Lemon and Balsamic Chicken over Couscous with a Greek Chop Salad

In this recipe, the lemon and balsamic vinegar tenderize the chicken for a dish that literally falls off the bone.

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, cut up
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• Juice of 1 lemon, and the lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• Freshly grated pepper
• Couscous (prepare enough for 4 servings)
• 1 heart of romaine, chopped
• ½ head of iceberg, chopped
• 3 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 small can of sliced black olives
• 1 cucumber, seeded and cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 4 ounces of goat cheese or feta cheese
• 4 tablespoons Italian dressing

Preparation
Mix together the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar in a plastic bowl or zip top bag.
Place the chicken in the marinade and let it sit for 15 minutes.
Make the chopped salad by tossing all the ingredients together and place in the refrigerator.
Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
Place the chicken in a foil lined pan.
Mix together the sugar and lemon zest and sprinkle over the chicken.
Sprinkle the salt over the top and grate some black pepper over all.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the thickest pieces of chicken are done.
Cook the couscous according to package directions.
Serve the chicken over a bed of couscous with the salad on the side.

Potato Chip Baked Chicken with Baked Potato Fans and Green Beans

Ingredients
1 whole fryer chicken, cut up
½ bag of potato chips, crushed
½ teaspoon of paprika
½ stick of real butter (not margarine)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
4 russet potatoes
2 cups of fresh green beans (or one small bag of frozen green beans)
Aluminum foil
2 tablespoons of butter
1 tablespoon of dried parsley

Preparation
Place the potato chips in a large plastic zip top freezer bag.
Crush the chips by rolling over the bag with a rolling pin.
Add the paprika to the potato chips.
Melt the butter and the garlic in a pan.
Dip the chicken pieces in the butter to coat, then place them in the bag with the chips.
Toss two or three pieces of chicken in the bag at one time.
When the chicken pieces are coated, place them on a foil lined baking sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Wash and peel the potatoes.
Bake them all at once in the microwave oven for 4 minutes.
Thinly slice the potates ¾ of the way through, leaving the bottom uncut.
Sprinkle with the butter and parsley.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes next to the chicken.
Cook the green beans in the microwave oven.
The chicken is done when the juices are clear and the crust is golden brown.
The potatoes are done when they are crispy brown and tender.

These are the chicken breasts ready to go into the oven.

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Orange Chicken in Paper

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 orange, cut into thin slices
• 1 orange, cut in half and juiced
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 1 cup of baby carrots
• 1 cup of fresh snow peas
• 2 teaspoons of honey
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• Waxed paper or parchment paper
• Spring mix for salad
• ¼ cup of chopped walnuts
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
• Raspberry vinaigrette

Preparation
Wash and dry the chicken breasts.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a dash of cloves.
Heat the oil in a pan and brown the chicken breasts in the oil with the rosemary over medium high heat.
Remove from the pan. Discard the rosemary.
Add the carrots and snow peas to the pan and lightly brown them.
Add the honey and the juice of one orange and stir.
Cut 2 pieces of parchment paper 18 inches long for each breast.
Lay 2-4 orange slices in the center of four pieces of waxed paper.
Place a spoonful of vegetables on top of the oranges.
Place a chicken breast on top of each mound of vegetables.
Place a small sprig of parsley on top.
Drizzle with the orange honey sauce.
Pull up the edges of the parchment paper, and loosely wrap the chicken.
Make sure the bag is securely sealed by folding the edges together.
Staple or tie the parchment paper shut.
Place the chicken packets in a baking pan and bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees.
While the chicken bakes, toss the spring mix, tomatoes and walnuts with the vinaigrette.
Serve the chicken packets on a plate, allowing the diners to open their own packets.

Wine Pairing
Wine pairing suggestion for this dish: Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio.

More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.

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Chicken Roulade with Spinach and Pesto Stuffing

Wine Pairing: Chardonnay

This elegant meal looks difficult to make, but it’s not. The hardest part is squeezing the liquid out of the spinach. If you don't like the taste of basil, try using parsley instead, as I do in my parsley pesto recipe. Served with a side of wild rice, it’s delicious.

