Shredded Cilantro Lime Chicken

Sometimes you want to take 4 hours to prepare a gourmet meal, complete with fancy little Hors d'oeuvres and champagne poached quail eggs over smoked ahi tuna (okay so I don't know if that's actually a thing) and sometimes... well, sometimes you just want to throw together a really easy dinner, like burritos or tacos. To be honest, most of the time I choose the latter, especially now that I have an 18-month-old son that constantly keeps me on my toes. The easier the dish is to prepare, the better. That means I will have more time to chase him down and remove the bits of crayon and couch-aged crackers from his slobbery little mouth. 

Yesterday was one of those days where by the end of the night my body felt like it had forgotten how to function properly and everything was set to auto-pilot. No longer was I the same woman I was when I opened my eyes that morning. Throughout the day I had become a shell of my former self, and had repeated the words "No, baby... No, baby..." about thirty dozen times... and that's no exaggeration.  

Today I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day... Now, almost 8 hours later, I feel beaten down and so, so ready for bed! In order to to end this post on a positive note and forget the fact that I am in desperate need of a vacation, I would just like to say... make this chicken, eat it and just enjoy life! It's perfect for burritos, tacos, taco salads or anything else you might be able to dream up! 

Leave me a comment below and let me know what you used it for! :)

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Shredded Cilantro Lime Chicken:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2-1/2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1-1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1-1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pat chicken breasts dry and rub with olive oil. If the breasts are super thick you can pound them out until they are all even in thickness. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of the chili powder, the salt and the pepper, place on baking sheet (or baking dish) and cover with foil.

Bake chicken breasts for 20-30 minutes, depending on the thickness. Once juices run clear and meat is no longer pink, remove from the oven and shred. Sprinkle with additional 1 teaspoon chili powder, lime juice and cilantro and mix well.

This chicken is perfect for burritos, tacos, taquitos or even by itself!

Makes about 2-1/2 cups shredded chicken.

Crispy BBQ Wings

My husband... what can I say about my husband? Other than the fact that he's a good guy who works hard for his family... I would say that one of the most defining things about him is that he loves chicken wings. I mean, loooooves them. Since we've been together, very few days have gone by where he didn't request a big batch of chicken wings for lunch/dinner/snack. Luckily, i'm also somewhat of a wing fanatic now, so I usually give in to his requests, like I did last night.

This week has been so chaotic... Today is the first day where I can truly say I don't feel complete panic over whether or not I have bowls to hold all of the snacks for my son's 1st birthday party, or if the color of the streamers perfectly matches the plates and balloons... Whew! I had forgotten how stressful party planning can be when you go a little overboard ;). Luckily it's over and I still have a few months until my daughter's 8th birthday! So, in the meantime, I can just sit back, fry up some wings, and enjoy life...

Crispy BBQ Wings:

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds chicken wings (party wings)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 bottle Sweet Baby Ray's Sweet & Spicy BBQ Sauce
• 3 tablespoons white vinegar
• Oil for frying

Directions:

Combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a shallow (pie) pan or bowl. Dredge chicken wings in flour and set aside.

Heat oil in a dutch oven or deep fryer to 350 degrees. 

Before placing wings into oil, toss them in flour mixture one more time and shake off the excess flour.

Fry each batch of wings until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove, place on paper towels to drain, and repeat with remaining wings.

While the last batch of wings is frying, place BBQ sauce and vinegar in a small pot over medium heat. Cook until bubbly and hot, then turn off the flame.

Place cooked wings in a large bowl and toss with heated BBQ sauce to coat.

Serve immediately and watch as your man's face lights up as you bring him a giant pile of wings. They're like the equivalent to chocolate for women ;) Enjoy!

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Bake

I'm sick, I don't feel well and I need to be taken care of. Getting sick as an adult is so different than getting sick as a child. I actually miss those days of being young, staying home from school and having my mom make me a cozy bed on the couch. I always had my chicken noodle soup and my giant cup of 7-Up and the remote control. It was awesome. Now, as an adult... It's a little different. I have a sick, fussy baby to take care of, a 2nd grader to help with homework and a family to cook for. Responsibility sucks when you're sick.

