Chicken Recipes | Pennywise Cook

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

April 12, 2013 By amy 1 Comment

Well hello there! Long time no….er….blog?

As I was preparing the pictures for this post, even my husband made the comment about my lack of my snapping of photos of our dinners. Yes, I am usually known as the papparazi of food around here, but for the past couple of months there have been some awesome things happening around here and needless to say, I’ve been just a bit preoccupied.

But have no fear! I have a recipe today. One that even the least of cooks can throw together in minutes and makes for a family pleasing meal. Crockpot Chicken Tacos only take 3 ingredients and one of them is water. Your HUSBAND could make these.

He might get a big head afterwards. Just tell him that he did fabulous on dinner and that you adore his culinary skills. You didn’t realize that Crockpot Chicken Tacos could help you stroke your husband’s ego did you?

The most important ingredient in this one is, well, chicken! You need about a pound to a pound and 1/2. I used fresh because I got some on clearance, but frozen will also work. You’ll just need to adjust your crockpot setting depending on how fast you’d like it to cook.

Use tenderloins, breasts, thighs, whatever you’d like. It’s going to get tender and you’ll shred it anyways.

Brace yourself, this is where it gets a little tough. You must open a packet of taco seasoning and sprinkle over the chicken. I know, I know. How could I ask you to do such a laborious thing? Well suck it up. You’ll live.

Here’s the last step. Add the amount of water listed on your taco seasoning packet to the crockpot.

Place the top on your crockpot and walk away. Go update your status. Take out the trash. Clip your toenails (you know who you are). Hey look, now you have time to make a dessert! Might I suggest Salted Caramel Brownies?

I usually let it cook for about 6 hours on low when I’m using fresh chicken. Towards the end of the cooking, I usually add just a tad bit more water and then shred up the chicken. It’s so tender that just stirring it usually shreds it without hassle.

Add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

We’ve started having what we’re calling Taco Tuesday. Some form of taco will be made on Tuesdays. Whether casserole, soup, or plain tacos, that’s our theme. And beef is good, but sometimes chicken feels a bit healthier. Plus, it’s a nice change.

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

5.0 from 1 reviews

Recipe type: Main, Crockpot

Author: Pennywise Cook

With only 3 ingredients (one of which is water) and a crockpot, you can have chicken tacos for dinner tonight!

Ingredients

1- 1.5 pounds fresh or frozen chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs (your choice)
1 package taco seasoning
Water listed on taco seasoning packet + a bit more
Toppings of your choice

Instructions

Place fresh or frozen chicken into crockpot.
Sprinkle with taco seasoning.
Add the amount of water listed on the seasoning packet.
Cook on low for about 6 hours (fresh chicken) or medium/high for 6 hours (frozen).
Add a little water, about 1/4 cup towards the end. Let absorb then stir and shred.
Serve with tortillas or shells and add your favorite toppings!

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Crockpot, Healthy, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes Tagged With: Chicken, Chicken Tacos, Crockpot, Crockpot Chicken, Easy Tacos, Slow Cooker, Slow Cooker Chicken, Tacos

Simple Baked Risotto

October 22, 2012 By amy Leave a Comment

Please excuse the incredibly horrible picture. Once again, it was another night pic with horrible lighting. We’re going to have to start eating dinner at lunchtime!

Rewind back a few years. I’m sitting in my living room watching (a favorite of our’s) Hell’s Kitchen. Like most episodes, all I hear is screaming about the risotto. But in my head, I’m thinking what in the heck is risotto? Maybe I’m just a bit sheltered or perhaps it’s not common, but I had never ever heard of it before. To me, it seemed like a bunch of rice.

In reality, that’s really all that it is. Just a really creamy and rich Italian rice that has to be stirred a lot. Creamy you say? Yes, creamy because of cheese and broth. Are you listening yet?

