Archives for posts with tag: chicken

Honey Sriracha Chicken Legs with Garlic and Herb Cool Down…

June 13, 2012 //
0

Lately, my diet has been has been high protein and lots of vegetables. Grilled chicken breast gets old really quickly, so Mike and I have been experimenting with ways to make this calorie counting stuff more enjoyable. I freaking love anything spicy and I especially love me some Sriracha. It makes almost anything taste better and when you are watching what you eat, it def helps to spice things up a bit. Li-terally. This recipe is nothing genius and super easy, but thought I would post as my photo on Instagram got lots of inquiries. I am not kidding, it is honey and Sriracha. That is it, it’s that easy. I think some of my favorite recipes are the simplest and that just goes to show that making something yummy and satisfying doesn’t take a ton of fancy ingredients or special technique. This recipe is inspired by a similar (but more gluttonous) hot wing dish served at our favorite neighborhood gastropub called the York  in Highland Park. If you haven’t been, check it out. The food is amazing and it has such a great atmosphere for having din or a drink with your babe. Oh, and the happy hour starts at 3! You heard me… not that I will be indulging in that for a while:)

If you are counting calories or want to make this healthier, I would suggest using skinless legs or you could definitely probably do this with a skinless chicken breast as well. Maybe it is the Midwest in me, but I love chicken on the bone. It is so much more flavorful. This recipe is quite spicy so we made a little sauce to cool it down. Again, we used Greek yogurt which is much better for you than the usual suspects. We threw in some fresh herbs for freshness. It was soooo delish and I will say that this is going to be a regular on the Hall-Martinson household menu. So for those of you who may be at our next B.B.Q., def plan on these being served!

Honey Sriracha Chicken Legs…

  • 1 1b. skinless chicken legs
  • 1/2 cup Sriracha hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • salt and pepper

Season chicken legs with salt and pepper. In a bowl mix Sriracha and honey together and season to taste. These proportions do not need to be exact. If you like it spicier, don’t add as much honey, and if you want it sweeter, add more honey. You can’t mess it up.

Preheat grill to high heat. Place chicken on the grill and cook until almost cooked through. Begin to sauce the chicken with a brush and continue to grill. The sauce will thicken and caramelize a bit. Continue to brush chicken with more sauce and cook until chicken and sauce darken in color and chicken is cooked to your liking. Remove from grill and serve with garlic and herb yogurt dipping sauce.

Garlic and Herb Cool Down…

  • 1 cup low fat Greek yogurt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • large handful of chopped herbs (we used cilantro, mint, and basil)
  • salt and pepper

Add all ingredients together in a bowl or jar and mix. Season to taste. Let stand and refrigerate. This could also be great thinned out with lemon juice as a salad dressing or used as a dip for vegetables.

P.S. The pretty wood plate featured was made by Mike’s stepfather, Ed and was given to us as part of our shower gift! Isn’t he talented???

 

Tags , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories appetizer, chicken, dinner, food and recipes

Beet, Barley, and Haricot Vert Salad with Beer Can Chicken…

April 21, 2012 //
0

Mike and I try and utilize Sundays as a day to cook things that we can eat throughout the week. We have both been trying not to eat out as much so that means packing our lunches when we go to work. One of Mike’s coworkers gave him a contraption for the grill to try out for beer can chicken. Making a whole chicken at the beginning of the week is perfect because you can use the leftovers as a salad topping, for sandwiches, or to make a yummy chicken salad.

Beer can chicken is so simple and it turns out so moist, flavorful, and crispy on the outside. You just wash and dry the lil guy, bathe it in olive oil, and cover it in your favorite herbs and spices. You then dump out (or drink) a quarter of a can of beer, add the can of beer to the beer can holder, and sit the chicken upright so the beer can is inserted into the chicken cavity. You place the chicken upright directly on the grill and cook on medium/high heat for an hour and 15 minutes or so. Holy cow, it’s so good! I can’t believe it was our first time doing this!!!

On Sundays we also try to make a large salad that will hold up throughout the week as we can pre-dish into single serving bowls that we can grab as we run out the door. I can’t even make time to blow dry my hair in the mornings let alone put our lunches together, so this has worked out great!

