Sesame-Crusted Chicken Fingers & Thai Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce

Sometimes I like to pretend I'm 5 years old and have chicken fingers & macaroni for dinner. But then, I remember that I'm actually like 20 years older than that and I need some veggies too. Add in the token broccoli and you have yourself a meal! Normally, I bake my chicken fingers using a few seasonings & panko crumbs. I love anything Asian-inspired and have had this little gem on my bookmark list for a while from Skinny Taste. Um LOVE! I did have to buy a jar of sesame seeds and some sesame oil for this recipe, but honestly I still have a ton left and I've made it like 3 times. So worth it!

Oh and I didn't discover the dipping sauce until take 2, but its fabulous! It has a little kick but you can adjust the spice to your taste. It seriously takes these little chicken fingers over the edge!! You could even go crazy and make these into nuggets. Explore your wild side. :)

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken & Homemade Tortillas

Have I told ya'll how obsessed I am with my crockpot these days? It's just SO easy, its unbelievable! I have made this awesome chicken at least 3 times recently & its delicious. So moist & flavorful with just enough spice. It calls for 4 ingredients I usually have on hand & its been perfect in tacos. You could also serve it over a salad or rice also. I usually throw this in the crockpot with a crockpot liner the night before & place the whole thing in the fridge overnight. Then I can turn it on before work or you could come home and turn it on during lunch. This would be great for a party or get-together too! I am loving this so much I may try it with pork next!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken
Makes enough for 3-4 adults, easily doubles!

• 2 chicken breasts- fresh or frozen is fine
• 1/2 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 can condensed chicken soup
• 1/2 cup of your favorite salsa- I like it hot!
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Line your crockpot with a crockpot liner to prevent sticking- these are amazing! Place all ingredeints except sour cream in pot (no need to stir) and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 5 hours. Shred chicken with a fork (I didn't have to remove it from the pot to do this) & add sour cream. Mix until combined and continue heating on low while you prepare the rest of your meal (tortillas, cheese, lettuce, beans, etc.).

The first time I made this I didn't have any tortillas so I used Freida Loves Bread's quick recipe to make my own- delicious. I didn't take photos of the process, but she does a great job of showing the step-by-step instructions on her blog.

Yum! Enjoy!

Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings

I LOVE Cracker Barrel's Chicken & Dumplings. I have never tried to make something similar before because all the recipes seemed too complicated. Since I'm now obsessed with my crock pot, when I came across the recipe on my friend Erika's blog, I knew I had to make it ASAP!

It was delicious! And easy! How perfect is that? I served with some tasty Skillet Pepper Corn & fresh green beans. So filling & yummy on a chilly day. We had chilly days for about 2 weeks & now its back to 80 degrees. At least I have this recipe in my back pocket for when it does get cold again!

Chinese Chicken Salad Revisited

I've posted this delicious & easy salad recipe before, but it is just so awesome that I wanted to post it again. I make this at least once or twice per month- sometimes more! It's so easy to trhrow together and is aboslteuly packed with great flavors & textures. You can feel free to add & take-away toppings to your taste. One of my favorite flavors comes from the little "kick" in the chili paste on the chicken. Also, since I last posted this I found a delicious ready-made dressing that I actually prefer to use with it.

Another favorite slad of mine is Fiesta Chicken Salad. The pictures on my post do not do it justice. It uses a lot of the same ingredients as this salad, so its easy to get ingredients for both at the same time.

One tip- wash & chop up your veggies the first time you make it and bag the leftovers. The next day, leftovers couldn't be easier to make!


Chinese Chicken Salad
Makes enough for 2-3. Easily doubled!

• 1/2 bag coleslaw mix (you can throw away the dressing packet)
• 1/2 bag romaine lettuce
• 2 green onions, sliced into small pieces
• 1/2 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 small bag slivered almonds
• 1/2 package Ramen noodles, chicken flavored
• 2 TBSP butter
• 1 TBSP white sugar
• 1 chicken breast
• olive oil
• soy sauce
• salt & pepper
• garlic salt
• garlic chili paste
• Asian dressing of choice, I like low-fat Kraft Asian Toasted Sesame

Heat oven to 350. Wash and dry chicken breast, trimming fat as desired. Cover cookie sheet with foil & place cooling rack on top. Spray with cooking spray and place chicken bresat in the middle. Use a paper towel to spread olive oil & soy sauce on chicken. Season with salt, pepper & garlic salt.  Spread chili paste on top to taste. Bake for 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in the middle. Cut into bit-size pieces and set aside.

