Category: Chicken


Feb
2019

Buffalo Honey Hot Wings

categories: Appetizers, Chicken, Main Dishes
353 Shares
Pin353
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Buffalo Honey Hot Wings are the perfect appetizer for a crowd! Yummy chicken wings are covered in a mild buffalo honey sauce, and are baked, not fried!
Buffalo Honey Hot Wings are the perfect appetizer for a crowd! Yummy chicken wings are covered in a mild buffalo honey sauce, and are baked, not fried!

I don’t know what it is about the Super Bowl, but it seems like a great time to eat yummy food, while watching grown men smash into each other and run all over artificial grass with a small little football! My husband and I don’t even watch football. Go figure! We haven’t for years and years, but this year my husband decided to watch the Super Bowl.

Naturally, this momentous occasion called for some delicious food, worthy of the occasion, so I found a great recipe to try on Pinterest! I ended up making two varieties of hot wings. This recipe for buffalo honey hot wings was one of them! Boy, were they GOOD!  The chicken wings are coated in an amazing spice mixture, baked (not fried), and then coated with a mild honey, molasses and buffalo sauce mixture, and served! YUM!

NOTE: The recipe, (as written in the printable recipe below), makes 24 hot wings.  When I made these, I cut the recipe in half (for 12 wings), since there were only two of us eating, so my photos below will reflect that!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Spice Rub For Buffalo Honey Hot Wings

While the oven is preheating to 400° F, mix together the spice rub for the chicken wings in a small bowl. Easy peasy! The spice rub adds incredible seasoning for the buffalo honey hot wings.

The spice rub consists of brown sugar, baking powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and celery seed. Set the spice mixture aside when done.Spice mix in bowl, ready to season buffalo honey hot wings.

Prepare The Chicken Wings

Cover a 9″x13″ cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Method #1: Spray the foil generously with non-stick cooking spray (the spray will help you remove the wings from pan after baking). Method #2: If you have a LARGE ovenproof wire rack, spray it generously with the non-stick spray and place it on top of the aluminum foil.

Rinse, then place the chicken wings onto paper towels, and blot them dry with additional paper towels. Once dry, place half the wings into a large bowl.

Pour half of the seasoning mixture onto the chicken wings in bowl. Mix with your hands or tongs, until the wings are covered on all sides with the spice rub. Place the coated wings onto the prepared baking sheet in a single layer (either on sprayed foil or sprayed wire rack). Repeat process with remaining wings.

Chicken wings are patted dry, then seasoned, to make buffalo honey hot wings.

Bake The Hot Wings

Once all the wings are prepped, it is time to bake them!  Put the baking sheet on an upper middle rack of the oven. Bake the buffalo honey hot wings at 400° F.  for 45-50 minutes.

Once baked, turn the oven setting to BROIL, and place the baking sheet with the wings 6-8″ away from the broiler element. Broil the wings until they reach the crispness you want, then turn them over and do the same on the other side. TIP: This step will take only a couple minutes. When broiling the wings, definitely keep an eye on them, so they will not burn!

Here are the buffalo honey hot wings, hot out of the oven after baking.

Prepare The Dipping Sauce For Buffalo Honey Hot Wings

While the chicken bakes, prepare the bleu cheese dressing, if you will be serving it on the side to dip the wings in, once done! You can make homemade bleu cheese dressing, but found it quick and easy to use bottled bleu cheese dressing.

I added a couple Tablespoons of crumbled bleu cheese to the bottled dressing, for more flavor and texture! Cover and place in refrigerator until you are ready to serve it as a dipping sauce for the buffalo honey hot wings. NOTE: Don’t like bleu cheese dressing? You can substitute Ranch dressing for dipping the finished wings into, if you prefer.

Bleu cheese dressing is ready to serve with the buffalo honey hot wings.

Prepare The Buffalo Honey Hot Wings Sauce

A few minutes before the chicken wings are done baking, prepare the buffalo honey hot wings sauce. This sauce will be used to coat the baked chicken wings.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Mix Frank’s ORIGINAL Hot Sauce together with cornstarch, and add this to the pan. Add the honey and molasses, and whisk ingredients together to blend.

Heat the buffalo sauce until it comes to a boil, whisking or stirring often. Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes, which slightly thickens the sauce, then taste test it. Want it sweeter? Add more honey. Want it spicier? Add more hot sauce.

The buffalo honey sauce for the chicken wings simmering in a saucepan.

Once finished cooking, remove the baked wings from the baking sheet and place them into a large bowl.  Pour the buffalo honey hot wings sauce over the chicken, and toss the wings (with a spoon or spatula) to coat them with the sauce.

The prepared sauce is poured over the baked buffalo honey hot wings before serving.

Serve The Buffalo Honey Hot Wings And Dig In!

Arrange the buffalo honey hot wings onto a serving platter.  We served them with the prepared bleu cheese dressing, and some celery and carrot sticks on the side!

Here's a close up of the buffalo honey hot wings on plate, with bleu cheese dressing and carrots on the side.

Buffalo honey hot wings on plate with celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing on the side.

The creamy “coolness” of the bleu cheese dressing pairs well with the sweet and slightly spicy buffalo wings. The crunchy carrots and celery sticks round out this fun appetizer, and make it look just like a platter of wings you would get at a restaurant!

A platter of buffalo honey hot wings, served with bleu cheese dressing, celery and carrots.

We truly LOVED these hot wings (they are NOT even too spicy hot!), and I KNOW I will make them again. They would be perfect to serve at any gathering of hungry friends or family! Hope you will consider trying them, too! Have a GREAT day!

Looking For More APPETIZER Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few appetizer recipes you might also enjoy include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original Recipe Source: Jen, at https://carlsbadcravings.com/buffalo-honey-hot-wings-traditional-buffalo-hot-wings-recipe/

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Buffalo Honey Hot Wings
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Buffalo Honey Hot Wings are the perfect appetizer for a crowd! Yummy chicken wings are covered in a mild buffalo honey sauce, and are baked, not fried!
Category: Appetizers, Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: buffalo honey hot wings
Servings: 24 chicken hot wings
Calories Per Serving: 133 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Spice Rub:
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground celery seed
For Wings:
  • 24 chicken wings, with skin (approx. 3 lbs.)
  • 2/3 cup Frank's ORIGINAL Hot Sauce (not hot wings sauce)
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 1 Tablespoon molasses
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. While the oven is preheating to 400° F, mix together the spice rub for the chicken wings in a small bowl. Set aside.

  2. Cover a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Method #1: Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray (this helps you remove wings after baking). Method #2: If you have an ovenproof wire rack, spray it with non-stick spray and place it on top of the aluminum foil. Rinse, then place wings on paper towels, and blot dry with additional paper towels. Once dry, place half the wings into a large bowl. Pour half the seasoning mixture onto wings in bowl. Mix, until covered on all sides with spice mix. Place coated wings in a single layer either on sprayed foil or sprayed wire rack. Repeat process with remaining wings.

  3. Bake the buffalo honey hot wings at 400° F. for 45-50 minutes. Once baked, turn oven setting to BROIL, and place baking sheet 6-8" from the broiler element. Broil wings until they reach crispness desired, then turn them over and do the same on the other side. Keep an eye on them to ensure they do not burn!

  4. A few minutes before the wings are done cooking, make the sauce. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat. Mix Frank's ORIGINAL Hot Sauce with cornstarch, and add this to the pan. Add honey and molasses; whisk ingredients to blend. Heat sauce until it comes to a boil, whisking or stirring often. Turn heat down to a low simmer. Continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until sauce slightly thickens, then taste test it. Want it sweeter? Add more honey. Want it spicier? Add more hot sauce.

  5. Once done, place hot wings in a large bowl.  Pour the sauce over them, and toss with a spoon or spatula to coat them fully. They are now ready to eat! Transfer to serving platter and serve with bleu cheese dressing, carrot and celery sticks! Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Buffalo Honey Hot Wings
Amount Per Serving (1 wing)
Calories 133 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 38mg13%
Sodium 442mg19%
Potassium 206mg6%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 8g16%
Vitamin A 220IU4%
Vitamin C 0.4mg0%
Calcium 57mg6%
Iron 0.8mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Buffalo Honey Hot Wings are the perfect appetizer for a crowd! Yummy chicken wings are covered in a mild buffalo honey sauce, and are baked, not fried!

 


Feb
2019

Southwestern Chicken Soup

categories: Chicken, Lunch - Quick and Easy, Main Dishes, Soups
99 Shares
Pin99
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

You’ll love this delicious Southwestern Chicken Soup, a Weight Watchers dish with corn, black beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and avocado slices!
You'll love this delicious Southwestern Chicken Soup, a Weight Watchers dish with corn, black beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and avocado slices!

Recently I tried a new (to us) soup recipe that I found on Weight Watchers.  The soup sounded really good, and since it was freezing cold outside (the middle of winter), I decided to make some. A bowl of hot soup really warms a gal up on a chilly February evening!

