Category: Main Dishes


Jan
2020

Air Fryer Italian Meatballs

categories: Air Fryer Recipes, Beef, Italian, Main Dishes
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It’s so EASY to make delicious Air Fryer Italian Meatballs, to add to a favorite sauce for pasta, or to make a yummy meatball sandwich!
It's so EASY to make delicious Air Fryer Italian Meatballs, to add to a favorite sauce for pasta, or to make a yummy meatball sandwich!

If you have an air fryer, then you know how many foods can be cooked or “fried” in them, without using a lot of oil. Normally I fry my meatballs for spaghetti in oil, in a large skillet on the stove, but wanted to give the old air fryer a go at it, too!

Using an air fryer has become a fun challenge for me, ever since I used birthday gift cards to purchase one last year. My husband and I have sure enjoyed using ours and trying new recipes. We appreciate this appliance that cooks with highly heated air rather than using a lot of oil to prepare food.

So… this time I made meatballs! The result was delicious tasting air fryer Italian meatballs, which were added to homemade spaghetti sauce, and then combined with hot cooked pasta! The process for making the meatballs was practically effortless, and I would whole-heartedly make them this way again!. Here’s how to make Italian meatballs in an air fryer.

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

Prepare The Meatballs

This step is simple. Simply combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, spices (including salt and pepper), and Parmesan cheese in a medium sized bowl.

Ingredients for meatballs, ready to be combined in large bowl.The meat mixture is fully combined and ready to form into meatballs.

Measure out heaping Tablespoons of the meat mixture and roll each portion between the palms of you hands to form meatballs. Place them on aluminum foil or wax paper, and then lightly spritz them with non-stick baking spray or oil on top and bottom.

The air fryer Italian meatballs recipe calls for only a half pound of ground beef, so the recipe (as written below), should yield about 11-12 medium-sized meatballs, which yields approximately 3 servings.

Place the meatballs in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before cooking. Begin preheating your air fryer towards the end of the refrigeration time.

Meatballs are spritzed with cooking spray or oil before cooking.

Time To Cook the Air Fryer Italian Meatballs!

Okay, now you should have 11-12 lightly sprayed (and lightly chilled meatballs), right? Right! Preheat your air fryer to 400°F. Once the air fryer is pre-heated, place the meatballs into the basket, leaving a bit of space between each one.

I have a Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer, so all the meatballs fit nicely in the basket. If you are making a double portion, you may have to cook the air fryer Italian meatballs in two batches.

Air fryer Italian meatballs in the fryer, ready to be cooked.

Cooking Meatballs In An Air Fryer

Cook the meatballs at 400°F. for approximately 8 minutes in the air fryer. Half way through the cooking time, gently flip the meatballs to the other side using tongs. I found this was so much easier than turning meatballs in a skillet where they sometimes stick to the oiled pan, regardless!

Since some air fryers tend to run really HOT, plan to check on the meatballs around the 7 minute mark, to ensure you don’t overcook them. Mine cooked perfectly in 8 minutes, but it is always best to keep an eye on them.

The cooked air fryer Italian meatballs are crispy and browned when done.Meatballs have been removed from fryer, and are ready to add to sauce.

Okay, They Are Fully Cooked – Now What?

You can eat the meatballs as soon as they are fully cooked, just the way they are. BUT… I think they are best added to a pot of spaghetti or marinara sauce!

Just toss them into the pan, and spoon the sauce over the meatballs. Heat the sauce and meatballs through before serving.

Spaghetti sauce is heated, along with the air fryer cooked meatballs.

When done, add the meatballs and sauce to cooked pasta OR make a wonderful tasting meatball sandwich! Honestly, the meatballs aren’t hard at all to make! Using an air fryer to cook them let me work on other parts of the meal (hands free) while they were cooking!

The air fryer Italian meatballs have good flavor (thanks to garlic powder, Parmesan, onion powder and oregano), and will be a wonderful addition to your meal! Throw some extra Parmesan cheese on top and dig In!

Air fryer Italian meatballs are served along with pasta and sauce!

I hope you will have an opportunity to try this recipe. We are really enjoying our air fryer, and are grateful for the many food items that can be prepared in it. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Looking For More AIR FRYER Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few Air Fryer 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:  The “Cosori Air Fryer Recipes” owner’s recipe book that came with the purchase of my air fryer. Page 22

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Air Fryer Italian Meatballs
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
23 mins
 

It's so EASY to make delicious Air Fryer Italian Meatballs, to add to a favorite sauce for pasta, or to make a yummy meatball sandwich!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Air fryer Italian meatballs
Servings: 3 (3-4 meatballs per person)
Calories Per Serving: 246 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • ½ pound ground beef (75/25 recommended)
  • ¼ cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 large egg
  • ⅛ cup milk
  • 3 Tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon dried parsley
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt and pepper (¼ tsp. each)
  • non-stick cooking spray
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Combine ground beef, breadcrumbs, egg, milk, salt, pepper, spices, and Parmesan cheese in a medium sized bowl. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.

  2. Measure out heaping Tablespoons of the meat mixture and roll each portion between the palms of you hands to form meatballs. Place them on aluminum foil or wax paper, and then lightly spritz them with non-stick baking spray or oil on top and bottom. The mixture should make about 11-12 medium-sized meatballs, which yields approximately 3 servings. Place the meatballs in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before cooking. Begin preheating your air fryer towards the end of the refrigeration time.

  3. Preheat air fryer to 400°F. Once pre-heated, place meatballs into basket, leaving space between each one. If you are making a double portion, you may have to cook the meatballs in two batches. Cook the meatballs at 400°F. for approximately 8 minutes in the air fryer. Half way through cooking time, gently turn meatballs to other side using tongs. Check on meatballs around the 7 minute mark, to ensure you don't overcook them.

  4. Once meatballs are done, they're ready to eat. Eat them as is, or add them to a pot of spaghetti sauce to combine with cooked pasta, or make a meatball sandwich! Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Italian Meatballs
Amount Per Serving (1 (approx. 3-4 meatballs))
Calories 246 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 127mg42%
Sodium 392mg17%
Potassium 310mg9%
Carbohydrates 7g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 187IU4%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 128mg13%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!It's so EASY to make delicious Air Fryer Italian Meatballs, to add to a favorite sauce for pasta, or to make a yummy meatball sandwich!


Jan
2020

Air Fryer Chicken Breasts

categories: Air Fryer Recipes, Chicken, Lunch - Quick and Easy, Main Dishes
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Simple spices and butter provide wonderful flavor for these easy air fryer chicken breasts! Use your air fryer to make this tasty main dish quickly!
Simple spices and butter provide wonderful flavor for these easy air fryer chicken breasts! Use your air fryer to make this tasty main dish quickly!

This past summer I received a Cosori air fryer for my birthday. It’s fun to cook foods with hot air, and with only a minimum amount of oil! I’ve been having fun with it ever since, trying out recipes for both main dishes, muffins, side dishes and desserts!

I’ve already posted a few delicious air fryer recipes, including:

Last month I made air fryer chicken breasts.  I knew I wanted to experiment with our family favorite sauce we use for grilling chicken breasts outside, but wanted to re-create it using my air fryer! Guess what? It turned out fabulous, so I want to share the recipe for this EASY dish.

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

Make The Basting Sauce For The Chicken Breasts

The basting sauce recipe for the chicken breasts came from my Mom. It was how we ate our grilled chicken while growing up. We use it all summer long when we grill chicken on our BBQ, and have used the same recipe for almost 50 years. I thought it would be a perfect seasoning for these air fryer chicken breasts! And it WAS!

To make the sauce, combine the seasonings (garlic powder, celery salt, seasoning salt and coarse black pepper) with melted butter. Stir, until fully combined. Easy, right?

Sauce for chicken is made with combining melted butter and a few common spices.

Brush the sauce over 1 side of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

Seasoning sauce is brushed over one side of the chicken breasts.

Ready To Cook Air Fryer Chicken Breasts!

Preheat your air fryer to 370° (this usually takes about 3-4 minutes). TIP: To save time, preheat the air fryer while making the sauce and basting the chicken.

