Whole Roast Chicken with Garlic and Butter

We made a whole roast chicken for the fist time yesterday. It turned out quite yummy!

Our oven has a "roast" setting and we used that at 400 F. It turned out quite amazing. 

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken

1 head of garlic peeled and chopped

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup butter pieces

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup white wine

salt and pepper

1 lemon, halved

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F on Roast

2. Spray roasting pan or line with foil. 

3. Wash chicken and pat dry. Make sure to remove everything from cavities. 

4. Combine melted butter, olive oil, juice of half lemon, and white wine. Mix and pour on chicken, making sure to get inside the cavity and under skin. 

5. Place garlic and butter pieces under chicken skin and in cavity. 

6. Place chicken in pan breast side up. Place remaining half lemon into the cavity. 

7. Bake for about 1:10 minutes until juices from thigh run clear when speared. 

8. When cooked, let rest for 10 minutes out of the oven. 

We served with mashed potatoes, but it could be good with anything!

What we liked:

It was fun to make something new. The skin turned out great too!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian, Astrid and Orion thought about it:

They loved it. Astrid and Orion especially liked eating the chicken legs like barbarians :) 

Next time:

No changes needed. 

Rotisserie Chicken Skillet

We get the rotisserie chicken at Costco on days we get pizza. Everyone eats pizza, and Astrid eats rotisserie chicken legs. Since a few months ago, she just decided she no longer likes pizza, so that is how it is. It actually works out quite well, as we use the rest of the chicken meat, mostly breast to make fun things like chicken bacon quesadillas or this!

Original recipe: https://www.afamilyfeast.com/rotisserie-chicken-skillet/

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken, breast, leg meat, whatever!
1 cup orzo pasta
2 tablespoons oil (we used sunflower - unrefined - our favorite!)
2 cups carrots, cut into 1/4 circles about
1 cup onion chopped
3 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 cup frozen peas
½ cup heavy cream - ish

Directions:

1. Over medium high, cook orzo until browned, about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove to a plate or bowl.
2. Add carrots and onion and fry until softened and browned.
3. Add orzo to the carrots and onions.
4. Add in chicken stock, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Simmer about 12 minutes - covered.
5. Add in chicken, peas, cream and parsley.
6. Cook a few more minutes.
7. Serve!

What we liked:

It was different, new and fun! It was fairly quick to make for lunch and a great use of the rotisserie chicken. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He actually liked it quite a bit, so did all of the other children!

Next time:

No change. 

Chiciken Katsu Curry

Tadaa!
I know it's been a while, but here we are. Trying to make it through Zoom Distance Learning school. Wohoo last week of it!
So, we love Japanese food, and have finally gotten around to making the Japanese Chicken Katsu curry. It was our first time making it, but even with that it was totally delicious!
Here's the original recipe: https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipes/301-japanese-chicken-katsu-curry

Ingredients:

curry sauce:
1 box S&B (4-5 cubes) Japanese curry
1 large onion
1 large potato
1 carrot
2 tbsp butter
800 ml water

chicken katsu:
80 g panko breadcrumbs
4 tbsp plain flour
4 chicken breasts
1 egg, slightly beaten
vegetable oil for deep-frying - we use canola

Directions:

0 - Cook rice - we use 4 cups of calrose rice and 6 cups water and cook it on the sushi setting in the multi-cooker.

1. Chop the onion, potato and carrot into small chunks.
2. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a large pan. Add the onions and carrots. Sautee until softened for a few minutes.
3. Add in the cubed potatoes.
4. Add in the approx 800 ml of water. Cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
5. Add the whole packet of S&B curry and melt it all in, stirring constantly.
6. Let it cook for 5-10 minutes, lightly simmering while stirring.
7. Turn the curry off and let it sit, with the lid on.
8. Flatten out the chicken breast pieces between two pieces of plastic wrap. We use a meat beater tool to flatten it out.
9. Season your chicken breast pieces with salt and pepper before covering with flour first and then raw egg, then panko breadcrumbs.
8. Heat up the oil in a separate pan and fry the chicken on both sides until both sides are golden brown and chicken is cooked.
9. Slice the cooked chicken katsu into strips and lay over a bed of rice before adding the curry sauce.