The one good thing that came out of my sickness was this Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta recipe! It has got to be my new favorite dinner. Seriously. No, really. I mean it! My hubby fell in love with it and even my 7-year-old daughter likes it! It's got just enough of that buffalo-y flavor to be called "buffalo," but basically it just tastes like a super creamy and magically delicious pasta. So, I guess being sick was all worth it in the end... Or maybe not. Either way... try the pasta, okay?

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Bake Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients: 

• 12 ounces extra wide egg noodles
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)
• 1 medium onion (chopped)
• 1 Tablespoon oil
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 cup FRANK'S® Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce
• 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
• Fresh parsley (chopped)

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook noodles al dente according to package directions.

In a dutch oven, or medium saucepan, over medium heat, saute onions until translucent (about 5-6 minutes). Add cream.

In a small bowl, combine milk and flour. Add to cream. Stir in buffalo sauce and bring sauce to a boil. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, or until sauce has thickened and is nice and bubbly. 

Cut cream cheese into 1" cubes and stir into sauce. Keep stirring until cream cheese has melted.Taste sauce and add salt and pepper according to taste.

Add chicken and noodles and combine.

Pour pasta into 9" x 13"  baking dish and sprinkle 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles over the top. Place the pasta into the oven for 5-10 minutes to heat the pasta and get the blue cheese slightly melty. 

Remove from oven, top with fresh parsley and serve.

Orange Beer Chicken

 This past weekend was a much-needed weekend for our family! It seems like we've been letting summer slip away from us and since we've had a new baby in the house we haven't really done much. We decided to take a trip to the zoo and we had so much fun! My 6-year-old daughter fell in love with the sea lions, giraffes and a very tiny poison dart frog this year. Our little baby boy slept through the entire zoo experience, but I'm counting that as a blessing.

\

In our family, the only thing that makes a fun weekend even funner (Yes, I said funner. Yes, I realize it's not really a word. Or is it?) is good food! My hubby had recently brewed a batch of beer, a brown ale, and wanted me to make him something for dinner using his homebrew. I came up with a yummy orange-y, beer-y glaze with a hint of spice that was out-of-this-world. It's sticky, sweet and good to eat. That sounded a little cheesy, but just go with it... I highly suggest making this for the man in your life, especially if he is a beer lover. Or if he's someone who loves tasty meals. Either way, this chicken dinner is a winner! There I go with the rhyming again...

Orange Beer Chicken Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

3 pounds chicken thighs

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon oil

For the Sauce:

2 onions (sliced thinly)

3/4 cup beer (the maltier the beer, the better)

1/2 cup brown sugar

zest of 1 orange

Juice of 1 orange

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 tablespoon water

Orange slices (halved)

1 tablespoon oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar, salt, red pepper flakes, mustard powder, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder. Combine and rub on both sides of chicken thighs.

In a large skillet, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and brown chicken on both sides.  Remove chicken and place in a large baking dish.

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil and sliced onions. Cook onions until translucent (about 5-6 minutes). Add beer and cook for additional 4-5 minutes or until mixture has reduced to about half. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice, cinnamon, pepper and salt. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and add to sauce mixture. Cook sauce over medium heat for 6-7 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. 

Pour sauce over chicken, making sure to place onion slices on the tops of the chicken thighs. Place sliced orange halves in the baking dish around chicken pieces. 

Cook in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, basting chicken once after 30 minutes. 

Serve chicken with onions and orange slices. Enjoy!

Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry

Back when I was pregnant and the only thing that sounded good to me was a gigantic, greasy, bacon covered burger, my darling husband asked me to make a chicken curry dish. I really, really didn't want to make a chicken curry dish, but because I love him and because he's so adorable and persuasive, I made it for him. I had absolutely no idea that it was going to become one of my favorite dinners and something I found myself craving pretty much every other day.

Over the years my hubby has really been the person who has shaped my food tastes. He's the one who's always trying to get me to try new things and introducing me to fun, new foods. He helps me step out of my comfort zone and I love him for that! I guess that's what husbands are for, right? They're there to fill in the places in your life where you may be lacking. Thanks, hubby! Oh, and I should probably thank him for talking me into cooking this delicious dinner for him as well... You'll thank him, too once you try it!

