Marry Me Chicken Meatballs with Risoni (Orozo

Ingredients

CHICKEN MEATBALLS

• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) minced (ground) chicken
• 1½ cups (90 g) panko breadcrumbs
• 1 small brown onion, finely diced
• 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
• 1 egg
• ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• Olive oil spray or 1 tbsp olive oil

RISONI

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
• 135 g (5 oz) semi-dried (sun-blushed) tomatoes, drained and chopped
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
• 2 cups (500 ml) chicken stock
• 1 cup (200 g) risoni (orzo)
• ½ cup (125 ml) thickened (heavy) cream
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp chilli (red pepper) flakes, plus extra to serve (optional)
• ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• ½ cup (125 ml) water
• 2 cups (100 g) fresh baby spinach
• ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

Instructions

1. Make the meatballs – Combine the chicken, breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, egg, parmesan, milk, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix the ingredients together until just combined.
2. Take 1 heaped tablespoon of the mixture at a time, and roll it into balls just a little smaller than a golfball. Wet your hands with tap water if the mixture feels too sticky. You should make roughly 12 meatballs.
3. To oven bake – Preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F) (200°C/400°F fan-forced) and line a baking tray with baking (parchment) paper. Place the meatballs on the baking tray ensuring they are not touching. Spray generously with olive oil. Cook for 10 minutes. Turn the oven grill (broiler) to high and grill (broil) the meatballs for a further 3–4 minutes until slightly browned on the edges.
4. To pan-fry – Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large, deep, non-stick frying pan. Cook the meatballs for 8–10 minutes until browned and cooked through. Set aside.
5. To air fry – Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400°F). Spray the basket generously with olive oil. Place the meatballs into the basket so they are not touching. (Cook in batches if needed.) Spray the meatballs with the olive oil spray and cook for 6–8 minutes or until browned and cooked through.
6. Make the risoni and sauce – Heat the olive oil in a large, deep heavy-based frying pan over medium–high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes or until softened.
7. Add the semi-dried tomatoes, followed by the red wine vinegar. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds until most of the liquid has evaporated.
8. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1–2 minutes.
9. Add the chicken stock, risoni, cream, oregano, chilli flakes (if using) and black pepper. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes.
10. Add the water and cook, stirring regularly, for an additional 5 minutes, or until the risoni is tender. (See note 1 for troubleshooting.)
11. Turn the heat off, add the baby spinach and parmesan and stir until the spinach has just wilted.
12. Combine the meatballs and sauce – Add the baked meatballs to the pan and stir to coat them in the sauce.
13. Serve – Serve immediately with an extra sprinkle of chilli flakes (if using) and parmesan.  Recipe and image from Simple Home Edit - she's amazing!!! 

Sticky Coconut Chicken

Ingredients

• 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, breasts or tenders, about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

Marinade:

• 1 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or ginger paste (see note)
• ½ teaspoon salt, I use coarse, kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, I use coarsely ground
• ¼ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (see note)

Glaze (see note about doubling):

• ¾ cup rice vinegar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions 

• Whisk together the marinade ingredients (or blend until smooth).
• Pour the marinade over the chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or up to eight hours (any longer and the texture of the chicken can soften and get a little mushy).
• Toward the end of marinading time, bring the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes to a boil over medium heat. Simmer vigorously until the mixture is reduced by about half and is slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat. If it doesn’t seem to be thickening, just keep an eye on the reduction level, and keep in mind that it may still look a bit thin on the stove but will thicken as it cools.
• Grill the chicken over medium heat (or bake in the oven at 375 degrees on a greased, foil-lined pan), 4-5 minutes per side. The exact time will depend on type of chicken and thickness of the pieces – chicken thighs will take longer to cook than chicken breasts.
• The last few minutes of grilling or baking, brush the chicken with the glaze (repeat if you want a thicker coating). Serve with leftover glaze and rice, if desired.

