Grilled Balsamic Chicken Bruschetta

My house is fully decked out for Christmas. The tree is up and the stockings are hung. My mother’s handmade ceramics are placed high on shelves where my meddlesome cats can’t knock them down. The outside is set ablaze with thousands of blinking lights so Brent will let me keep the lights inside solid. And it’s 82 degrees outside.

Yup. Eighty-freaking-two degrees.

Yes, I know there are plenty of people in 30-something degree weather who would LOVE it to be in the eighties today, but let me tell you – it does not feel like Christmas. And snowflakes look kinda silly while you’re wearing shorts and a tank top, and sweating your ass off trying to hang up lights.

It is however, weather like this that allows us to grill pretty much 365 days a year. This is a good thing because we love grilling. Especially since my oven can heat the entire house up by itself and I refuse to turn the a/c on right now. I do many variations of this type of chicken throughout the year. It’s simple, fresh and fast. Not to mention versatile and very figure-friendly without sacrificing flavor.

So if you are up north right now, bookmark it for the warmer months. If you’re down south, maybe make it the night before you have to squeeze into that holiday dress. Like I have to… in 8 days. Not that I’m counting.

Balsamic Chicken Bruschetta

*Serves 4

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

-          4 chicken breasts (4-6oz each)

-          3 tbls + 2 teas EVOO, divided

-          1.5 tbl balsamic vinegar

-          1.5 tea roasted garlic and herb seasoning

-          1 cup diced tomato

-          1/2 cup diced onion

-          ½ cup diced fresh mozzarella cheese

-          3 tbl fresh minced basil

-          1 tea white wine vinegar

-          S&P

Buffalo Chicken and Blue Cheese Panini

Buffalo sauce drenched shredded chicken. 

Blue cheese. 

Sharp cheddar cheese. 

Fresh tomatoes. 

Caramelized onions. 

Chewy whole grain bread. 

And bacon. Oh yes, there’s bacon too.

This sandwich is a sandwich’s sandwich. It is a two napkin man’s sandwich. It is what other sandwiches want to be – chewy, gooey, cheesy, and mouth-watering delicious.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this but I prefer sandwiches that are toasted or warmed up a bit. Something about melting the cheese and toasting up the bread just makes me weak in the knees.

Buffalo sauce also makes me a bit weak in the knees, so this panini is right up my alley. I ate one whole one and then another half just because. Brent said he didn't think he could eat his final half, but I told him to pull his britches up and man up. If I could eat one and a half, so could he.

I’ll be eating salad for the next 7-10 days to make up for the calories but it was totally worth it.

Buffalo Chicken Panini

*make 4 sandwiches

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken

- ¼ cup buffalo wing sauce

- ½ large red onion, sliced

- ¼ cup butter, divided

- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese

- 2 tablespoons sour cream

- 8 thin slices tomato, approx 1 large one

- 4 slices bacon, sliced in half and cooked

- 4 slices sharp cheddar cheese

- 8 thick cut (approx 1”) bread - Choose a good chewy and dense bread

Directions:

1. Start by caramelizing your onions over low heat with 2 tbls of butter. (Click here for a How to Tutorial.)

2. In a small bowl, smash blue cheese into sour cream. Stir well to incorporate and set aside.

3. In a sauce pan, melt remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over low heat. Add chicken and buffalo sauce. Simmer together until chicken is thoroughly warmed through and well coated with sauce.

4- Assemble sandwiches. Spread blue cheese on one slice of bread and place cheddar on other slice. On top of cheddar add bacon, onions, chicken, and tomatoes in any order you prefer and place blue cheese covered slice on top. (Mine went like this: cheddar, bacon, chicken, onions, tomatoes, blue cheese)

5- Place on a heated sandwich press – a George Foreman-like grill works too – and press sandwich for 1- 2 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is toasted and browned. If you are using a regular pan, heat over medium, spray with cooking spray and flip sandwich midway through.

6- Let cool for a minute before slicing and serving.

Happy Friday!