Creamy Coconut Chicken Curry Recipe (adapted from The Joys of Life) : {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breast pieces
1 large onion (cut into 3/4" pieces)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 rounded teaspoon ground turmeric
1 rounded teaspoon ground coriander
1 pinch of ground ginger

1 tablespoon cooking sherry

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 (15 ounce) can coconut milk 

1-1/2 teaspoons corn starch
1 cup chopped tomatoes (canned)
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
salt
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)

2 tablespoons oil

Instructions:

Cut chicken into 1" pieces. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot or dutch oven. Brown and cook chicken over medium heat. Set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and saute onions for 4-5 minutes. 

Add cooking sherry, garlic, turmeric, coriander and ginger. Cook for one minute

Add chicken back to pot. Mix corn starch with coconut milk. Add coconut milk, brown sugar and tomatoes and cook, partially covered for 15 minutes, or until sauce has thickened. 

Stir in lemon juice. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Serve over rice (we used brown rice, but you can also use yellow, white or any style rice.)

Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve.

Chicken Alfredo Flatbread

So, on Saturday Night... after our daughter was in bed, hubby and I decided to make something fun and new. I was super excited because we were going to whip up a batch of homemade flatbread, which is something I've never made before, but something that I absolutely love eating when we go to restaurants!

One of my favorite things about my dear, sweet husband is how much he loves to come in the kitchen and help me cook. We like to make a night of it and treat it as almost an "at-home date night." They are actually my favorite nights. I'll take cooking with him over sitting at a restaurant any day! Especially when we're making something yummy like Chicken Alfredo Flatbread! 

The best way I can describe this recipe is... Mega Super Crazy Delicious. Yeah, that's the best way to describe it for sure. I think homemade flatbread is going to be my latest addiction because I'm already wanting to make it again! Plus, the roasted mushrooms, tomatoes, bell pepper and garlic are out-of-this-world amazing. I hope you like it as much as we did!

Chicken Alfredo Flatbread Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and sliced)

4, 10" flatbreads *recipe below*

1 cup alfredo sauce

8 ounces fresh mushrooms

1 red bell pepper

10 ounces cherry tomatoes

3 cloves fresh garlic (minced)

8 ounces fresh mozzarella (sliced)

12 fresh basil leaves

Olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spread mushrooms and minced garlic on a greased baking sheet.

Cut tomatoes and bell pepper in half, remove seeds from bell pepper and place on baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven for 14-15 minutes, or until bell pepper is beginning to char slightly and tomatoes have softened. Remove from oven, slice bell pepper into strips and set aside. Do not turn off the oven.

Spread about 3 tablespoons of alfredo sauce on each flatbread. Place about 4 slices of chicken breast on top and 1/4 of the tomatoes, mushrooms and bell peppers. Place 1/4 of the fresh mozzarella on each flatbread and top with a couple fresh basil leaves.

Place in oven and cook for 8-12 minutes, or until flatbread is crispy and cheese is nice and melty.

Flatbread Recipe (from Food Network)

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1-3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

oil

Combine yeast, salt, flour and sugar in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Slowly pour in water, while pulsing, until dough forms a ball. Remove from food processor and knead about 5-6 times, or until dough is smooth.

Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a towel and place in a warm area to rise.

Once dough has doubled in size, divide into 4 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and use a lightly greased rolling pin to roll dough out into a 10" piece. 

Place dough on a griddle over medium heat. Once dough is beginning to bubble on the top and the underside is beginning to brown, flip. Repeat on other side. 

Baked Buffalo Chicken Flautas

So, you know how my last post was all about buffalo wings and how much I love them? Well, I'm kind of addicted to anything slightly resembling a chicken wing now. Yeah... So, I know we just ate the buffalo wings the other night, but I had a craving for something equally as buffalo-y and delicious. I remembered when I was young and my mom and I used to go to our favorite mexican restaurant and she would always order shredded beef flautas. I always ended up taking at least one of them because they were so wonderfully delicious. Well, I thought it would be a genius idea to roll up some gooey, cheesy, buffalo chicken mixture in a tortilla and make my own flautas! Plus, we had some more of that delicious creamy ranch sauce that I shared in the buffalo wing post and I definitely didn't want that heavenly sauce to go to waste. 

In the midst of my buffalo wing madness, I realized that it's only a few days until Valentine's Day! It's crazy how quickly time is passing right now. It seems like it was only yesterday that I took a pregnancy test and found out we were expecting! Now, i'm going to be entering my third trimester on Valentine's Day! My little guy's going to be here before I know it! I can't wait! Anyways, back to the food! If you are a fan of buffalo wings (like I am! woo!) you should definitely give these a try. They will help satisfy your craving if you aren't in the mood to fry up a batch of wings. Enjoy! 

Baked Buffalo Chicken Flautas Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

14 (soft taco sized) flour tortillas

4 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded)

3 cups of shredded colby jack cheese

3/4 cup wing sauce (I use FRANK'S®)

3 ounces cream cheese

*Creamy ranch dipping sauce

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.

Place shredded chicken, cream cheese and wing sauce in a skillet over medium heat. Melt and combine ingredients. Once mixture is smooth, turn off the burner. Dump in cheese and stir to combine. 

Place 1/4 cup of chicken mixture slightly off-center in a tortilla. Spread mixture down the length of the tortilla and roll up tightly. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining tortillas. 

Place in oven and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until tortillas are crispy and chicken mixture is bubbly and hot. 

Serve with creamy ranch dipping sauce!

Recipe Yields 14 Flautas

 

Buffalo Wings

So, I'm pretty sure I have a brand new addiction and it looks something like the picture above {Aren't they adorable?} My husband has always been a huge fan of buffalo wings and I always thought they were just... okay. I never knew that they could be one of the most amazing things I've ever tasted! As I've come to learn over the last couple of years, home-cooked meals are 10x better than anything in a restaurant. Really. Truly. I promise! That's one reason I enjoy spending so much time in the kitchen. I love watching a recipe take shape and come together in the end, only to become one of the tastiest things I, or my family, has ever tasted. I just love to cook. And fry. Yes, I said it, I love to fry things! Greasy foods are one of my worst enemies and also my best friends. We definitely have a love-hate relationship. My pregnancy doctor doesn't need to know about this, okay?

I have to share these delicious little fried beauties with you so that you, too, can become insanely addicted and think about them, dream about them and even possibly lose sleep over them. I also have to share the PERFECT buffalo wing dipping sauce with you. It's a Pioneer Woman recipe and I will never eat chicken wings without this sauce. Ever.

{Note:} These are not super spicy! If you want spicier wings, you can add some tobasco sauce, if you'd like. I personally love that these aren't overly spicy, because that means I'm able to eat 20 of them without getting heartburn! Yay!


Buffalo Wing Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:
2 pounds chicken wing pieces (about 20 pieces, total)
1 cup flour (split in half)
1 teaspoon salt (split in half)
1 teaspoon paprika (split in half)
2 large pinches of black pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup + 2 tablspoons Wing Sauce (I use FRANK'S®)
Oil for frying

Creamy Ranch Dipping Sauce: {via Pioneer Woman}

Ingredients:
1 package Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 cup milk
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
{You can also add blue cheese crumbles if you'd like!}

Instructions:

To make the ranch dipping sauce, combine ranch mix and milk in measuring cup. In a small bowl, add mayonnaise and sour cream. Pour ranch/milk mixture in bowl and combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Divide flour, salt, paprika and pepper between two small bowls. Combine each. Set one aside for later use.

Take one bowl of flour mixture and use it to coat all 20 chicken pieces. Place on a baking sheet, cover, and place in fridge for 30-45 minutes.

In your skillet, pan, or deep fryer, heat your oil to 350 degrees (I used my dutch oven and put in about 2 inches of oil).

Remove chicken pieces from the fridge, and using the other (unused) bowl of flour mixture, coat chicken wings once more, tap off excess flour, and drop in oil. You can cook about 10 pieces at once. Cook wings for about 14 minutes, or until no pink remains and juices run clear.

Repeat steps with remaining chicken wings.

While wings are frying, cube your butter and place into a medium saucepan with wing sauce, over medium heat. Melt until mixture is smooth and no butter pieces remain. Turn off heat.

Remove wings from oil, drain well, place in a large bowl and pour half of the butter/wing sauce mixture over. Stir, shake and turn wings until they are coated with sauce. Shake off excess sauce and place on your serving plate/platter.


