Buffalo Chicken w/Blue Cheese Filling & Light Panko Breading- say that 10 times fast...

So this isn't necessarily quick or easy, but when you're feeling ballsy and ready for a good home cooked meal with some intense flavor, THIS IS IT! It uses simple chicken breast and some basic ingredients you may have in your fridge & pantry, and allows you to practice your chicken pounding skills, and the "breading" technique/method which you can embrace with so many different dinners! I've given you some good tips to make the process easier, so it won't feel as intimidating, so give it a shot and soon you'll be a panko breading genius!

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• 4 chicken breasts, skinless/boneless
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs (Japanese style breadcrumbs), in a shallow dish
• 1 egg, beaten, in a shallow dish
• about 1/4 cup flour, in a shallow dish
• about 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• pepper
• 4 toothpicks or small wooden skewers

For the sauce:

• 2 tabs of butter or margarine
• 6 Tbls. roasted red peppers from a bottle, drained very well & finely minced
• 1 garlic glove, finely minced
• 2 Tbls. water
• 2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp. hot sauce (more or less to taste)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and place a piece of foil on a baking dish and spray it very lightly with cooking spray.

Trim each chicken breast of the excess fat and cover each with plastic cling wrap, and place each on the cutting board. Use the flat side of a meat tenderizer (or the flat side of a coffee cup, just something you can beat your chicken with, even your rolling pin), and begin to pound the chicken forcefully, but evenly, to flatten each breast out. You want each piece to be uniform in thickness, so somewhere between 1/4"- 1/2" is perfect.

Now for the filling and the breading part: Place the blue cheese in a small bowl and lightly toss it around with some fresh ground pepper. Have your beaten egg in a shallow dish, your flour in a shallow dish, and last but not least, have your breadcrumbs in a shallow dish. This allows you to dip your chicken into each bowl and get each piece covered quite easily- but don't worry your pretty or handsome little head, I'll explain in a second... By the way, you just set up your "station" so you can easy assemble everything and you're not looking around for ingredients with messy chicken hands!

Okay, now just place a decent amount of blue cheese about 1-inch away from one end of each chicken breast, and begin to roll up the chicken breast tightly, stuffing in any cheese that tries to escape, and use the toothpick to hold the roll-up in place. Tuck in any ends of the chicken around the filling to enclose the filling. Complete the rest of the chicken breasts just like the first one!

Now, working with one rolled up chicken breast at a time, dredge the chicken lightly in the flour, then submerge in the beaten egg, and then dredge the chicken into the breadcrumbs to form a crust. Place the chicken on the baking dish, seam side down and the gently remove the toothpick (otherwise it might burn in the oven). Repeat with the remaining chicken- flour, egg, breadcrumb, seam-side down, remove toothpick. Bake about 25-35 minutes, or until golden brown and chicken is firm to the touch. If you need to cut into a middle piece to check doneness, make sure the chicken is no longer pink inside, but 25-25 minutes should do it!

For the sauce:

While chicken bakes, in a small saute pan over medium/low heat, combine the butter, water, peppers, worcestershire, garlic and hot sauce. Use a small spatula to stir and bring up to a simmer so the butter melts. Give it a taste, add more hot sauce if you like. Take off the heat and set aside until the chicken is ready.

When you slice into the chicken, you should see that warm blue cheese running through the center! Serve the sauce with the chicken! Enjoy!

You Could Also Try...

• Feel free to add some seasonings to your breadcrumbs when they are in the shallow dish (before dipping the chicken in there)-I like to add a little kosher salt & cayenne pepper but it not a necessity.

Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Chicken

We switched it up this year for Easter! Although a honey-glazed ham has benefits and is the traditionally served meat for this spring holiday, we opted for a healthier chicken breast recipe. And boy- the house still has the sweet aroma of roasted garlic and fragrant rosemary sprigs.

And I can't express to you how easy this was- I literally marinated these bad boys the day before, then slapped them on a baking sheet to roast- and POOF, look how gorgeous these birds turned out!