Ingredients:
¼ cup Italian dressing
¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 tablespoon dried basil
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 pound of fresh spinach, cooked, chopped, and squeezed dry (You may substitute a package of frozen spinach, squeezed dry)
1 cup of Italian style bread crumbs
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup of wild rice

Preparation:
Lay the chicken breasts between two sheets of cling wrap and pound with a cooking mallet until they are ¼ inch thick. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
Mix the Italian dressing, basil, cheese, and pepper in a blender.
Pour this mixture into a bowl with the spinach and add the bread crumbs.
Lay some of the spinach mixture onto each breast.
Roll up and secure with wooden picks.
Brush a small amount of Italian dressing over the chicken breasts.
Place in a baking pan and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour, depending on the size of the chicken breasts.
Cook the wild rice according to package directions.
Serve the chicken sliced over a bed of rice.

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Easy Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu

Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Steamed Lemony Broccoli

Chicken Cordon Bleu sounds so rich and fancy that you might want to serve it to guests. With this recipe, you can prepare this treat even on a weeknight.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices of provolone
• 8 slices of deli thin ham or 4 slices of lunchmeat ham
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ½ cup of bread crumbs
• 4 russet potatoes or 8 new potatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup of parsley, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 head of broccoli
• 1 lemon

How to Make Chicken Cordon Bleu
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Lay the chicken breasts between two sheets of wax paper and pound with a mallet until they are ¼ inch thick.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Lay the ham and one slice of provolone cheese on each breast.
Roll up and secure with picks.
Dip the rolled chicken breasts into the bread crumbs, coating all sides.
Place in a baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
Slice the potatoes.
Toss the potatoes with the garlic, parsley, and olive oil.
Lay the potatoes evenly on a baking dish.
Place the potatoes and chicken in the oven  bake for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, flip the potatoes with a spatula. Turn the chicken to get it to brown on all sides. Bake another 30 minutes.
15 minutes before the chicken and potatoes are ready, heat water in a pot.
Chop the broccoli florets. (Keep the stems to use in a recipe for Easy Cheesy Broccoli Soup.)
Boil the broccoli 3-4 minutes.
Slice the lemon and squeeze the juice over the broccoli.
Garnish with a lemon slice.


Photo/Kimberly KV on Flickr

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Chicken Dinner in Foil

This dinner can be prepped in the morning and placed in the refrigerator. Just pop it in the oven when you get home from work.

Ingredients for chicken in foil:

• Bottled barbeque sauce
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bell pepper, cut into bite sized chunks
• 1 onion, sliced
• 8 new potatoes, cut into quarters
• Salt and pepper

How to make the chicken in foil:
Tear off a 8 large pieces of foil, (about 9x13.)
Spray the foil with cooking spray.
Place the chicken in the center of the foil.
Place the vegetables around the chicken.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour 2 tablespoons of barbeque sauce on top.
Place a second piece of foil on top. Fold the foil and seal it with double folds. Do not fold it too tightly, you don’t want to squish the chicken.
Place the chicken in foil in a baking dish, (just to protect your oven against spills.)
Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.
Check the chicken for doneness. When pierced with a fork, the liquid should be clear.
If needed, cook for another few minutes until the chicken is well done.
Serve with a side salad.

Photo/JSPatchwork on Flickr

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Find more recipes and menus in my articles as the Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner. 

Roasted Chicken with Orzo

Warm Sweet Potato and Spinach Salad

The chicken and sweet potatoes cook in the slow cooker. All that is needed at the end of the day is to cook the orzo pasta and put the spinach salad together.

Ingredients:
1 roasting chicken
1 lemon, sliced
1 onion sliced
1 sprig of rosemary
1 tablespoon of butter for the chicken
1 cup of orzo pasta
1 tablespoon of butter for the pasta
2 large sweet potatoes
2 cups of spinach, torn into pieces
¼ cup of apple juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar

In the morning:
Wash and dry the roasting chicken
Rub the cavity with salt. Place the lemon, onion, and rosemary inside the cavity.
Rub the outside of the chicken with butter.
Lay metal cookie cutters on the bottom of the slow cooker. This will make a platform to keep the chicken and potatoes out of the juices as they cook.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker.
Wash the sweet potatoes and lay the them around the chicken.
Bake on low for 6-8 hours.

In the afternoon:
Cook the orzo according to package directions.
Heat the apple juice and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until it begins to thicken.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into bite sized chunks.
Toss the sweet potatoes with the spinach. Pour the apple juice mixture over the top and stir to coat. The spinach will be slightly wilted from the heat of the sauce.
Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and place on a serving platter on a bed of orzo pasta.

Tip: Save the drippings from the bottom of the crock pot. Strain it and freeze in ½ cup containers. You will have homemade chicken stock on hand in premeasured ½ cup amounts for any recipe that calls for chicken stock.

Cranberry Chicken Over Rice

Winter Squash

This was an experimental recipe, and it turned out to be one of my family’s favorites. The mix of the Catalina dressing and the cranberries makes a nice contrast. Once it's in the oven, you can put your feet up while it bakes.

Ingredients:
1 large winter squash or 2 small ones
Salt and pepper
4 bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
1 can of whole cranberries
1 small bottle of Catalina dressing
1 packet of French Onion Soup mix
2 cups of brown rice
2 tsp olive oil

Preparation:
Cut the winter squash into pieces. Place fleshy side down in ¼ inch of water in a baking dish.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Put the chicken in a baking dish.
Stir together the cranberries, the dressing, and the soup mix.
Pour the mixture over the chicken.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Boil 4 cups of water.
Brown the rice in 2 tsp of olive oil.
Stir the rice into the water and reduce to a simmer.
Cook for 30 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork.
Scrape the squash out of the shell. Lightly mash with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve the chicken over the rice with the squash as a side dish.

Dijon Ranch Chicken Breasts with Dill

Dijon Ranch Chicken Breasts with Dill
Steamed Broccoli
Garden Salad


Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ cup of mayonnaise
¼ cup of sour cream
2 tsp Dijon
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp dill
1 head of broccoli florets
Green and red leaf lettuce
½ bell pepper, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
Croutons


Preparation:
Mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, and Dijon.
Spray a 13x9 baking pan with cooking spray.
Lay the chicken in the pan and top with the creamy mixture.
Cover tightly with tin foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes.
Uncover and cook another 5-10 minutes or until browned.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the salad by tossing all the fresh vegetables together.
Steam the broccoli on the stove.
To serve the chicken, place on a platter and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper and dill.

Reserve two of the chicken breasts for tomorrow’s Chicken Salad with Craisins and Walnuts.

Chicken with Potatoes and Peppers in a Pot

My husband loves to cook and is always willing to help with meals. I'm a very lucky woman. The day we had this dish, he volunteered to make it. He did a fabulous job. It tasted wonderful. However, he did leave out one main ingredient. Can you tell what it is from the picture?

No worries. The dish still turned out fine, so I'm now marking that ingredient as optional. Thanks to my DH!

Chicken with Potatoes and Peppers in a Pot
Mixed Green Salad

Ingredients:
1 whole cut up chicken
1 can of diced tomatoes (optional)
4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 red and 1 green pepper, cut into chunks
2 Tbsp Italian dressing
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preparation:
Brown the chicken in the olive oil.
Mix the vegetables and pour the Italian dressing over them. Toss to coat.
Place the chicken, vegetables, spices, and tomatoes in a 13x9 baking dish. Cover with tinfoil.
Bake for one hour at 350 degrees, until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender.
Mix the salad greens, 1 chopped cucumber, 2 sliced radishes, ¼ cup of shredded carrots, and ½ cup of croutons.