eatatallies.com» Chicken & Fish

Buffalo Chicken Nachos

Allie — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 04:54:34 +0000

Most days I love being a mom more than anything in the whole world. Other days, I am left feeling discouraged and defeated. Today was one of those days. A day like today calls for a bag of chips, some cheese, a little buffalo chicken and maybe a bit of celery to top it off. Here’s to hoping for a better tomorrow!

Buffalo Chicken Nachos
1 1/2 cups Buffalo Wing Sauce
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup water
4 cups shredded cooked chicken
1 large bag (family size) Ranch Tortilla Chips
3-4 cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
5 oz. crumbled Blue Cheese
1 cup chopped celery

In a sauce pan, heat the Buffalo Wing Sauce with the butter and water.
Add the shredded chicken and allow to simmer 3-5 minutes.
Strain the chicken and reserve the sauce.

Spread half of the chips evenly onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.
Top with half of the strained buffalo chicken.

Next sprinkle half of the cheese over the top.
Repeat the layers once more: chips, chicken and cheese.
Bake at 45o until cheese is melted, about 5-7 minutes.

Top with crumbled Blue Cheese and place back in the oven for 1-2 minutes until cheese is softened.

Finish off with chopped celery and reserved wing sauce.
Enjoy!

Source: adapted from Food Network Magazine

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Buttermilk Chicken Caesar Salad

Allie — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 06:02:00 +0000

I am poolside at my parents house right now with three little people begging me to get off the computer and get in the water. I thought I would send a simple salad your way before I jump in. Happy Friday everyone! Enjoy your weekend :)

Buttermilk Chicken Caesar Salad

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

coarse salt and ground pepper

6 chicken tenders

3 slices multigrain bread

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 large head romaine lettuce, cut into pieces

1/2 small head radicchio, thinly sliced

Heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat.
Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a medium bowl, combine buttermilk, lemon juice, garlic, and Parmesan.
Season with salt and pepper.

Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag.
Reserve 1/2 cup of buttermilk mixture for salad.
Pour the remaining buttermilk mixture in the bag.

Refrigerate chicken at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.

To make the croutons, place bread on prepared baking sheet.

Brush both sides with oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Broil until toasted, 1 to 2 minutes per side and then cut into 1-inch pieces.

Transfer chicken to baking sheet and discard marinade.
Broil until cooked through and juices are clear.

Let chicken rest a few minutes before cutting into thin slices.

Add mayonnaise to the reserved buttermilk mixture and stir to combine.

Add romaine, radicchio, chicken, croutons and buttermilk dressing to a large bowl.
Toss to combine.
Serve immediately.
Enjoy!

Source: adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

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Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Allie — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 09:34:00 +0000

I am a stay at home mom and I do most days “alone”. I am the one feeding the kids, getting them dressed, taking them to school, mediating arguments, tending to owies, wiping away tears. I do it every day. I am the one caring for a two year old, three year old and five year old all by myself every day… until 6pm. There is something to be said for the relief that the six o’clock hour brings. No matter how crazy my days are, how overwhelmed I am feeling, I know that at 6pm my husband will be home and we will be doing life together again.

Recently my husband went out of town for 12 days. 12 days!!! I was alone for twelve days with our three small children with no relief in sight. It rained most days, the kids were sick, we were stuck inside, the kids missed school, they were waking up at night, I couldn’t sleep, the cat threw up… I was on the verge of losing my mind. I texted my husband two days before he was scheduled to return to let him know that I was seriously considering running away from home. I really don’t know how I got through those last days but somehow I managed to survive.

When my husband returned home, I made him his first home cooked meal in two weeks, an Enchilada Casserole. Then I put on some lipstick and headed out for a much needed night off with some girlfriends.

Relief had arrived.

Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Casserole

4 cooked chicken breasts, shredded

8 ounces sour cream

garlic salt to taste

14 corn tortillas

1 (28 ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce

16 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the cooked shredded chicken breasts
with sour cream and garlic salt.

Set aside.

