Tag Archives: chicken

Casual Broccoli Chicken Divan

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With this recipe, it’s all about the laziness of layering and keeping it casual. It’s a quick and easy recipe to throw together on a Tuesday night, when you’re really not in the mood to cook. Not that I’m speaking from experience…

  • 1 pound chopped and cooked broccoli
  • 2 cubed and cooked chicken breasts
  • 1 (10.75 oz) can cream of broccoli soup
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs

To start, preheat the oven to 450 degrees, and cook the broccoli and chicken. In a bowl combine the soup and milk. Layer the broccoli and chicken and pour the soup mix over the two. Sprinkle on the cheddar cheese. Mix the bread crumbs and butter (I tend to eyeball how much to use) and sprinkle them on top. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. I like to serve over white rice, but feel free to get creative – it can be a really diverse dish! Broccoli Chicken Divan Happy Eating, XO

Fig, Mustard & Pear Champagne Glazed Chicken

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An ode to my favorite grocery store under the Sun. Trader Joe’s. Cheap, fresh, organic, tasty, you name it…this place is THE best. Anyway, this blog is primarily easy recipes. Easy sometimes is mistakenly synonymous for quick. And while we appreciate the pace of most of the recipes, some of them such as the Sunday Simmer are best made “low and slow”. This is by far one of the easiest recipes because its mix, pour & roast however the total cooking time is 2 hrs. So if you need a quick week night dinner, keep scrolling. However, if you have some time to get laundry or other cleaning done…this recipe is clutch. Plus all ingredients are from TJ! So here you have it ladies & gents…Fig, Mustard & Pear Champagne Glazed Chicken.

  • 1 TJ’s Whole Organic Chicken (bone chicken = more scrumptious than non bone chicken, you better recognize! check out Mama Z’s whole chicken recipe too).
  • 1 jar TJ’s Fig Butter (I used the little that was remaining as a spread with goat cheese & crackers on wine night so obviously a multi faceted purchase here).
  • 1 jar TJ’s Whole Grain Dijon Mustard (this is used in dressing recipes, the crab cake recipe, etc…aren’t you happy to have to buy one less thing this time around, your welcome).
  • 1 bottle TJ’s Pear Champagne Vinaigrette (keep this around for an endive salad coming to the blog this December. We always want you to be able to use leftovers. Plus, we hope you like the dish enough that you wont have leftovers because you will re-make it at least once more!)

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a small mixing bowl, combine 1/2 cup of the fig butter, 1/2 cup of the mustard and 1 cup of the vinaigrette. Rinse and thoroughly pat dry the chicken (moisture on the chicken will prevent the glaze from sticking to it). Place the chicken in a baking dish and spread 2/3 of the glaze mixture generously all over the chicken. (I did so, too generously. What I mean is that there was so much of the glaze that was on the pan surrounding the chicken that it started to burn & made my fire alarm go off. Crisis was averted by opening a window and switching to a clean pan, but it messed up the heating/cooking temp of the chicken & probably could’ve gotten an extra 20 min the oven to make up for the mid cooking swap). They say the rule of thumb is 20 min per lb. (I didn’t put much thought into that and just pulled it out when it looked done). Anyway half way through I basted the chicken with the remaining 1/3 of the glaze mixture, so moist & divine this chicken came out!

This serves 4 people and I served it with the roasted potatoes recipe under sidekicks.

photo

Happy Eating, XO.

“Mama Z”: Slow Cooking Lemon Chicken

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Thanks to “Mama Z” for submitting her slow cooker chicken recipe! With her Greek family history influencing this recipe, I can’t wait to try it.

This is the easiest way to make slow roasted chicken.  Turn the oven on to 400 degrees.  Choose a baking pan that you also want to serve in.  In the pan add olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  It doesn’t matter how much, you want to be sure you fill to cover the bottom of the pan and be able to roll the chicken in it.  Some Greeks like lots of lemons, 5-6, I personally use bottled lemon juice and put in about 1/3 cup, but don’t bother measuring.  Just pour in the lemon and olive oil.  Roll the chicken around in the liquid and bake the chicken breast side down. This method will insure that the white meat will stay moist.