It wasn’t until I took a trip to England that I got to actually enjoy a bowl of creamy risotto. It was at this glorious place that I got to try it. This is the Piazza inside the Corn Exchange in Leeds. It is one of the most beautiful places that I’ve ever stepped foot inside. Starting in the 1800′s as a place for the trading of corn, it’s now a popular shopping center with a fine dining restaurant down below.

This is a picture of the Smoked Salmon Risotto with Chargrilled Asparagus that I had when we ate there. Doesn’t it look divine? My risotto didn’t look quite as amazing, but it did make me reminisce a bit about my trip.

Here we were watching the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. One of the coolest experiences that I may ever have! I even messed with a few of the fuzzy-headed guards while we were there. In case you were wondering…..no. They did not move a muscle.

If I could, I’d be back in England in a heartbeat. So much history and interesting places to see. Oh yeah, and the food was incredible too!

Risotto is generally cooked in large skillet and tended to for a while. I just don’t have the patience, so I took the easy way out…..in the oven. The entire family loved it! I was complimented not once, but twice for this one (it’s a big deal at our house). The version that I made ended up being the main course since I put chicken in it. Though for many, it might just be a side dish. I did take a very big shortcut with this. I used Tyson grilled chicken cubes from the refrigerated section of the store. You could also use a rotisserie chicken if you want to pull it off the bone. Or perhaps just cook up your own chicken breast. Either way, chicken adds a meaty touch.

I don’t consider myself to be an expert at risotto (or anything dish at that, well maybe pb&j). I’ve got some perfecting to accomplish on this one for sure. But it sure is tasty work!

Recipe adapted from My Recipes.

Simple Baked Risotto

Recipe type: Side, Main Dish

Forget stirring, whip up creamy risotto by utilizing the oven instead of your elbow!

Ingredients

1 and 1/2 c. Arborio Rice (or other short grain rice)
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken
1 small onion, chopped
2 Minced Garlic Cloves
1/2 c. White Wine
2 and 1/2 c. Chicken Broth
2 tbsp Butter
3/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. Mozzarella Cheese

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.
In a large high-sided skillet or dutch oven, melt butter. Place rice, garlic, and onion into pot and saute for about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the wine, chicken broth, salt & pepper, italian seasoning and transfer to the oven. Bake for about 30-35 minutes until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from oven.
Stir in the chicken and cheese until the cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Notes

The texture should be creamy with a little liquid. Though mine ended up a bit sticky. Gonna work on it a bit more.

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Have YOU ever made risotto, be it baked or the traditional way? I’d love to hear how it turned out!

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes, Sides and Vegetables Tagged With: Easy Risotto, Oven Risotto, Oven-Baked, Oven-Baked Risotto, Rice, Risotto

Easy Mandarin Chicken

August 14, 2012 By amy Leave a Comment

My girls have recently discovered mandarin oranges. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved fruit in any form. Even canned fruit strikes my fancy every now and then. I picked up a few cans of mandarin oranges the other day to see if my girls would enjoy it as much as I used to. I think ended up rekindling my love for the fruit myself. And as expected, they absolutely loved them. I really need to find myself a good sale to stock up on them.

In keeping with their latest obsession, I decided to make something that showcased two things that I know they’ll both like. Chicken and the new-found love, mandarin oranges.

To my utmost surprise, my ENTIRE family (including my incredibly picky husband and 5-year old) loved this meal! The 1-year old even cleaned her plate. I cleaned mine and an entire 2nd plate as well. Hubby was really concerned about the sweet oranges being used with savory chicken, but when he was done he told me that he thought it worked really well together. SCORE!

I used edemame to kick up the nutrition and hid mushrooms with the onions. The mushrooms were quite stealth and the kiddos loved the edemame! In fact, Addie asked me at one point what kinda beans they were. I told her edemame and she replied “I really like edemame!”.

Those are words that I never expected to come out of my 5-year old’s mouth…

By the time dinner was over, I was floored. This was a meal that the whole family loved and it was actually healthy and good for them. That only happens in my dreams and on commercials doesn’t it?

