Chicken and Mushroom Quesadillas

This was a great quesadilla recipe that I will definitely keep on hand and make again soon! Jay came home for lunch and loved the way it made the house smell!

Ingredients:

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (we used 2 smaller ones)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

5 ounces white mushrooms, sliced (about 3 cups)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 pickled jalapeno, minced, plus 1 tablespoon of the jar juices

1 19 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 8 inch flour tortillas (we used 4)

2 cups cheddar cheese (recipe calls for white cheddar, but we used regular cheddar)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium heat; add 1 tablespoon of oil. Cook the chicken until nicely browned on both sides. Cool the chicken and then tear into bite size pieces.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the cumin, and some black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are dry. Transfer mushrooms to a small bowl.

Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil to the skillet along with the onion, garlic, jalapeno and the jar juices, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the beans and mash them into the onion mixture until the mixture is smooth but still dotted with bits of bean.

Lay the tortillas on your work surface and spread 1/4 of the beans on half of each one. Follow the beans with 1/4 of the cheese, half of the chicken, half of the mushrooms and finally the rest of the cheese. I spread the mixture out on the whole bottom of the tortilla and topped with an additional tortilla.

In a clean skillet (or panini press) fry each quesadilla in 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter. Cut into wedges and serve.

Enjoy!

Chili - Rubbed Pan - Roasted Chicken with Pico de Gallo

This was a super easy meal and definitely one that we will try again! Really great fresh flavors and overall an amazing meal! Add it to your menus soon! :)

Ingredients for chicken:

2 tablespoons peanut or corn oil (we used peanut)

4 bone-in chicken breast halves, skin on (we used boneless, skinless chicken breasts)

2 teaspoons chili powder

Kosher Salt

Ingredients for pico de gallo:

2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes; halved

1/2 to 1 jalapeno, stemmed and minced with seeds

1/4 medium red onion, grated

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus pinch for garlic

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Warm corn tortillas (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with chili powder and salt to taste. Lay the chicken in the skillet skin side down and cook until brown. Turn the chicken, transfer the pan to the oven and cook until firm, basting occasionally with the pan drippings, 15 to 20 minutes.

While the chicken cooks, make the pico de gallo: Toss the tomatoes with the jalapeno, onion, and the 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Smash the garlic clove, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and, with the flat side of a large knife, mash and smear the mixture to a coarse paste. Stir the paste into the salsa with the olive oil and cilantro.

Enjoy!

Chicken Ragu with Farfalle

This was an excellent meal! I am playing catch up from this past week as my parents were in town and we were busy and I did not get to put these up! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 whole chicken legs (I used chicken breasts)

2 teaspoons kosher salt plus additional for seasoning

Freshly ground black pepper

1 medium red onion, diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1 rib celery, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

4 canned plum tomatoes, chopped

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley, plus 2 tablespoons chopped

About 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 pound farfalle pasta

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, and heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with some salt and pepper to taste, and cook until brown on all sides, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken to a platter. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and the 2 teaspoons salt to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until vegetables are just tender. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, sage, rosemary, and the parsley sprigs. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and mixture is saucy.

Slip the chicken with any juices into the tomato sauce. Add enough chicken broth to cover about 2/3 of the chicken. Simmer the ragu with the lid slightly ajar until the meat pulls easily from the bone, turning the chicken halfway through, about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken and when cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Skim off any fat that has collected on the top of the sauce and stir in the chicken. (The dish can be prepared up to this point 1 day ahead and refrigerated in a tightly sealed container).

When ready to serve, heat the ragu over low heat. Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Add the farfalle and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. Ladle out about 1 cup of cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta, add it to the ragu and too over low heat, adding about 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta liquid at a time until the sauce coats the farfalle.

Enjoy!

Chicken-n-biscuits Potpie

This was a great meal! Jay and I finished moving all of our stuff today and it was a great hearty meal to eat after everything has been moved! It is a little time consuming but nothing bad and I highly recommend trying it ASAP! :)

Ingredients for the Filling:

4 bone-in chicken breast halves (about 3 pounds) - we used boneless chicken breasts because that is what we had!

4 cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch slices

5 button mushrooms, quartered

1 rib celery (with leaves), cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Freshly ground black pepper

For the chicken filling: Put the chicken breasts in a medium saucepan, add the broth and bring to a boil. Cover, turn the heat very low, and poach chicken until just firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from the broth and when cool enough to handle, shred or dice it into large bite-size pieces. Reserve the broth.

Melt the butter in a 9-inch cast-iron or other heavy ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrots, mushrooms, celery, and salt and cook until vegetables are light brown, about 4 minutes. Add the onions and cook about 1 minute more. Stir the flour into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the reserved chicken broth and whisk until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer, uncovered, until thick, about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken and remove skillet from heat. Stir in parsley, dill, and pepper.

Ingredients for the dough:

2 cups all purpose flour, plus some additional for dusting

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon fine salt

8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced

1 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

3/4 cup milk, plus additional for brushing

For the biscuit dough: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Using your fingers, rub 3 tablespoons of the butter into the flour until the mixture is sandy. Work in the remaining 5 tablespoons butter until it forms pea-size pieces. Stir in lemon zest into the milk and stir milk into the flour mixture to make a soft dough. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Fold the dough into a 10 inch wide disk. You may leave the dough in one piece or cut into pieces. (I cut them into pieces!)

Bring chicken filling to a simmer. If using the large biscuit round, cut a small hole in the center and lay the biscuit on the hot filling. If using the pieces, arrange them on the filling. Brush the biscuits lightly with milk. Put the skillet on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let the potpie rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!

Jerk Chicken and Pineapple Kebabs

This was a different marinade than Jay and I have ever made before! Much sweeter than what we normally have, but we enjoyed it! We substituted a couple of different ingredients based on what we had in the house and what we could find.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar (I used light because that is what we had!)

1/4 cup dark rum (we used whiskey)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 bunch scallions (white and green parts), roughly chopped

1 scotch bonnet chile, stemmed, seeded and minced (we used a habanero)

5 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger

2 teaspoons ground allspice

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into large cubes

Pulse the brown sugar, rum, oil, vinegar, scallions, chile, garlic, ginger, allspice, and pumpkin pie spice in a food processor to make a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl, add the chicken cubes and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for atleast 1 hour or up to 24 hours. (we did 24 hours)

For the skewers heat a grill pan over medium heat or prepare a grill. (I have an amazing husband, so he did this before I came home from work! ) Thread the chicken and pineapple alternately on the skewers. Grill, turning, until the chicken is cooked through. 10-12 minutes.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Apricots, Olives and Couscous

This was an amazing meal that I would have never made on my own! This is why we are cooking through a cookbook! :) Jay and I absolutely loved it and will definitely make it again!

Ingredients for chicken:

8 chicken thighs (2 - 2 1/2 pounds) I might try chicken breasts next time instead of the thighs...just a thought/suggestion on my part!

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, each cut into 6 wedges

4 cloves of garlic, smashed

3/4 teaspoon dried mint

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or to taste

8 ounces dried apricots (about 2 dozen)

3/4 cup small green olives

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, add oil, and heat until shimmering. Cook chicken skin side down until golden and crispy, about 8 minutes. Turn chicken and brown for another 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate. Pour off 2 tablespoons of the pan drippings and reserve; leave remaining drippings in the skillet.

Add the onions, garlic, mint and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until the onions are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in the apricots and olives. Arrange the chicken, skin side up, on top of the onion mixture and bake, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

Ingredients for the couscous:

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds

3 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Pinch cayenne pepper

Freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous

While the chicken bakes, make the couscous: In a small saucepan, toast the cumin and caraway seeds over medium heat, swirling the pan frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, reserved drippings, the 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne and black peppers to taste and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, pull the saucepan off the heat, cover, and set aside until the liquid has been absorbed and couscous is plump, about 5 minutes.

When ready to serve, fluff the couscous with a fork and mound it on a warm serving platter. Arrange the chicken around the couscous.

I really thought this was a great meal! :) Enjoy!