I absolutely love beets and wanted to create a salad that was fresh, hearty, and healthy. This salad has all of the right textures amongst the barley, walnuts, chickpeas, and crunchy veg. It actually got better as it sat in the fridge a couple of days. The mint really shines here, so I would try not to omit it as it made all of the flavors pop. If you hate roasting beets as much as I do, you can get the pre-cooked ones in the refrigerator section of Trader Joe’s. What a time and a mess saver! I personally like a more acidic salad dressing, so if you do not, feel free to play with the proportions to your liking. It is pretty impossible to mess up. This salad is awesome and we were both sad when we finished it. It is great served with a bit of chicken and would be awesome with fish, but a great meal all on its own!

Beet and Barley Salad…

  • 2 cups barley
  • 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 roasted beets (I used red, but a red and golden mixture would be wonderful)
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 1 red pepper, diced
  • about 2 cups haricot vert
  • 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup roasted walnuts, chopped
  • about 8 oz. crumbled goat cheese
  • large handful fresh mint, chopped
  • large handful fresh parsley, chopped

Dressing…

  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
  • 1-2 tablespoons honey
  • 3 tablespoons or so apple cider vinegar
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • dash or red pepper flakes
  • salt
  • pepper

Bring chicken stock and water to a boil. Add in barley and cook for 30-40 minutes until tender and cooked through. Drain excess water and rinse with cool water. In a large bowl, toss together cooled barley, beets, onion, pepper, haricot vert, chickpeas, walnuts, goat cheese, and herbs.

To make the dressing, place garlic, olive oil, dijon, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper into a mason jar. Screw on the lid and give it a shake. Adjust the proportions to your liking and season to taste. Toss dressing with the salad and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Sooooo good!!!

Tags , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories appetizer, cheese, chicken, dinner, food and recipes, lunch, salads, side dish, vegetarian

Mediterranean Baked Chicken Orecchiette with Lemon Dressing…

April 3, 2012 //
2

This weekend I had my first wedding dress fitting! Let me tell you, finding a wedding dress has been quite an obstacle. Everything looks like a cupcake… strapless, embellished, poofy. Uh-uh. Not for me. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not and have never been a “foofy” girl. There are not many simple, modern dresses out on the market and the ones that are are few and far between, or in my case; sold out:(  I gave up being on the hunt and decided to have one custom made. The experience so far has been amazing. I had an initial design meeting to let my dressmaker (who is awesome by the way) know what I was looking for where we went over some inspiration photos, sketched some stuff up, and conceptualized. Then during my last meeting, we actually started the draping process which was so much fun. It is like we are just designing the garment right on my body! After 7 years of schooling in this area, you would think I would just be able to do this project myself… Glad I am still paying for that education! But let me tell you, spending that much money on a dress and having to stand in only your underthings for an hour while people pin and tuck on you in a mirror surrounded room will really make you want to get in shape and eat lighter.  A couple of my pals have committed to this cause with me to make the process easier. Its hard to have to go it alone! After work yesterday we we rounded up a couple of pups and went on an hour long hike. After sweating it out and being in the sunshine, all I wanted was something fresh, crisp, and healthy so that is how this recipe came about. It is super simple and you can use any vegetables or pasta you like. To make it even more healthy, a grain like farro or quinoa would be tasty. If you can, have someone help you chop to make it go by faster or put on some jams and pour yo self a glass of vino.  I will be way jealous as I am only allowing myself to indulge with the vino on the weekends. I mean, you can’t deprive a gal of everything she loves!

Mediterranean Baked Chicken Orecchiette with Lemon Dressing:

  • 1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast tenders
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. or so paprika
  • 1 tsp. or so garlic powder
  • 1 lb. orecchiette
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 english cucumber, diced
  • 1 cup sweet cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 red onion, diced
  • 1 head broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets
  • 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (chickpeas would be good as well)
  • (1) 8 oz. jar green Spanish olives, chopped
  • 1/4 cup sliced pickled pepperoncini peppers, chopped
  • 6 oz. fat free crumbled feta
  • large fistful of fresh mint, chopped
  • 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup grape seed oil
  • 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about the juice of 4 lemons)
  • pinch of red pepper flakes
  • sea salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 and line a baking sheet with foil. In a bowl, toss chicken tenders with olive oil, paprika, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Bake for around 30 minutes or until browned and cooked through. Tent chicken and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, drop in the pasta. When pasta has around 2 minutes left to cook, drop in broccoli florets for just a couple of minutes until they soften and turn a bright green color. Quickly drain pasta and broccoli and run under ice cold water to cool and stop the cooking process. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add peppers, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, beans, olives, pepperoncinis, mint, and pasta/broccoli mixture.

