One Skillet Roasted Chicken with Peaches and Pesto Rice

Oh my gosh, this one skillet wonder is the bomb! I am not a huge fan of fruit combined with savory (ie. strawberry in salad), so I was a little wary of this one. But the flavor combos totally work! Thanks to Caroline Chambers, this recipe is worth a try. You and your family will love it!

One-skillet Roasted Chicken with Peaches and Pesto Rice

• Ingredients:

• 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs 

• Kosher salt and pepper

• 2 shallots, thinly sliced

• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

• 1 1/2 cups white rice

• 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock

• 1/4 cup pesto (store-bought!)

• Juice of 1 large lemon (2-3 tablespoons)

• 2 peaches, cut into 1/2-inch wedges

• 1/3 cup thinly sliced basil

• 1/3 cup crumbled feta 

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Warm an ovenproof skillet or saucepan over medium heat. I used a 12-inch cast iron skillet.

Season 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Place the chicken thighs skin-side down in the skillet. After 3 or 4 minutes, when chicken grease starts to pool up in the skillet, add 2 thinly sliced shallots and 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves around the chicken. Season with a pinch of salt. Use tongs to scooch them around to start sautéing them while the chicken cooks.

When the chicken skin is golden, flip it over and scooch it all to the outside rim of the skillet. If your skillet is totally full of chicken, remove one or two to make room to pour the rice in.

To the empty part of the skillet, pour in 1 1/2 cups white rice, 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken stock, 1/4 cup pesto, and the juice of 1 lemon. Use your tongs to evenly distribute the rice and liquid around the chicken. If you removed a chicken thigh, add it back to the skillet, smooshing it down into the rice and liquid.

Raise the stove heat to high to bring the stock to a boil, then turn off the heat. Place the peach slices over the rice, trying not to put them on top of the chicken so that the chicken skin can get nice and crispy.

Place the skillet on the center rack of the oven and roast for 25 to 30 minutes. Check your chicken and rice at the 25 minute mark. The chicken should be at least 160°F internally, and the rice should be tender (it might look hard on the surface where it was exposed to direct heat, so dig your spoon down in there to check!).

Garnish with 1/3 cup thinly sliced basil and 1/3 cup feta, and dig in!! Serve  chicken over pesto rice with lots of peaches, basil, and feta on top.

---

 

Chicken Shawarma

When our girls came home from college for a few weeks this summer, we invited my parents to join our family for dinner on the deck.  Chicken Shawarma was a huge hit with everyone! The grilled chicken thighs were marinated overnight with a tasty spice mixture and served with homemade tzatziki, warm naan bread, sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, romaine lettuce and hummus on the side. Everyone made a shawarma sandwich or bowl tailored to their own tastes by folding chicken and whichever toppings they wanted in the naan bread, or topping their bowl of lettuce with cukes, tomatoes, chicken and drizzled with tzatziki. 

Chicken Shawarma

Marinade Ingredients:

juice of 2 lemons

1/3 cup olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

2.5-3lbs pounds chicken thighs, trimmed

Additional ingredients to complete the meal:

2-3 Persian cucumbers, cubed

1 box cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

naan (warmed in 400 degree oven on an oiled baking sheet, sprinkled with a little water for 2-3 minutes) 

or pita bread

chopped romaine lettuce

tzatziki (recipe below)

hummus

Combine marinade ingredients in large plastic ziplock bag or bowl. Add chicken thighs and marinade for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Grill over medium grill until brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. Slice into thin pieces and serve with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded romaine lettuce, warmed naan, and tzatziki or hummus drizzled on top. Alternatively, you can make a Chicken Shawarma bowl by topping a bowl of romaine lettuce with all the fixings and drizzle with tzatziki. 

Tzatziki

1.5 cups plain Greek yogurt (2% or full fat)
1 medium English cucumber, grated and squeezed of excess moisture
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (dried works if you don't have fresh)
kosher salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Serve as a dressing for Chicken Shawarma or as a dip with crudités .