Place the chicken breasts, with the sauce side down in the basket of the preheated air fryer. Now brush the remaining sauce over the top of the chicken.

The chicken is placed in preheated air fryer, and other side is basted with sauce.

Cook the chicken breasts in the air fryer for 4 minutes, and then pause the air fryer and flip the chicken to the other side. Continue cooking for 4-5 additional minutes, or until chicken is golden brown, cooked through and is at a safe internal temperature of 165° F.

Your cooking time may vary a little bit, due to two factors: the size and weight of the chicken breasts you are using, and the ambient temps with air fryers. Because air fryer temperatures can vary, make sure to check the chicken while cooking to make sure you know when it is done.

The photo below shows the chicken breasts about halfway through the cooking time. You can see that the pieces are already beginning to brown.

Halfway through cooking time, air fryer chicken breasts are turning golden brown.

When the air fryer chicken breasts are finished cooking, carefully remove them from the hot basket, and serve immediately! BOOM! See how easy that was?

Now it’s time to enjoy one of the air fryer chicken breasts with some home canned green beans, and some orzo with Parmesan on the side. YUM! It was a good dinner!

Air fryer chicken breasts were served with orzo and green beans.

The air fryer chicken breasts were fully cooked and juicy inside, had a bit of a browned, crunchy crust on them, and had GREAT flavor! They were soooo good!

One of the air fryer chicken breasts in a close up photo.

If you have an air fryer, then I hope you will enjoy this quick and easy chicken recipe! Have a great day, friends! Why not look for ways throughout the day to be an encourager, because there are LOTS of hurting, lonely people around. Won’t you join me in trying to make a difference? Have a great day.

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

You can find all of my chicken recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have lots of them… 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: my brain, and my mom’s recipe for basting sauce

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Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
13 mins
 

Simple spices and butter provide wonderful flavor for these easy air fryer chicken breasts! Use your air fryer to make this tasty main dish quickly!

Category: Entree, Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: air fryer chicken breasts
Servings: 2
Calories Per Serving: 295 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 12 ounces chicken breasts
  • 2 Tablespoons butter , melted
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon celery salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon seasoning salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat your air fryer to 370° (this usually takes about 4-5 minutes). TIP: To save time, mix the sauce and baste the chicken while the air fryer preheats.

  2. Combine garlic powder, celery salt, seasoning salt and coarse black pepper in a small bowl with the melted butter. Stir, until fully combined.

  3. Brush half of the sauce over 1 side of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. When air fryer is at temperature, place chicken breasts, sauce side down in the basket of the air fryer. Brush remaining sauce over the top of the chicken.

  4. Cook at 370° F. for 4 minutes; pause the air fryer and turn chicken to the other side. Continue cooking for 4-5 more minutes, or until chicken is golden brown, cooked through and has an internal temperature of 165° F. When done, remove chicken, serve, and enjoy!

    NOTE: Your cooking time may vary, due to two factors: the size and weight of the chicken breasts you are using, and the ambient temps with air fryers. Because air fryer temperatures can vary, be sure to check the chicken while cooking to make sure you know when it is done.

Nutrition Facts
Air Fryer Chicken Breasts
Amount Per Serving (1 chicken breast)
Calories 295 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value*
Fat 16g25%
Saturated Fat 8g50%
Cholesterol 139mg46%
Sodium 588mg26%
Potassium 629mg18%
Carbohydrates 1g0%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 36g72%
Vitamin A 401IU8%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 9mg1%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Simple spices and butter provide wonderful flavor for these easy air fryer chicken breasts! Use your air fryer to make this tasty main dish quickly!


Jan
2020

Traeger Grill Smoked Trout

categories: Main Dishes, Seafood, Traeger Grill Recipes
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Traeger Grill Smoked Trout is a great recipe for cooking smoked, fresh trout! Butterflied trout are soaked in a brine before smoking, for peak flavor!
Traeger Grill Smoked Trout is a great recipe for cooking smoked, fresh trout! Butterflied trout are soaked in a brine before smoking, for peak flavor!

We sure have been having fun trying recipes on our Traeger grill! Our most recent adventure involved brining and smoking trout that we received from a very nice, generous neighbor!

I found the original recipe on the Traeger app, and thought it sounded wonderful, so off I went into the kitchen to check this recipe out! WOW! This was some good tasting smoked trout! My husband (a trout-lovin’ guy) said it was some of the best trout he has ever had!

With very minimal prep work, and a “hands off” smoking time on the grill, this recipe was also SUPER EASY! Brine the fish, then smoke it on the pellet grill. BOOM! Yummy smoked trout! Here’s how to make Traeger smoked trout:

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

Prepare The BRINE Mixture

Salting meats as a way to preserve food has been around for many, many years. Throughout history voyagers, travelers or armies used to preserve their meats in salt so they could survive on long voyages or trips, even with a lack of refrigeration.

Nowadays brining is a “thing”. When you brine meats, it’s typically done using a salt, water, and seasoning combination, but using far less salt than our ancestors. Brining infuses meats with lots of flavor, and can also help tenderize the meat, in a fairly short amount of time.

To make THIS brine for Traeger smoked trout, place water, salt, brown sugar, black pepper and soy sauce in a LARGE covered container. Whisk the ingredients together until sugar has dissolved. THIS will be your brine!

Ingredients for the brine are whisked together before adding trout.

Prepare The Trout

The trout will need to be cleaned and gutted, with the head removed. Butterfly cut each trout almost all the way down to the tail, and then spread it out. You want the trout to be able to lie flat while being smoked on the grill.

NOTE: The recipe as written (in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post) is for 4 trout. Since it was only my husband and I eating, I smoked only TWO trout, but used the regular amount of brine.

Trout are cleaned, gutted, and butterflied before brining and smoking.

Place the butterflied trout into the brine, and position in the brine so that it is covered. You might find it easy to weigh the fish down with a heavy plate, to keep it under the brine. Cover the container, and then let the trout brine in the liquid for 60 minutes in the refrigerator. Turn the trout over, halfway through the brining time.

The butterflied trout are soaked in brine for one hour before smoking on the grill.

Dry The Brined Trout And Then Get Them On The Traeger

Once the fish has brined for 1 hour, remove each fish from the brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Get both sides as dry as possible before you put them onto the grill.

Each trout is patted dry before putting it on the grill for smoking.

Preparing Traeger Smoked Trout Is EASY!

Fill your pellet hopper with fresh pellets (we used mesquite). Start your Traeger by turning it on and waiting 4-5 minutes (with the lid open) until it is smoking, and a fire has been fully established. Turn the temperature gauge to 225°F., and let the grill preheat (with the lid closed). This might take anywhere from 10-15 minutes.

Once pre-heated, quickly brush vegetable oil over the grill grates with a pastry brush. This helps to help prevent the fish skin from sticking to the grill. Place the patted dry trout directly onto the oiled grill grate, with the skin side down. Close the lid on the grill.

Traeger grill smoked trout is cooked skin side down on the grill.

Smoke the trout for 1½ – 2 hours until the fish starts to flake and the fish turns slightly opaque in color. You don’t even need to mess with them once they are on the grill. NOTE: Cooking times can vary a bit, due to ambient temps of each smoker, and the thickness of the trout. The length of time will obviously depend on the thickness of the trout you are using. Ours were done in 1½ hours! See how beautiful they looked? Oooh…

When done, Traeger smoked trout is beginning to flake and is opaque in color.

Time To EAT Some Traeger Grill Smoked Trout!

Remove the trout from the Traeger once they are fully cooked, and transfer them to a baking sheet and bring them indoors! They smell really good about this time. De-bone each fish, and then serve this tasty Traeger grill smoked trout. You can serve this smoked fish hot or cold, however you prefer it. It has GREAT flavor!

Here is one Traeger grill smoked trout, fully cooked, and ready to de-bone and eat!

Thanks for reading. I sure do sincerely hope you enjoy this recipe for Traeger grill smoked trout. My husband is already asking for me to make it again… ha ha! Lucky for us, our sweet neighbor just gave us even MORE frozen trout this week. Yippee!

