Chicken and Biscuits Pot Pie

I found this recipe while surfing through one of my favorite blogs eighteen25.  She was referencing the recipe from another blog that I had never been to before.  You can find the recipe here.  Anyway, as soon as I saw this picture for it, I knew I wanted to eat it!  Which meant I had to make it.  Good thing I'm supposed to cook every night.  So tonight I made it (I cheated a little on things which I'll explain later) but it was so good! The kids ate most of it (it has vegetables in it) and they actually liked it but didn't like the peas (not many kids do).  I give this recipe a 5!

The first part of the recipe is making the biscuits.  This is where I cheated.  I just used a can of buttermilk biscuits and it was great and saved me A LOT of time!  I also added a little shredded cheese to the top of each biscuit before I baked them.

So here's the recipe, give it a try!

Chicken and Biscuits Pot Pie
source: adapted from The New Best Recipe by the editors of Cook’s Illustrated

You can make this pot pie in either a 13×9-inch baking dish or individual oven-safe bowls (which I find cute but a nuisance) – just bake the bowls for 20-25 minutes.  The filling and biscuits can both be made in advance.  Keep them separate, reheat the filling before adding it to the baking dish(es) then proceed with the baking process as instructed in the recipe.

Ingredients:For the buttermilk biscuits

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cake flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp table salt
• 4 tbsp (1/2 stick) unsalted butter chilled, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp buttermilk

For the chicken pot pie filling:

• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• 2 small ribs celery, cut crosswise 1/4-inch thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 2 to 2 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3 tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
• 3 to 4 cups (about 1 1/4 lbs) shredded chicken
• 3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves

Instructions:

1. To make the biscuits: In a large bowl, stir the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar together.  With a pastry cutter or your fingers, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter resembles course meal with some larger butter lumps remaining.  Stir in 3/4 cup of the buttermilk with a fork until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball.  If the dough is too dry, add a little extra buttermilk – 1 tablespoon at a time up to 2 tablespoons.
2. Transfer the dough to a well-floured work surface and pull it together into a ball with your floured hands.  Pat the dough out to 3/4″ thickness and cut out 12 rounds with a 3-inch biscuit or cookie cutter.  Transfer the biscuits to a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill until you’re ready to use them.  The biscuits can be made and kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days in advance.
3. To make the filling:  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the oil.  Once the oil is hot, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until tender, about 5-7 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer cooked vegetables to a bowl with the chicken; set aside.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the same pot.  When melted, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute.  Whisk in the milk, chicken broth, and thyme.  Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and let it simmer for 1 minute to thicken.  Season with salt and pepper and stir in the sherry (if using).  Turn off the heat and transfer the vegetables and chicken to the pot, stirring until the filling is well-combined.  Mix in the peas and parsley.  If the filling is too thick (you’ll know), stir in the extra chicken broth, about 1/4 cup at a time up to 3/4 cup until the filling loosens up a little.
5. Pour the filling into a 13×9-inch baking dish and bake for 18 minutes.  Remove the dish from the oven (keeping the oven on and door closed) and top the filling with the biscuits.  Return the baking dish to the oven and bake for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the biscuits are golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Follow Up Food Storage Taste Test

So I received my 2nd sample from Daily Bread.  They were very nice about it and had no problem sending me another sample.  This time they sent me Chicken a la King.

I followed the instructions exactly as it said on the bag again, adding 1 cup boiling water to the package and resealing it and then I let it sit for about 10 minutes.

Here's what it looked like this time when I opened it:

To me this looked much better than the watery lasagna from my last post.  Now onto how it tasted since that's what really matters!






Here's how it looked in a bowl out of the package (keep in my you can eat it straight from the package for convenience).

As you can see there are red and green things in it (vegetables) but to a kid (namely my kids) that's a deal breaker!  The kids liked the noodles but said they didn't like it overall because it had red and green things in it :)

My husband and I on the other hand really liked it!  I didn't feel like I needed to add salt to it like the lasagna and the chicken tasted great after it reconstituted.  I liked the noodles, the sauce and the vegetables in it.  So after this 2nd round of taste test I would definitely buy more from Daily Bread but maybe just not the lasagna.

Have you tried any of the food from these companies or any others?  Let me know what you like!