While the chicken is cooking, melt butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add almonds and stir to coat. Once they start to caramelize and turn light brown they are done! Remove from heat and scoop onto a plate in 1 layer. Dab with paper towel to remove excess butter & set aside. Once cool, crumble into pieces. Set aside.

In a large bowl, place lettuce, coleslaw mix, green onion & red pepper. Top with warm chicken & candied almonds. Crumble ramen nooodles on top last. Add dressing and toss to coat. 

Enjoy!

Indian Curry (Kinda like Tikka Masala)

I debated whether or not to post this recipe. It was good, but it just did not have enough spice for me- I like a little more kick, whereas this was a little sweet. Also, it just didn't taste like a dish for which the chicken had been marinating for 24 hours. I really wasn't too impressed overall, but hey, you might like it! If I make this agian, I think I would add a lot more Tikka Masala spice (which, by the way, I had a hard time finding- ended up locating at Central Market in the ethnic food aisle). Another really good Indian dish was this Indian Butter Chicken- it had a lot more spice.

Grilled Rosemary Ranch Chicken

I don't know about you, but I've been craving a lot of grilled chicken lately. I love a fresh-herby grilled flavor! I specifically love rosemary and I came across this recipe, which is fabulous! It has a lot of flavor and makes for some very tender chicken! The original recipe is for kabobs, which I'm sure are great too, but I just wanted chicken breasts.

And actually, I made these on Memorial Day and the grill at my complex was PACKED. I ended up baking this in the oven and it turned out great (probably even jucier since I cooked it in the extra marinade).

 This would be perfect for a summer BBQ though- I hope you try it soon! :)

Indian Butter Chicken

I am not normally a big Indian fan, but I decided to try this recipe after bookmarking it a while ago on Bree's blog. I'm so glad I did. All the spices give it such a rich flavor that is perfect with some Basmati rice. Don't be overwhelmed by the amount of spices. I just went to Central Market and stocked up in the bulk section. It's SO much cheaper. This dish isn't spicy if you completely seed the jalapeno, but you can make it spicier by leaving some of the seeds in. Also, don't be silly like me and remove the seeds with your fingers. Your finger tips will burn for about 6-8 hours....

 Yum. I'm looking forward to making this again! 

I decided to make it with these homemade garlic butter rolls- the perfect companion! Recipe here!

Apricot Pepper-jelly Chicken

I was intrigued by this recipe, which started off as Orange Marmalade Chicken. I found some apricot pepper jelly (at Marshall's, where else?) and decided to try that instead. I LOVE a little spicy in my food, but this was definitely not too spicy. My roommate had a little too and she said she really liked it. The other bonus was how quick it was. I think I made this around 9pm, and I was very pleased to be eating in less than 20 minutes! :) My idea of a perfect meal... I just made some basmati rice, but you could serve this over sprouts or lettuce too. I think this will be a hit at your house too!

Baked Chicken and Cheese Taquitos

 These baked taquitos are quite tasty. I wasn't sure they would be enough for a meal on their own, but they sure were! You can use leftover chicken you have on hand or just boil and shred to make these. So quick and easy for a weeknight meal!

They sure would go nicely with some Tortilla Soup too .You could also make a smaller version into little appetizer finger foods. Oh! The possibilities are endless...

Oh and I had lunch plans the next day so I gave the leftovers to the bf, who crisped them up in the oven for his lunch and sent me a text saying they were "AMAZING!" I think that's basically the same as a thumbs up... :)

The Tastiest Tortilla Soup!

