This week I had a total dinner disaster. I had a Chinese Noodle Chicken recipe lined up for the week so I could use up the broccoli, carrots and mushrooms I had left over from last week. I forgot to pick up Teriyaki sauce so when I went to make the dish, I had to improvise with the Chinese spices I had on hand, then for some reason the noodles wouldn’t cook. Needless to say, by the time the food was done, it was way too salty and the noodles tasted like chewy pieces of wheat. It was awful! So, we ended up using a Groupon and went out for dinner.
Disasters like these are why I always pre-test the recipes I share with you. Rest assured that if I am sharing a recipe, it turned out well and it was easy to make. I am substituting the Chinese Noodle recipe with a kitchen approved Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Chicken recipe. Enjoy!
Monday – Honey Lime Chicken Wings I have a deep fryer because I love fried food, so I whipped these babies out in less than 30 min. The breading was very crispy and the sauce was good. I used it as a dipping sauce instead of a coating for the wings. You can do whichever according to your own tastes.
Ingredients
- 18 whole chicken wings, split
- 1/4 cup honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon grated lime zest
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 quarts vegetable oil for frying
Directions
- In a large bowl, mix together the honey, lime juice, lime peel, garlic, salt and ground black pepper.
- Place the flour in a plastic bag and shake the chicken wings in the flour to coat.
- In a large skillet, fry the chicken wings in hot, 1 inch deep oil until cooked through. Place the cooked wings in the honey/lime mixture and toss to coat well. Serve immediately.
Tuesday - Creamy Chicken and Roasted Garlic Chili Rellenos Casserole Chef Kirsten Helle is a rock star at turning bad-for-you food into delicious healthy meals. This is one of her recipes. It was very good and made yummy leftovers as well. If you need a little extra help in planning your weekly menus or would like healthier recipes, Kirsten offers menu planning services as well as personal chef services. Check out her services and bio when you visit the site to view the full recipe.
Serves 4-6
4 eggs
3 Tb milk or water
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (from a rotisserie chicken if you don’t have any on hand)
1/2 cup sour cream – organic
1 cup Green/Tomatillo Salsa
4 garlic cloves, roasted, mashed (if you don’t have roasted garlic you can just add 4 cloves minced garlic you have sauteed in a bit of oil until softened)
1 cup shredded cheese (I used pepper jack cheese and cheddar, jack cheese is traditional, use what you like)!
Make the egg crepes. Whisk together the eggs with the milk/water. In a non-stick pan preheated over medium high heat add a bit of oil, wipe out the excess with a paper towel. Add 1 Tb of the egg mixture for each crepe, tilt the pan until the batter is spread out in a circle, very thin. Let it cook until it is very browned and almost cooked on the top, about 30 seconds. Carefully flip and let the other side cook for just few seconds. Set aside, continue making more crepes (about 8-10). *Key – make sure your pan is nice and hot and the crepe gets browned, almost crispy on the bottom. If you not do this your crepe may break apart* Combine the chicken, sour cream, salsa and garlic, mix together. In the bottom of a casserole dish that has been lightly oiled, place a layer of your crepes. Top with 1/3 of the chicken mixture. Make 2 more layers. Top with the cheese. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbly. Enjoy!
Wednesday – Midwest Brisket Ok, I cheated on this one. I bought a pre-marinated brisket so all I had to do was add the spices and cook it. It was yummy and I didn’t have to put too much thought into cooking it because I didn’t have to do the marinating. I served the brisket with a baked potato for a good Midwestern meal. Corn and mashed potatoes or green bean casserole would also be Midwest approved side dishes.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons liquid smoke flavoring
- 4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons garlic salt
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 2 tablespoons celery seed
- 5 pounds beef brisket
Directions
- Combine liquid smoke, Worcestershire, garlic salt, onion and celery seed in small bowl. Place brisket in shallow non-metal dish, fatty side down. Pour marinade over meat; cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Remove meat from marinade and place in an ovenproof pan. Roast, fatty side up, 5 hours, until tender.
Thursday – Cobb Salad Simple and yummy. We used Turkey bacon, but I know many of you love the real stuff, so bacon away! Oh, and we also used Thousand Island and Honey Mustard dressing since we’re not huge fans of Ranch.
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon
- 3 eggs
- 1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
- 3 cups chopped, cooked chicken meat
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 3/4 cup blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 avocado – peeled, pitted and diced
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 (8 ounce) bottle Ranch-style salad dressing
Directions
- Place eggs in a saucepan and cover completely with cold water. Bring water to a boil. Cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
- Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.
- Divide shredded lettuce among individual plates.
- Evenly divide and arrange chicken, eggs, tomatoes, blue cheese, bacon, avocado and green onions in a row on top of the lettuce.
- Drizzle with your favorite dressing and enjoy.
Friday – Sweet, Sticky, Spicy Chicken Unlike the Chinese Noodle fiasco, this recipe is not salty and chewy. It’s a simple Asian chicken dish that’s quick and can be served with rice for a complete weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh ginger root
- 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1/2 inch strips
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions
- Mix together brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and hot sauce in a small bowl.
- Lightly salt and pepper the chicken strips.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken strips and brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Simmer uncovered until the sauce thickens, 8 to 10 minutes.