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Pesto Chicken Salad

If you were to ask me to list my top three most hated foods, the list would most certainly include mayonnaise. I just can’t stomach it and therefore I steer clear of a lot of summer favorites such as potato salad, macaroni salad, and chicken salad. This recipe is my solution to that problem and is probably one of my favorite new recipes I’ve come up with in the last couple of months. It’s very satisfying but not overly heavy, and if you buy a rotisserie chicken to use, you won’t even need to turn the oven on. An added bonus is that it’s a little healthier given that mayo has a good amount of calories in it.


The “hardest” part of making this salad is the prep work, other than that it comes together in a snap and is a great make ahead lunch or light summer supper. When we had this for dinner a couple of weeks ago we served it with a lightly toasted flatbread and some mixed greens but you can certainly enjoy it alone, either warm or cold.

Pesto Chicken Salad

*Serves 4- 6
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup baby swiss cheese, cubed
- ½ cup chopped prosciutto
- ¾ cup artichokes, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup red onion, minced
- 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon prepared pesto
- Salt and pepper

Optional: flatbreads, pita bread, fresh spinach, arugula, or mesclun greens

Directions:

1. Prep and chop the chicken, tomatoes, cheese, prosciutto, artichokes, and red onion. Add to a large mixing bowl.

Buffalo Chicken Nacho-Style Potato Chips

I put this recipe in the category of “what in the world was I thinking”; because it is sinfully tasty and let’s be honest - I really should be eating healthy things for dinner, not potato chips loaded with chicken, bleu cheese, bacon, and a spicy, creamy wing sauce.

Though the potato chips were baked and homemade… so I had that going for me at least.

Still, I make these sorts of recipes on nights when Brent is working late so I can eat all of it with no shame. In fact, when he came home at 10:30PM and asked what I had for dinner and if there were leftovers, I hesitated to tell him. I mean what girl eats a whole pile of nacho-style potato chips for dinner?

I do apparently. I just can’t help it. While I love yogurt, fruit, and veggies…I can’t help loving sour cream, butter, and cheese more.

So here is the recipe for you to try. Share them with a friend and or scarf them down all on your own – it’s up to you!

       Buffalo Chicken Nacho-Style Potato Chips

*Serves 4 as an appetizer
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 1 chicken breast
- 6-8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3-4 teaspoons of buffalo wing sauce, adjust to your taste
- ½ cup bleu cheese
- ½ cup scallions, chopped
- homemade potato chips or regular ones

Southwestern Chicken Casserole

This is one of my favorite casseroles that I’ve come up with. There is just something so homey and delightful to me about a casserole. I make this one often because I usually have all or most of the ingredients on hand and it’s just so satisfying. This recipe is perfect for the day after you grill some chicken breasts. Just add an extra one and set it aside for the next night.

Southwestern Chicken Casserole

*Serves 2 generously
(printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 1lb potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 large chicken breast (or two small), grilled
- ½ cup salsa verde
- 1 bell pepper, sliced (any color)
- ½ small onion, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2/3 cup black bean dip (or refried beans)
- 1 cup canned red beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon season salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1/3 cup chopped scallion
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Oil or additional butter for sautéing
- Cooking spray
- Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Add your diced potatoes to a pot of water and bring to a boil. Allow potatoes to cook until just before being fork tender. Once done, remove from heat and drain well.

2. While potatoes are cooking sauté peppers and onions over medium heat in a couple of tablespoons of oil or butter for about 10 minutes or until vegetables soften. Once done remove from heat and set aside.

Leftovers Reanimated

I’m not a huge leftovers lover and neither is Brent for that matter. It’s not that the meal wasn’t good or that it’s gone “bad” by the next day or two, we just get bored and want something new and exciting to eat. Many nights during the week that is the highlight of our day – the food. Does this make us dorky and a little lame? Probably, but it’s who we are as a couple and I think we’re ok with that.