Whoa! This Southwestern chicken soup tastes amazing! The portion size is large (1¾ cups per serving = 3 Smart Points), and is packed with corn, black beans, tomatoes, in a Southwestern spiced broth. Trust me- this is one flavor-packed bowl of soup!

If you enjoy Southwestern flavored dishes, chances are you will LOVE this hearty soup! It’s very easy to make, so you can be serving up steaming hot bowls of Southwestern chicken soup before you know it!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make Southwestern Chicken Soup

Place one teaspoon of olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Heat oil on medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Lightly season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then add to the pot.

Cook the chicken on all sides, stirring often, for approximately 5 minutes. The chicken should be very lightly browned and cooked all the way through. Once the chicken is done, remove it from pan with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a plate. Set chicken aside until later.

Cooking the chicken breast pieces for Southwestern chicken soup.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil back into the pan (the same one you cooked the chicken in). Heat oil on medium-high, then add the onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño to the pan.

Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until veggies have softened up a bit. Add the chili powder, minced garlic, and ground cumin to the pan, and stir to combine. Cook this mixture for an additional 30 seconds once combined.

Bell peppers, jalapeño and onions are cooked, to add to Southwestern chicken soup.

Spices for Southwestern chicken soup are added to onions, jalapeños and peppers in pan

Stir the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, black beans and corn into the soup. Bring the soup to a boil. Once soup begins to boil, put a lid on the pan, and turn the heat down to LOW. Continue to cook the Southwestern chicken soup on low heat (covered) for about 8-9 minutes. The veggies should be nice and tender at this point.

Broth, tomatoes and corn are added to the pan of Southwestern chicken soup.

Add The Cooked Chicken And Finish The Soup

Carefully add the cooked chicken pieces back into the hot Southwestern chicken soup. Stir the ingredients to combine, and continue to cook just until the chicken is fully heated through. It should only take about 2-3 minutes to reheat the chicken.

Remove the pot of soup from the heat, and stir in the fresh lime juice. The Southwestern Chicken Soup is now ready to garnish, then eat!

Cooked chicken pieces are added to the pot of Southwestern chicken soup.

See all those nice veggies and chicken chunks in this soup? You’re gonna enjoy this!

A ladle, full of yummy Southwestern chicken soup.

To Serve Southwestern Chicken Soup

When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Each serving of this hearty soup is 1¾ cups, so full bowls of Southwestern Chicken Soup are in order! Garnish each bowl of soup with 2 slices of ripe avocado, and a few cilantro leaves, and some crumbled corn chips. Grab a spoon and help yourself to a big bite of this delicious Southwestern chicken soup!

NOTE: The original Weight Watchers recipe did NOT use corn chips. I added 3 crumbled up corn chips to each bowl of soup, for a nice looking presentation and “crunch”. 

Southwestern Chicken Soup is served with avocado slices, corn chips and cilantro on top.

We really LOVED this soup!  My husband said this might have become his new FAVORITE soup! Wow! That’s saying a lot, since I make a lot of yummy soups! The leftovers were yummy, too! The soup will keep for 4 days in refrigerator and up to 3 months in the freezer.

Sure do hope you will consider trying this Southwestern chicken soup. It is incredibly easy to make, and tastes absolutely wonderful. If you follow the Weight Watchers program to track your food intake, this recipe has a value of 3 Smart Points (without corn chips). Have a great day!

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of soup recipes published, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original Recipe Source: https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/recipe/southwestern-chicken-soup/59779f66112c2b4e18b0fd84 

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Southwestern Chicken Soup
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

You'll love this delicious Southwestern Chicken Soup, a Weight Watchers dish with corn, black beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and avocado slices!

Category: Entree, Soup
Cuisine: Southwestern
Keyword: Southwestern chicken soup
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 401 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil , divided use
  • 1 pound chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) , cut in 1/2" cubes
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 medium onion , chopped
  • 1 small green bell pepper , seeded and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 1 medium jalapeño pepper , seeded and chopped
  • 1 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 29 ounces chicken broth (reduced sodium) (this is two 14.5 oz. cans)
  • 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes , drained
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels (or fresh)
  • 15.25 ounces canned black beans , drained and rinsed
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1/2 medium avocado , pitted, peeled, cut into 8 slices
  • 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Heat 1 teaspoon of the olive oil in a large soup pot, on medium-high heat until very hot, but not smoking. Lightly season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then add to pan Cook chicken on all sides, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Chicken should be lightly browned and cooked all the way through. Once chicken is done, remove from pan, and transfer to a plate. Set chicken aside.

  2. Add remaining 1 teaspoon of oil back into the pan (the same one you cooked chicken in). Heat oil on medium-high, then add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, until veggies have softened a bit. Stir in the chili powder, minced garlic, and ground cumin. Cook this mixture for an additional 30 seconds once combined. Stir in chicken broth, diced tomatoes, black beans and corn.

  3. Bring the soup to a boil. Once it boils, put a lid on the pan, and turn heat to LOW. Continue to cook soup on low heat (covered) for about 8-9 minutes. The veggies should be nice and tender.

  4. Carefully add the cooked chicken back into soup. Stir to combine, and continue to cook until chicken is heated through. This should take 2-3 minutes. Remove pan from the heat, and stir in the fresh lime juice. 

  5. To serve, ladle the soup into bowls. Each serving is 1¾ cups. Garnish each bowl of soup with 2 avocado slices, and a few cilantro leaves. You can also add a few crumbled corn chips (optional) if you want! Serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

OPTIONAL: You can crumble up two or three corn chips on top to garnish each bowl of soup. The corn chips are NOT included in caloric or WW points calculation.

Nutrition Facts
Southwestern Chicken Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 bowl (1¾ cups + 2 avocado slices per serving))
Calories 401 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 72mg24%
Sodium 1085mg47%
Potassium 1457mg42%
Carbohydrates 40g13%
Fiber 12g50%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 38g76%
Vitamin A 1070IU21%
Vitamin C 41.4mg50%
Calcium 112mg11%
Iron 5.3mg29%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You'll love this delicious Southwestern Chicken Soup, a Weight Watchers dish with corn, black beans, tomatoes, bell peppers, and avocado slices!


Jan
2019

Sesame Chicken Salad with Ginger Dressing

categories: Chicken, Main Dish Salads, Main Dishes, Salads
105 Shares
Pin105
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

This simple, delicious Asian-inspired Sesame Chicken Salad features pan seared sesame crusted chicken breasts, on mixed spring greens, topped with homemade ginger salad dressing!
Delicious Asian-inspired Sesame Chicken Salad features pan seared sesame crusted chicken breasts, on spring greens, topped w/ a ginger salad dressing!

Wow… this sesame chicken salad with homemade ginger dressing tastes AMAZING! I found the original recipe in one of my OLD Weight Watchers cookbooks, while looking through it a couple weeks ago, and KNEW I wanted to try it!

This salad was a huge hit with my husband and I when we first tried it! Talk about quick and easy meals… this one has it all! The entirely EASY sesame chicken salad (and ginger dressing) was prepared in under 30 minutes, had GREAT flavor, and filled us up!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Make The Ginger Dressing For The Sesame Chicken Salad

The yummy ginger salad dressing for this salad is incredibly simple to make, in only a few minutes! Place the soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, minced ginger, mustard powder, sesame oil and crushed red pepper into a small saucepan, and whisk to blend.

Bring the ginger salad dressing ingredients just to a boil, on medium heat. Once it begins to boil, remove the pan from the heat. Set the pan aside, until you’re ready to serve the sesame chicken salad. See how easy that was?

Ginger salad dressing is cooked until blended for sesame chicken salad.

Prepare The  Chicken Breasts For Sesame Chicken Salad

Place the sesame seeds, salt and pepper onto  a large piece of wax paper. Mix them with your fingers, to blend the ingredients. Spread them out on the wax paper.

Lightly coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the sesame seed mixture, one at a time. Set chicken aside once coated. Repeat, until all chicken breasts are covered. NOTE: I found that I needed to use more sesame seeds to cover all 4 chicken breasts. Just mix up another quick batch, if you find you will need more topping.

Spices and sesame seeds are used to coat chicken breasts for sesame chicken salad.

Cook The Sesame Chicken

Heat the vegetable oil in a large, non-stick skillet on medium heat. Once the oil is hot (but not smoking), add the chicken breasts. Once the chicken hits the pan, do not disturb while it cooks.

Cook the sesame chicken for about 4-6 minutes, then carefully turn over and cook the other side 4-6 minutes.  The chicken should be cooked through, and the outside should be golden brown, when done. Once the chicken is done, place the pieces onto a cutting board, and let the chicken “rest” for 3-5 minutes. Slice each chicken breast into diagonal slices (about 4-6 slices per breast).

Boneless chicken breasts, coated in sesame seeds are pan seared for sesame chicken salad.

Serve The Sesame Chicken Salad With Ginger Dressing

Arrange cold, mixed salad greens on individual serving plates or in bowls. Use a spatula and transfer each sliced chicken breast onto the top of each salad. Be sure to keep the chicken slices for each breast all together! Lightly sprinkle sliced green onions over the top of each piece of sesame chicken.

Salad greens arranged in bowl, then topped with sliced sesame chicken and green onions.

