Crunchy Honey Chicken

Last week I bagged and froze 100 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast. Crazy right? I think I over ordered. Now we have a freezer full of chicken breast so I've been on the hunt for some new yummy recipes and I have found a few. So the next few posts might be a little chicken heavy. Sorry. :)

This chicken was so good. I have made it once again and it's on the menu for next week. The kids loved and and so did the husband. I couldn't stop eating it. It is easy and once again items I have on hand.

Crunchy Honey Chicken
adapted from Tasty Kitchen


2 whole Egg Whites
⅓ cups Cornstarch Or Flour
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Broccoli Florets 
1whole Red Pepper, Thinly Sliced
1 cup Sugar Snap Peas
1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 clove Garlic, Minced
1 pound Thin Sliced, Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
¼ cups Honey
Salt And Pepper

Prepare and slice all veggies. Feel free to add whatever you would like. In 2 separate bowls, add the egg whites (lightly beaten) and the cornstarch or flour. (The cornstarch will yield a “crispier” chicken.) Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add veggies with a sprinkle of salt and pepper and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add in soy sauce and garlic and stir so veggies are coated, about 60 seconds. Remove from skillet and set aside in a bowl.

Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces and season with salt and pepper. Heat the same skillet over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil. Dip chicken pieces in egg whites and then lightly dredge in cornstarch. Add to the skillet and let brown for 2-3 minutes, then flip. Continue with remaining chicken pieces, and do so in batches if needed.
Once chicken is cooked, add veggies back in the skillet. Add honey and thoroughly mix to combine. Taste and season with salt, pepper, additional honey or soy sauce. Serve with rice. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Butter Chicken

 I love Indian food. I guess that is one of the bigger things I miss about Utah and Portland. The wide variety of cuisine. I bet if I went to Boise I would find more amazing restaurants but that is an hour drive and it just doesn't happen very often. Out where I am we have good Mexican, bad Mexican, good Italian, bad Chinese and that is about it. So when I am in the mood for Indian it has to be homemade. I found this recipe for Butter Chicken a while back and it is one of my go to meals. It's pretty easy and I have most everything in my pantry. Also I normally serve this over rice but recently I have been going without the rice and it's still amazing. 

It's a horrible picture but I just wanted to eat it so I took a quick pic.

Butter Chicken

4 pieces Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (cut Into Bite Sized Pieces)
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoons Black Pepper
½ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
¼ teaspoons Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoons Cumin
¼ teaspoons Cardamom
1 whole Lime, Juiced
1 whole Onion, Diced
¼ cups Butter
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 pint Whipping Cream (I only use 1/2 to 3/4)
1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want)

Preparation Instructions

Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight.
Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream (I have used light cream or half-and-half also) and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.
Note: this is a little spicy, but you can cut back on the cayenne if you want.

BBQ Pulled Chicken (Slow Cooker)

Some days are too hectic and I need a little help from my slow cooker. I think this is the most well used wedding present aside from my Kitchen-Aid mixer.

Now I am not a huge fan of chicken in the crock pot. If left to long it dries out and turn mealy. Where as with pork and beef it's more fool-proof but we love BBQ here so I had to try this recipe out. I loved it and with my french bread rolls and a little extra sauce it was a amazing. ( Also to come it's counterpart BBQ pulled pork).

 

BBQ Pulled Chicken 

adapted from Mel's Kitchen Cafe

1 small to medium yellow onion, thinly sliced into half moons

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fresh or frozen
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt

Scatter the onions on the bottom of a slow cooker. Place chicken on top of the onions.

In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, vinegar, mustard, molasses, onion powder, cumin, garlic powder, Tabasco and salt. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low until the chicken is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5-6 hours (add an additional hour if using frozen chicken breasts).
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred the meat. Return it back to the slow cooker, mixing it with the sauce. Serve the chicken hot on whole wheat rolls, if desired.

Homemade Goldfish Crackers

Have you ever thought you did something but it turns out you didn't? I have and did with this recipe. I completely thought that I had already put it up and shared it with everyone but when I went to go and make these the other day I couldn't find the recipe anywhere on my blog. Probably because it has been kind of hectic around here and things have been slipping my mind a lot. I've been teaching more dance classes and my two year old decided he wanted to start potty training (Yes!) and we are at the end of football season so I am still pretty much a single parent but I am posting it now and I hope you will take some time to make these. Your children will thank you.

8 ounces, weight Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
4 Tablespoons Butter, Cut Into Cubes
1 cup Flour (I use white whole wheat flour)
¾ teaspoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Cold Water

Pulse everything (except water) together in the food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand.
Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove dough from the processor, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. You can use a toothpick to make the eyes and smile if desired. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until crispy.
 
Makes approximately 7 dozen crackers.


Note: I made the cookie cutter by cutting up and old pop can and forming/taping it how I wanted it too look. You can do fish, footballs, pacman and lots of other things.

Green Chile Pork Tacos (Slow Cooker)

In town there is a really great Mexican restaurant. I love their tacos but can't always afford to go out and sometimes it's nice to stay in  but I love their tacos so I was on a search for the best pork tacos and I think I found it. It's so easy and it really is a set it and forget meal. Also with me watching what I'm eating this meal is great because I can eat it without a shell. Bonus it makes excellent leftovers!!

 

 

Slow Cooker Green Chile Pork Tacos

Ingredients

• 5 pounds Pork Loin
• 1 jar Salsa Verde (16 Oz. Jar)
• 3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 1 cup Fresh Cilantro, Chopped
• 3 whole Roma Tomatoes, Chopped
• Corn Tortillas, To Serve

Preparation Instructions

Place pork loin in a slow cooker. Mix together salsa verde, lime juice, and salt and pour over the roast. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Meanwhile, mix together onion and cilantro in a small bowl; refrigerate. About one hour before serving, remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Return to the slow cooker, and stir in about 1/2 cup of the onion and cilantro mixture. To serve, place pork mixture into corn tortillas. Top with onion and cilantro mixture and chopped tomatoes.