Huli Huli Chicken with Turmeric Rice

It's grilling and dinner on the deck season! Huli Huli chicken is one of my family's favorites. Serve with Tumeric Rice, green veggies and slices of pineapple for a sweet and flavorful dinner perfect for summer nights.

Huli Huli Chicken

1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar

1 inch piece peeled, grated ginger

2-3 minced garlic cloves

2 pounds boneless chicken thighs

green onions for garnish

In a large bowl or a gallon-size resealable plastic bag, combine the ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, rice vinegar, ginger and garlic, and stir or shake until combined. Reserve and refrigerate 1/2 cup of the mixture for basting the chicken later. Add the chicken to the remaining mixture, and stir or shake until evenly coated.  Refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours, turning the chicken at least once.

Heat the grill to medium and oil grates. Add the chicken to the grill, cover, and cook approximately 5 minutes per side and basting it with the reserved marinade after you turn it.  Garnish with sliced green onions. Enjoy!

Source

Turmeric Rice

1 cups basmati or jasmine rice
1 Tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon ginger

2 cups broth

Stove Top

In a medium pot, combine the basmati rice and all other ingredient. Cover and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer (covered) for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for another 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork and serving.

Rice Cooker

Combine the basmati rice and all other ingredients. Cook using the 'white rice' function (or regular function if there is not a white rice option). Fluff with a fork and enjoy!

Chicken Soup from Scratch

Chicken soup means comfort and healing, two things we need during these crazy days while the world is reeling.  I just wish I could make a batch of this for all health care workers out there working their hardest to help heal the sick. I tried the  New York Times Cooking version that takes a little more time, but is so worth the flavor at the end.

Ingredients for stock

1 chicken, 3 to 3 1/2 pounds, with skin

3 stalks celery, with leaves, cut into chunks 

2 large carrots, cut into chunks 

2 yellow onions, peeled and halved 

About 1 dozen large sprigs parsley 

About 1 dozen black peppercorns

 2 bay leaves

 2 teaspoons kosher salt, more to taste 

Ingredients for soup
3 tablespoons reserved chicken fat, more if needed 

3 leeks, trimmed, halved lengthwise, rinsed and sliced crosswise into thin half-moons

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into small dice

Kosher salt and ground black or white pepper

Egg noodles (fresh or dried)

Finely chopped herbs, such as parsley, scallions or dill

1. Place the chicken, celery, carrots, onions, parsnip, parsley, peppercorns, bay leaves and salt in a large soup pot and cover with cold water by 1 inch. 

2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to very low. Adjust the heat until the soup is “smiling”: barely moving on the surface, with an occasional bubble breaking through. Cook uncovered, until the chicken is very tender and falling off the bone, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. 

3. When cool enough to handle, use tongs to transfer chicken from the pot to a container. Taste the broth and continue to simmer it until it is concentrated and tasty. Strain broth through a sieve (or a colander lined with cheesecloth) into a separate container. Discard all the solids from the strainer.

 4. Refrigerate chicken pieces and broth separately for at least 8 hours (or up to 3 days), until a thick layer of yellow fat has risen to the top of the broth.

 5. When ready to finish the soup, use your fingers to separate chicken breast meat from bones and skin. Discard bones and skin. Use two forks to pull the breast meat apart into soft chunks, or use a knife and cut into bite-size pieces. (Reserve dark meat for another use.)

 6. Skim chicken fat from top of broth and set aside. Place 3 tablespoons of the fat in a soup pot with a lid. Add leeks, stir to coat, and heat over medium heat until leeks begin to fry. Then reduce the heat to a gentle sizzle and cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. 

7. Add carrots, sprinkle with salt, stir, and cover the pot. Cook until vegetables are just tender, about 5 minutes more. (Keep in mind that vegetables will continue to cook in the soup.) 

