Easy Skillet Cordon Bleu

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings
Cook time:8 Minutes
Prep time:10 Minutes
Broil:2 Minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 chicken tenders (about 1 lb.)

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 Canadian bacon slices, cut into thin strips
4 Swiss cheese slices, halved

Preparation

1. Combine breadcrumbs, pepper, and salt in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag. Rinse chicken tenders, and add to freezer bag. Seal bag, and shake to coat.

2. Melt butter with oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Cook chicken 3 1/2 to 4 minutes on each side or until done. Arrange Canadian bacon strips over chicken in skillet, and top each with 1 cheese slice. Broil 5 1/2 inches from heat 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Recipe from Southern Living, December 2007

Chicken Piccatta

Chicken Piccatta
Serves 6
Cooking Time: 30 minutes

This is a quick, easy dinner served over rice. When I’ve got a crazy softball schedule for the girls, I’ll “bread” the chicken before practice or the game and make the rice ahead of time. When we get home, it’s a matter of quickly cooking the chicken and reheating the rice. Simple!

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts – slice these in half horizontally so that they are really thin. That’s the key to cooking them quickly.
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Flour
Olive oil (for sautéing)
¼ cup dry white wine
1 tsp minced garlic
½ cup chicken broth
2 T lemon juice
1 T capers, drained
2 T butter (chilled)

If your chicken is not thin enough (about ¼”), cover it with parchment paper (or whatever’s available so it doesn’t splatter everywhere) and pound it with a meat tenderizer. If you don’t have one, smack it with a heavy pan. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on each cutlet, then dip them in the flour on all sides. At this point, if I usually need to taxi kids, so I’ll cover it and leave it in the fridge until I’m ready to sauté.

Game’s over, kids played great! Time to get back to dinner prep. Heat your olive oil up in a large fry pan add the chicken. Cook about 3 minutes, flip them over and cook for another 2 minutes. You want them to look golden brown. Remove them from the pan, place on a plate and cover with foil. THEY WILL NOT BE COOKED THROUGH YET.

Deglaze the pan with the wine, adding the garlic and scraping up any brown bits. Cook until the wine is nearly evaporated. Add the broth, lemon juice and capers. Return the cutlets to the pan and cook for another couple minutes on each side until they are cooked through (no longer pink inside). Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the meat. Remove pan from heat, stir in chilled butter until melted.

Serve over rice with sauce over the top. Enjoy!

Dubindil Shredded Chicken

This is an easy versatile recipe to throw together in the slow cooker. Once the meat is done, shred it with two forks and then choose how you want to use it. You can easily stretch this for multiple meals!

4 chicken breasts (frozen is just fine!)
3 carrots – diced
3 stalks of celery – diced
1 Walla Walla Sweet onion – diced
1 cup of chicken stock
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
3 tablespoons brown sugar or molasses
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
large pinch of garlic salt
1 cup of Dubindil Red Wine
1 cup of Dubindil Red Wine for the cook

Throw into slow cooker for 8-10 hours on low (4 hours on high if in a rush). Shred it with two forks when its done and choose how you want to serve it – I love it as nachos!

Variations:
Add BBQ sauce for a great shredded chicken sandwich
Pile high on top of Nachos with all the fixings
Toss into a tortilla with taco toppings for chicken tacos

Chicken Cacciatore

Chicken Cacciatore

Recipe adapted from food network
Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes

I discovered this recipe while waiting at the orthodontist one day while one of the kids got an adjustment. Can I just say what a luxury that is to sit and watch the food network in the middle of racing around? I look forward to ortho appointments!

Ingredients:

4-5 chicken boneless chicken breasts (cut in half so they cook faster)
salt and pepper
¼ cup flour for dredging
2 T olive oil
1 red pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 split of dry white wine
1 can diced tomatoes
½ can chicken broth
3 T capers, drained
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil

Optional:
Sliced mushroom
Sliced Kalmata olives

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Sprinkle salt and pepper over the chicken before coating lightly with flour.

In a large heavy sauté pan, heat the olive oil and add the chicken until golden brown about 5 minutes per side. When the chicken is brown, but not cooked all the way through, set it aside on a plate.

Using the chicken-less pan, toss in the red pepper, onion and garlic. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until reduced by about half. (5 minutes) Toss in the tomatoes (including any juice from the can), broth, capers, oregano and basil. Return the chicken to the pan, turning them once to coat with the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook the chicken about 20 minutes. If you want to add in mushrooms and olives, do it.

Serve, pouring sauce over chicken.

Maple Ginger Glazed Chicken

Cook Time: 25 minutes

I found this easy, quick recipe from one of my favorite cooking magazines, “Cook’s Country,” December/January 2008 edition. Typically I serve it with a side of rice and either a green salad or green beans.

Ingredients:
¼ Cup Maple Syrup (use real maple syrup!)
1 T Soy Sauce
1 tsp Grated Fresh Ginger
1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt and pepper
1 T Olive Oil

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If you are going to serve it with rice, start that first. I use Jasmine rice so typically I’m waiting for the rice to finish and then we are ready to eat.

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper. (I always used to skip this step but then I learned that you pat it dry so it browns up better.)

Heat the Olive oil in your skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.

Reduce your heat to medium-low and add your syrup mixture. Simmer, turning your chicken once so its nicely coated, sauce is slightly thickened, and chicken is cooked through. About 4 minutes. Serve, pouring sauce over.