To make the dressing, add grape seed oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes to a jar. Screw on the lid and give it a good shake.

Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Toss salad with the dressing and let stand for about 10 minutes.  Serve salad topped with warm sliced chicken. *Note: We generally try to only make our own salad dressings. Its really easy and once you get the acid/oil proportions right, you can change up the flavors and herbs to the combo of your choice. It is so much better for you and actually a whole lot more affordable, however, an Italian or store bought vinaigrette would work for this as well.

Tags , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories cheese, chicken, dinner, food and recipes, lunch, pasta, salads, side dish

Spinach Salad with Chicken, Apples, and Raspberries…

November 11, 2011 //
0

Last night we were both whooped, so wanted to make something easy and healthy. It’s holiday season for me at work which means stress and lots of hours. Along with that, my better half has been working hard at his full time job as well as doing a bunch of freelance. Yeah, we haven’t been seeing each other much. Bum city. On the way home from his day job, Mike picked up some chicken that we roasted in the oven. We then tossed it with spinach, apples, raspberries, goat cheese, and toasted pecans. It was so good and we felt good after eating it. Mike is def the salad master. He would also argue that he is grill master. Now we need to just work on him becoming the cleaning master!

Spinach Salad with Chicken, Apples, and Raspberries:

  • 1 lb. chicken tenders
  • 2 tbsp. olive oil
  • spring fresh rosemary
  • paprika
  • juice and zest of one lemon
  • garlic powder
  • salt and pepper
  • few fresh sage leaves
  • 1 bag prewashed spinach
  • 1 pint raspberries
  • 1 apple sliced
  • bunch of scallions, chopped
  • 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
  • 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese

Dressing:

  • Oil (ratio of oil to vinegar should be about 3 to 1, but I like a bit more acid in my dressings)
  • Vinegar or lemon juice
  • Salt and Pepper
  • Favorite Herbs (we stuck with the rosemary and sage combo)

Preheat oven to 375. Toss chicken with oil, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, sage, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Spread out on a foil lined baking sheet and bake for around 20 minutes or until browned and cooked through.

Toss spinach in a bowl with raspberries, apple slices, scallions, toasted pecans, and goat cheese.

To make the dressing, mix 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar or lemon juice. Add herbs and season to taste. Let sit until ready to serve salad.

When chicken is finished, slice and top spinach mixture. Toss with dressing and enjoy right away.

Tags , , , ,
Categories appetizer, chicken, dinner, food and recipes, fruit, lunch, salads, side dish

Simple and Easy Roast Chicken Dinner…

November 1, 2011 //
0

I don’t know what came over me yesterday, maybe it was all of the freaks that were out for Halloween, but for some reason I decided to make a huge dinner. This is rare for me on a Monday as usually after a long day at the office, all I want to do is drink my dinner:) On Mondays, I generally walk to Trader Joe’s in order to get out of the office for a while to grab a salad or a juice and I always end up walking out with absolutely nothing that I originally went in there for. Yesterday I went in for a juice and came out with an entire chicken and a stalk of fresh brussel sprouts (I’ll share what I did with those later).

I have roasted a chicken many different ways, and last night’s was pretty darn delicious. When I plan this out, I generally season the chicken a couple of days before, add some garlic and herbs under the skin, and let the seasonings penetrate it. I did not do any of that this time and it was still great. The rad thing is that it took only 20 minutes to prepare and only cost me less than $20 … I just had some leftovers for dinner tonight, Mike packed some today for his lunch, and he will probably do the same tomorrow. Just goes to show that simple is often better.

Simple Roast Chicken Dinner:

  • 1 chicken (around 5 lbs.)
  • 10-12 baby red potatoes, halved
  • 1 bag baby carrots
  • 1 lemon
  • 4-5 large cloves of garlic
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • bunch of fresh thyme sprigs
  • bunch of fresh sage
  • a few fresh rosemary sprigs
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (butter could work too)
  • salt and pepper

Start with a room temperature chicken. Remove goodies from the inside and rinse well. Dry completely using a paper towel. Season the inside of the cavity liberally with salt and pepper and set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees .

Toss potatoes and carrots in a bit of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Make a bed for the chicken to rest on in a large baking dish with this mixture and top with a few thyme sprigs.