   

Cajun Chicken Soup

My Hubby is an intelligent, funny, hard working man and I love him to death. Unfortunately, when it comes to eating healthy, he is a bit on the clueless side. I just recently convinced him that smothering a healthy chicken breast with BBQ sauce, makes it... well, somewhat unhealthy. He also happens to be a bit of a Cajun food fanatic and when he recently decided to try his hand at a more healthy lifestyle, I decided that being the wonderful Wife that I am, I would concoct something that would make the transition a bit more easy on him. This mildly spicy Cajun soup is the direct result of my excellent Wiving skills. And guess what? After eating a couple of bowls, my dear Husband even announced that he felt he had already lost a pound or two.



Cajun Chicken Soup Recipe: {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1" cubes)
1 large zucchini (sliced, then cut in half)
3 stalks of celery (chopped)
3 carrots (sliced)
1 onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 (15oz) can diced tomatoes
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 tablespoon parsley
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons cajun seasoning (divided)
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry rotini pasta
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (divided)

Instructions:
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in dutch oven, or large pot, over medium-high heat. Season chicken with 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning, place in dutch oven and brown on all sides. Remove from heat.

Place 1 teaspoon of oil in dutch oven and add zucchini, celery, carrots, onion and garlic. Sautee for 5-6 minutes or until vegetables are just starting to become tender. Add diced tomatoes, parsley, thyme and cajun seasoning and cook for additional 1-2 minutes. Add chicken back to mixture. Add chicken broth and bring soup to a boil.

Once soup comes to a boil, cover and cook for 30 minutes. Add pasta and kidney beans and cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes.


    
    

Sweet & Sour Chicken

Hello all of you lovely people! I have missed you all so much. I have missed blogging and cooking and everything! As you may have seen on Facebook, I found out in September that I am expecting and due in May! *yay!* Unfortunately, along with that wonderful news came the most horrible food aversions known to man. Until recently, the thought of most food has been completely stomach-turning. I have been living on boneless, skinless chicken breasts because that's been the only meat I can bare to touch. Luckily, once I hit the second trimester, a lot of my sickness magically disappeared! It's funny how that happens. On top of the sickness, my camera decided to go into hiding for over a month. It's funny, because you don't realize how many amazing picture opportunities there are until your camera is nowhere to be found. Luckily, she was hiding in a box of party decorations in my office!

Now, on to the recipe! The other day I found a recipe for sweet and sour chicken over at Mel's Kitchen Cafe. I ended up tweaking it just a little bit, and the outcome was amazing! The sauce is magical, the texture is divine and when served alongside a pile of delicious fried rice, it is simply out-of-this-world! And yes... it is better than takeout! ;)

Sweet & Sour Chicken Recipe {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:
3 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1.5" pieces)
1.5 cups cornstarch
4 eggs (beaten)
Salt & pepper
36 ounces vegetable or canola oil

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons cold water

Heat oil to 375 degrees. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Roll chicken pieces in cornstarch, dip into egg and place into oil. Fry for 5-7 minutes, or until juices run clear. Place on paper towels to drain.

Place sauce ingredients (except water and cornstarch) in medium saucepan. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and water and pour into saucepan. Over medium heat, cook sauce until it begins to bubble and thicken (about 4-5 minutes).

Pour sauce over cooked chicken pieces and mix well! Make sure each piece has plenty of sauce!

Serve with fried rice.


 

Chicken Parmesan Bake

Happy Thursday everybody! I can't believe it's already going to be Friday tomorrow! I'm so very, very excited because my daughter's teacher from last year asked me and one of the other moms to come help her out in her class tomorrow! She obviously missed our presence :). I have missed hers, too, actually, and am really looking forward to getting to spend a little time in a familiar classroom! Starting next week I will be working in my daughter's new classroom and getting to know her new teacher better, which should be fun, too!

This week has been really awesome because my daughter and I have been walking to school in the mornings! The weather has been so nice and luckily, for us, the route we take goes right through a park. It only takes us 10 minutes to get there and my daughter absolutely loves it! It definitely gets my morning off to a good start :).

This recipe i'm posting today is one that is perfect for a weeknight dinner and kids love it because it's simple and there's cheese involved! Gotta love cheesy recipes.



Chicken Parmesan Bake Recipe:   {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

2 Large (or 3 medium) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
16 ounces spaghetti noodles (you could definitely use a different noodle!)
24 ounces spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
4 tablespoons butter *softened*
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper and italian seasoning. Place in small baking dish and bake for approximately 40-50 minutes (or until juices run clear!)

