Chicken Breasts with Cranberry Quinoa

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1 fresh thyme sprig
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 green onions, chopped
1 celery rib, chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries
2/3 cup chopped dried apricots
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2-1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon salt

CHICKEN:
3/4 cup dry sherry
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 large tart apple, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons butter
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:
In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Add quinoa and thyme. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat; fluff with a fork. Discard thyme.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add green onions and celery; cook and stir until tender. Add cooked quinoa. Stir in the dried fruits, lemon juice, lemon peel and salt.

In a large saucepan, mix the first six chicken ingredients until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until slightly thickened. Add the apple, cranberries and walnuts. Stir in preserves and butter until melted.

Cut a pocket horizontally in the thickest part of each chicken breast. Fill each with 2-3 tablespoons quinoa mixture; secure with toothpicks. Place remaining quinoa mixture in a greased 1-qt. baking dish; cover with foil. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Carefully brown stuffed chicken on both sides. Transfer to a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; pour apple mixture over top.

Bake chicken and quinoa, at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in chicken reads 170° and quinoa is heated through. Serve chicken with quinoa. Discard toothpicks before serving.

Comments:
A little labor intensive, but so worth it. I skipped the "stuffing" part and just cooked the quinoa mixture underneath the chicken. Such a great mix of flavors and textures. I'd definitely make this one again.

Slim Chicken Parm with Spaghetti (Squash)

From Everyday With Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
8 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
4 5 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 28 ounce can chopped tomatoes
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain.
2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 8 minutes; transfer to a plate.
3. In the same skillet, cook the garlic over medium heat until golden, about 1 minute. Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Return the chicken and any juices to the skillet, turning to coat. Top each piece of chicken with some of the mozzarella and 1 teaspoon parmesan, cover and cook until the cheese is melted, about 2 minutes; transfer to a platter.
4. Add the pasta and parsley to the skillet, toss and season with salt. Sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and serve alongside the chicken.

Comments:
I've made this one before, but this time I swapped out the pasta for some spaghetti squash. This was my first time cooking a spaghetti squash and I was amazed at how easy it is. Cut it (ok, so this wasn't easy - I called in the big guns (ie Adam)), put it on a baking sheet, bake in the oven at 350 for an hour, scrape the guts into a bowl, and voila. Fake spaghetti. It's just a little bit sweet so it goes well with the acidic tomato-based sauce. Overall, a success. I'm excited about all the other possibilities for spaghetti squash.

Baked Chicken Egg Rolls

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
2 cups grated carrots
1 (14.5 ounce) can bean sprouts, drained
1/2 cup chopped water chestnuts
1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups finely diced cooked chicken
4 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 pinch cayenne pepper
16 egg roll wrappers
nonstick cooking spray

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. Coat a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat; cook and stir carrots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts, green pepper, green onions, and garlic until vegetables are crisp, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Combine cornstarch, water, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon oil, brown sugar, and cayenne in a small bowl; stir into chicken mixture. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir, cooking until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes; remove from heat.
4. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture on the bottom third of one egg roll wrapper. Fold sides toward center and roll tightly; place seam side down on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers. Spray top of egg rolls with nonstick cooking spray.
5. Bake in preheated oven until lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.

Comments:
Egg rolls are relatively easy to make and aren't too bad for you if you fill them with a lot of veggies and bake, rather than fry, them. These were good, even though I left the water chestnuts out because Adam's not a fan.

Asian Chicken Sizzling Salad

From Kraft



Ingredients:
1 small boneless skinless chicken breast half (4 oz.)
1/2 tsp. oil
1/6 Kraft Sizzling Salads Asian Chicken Dinner Kit
3 cups tightly packed baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup drained canned mandarin oranges
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1/4 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/4 cup halved snow peas
1 green onion, sliced
1 Tbsp. sliced almonds

Directions:
Cook chicken in hot oil in skillet on medium-high heat 4 to 5 min. on each side or until done (165ºF).

Add 2 Tbsp. Cooking Sauce; cook on low heat 1 min., turning chicken after 30 sec.

Combine remaining ingredients. Add 2 Tbsp. Dressing; mix lightly. Serve with chicken.

Comments:
I skipped the spinach and the dressing since I'm not a fan of sesame oil, but I really liked the cooking sauce. Adam liked the whole thing. We picked this Sizzling Salad kit up for FREE because it was on sale and had a coupon that doubled. Can't beat that. We also got the Caesar kit and look forward to trying that one.

Herb and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 (4-ounce) package goat cheese
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

Directions:
1. Preheat broiler to high.