Drizzle the ginger salad dressing over each sesame chicken salad, and that’s it! You are ready to serve this delicious dish! Serve immediately. Seriously – Grab a fork, and DIG IN! I really think you will LOVE this delicious meal!  There is a lot of flavor, the chicken is tender, and this sesame chicken salad is quite satisfying!

Sesame chicken salad with ginger dressing, served in a white bowl.

A side view of the ginger chicken salad with ginger dressing in white bowl.

My husband and I enjoyed this dinner, AND we liked it so much we had another sesame chicken salad (with the leftover chicken and dressing) the next night for dinner, too! That means it REALLY was good!

Hope you will try this delicious main course salad… it is truly easy and delicious! Have a GREAT day, and please come back again soon for more yummy recipes!

Looking For More MAIN COURSE SALAD Recipes?

You can find all my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few favorite main course salad recipes include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original Recipe source: One of my cookbooks titled “Weight Watchers – Great Cooking Every Day”, published 2001, by Weight Watchers International, Inc., page 45

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Sesame Chicken Salad with Ginger Dressing
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Total Time
22 mins
 

Delicious Asian-inspired Sesame Chicken Salad features pan seared sesame crusted chicken breasts, on spring greens, topped with a ginger salad dressing!

Category: Main Course Salad
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: sesame chicken salad
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 237 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Ginger Dressing:
  • 2 Tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger peeled, minced
  • 1 Tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil (dark)
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
For The Chicken And Salad
  • 3 Tablespoons sesame seeds (white) , or more, as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 4 chicken breast halves (1/4 lb. each) boneless, skinless
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 6 cups spring greens mix (or romaine) , rinsed, shredded
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions , optional (for garnish)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
To Make Ginger Salad Dressing:

  1. Place soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, minced ginger, mustard powder, sesame oil and crushed red pepper in a small saucepan, and whisk, to blend. Bring to a boil, on medium heat. Once it begins to boil, remove pan from heat. Set aside.

To Prepare/Cook Chicken:

  1. Place sesame seeds, salt and pepper onto a piece of wax paper. Mix with your fingers, to blend. Spread them out on the wax paper. Lightly coat chicken on both sides with the mixture. Repeat process until all chicken breasts are covered. NOTE: I found that I needed to use more sesame seeds to cover all 4 chicken breasts. Just mix up another quick batch, if you find you need more.

  2. Heat vegetable oil in a large, non-stick skillet on medium heat. Once oil is hot (but not smoking), add the chicken. Once the chicken hits the pan, do not disturb while it cooks. Cook chicken for 4-6 minutes, then carefully turn over and cook the other side 4-6 minutes.  The chicken should be cooked through, and the outside should be golden brown, when done. Once done, place chicken on a cutting board, and let it "rest" for a couple minutes. Slice each chicken breast into diagonal slices (about 4-6 slices per breast).

  3. To Serve: Arrange mixed salad greens on individual plates or in bowls. Use a spatula and transfer each sliced chicken breast onto the top of each salad, keeping the slices for each breast together! Sprinkle sliced green onions over chicken. Drizzle ginger dressing over each salad, and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Sesame Chicken Salad with Ginger Dressing
Amount Per Serving (1 salad with dressing)
Calories 237 Calories from Fat 90
% Daily Value*
Fat 10g15%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 72mg24%
Sodium 707mg31%
Potassium 565mg16%
Carbohydrates 8g3%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 755IU15%
Vitamin C 15.3mg19%
Calcium 72mg7%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards! This delicious Asian-inspired Sesame Chicken Salad features pan seared sesame crusted chicken breasts, on spring greens, topped w/ a ginger salad dressing!


Jan
2019

Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole

categories: Casseroles, Chicken, Main Dishes, Mexican / Southwestern
61 Shares
Pin61
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

You’ll love this easy to make Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole, with rigatoni noodles, chicken, corn, black beans, and cheese, baked in a Southwestern flavored sauce!
You'll love this easy Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole, with rigatoni, chicken, corn, black beans, and cheese, baked in a Southwestern flavored sauce!

Can I get a shout out for the humble, yet delicious casserole dishes that have made mealtimes easier for home cooks everywhere? This Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole is a perfectly simple but absolutely lip-smackin’ delicious casserole that will leave you smiling!

I found the original recipe on Pinterest, and loved that you can use pre-cooked (think rotisserie or leftover) chicken. By using pre-cooked chicken, and canned corn and black beans, you’ve already saved yourself some time!

Making this fiesta chicken pasta casserole recipe is as simple as cooking pasta, whisking together a simple Southwestern flavored sauce, stirring in the rest of the ingredients, then baking it! The recipe is really quite simple. Let me show you how to make this yummy meal!

Scroll Down for A Printable Recipe Card At The bottom Of The Page

How To Make Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole

The first thing you will need to do is spray a 13×9 inch baking dish with non-stick spray, then set the dish aside.  Preheat your oven to 350°F. Cook the rigatoni pasta in 4 quarts of lightly salted water. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

NOTE: No rigatoni? No problem! You can easily substitute rotini (spiral) pasta or penne pasta in this dish!

Cooking rigatoni for the fiesta chicken pasta casserole.

While the pasta noodles are cooking, mix together salsa, light sour cream, garlic powder, ground cumin, and onion powder in a medium sized bowl.

Mixing together the Southwestern sauce used in the fiesta chicken pasta casserole.

Building The Casserole

When the pasta is done cooking, drain it well, and pour it into a large mixing bowl.  Add the sauce to the pasta in the bowl, and give it a good stir to mix it together. Once the sauce and pasta are combined, add the drained corn, black beans, cooked chicken (shredded or cubed), and ONE CUP of grated cheddar cheese.

Reserve the remaining cup of grated cheddar cheese to use later. Gently stir the fiesta chicken pasta casserole together, until all ingredients are coated with sauce and are thoroughly combined.

Sauce, corn, black beans, cheese and chicken is added to the fiesta chicken pasta casserole.

Time To Bake The Casserole

Pour the fiesta chicken pasta casserole ingredients evenly into the baking dish, and spread out, to cover. Evenly distribute the remaining cup of grated cheddar cheese across the top of the casserole. 

Cover the pan with aluminum foil, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 25 minutes. About 10 minutes before the cooking time is done, remove the foil and finish cooking the fiesta chicken pasta casserole.

Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole is covered with grated cheese, then baked.

Once the casserole is finished cooking, remove it from the oven. The cheese will be melted, and the casserole will be slightly bubbly around the edges.

Fiesta chicken pasta casserole, right out of the oven, after baking.

To Serve Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole

Garnish the fiesta chicken pasta casserole with some sliced green onions (or chives, as shown), and chopped tomatoes. If desired, you can also add avocado slices for flavor and color. The casserole is now ready to serve! The recipe serves 8 (modest portions), or 6, if serving larger portions!

The baked fiesta chicken pasta casserole is garnished with tomatoes and chives before serving.

The only thing left to do is dig into this absolutely delicious fiesta chicken pasta casserole! It has WONDERFUL flavor, and is not too spicy… trust me! The black beans add additional protein, and together with the corn, help to make this a well-rounded, nice and filling meal! It is SO GOOD!

An individual portion of fiesta chicken pasta casserole is served in a white bowl.

I really hope you will consider trying this fiesta chicken pasta casserole. My husband and I LOVED it! Guess what? The leftovers tasted fantastic, too! I really think you will love this easy to make recipe, too! Have a wonderful day!

Looking For More CASSEROLE Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of casserole recipes you’ll enjoy, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Original Recipe Source: https://togetherasfamily.com/fiesta-chicken-casserole/

5 from 1 vote
PRINT
Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
You'll love this easy to make Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole, with rigatoni noodles, chicken, corn, black beans, and cheese, baked in a Southwestern flavored sauce!
Category: Entree - Casserole
Cuisine: Southwestern
Keyword: fiesta chicken pasta casserole
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 385 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2¼ cups uncooked rigatoni pasta (can substitute spiral or penne pasta
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 1 cup light sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 15 ounces whole kernel corn (1 can) , drained
  • 15 ounces black beans (1 can) , drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups cooked chicken breasts , shredded or cubed
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese , divided
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray, then set aside. Preheat your oven to 350°F.

  2. Cook pasta in 4 quarts of lightly salted water. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

  3. While the pasta is cooking, mix together salsa, light sour cream, garlic powder, ground cumin, and onion powder in a medium sized bowl.

  4. When pasta is done, drain, and pour it into a large mixing bowl.  Add the sauce; stir to combine. Add drained corn, black beans, cooked chicken (shredded or cubed), and ONE CUP of the grated cheddar cheese. Reserve remaining cup of grated cheddar cheese to use later. Gently stir, until all ingredients are coated with sauce and are thoroughly combined. Pour into the baking dish, spreading to cover. Sprinkle remaining cup of grated cheddar cheese across the top of the casserole.  Cover dish with aluminum foil, and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 25 minutes. About 10 minutes before the cooking time is done, remove the foil and finish cooking.

