Made By Melissa

On The Barefoot Contessa the other day, Ina Garten did a show on classic Contessa recipes. This chicken was one of them. I love the combination of crunchy pecans and walnuts, mixed with the sweet grapes and pieces of moist, flavorful chicken. Speaking of the chicken, normally I poach chicken breasts for chicken salad, never again. Roasting the bone-in breasts made them so moist the flavor was so much better than poaching.

Next time I make this I will probably decrease the tarragon, I thought it was a little strong. Also, I think the salt measurement is a mis-print, the recipe calls for 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, I only used 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and it was still a bit salty. I served this chicken salad in a whole wheat pita with iceburg lettuce. I made some other small changes, noted below.

Chicken Salad Contessa

• 2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (1 1/2 pounds)
• Good olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• 1/2 cup pecan halves
• 1/2 cup walnuts halves
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise (I used light)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used light)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves, divided ( will use less next time)
• 1 cup green grapes, cut in 1/2 (I used 1/2 green and 1/2 red seedless grapes)
• Lettuce leaves, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking sheet and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool.

When the chicken is cool, remove meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken into a 3/4-inch dice.

Meanwhile, place the pecans and walnuts on a separate sheet pan and toast in the oven for 7 to 8 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool. I will skip this step next time, and probably just use walnuts.

For the dressing, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt (start with 1/2 teaspoon and use your judgement, 2 teaspoons is way to much) and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Fold in half the chopped tarragon leaves.

Place the diced chicken in a bowl, add the pecans, walnuts and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken and toss well. Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon leaves on top, and serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.

So while it seems like the rest of the world is embracing Spring with open arms, we are STILL getting snow! We have had more snow this year then I can ever remember. I know we have gotten at least 100 inches and broken a couple records.  I am more than ready for spring, but if I have to deal with the snow at least I am going to make something warm and comforting to eat!

I had been wanting to make chicken and dumplings all winter, but just hadn’t gotten around to it. Then I saw Chelley’s recipe over at Sugar and Spice. What I like about this recipe is that it used ingredients I already had on hand and other then some prep work, it was pretty much a hands off recipe. I made a few minor changes noted below. This dinner was very good and hit the spot on a cold, snowy day. I can’t wait to make it again in November with some turkey.

Chicken and Dumplings

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced (Nate does not like celery and would not have touched this if he even saw a hint of it)
• 1 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 of a large onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced (I used 2)
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups Bisquick
• 2/3 cup milk

Place chicken breasts in a pot, cover with water, and boil until fully cooked.

While chicken is boiling, melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed pot (I used a 5 qt saute pan). Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the pan and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent and vegetables are soft. If you see that they are getting too hot, reduce heat to medium low.

Add chicken broth and bouillon cubes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 30 minutes.

At this point you can add a slurry of flour and broth if the mixture is too thin for your likeness. I ended up using approximately 1/4 cup of flour, but would recommend adding 1 Tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired thickness. I find the best method for doing this is to ladle a scoop of broth out of the pot and into a separate cup. In that cup, whisk in the flour until smooth, and then whisk that mixture back into the pot. This keeps large clumps of flour from forming in your pot! Keep in mind your soup will thicken some more when your dumplings!

When chicken has finished cooking, let it cool long enough to handle. Shred the chicken and add it to the broth and vegetables, along with the peas and corn. Cover and let simmer for an additional 30 minutes. I only simmered another 10 minutes or so, just long enough for the frozen veggies to cook.

To prepare dumplings, mix together the Bisquick and milk, until a soft dough forms. Drop by rounded tablespoons into the chicken mixture (makes about 16 dumplings - I got exactly this many using my medium scoop from Pampered Chef). Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, or until the dumplings are done. The dumplings were cooked after the 20 minutes, and I was starving, so I served then. Be careful when you stir and serve the chicken and dumplings, as the dumplings are somewhat fragile and will break up into the soup.

I had tucked this recipe aside for a night when I needed something quick and easy. This chicken bakes up very easily and comes out moist and flavorful. We had it with long-grain and wild rice and broccoli. Thank you to Julia for finding this recipe from allrecipes.com.

Baked Garlic Parmesan Chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil (I increased to 3 tablespoons)
1 clove garlic, minced (I increased to 3 cloves, we love garlic!)
1 cup dry bread crumbs (I used Italian seasoned)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves (omitted)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (I used 3 chicken breasts, pounded thin and cut in half)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. 

I was browsing myrecipes.com the other day when I found this Cooking Light recipe. This chicken is delicious. Very moist and the raspberry jam adds just enough sweetness, but does not over-power the chicken. I used a little over a pound of chicken breasts and doubled the onions and the ingredients for the sauce. I should have let the sauce simmer down some more, but I was in a hurry so it was a little thin. We had the chicken with mashed potatoes and a side salad.

Caramelized Onion Chicken

• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup sliced onion
• 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary 

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 2 minutes. Add chicken to pan; sauté 8 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove onion and chicken from pan.

Add jam and remaining ingredients to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Return chicken mixture to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ohhh laughing cow, how I love you. So many uses for your creamy goodness.

I was siked when I saw this recipe for Laughing Cow Alfredo sauce over at Danielle’s blog. I am always looking for new ways to use this cheese, and this recipe is super-easy! Danielle got this recipe from the Weight Watchers message boards. I doubled the recipe, so we would have some leftovers and added some grilled chicken and broccoli.

Laughing Cow Alfredo (Double recipe)

Put cheeses, milk, butter and garlic powder in a small sauce pan and set on low. Cook for 20 minutes or until creamy and smooth, stirring frequently.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Once the sauce is done, add broccoli and chicken, stir to combine. Serve over pasta.