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each breast half to form a pocket. Stuff 2 tablespoons cheese mixture into each pocket; close opening with a wooden pick. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan. Add chicken to pan, and cook for 2 minutes on 1 side or until browned. Arrange chicken on a baking sheet (browned side up); broil for 8 minutes or until done.

Comments:
I had some trouble with this one. I had to cook it much, much longer than the recipe calls for in the oven. Like three times as long. It just wasn't getting cooked. I even "unrolled" it and laid the breasts flat. It was annoying. I even scrapped the whole "slit" idea and pounded the breasts out instead hoping that would help with cooking times. All in all, not too impressed and probably won't make it again.

Shredded Barbecue Chicken with Grits

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
1 cup hickory smoke-flavored barbecue sauce
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon ground ancho chili pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2-1/4 cups water
1 cup quick-cooking grits
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped
6 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
2 green onions, chopped
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Directions:
Sprinkle chicken with pepper; place in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine 1 cup broth, barbecue sauce, molasses, chili pepper and cinnamon; pour over chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Shred meat with two forks and return to the skillet.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring water and remaining broth to a boil. Slowly stir in grits and pumpkin. Reduce heat; cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted.

Divide grits among six serving bowls; top each with 1/2 cup chicken mixture. Serve with tomato, sour cream, green onions and cilantro.

Comments:
Adapted this one a little for what I had around. Left out the cinnamon and pumpkin, used cheddar instead of pepperjack, omitted the tomato and cilantro. Overall not too bad. Adam thought it would make a good sandwich.

Quick Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts

From Cooking Light



Also seen here.

Ingredients:
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3 tablespoons canola mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chile paste (such as sambal oelek)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

Directions:
1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to an even thickness (about 1/2-inch), using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Combine mayonnaise, soy sauce, juice, and chile paste in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal and marinate in refrigerator 15 minutes. Remove chicken from bag; discard the marinade.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken evenly in panko. Add half of chicken to pan; saute 4 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Wipe pan clean with paper towels. Repeat procedure with remaining oil and chicken.

Comments:
I did marinate them this time. I don't know if it made a difference or not. They were still pretty good. I like easy recipes.

Nice 'N' Easy Italian Chicken

From Crock-Pot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 26oz jar pasta sauce
hot cooked spaghetti

Directions:
Combine all ingredients except pasta in slow cooker. Cover; cook on low 6-8 hours or until chicken is tender. Serve over spaghetti.

Comments:
Not much out there that's easier to make than this. This is the classic "throw some stuff in the crockpot and forget about it" meal. It turned out really well. I did use a red pepper rather than the green since I think green peppers tend to overpower everything else in the dish. It does make a lot for just two people so I ended up freezing a bunch. We'll see how it tastes when it's thawed.

Moroccan Chicken Salad

From Eating Well



Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 cups shredded carrots
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives
1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
Combine rice, chicken, carrots, scallions and olives in a large bowl. Whisk together broth, orange juice, lemon juice, mint, cilantro, oil, cinnamon, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste in another bowl. Toss dressing with rice mixture.

Comments:
I went a little heavy handed with the cayenne on this one. And again with the cinnamon. I'm just not a cinnamon fan, I guess. I might try this again skipping those two ingredients, but I don't know. The balance of rice to carrots to chicken seemed off to me and Adam didn't really care for it at all.

Indian-Style Apricot Chicken

From CrockPot Favorite Slow Cooker Recipes



Ingredients:
6 skinless chicken thighs, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 8oz package dried apricots
1 pinch saffron threads (optional)
Hot basmati rice

Directions:
1. Coat slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Brown chicken on all sides. Transfer to prepared slow cooker.

2. Add onion to skillet. Cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Stir in garlic, ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Cook and stir 15 to 30 seconds longer or until mixture is fragrant. Add tomatoes with juice and broth. Cook 2 or 3 minutes or until mixture is heated through. Pour into clow cooker.

3. Add apricots and saffron, if desired. Cover; cook on LOW 5 to 6 hours (HIGH 3 to 4 hours) or until chicken is tender. Add salt and pepper, if desired. Serve with basmati rice.

Comments:
We weren't sold on this one. Adam wasn't a fan of all the tomato action. I didn't like the cinnamon part. We ate it, but probably wouldn't make it again.

