Lemon Basil Chicken

5 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. garlic, minced or chopped fine

1/3 cup white wine (I used water)

2 Tbsp. lemon zest

1 large bunch of basil, julienned and chopped

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

Juice of one lemon (slice and reserve leftovers)

To obtain more flavorful and jucier meat, always brine in advance.  This is a technique I just tried for the first time and I noticed a HUGE difference.  For boneless, skinless chicken breasts you only need to let the chicken brine for 30 to 60 minutes.  In a large plastic bag (or glass bowl or dish), pour 1 quart of cold water, 1/2 cup kosher salt or 1/4 table salt and 1/2 cup sugar.  Mix well, place chicken in bag and let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.  Learn more about brining at Cooks Illustrated.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Heat olive oil in a small pan over medium heat.  Add garlic and let cook for about 1 minute, you don't want to burn the garlic.  Remove from heat.  Stir in wine, lemon zest, basil, salt and pepper.

Arrange chicken breasts in a baking dish.  Season breasts with salt and pepper.  Pour lemon basil sauce over chicken and bake for 30 to 40 minutes.  Keep covered and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Chile Lime Chicken Tacos

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. cumin
3 limes, juiced and zested
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 tsp chile powder
1 1/2 lbs. boneless chicken

Combine all the ingredients above in the crockpot. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Shred chicken.

Serve with all the taco fixings that your family loves.

***I adapted this recipe for the crockpot from a marinade so I usually taste it just before I shred the chicken to see if I need to add more lime, chile powder, etc. Let's be honest, the recipe is probably a little different each time I make it, but these are the same ingredients! :)

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

Hey all! Hope your Thanksgiving week is going well. Before all of our company arrives I thought I would post one of my all time FAVORITE dishes!! Hope your family enjoys it!

Garlic Chicken Farfalle

16 oz. Farfalle pasta
1 cup heavy whipping cream (I usually double the cream because I like more sauce)
3-4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tablespoon pepper (this seems like a lot, but it makes it really good...if you're worried you can add less. I don't really like pepper in general but I use the full Tbsp!)
1/2 cup butter ( sometimes double this or one and a half it since I double the cream)
1 lb bacon, cooked and crumpled (I cook mine in the oven...less messy! Usually on 400 degrees for about 30 minutes)
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (or a bit more if you like!)
1 (12 oz) Lawry's mesquite marinade with lime juice...or some marinade that sounds like the equivalent.

Cook chicken in crock pot with marinade on low for 6 hours. Pull chicken out of juices, allow to cool a bit, and shred. Set this aside. Cook pasta. While pasta is cooking make the sauce. In a small saucepan, melt butter, add garlic, whipping cream, pepper, parmesan cheese, and bacon. Whisk together on low heat for 3-4 minutes. In a large bowl, pour over cooked, drained pasta, add chicken and stir through. Sprinkle a bit more cheese on top!

Garlic Chicken Thighs

This was a quick and easy meal. Pretty tasty too. I used skinless, bone-in chicken thighs. Since Weston likes to eat meat off of bones, he was a fan!

Easy Garlic Chicken

Ingredients
•1/2 cup butter
•3 tablespoons minced garlic
•3 tablespoons soy sauce
•1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•1 tablespoon dried parsley
•6 boneless chicken thighs, no skin
•dried parsley, to taste


Directions
1.Preheat the oven broiler. Lightly grease a baking pan.

2.In a microwave safe bowl, mix the butter, garlic, soy sauce, pepper, and parsley. Cook 2 minutes on High in the microwave, or until butter is melted.

3. Arrange chicken on the baking pan, and coat with the butter mixture, reserving some of the mixture for basting.

4. Broil chicken 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until juices run clear, turning occasionally and basting with remaining butter mixture. Sprinkle with parsley to serve.

Some cooking alternatives:
***Instead of broiling it, I bake it at 375 for about 45 minutes,stirring every 15 minutes or so.

***Also bone-in thighs, and broiled with rack set at second from top for about 30 minutes.

(From Allrecipes.com)

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken

Serves 4-6

12 oz linguine or fettuccine noodles, cooked and drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup chicken broth
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch cubes ( I used chicken thighs)
1 cup shredded zucchini
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
1 red pepper, cut into thin, long strips
1 tbsp lime juice
1 cup chopped cilantro, divided
chopped peanuts, for garnish

Add garlic, peanut butter, broth, chicken, zucchini, soy sauce, sugar, and red pepper to slow cooker. Stir to combine. Cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours. A half hour before you are going to serve, add in lime juice and 1/2 cup of cilantro. Serve over noodles and garnish with remaining cilantro and peanuts.

***I made this recipe and it was quite good. I doubled everything but the peanut butter (I was afraid it would be too strong) I also didn't add red peppers. Even Kevin liked it!!
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Cheesy Chicken and Rice

2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 cup evaporated milk (If I'm not freezing it, I use regular milk)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
3 cups cooked rice
dash pepper
6 boneless skinless chicken pieces
rotisserie chicken seasoning

Mix soup, milk, cheese, rice and pepper. Place in greased pan. Top with chicken pieces. Sprinkle with rotisserie chicken seasoning. Cover with foil. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 350. Uncover and bake 20 minutes longer. Stir before serving.

This can also be made into a freezer meal. Just put it in a disposable foil baking pan and cover with heavy foil. Label and freeze. Thaw before cooking.

From "Dinner is Ready"

Fish (or chicken) Tacos

Ingredients

* 1/4 cup fat-free mayonnaise
* 1/2 tablespoon lime juice
* 1 teaspoons fat-free milk
* 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
* 1 tablespoon lemon-pepper seasoning
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1 teaspoon water
* 1/2 pound orange roughy fillets, cut into 1-inch strips (we use 1 large chicken breast)
* 4 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
* 1 cup coleslaw mix
* 2 medium tomatoes, diced
* 1/2 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat Mexican cheese blend
* 1/2 avocado, sliced

Directions

* In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice and milk; cover and refrigerate until serving.
* In a shallow bowl, combine bread crumbs and lemon-pepper. In another shallow bowl, combine egg and water. Dip fish in egg mixture, then roll in crumbs.
* In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook fish over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until it flakes easily with a fork. Spoon onto tortillas; top with coleslaw mix, tomatoes, cheese and avocado. Drizzle with mayonnaise mixture. Yield: 4 servings.

Source: Simple and Delicious

Amy's Mesquite Chicken

(Note: This recipe is Amy's. She shared it long ago and now it's one of my family's favorites. Thanks Amy!)

Mesquite Chicken


Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. Grill Mates “Mesquite Marinade”

• 1 lb. chicken breasts or tenders

• 1 red onion

• Mozzarella cheese

Directions:

1. Make marinade according to directions on package. Put chicken in marinade and allow to sit in fridge for at least 15 minutes. The longer it marinates, the more flavorful the chicken will be!

2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put chicken in a baking dish or cookie sheet and bake chicken for about 20 minutes or until almost done.

3. While the chicken is cooking, slice red onion into thin rings.

4. After the 20 minutes, remove the chicken and place red onion rings on top of chicken. Cover with mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake for about 10 more minutes or until cheese is melted.