Quick & Easy Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Breasts

Sorry for the crappy pictures in advance, I know they leave a lot to be desired. But, take it from me, this recipe is totally worth making!

Buffalo chicken breasts have fast become one of my favorite quick chicken recipes because it is a snap to put together. I've hardly had any free time lately due to work, and anything that is quick and tasty is at the top of my cooking list. This dinner is a no-brainer for anyone who likes buffalo wings -- but if you don't like regular hot sauce, substitute a mild version (or an even hotter version if you like more heat).

This dish only has a handful of ingredients: combine hot sauce, melted butter, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce together.

Set aside 1/4 C of the sauce, and use the rest to marinate chicken breasts (I used the thin sliced, as always) in a sealed ziplock bag for about 30 minutes at room temperature (it won't kill you, I promise). A little longer won't hurt, I think I actually marinated for closer to 45 minutes because I got side-tracked doing other things. But, if the thought skeeves you out, marinate it in the fridge for at least two hours.

Then, remove the breasts and discard the marinade. Saute the breasts in a cooking spray-coated pan over medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side (more for thicker breasts) until fully cooked.

And that is it! Such an easy, hassle-free recipe, and it's huge on taste!

...Incidentally, do you know what Worcestershire sauce is? I had heard of it of course, and even occasionally dabbed it on some steak, but I had never bothered to really find out what the heck was in it. Turns out, Worcestershire sauce was first made in Worcester, England by the pharmacists (or, in British lingo, "dispensing chemists") John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins (of Lea & Perrins fame), and was first commercialized in 1837! It is a type of fermented fish sauce, believe it or not (I had no idea!) containing anchovies, malt vinegar (or white vinegar in the US), onions, garlic, molasses, cloves, soy sauce, and other spices.

Buffalo Chicken Breasts
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

• Anywhere from 1 lb to 1.5 lbs of chicken breast halves, anywhere from 6 oz (regular thickness) to 3 oz per half (thin sliced)
• 3/4 C hot sauce
• 1/4 C butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (aka Worcester Sauce)

Directions

1. Combine hot sauce, melted butter, Worcestershire Sauce, and onion powder to make buffalo sauce
2. Reserve 1/4 C marinade, and set aside
3. Marinade chicken and remaining buffalo sauce at room temperature for 30-45 minutes
4. Remove chicken and discard marinage
5. Saute chicken in a cooking-spray coated pan over medium high heat for 4 minutes/side (thin breasts) until chicken is cooked thoroughly
6. Serve with reserved sauce

Quick & Easy Dinner: Goat Cheese and Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Here is yet another easy, quick, and relatively light weeknight dinner recipe: chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and prosciutto. As with other quick chicken recipes I make, these are with thinly sliced breasts folded over a filling, but you can adapt it to work with full-sized breast halves by slicing into the breast and creating a pocket, then adjusting the cooking time accordingly (and perhaps finishing it in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350F after sauteing)



The packs of thinly sliced breasts that I buy have 5 breasts per package. Accordingly, I split my goat cheese (Chevrai brand, 4 oz) into 5 slices, and buy a prepackaged proscuitto that also has 5 slices per package. Don't ask me if the prosciutto is domestic or imported, I have no idea. I'm a gourmand, not a gourmet (where cooking is concerned, anyway). All I know is: it tastes good and it is easy.

I always bread the chicken when I make this recipe. Because the chicken gets folded, I only bread one side. To do this, dredge one side of the chicken successively in flour, beaten egg and seasoned bread crumbs.

Then, lay the breast down, with the coated side face down. Lay the full slice of prosciutto on top of the breast, and then the slice of goat cheese on top of the prosciutto, on the lower half of the breast.

Fold over and secure with toothpicks.

Saute over medium-high heat in a cooking spray-coated pan, for about 4 minutes per side. Make sure that the fold on the side of the chicken (opposite the open end) is also cooked. You might have to get a pair of tongs and hold the chicken on-end to accomplish this.

And then it should be done, and ready to eat! Simple, and yummy!

If you want to make more, scale everything up depending on how much chicken you intend to use!

Goat Cheese and Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

• 1 package of thinly-sliced chicken breasts (each breast is approximately 4 oz)
• 1 block of goat cheese, 4 oz, sliced to match breast number (can use more cheese if making more than 5 breasts)
• 1 package of prosciutto (enough for 1 slice per breast)
• Seasoned breadcrumbs
• Beaten egg and flour for dredging

Directions

1. Coat one side of the breasts in breadcrumbs: first, dredge one side in flour; then beaten egg; then seasoned crumbs.
2. Place breast coated side down
3. Layer on one piece of prosciuto
4. Place one slice of goat cheese on lower half of breast, and fold breast over, securing with toothpicks
5. Saute with cooking spray over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes per side, until done. Don't neglect the fold.