8. Pour broth into pot with vegetables and heat to a simmer. Add noodles and simmer until heated through, soft and plumped. Add the breast meat, then taste broth and add salt and pepper to taste. For best flavor, soup should have some golden droplets of fat on top; if needed, add more chicken fat one teaspoon at a time.

 9. Serve immediately sprinkling each serving with herbs.

Easy Chicken Tacos in Instant Pot

We are on day number two of our home-bound living experience and our dinner game going strong! Up to this point, I have not fully embraced the Instant Pot but my boss shared that her family happily uses it almost every night, so I thought I would give it another chance. This yummy dish really did come together in under an hour plus made enough to make tasty salads the next day. If you have a few canned goods and frozen chicken, this is an easy meal!

Easy Chicken Tacos in Instant Pot

1 can black beans (drained)

1 can corn (drained) (could use frozen)

2 cans Rotel (or 1.5 cups salsa)

2 tablespoons taco seasoning (click here for recipe or use ready made)

3 chicken breasts (can be frozen)

avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, slice green onions, salsa-optional toppings 

Place chicken in bottom of Instant Pot. Add rest of ingredients and stir. Select Manual Setting and cook for 20 minutes. Manually vent and shred chicken. If the contents are too soupy, changed to Saute Setting for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. I like to crisp corn tortillas over an open flame on the stove and then serve with avocado, sour cream and green onions and my son loves to add grated cheese. Enjoy!

Spoon a little salsa over lettuce, add some chopped veggies like bell pepper, celery and avocado and top with left over Chicken Taco mixture to make a delicious salad the next day.

White Chicken Chili

My dear friend's husband recently had major surgery and since my love language is food, I wanted to bring them a meal to let them know how much I care for them and to hopefully help with the healing process. I knew I would be traveling to SF in the middle of the day, so I wanted a meal that I could prepare the day before and bring after being refrigerated. White chicken chili is a comforting bowl of healthy goodness and just gets better over time. I brought optional toppings to go with the chili along with Mini Corn Bread Bites, salad fixings with Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing and Lemon Squares for dessert. I packed the all dinner goodies in Ikea's storage containers which are cute and  inexpensive, so I could leave the boxes with my friend and she didn't have to worry about returning them. 

White Chicken Chili

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery
1 jalapeno, deseeded and deveined, chopped finely
2 (4 ounce) cans diced green chili peppers, preferably "fire-roasted", drained
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
4 cups chicken broth
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels
salt and pepper to taste

To serve:  grated Monterey jack cheese, chopped avocado, cilantro, lime wedges

Saute onions and celery with olive oil for 5 minutes in dutch oven. Add jalapeno and garlic for one more minute. Push aside vegetables and place chicken breasts at bottom of pot. Brown for a few minutes. Add chicken broth, diced green chili peppers, cumin, salt, coriander, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil over medium heat and let simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken breasts and shred with two forks.  Add chicken, beans, and corn back to pot and simmer for 10 more minutes.  Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy with all the yummy toppings!

Get Well Meal All Packed Up

Ikea Containers- Great for Food Gifts

Healthy Chicken Vegetable Soup

I make a pot of soup practically every week in the winter. My daughters are always requesting vegetable soup and sometimes I like to add protein so it can be a meal in a bowl. What I like about this recipe is that the ground chicken makes it a bit different than soup with shredded chicken. Delicious!

Healthy Chicken Vegetable Soup
1 pound ground chicken
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 carrots, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
6 cups of chicken broth
handful of torn kale
salt and pepper to taste

Saute chicken and onion in soup pot over medium high heat until chicken is cooked and onions translucent, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Add chicken broth, carrots and thyme and bring to a boil. Add zucchini and simmer for 15 minutes. Add torn kale and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy with crusty bread and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.