  5. Remove finished casserole from oven. Garnish with sliced green onions (or chives), and chopped tomatoes. If desired, you can also add avocado slices. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Caloric calculation was calculated based on using light sour cream. Regular sour cream will work perfectly, but will increase calorie count for each portion.

Nutrition Facts
Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/8 of total))
Calories 385 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 69mg23%
Sodium 657mg29%
Potassium 597mg17%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 6g25%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 26g52%
Vitamin A 680IU14%
Vitamin C 5.2mg6%
Calcium 285mg29%
Iron 2.3mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You'll love this easy Fiesta Chicken Pasta Casserole, with rigatoni, chicken breast, corn, black beans, and cheese, baked in a Southwestern flavored sauce!


Jan
2019

Chicken Noodle Soup

categories: Chicken, Main Dishes, Soups
52 Shares
Pin52
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Delicious, homemade chicken noodle soup, made with leftover rotisserie chicken, celery, carrots, garlic, onions and spinach, will warm you up on a cold day!
Delicious, homemade chicken noodle soup, with leftover rotisserie chicken, celery, carrots, garlic, onions and spinach will warm you up on a cold day!

We recently bought a rotisserie chicken at Costco. They always seem to have the best roasted chicken! After a couple days of enjoying it, we were left with a mostly picked over whole chicken in our fridge. About 75% of the meat was gone off the bones, and we had the “skeletal remnants” in the fridge.

A lot of folks would throw out the rest of the chicken, at that point. But did you know the bones and tiny bits of chicken left hanging on for dear life can make an incredible tasting chicken noodle soup? YEP!  I decided not to waste the leftovers, and make a big pot of soup for our rainy night dinner!

The results? A wonderful tasting homemade chicken noodle soup that we enjoyed for a few more days, for dinner and a couple lunches! So the next time you have a leftover roasted chicken  (or have some leftover pre-cooked chicken and chicken broth in your kitchen), make soup! It’s EASY!  Here’s how:

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Making Chicken Noodle Soup Using Leftover Roasted Chicken

The photo below shows you what was left of our rotisserie chicken. Poor thing never had a chance! Most of the meat had already been eaten, but there was still some attached to the bones. This is PERFECT for making a delicious broth for the soup!

So, to make a good broth for the chicken noodle soup, place the chicken (or what’s left of it) into a large soup pot, and cover it with water.

Leftover rotisserie chicken in pot of water to make chicken noodle soup.

Add sliced carrots, celery, chopped onions and two smashed cloves of garlic to the pot. The carrots, onion, and celery are considered the holy trinity of cooking, because they impart so much flavor. They will be perfect to flavor the chicken noodle soup base!

Celery, carrots, garlic and onion added to chicken in water, for chicken noodle soup.

Add salt, pepper, and two large chicken bouillon cubes to the soup pot. Bring the water to a boil on medium high heat. Cook for about 35 minutes, then remove from heat. Carefully remove whole chicken from pot, and let it cool a bit.

Once it has cooled some, pick off all the pieces of chicken you can get from the bones, and add them back into the pot. Believe it or not, I ended up with about 2 cups of shredded chicken! Discard the bones once finished. Skim any accumulated grease off the top of the soup, and remove the two smashed garlic cloves.

If NOT Using A Whole Chicken To Make This Chicken Noodle Soup

NOTE: If NOT using a whole chicken, simply cook the veggies for about 15 minutes (to soften), then add two cups of cooked, shredded chicken into the pot. Make sure to add THREE large chicken bouillon cubes to the water, for flavor.

Timesaving Tip For Making Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

I made this soup to use up our rotisserie chicken leftovers. HOWEVER… IF YOU WANT TO SAVE TIME, simply use 4 quarts of store bought chicken broth with your veggies and precooked chicken. Then there is no need to make your own chicken broth, and it will still have lots of flavor!

It will end up costing you a bit more to make the soup, but will save you time, if that’s an issue!

Holding a ladle full of chicken soup (without noodles)

Put the chicken noodle soup back on the stove on medium high heat. Bring the soup to a full boil, then add the uncooked rotini pasta. If you don’t have rotini pasta noodles, add your favorite! Stir, and cook the noodles for the time stated on package (typically this is between 11-13 minutes).

Uncooked rotini pasta is added to boiling chicken noodle soup in pan.

Chicken noodle soup in a ladle is almost done cooking.

When the noodles are finished cooking, add 1 Tablespoon of butter to the pot. Stir in the thawed and drained chopped spinach. Continue cooking the soup for a couple minutes, until chicken noodle soup is heated through. Take a small taste, and add salt and/or pepper, as desired.

Spinach has been added to chicken noodle soup in pot.

A ladle, full of the finished chicken noodle soup.

And there you have it! Instead of throwing away the remnants of a whole rotisserie chicken, you have used it to make a delicious pot of homemade chicken noodle soup!

A big pot, full of homemade chicken noodle soup.

Who’s Ready To Eat Some Chicken Noodle Soup?

All that’s left to do is ladle up a bowlful of hot soup, and serve it to those you love!  It’s really quite easy to make a delicious, filling pot of chicken noodle soup very inexpensively! The best part is that this soup, filled with chicken, pasta, spinach, carrots, onions, celery and a wonderful tasting broth TASTES SO GOOD!

A bowl of hot chicken noodle soup is ready to eat!

Sure hope you will consider trying this recipe for homemade chicken noodle soup! I think it’s fun to get a huge pot of delicious soup using only a few simple, common ingredients!

Looking For More SOUP Recipes?

You can find all my soup recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few favorites of ours include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Have a wonderful day!

Author's signature

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Chicken Noodle Soup
Prep Time
40 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
55 mins
 
Delicious, homemade chicken noodle soup, with leftover rotisserie chicken, celery, carrots, garlic, onions and spinach, will warm you up on a cold day!
Category: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken noodle soup
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 152 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups cooked chicken
  • 4 quarts water , to cover chicken
  • 2 cubes chicken bouillon , large cubes
  • 2 large carrots , peeled, sliced
  • 1/2 cup onion , chopped
  • 2 stalks celery , chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves , peeled, smashed
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1½ cups uncooked rotini pasta , or pasta of choice
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup chopped frozen spinach , thawed & drained
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
If Using Rotisserie Chicken Carcass (to make soup base)

  1. Place the chicken carcass (what's left of it) into a large soup pot, and cover it with water. Add sliced carrots, celery, chopped onions and two smashed cloves of garlic to the pot. Add salt, pepper, and two large chicken bouillon cubes. 

  2. Bring the water to a boil on medium high heat. Cook for 35 minutes, then remove pan from heat. Carefully remove chicken carcass from pot, and let it cool a bit. Once it has cooled some, pick off all the pieces of chicken you can get from the bones, and add them back into the pot. Discard bones, once finished. Skim any accumulated grease off the top of the soup, and remove the two smashed garlic cloves.  

  3. Put the soup back on the stove on medium high heat. Bring the soup to a full boil, then add uncooked rotini pasta. Stir, and cook the noodles for the time stated on package until done (typically this is between 11-13 minutes).

  4. When noodles are finished cooking, add 1 Tablespoon of butter to the pot. Stir in the thawed, drained chopped spinach. Continue cooking soup for a couple minutes, until it's heated through. Take a taste, and add salt and/or pepper, as desired. Serve, and enjoy!

If Using Pre-Cooked Chicken And Store Bought Chicken Broth (TIMESAVER)

  1. Cook the veggies (carrots, onions, celery, garlic) in the boiling broth (4 quarts) for 15 minutes, then add shredded chicken and pasta (etc.) and cook per instructions above. Once noodles are cooked, add butter, spinach, and season with additional salt/pepper as desired. Serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Caloric calculation is based on "made from scratch" method (using leftover chicken and bones).

Nutrition Facts
Chicken Noodle Soup
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/8 of total))
Calories 152 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 30mg10%
Sodium 220mg10%
Potassium 264mg8%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 5410IU108%
Vitamin C 3.4mg4%
Calcium 45mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Delicious, homemade chicken noodle soup, with leftover rotisserie chicken, celery, carrots, garlic, onions and spinach, will warm you up on a cold day!


Dec
2018

Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla

categories: Chicken, Lunch - Quick and Easy, Main Dishes, Mexican / Southwestern
113 Shares
Pin113
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

You’ll love this easy, tasty, grilled Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla with salsa verde, corn, and cheddar cheese, served with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.
You'll love this easy grilled Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla with salsa verde, corn & cheddar cheese, served with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.

I don’t know about you, but we LOVE Mexican food in our home. We especially love tacos, enchiladas and quesadillas!  Sometimes people tend to think of quesadillas only as melted cheese on a flour tortilla, and call that a quesadilla.

While that type of quesadilla tastes okay, we like to serve them loaded with more ingredients at our house, to really make it a MEAL!  We’ve enjoyed these so many times over the years I can’t even begin to count! The cooking process for cooking a plain or loaded quesadilla is the same. I really think you’re gonna like eating this filling chicken black bean quesadilla a whole lot MORE than a plain one!

