Honey Mustard Chicken

Honey-Mustard Chicken

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

1/4 cup honey

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

3 chicken breast halves (boneless, skinless or bone-in, skin-on)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Arrange chicken breast halves in a baking dish.

Mix together melted butter, honey, mustard, salt, and curry powder. Pour sauce over chicken, coating thoroughly.

Bake at 350F for about 40 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165-175F, basting during baking time if desired

Bacon and Swiss Quiche

Found these recently and tried it out. It was great! I really love quiche, so this was a nice version that was a bit healthier.

I didn't ahve any phyllo that would have thawed in time, so I used a pre-made pie crust instead. It was a bit more calories, but not too bad. The original recipe can be seen on WeightWatchers.com.

Ingredients
2 sheet(s) phyllo dough, cut into three strips each  
3 large eggs
1/4 cup regular egg substitute
1 cup(s) fat free half and half
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup(s) (shredded) low-fat hard cheese, Swiss, grated
4 oz cooked crisp turkey bacon, diced 


Directions
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.

Lay phyllo dough in pie plate, one piece at a time, coating each layer with cooking spray — dough should cover bottom and sides of dish. Fold in any overhanging corners.

Whisk together eggs, egg substitute, milk, flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Sprinkle cheese and bacon over phyllo dough. Pour in egg mixture and place quiche on a baking sheet. Bake until firm, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool at least 5 minutes before cutting into 8 wedges.

15 Minute Chicken Fajitas

This is a Pampered Chef recipe I've been hearing about for quite a while, but I never got around to making it. Until last night that is... when I had a PC party at the house and the consultant made them. They're AMAZING!!! 

You make them in the microwave and the chicken stays so juicy because of the Deep Covered Baker!

Ingredients

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 Tbsp. Pampered Chef Southwestern Rub or taco seasoning

2 medium onions

3 bell peppers (any colors of your choosing)

1 package fajita-size flour tortillas

Optional toppings

Shredded cheese

sour cream

salsa

guacamole

Directions

Slice up onions and peppers; place in bottom of Deep Covered Baker or other microwavable dish with a cover. Sprinkle with Rub/taco seasoning and place on top of veggies. Cover and microwave for 10-15 minutes. 

When the chicken is cooked through, shred with 2 forks or cut in to bite-sized pieces. Build on tortillas with toppings of choice

Buffalo Chicken Rolls

I've been M.I.A. for a while. Trying to figure out the new normal for me and my Little Ladies. We're getting there ;-)

Another Pinterest recipe! This one's from Can You Stay For Dinner.

I've become a big fan of Buffalo Chicken over the past few years. When I saw this recipe, I just had to try it.... especially since we've had egg roll wrappers hanging around for a while.

I made a version for the Little Ladies that had the slaw, plain chicken and shredded cheese on it. Little C liked them, but Little M did not.

We had them for dinner, but they'd be really good for a party! They were super easy to make too. I whipped them up in about 15ish minutes, after a veeerrrrryyyyy long day out with the Little Ladies.

Ingredients

12 egg roll wrappers (roughly 4 square inches)

1 cup cooked and shredded chicken (6 ounces)

1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

1 cup crumbled blue cheese (4 ounces)

1 cup broccoli slaw (dry)

Small bowl of water

Nonstick cooking spray

Blue cheese dressing, for serving

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lay egg roll wrappers on a clean work surface. In a small bowl, stir chicken* (see note below) and hot sauce until well coated, using more or less sauce depending on your spice preference. The meat should be moist with sauce.

Begin by placing one tablespoon of the broccoli slaw on the diagonal of the bottom right corner of one of the wrappers. Next, place 2 tablespoons of shredded spicy chicken evenly on top of the slaw. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese crumbles over the chicken. Do not overfill.

To fold: Fold the bottom right corner over the stuffing mixture so that it covers it completely, with the tip of the corner now pointing to the center of the egg roll wrapper. Fold in the bottom left corner, followed by the right, so that you now have formed an envelope. Roll the wrap upward one time, leaving the top left corner open. Wet your index finger in the small bowl of water and press to moisten the top left corner. Now fold that down on top of the filled roll, sealing it like you would an envelope.

Repeat with remaining rolls.

Place the rolls on a wire rack set on top of a cookie sheet (or just on a greased cookie sheet) coated with nonstick cooking spray. Spritz each roll evenly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the rolls crisp and turn a light golden brown.

*Note: To make the chicken, place 1/2 lb of uncooked chicken breast in a small pot and fill with enough water just to cover it. Bring to a boil on your stovetop, reduce the heat slightly, then simmer for about 12 minutes, or until cooked through. Drain and let cool before shredding with two forks, pulling against the grain of the meat.

Spicy Honey-Roasted Chicken and Sweet Carrots

Both of these recipes were crazy easy and very delicious. I hated carrots as a kid, but have learned to love them as an adult.

I cooked my chicken in the Deep Covered Baker (remember, we talked about that earlier) and when it was done, I took it out of the oven and put the cover on it till the rest of dinner was done. Perfection!

Spicy Honey-Roasted Chicken (recipe from AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 (6 pound) whole roasting chicken
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Rinse and pat dry the chicken; place in roasting pan.
2. In a bowl, mix together the honey, chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Using your hands, rub the honey mixture all over the chicken. Baste chicken with the melted butter.
3. Roast the chicken in the preheated oven until the skin begins to brown, 30 min. Baste the chicken with juices in the roasting pan.
4. Reduce heat to 350F, and roast until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Baste occasionally during roasting. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180F. 
5. Remove the chicken from the oven, cover and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

Sweet Carrots (recipe from AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups baby carrots
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon butter or stick margarine
• 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon minced chives

Directions

1. Place carrots in a steamer basket. Place in a saucepan over 1 in. of water; bring to a boil. Cover and steam for 5-8 minutes or until tender. 
2. Transfer carrots to a bowl. Add the brown sugar, butter, vinegar and salt; toss until butter is melted and carrots are coated. Sprinkle with chives.

Easy Garlic Chicken

Another recipe found on Pinterest. It was pretty good, but keep your eyes open for a Take 2 version sometime in the future. 

Original recipe found on Food.com


Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 teaspoons olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 500°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.
2. In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.
3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.
4. Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes.
7. Broil on high until garlic and brown sugar topping start to brown and caramelize.

Pork Fried Rice

My pal Julie posted this recipe on her cooking blog not long ago. She got the idea from some of our friends for her recipe. Tonight I had some leftover pork loin that I wanted to use up and someone suggested Julie's recipe. 


It was AMAZING! I changed Julie's recipe a little bit to suit our own tastes. I'm going to list it how I made it, but you could definitely tweak it for your family as well! I added whatever veggies we had in the house that needed to be used up. You could also make this with chicken, beef, shrimp or go vegetarian.

Ingredients

1 cup dry brown basmati rice plus ingredients needed from package

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 lb pork loin, sliced and diced into small pieces

1/2 of medium sized onion, diced

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 green pepper, diced

2-3 celery hearts, diced

4 eggs

1 Tbsp butter

5-6 mini carrots, julienned (I used pre-julienned, bagged carrots we had kicking around)

3-4 green onions, finely diced

sliced mushrooms, sauteed

3 Tbsp prepared General Tsoa's sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook rice per package directions.
2. Prepare the meat and all of the vegetables before you start cooking anything else. Slice and dice all of the pieces to be small enough to be bite sized.
3. On medium-high heat, in a large sauté pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the meat and sauté until no longer pink and fully cooked.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add onions, peppers and celery. If needed, add a splash more of olive oil. Cook until onions are translucent, and vegetables are al dente (not mushy). Drain any excess water.
5. Beat the eggs. Push the cooked meat and vegetables to one half of the sauté pan. Melt butter and then pour the beaten eggs in to the empty half of the sauté pan. With a scraper, push the beaten eggs back and forth until scrambled. (It is ok if the eggs combine with some of the meat and vegetable mixture as they scramble.)
6. When eggs are fully cooked and scrambled, mix together the contents of the sauté pan until the meat, vegetables and eggs are combined.
7. Reduce heat to low and add the cooked rice to the sauté pan and fully mix together.
8. Add the diced carrots and green onions and continue mixing together.
9. Add General Tsoa's sauce and continue cooking on low heat for about 5 more minutes, tossing occasionally, until ready to serve.

Dijon Maple Chicken

Another score from Pinterest! The original recipe can be found at Witty In The City. I tweaked it a little bit.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 maple syrup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF .
2. Place chicken into an oven-proof baking dish, salt and pepper. 
3. Combine mustard, syrup, vinegar and garlic in a mixing bowl. Pour over chicken, turning the thighs in the mixture so they are fully coated.
4. Place chicken in the oven, and bake for 40 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165ºF. Baste the tops of the chicken with more sauce half way through.
5. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Tex-Mex Chicken 'N' Rice

Recipe from 3 Fat Chicks


Ingredients

2 c converted rice, uncooked
28 oz diced tomatoes
6 oz tomato paste
3 c hot water
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 lb boneless & skinless chicken breast - cut in 1/2" cubes
2 med onions - chopped
1 med green bell pepper - chopped
4 oz green chiles - diced
3/4 tsp garlic pepper

1 can corn, drained (optional)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

Directions

1. In a slow cooker mix together all ingredients except the chiles and garlic pepper.
2. Cover and cook on low heat for 4 to 4 1/2 hours or untl the rice is tender and the chicken is white throughout; do not overcook or the rice will be mushy.
3. Stir in the chiles and garlic pepper. Serve at once.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Recipe from Six Sisters' Stuff


