Apricot Smothered Seared Chicken

This is delightful! I found this on eatingwell.com in their 500 calorie or less chicken dinner menu archive! SO, SO tasty. Sweet and savory. We served it with some spinach and brown rice and Nick declared, "It's a keeper!" I must say, it has been quite awhile since I've heard those words come out of his mouth in regards to my cooking. Anyways, here is the recipe!

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts- I only used 3- but really you just need 1 per person!
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 4 fresh apricots, pitted and chopped
• 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon , or 1/2 teaspoon dried

Directions

• Place chicken breasts between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Pound until flattened to an even thickness, about 1/2 inch or a little larger. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Place flour on a large plate or shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off excess. (Discard any leftover flour.)
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate, cover and keep warm. (If necessary, cook the chicken in two batches with an additional 1 tablespoon oil.) To be honest, I didn't like how slow it was cooking in the skillet, so after about 5 minutes per side, I popped them in the oven at 350 and let them finish baking for about 10 minutes while I did the next step!

• Off the heat, add wine and shallot to the pan. Return to medium heat and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Add apricots and cook until the fruit begins to break down, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in preserves, tarragon and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Return the chicken to the pan and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve the chicken with the sauce.

• On this last step, I just pulled them right out of the oven, placed the chicken in the pan to let it soak up some of the juice in the sauce and then smothered them when I put them on our plates. 

I already cannot wait to have this meal again! Try it out, and enjoy!!

Slow Cooker Chicken Curry- It's a Cinch!

This has minimal ingredients, but major flavor! Loved it. Very budget friendly!! You could definitely add your own flair to this to "beef it up." Next time I think I'd add some sweet potato, maybe even some green beans.. you'll see!

My pictures didn't come out so well- mainly because I just wanted to EAT it... but... either way- make this and then decide for yourself. Don't judge this book by its cover!

Ingredients:

1 large onion sliced

1 large green pepper chopped into 1 inch peices

1 can stewed tomatoes, chopped up

1 lb chicken, cut into 1 inch peices

1/2 cup mango chutney (Couldn't find this, so I bought mango salsa)

2 T cornstarch

1 1/2 tsp Curry Powder

1/4 cup water

(Brown rice is optional for serving)

Directions:

Place onions, peppers, tomatoes, chicken, and chutney/salsa in a slow cooker.

In a separate bowl, whisk cornstarch, curry powder, and water. Pour over chicken and toss to coat.

Cook on low for 4 hours.

Serve over brown rice :)

Enjoy! Its TOO easy!

Old Fashioned Chicken n' Dumplin Stew/Soup!

This is the best soup ever. And I can say that because its my Mom's recipe and everything she makes is wonderful... The dumplings are light and healthy whole wheat! This was perfect for a potential ice storm. Luckily we have leftovers for tomorrow should weather be as bad as they say! You'll want to make this.. its delightful and warms you up from the inside out. I truly hope you enjoy it as much as I do! The ingredient list looks long, but I promise its a cheap meal that lasts more than 1 night!

The actual recipe is pretty lose. I'll give you the exact measurements, and then let you know what I did!

Soup Ingredients:

2 cans of chicken broth

1.5 cups water

1 bay leaf (fresh or dry)

1 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1 large onion chopped

2 large carrots sliced (I used 3)

3 stalks of celery sliced (Not in the original recipe)

10 oz frozen peas (I used a whole 12 oz bag)

6 oz yolk-less noodles (I used the whole 8 oz bag)

2 cup pre-cooked cubed chicken

Dumpling Ingredients:

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp ground red pepper

1 T butter

1 egg white

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 T fresh parsley

First, combine all ingredients for the soup except for the noodles. They suck up a lot of water/broth! Bring to a boil and let cook until you are about 15 minutes away from "dinner time." I let mine simmer about 1 hour.

Add noodles and let cook while you make the dumplings.

For the dumplings, mix together your dry ingredients. Cut in the butter until well mixed. Add your egg white, buttermilk, and parsley then stir to combine.

Drop dumplings by heaping tablespoons into the soup (they will float)

Cover for about 5-7 minutes until cooked through

Ladle into bowls and seriously, ENJOY!

 

Less than $10 Dinner Salad

This was a recipe I pulled out of a Rachael Ray Magazine. It advertised a dinner for $10 or less and it was not a lie. This salad is so simple. You could swap out a couple of the ingredients to change it up if you want, but its good as is! Roasted tomatoes, grilled chicken, fresh dressing... enjoy!!

Ingredients:

5 T EVOO

2 T fresh lemon juice

1 T balsamic vinegar

Salt and Pepper

15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed

4 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeds discarded

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 1.25 pounds)

1 bunch scallions, sliced

1-2 bags of fresh lettuce (chose whatever varieties you like!)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees

2. In a large bowl, whisk together 3 T EVOO, lemon juice, and balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cannellini beans

3. Place tomatoes cut side up on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 T of the EVOO and season with salt and pepper. Bake until very soft, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, preheat grill, or grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush chicken with remaining T of EVOO. Season with salt and grill, turning once until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes per side.

5. Add lettuce to the bean mixture and toss to coat. Divide salad among plates and top with the roasted tomatoes and scallions. Thinly slice the chicken on the diagonal and divide among the plates.

Enjoy :)