There are two ways we combat the leftover blues in our little home. One way is to only make enough that make be eaten that night, the other is to portion the rest out and freeze it with the exception of maybe some for lunch the next day. Freezing is my favorite way because there are some things (like chili) that really can’t be made for just two. And then in a week or two when I have a mad case of dinner laziness, I can just pull something out that is ready to go. This is a beautiful thing in my opinion.

There really is only one downside to the freezing method. Sometimes your freezer gets a little full with random items and it needs to be clean out! I hate throwing food out so I pretty much toss anything that I didn’t use in prepping a meal into a container, or Ziploc bag, and toss it in.

My freezer right now contains the following: artichoke hearts, bacon, leftover stuffing, leftover pesto, guacamole, alfredo sauce, pastry puff shells, a lone chicken breast, some mullet Brent caught fishing, a piece of salmon, 1 cup of baked beans, a whole roasted chicken that I want to make stock with but haven’t yet, leftover homemade soup, leftover chili, an Italian sausage link, random bread, and a bunch of other stuff but you get the point.

Sidenote: We ate the homemade soup last night and I forgot how good it was. I should have written the recipe down when I did it, now I'll have to guess when I want it again.

So since Christmas we’ve been in “pantry cooking” mode. If you aren’t familiar with the term it basically means eating up everything in your pantry/freezer and buying as little groceries as possible. There have been several pretty good dishes that have come out of this… all of which I didn’t bother to write down or photograph at the time with the exception of this recipe I’ll be sharing with you. I’m starting to see a trend here…perhaps a New Year resolution is in order to write down everything I cook in the kitchen.

Feel free to adapt it as needed. I don’t expect you to have the same leftovers in your fridge/freezer, but if you do… then it is imperative you make this!

Grilled Stuffed Chicken Breast with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

*Serves 2
(Printable recipe)

Ingredients:
- 2 chicken breasts, pounded to ¼ inch thickness
- ½ - ¾ cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cups stuffing
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoons red bell pepper pesto
- 2 teaspoons chicken grill seasoning
* toothpicks, soaked in water for 10 minutes

Lunch on the Go

Recipe: Greek-ish Chicken Flatbread Sandwiches

I try to eat healthy during the day at work. This is something I did the other week for lunch. It was easy to prep and take to work.

Suggestions – If you plan on having chicken one night grilled, throw a couple of extra breasts on the grill and make these the following night. You could even use a rotisserie chicken to make these easier if you want, but I prefer the “grill” flavor.

Greek-ish Grilled Chicken Flatbread Sandwiches

*Makes 5 sandwiches

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 chicken breasts, grilled and cubed

o Side note: I actually marinated the chicken in the Greek vinaigrette for about 30 minutes before grilling.

- 5 flatbreads, I used whole wheat
- 6oz plain yogurt

- 1 lemon, juiced

- ¼ teaspoon dried dill

- 1 tablespoon capers, chopped

- splash of white wine vinegar

- 1 medium cucumber

- ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced

- 1 cup grape tomatoes

- 1/8 cup Greek vinaigrette

- ½ cup crumbled feta

Directions:

Arugulamania Dish #1

So with a good amount of incredibly tasty arugula walnut pesto in my fridge I decided to give it a work out and planned a couple of meals using it. It actually could have been three, but I kept snacking on it too much.

The night I made the pesto I dreamed up this little pasta dish. A majority of the ingredients I had on hand, so it made for a quick and very delicious tasting supper. You could also make this meal with regular pesto, or omit the chicken and double up on the mushrooms for a vegetarian option.

Before I get started, let me point out that in this recipe I used a store bought marinade for the chicken AND a store bought alfredo sauce. I’m not opposed to short cuts in my cooking from time to time. You can certainly use your favorites in replace of mine, but I have noted what brands I used.

Grilled Chicken and Portobello Pasta

with Arugula Walnut Pesto Cream Sauce

*Serves 2

(printable recipe)

Ingredients:

- 1 marinated chicken breast, pounded to even thickness*

- 2 medium Portobello mushrooms

- 1 ¼ cup prepared alfredo sauce**

- 2 tablespoons Arugula walnut pesto

- ½ pound of fettuccini pasta, cooked al dente

- 1 roma tomato, diced (optional)

- EVOO

- S&P

* We used Lawry’s Herb and Garlic 30 minute marinade. Use whatever kind you prefer.

