Slow Cooked Oriental Chicken

3-4 pounds broiler-fryer chicken, cup up
2 T. oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. water
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup slivered almonds

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the chicken in oil on both sides.  Transfer to a slow cooker.  Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, garlic, and ginger.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on high for 1 hour.  Reduce heat to low and cook 4-5 hours longer.  Remove chicken to serving platter and sprinkle with almonds.  Spoon juices over chicken or thicken if desired.

Now I adapted this a bit.  I cut a whole boneless skinless chicken breast into several pieces and just tossed them in the crock pot without browning.  I added the almonds with the rest of the ingredients and cooked on high and it was done in less than 2 hours.  Although I'm beginning to think my crock pot runs too hot.....

Chicken in Lime Sauce

This is also really good over rice or noodles.

2 whole boneless skinless chicken breasts
1-2 T. butter
1 T. corn starch
1 C. chicken broth
2 T. lime juice
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. dijon mustard
1 clove garlic (or equivalent garlic powder)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add chicken and brown 2-4 minutes on each side.  Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.  Combine corn starch, chicken broth, lime juice, brown sugar, mustard, and garlic in a small bowl.  Pour into skillet.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1 minute.  Return chicken to skillet.  Simmer 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, turning occasionally to coat chicken with sauce.

Tips & Tricks:
-I find a whisk easiest when mixing the sauce and stirring in the skillet.
-In the middle of cooking this tonight I found we were out of dijon so I used regular yellow mustard and a big pinch of extra brown sugar.  It turned out just the same as I remember making it before.
-Remember chicken brother is really easy to make with granules and water heated in the microwave.

Skillet Chicken & Vegetables Parmesan

The parmesan REALLY makes the dish.  Add extra!




1/3 cup Italian dressing
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 4-6 strips
1 tsp. basil, divided
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
2 T. parmesan cheese

Mix dressing and garlic in a large skillet.  Cook on medium heat for 1 minute.  Add chicken.  Season with 3/4 tsp. basil and pepper.  Cook 4-5 minutes each side or until chicken is cooked through.  Add vegetables to skillet.  Sprinkle with remaining basil and pepper.  Cook 2-3 minutes or until vegetables are heated through, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle with the cheese and serve.

Tips & Tricks:
-For the vegetables I used fresh broccoli florets and thawed frozen carrots.  So the broccoli would steam I covered the skillet after adding the vegetables.
-Since you need to stir occasionally after adding the vegetables it was kind of awkward having big pieces of chicken in the skillet.  I think next time I'll cut them into bite-sized chunks instead.

Lime-Marinated Chicken

This is great for taking camping.  No prep but getting heat ready for grilling!

1 lb. chicken breasts (I used chicken breast tenders all trimmed and ready to go)
1/4 C. oil
2 T. lime juice
6 minced garlic cloves (or equivalent garlic powder)
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

If using big chicken breasts, pound them between sheets of plastic wrap until about 1/2 inch in thickness.  I just used the tenders the way they were.  Combine remaining ingredients in a zip-lock bag and squeeze to mix together.  Add chicken to bag and seal it.  Shake, squeeze, and move around to coat chicken.  Marinate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.  Remove chicken from bag, discarding liquid.  Grill, bake, or fry until chicken is done.

Southwestern Chicken Skillet

I got this recipe from my friend Melissa and it was delicious!

1 lb. chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
2 C. water
2 C. macaroni, uncooked (or similar size noodle - I used small shells because that's what I had)
8 oz. Velveeta (about 1/4 of a 2 lb. brick)
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 C. sour cream

Cook chicken in skillet with a little oil.  Add water and bring to boil.  Add macaroni/noodles.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cheese, cooking until melted.  Remove from heat and add sour cream.

Tricks & Ideas:
-I added a little chopped onion with the noodles and next time I think I'll add some green peppers too.  If you like your onions a little crisp, I'd add them toward the end of the 15 minute simmer because they got pretty soft.
-You could cut up and even cook the chicken ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer.  A pound of hamburger instead of chicken would also be good.
-I also added a can of chili beans with the tomatoes and cheese.  Melissa suggested a little taco seasoning for more seasoning.