Mango Chicken with Plum Sauce

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/2 pound fresh snow peas, trimmed
2 large carrots, sliced diagonally
2 medium zucchini, sliced
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1/2 medium sweet red pepper, sliced
1 can (4 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound finely chopped cooked chicken breast (about 3 cups)
2 medium mangoes, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup plum sauce
2 cups hot cooked brown rice
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Directions:
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and salt; stir in broth and teriyaki sauce until smooth. Cook and stir until thickened. Set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry the snow peas, carrots, zucchini, onion, pepper and water chestnuts in oil until crisp-tender. Add the chicken, mangoes and broth mixture; heat through. Stir in plum sauce. Serve with rice. Sprinkle with almonds.

Comments:
This dish perfectly represents the difference between my food preferences and Adam's. I'd eat this every day. Seriously. Adam? He said it was ok and he'd like to have it again...in a year.

Anyway, left out the water chestnuts because they're on Adam's "hell no" food list. Also didn't add the almonds because... ok, because I forgot. Stir-fries require mad multi-tasking skillz and I failed on that one. Oh well. It was fine without them. I used my rice cooker for the first time in ages. I love it! I wish I didn't have to make 4 cups of rice to use it... but when I do it's the best rice ever. Do they make smaller rice cookers? I should google that later...

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
Eight 6-inch soft corn tortillas
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Two skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons hot sauce, such as Frank’s RedHot
2 ounces blue cheese
3 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
4 cups shredded green-leaf lettuce
6 radishes, shredded
2 carrots, shredded

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 200°. Wrap the tortillas in foil and place in the oven.

2. In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the pan; cover loosely with foil and cook, turning once, until golden and cooked through, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate. Brush the chicken on both sides with the hot sauce and tent with foil to keep warm.

3. Meanwhile, using a food processor, blend the blue cheese, mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons water until smooth; transfer to a large bowl. Add the lettuce, radishes and carrots and toss to coat.

4. Thinly slice the chicken against the grain. Lay the tortillas on a work surface in a single layer. Divide the salad among them; top with the chicken and any juices

Comments:
Yeah, doesn't look too appetizing, does it? It wasn't that good. Maybe it was because I forgot the lettuce. Dunno. But neither of us was a big fan of this one.

Pomegranate Chicken with Walnuts

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 cups rice
5 skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 pound), cut into quarters
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 clove garlic, smashed
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/2 cups cranberry-pomegranate juice
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. In a medium saucepan, bring the rice and 2 1/4 cups water to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the water has evaporated and the rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned, about 7 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the onion, garlic and walnuts to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cinnamon, scraping up any browned bits. Return the chicken and any juices to the pan, add the cranberry-pomegranate juice and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer the chicken to a serving platter.

3. Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 3 minutes; stir in the parsley and pour over the chicken. Serve on top of the rice.

Comments:
I skipped the rice since I was making the aforementioned cheese puffs. The chicken itself was pretty good. I used breasts instead of thighs, but kept the rest the same. I really dug the pomegranate-cranberry juice combo.

Chicken Swiss Bundles

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1-1/2 teaspoons butter
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup chopped roasted sweet red peppers
1 tablespoon honey mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese
12 frozen bread dough dinner rolls, thawed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:
In a large skillet, saute onion and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add the chicken, peppers, mustard and seasonings; heat through. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese.

Flatten each roll into a 5-in. circle. Place 1/4 cup chicken mixture in the center of six circles. Brush edges with water; top with remaining circles. Press edges with a fork to seal.

Place on greased baking sheets; brush with butter. Bake at 350° for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cut bundles in half to serve.

Comments:
I kind of went off on my own way on this one. I skipped the mushrooms and peppers, used mozzarella cheese instead of swiss, used olive oil and an egg wash instead of butter. It all turned out pretty good, except for a few unexpected pockets of mustard. Heh.

Gorgonzola, Spinach & Cheddar Chicken

From Living Well, Health & Fitness Column, The Associated Press 2010



Ingredients:
1 1/2 T. olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 oz. shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 oz. crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 c. seasoned breadcrumbs
2 T. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. ground black pepper
2 large egg whites

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F.

2. In a medium skillet over medium-high, heat 1 T. of olive oil. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the spinach and Italian seasoning, cook until all liquid has evaporated. Mix in both cheeses. Set aside.

3. Lay each chicken breast flat on a cutting board. Make a horizontal slit along one side to create a pocket in the meat. Do not cut all the way through. Place a quarter of the cheese mixture in the pocket, then press the meat together over it. Do with all 4 breasts.

4. Mix breadcrumbs, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. In another bowl, lightly beat the egg whites. Dip chicken in the egg whites, and then roll in the bread crumbs.

