Chicken Recipes: Chicken or Turkey Enchiladas

I turned to one of my favorite “comfort food” recipes to use up some of that Thanksgiving turkey: the “Chicken Enchiladas” recipe that I found about a year and half ago on RecipeTips.com. Yes, even at my house, we occasionally walk on the wild side and serve something other than chicken. This casserole-like dish is a snap to make, and it really lends itself nicely to using any type of leftover poultry (although I still prefer to use chicken). Go to RecipeTips.com and check out this great recipe. I know you’re going to enjoy “Chicken Enchiladas,” even if you make them with turkey instead.

 

Chicken Recipes: Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Pear, Bell Pepper, and Cilantro Salsa

While browsing the Internet to find a new chicken recipe among the ten zillion recipes that are out there, I came across this delicious creation featured on Epicurious.com. With a really good homemade pear salsa and a fabulous pan sauce made with the pan drippings and pear nectar, “Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Pear, Bell Pepper, and Cilantro Salsa” is, in one word, “fantastic!”

Ingredients for the Salsa:

• 2 Anjou or Bosc pears (about 1¼ pounds total), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 cup finely diced red bell pepper, seeded (about 1 large pepper)
• ½ cup finely chopped red onion
• ¼ cup finely chopped jalapeño chilies, seeded (about 2 medium-size chilies)
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ½ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

Directions for the Salsa:

• In a medium bowl, mix together all of the ingredients except the cilantro.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Let the salsa stand at room temperature for 1 hour; then stir in the cilantro.

Ingredients for the Chicken:

• 3 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 1½ pounds total), halved horizontally
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons butter (¼ stick), divided
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• ¾ cup low-salt chicken broth
• ¾ cup pear nectar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions for the Chicken:

• Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Place the flour in a wide, shallow bowl; then dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. Place the chicken pieces on a baking sheet or large plate.
• Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat.
• Add 3 chicken breast pieces to the skillet and fry until nicely browned and cooked through (about 3 minutes per side). Transfer the chicken to a large plate.
• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to skillet and cook the remaining chicken breast pieces. Transfer the chicken to the plate and tent the chicken with foil to keep it warm while preparing the pan sauce.
• To prepare the sauce, add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring it to a boil. Make sure to scrape up the browned bits, which add so much flavor to the sauce.
• Stir in the pear nectar, mustard, and lemon juice. Boil the mixture until thick enough to coat a spoon (about 4 minutes).
• Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve this dish, which provides six servings, place one chicken breast piece on a dinner plate; then spoon the pan sauce over the chicken. Divide the pear salsa among the six servings as an accompaniment to the chicken. Yum!

 

Chicken Recipes: Grilled Garlic Chicken Wings

If you’d like to make a quick appetizer that will be a big hit at your next get-together, try this tasty recipe that I found on RecipeTips.com. It’s called “Grilled Garlic Chicken Wings,” and it’s not only delicious, but it’s also quite easy to prepare. The wings are marinated in a mixture of onion, red wine, olive oil, soy sauce, and spices, and of course, there’s plenty of garlic. The wings are grilled, and the marinade is boiled to reduce it to a thick sauce, which is then used as a dipping sauce for the grilled wings.

It’s very important to remember that the marinade must be boiled thoroughly, not only to thicken it, but also to kill the harmful bacteria that might be present as a result of being in contact with the raw chicken. I hope you enjoy these delicious chicken wings.

 

Chicken Recipes: Lemon Rosemary Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Last night, I made one of my favorite chicken dishes. This recipe is one that I’ve written about before, but I just felt the need to once again let you know how sensational it is. I usually make this recipe during the late fall to early spring when the weather is too cold to enjoy outdoor grilling. See my blog post from May 2, 2008 for the complete recipe; then enjoy this fantastic one-pan meal.

 

Chicken Recipes: Grilled Tropical Chicken

Last night, I tried another fantastic marinade for grilled chicken. Citrus juices and a variety of herbs and spices provided the chicken with a tropical flavor. In addition, the chicken was as tender and moist as any grilled chicken I’ve ever had. I think the pineapple juice in the marinade was the reason for this. I have heard that pineapple juice is one of the best natural tenderizers for any type of meat.