Cut the lemon in half and pierce with a knife all over. Smash the garlic cloves, and chunk up the onion. Stuff all of these ingredients into the chicken cavity along with the fresh herbs. Tie legs of the chicken together with kitchen twine.

Rub the entire chicken with the rest of the olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place the chicken directly on top of the veggies in the baking dish, tucking the wings beneath the bird.

Put in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 30-45 minutes basting occasionally. The skin will be brown and crispy and the potatoes fry up and soak up all of the wonderful drippings. Serve with a simple salad and enjoy your leftovers for the rest of the week!

Tags , , ,
Categories chicken, dinner, food and recipes

Trader Joes Short Cuts

August 11, 2011 //
0

Sometimes I get Trader Joes-ed out…but sometimes Trader Joes can really come in handy when you are in a pinch. We have used their marinated meats a couple of times to feed unexpected guests. Above, we grilled packets of carne and chicken asada, made some fresh guacamole, and grilled some peppers and onions in foil packs for quick fajitas. Below we used the Korean short rib meat to make Korean tacos. We always make a good slaw, top with hoisin and sriracha, and they are just as good as the Kogi truck!Here we served these tacos also with a watermelon and feta salad. Both recipes are below.

Easy Slaw Topping:

  • 1 bag of coleslaw or shredded cabbage mix
  • 1 bunch of cilantro chopped
  • 1/2 sliced red onion
  • 1-2 jalapenos diced
  • juice of 3 limes
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste

Toss all ingredients together, season to taste, and let sit for around 30 minutes until the slaw begins to break down. Garnish your taco with this, sriracha, hoisin, and an extra squeeze of lime juice.

Watermelon and Feta Salad:

  • 1 small seedless watermelon cubes
  • 1 cup crumble feta
  • 1 bag baby arugula
  • 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tsp. chili powder
  • salt and pepper

Toss arugula into a large serving bowl and top with watermelon cubes and feta. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, lime juice, chili powder, salt and pepper to taste. Toss dressing with the salad and serve immediately.

Easy Guacamole:

  • 2-3 avocados (I use one per guest)
  • 1-2 jalapenos seeded and diced
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic minced
  • 1 shallot minced (if you don’t have shallots, throw in any diced onion you have lying around)
  • handful of cilantro chopped
  • juice of 1-2 limes
  • salt

Slice open avocados, pit, and spoon fruit into a bowl. Add in jalapeno, garlic, shallots, and lime. Mash together with a potato masher or a fork to desired consistency. (We like ours a bit chunky.) Stir in cilantro and salt to taste.

Tags , , , ,
Categories Uncategorized

Mike’s Famous Grilled Chicken Salad…

August 8, 2011 //
0

Mike makes this chicken salad that is so freaking good… it is definitely his specialty. I am going away this week on a work trip, so he and I put this together so he has something yummy to take in his lunch this week. I don’t leave until Tuesday, so can’t wait to have one of these bad boys for lunch at the office tomorrow! This recipe is so easy, it just takes time to grill the chicken. I think it could be equally as tasty using a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store (even though Mike would strongly disagree). We made a large batch since he is going to be eating on it all week, so you can definitely cut the recipe in half. Here is what you need…

Mike’s Chicken Salad:

  • 5 boneless chicken breasts seasoned, grilled how you like em, then cubed
  • 5 celery stalks diced (use the whole thing including the leaves for extra flavor)
  • 1 bunch of scallions diced (use white and green parts)
  • 1/2 small red onion diced
  • 1 cup dried cranberries (run your knife through them)
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • bunch of fresh rosemary chopped
  • handful of parsley chopped for color
  • 1-2 cups Hellman’s mayo (or enough to your liking)
  • 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
  • salt and pepper to taste

Once you grill the chicken, let it rest and cool. Then dice all of your ingredients, toss it in a bowl, and give it a stir. You will more thank likely need to adjust the mayo, mustard, and salt and pepper amounts to your liking. We like to put it on toasted wheat bread with some crisp leaf lettuce. I guess it reminds us of how we used to eat chicken salad growing up, but this would be delicious on any kind of bread or just with some lettuce as a true salad for anyone trying to avoid the bread (which i need to do).  Yep… my man is sexy AND he can cook!

Tags , , , ,
Categories Uncategorized
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 27 other followers