Garlic Butter Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts

7-8 potatoes

1/2 cup butter

1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp Italian seasoning

salt & pepper

 

Cut the chicken into smaller pieces, 2-3 per breast. Peel and chop the potatoes. Place chicken and potatoes in a 9x13 pan and season with salt and pepper. Melt butter, add garlic powder and Italian seasoning and pour over top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for an hour or until potatoes are done.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

1/2 an onion, chopped

oil

1 tsp. Cajun seasoning (I use Tony)

1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. brown sugar

1 can diced tomatoes (540 ml)

2.5 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup cream

400 g pasta (penne or rotini)

 

Cook the chicken and onion in the oil and spices. Once browned, add the tomatoes, broth and cream. Bring to a boil and add the pasta. Cover and simmer until the pasta is done, uncover for the last few minutes to thicken it up if needed.

Variation: This also works to leave out the chicken and just make it as pasta. Then I make chicken fingers on the side and serve them together, almost like a chicken parmesan idea.

Chicken Stew

1-2 chicken breasts

salt & pepper

garlic powder

3 potatoes

4 carrots

onion, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup milk

2 T. flour

peas

parsley

sprinkle of thyme

Brown and season chicken in oil. Add veggies and broth, cook covered 20 minutes until vegetables are cooked. Add peas and milk shaken with flour, parsley and thyme. Simmer until thickened and hot through.

Homemade Shake n Bake

1 cup flour

1/3 cup cornmeal

1 tsp seasoning salt

1 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp pepper

Mix together. Shake or coat chicken pieces in flour mixture. If baking, drizzle with butter and make sure the pieces are coated completely. This also makes a great batter for deep frying!

 

For an extra crispy coating, shake the chicken in the flour mixture, dip the chicken pieces in a beaten egg, and coat them a second time in the flour.

Chicken Curry

2 chicken breasts
salt & pepper
1 tsp. curry
chopped onions
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger
1.5 cups chicken broth
1 T. cornstarch
1 tsp. sugar
2 T. sour cream

Cut chicken into strips and brown in oil with onions and seasonings. Combine broth, cornstarch and sugar and add. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until slightly thickened. Stir in sour cream before serving. Serve over rice.

Original recipe also calls for frozen peas to be added when thickened, but I always serve those on the side instead.

Chicken Fajitas

3 chicken breasts, cut in long strips
1-2 T. taco seasoning
oil
1 green pepper, julienned
1 red pepper, julienned
1 small onion, chopped or cut in long strips

Sprinkle the chicken with the taco seasoning and saute in the oil until cooked through and browned. Saute the peppers and onion in oil in another pan. You can also cook it altogether in one pan, but my family prefers it to be separate because not everyone likes peppers.

When everything is done, serve in tortillas. You can also add shredded cheese, sour cream and salsa.

Honey Ginger Soy Stir-fry

1 chicken breast
1 carrot
2 sticks celery
broccoli florets
red pepper
onion
green pepper

Sauce:

1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 T honey (can also substitute sugar)
2 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp ginger

Brown the chicken in oil. Add the veggies and stir-fry. Mix the sauce (I double the recipe for 7 people) and pour over the stir-fry when the veggies are done to your liking. Cook a few minutes until the sauce is thick. Serve over long, skinny noodles (like vermicelli).

Chicken Taquitos

2 packages small to medium flour tortillas (12 in each package)
1 can refried beans
3 T. taco seasoning
2 chicken breasts
1 T. oil
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (or a little more)
1/4 cup melted butter

Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces, sprinkle with taco seasoning and fry in oil until browned. Add the refried beans and cheese, stir until melted and smooth, remove from heat. Place filling across the center of the tortillas and roll up; place the rolled tortillas tightly together in a buttered 9x13. Each 9x13 dish should hold 12 rolled tortillas. Brush with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes at 450. Let stand at least 10 minutes to cool after baking. These stay hot for a long time! Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Cornflake Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts
4-5 cups cornflakes cereal, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted (or more if you need)

I cut my chicken breasts in half so that they are thinner but this isn't necessary. Crush the cornflakes in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin, then coat the chicken. If they don't stick too well, just sprinkle more on top. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle with the melted butter. Bake 35 minutes at 425, or up to an hour for whole chicken breasts. Watch the cornflakes as they will burn eventually.

Buttered Egg Noodles (& Chicken Kiev)

When we got married, the meal at our reception was Chicken Kiev and buttered egg noodles. It was really good and I've always wanted to re-create it at home. I finally figured out how to do it!

Step 1: Buy pre-made frozen chicken kiev. Yup, I didn't even attempt to make it from scratch.

Step 2: Make buttered egg noodles. That's where this recipe comes in. I got it online somewhere and modified it to suit us. It's really good, really fast and easy!

Ingredients:

1 package broad egg noodles (340 g)
3 1/4 cups chicken broth (I use water + chicken bouillon)
1/4 cup butter

Bring the chicken broth and butter to a boil. Add the egg noodles and cook covered for about 8 minutes, or until the noodles are done and the liquid has all been absorbed. The original recipe calls for an additional 1/4 cup of butter to be stirred into the noodles at the end, but I've deemed this unnecessary. It makes the noodles greasier but doesn't really add to the flavour. I do however give it a sprinkle of parsley on top before serving.

One Pan Chicken Dinner

3 chicken breasts
6 potatoes
bunch of carrots and maybe some onions (or other vegetables of choice; green beans or broccoli might be good)
1/2 cup butter
1 pkg. onion soup mix

Place the chicken down the middle of a 9x13 pan. On one side arrange the potatoes and on the other the carrots and onions. Slice the butter into little slices and lay over the whole thing, then sprinkle with the onion soup mix (you don't have to use a whole package; it works with less). Cover with foil and bake for an hour at 350.