Put the chicken in the oven and turn the heat down to 250 degrees.  Leave it for about 4 hours. I use a small chicken 4lbs, they cook faster.  For  a bigger chicken with a roasting popup you may need to leave it longer.  For the last hour (if I am home) I may turn the chicken over so the breast browns a bit.

Now for the best part!  Take the chicken out of the oven and put on the counter.  Let it rest for 10-15 mins and then cut it up right in the pan and serve.  There is so much natural juice that the chicken just falls off the bone.

Kali Orexi!

Dina's Lemon Chicken

Sunday Simmer

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People say Sunday is the day of God, Rest, and Football. As you know I am a prolaxer (professional relaxer, for those of you slow on the uptake) So when it comes to a nice Sunday dinner, I am not one to slave over to stove for hours. I want something I can set & forget while I watch some NFL games and pray to God that my team wins! Here is an easy and yummy crock pot special that you can make any day of the week, mine just happened to be on a Sunday.

  • 1 package of  boneless, skinless chicken breasts (dark meat tends to be juicer and less dry so feel free to use chicken thighs vs. breasts. I just had breasts lying around…haha oh breasts.)
  • 3 chopped garlic cloves
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • Pinch of dried basil (if you do fresh, add it at the end and not to crock pot mixture).
  • Salt & pepper to  taste

(So I added a few of my own twists since again god forbid a recipe is too easy or short for me: 1 tbsp. of brown sugar, 1 chopped medium onion, 1 tsp of sri racha or a pinch of cayenne pepper)

Cut your chicken breasts in half, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in bottom of crock pot. Chop up your garlic cloves (or use 3 tbsp. of that jarred minced stuff we keep referencing) and add to the cup and half of liquids listed above (And my additions because I am an over achiever and act like I have an important cooking blog or something). Pour over chicken and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.
Remove chicken from the crock pot and transfer to covered plate to keep warm. Simmer or reduce the sauce in a pot until thickened to desired consistency. Serve sauce over chicken.
Note, I made the jazzed up rice and steamed some broccoli to go with this and it was pretty yummy!
Happy Eating, XO.
Sunday Simmer

Fancy Pants Chicken Piccata

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I made this recipe one night pretending I was rich, fabulous and eating in a fancy restaurant. I never actually left my kitchen but let me tell you, it tasted like I was eating in a fancy restaurant. I couldn’t believe how simple but flavorful it turned out! BONUS: wine is needed for cooking this dish so pour yourself a glass (or two) while you’re at it.

  • 2 boneless chicken breasts, halved and pounded to 1/4 inch thick
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 1/3 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 tablespoon butter mixed with 1 tablespoon flour
  • 1/4 cup capers, drained
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (If you don’t have fresh parsley, don’t stress. I only had dried parsley on hand when making this and it came out just fine.)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 bag of salad
  • The lemon vinaigrette dressing from this post
  • Olive oil

Dip both sides of the chicken breasts in to the flour to lightly coat. Add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet and set to medium heat. Cook the chicken until golden (about 3 min. each side). When done, keep in a warm dish off to the side.

Don’t worry about cleaning the pot (no one likes a million dishes to clean when you’re done. Let’s be honest.). Instead, add wine, lemon juice, and broth until it boils. Then add in the butter/flour mixture and cook until it thickens. Add in the capers, parsley, and additional butter and feel free to add in salt or pepper. If it gets too thick, you can add more wine (and don’t forget to pour some more for yourself).

Toss the dressing in with the salad, add the chicken, and pour your sauce from the pan over. I attempted to make it look fancy with a few uncooked capers and sprinkled parsley on top. Now light the candles, turn on some background music and I swear you’ll feel like your eating from a fancy restaurant.

Happy eating, XO.

Chicken Piccata