they are rolled up, I cover them with a damp paper towel and plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator until I am ready to cook them.  Once again, it is better to bring everything to room temperature prior to putting them in the oven.   When ready, add the remaining salsa, cheese, and chili power and bake at 425 until bubbling (around 20 minutes).

When making these ready to eat, I will use corn tortillas.  Still heat them in the microwave, roll them up, and then cover them with the remaining salsa, cheese, and chili powder.   Bake at 425 for about 15-20 minutes or until bubbling.  I have made these countless times over the years and they are a hit every time!

Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 3-4

Ingredients

• 1 small onion chopped
• ¼+  cup  chopped fresh cilantro
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 8 ounces  salsa verde ( I like the Herdez brand)
• 2  cups  shredded cooked chicken breast (I use rotisserie with skin removed)
• 4 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
• 8  (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
•  Cooking spray
• Crumbled queso fresco, pepperjack or monterey jack
• 1/2  teaspoon  chili powder
• 4 Lime wedges
• Cilantro sprigs (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a blender; process until smooth. Combine chicken and cream cheese in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 cup salsa mixture. **Reserve remaining salsa mixture.

Wrap the tortillas in a dish towel and warm them in the microwave.  Spoon chicken mixture down center of tortilla; roll up. Place tortilla, seam-side down, in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Repeat procedure with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture. 

Pour remaining salsa mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle evenly with queso fresco (pepper jack or monetary jack cheese) and chili powder. Bake at 425° for 18 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with lime wedges.

Lemon Chicken Breasts

I am a big ban of Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa cookbooks, and have been since mother-in-law bought me my first one back in 1999.  I was instantly enamored with the beautiful photography and her no-fuss approach to entertaining.  I find that her recipes are focused on fresh flavors that are easily developed in simple preparation.  I rarely have to change a thing when preparing food from her recipes and I consistently reach for them when I need a winning dish.  Needless to say, I was thrilled when my sister-in-law topped off my collection this Christmas and gave me her most recent cookbook How Easy is That.  This is the first recipe that I tried and I absolutely love it.  I have prepared it with chicken breasts and with chicken pieces as well.  It turned out beautifully both times.  The split chicken breasts at my grocery store are quite large, so I cut them off of the bone and then in half.  For that reason, I decreased the cooking time to 20 minutes.  My advice, since we all have different ovens and different size chicken....invest in a digital thermometer and take the guess work out of it!  The trick is to take the meat out early and cover it with foil for 10 minutes to let it finish cooking slowly.  This is the best way to ensure that your meat is not overcooked.  Chicken breasts should be taken out at 160 degrees (served at 165- after resting) and thighs, legs and wings should register 165 degrees before removing from the oven to rest.  

Print Recipe

Lemon Chicken Breasts
Barefoot Contessa 2010
Serves 4

1/4 cup good olive oil 3 tablespoons minced garlic (9 cloves) 1/3 cup dry white wine 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons) 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice 1½ teaspoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 4 boneless chicken breasts, skin on (6 to 8 ounces each) 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Warm the olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add the garlic, and cook for just 1 minute but don’t allow the garlic to turn brown. Off the heat, add the white wine, lemon zest, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, and 1 teaspoon salt and pour into a 9 X 12-inch baking dish. Pat the chicken breasts dry and place them skin side up over the sauce. Brush the chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle them liberally with salt and pepper. Cut the lemon in 8 wedges and tuck it among the pieces of chicken. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts, until the chicken is done and the skin is lightly browned. If the chicken isn’t browned enough, put it under the broiler for 2 minutes. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot with the pan juices.

White Chicken Chili

All of this ice and snow is instigating a chili crave.  I love the traditional red chili with beef, but last night I needed to use up some rotisserie chicken that I had which sent me in the direction of a white chili instead.  I usually pick a rotisserie chicken up once a week to have around for the emergency dinner that I inevitably need.   This a great shortcut that can get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes. I make enchiladas, tacos, soup, casseroles, pizza and sometimes just eat it plain over a salad. Last night I merged several white chili recipes that I have on file to work with what I had in my pantry.  The result was a flavorful and filling dinner that was on the table in no time!  This would double easily and tastes even better after sitting for a day.

Print Recipe

White Chicken Chili
Serves 3

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons diced jalapeno peppers (jarred or fresh)
2 cups of shredded chicken
1 can of white cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups of chicken stock ( low sodium is preferred)
3/4 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt (less if you are not using low sodium chicken broth)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon cornmeal (optional)
2 tablespoons heavy cream (optional)

Directions

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onion until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic, cumin, and oregano and saute for one minute, stirring frequently to avoid burning.
3. Add the jalapenos, chicken, beans, and chicken stock  and then turn up the heat to bring it to boil.
4. Once boiling, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Mix in the cornmeal and heavy cream and let it simmer 5 more minutes.  
6. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Serve with your desired toppings: chips, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime, hot sauce- what ever you like!