Quick & Easy Dinner: Olive and Pimento-Stuffed Chicken Breast

Here is another quick and light weeknight chicken meal: chicken breasts stuffed with pimentos/olives, cheese and bacon.


The original recipe, which I modified a bit, calls for just pimentos. However, I had never bought "just pimentos" before, and didn't have a clue where the supermarket by my house was hiding them. I looked by the olives, which seemed logical, and also by the jars of roasted red peppers, garlic, sundried tomatoes, etc etc and no dice. So I bought a jar of sliced Spanish olives with pimentos (I think this is called "olive salad" sometimes), and this is why there are olives in my pictures. I have since discovered that jars of just pimentos were hiding in the Spanish food aisle, which was probably the only aisle I didn't go down for some reason. I think the recipe was very yummy with the olive/pimento mix, although the taste of olives was strong...and salty. If you don't particularly like green olives, I'd recommend using pimentos only.



Oh, and it goes without saying that my recipe list has all light ingredients, but you can certainly substitute full-fat counterparts as you see fit!


Combine the bacon, onion, pimentos and/or olives, mayo, lemon juice, hot sauce, and the shredded cheese (if you are using shredded), and set aside. 

A few points about this step:

• I always cook my turkey bacon in the microwave to save time. Directions are usually on the package, but I always cook them on high for about 3 minutes on paper towels. Give them a minute or two to cool, and they will get crisp and easy to crumble!
• Instead of using shredded cheese and mixing it into the filling, I used what I had on hand, which was presliced fat-free cheddar (Borden). This worked fine as well, so if you already have sliced cheese, don't think you need to run out and grab shredded too. You'll just add the cheese at a later step.

Then, decide whether you want your breasts coated with bread crumbs, which is totally up to you. If you decide yes, you can use preseasoned breadcrumbs, or season your own with some Italian seasoning, garlic powder and onion powder. This step is optional. If you are stuffing the breast, dredge the whole thing in flour, egg and then bread crumbs. If you are folding thin breasts over the filling, like what I did, you can just dredge one side, and have that be the outside that touches the pan.


Now it is time for assembly. If you are using a full-sized breast half, slice into it, creating a pocket, and stuff the filling in (stuff sliced cheese in there too if you are using it).  Secure with a toothpick.


If you are using the really thin breasts, lay the cheese slice (if you are using it) on what will be the interior side, then place the filling on top of the cheese, and fold the breast over, securing with one or a few toothpicks.

Now, saute over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes per side, adding additional spray as needed. If you have the thin breasts folded over, they should be fully cooked at this point. The thick breast will have to be finished in the oven for about 12 minutes.

Olive and Pimento-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
(Printable Recipe)


Ingredients

• 2  slices turkey bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 3/4  cup  shredded part-skim or fat-free cheddar cheese (or 1-2 slices per breast)
• 2  tablespoons  minced green onions
• 1 1/2  tablespoons  diced pimientos
• 1  tablespoon  canola mayonnaise or light mayo
• 2  teaspoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot sauce ** or to taste
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or the thinly sliced chicken breasts that I used)
• 1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
• Cooking spray (olive oil)
• Seasoned bread crumbs (optional)
• Flour and egg for dredging breasts (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Cook bacon, either in a large ovenproof skillet, or in microwave until crisp. Crumble. 
3. Combine bacon, next 6 ingredients, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
4.  Cut a 1-inch-wide slit into the thick end of each breast half; carefully cut down to the center of chicken to form a deep pocket. Divide filling mixture evenly among pockets. Secure with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. OR follow directions for thin breasts, and fold breast over the filling
5. Heat pan over medium-high heat. Spray pan. Add chicken to pan; saute 4 minutes. Turn chicken over and repeat.
6. If using thin breasts, they are probably cooked through at this point. If you have thick breasts, bake at 350° for 12 minutes; let stand for 5 minutes.

Quick & Easy Dinner: Hawaiian Chicken (Light)

I've been trying to cook lighter lately, in a concerted effort to lose weight. Because of my working hours, I've been trying to concentrate on entrees that are not only light, but also quick and easy. Many nights, this means some variation on chicken, because it cooks quickly (especially if you pound it out thin, or buy the breasts that are sliced extra thin).