Looking For More TRAEGER Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few of my Traeger recipes you might enjoy checking out 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

Recipe adapted from: https://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/seafood/smoked-trout

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

4 from 1 vote
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Traeger Grill Smoked Trout
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 30 mins
Brining Time (inactive)
1 hr
Total Time
2 hrs 35 mins
 

Traeger Grill Smoked Trout is a great recipe for cooking smoked, fresh trout! Butterflied trout are soaked in a brine before smoking, for peak flavor!

Category: Entree-Seafood
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Traeger grill smoked trout
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 392 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 4 medium trout (approx. 8 ounces per fish) , cleaned and head removed
For Brine:
  • ½ gallon water
  • ⅛ cup salt
  • ¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
  • ½ Tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. To make brine: Place water, salt, brown sugar, black pepper and soy sauce in a LARGE covered container. Whisk ingredients together until sugar has dissolved.

Brine The Trout:

  1. Remove fish head. Clean and gut each trout. Butterfly cut each trout almost all the way to the tail, and then spread it out. Do not slice all the way through the bottom skin. You want the trout to be able to lie flat when smoking. Place the butterflied trout into the brine; make sure each fish is covered. You might need to weigh the fish down with a heavy plate, to keep them under the brine. Cover container, and let fish brine in liquid for 60 minutes in refrigerator. Once fish has brined for 1 hour, remove fish from brine and pat dry with a paper towel. Get fish as dry as possible before you put them onto the grill.

Smoking The Trout:

  1. Start Traeger by turning it on and waiting 4-5 minutes (with lid open) until it is smoking, and a fire has been established. Turn temperature gauge to 225°F., and let grill preheat (with lid closed). This might take anywhere from 10-15 minutes. Once pre-heated, quickly brush vegetable oil over the grill grates with a pastry brush. This helps to help prevent the fish skin from sticking to the grill. Place trout directly onto oiled grill grate, skin side down. Close the lid. Smoke trout for 1½ - 2 hours until the fish starts to flake and turns slightly opaque in color. You don't need to mess with them once they are on the grill. Remove trout once they are fully cooked; transfer to a baking sheet. De-bone each fish, and then serve. You can serve the trout hot or cold, however you prefer it.

    NOTE: Cooking times can vary a bit, due to the ambient temps of each smoker, and thickness of the trout.

Nutrition Facts
Traeger Grill Smoked Trout
Amount Per Serving (1 trout (whole))
Calories 392 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 132mg44%
Sodium 3816mg166%
Potassium 847mg24%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 13g14%
Protein 47g94%
Vitamin A 129IU3%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 126mg13%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Traeger Grill Smoked Trout is a great recipe for cooking smoked, fresh trout! Butterflied trout are soaked in a brine before smoking, for peak flavor!

 


Dec
2019

Turkey Fiesta Casserole

categories: Casseroles, Main Dishes, Turkey
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Turkey Fiesta Casserole is a great way to use up cooked turkey (or chicken). This easy Mexican-style dish has turkey, corn chips, refried beans, cheese & salsa!
Turkey Fiesta Casserole is a great way to use up cooked turkey. This easy Mexican-style dish has turkey, corn chips, refried beans, cheese & salsa!

Every now and then I grab a few of my old cookbooks or cooking magazines and look back through them for “new” recipes. Recently I went through one of my OLD Taste of Home magazines from 2005 (yes, I saved them), and found this easy to prepare Mexican casserole recipe.

I had some shredded turkey left over from Thanksgiving, and wanted to try a new way to use it besides SOUP (which I already made). This recipe was so easy to make, and while it baked I made the rest of our dinner. Chicken would be a perfect substitute, by the way, if you don’t have any cooked turkey on hand.

The turkey fiesta casserole tastes delicious, especially if you enjoy Mexican-style seasoned dishes! YUM! Layers of crushed corn chips, refried beans, salsa, cheese, and shredded turkey (or can substitute chicken). The results are delicious! Here’s how to make it:

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

Ingredients For Turkey Fiesta Casserole Are Layered In Baking Dish

The first ingredient is crushed corn chips or tortilla chips. Place the crushed corn chips in the bottom of a greased (or sprayed) baking dish.

Corn tortilla chips are crushed and placed in baking dish.

In a saucepan, stir and cook the refried beans until smooth and heated through. If they are really thick, simply add about a Tablespoon of water. Once heated through, remove the pan from the heat.

Immediately add 1 cup of grated jack cheese and the salsa. NOTE: Remember to only use 1 cup of cheese and reserve the rest for later!) Stir together, and then spoon and spread this bean mixture over the entire surface of the tortilla chips in the baking dish. Spread carefully, to cover.

Refried beans are heated then mixed with salsa and jack cheese & added to top of corn chips.The refried bean mixture is placed on top of the corn chips in dish.

Time For A Layer of Seasoned Turkey!

Place the shredded turkey in a bowl, and add taco seasoning (or Mexican spice mix). Stir to incorporate the spices into the meat. Spread this mixture over the refried bean layer in the dish.

Cooked, shredded turkey is seasoned with taco seasoning.Seasoned shredded turkey is placed on top of refried bean mixture in casserole dish.

Final Step Before Baking

The last layer is the Monterey jack cheese and green onions. Sprinkle grated jack cheese over the turkey layer, and then sprinkle with sliced green onions. Bake the turkey fiesta casserole uncovered, on the middle shelf in a preheated 400° F oven. The casserole needs to bake for 25 minutes OR until the cheese on top is completely melted.

Turkey Fiesta Casserole is topped with jack cheese and green onions and then baked.

Once the casserole is finished baking, remove it from the oven. Immediately sprinkle chopped tomatoes over the top. Let the HOT casserole sit for just a couple minutes before cutting into it, for serving.

Once done baking, the turkey fiesta casserole is topped with chopped tomatoes before serving.

Serve The Turkey Fiesta Casserole!

When ready to cut and serve this dish, place a portion onto each serving plate, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and/or chopped cilantro, if desired. Serve hot, and enjoy this tasty casserole. See- it wasn’t too hard to make after all, right?  We enjoyed it served it with a spinach salad, and Pistachio Pineapple Fluff Salad (leftover from Thanksgiving!).

A dollop of sour cream garnishes this serving of turkey fiesta casserole.

I really hope you will consider trying this easy to prepare turkey fiesta casserole, and hope you like it. We sure did, and enjoyed the leftovers, too! All in all, we got 5 servings from this recipe. The leftovers are good reheated in the microwave, also! Have a good day, friends.

Looking For More CASSEROLE Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few favorites you might 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: Taste of Home Magazine, Dec/Jan 2005, page 48, published by Reiman Media Group Inc.

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Turkey Fiesta Casserole
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

Turkey Fiesta Casserole is a great way to use up cooked turkey (or chicken). This easy Mexican-style dish has turkey, corn chips, refried beans, cheese & salsa!

Category: Entree - Casserole
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: turkey fiesta casserole
Servings: 5
Calories Per Serving: 747 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 cups coarsely crushed corn chips
  • 16 ounces refried beans (1 can)
  • 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese , divided use
  • 1 cup salsa
  • 2 cups shredded cooked turkey (can substitute chicken)
  • 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
  • 1 green onion (scallion) , sliced (stem and bulb)
  • 1 medium tomato , chopped
  • sour cream and/or cilantro for garnish (optional)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a 2.5 quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.

  2. Spread crushed corn chips on the bottom of the greased dish. Cook refried beans in a saucepan until smooth/heated through. If really thick, add a Tablespoon of water. Once heated through, remove pan from heat. Immediately add 1 cup of grated jack cheese and salsa. NOTE: Remember to only use 1 cup of cheese and reserve the rest for later!) Stir to combine; spoon and spread bean mixture over tortilla chips. Place the shredded turkey in a bowl, and add taco seasoning (or Mexican spice mix). Stir to combine. Distribute seasoned turkey over refried bean layer. Sprinkle reserved jack cheese over turkey, and then sprinkle with sliced green onions.

  3. Bake casserole uncovered, on the middle shelf in preheated 400° F oven. Bake for 25 minutes OR until the cheese on top is completely melted. Remove from oven. and immediately sprinkle chopped tomatoes over the top. Let the HOT casserole sit for just a couple minutes before serving. When ready to serve, garnish each portion with a dollop of sour cream and/or chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Note: to lower caloric calculation per serving, try using fat free refried beans and/or low-fat cheese.

