Last week, with the weather in southern Minnesota definitely becoming spring-like——wall-to-wall sunshine and the temperature approaching 70——it seemed like the perfect time to pull the grill out of hibernation and cook up a great tasting chicken dish. That’s exactly what I did on Saturday, the most beautiful day (weather-wise) we’ve experienced since last fall. Believe me, after a colder than normal winter (and in Minnesota, that means it was brutal), we deserved it. I swept the patio, washed the outdoor furniture, and dined al fresco with family and friends. We enjoyed “Grilled Marinated Chicken,” a delicious recipe featured on RecipeTips.com. It was fantastic! With a marinade of mustard, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, this grilled chicken dish was extremely moist and flavorful, and as the recipe stated, had an Asian flair.
Grilled Marinated Chicken
The recipe suggested using chicken breasts, which I did use, but I threw in a few thighs as well, because some of my guests favor the dark meat. Basically, I ended up doubling the ingredients (the recipe serves four and I had six people to feed, including myself), which worked out fine, because everyone was satisfied and I didn’t have any leftovers. Check out this recipe for yourself and see if you’re as enthusiastic about it as I am.
I love chicken pot pie, and this recipe, which I found on AllRecipes.com, is particular good. Maybe it’s the combination of the simple ingredients with the fresh chicken (don’t use precooked) that made it so good, or maybe it was the premade piecrusts that I chose (I used Pillsbury), but whatever it was, this chicken pot pie was hard to beat. It’s called “Chicken Pot Pie IX” and was submitted by Robbie Rice, who I would like to thank for providing me with the best chicken pot pie I’ve eaten in a long time.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
- 1 cup sliced carrots
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- ½ cup sliced celery
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1/3 cup chopped onion
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- 1 ¾ cups chicken broth
- 2/3 cup milk
- 2 unbaked pie crusts (9-inch size)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 425ºF.
- In a saucepan, combine the chicken, carrots, peas, and celery. Add water to cover. Boil for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, drain, and set aside.
- In the saucepan over medium heat, cook the onions in butter until soft and translucent.
- Stir in the flour, salt, pepper, and celery seed.
- Slowly stir in the chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the chicken mixture onto the bottom piecrust.
- Pour the hot liquid mixture over the chicken mixture.
- Cover with the top piecrust, seal the edges, and cut away the excess dough. Make several small slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and the filling is hot and bubbly. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Delicious!
Here’s a simple chicken casserole that I found on RecipeZaar.com that, like the author of the recipe says, is “easy to throw together on a busy day.” “Herbed Chicken Casserole” has a rich sauce flavored with white wine, and it has plenty of chicken, rice, and other ingredients to make a satisfying meal.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups cooked chicken
- 1 package (6 ounces) long grain and wild rice blend
- ¾ cup sauterne or other white wine
- 1 can (10 ¾ ounces) cream of chicken soup
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup sliced celery
- 2 cans (3 ounces) sliced mushrooms, drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped pimiento
Directions:
- Prepare the rice according to package directions.
- Spoon the rice into a 2-quart baking dish.
- Arrange the chicken over the top of the rice.
- Pour the white wine and the soup in a skillet. Over medium heat, stir until blended.
- Add the butter, celery, mushrooms, and pimiento.
- Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
- Pour the soup mixture over the chicken.
- Bake, covered, at 350ºF for 25 minutes.
- Uncover and continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes or until heated through.
I want to thank “Lvs2Cook” for this tasty recipe, which is one that I know I’ll be making again.
Easy, inexpensive, and delicious are three appropriate words to describe this hearty dish that I found on the BettyCrocker.com website. “Chicken Stew with Classic Dumplings” is the perfect late winter meal when food preparation time is short and economy is a high priority. This dish required only about an hour to prepare and the cost was minimal, especially since I already had most of the ingredients on hand. The only ingredients I needed to purchase were celery and an additional can of chicken broth. And, since the recipe was enough for more than two meals at my house, it was cheap eating (but it certainly didn’t taste that way).
Ingredients List:
For the Chicken Stew:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 medium stalks celery, coarsely chopped (2 cups)
- 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced (1½ cups)
- 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
- 3 cups cooked chicken, cubed (I used chicken breasts.)
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 6 cups chicken broth
For the Dumplings:
- 1½ cups self-rising flour
- ¼ cup shortening
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup chicken broth
Directions:
For the Chicken Stew:
- In Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the celery, carrots, and onion; cook, stirring frequently, until tender.
- Stir in the chicken, pepper, and 6 cups of chicken broth. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; then simmer for 15 minutes.
For the Dumplings:
- While the stew is simmering, place the flour in medium bowl. Cut in the shortening, using a pastry blender, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Stir in the parsley.
- Add ½ cup of chicken broth and stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened.
- Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto chicken or vegetables in the simmering stew. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 10 to 15 minutes or until the dumplings are firm.