Ingredients

1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into small chunks

1/3 cup flour
olive oil
1/2 tbsp salt
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp ketchup
6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (thaw or throw it in the microwave for 45 seconds)
4 tbsp  brown sugar

Directions

1. In a bowl, mix the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and ketchup. Pour the flour in a large zip-top bag and shake until chicken is covered evenly, shake off excess flour.
2. Pour a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and brown the flour-covered chicken. The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked since it's going in the crock pot.
3. After the chicken is done cooking, pour the pieces into the crock pot. Then cover the chicken with your sauce mixture and give the pot a stir.
4. Cook on LOW for 5-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3.
5. Serve with veggies over rice.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

There were a few versions of this going around on Pinterest for a while. This is my take on it.

Ingredients

2 lb pork loin

12 oz root beer

1 small onion, sliced

18 oz bbq sauce

Directions

1. Place pork loin in slow cooker and top with sliced onions. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with root beer. Cook on LOW for 6 hours. Cooking on HIGH for 3 hours will work in a pinch as well.
2. Drain liquid from slow cooker. Shred pork with forks or chop with a knife. Add pork and onions back to slow cooker and cover with bbq sauce. Cook on low for about 15 min, or until heated through.

Serve on rolls.

I made a double batch of the Smokey BBQ Sauce for this and it was fantastic!

I also like to add sour cream to my pulled pork sandwich!

Grilled Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Original recipe from Spark People

Ingredients

1/3 cup honey
3 tbsp soy sauce
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 pork loin chops, boneless, trimmed of excess fat, 4 oz each

Directions

1. In a shallow dish, whisk together honey, soy sauce and garlic.
2. Coat chops in mixture.
3. Reserve left over honey mixture for basting.
4. Place chops on greased grill over med high heat, close lid and cook. basting 2 times.

Serves 6

Diet Coke Chicken

Ingredients

1 lb skinless chicken breast

1 cup ketchup

1 can (12 oz) Diet Coke

Directions

1. Place chicken in a non-stick skillet.
2. Pour ketchup and Diet Coke over chicken and bring to a boil.
3. Cover, reduce heat and cook for 45 min.
4. Uncover and increase heat. Continue to cook until sauce becomes thick and adheres to the chicken.

Chicken and Cheese Casserole

Original Recipe from Living A Changed Life


Ingredients

6 oz uncooked Penne
1 lb chicken breasts, chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 can Cream of Chicken soup

2 cups fat free 1/2 & 1/2
8 ounces low-fat cheddar cheese

1 head (or 1 bag frozen) broccoli, barely steamed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large casserole, combine all ingredients, mixing well.
3. Bake with cover or foil on for 40-50 minutes.
4. Remove cover; bake 15-20 minutes longer.
5. Serve immediately.

Servings 8.

Sweet and Sticky Pork Ribs

Someone gave me this recipe and this is exactly how she wrote it up. I'll try to make it a little more formatted when I've got some time to kill at some point.


Ingredients

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup light soy sauce

1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup orange marmalade

2-6 garlic cloves diced small

1 tsp Garlic powder plus a little more

1 tsp onion powder plus a little more

dash salt

2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in a cup of cold water

Directions

Season meat w Garlic Powder Onion Powder and salt, place in pan bones up. In a large bowl combine Honey, soy, brown sugar, vinegar, marmalade, garlic cloves, onion and garlic powder...just a dash, and a dash of salt. Dissolve cornstarch in cold water and stir till no lumps, add to sauce. Pour over ribs coat all sides ...I leave the bones up then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Heat oven to 200 degrees.Let ribs stand out of oven 30 mins to get rid of chill then place in oven with the foil cover still in place. Bake for 3-5 hours depending on how many ribs you have I usually make about 5-6 lbs and they cook about 4 hrs at 200. Then I remove the cover raise the heat to 450 and cook until sauce is thick and sticky and the meat is falling off the bone...this should only take about 30 - 45 mins depending on how much meat you are cooking...at this point you are only trying to caramelize the sauce the meat should be cooked all the way...about 10 mins into this cooking time flip ribs so bones are down and the top will get crisp and sticky too. 