Occasionally I change up the recipe a bit, depending on what we have in the pantry at the moment. However, the core recipe I came up with over 30 years ago almost always stays the same.  I am glad to share it with you today!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Make This Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla

Quesadillas are simple to make, taste absolutely delicious, and are a super simple dinner to throw together after a busy day! You can save time by using leftover cooked chicken breasts or a rotisserie chicken!

For each chicken black bean quesadilla, place grated cheddar cheese, sliced green onions and cooked chicken breast chunks onto ONE HALF of the flour tortilla. Once you have all the filling ingredients ready to go, it’s amazing how quickly you can throw several of these quesadillas together!

Cheese, chicken and green onions are placed on a flour tortilla half for chicken black bean quesadilla.

Evenly distribute the corn, black beans and a spoonful of the salsa verde sauce to each chicken black bean quesadilla.  Remember to leave one half of the tortilla bare.

Black beans and corn are added to tortilla for chicken black bean quesadilla.

Green sauce (salsa verde) is added to chicken black bean quesadilla.

Grilling The Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla

The empty half of the flour tortilla is folded up and over the toppings for the quesadilla. Each of the quesadilla halves are placed onto a lightly oiled grill (or large skillet) on medium low heat. NOTE: If using a large skillet, you may need to cook these in batches.

Cook each chicken black bean quesadilla for a few minutes on medium low heat until golden brown on the bottom.

Carefully turn each quesadilla to the other side using a spatula. Continue cooking until the bottom side has turned nice and golden brown as well. When done, the cheese should be melted and the other fillings should be heated through.

Each chicken black bean quesadilla is folded in half and place on griddle to cook.

Each chicken black bean quesadilla is turned to other side when golden brown during cooking.

Slicing The Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla

Once the chicken black bean quesadilla is done cooking, carefully remove two halves (at a time) to a cutting board or surface.

It’s been my experience that a pizza cutter (or a really sharp knife) works really well to slice the quesadilla into serving portions. Slice the quesadilla similar to how you would cut a pizza, into 3 slices per half.

Each chicken black bean quesadilla is sliced using a pizza cutter, when done.

Each chicken black bean quesadilla half is sliced into three pieces.

Garnishing The Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla For Serving

In the photo below I placed 2 quesadilla halves on a plate all together, to garnish and photograph the finished meal. It sure looks GOOD once it is “prettied up” a bit, right?

The grilled, sliced chicken black bean quesadilla is garnished with additional grated cheddar, shredded lettuce, diced fresh tomatoes, salsa verde sauce, and a dollop of sour cream! A typical serving would be 3 slices per person, but if you’re REALLY hungry (and don’t mind the extra calories), go for the whole thing!

Chicken black bean quesadilla is garnished with lettuce, tomato, sour cream and salsa verde.

You can see the chunks of chicken breasts, melted cheese and black beans inside a slice of the chicken black bean quesadilla! This is one great tasting quesadilla, whether you pick up each slice like pizza OR use a fork for each bite! Yum!

Side view of a slice of chicken black bean quesadilla.

I really hope you will give this recipe for a delicious chicken black bean quesadilla a try! The quesadillas are really easy to make, and they sure do taste GREAT! Have a fantastic day, friends. Make it a good one!

Looking For More Tex-Mex Recipes?

You can ALL of my recipes using the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. Some of our favorite Tex-Mex recipes include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Have a GREAT day!

Author's signature

Recipe Source: my hungry brain…

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

5 from 1 vote
PRINT
Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
6 mins
Total Time
16 mins
 
You'll love this easy grilled Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla with salsa verde, corn & cheddar cheese, served with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: chicken black bean quesadilla
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 394 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 4 flour tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts , pre-cooked
  • 1 stalk green onions , white and green parts
  • 6 Tablespoons whole kernel corn (canned) , drained
  • 6 Tablespoons black beans (canned) , drained
  • 4 Tablespoons salsa verde sauce , or substitute red salsa
  • cooking spray or vegetable oil , for grill or skillet
For Garnish (OPTIONAL):
  • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
  • 1/2 cup fresh tomato , diced
  • 4 teaspoons salsa verde sauce
  • 4 Tablespoons sour cream
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. For each quesadilla, place grated cheddar cheese, sliced green onions and cooked chicken breast chunks onto ONE HALF of a flour tortilla. Evenly distribute corn, black beans and a spoonful of the salsa verde sauce to each quesadilla.  Leave one half of each tortilla bare.

  2. Fold empty half of tortilla up and over the toppings. Place each quesadilla half on a lightly oiled or sprayed flat grill (or large skillet) on medium low heat. NOTE: If using a large skillet, you may need to cook these in batches. Cook for a few minutes on medium low heat until golden brown on the bottom. Carefully turn each quesadilla to the other side, and continue cooking until the bottom is golden brown. When done, cheese should be melted and filling heated through. 

  3. Transfer each quesadilla to a cutting board. Slice each half into 3 pieces. Garnish with cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, salsa verde, and a dollop of sour cream! Serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Caloric calculation is for three quesadilla slices, and includes all garnish toppings (salsa verde, lettuce, cheese, tomatoes and sour cream).

Nutrition Facts
Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla
Amount Per Serving (1 (3 slices))
Calories 394 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 10g63%
Cholesterol 84mg28%
Sodium 822mg36%
Potassium 507mg14%
Carbohydrates 26g9%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 27g54%
Vitamin A 795IU16%
Vitamin C 4.4mg5%
Calcium 368mg37%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You'll love this easy, tasty, grilled Chicken Black Bean Quesadilla with salsa verde, corn, and cheddar cheese, served with lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream.


Nov
2018

Traeger Roasted Chicken

categories: Chicken, For The BBQ Grill, Main Dishes, Traeger Grill Recipes
16.3K Shares
Pin16.3K
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Traeger Roasted Chicken, well seasoned with a dry rub spice mix, is a great meal! Cooking whole chickens on a smoker/pellet grill couldn’t be easier!
Traeger Roasted Chicken, well seasoned with a dry rub spice mix, is a great meal! Cooking whole chickens on a smoker/pellet grill couldn't be easier!

My husband and I have enjoyed “getting to know” the Traeger grill he got for his birthday this past summer. We’ve made several items on it, including a smoked Pork Loin Roast, and a delicious dessert of Berry Cobbler. Both recipes were both amazing!

One of our favorite things we make often is Traeger roasted chicken. Whole chickens are covered with a dry spice rub mix, then the chickens roast, quite happily I might add, in the Traeger grill for about an hour, until done! It’s so easy to make chicken this way!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Making The Spice Rub For Traeger Roasted Chicken

The dry rub mix for Traeger roasted chicken is ridiculously easy to prepare. The spices are combined in a small bowl. Spices are mixed well, until all spices are fully incorporated. The spice rub recipe makes approximately 2 cups. You will only have to use a small PART of this to coat one chicken.

My recommendation is to go ahead and make up the whole batch, as written. After seasoning chicken(s), place remaining dry rub mix into an airtight bottle, and store in pantry. The spices will keep for at least 6 months, so you will have it handy, to use over and over! Guess what? This spice rub tastes fantastic on PORK, too!

Spices for dry rub mix to season Traeger roasted chicken.

Dry rub spice mix for Traeger roasted chicken.

Applying Spice Rub On The Traeger Roasted Chicken

Rinse and pat dry (with a paper towel) one or more whole chickens. Remove any giblets that may be inside the chicken cavity, and discard.

Whole roasting chicken, ready to apply the dry rub spice mix, then roast on Traeger grill.

Cover the entire chicken generously with dry rub mixture, patting it into chicken to adhere. Sprinkle some into the cavity of the chicken, also. NOTE: You will definitely have some of the spice rub left over, which can be used for other recipes, or to coat about 4 more chickens).

Whole chicken with spice rub mixture, ready to be roasted on Traeger grill.

Prepare Chicken To Roast Evenly

Tuck the tips of the chicken wings under the chicken, to hold in place. Tie the front legs of chicken together with cooking twine. NOTE: I didn’t have cooking twine available, so used some of my raffia, from crafting, to tie legs together. It worked perfectly!

The reason it is a good idea to tuck wings under chicken, and tie legs together, is that it helps the chicken cook more evenly. You can see in the photo below how the legs were tied. As always, when working with fresh poultry, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling chicken.

Two whole chickens with spice rub and legs tied , ready to be roasted on Traeger grill.

How To Roast Chicken On A Traeger Grill

When ready to begin, start the Traeger grill on SMOKE setting, with the lid OPEN, until the fire has ignited and is smoking (about 4-5 minutes). Set the temperature gauge to 375°. Close the lid. Let the Traeger preheat for 10-15 minutes. Add a small pan of apple juice (or cider) to the top rack of the grill. This helps to keep some flavorful steam circulating while roasting the chicken.

After grill has preheated, place the chicken directly on the grill grate.  Cook at 375°F (with the lid closed) for approximately 60 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

How To Test For Correct Temperature Of Traeger Roasted Chicken

To test for internal temperature, insert the temperature probe into the chicken in between the leg and the thigh joint.  You will need to also check the internal temperature of a chicken breast, to ensure it also reaches an internal temp of 165°F once done. NOTE: If it looks like the chicken is starting to get blackened on top when near the end of the roasting time, lightly cover the chicken with aluminum foil, and continue cooking until done.

Remember, due to varying weights of chicken used, fluctuating temps on your grill, and how chilled the chicken is before adding it to the grill, your cooking time may be shorter or longer.

Traeger roasted chicken, on the grill cooking.

Okay, The Chicken Is Ready, Now What?

Once Traeger roasted chicken has reached an internal temp of 165°, remove them from the grill and place on cutting board or tray with rimmed edges (to catch any juices). Untie the chicken legs by slicing through and removing the cooking twine.

Traeger roasted chicken is done cooking, resting on cookie sheet before slicing.

Let the chicken rest for about 10-15 minutes, before attempting to slice. This will allow the juices inside the meat time to redistribute throughout the chicken. Trust me, you WANT juicy chicken!

The skin on a Traeger roasted chicken gets nice and crispy!

After your Traeger roasted chicken has rested for 10-15 minutes, it is time to slice, and serve!

Slicing into the Traeger roasted chicken. The meat is cooked perfectly!

And that is how easy it is to make Traeger Roasted Chicken!  The meat turns out perfectly juicy and flavorful.  You can eat it, as is, or use it in a variety of other recipes! Sure hope you will consider trying this easy recipe for Traeger roasted chicken! You’re gonna love it!

Looking For More TRAEGER Recipes?

You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a nice variety of Traeger recipes you might be interested in, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: The recipe booklet that came with the purchase of our Traeger grill.
Dry Rub Source: https://www.thegratefulgirlcooks.com/dry-rub-spice-mix/

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Traeger Roasted Chicken
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 
Traeger Roasted Chicken, well seasoned with a dry rub spice mix, is a great meal! Cooking whole chickens on a smoker/pellet grill couldn't be easier!
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: roasted chicken
Servings: 1 whole chicken
Calories Per Serving: 1987 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 3 pound fresh young chicken (1 whole) (between 3-4 pounds total)
For Dry Rub Mix:
  • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup smoked paprika
  • 1/4 cup garlic powder
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 2 Tablespoons black pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon dry mustard
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Prepare Dry Rub Mix and Chicken

  1. Make dry rub mix by combining all spices in small bowl. Stir or whisk well, to fully blend ingredients. Set aside.

  2. Rinse and pat dry (with a paper towel) one or more whole chickens. Remove any giblets that may be inside the chicken cavity, and discard. Cover the entire chicken generously with dry rub mixture, patting it into chicken to adhere. Sprinkle some dry rub mix into the cavity of the chicken, also.  Tuck the tips of the chicken wings under the chicken, to hold in place. Tie the front legs of chicken together with cooking twine. It's a good idea to do this, because it helps the chicken cook more evenly.

To Roast Chicken(s)

  1. Start the Traeger grill on SMOKE setting, with the lid OPEN, until fire has ignited and is smoking (about 4-5 minutes). Set temperature gauge to 375°. CLOSE LID. Let grill preheat for 10-15 minutes. Add a small aluminum pan of apple juice (or cider) to the top rack of grill (this helps keep flavorful steam circulating while roasting). After grill has preheated, place chicken directly on the grill grate.  Cook at 375°F (with lid closed) for about 60 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 165°F.

  2. To test for internal temperature, insert the temperature probe into the chicken in between the leg and the thigh joint.  You will need to also check the internal temperature of a chicken breast, to ensure it also has reached 165° temp. NOTE: If it looks like chicken is starting to blacken on top near the end of roasting time, lightly cover chicken with aluminum foil; continue cooking until done.

  3. Once chicken has reached an internal temp of 165°, remove from grill and place on cutting board or tray with rimmed edges (to catch any juices). Untie chicken legs by slicing through and removing cooking twine. Let chicken rest for 15 minutes (to let juices inside redistribute throughout meat). Slice and serve!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: Caloric calculation is an estimate for a WHOLE 3 pound chicken. Calorie counts will vary, due to pieces of chicken eaten, OR the total starting weight of the chicken.

Nutrition Facts
Traeger Roasted Chicken
Amount Per Serving (1 whole chicken)
Calories 1987 Calories from Fat 990
% Daily Value*
Fat 110g169%
Saturated Fat 29g181%
Cholesterol 489mg163%
Sodium 28832mg1254%
Potassium 3120mg89%
Carbohydrates 127g42%
Fiber 26g108%
Sugar 78g87%
Protein 135g270%
Vitamin A 29735IU595%
Vitamin C 17.6mg21%
Calcium 455mg46%
Iron 24.8mg138%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Traeger Roasted Chicken, well seasoned with a dry rub spice mix, is a great meal! Cooking whole chickens on a smoker/pellet grill couldn't be easier!


Sep
2018

Kung Pao Zoodles

categories: Asian, Chicken, Main Dishes, Meatless Meals
153 Shares
Pin153
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Kung Pao Zoodles is a low calorie (under 300), low carb dish using spiralized zucchini noodles, cooked in a sweet/spicy Asian sauce, and it can be made with or without chicken.
Kung Pao Zoodles is a low calorie (under 300), low carb dish using spiralized zucchini noodles, cooked in a sweet/spicy Asian sauce, w/or without chicken.

I’ve got to be honest here… this recipe totally surprised me! I purchased a spiralizer recently, to essentially make “noodles” out of a lot of different vegetables. I’d been wanting one for a while, and finally bought a fairly inexpensive one ($29).

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

What If I Do Not Have A Spiralizer?

If you do not have access to a Spiralizer, it IS possible to make zucchini noodles by hand. The best video I’ve seen to describe how to do this is on YouTube, which demonstrates three easy ways to make your own “zoodles” (with box grater, vegetable peeler, or mandoline). I recommend watching it! Here’s the link to the short video, from Kelly Senyei at “Just A Taste”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgPaDQh9S4 This was the first recipe I made using it, and my expectations were fairly low for what Kung Pao Zoodles would taste like. Zoodles is a word commonly used to describe Zucchini Noodles!

Whoa! I’m NOT KIDDING… I totally LOVED this dish!  This dish can also be a healthy/delicious meatless meal, by simply omitting the chicken breast.  It only took a couple minutes to turn two medium sized zucchini into gorgeous pasta like strands of veggie goodness!  Once cooked with the amazingly easy Asian inspired sauce, this dish made me GIDDY with excitement with my first bite!

This recipe for Kung Pao Zoodles is very easy to prepare. If there is one tip I can give you, it is to HAVE EVERYTHING PREPPED AND READY TO GO BEFORE BEGINNING COOKING! The dish comes together very quickly once started, so be prepared!

How Do I Make Kung Pao Zoodles?

Cut ends off both zucchini, then spiralize them into spaghetti-like noodles, catching them as they come out into a medium sized bowl. If using a Spiralizer, cut the noodles with kitchen shears into 7 or 8 inch strips (cut long zoodles right in the bowl a couple of times- snip, snip!). Set aside.

Zucchini being spiralized into noodles to make Kung Pao zoodles.

Stir or whisk Asian sauce ingredients together in a small bowl (soy or tamari sauce, balsamic vinegar, hoisin sauce, water, sriracha, sugar and cornstarch). Set sauce aside.

Asian sauce is mixed in bowl for Kung Pao Zoodles.

If You Are Preparing Kung Pao Zoodles WITH Chicken:

If adding chicken to this dish, season lightly with salt and black pepper. Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place chicken cubes into large skillet; cook until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside (or drain on paper towel).

Chicken breast cubes are cooked for Kung Pao Zoodle dish.

Prepare The Rest of This Dish

Turn the heat down to medium and add sesame oil, minced garlic and grated fresh ginger to skillet. Stir and cook for 30-45 seconds, being careful to not let the garlic burn.

Sesame oil, garlic and ginger cooking for kung pao zoodles.

Add chopped red peppers, then stir in the Asian sauce. Bring sauce to a quick boil, then turn heat down to LOW, and cook for a minute or so until sauce is bubbling and has thickened.

Asian sauce and red bell peppers are added to skillet for kung pao sauce.

Add zucchini noodles (zoodles) to skillet.  Stir while cooking until the zoodles are coated with sauce.  Cook for two minutes, stirring often. As the zucchini noodles cook, they will release water, which will help to blend the sauce together with the noodles.

Zucchini noodles (zoodles) are added to skillet.

Zoodles (zucchini noodles) are cooked in the Kung Pao sauce.

Time To Eat Some Kung Pao Zoodles!

When done, add the cooked chicken pieces (if using) to the skillet, and stir to combine. I found using tongs worked great at getting everything mixed together. Divide Kung Pao zoodles between two serving bowls, and garnish each with chopped dry roasted peanuts and sliced green onions.

Bowl of Kung Pao Zoodles garnished with chopped peanuts and green onions.

Serve these delicious Kung Pao zoodles and enjoy! I absolutely LOVED this dish…there is so much yummy flavor! This meal is filling (as each serving is about 2 cups), it tastes amazing, and it so low in calories! Winner, winner… ZOODLE dinner!