** If you’re feeling extra ambitious, you can make your own. We used Buitoni’s brand from the refrigerator section.

Directions:

1. Marinate chicken 30 minutes prior to cooking – at least. Clean mushrooms, remove stems and toss in a light coating of EVOO and salt and pepper.

2. Start your grill and bring to temp. Once well heated, grill chicken for roughly 4-6 minutes on each side. Start before you put the portabellas on – they will only take 3-5 minutes on each side. Remove portabellas from heat when have developed a deep brown color and softened up. Chicken should be no longer pink in the inside and juices will run clear. (I can’t give you an exact time because heat temps vary and thickness varies.)

3. While chicken is cooling, heat alfredo over medium heat in a sauce pan. Once alfredo is heated through add the pesto and stir to combine.

4. Once alfredo/pesto is heated through, remove from heat and toss with hot cooked pasta until sauce coats all the fettuccini.

5. Slice chicken and portabellas and place on top of pasta to serve. Add tomatoes as garnish if you choose.

Thoughts: This was a lovely pasta dish. The arugula didn’t overwhelm the dish because the alfredo mellowed out its intensity. They combined beautifully to make a flavorful and delicious cream sauce. The grilled chicken and portabellas were perfect on top of the pasta. You can add them in – BD likes to do this – but I don’t like to when using a long cut of pasta.

I noted that the tomatoes are optional. Personally, I love fresh tomatoes on top of a pasta dish. To me it adds a light and fresh element to a pasta dish that I really love. I’ve got one more recipe to share using the pesto and I should have it up sometime this weekend.

Rae ^..^

A knock off from down under

I call this Aussie Chicken because it’s my take on Outback’s Alice Springs Chicken. This is a dish that dish both the boys love. It’s usually a go-to meal at our house because we almost always have everything on hand for it. It’s not the prettiest plate to look at due to the mound of toppings it has, but is really is such a tasty dish and will satisfy the hungriest of men.

Aussie Smothered Chicken

*Serves 4

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 4 chicken breasts, pounded ½ inch thick

- 8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled

- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (crimini or button)

- 1 medium onion, sliced

- 1 ½ cups of shredded cheddar cheese

- Butter for sautéing, few tablespoons

- Your favorite chicken grill seasoning. I used this one.

- Ranch or Honey Mustard

- S&P

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

This dish is one of my mom’s. While it seems humble and incredibly simple, I have yet to meet a person who doesn’t fall in love with it and go back for seconds. I grew up eating this dish which is my mother’s version of a traditional Chicken Cordon Bleu. There is something so comforting about going to her house and eating her cooking again. My mother has always been able to hold her own in the kitchen.

I will alternate between her version and mine, which is more traditional. My mother’s is great for a crowd because there is less prep work.

Mom’s Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

*Serves 4-6

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 2 pounds chicken (4-5 breasts)

- ½ pound of ham, sliced thin

- ½ pound American Cheese, sliced thin

- 1 box Shake ‘n Bake original (SNB)

- 3 tablespoons dried parsley
- S&P

Dijon Chicken Breasts

Thinking back as I type this blog, I think I can remember the first time I ever tried this recipe. I was probably 11 or 12 and it was the first time I made something my mother never had.

Dijon chicken breast nowadays doesn’t seem too edgy, but back then I thought it was genius. The original recipe is from a little cookbook I was given by my paternal grandmother. It was a little collection of recipes from other members of her tour group. Its perfect for the night you come home and have chicken in the fridge, but no idea what to do with it. I’ve made a few adjustments to the recipe, and below is my own version of the original.

Dijon Chicken Breasts

(print the recipe)

Ingredients:

- 4 chicken breasts, pounded to ½ inch thick

- ½ cup Dijon mustard

- approx. 1 cup bread crumbs

- EVOO, 2 or 3 tablespoons worth for pan searing

- Flour

- S&P

Procedure:

1. After you’ve pounded the chicken, season with S&P and dredge in flour.

2. Spread 1 tablespoon of Dijon on one side of the breast, then coat with bread crumbs. Repeat this process on the other side and the remainder of the chicken.