What we liked:

This was surprisingly easy to make! Such a fun yummy and warm dish to create!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. The medium hot spicy was not at all spicy. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked it actually! So did all the kiddoes. They loved the chicken strips most of all. Although Astrid loves plain white rice with her meals too. 

Next time:

We would like to use the air fryer to fry but not sure how well it would turn out. The crispyness is kind of crucial. 

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

We used rotisserie chicken and gnocchi from Costco for this soup. It turned out sooo Good! Way better than olive garden's version of it. This soup is great with a french bread to dip into it! It would be really good with a bread bowl.

Original reicpe: https://therecipecritic.com/creamy-chicken-gnocchi-soup-olive-garden-copycat/

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup onion, diced
½ cup celery diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups half-and-half
2 14 ounce can chicken broth
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped
1 cup diced cooked chicken (rotisserie)
1 16 ounce package potato gnocchi (fridge ones)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a large pot add butter and olive oil.
2. Over medium high heat sauté onion, celery and garlic until tender. Add the flour to create a roux and cook for another minute.
3.Slowly add the half and half and chicken broth and stir until it starts to thicken. Add the thyme, carrots, spinach, chicken and gnocchi.
4. Simmer for about 5 minutes or until gnocchi is cooked and soup is thickened.
5. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

What we liked:

Delicious soup!

What we didn't like:

nothing. it was great!

What Kaspian thought about it:

He loved the bread...

Next time:

try a bread bowl

Chicken and Dumpling Slow Cooker soup

This is a great soup for the starting to get cold nights. It did seem to require more work than most slow cooker soups and tasted more like a pot pie soup but it was still yummy and delicious!
We will likely make it again.

Original Recipe: http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a53818/easy-crockpot-chicken-and-dumplings-recipe/

Served

Cooked! 

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. oregano
salt
ground black pepper
2 cans cream of chicken soup
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoon thyme
2 bay leaves
3-4 stalks celery, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
1 cup frozen peas
5 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups bisquick mix
2/3 cup milk

Directions:

1. Add chopped onion in an even layer in the bottom of the slow cooker and place chicken breasts on top. Add oregano, salt and pepper.
2. Pour soup and chicken broth on top then add the thyme and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through.
3. Add in the celery, carrots, peas and garlic.
4. Combine bisquick mix with milk and mix until a soft dough forms.
5. Drop teaspoons sized bits of dough into the hot slow cooker mixture.
6. Cook on high for another 1-2 hours.
7. Serve. 

What we liked:

It was good!

What we didn't like:

It was like a two step slow cooker dish, unlike most where you just put it in and leave it alone it needed more work halfway through. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He preferred chicken nuggets. Astrid was intrigued by it, until her brother had nuggets, then all had to change. 

Next time:

Myabe try the not-slow cooker version of this. 

Cherry Rosemary Chicken with Couscous

We made this a few days ago. The cherries go sooo well with the chicken and it's a super easy, fun and quick recipe. The result is very delicious and it looks beautiful also!
In addition, it made for great lunches for the next day as well.

The original recipe for the cherry rosemary chicken is here: http://heatherchristo.com/2016/08/08/rosemary-cherry-balsamic-roasted-chicken/

Rosermary Cherry Chicken with Couscous!

Out of the Oven!

Yum couscous!

Ready to bake!

Ingredients:

Cherry Rosemary chicken:
5 small chicken breasts (we used frozen)
6 fresh sprigs of rosemary - leaves taken off the stems
2 cups pitted cherries - cut in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt

Couscous:
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups couscous
2 tablespoons butter
salt or other spices - we used a tuscan garlic blend (about a tablespoon) 

Directions:

For the chicken:
1. Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
2. Place all ingredients into an oven safe dish and mix together.
3. Bake for about an hour or until chicken has cooked through. For us, it was about an hour since we put them in frozen.

Couscous:
1. Bring water with butter and spices to a boil.
2. Add couscous.
3. Turn off heat and cover. Let stand for about 5 minutes and fluff with fork before serving. 