Sweet & Sour Chicken

3 chicken breasts
salt & pepper
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten

Sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
4 T. ketchup
1/2 c. vinegar
1 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. garlic salt


Cut up the chicken into 1" cubes and season with salt & pepper. Toss with cornstarch (I guess on the amount of cornstarch; I just use enough until it's coated), then with beaten eggs. Fry chicken in 1/3 cup of oil until golden brown. Place in an 8x11 baking pan. Mix sauce and pour over top. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, stirring after 15. Serve over rice.

The original recipe calls for the chicken cubes to be individually coated in cornstarch, dipped in eggs and then placed in the baking dish, but this was far too much work for me and made my fingers completely coated in batter, so I just toss the chicken with those ingredients in a bowl. Much easier and the results are the same!

Teriyaki Chicken

2-3 chicken breasts, cut up
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder


Mix the sauce and pour it over the chicken. The original recipe says to bake it in the oven for an hour but after a number of attempts, it always boiled over and made a mess of my oven. So now I just bring it all to a boil on the stovetop and let it simmer covered until the chicken is done, about 30 minutes. It also works really well in the slow cooker. For time saving during prep, you can put whole chicken breasts in the slow cooker with the sauce and just shred the chicken once it's cooked. Serve over rice!

Chicken Quesadillas

2 chicken breasts, cut up in small pieces
1/2 an onion, diced
1 T oil
6 large flour tortillas
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the chicken and the onion in oil until the chicken is cooked through and slightly browned. Remove from heat and spread the chicken and onions evenly over 3 large tortillas, top each with cheese and another tortilla.  Return one quesadilla to the pan and brown each side a few minutes until slightly crispy and the cheese is melted. Repeat with the other quesadillas. Cut into wedges and serve with salsa and sour cream.

This is a pretty basic recipe. You can get much more creative with peppers and other veggies, or spread refried beans on each tortilla before topping with chicken and cheese.

Crispy Chicken Wraps

chicken fingers
tortillas
shredded cheese
mayo, Ranch dressing or BBQ sauce
lettuce
tomatoes

For a super easy meal, you can wrap chicken fingers in tortillas to make a crispy chicken wrap. Just cook the chicken fingers how you usually do (at our house we deep-fry them). You can use whatever kind of sauce you like. We like either Ranch dressing or mayo with a little bit of honey BBQ sauce. Add the cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and anything else you prefer and enjoy!

Chicken Wraps

2-3 chicken breasts, chopped
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1 1/2 T chili powder (I am pretty generous with chili powder)
1 pkg. flour tortillas
shredded cheddar cheese
tomatoes, diced
lettuce
salsa & sour cream

Brown the chicken in the Italian dressing until cooked through. Sprinkle with chili powder and heat through. Wrap with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. in tortillas. Easy and tasty! This is one of my go-to lunches and a family favourite.

Honey'd Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts (cut up or left whole)
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T ketchup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ginger

Mix honey, soy sauce and remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken in a casserole dish. Cover and bake 1 hour at 350. Serve over rice.

Chicken Stir-fry with Pasta

1 T oil
1-2 chicken breasts, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp sugar
2 T cornstarch
1 tsp soy sauce
2 T oyster sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Brown chicken in oil, then add the vegetables. Combine chicken broth with the remaining ingredients. Once the veggies are cooked through, add the sauce and cook until sauce thickens. Serve over pasta or rice.

The original recipe calls for a sauce of just the chicken broth and the cornstarch, with a sprinkle of rosemary added to the veggies as they stir-fry. This version is also good.

You can pretty much add any veggies you like to this; red peppers and mushrooms are very good but almost anything will work.

You could also make this with pork or beef, substituting beef broth for the chicken broth and adding brown sugar instead of white.

Rice Stir-fry

1 T oil
1 chicken breast, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and sliced
1-2 cups broccoli florets (frozen works well)
4 cups chicken broth

1 tsp sugar

1 T soy sauce
1 T oyster sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3 cups instant rice

Brown the chicken in oil until cooked through. Add the veggies. Combine the chicken broth with soy sauce, oyster sauce and garlic. Add to pan along with instant rice. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice and veggies are cooked through.

This recipe is very forgiving. If you use a deeper wok pan, you can do equal amounts of rice and broth (I usually do a bit more broth than rice). You can add whatever you want to the sauce (ginger, a bit of sugar, varying amounts of soy or oyster sauce). You can also use chicken broth by itself without adding anything to it or use different types of vegetables. This feeds my family of 6; if you are cooking for fewer people, decrease the broth and rice amounts.

How to Roast a Chicken and Make Gravy

Roasting a whole chicken (or turkey) is really pretty simple. Here is what I do with mine:

1. Thaw chicken overnight in the sink or for two days in the fridge. Obviously this requires planning ahead!

2. Unwrap and place breast side down in a roaster. Sprinkle it with salt (here you can get creative and sprinkle it with all sorts of seasonings and flavours but I just do salt and sometimes garlic powder).

3. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes per pound.

4. When it's done it will look nice and browned and will easily come apart. Take it apart, saving the meat and discarding the bones, skin and anything else that doesn't look edible. Save the fat and drippings to make gravy. I put the meat in the slow cooker on keep warm. That way, you can do this ahead of time and keep the meat warm until it's time to eat.

Gravy
Combine the saved drippings with chicken broth until you have 2 cups of liquid. Whisk in (or shake in a gravy shaker) 1/4 cup flour, salt & pepper. Cook in a saucepan on medium heat until thickened.