Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken with Red Rice

This is a recipe you want to make ASAP.  I found it through pinterest and made it a few days later.  The verdict:  the best dinner we've had in a while.  It was that good!  It combines so many of my favorite things (bacon, cheese, chicken) and there's the perfect amount of kick with the jalapenos.  Don't let the "stuffed" part scare you away; it's not hard and I didn't have any problems with it falling out.

Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Chicken

1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

4 strips of cooked bacon, crumbled

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (I only used 4 but I think there's enough filling for 6)

1 cup seasoned panko (I used regular panko and seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder)

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.  

Stir together the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, and jalapenos in a small bowl.

Cut a pocket horizontally through the thickest side of each chicken breast, and fill with 1/4 of the cheese mixture. (Imagine it to look like a loaded baked potato; arrange the chicken breast so that the pocket is facing upward with the cheese mixture inside.)

Roll the chicken breasts in the panko to coat.  Place chicken breasts on prepared baking sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

source:  recipe adapted from cassie craves

Red Rice
2 Tbsp canola oil
6 scallions, sliced, white and green parts separated
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups long-grain white rice
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 tsp chili powder
salt & black pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the scallion whites and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, 1-2 minutes.  Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the grains are opaque, 2-3 minutes.  Add the broth, tomato sauce, chili powder, 1 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper and stir to combine.  Bring to a simmar and cook, covered, until the rice is tender, 25-30 minutes.

Remove the rice from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and fold in the scallion greens before serving.

source: recipe from Real Simple, March 2012

Sweet and Sour Chicken

When I lived in China two summers ago, there was this little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that made the best sweet and sour pork I've ever had.  I can't even count how many times we ate there that summer.  I think the restaurant employees knew what we were going to order before we could even say it.  I've craved that sweet and sour pork so many times since I've been back.  Chinese food in America doesn't even begin to do real Chinese food justice, but I can appreciate the sweet and sour chicken that Chinese restaurants sell here.  Recently I stumbled upon this recipe for sweet and sour chicken and knew I had to give it a try.  I had never fried anything before, so that was a new experience, but I was pleased with the results.  I'd still rather have sweet and sour pork from a little restaurant in the back streets of Suzhou, China, but until I can make it back there, this is pretty good.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

salt and pepper, to taste

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil

3/4 cup sugar

4 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 cup rice or white vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Working in two batches, toss the chicken pieces in the cornstarch and then coat with the egg.  Heat the oil over medium-high heat and again in two batches, brown the chicken, turning it so that all the sides are browned.

Place the chicken in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic powder.  Pour evenly over the chicken, turning the chicken to make sure each piece is coated.  (I found that I didn't need to use all of this sauce.) 

Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.

source:  recipe from brown eyed baker

Baked Four-Cheese Farfalle with Chicken

While we were on vacation, I asked Caleb if he missed my cooking.  He said yes, he did, but that he mostly just missed being full.  My husband likes to eat frequently (read: snacks before and after dinner and in the middle of the night), so he really missed having a fridge full of food at his disposal.  Caleb loves pasta, so I tried this new pasta dish right after we got home.  I loved the blend of the different Italian cheeses!  If you're also a cheese lover, you will enjoy this dish!

Baked Four-Cheese Farfalle with Chicken

2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, or 3-4 smaller ones

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 cups milk

1 (28-32 oz) can whole tomatoes in juice, drained (1 1/4 cups juice reserved) and finely chopped

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 pound farfalle

2 1/2 cups coarsely grated mozzarella 

1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola

1/2 cup diced Fontina

1/3 cup grated parmesan Romano

Drizzle olive oil in sauté pan and allow to heat up.  Dice the chicken breasts into small pieces and cook in olive oil until cooked through.  Set aside.

Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over moderately low heat.  Add flour and cook, whisking, for 3 minutes to make a roux.  Add milk and reserved tomato juice in a slow stream, whisking, then bring to a boil, whisking constantly.  Stir in tomatoes, salt, and pepper and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Cook pasta al dente according to package directions; drain.

In a large bowl, stir together chicken pieces, pasta, sauce, mozzarella, Gorgonzola, and Fontina.  Transfer to buttered 3- or 4-quart shallow baking dish and sprinkle with parmesan Romano cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees until golden and bubbling, 25-30 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

source:  recipe altered from The Gourmet Cookbook

Chicken Squares

Throughout our marriage I have really tried to make something different for dinner most nights.  For the first four months I stuck to this, but since then I've slipped up and made a few dinners on more than one occasion.  This recipe is one of those ones that I keep going back to.  I've been eating these chicken squares since I was little, and I love them.  The recipe is originally from a family friend, and these are so easy to make!  And they look quite cute all bundled up; for company it makes a much better presentation than just a casserole or something.

