Baked Chicken Croquettes

I've been presented with a challenge lately, by none other than my 15-month old, Jacob. My once happy I'll-eat-any-pureed-thing-you-shove-in-my-mouth baby has turned into a head-shaking, tight-lipped, I-don't-like-anything-but-cheese-bread-and-grapes toddler. So I have been on a mission to create healthy foods that he will eat, and not know that the healthy stuff is in there. I found this recipe for Baked Chicken Croquettes over at SkinnyTaste.com and thought it sounded perfect for Jacob, as well as an easy dinner for me and my husband. I served them with an easy chicken gravy and some green beans (my veggie of choice) and it was a great meal for everyone. Jacob loved the croquettes so I know that it is something I will be making again!

Baked Chicken Croquettes

Adapeted from: SkinnyTaste

3 cooked chicken breast, chopped fine (I used a food processor)

3 potatoes, peeled, cooked and mashed

3/4 cup fat free chicken broth, divided

2 tsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

salt and fresh pepper

1/2 cup seasoned whole wheat bread crumbs

1 egg, whisked
olive oil spray (about 1 tbsp)

1.Preheat oven to 450°. In a large bowl, mash potatoes with 1/4 cup broth, salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Saute garlic, and onions in oil on low heat. Add parsley, salt and pepper and cook until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add chicken, and remaining broth, mix well and shut heat off. Add chicken to mashed potatoes and using your clean hands mix well. Taste for salt and adjust if needed.

3. Measure 1/4 cup of mixture then form into croquettes. Place on waxed paper. Repeat with remaining mixture.

4. Dip each croquette in egg wash, then breadcrumbs and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet for easy cleanup. Spray generously with olive oil spray (about 1 tbsp worth). Bake in the oven about 15 minutes, or until golden.

Chicken Gravy
From: MyRecipes.com 

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 (10 1/2-ounce) can chicken broth, undiluted

1/2 cup milk

2 teaspoons dried minced onion

1/8 teaspoon pepper

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in broth and remaining ingredients. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 2 minutes or until mixture thickens.

Skillet Chicken with Tomato Cream Sauce

I don't often have accidents in the kitchen. Ryan would say I have the uncanny ability to "destroy the kitchen", but it's usually a pretty safe environment. However, today, I had a bit of a stupid moment. I'm not exactly sure what I did, all I know is that as my onions were simmering away, I went to add the chicken broth to the pan and next thing I knew my arm spasmed?...or perhaps something made me jump. Regardless what happened, the next moment I was covered head to waist in warm chicken broth. I can only imagine what it must have looked like, luckily though I will never know because I was the only one around to witness this embarrassment.
So, anyway, once I cleaned up from my "incident" I proceeded to finish cooking. Despite the mishap, this was actually a very easy to prepare. The sauce comes together quickly with just a few simple ingredients, and the chicken is pounded thin which also cuts the cooking time in half. You can serve in on top of any thin pasta such as spaghetti or angel hair pasta. The original recipe called for heavy cream, but I chose to use fat free half and half to cut calories, and I also used whole wheat pasta. I will definitely be making this recipe again,  but hopefully without any mishaps next time.

Skillet Chicken with Tomato Cream Sauce
Adapted from: About.com 

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 cup chicken broth, divided

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3/4 cup fat free half and half (or heavy cream)

1 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese, about 2 ounces

2 tablespoons tomato paste

4 boneless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 ounces angel hair pasta or linguine or spaghetti, cooked and drained

1. For sauce, saute the chopped onion and garlic in olive oil until softened. Stir in 1/2 cup chicken broth, wine, basil, and parsley. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cream, Parmesan cheese, and tomato paste. Continue cooking until the sauce is hot and cheese has melted.

2. Wash chicken and pat dry. Place between sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound until uniform in thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the chicken in 2 tablespoons of olive oil for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, cover, and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add tomato cream sauce, cover, and cook for 4 to 6 minutes longer, until chicken is cooked through. Serve with hot cooked pasta.

Serves 4.

Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rolls

I know what you may be thinking. This dish looks like it might be a lot of work. I thought so too, but it's actually pretty simple. I came across this recipe at Foodie Bride a couple of weeks ago. Since pesto is my new favorite thing, I thought it would be a nice change from traditional lasagna, and a little lighter too. However, I put off making it right away because I thought it would be really time consuming. As it turns out, these lasagna rolls came together much faster than traditional lasagna. If you cook your chicken and shred it before hand, everything else comes together very quickly while your oven is preheating. Also, to shorten the process, I skipped the white sauce from the original recipe and just used more pasta sauce instead. This dish smelled great cooking in the oven and tasted even better once it was on the table. You can serve this with a garden salad and definitely some garlic bread. You'll need the bread to soak up all of the yummy sauce and cheese.

Chicken Pesto Lasagna Rolls 
Adapted from: Foodie Bride

1 cup shredded chicken

1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese (I used low-fat)

1/2 cup homemade or store-bought pesto sauce

6 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained (I used whole-wheat)

1 cup of your favorite pasta sauce, divided

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Place 1/4 cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of an 8x8 pan.
3. In a bowl, stir together the chicken, ricotta, pesto, salt, and pepper.
4. Spread 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture over each lasagna noodle and roll up. Place the roll in the prepared pan. Repeat for the remaining noodles.
5. Spoon the remaining pasta sauce over the lasagna rolls and top with mozzarella cheese.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, until hot, bubbly, and the cheese begins to brown.

Makes 6 servings.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells

You will need to be careful with these. These shells are so delicious and perfectly bite-sized that you may have to physically stop yourself from eating them. Like I had to. This recipe from Joelen is super simple, albeit a little time consuming to fill all of the shells. It was completely worth the effort. I couldn't find the really jumbo pasta shells, so I used the biggest shells I could find, which are just the large shells - I think. I used about 2 cups of shells so whatever size shells you find, about 2 cups should do it. I did have a few leftover, but a few of them ripped so it all worked out. I served a green salad with ours to balance all the cheesiness...and to keep myself from eating the whole pan.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Shells
Adapted from: Joelen

2 cups large pasta shells
water for boiling pasta

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4oz reduced fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese + 1/4 cup for topping
3 tbs prepared pesto

3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1. In a large pot over high heat, boil water and prepare pasta shells as directed on package. Cook pasta shells only until al dente. The pasta will finish cooking when the dish is baked. Drain the pasta shells and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients, except the 1/4 cup of cheese for the topping. Fill the pasta shells with the filling and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese over filled shells. Sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake shells uncovered for 25-30 minutes or until shells are bubbling hot and cheese melts.


Cajun Chicken Pasta

Before our little munchkin came along, my husband and I used to go out to eat for nearly every meal. Yeah we were those people. I tried planning to cook, but we almost always ended up going out anyway. Now that I'm a stay-at-home mome, we are only able to go out a few times a month, so I've spent alot of time trying to recreate some of my favorite restaurant dishes in the kitchen. I found this recipe over at The Pioneer Woman, and it reminds of the Cajun Pasta from Red Lobster that I looove. It's not quite as creamy as the restaurant version, but it has a lot of spice and flavor. As with any homemade dish, you can control the ingredients to make it healthier, so I use low-fat heavy cream (when I can find it) and whole wheat pasta. If you haven't yet made the switch to whole wheat, pasta is a great place to start. The taste and texture are virtually the same, and it is much much more filling than regular pasta. You can adjust the spices to your liking, but be careful of your men in the kitchen...mine kept coming in and adding more spice to his liking. Needless to say, ours was super spicy.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts,cubed
3 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste
1/2 box of whole wheat linguine
2 Tbs Olive Oil
2 Tbs Butter
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
1/2 Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
3 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 can Chicken Broth
½ cups White Wine
1 cup Heavy Cream
Cayenne Pepper To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Salt To Taste

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain when pasta is still al dente, and set aside.
2. Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat. Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat. Add the chicken and cook until done. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate, leaving pan on high heat.
3. Add remaining olive oil and butter. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible. Remove all vegetables from the pan.
4. With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring/whisking constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes. Add vegetables back into the pan, and cook the sauce for 5-8 minutes until the cream starts to thicken the mixture. Add in chicken.
5. Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy! Add drained linguine and toss to combine. Let sit for 3-5 minutes before serving. Sauce will thicken upon standing.

Makes 4 servings.

Honey-Soy Chicken Stir-Fry

This recipe is a favorite of the man of the house. He always asks for it when "we haven't had any vegetables in awhile". You see, our definition of vegetables is very different. I consider a soup with carrots and onions, fajitas with peppers, or chicken with a side of green beans to be considered as "eating our veggies". He, on the other hand, does not. I am pretty sure there has to be a minimum of at least three different vegetables in a dish before he considers it a meal with veggies, and onions don't count. I'm not real fond of the green stuff, I'm trying, but it's definitely a work in progress. So, since this recipe calls for four veggies, he loves it, and since the whole dish is covered in a honey-soy sauce, I love it. We both win.

