Tag Archives: chicken

Chicken Mushroom Ragu

Posted in main dish by

Chicken Mushroom Ragu

  • Servings: 1
  • Time: 10 minutes
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

I been eating healthy for the past few months, and I been testing recipes as I go along on this journey.

chicken mushroom ragu1

I made up this recipe for lunch today, its delicious, healthy and satisfying.

chicken mushroom ragu2

1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 OZ cooked chicken breast marinated in 2 tbsp. of your favorite fat free BBQ sauce
3 cups raw mushroom
1/4 tsp. dry basil
1/3 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
pam original oil spray
1/4 cup of water
2 tsp. fat free sour cream
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/3 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

spray a large sauté pan with Pam original oil spray and on medium high heat cook the chicken until its fully cooked.

remove the chicken from the pan and set a side.

add the mushroom and cook for a minute, add all the spices and cook for additional minute, add half the water and cook for one more minute.

return the chicken to the pan, add tomato sauce, sour cream and the rest of the water, cook for one minute and serve.

Enjoy!

Chicken Pasta Helper

Posted in main dish by

Chicken Pasta Helper

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Time: 25 minutes
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Normally hamburger helper made with ground beef, but tonight I made it with ground Chicken since my husband cannot eat red meat.

I try as much as I can to stay away from ready made packaged food, they are full of sodium and preservatives.

I like cooking from scratch so I made up this recipe for tonight’s dinner for my husband. It turned out delicious and healthier version.

chicken helper

1 1/2 LB ground chicken breast
1 bag 24 OZ of Rotini pasta or any of your favorite dry pasta
2 tbsp. chopped dried onion
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1/4 tbsp. sea salt
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. chili powder (hot or sweet)
1 tbsp. taco seasoning mix
3 tbsp. olive oil
2 cups of fiesta blend cheese
1 cup reserved pasta water

chicken pasta

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

Over medium heat add olive oil to a large skillet, add ground chicken and sauté until fully cooked.

Add all the spices, sea salt and cook for 1 minute.

Add pasta, cheese, reserved pasta water and mix well until the cheese is melted.

Serve with simple green salad and garlic bread.

Enjoy!

Maqluba

Posted in food, main dish by

img_6581

Maqluba

  • Servings: 6
  • Time: 35-60 minutes
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Maqluba is the national dish of Israel / Palestine, The dish can include a variety of vegetables, such as tomatoes, potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and eggplant! my favorite way to make it  with eggplant and cauliflower, chicken or lamb are the meats of choice to be used in Maqluba.

dscf5925

Maqluba latterly translates to “upside down” in Arabic, when the casserole is inverted, the top has the crusty layer of the rice, some chose to have the vegetable on the bottom instead of the rice, but my mom always made it with the rice on the bottom, I love it and so my family.

img_6574

4 LB boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs.
8 cups cold water
1 stick of cinnamon
2 bay leaf
1 large onion thinly sliced
1 med cauliflower cut up to floweret OR
1 large eggplant cut up in to 3 inches circles
3 cloves of garlic minced
3 cups of Jasmin rice or long grain rice
1/2 tablespoon of black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoon of salt divided
1 1/4 tablespoon of cinnamon powder
1 tablespoon of curry powder
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoon ground cardamom
6 cups reserved chicken broth
6 tablespoon olive oil divided
3 tablespoon butter

img_6580

Preheat oven to 425

In a large stockpot add water, chicken, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, bring to boil, lower the heat to medium low and simmer uncovered to avoid spells for about 25 minutes, making sure to skim off the foam every few minutes until the broth is clear.

In the main time, spread the eggplant on to nonstick or lined baking sheet in single layer, drizzle 3 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle 1/4 of tablespoon of salt, work the oil and the salt in to the eggplant, roast for 30 minutes.

Rinse the rice with cold water and drain, set a side.

In a medium size nonstick pot add the remaining olive oil, butter and Sauté the sliced onions until golden, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute, make sure the pot is large enough in order to cook the entire meal in.