The great thing about chicken is that it is so versatile -- you can completely change the meal just by changing the sauce and or accompaniments.


This meal, Hawaiian chicken, I modified off of the Cooking Light site. It is a recipe for chicken breasts which have been marinated and basted in a soy sauce-pineapple glaze, and quite easy to put together.  If you are interested in some lighter versions of meals, I suggest giving this site a try. Just make sure to check out the serving size of any recipe you intend to try, because I've noticed that some of the "light" recipes have less fat and calories because the portion size is a lot smaller, not because of adjustments to the recipe. But in most cases, Cooking Light is a great resource, and most of the recipes seem fairly simple and fairly adjustable to your individual tastes.



This recipe requires a little forethought, because it involves marinating overnight (although, you can get away with marinating for 2 hours if you really need too, but you might want to make more sauce, so you can baste more as you cook).


The marinade contains low sodium soy sauce, pineapple juice, low sugar ketchup, ginger, and garlic. Combine everything first, and reserve about 1/4 C of the marinade, covering and refrigerating it.

 Add the rest to a ziplock bag filled with the chicken. This will get refrigerated, ideally overnight, but at least for a few hours if you can. Prep-wise, it is much more efficient to set up the marinading the night before.

The next day, you simply discard the marinade, salt and pepper your chicken to taste, and saute the chicken in some olive oil cooking spray.  How long will depend on the thickness of the chicken you are using and the amount of heat you are using. I normally buy thin-sliced breasts to save me time, which are about 1/2" thick. These take about 4 minutes per side on medium-high heat, and you can use the reserved marinade from the day before (the one that wasn't sitting with raw chicken) to baste occasionally. If you intend on serving the chicken with some additional sauce on the side, make sure that you put some on the side before you start basting, as you don't want to be dipping your basting brush that has contacted raw chicken into the same sauce you intend to serve with the meal.

 If you aren't sure whether your chicken is done, slice open a piece through its thickest part, and check. Keep in mind that the marinade itself is reddish, so it might tinge the meat pink.

And that is it, a quick, easy, flavorful and light way to dress up some chicken breasts for a weeknight dinner!


Hawaiian Chicken
(Printable Recipe)


Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  pineapple juice
• 2  tablespoons  ketchup
• 2  tablespoons  lower-sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  minced peeled ginger
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 4  (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• Cooking spray
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
• 2  cups  hot cooked long-grain white rice
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine first 5 ingredients. Reserve 1/4 cup marinade; place remaining marinade in a zip-top plastic bag. Add chicken to bag; seal. Chill overnight (or at least a couple of hours)
2. 2. Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove chicken from bag; discard marinade in bag. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Add chicken to pan; baste with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Cook 4-6 minutes. Turn chicken over; baste with 2 tablespoons reserved marinade. Cook 4-6 minutes.

Jacked Jambalaya!

As in build muscles, that is! Just in time for Mardi Gras, this Jambalaya is chock-full of lean protein and whole grain carbs, perfect for anyone trying to stay healthy and/or watch their fat intake! It is modified from Emeril's Kicked Up Jambalaya, made up to be a healthier version: turkey andouille sausage, chicken breast, shrimp, brown rice, low-sodium chicken stock, and cooking spray.

But first, a brief interlude into the origin of that famous Louisiana dish, Jambalaya!

Jambalaya is a combination of meat, vegetables, and rice, similar to paella, and indeed it is of dual Spanish-French origin. There are actually two types of jambalaya: Creole and Cajun. They both start with what is known as the "holy trinity" of ingredients: onion, bell peppers and celery. Meat is then added, most often a spicy smoked sausage (andouille), poulty, and seafood. Stock and rice are also an integral part of the dish. The main difference between Creole and Cajun jambalaya is the addition of tomatoes. Creole jambalaya contains tomatoes, and is often also referred to as "red jambalaya" accordingly. Cajun jambalaya is more brownish in color, and without tomatoes.



Although there are many theories where the name "jambalaya" came from, the most likely is that it is derived from the Provençal (i.e. the French dialect spoken in Provence) word "Jambalaia", which literally means "mish mash" -- a pretty accurate description!


And now, back to the food!


This recipe is complex without being complicated, if that makes sense. It is a little time consuming, but the end result is so worth it. 


