Chicken Entrees

Springtime Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 small redskin potatoes
cooking spray

Coating:
1/2 C. low-fat Ritz cracker crumbs
1 Tbsp. Finely chopped parsley
1/8 tsp. Pepper, 1/4 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp. onion powder

Sauce:
1-1/2 C. chicken broth
1 Tbsp. chives (chopped)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet
dash or two of hot pepper sauce
1-1/2 Tbsp. dried butter buds
10 oz. pkg. frozen peas
4 oz. can sliced mushrooms, drained
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
•Preheat oven to 350° F.
•Spray chicken and potatoes with cooking spray and coat with the coating. 
•Bake these in a flat casserole, uncovered, for 30 minutes, turning over once at about the 15 minute point.
•Mix the above sauce ingredients and stir and simmer during the last five minutes that the chicken and potatoes are baking.
•Remove chicken and potatoes from the oven. 
•Pour sauce over the top, and serve.
•A crusty loaf of bread and mixed baby greens and tomato salad will make your meal complete.

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. dry sherry or saki
2 Tbsp. Kikkoman soy sauce
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 Tbsp. fermented black beans 
1 tsp. finely minced garlic
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. sugar
dash cayenne pepper
2 skinned, boneless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. peanut or canola oil
1/4 tsp. sesame oil
hot cooked rice

Directions:
•Crush black beans and put to soak in 1 Tbsp. water.  
•Cut chicken in 1/2" strips. Marinate in wine, soy sauce & cornstarch for 20 minutes.                                  
•Remove and stir-fry strips quickly in half the hot peanut oil.      
•Remove from pan.
•Add the other tbsp. oil and the garlic and stir fry for 1 minute, being careful not to brown it.
•Add marinade, black beans, and rest of ingredients except sesame oil, and bring to a boil.
•Add chicken and cook over medium heat until sauce is thickened.
•Sprinkle with sesame oil and serve over rice.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Ingredients:
2 cups (16 oz.) sour cream, low-fat or non-fat
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
2 tsp. poppy seeds
2-1/2 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed small
1-3/4 cups cracker crumbs (think Ritz)
1/2 cup (or less) butter or margarine, melted (reduced fat is fine)

Directions:
•Preheat oven ° F.   Mix butter and crumbs and save for topping.                    
•Mix all other ingredients together in large bowl.
•Spread in an oiled 9" x l3" baking pan.
•Top with buttered crumbs.
•Bake 25 to 30 minutes uncovered until bubbly.

Chicken in a Shell

Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 Tbsp.  garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
4 oz. can mushroom pieces, drained
3 oz. shredded low-fat Jarlsberg cheese
1/2 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in thin slices
1 box frozen spinach, cooked, squeezed and chopped
6 large flour tortillas
cooked chicken from two legs and thighs, shredded or chopped

White sauce:
3 cups non-fat half and half
3 Tbsp. whole wheat flour
1/2 pkt. dry butter buds
1/8 tsp. nutmeg, preferably freshly grated

Directions:
•Preheat oven to 350° F.  Oil a 10" x 10" casserole.
•Prepare white sauce using above recipe or your favorite recipe, adding nutmeg.
•Sauté onion and garlic in oil until onion is transparent, but not brown. 
•Mix onion, garlic, spinach, artichokes, mushrooms, chicken and cheese in medium bowl.  
•Add 3/4 cup white sauce to above mix and stir thoroughly.
•Put thin layer of sauce in casserole.
•Divide filling evenly among tortillas and roll them as tightly as you can for one layer of tortilla  'rolls' in the casserole.
•Spread remaining white sauce over top, making sure to get outside edges of rolls covered so they don't dry out while baking.
•Bake covered for 30 minutes.
•Let sit 10 or 15 minutes before serving.
•Cut tortillas in half crosswise before removing from casserole, to make them easier to get out intact. 


White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. chicken, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can minced green chilies, drained
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. oregano
3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2  15- or 16-oz. cans white beans, drained

Directions:
•Quickly brown chicken cubes in oil, then remove them.
•Sauté onion, garlic, and mushrooms in oil until onion is transparent.
•Add drained chopped chilis, spices and broth. 
•Simmer slowly 25 minutes.   
•Add chicken, beans and cilantro.
•Simmer slowly uncovered another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.


Chicken & Rice

Ingredients:
1 cup rice (partially cooked, or Uncle Ben's from box)                
1 can golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
1/2 cup dry white wine or water
1/2 cup water
2 to 3 lbs. chicken pieces, raw, skin removed
1 package dry onion mushroom soup

Directions:
•    Preheat oven to 350° F.  Lightly grease a 9" x 13" baking pan.
•    Put rice, soups and liquids together and mix well.
•    Pour into baking pan.
•    Arrange chicken on top of mixture.
•    Sprinkle dry soup mix on top. 
•    Cover and bake about one hour.
•    Check chicken, and if not done, bake another 15 or 20 minutes -- just make sure you don't cook it so long that the white meat dries out!  Serves 6 or more.

Note:  If you use regular raw rice, it will take a longer baking time to cook the rice and I recommend cooking it half way before using it in the casserole.  If you use Minute Rice or Uncle Ben's, just put the rice in dry.  If you use raw brown rice, as I do, you will need to cook it for about 1/2 hour before adding it to the casserole.


Great Tasting Chicken & Pasta

Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts (about 1#), pounded to 1/2" thick
4 C. green peppers, cut in 1" cubes
1/1/2 C. chopped onion
2 cloves finely chopped garlic
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
8 oz. sliced fresh mushrooms
8 Greek black olives, chopped
2 Tbsp. capers
1 can artichoke hearts cut in thin slices
1 26 oz. can low-fat spaghetti sauce
pasta

Directions:
•    Cook your favorite pasta.
•    Prepare sauce and chicken while it's cooking.
•    Sauté onions and garlic in oil in non-stick pan until onions are transparent.
•    Add mushrooms and sauté until they give up their liquid. 
•    Then add green pepper chunks and sauté about 5 minutes more.
•    Remove vegetables from pan to a bowl.
•    Lightly flour chicken breasts.                                                  
•    Spray the same pan with olive oil spray, turn heat to medium high, and brown breasts on both sides, then remove.
•    Return veggies to pan, add capers and spaghetti sauce, cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes.
•    Cut chicken into 1" cubes and add to pan, along with artichoke slices.   
•    Cover and cook over low heat about 7 minutes to finish cooking chicken.

Simply Stuffed Chicken

Ingredients:
1 whole (cleaned, of course) chicken
Chef’s Salt
freshly ground pepper
2 small lemons

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
•    Sprinkle chicken inside and outside with Chef's Salt (or regular salt) and freshly ground pepper.
•    Puncture lemons in about 20 places with a sharp fork.
•    Put lemons inside the cavity; sew it up and bake it covered for 45 minutes to one hour, till done.