Bacon Wrapped Chicken Over Rice

I found this recipe in 200 Really Easy Recipes, by Louise Pickford. 

Ingredients:

6 boneless chicken thighs

6 pieces of thick bacon

salt & pepper

1 teaspoon Trader Joe's South African Smoke (or other smoke seasoning)

1 teaspoon Trader Joe's BBQ Rub and Seasoning with Coffee and Garlic (or other BBQ rub)

2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 1/4 cups long grain rice

2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon oregano

Instructions:

Season chick thighs with salt, pepper, smoke seasoning and BBQ rub. Wrap each piece of chicken with a piece of bacon (can secure with toothpick if desired). Saute chicken in an oiled dutch oven over medium-high heat until both sides are browned. 

Remove chicken from dutch oven and reduce heat to low. Add rice and garlic to the dutch oven and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon. Cook until rice is golden. 

Add chicken stock, turmeric and oregano. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken back to the dutch oven and place on top of rice. Cover and bake for 50 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Orange Chicken

Here is a healthier version of this delicious meal from Skinny Taste. I altered it just a little bit, but check out her blog too, so many amazing recipes.

Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, cut into small pieces

2 Tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon ground ginger

salt & pepper

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 cup fresh or frozen vegetables of choice

Sauce:

1/3 cup orange juice

1/4 cup chicken broth

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1-2 Tablespoons chili sauce (to taste)

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 Tablespoon orange zest

Instructions:

Mix all sauce ingredients together and set aside. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces and coat in corn starch, ground ginger, salt and pepper. Bring medium pan to medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the sauce. Simmer until sauce has thickened.

If adding vegetables, add when you add the sauce. If using frozen vegetables, steam before adding to sauce. Serve over rice or rice noodles. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Garlic Chicken with Israeli Couscous & Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash, cubed

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 8 oz box Israeli couscous

1 3/4 cup water

2 chicken breast

4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

1 tablespoon pesto

4 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place chopped butternut squash on baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon, ginger, salt and pepper.

Mix together minced garlic, oil, lemon juice, salt & pepper. In a separate baking dish pour garlic sauce oven chicken breast. Bake for about 20 minutes or until squash is caramelized and chicken is cooked through.

Bring box of couscous and water to a boil in medium pot. Reduce to low and cover for 8-10 minutes or until water is absorbed. Mix pesto and Greek yogurt together with couscous. 

Serve all together. Leftovers are great reheated or served over a salad with more pesto & Greek yogurt mixed together for a dressing.

Broccoli & Swiss Stuffed Chicken

I found this delicious and easy recipe on Skinny Taste.

Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast, or 2 chicken breast cutlets

1 egg

1 Tablespoon water

1/2 cup bread crumbs or panko

1 slice of Swiss cheese
1/2 cup broccoli

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl. Pour breadcrumbs or panko in another small bowl. If using chicken breast, filet the breast into two thin halves. Place a half of slice of swiss on each filet. Place broccoli on top of swiss. Roll the chicken breast and secure with a toothpick. Dip into egg/water then into breadcrumbs. Place in a baking dish lined with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through.

Chinese Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

1 head of romaine

3-5 gloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 cup cashews, chopped

1/4 cup hoisen sauce

1-2 Tablespoons sweet chili sauce

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 chopped vegetables of choice

Instructions:

Chop all vegetables and cashews into small pieces.  Bring pan to medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and add ground meat. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until fully cooked. Add garlic, cashews and vegetables and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Stir in hoisen sauce, sweet chili sauce and soy sauce. Serve in romaine leaves and enjoy.

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

1 large chicken breast, chopped

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

2 limes

2-3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

Instructions:

Chop chicken breast into bite size pieces. Finely chop cilantro. Mix chicken, coconut oil, cilantro and the juice from the 2 limes together in a zip-loc bag. Let sit in the fridge for 2-4 hours. 

The coconut oil will solidify in the fridge. This is perfectly fine, but looks a little weird when you take the chicken out. You may use any other oil of choice if you prefer. 

Saute the chicken over medium-high heat for 3-5 minutes, until fully cooked. Serve over a bed of jasmine rice.