Chicken and Dumplings

Ok I just made an amazing dinner tonight!  How amazing might you ask?  So amazing that all 3 children had 2nds and my oldest had 3rds!  3 helpings of dinner?!  That is unheard of!  So if you like chicken and dumplings, you have to try this recipe.  It comes from Our Best Bites cookbook and it is, you guessed it, amazing!  I give this recipe a definite 5!

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth (1 1/2 boxes or 3 cans) OR 6 c. water + 6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 lb. cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (I use 1/2 of a fauxtisserie chicken and it’s FABULOUS! You could also use leftover rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
1 c. sliced carrots
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 onion, minced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 bay leaf
1 handful of chopped fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp. dried parsley)
1/2 tsp. basil
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk (fat free is fine)
1 recipe of Bisquik dumplings (recipe is on the box) or 1 small package of Kluski noodles

Directions

In a large pot, heat some olive oil over medium heat and add onions and garlic. Saute for a few minutes and then add chicken broth, chicken, bay leaf, and basil. Bring to a boil. Add carrots and celery and reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until carrots and celery are tender. When carrots and celery are almost done, add chopped parsley. Add evaporated milk. Increase heat to boiling and add noodles or add prepared Bisquik by small spoonfuls (they’ll really puff up while they’re cooking). Cook until noodles are tender or until dumplings are cooked through (they should appear moist but feel firm; this is after about 4-5 minutes).

Note from author: One other thing–if you know you’ll have leftovers, only add dumplings or noodles to what you know you’ll eat immediately. The noodles/dumplings will soak up all the liquid in the soup when you store it as leftovers, so you’ll have overly-mushy noodles and chicken with no broth if you don’t. The other thing you can do is add all of the dumplings or all of the noodles, and then store the dumplings or noodles separately from the rest of the soup. That’s easy to do with dumplings, not so much with noodles.

Olive Garden Style Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

If you have ever gone to Olive Garden for lunch, you've probably ordered the soup, salad and breadsticks at some point. We always do and we were very pleased to see a new soup added to their menu as of late. The Chicken and Gnocchi soup is amazing! I knew it was a recipe I needed to find when I saw my kids eating bowl after bowl of it! Here's one I found and tried. It turned out pretty good and almost exactly tasting like the real thing. I will give it a 5 star rating!

Ingredients

3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups half-and-half (evaporated milk works as well)
1 stalk celery, diced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 carrot, shredded
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil (I use pam cooking spray)
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper
16 oz potato gnocci
1 Tbsp cornstarch (optional)

Directions

Saute the onion, celery, garlic, and carrot in oil over medium heat until onion is translucent. (I just spray the pan with pam instead of using oil)

Add chicken, chicken stock, half and half, salt and pepper, thyme. Heat to boiling, then add gnocchi. Gently boil for 4 minutes, then turn down to a simmer for 10 minutes.

Add spinach and cook for another 1-2 minutes until spinach is wilted.

Optional: Heat to boiling and add cornstarch dissolved in 1-2 Tbsp water at this point if you want a thicker soup. (I skipped this step)

Magic's Green and White Chicken Soup

Here is another recipe from Allrecipes.com that uses both cilantro and spinach. It turned out pretty good but needed some extra salt and pepper. I guess the recipe says use it "to taste" and I guess my taste needs a lot for this recipe. It smelled so good but then you took a taste of it and the flavor just wasn't there till you added a little more salt. Anyway, still good and I do recommend it. The only thing is I didn't make the noodles by hand since we have an egg allergy so I just substitued packaged noodles. I also didn't use kale, I just used more spinach. I give the recipe a 4.5! Sorry no picture this time...

INGREDIENTS

1 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (I used about 4 chicken breasts)
2 medium heads garlic, chopped
(if you're not making homemade noodles skip the next 5 ingredients)
3 tablespoons butter
2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
4 egg yolks
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch kale, torn into small pieces (or just use more spinach instead)
1 bunch fresh spinach, stems removed, torn into small pieces
2 bunches green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon curry powder
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Place chicken and garlic in a large pot and with water to cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until meat is very tender, 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove chicken from pot and let rest until cool enough to handle. Remove skin and bone and tear or chop meat into bite-size pieces.

(If you're not making homemade noodles skip this next step)

In a large bowl, beat together butter, flour and salt to form a mealy mixture. Beat in eggs and egg yolks to form a stiff dough. Divide dough into thirds and roll each third out onto a floured surface to 1/8 inch (3 mm) thickness. Let rolled pieces of dough rest on racks for 20 minutes.

While dough is resting, stir chicken meat, cilantro, parsley, kale, spinach and green onions into broth. Season with Italian seasoning, curry powder and balsamic vinegar. Simmer over low heat, adding more water if necessary. Slice the noodle dough into 1/2-inch (1.2 cm) widths. Bring the soup to a light boil and drop noodles into the soup a few at a time. Cook until noodles are tender, 5 minutes. (If using prepackaged noodles cook them on the stove until almost done, drain, then add them to the soup to cook the extra 5 minutes). Season soup with salt and pepper and serve.

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa

Ok so after a long hiatus I'm back! I have plenty of recipes to share but don't have time to blog them all so I thought I'd start with this one that I made just the other day. It comes from the Everyday Food magazine which I just started subscribing to. A lot of the recipes in there are a lot more time intensive than I would like but this one was quick and easy and really light tasting. I served it with rice and steamed vegetables. I loved it! I give it a 5!

Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 to 8 ounces each)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 Hass avocado, pitted and cut into chunks (I just used a regular avocado)

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and cayenne; rub all over chicken.

2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, and cook until browned on the outside and opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes per side.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine onion and lime juice; set aside. Just before serving, fold avocado chunks into onion mixture; season with salt and pepper. Serve chicken topped with salsa.

Southwestern Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

This is also from Rachael Ray's 30 minute all occasion cookbook. We had this one tonight and it turned out great! I added cilantro to it because I need to get rid of it and it gave it added flavor. I also added cheese because what burrito is complete without cheese? I give this recipe a 5! (again sorry no picture)

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
a couple shakes cayenne pepper sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot or Tabasco
1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I used pam cooking spray)
1/2 medium spanish onion chopped (I just used regular yellow onion)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
3 Tbsp smoky barbecue sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 heart of romaine, shredded
6 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
4 large flour tortillas, flavored or plain

Rub chicken with cumin, chili powder, and cayenne sauce. Heat a griddle pan to high. Cook chicken breasts 4 minutes on each side and remove from heat.

While chicken is cooking, heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Go once around the pan with oil. Cook onions and garlic until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add beans and barbecue sauce. Chop cooked chicken breasts and drop into barbecued beans. Heat mixture through. Season with salt and pepper.

Place a tortilla on a plate and pile chicken and beans in center. Top with lettuce, scallions, and tomatoes. Wrap, roll, and repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Serve with chips and salsa.

Creamy Chicken Macaroni

Tonight's meal was again from the newest Kraft Food and Family magazine and was one of my favorite types of meals, a one pot dish! Love it! Less mess and only one pot to clean afterward. I didn't have any paprika in the house....among all my thousands of spices so I used Old Bay seasoning instead....didn't do much for the chicken so I give this recipe a 4.5!

1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 tsp. paprika
2 cups water
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 pkg. (7-1/4 oz.) KRAFT Macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken and onions; cook and stir 5 min. Add paprika; cook and stir 1 min.

STIR in water, broccoli and Macaroni; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover. Simmer 10 min. or until macaroni is tender and chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally.

ADD Cheese Sauce Mix and sour cream; stir until well blended. Cook 2 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Speedy Chicken Stirfry

It's that time again, when Kraft Food and Family sends me another magazine and I use it A LOT! I loved this recipe and there are no leftovers since those were eaten today so you know it was good when the leftovers are no longer around. My favorite part of this recipe is the Kraft Asian dressing, I love all the flavors they have that help make a dish wonderful! I give it a 5!

8 oz. angel hair pasta (capellini), uncooked
2 cups small broccoli florets
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. each: ground ginger, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
1/3 cup chopped PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli to the boiling water for the last 3 min. of the pasta cooking time.

MEANWHILE, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 6 to 8 min. or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and crushed red pepper; cook 1 min., stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large bowl. Add chicken mixture; mix lightly. Spoon evenly into four serving bowls; sprinkle with the peanuts.

Chicken Waikiki Beach

Doesn't the recipe name just sound so exotic? Well now that I'm back to actually cooking meals instead of take out or frozen meal stuff I thought I'd post one of the new things I tried. This recipe came from a Fundcraft Cookbook Sampler and it's by someone named Sue Dowell. It was great and we're working on downing the leftovers! I give this recipe a 5!

1 chicken cup up (I used 2 chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces)
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Heat oven to 350. Coat chicken with flour. Heat oil (I just use cooking spray) in a large frying pan and brown chicken on all sides. Remove to a shallow roasting pan; arrange pieces, skin side up. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Prepare sauce.

Sauce:

1 (1lb. 4oz.) can sliced pineapple
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp ginger
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 large green pepper, sliced (I used orange)

Drain pineapple syrup into a 2-cup measure. Add water to make 1 1/4 cups. Mix in cornstarch to dissolve. In medium saucepan, combine sugar, syrup with cornstarch, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and bouillon cube. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Add pineapple slices and pepper slices. Back 30 more minutes. Serve with rice and enjoy! (Now I thought that was quite a bit of cooking time an hour after you've already browned the chicken? So I did 15 minutes and 15 minutes and it was fine....I had a starving family waiting for dinner!)

Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole

I have officially become a magazine mom. I subscribed to Family Fun magazine and just love it. That is where last night's recipe came from. I looked at it last week before I needed to go grocery shopping because there were things in this recipe that I have never bought before but have always wanted to cook with like tomatillos. Some of the mexican restaurants around here have great salads with this tomatillo ranch dressing that is amazing! If I find a good recipe for it I'll let you know. Anyway this was an amazing dish! We just had leftovers for lunch and there is only one enchilada left so you know this was good. Tim raved about all night! That always makes you feel good. Even Aiden gobbled it down. I do have to say that this wasn't an easy recipe meaning it took longer than my normal 30 minute meals since you have to prepare the sauce and then the enchiladas. But it was worth it. This recipe is a lot easier if you own a food processor of some sort or a blender. I give this recipe a 5!

RECIPE INGREDIENTS:

For the Sauce:
2 pounds tomatillos
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped white onion
1/3 cup chopped cilantro, lightly packed
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chilies, drained
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream

For the Enchiladas:
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas (I used burrito size flour tortillas)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar
1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. To make the sauce, husk the tomatillos, and rinse them under warm water to remove any stickiness and dirt. Broil the tomatillos on a foil-lined baking sheet 1-2 inches from the heat, turning them once, until they are softened and slightly charred, about 7-9 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the white onions and saute until golden brown about 5 minutes.

3. Transfer the tomatillos to a blender and add the sauteed onions, cilantro, green chilies, cumin, sugar, and salt and puree until smooth.

4. Return the tomatillo sauce to the skillet and cook it over medium heat until thickened, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Add the broth and cream and continue cooking until the sauce is slightly thickened and not watery, about 5-8 minutes. Add more salt if desired. (This sauce has more of a sweet taste to it).

(I skipped this next step since I used flour tortillas instead of corn)
5. To make th eenchiladas, brush both sides of the tortillas lightly with oil and lay them on a cookie sheet in stacks of two. Heat them in a 375 oven just until they're soft and pliable, about 3 minutes.

6. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, half of the cheddar, half of the monterey jack, the chopped onion, and the salt. Add 1/2 cup of the sauce to the chicken mixture and toss to combine.

7. Spread a third of the remaining sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 inch baking dish. Place 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of a tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the other tortillas. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the casserole.

8. Bake the casserole at 375 until the enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown, about 20-30 minutes. Severs 6-8 people.

Garden Risotto

I loved this recipe (also from the ward cookbook) since it used 2 chicken breasts which is what I usually use in a recipe even if it calls for more. I also love it because you cook everything at once, there's no 50 million steps to this recipe! This also made a ton of food which is great for leftovers. Unfortunately, we have no more leftovers they were gone the next day! That's how good this stuff is! I couldn't find Orzo pasta...dumb Walmart doesn't have it so you have to go to a regular grocery store to get it. It looks like rice but it's pasta so it's in the pasta section. Instead I used small shells pasta. The difference in cooking this way is it needs a little longer to cook and extra liquid maybe a cup more. But it still turned out great! I give this recipe a 5!

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, uncooked and cut into bite size pieces
3 T. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 can chicken broth
1 3/4 cup orzo pasta, uncooked
2 cups broccoli florets
1 1/2 cup frozen corn
Salt and pepper to taste
3/4 cup parmesan cheese

In a sauce pan saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil and brown the chicken along with it. Add chicken broth, uncooked pasta and broccoli. Reduce heat to medium and cover. Stir occasionally so the orzo pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pan. This only takes a few minutes. STir in the corn, salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Serve immediately. --Jessica Mathews

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This recipe, as I'm sure others will, comes from our ward's cookbook. It seems like a normal casserole until you get to the curry powder part. It sounded weird but it tasted great! Tim even liked this one. Aiden ate it up too! The only thing I wasn't crazy about in this recipe was that everything was cooked beforehand and then baked for 30 minutes. I like when you can just put everything in a dish and then let it all cook on it's own in the oven. I give this recipe a 5!

3 cups chicken, cooked and cubed
2 pkg. frozen broccoli spears, cooked
1/2 cup mayo
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 to 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, grated

Make sauce by mixing mayo, cream of chicken soup and curry powder. Layer in a 9x13 baking dish; chicken, cooked broccoli, mixed sauce. Sprinkle cheese on top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Serve hot over rice or noodles. --Kate Mortensen

White Bean Chili

This recipe comes from our ward's cookbook that they just put out. So if you bought it....then it's nothing new, just a review of the recipe. I'm a big fan of chili so I knew this would be good. I really liked it and it was pretty easy to make. Tim said it wasn't his favorite thing I've ever made. But then he's not much for chili. He did say that it's better than regular chili....and yet he had 2nds! Go figure. I give this recipe a 5!

1 lb chicken, cut up
1 med. onion chopped
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 cans white beans, rinsed and drained
1 can chicken broth
1 can green chiles
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 cup sour cream

Cook together chicken, onion and garlic powder until chicken is cooked through. Add the white beans, chicken broth, green chiles, salt, oregano, and pepper. Heat thoroughly on stovetop. Just before serving, add the whipping cream and sour cream. --Lucinda Hopkins

Asian Orange Chicken

Thanks to the baby on the way, I had the craving for Orange Chicken from a chinese restaurant. Unfortunately, we have been eating out too much so I had to go and find a way to make it. Well I found it on allrecipes.com and it actually tasted like the orange chicken you get from Fortune Chinese (a cheap chinese restaurant a few blocks away) so I was in heaven. The only difference I made was in the vinegar...I didn't have rice vinegar so I used apple cider vinegar instead...tasted just fine to me. Even Aiden ate it, it was gone quicker than I could put it on his tray! I give this recipe a 5!

INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Pour into saucepan 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce; and set over medium-high heat. Stir in orange zest, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and chopped onion. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let cool 10 to 15 minutes.

Place chicken pieces into a resealable plastic bag. When contents of saucepan have cooled, pour 1 cup of sauce into bag. Reserve remaining sauce. Seal bag, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

In another resealable plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and peppers.
Add marinated chicken pieces, and shake to coat.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in skillet, and brown on both sides. Remove to paper towels, and cover with aluminum foil.

Wipe out the skillet, and add the sauce. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water, and stir into sauce. Reduce heat to medium low; stir in chicken pieces, and simmer, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Cacciatore-Style Chicken Bake

Tonight's meal again came from the Fall issue 2006 of the Kraft Food and Family magazine. It turned out great and I thought that maybe next time I make it I'll make pasta to put it on. I love the recipes that are done all in one pan. It didn't take long to make either. The only difference I made was that I added cheese before putting the stuffing on top. I give this recipe a 5!

1-2/3 cups hot water
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 small each: red and green pepper, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 jar (14 oz.) spaghetti sauce

PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Add hot water to stuffing mix; stir just until moistened. Set aside.

PLACE chicken, peppers and onions in 13x9-inch baking dish; mix lightly. Pour spaghetti sauce over chicken mixture; top with prepared stuffing.

BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.

Farmhouse Chicken Dinner

Ever since I got the new Kraft Food and Family magazine, Fall 2006 issue, I have been using it nonstop (that was 2 days ago). Tonight's meal was fabulous. It was so good that I was glad I made the full 4 servings so that there were left overs. I mean, so good that when I was close to finishing my serving, I was wishing that I wasn't so full so I could eat more. I didn't though...that would have been piggish (is that a word?). As for the chicken itself, I hardly ever buy meat with the bone still in so I just used boneless chicken breasts and I didn't have brown rice so white rice works just as well. Anyway, you have to try this recipe and tell me if you thought it was as good as I did. I definitely give this recipe a 5!