Recipe adapted from 366 Low-Fat Brand-Name Recipes in Minutes Cookbook.

Easy Mandarin Chicken

Recipe type: Main Dish

In just minutes, you’ll have a mouth-watering Asian meal with little effort!

Ingredients

1 11 oz Can Mandarin Oranges
2 & 1/2 tbsp Soy Sauce
2 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut into Bite-size Pieces
1 Tbsp Canola Oil
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Cup Chopped Onion
1 & 1/2 c. Frozen Edemame
8 Baby Bella Mushrooms, Sliced

Instructions

Drain oranges, reserving 3 tbsp of the liquid. Mix together the reserved liquid with the soy sauce and set aside.
Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken in the oil over medium-high heat until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet. Add in the onions, edemame and mushrooms. Cook until onions are tender.
Add the chicken back in along with the soy sauce mixture. Cook and stir to heat all of it through.
Gently stir in the mandarin oranges right before serving.
Goes well over rice!

Notes

If your group is not a fan of edemame, you can always use frozen snap peas in their place.

Teriyaki sauce can also be substituted in soy sauce’s place.

The addition of a couple drop of sesame oil would also make a nice addition.

Be prepared for a quick meal! This one takes no time at all to whip up!

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Healthy, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes Tagged With: Asian Chicken, Chicken, Chicken Main Dishes, Edemame, Low Calorie Asian, Madarin Oranges, Main Dishes, Mandarin Chicken, Mushroom Chicken, Mushrooms

Ramen Noodle Chicken Chimichangas

July 26, 2012 By amy Leave a Comment

We’re going to go low budget today. We’re talking way low budget. Like Ramen Noodle budget low. You know what I’m talking about…the magical noodles that come in handy when money is tight or you just don’t want to cook. I got this idea from my step brother who was low on ingredients for a chimichanga and came up with this concoction. He shared one with me and I was pleasantly surprised at how yummy they were.

I have to admit that the thought of Ramen noodles in a chimichanga didn’t exactly sound that amazing to me. But once I tried, I was actually excited to make my own. Even if you’re not too keen on putting Ramen noodles in your chimichanga, you can at least see below from instructions on how to fold a chimichanga. But I think you’ll want to give these a chance y’all. They are surely worth it!

Price breakdown:

4 Flour Tortillas $.40
4 Fresh Chicken Tenders $.80
1 Package Chicken Ramen Noodles $.18
2 Cups Shredded Cheese $1.79
Total= $.79 per chimichanga

It all starts with those college-esq Ramen noodles. Which by the way, are quite tasty! I haven’t made them in so long and when these came out of my microwave, I seriously had to stop myself from eating them all. Cook them up according to the package including the seasoning. Easy and cheap way to get that great flavor inside the chimi.

On each tortilla, you place some of those Ramen noodles along with some seasoned grilled chicken and shredded cheese. YUM!

Then it’s time to roooooooooll them up for baking.

Lay your tortilla flat. Fold the sides in towards the middle.

Then fold the bottom towards the top, but only halfway. Fold the edge towards the inside and begin to roll.

…like so.

Once you get the rolling down, it will look like this. Place them seam side down on your baking sheet.

Spray them with a little cooking spray to help them brown and get a little crunchy.

Serve with your favorite fix-in’s like more cheese or sour cream on top and viola. So easy, cheap, and great for freezing too!

Ramen Noodle Chicken Chimichangas

Recipe type: Main Dish

Author: Pennywise Cook

Serves: 4

Using a low budget ingredient, Ramen noodles make a great addition to chicken chimichangas!