Nutrition Facts
Turkey Fiesta Casserole
Amount Per Serving (1 g)
Calories 747 Calories from Fat 261
% Daily Value*
Fat 29g45%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 209mg70%
Sodium 1968mg86%
Potassium 1046mg30%
Carbohydrates 37g12%
Fiber 7g29%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 85g170%
Vitamin A 964IU19%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 487mg49%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Turkey Fiesta Casserole is a great way to use up cooked turkey. This easy Mexican-style dish has turkey, corn chips, refried beans, cheese & salsa!

 


Dec
2019

Easy Baked Pork Chops

categories: Main Dishes, Pork
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Easy Baked Pork Chops are covered with a seasoned bread crumb/Parmesan cheese mix for lots of flavor! Prep time is 10 minutes, then bake until done!
Easy Baked Pork Chops are covered with a seasoned bread crumb/Parmesan cheese mix for lots of flavor! Prep time is 10 minutes, then bake until done!

Have you ever taken some food out of the freezer in order to make it for dinner, and then have no clue how you want to cook it? Yep. That was me recently after taking two really thick pork chops out of our freezer.

As they defrosted, I started to think about HOW I wanted to cook them. I figured I could use one of my tried and true recipes from the blog, OR I could just make it up on the fly as I went. Well, I ended up making it up as I went along, but the results were wonderful!

Really, I ended up just breading the pork chops like I’ve done many times in the past for chicken, cod, AND pork. This time, though, I added in some homemade Italian seasoning mix, a bit of garlic and onion powder, and grated Parmesan cheese to change up the flavor a little bit! These easy baked pork chops turned out really delicious, so I want to share the recipe with you today.

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

Getting Ready

Preheat your oven to 350°F.  Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a rimmed baking sheet. Place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet and give it a light spray with non-stick cooking spray. The foil will catch any drips for super easy cleanup, and the spray will help prevent the chops from sticking to the rack!

A wire rack is positioned over a foil-lined baking sheet before pork chops are cooked.

Make The Seasoned Crumb Topping

Preheat your oven to 350°F. while you make this topping. Place regular bread crumbs onto a dinner plate, and then add shredded Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. I used some of my homemade Italian seasoning mix, plus a little extra garlic powder and onion powder.

Mix these ingredients together, and spread them out to cover the plate. This will be the crumb coating for your easy baked pork chops.

Bread crumbs, Italian spices and Parmesan cheese form the coating for pork chops.

In a separate bowl, whisk together one egg and a Tablespoon of milk. Place the egg mixture and the bread crumb topping side by side on the counter.  Now it’s time to prepare the pork chops!

Pork chops will be dipped in egg mixture, then coated in seasoned bread crumbs before baking.

Prepare The Pork Chops For Baking

You will need 4 boneless pork chops, about 1″ thick each, for this recipe. I used two REALLY THICK chops, and sliced them horizontally to make 4 “thinner” chops. If there is a lot of fat on the edges of the pork, trim some of it off with a sharp knife. Season each of the pork chops lightly with salt and pepper.

Boneless pork chops are lightly seasoned with salt and pepper.

Place one pork chop at a time into the egg mixture. Turn to coat all sides of the chop with the egg. As soon as it is fully coated, let the excess liquid drip back into the bowl, and then lay the pork chop on top of the bread crumb coating on the plate.

Use your fingers to coat all sides of the pork chop with the Italian crumb topping. Lightly press the crumbs onto all sides of the pork chop. Repeat process with all the pork chops.

Each pork chop is immersed in egg mixture, to cover.Pork chop with egg wash is then coated with seasoned bread crumb mixture.

Place the breaded pork chops onto a wire rack in a single layer, leaving just a bit of space between each one. NOTE: I lightly sprayed the top of each pork chop with a little olive oil (a trick I learned from using my air fryer), in order to help brown and help crisp up the outside of the chops. This step is optional, but I do recommend it!

Four easy baked pork chops on a wire rack are ready for the oven!

Place The Easy Baked Pork Chops In The Oven

Now it’s time to cook the pork chops in a preheated 350°F oven! Put the baking sheet on the middle rack of the oven, and let them bake for approximately 25 minutes (this time may vary slightly due to varying thicknesses of pork used).

NOTE: Temperatures can vary greatly in ovens, so I recommend checking them at the 25 minute mark, and know they might take a few more minutes to fully cook through. Pork is considered safe to eat once it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F. 

The easy baked pork chops are golden brown once they finish baking.

Once the easy baked pork chops are done cooking, remove them from the oven, and let them rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. If desired, garnish each chop with additional Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of parsley before serving.

We enjoyed the pork chops, served alongside some creamy mashed potatoes, and green peas. YUM. The meat was tender and juicy, and had a nice flavor, thanks to the seasoned topping. This recipe turned out to be an EASY, quick way to get a nice tasting main dish on the table!

One of the easy baked pork chops, served with mashed potatoes and peas.

I hope you will consider trying this easy to fix pork chop recipe! Have a wonderful day, and thank you for visiting this blog.

Looking For More PORK CHOP Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have several pork chop 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

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Easy Baked Pork Chops
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 

Easy Baked Pork Chops are covered with a seasoned bread crumb/Parmesan cheese mix for lots of flavor! Prep time is 10 minutes, then bake until done!

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: easy baked pork chops
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 306 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless pork chops , about 1" thick
  • salt & pepper (to lightly season chops)
  • ¾ cup bread crumbs
  • ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 egg
  • 1 Tablespoon milk
  • non-stick cooking spray (optional)
  • additional Parmesan cheese & parsley for garnish , OPTIONAL
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Place a sheet of aluminum foil on a rimmed baking sheet. Place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet and give it a light spray with non-stick cooking spray.

  2. Combine bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powders on a dinner plate. Spread, to cover plate. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Place bowl of egg mixture and plate of bread crumb topping side by side on counter.

  3. Trim excess fat from pork. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place one chop at a time into egg, and turn to coat all sides. Let excess liquid drip into the bowl, and then lay pork on bread crumb mix. Coat all sides with crumb topping, lightly pressing crumbs onto all sides. Repeat for all pork chops. Place the breaded chops onto wire rack in a single layer. NOTE: I lightly sprayed each pork chop with a little olive oil to help brown/crisp them (a trick I learned from air-frying), but this step is optional.

  4. Place baking sheet on the middle rack, and bake chops at 350°F for approximately 25 minutes (time may vary slightly due to varying thicknesses of pork used). Pork is considered safe to eat once it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.  Once done, remove from oven and let them rest for 2-3 minutes before serving. If desired, garnish each chop with additional Parmesan cheese, and a sprinkle of parsley.

    NOTE: Temperatures can vary in ovens, so I recommend checking the chops at the 25 minute mark. Please know they might take a few more minutes to fully cook through to an internal temp. of 145°F. 

Nutrition Facts
Easy Baked Pork Chops
Amount Per Serving (1 chop)
Calories 306 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 137mg46%
Sodium 359mg16%
Potassium 584mg17%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 2g2%
Protein 38g76%
Vitamin A 131IU3%
Calcium 155mg16%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Easy Baked Pork Chops are covered with a seasoned bread crumb/Parmesan cheese mix for lots of flavor! Prep time is 10 minutes, then bake until done!

 


Dec
2019

Easy Chicken Rice Casserole

categories: Casseroles, Chicken, Main Dishes
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Making this easy chicken rice casserole is a cinch, with only 10 minutes prep work before baking! Rice and mushrooms cook in the same dish! YUM!
Making this easy chicken rice casserole is a cinch, with only 10 minutes prep work before baking! Rice and mushrooms cook in the same dish! YUM!

My mom is moving from Southern California to Georgia, and recently sent me some of her old cookbooks, as she was “downsizing”. I found this easy chicken rice casserole in one of her old cookbooks, and decided to give it a try.