1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 small bone-in chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.), skin removed
1/4 cup KRAFT LIGHT DONE RIGHT! Zesty Italian Reduced Fat Dressing
2 cups baby carrots
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided
2 cups MINUTE Brown Rice, uncooked
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA
Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, cubed
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

MIX flour and pepper in shallow dish. Add chicken; turn to evenly coat both sides with flour mixture. Shake off excess flour mixture. Heat dressing in large nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken, meat-side down; cook 5 to 6 min. or until golden brown. Turn chicken over; add carrots, onions and 1 cup of the broth. Cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 20 min. or until carrots are tender and chicken is cooked through (180°F).

MEANWHILE, cook rice as directed on package. Spoon onto serving platter. Use slotted spoon to remove chicken and vegetables from skillet; place over rice. Cover to keep warm.

ADD Neufchatel cheese and remaining broth to skillet; increase heat to high. Cook until cheese is melted and sauce is well blended, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 3 to 5 min. or until sauce is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Spoon over chicken and vegetables; sprinkle with parsley.

Carmelized Garlic Chicken

This recipe comes from the Pillsbury website. This was one of the easiest recipes to make and it turned out great. It only uses 4 ingredients and tasted great! Too bad I didn't make a ton for Tim to have seconds...he ate the rest of the side dishes instead. This makes 4 servings but I only made it for 2 so you can scale it anyway you want. I give this recipe a 5!

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 teaspoons brown sugar
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

Directions

1 . Heat oven to 500°F. Line shallow roasting pan with foil; spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2 . Heat oil in small nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until hot. Add garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until garlic begins to soften, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in brown sugar until well mixed.

3 . Place chicken breast halves in sprayed foil-lined pan. Spread garlic mixture evenly over chicken.

4 . Bake at 500°F. for 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken is fork-tender and juices run clear.

Salsa Chicken Fiesta

Tonight's recipe came from the Betty Crocker website. This recipe is for 2 servings so I doubled it and put it in a 9x9 square baking dish instead of a bread pan. It wasn't half bad considering it only has chicken, salsa, cheese and a bisquick mixture in it. It was really easy to make and only bakes for 20 minutes. Which was good since I didn't figure out what to make for dinner until last minute. So I give this recipe a 3.5

Ingredients

1/3 cup Bisquick Heart Smart™ mix
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons fat-free egg product or 1 egg white
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (1 1/2 oz)
1 large boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup Old El
Paso® Thick 'n Chunky salsa

1 . Heat oven to 400ºF. Spray 8x4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. In small
bowl, stir together Bisquick® mix, water and egg product; spread in pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the cheese.
2 . In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until outsides turn white; drain. Stir in salsa; heat until hot. Spoon over batter in pan to within 1/2 inch of edges.
3 . Bake about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cheese. Bake about 2 minutes longer or until cheese is melted; loosen from sides of pan.

Made over Chicken Tetrazzini

I made this one a couple days ago and the leftovers are already gone so it was pretty good. It comes from the Kraft Food and Family magazine, Spring 2006 issue. It wasn't too difficult to make either which I love. It called for red peppers but I was fresh out so I used green....I'm not sure what the difference is other than the color. To me, this dish tasted like tuna noodle casserole but it was chicken. Go figure. If you end up making this one, comment on what you thought about the taste. I give this recipe a 4.

Ingredients

1/2 lb. (8 oz.) spaghetti, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 medium red pepper, chopped
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese, cubed
1/4 cup flour
1 can (14 oz.) fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 Tbsp. KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese, divided
1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken, peppers and mushrooms; cook and stir 5 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; set aside.

PLACE Neufchatel cheese, flour and broth in skillet. Cook and stir with wire whisk until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min., stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta; return to saucepan. Add Neufchatel cheese mixture, chicken mixture and 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese; mix well. Spoon into 2-qt. round casserole dish; cover with foil. Bake 25 min. Top with mozzarella and remaining 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese; continue baking, uncovered, 2 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.