20-Minute Barbecue Ribs

Ingredients

1 rack (2½-3 pounds) pork loin back ribs (baby back ribs)

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

¼ cup water

1 recipe of Smokey BBQ Sauce

Directions

1. For ribs, remove membrane from rack of ribs using Boning Knife (see Cook’s Tip). Season both sides of ribs with salt and black pepper. Cut between each bone to separate rack into individual ribs. Arrange ribs, cut side down, in two layers in Deep Covered Baker. Add water. Microwave, covered, on HIGH 8 minutes. Turn ribs over. Microwave on HIGH 7-10 minutes or until Pocket Thermometer registers 160°F when inserted into meatiest part of ribs alongside bones and ribs are no longer pink.
2. Transfer ribs to Stainless (4-qt.) Mixing Bowl. Add 1 cup of the Smokey BBQ Sauce and toss to coat.
3. Heat Grill Pan over medium heat 5 minutes. Place ribs onto pan; cook 4-6 minutes or until grill marks appear, brushing with remaining sauce and turning once. Transfer ribs to a serving platter.
4. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Cook’s Tip: The membrane found underneath the rack is not only tough, but it also holds in excess fat. Removing the membrane helps to render out the fat during cooking. To remove the membrane, lay the rack meaty side down. Using the tip of the Boning Knife, gently cut under the membrane on one corner. Using a paper towel, grasp the corner of the membrane and gently pull it away from the bones. Trim any visible fat along the underside of the rack.

©The Pampered Chef, Ltd., 2007

Stuffed Shells

Original recipe seen on Cook Yourself Thin


Ingredients

12 ounces (1 box) jumbo pasta shells (approximately 40 shells)

For the tomato sauce
1 28-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes in juice
1 14-ounce can peeled plum tomatoes in juice
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup roughly chopped red onion
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 sprigs fresh basil
Salt
Pepper

For the stuffing
1-pound bag baby spinach
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus extra for serving
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 scallions, chopped
2 cups (16 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat, part-skim mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pinch grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Spray a baking sheet lightly with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shells, and partially cook 6 to 7 minutes — they should have started to become tender but will still be firm to the bite. Drain in a colander, and immediately transfer to the oiled baking sheet, spreading them out in a single layer so that they don’t stick together. Let cool.
2. For the sauce, pour the tomatoes into a bowl and mash with your hands, or pulse in food processor to chop. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Cover, reduce heat to very low and cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. (Check a few times during cooking; if vegetables begin to brown, add 2 teaspoons water and stir.) Add the tomatoes with juice, basil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer gently 5 minutes. Then simmer very gently, partially covered, until thickened, about 20 minutes. Season with 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Scrape into another container with a rubber spatula; set aside.
3. Add the spinach and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the skillet. Place over medium heat, cover and cook, tossing every now and then with tongs for even cooking, until wilted, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain, and let cool, then squeeze out as much liquid as you can, and chop. Transfer to a bowl; set aside.
4. In the same skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the zucchini and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring every now and then, until tender and lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add scallions during the final 1 minute. Add to the bowl with the spinach. Add the ricotta, the ham, 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, the parsley, 1/8 teaspoon pepper and the nutmeg, and stir to combine.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Spoon a thin layer of sauce over the bottom of two 9-x-13-inch baking dishes. Fill the cooked shells with the cheese mixture, about 1 tablespoon per shell, and arrange the shells side by side in a single layer in the prepared dishes. Spoon the remaining sauce over the shells, and then sprinkle each with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan.
7. Cover with aluminum foil, and bake until the filling is heated through and the cheese is melted, 25 to 30 minutes.

Skillet Lasagna

Ingredients

1 jar (24-26 oz) marinara sauce

3 cups water

8 oz lasagna noodles

1 lb bulk hot Italian turkey sausage or sausage links, casings removed

2 garlic cloves, pressed

2 oz Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Place sausage into (12") Skillet; cook and stir over medium-high heat 6-8 minutes or until sausage is no longer pink, breaking into crumbles using Mix ‘N Chop. Add pressed garlic; cook 1 minute. Remove sausage, drain and set aside. Wipe out skillet with paper towels. 
2. Combine sauce and water in Skillet. Cover; bring to a boil. 
3. Meanwhile, wrap noodles in clean kitchen towel and break crosswise into quarters. Stir noodles into sauce. Cover; reduce heat and simmer 16-18 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir sausage into noodles and sauce.
4. Meanwhile, grate Parmesan cheese using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Chop parsley using Santoku Knife; set aside 1 tbsp parsley for garnish. Combine cheeses, remaining parsley and black pepper in Classic Batter Bowl. Scoop cheese mixture over noodles using Medium Scoop. Cover Skillet and simmer gently 3-5 minutes or until cheese is melted and ricotta mixture is heated through.
5. To serve, sprinkle lasagna with reserved parsley and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. 

Yield: 6 servings

Cook’s Tips: Wrapping lasagna noodles in a clean kitchen towel before breaking into quarters prevents them from scattering around your countertop.

The attractive ruffled edge of regular lasagna noodles add to this dish's visual appeal. No-boil noodles can be used instead of the regular lasagna noodles, if desired. Reduce cooking time of noodles to 10-12 minutes; proceed as recipe directs.

Fresh whole milk ricotta cheese is preferred in this recipe for its smooth texture. Look for fresh ricotta cheese at the deli. Drain off excess liquid before using.

© 2011 The Pampered Chef used under license.