Ingredients

4 Flour Tortillas
4 Fresh Chicken Tenders, Cut into Bite-Size Pieces
1 Pkg Chicken Flavored Ramen Noodles
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
8 Tbsp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Cooking Oil

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cook Ramen Noodles according to the package directions. Drain all liquid from the noodles and set aside.
Meanwhile, in a skillet heated to medium-high cook chicken in olive oil along with the minced garlic and chili powder until no longer pink.
On each tortilla place 1/4 of the Ramen noodles, 1/4 of the to chicken, and 2 tbsp shredded cheese.
Roll up into chimichangas and place seam side down on a greased baking sheet.
Spray tops with cooking spray and bake for 10-15 minutes until browned and crunchy.

Notes

If you like spicy things, you can use jalapeno cheese like my step brother to add a little kick!

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes, Pasta Tagged With: Chicken, Chicken Chimichangas, Chimichangas, Ramen, Ramen Noodles

Cauliflower Chicken Fried “Rice”

June 29, 2012 By amy Leave a Comment

We have this little Chinese buffet right around the corner from where I live that is all you can eat for $5.98. We’re talking lo mein, shrimp, wontons, those amazing Chinese donuts, and we mustn’t forget- chicken fried rice. That’s why I love those buffets, on occasion of course. Where else can you stuff your face until it’s time to unbutton your pants for just $5.98?

Or take it from me, just wear elastic pants next time…

Since I don’t go into the gut-busting buffets too often, I sometimes just make my favorite Chinese dishes at home. One of the easiest is chicken fried rice. I mean come on, it’s the perfect way to use up leftover rice and chicken. It makes one of those double duty meals that starts as one thing and turns into another. That’s a smart or shall I say, pennywise move.

Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables. Not only for it’s affordability, but for it’s taste and ability to pretty much adapt itself to any dish. Take for instance the Doughless Pizza Crust. Whodathunk that you could turn cauliflower into pizza and make it taste good?

When you make up the “riced” cauliflower for the pizza crust, this is what it looks like. It’s basically very finely ground. It reminded me of rice. Hey! I wonder if that’s where the term “riced” came from? Ah yes, we are learning together here folks!

This brought me to thinking about fried rice and how you could easily just throw some grilled chicken into the cauliflower and add some seasonings and such to make a mock chicken fried rice.

Voila! It totally worked! I did not even COOK the cauliflower before putting it in. I had originally planned to microwave it like you do with the pizza crust, but I got to thinking that might make the cauliflower too soft. I then decided to place it in the fridge for a little while to get it cold. I made the rest of the veggies and chicken and then added the cauliflower very last.

I tend to think in terms of calories. Weighing out the calories for the difference in rice and cauliflower, you’ll save about 168 calories per cup using cauliflower. And if you’re a carb person, the difference is a whopping 39 carbs less in a cup of cauliflower! So needless to say, it’s a healthier choice.

Don’t expect it to taste exactly like rice. That would require a magic wand, but this does come close if you ask me. Definitely as satisfying and scrumptious.

If you try this, PLEASE tell me what you think! I’d love to hear your thoughts as I just whipped this together the other night.

Cauliflower Chicken Fried “Rice”

Recipe type: Main Dish, Side Dish

Author: Pennywise Cook

A healthier alternative to starchy rice, try this cauliflower chicken fried “rice” instead! You won’t miss the rice!

Ingredients

3 Cups, Riced Cauliflower
1 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast cut into bite-size pieces
1 Tsp Olive Oil
1 Can Mixed Vegetables (or Frozen and thawed), drained
1 Egg, Beaten
1/2 Tsp Minced Garlic
Pepper
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1/2 Tbsp Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 Tsp Sesame Oil
2 Green Onions, Chopped

Instructions

“Rice” your cauliflower by placing in the food processor or blender and making it finely ground. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
In the oil, pan sear the chicken breast along with the garlic. Add pepper. Push to one side of skillet and cook the egg.
Add in the cauliflower, veggies, soy sauce, teriyaki, and sesame oil. Cook over medium heat until heated through.
Top with green onions and serve!

