Aggie's Kitchen » Main Dishes – Chicken

Caribbean Chicken Wings

Aggies Kitchen — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:59:30 +0000

I stumbled onto this wing recipe on A New York Foodie right before Super Bowl Sunday. Wings were on the menu, but I hadn’t decided how I wanted to cook them yet. I loved the flavorful list of ingredients that went into the marinade. Don’t be intimidated by the length of the list…what’s great about marinades is you do most of the work ahead of time, then the marinade does rest of the work while you go on with your day. I let the wings sit in the marinade in the fridge for about 8 hours. They baked up nicely and we enjoyed them alongside some crunchy veggies for dinner.

Caribbean Chicken Wings
Recipe from Sunny Anderson, Food Network

1 habanero, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons fennel seed
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons allspice
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 garlic cloves, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
7 pounds chicken wings

In a food processor, blend together all the ingredients but the chicken until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of marinade. Place chicken wings into a large resealable plastic bag and pour remaining marinade over them. Seal and marinate in the refrigerator 4 to 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 sheet trays with parchment. Remove chicken from bag and place on the baking sheets. Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan bring reserved marinade to a boil. Reduce by 1/3 until it thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove chicken from oven. Brush chicken with the glaze. Raise the heat to 400 degrees F and cook chicken until cooked through, another 20 minutes.

Slow Cooker Island BBQ Chicken and Spicy Slaw Salad

Aggies Kitchen — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:04:57 +0000

My slow cooker has been a huge help lately. I’m really trying to use it on days where I know I’ll be in and out of the house and won’t be able to really spend a lot of time preparing any kind of dinner. I’ve been asking around Facebook for your favorite crock-pot recipes and one of my friends mentioned shredded barbecue chicken. Sounded good to me.

On Saturday as I was getting ready to throw everything in the crock-pot I realized that I didn’t have any “regular” barbecue sauce in the pantry. That is seriously unlike me, since I tend to stock up on sauces in a ridiculous kind of way. I did however have a “gourmet” Guava Barbecue sauce that I always pictured over chicken on the grill in some nice warm weather…I guess I thought it might be in a way “too good” for the crock-pot. Well…I got over that real quick and opened the bottle. With a little spontaneous creativity I added an almost empty box of raisins and sliced onion to the chicken and sauce and plugged it all in…and hoped for the best.

Well let me tell you, the best it was. It turned out so good! We ate it on sandwiches that night, but I’ve been eating the leftovers cold on a salad for the last two days for lunch. That night I paired it up with another “on the fly” creation…shredded romaine, shredded carrots, thin sliced jalapenos and leftover poppy seed dressing from my recent Spinach and Orzo salad. The sweetness from the chicken paired up very nicely with the spicy/sweet from the salad…will definitely be making this one again!

Slow Cooker Island BBQ Chicken
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

2lbs skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle of barbecue sauce (preferably a fruity one i.e. guava, mango or papaya. I used Tom’s Guava BBQ Sauce found at Fresh Market, check your specialty markets or grocery stores for similar products) —- (see edit note below)
2 splashes balsamic vinegar
medium onion, sliced thin
1/4 cup raisins
salt and pepper, to taste
your favorite sandwich buns (I used Arnold’s Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins)

Place chicken breasts into slow cooker and sprinkle salt and pepper to both sides. Add sliced onion and raisins. Pour 3/4 bottle of barbecue sauce and 2 splashes balsamic vinegar over chicken and combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. When cooking is complete, take 2 forks and gently pull apart chicken breasts. Take remainder of barbecue sauce and pour over chicken and combine. I like to add a little water to the bottle and swirl to pick up any leftover sauce and add that as well. Let shredded chicken sit in crock-pot uncovered for about 15 minutes to warm up in additional sauce. Add shredded chicken to your favorite sandwich bun and enjoy!

Edited to note: If you are unable to find “fruity” barbecue sauce (like I was unable to today), try adding a couple of teaspoons of mango chutney and/or a diced mango. I added both to sweeten up the sauce and give it a little something something from the tropics.

Spicy Slaw Salad
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

1 heart of romaine, shredded thin
1-2 carrots, shredded
1 jalapeno, quartered lengthwise and sliced very thin
Jamie’s Poppy Seed dressing

Combine salad ingredients and gently toss with dressing.

Spaghetti with Chicken and Vegetables in Lemon Sauce

Aggies Kitchen — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Those of you who follow me on Facebook know that I was excited about participating in a conference call with Bob Greene (yes…Oprah’s Bob Greene!) last week. I was recently contacted by Barilla about their “That’s Whole Grain?” Taste Challenge and they asked if I would be a part of an informational conference call with a handful of other bloggers. The conference call would be a Q & A session with Bob Greene about nutrition and fitness and of course how to incorporate healthy whole grains into your diet. Most of you already know that Barilla products such as their Whole Grain pasta line has Bob Greene’s Best Life seal of approval which consumers look for to find “healthy” product choices.

After Barilla contacted me and explained the “challenge” to me I looked in my pantry and found several boxes of their whole grain pasta. The “challenge” is to go out and buy a box of Barilla Whole Grain pasta and try it. If you don’t like it, they will send you a voucher for a regular box of their other pasta. Not such a bad deal is it?

I personally have been using this line of pasta for quite some time already. I don’t really remember when I made the switch to whole grain, but once I did, I never thought twice about it. I come from an Italian family so it’s not like I don’t eat white pasta…but I do make it a habit to go whole grain for more “everyday” eating if you know what I mean. It’s what I cook for my husband and kids and they honestly don’t know the difference.

