Chicken Makeover: Weekly Menu 3/18/13

I wanted to call this weekly menu "Poultry in Motion," but that was too nerdy, even for me. Back in October, I did a post on shaking up your chicken routine with some new dishes, and it was feeling like time to do that again. Chicken is on the menu at least once a week in our house, and sometimes more, so I'm always up for trying some new flavors or techniques.

Need a little more inspiration? Here are some other tasty options:

Baked Chicken Fajitas 

Asian Glazed Grilled Chicken 

Roast Chicken with Pomegranate Glaze

Enjoy!

Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Chicken

 Be sure to cut your chicken breasts to roughly deck-of-cards size. The bigger breasts that are usually sold will take forever to cook and will dry out.

Sides: Wilted spinach and pearl couscous (see couscous recipe with the chicken dish in this previous Weekly Menu)

Make Ahead Notes

• Combine seasonings in a small bowl and set aside for later
• Chop onion and refrigerate for later

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
• 1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions

• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion; sauté 5 minutes.
• Combine thyme and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sprinkle over chicken. Add chicken to skillet; sauté 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from skillet; keep warm.
• Reduce heat to medium-low. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, preserves, vinegar, and pepper, stirring constantly until the preserves melt. Spoon raspberry sauce over chicken.

Recipe from Cooking Light

Crockpot Sesame Honey Chicken

This was an ideal meal to eat before shuttling kids to practices on a weeknight.

  

Sides: White or brown rice and steamed broccoli or sauteed sugar snap peas

Make Ahead Notes

• Chop onion and refrigerate for later
• Combine onion, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, canola oil and pepper (if using) and set aside for later
  

Shortcuts

• Buy pre-chopped onion from the produce section

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts 
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 C onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 C honey (I used only 3/4 cup)
• 1/4 C ketchup
• 1/2 C soy sauce
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 4 tsp cornstarch
• 1/3 C water
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 3 green onions, chopped

 Directions

• Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper and place in crock pot.
• In a bowl, combine onion, garlic, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, oil and red pepper flakes (if using).Pour mixture over chicken.
• Cook on low for 3-4 hours or high for 2 hour.
• Remove chicken and shred.
• In a small bowl combine cornstarch and water.
• Pour sauce from crock pot into a sauce pan and add in the cornstarch mixture. Stir to combine over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring often.
• Pour sauce over chicken.
• Serve over rice and top with toasted sesame seeds and green onions.

This recipe is all over the Internet, but I grabbed it from YourHomeBasedMom.com

 

Herbed Chicken Parmesan

Try not to skip the fresh parsley in this one. If you have leftover fresh parsley and no use for it, chop it up and throw it in a green salad.

Sides: Spaghetti or another pasta shape and steamed green beans seasoned with S&P and a squeeze of lemon

Shortcuts

• Use pre-grated or shredded Parmesan

Make ahead notes:

• Combine breading mix for chicken and refrigerate for later
• Combine tomato sauce, vinegar and seasonings for use later
• Fill pasta pot with water for later

Ingredients for shopping list:

• 1/3  cup (1 ½ ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
• ¼  cup dry breadcrumbs
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
• ½  teaspoon dried basil
• ¼  teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
• 1 pound chicken breast tenders
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 ½  cups bottled fat-free tomato-basil pasta sauce
• 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• ¼  teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3  cup (1 ½  ounces) shredded provolone cheese

Directions

• Preheat broiler.
• Combine 2 tablespoons of Parmesan, breadcrumbs, parsley, basil, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish. Place egg white in a shallow dish. Dip each chicken tender in egg white; dredge in the breadcrumb mixture. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Set aside.
• Combine 1/8 teaspoon salt, pasta sauce, vinegar, and pepper in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; vent. Microwave sauce mixture at HIGH 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Pour the sauce over chicken in pan. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan and provolone cheese. Wrap handle of pan with foil, and broil 2 minutes or until the cheese melts.

 Recipe from MyRecipes

Oven Fried Chicken

Most oven fried chicken recipes don't deliver on crispy skin, but this one does in a big way, plus the chicken inside is juicy and somehow cooks perfectly every time.

Sides: Steamed or roasted carrots and biscuits or if you're feeling adventurous and want to try a different grain, buy the 10 Minute Farro from Trader Joe's, cook it in chicken broth, drain and stir in grated Parmesan cheese, S&P to taste and a squeeze of lemon.

Make Ahead Notes

• Combine milk and vinegar or lemon juice in a large bowl and add chicken breasts (patted dry from package) to marinate 
• Combine flour mixture and set aside for later

Shortcuts

• Line baking pan with foil for easier clean-up 

Ingredients 

• 3-4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• 1.5 cup milk
• 1 1/2 TBSP white vinegar or lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 3/4 c. flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• My secret is to add up to 1 TBSP of Old Bay Seasoning to the flour. If you do that, reduce the paprika to 1/2 tsp. East Coast friends need no explanation, but West Coast friends - trust me on this. You can find it in just about any grocery store near other spices. 

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425. 
• Combine milk and vinegar or lemon juice in a medium bowl and set aside for a few minutes until it curdles. This is a substitute for buttermilk and it will help make the chicken juicy.
• Combine flour and dry seasonings in a large shallow bowl or pie plate.
• Melt butter in rectangular pan in oven and tilt the pan around to make sure the butter coats as much of the bottom as possible. Remove from oven - you'll now prep the chicken quickly to go in the pan.
• Dredge chicken in milk mixture, shaking off excess, and then in flour mixture until completely coated.
• Place chicken in pan skin-side down and bake for 35 minutes. Turn chicken carefully and bake another 10 minutes.
  

Adapted from a recipe found on Cooks.com