Notes

I used canned veggies and it turned out ok. Frozen would be even better since they have more variations on the veggie combinations.

The colder that your cauliflower is, the better.

This would also be great even without the chicken!

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Healthy, Main Dishes Tagged With: Cauliflower, Cauliflower Fried Rice, Cauliflower Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Fried Rice

Easy Chicken Tortilla Casserole

June 21, 2012 By amy 2 Comments

We went on a bike ride last night with the girls. I love riding during the sunset. I feel all nostalgic and corny riding off into the sunset like a cowboy.

Don’t you always get that feeling when you ride your bike in the evening? No? Just me? I digress…

You know that saying:

I can only please one person per day. Today is not your day. Tomorrow isn’t looking good either.

There are many days when I feel like just saying that to folks. Especially my picky eaters. It’s not always easy pleasing those who don’t like green or even red things on their plate. It’s a matter of trial and error and you just try different things until you find something they like! And sometimes you just say eat it or starve!

Luckily most children grow out of their I don’t like that stage as their taste buds mature. Even I remember tons of things I never used to like that I love now. For instance of all things, onion bagels. I remember my momma forcing me to eat an onion bagel one morning and it was traumatizing to say the least. I mean come on, why else would I remember this? But now I love them. That is if I can find them in the store. Where are those things anyways? Have they stopped making them?

Today’s recipe is one that most every person will love. Simple enough for those who hate to cook, but fancy enough to make if you have company coming. It’s quite tasty too!

This Chicken Tortilla Casserole is brimming with juicy chicken breast, spicy rotel, and corn tortillas are what this whole dish is all about.

One word of warning. Use MILD rotel if your family doesn’t like things hot. We used original and it was way too spicy for us. I will be using mild next time.

Recipe adapted from Homemaking Challenged.

Easy Chicken Tortilla Casserole

Simple ingredients lead to a pleasing chicken meal even for the pickiest of eaters!

Ingredients

2 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut into Bite-size Pieces
1 (10 oz) Can Rotel
2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup
12 (6 in) Corn Tortillas, Cut into bite-size pieces.
1/2 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Cup Mexican Blend Shredded Cheese
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tsp Garlic, Minced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet brown chicken pieces in oil with chili powder and garlic. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile in a large bowl, mix 2 cans cream of chicken with 1 can rotel.
In bottom of a greased 8×8 baking dish, place 1/3 tortilla pieces. Place half of chicken on top evenly. Place 1/2 the cream of chicken mixture over top.
Repeat layers ending with tortilla pieces. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes.
Place shredded cheese on top and bake an additional 5 minutes once cheese melts.

Notes

This might even be possible with canned chicken in a pinch.

You could also make this ahead the night before and then bake when ready to serve! It could freeze well too.

If you want to get fancy like me and add cilantro on top you can. I won’t hold you back…

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes Tagged With: Casseroles, Cheesy Chicken, Chicken, Chicken Dishes, Chicken recipes, Chicken Tortilla Casserole, Chicken Tortillas

Strawberry Salsa Chicken

June 19, 2012 By amy 2 Comments

Take me or leave me, but I like weird things to eat. Well, what some might call weird anyways. I was making a hot dog the other night and was so excited while I prepared my ingredients. My husband watched as I drug out the relish, mustard, and ketchup. Then I decided that it wasn’t complete without chopped onions. Almost in awe of my condiment concoction, he asked “Did you chop that entire onion just for a little for your hot dog?”. Why yes, I in fact had chopped a very small amount of onion just for my hot dog. That’s how me and my dogs roll you know. He thinks I’m a bit odd, but I know there are others out there like me.

Like someone else who might like strawberry salsa? That’s another weird thing that might be perplexing to some. We’re talking replacing your tomatoes with juicy and summery strawberries instead. It’s absolutely divine I tell you. I had no idea that it would be so incredible.

And then I ate it with chicken.

Just imagine me kissing my fingers like the Italians do. It’s that marvelous.

