Chicken Nuggets

This is a recipe from the book Once A Month Cooking by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg.  I currently owe about $3.00 in library fines for this book.  I maybe should consider just buying it for myself. 

I have about four bags of these in my freezer.  I love the way they taste.  The original recipe uses dried, Italian-style breadcrumbs.  I used Panko breadcrumbs and added some Italian seasoning.  Makes 'em crunchy!  These aren't quite as "ready to go" as the nuggets in a bag, but they are healthier.

makes 4 to 6 servings

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning (I prefer Penzey's)
1/3 cup grated Parmesan (I just use the stuff from the green can)

Cut the chicken into 1-inch chunks.  Combine chicken, melted butter, and Worcestershire in a 1-quart freezer bag to make a marinade.  Combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a second freezer bag.  Tape the bags together; label and freeze.

TO PREPARE:

Thaw and remove the chicken chunks from the marinade.  Put them in the bread crumb bag (a few at a time) and shake to coat. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Arrange chicken on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 7 to 9 minutes or until no longer pink in the middle.

Chicken and Macaroni Casserole

This is from Grandma Steele. I'm lazy so I just scanned in her handwritten copy of the recipe.  :)

This is easy to make and also freezes well.  I left out the peppers and pimentos for a long time, but then decided to get adventurous and give it a try.  Uh, leave them in.  They make it taste good!  Ha!!

Thanks, Grandma!

Chicken Caesar Wraps

We're trying a whole No Eating Out thing for September. Six days in we've done pretty well :) I went out with my friends during our shopping extravaganza yesterday, but since it came out of my money and not the family budget, I didn't count that. This plan means coming up with some quick lunches for after church on Sundays. (This is usually our weak spot. We sit in the car and talk ourselves into Salsarita's or Firehouse instead of heading home to cook.)

I thought this would be pretty easy to throw together, and it would have been with a bit more planning on my part: cooking the bacon and chicken the night before would have really helped. I'll do that next time ... because these things were awesome. Way better than the ones at McAlister's. (Oh, I got the recipe from Food & Family, the free(!) magazine from Kraft.)


3 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped cooked chicken (marinated in Lawry's Herb & Garlic marinade and broiled)
4 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled (used Oscar Meyer Hearty Thick Cut ... man, that was some GOOD bacon)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (used Sargento shredded)
1/4 cup croutons
1/2 cup Caesar dressing (used Ken's Creamy Caesar)
4 flour tortillas (8 inch)


Place first 5 ingredients in large bowl.

Add dressing; toss lightly.

Spoon onto tortillas; roll up tightly.

Penzey favorite

I bought a sampler pack from Penzey's with a gift card that my children gave me for Christmas. I've found a favorite. I use the Rocky Mountain seasoning on pork chops or chicken breasts and pan-grill them. Easy-cheesy and I love the taste. I also like the Salad Elegant seasoning used like this too. It is also very good on hamburgers. I haven't been eating a lot of pasta lately but they would probably be very good on that with a little olive oil...

Artichoke Chicken

We made this last night, and it was the best meal I've ever made with so few ingredients.

Artichoke Cream Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts (6 oz or so)
5 tbsp butter
Flour
1 c. milk
4 c. prepared instant white rice

Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers for lunch, which is generally how we roll) from The Best of Mr. Food - Quick and Easy Recipes - Volume 2.

Put the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap and go to town on them with a mallet (Christopher's weapon of choice) or a meat tenderizer (which we don't own). Pound them out until they're good and tender. On a plate or in a small casserole dish, put some flour. I added some salt, pepper, and ground oregano to my flour for some added flavor. Dredge the chicken on both sides, generously, with flour.

Melt 2 tbsps. butter in a large saucepan (you can use a large skillet, but ours is not big enough, so I use our pan that looks sort of like this - I find this helps with splatter as well). Put the chicken in and let it cook for about five minutes on each side on a medium-high heat. Don't move the chicken a lot or turn it over much, because you want to let the flour cook up nice and crispy and really stick to the chicken. Add more butter if you need it.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, begin melting the rest of your butter. Add three tablespoons of flour, and cook those together for a little bit. Then, slowly add the marinade from the jar of artichoke hearts and the milk. Stir together and let it cook until it gets bubbly and thickens, stirring occassionally to keep it from sticking. It should have the consistency of white gravy, pretty much. Add the artichokes and let it sit for a few minutes, and then serve over the chicken and over the white rice.

This was AWESOME. I couldn't wait to go home and eat the leftovers for lunch with Chris today. I would make this weekly - all we really had to buy special was the small jar of artichoke hearts, which I believe cost $1.50, and the meal fed us for two meals.

Cheese Delight Chicken

This is another recipe from Joanna's and my childhood. It was a favorite of mine because after it was cooked and eaten, the spilled coating in the bottom of the dish could be scooped out with a fork and eaten as a cheesy crunchy treat! Mom and I would partake without fail. I don't recall Joanna or Dad being very interested in our greasy little piece of heaven.

Ingredients
Boneless chicken breasts
1 clove garlic
1/2 c. oil
1 c. bread crumbs
1/2 c. finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt

Steps

1. Add garlic to oil and let stand for 20 mins.
2. Preheat oven to 350
3. Remove garlic from oil.
4. Mix bread crumbs, cheeses, pepper and salt.
5. Dip chicken in oil, then crumb mixture. Place in a large shallow baking pan: tucking sides under to form meat roll.
   
6. Pour remaining oil over chicken pieces.
7. Bake uncovered for about 45 mins or until done.