The casserole was incredibly easy to make, and I loved that it was a one dish meal! Rice, mushrooms, and sauce are cooked in the same pan as the chicken breasts, so it really is “no fuss”! The prep time is only about 10 minutes (or less), and then you can sit back while this dish bakes! Perfect for busy nights. Here’s how to make this delicious casserole:

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

Prepare The Chicken Breasts

Preheat the oven to 350° F. and get out an 11 3/4″ x 7 1/2″ baking dish. This casserole is quite economical, because you only need TWO large chicken breasts and only a few other ingredients to serve 4 people.

Slice two large boneless skinless chicken breasts in half horizontally to create 4 thin breasts total. Set the chicken aside while you make the simple sauce.

Two large chicken breasts are cut in half horizontally, to create 4 thin pieces of chicken.

Make The Baking Sauce For The Casserole

Okay… this sauce is super easy to make! Mix a can of cream of chicken soup (YES- you can substitute cream of mushroom) and milk in a medium sized bowl. Whisk until fully combined. IMPORTANT: MEASURE OUT AND RESERVE 1/2 CUP OF THIS SAUCE FOR LATER!

Cream of chicken soup and milk are combined to start making the sauce.

Now mix HALF an envelope of dried onion soup mix in with the remaining soup mixture left in the bowl. Add uncooked white rice, and the mushroom pieces (including the liquid from can) into the sauce mixture. Stir until completely blended.

A packet of dried onion soup mix is used in this recipe.

Pour the sauce into an (ungreased) baking dish, and spread it out to fully cover the bottom of the dish. Lay the 4 chicken breasts on top of the sauce in a single layer. BEFORE BAKING: Pour the reserved soup/milk mixture over the top of the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining 1/2 of the dried onion soup mix left in the envelope.

Sauce for the easy chicken rice casserole is spread into a baking dish.Four pieces of chicken breast are placed on top of the sauce.

Bake The Easy Chicken Rice Casserole

Cover the easy chicken rice casserole with aluminum foil before baking. Bake the casserole in a preheated 350° F. oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove the foil from the dish. Place casserole back in the oven and continue baking (uncovered) for 15 more minutes. Carefully remove the casserole from the oven once done, and let it rest for 3-4 minutes before serving.

The chicken casserole is baked, and is now ready to serve.

Time To Serve The Easy Chicken Rice Casserole!

To serve this easy chicken rice casserole, spoon out the creamy rice from under the chicken and portion it out onto plates. Top each serving with one of the chicken breasts.

Now you have a perfectly cooked chicken breast, served atop a creamy bed of fully cooked rice in a delicious mushroom and onion sauce. Serve a veggie or salad on the side, and it’s time to eat!

Easy chicken rice casserole is served on plate, with vegetables and rolls.

I truly hope you enjoy this easy to prepare casserole! The leftovers were wonderful heated up in the microwave, too! Have a fantastic 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 might 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

Recipe adapted from: “Betty Crocker’s Meatless-Main Dishes” cookbook, published 1973, by Golden Press NY and Western Publishing Co., Inc. Racine, Wisconsin, page 8.

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Easy Chicken Rice Casserole
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 25 mins
 

Making this easy chicken rice casserole is a cinch, with only 10 minutes prep work before baking! Rice and mushrooms cook in the same dish! YUM!

Category: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken rice casserole
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 379 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts , sliced horizontally (approx. 14 ounces)
  • 10¾ ounces cream of chicken (or mushroom) soup (1 small can)
  • 10¾ ounces milk (use soup can -fill with milk)
  • ¾ cup uncooked white rice
  • 4 ounces mushroom stems and pieces (1 small can), drained
  • 1½ ounces dry onion soup mix (1 envelope) I used Lipton's, divided
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Slice chicken breasts in half horizontally to create 4 thin breasts total. Set chicken aside.

  2. Mix cream of chicken soup (YES- you can substitute cream of mushroom) and milk in a medium sized bowl. Whisk until fully combined. IMPORTANT: MEASURE OUT AND RESERVE 1/2 CUP OF THIS SOUP/MILK MIXTURE FOR LATER!

    Mix HALF an envelope of dried onion soup mix in with the remaining soup mixture in the bowl. Add the uncooked rice, and can of mushroom pieces (including liquid from can) into the sauce mixture. Stir until completely blended.

  3. Pour sauce into an (ungreased) 11¾" x 7½" baking dish, and spread to fully cover bottom of the dish. Lay chicken breasts on top of sauce in a single layer. BEFORE BAKING: Pour the reserved soup/milk mixture over the top of the chicken pieces. Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining 1/2 of the dried onion soup mix left in the envelope.

  4. Cover the casserole with aluminum foil before baking. Bake at 350° F. for 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the foil. Place casserole back in the oven and continue baking (uncovered) for 15 more minutes. Carefully remove casserole from oven when done, and let it rest for 3-4 minutes before serving. to serve, spoon out the creamy rice from under chicken and portion it onto plates. Top each serving with one of the chicken breasts. Serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Easy Chicken Rice Casserole
Amount Per Serving (1 serving (chicken/rice))
Calories 379 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 73mg24%
Sodium 1659mg72%
Potassium 672mg19%
Carbohydrates 45g15%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 6g7%
Protein 29g58%
Vitamin A 318IU6%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 139mg14%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Making this easy chicken rice casserole is a cinch, with only 10 minutes prep work before baking! Rice and mushrooms cook in the same dish! YUM!


Dec
2019

Gnocchi and Broccoli Carbonara

categories: Italian, Main Dishes, Pork
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Gnocchi and Broccoli Carbonara is a delicious Italian dish, featuring potato dumplings coated in a bacon, Parmesan, mushroom and garlic creamy sauce.
Gnocchi and Broccoli Carbonara is a delicious Italian dish, featuring potato dumplings coated in a bacon, Parmesan, mushroom and garlic creamy sauce.

Do you enjoy eating gnocchi? We really enjoy these soft Italian potato dumplings! Cooked gnocchi can be paired with a variety of sauces, for a simple to prepare meal. Gnocchi, in Italian, means “little lumps”, and that is exactly what they are. They are typically made with potatoes and flour, and cook very quickly.

Recently I decided to cook a package of gnocchi I had in our pantry. I decided to make up my own recipe that uses my tried and true pasta carbonara sauce (think BACON). Then I added steamed broccoli, cooked gnocchi, mushrooms, garlic and onions, and created this delicious recipe for gnocchi and broccoli carbonara! Here’s how to make it:

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

Cook The Bacon

The first thing you should do is to fry the bacon until very crispy. I like to slice the bacon into small pieces, because it cooks faster that way! Stack a few slices of bacon on top of each other and then cut into 1/2 inch slices. Fry in a large skillet, stirring often until done.

Once the bacon is crisp, remove it from the skillet, and place the bacon pieces on paper towels to absorb grease. Drain MOST of the bacon grease from the pan, but leave approximately 2 Tablespoons bacon grease in the skillet. It will be used to add additional flavoring to the carbonara sauce later!


Bacon is cooked in large skillet until very crisp.

Cook The Rest Of The Veggies

Return the skillet (with bacon grease) to the stove. Add the chopped onions and mushrooms to the skillet. Cook them on medium-low heat until they turn golden brown (3-4 minutes).

Now add the minced garlic and the crisp bacon crumbles to the skillet. Continue to cook, stirring often, for one more minute. Add the chopped and steamed broccoli to the skillet, and stir to combine. Set the skillet aside while you make the carbonara sauce.

Cooked onions, mushrooms, garlic, broccoli and crisp bacon are mixed together in skillet.

Make The Carbonara Sauce

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, whipping cream, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes until combined. Use a wire whisk or a fork to do this.

Once combined, it is time to “temper” the sauce. Set the sauce aside while you begin cooking the gnocchi. You will need hot, starchy water from cooking the gnocchi to help temper the sauce.The carbonara sauce is prepared by whisking ingredients together in bowl.

Temper The Carbonara Sauce

Tempering the sauce is important because there are fresh eggs in the sauce. If you add hot liquid too quickly to the sauce later, the eggs will probably scramble. We do NOT want scrambled eggs in the sauce, do we? NOPE!