Complete with cool and crisp cucumbers, lime juice, brown sugar and even jalapeno, I can almost guarantee that you will like this. Oh and if you don’t like hot salsa, don’t worry. The one jalapeno that is in this will not be hot. It’s really the one thing that makes this a “salsa”.

I’ve also learned a fancy smancy teqnique for making oven baked chicken PERFECT. The key is to brown it in a skillet a few minutes on each side. Not enough to cook it through, but just enough to get it browned a bit. Then finish it off in the oven. Works everytime to get the most perfectly cooked chicken ever.

AND I also highly recommend pounding your meat first. Yes, it seems like a lot of work but trust me. You will not only enjoy the task, but you’ll also enjoy the chicken a lot more than going without. I told my mom about this recently and she always beats her chicken first now! Just do it next time and you’ll see.

Ready for the most perfect summer chicken recipe ever? See below!

Strawberry Salsa Chicken

Strawberry Salsa Chicken 1 Strawberry Salsa Chicken

Celebrate summer with this baked chicken with strawberry salsa!

Ingredients

Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 and 1/2 c. Strawberries, Chopped
1/2 c. Cucumber, Chopped
2 Green Onions, Chopped
1 Jalapeno, Chopped
1 Tbsp Cilantro, Chopped
The Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium high heat in oil for a few moments on each side. Just until browned, no need to cook through. Bake 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix all salsa ingredients and combine well. Place in refrigerator until chicken is done.
Remove chicken from oven. Serve salsa over chicken!

Notes

There's no much to it! Simple as pie.

The salsa would be divine with tortilla chips too!

Enjoy!

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http://pennywisecook.com/strawberry-salsa-chicken/

Question of the day: What do you like on your hot dogs?

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Filed Under: Appetizers and Snacks, Chicken Recipes, Main Dishes, Sauces and Dips Tagged With: baked chicken, Chicken, salsa, salsa chicken, Strawberries, strawberry salsa

Crispy Caesar Chicken Wraps

May 10, 2012 By amy Leave a Comment

Do you ever have those days when you start thinking about dinner and your mind just goes completely blank? This happens to me a lot so I do my best to prepare a meal plan for the week. Though we rarely actually stick to it. Most weeks I come up with my menu on my own, but some weeks I go to the family to see what they would like. I recently asked my husband if he had any suggestions for dinners and of all things that he could come up with, he asked for crispy chicken caesar wraps.

Yes, like the ones at Wendy’s. Very original right?

Honestly, he had a great idea. I love those things! He often gets those on his lunch breaks. He thinks they are “healthy”. You know, because they are wraps. And not burgers. I love man-thinking don’t you? I’ll just let him keep thinking that. But I did want to try and create them at home so that I could know exactly what was going into them and to make them healthier.

All I can say is YUM. Being a frugal person, I can’t tell you that these are going to be cheaper than spending the $.99 on ones at Wendy’s. But I can tell you that the ones you make at home will be bigger, homemade, and a bit healthier.

These wraps are made with a cheese that I’ve never really worked with before- Asiago. I’m not too fond of it by itself. You really don’t want to take a big bite out of that block of cheese. But in these wraps with the caesar dressing and lettuce and crispy chicken, it’s wonderful!

The caesar dressing that I made was a healthier version that I adapted a bit from Cooking Light. It uses nonfat yogurt, dijon mustard, and other yummy lowfat ingredients to create this familiar dressing. I suggest using this recipe on your salads too! It’s fabulous.

The chicken breasts that I used were quite large so they ended up only being crispy on the outside. Hubby commented that it was almost like they weren’t crispy because there was so much meat inside them making them seem grilled. So I do suggest using smaller chicken breasts in order to get a crispier crunch.

I used the shallow fried chicken recipe from my Chicken and Waffles post but added some dill to the breading to give it a green and caesar flavor. It was a great addition. See those flecks of dill on the chicken?

