Balsamic Grilled Chicken with Mandarin and Goat Cheese Salad

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon rosemary
4 cups spring salad mix
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
4 ounces of goat cheese or feta cheese, cubed or crumbled
1 cup of grapes, sliced in halves

Preparation:
Drain the mandarin oranges and reserve the juice.
Stir together the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and rosemary in a bowl with 4 tablespoons of the mandarin orange juice to make a dressing.
Toss together all the salad ingredients except the cheese.
Toss 2 tablespoons of the dressing on the salad.
Place the salad in individual bowls and sprinkle the goat cheese on top.
Put the remaining dressing in a bowl and let the chicken sit in it for 5 minutes while the indoor grill heats up.
Grill the chicken breasts until done, about 3-5 minutes.
Slice and serve on top of the salad, or serve them whole on the side.

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Grilled Chicken with Tabouleh Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 pound chicken breast tenderloins
• ½ cup of Italian dressing
• ½ cup of bulgur
• 2 tomatoes, chopped fine
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 1 can chopped black olives
• ½ cup chopped cucumber
• ½ cup of chopped parsley
• ¼ cup chopped mint leaves
• ¼ cup of lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:
In the morning, marinate the chicken breasts in the Italian dressing.
Make the tabouleh salad and place in the refrigerator.
In the evening, cook the chicken breasts on an indoor grill until cooked through.
Serve on a bed of tabouleh.

Cook the tabouleh:
Bring 1 ¼ cups of water to a boil.
Pour the bulgur in to the water, cover, and allow to stand for 20 minutes, until all the water is absorbed.
Pour the bulgur into a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Place in the refrigerator for several hours.

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Chicken Pineapple Kabobs with Iceberg Spinach Salad

This recipe makes enough for four skewers. If you are serving more than four people, add rice to the menu and place the cooked chicken and vegetables in a bowl over the rice.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 can pineapple chunks, with juice
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red onion, cut into quarters
• 1 nectarine or peach, cut into chunks
• 1 bell pepper, cut into large pieces
• ½ head of iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup of baby spinach leaves
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
• ¼ cup of edamame

Preparation:
Place the cut up chicken in a zipper top plastic bag with the pineapple juice, vinegar, and soy sauce.
Marinate the chicken overnight or at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
Place the chicken, pineapple, peach or nectarine, onion, and bell pepper on a skewer, alternating pieces.
Use the olive oil to coat a baking pan.
Place the skewers in the pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
Alternatively, they can be cooked on an outdoor grill.
Toss the lettuce, spinach together.
Top the salad with the sunflower seeds and edamame.
Serve with a light salad dressing.


Photo/Suzanne Pitner
More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.

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Asian Citrus Salad with Grilled Chicken Breast

Citrus Salad Dressing ingredients
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Salad Ingredients
1 small bag of spring mix salad greens
1 tangelo, peeled and each segment cut into halves or smaller pieces
1 avocado, diced
3 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

Preparation:
Mix the citrus salad dressing ingredients in a salad dressing mixer.
Place the salad greens in a bowl.
Toss with the tangelo, avocado, and bacon.
Toss with the dressing.
Squeeze some tangelo juice and salt and pepper on the chicken breast.
Grill on the indoor grill until the juice runs clear, about 4 minutes.
Slice the chicken and place it on top of the salad for a warm dish.
Alternatively, serve the grilled chicken breast on the side.
If you're really in a hurry, use a bottled salad dressing, such as Kraft Light Asian Toasted Sesame Dresssing.
Pair this meal with a Pinot Grigio white wine.


Photo/MellowFood on Flickr
 
More great recipes are at my Sacramento Easy Meals Examiner website.

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Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches and Pineapple Coleslaw

Craving a trip to a tropical island? Put on some Hawaiian music and have this for dinner. Add a sliced mango or papaya for dessert, and you have a healthy, filling meal.

Ingredients:
½ cup of teriyaki sauce
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small can of sliced pineapple (or fresh pineapple, if it’s in season)
4 whole wheat English muffins
1 bag of cabbage for coleslaw
½ cup of mayonnaise
¼ cup of mustard
2 tablespoons of sugar
1/4 teaspoon celery seed

½ teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
½ teaspoon of salt
1 papaya or mango if they are in season.

Preparation:
Mix together the mayonnaise, mustard, sugar, celery seed, pepper, and salt for the coleslaw dressing.
To make it thinner, add pineapple juice from the can 1 tablespoon at a time. If you use fresh pineapple, thin the dressing with milk.
Chop 2 slices of pineapple into tiny chunks.
Stir into the coleslaw cabbage. Add the dressing and stir.
If you like more dressing on your coleslaw, make a double batch of dressing.
Refrigerate until dinner is ready.
Wash and dry the chicken. Brush with teriyaki sauce.
Heat the indoor grill.
Toast the English muffins.
Grill the chicken until well done.
Drain the pineapple if using canned, and reserve the juice.
Grill 4 pineapple slices until brown grill lines appear.
Place the chicken and pineapple on the English muffins.
Serve with the coleslaw.
Slice the mango and papaya and chill in the freezer for 20 minutes. Serve cold for dessert.

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Chicken Marsala Dinner

Whole Wheat Egg Noodles
Quick Glazed Carrots

This Chicken Marsala has been lightened up by cooking the chicken on an indoor grill instead of cooking the chicken in oil. Marsala is an Italian wine that can sometimes be hard to find. If so, try making the recipe with white wine. It will taste a bit different, and the sauce may need thickening, but it will still turn out delish.

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 egg, beaten
• ¼ cup of Italian herb bread crumbs
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 ounces of sliced crimini mushrooms
• 1/3 cup low sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup Marsala (If you don’t have Marsala, try a white wine.)
• 1 pound of whole wheat egg noodles
• 4 cups of sliced carrots
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

How to make Chicken Marsala Dinner

Pound the chicken breasts between two pieces of wax paper until they are ¼ inch thick.
Set up two plates, one with the beaten egg and one with the bread crumbs.
Dip the chicken in the egg, then in the bread crumbs.
Grill on the indoor grill until well done, about 2-3 minutes. Keep warm in the oven.
Boil the egg noodles in a pot of water according to package directions.
Place the carrots in a microwave safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. Cook for 4 minutes.
Add the butter and brown sugar to the carrots and stir. Return to the microwave for another 2 minutes.
Spray a saucepan with cooking spray.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook and stir until they begin to turn brown.
Add the broth and the marsala and cook with the mushrooms another 3 mintues.
Add the chicken to the pan and spoon the mixture over the chicken.
If the sauce needs thickening, add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to 1 tablespoon of broth and stir into the pan.
Drain the water off the egg noodles.
Arrange the Chicken Marsala on top of the egg noodles with the carrots on the side.


Photo/Sea Turtle on Flickr

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Chicken Breasts with Pumpkin Risotto

Steamed Broccoli



For this recipe, I bought a small pumpkin. I used half the pumpkin for this risotto dish, and I baked the other half of the pumpkin to use later in Pumpkin Oatmeal. If you aren't going to use the pumpkin right away, scrape it out of the shell freeze it.


Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 tsp dried crushed sage
1 tsp dried crushed thyme
½ tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp real butter, melted
1 small head of broccoli florets
1 lb fresh pumpkin, cut up into small cubes (You don't need to peel it.)
½ tsp dried sage
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 sweet onion, chopped fine
2 cups of Arborio rice
4 cups of chicken stock
¼ cup of feta or bleu cheese
¼ cup chopped parsley

Preparation:
Place the olive and melted butter in a Bakers Quarter Sheet 13 X 9 pan.
Place the pumpkin, garlic, and onions in the pan and sprinkle the spices over the top. Toss the vegetables to coat with the spices, oil, and butter.
Turn the pumpkin pieces flesh side down.
Bake the pumpkin in a 400 degree oven for ten minutes.
While the pumpkin is baking, begin cooking the risotto in 1 cup of chicken stock.
Remove the pumpkin from the oven and scrape it from the shell. Mash it gently, leaving it slightly chunky.
When the risotto has absorbed the chicken stock, add another cup. Continue to do this until all four cups of chicken stock have been used. It takes about 25-30 minutes.
Pound the chicken between two pieces of waxed paper with a mallet.
Sprinkle the sage, thyme, salt and pepper over the chicken breasts.
Grill in an indoor grill, such as the George Foreman grill until done. When the chicken is well done, the juice will run clear.
Remove from the grill and keep warm.
Steam the broccoli in the microwave in a small amount of water.
When the risotto is cooked, stir in the pumpkin.
Garnish the pumpkin risotto with the cheese and parsley. Serve with the chicken breasts.

To make clean up faster, I bought the George Foreman grill with removable plates. If you're looking for a kitchen grill, this is one to consider.

Chicken Breast Grilled with Dill Sauce

Chicken Breast Grilled with Dill Sauce
Smashed Cauliflower
Green Beans

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
Salt and pepper
2 tsp dill (Dried or fresh)
1 cup of cream
1 head of cauliflower
1 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper
1 lb fresh green beans

Preparation:
Spray the indoor grill with cooking spray. Cook the chicken on the grill.
Make a white sauce. Melt the butter, stir in the flour, and gradually add ½ cup of cream, stirring with a whisk.
Stir the dill into the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
If the sauce begins to thicken, add milk 1-2 tbsp at a time.
Cook the cauliflower in boiling water. When it is tender, mash with the butter and just enough cream to make it smooth.
Trim and clean the green beans. Cook in boiling water for about 4 minutes, until tender-crisp.

Chicken with a Peach Wine Sauce

Chicken with a Peach Wine Sauce
Fresh Spinach Salad
Bread Sticks

Ingredients:
4 whole chicken breasts
Lemon pepper seasoning
2 tsp lemon juice
2 whole peaches, sliced
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine or apple juice
Fettucini
1 bunch spinach, washed and dried
Crumbled bacon bits
1 tomato, sliced
Bread sticks

Preparation:
Slice the peaches and sprinkle with lemon juice.
Heat water to boil for the fetuccini. Cook according to package directions.
Lay the spinach in a bowl and sprinkle with bacon bits. Lay the tomatoes on top.
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with lemon pepper seasoning.
Grill the chicken breasts in an indoor grill, or on an outdoor grill.
Grill the peaches on the grill.
Set the table.
Melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour.
Stir in the wine or apple juice and cook over high heat until it begins to thicken.
Serve the chicken over a bed of fettucini. Garnish with peaches and drizzle the sauce over all.
Serve the salad with a light salad dressing and the breadsticks on the side.

Grilled Cornish Hens

Grilled Cornish Hens
Heidi’s AntiPasto Salad

The day I made this salad, I discovered I was out of black olives. So I used green ones instead. You can switch up this recipe and make it work for you.

Ingredients:
2 cornish hens
Juice from one lemon
1 tsp crushed rosemary
Salt and pepper

1 lb multi colored rotini pasta
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into ½ inch cubes
6 ounces salami, chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
½ cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
¼ cup ranch style dressing (Or try Pesto Ranch. It's delish!)

Preparation:
Split the Cornish hens and drizzle the lemon juice over them. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Cook on the grill, or bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Occasionally baste with the juice from the pan.
Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees for the last 10 minutes to brown the hens.
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Rinse the pasta. Combine the cheese, salami, olives, tomatoes, and ranch style dressing. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to cool.

Chicken Breasts with Pico de Gallo

Chicken Breasts with Pico de Gallo
Grilled Garden Vegetables
Warm Corn Tortillas


Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
1 zucchini, cut into long strips.
1 summer squash, cut into strips
1 Red and green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 onion, cut into rings
12 soft corn tortillas
Pico de Gallo

Preparation:
This can be made outdoors on the grill or on an indoor grill.

Set the table.
Rinse and dry the chicken breasts. Rub the herbs into the meat. Spray the grill with cooking spray, and cook the chicken until it is completely done.
Arrange the vegetables on the grill and cook until they are brown around the edges and soft.
Warm the tortillas on the grill or in the microwave.

Chicken Kabobs with Peaches and Couscous

Chicken Kabobs with Peaches and Couscous
Lightly Steamed Cabbage

Ingredients:
10 skinless chicken breast tenderloins
1 Tbsp sesame oil
½ cup rice wine vinegar
1/3cup soy sauce
¼ cup peach preserves
½ tsp Chinese Five Spice powder
Dash of hot sauce
1 can chicken broth
2 cups couscous
1 fresh peach, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
½ head of cabbage, chopped

In the morning:
Mix the sesame oil, vinegar, soy sauce, peach preserves, Five Spice powder, and hot sauce in a plastic zip bag.
Place the chicken breast tenderloins in the plastic bag.
Place in the refrigerator to marinate all day.

In the afternoon:
Cook the couscous according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for the water.
Cut the chicken into chunks.
Place the chicken, bell pepper, and peach pieces on small skewers.
Grill on the indoor grill.
Place the cabbage in a wire colander. Place the colander in ¼ inch of water in a pan.
Cover and steam the cabbage until crisp tender, about 5-10 minutes.
Serve the kabobs on the couscous with the cabbage on the side.

Basil Grilled Chicken

Here's another one of those recipes that my family fell in love with. I couldn't find any basil at the market the week I made this, and my basil in the garden is pretty much used up. So I made a new Parsley and Sunflower Seed Pesto. You might want to try it for a change of taste.

I used the Barilla Celantini pasta for this dish because the twists hold the pesto better. You want all the flavor you can get in your pasta.





Basil Grilled Chicken
Winter Mix Vegetables
Pasta with Pesto

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Wax paper
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 green onions, finely chopped
3 leaves basil, finely chopped
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp white wine
2 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ to ½ cup of chicken stock
1 small jar of pesto or make your own quickly with my Basil Pesto recipe
1 lb of celantini or fusilli or other spiral pasta
1 package of winter mix vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)

Preparation:
If you are making your own Basil Pesto, do it the night before to let the flavors mingle.
Boil water for the pasta.
Lay the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of wax paper, and pound with a kitchen mallet.
Sprinkle the salt and pepper on the chicken.
Spray the indoor grill with cooking spray.
Grill the breasts until brown and the juice runs clear. Keep warm.
Cook the green onions and basil in the olive oil until tender. Remove to a bowl.
Melt the butter in the same pan. Whisk in the flour.
Stir in the white wine and chicken stock, a little at a time until you have a smooth and creamy white sauce.
Add the Dijon mustard and stir.
Stir in the cooked onions and basil. Lay the grilled chicken breasts in the sauce, and turn to coat.
Cook the vegetables according to the package directions.
Drain the pasta. Toss the pasta with the pesto sauce.
Serve the chicken over the pasta, and drizzle the sauce over all.