5. In a skillet, heat remaining 1/2 T. of oil. Add chicken. Cook until brown on one side. Turn breast over and place skillet in oven. Bake until no longer pink in the center (20 min.)

Comments:
Pretty easy, although these tiny chicken breasts we get make it hard to get much stuffing in them. 4oz portion size - pfft! Anywho, aside from the spillage outage issue, very yummy.

Kung Pao Chicken

From Cooking Light



Ingredients:
2 tablespoons dark sesame oil
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced ginger
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper (about 1 large pepper)
1 cup snow peas, trimmed
2 tablespoons chopped unsalted, dry-roasted peanuts

Directions:
1. Heat sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until softened. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chicken; sauté 3 minutes or until chicken begins to brown.

2. Combine 3/4 cup water and the next 5 ingredients (through crushed red pepper), stirring with a whisk until sugar dissolves. Add water mixture to pan; bring to a boil. Add bell pepper and snow peas to pan; cook for 2 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and sauce thickens. Sprinkle with nuts.

Comments:
This was pretty good. I used a green pepper instead of red because I had half of one sitting in the fridge from something else. I think I might have overdone it on the red pepper flakes because it was a little spicy. I had the leftovers over rice for dinner the next day.

Chicken with Grapefruit-Butter Sauce

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 pounds new potatoes, halved
2 tablespoons choopped parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds)
Salt and pepper
4 scallions, green and white portions chopped separately
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 red grapefruits, 2 cut into segments, 2 juiced
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, cut into 8 pieces and chilled

Directions:
1. Place the potatoes in a large pot with enough salted water to cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, return to the pot and toss with the parsley.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook until browned, 5 to 8 minutes on each side; transfer to a plate.

3. Add the scallion whites to the skillet and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the wine and grapefruit juice, scraping up any browned bits; bring to a boil and cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1 piece of butter until smooth; repeat with the remaining 7 pieces. Stir in the grapefruit segments and scallion greens and season with salt and pepper. Serve over the chicken, alongside the potatoes.

Comments:
Eh. Not too impressed with this one. I thought it would be interesting but I probably won't make it again.

Chicken Florentine Meatballs

From Taste of Home



Ingredients:
2 eggs, beaten
1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 pound ground chicken

Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble chicken over mixture and mix well. Shape into 1-1/2-in. balls.

Place meatballs on a rack in a shallow baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink.

Comments:
I skipped the sauce and squash part of the recipe and just stuck with the meatballs. They were really good. I hesitate to use ground chicken because it always seems to be so mushy, but the breadcrumbs in this recipe really helped to hold everything together.

Slow Cooker Chicken Continental

From allrecipes.com



Ingredients:
2 (8 ounce) jars dried beef
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup sour cream
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:
Lightly grease slow cooker, and line with dried beef. Place 2 to 3 chicken breasts in the slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, soup, and flour; pour 1/2 of mixture over chicken. Layer with the dried beef and chicken breasts, and pour in the remaining sour cream mixture. Top with the remaining dried beef.

Cook in slow cooker on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 hours.

Comments:
I took the advice of some of the comments on the allrecipes site and used roast beef instead of dried beef. I also used cream of chicken since I don't like mushrooms. I think it turned out ok, but I don't know if I'd make it again. Didn't really wow me.

Grilled Sliced Chicken with Cheesy Polenta

From Everday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 poblano chiles
Extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO ), for drizzling
4 pieces skinless, boneless chicken breast
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
A handful cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder (hot) or sweet smoked paprika (not), about 2/3 palmful
About 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup milk
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup quick-cooking polenta
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Over an open flame or in the broiler, char the poblanos until blackened all over, turning occasionally, 10 to 12 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover and let cool. Peel, seed and chop the poblanos.

Preheat a griddle pan or large skillet over medium-high heat; drizzle with a little EVOO. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. In a microwavable bowl, soften 3 tablespoons butter in the microwave for a few seconds on high. Add half of the cilantro or parsley, the rosemary, the chile powder or paprika and the oregano.

While the chicken cooks, heat a drizzle of EVOO in a saucepan. Add the corn and heat through for a couple of minutes. Add the charred poblano, stir in the milk and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Whisk in the polenta and cook over low heat, stirring, until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the cheese.

Slice the hot chicken on the diagonal, then dollop with the spicy butter. Spoon some polenta underneath or alongside the sliced chicken.

Comments:
I cooked the chicken in the George Foreman (because I forgot to thaw it. Whoops) and skipped the butter, but otherwise stuck to the plan. The chicken was nothing special, but the polenta was awesome. Some extra texture from the corn, some spice from the poblano, and cheese.