CHICKEN W/ ARTICHOKES & MUSHROOMS

Our family eats a lot of chicken.  I am always trying to come up with fun and different chicken recipes.  This can be hard at times because right around the time I have to make dinner is the time that my brain has stopped working!  Anyway, I came up with a great chicken recipe a few weeks ago that I called Chicken w/ Artichokes & Mushrooms.  I dredged the chicken pieces in flour and then browned them.  I then created a light lemon flavored sauce from chicken broth, white wine and lemon.  This dish was quick and easy to make.  This chicken dish went great with a side of  Orzo w/ Sundried Tomato & Feta.  Toss a small garden salad and voila....dinner is served!

MOTHER'S DAY - Part 1

When planning a big party I always wonder how many things I can do ahead of time so that when my guests arrive I too can sit and relax and enjoy the party.  It never happens quite like that, but by planning ahead and choosing recipes that I can make 1 to 2 days before the party, it really helps me enjoy my day a bit more as well.  That and I can actually talk to my guests.  For Mother's Day this year I am having about 16 adults and a handful of kids.  I have decided to make Grilled Leom-Oregano Drumsticks, Rosemary & Orange Pork Kabobs and a ton of very fun, flavorful and colorful make ahead salads.  This post I have included the recipe for the Grilled Lemon-Oregano Chicken Drumsticks & also my speciality cocktail for the day, Viognier Fruit Spritzer.  "Viognier" is a special wine that comes from a special grape that is limited in its making.  The grapes are grown in a special region of France & also California.  The taste is a very exotic fruit with flavors of peach and citrus.  Once you have this wine....you will not go back to a Chardonay!  As soon as I make these recipes on Sunday I will post  pictures!

CHICKEN DIABLO WITH PARMESAN POLENTA

This past Easter while my husband & I were visiting his parents in Pittsburgh, we went to an Italian restaraunt.  My husband ordered "Chicken Diablo", which means very hot chicken in a tomato sauce served over pasta.  I tasted his meal when it arrived and it was good, but I immediately had ideas of how to make it excellent!  I sliced some chicken breasts and added some onions and assorted bell peppers.  I turned up the heat with a little seeded and minced serrano pepper and crushed red pepper flakes.  The good news about this recipe is that you can omit all the spicy ingredients and still have a great tasting chicken dish.  I guess you could not call it Chicken "Diablo" anymore....maybe you would have to call it "Chicken de Angles' " instead.  Either way this dish is great. You can make it extremely spicy or extremely mild OR you can make it somewhere in the middle like I did.

Chicken Parmesan with Orzo & Feta

The very first meal I had ever made my husband (my then new boyfriend at the time) was Chicken Parmesan with Orzo and Feta.  I picked this for two reasons: (1.) this dish is one of my specialities and I knew I could not mess it up, (2.) this dish is also out of this world when made properly and I knew I would blow him away and he would fall instantly in love with me.  We were married two years later...it worked!  This dish does take a little time and preparation so I usually save it for special occasions.  This past week-end we had a very close friend of my husband's (mine too) come and stay with us, so I decided to break out my Chicken Parm recipe.  Unfortunately, one of my little one's had the flu which was then past down to our house guest!  I did end up making this dinner on Sunday, but I think he may have been a little too under the weather to enjoy it.  That being said...this recipe is a must for a special occasion or when you just want to "wow" someone with the tastes and flavors! 

Chicken Cacciatore

There is no "one" recipe for Chicken Cacciatore.  Just like everyone has their own recipe and their own way for making "sauce", everyone has a different way and recipe for making Chicken Cacciatore.  The main concept does not change; meaning the dish is made up of chicken, peppers and olives in a tomato based sauce.  Most people use a red wine to flavor the sauce, but I like mine a bit lighter in taste and color so I use white wine and chicken  broth.  I use two kinds of olives; kalamata and spanish green. I add a bit of the olive juice for flavor. I also love the look of mult-icolored peppers (green, red, orange and yellow).  I serve this dish along side some egg noodles, couscous or creamy polenta. I also made some Brocolli with Garlic & Breadcrumbs (see future post for recipe).  This dish is truely Italian peasant food and it should not go without a nice hunk of crusty italian bread and a glass of chianti! 