 

Crunchy Topped Swiss Chicken Bake

 

Ingredients

Sauce:

• 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/8 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• Pinch of black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, more to taste if needed
• Pinch of dried parsley
• Pinch of paprika
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

Chicken and Cheese:

• 5-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 5-6 large slices Swiss cheese

Topping:

• 1 1/4 cups panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• Hot, cooked rice or quinoa for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking pan.
2. For the sauce, in a medium saucepan, bring the broth and all the seasonings to a simmer. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, vigorously whisk the milk and flour together until smooth. While whisking the broth, slowly pour in the flour/milk mixture, whisking constantly. Continue to stir and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add additional salt and pepper to taste as needed.
3. Pat the chicken dry and lightly season with salt and pepper on each side. Place the chicken in a single layer in the baking pan - it's ok if the chicken is crammed in side-by-side as long as it isn't overlapping much.
4. Place a slice of Swiss cheese on every chicken breast. Pour the sauce evenly over the top. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. While baking, make the topping: in a ziploc bag or in a bowl, toss together the panko, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder and dried parsley. Drizzle in the melted butter and mix to combine.
6. After the first 30 minutes of baking, remove the pan from the oven, uncover and sprinkle with the topping mixture. Return to the oven, uncovered, and bake for 20 minutes, until the crumbs are golden and the chicken is cooked through.
7. Let the casserole rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Serve over hot, cooked rice or quinoa, if desired.  Picture and recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe
   

BBQ Hawaiian Chicken Foil Packets - grill or oven

 

Ingredients

For the seasoning rub + sauce:

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground black pepper)
• Cayenne pepper, to taste (I use a pinch)
• 3/4 cup favorite BBQ sauce (see note)

For the packets:

• 6 thin cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see note)
• 2 to 3 cups chopped red/orange/yellow bell peppers (about 2 large bell peppers)
• 2 to 3 cups chopped fresh pineapple (I haven't tried this with canned)
• Chopped chives or green onions for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat a grill to medium heat (I use 375 degrees F on my pellet grill) or oven to 400 degrees F.
2. For the seasoning rub, in a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, chili powder, salt, garlic powder, smoked or regular paprika, black pepper and cayenne. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and sprinkle both sides of each chicken piece evenly with the seasoning rub.
3. Prepare the foil packets by laying out long pieces, about 20-inches, of heavy duty aluminum foil (or two layers of regular foil). Lightly coat the center of the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Divide the chopped peppers evenly among the foil pieces (about 1/3 cup per foil packet). Top with chopped pineapple (about 1/3 to 1/2 cup). Sprinkle with green onions or chives.
4. Top the pineapple + peppers with a piece of chicken. Spread BBQ sauce liberally over the chicken. Bring the short edges of the foil up to meet and then use small folds down so there's a little space between the chicken and the foil. Crimp and press the folds well to seal. Do the same with the side edges. Press and crimp well to seal (see pictures above in the post).
5. Grill or bake the packets for 15-18 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through (if you open a packet - do so carefully as the steam will be hot - and the chicken isn't fully cooked, carefully seal the packet again and cook for a few minutes longer). Serve hot over rice (or cauliflower rice) and sprinkle with more chives/green onions, if desired.

Notes

BBQ Sauce: this is my favorite homemade BBQ sauce (so good!); my favorite storebought brand is Sweet Baby Ray's or Kinders.

For the Chicken: either use already thin-sliced chicken breasts or use three thicker/larger chicken breasts and cut them in half (like a hamburger bun) to form two thinner cutlets. The ingredients in these foil packets cook much more even if the chicken breasts aren't super thick.

 

Recipe and picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Skillet Lemon Glazed Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (from about 1 lemon, zest before juicing)
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (see note)
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into small bite-size pieces
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil or olive oil
• Sprinkle of parsley or cilantro for serving, optional

Instructions

1. For the lemon glaze, whisk together the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, soy sauce, honey, ginger, and cornstarch. Set aside.
2. Pat the chicken pieces dry and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper (don't skip this step or else your chicken will be bland and tasteless).
3. Heat the sesame or olive oil (or a combination - yum!) in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until rippling. It should be very hot to get that chicken nice and golden.
4. Add the chicken in a single layer to the hot skillet and brown on all sides (this is why it's important to have a hot skillet). It will cook all the way through in the next step.
5. Whisk the honey lemon glaze mixture to recombine and pour it into the skillet with the chicken. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes until the sauce is thickened and the chicken is cooked through.
6. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro, if using. Serve over hot, cooked rice, quinoa, or whatever else your heart desires (or just serve on its own).