Chicken Squares
2 cups cubed chicken, already cooked
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 Tbsp melted butter
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp chopped pimiento (found in the canned vegetable aisle)
8 oz tube of crescent rolls

Blend cream cheese and margarine.  Add salt, pepper, milk, and pimiento; mix well.  Add chicken and stir to combine.  Separate crescent rolls into four rectangles onto ungreased baking sheet.  Pinch the seams together.  Spoon 1/4 of the mixture onto the center of each rectangle.  Pull the four corners of each rectangle to the center and seal with your fingers, creating a little bundle with the chicken mixture inside.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until crescents are golden brown.

A Weekend Dinner

I saw this recipe on Apartment Therapy's the kitchn and have been waiting to try it.  It's a recipe from Faith Durand, who oversees the kitchn and wrote the cookbook Not Your Mother's Casseroles (here).  She also happens to be my sister's sister-in-law, so I have heard first-hand how excellent Faith's cooking is.  I knew cooking this was going to take a little more time than I usually spend for a weeknight dinner, but it just sounded too good to pass up.  So I made it last Friday when I had a little more time to spend in the kitchen, and we were not disappointed with the results.  I changed a couple of things, but the general ideal is still the same.  We loved this dish, and I can't wait to make it again!

apologies for the poor quality photo; it doesn't do this delicious dinner justice!

Braised French Onion Chicken with Gruyère
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 onions, sliced into thin half-moons
salt and freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
rosemary, to taste (I think I put a little too much in; 1-2 tsp should be enough)
2 cups chicken broth, divided
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 ounces Gruyère cheese, finely grated (about 1 cup)

Melt the butter in a sauté pan over medium heat.  When the butter has completely melted and foams up, add the onions.  Stir as you add the onions to coat them in the butter.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and black pepper.  Cook the onions for about 40 minutes over low or medium heat, stirring occasionally.

When the onions have developed an evenly light beige color throughout, add the garlic and rosemary, and cook for a few minutes more, stirring frequently.  Turn the heat up to high and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  You want dark, slightly burnt spots to appear on the onions, and for them to develop a rich mahogany color.  When the onions get quite dark, add 1 cup of the beef or chicken broth.  Add it slowly, stirring and scraping up any burnt or stuck-on bits.  When the liquid has been added, bring it back up to a simmer and simmer lightly for 5 minutes, or until it is somewhat reduced.

Take the onions off the heat and pour them into a 3-quart ove-safe dish with a lid (if you don't have one you can use a 9x13-inch baking dish covered with a double layer of foil).

While the onions are cooking, brown the chicken.  Heat a 10-inch pan over medium-high heat.  Pat the the chicken breasts dry and season lightly with salt and pepper.  When the pan is hot, add the chicken and brown for about 5 minutes on each side.  When they've developed a golden-brown crust, remove from the pan and set on top of the caramelized onions in the baking dish.

Add the remaining 1 cup of broth to the pan.  Stir, scraping up any browned bits on the pan.  Whisk in the balsamic vinegar and Dijon mustard.  Simmer about 5 minutes, or until reduced by half.  Pour this sauce over the chicken and onions, and put the lid on the baking dish.  The chicken and onions will look quite saucy; there will be a good amount of liquid in the baking dish.

Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and sprinkle the cheese evenly over the chicken.  Return the dish to the oven and cook another 4-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Source:  recipe slightly altered from the kitchn

Spiced Chicken

If you're looking for an easy weeknight dinner, here you go.  You marinate the chicken overnight, and then basically dump all the other ingredients in a pot and let it cook on the stove until you're ready to serve it.  And you serve it over rice, which means it is an immediate favorite of mine.  I made this for my family a few days before I got married.  I was nervous that we wouldn't like it, because it is kind of a different recipe.  But it was a hit!  I decided it was time to try it out on Caleb.  He ate so much of it, so I think it is safe to say I will be making this again someday.


Spiced Chicken
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*
1/4 tsp cumin
1 lime, juiced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup butter
1 can (14.5 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14.5 oz) petite diced tomatoes
1 pint whipping cream

Combine raw chicken pieces, garlic, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, cumin, and juice of lime to marinate overnight in the fridge.

Saute the onion in the butter until soft.  Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.  Add the tomato sauce and the diced tomatoes.  Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat, with the lid on.  Right before serving, add the whipping cream and stir to combine.  Serve over jasmine rice.

*This had the perfect amount of kick for me, but Caleb likes things spicier and thought it could use a little bit more.  Increase or decrease the amount of cayenne depending on how spicy you want this to be.

source:  recipe adapted from tasty kitchen