Pour about 1/2 inch enchilada sauce
in the bottom of a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

Place 4-5 tortillas on top of the sauce in a single layer.

Top with half of the chicken mixture.

Sprinkle with one third of the cheese.

Pour one third of the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese.

Repeat the layers (tortillas, chicken mixture, cheese and sauce).

Coat remaining tortillas thoroughly with enchilada sauce and arrange on top of the layers.

Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with any remaining enchilada sauce.

Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes.

Remove foil the last 5 minutes.

Cool slightly before serving.

Enjoy!

source: adapted from allrecipes

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Mixed Berry Chicken Salad

Allie — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 22:19:00 +0000

When I was single and making all of my own financial decisions, Nordstrom was a place I frequented often. The Nordstrom Cafe was a place I ate at regularly. The one and only thing that I would ever order on my visits to the Cafe was their Mixed Berry Chicken Salad. It is by far the most delicious salad I have ever eaten. Now that I am married (to a man who hates to shop) and have three little ones (who also happen to be terrible shoppers), I rarely go to Nordstrom and I never eat at the Nordstrom Cafe. Occasionally I miss my shopping and eating at Nordstrom days. However I do find condolence in the fact that I have been able to recreate the Mixed Berry Chicken Salad in my very own home and eat it in the company of my four well loved though non-shopping family members.

There are three parts to this recipe: the candied walnuts, the vinaigrette, and the salad.

Candied Walnuts

1 large egg white

10 ounces walnut halves and pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 325.
Line the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, whisk the egg white until it is completely foamy and no liquid remains.

Fold in the walnuts and brown sugar. Toss gently to coat.

Arrange the walnuts on the prepared baking sheet, keeping the individual pieces separated.

Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Loosen nuts from the pan with a spatula and set aside to cool.

Champagne-Berry Vinaigrette

1/2 cup Champagne Vinaigrette

(I buy mine from Nordstrom. They do sell another version at the grocery store but definitely not as good, in my humble opinion.)

handful of fresh mixed berries

Put the berries and the vinaigrette in a food processor.

Blend until smooth.

Refrigerate until ready to use.

Mixed Berry Chicken Salad
~printer friendly version~

chicken breasts, cooked and sliced

strawberries

raspberries

blackberries

mixed baby greens

crumbled Gorgonzola cheese

candied walnuts

champagne-berry vinaigrette

Combine all ingredients.

Toss with Champagne-Berry Vinaigrette.

Serve.

Enjoy!

source: inspired by The Nordstrom Cafe

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Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Allie — Mon, 31 May 2010 11:06:00 +0000

Not very often does my husband compliment me on my cooking. I think it’s because he is spoiled and doesn’t realize how good he has it. If I am needing the extra boost, I will occasionally fish for compliments. Do you like this? Would you want it again? Is this the best thing you have ever eaten? He usually gives me the answers I am hoping for but rarely does he freely offer them. However, this dinner was a different story. This dinner produced several compliments without any fishing on my part. He loved this. He told me so more than once. He had a second helping. He took the leftovers to work for lunch. Just a few of the signs that this dinner was really good!

Buffalo Chicken Tenders

Serves 4
~printer friendly version~

1 cup crumbled blue cheese

1 cup low-fat buttermilk

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 pounds chicken tenders

1/2 cup vegetable oil, such as safflower

1/3 cup Frank’s (my personal favorite) Buffalo Wing Sauce

2 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven.

In a medium bowl, stir together blue cheese and 1/2 cup buttermilk. Season dip with salt and pepper, and set aside.

Place flour seasoned with salt and pepper and remaining 1/2 cup buttermilk in separate medium bowls. Set out another rimmed baking dish alongside.

Dip chicken in buttermilk (allowing excess to drip off),

then in flour

coating both sides (shaking off excess);

place in baking dish.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high.

Working in batches if needed, fry chicken 5 minutes per side

until golden brown and cooked through.

Transfer to rack in oven to keep warm.

In a large bowl, stir together hot sauce and melted butter.

Add chicken,

and toss to coat.

Serve tenders with blue-cheese dip.

Enjoy!

source: adapted from Martha Stewart Everyday Food

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Chicken Burritos

Allie — Wed, 12 May 2010 23:51:00 +0000

Let me describe a little scenario that happens all too often in my house. The morning is busy with preschool, playdates, appointments, the gym and before I know it lunch time rolls around. I feed the kids lunch and put them down for naps. Ahhhh…. As they sleep, I take my phone off the hook, enjoy the quiet and attempt to recover from the busyness of the morning myself. Naptime is awesome while it lasts. Then all of a sudden the peace and quiet is over. Everyone is awake. Everyone has needs. Some are a bit cranky. Reality has hit again. I am flooded with requests: hold me, feed me, rock me, change me, play with me… And in the midst of tending to all these wants and needs, I realize its 4:00 and I still have no idea what I’m making for dinner! And so begins the scouring and searching of the pantry, fridge and freezer in an attempt to have something on the table and ready to eat by 5:30. It’s times like this when I really wish that I was a plan ahead, prepared, organized kind of mom.
Occasionally I am that mom. The other day I was that mom. I had the chicken in the crock pot by 9:30 am for the burritos we would be having for dinner. By starting dinner in the morning, the 4:00 stress was taken away. The kids, the demands, the messy house to be cleaned were all still there but dinner was taken care of and that was a relief. I could focus on my kids, I could enjoy them, I could straighten up the house and do a load of laundry because dinner was done. I really need to be that mom more often…

Chicken Burritos
~printer friendly version~

3-4 chicken breasts (frozen is fine)

3/4 cup fresh salsa

1/2 to 1 pkg. taco seasoning (depending on taste)

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

2 cloves garlic

Place chicken breasts in Crock Pot.

Sprinkle taco seasoning over the chicken.

Top with salsa.

Sprinkle with cumin and garlic powder.

Add the garlic cloves (remember I always cheat and use the Trader Joes frozen cubes).

Cover and cook on low for 5 hours.

Using 2 forks shred the chicken.

Continue to cook for 2 more hours.

Place the shredded chicken on a tortilla

and top with all your favorite ingredients.

Enjoy!

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Sesame Chicken

Allie — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:58:00 +0000

My kids love playing outside. I love when my kids play outside. I especially love when my kids play outside while I cook dinner ALONE in the kitchen. For some reason, it is just so much more peaceful to cook in a kitchen without all the talking, tattling, crying, laughing, screaming, wrestling, yelling, and everything else that goes along with three little ones. Last night I got to cook dinner in peace while my kids enjoyed the sunshine and played in the backyard. Pure bliss for all. I think the food even tasted better.

Sesame Chicken

~printer friendly version~

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tsp sesame oil

1 heaping Tbsp chili garlic sauce

1 c. Panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 Tbsp black sesame seeds

1 tsp olive oil

In medium bowl, combine chicken, sesame oil and chili garlic sauce.

Toss to combine and place in fridge to marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.

Remove from fridge when ready to cook and preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place olive oil into pan (preferably nonstick) and heat until almost smoking,

while you combine bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, pepper, sesame seeds in a shallow dish.

Place chicken breast into bread crumb mixture.

Flip to coat both sides well.

Place into hot pan and repeat with remaining chicken breasts.

Cook until golden in color on one side, about 3 minutes and flip.

Cook an additional 3 minutes to brown the other side.

Transfer chicken to a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.

Allow chicken to rest for at least 10 minutes

before serving.

Enjoy!

source: adapted from good things catered

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Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken

Allie — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:58:00 +0000

I started going to MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) when my oldest son was about 4 weeks old. It was that desperate need to get out of the house and have some adult interaction that drove me there and it was just the refuge I needed. MOPS has been an amazing part of my mothering journey. It has been a place to connect with other moms, be understood, encouraged and inspired and well as an added bonus, a place where I get to eat really good food in the absence of my three little mooches.

Recently, my MOPS group compiled a cookbook full of our very own tried and true recipes. The best recipes often come from friends and to have a cookbook full of my MOPS friends recipes has been such a treat. I recently tried this recipe for Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken that was submitted by my friend Christine. I followed her recipe almost exactly and it turned out delicious.

Spicy Sweet and Sour Chicken

~printer friendly version~

4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided

1 teaspoon peeled minced ginger

1 teaspoon dry sherry

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoons ketchup

2 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (or more if you want to up the spiciness)

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon canola oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 large red bell pepper, diced

2 cups fresh or 20oz canned pineapple

salt to taste

Combine 2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ginger, sherry, black pepper, and minced garlic in a medium bowl.

Add chicken and stir to coat. Set aside.

Combine remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch and 1 tablespoon soy sauce with chicken broth, brown sugar, ketchup, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and sesame oil. Set aside.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon canola oil over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and red bell pepper until tender crisp.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons canola oil.

Add chicken mixture and spread in an even layer in pan.

Cook without stirring 1 minute then continue to sauté until the chicken is cooked through

Return the onions and bell pepper to the pan with the chicken.

Sprinkle with salt to taste.

Add the soy sauce mixture and pineapple, stirring well to combine.

Bring to a boil, cook 1 minute or until thickened, stirring constantly.

Serve over rice.

source: adapted from Christine

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California Crispy Chicken

Allie — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 23:44:00 +0000

I would love to have a garden full of fresh fruits and vegetables. This will not be happening anytime soon (if ever). First of all, because we live in a new house with an unlandscaped backyard and the dirt is more like clay. Second, because we have no plans to landscape our yard or plant anything anytime soon. Third, because I have no idea how to garden and I do not like bugs, worms or dirt. So no garden for me, well at least not right now. However, I do get a slight sense of that gardener satisfaction when I walk outside and pick a lemon off of our lemon tree. Yes, we do have one lone lemon tree in our yard and I love it. Getting to pick a lemon off that tree is one of the reasons this recipe makes me happy, well that and the fact that it is super easy and even my kids will eat it.

California Crusty Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1/4 cup melted butter

3 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 1/4 cup corn flake crumbs

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine the melted butter, lemon juice and lemon zest in a shallow dish.

In a separate shallow dish, combine the corn flake crumbs with the salt and pepper.

Dip the chicken in the lemon butter mixture, turning over to coat both sides.

Next, dip the chicken in the cornflake crumbs, turning it over to coat both sides.

Place the chicken in a well-greased baking dish.

If you have any lemon butter remaining, feel free to drizzle it over the top. Bake at 350 for an hour.

Enjoy!

Source: I have no idea where this recipe came from. It quite possibly could have been on the side of a cornflake crumb box years ago…

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Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Allie — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

The holiday season is filled with lots of cooking, lots of baking and lots of cleaning up in the kitchen. With Christmas now over and the New Year approaching, I think its time for a quick and easy meal, one that doesn’t require a lot of kitchen time. This is a throw together in the morning, forget about, and enjoy later kind of meal. Yes, this one is for the Crock Pot. Here it goes…

Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
~printer friendly version~

4-6 Chicken Breasts

1 bottle (12 oz.) Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce (There are two in the picture but I ended up only needing one)

4 tablespoons Butter

1 packet (.4 oz.) Ranch Buttermilk Dressing Mix

6 Sour Dough Sandwich Rolls

Fresh Baby Greens and bottled Ranch Dressing (not pictured but added later as an afterthought)

Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker. Pour in the bottle of wing sauce, add the butter and then sprinkle with the ranch dressing mix.

Cover, and cook on Low for 5 hours.

After 5 hours, shred the chicken breast meat.

Put the shredded chicken back into the slow cooker and continue to cook on low for an additional 2 hours.

Just before serving, butter the sandwich rolls.

Place the buttered rolls under the broiler until lightly browned.

Top the toasted rolls with the shredded Buffalo Chicken.

Garnish with baby greens and creamy ranch dressing.

Enjoy!

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