There are several versions of chicken taco soup out there, but I decided to make this one from Melissa’s blog.  I love that you can throw the ingredients in the crock-pot in the morning and have a warm, delicious, hearty soup for dinner. Original recipe is from allrecipes.com.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Taco Soup

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans (I used kidney beans)
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained (I used frozen)
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced

Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.

Occasionally we have Wii nights where we have some friends over, play different Wii games and munch on some snacks. I am always looking for new recipes to try. They have to be easy to make, easy to eat and taste good! Last Saturday, we had another Wii night and I decided to try these lime-marinated chicken quesadillas and garlicky beef crostini, along with some cold snacks.

I modified this recipe from allrecipes.com for the lime marinade and used it to make the quesadillas. I was a little skeptical about using the lime, but it adds great flavor and does not over-power the chicken at all. These quesadillas were delicious!

Lime-Marinated-Chicken Quesadillas

Combine first 8 ingredients in a shallow dish. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade. Add the chicken, cover and refrigerate for at least a couple hours.

Heat a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until juices run clear. Shred the chicken with 2 forks, add reserved 1/4 cup of marinade and 1/4 cup of water. Let simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed, set aside.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place 1 tortilla on the skillet, sprinkle cheese and chicken over tortilla and top with another tortilla. Heat until cheese is melted and bottom is golden brown, flip quesadilla and heat until other side is golden brown.

Serve with salsa and sour cream, garnish with green onions.

This recipe is a variation off of Cooking Light’s chicken and asparagus in white wine sauce. That recipe was very similar to the chicken francaise recipe in my blog, so I made a few changes. The end result was a very good chicken dish that I will certainly be making again.

Chicken and Asparagus in Creamy White Wine Sauce

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I increased to 1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I increased to 4 cloves)
• 1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed (or green beans/hericots verts)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (Omitted)
• 2 tablespoons low free 1/2 and 1/2

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add wine, broth, and garlic to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 minutes. Add asparagus; cover and cook 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender (this took more like 6 minutes for me). Remove asparagus, keep warm. Increase heat to high and simmer liquid until slightly thickened, add 1/2 and 1/2 and simmer for 2 more minutes. Return chicken to pan, stir in parsley. Serve with asparagus.

There are a couple different versions of this recipe floating around- some with a whole chicken, some with chicken parts, different herbs etc. I chose to go with this one from crockpotrecipes101.com. I made a few changes, based on what I had on hand. This chicken came out well, not as good as I thought it would be, but something I will probably make again. All of the extra roasted garlic was a huge bonus though! I added red potatoes to the crock-pot, one less side for me to cook.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

• 40 cloves garlic (about 3 heads of garlic)
• 2 sprigs rosemary (I used dried)
• 2 sprigs thyme (I used dried)
• 2 sprigs sage (I used dried)
• 2 sprigs Italian parsley
• Ground pepper to taste
• 3 pounds roasting or fryer chicken
• 3 stalks celery
• 4 red potatoes, quartered
• Loaf french bread - optional

Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry. Put celery on the bottom of the crock-pot. I rubbed the chicken with olive oil inside and out, then sprinkled with the dried herbs. Put 1 sprig of each herb into the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken on top of the celery. Add potatoes around chicken. Cut up the rest of the herbs and sprinkle on top of the chicken. Add ground pepper to taste. Peel garlic, leave skin on, and place on top and around chicken. I have a 6qt. crock-pot, so I added about 3/4 cup chicken broth. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove chicken from crock-pot and place on a platter, arrange potatoes around chicken and top with some fresh parsley. The cooked garlic can be used in place as garlic butter for the french bread. Just squeeze and spread onto bread slices.

On my first ever trip to Trader Joe’s, I knew I had to pick up some much-raved-about pizza dough. I generally go the boboli route when it comes to homemade pizza, my one attempt with actual dough resulted in a very messy kitchen and a very lop-sided pizza. But, after hearing so many great things about TJ’s dough, I decided to give it a try.

For this pizza, I used the garlic herb dough, as well as TJ’s Alfredo sauce and roasted minced garlic. The crust was fantastic! The Alfredo sauce was pretty good, definitely convenient for a busy night, but if I had time I would probably make my own. The roasted garlic added a lot of flavor to the pizza and I look forward to using it in more dishes. I also bought some plain pizza dough and a few other items you will see in future entries!

After reading several reviews for the crust on traderjoesfan.com, as well as the advice from the What’s Cooking? forum, I decided to pre-bake the crust. I also made my pizza into a rectangle, as I don’t have a pizza stone (yet!) We had this with a side salad. I am definitely looking forward to making more home-made pizzas!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

• Trader Joes garlic herb pizza dough
• Alfredo sauce
• 2 small or 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• Trader Joes roasted minced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Let dough sit out at room temp for 20 minutes ( I read this is important to make the dough roll easily.) Work with dough on a well-floured surface to shape into a circle/rectangle with a rolling pin. Some people find it is easier to stretch the dough by hand, I thought the rolling pin worked better. Bake the dough in pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan. Season chicken breast(s) with salt and pepper. Heat over medium heat, add chicken and cook for 6-8 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside, add another tablespoon of olive oil or so, add onions to pan and turn down heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.

Remove pre-baked crust from the oven and spread on Alfredo sauce (I used about 1/2 a jar.) Top with chopped chicken, onions, roasted garlic and cheeses. Return to oven and bake another 12-14 minutes, until crust is golden brown on the edges.