Chicken Imperial

I found this recipe in an old Southern Living Dinner and Supper Cookbook.  I adapted the recipe to make a smaller amount and to omit some items I didn’t have on hand.  A note in my cooking journal says:  “First made 1/9/98 for Nancy and David (daughter and husband) – both loved this.  I especially liked it.”

Allow 2-3 hours to marinate the chicken.

• Servings: 2-4
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• 2 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• Dash of salt
• Grating of black pepper
• 3 Tblsp. grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Place chicken breasts in a glass bowl, pour sherry over, cover and marinate in the refrigerator  for 2-3 hours, turning occasionally.  Remove from marinade and pat dry.

Combine crumbs, salt/pepper, parmesan cheese and almonds.

Dip chicken in melted butter then place in bowl of coating mixture, pressing down on both sides.

Arrange in Pam-sprayed pie plate.

Bake uncovered  @ 350 degrees F for one hour.

2-4 servings 

My daughter and I like small servings of meat or chicken, so I divided one breast between us and have one to put in the freezer for another day.  I served it with Yukon Gold potatoes which had been microwaved and then browned in butter along with some mixed vegetables with some added butter and a sprinkle of Goya Sazon seasoning for each dish.  We also had some cherry tomatoes and basil from my garden marinated in Italian dressing.  It was a good meal.

Slow Cooker Caper Chicken

My youngest daughter is a busy stay-at-home mom who always finds time to get together with me on Fridays for lunch.  I try to make meals that are tasty, quick and easy, and reduced in fat and calories.  Here is what we enjoyed last Friday.

This is a tasty low-fat dish adapted from one I found on The Pioneer Woman Cooks.   The count for the chicken and sauce according to my Diet Power software based on 6 servings is:  144 calories, 9.18 g fat, 56.9 mg cholesterol, 1.54 g carb, 0.2 g fiber.  Additions such as rice and vegetables should be counted separately.

• Servings: 4-6
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• 2 boneless-skinless chicken breast halves, each cut into 3 sections
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 3 dashes Greek seasoning
• ¼ cup melted butter
• ¼ cup steak sauce (A-1 Steak Sauce)
• 2 Tblsp. capers in brine

Place the chicken breast pieces in the slow cooker.  Pour lemon juice over the top and sprinkle with black pepper and the Greek seasoning.

In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter with the steak sauce and capers.  Pour this mixture over the chicken breast pieces and cook for 4-6 hours on low.

I served this chicken and sauce with rice and steamed broccoli.

Poulet d’Artichoke

The recipe for this chicken and artichoke dish is adapted from a recipe in a favorite cookbook, Southern Sideboards, published in 1978.  It makes a nice luncheon dish when my daughters and I get together.

• Servings: 4-6
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• One 14 oz can artichoke hearts (not marinated)
• 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
• One 10-1/2 oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ tsp curry powder
• ½ cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup bread cubes
• 1 Tblsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Oil a 9×9 inch baking dish

Drain artichoke hearts and arrange in an oiled 9×9 inch baking dish.  Spread cooked chicken on top.

In a medium bowl, combine soup, mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder and pour over chicken.  Sprinkle with cheese.

In a small skillet, melt butter and toss bread cubes to coat.

Place cubes on top of chicken mixture.  Bake uncovered @ 350 for 25 minutes.

4 to 6 servings

Tuna Pasta Mornay

I first tried this dish in 1989, adapted from a recipe in my daughter’s Weight Watchers’ Favorites cookbook.  There were several recipes in that book that were reduced in fat/calories but delicious and became family favorites.  The original recipe used 8 oz. of imitation crab meat (January, 1989 – “excellent”) and I’ve also used shrimp, salmon and now this version with tuna.

TUNA PASTA MORNAY

2 cups dry pasta
2 Tblsp. margarine or butter, divided
1 cup broccoli florets, in bite-size pieces
½ cup sliced onions
½ cup sliced mushrooms
2 Tblsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups 2 % milk
2 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated
5 oz. can white Albacore tuna, drained and flaked
Salt/Pepper

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente according to package directions.  Drain.

In a large skillet, heat 1 Tblsp. margarine/butter; add broccoli and cook over medium low heat until color has brightened.

Add onions and cook until onions are starting to soften.   Add mushrooms and cook until all vegetables are tender.

With slotted spoon remove vegetables and set aside.

In a small bowl,  place flour and add a small amount of milk to make paste.

Gradually add remaining milk and stir.  In same skillet heat remaining 1 Tblsp. margarine/butter. Gradually stir in milk, mix, stir constantly until smooth.  Add cheese and cook, stirring frequently until cheese is melted.

Add the cooked vegetables, flaked tuna and cooked pasta.  Toss gently, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and cook over low heat until heated through.

Serve at once.
Servings – 4

Teriyaki Chicken on a Bed of Spinach

My youngest daughter is a busy stay-at-home mom who always finds time to get together with me on Fridays for lunch.  I try to make meals that are tasty, quick and easy, and reduced in fat and calories.  Here is what we enjoyed this week.