Before tempering the sauce, start the gnocchi cooking per the package instructions. You will need some of the starchy hot water from that pan to temper the sauce. OK? Basically you are going to boil the gnocchi for a few minutes, and use a bit of that boiling water in the carbonara sauce. Here is how easy it is to slowly temper the sauce:

Gnocchi (potato dumplings) are boiled for a few minutes in water, to cook fully.

Take about 6 Tablespoons (ONE TABLESPOON AT A TIME) of the boiling starchy water from the gnocchi pan and SLOWLY drizzle it into the egg mixture, while whisking the sauce, to slowly disperse the hot water.

Continue to drizzle hot water and whisk continuously, until all 6 Tablespoons of gnocchi water have been added. Once this is done, pour the carbonara sauce over the veggies and bacon mixture in the skillet, and stir to combine.

Carbonara sauce is tempered, then added to the veggies and bacon in skillet.

Finishing The Gnocchi and Broccoli Carbonara

Once the sauce, bacon and veggies are combined, drain the cooked gnocchi. Add the cooked gnocchi to the skillet. Gently stir, to fully combine the ingredients. Cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through, but do not let the sauce boil.

Once the gnocchi are heated through, and fully coated with sauce, the gnocchi and broccoli carbonara is ready to serve!

Heating the gnocchi and broccoli carbonara in a skillet before serving.After heating through, the gnocchi and broccoli carbonara is ready to be served.

Serve The Gnocchi And Broccoli Carbonara

To serve, spoon out portions of the gnocchi onto plates or into bowls. Garnish each serving with additional shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve while hot, and enjoy!

The gnocchi and broccoli carbonara is garnished with grated Parmesan cheese.

Wow… was this dish yummy! Even the leftovers were good a couple days later! The gnocchi and broccoli carbonara can be easily microwaved on medium heat until re-heated to perfection! I sure hope you will give this recipe a try! It is soooo good! Have a GREAT day, and may God bless you in all you do today.

Looking For More Recipes That Use Gnocchi?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index. located at the top of the page. I have a few other gnocchi 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: My brain, and my hunger.

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Gnocchi and Broccoli Carbonara
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

Gnocchi and Broccoli Carbonara is a delicious Italian dish, featuring potato dumplings coated in a bacon, Parmesan, mushroom and garlic creamy sauce.

Category: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: gnocchi and broccoli carbonara
Servings: 5
Calories Per Serving: 523 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 6 slices bacon
  • ½ medium yellow onion , finely chopped
  • 4 mushrooms , button or baby portobello
  • 3 large eggs
  • ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup steamed broccoli (pre-cooked and chopped)
  • 17.6 ounce potato gnocchi
  • additional Parmesan for garnish (optional)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Fry bacon in large skillet until very crisp. Stack a few slices of bacon on top of each other and then cut into 1/2 inch slices. Fry in a large skillet, stirring often until done. Remove bacon from skillet, and place on paper towels to absorb grease. Drain MOST of the grease from skillet, but leave approx. 2 Tablespoons bacon grease in the skillet.

  2. Return skillet (with bacon grease) to stove. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook on medium-low heat until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Add garlic and bacon crumbles to skillet. Continue to cook, stirring often, for one more minute. Add chopped and steamed broccoli to skillet, and stir to combine. Set the skillet aside while you make carbonara sauce.

  3. Make Sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, whipping cream, parmesan cheese, parsley, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes together until combined. Set the sauce aside while you begin cooking the gnocchi, according to package directions. You will need hot, starchy water from cooking the gnocchi to help temper the sauce.

  4. Tempering the sauce is important because there are fresh eggs in the sauce. If you add hot liquid too quickly to the sauce, the eggs will likely scramble. Take about 6 Tablespoons (ONE AT A TIME) of the boiling starchy water from gnocchi pan and SLOWLY drizzle it into the egg mixture, while whisking continuously, to slowly disperse hot water. Continue to drizzle hot water and whisk, until all 6 Tablespoons of hot water have been added. Once done, pour the carbonara sauce over the veggies and bacon mixture in the skillet, and stir to combine.

  5. Once sauce, bacon and veggies are combined, drain the cooked gnocchi. Add the gnocchi to the skillet. Gently stir, to fully combine ingredients. Cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through, but do not let it boil. Once heated through and gnocchi are fully coated with sauce, it is ready to serve! To serve, spoon out portions of gnocchi onto plates or into bowls. Garnish each serving with additional shredded Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve while hot, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Gnocchi and Broccoli Carbonara
Amount Per Serving (1 (1/5 of total))
Calories 523 Calories from Fat 288
% Daily Value*
Fat 32g49%
Saturated Fat 16g100%
Cholesterol 206mg69%
Sodium 1047mg46%
Potassium 269mg8%
Carbohydrates 41g14%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 19g38%
Vitamin A 1011IU20%
Vitamin C 18mg22%
Calcium 240mg24%
Iron 5mg28%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Gnocchi and Broccoli Carbonara is a delicious Italian dish, featuring potato dumplings coated in a bacon, Parmesan, mushroom and garlic creamy sauce.


Nov
2019

Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs

categories: Chicken, Main Dishes
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Need an easy, yummy entree? Try Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs! Chicken is dry-rubbed with spices, marinated in a sweet soy & garlic sauce, and baked.
Need an easy, yummy entree? Try Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs! Chicken is dry-rubbed w/ spices, marinated in a sweet soy & garlic sauce, and baked.

Easy and delicious is the way I would describe this recipe for Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs! I you’re looking for a new chicken recipe, may I suggest this one? It’s yummy, and ridiculously EASY to prepare!

You can season the chicken thighs with the spice rub and let it marinate in the fridge early in the day, and then all you’ll need to do is throw it in the oven before dinner! Easy Peasy! Here’s how to make this dish:

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

Make A Dry Rub for The Chicken Thighs

Measure smoked or sweet paprika, dried rosemary, thyme, and basil into a small bowl. Mix these ingredients together. This is the dry rub spice mixture that will be used to season the chicken. See how easy that was?

Paprika, thyme, basil, salt, pepper and rosemary are crushed for chicken seasoning mix.

Rub the spice mixture over the chicken thighs, until well coated on all sides. Sprinkle the chicken very lightly with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a single layer in a 9×13″ baking dish, and set aside. NOTE: Please note that this recipe is written using 6 chicken thighs, but I only used 4 when I took these photos.

Four chicken thighs are rubbed on all sides with dry seasoning mix.

Make The Marinade For The Chicken

Now it’s time to make the marinade for the chicken! Measure soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and minced garlic into a small bowl. Whisk the ingredients until the oil is fully incorporated into the marinade. Ta Da! It’s done, and you hardly broke into a sweat, right?

A sweet soy and garlic sauce is whisked together for marinating chicken thighs.

Marinate The Chicken Thighs

Pour the marinade sauce over the chicken thighs in the baking dish. Cover the dish, and place it in the refrigerator for one hour, to marinate the chicken. TIP: The chicken can be marinated for up to 8 hours, so if it’s more convenient to marinate chicken early in the day, it’ll be ready to bake later!

The chicken thighs are marinated in the sauce before baking.

Cooking The Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs

When you are ready to cook the marinated baked chicken thighs, preheat the oven to 425° F. While the oven preheats, remove the chicken from the refrigerator, to take the chill off before baking.

Bake the chicken thighs (uncovered) for 35 minutes, or until they reach a safe internal temp. of 165° F. HALFWAY through the baking time, spoon some sauce (in the dish) over the top of the chicken. Once the chicken bakes for 35 minutes or reaches an internal temperature of 165° F, it’s done.

TIP: If you want to brown the chicken more, turn on the oven broiler and let it cook 5-6 inches under the broiler for a couple more minutes. Keep an eye on it, though, so it doesn’t burn.

Time To Eat The Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs

Remove the chicken from the oven, and let it rest for 4-5 minutes before serving. Transfer the marinated baked chicken thighs to the serving plates. Spoon a little sauce over the top, and then sprinkle with sliced green onions. Serve, and enjoy! Doesn’t it look good?

Two pieces of marinated baked chicken thighs, served with rice, bread and broccoli.