I've had my eye on this beautiful tortilla soup over at Baked Bree for a little while now... I'm so glad I finally got around to trying it, because it truly is wonderful and fresh-tasting. It is pretty healthy with all the veggies. I added one shredded chicken breast to mine, but I think it would be plenty filling without too. Hmm if only I had made this BEFORE the snow day on Friday, it would have been a great warmer-upper. :) Do not be intimidated by the ingredient list, it just has a lot of spices! It is actually very easy to make and does not take a lot of time, which really is a HUGE plus.

Now, I don't think I'm doing a very good job of telling you how tasty this soup is! It really has a lot of flavor and the crunchy tortilla chips on top take it over the edge. I am not a leftover-lover, however this tastes better the next day! I have had the leftovers 3 days in a row and even took the rest to work for lunch! :) And you know what? That buttery cornbread really makes the perfect complement. 

Caramelized Onion Chicken for Two

This is a super tasty, relatively easy meal for two. I got it from Rachel Ray's Great Meals for Couples or Crowds cookbooks- and it's my favorite page. You can tell by all the "love marks." :) I often crave this- in fact, I really wanted it when I was on my own for dinner, so I just halved the recipe and made enough for myself- perfecto! You must make this soon!

You'll want to pound your chicken to about 1 1/2" thick for this recipe. It helps the chicken cook more evenly and not take FOREVER. You can get one of these handy-dandy meat-tenderizer-pounders from Marshall's like me.


Or, if you need to take out some aggression, put your chicken breasts between 2 sheets of wax paper and pound away with your hands. Phew! Now that that's over, you're ready to get coookin'.

Caramelized Onion Chicken
Serves 2- If you want to make for 4- just double! Also works well with pork chops or veal chops.

• 4 TBSP EVOO
• 1 large yellow onion or 2 medium onions
• 5-6 springs of fresh thyme
• 1-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary (optional)
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1 cup chicken broth (eyeball it)
• 3 TBSP balsamic vinegar (eyeball it)
• 2 TBSP butter
• handful chopped parsley (oops I didn't have any this time)
  
• 2 chicken breasts

Heat 2 TBSP EVOO in medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sprigs of thyme and season with salt and pepper.

Cook 10-12 minutes, until onions are golden.

Once the onions are on their way, heat remaining 2 TBSP EVOO in a second medium pan over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to pan and cook 5 minutes on first side. Resist the urge to move your chicken around or flip it- it will really lock in the juices this way! Flip over and reduce heat to medium. Cook 8-10 more minutes, until done. While you're chicken is finishing up cooking....you're probably ready to get back to your sauce. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth and vinegar. Increase heat to high and simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 3-4 more minutes. Remove from heat and remove herb twigs- all the flavorful leaves will have fallen off by now. Add butter and parsley, stirring to combine. Top chicken breasts with sauce and serve.

I love to serve these with mashed potatoes, because the caramelized onion sauce is like a delicious gravy! So yummy! :) I know it's not very pretty in my horrible pictures, but I promise- you will love it!

Marissa's Mashed Potatoes
Enough for 2

• 4-6 small, gold potatoes (2-3 per person)
• 2 TBSP butter
• 4 TBSP milk
• scoop of sour cream
• salt and pepper

Peel and slice potatoes into smaller sections. Boil in salted water for 15-20 minutes, or until they pass the "Fork" test. The fork will easily pass through the largest potato. Drain and blend/mash/whip with rest of ingredients, altering to your taste/consistency preferences. I just made this meal for one, and I was too lazy to get out the big mixer. So...I experimented with my tiny 2 cup food processor. Success! :) Perfect size. I like mine to have more of a whipped texture.


Enjoy!

-Marissa

Sweet and Sour Chicken-Takeout style

I found this recipe on Brown Eyed Baker a month or so ago when I was on the hunt for new dinner recipes. I hadn't made this one yet, because its one of those dishes that you don't need any "fresh" stuff for. I know that sounds bad, but it just means that I usually have all the ingredients on hand in the pantry/freezer, and they won't go bad. So, I always end up making something else with ingredients that will go bad soon if not used (i.e. fresh vegetables, fish, cheese, etc.)

Well, I'm glad I finally got around to this one. It tastes like something yummy from Pei-Wei and is super easy to make and serve with frozen veggies and boil-in-a-bag brown rice (which is exactly what I did). :) Definitely not above boil-in-a-bag rice!


