Sweet Sesame Noodles

INGREDIENTS:
1 8z pkg uncooked soba
1 8 oz pkg broccoli florets
Cooking Spray
2 6 oz skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
2 TBL rice vinegar
2 TBL dark sesame oil
2 TBL lower-sodium soy sauce
1 TBL creamy peanut butter
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds, divided
1 tsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
3 green onions, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Add soba; cook 3 minutes. Add broccoli to the pan; cook 3 more minutes until broccoli and soba are soft. Drain. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper  and add to the grill pan; cooking until done. Remove chicken from the pan and cut into 1" pieces. Combine vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, peanut butter, 1 tsp sesame seeds, sugar, crushed red pepper and garlic in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Stir in the noodle mixture and chicken. Sprinkle with remaining sesame seeds and green onions.

Summer Vegetable Rigatoni with Chicken

INGREDIENTS:
12 oz rigatoni
1 1/2 cups diagonally sliced sugar snap peas
3 chicken breast (boneless/skinless), cut into bite sized pieces
1 tsp ground black pepper, divided
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup olive oil
2 TBL sliced garlic
2 oregano sprigs
2 thyme sprigs
1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
3 oz Parm/Reggiano cheese grated
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves
1 tsp fresh oregano leaves
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves


DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook pasta according to directions for 10 minutes. Add peas; cook 2 more minutes. Drain mixture and reserve 1 1/2 cups of cooking liquid; rinse with cold water. Drain.

2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp salt. Add chicken to pan; cook 5-10 minutes or until done.

3.  Combine oil, garlic, oregano sprigs, thyme sprigs in a large skillet over medium heat; cook 4 minutes or until garlic begins to brown. Add reserved 1 1/2 cups cooking liquid, 1/4 tsp pepper, remaining 1/2 tsp salt, and stock to pan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 3/4 cup (about 10 minutes). Discard herb springs, stir in 2 oz cheese; stir until cheese melts. Stir in pasta mixture. Stir in chicken, remaining 1 oz cheese and tomatoes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 tsp pepper, basil, oregano, and thyme leaves.

Black Bean and Mango Salsa Chicken

I LOVE Skinnytaste. Another hit from her site! You can find the recipe HERE!

Papaya Bowl Chicken Salad

Since living in Hawaii, we have Papaya a plenty! One fun way to eat it is to make a fruit bowl with mango, apple bananas and pineapple in it. I discovered another way- fill it with chicken salad! (Also you could fill an avocado with chicken salad, which would be super yummy, too!!
I made Pioneer Woman's Chicken Salad with Blueberries and Corn and put it in a Papaya! YUM!!

Chicken, Blueberry and Corn Salad

YUM! I saw this on Pioneer Woman's cooking show and had to make it- the perfect summer dinner!!

Click HERE for the recipe! (I served mine over butter lettuce bowls!)

Ugly Costco Pasta

I found this in our Costco Magazine. It is a super simple, easy dinner that has become a go-to with our rotisserie chicken for days that we need a quick dinner or we've ben out late grocery shopping!

Ingredients

1/2 rotisserie chicken
1 package "rainbow" cheese tortellini
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms (I leave these out because the hubs doesn't like them!)
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups half and half
1 cup chicken broth
Cajun seasoning to taste
2 Tablespoons dried basil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Shred leftover chicken and set aside. Prepare tortellini according to instructions on package and set aside.
Add olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Saute mushrooms for 3 to 5 minutes and then add garlic. Add sun-dried tomatoes and chicken, and saute until mixed thoroughly. Add half and half, broth and seasonings.
Add tortellini. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes to reduce liquid and blend flavors. If you need to add liquid, add half and half and chicken broth in a 2:1 ratio.
Serves 6.

Skinny Chicken "Fried" Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and "Fried" Okra

SO, we were hungry for some of our favorite comfort Southern food from good ol' Georgia. This was a good compromise!!

Here is the Chicken: (I just used breast fillets instead of the other parts of the chicken) http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/07/oven-fried-chicken.html

Mashed Potatoes: http://davisfamilydining.blogspot.com/2012/03/mashed-cauliflower.html

(White Gravy came from a Seasoning Packet at the Store)

Okra: http://cookincowgirl.blogspot.com/2012/03/oven-fried-okra.html

Crock Pot Sesame Chicken

I am loving my crockpot these days!! Skinnytaste has a lot of recipes for my trusty friend, and I've loved a lot of them...this was a good variant, but not my favorite. Click HERE for the link.

Crockpot Chicken Nachos

This was a HUGE hit. Love it! Click HERE for the recipe for the Santa Fe Chicken... then just throw it over nachos, cheese, add some sour cream, avocado and jalapenos!

Chicken with Honey-Beer Sauce

Another one I didn't get a picture of!

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsp canola oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp salt
3 TBL thinly sliced shallots
1/2 cup beer (like Blue Moon)
2 TBL soy sauce
1 TBL whole-grain Dijon mustard
1 TBL honey
2 TBL fresh-flat leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swire to coat. Sprinkle chicken evenly with pepper and salt. Add chicken to pan; saute 6 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add shallots to pan; cook 1 minute. Combine beer and next 3 ingredients (through honey) in a small bowl; stir with a whisk. Add beer mixture to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook 3 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 1/2 cup. Return chicken to pan; turn to coat with sauce. Sprinkle evenly with parsley.