Notes

Ginger: for the fresh ginger, I always freeze 1-inch, unpeeled pieces of ginger and pull them out of the freezer to use in recipes like this. Straight from the freezer, the fresh ginger grates beautifully on a microplane/rasp grater or on the small holes of a box grater.

Hot Sauce: if you like a little heat with your sweet, add hot sauce to the lemon glaze mixture to taste.

Salt + Pepper: it's really important to add salt and pepper to taste at the end to help balance the flavors of the lemon sauce

 

Recipe and picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Sticky Coconut Chicken

 Ingredients

• 6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, breasts or tenders (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
  
  
  

Marinade:

• 1 cup canned coconut milk, light or regular
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or ginger paste (see note)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground)
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (see note)

Glaze (see note about doubling):

• 3/4 cup rice vinegar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Whisk together the marinade ingredients (or blend until smooth).
2. Pour the marinade over the chicken, tossing to coat evenly. Cover and refrigerate at least one hour or up to eight hours (any longer and the texture of the chicken can soften and get a little mushy).
3. Toward the end of marinading time, bring the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and red pepper flakes to a boil over medium heat. Simmer vigorously until the mixture is reduced by about half and is slightly thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat. If it doesn't seem to be thickening, just keep an eye on the reduction level, and keep in mind that it may still look a bit thin on the stove but will thicken as it cools.
4. Grill the chicken over medium heat (or bake in the oven at 375 degrees on a greased, foil-lined pan), 4-5 minutes per side. The exact time will depend on type of chicken and thickness of the pieces - chicken thighs will take longer to cook than chicken breasts.
5. The last few minutes of grilling or baking, brush the chicken with the glaze (repeat if you want a thicker coating). Serve with leftover glaze and rice, if desired.

Notes

Coconut Rice: I often use the leftover coconut milk from the can for a modified coconut rice recipe (cook 1 cup of long grain basmati or jasmine rice with 2 cups liquid - a combination of broth or water and the leftover coconut milk + a pinch of salt).

Ginger: ginger paste OR fresh ginger works great in this recipe. Fresh ginger is super easy to work with. I buy a knob, cut it into 1-inch pieces, store in a freezer ziploc in the freezer. When I want to use it, I pull a piece out of the bag and grate it frozen on the small holes of a box grater or on a rasp grater/zester. No need to peel the ginger!

Red Pepper: a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes will give a bit of heat to this recipe. I use between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon for a more family-friendly vibe (but it's delicious with the full teaspoon).

Glaze: I almost always double the glaze or at least 1 1/2 the recipe because we like to drizzle leftover glaze over the rice and chicken. A single batch will be fine just for glazing, but you might consider increasing the amount if you want leftover for drizzling.

Vinegar: the mild flavor of rice vinegar is perfect for this dish; I haven't tried subbing in another type of vinegar, but you could experiment.

 Recipe and picture from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

Spinach and Chickien Pasta salad

• 16 oz. bow tie pasta cooked al dente
• Dressing:1 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup Yoshida's gourmet sauce
• 2/3 cup white wine vinegar
• 6 Tbsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• Salad consists of:
• 20 oz. bag of spinach
• 1 6 oz. bag craisins
• 3 cans mandarin oranges drained
• 2 cans sliced water chestnuts drained
• 1/2 cup parsley chopped
• 1 bunch green onions chopped
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds toasted
• 6 oz. peanuts
• 2 cups chicken cut into pieces

Instructions

1. Blend dressing in blender
2. Mix dressing and pasta and marinade for 2 hours (in a ziploc bag)
3. Combine rest and add pasta and dressing and toss
    
   Recipe and picture courtesy of yourhomebasedmom!!!