Honey-Soy Chicken Stir-Fry

Adapted from: How Sweet it Is

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup broccoli florets

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

a handful of fresh green beans

1 clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

salt and pepper to taste

1. Prepare and slice all veggies. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.

2. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil. Add chicken to the skillet cook thoroughly.

3. Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce. Serve with rice.

Chicken and Dumplings

These are, the best chicken and dumplings, I have ever eaten. Sorry Mom. I still love yours, but these are a completely different animal. Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman, this soup is hearty, flavorful, and the dumplings are oh so fluffy. These chicken and dumplings are so good it's ridiculous. I would eat them once a week until I got tired of them if my husband would let me. But I don't think he will, so I'll just make them a couple of times a month and call it even.

Chicken and Dumplings
Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman

2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Chicken Thighs
2 Chicken Breast
Salt And Pepper
½ cups Finely Diced Carrots
½ cups Finely Diced Celery
1 medium onion, diced
½ tsp Ground Thyme
¼ tsp Turmeric
6 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
½ cups Apple Cider
½ cups Heavy Cream

Dumplings:
1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
½ cups cornmeal
1 tbs (heaping) baking powder
1 tsp salt
1-½ cup Half-and-half
2 tbs parsley
salt to taste

1. Skin chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a pot over medium-high heat. Brown chicken on both sides and remove to a clean plate.

2. In the same pot, add diced onion, carrots, and celery. Stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir in ground thyme and turmeric, then pour in chicken broth and apple cider. Stir to combine, then add browned chicken. Cover pot and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. While chicken is simmering, make the dough for the dumplings: sift together all dry ingredients, then add half-and-half, stirring gently to combine. Set aside.

4. Remove chicken from pot and set aside on a plate. Use two forks to remove chicken from the bone. Shred, then add chicken to the pot. Pour heavy cream into the pot and stir to combine.

5. Drop tablespoons of dumpling dough into the simmering pot. Add minced parsley if using. Cover pot halfway and continue to simmer for 15 minutes. Check seasonings; add salt if needed. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Chicken Potstickers and Fried Rice

I love these things. They are crispy on the bottom and chewy on top with a simple flavorful filling. It's a shame that I never knew what I was missing until a couple of months ago when I decided to make them for the first time. The only other experience I've ever had with pot stickers were the ones in the sushi cold case at the grocery store. I don't know if I prepared them wrong or what, but they weren't all that impressive. Then I found this recipe one day and made them from scratch and they were so good they have become a regular on my monthly menu. When served with a side of veggie fried rice its a complete meal that’s quick and delicious.

Chicken Potstickers
Adapted from: Confections of a Foodie Bride

2 uncooked chicken breasts, diced
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Wonton wrappers *
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup water


1. Cook the chicken over medium heat until done. Add the remaining ingredients (through garlic) and cook until the greens are wilted nicely. Let mixture cool just a bit and add it to the bowl of a food processor. Process the filling until it reaches the desired consistency.
2. Lay a wrapper on a flat, dry surface put a Tbsp of mixture in in the middle. Using your fingers or a pastry brush, (I use my fingers) wet the wonton wrapper surrounding the filling and fold the dumpling, pressing the seams together: bring two opposite corners to the center, bring the remaining corners to the center one at a time and press tightly.
3. Add oil to a clean skillet and add dumplings. Add 1/3 cup water to the pan and cover tightly. Remove from heat when the dumplings are golden brown on one side, about 4 minutes. (Watch these very closely, they can burn very quickly once the water is gone.) Serve warm with soy sauce.
*I made my own wrappers using this recipe, but you can certainly use pre-made ones if you can find them.
　
　
Fried Rice
Adapted from: Many different recipes

2 tbs oil or butter
2 carrots, diced
1 small onion, diced
½ cup frozen peas
3 cups cooked rice (I usually make this ahead of time)
3 drops sesame oil
Soy sauce, to taste
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 egg

1. Heat oil or butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, onion, and peas and cook until softened, 5-8 minutes.
2. Add cooked rice and sesame oil to pan. Mix everything together, then add soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Saute everything together for a couple of minutes until warm.
3. Push aside some the rice to make room to scramble the egg. Add beaten egg to the exposed pan and cook until scrambled. Mix cooked egg in with the rest of the rice. Serve with additional soy sauce if needed.