Chicken Paillards with Clementine Salsa

I found a great recipe in the December 09 issue of Bon Appetite.  The picture was so colorful and gorgeous it was basically screaming to me " Make me for dinner!".  Clementines are in season right now, and these mixed with the other ingredients come together to make a wonderfully light meal.  I changed it up a bit though.  It called for a 1/2 cup of chopped red onion....I don't like when the onion is the main flavor...unless they are carmalized,  I changed that to only 1 to 2 TB. I also don't like a whole heck of a lot of uncooked celery...I changed that from a 1/2 cup to 1 - 2 TB. as well just for a bit of celery flavor.  I also added one chopped garlic clove.  Instead of just using the clementine juice for the sauce I also added about 1/2 cup of chicken broth. I served it with some herbed whole wheat couscous with crumbled feta and sauted green beans.  It was fast, easy and healthy!  You can't beat a recipe like this!  My husband loved it!  He kept saying, "out of the park..."...I guess in guys sports language that means I hit a home run?  Anway...I knew he loved it!  This for sure is a keeper recipe!  Please try it you will be very happy you did!

Roasted Lemon & Rosemary Chicken

I don't think there is anything better than the smell of a chicken roasting in the oven.  Roasting a chicken is super simple, very delicious and you can get at least two meals out of it (depending on the size of your family).  I roast my chicken with some lemons and some fresh rosemary.  To accompany my Roasted Lemon & Rosemary Chicken I threw together some ingredients to make a wonderful pan gravy, some Roasted Rosemary & Olive Oil Potatoes and Fresh Green Beans with Shallots & Bacon.  This meal is so easy to make, but it takes like you slaved over it in the kitchen for hours!

*Photo Courtesy of Fine Cooking

A New Breading For Chicken

Do you ever get tired of the same ol' breadcrumbs?  I do!  I saw a recipe in an old Gourmet magazine of mine titled " Polenta-Crusted Chicken with Balsamic Caper Pan Sauce".  I read the recipe and the one thing I love about it was the fact that the chicken was breaded with a polenta mixture instead of breadcrumbs.  I rarely ever follow recipes so of course I took away a bunch of ingredients and added on a lot of my own ingredients and came up with what I call  Polenta Crusted Chicken with Tomato & Wine Pan Sauce.   My sister was over that night for dinner and she loved it!  My husband loved it!  My kids could not stop saying "mmmm...mommy....mmmm...mommy", which is always a good sign!  Check it out!  I served it with garlic spinach and mashed potatoes.

A Healthier Chicken Parmesean

So with all this talk of Thanksgiving I have almost forgotten to up-keep my dinner recipes that I have been making for my family.  One night I came up with a darn good baked, not fried, chicken parmesean.  Don't get me wrong...the fried version is the best and I make a mean traditional chicken parm (look for my recipe on a future post).  I usually try to save the fried foods for a special occasion and try to make things a bit on the lighter side for my family on a daily basis.  Try this healthier version with a side of pasta and a garden salad...your family will love it!

 

A "Monday Night Chicken"

When I was growing up I had this thing where I would call certain meals by name depending on what day of the week it was.  For example, pizza was for sure a friday night or saturday night dinner.  A big pasta dinner was a sunday night dinner.  Meatloaf was a weekday dinner for sure.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday dinners always had to be fun in my mind because it was the week-end.  So, if I happened to come home on a friday or saturday night and my mom was making a piece of grilled chicken with a baked potato for dinner...I would say "What...boring grilled chicken and boring baked potato...ugh...that is a Monday night dinner...not a saturday night dinner!"  Well, I am now a wife and mother and I don't have the time or energy to cook week-end dinners during the week...so I too now make "Monday Night Chicken"!