Coconut Chicken Curry

Ingredients:

2 cans light coconut milk

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 teaspoons turmeric

2 teaspoons ginger powder

cayenne to taste

2 chicken breasts

1 can bamboo shoots

1 cup frozen vegetables

salt & pepper

1 cup jasmine rice

Instructions:
Start by cooking the jasmine rice to package instructions. I did mine in my rice cooker which called for 1 cup rice and 1 1/2 cups water for about 30-40 minutes.

Chop chicken into bite size pieces and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a little bit of turmeric. Saute in a medium pan over medium-high heat for just a few minutes or until done, set aside.

In a medium pot bring coconut milk to a simmer and add curry powder, turmeric, ginger powder and cayenne. Add more or less cayenne depending on how spicy you prefer. Add the chicken, bamboo shoots and the frozen vegetables and simmer for 5-10 minutes. The sauce with thicken slightly. Serve over jasmine rice.

BBQ Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato

Ingredients:

8 chicken breast tenderloins

4 sweet potatoes

1/3 cup BBQ sauce

2 teaspoons BBQ rub seasoning

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon Trader Joe's South African Smoke seasoning (or 1/4 teaspoons basil and 1/4 teaspoon paprika)

Instructions:
Add chicken, BBQ sauce, BBQ rub, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke and South African seasoning to the crock pot. Turn on low for 4 hours for fresh chicken and 6 hours for frozen. During the last hour, remove the chicken, shred it and bring it back to the crock pot for the remaining hour. Either microwave your sweet potatoes for 4-5 minutes for first potato and 2-3 more minutes for each additional potato or bake for 45-60 minutes in a 400 degree oven. Slice potato and fill with BBQ chicken, shredded cheese and a dollop of plain Greek yogurt. ENJOY!

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:
1 large chicken breast, chopped

6 small corn tortillas

2 tablespoons taco seasoning (use package or see below)

1 fresh bell pepper, chopped (or 1/2 cup frozen)

1 avocado

shredded cheddar cheese

plain greek yogurt

Instructions:

Saute chopped chicken over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon taco seasoning and 2 tablespoons oil for 5-7 minutes or until fully cooked. Saute bell pepper over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning and 1 tablespoon of oil for 3-5 minutes. Heat up each tortilla over medium heat lightly sprayed with oil. Heat each side for about a minute, or until golden brown. Fill each tortilla with chicken, bell peppers, shredded cheese, avocado, and a dollop of plain greek yogurt. Enjoy!

Taco Seasoning from allrecipes.com
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Roasted Chicken Drumsticks & Thighs

Ingredients:
3 chicken drumsticks

3 chicken thighs

2-3 sprigs of fresh rosemary

2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 cups chicken broth

salt & pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat a dutch oven to medium-medium high heat. Lightly coat the chicken in salt & pepper. Add a few tablespoons of oil to the dutch oven and add the chicken, skin side down first. Cook for 2-3 minutes then flip. Add the garlic and continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and deglaze the bottom of the pan with a flat, wooden spoon. Bring the broth to a boil then add the rosemary & thyme. Cover and bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.

To use the remaining broth for a gravy start by removing all the broth from the pot. Bring the pot to a medium-medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of broth and 2 tablespoons of flour and whisk. Slowly add more and more broth and continue to whisk. Only add more broth when there are no chunks of flour left. Once all the broth is added, continue to simmer and whisk until thick.

Baked Taquitos

Ingredients:
24 fresh flour tortillas
1 medium sweet potato
1 can of black beans
8 chicken breast tenderloins or 2-3 chicken breasts
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons taco seasoning (store bought or see recipe below)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup water

Instructions:
Place chicken breasts, water and taco seasoning in crock pot for 4-6 hours on low (4 hours if fresh or 6 hours if frozen). During the last hour of cooking shred the chicken and place back in crock pot.

Peel and cut sweet potato into small pieces and microwave for 4-6 minutes or until soft. Spread sweet potatoes onto a foil lined baking sheet and toss with salt, pepper and cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix sweet potatoes and black beans together in a small bowl. Warm a few tortillas at a time in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. Put a small amount of chicken, sweet potatoes, black beans and cheese on the bottom 1/3 of the tortilla and roll tightly. Place all taquitos in a foil lined baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Serve with salsa, guacamole or plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream). Makes 24 taquitos.

Taco Seasoning from allrecipes.com
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper