Change Your Life Chicken

 This chicken dinner actually will change your life. It's so easy and so delicious with very little clean-up. It's a complete one-dish meal. And you can use a variety of vegetables, so whatever you have on hand. 

Change Your Life Chicken

Recipe from www.thelazygeniuscollection.com

Ingredients:

Chicken Thighs with the bone and the skin (1-2 per person)

Two handfuls of vegetables per person. You can use whatever you have. Options: onion, carrot, potato, green bean, asparagus, leek, sweet potato, and cauliflower. (Avoid mushrooms, zucchini, squash, and broccoli with this method.) 

Olive oil

salt

pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees

2. Line a baking sheet with heavy duty aluminum foil

3. Cut your vegetables and toss with olive oil, more salt than you think you need, and black pepper. Consider cooking speeds with the vegetables you choose.

4. Peel back the skin from the chicken and season underneath generously

5. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. This is how you get the crunchy crusty layer or skin.

6. Place the chicken skin side up directly on top of the vegetables. 

7. Bake at 500 degrees for 50 minutes.

Variations:

Start with what's above, but once you feel comfortable with how it works, feel free to change it up. Add fresh rosemary or thyme to the vegetables. Rub the chicken (not the skin) with lemon or orange zest. (Rosemary and orange are a heavenly match.) Reinvent the meal with different vegetable combinations: onion, potato, carrot; leek and asparagus; onion and sweet potato, green bean and cauliflower. If you love it, try it. The worst that can happen is it's not great and you won't make it again. Same goes for exotic spices. Go nuts with curry powder, a taco seasoning blend, or whatever you want to try. You won't know if it works until you try. Use chicken breasts with the bone and skin if you must; be sure to bump the time to an hour. I can't vouch that it'll be as good, but I'm not your chicken boss.

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos

 With my kids being home all day every day, we have been going through food at an incredible rate.  Why is everyone so hungry all of the time?!  Add soccer practices right at dinnertime to the mix and I had to come up with a fast and hearty meal that everyone would love.  MKC is always my trusted source for meals that everyone in my house can get on board with and this one was no exception.   I just bought the Cilantro Lime Crema Dressing from Costco and it was so good drizzled on top.  I added some riced cauliflower at the end and it bulked up the burrito mix and added nutrition easily making 40 burritos.  Lastly, I bought these pre-cooked tortillas from Tortilla Familia and they worked great, saved time, and are delicious.

pic courtesy of MKC

Mom's Famous Freezer Bean and Beef Burritos 

Mels Kitchen Cafe

• 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey/beef (I used 1 pound of each so it made a lot more)
•  1 cup chopped onion
•  1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper)
•  3 cans (16 ounces each) refried beans- I used Trader Joe's
•  3 cans (4 ounces) green chiles (mild, medium or hot, depending on preference)
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) green taco sauce or green enchilada sauce 
•  1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) red taco sauce or red enchilada sauce
•  1/2 cup (4 ounces) salsa, green or red
•  1 teaspoon ground cumin
•  1 teaspoon chili powder
•  1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
•  1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• Frozen riced cauliflower, optional (adds zero flavor, but bulks it up and doesn't have texture once it heats so you can't see or taste it- I probably put 1 1/2 cups in)
•  6 to 7 cups shredded cheese (I prefer using a mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack)
•  20 10-inch tortillas or 30 8-inch tortillas (I used these and they're delicious)
• 
  

1. In a large saucepan, brown the ground beef and onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
2. Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese and tortillas) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
3. Let the mixture cool slightly. Spread about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the filling on each tortilla (depending on the size of the tortilla and how stuffed you want them). Sprinkle about 1/4 cup cheese (or so!) on the filling. Fold in the sides and then roll the burrito closed (see pictures in the post for a visual).
4. I roll all the burritos and place them on a large sheet pan. After they are all rolled, I wrap each one individually in plastic wrap and then put them in gallon size ziploc bags and freeze.
5. To reheat, unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave for one minute. Poke holes in the semi-thawed burrito with a fork or cut the burrito in half and microwave for 1-minute intervals until heated through. They'll be piping hot! Eat carefully. 🙂

Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made this last week and it was SO easy and SO delicious.  Its one of those awesome meals that looks and tastes very fancy, but you can seriously throw it together in 5 minutes.  

image found here

Unstuffed Chicken Cordon Bleu

From Mel's Kitchen Cafe

• 
  
• 4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 1/2 to 2 pounds), pounded to 1/4-inch thick or cut in half to form two thinner cutlets (see note)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 to 8 slices deli ham (exact amount depends on brand/size of slices)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (I used sliced Swiss)
• 15 Ritz crackers, coarsely crushed (about 3/4 cup)

1. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season lightly on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breasts side-by-side on one side of the prepared baking sheet (to help them fit, you can alternate thicker end to thinner end as you lay them down). Placing them close together (without overlapping) will help the cheese stay put as they bake.
2. Spread the mustard lightly over the top of each chicken piece. Top with 1 to 2 slices ham to cover and then add 1/4 cup or so of the shredded cheese evenly across the top.
3. Sprinkle the cracker crumbs evenly over the cheese, and press lightly so the crumbs aren’t loose. Bake for 20 minutes until the chicken registers 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.  I would recommend using very thin slices of chicken breast (or pounding thicker breasts w a mallet before using).

Bruschetta Chicken

Made this last night and didn't take a picture, so you get a google image. :)  It was amazing!  We loved it, and even better, it was SOOO easy to put together.  I love a quick and easy dinner. Yum!

Bruschetta Chicken

Bruschetta sauce (from Trader Joe's in the jar)

Skim or full-fat Mozzarella cheese (bought it from TJ's and sliced it up)

Oven baked chicken (recipe here)

Cooked pasta or zoodles

After baking the chicken, scoop the sauce and spread evenly over breasts.  Place sliced mozzarella on top.  Broil in oven all together until cheese is melty and golden.  Remove and serve plain, over pasta or our favorite, zoodles!

Simple Baked Chicken Breasts

Made these last night in my convection oven and they turned out so juicy and tender- I was totally amazed!  Because convection and juicy don't usually go together?? Anyway, this will be my new go-to for cooking chicken.  Loved it.

Simple Baked Chicken Breasts

Allrecipes.com

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (not frozen)

2 Tbs. olive oil

Salt and pepper (or any spice you'd like)

Preheat convection oven to 400 degrees.  Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle seasonings on both sides. Place on broiler pan or cookie sheet, lined with foil.  Bake in pre-heated oven for 10 minutes.  Flip to other side and cook for 15 minutes more, or until internal temp reads 165 degrees.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

I made this for Mother's Day and it was fabulous! So easy- it seriously takes like 5 minutes to prep and then you bake.  I served it with coconut rice and Dad's sauteed asparagus.  Delicious!

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu

Mel's Kitchen Cafe

FOR THE CORDON BLEU:

• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to form two thinner chicken breast cutlets)
• Salt and pepper
• 12 slices deli ham
• 6-8 slices Swiss cheese (6 to 8 ounces)
• 1 cup bread crumbs (I prefer panko in this recipe)
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

• FOR THE PARMESAN-DIJON CREAM SAUCE:

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  
  
• 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray set aside.
  2. Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Lightly sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper.
  3. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with 2 slices of swiss cheese, shingling across the chicken breast to make sure the entire piece of chicken is covered with ham and cheese. Toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the chicken.
  4. Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.
  5. For the sauce, while the chicken bakes, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly to avoid lumps.
  6. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules. Whisk constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes.
  7. Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. Season to taste with salt and pepper, if needed.
  8. Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce.

  
  

• NOTES:

  My preference for bread crumbs in this recipe are fresh bread crumbs (I save the heels of my bread stashed in the freezer for just a recipe like this when I need to grind up fresh bread crumbs quickly in my blender or food processor) or crunchy Panko breadcrumbs. Both will give the best texture.

  For the chicken, the idea is to have six thinner cutlets of chicken (about 1/2-inch thick) so you can either pound chicken breasts thin or cut thick chicken breasts in half to form two thinner cutlets (like the recipe suggests).

  I’ve also made this more casserole-style and cubed the chicken. When I do it that way, I also chop the ham but do everything else the same. It helps the meal stretch further, especially with kids who are too little to eat a whole chicken breast piece.

  Over the years since this recipe has been posted, I’ve made note of your comments; I’ve omitted the salt from the sauce recipe and indicated in the recipe to add salt and pepper to taste, if needed.

  Make Ahead Instructions: Assemble the chicken, ham and cheese according to the recipe. Store the prepared bread crumb/butter mixture in a resealable plastic bag or other container. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and store it and the bread crumb mixture in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours. When ready to bake, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top and bake according to the recipe, adding anywhere from 5-15 extra minutes since it was refrigerated prior to baking. Make the sauce while the casserole bakes or make it ahead of time, let it cool, and store it covered in the fridge, for 1-2 days, reheating over low heat and stirring with a whisk.