Skip the drive-thru and try these next time!

Crispy Caesar Chicken Wraps

Crispy Chicken Caesar Wrap 4 Crispy Caesar Chicken Wraps

A healthy alternative to Wendy's Crispy Chicken Caesar Wrap.

Ingredients

For the Chicken

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts- Pounded Flat
1/3 c. Egg Substitute or 1 Egg
1/2 c. Flour
1 Tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Tsp Paprika
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
1/4 c. Olive Oil

For the Caesar Dressing

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt $
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk $
1 tablespoon reduced-calorie mayonnaise $
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard $
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced

For the Assembly

Flour Tortillas
Lettuce
Asiago Cheese, Shaved

Method

Combine all of the ceasar dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk well. Set aside.
Mix the flour, kosher salt, paprika, and pepper together and place on a plate.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Dredge chicken breast in the egg then in the flour and seasonings. Place in skillet and brown until crispy. About 4-5 minutes on each side. Cut chicken breasts in half.
Assemble wraps by laying tortillas flat. Next, tear a few pieces of lettuce and place on tortillas. Next place a few pieces of shaved Asiago cheese, then chicken breast. Top with more Asiago cheese and then drizzle desired amount of caesar dressing over chicken.
Roll each tortilla up starting with the bottom and folding upwards, then rolling the sides in.

Notes

You won't need a ton of Asiago cheese, so feel free to buy the smallest amount that you can find.

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http://pennywisecook.com/crispy-ceasar-chicken-wraps/

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Healthy Tagged With: Caesar, Chicken, Wraps

Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches

March 20, 2012 By amy 2 Comments

We had an awesome weekend. Got some yard work done, ran some errands, went to church, and had some friends over. Oh and I ran 5 miles! It felt really great too. I love runs like that.

How was your weekend?

I eat healthy most of the time. Even on the weekends when I “splurge” I find that I can’t help by choose the healthiest options. It’s a blessing and a curse I guess. Sometimes I try to substitute things for other things that just don’t turn out right. For instance, you just can’t use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Fat Free in place of regular butter. It will burn and ruin whatever you’re using it for. But there are tons of other ways to make shortcuts that I use on an everyday basis. Did you catch my post about swapping mushrooms for meat? That’s a great example!

Sometimes I crave ridiculous stuff like those little chocolate covered Hostess donuts. You know the ones. OH MY are they delicious. I have no doubt that I could sit and eat an entire bag in one sitting. Or how about those cheese fries at Outback? They are so incredibly amazing. I remember when I used to go eat there and order those as an appetizer AND a meal on top of that.

The other night I was craving a southern sandwich that is maybe a little foreign to some. A chicken and waffle sandwich. A normal sandwich like this consists of crispy fried chicken sandwiches between two waffles and slathered with maple syrup. So insanely delicious.

I decided to whip these up for the fam that night and they satisfied my craving and were really tasty! If you’ve never tried one of these and want a lighter version you might try this out for yourself. They are so yummy. These are more like mini sandwiches since I used 1/2 a Belgian waffle for each. However, each sandwich does have half a chicken breast and along with the waffle they are actually quite filling!

Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches

4 Sandwiches

Sandwich 2 Chicken and Waffle Sandwiches

A lightened up version of the Chicken and Waffle Sandwich.

Ingredients

2 Belgian Waffles
2 Chicken Breasts
1/3 c. Egg Substitute or 1 Egg
1/2 c. Flour
1 Tsp. Kosher Salt
1 Tsp Paprika
1/4 Tsp. Pepper
1/4 c. Olive Oil
4 Pieces Turkey Bacon
Sugar Free Syrup

Method

Mix the flour, kosher salt, paprika, and pepper together and place on a plate.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat.
Dredge chicken breast in the egg then in the flour and seasonings. Place in skillet and brown until crispy. About 4-5 minutes on each side.
Cut each chicken breast in half and place on 1/4 of Belgian waffle. Tear 1 piece of bacon in half and place on chicken then top with another 1/4 of Belgian waffle.
Pour syrup over the top and eat!

