Friday, November 19, 2010

Party Chicken



Who comes up with some of these names? I mean party chicken, what is so partyish about it? I have to admit I was a little skeptical about this dish. Once I made it, it did not look good at all. However it was easy to make & tasted surprisingly good. The only thing I think I wold change would be to add some garlic. It needed a little extra something & I think that was it.

The one good things about this recipe was I had all the ingredients except for one. Pretty much everything was a staple in our house except for the bread crumbs.

Serves 4

Cooking spray
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup flour
Large zip-top bag
1 1/2 lb chicken fillets
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Aluminum foil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.

Place flour in large zip-top bag. Season chicken with pepper; add to bag. Seal bag; shake to coat. Remove chicken from bag; shake off excess flour. Arrange chicken in baking dish.
Combine soup and mayonnaise; spread evenly over chicken. Stir panko and cheese into softened butter, mixing until crumbly. Top chicken with cheese mixture; cover dish with foil. Bake 10 minutes.
Remove foil. Bake 10–15 more minutes or until top is golden and chicken is 165°F. Serve.

Chicken/Tuna Cakes


This recipe was originally for tuna cakes, but since I am allergic to fish I made them with chicken instead. These were a great summer dinner or lunch meal. The leftovers were good too. I wouldn't change a thing, however the hubby wants me to add bacon to it the next time I make them. Went great with a cucumber salad (see separate recipe.)

Serves 6

2 cans (6 oz. each) chicken or tuna in water, drained, flaked
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
3/4 cup water
1 carrot, shredded
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Sweet Pickle Relish ( we don't use pickle relish ever, so I just chopped up dill pickles really finely)

Directions

MIX all ingredients. Refrigerate 10 min.
HEAT large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Use ice cream scoop to add 1/3-cup portions of tuna mixture, in batches, to skillet.
FLATTEN into patties with back of spatula. Cook 6 min. or until golden brown on both sides, carefully turning patties over after 3 min.

Lasagna Soup


Who doesn't like Lasagna? Ok, well I am sure there are a few of you out there. Such a simple, easy & oh yeah delicious soup. Would be great as an alternative to serve at a football party, or to bring for a pot luck or for someone who needs a meal. Like new parents or someone who just had surgery. I would suggest though if you are going to freeze it, not to put the noodles in it.

Now I have to admidt that I did not make the crostini. We had regular garlic bread. I also forgot to add the parmesan into the soup. It still tasted great & leftovers were even better!

Serves 8-10

1 lb ground chuck
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon thyme
1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
1 (32 ounce) box chicken broth
2 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cup broken lasagna noodles
1 (5 ounce) package grated parmesan cheese
2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
garlic crostini, recipe follows (optional)



Directions

In a large Dutch oven, combine ground chuck, onion, bell pepper and garlic. Cook over medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beef is browned and crumbles. Drain well.

Stir in thyme, brown sugar, broth, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes. Add noodles, and simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Preheat broiler. Ladle soup into 8 to 10 ovenproof bowls. Evenly sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Broil soups, 6-inches from heat, 3 to 4 minutes, until cheese is browned and bubbly. Add a garlic crostini slice on top. Serve immediately.



Garlic Crostini:
1 thin French baguette
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves smashed garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper