Chicken with Mushrooms, Prosciutto, and Cream Sauce

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and decided to try it after reading the excellent reviews. I used low fat sour cream to make it healthier. I served it with roasted asparagus (using the same method as this recipe for roasted broccoli) and spaghetti noodles with sauce from the chicken on it. We thought it was really good and hopefully you will too!


Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
6 chicken thighs
salt and pepper to taste
6 slices prosciutto (thin sliced)
2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1/4 cup dry white wine (optional)
1 cup sour cream


Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Drizzle melted butter into a casserole dish. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic. Wrap prosciutto around chicken thighs, and place in casserole dish. Place mushrooms and remaining garlic on top of chicken.
• Bake for about 1 hour, until juices run clear. Remove chicken to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
• Pour drippings from casserole into a skillet set over medium-low heat. Wihisk in wine and sour cream, and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until warmed through. Pour sauce over chicken and enjoy!
  

Source: Allrecipes.com

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This tangy dip resembles the taste of buffalo chicken wings and seems to be a hit each time I make it.  The buffalo sauce can be adjusted according to taste- use more if you would like it spicier.  This dip can also be placed in a crock pot rather than baked in the oven, which makes it easily transportable, and able to be kept warm and gooey all throughout a football game or party.

Ingredients

3 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (if they are pretty large I'd probably use only 2)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese (I use 1/3 less fat)
1 cup ranch dressing (sometimes I use 1/2 cup ranch and 1/2 cup blue cheese dressing)
3/4 cup Frank's Red Hot sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

For serving

1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut in to 4 inch pieces
Crackers

Directions

• Boil chicken breasts until cooked through and no longer pink the middle, then cool and shred them.
• Place shredded chicken and hot sauce in a pan over medium heat and heat through.
• Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing, stirring and cooking until well blended and warm.
• Mix in half of the shredded cheese, then place the mixture in a lightly greased baking pan or transfer to a slow cooker.
• Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and bake at 325 degrees until hot and bubbly (about 20 mins) or cook on low setting in crock pot until hot and bubbly.
• Serve with celery sticks and crackers (I use Ritz or Townhouse brands).

Recipe originally adapted from allrecipes.com, however changes have been made to reflect personal taste.

Champagne Chicken

I tried it out mainly because it seemed interesting that champagne was used to make the sauce. The meal received rave reviews from my husband, who stated, "You have to blog this" after only a few bites. I do not blog every recipe that I try, but this one is definitely something worth sharing. The sauce is rich and tangy. It went well with the orzo pasta I served along side it, but I think it would also go well with a simple salad and bread sticks to dip in the sauce. Oh, and don't forget to pour yourself a glass of bubbly!

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/3 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup butter

2 tsp olive oil

1.5 cups champagne

1 cup whipping cream

1 tsp ground rosemary

Directions:

• Flatten chicken by placing on a cutting board, covering with plastic wrap, and pounding with meat mallet or rolling pin.
  
• Dust chicken with the flour, salt and pepper
• In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil together over medium heat
• Add chicken and saute 5 minutes, turn over and add the champagne. Continue to cook for 12-15 minutes
• Add the cream and rosemary and cook until thickened
• Remove chicken and place on your serving plate. Pour sauce over chicken and enjoy

*I did not use the rosemary in this recipe because I didn't have any on hand. I do not think it is needed, however left it in the recipe in case someone wants to try it.

Recipe adapted from the Rookie Chef

Chicken Chili

We recently had a group of fellow Wisconsinites over to watch the Packers beat the Lions 26-0. It was a perfect fall day here in Southern Alabama, and we were all excited to welcome "sweatshirt" weather. I wanted to make something warm and comforting to eat while we watched the game, and this chicken chili turned out great. Everyone gobbled it right up, and a couple of people requested the recipe, so I figured it was definitely worthy of a blog post! This is a much healthier alternative to traditional chili, with just as much flavor and spice.

Ina Garten's (Food Network's Barefoot Contessa) chicken chili recipe is the base, but I followed many suggestions from the reviewers. I would consider the amount of spice in this recipe to be "moderate", so adjust spices according to your taste.

Ingredients

3 yellow onions chopped
1/8 cup olive oil, plus extra for chicken
about 4 cloves minced garlic
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
2 yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded, and large-diced
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for chicken
2 (28 oz) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes, undrained
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
3-4 chicken breasts (may use bone-in or boneless/skinless)
freshly ground black pepper
For serving:
chopped onions, corn chips, grated cheddar, sour cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a baking pan with cooking spray and place chicken in pan. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper, chili powder, and a little cayenne pepper. Roast in oven for 35-40 mins, or until juices run clear, then let cool in pan.

2. Cook onions in the oil over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

3. Add the bell peppers, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, cayenne, and salt. Cook for 1 minute.

4. Crush the tomatoes by hand (wash your hands well and dig in!) and add to the pot with the basil. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Remove skin and bones from chicken (if using bone-in chicken breasts). Cut cooked chicken breasts into 3/4 inch chunks. Add to the chili and simmer, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.

6. Serve with the toppings. Enjoy!

Garlic Panko Chicken Strips

This recipe is likely going to make many re-appearances in our house! It uses ingredients that are easy to keep on hand, is pretty easy to put together, and we really enjoyed it. The chicken turned out very moist and the coating was crunchy and delicious. I felt like we were eating a grown up version of chicken nuggets- and it's healthier too! To make this, I loosely followed a recipe from Recipezaar, however I made many alterations which are in "my" recipe below. This recipe makes enough for two servings, but could easily be doubled.

Please be sure to use panko bread crumbs when making this recipe, in order to get the crunchy coating. Panko bread crumbs are usually in the "ethnic" section of the grocery store becuase they are from Japanese cuisine. Enjoy!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
1/8 cup shredded parmesan (I used Kraft, but be sure it is shredded, not grated)
salt to taste (I only used a pinch)
freshly ground pepper to taste
McCormik's Montreal Chicken Seasoning to taste (or any other seasonings you prefer)
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast

Directions

1. Melt butter in a small saucepan and add garlic.
2. In a low/flat dish comine panko, parmesan, salt, pepper, and seasonings.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a baking pan with nonstick cooking spray.
4. Cut chicken breasts crosswise into strips.
5. Roll chicken pieces in garlic butter, then completely dredge in panko mixture. Place on baking pan.
6. If there is any remaining panko mix, sprinkle it over the chicken and drizzle lightly with any left over butter.
7. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes.