Thai Chicken

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs (about 2 lb), skin removed

3/4 cup hot salsa

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 Tbsp lime juice

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Place chicken in 3 1/2 - 6 quart slow cooker.  Mix remaining ingredients except peanuts and cilantro; pour over chicken.

2.  Cover and cook on Low 8 to 9 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink.  Remove chicken from cooker using slotted spoon; place on serving platter.

3.  Remove fat from sauce.  Pour sauce over chicken.  Sprinkle with peanuts and cilantro.

Poppy Seed Chicken

A friend of mine made this for me when we got home from the hospital after one of E's surgeries.  It has since become my go to recipe for when I make sunshine meals.  I make the Poppy Seed Chicken with a side of rice and I send it along with the salad and dressing  I am going to post tomorrow with a loaf of fresh bread (that I buy because I have never baked bread!).


Ingredients:

3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and cut into pieces

1 small container of sour cream

1 can cream of chicken condensed soup

1/2 can of chicken broth

1/2 tsp poppy seeds

1/2 sleeve of Ritz crackers

1/2 stick butter

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a bowl, mix sour cream, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth and poppy seeds.  Put chicken in square baking dish and pour mixture on top.

2. Crush the Ritz crackers and melt the butter.  Mix together and put cracker mixture on top of chicken mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes.

Double the mixture and use a 9x13 baking dish. You could also microwave the chicken in white wine for an extra kick prior to throwing this together.

Honey Chicken

I have this recipe from my Mom.  It was a family favorite for  while, but we ate it so much we had to put the recipe to rest for a while.  Here's hoping it makes a comeback!

Ingredients:

2 boneless chicken breasts, cubed

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 - 1 cup honey

2 tsp dry tarragon

1/4 tsp dry basil

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in the skillet.  Ligthly sear.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients.  Stir and cover on low heat.  Sir occasionally until chicken is cooked through.


We usually serve this over rice. It's AMAZING.

Kung Pao Chicken

The hot sauce in this recipe didn't provide enough of a kick for us, but it was great for the kids. We sprinkled red pepper flakes over our plates with the green part of the scallions and that did the trick!

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp canola oil

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

1 clove garlic, minced

4 scallions, chopped

1 red pepper, cut into bite sized chunks

1 1/4 cup water

1/4 cup soy sauce (I'd recommend low sodium!)

4 tsp cornstarch

1 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp red wine vinegar

hot pepper sauce (to taste)

Directions:

1. Toss chicken with sesame oil and set aside.

2. Heat canola oil in skillet and add peanuts. Saute 23 minutes, without browning them. Transfer peanuts to a large bowl and set aside.

3. Add garlic, white portion of the scallions and the pepper chunks to the pan and saute about 1-2 minutes until tender. Transfer these ingredients to the bowl with the peanuts.

4. Add chicken to the pan. Saute until browned and fully cooked, about 6-10 minutes.

5. While chicken start preparing the sauce in a bowl by adding the water, soy sauce, cornstarch, sugar, vinegar and hot sauce. Stir until well blended.

6. When the chicken is full cooked add it to the bowl with the peanut and pepper mixture. Stir the sauce one more time to ensure the cornstarch isn't sticking to the bottom and then add it to the pan, stirring constantly until thickened.

7. Once the sauce has thickened add the chicken and peanut mixture. Simmer 1 minute until heated through.

8. Serve over rice with scallion greens sprinkled on top.

Chicken Bruschetta Bake

This recipe comes from Kraft Foods and it's one of my favorite go to dishes!!

Ingredients:

1 can (14 ½ oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 package (6 oz.) Stuffing Mix for Chicken

½ cup water

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 ½ lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1 tsp dried basil

1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees

2. Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic until stuffing mix is moistened.

3. Layer chicken, basil, and cheese in 13x9 baking dish.

4. Top with stuffing.

5. Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Notes:

We are going to have this tonight with bread, corn and homemade mashed potatoes. I know, holy starch overload, right?