Chicken and Orzo Skillet Dinner

I actually used pork tenderloin when I made this, but chicken would be good, too!

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into bite sized pieces
8 cups water
12 oz uncooked orzo
2 cups chopped tomato
2 tsp no-salt-added tomato paste
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 cups baby spinach leaves
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled

DIRECTIONS:
Heat a nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and saute 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Bring 8 cups of water to boil in a large saucepan. Add orzo; cook 8 minutes or until orzo is al dente. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid. Add reserved cooking liquid, chopped tomato, tomato paste, 1/2 tsp salt, and peppers to skillet; cook over med-high heat for 2 minutes. Add chicken, pasta, and 3 cups of spinach leaves, stirring until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese.

Grilled Chicken Florentine Pasta

INGREDIENTS:
2 chicken breasts
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
Cooking Spray
8 oz. linguine
2 TBL canola oil
3 TBL all-purpose flour
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 cup whole milk
1 cup chicken broth
3 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated
4 cups fresh spinach leaves

DIRECTIONS:
Prepare grill to medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill for 8 minutes on each side or until done. Let stand 10 minutes. Carve chicken and thinly slice.
Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain well; keep warm.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over med-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add flour and garlic; cook until garlic is browned (about 2 minutes), stirring constantly. Add milk and broth, stirring with a whisk; bring to a simmer, and cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Add remaining 1/2 tsp salt, remaining 1/2 tsp pepper and spinach; stir until spinach wilts. Add pasta and chicken; toss to combine.

Black Pepper and Molasses Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with Mango Slaw

I found this great recipe in an old Cooking Light magazine I had! So yummy and easy... I picked up some jalapeno cheese buns from our deli and warmed those up in the oven- perfect! I did make double the sauce to cover the chicken! 

INGREDIENTS:

Rotisserie Chicken, pulled apart

3 TBL ketchup

1 TBL cider vinegar

1 TBL prepared mustard

1 TBL molasses (or honey)

3/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ginger

Sandwich Rolls

Dill Pickle Chips

DIRECTIONS:

Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover and cook, stirring occasionally about 20 minutes. After warming and pulling apart chicken, fill the buns and top with sauce and pickles!

For the Mango Slaw:

INGREDIENTS:

Package of Cabbage and Carrot Coleslaw

1 cup chopped mango

1/4 cup vertically sliced red onion

1/4 cup canola mayo

1 TBL cider vinegar

1 TBL sugar

1/4 tsp salt

DIRECTIONS:

Combine the last 4 ingredients in a small bowl and stir well to make the dressing. In a larger bowl, combine the coleslaw, mango and red onion and toss well with the dressing. 

Chicken Rollatini with Spinach

I found this on Skinnytaste- it was yummy and easy! Mine didn't turn out quite as pretty as hers, but it was still just as good! Click HERE for the link.

Kara's Chicken Soup

My friend, Kara, brought us this soup when my son was born. Here's what she does:

 INGREDIENTS:
3-4 peeled and chopped carrots
3-4 chopped stalks of celery
1 onion, chopped
Olive Oil Chicken (cooked/shredded)
Mrs. Grass' Chicken Noodle Soup Mix
6-8 cups of water
Corn
Peas
Egg Noodles

DIRECTIONS: In a large pan, heat olive oil and cook carrots, celery and onion until tender. Add in chicken, soup mix and water. Add salt and pepper to taste and corn, peas and egg noodles if desired. Cook for 30 minutes.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

I saw that Kraft had a new Fresh Take Cheese and Breadcrumbs Mix- and it was on sale at my grocery store! So, I figured I'd try it with some canned marinara and mozzarella to make it into an easy meal. It turned out easy and fairly good!

INGREDIENTS:
Kraft Fresh Take Cheese and Breadcrumbs: Italian
Chicken Breast
Marinara Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese

DIRECTIONS:
Follow instructions for cooking chicken on the Kraft bag. Preheat oven to 400. Once cooked, place the chicken in a casserole dish and top with marinara and cheese. Cook until melted.

Grilled Chicken Marinade

Another great find online- this marinade could be used for other meats, too! Click HERE for the link.

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

I found this on my friend Elizabeth's blog, and you can find her recipe HERE. The only changes I made was that I went ahead and made the full amount of marinade (the only can of pineapple juice I could find was the full 46 oz) and then I divided it into three parts- one for the chicken, one for the veggies and then one to make the sauce. I boiled the third down the entire time the chicken and veggies were being prepared, and it got to be a real thick, sticky, yummy sauce for dipping. I had bought a pineapple to cut up and add on the veggies skewers, but realized today that it's still sitting in my fruit bowl! OOPS! I also made Mexican Green Beans for a side. Love those!

Creamy Sundried Tomato Chicken Breast

Another great find on the Internet! I found this recipe HERE and we liked it! I made it with one of my favorite salads- Avocado Butter Salad.

Crispy Chicken Burritos

I found this on Pinterest and had to try it! I picked up a rotisserie chicken to shred and it was a fast, easy, yummy meal! Click HERE for the recipe.