I do love a good slice of ham, but this tasty, garlicy, herby chicken wasn't missing ANYTHING on Easter Sunday!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 4-6 bone-in chicken breasts, with skin
• 2 heads of garlic, 1 head-cloves peeled and smashed, 1 head- cloves just separated (no need to peel or smash)
• 2-3 Tbls. olive oil
• 1 Tbls. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (I promise it won't be hot, it really adds good flavor though)
• 2 Tbls. dried rosemary
• 4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary

The day before, marinate your chicken for optimal flavor! Rinse each piece of chicken briefly and place them into a large zip top bag (it's okay if there is some water from the chicken in the bag, it will actually help keep the meat moist!). Pour the oil into the bag, followed by the kosher salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and the dried rosemary (Tip: lightly crush the dried rosemary before you toss it in the bag, do this by rubbing the rosemary in the palm of your hand with your opposite thumb, it breaks up the rosemary and allows all the fragrant oils to percolate). Also add in the head of peeled/crushed garlic cloves. Close up the bag, gently shake the chicken around to coat evenly (be careful not to poke the bones through the bag), and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight is best!

The day of, remove the chicken about 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come close to room temperature (remember, cooking meat that has been given time to get the chill off of it, cooks much more evenly)! Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet.

Remove each chicken breast from the bag of marinade, leaving any marinated garlic cloves stuck in the chicken's crevices back in the bag. Place each breast, skin-side up, on the baking sheet. Now, place the sprigs of fresh rosemary all around & in between the chicken breasts, and finally, toss on the separated garlic cloves (not peeled) on and around the chicken. Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 50-60 minutes.

Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast to check for doneness (you want the meat to reach 160 degrees). Once you remove the chicken from the oven, let the it rest with a foil tent over it for at least 10 minutes before serving or cutting into it. (Patience, my friends, patience! Plus this gives you time to finish up your side dish). Remove the chicken from the bone before serving or serve the whole bone-in breast, whatever you prefer!

You Could Also Try...

• Now what do I do with all that roasted garlic? It's too delicious to toss so get some crusty bread or rolls, squeeze the garlic out of the skin and spread it like you would butter!
• Save your chicken-bones to be boiled with veggies to make your own chicken broth.
• Of course you don't have to eat the skin on the chicken- peel it off before eating, but definately roast WITH it on- it helps keep the juices inside, i.e. keeps the chicken beautifully tender! And all you had to do was an easy marinade and slap the birds in the oven!

Shredded Chicken Mexican Fiesta Night!

Sometimes I'm totally in the mood for a homemade Mexican Fiesta night but kind of want to switch it up from the regular ground beef tacos with the typical toppings. My hubby had the tasty idea to incorporate shredded chicken instead of beef to incorporate a healthier protein, and instead of topping your tacos with veggies, I thought to cook veggies in with the chicken to make a more wholesome filling!

You can pretty much use this filling to make whatever you desire; tacos, burritos, nachos and/or taco salad! We made crunchy and soft tacos the other night with a side of vegetarian refried beans. Why vegetarian refried beans? Well, unless you want your beans cooked with animal fats, a.k.a. Lard, then next time you're in the Mexican food aisle, choose the vegetarian beans, which are usually cooked with vegetable oils (but check the labels!!!)

Enjoy this one my fellow foodies!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, poached, then shredded
• 1 Taco Seasoning Packet (I prefer McCormick)
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• Olive oil

Heat a skillet with high-sides over medium heat. Drizzle the skillet lightly with olive oil and begin to cook the peppers and onions for about 5 minutes until they begin to get soft. Add in the contents of the seasoning packet to the veggies, as well as 3/4 cup of water and stir. Now begin to incorporate the cooked, shredded chicken into the skillet. Cover, and let the chicken, seasonings and veggies all marry together for the next 15-20 on medium-low heat.

• An assortment of crunchy or soft taco shells, burrito shells, lettuce, nacho chips, shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream.
• Vegetarian refried beans

While the chicken mixture "marries", set out your shells, chips, cheese, toppings, etc., and heat up your beans.

Chicken mixture is ready when the mixture is no longer watery, veggies are quite soft and chicken is fully flavored by the seasoning. Assemble your shell as desired with heaping spoonfuls of the shredded chicken mixture!

You Could Also Try...