I really hope you enjoy this simple, yet delicious recipe! The chicken is juicy and full of flavor, and hardly takes any effort to make! That’s a win-win, in my book. Have a great day!

Looking For More CHICKEN Recipes?

You can find ALL of my chicken recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have a LOT of them 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: Katrina, at: https://diethood.com/oven-baked-chicken-thighs/

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Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Marinating Time (inactive time)
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
 

Need an easy, yummy entree? Try Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs! Chicken is dry-rubbed w/ spices, marinated in a sweet soy & garlic sauce, and baked.

Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: marinated baked chicken thighs
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 202 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 6 chicken thighs (skinless, bone-in)
  • salt and pepper , to season chicken to taste
For Dry Rub
  • ½ teaspoon smoked or sweet paprika
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
For Marinade
  • ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons maple syrup (regular or sugar-free)
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 4 cloves garlic , minced
  • green onions (scallions)- OPTIONAL , sliced for garnish
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Measure paprika, dried rosemary, thyme, and basil into a small bowl. Mix these ingredients together. Rub the spice mixture over the chicken thighs, until well coated on all sides. Sprinkle the chicken very lightly with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in a single layer in a 9x13" baking dish, and set aside.

  2. Measure soy sauce, maple syrup, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar and minced garlic into a small bowl. Whisk until the oil is fully incorporated into the marinade. Pour marinade over the chicken. Cover dish, and place in the refrigerator for one hour, to marinate. TIP: If necessary, the chicken can be marinated for up to 8 hours, so if it's more convenient to marinate the chicken early in the day, it will be ready to bake later!

  3. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 425° F. While the oven preheats, remove chicken from refrigerator, and let it sit on the counter (to take the chill off). Bake the chicken (uncovered) for 35 minutes, or until the thighs reach a safe internal temp. of 165° F. If you want to brown the chicken more, turn on the oven broiler and let it cook for a couple more minutes. Keep an eye on it, though, so it won't burn.

    NOTE: HALFWAY through baking time, spoon sauce from dish over the top of the chicken.

  4. Once done, remove chicken from oven, and let it rest 4-5 minutes before serving. Transfer chicken to plates, spoon a little sauce over the top, and garnish with sliced green onions. Serve, and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs
Amount Per Serving (1 thigh)
Calories 202 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 97mg32%
Sodium 474mg21%
Potassium 322mg9%
Carbohydrates 9g3%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 7g8%
Protein 20g40%
Vitamin A 107IU2%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Need an easy, yummy entree? Try Marinated Baked Chicken Thighs! Chicken is dry-rubbed w/ spices, marinated in a sweet soy & garlic sauce, and baked.


Nov
2019

Simple Szechuan Shrimp

categories: Asian, Main Dishes, Seafood
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Need dinner quick? Try delicious, Simple Szechuan Shrimp! This EASY, Asian-inspired meal can be cooked and on the table in about 15 minutes total!
Need dinner quick? Try delicious, Simple Szechuan Shrimp! This EASY, Asian-inspired meal can be cooked and on the table in about 15 minutes total!

My mom is downsizing, and preparing to move into a senior community on the other side of the country (Georgia). One of my sisters already lives in NW Florida, and my other sister is moving to the same town in Georgia as my mom next month.

I am sad she’s moving so far away, but happy to know she will be near more family members, and glad she’s looking forward to her new, smaller place. Our family is really gonna miss having her only a 2 hour plane ride away, here on the West Coast!  She mailed me some of her old cookbooks recently to add to my collection, including one from a church my husband had formerly worked at over 25 years ago.

I glanced through this little cookbook, and came across a recipe for Szechuan Shrimp a sweet friend of mine had in the book. The recipe sounded good, so I made it! Wow… it was very simple to make, and took under 15 minutes, from start to finish!

It was soooo good, I wanted to get it onto my blog, for others to enjoy! The original recipe (below) calls for 1 pound of large shrimp and serves 4. NOTE: I used a 3/4 pound bag of shrimp, which made 3 servings, since I cooked this meal only for my husband and myself. My photos reflect the smaller quantity. Let me tell you, this shrimp dish is ridiculously QUICK n’ EASY to make! Here’s how:

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

Make The Asian-Inspired Sauce

This is a TOTALLY simple sauce to prepare! Measure dry sherry, soy sauce, sugar, salt, catsup, sweet chili sauce, and red pepper flakes into a small bowl. Use a whisk to mix all the Szechuan shrimp sauce ingredients together, until mixture is smooth, and the sugar has dissolved. Set the sauce aside while you stir-fry the shrimp.

Ingredients for the Asian-inspired sauce are measured into bowl for mixing.Sauce ingredients are whisked together until fully blended.

Prep The Shrimp

Pat the peeled and de-veined shrimp dry, using paper towels. Get as much moisture off the shrimp as possible. I used frozen, peeled and de-veined shrimp, and let them thaw before I pulled the little shell off the tails! Quick and easy!

Peeled, de-veined shrimp are patted dry on paper towels before cooking.

Cooking Simple Szechuan Shrimp Is Easy And FAST!

Heat peanut oil (or olive oil) on medium-high in a heavy skillet. Once the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the shrimp, minced garlic, chopped green onions, and minced fresh ginger to the skillet.

Stir-fry the shrimp, ginger, garlic and green onions on medium-high, stirring often, and turning to cook all sides of the shrimp. This will only take 3-4 minutes at most. Cook until the shrimp have turned pink in color.

The shrimp are cooked in hot oil, with garlic, green onion, and ginger.Cooking the shrimp only takes about 3-4 minutes.

As soon as they are cooked through, give the reserved sauce a stir, and then pour it into the skillet. Stir well, to cover everything with the sauce. Cook for one minute, stirring often, so the sauce and shrimp are heated through. Remove the pan from the heat, because it’s DONE! Time To serve this yummy dish!

Asian sauce is added to the cooked shrimp, and heated through before serving.

Serve The Szechuan Shrimp

Now you’re ready to serve the simple Szechuan shrimp!  Place a portion of white rice onto your serving plates or bowls. Place some of the shrimp on top of the rice, and then spoon extra sauce over the shrimp.

Garnish the dish with a few extra chopped green onions, and some white sesame seeds, if desired. Grab a fork (or your favorite pair of chopsticks), and dig in!

Once heated through, simple Szechuan shrimp dish is served on top of rice.

Ooh… yummy! These shrimp taste so good! Can you even believe how fast it is to make this dish? You’re gonna enjoy it, for sure!

A close-up of the simple Szechuan shrimp, on top of white, steamed rice.

I really hope you enjoy this simple, but absolutely delicious meal! It’s just as good as takeout (if not better!). Have a fantastic day, friends. God Bless You.

Looking For More SHRIMP Recipes?

You can find all of my shrimp recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. They 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: my friend, Lanita Moen, in “Cooking With Love”, published by Chapel Ladies Fellowship, 1988, pages 146-147.

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Simple Szechuan Shrimp
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

Need dinner quick? Try delicious, Simple Szechuan Shrimp! This EASY, Asian-inspired meal can be cooked and on the table in about 15 minutes total!

Category: Entree-Seafood
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: simple szechuan shrimp
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 231 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For Asian Sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons dry sherry
  • 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2½ Tablespoons catsup
  • 2 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce (I used Mae Ploy)
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
For Shrimp
  • 1 pound large shrimp (fresh, or frozen & thawed) (peeled, and de-veined)
  • 2 Tablespoons peanut or olive oil
  • ¼ cup green onion (thinly sliced) , bulb and green stem
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger (finely minced)
  • 3 cloves garlic , finely minced
  • OPTIONAL: sesame seeds/ additional green onions , for garnish
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
Make Asian Sauce

  1. Measure sherry, soy sauce, sugar, salt, catsup, sweet chili sauce, and red pepper flakes into a small bowl. Whisk the ingredients together, until mixture is smooth, and sugar has dissolved. Set sauce aside while you stir-fry the shrimp.

Prepare Shrimp

  1. Pat peeled and de-veined shrimp dry, using paper towels. Get as much moisture off shrimp as possible. Heat peanut oil (or olive oil) on medium-high in a heavy skillet. Once oil is hot, but not smoking, add shrimp, garlic, green onions, and minced ginger to skillet. Stir-fry on medium-high, stirring often to cook all sides of the shrimp until they turn pink and are cooked through. This only takes 3-4 minutes.