Tomato Basil Chicken

1 T. oil
1 ½ lb. boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4-6)
1 can (10 ¾ oz.) condensed tomato soup
½ C. milk
2 T. Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. dried basil
¼ tsp. garlic powder or 2 cloves, minced
3 C. medium tube-shaped pasta (like ziti), cooked and drained

Heat oil in a 10 inch skillet over med-high heat. Add the chicken and cook 10 minutes or until it is well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken and set aside.

Stir in the soup, milk, cheese, basil, and garlic. Heat to a boil. Return the chicken to the skillet and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with pasta.

Chicken in Lime Sauce

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 T. butter
1 T. corn starch
1 C. chicken broth
2 T. lime juice
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/8 tsp. garlic powder)

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and brown 2-4 minutes on each side. Remove from skillet and cover to keep warm.

Combine corn starch, chicken broth, lime juice, brown sugar, mustard, and garlic in small bowl. Pour into skillet. Bring to boil, stirring constantly, and boil 1 minute. Return chicken to skillet. Simmer 5 minutes or until cooked through.

Tricks & Ideas
-Always feel free to substitute garlic powder for garlic cloves.
-You can always make your own chicken broth by cooking chicken in water instead of in a pan with butter or oil.  Then it can be stored in the freezer.

Chicken Bacon Alfredo Pizza

¼ cup bacon cooked and crumbled
1 (12 oz.) pizza crust or prepared equivalent
½ cup Alfredo sauce
1 C. cooked and cut up chicken
1 C. mozzarella and cheddar cheese
¼ C. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread crust with sauce to within 1 inch of edges. Top with remaining ingredients. Bake 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Tricks & Ideas
-To make this even easier you could use those packages of cooked, sliced chicken breasts near the lunchmeat in the store.
-I always use turkey bacon when bacon is called for. It's much healthier. And you're getting more actual meat for your money.
-If I'm making something during the week that calls for crumbled bacon I have turkey bacon with breakfast on the weekend and save back a few pieces to put in the refrigerator or freezer for the recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie with Herb Crust

3 C. cooked and cut up chicken
1 bag (1 lb.) frozen mixed vegetables
2 cans cream soup
1 can (or 10 ½ oz.) chicken broth
2 C. Bisquick
1 ½ C. milk
½ tsp. dried thyme
¼ tsp. dried sage

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Heat chicken, vegetables, soup, and broth in a pot, stirring occasionally. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Spread in ungreased 9x13 dish. Stir remaining ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour evenly over soup mixture. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Tricks & Ideas
-I cut everything in half and used an 8x8 dish.
-When I poured the Bisquick mixture on, it kind of sunk into the soup mixture.  But it did end up on top after baking!
-The first time I made this I didn’t have quite enough chicken so I added a little crumbled up bacon and some garbanzo beans.

Chicken & Stuffing Skillet

3 T. butter
1 ½ lb. chicken breast halves
1 box (6 oz.) chicken flavored stuffing mix
1 ¼ cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup milk
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Heat 1 T. butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 12-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside. Prepare the stuffing in the skillet using the water and the remaining butter according the package directions except let it stand for 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the skillet and reduce the heat the medium. Stir the soup and milk together in a small bowl and pour it over the chicken. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and cook until the mixture is hot and bubbling.

Quick Chicken Parmesan

2 cups spaghetti sauce
4 fully cooked breaded chicken cutlets
4 thin slices cooked ham
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 T. grated parmesan cheese

Spread 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Place the chicken cutlets over the sauce. Spoon some of the remaining sauce down the center of each cutlet. Top each with 1 slice of ham and some cheese. Sprinkle with the parmesan. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and the sauce is hot and bubbly.

Tricks & Ideas
-We use Carl Buddig-type ham lunchmeat.
-You can use any nugget-style chicken no matter the size.