• Try adding in chopped tomatoes, frozen corn or your choice of veggies in the skillet-step

Crock-Pot Southwest Chicken

Dear Crock-Pot,

I really love your consistent heat and magical powers, especially when I throw raw meat and veggies in you, and voila!!! - in just a few hours you miraculously execute a satisfying and effortless meal.

The way you make the house smell like a warm, cozy, fulfilling dinner really makes me smile when I get back from an appointment at work. And I love how flexible you are; you don't care if I just want you to simmer some soup, or if I want you to concoct a full, hearty meal! You, Crock-Pot, make me a very happy woman!

Now, if you could only clean yourself! Oh wait- you kind of do, as long as I use a Slow Cooker Liner! Again, another magical power!

Love, NICHe in the KITCHe

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 2 cans of corn, drained
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 cups of salsa
• 2 Tbls. ground cumin
• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 1 cup of low-fat cheddar or "Mexican-blend" cheese, shredded

Dump the corn, black beans, cumin and 1/2 cup of the salsa into the slow cooker, mix it around. Place the chicken breasts in next, and then top with the remaining 1/2 cup of salsa. Cover the crock-pot and cook on low 7-8 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.

When you are ready to serve, sprinkle on the cheese and cover again, for about 5 more minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve with a side of Mexican style rice!

You Could Also Try...

• Slice up the cooked chicken and assemble a soft taco or burrito!

Comforting Chicken, Veggie & Rice Soup

Brrrr, it's been so darn cold lately. It's tough to get out of the warm, cozy bed sometimes and then have to head out into the freezing tundra that is Michigan. Despite my wool socks, puffy coat and knit hat, some days I still need something to help warm me up after work. So I made this hearty soup to eat all week long. I have been heating up for a quick lunch or for an easy no-fuss dinner, and thawing myself out all the while! Never underestimate the power of a warm tummy!


Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 2 chicken breasts, trimmed, poached/boiled in salted water, then shredded
• 2 Tbls. olive oil
• 3 celery stalks, chopped roughly
• 2 carrots, peeled then chopped roughly
• 1 leek, white parts chopped, or substitute 1/2 white onion, chopped
• S & P, a few dashes of dried oregano, parsley or whatever herbs you like
• 1/2 cup uncooked rice- I use brown rice for added fiber and nutrition!
• 3-4 cups of chicken stock/broth (make sure if you buy chicken broth to get the "all natural, low sodium, no MSG" type)

Begin by heating a large pot over medium-low heat. Drizzle in your olive oil and next add in all the raw veggies. Cook them until they begin to get soft, about 7-10 minutes. Add in the shredded chicken, S & P, herbs and rice, followed by enough stock to get your desired consistency (I am a broth person, so I use probably all 4 cups, but you could get away with using just 3 or so).

Bring it all up to a boil...the longer the better but at least 3o minutes to really blend all the flavors together. Serve right away, or cool off and freeze it away for another day!

You Could Also Try...

• If you're not a "rice" person, add in some barley, pasta, lentils...
• Instead of shredding the chicken, chop it into chunks

Caribbean Vaca (minus the sand in your pants)

The weather has finally caught up with us here in the mitten. It's dark when I wake-up, and dark when I get out of work, there is frost on the windows, and worst of all, I can absolutely not get away with flip flops any longer.

So, what I need is a tropical meal choice to warm me up and give me the flavors of the Caribbean. This is salt free as well, and best of all, you can use this marinade/method with any meat (chicken, pork, beef).

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 Tbls. honey
• 2 Tbls. Canola oil
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• dash of S & P
• dash or 2 of allspice
• dash or 2 of nutmeg
• 2 jalapenos, chopped (optional) or sprinkle in a few dashes of red pepper flakes

Whisk or stir all ingredients in a zip top bag. Save about 1/4 cup of the marinade in a small bowl for later. Place your choice of protein into the bag, i.e. chicken cutlets, pork chops, etc., seal it up and let it marinade for at least 6 hours (up to 24 hours).

When you're ready to cook, preheat a grill pan on medium-high heat (or use a non-stick skillet). Slap your meat on the pan & discard the bag and its contents. Grill about 5-7 minutes per side, basting frequently (using the small bowl of reserved marinade from earlier). Your meat should be cooked through, i.e. no pink in the middle for chicken or pork!

You Could Also Try...

• Serve your Caribbean meat over a bed of rice, top with a few slices of fresh pineapple.
• Create a Caribbean stir-fry; marinate diced meat in a zip top bag, and chopped veggies (bell peppers, onions, snap peas, slices mushrooms) in another bag with equal amounts of marinade. Saute the meat in a deep pan and when it is almost thoroughly cooked, add in veggies. Cook for 3-5 more minutes, serve over bed of rice.
• Skewer pieces of marinated meat on wooden or metal skewers, grill and serve as an appetizer.

You may want to consider wearing your bathing suit while eating this dinner...it'll get you really in the Caribbean mood:)

Red Curry Chicken Wraps with Red Curry Peanut Sauce

I might be a little condiment crazy! It's getting to be a little ridiculous. I am always trying new sauces, dressings or seasonings, which is tons of fun for me, but then the whole door of my refrigerator is full of a million glass jars and bottles that I've used probably two or three times. So, in an effort to proactively use some of my deserted condiments, I made these Red Curry Chicken Wraps for dinner. I honestly don't know how authentic this is, but it sure was tasty and full of healthy protein and colorful veggies!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
• 1 Tbls. + 1 tsp. Red Curry paste (found in the ethnic food aisle, small jar)
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 1 zucchini, sliced sliced into strips
• 1 carrot, sliced into strips
• 1/2 cup Basmati rice (Indian rice) + 1 cup water
• 1 package of whole-wheat wraps
• (Dipping sauce recipe below)

Begin to marinate the chicken the night before by dissolving 1 Tbls. of Red Curry paste in 1/4 cup of water (stir around with a whisk or fork until dissolved), add the chicken, cover and let them marry each other in the fridge overnight.

Day of: Cook your rice as directed on the package. For me, I bring rice and water up to a boil, cover, reduce heat and let it cook for 20 minutes.

Grill marinated chicken on a grill pan, 6-8 minutes per side until cooked through, set aside.

As chicken is grilling, slice your veggies and marinate the same way as the chicken, by dissolving 1 tsp. of Red Curry paste in water. See the picture of my veggies marinating.

Wipe off the grill pan (or use a saute pan), and begin to grill/saute the veggies over medium-high heat until tender, but not mushy.

Warm up a few wraps in the microwave. Assemble the wraps by slicing the chicken breast, placing several slices on the wrap, followed by some veggies and a few spoonfuls of rice. Drizzle with a spoonful of sauce (or dip into the sauce if you prefer). Roll up like a burrito and enjoy!

Dipping Sauce:

• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tbls. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. red curry paste
• 1 Tbls. brown sugar
• juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup of hot water (or less)

To prepare, whisk together first five ingredients. Continue to whisk as you add a few spoonfuls of hot water at a time, until you reach your desired thickness.

Simply Satisfying Celery Chicken Salad

You've probably caught on to the fact that I like to use up the foods I already have in the fridge or freezer. It just takes a moment of "being in the here & now" with your fridge before you realize what a lovely concoction you can create...and be totally satisfied with!

Tonight's creation was all about prepping something easy to have for lunch for the week ahead. My schedule is never the same each day, so when I need to eat lunch, I need to do right then- no time to flounder about making something healthy, and no one wants to eat a Lean Cuisine all the time! My simple yet satisfying Celery Chicken Salad will keep you full of healthy protein & fresh veggies, and maybe even wishing that every meal was lunchtime!

Ingredients & Recipe:

Printable Recipe

• 3 trimmed chicken breasts, poached/boiled in salted water (I also stir in about 1/2 tsp. of celery seed for more flavorful chicken), then shredded
• 1/2 medium white onion, chopped finely
• 3 celery ribs, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup of mayo (I like the mayo made from olive oil- a little healthier and great taste)
• Juice of 1 lemon, plus 1 tsp. of the lemon zest
• 1/2 tsp. Mrs. Dash seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. celery seed
• 1/2 tsp. dried chives
• dash of caraway seed (optional)
• S & P to taste

Once you've poached and shredded your chicken, set it aside and let it cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, combine the onion, celery, mayo, lemon juice, lemon zest and seasonings together. Toss your chicken into the bowl, combine well and give it a taste- add a little more S & P if you like, or add some depth by tossing a dash of the caraway seed. Let the chicken salad chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes so all the flavors combine together before serving.