What we liked:

The flavor combination was pretty incredible. The time to prepare was also very short. It took the longest to pit the cherries, but overall the prep time was minimum. We used the rosemary from our garden! 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked the couscous (Even with all the spices!) 

Next time:

No change! This is a great dish!

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka With Basmati Rice and Peas

From our indian night, the main dish was the slow cooker chicken tikka masala and basmati rice and peas. We have never made Indian food before that night and were very very pleased with the outcome. Everything tasted delicious.

Original Recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/slow-cooker-chicken-tikka-masala

Plated

Basmati Rice with Peas

Slow Cooker Chicken Tikka Masala

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 (14.5-ounce) cans unsalted diced tomatoes
1/3 cup water
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 (6-ounce) skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
Cooking spray
1 cup light coconut milk
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Basmati Rice:
cook according to directions - 3 cups rice
1/2 bag of frozen peas
1 teaspoon turmeric

Directions:

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, ginger, and garlic to pan; cook 6 to 7 minutes or until starting to brown, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste and tomatoes; bring to a simmer, and cook 3 minutes. Combine 1/3 cup water and flour in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Add flour mixture, garam masala, paprika, curry powder, salt, and pepper to pan; stir well. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute.
Place chicken thighs in a 6-quart slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Add tomato mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW 7 hours or until chicken is very tender and sauce has thickened. Turn slow cooker to HIGH; uncover and add coconut milk, stirring with a whisk. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes. Turn cooker off; stir in cilantro. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve over rice. Top each serving with 1 tablespoon sour cream if desired

Basmati Rice:
Cook according to directions - with the addition of turmeric. Add peas after the rice cooker is done.  

What we liked:

The meal was absolutely delicious. The slow cooker option is great for throwing it together in the morning and coming home to a delicious meal!

What we didn't like:

The coconut milk was over-ridden by all the other flavors - perhaps add another can?

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked the rice and peas. 

Next time:

No changes needed

Hello Fresh - Mozzarella Crusted Chicken

From this recipe, we would say the potatoes were the best part. They were easy to make and delicious. We will save the potato recipe to quickly make steak fries for burgers next time.
The chicken itself was just ok. It seems like that with the panko breading, the chicken would have been better off fried. The tomatoes were just sad. They were just squishy and weird. It was sort of like eating tomato sauce. Also, we did more than the three potatoes that came with the box, we love potatoes!

Here is the original recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipes/de-mozzarella-crusted-chicken-56a6d3a44dab711e218b4567

Plated

Mozzarella crusted chicken

Potatoes & tomatoes

Ingredients:

12 ounce Chicken Breast
0.5 ounce Basil
2 ounce Mozzarella Cheese (Milk)
2  Roma Tomato
2 cloves Garlic
0.5 cup Panko (Wheat)
1 teaspoon Paprika
12 ounces Yukon Potatoes
1 teaspoon Dried Oregano
Salt
Pepper
5 teaspoons Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the potatoes into ½-inch wedges. Core and quarter the tomatoes. Mince the garlic.
2. Toss the potatoes on one side of a foil-lined baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. On the other side of the baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil, the garlic, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the potatoes are crispy and the tomatoes have shriveled.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the panko, oregano, paprika, mozzarella, a drizzle of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts onto another lightly oiled baking sheet. Season the chicken breasts on all sides with salt and pepper, then rub with a drizzle of olive oil. Press the panko mixture onto the top of each chicken breast, firmly pressing with your palm to adhere. Pile the topping as high as possible, however you may have some leftover.
4. Place the chicken in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until cooked through and the topping is golden brown.
5. Thinly slice the basil leaves. Serve the mozzarella-crusted chicken with the potato wedges and garlic-roasted tomatoes alongside. Sprinkle with basil and enjoy!

What we liked:

The potatoes were the best part

What we didn't like:

The tomatoes were not very good. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

Again, he did not find this meal appealing. Astrid loved the potatoes. 

Next time:

Keep the potato wedge recipe only. 

Smoky Chicken Cutlets with Herb-Roasted Sweet Potatoes

We are back! Sorry we've been gone for a while, we have had technical difficulties with our camera not synching to the phone and thus not allowing to post pictures. Looks like that is all resolved now. We have also gotten an awesome new oven! Yay! We went with a samsung convection oven with a 5 burner gas range. It has been really awesome so far!

This looked like an exciting recipe to try! The chicken was good. However, we did not have enough liquid left over to make the sauce and we also did not want to part with the yummy onions! So we just fried them all together. Be careful! This recipe does splash a lot. We made a couscous side with it, (just couscous, parsley some lemon rind and olive oil and salt) because honestly, the sweet potatoes were faaar too sweet for this. Would definitely recommend a more savory side than the sweet potatoes. Another thing that might be good to do is to cut up the chicken into smaller pieces, perhaps strips prior to marinating it as this would allow for easier frying.
Another thing we might try with this chicken in the future is baking instead of frying.
The chicken was really good!

Here is the original recipe: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/smoky-chicken-cutlets-herb-roasted-sweet-potatoes

Served

another plated view

couscous!

prepared chicken 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry white wine, we used Chardonnay
1/2 small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 parsley sprigs
1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
Kosher salt
Pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), butterflied and pounded 1/4 inch thick
2 large sweet potatoes (3 pounds), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch think rounds
1 rosemary sprig
1 thyme sprig
1 bay leaf

Directions:

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine 1/2 cup of the olive oil with 1/4 cup of the wine. Add the onion, garlic, parsley, paprika, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Put the chicken in the bag with the marinade and refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and the rosemary, thyme and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer. Roast for about 30 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and golden. Discard the herb sprigs and bay leaf.

3. Meanwhile, remove the chicken from the marinade. Strain the marinade over a sieve into a bowl. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over moderately high heat. Cook the chicken in 2 batches, turning once, until golden and just cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plates, tent with foil and keep warm.

4. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of wine to the skillet and boil over moderately high heat until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved marinade, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, 2 minutes. Transfer the sweet potatoes to the plates with the chicken. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve.

What we liked:

The chicken was delicious. 

What we didn't like:

Sweet potatoes did not go with this at all. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was not sold on this dish at all. 

Next time:

try baking the chicken or cutting it into smaller pieces. 

Pistachio Crusted Chicken with Shallot Garlic Lemon Quinoa

This was a quick dish that we put together for dinner. We split the chicken breasts in half lenghtwise to make them thinner and ensure that they would cook faster.
The quinoa we made in our new multi-cooker! We had a Tim3 machine one, but it got recalled, and even though we submitted everything for the recall back in November, we haven't received a new one yet. So, we went to Costco and got an Aroma multicooker (which has a sushi rice button! Very excited to use that in the near future).

We also made a simple green salad with cubed cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh dill and parsley all with a mixture of olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. This resulted in a refreshing green salad which went well with the rest of dinner.

Shallot Quinoa with Pistachio Crusted Chicken

Ingredients:

Quinoa:
1.5 cups Quinoa
1 shallot, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 1/2 lime

Chicken:
2 chicken breasts cut in half to make them thinner
1/4 cup chopped pistachio nuts
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Directions:

Quinoa:
1. Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into multi cooker. Add shallots and garlic. When softened, add rinsed quinoa and chicken stock. Cover and cook (we had a quinoa button on our multi cooker!) When ready, add the rest of the olive oil and juice of 1/2 lime. Toss and serve.

Chicken:
1. Preheat oven to 400 F
2. Place chicken into an ovensafe dish. Spread dijon mustard over chicken, Season with salt and pepper. Add pistachios.
3. Bake for about 25-30 minutes uncovered until chicken is done. Serve

What we liked:

Easy and delicious dinner

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked the quinoa. Astrid also loved all aspects of this meal. 

Next time:

No changes needed. 

Balsamic Chicken and Pears with Confetti Quinoa

We bought some pears last week and this seemed like the perfect dish to use them in. We love quinoa and although we didn't have all the "confetti" ingredients, just carrots seemed to do just fine. An added bonus was that Kaspian actually liked it because there was no "green stuff" in his quinoa. Astrid of course happily consumed anything given to her.
We also did not have white balsamic vinegar so we just went with the regular one and it worked out okay. The color was most likely the biggest difference. Overall the dish was very flavorful and everything seemed to go very well together. Surprisingly, the cherries and rosemary complemented the dish and were delicious. For the Quinoa, we used our turkey stock that we made from the Thanksgiving turkey, this gave it a little bit more flavor and we would recommend using chicken stock if you have it instead of water.

This is an easy recipe that looks and feels very fancy.

Original recipe can be found here: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/balsamic-chicken---pears

Confetti Quinoa: http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/confetti-quinoa

Ingredients:

Chicken & Pears:
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 cup chicken or turkey broth
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 medium unpeeled pears, each cut into 8 wedges
1/3 cup dried cherries or dried cranberries

Confetti Quinoa:
2 cups stock (turkey or chicken)
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

Chicken & Pears:
1. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook until a thermometer reads 165°, 8-10 minutes. Remove.
2. Meanwhile, stir together next five ingredients until blended. Pour into skillet; add pears and dried cherries. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until pears are tender, about 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet; simmer, uncovered, until heated through, 3-5 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with additional minced rosemary.

Confetti Quinoa:
1. In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add next five ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed, 12-15 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and oil; heat through. Remove from heat; fluff with a fork.

What we liked:

The dish went together very well and it was fun to try something new and different!

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was great. 

What Kaspian and Astrid thought about it:

He liked the carrot quinoa. Astrid loved everything! Although she did seem to think at first that the cherries might be chocolates and was very excited. Upon realizing that they were still a fruit, she was happy. 

Next time:

Try with white balsamic vinegar. 

HelloFresh: Pistachio Crusted Chicken over Couscous with Jalapeno Salsa

This was our third recipe from Hello Fresh that we made on Sunday night. The chicken was really good and we definitely want to save the chicken recipe for a use later on. We bought some pistachios yesterday to do just that in the near future! However, the couscous was okay but PRIOR to the addition of the sherry. The jalapeno salsa was not very good and did not go very well with this meal at all. Also, the veggies that we received in this box and the following box were pretty sad. The cucumber was getting pretty squishy, and at this point has only been in our fridge for 3 days,so really shouldn't have been to that point. The tomato was also starting to look pretty sad, as well as the jalapeno.

Pistachio Crusted Chicken over Couscous with Jalapeno Salsa

Yummy chicken!

Out of the oven!

Couscous

Jalapeno salsa/sald

Chicken ready to bake

What came in our box for this recipe

Here is the original recipe: https://www.hellofresh.com/recipe/detail/577280e6b2baaf3a0c8b4567/pistachio-crusted-chicken-with-quinoa-and-chopped-cucumber-jalapeno-salad/

Ingredients:

12 oz chicken breast
1 jalepeno
1 small cucumber
1 lime
1/2 shallot
0.5 cup Quinoa
2 tablespoon Sherry Vinegar
0.25 ounce Mint
1 Roma Tomato
2 tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 ounce Pistachios
1 packet Vegetable Stock Concentrate
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon Olive Oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place stock concentrate, quinoa, 1 cup water, and a pinch of salt in a small pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer until tender, 15-20 minutes.
2. Wash and dry all produce. Shell and roughly chop pistachios. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel, and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Evenly spread a thin layer of mustard on top of chicken. Press pistachios into mustard. Bake until no longer pink in center, about 20 minutes.
3. While chicken cooks, dice cucumber and tomato. Chop mint leaves, saving 1 TBSP for garnish. Halve, peel, and finely dice 2 TBSP shallot. Zest and halve lime. Dice jalapeño, removing ribs and seeds for less heat. Combine everything in a medium bowl. Toss with a squeeze of lime and drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. When chicken is cooked through, remove from oven and rest 3 minutes before thinly slicing.
5. When quinoa is ready, fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Stir in a drizzle of sherry vinegar and drizzle of olive oil (to taste).
6. Serve pistachio-crusted chicken on a bed of quinoa. Spoon cucumber jalapeño salad on top and garnish with reserved mint.

What we liked:

The chicken was great!

What we didn't like:

The salsa and the sherry addition to the couscous

What Kaspian and Astrid thought about it:

Kaspian liked the couscous, plain. Astrid went crazy for the cucumbers and tomatoes and made us pick them out of the salsa that we were not eating anyways. She at them ALL. 

Next time:

Keep the chicken, make couscous without sherry and do not make the salad. 

Southwestern Grilled Chicken Salad with Tomato and Black Bean Salsa

Salad with grilled chicken beans and tomatoes. This was part of our salad binge week... not sure what was up with that, but we did salads for like a week. It was fun. Now we've moved off of the salads for a while.
This recipe was just okay. The chicken was good, the dressing was good, but overall the dish just didn't work together incredibly well.  We did however, do some substitutions, we didn't have bibb lettuce, so we used spinach and we used some almond slices instead of the pine nuts. Additionally, we did not grill the chicken as it was not worth getting the grill fired up for such a small amount. Also, we would definitely suggest more chicken and less salad.
Here is the original recipe: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/southwestern-grilled-chicken-salad-tomato-black-bean-salsa.aspx

Plated

Ingredients:

1 boneless skinless chicken breast half trimmed
1/2 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. light or dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Kosher salt
6 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil; more for the grill
2 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 Tbs. plus 2 tsp. chopped fresh cilantro, plus leaves for garnish
2 tsp. honey
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
4 oz. small cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered or halved (about 3/4 cup)
1 large scallion, thinly sliced
2 small heads Bibb lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces (about 9 cups)
1 medium firm-ripe avocado
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or pepitas

Directions:

1. Cut chicken up into strips.
2.  Combine the chili powder, brown sugar, coriander, cumin, and 3/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Rub some of the spice mix over both sides of the butterflied chicken breast (you won’t need it all) and let sit for about 10-15 minutes.
3.Fry the chicken with olive oil or butter until cooked and sides are seared.
4.  In a glass jar with a tight lid, combine the olive oil, lime juice, 1 Tbs. of the cilantro, the honey, 1/2 tsp. salt, a few grinds of pepper. Shake well to combine
5. Combine the black beans, tomatoes, scallion, the remaining 2 tsp. cilantro, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Add 2 Tbs. of the dressing and toss gently.
6. Put the lettuce in a bowl, season with a little salt, and toss with just enough of the dressing to lightly coat. (Reserve a little to drizzle on the chicken.) Arrange the lettuce on a platter or four dinner plates. Slice the chicken breast very thinly. Pit and slice the avocado. Arrange the chicken, avocado, and salsa on the lettuce. Drizzle a little of the remaining dressing over the chicken and avocado. Garnish with the pine nuts or pepitas and the cilantro leaves.

What we liked:

mostly easy. it looked pretty. 

What we didn't like:

The flavors just did not go together that well. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He heeded it no notice. 

Next time:

Use a different recipe. 

Italian Chicken, Green Beans and Potatoes

We saw this recipe a couple of weeks ago when hunting for a quick recipe to throw together. We ended up googling Chicken, Green Beans and Potatoes, as those were the ingredients we had and this recipe came up. However, we did not have the italian seasoning it called for at the time, so we couldn't make it right away. Now though, italian seasoning might be something we would just want to have on hand :) Or, we usually have the liquid version - maybe we could just use that to recreate. This was really really good. And sooo EASY. It took all of ten minutes to throw everything together, and that's with cutting the potatoes in half. Throw everything together, and bake for an hour! And, it looks great! We cut our chicken breasts in half to make the pieces all same sized. We also did not add any salt and pepper as we did not think the recipe needed it.

Here's the original recipe: http://www.graceandgoodeats.com/italian-chicken-green-beans-and-potatoes/

Served!

Out of the oven! 

Ready to bake!

Just the spices and butter needed!

Ingredients:

1 package frozen green beans
1.5 lbs of baby potatoes, cut in half
2-3 large chicken breasts, thawed or fresh
2 pkgs Italian dressing mix
1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash the potatoes. Cut in half.
3. Line one side of a 9x13 baking dish with green beans and line the other with the potatoes.
4. Place the chicken breasts between the green beans and potatoes.
5. Cut the butter into approx. 1 tbsp squares and place evenly over the green beans, chicken, and potatoes.
6. Sprinkle entire dish with Italian seasoning.
7. Cover with foil and bake for one hour.

