The original recipe calls for green beans, but they’re not a favorite in our house, so we just have a nice side salad instead.

Chicken with Apple Gravy and Rice Pilaf

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup shredded sharp white cheddar cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup unfiltered apple cider
2 scallions, chopped

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the rice and toast until light brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in 2 1/2 cups broth and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, cover and cook for 15 minutes. During the last 3 minutes of cooking, stir in the peas and cheese.

While the rice cooks, in a large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook until the juices run clear, 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the skillet, then whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the apple cider and 1 cup chicken broth and cook until slightly thickened; season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Pour the apple gravy over the chicken and serve the rice alongside. (The gravy tastes good on the rice too.)

Based on Chicken with Apple Gravy, Rice Piaf and Green Beans from Rachel Ray.

Bowl of Bones

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup lime juice, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot, divided
2 pounds chicken wingettes and drumettes
1/2 cup apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash onion powder

Directions

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the soy sauce, 1/4 cup lime juice, garlic and 1 teaspoon ginger; add the chicken. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.

Drain and discard marinade. Place chicken on a greased rack in a foil-lined 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes.

While the wings are baking, combine the jam, salt, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, and remaining lime juice and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Brush over wings.

Bake for 40 minutes longer or until juices run clear, basting and turning every 10 minutes.

Yield: 1-1/2 dozen (approx.)

From Taste of Home.

Now, I love chicken marsala, and when I saw the Marsala Chicken-and-Mushroom Casserole recipe, I had to take a look. Wow! No canned soup. I gave it a try, making a couple of modifications to suit my family and the ingredients I had on hand. It’s being added into the rotation. It’s so easy to make too.

Chicken Marsala Casserole

 
Serves 4

2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup marsala wine
1/2 cup half and half
2 cups water
2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
salt and pepper
1 cup long-grain rice — uncooked!
2 cups cooked chicken — coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°.

In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium-high heat until just melted. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on top and stir in for 1 minute. Stir in the marsala and half and half and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, the parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

In a greased 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole, spread the rice in an even layer; top with the chicken. Pour the mushroom gravy on top. Cover snugly with foil and bake until bubbly, about 35 minutes. Discard the foil, sprinkle the parmesan on top and bake for 5 minutes more.

Serve with a nice salad or veggies of your choice.

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Per Serving: 437 Calories; 14g Fat (30.0% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 44g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 88mg Cholesterol; 182mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 2 Fat.

I did, and was told “make it again please!!”.

Lemon Chicken

 
Serves 4

1 cup sugar free lemon curd
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 each chicken breast, no skin, no bone, R-T-C — sliced into 1/4″ slices
1 whole red bell pepper — sliced into matchsticks
16 whole scallions — cut into 2″ pieces

Combine the lemon curd and rice vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok over high heat. Add chicken to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until no pink is visible on the chicken.

Add the red bell pepper and scallions to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes.

Pour the lemon curd mixture over the chicken and veggies and cook for another two or thee minutes, until the sauce is heated through.

Serve with your favorite rice.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 461 Calories; 27g Fat (54.4% calories from fat); 41g Protein; 10g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 291mg Cholesterol; 301mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 5 1/2 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.

I decided I’d share with you my favorite way of making chicken broth – and in doing so, my favorite no fail way to roast a chicken.

Roasted Chicken Broth

 
The first thing you need to do is roast a chicken.

one 5-6 lb chicken
your favorite seasoning (we use Montreal Chicken seasoning or seasoned salt and pepper)
2 carrots, cut in half and then cut lengthwise (so they have a flat edge)
2 stalks celery, cut in half
2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
olive oil (optional)
non-stick cooking spray

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray a 9×13 baking pan with the non-stick cooking spray. Put the carrots, celery and onions in it, and lightly drizzle with olive oil if you choose. Season your chicken (don’t forget to season the cavity too) and put the chicken on top of the vegetables.

Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes, plus 8 minutes for each pound over 4 lbs (so a 5.5 lb chicken would take 57 minutes to an hour). I honestly don’t remember what temperature you’re supposed to cook chicken to, but if any of it is raw or questionable, I just leave the meat on the carcass and it goes into the soup. When the chicken is cooked, taken it out of the oven and let it rest for at lest ten minutes.

If you’re not going to eat the chicken meat right away, wait for it to be cool enough to handle, then remove most of the meat from the bones. Don’t pick it completely clean, as you’re going to want some meat to go into the soup pot. Oh, and if anyone’s mouth touches a bone, the bone goes into the trash, not the soup pot.

Tip: when removing the meat, keep the chicken in the baking pan. That way if any juices run, they’ll end up in the pan, and not lost.

Once you’ve removed the meat from the bones, put the bones, the roasted veggies and any drippings, fat or whatever is in the baking pan into the pot you’re going to make soup in. Ideally, the pot should be just big enough to fit the intact carcass without having to break it up. Add the following to the pot:

garlic (I use anywhere from a heaping soup spoon to 1/3rd cup of minced garlic)
1 large bay leaf (or two or more smaller ones)
5 to 8 black pepper corns
1 tablespoon white vinegar
enough water to cover everything in the pot, plus 1″ above that

Put the pot on a back burner of your stove, turn the heat to medium low, cover it, and let is simmer for at least an hour or two. Your chicken broth is done when you stir it with a wooden spoon and the carcass falls completely apart into its individual bones.