Notes

I used Batter Blaster to make my Beligan waffles, but feel free to use your favorite batter recipe or premade mix.

To cook your bacon quickly, place the 4 pieces on a paper towel and microwave for 1-2 minutes until you reach desired crispiness.

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http://pennywisecook.com/chicken-and-waffle-sandwiches/

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes

Sticky Sesame Chicken

March 15, 2012 By amy 2 Comments

I have always been a huge fan of Chinese food. I absolutely love garlic, onions, soy sauce, you name it. The combination that is used in that ethnicity is just my kind of flavor. And what most people don’t realize is that a lot Chinese dishes are simple to make. There are two things in recipes that I look at to decide if I want to make it.

1) Does it contain ingredients that I would have on-hand or that I would actually buy and use later?
This is what makes it frugal. You don’t want to have to make a special trip to a crazy store 30 minutes away to use that ingredient just once.

2) Is the recipe simple with steps that are easy to follow?
I’m all about simple. If a recipe contains a bunch of steps that are difficult, I usually move on. I’m ok with maybe one challenging step in a recipe, but the more challenging the more time it takes and the less simple that it becomes. And we all know that time is very important too. With two kiddos and a hungry husband, there’s not a moment to spare when getting dinner on the table.

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, then you know I’m a big fan of Hungry Girl. I love her use of resources and out of the box thinking when it comes to making meals healthier. I found this recipe for Sesame Chicken over there and I was a bit turned off by the ingredients to be honest. There are a total of 15- 16 ingredients in this recipe. Yeah, exactly. It doesn’t sound like one of those easy recipes, but after actually seeing what the ingredients were I quickly changed my tune.

With the combination of regular everyday ingredients that you might have on hand, you can whip up this super yummy Sticky Sesame Chicken! I’m serious too, it’s healthy but it’s also amazing! The only drawback to this recipe is the time it takes to coat each piece of chicken. Just make sure that you give yourself plenty of time to do that when preparing this recipe.

Recipe adapted from Hungry Girl.

Sticky Sesame Chicken

2 Servings

Serving Size: 1 Cup

288

Sesame Chicken 3 Sticky Sesame Chicken

Make your own yummy Sesame Chicken just like your favorite Chinese restaurant without all the extra fat!

Ingredients

10 oz Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute
1/4 cup whole-wheat flour, divided
1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth
1 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. sugar-free pancake syrup
2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp. ketchup
1/2 tbsp. lite/low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. sesame oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. sesame seeds
2 tbsp. thinly sliced scallions (optional)

Method

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
Place chicken in a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and cover with egg substitute. Toss to coat and set aside.
Place 2 tbsp. flour in another bowl. Use a fork to transfer half of the chicken to the flour bowl, allowing excess egg substitute to drain back into the egg bowl. Thoroughly coat chicken with flour, and then transfer to the baking sheet. Wipe the bowl clean, and then do it again with remaining flour and chicken.
Bake chicken in the oven until cooked, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine broth with cornstarch in a small nonstick pot and stir to dissolve. Add the syrup, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce, oil, and garlic. Mix well and bring to medium heat on the stove. Stirring often, cook until thick, 2 - 3 minutes. Set aside.
Place cooked chicken in a bowl, top with sauce, and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Top with scallions or crushed red pepper if desired and serve!

Notes

This recipe is made for 2 people, but I had more than 10 oz of chicken so I added a little of each ingredient to make it go further for our family. I used vegetable oil instead of sesame oil and it turned out just fine. So don't fret if you don't have that. Make sure that your chicken is nice and warm when you serve it with the sauce. I found that it gets cold pretty quickly.

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http://pennywisecook.com/sticky-sesame-chicken/

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Filed Under: Chicken Recipes, Main Dishes

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