Kung Pao Zoodles with a pair of chopsticks... ready to serve!

Chopsticks lifting up a bite of Kung Pao Zoodles!

I really hope you will try making these Kung Pao Zoodles!  If you prefer the more traditional version of Kung Pao Chicken, I hope you will check out that recipe, as well.

Looking For More SPIRALIZED FOOD Recipes?

You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a few delicious zoodle recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: http://recipestotry.ca/kung-pao-chicken-with-zucchini/

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Kung Pao Zoodles
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 
Kung Pao Zoodles is a low calorie (under 300), low carb dish using spiralized zucchini noodles, cooked in a sweet/spicy Asian sauce, w/or without chicken.
Category: Dinner
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: kung pao zoodles
Servings: 2 (approx. 2 cups per serving)
Calories Per Serving: 281 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Zoodles:
  • 2 medium zucchini , ends trimmed
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil **if adding chicken
  • 6 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breast **cut in 1/2 inch cubes (if adding chicken)
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper , to taste
  • 1/2 medium red bell pepper , cut into 1/2" pieces
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 Tablespoons finely chopped dry roasted peanuts (for garnish)
  • 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced green onions (for garnish)
For Asian Sauce:
  • 1½ Tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce (tamari for gluten free)
  • 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 2½ Tablespoons water
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Sriracha sauce
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Cut ends off both zucchini, then spiralize them into spaghetti-like noodles,. Cut noodles with kitchen shears into 8 inch strips. Set aside.

  2. Stir or whisk Asian sauce ingredients together in a small bowl (soy or tamari sauce, balsamic vinegar, hoisin sauce, water, sriracha, sugar and cornstarch). Set sauce aside.

  3. If adding chicken to this dish, season lightly with salt and black pepper. Heat vegetable oil over medium high heat. Place chicken cubes into large skillet; cook until lightly browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside (drain on paper towel).

  4. Turn heat down to medium and add sesame oil, minced garlic and grated fresh ginger to skillet. Stir and cook for 30-45 seconds, being careful to not let garlic burn. Add chopped red peppers, then stir in Asian sauce. Bring sauce to a boil, then turn heat to LOW, and cook for a minute or so until sauce is bubbling and has thickened.  Add zucchini noodles to skillet.  Stir while cooking until zoodles are coated with sauce.  Cook for two minutes, stirring often. As the zucchini noodles cook, they will release water, which will help to blend the sauce together with the noodles. When done, add cooked chicken pieces (if using), and stir to combine. I found using tongs worked great at getting everything mixed together.

  5. To serve, divide Kung Pao zoodles between two serving bowls, and garnish with chopped peanuts and sliced green onions. Serve hot, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: Caloric calculation of 281 per serving includes chicken and vegetable oil to cook it in.  If preparing this recipe as a MEATLESS meal, the calorie count would be approximately 167 calories per (2 cup) serving.

**Weight Watchers - Points+ = 7 points (with chicken).

Nutrition Facts
Kung Pao Zoodles
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 281 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 54mg18%
Sodium 724mg31%
Potassium 976mg28%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 12g13%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 1410IU28%
Vitamin C 78.6mg95%
Calcium 42mg4%
Iron 1.6mg9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Kung Pao Zoodles is a low calorie (under 300), low carb dish using spiralized zucchini noodles, cooked in a sweet/spicy Asian sauce, w/or without chicken.


Sep
2018

Easy Chicken Caesar Salad

categories: Chicken, Main Dish Salads, Main Dishes, Salads
33 Shares
Pin33
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Easy Chicken Caesar Salad is a light, yet filling entree, with grilled chicken breast on crisp romaine lettuce, with Parmesan cheese, croutons, and bottled dressing!Easy Chicken Caesar Salad is a light, yet filling entree, with grilled chicken breast on romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and bottled dressing!

Do you enjoy Chicken Caesar Salad?  We sure do, in our home!  We have one for dinner every couple of weeks (especially in the summer), and it continues to be a family favorite meal.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At the Bottom Of The Page

How Do You Season The Chicken For The Caesar Salad?

Whenever we grill chicken and use my Mom’s trusty chicken basting sauce (been using her recipe for over 40 years), I always try to grill two extra breasts to put aside for this salad! That way, the chicken is ready to go, any time we want to have this salad for dinner!

Basting sauce used for grilling chicken for caesar salad.

Having the chicken already grilled makes this a very quick meal to make… BUT… whether you use leftover chicken breasts, or grill them on an indoor grill, in the skillet, or on your BBQ, simply make sure you have a cooked, lightly seasoned chicken breast for each salad!

Many ways to cook chicken for a caesar salad.

When you are ready to make the chicken caesar salad, slice a head of romaine lettuce into thin strips. I typically buy romaine hearts (these have a lot of the darker outside leaves taken off) for this salad, but it really doesn’t matter.

Okay… So How Do I Make The Chicken Caesar Salad?

If using romaine hearts, one whole one should be enough for two entree salads. Place thinly sliced romaine into large bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over lettuce, catching any seeds that try to jump in!

Slicing romaine lettuce for chicken caesar salad.

Fresh lemon juice brings out the flavor in a chicken caesar salad.

Now, I have seen so many recipes to make homemade Caesar dressing, with anchovies, etc. in it, but when you want a quick dinner, what I use is bottled salad dressing!

We have used Cardini’s Caesar dressing for many many years. Caesar Cardini is the man who is known for creating Caesar salads, and we have found this dressing to be the very best tasting one on the market! Obviously you can use whatever Caesar dressing you wish, but we give this one, found in most grocery stores (or Amazon) a thumbs up, for sure!

Add the Caesar Salad Dressing

Pour the desired amount of salad dressing over the lettuce in the bowl, then mix it, to combine.

Romaine lettuce is topped with Caesar dressing.

I use the original Caesar Cardini dressing on this salad.

TIP: After the lettuce has the salad dressing on it, THEN add grated Parmesan cheese!  Because the lettuce has salad dressing on it, the cheese will stick to the romaine and not fall to the bottom of the bowl. Best tip I’ve ever found for a caesar salad! Mix to fully combine ingredients.

Shredded Parmesan cheese is added to caesar salad.

Serving The Salad

Portion salad into 2 serving bowls or plates.  Place croutons on top, and add a couple thin slices of lemon to dish as a garnish. Adding lemon slices looks good, and each person can squeeze additional lemon juice on their salad, if desired.

Croutons and lemon slices are added to caesar salad.

Slice the precooked grilled chicken breasts into thin slices.  Place the sliced chicken on top of the salad, slightly fanning out the slices across the salad. The chicken can be hot or chilled… we serve it both ways.

Garnish your chicken Caesar salad with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve, and enjoy this absolutely YUMMY entree salad!

Grilled chicken breast is sliced, then fanned out on top of caesar salad before serving.

I really hope you enjoy this classic grilled chicken Caesar salad, and trust you will enjoy it as much as we do! If you enjoy this salad, chances are you will also enjoy my recipes for Grilled Chili & Lime Chicken Fajita Salad or Strawberry Avocado Spinach Salad with Grilled Chicken (YUM). Don’t forget to check out ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. Have a wonderful day.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Easy Chicken Caesar Salad
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
0 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Easy Chicken Caesar Salad is a light, yet filling entree, with grilled chicken breast on romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and bottled dressing!
Category: Entree Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken caesar salad
Servings: 2 main course salads
Calories Per Serving: 530 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts , pre-grilled or baked
  • 1 head romaine lettuce (I use romaine hearts)
  • 1/2 large lemon
  • 1/4 cup Caesar salad dressing
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
  • 3 Tablespoons croutons , for garnish
  • 4 thin slices lemon , for garnish
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. NOTE: Having the chicken already grilled makes this a very quick meal to make... BUT... whether you use leftover chicken breasts, or grill them on an indoor grill, in the skillet, or on your BBQ, simply make sure you have a small, cooked, lightly seasoned boneless chicken breast for each salad!

  2. Place thinly sliced romaine into large bowl. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over lettuce, catching any seeds that try to jump in!  Pour desired amount of salad dressing over lettuce, then mix to combine.

  3. After the lettuce has the salad dressing on it, THEN add grated Parmesan cheese!  Because the lettuce has salad dressing on it, the cheese will stick to it, and not fall to the bottom of the bowl. Mix to fully combine ingredients.

  4. Portion salad into 2 serving bowls or plates.  Place croutons on top, and add a couple thin slices of lemon to dish as a garnish.

  5. Slice precooked grilled chicken breasts into thin slices.  Place chicken slices on top of salad, fanning out the slices across the salad. The chicken can be hot or chilled... we serve it both ways.  Garnish salad with additional grated Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve, and enjoy this absolutely YUMMY entree salad!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: Caloric calculation is approximate, based on a 4 ounce chicken breast per serving. Caloric count will vary, due to weight of chicken and amount / type of salad dressing used.