Add the sautéed onion and garlic to the rinsed rice, add all the spices, the remaining salt and pepper. mix well.

Remove the chicken from the broth on to a plate and let it cool for a minute, discard the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, reserve the broth.

Shred the chicken in to large bite size.

line the bottom of the pot with a layer of the rice and onion mixture, add a layer of eggplant or the vegetable you chose to use, repeat until all of the eggplant used and end up with a top layer of the rice.

Add chicken broth, cover and bring to boil, lower heat to simmer and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Let the rice stand in the pot covered for about 10 minutes.

Hold a large serving platter over the pot and invert the rice carefully and serve.

Some recipes have toasted nuts on top but i love this simple one! 

Served with plain yogurt or middle eastern salad

Chicken Kebab

Posted in main dish by

Chicken Kebab

  • Servings: 4
  • Time: 45 minutes
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Who does not love Kebab!! We all do, in our house everyone ask for it again and again…

IMG_4096

Kebab is any skewered meat or vegetables that grilled in the oven or on an outdoor grill.

IMG_4090

I made mine without the hassle of using the skewers, It is easier after a long day at work, it has the spices and the flavor but without spending extra time on skewering the meat.

IMG_4097

The chicken was moist and full of flavor, the mixed simple spices were packed with flavor.

.3 lb. cut mixed chicken white and dark meat

.1 tbsp. curry powder

.1 tsp salt

.1/2 tsp black pepper

.1/2 tsp cumin

.1/4 tsp cinnamon

.3 tbsp. olive oil

.3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

.3 tbsp. fresh lime juice

Line up two baking sheets with aluminum foil, spray with non-stick vegetable oil spray, and set aside.

Wash and dry the chicken with paper towel and place in a large bowl.

In a small bowl mix, curry powder, salt, black pepper, cumin and cinnamon, add to the chicken and mix well with clean hands.

Add olive oil and lemon and lime juice, and mix again until the chicken completely coated with the spice mixture.

Cover with plastic wrap and let the chicken set at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 435

Line up the chicken on the prepared baking sheets in single layers, bake for 10-15 minutes.

Serve the chicken with corn-asparagus hot salad and baba ghanoush,Enjoy!

Chicken Stroganoff 

Posted in main dish by

Chicken Stroganoff

  • Servings: 4
  • Time: 35 minutes
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

My husband loves chicken, and this time he requested a creamy sauce with it, his take on beef stroganoff… Which it is a very delicious dish I might add, but that’s another recipe for another time… So I said why not let’s try it!

IMG_3889

The chicken was really moist and delicious, the creamy sauce was full of flavor, I added a good amount of curry powder and a little nutmeg…

Also added a low fat sour cream and fresh baby spinach to make it semi healthy since the half and half is rich and full of delicious flavors on its own!

IMG_3883

This dish could be served with either couscous, mixed vegetables, a salad, brown rice pilaf or whole wheat pasta!

lets just say it was a hit and approved by my picky eaters…

IMG_3891

.6 lbs. chicken breast, boneless, skinless

.1 large onion sliced

.5 cloves chopped garlic

.1/2 tbsp. black pepper

.1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

.1 tbsp. and 1/2 tsp. salt divided

.3 cups half and half room temperature

.1 cup low fat sour cream room temperature

.4 tbsp. olive oil divided

.2 tbsp. unsalted butter divided

.1/2 tbsp. chopped fresh marjoram

.1/2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano

.1 tbsp. hot curry powder

.1 bag 5 oz. fresh baby spinach

.1 package of whole-wheat spaghetti

.2 tbsp. chopped green onions for garnish

Cut the chicken in to small bite size, heat half the olive oil and half of the butter in a large skillet on high heat, add part of the chicken in one single layer and brown, add some of the salt and pepper while the chicken is browning.

Remove on to a clean bowl and continue browning the rest with continuing adding some of the salt and pepper, you have to season each layer as you go on.

Add the rest of the olive oil and butter; add the onion and sauté until golden.