I made this pasta the other night and it’s one of those all in one meals that can be thrown together with whatever veggies you have on hand. I started with this recipe that my sister in law sent me after I told her I had a ton of fresh sage in my herb garden. I used Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti and took the recipe just a bit further and added some fresh veggies to it…red pepper, squash and zucchini…dinner was complete. I love adding lemon to a pasta dish like this, it’s perfect for a night where you don’t want to eat too heavy and aren’t in a saucy type of mood.

Leave a comment and let me know if you plan on participating in the Barilla “That’s Whole Grain?” Taste Challenge or if you are already a fan of whole grain pastas. If you have a favorite healthy pasta recipe go ahead and share it with the rest of us by leaving a link to it!

Enjoy!

Summer Chicken Parmesan

Aggies Kitchen — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 03:01:00 +0000

If you asked me where my keys, cell phone or sunglasses are…I may not be able to tell you. But if you asked me what we had for dinner at a friend’s house 8 years ago…then I just may be able to tell ya. Seriously…some meals are unforgettable right? Well, approximately 8 years ago, before my husband and I were married, we met up with a couple of his high school friends who were house sitting not far from where we lived at the time in Orlando. They invited us over for dinner, and I remember having a really nice evening with them. I also remember what they cooked…grilled chicken, topped with chunky tomato sauce and pasta.

Something about this meal stuck with me…maybe it was the good company, or maybe it was just how good and fresh it tasted. I specifically remember our friend squeezing the canned whole tomatoes with his hands to make the sauce…you would think this would not be new to me…but apparently it’s taken me 8 years to actually make sauce this way on my own. Something about using whole tomatoes in your homemade tomato sauce…once those tomatoes get broken up, the smell of freshness is so overwhelmingly delicious. You’ve got to try it yourself.

We enjoyed this meal with some Summer Vegetable Gratin and of course some good Chianti…

Summer Chicken Parmesan
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

3-4 chicken breasts
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 large cans whole peeled tomatoes
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
bunch fresh basil leaves
shredded mozzarella cheese
freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 pound whole wheat pasta

Cook pasta according to directions on box.

Season both sides chicken with olive oil, salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Place over hot grill over medium heat. Cook for approximately 4-6 minutes on each side, depending on thickness. You can tell chicken is cooked through when juices run clear when pricked with fork or knife. Or cut through thick portion of chicken to check. After you take chicken off grill, cover with aluminum foil and let rest, chicken will continue to cook on its own for a few more minutes.

Pour canned whole tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl. Using your hands, gently squeeze tomatoes until crushed. Continue to crush until it reaches a thin, but still chunky, consistency.

In medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes till fragrant. Carefully add crushed tomatoes to garlic and olive oil. Bring sauce to a boil, then lower to simmer. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 20-25 minutes. Add torn pieces of fresh basil to sauce and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Serve grilled chicken and whole wheat pasta with chunky tomato sauce, sprinkled with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.

Last week I was contacted by a representative from Carrabba’s to tell me about special event they are hosting this next week at their restaurant. It benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association and sounds like a nice night out for a good cause. While you’re there…stay for dinner and order my favorite things on the menu…Calamari Ricardo and Chicken Bryan with a side of pasta with garlic and oil….mmmm.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill “Mix it up for MDA” Event

What: “Mix it Up for MDA” Event, a fundraiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association

When: Thursday, July 30^thfrom 5 p.m. to close

Cost: $15 a person

Admission includes a sampling of four food items from the new Mr. C’s Bar Menu and, for guests 21 years and older, one of three signature cocktails (Blackberry Lemonade, the Italian Lemon Drop or Blackberry Fields Martini) or another drink on the Mr. C’s list. In addition to monies raised from event admission, Carrabba’s also will donate $1 to MDA for each of the three signature drinks sold from July 30 – August 6.

Where: To find Carrabba’s locations near you, visit http://carrabbas.com/locator.aspx

Italian Herb Grilled Chicken

Aggies Kitchen — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 23:06:00 +0000

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend! We’ve had great weather and have spent a lot of our time in the pool and out by the grill. Last night’s dinner was amazing…inspired by my nephew Ryan who was over hanging out. I’ll be posting that later this week…Cedar Plank Grilled Salmon with Tropical Fruit Salsa.

This chicken was perfect for a quick weeknight dinner. It was prepared on the grill and served with Ina’s Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes so there wasn’t a lot of time spent in the kitchen, which is really nice during the summer. I don’t really measure the amounts of herbs and spices that go in the rub, I usually use equal amounts of each herb and spice and combine it in a bowl. I set aside what I want to use for that meal so I don’t cross contaminate, then store the rest for another time. I used pretty much all of this recipe for three chicken breasts for this meal. Chicken like this can be used in so many meals…pasta, salads, sandwiches…you can’t go wrong with it.

Enjoy!

Italian Herb Grilled Chicken
Recipe from Aggie’s Kitchen

1.5 lb chicken breast
1-2 TB dried oregano (about a small palm full)
1-2 TB dried thyme
1-2 TB dried basil
1-2 TB garlic powder
good pinches of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
olive oil

In a small bowl, combine oregano, thyme, basil, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside how much you will use for chicken, save the rest in air tight container for future use.

Lay chicken breasts on baking sheet or plate. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with seasoning and rub. Drizzle olive oil on both sides of chicken. Place on hot grill, over medium heat. Grill 5-7 minutes on each side or until done, when juices run clear.

Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before cutting.