Peanut Chicken Noodle Salad

Hot days always make me crave cold salads out on the deck for dinner. This Peanut Chicken Noodle salad is perfect when you know a heat wave is predicted- you can whip it together in the eve when it is cool, pop it in the fridge and when you get home from work the next day, you will have a cool and tasty salad ready to serve. We added the noodle salad on a bed of extra cabbage for more crunch and had crispy crudites alongside. This is also a great potluck salad because you can make it ahead and everyone will love it~

Peanut Chicken Noodle Salad

1 pound linguine

2 chicken breasts

olive oil

kosher salt & pepper

2 cups shredded Napa cabbage

2 carrots, grated coarsely

6 green onions

optional: julienne red peppers or sliced snow peas for crunch and color

chopped peanuts for garnish (and cilantro leaves if you family likes it!)

Dressing

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 garlic clove, minced

Coat chicken with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper and bake at 400º for 25-30 minutes. Let cool after cooking and either shred or cut into cubes. Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain, rinse with cold water.

Mix all dressing ingredients in blender until smooth. Put cabbage, carrots, cold noodles, chicken pieces in bowl and mix with dressing. You can add julienne red peppers or sliced snow peas for color and crunch, too! Refrigerate until ready to enjoy and garnsh with green onions and chopped peanuts.

Slow Cooker Coconut Curry Chicken

When my daughter, Madeleine, served herself some of this curry tonight she asked, "Is this Indian curry or Thai curry?" Not knowing the difference myself, I guessed that it was "Indian" curry because the recipe called for garam masala, which is more typically found in Indian cooking than Thai. Whichever type it is, my family loved the flavor and I appreciated the ease with which one can make it. I whipped together the sauce the night before and popped all the ingredients in the crock pot before I left for work the next day. Add rice to the rice cooker when you get home, steam some green beans and you have dinner on the table!

Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry
  
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 8-10)
3 large yukon gold potatoes, cut into chunks
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 green bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 garlic cloves
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
1 15 ounce can coconut milk
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
cilantro, if desired

Add chicken thighs and potatoes to slow cooker. In a food processor of blender, add onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomato paste, coconut milk, curry, garam masala and salt. Blend until smooth. Pour mixture over chicken and potatoes and cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over rice with chopped cilantro. Enjoy!

Pesto Lemon Chicken

This is the easiest chicken you will ever make! All you need is a container of pre-made pesto (or use your own home made pesto if you happen to have some in your fridge) and lemon juice. My favorite store bought pesto these days is Three Bridges Basil Pesto (they even have a kale pesto that I would like to try) which you can find at Safeway. Pesto chicken is perfect for a quick weeknight meal when you have just a few minutes to get dinner on the table-yum!

Pesto Lemon Chicken

4 chicken fillets (or two large breasts cut in half lengthwise)

1 container pesto 

juice of one lemon

Stir lemon juice into pesto and spread mixture on one side of the chicken breasts. Place pesto side on grill pan or barbeque and spread rest of pesto on top side of chicken. Cook until done and serve with lemon slices. Enjoy!   

Honey Balsamic Chicken Skewers

Are you forever looking for a new way to cook chicken? I find that I often cook family favorites- baked "fried" chicken with panko, honey mustard baked chicken and lemon dill chicken, so when I saw this recipe that looked easy to prepare and had an ingredient I don't often use with chicken (balsamic vinegar), I knew I had to try it!  This is sweet and tangy and a new family favorite.

Honey Balsamic Chicken Skewers

3 chicken breasts or 5 chicken thighs, cut into 1 inch cubes

Marinade:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 tablespoons honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, grated
1 tablespoon canola oil
kosher salt and pepper to taste
sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Mix together marinade ingredients in plastic bag. Place cubes of chicken into bag and marinate in refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Drain chicken from marinade and skewer on bamboo sticks. Heat nonstick pan to medium high until hot, then lower to medium and place a few skewers in pan and cook 3-5 minutes per side until brown. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with rice and steamed veggies. Enjoy!

Recipe inspiration from here