Lemon Pepper Chicken Kabobs with Soda Pop Marinade

 

Author: Si Foster, A Bountiful Kitchen

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• for sauce:
• 1 cup (not can) of Sprite or other Lemon Lime soda, not sugar free
• ½ cup soy sauce*
• ½ cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed garlic or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon lemon pepper, plus additional for sprinkling on kabobs before grilling
• 2 tablespoons honey
• kabobs:
• 3 large chicken breast halves or about 2¼ lbs chicken, cut into 1½ inch cubes**
• suggested vegetables:
• 3 large bell peppers, assorted colors, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 regular size onion, cut into chunks, mushrooms, about 1 lb, halved, cherry or grape tomatoes, cut up fresh pineapple chunks, f1-2 small zucchini, green or yellow
• wood skewers

Instructions

1. Mix together all of the marinade ingredients in a bowl with a whisk.
2. Cut up the chicken and place in bowl of marinade.
3. Place in refrigerator for 1-4 hours.
4. Run the skewers under cold water, shake off excess water.
5. When ready to thread the skewers, drain the marinade off the chicken and discard. Carefully thread the meat and vegetable onto the skewers, alternating meat and vegetables, fruit may also be added, see notes about vegetable choices.
6. Turn on grill to medium heat or about 400 degrees about 15 minutes before cooking kabobs.
7. When ready to cook, place kabobs on hot grill. Barbecue for about 6-8 minutes then carefully turn so opposite side of kabob is exposed to grill. Cook for additional 6-8 minutes.
8. Remove and check one of the thicker pieces of meat to make sure it is cooked thru.
9. Place on platter and cover with foil until ready to serve.

Chicken Pillows

1 1/4 Cup diced chicken
1 - 3 oz cream cheese
1 TBS chives - freeze dried
1/4 tsp salt
1 Can crescent rolls
melted butter
crushed herb seasoned croutons

Mix cream cheese, chives, salt and chicken.  Put teaspoon of chicken mix in center of crescent roll and roll up.  Dip filled rolls in melted butter and then into crushed croutons.  Bake according to package directions.  Top with gravy made of 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 Cup chicken broth and 4 TBS sour cream whisked together and brought to near boil.
Photo cred Tasty Sensation

Hummus-Crusted Chicken

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup hummus, homemade or storebought
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 lemons
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika or sumac

Method

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prepare one large baking dish or two smaller baking dishes with cooking spray.

Season the chicken breasts with generous pinches of salt and pepper. In a large bowl, toss the zucchini, squash and onion with olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper.

If using one baking dish, place all of the vegetables on the bottom of the dish in an even layer. Lay the four chicken breasts evenly on top, then cover each chicken breast with the hummus so that the entire breast is covered. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the chicken and vegetables. Then sprinkle the pan with smoked paprika or sumac. Thinly slice the remaining lemon, and place the slices in between the chicken and vegetables if desired.

**If using two pans, use one for the chicken and one for the vegetables.**

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve immediately.

I can't tell you how delicious this is!!

Swiss Cheese Chicken and Dressing

6 chicken breasts

6 slices swiss cheese

1 can Campbell's cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup milk

2 cups Mrs. Cubbison's seasoned dressing (crumbs, not cubes)

1 cub butter, melted

Wash chicken, pat dry. Place breasts in 9x13 pan. Top each breast with a slice of swiss cheese. Mix soup with the milk. Blend well and pour over chicken. Combine dressing crumbs with melted butter and spread over chicken. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes covered with foil. Remove foil and bake 15-20 minutes more. Serve with cranberry sauce if desired.

Note: I used Pepperidge Farm Dressing the night of the dinner, but I prefer Mrs. Cubbisons's.

Grilled Mediterranean Chicken

While putting Rachel's school books together I found the original Mediterranean Chicken recipe. I have been faking it for several years. Thanks to the MacDowells for this recipe.
1/2 Cup olive oil
1/3 Cup balsamic vinegar
1 medium onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 large ripe tomato, chopped (can used canned)
1/4 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp crumbled dried oregano
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
chicken

In small bowl, combine the ingredients for the marinade. Pour half of the marinade into a shallow dish reserving the remaining half. Add the chicken to the baking dish and marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour or cover and marinade for 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator, turning the chicken 3 or 4 times during this time period. Sear 2 minutes on each side. Baste and turn for 2 to 3 minutes each side uncovered. Baste turn and cook 6 minutes covered on each side. (a total of 17-19 minutes). Meanwhile place the reserved marinade in a small saucepan and simmer until it is reduced to a thick sauce about 10 minutes. Coat the chicken with the sauce or pass the sauce in a bowl.