Here are the ingredients that I used for this marinade:

• ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• ¼ cup fresh pineapple juice
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• The juice of one lime
• 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon cumin

This marinade recipe was enough for four boneless and skinless chicken breasts, but I needed eight servings, so I doubled the amounts listed. After grilling the chicken breasts to the proper doneness (the juices were clear), the meat became flavorful and moist. I served it with two of my favorites: grilled bread slices and a selection of grilled vegetables, including eggplant slices, bell pepper strips, onions, and summer squash. Try this great-tasting chicken and let me know what you think.

 

Chicken Recipes: Grilled Chicken, San Diego Style

During the summer, it’s really difficult for me to do any cooking indoors. Who wants to be stuck inside using the stovetop or the oven, heating up the kitchen on a sunny, warm day? Not me. Of course, on rainy days it’s necessary to return to the kitchen, because despite my fondness of outdoor grilling, I have an aversion to grilling food outdoors while holding an umbrella—and I never risk pushing the grill into the garage or up next the house under the overhang of the roof.

Yesterday was one of those days that really wasn’t suitable for outdoor grilling, but since I was invited to a friend’s house for dinner, it made no difference to me. They did serve grilled chicken, but they cooked it indoors on their built-in grill. They called the chicken dish, “San Diego Chicken,” and it was fantastic. The recipe features honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, lime juice, ginger, pureed mango, and ground toasted pecans that are used as a marinade for the chicken prior to grilling.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ to 2 lbs. of chicken pieces
• 1 ripe mango
• ¼ cup honey
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ cup pecans, toasted
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

• Put the toasted pecans into a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Set aside.
• Cut up the fruit of a mango; then put it into a blender or food processor and liquefy.
• Pour the pureed fruit into a large saucepan. Add the honey, brown sugar, lime juice, cinnamon, and ginger. Cook on low heat for 8 to 12 minutes until thickened. Stir often. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool.
• Rinse the chicken and pat it dry with paper towels.
• Place the chicken into a large zip-locking bag; then add the marinade mixture and the toasted pecans. Make sure all of the chicken is covered with the sauce.
• Refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for 2 to 4 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade.
• Grill the chicken until it reaches the proper doneness (170º F. on a meat thermometer.).

My friends made extra marinade to use as a basting sauce for the chicken during grilling. (You should never reuse a marinade for any purpose once it has been in contact with the raw chicken, which is why they made extra.) The sauce made the crispy grilled chicken skin irresistible. You’re going to love this great chicken recipe.

 

Chicken Recipes: Spiced Chicken Breasts with Apple-Jalapeño Chutney

If you like chicken breasts with a bit of heat, try this great recipe that features a spicy homemade apple chutney that really livens up ordinary baked chicken breasts with loads of flavor. “Spiced Chicken Breasts with Apple-Jalapeño Chutney” is a fantastic chicken recipe that I found on RecipeTips.com. There are numerous ingredients in this one—many more than I’m used to working with—but the result was certainly worth a trip to the supermarket to grab the items I didn’t already have on hand.

Spiced Chicken Breasts with Apple-Jalapeno Chutney

The chicken is marinated in a mixture of orange juice, olive oil, fresh ginger, brown sugar, chopped scallions, ground coriander, ground cinnamon, salt, and pepper. The chutney contains apples and jalapeños, of course, combined with brown sugar, orange juice, apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, orange zest, a bay leaf, and some olive oil. It makes a great tasting chutney to serve with this chicken, which can either be baked or grilled. I prefer grilled, but since it was raining, I was forced to bake it this time. I hope you enjoy this recipe.

 

Chicken Recipes: Grilled Chicken Skewers

I found this recipe on GroupRecipes.com and thought it looked intriguing—certainly not because of the name of the recipe, “Grilled Chicken Skewers,” but because of the ingredients: barbecue sauce, soy sauce, cilantro, honey mustard, and believe it or not, peanut butter. The addition of peanut butter certainly seemed odd to me, but it was surprisingly good in combination with the other ingredients.