Cook your pasta al dente (according to your package's directions), drain and mix in spaghetti sauce, salt and pepper.

Lightly grease a 9"x13" baking dish and pour spaghetti mixture in.

Slice chicken (against the grain) into 1/2" thick slices and place, side by side, over the top of the spaghetti.

Combine parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese and sprinkle over chicken. Combine butter, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper and sprinkle over the cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and breadcrumbs are brown and toasty.

Sprinkle fresh parsley over the top and serve!


 

Chicken Bacon Ciabatta with Chipotle Ranch

This sandwich... This sandwich right here... This is a good sandwich. My love of chipotle ranch sauce was the reason that this sandwich was created. Basically, I wanted something I could slather with delicious chipotle ranch and this sandwich was it. Did I mention there's bacon? Yes. Bacon. The one word that can take any recipe from being delicious to magnificent. Bacon really makes everything better. So does chipotle ranch. And cheese... yeah, cheese. 

Chicken Bacon Ciabatta with Chipotle Ranch Recipe:   {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

4 medium chicken breasts

8 slices bacon

1 cup Chipotle Ranch Sauce (or more if you like a ton of sauce!)

4 ciabatta rolls

Lettuce

Tomato

Provolone Cheese

Seasoning Salt

Pepper

Butter

Instructions:

Season chicken breasts with seasoning salt and pepper.

In a frying pan over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy. In the same pan, cook chicken breasts until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes, or until juices run clear. Slice chicken against the grain into 1/4" thick slices.

Spread a thin layer of butter on the cut sides of the ciabatta buns. Place the bun face down onto a hot grill or frying pan. Leave until bun becomes golden brown and toasty. 1-2 minutes.

Put lettuce and tomato on the bottom bun, place slices of chicken over and drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of chipotle ranch sauce over. Top with provolone cheese. Place 2 bacon slices over the cheese, spread 3 tablespoons of sauce on the top bun and place it over the sandwich.

Dig in.

Teriyaki Chicken & Fried Rice

The first time I made this meal something changed inside me. I knew immediately that you truly could make the most delicious tasting food at home and that it wasn't very hard. This is one of those meals that I know my daughter will remember when she's all grown up and has a family of her own. It's just that good. When you make this and serve it to your family try not to be surprised when they eat every last piece of chicken and tell you how much they love you and that you're the best wife and mother on the planet. If this sounds good to you then I suggest you give it a try!

Teriyaki Chicken Recipe:   {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

10-12 chicken thighs (There are a couple of different combinations you can do here - it just depends on your preference: boneless/skinless, bone-in/skin on, boneless/skin-on, bone-in/skinless. I personally have tried them all and I prefer to use bonless/skin-on)

Instructions:
First you'll need to put your chicken in a big pan. I use a large lasagna pan.

Next, combine the cornstarch and cold water in a small bowl and set it aside. Place all of your ingredients for the sauce into a medium saucepan, along with the cornstarch/water mixture. Cook on medium-high heat for about 5-6 minutes (or until it just starts to thicken and bubble). Let the sauce cool down, then pour it over the chicken. Cover the chicken and place in the fridge until it's time to start cooking it (You can definitely skip this step! Most of the time, if i'm in a hurry, I don't refrigerate it).

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Place your chicken in the oven for 50-60 minutes, flipping it over after 30 minutes. Oh, and I like to baste the sauce over the chicken every 20 minutes to keep it nice and juicy and saucy!




Chinese Fried Rice Recipe:   {Print Recipe}

Ingredients:
4 cups of cold, cooked white rice (I usually cook my rice earlier in the day and put it in the fridge until it's time to use it!)
2 tablespoons of oil
2 eggs
2 cups of cooked peas/carrots (I use the frozen pea/carrot mixture)
3-4 stalks of green onion (sliced)
Approximately 1/2 cup soy sauce (more or less to taste)
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Instructions:
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a frying pan over medium heat.

Break 2 eggs into pan and scramble them around for 1 minute.

Once the eggs are cooked, add remaining tablespoon of oil, heat, and dump in the peas/carrots and rice. Mix it around with the spatula until there are no clumps of rice and allow it to cook while you stir it for 2-3 minutes.

Pour in sesame oil and soy sauce and continue to mix it until the rice is evenly colored and no white grains of rice remain.

Throw in the green onion and stir ir around for 1 minute and then you're done!