The first step is to make the Creole seasoning. This is actually commercially available if you can find it, as Emeril's Bayou Blast, but you can also make it from scratch. It contains paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic and onion powders, pepper, salt, thyme, oregano, and black pepper. At this point, you can control the heat by adjusting the amount of cayenne pepper in the mix. 1 tbls of cayenne gives it a nice hot pep. 2 tbls would be really hot. If you don't like hot spice at all, maybe 1/2 tbls, or eliminate it all together. There are two ways to modulate the heat in this recipe: adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in the Creole seasoning , or use less Creole seasoning overall. I'd probably opt to tweak the cayenne rather than less seasoning overall, but that is up to you.

Then, start chopping, this is the most labor-intensive part. I started with the veggies: onions, peppers and celery.

Then, some lovely turkey andouille sausage (I found mine at Whole Foods, Wellshire Farms brand), cut into 1/2" slices

Then, slice up some skinless chicken breasts (sorry, no pic), and prep some shrimp (peel, de-vein, and defrost if need be).


Now, it is time to flavor your meat with the Creole seasoning. I did this shake-n-bake style, putting each meat into a ziplock bag with the spices. I split the spices between all 3 because I wasn't reading the original recipe carefully -- Emeril actually only calls for you to season the chicken and shrimp (I guess because the sausage is already spiced). I don't think it much matters, to tell you the truth. Later, when it goes into the stock, most of the seasoning will go into the liquid anyway. How much seasoning you want to use is up to you, but I used it all. 

Toss those seasoned shrimp into the bottom of your dutch oven, with some olive oil spray. Periodically spray the shrimp as they cook, to keep the spices from burning. When they are done, take them out and set them aside.

Ditto for the chicken.

Now put the sausage in and brown it. This is not as critical to watch for done-ness if the sausage comes fully-cooked (check your package). 

Then, leaving the sausage in the pot, add in the onion, pepper and celery, along with chopped tomatoes, cayenne and some garlic. Let this cook for a few minutes, so the veggies can start to sweat. You can add some fresh thyme at this stage, although the thyme taste was a little strong for me.

Now it is time to add the stock, chicken, the can of crushed tomatoes (undrained), and the bay leaves.

This will simmer away happily for a bit, and then you add the rice. I pretty much used the whole box, because it was just a tad more than 2 cups, and it seemed like there was a lot of liquid that I was hoping the extra rice would absorb.

This cooks some more, and gets even happier.  Then, you add back in the shrimp, some chopped green onion, and some fresh chopped parsley (which I forgot), and it cooks a little more.

Take it off the heat for about 10 minutes. At this point, it seemed like there was a lot of excess liquid. But I used a slotted spoon and served 2 helpings in a bowl. 

By the time my husband came back for seconds (maybe 10-15 minutes later of it sitting uncovered), this happened:

Beautiful!


It is a lot of steps, but once you get going, you realize that it isn't hard, just prep-intensive.


And there you have it, a filling and pretty lean meal. Comfort food that you can feel good about eating!

Jambalaya

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients


For the Creole Seasoning

• 2 1/2 tbls paprika
• 2 tbls salt
• 2 tbls garlic powder
• 1 tbls cayenne pepper* (see text)
• 1 tbls black pepper
• 1 tbls onion powder
• 1 tbls thyme, dried
• 1 tbls oregano, dried

For the Jambalaya

• 1 1/2 lb turkey andouille sausage (24 oz)
• 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 lb shrimp, peeled, de-veined, and defrosted if frozen
• 2 C onions, chopped
• 1 C bell peppers, chopped
• 1 C celery, chopped
• 2 tbls garlic, minced
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves (optional)
• 1 C chopped tomatoes
• 1-28oz can crushed tomatoes, undrained
• 3 C low-sodium & lowfat chicken stock
• 2 C brown rice (not minute rice)
• 1 C green onions, chopped
• 1/2 C fresh parsley, chopped.
• Olive oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Spray a large Dutch oven with olive oil spray over medium-high heat.
2. Season shrimp with Creole seasoning and saute until almost cooked through, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove shrimp and set aside until later.
3.  Season chicken pieces with Creole seasoning. Spray Dutch oven, and add chicken pieces and saute until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Remove and set aside. 
4. Respray. Add sausage and cook until browned. 
5. Add onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, bay leaves, cayenne and thyme (if using) and cook until vegetables are wilted, about 6 minutes. 
6. Add tomatoes, can of crushed tomatoes and stock and return chicken pieces to pot. 
7. Season with salt and pepper and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
8.  Add rice to pot, stir well and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and cook for 15 minutes. 
9. Add shrimp, green onions and parsley to Dutch oven, mixing carefully, and continue to cook, covered, for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes before serving.