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of hot water
• ¼ cup of your favorite barbecue sauce
• ¼ creamy peanut butter
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 2 tablespoons honey Dijon mustard
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 12 thin strips

Directions:

• In a medium bowl, mix together the water, barbecue sauce, peanut butter, soy sauce, cilantro, and mustard using a wire whisk.
• Pour the mixture into a large sealable bag.
• Add the strips of chicken to the bag and seal it; then shake gently to coat the chicken with the marinade.
• Refrigerate the chicken for 1 to 2 hours to marinate.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• After marinating for the desired time, thread the chicken strips onto 12 skewers in a ribbon fashion. Discard the marinade. (Do not reuse it!)
• Grill the chicken skewers for 5 to 7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

There you have it—easy as can be and very tasty. Thank you, “Alaskanmom,” for sharing this delicious recipe. Enjoy!

 

Chicken Recipes: Grilled Bacon-wrapped Chicken

I have a friend who loves bacon so much that she said she’d eat it even if it was wrapped around a mud ball. Well, with that in mind, I thought it would be a safe bet to wrap it around a skinless, boneless chicken breast and serve it to her that way instead. That’s why I decided to make this easy grilled chicken recipe called—you guessed it—“Grilled Bacon-wrapped Chicken,” which I found on Epicurious.com. It’s a simple idea that really makes sense. Wrapping a chicken breast (which, in this case, was marinated in teriyaki sauce, white wine, and garlic) in bacon strips helps to seal in the moistness of the chicken during the grilling process and adds plenty of smoky bacon flavor to the meat. Yum!

Ingredients:

• ½  cup teriyaki sauce
• ¼ cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)
• 1½ tablespoons chopped garlic
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 8 bacon slices

Directions:

• Combine the teriyaki sauce, white wine, and chopped garlic in glass pie dish or bowl.
• Add the chicken to the marinade and turn to coat all sides; then cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, turning the chicken occasionally.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Remove the chicken from marinade and wrap each piece with 2 strips of bacon. Cover the chicken completely and secure the ends with toothpicks.
• Turn the chicken occasionally while grilling and cook it until it is firm to the touch and the juices run clear. The bacon should be crisp. The cooking time required is about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a platter and serve.

The only thing I did differently was that I used three strips of bacon per chicken breast (so I needed twelve strips total), because like my friend, Laurie, I’m also a big fan of bacon, but probably not when it’s wrapped around a mud ball.

 

Chicken Recipes: Thai Chicken Burgers with Mango Mint Topping

This is a grilled chicken recipe that I found on BetterRecipes.com that is actually called “Thai Turkey Burgers with Mango Mint Topping.” Of course, I decided to use chicken instead. I don’t have anything against turkey; in fact, I like it occasionally, but I just don’t like it as well as chicken. And, I rarely ever have a reason to have it on hand, except maybe on Thanksgiving, but I always have plenty of chicken ready to pull from the freezer and use for dinner the next day. Anyway, I’m sure that using chicken in this recipe didn’t hurt anything.

This delicious burger recipe, submitted by “roxiechan,” combines ground chicken (or turkey) with several tasty ingredients to make a patty bursting with Asian flavor and appealing aromas. And, the mango mint topping is a great complement to the grilled chicken burger.

Ingredients:

• Chicken burger:
  • 1 ½ pounds ground raw chicken
  • ¼ cup plain yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons minced green onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced gingerroot
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • 1 teaspoon curry past
     
• Mango mint topping:
  • 1 cup peeled mango, cut in a small dice
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • ½ tsp grated lime zest
  • 2 tablespoons snipped mint
     
• When ready to serve:
  • 6 sesame-seeded rolls, split
  • 6 lettuce leaves

Directions:

• Combine the ground chicken (or turkey) and the next 6 ingredients and mix well.
• Form the mixture into 6 patties.
• Grill over high heat for 5 to 7 minutes per side or until the patties are cooked through.
• While the burgers are grilling, combine the ingredients for the mango mint topping until well blended.
• During the last minute of grilling, add the roll halves to the grill rack, cut side down, to lightly toast.
• To serve the burgers, place a lettuce leaf on the bun bottoms, add the grilled chicken burgers, cover the burger with the mango mint topping, and add the bun top.

These chicken burgers are so much better than those plain old grilled hamburgers that some of us get so tired of during the summer. (I know I’m probably in the minority on that one.) This great burger recipe is really something different, so I urge you to give it a try. Thanks “roxiechan” for this wonderful recipe.