3. Lightly coat the bottom of a large frying pan with EVOO. Allow pan to come to medium high heat.

4. Pan fry each side of breast till golden brown. About 1-2 minutes per side.

5. Finish chicken in a 400 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes or until cooked through.

(The picture doesn't do the flavor justice)

Thoughts: I love how the bread crumbs and Dijon mustard create a tangy little crust on the chicken. The chicken was cooked perfectly and came out nice and juicy.

Tis the Grilling Season: Grilled Chicken and Eggplant Sandwiches

Grilled Chicken and Veggie Sandwiches

This past week I had a hankering for something grilled. More specifically, I was in the mood for a sandwich that was light, tasty, and full of flavor. I am not ashamed to admit that I actually spent most of the day at work brainstorming intermittently on what would accomplish this.

By the time I got home, I had it all planned out...all I had to do was convince BD to be "in the mood" for the same. I decided on making a grilled sandwich. Grilled chicken, grilled eggplant, grilled red bell peppers with mesclun greens and some melty cheese on some good bread.

To start, I sliced the eggplant and dropped it into a Ziploc baggy with some EVOO, S&P and garlic and onion powder to marinate for a few minutes.

While the eggplant was doing it's thang, I sliced about half a red bell pepper that I had in the fridge. Then I sprinkled on some S&P and EVOO and threw it on the fire. I wanted the to peppers to retain their texture and not get too mushy so I only left them on long enough to soften slightly and get a little charred on the outside. I knew the eggplant would be more on the soft side so I wanted a variety of textures and not just a "mush"wich.

For being a professional cook, BD is much more picky than I am. For example, he hates green peppers but will eat the rest. I'll eat them all but will gravitate towards the green for everyday sort of things such as chili or in with a sausage pasta dish. The main reason being they cost about a third of the rest of the other colors of peppers. But for this meal I knew red was the way to go. A little sweeter and not as strong in flavor and it was all about balance for this sandwich.

Next I prepped my chicken. After washing the breasts and patting it dry I rubbed on McCormick's Roasted Garlic Chicken Rub. I've always found this one to give a good flavor and add some color to the chicken.

Before placing it on the grill I drizzled it with EVOO to prevent sticking.
While the chicken was waiting, I grilled my eggplant. Mid way through the grilling process I rotated each slice so I would get some nice grill marks on them. Once they cooled down a little I sliced them into fourths.

For my tasty crusty bread I chose to use to go with Ecce Panis Roasted Garlic Italian. It has whole cloves of roasted garlic studded throughout the bread with a soft, dense inside and a nice outside crust. Love this bread.

For the sandwiches we sliced a hunk out of the middle so that we would actually be able to fit the sandwich in our mouths! The bread is VERY thick. Then we spread a little butter on the bottom slice and then topped the other half with sliced Havarti cheese and popped it in the toaster oven to get all melty. Mmmm... melty cheese!
When the cheese and butter had melted we placed the mesclun (mesclun is a mix of baby greens including lettuces, arugula, spinach, radicchio and various others -it depends on the brand) on the buttered side and the roasted red peppers and eggplants on the other.

Mesclun

After the chicken was fully cooked we gave it a few minutes to cool and then sliced it on a very thin bias. I think you can see in this picture how thin it was sliced.

After that the only thing left was to mush then two halves together, slice it down the middle and eat!

You can see that I added a little salt and pepper to my greens first though!

My thoughts on this dish: I was really happy with how this little sandwich turned out. All the tastes blended together really well. I toyed with the idea of some kind of saucy topping for this but I couldn't come up with anything that sounded good. After eating it, I didn't think it really needed it between the butter, cheese and the natural moistness of the veggies and chicken. BD said it would have been better with something though.

I have a feeling that grilled sandwiches are going to be my new favorite food for the summer. Happy grilling!