What we liked:

SOO EASY and good. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing it was really great. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He liked the potatoes. 

Next time:

No change needed

Chicken Salad Sandwich

This was the best chicken salad sandwich we have ever had. It was really really good and easy to make. The capers really add to the chicken and the dill and sour cream create a delicious dressing for this salad. We will definitely be making this again soon. We used a rotisserie chicken meat from Costco. There was both brown and white meat in the salad.
Here is the original recipe: http://spiritedcook.com/chicken-salad/

Ingredients:

3 cups finely chopped cooked chicken, both light and dark meat
1⅓ cups sliced celery (about 2 large stalks, quartered lengthwise and sliced)
¾ cup chopped red onion
⅓ cup finely chopped fresh dill
¼ cup bottled capers, rinsed and drained
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
⅜ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients together except sour cream and mayonnaise in a large bowl
2. Mix sour cream and mayonnaise together and add to the bowl
3. Mix and serve over bread.. or lettuce.. or eat by itself! 

What we liked:

Best Chicken Salad recipe ever. 

What we didn't like:

Nothing, it was pretty perfect.

What Kaspian thought about it:

Still on the dino chicken nuggets...

Next time:

No Change except maybe make more!

Flattened Chicken with Almond and Paprika Vinaigrette

We liked this recipe a lot. It was quick, easy, and very tasty. The olives added a spark to it. The flattened chicken turned out really good on the pan and the sauce was delicious. For the side, we made brown rice with flax seeds and mung beans, but any veggie or potato side would have worked as well.
Here's the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/flattened-chicken-almond-paprika-vinaigrette

Ingredients:

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3/8 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
2 garlic clove, minced
4 tablespoons unsalted roasted almonds, finely chopped
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 ounce green olives, chopped

Directions:

1. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; swirl. Add 2 chicken breast halves; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove from pan. Repeat procedure with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and remaining 2 chicken breast halves.

3. Reduce heat to medium. Add stock, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, almonds, and next 5 ingredients (through Dijon); cook 1 minute or until heated, stirring occasionally. Spoon almond mixture over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and olives.

What we liked:

The flavor was really great. 

What we didn't like:

It was great. If following original recipe though, double the sauce. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He was enjoying leftover pita and hummus and could not be bothered with the night's dinner. 

Next time:

No change. 

Citrus Herb Marinated Chicken

This was an incredibly easy and delicious recipe. The chicken turned out really juicy and infused with herbs and lemon juice. We will definitely be making this one again. We paired this one with mashed potatoes, but it could just as easily be paired with rice or veggies or even pasta.
Here is the original recipe: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/citrus-herb-marinated-chicken-1/

Citrus Herb Marinated Chicken with Mashed Potatoes

Citrus Herb Marinade

Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/3 cup lemon juice or orange juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon snipped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
2 teaspoons snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Lemon or orange wedges (optional)

Directions:

1. Place chicken breast halves in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish. For marinade, stir together lemon juice, honey, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, shallot, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken; seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 to 4 hours, turning the bag occasionally.
2. Preheat broiler. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Place chicken on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat about 6 minutes or until light brown.
3. Turn chicken and brush lightly with reserved marinade. Discard any remaining marinade. Broil for 6 to 8 minutes more or until chicken is no longer pink (170 degrees F). If desired, serve with lemon wedges.

What we liked:

Very easy and VERY good. It was very moist and the spices were very harmonious. The shallots went very well with the lemon sauce. 

What we didn't like:

The sauce in the pan got really burned - so it will be a pain to clean, it is soaking in the sink right now! But this may be because we don't have a real broiler pan, so we just used a cookie sheet. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He at the mashed potatoes.. but only to get the cupcake promised to him. (We made chocolate cupcakes yesterday, but they were out of a box, so not posted)

Next time:

No Change - good as is!!!

King Ranch Chicken and Quinoa Casserole

This recipe looked really appealing with quionoa and rotisserie chicken. It was a little harder to make than expected. The "roasting" of the quinoa in the oven for 14 minutes seemed really un-necessary as it made the quinoa too dry and crunchy. We would avoid that next time.
We substituted bell peppers for poblano peppers as we did not want to make it too spicy.
Overall, this was a pleasant recipe with lots of flavor and quinoa "crunch". It was very different.Here is the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/king-ranch-chicken-quinoa-casserole.
We also used more cheese as 3.5 oz really did not seem like enough. Also, we used more quinoa as there was lots of tomato/chile/chicken mixture. This was a good move. And, we also had to use a bigger pan, there was no way that everything was going to fit into an 8 inch square dish.

Plated 

Cooked - you can see how it's a little crispy on top

Before going into the oven

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa
5 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups chopped bell peppers
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chile powder
1 can chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 (14.5-ounce) can unsalted fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (4-ounce) mild chopped green chiles frozen or can
2 cups skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast, shredded
1.5 cups cheddar cheese, shredded and divided 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Combine cooked quinoa and 1 tablespoon oil in a bowl. Spread quinoa on a parchment-lined baking sheet; bake at 400° for 14 minutes. - (NEXT TIME - WE WOULD AVOID THIS STEP!)

3. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil; swirl. Add bell peppers, onion, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Stir in flour, cumin, and chili powder; cook 1 minute. Add stock, salt, tomatoes, and chopped green chiles to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 8 minutes. Remove pan from heat; stir in chicken. Pour half of chicken mixture into the bottom of a  baking dish; top with half of quinoa mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat layers once with remaining chicken mixture, remaining quinoa, and remaining cheese. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes.

What we liked:

It was very different from what we normally make. The rotisserie chicken was very soft and delicious. The quinoa was also very good. 

What we didn't like:

The top was too crispy. Would not crisp the quinoa in the oven next time. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

Nothing. He was too preoccupied with his bread and butter sandwich. To which he added sour cream. And then dipped it into sour cream. How could any dinner compare to that? He then decided to supplement his dinner with pepperoni. 

Next time:

No crisping of the quinoa. 

Skillet Chicken With Roasted Potatoes and Carrots

This recipe looked so good on the picture. In reality, it did not turn out quite as expected. The sauce was incredibly delicious and Nick's favorite consistency of sauce.
However, the recipe seemed un-necessarily complicated and the carrots and potatoes did not cook all the way in the time alloted. We ended up simmering everything in the sauce an extra ten minutes to get everything cooked all the way.
The sauce though, more than makes up for the rest of the recipe and we will definitely keep the recipe for the sauce but might alter the other parts.
Here is the original recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/skillet-chicken-roasted-potatoes-carrots

Plated!

Simmering for another 10 minutes 

Delicious, delicious sauce

Chicken and Veggies out of the oven waiting for sauce

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
8 ounces baby carrots
8 ounces small red potatoes, halved
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
8 thin lemon slices, seeds removed
1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
3/4 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken to pan; cook 5 minutes or until golden brown. Turn and cook 2 minutes. Remove chicken from pan. Place carrots and potatoes, cut side down, in pan; sprinkle with thyme. Place pan in oven; bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Return chicken to pan; top with lemon slices. Bake at 425° for 12 minutes. Remove pan from oven. Place chicken and vegetables on a plate.

3. Combine 1/2 cup milk, flour, and rind in a bowl. Return pan to medium-high heat (do not wipe out pan). Add flour mixture, remaining 1 cup milk, and stock to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 3 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken and vegetables to pan. Sprinkle with parsley.

What we liked:

The sauce! It was incredible. The perfect consistency and flavor. 

What we didn't like:

The process. The carrots and potatoes did not get cooked all the way. The shuffling of items to and from the pan seems excessive and un-necessary. 

What Kaspian thought about it:

He ate a couple of raw carrots, but was not really hungry as he ate some blini that Alona's grandmother made not too long before dinner. 

Next time:

Keep the sauce, but make some pasta and fry up cubed chicken to go with it.