I only had 2 chicken breasts (the original recipe called for 3-4), but I thought there was barely enough sauce for 2 breasts, so if you make this with 4, double the sauce.

The bf and his friend, B, were over for dinner. They both thought it was pretty tasty, although they were too engrossed in their video game to offer any more detailed feedback... The bf said he wanted me to make it again, so I guess this one gets a thumbs up. Personally, I thought it was pretty delicious and easy! The most time-consuming part of this is the baking, but the rest is pretty quick. No chopping/dicing, etc.

Make this soon!

Sweet and Sour Chicken- Takeout style!

• 3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1" pieces)
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten (1 only had 1 egg and 2 TBSP whites)
  
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
  
• 1/2 cup white (or rice) vinegar
  
• 4 TBSP ketchup
• 1 TBSP soy sauce
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325. Wash and dry your chicken breasts. Slice into 1" pieces (I used kitchen shears). Season with salt and pepper. In two batches (if you're making 4 breasts), coat in cornstarch and then egg, coating evenly.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat, carefully adding chicken (Again, in two batches), making sure to separate pieces. Cook until browned on bottom and turn to brown on other side.

While cooking the chicken, whisk together sugar, vinegar, ketchup soy sauce and garlic powder in small bowl.

Place chicken in 13x9 pan in single layer.

Pour sauce mixture over chicken, turning to coat evenly.

Bake for 1 hour, turning chicken every 15 minutes.

Serve with brown rice and steamed veggies.

Enjoy! :)

-Marissa

Heidi's Smothered Chicken Burritos

In college, I lived at my sorority house for one year. The main problem with this was that the food was SO BAD! I mean like kiddie camp food. We would have PB&J, corn dogs or grilled cheese for lunch and the same rubbery chicken breasts for dinner (at 5 PM!!!). The food was sometimes so greasy that it made people sick! I refused to eat there except when we had my favorite chicken quesadillas for lunch. Since then, the problem has been rectified with a new chef, but back "in the day" we tried to change up the menu by allowing the girls to submit their favorite recipes to the chef- hint hint. My friend Heidi submitted this family favorite of hers and everyone LOVED it! I had her email me the recipe, and I've made it several times- so yummy!

It's really pretty easy and not that time consuming compared to other casserole-ish dishes. Another good thing about this recipe is that it freezes well. Since I usually only cook for two, we like to freeze some meals to heat up later when there's no time to cook- or when G is on his own and wants a hot meal that doesn't come from a drive-thru.


I made one tiny little boo-boo when I made this the other night- accidentally swapped my mislabeled SPICY SPICY cayenne pepper for the Chili Powder...I didn't notice until we dug in and the bf started screaming (OK slight over-exaggeration) . It was VERY spicy, although I like spicy food and we were both able to finish our plates. It was really all a secret plan to clear out our sinuses :).....

Heidi's Smothered Chicken Burritos

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 TBSP butter
• 1 onion, finely chopped (I used white)
• 2-3 cans diced green chiles (I used mild)
• 1 T chile powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• 1 cup cream
• 1 cup chicken broth
  
• 1/4 cup flour (oops..not pictured!)
  
• 1/2 lb Jack cheese, shredded
• 10-12 flour tortillas (I could only fit 10 in my pan, but maybe if you use smaller ones you will have more room)

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium saucepan (covered) , boil chicken in water for 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove and save broth for later. Shred with two forks like so:

You will end up with this:

In a large skillet, melt butter and saute onions over medium heat until tender.

Add chiles and spices (try to avoid the Cayenne Pepper next time)...Cook 1 minute.

Add flour and cook 1 minute.

Add reserve broth, chicken broth and cream.

Cook over medium heat until thickened (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and add 1 cup cheese, stirring until melted.

In a large bowl, mix chicken and half of the sauce.

Roll "chickened" sauce into tortillas and place in baking pan seam down, like so:

Cover with remaining sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. (Sorry about the weird angle...)

Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly- about 20 minutes.

It's pretty filling, so I didn't serve with anything this time, but you could serve with some Mexican rice, black beans or avocado if you wanted.

Enjoy!