Add the rest of the salt and black pepper, add nutmeg, curry powder, and cook for few seconds.

Add the garlic, and cook for few seconds making sure not burn it.

Return all of the chicken back to the skillet and add chopped marjoram, chopped oregano, fresh spinach and cook for few minute until all the chicken is coated with the onion and spices and the spinach is welted.

Add half-and-half and bring to boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the sauce is thick and reduced by half, about 5-8 minutes.

Mix in the low-fat sour cream and cook for a minute just to heat it through.

Cook spaghetti according to package instructions, drain and add to the chicken mixture, mix well, garnish with green onions and serve. Enjoy!

Chicken Fajita

Posted in main dish by

Chicken Fajita

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Time: 20 minutes
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Everyone knows how delicious Mexican food is, and I love cooking it every now and then. I love the delicious spicy aroma that fills the kitchen at dinner time, there is nothing smells better than onions and garlic cooking together.

chicken fajita 4

Years ago, when I started experimenting with Mexican food, I bought a burrito-taco spice mix package from the store, I have to tell you the taste was awful, nothing but salt, and if you are an ingredients reader like me you won’t like what you see.

It is so easy to make your own spice mixture for burrito or fajita at home, making sure your family having a meal that it is clean from all the preservative in a store bought mixed spices.

chicken fajita

.1/2 large onion or 1 medium thinly sliced

.1/2 tbsp. garlic granulate

.1 cup mixed frozen bell sliced pepper, thawed and drained

.4 tbsp. vegetable oil

.1 tsp. salt

.1 tsp. ground Achiote spice

.1 tsp. black pepper

.1 tsp paprika

.1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

.1 tsp. cumin

.1 tsp. paprika

.6 cups cooked shredded chicken breast

.2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

.2 tbsp. chopped green onions

In a large sauté pan on medium heat, add vegetable oil and onion, add salt and sauté for few minutes until its soft and golden.

Add mixed bell pepper and cook until the liquid is evaporated, add all the spices, garlic granulate and cook for a minute.

Add cooked shredded chicken and cook for about 2-3 minutes stirring constantly.

Turn off the heat and serve family style with warm corn or flour tortilla, green rice, jalapeño salsa and vegetarian refried beans. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken

Posted in main dish by

Baked chicken

  • Servings: 4-6
  • Time: 40mins
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

IMG_3142

Chicken is an accessible and cost effective ingredient to use in making any dish for weeknights dinners, well most of the time!  My husband is a big fan of chicken, so you will find us having chicken few times a week, and that could get boring.

Not sure why I came up with this dish.  I had chicken breasts, started cutting it to bites sizes while thinking about what to make, and after standing there and looking at it for few minutes, I opened the coppered and saw a bag of seasoned croutons and a can of mushroom soup and I said ok this would do and let us try it, why not right?  Collected the rest of the ingredient as you could see below and as they say, the rest is history!

This dish actually came out tasty; it is full of flavor, hearty and sticks to your rips kind of dish.

.1 can 10 ½ oz cream of mushroom soup

.1 bag 5 oz seasoned croutons

.1 tbsp poultry seasonings

.1 cup frozen mixed vegetable

.¾-cup sour cream

.1-cup water or chicken broth

.1 tbsp. salt

.½ tbsp. black pepper

.2 ½ lbs. chicken cut to bites size

.2 tbsp. fresh parsley

.½ tbsp. curry powder

.2-cups milk

.2 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400

IMG_3132IMG_3134

In a large mixing bowl whisk cream of mushroom soup, milk, water or chicken broth, and sour cream until all combined.

In 9 x13 baking pan, with clean hands mix Chicken with poultry seasoning, vegetable, salt, black pepper, curry powder, and olive oil until chicken covered with the seasoning and vegetable distributed evenly.  Add cream of mushroom mix, croutons and mix well with clean hands making sure the croutons well distributed evenly in the pan.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the chicken fully cooked. Sprinkle with fresh parsley and serve.

TIP: Always wash your chicken; never cook directly from the package that comes in without washing it.