I bought some awesome onion-rye bread to make open-faced sandwiches on, so when I assembled my sandwich, I layered a ton of baby spinach on the bread, followed by a a few slices of tomato, and then smothered the chicken salad on top! Grab a spicy garlic pickle and a a few pretzel rods and you have an amazing, and protein filled lunch!

You Could Also Try...

• Make this sammy ahead of time! Since there is very little mayo in this recipe, it won't make your bread soggy, so wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and bring it to work for lunch
• Add in 1/2 cup of slivered almonds to the mix for an added crunch
• I'm personally not a black-olive lover, but many people enjoy adding 1/4 cup of chopped black olives into the mix for a greek style chicken salad
• Use 1/4 cup of sour cream instead of mayo for a creamier salad
• Add 12-15 green or red seedless grapes (halved), for a sweet taste
• Don't forget you could use my Cajun Roasted Chicken Breast recipe to prep your chicken instead of poaching!

Roasted Cajun Chicken Breast

CHEAP, FAST, EASY...when you have a busy week (perhaps the week your precious little nephew comes into the world), you need some no-thought, simple, yet healthy recipes to get your through. Once you learn the "method" to roasting a chicken breast, you can prep this a day or 2 before, and toss it right into the oven for a quick fix on a busy evening!

First of all, I have been a "no-bone on meat" kind of girl for as long as I can remember, until my mother-in-law prepped some amazing "bone-in" chicken breasts on the grill this summer, up at the family cottage in West Branch, Michigan. If you know me in general, I am a little weird about chicken- I need it to be super-trimmed and it totally disgusts me to chew a rubbery piece of chicken that hasn't been cooked well, and there was certainly no way you were getting me to eat something that still had the bone on it! WELL, let me tell ya- I am a new woman and I really feel like I've been missing out on a whole realm of possibilities with chicken!

Ingredients & Recipe:
Printable Recipe

• 2 bone-in, skin on, chicken breasts (Last week my local market had these on sale and I got 6 bone-in chicken breasts for $3!! That's 50cents per breast!)
• 2-3 Tbls. olive oil
• 1 large zip top bag
• 2-3 Tbls. of seasonings; I used 1 Tbls. garlic powder, 1 Tbls. Mrs. Dash, 1 Tbls. of Cajun Seasoning from The Spice House in Chicago. You really should stock up on amazing spices next time you're in Chicago.

Start a day or 2 before if possible, and dump your chicken breasts, olive oil and seasonings into the zip top bag. Seal up the bag well, trying to get most of the air out and toss the chicken around to coat thoroughly. Let your chicken hang out in the fridge for at least 6 hours with all the spicy goodness, up to 2 days.

When you're ready to cook this simple chicken, remove it from the fridge and let it hang out on the counter (in the bag) while you preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Taking the chill off of the chicken before you cook it will allow it to cook more evening throughout which is important as you don't want want to be eating uncooked chicken! When you're oven is ready, simply slap your bird breasts, skin-side UP, onto an oven safe dish, (preferably something with a lip or sides so you don't lose any juices), and roast for about 30 minutes. Depending on the size of your chicken breasts, you may need to cook longer.

(To test done-ness, stick a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat-when you get to 165 degrees, your chicken is done. No thermometer? Stick a fork into the thickest part of the meat for 30 second- if the fork tip is pretty hot when you remove it, your chicken is probably done, but if it is just a little warm or cool, let it cook longer.)

You will find with this method, that you have barely any preparation, very little clean up, and the TASTE...OMG, chicken was meant to be cooked this way. It will be moist and flavorful, NOT chewy and you get so much more for your money.

You Could Also Try...

• Enjoy chicken over a bed of lettuce for your own homemade Cajun Chicken Salad
• Dice the cooled cooked chicken and toss with mayo, diced celery, diced onions, S & P, for a delicious chicken salad mix.