Remove the pot from the heat and let cool for 1 hour. Strain the broth into another pot through a colander or sieve to remove all the bones and mushy vegetables. Cover the pot and put it in the fridge to chill overnight. The next day, use a spoon to skim all the fat off the soup, then package the soup up for freezing (or use it to make something delicious immediately!).

Why do I cook the broth so long? Doing so extracts everything out of the cartilage and connective tissue and creates (I think) a better tasting soup. I also find the best soups are the ones that, when they’ve chilled completely, have the consistency of jello.

Why the vinegar? You won’t taste that small amount of it in the broth, but it helps draw out all the yummy goodness (especially the calcium) from the bones and makes for a better soup.

You may have noticed I didn’t list salt as an ingredient. I find there’s enough salt left over from the innitial seasoning of the chicken, so I don’t need to add any. Feel free to add salt if you wish. The point of this is to get chicken broth you love the taste of.

If you make chicken broth and you find it tastes rather bland, try adding a bit of salt. If that doesn’t work, bring the broth to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and let it reduce for a while, checking every 15 minutes until you like the taste.

Curried Chicken and Cider Soup

Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 whole onion — chopped
1 tablespoon fresh ginger — grated
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 cup apple cider
4 cups chicken broth
1 large sweet potato — peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 cups mirepoix (carrot, onion and celery), Kroger brand (frozen)
2 cups cooked chicken — shredded

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, mirepoix and ginger and 1 tsp salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until softened. Add curry powder and cumin and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Stir in cider, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth and the sweet potato and bring to a boil. simmer until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, puree the soup. If you’ve got a regular blender, puree the soup in batches and return it to the pot. Stir in the chicken and warm it through over medium heat. Season with salt and pepper, then serve.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 294 Calories; 8g Fat (26.2% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 25g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 60mg Cholesterol; 876mg Sodium. (I’m not so sure about this Sodium count. I used home made stock, and I’m pretty sure the sodium content is lower that stuff purchased from the store.)

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 1/2 Vegetable; 1/2 Fruit; 1/2 Fat.

NOTES : Based on the Curried Chicken-and-Chowder Soup recipe at www.rachaelraymagazine.com

Mexican Chicken Pasta Bake

 
Serves 6

3 cups rotini twists (Mueller), uncooked
2 cups cooked chicken — shredded
14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 1/2 cups salsa (I used Garden Fresh Wild Mild)
6 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 cups water
2 cups shredded brick cheese

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray.

Cook the pasta as directed, until al dente.

Combine pasta, chicken, tomatoes and salsa in a large bowl.

In another bowl, combine tomato paste and water, whisking until thoroughly mixed.

Add tomato paste mixture to the pasta mixture and stir well.

Pour mixture into baking pan, then sprinkle cheese on top. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 278 Calories; 14g Fat (31.7% calories from fat); 26g Protein; 41g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 75mg Cholesterol; 761mg Sodium.

Ham & Chicken Marinara

 
Serves 6

3/4 pound cooked chicken — diced small
1/4 pound Canadian bacon — diced small
28 ounces marinara sauce
1/2 cup alfredo sauce
4 ounces cream cheese
2 cups egg noodles, medium, uncooked

Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2 quart casserole (with a lid) with non-stick cooking spray. (Don’t spray the lid.)

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well combined. Pour into the casserole and bake, covered, for 55 minutes or until pasta is cooked.

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 309 Calories; 18g Fat (42.5% calories from fat); 28g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 112mg Cholesterol; 1026mg Sodium.

Exchanges: 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 1/2 Lean Meat; 2 1/2 Fat.

The recipe as I have it below makes the perfect amount for a single meal for my family – two adults and two monkeys children. It tastes great with the chicken fresh off the grill, but we suspect it will be even better if made in the morning and then allowed to chill in the fridge until supper.

Summer Chicken Salad

 
Serves 2 adults and 2 kids

3 chicken breast halves
your favorite grill seasoning
1 green bell pepper, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, sliced thin
1/2 a small red onion, sliced thin
2 tbsp dijon mustard
4 tbsp wine vinegar (I used half white wine, half red wine)
2 heaping tsp minced garlic
2 tsp dried tarragon
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Season the chicken breast halves with your favorite grill seasoning and grill, broil or saute the chicken until cooked through.

Put the bell peppers and onion in a large bowl.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the mustard, vinegar, garlic and tarragon. Add the oil, whisking so that everything combines.

Slice the chicken into 1/4″ strips and add to the bell peppers and onion. Pour the dressing over everything and mix well.

I’ve also kind of been craving potato salad, but I was feeling too lazy to make any. I decided to grill the potatoes instead. I took the potatoes (Klondike Rose – the red skinned yellow-fleshed potatoes) and sliced them about 1/4″ thick. I tossed them in a bowl with a bit of oil, salt and pepper. Then I sliced up a Vidalia onion (those were on sale too last week) into thick rings.

To cook, I just put everything on the grill at high to medium high heat. (This is a brand new grill, and we’re still learning its quirks.) By the time the chicken was cooked, the potatoes and onions were done.

Everything turned out well. I won’t get that brand of jerk seasoning again, as I feel it was more hot than flavorful (and the first ingredient on the list was sugar, which I didn’t realize until I looked to see why the chicken was charring so quickly). I’m also going to put garlic powder in with the potatoes next time, and drizzle a bit of oil on the onions, as they really stuck to the grill.

And there will be a next time for both the onions and the potatoes, and the monkeys gave them two thumbs up.