Nutrition Facts
Easy Chicken Caesar Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 530 Calories from Fat 252
% Daily Value*
Fat 28g43%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Cholesterol 101mg34%
Sodium 1067mg46%
Potassium 1243mg36%
Carbohydrates 28g9%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 40g80%
Vitamin A 27490IU550%
Vitamin C 14.9mg18%
Calcium 436mg44%
Iron 4.9mg27%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Easy Chicken Caesar Salad is a light, yet filling entree, with grilled chicken breast on romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and bottled dressing!


Aug
2018

Coconut Milk Braised Chicken

categories: Chicken, Main Dishes
193 Shares
Pin193
Share
Tweet
Yum
Email

Easy Coconut Milk Braised Chicken – big in flavor, low in calories (under 300)! Pan seared seasoned chicken breasts are cooked in, and topped with a spiced coconut milk sauce. You’re gonna LOVE this dish! YUM!
Easy Coconut Milk Braised Chicken - big flavor, low calorie (under 300)! Pan seared seasoned breasts are cooked in/topped with a spiced coconut milk sauce. YUM!

We just returned from our annual summer vacation to Whidbey Island, WA. One of my traditions while there is to visit a local community thrift store and browse for cookbooks to add to my collection. I LOVE to look at recipes in cookbooks… it’s been a crazy “down time” hobby of mine for years, even before I started blogging. I love the “thrill of the hunt” for great recipes to make for my family.

This year I found several (8) “new to me” used cookbooks, including the one I found this recipe for coconut milk braised chicken in, for a tiny fraction of their original retail price. I paid $17.35 for 8 cookbooks, but their original retail value was over $150! Now that’s what I call a DEAL!!!! This recipe, for coconut milk braised chicken sounded really interesting to me, so I gave it a try…wowzer!  This is a FANTASTIC recipe! Seriously GOOD!  It’s also very easy to prepare, so it’s a WIN-WIN in my book!

The chicken is seasoned nicely (it only has a tiny “kick” to it), and the coconut milk sauce tastes amazing! I “might” have taste-tested the sauce several times as it cooked…yum.  Who knew coconut milk braised chicken could taste so good? Let me show you how easy this dish is to make!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How To Prepare Coconut Milk Braised Chicken

Mix spices for the chicken in a small bowl (coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper).  Add white wine vinegar, and stir to combine ingredients fully.

(SIDE NOTE: I was able to hand grind coriander seeds I had dried from our garden a year or two ago… YAY for homegrown! If you use store bought ground coriander, it will be more powdery, so your sauce will be smoother… mine has “bumps” from hand-grinding coriander seeds).

Mixing spices for braised chicken seasoning

Give the chicken breasts a rinse, then place them on a paper towel, and pat them dry.  Rub or brush on the seasoning mixture, covering both sides of chicken.

Chicken breasts are patted dry, then covered with seasoning mix.

Cook The Chicken

Heat oil in a large (10-12 inch) non-stick skillet on high heat.  Once the oil gets really hot (but not smoking), add the seasoned chicken breasts. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes (without moving), then carefully flip chicken over and cook the other side 2-3 minutes.

Both sides should be a nice golden brown color. Transfer the chicken to a rimmed plate (a rimmed plate will catch any juices from chicken as it sits). Do NOT clean out skillet.

Seasoned chicken breasts are pan-seared in skillet, until golden brown in color.

Create The Sauce For The Chicken

Place onion slices and minced ginger into the same skillet.  Cook, stirring often for 2-3 minutes while the onions turn a golden color. Add the garlic, and stir well while it cooks for 1 more minute. Stir the coconut milk well with a fork or spoon while still in can (it’s thick). Pour entire can of coconut milk into the onion mixture in the skillet. Add salt. Stir well, to combine ingredients.

(Note: this recipe (as written) calls for LIGHT canned coconut milk, which has far less calories than regular. I only had regular coconut milk in our pantry, so that is what I used, and what you see in photo below).Onions, ginger and garlic are cooked, then coconut milk is added to make sauce.

Finish The Coconut Milk Braised Chicken

Cook on medium heat until the sauce comes to a boil. Transfer the chicken breasts back into the sauce. Pour any accumulated juices into the skillet, as well. Reduce heat, and cook chicken (turning once) for 10-12 minutes total, and the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the thickest part. I also spoon sauce over the top of chicken occasionally as it cooks.

Coconut milk sauce is used to braise chicken breasts in skillet.

When chicken is finished cooking, remove chicken breasts; transfer them back onto the rimmed plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. Turn the heat back up to high and bring sauce to a boil. Cook the coconut sauce for about 4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a bit, and reduced down to about 1½ cups.

Coconut milk sauce is reduced in volume before serving.

Toast Shredded Coconut While the Sauce Thickens

While the sauce is cooking, I quickly toast some shredded coconut in a small dry skillet. I use this toasted coconut as a garnish for the finished dish.

To toast coconut, simply place coconut in skillet, and cook on low heat, stirring often, until coconut turns a golden brown in color (only takes a couple minutes). Remove from heat; transfer coconut to a plate or paper towel to cool. This step can also be done ahead of time or while the chicken is cooking.

Shredded coconut is toasted for garnish for braised chicken

Serve Coconut Milk Braised Chicken

Place the coconut milk braised chicken breasts onto individual plates or a serving platter. Spoon the sauce evenly over the pieces. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and toasted coconut, (if desired). Season with additional salt, if desired. I served the coconut milk braised chicken with white rice and peas. YUM!

Coconut Milk Braised Chicken is served with rice and peas.

Coconut Milk Braised Chicken is garnished with parsley and toasted coconut for serving.

I REALLY hope you will give this recipe for coconut milk braised chicken a try.  My husband and I really enjoyed it, and I will definitely be making this quick dish again! I sure got my money’s worth finding that old used cookbook!

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

If you enjoy chicken dishes, be sure to check out my recipes for Coq au Vin, Chicken Broccoli Fettucine Alfredo, Chicken Fried Chicken, and many, many others, all of which are listed in the Recipe Index shown at the top of the page.

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Have a WONDERFUL day!

Author's signature

Recipe Source: Sunset – Recipe Annual Cookbook (2002 Edition), page 14, Published November, 2001 by Sunset Publishing Corporation.

0 from 0 votes
PRINT
Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Coconut Milk Braised Chicken - big flavor, low calorie (under 300)! Pan seared seasoned breasts are cooked in/topped with a spiced coconut milk sauce.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: coconut milk braised chicken
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 277 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Chicken Seasoning:
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground dried turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
For Rest of Dish:
  • 4 chicken breasts (5-6 oz. each) (boneless, skinless)
  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 1 cup thinly sliced onion
  • 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 (14 oz.) canned coconut milk (reduced fat)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional garnish)
  • 3 Tablespoons shredded coconut
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Mix seasonings for chicken in a small bowl (coriander, cumin, turmeric, cayenne pepper).  Add white wine vinegar; stir to combine ingredients fully.

  2. Rinse chicken, then place on paper towel, and pat dry.  Rub or brush on seasoning mixture, covering both sides of chicken. Heat oil in a large (10-12 inch) non-stick skillet on high heat.  Once oil gets hot (but not smoking), add chicken. Cook 2-3 minutes (without moving), then flip chicken over and cook other side 2-3 minutes.  Both sides should be golden brown. Transfer chicken to a rimmed plate (rimmed plate will catch juices from chicken). Do NOT clean out skillet.

  3. Place onion slices and minced ginger into the same skillet.  Cook, stirring often for 2-3 minutes until onions turn a golden color. Add garlic; stir well while it cooks for 1 minute.  Stir coconut milk with a fork or spoon while still in can (it's thick). Pour coconut milk into onion mixture. Add salt. Stir well to combine ingredients.  Cook on medium heat until it comes to a boil.

  4. Transfer chicken back into sauce. Pour any accumulated juices into skillet. Reduce heat; cook chicken for 10-12 minutes total (turning once), until chicken is no longer pink in the middle of thickest part. Spoon sauce over top of chicken often as it cooks. When chicken is done, remove chicken from skillet back onto rimmed plate. Cover chicken with foil to keep warm.

  5. Turn heat back up to high; bring sauce to a boil. Cook sauce for 4 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened a bit, and reduced down to about 1½ cups.

  6. While sauce is reducing, toast coconut (for garnish) by placing shredded coconut into a dry skillet; cook on low, stirring often, until it turns golden brown (takes a couple minutes). Remove from heat; transfer coconut to a paper towel to cool. **This step can also be done ahead of time or while the chicken is cooking.

  7. Place chicken breasts onto individual plates or serving platter. Spoon sauce evenly over chicken. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and toasted coconut, (if desired), and season with additional salt, to taste. Serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Coconut Milk Braised Chicken
Amount Per Serving (1 chicken breast + sauce)
Calories 277 Calories from Fat 108
% Daily Value*
Fat 12g18%
Saturated Fat 9g56%
Cholesterol 72mg24%
Sodium 524mg23%
Potassium 531mg15%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 25g50%
Vitamin A 305IU6%
Vitamin C 8.5mg10%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 1.2mg7%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Easy Coconut Milk Braised Chicken - big flavor, low calorie (under 300)! Pan seared seasoned breasts are cooked in/topped with a spiced coconut milk sauce. YUM!