  2. As soon as shrimp are cooked through, give the reserved sauce a stir, and then pour it into the skillet. Stir well, to cover everything with sauce. Cook for one minute, stirring often, so the sauce and shrimp are fully heated through. Remove pan from heat. Serve immediately on top of rice, garnished with sesame seeds and additional green onions, if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Simple Szechuan Shrimp
Amount Per Serving (1 serving (1/4 of total))
Calories 231 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 286mg95%
Sodium 1619mg70%
Potassium 185mg5%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 259IU5%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 173mg17%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Need dinner quick? Try delicious, Simple Szechuan Shrimp! This EASY, Asian-inspired meal can be cooked and on the table in about 15 minutes total!


Nov
2019

Traeger Chili Smoked Chicken Breasts

categories: Chicken, Main Dishes, Traeger Grill Recipes
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Cook delicious chili smoked chicken breasts on a Traeger or pellet grill. Chicken is basted with a simple seasoning, then smoked and grilled to finish!
Cook delicious chili smoked chicken breasts on a Traeger or pellet grill. Chicken is basted w/ a simple seasoning, then smoked and grilled to finish!

Here’s another easy smoked and then grilled chicken breast recipe for the ol’ pellet grill. We love to try new recipes on our Traeger, and really enjoyed this one, that uses boneless, skinless chicken breasts!

This past summer we enjoyed making Smoked Chili Rib-Eye Steaks, and so I decided to use the same chili-flavored basting sauce on boneless skinless chicken breasts. The result? Some really good tasting chicken! Here’s how easy this recipe is to make!

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

Make The Chili Basting Sauce

It’s very easy (and quick) to make the chili basting sauce that will be applied to the chicken. The ingredients are chili powder, worcestershire sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, ground cumin, minced garlic and salt (I used sea salt).

The ingredients used to make the chili rub seasoning.

Start by placing finely chopped fresh garlic and the salt into a small bowl. Use a fork, and mash these two ingredients together until it forms a thick, paste-like mixture.

Garlic and salt are mashed together into a paste for the spice rub.

Add the other chili sauce ingredients to the bowl of garlic and salt mixture, and stir well, to fully combine. That’s it… your basting sauce is now ready. See? That’s how quick the sauce comes together!

The chili basting sauce for chicken breasts is mixed together in a bowl.

Prepare The Chicken

Brush the chili sauce over all sides of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Use all of that tasty seasoning sauce!  Once done, cover the chicken and let it refrigerate for 1 hour. NOTE: The chicken can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, if necessary. Remove chicken from the fridge about 30 minutes before putting it on the grill, to take the chill off of the meat.

Sauce is brushed onto the chicken breasts before putting them in the smoker.

Time To SMOKE The Chicken Breasts!

Okay… now it is time to smoke the chicken! Set the Traeger grill to the SMOKE setting. Keep the lid open and let it go for about 4-5 minutes, until the fire is established and the grill is smoking. We used mesquite pellets in the hopper, but use whatever you have on hand!

Now turn the temperature gauge to 225°F, and preheat (lid closed), for about 10-15 minutes (or until it reaches temperature). Once the grill is at 225°F., you’re ready to smoke the chicken! Place the chicken breasts directly on the grill grate, and let them smoke (lid closed) for 25 minutes.

Chili smoked chicken breasts on the Traeger grill.

Once the chili smoked chicken breasts are done “smoking”, remove them from the grill (and wrap to keep them warm). Turn the temperature setting on the grill to HIGH (450°F), and preheat for about 10 minutes (or until it reaches temperature).

The Traeger chili smoked chicken breasts are removed after smoking and before grilling.

Time To GRILL The Chili Smoked Chicken Breasts!

Once the grill is at the HIGH grill setting (450°F), place the chili smoked chicken breasts back onto the grill.  Grill the chicken for 5 minutes on High, then flip the pieces over, and grill the other side for 5 minutes. This will help sear the chili basting sauce to the chicken.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Since pellet grills often vary quite a bit temperature-wise and have fluctuating heat levels, it is best to check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts once you flip them. Place the temperature probe into the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken once it reaches 165°F  (it will continue to cook a bit as it rests off the heat).

Let Chicken Rest Before Serving

Let the chili smoked chicken breasts rest for 3-4 minutes before serving, to let the juices redistribute inside the meat. I think we can all agree that juicy chicken is perfect!

After grilling, the chili smoked chicken breasts rest before they are served.

I hope you enjoy this simple, but delicious recipe for chili smoked chicken breasts. We sure did! They are not too spicy, but have a great depth of flavor from the mesquite pellet smoking, and the chili basting sauce.

Any leftover chicken will keep for a few days in the refrigerator. The leftover smoked chicken tastes great sliced and added to the top of a mixed green salad or added into quesadillas! Yum! Hope you enjoy this recipe, and trust you will have a good day!

Looking For More TRAEGER Recipes?

You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. A few favorite Traeger 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 for chili seasoning sauce: https://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/beef/chili-rib-eye-steaks

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Traeger Chili Smoked Chicken Breasts
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
35 mins
Refrigeration (included in total time, but inactive time)
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
 

Cook delicious chili smoked chicken breasts on a Traeger or pellet grill. Chicken is basted w/ a simple seasoning, then smoked and grilled to finish!

Category: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chili smoked chicken breasts
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 220.06 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts , fairly thin (approx. 5 ounces per piece)
For Chili Seasoning:
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 Tablespoons worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar (packed)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Place finely chopped garlic and salt into a small bowl. Use a fork to mash these ingredients together until it forms a paste-like mixture. Add remaining chili sauce ingredients to mixture, and stir well, to combine. Brush sauce over all sides of chicken. Cover chicken and refrigerate for 1 hour.  NOTE: Chicken can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, if necessary. Remove chicken from fridge about 1/2 an hour before putting on grill, to take the chill off the meat.

  2. Set temperature gauge to SMOKE setting. Keep lid open and let it go for about 4-5 minutes, until fire is established and grill is smoking. Now turn temperature to 225°F, and preheat (lid closed), for 10-15 minutes (or until it reaches temperature). Once grill is at 225°F., you're ready to smoke the chicken! Place chicken breasts directly on grate, and let them smoke (lid closed) for 25 minutes.

  3. Once done "smoking", remove chicken from grill (and wrap to keep them warm). Turn temperature setting on the grill to HIGH (450°F), and preheat for 10 minutes (or until it reaches temperature). Once grill is at 450°F, place chicken back onto grill.  Grill for 5 minutes, then flip over, and grill other side for approx. 5 minutes. This helps sear the chili basting sauce to the chicken.

    IMPORTANT NOTE: Since pellet grills often vary quite a bit temperature-wise and at times have fluctuating heat levels, it is best to check the internal temperature of the chicken breasts once you flip them. Place the temperature probe into the thickest part of the chicken. Remove chicken from grill once it reaches 165°F  (it will continue to cook a bit as it rests off heat).

    Let the chili smoked chicken breasts rest for 3-4 minutes before serving, to let the juices redistribute inside the meat. Serve, and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

NOTE: If using large chicken breasts (thick), you may need to adjust the grilling time (cook longer) to bring to internal temperature of 165° F.

Nutrition Facts
Traeger Chili Smoked Chicken Breasts
Amount Per Serving (1 piece)
Calories 220.06 Calories from Fat 79
% Daily Value*
Fat 8.8g14%
Saturated Fat 1.52g10%
Cholesterol 90.72mg30%
Sodium 652.28mg28%
Potassium 627.76mg18%
Carbohydrates 3.56g1%
Fiber 0.93g4%
Sugar 1.43g2%
Protein 30.58g61%
Vitamin A 833.19IU17%
Vitamin C 2.75mg3%
Calcium 26.86mg3%
Iron 1.51mg8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Cook delicious chili smoked chicken breasts on a Traeger or pellet grill. Chicken is basted w/ a simple seasoning, then smoked and grilled to finish!