This is my version of my favorite dish at The Works Brick Oven restaurant in Loveland, Ohio.  It’s very flavorful and tasty and I like to stir the spinach leaves into the hot mixture to steam them.  My version is a good substitute and low in fat/calories, but there’s nothing like being in the old building in historic downtown Loveland (Ohio) enjoying the real thing.

TERIYAKI CHICKEN ON BED OF SPINACH

• Servings: 4
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• 1 tsp olive oil
• Large sweet onion, sliced
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups broccoli florets, steamed fork tender
• 1 cup cooked chicken breast, cubed
• ½ tsp. sesame oil
• Dash or two of Mongolian Fire Oil (optional)
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 5 oz. fresh baby spinach leaves
• 4 tsp. roasted sunflower seeds
• 2 Tblsp. dried cranberries

In a large non-stick skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the onion slices over medium heat until translucent.

Add mushroom slices and cook until mushrooms start to soften.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Stir in steamed broccoli, cooked chicken breast, sesame oil, fire oil and teriyaki sauce.

Divide spinach leaves among 4 plates…

…and spoon piping hot chicken mixture on top of the spinach to allow it to steam.  Sprinkle with sunflower seeds and dried cranberries.  Serve immediately.

Based on 4 servings, nutritional count per my DietPower software is:  148 calories, 5.5 g fat, 17.5 g carbs, 1.1 g fiber, 10 g protein.

Weight Watchers Plus/Points:  4 

For dessert, we had an old favorite – Apricot-Nut Cookies with Amaretto Icing

Chuck Steak Stew with Corn Cake

I got the inspiration for this recipe at Debbi Does Dinner Healthy, but changed it quite a bit.   This makes an easy and hearty meal using lower-cost chuck steak with vegetables in a slow cooker and serving it with a baked corn cake.  Delicious and satisfying.

• Servings: 4-6
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(Slow Cooker)

• 1-½ lb. chuck steak
• 1 tsp. chile powder
• 15 oz. can of pinto beans, undrained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 small/medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 10 oz. can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

Trim any visible fat from the steak and cut into large pieces that will fit in the slow cooker.

Cook on low for about 8 hours.  With a wooden spoon, shred meat and stir to combine.

Serve with a warm Corn Cake.

CORN CAKES

•  1 egg
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup milk
•  1 cup yellow corn meal
•  1 cup flour
• 1 Tblsp. plus 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

This recipe will make 19 one-inch-thick corn cakes.  Use two 12-cup muffin tins or bake in two batches.  I happened to have 5 antique mini-pie tins that I wanted to use.  You could also use custard cups, but the cakes are harder to get out.  Oil muffin cups or pans.

In a large mixing bowl whisk the egg, then add the sugar, oil and milk, whisking until smooth.

In a small bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.  Add to the egg mixture and stir just until all of the dry ingredients have been absorbed.  Divide among the prepared cups in the muffin tins.

Bake @ 400 degrees F for about 12  minutes until tops are golden brown.

Let cool in the pans for 3-4 minutes, then loosen the edges and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Serve one or two cakes warm with the hot Chuck Steak Stew.

Servings:  4 to 6 

The Corn Cakes are nice served warm with any kind of soup or salad.  They also freeze well, as does the stew.

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Chicken Bryan (almost like Carrabbas) and Lumpy Mashed Potato Casserole

My favorite celebration meal is Chicken Bryan at Carrabbas Italian Grill (Deerfield Twp., near Cincinnati).  I like to get the small portion which is served with a large scoop of their lumpy mashed potatoes.

I saw a recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks – Tasty Kitchen which sounded similar and gave it a try with a few adaptations.  It certainly serves well as a Chicken Bryan fix for between-celebration dinners.

The original recipe called for rubbing the chicken breast with olive oil, salt and pepper and then cooking in a saucepan over medium heat for 25-35 minutes.   I prefer to stew a whole chicken (my post on stewing chicken is here) and then cut off the breast portions.  The chicken is tender and juicy when prepared this way and can be cooked in advance.

For six servings, I cut each stewed breast half into three portions.

CHICKEN BRYAN

• Servings: 6
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• 2 chicken breast halves cut into 6 portions, stewed or cooked in a saucepan
• 2 Tblsp. butter
• 1 Tblsp. onion, chopped
• 1 Tblsp. garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 8 Tblsp. cold butter, cut in slices
• 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Grinding of black pepper
• 6 Tblsp. goat cheese

To Make the Sauce:

In a medium sauce pan, place the butter and onions on medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, red wine and lemon juice.  Increase heat slightly and simmer the sauce for 4-5 minutes.  Add butter one slice at a time, stirring after each slice until butter is melted.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper.  Simmer until mixture is hot.

Place a portion of warm chicken on each plate.  Top each piece of chicken with a tablespoon of goat cheese.  Pour on a scoop of sauce. 

I served the chicken with my version of Lumpy Mashed Potatoes

LUMPY MASHED POTATO CASSEROLE

• Servings: 6
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• 6 medium potatoes
• 3 oz. cream cheese
• 1 Tblsp. butter
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Tblsp. chopped chives
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Grating of black pepper
• 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Grease a 9-inch casserole

Cook and mash potatoes with a masher, leaving some lumps.  Add cream cheese and butter and stir until cheese and butter have melted and blended.  Add sour cream, chives, garlic, salt and black pepper.  Mix well and spread in prepared casserole.  Sprinkle with bacon and bake uncovered for 30 minutes @ 350 degrees F.

6 servings 

Sour Cream Baked Chicken

This dish isn’t very photogenic, but it sure is good.  It comes from a cookbook called Adventures in a Culinary Vein, published by the Cincinnati Hoxworth Blood Centers.  It’s very easy to put together, bakes for an hour and a half, resulting in  tender chicken with a thick, delicious sauce.

• Servings: 4-6
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• 3 chicken breast halves, each cut into four pieces
• 1 package of dry onion soup mix
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Get out a large shallow baking dish – mine is about 12×12 inches.

In the baking dish, combine onion soup mix, undiluted cream of mushroom soup and sour cream.  Place pieces of chicken in the soup mixture and turn to coat each piece.

Bake uncovered @ 325 degrees F for an hour and a half, stirring after 45 minutes.

Makes 4-6 servings

I like to serve this chicken and rich sauce with mashed potatoes and steamed Brussels sprouts

I have a note in my recipe binder:  “First made 3/17/91 – everyone loved – very flavorful.”

Granddaughter Dolphin (as she is known here) was on hand to talk about her latest computer game while I was cooking dinner.

Our Favorite Black Bean Soup

I found this recipe on The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and made a few adaptations.  It’s wonderful, makes 10 one-cup servings, each one only 2 Weight Watchers points.

• Servings: Ten one-cup servings
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• 1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp olive oil
• Salt/Pepper
• 1 Tblsp. cumin
• Three 16-oz cans of black beans, undrained
• One 16-oz. jar of salsa, mild
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth (or a 14.5-oz can)
• Sour cream and cilantro for garnishing

Saute onion slices and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat until onions are soft and tender.  If necessary, a small amount of chicken broth can be added to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.  Stir in cumin.

In a blender or food processor, puree two cans of black beans* and add to onion/garlic mixture.  Stir in remaining can of black beans, salsa and broth.  Heat mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

*You can also use a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon to mash the beans.

Adjust seasonings to your taste.  Ladle soup into a bowl and top with a dollop of sour cream and some snipped cilantro.

Makes ten one-cup servings.

One cup of soup plus 1 Tblsp. sour cream and a snipping of cilantro = 2 Weight Watchers points

Stewing a Whole Chicken

When I was married in 1952, my mother showed me two housekeeping techniques that she considered invaluable – how to iron a man’s dress shirt and how to cut up a chicken.  Both tutorials served me well since two of my four children were boys so I spent a lot of time ironing shirts, and for over 50 years, I never considered buying anything but a whole chicken that I could cut up the way I liked and save money, too.

My husband (who was the only one in the family who would eat almost any part of the chicken) passed away six years ago, everybody else was concerned about the fat in dark meat, and even the dog was on a chicken breast diet after a pancreatitis attack.  At that point, I started buying skinless chicken breasts, either fresh from the market or in big freezer packs from Sam’s.  They were handy to use with no waste and I was completely converted.

Then, one day I saw a blog about cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker.  I’m not a big fan of slow cookers, so I cooked mine on the stovetop in a big Dutch oven.   I realized even after removing the skin after cooking, there was still more fat than in the skinless variety, but the taste and texture of the chicken was so wonderful that I felt it was worth it.  Here’s how I do a whole chicken:

My market handles a good quality fresh Amish roaster which I buy in a 4-pound  size for about $7.  I wash the chicken and put it in a big Dutch oven, cover with water and cook over medium heat for approximately 1-1/2 hours…

….turning halfway through the cooking.

When the chicken is done (and I like it very well done), I remove the pot from the heat, place the chicken on a platter to cool slightly and pour the broth into a large container.  When the chicken is cool enough to handle, I remove the skin and remove the chicken from the bones, separating it into containers:  white meat, dark meat and scraps for the dog.

From the 4 lb., 11 oz., chicken I cooked today, I got 3 cups of white meat, 1-1/2 cups of dark meat, 1 cup of scraps and 8 cups of rich chicken broth.

I prefer to leave any seasonings or vegetables out of this procedure so I can have more options on using the chicken and broth.  I put the packages of chicken in the freezer (minus what I wanted to use that day) and refrigerated the broth.  The next morning, I will remove any fat from the broth and put it in smaller containers for the freezer.  Note that this broth won’t have the preservatives of commercial broth and should be in containers that will be used in a few days.

The flavor of the chicken is great and the broth is so much better than the canned or boxed stuff.  I feel I get my full money’s worth out of $7 worth of chicken and with minimal time and trouble.

Here are some of my favorite recipes using a cup or two of cooked chicken.  Either white or dark meat can be used.

Chicken and Black Bean Burrito Casserole

Chicken and Asparagus Pudding

Yukon Chicken Salad

Chicken and Eggplant Parmesan

Balsamic Chicken Melt

Easy Chicken a la King

Chicken Puffs with Mushroom Sauce