Tuscan Baked Chicken and Beans

I decided to try this new recipe in honor of Andrew serving his mission in Northern Italy (part of which includes Tuscany). While Amy and Casey, picked at the vegetables and beans, David and I loved the dish. The flavors are amazing! Its not a quick fix but much of the preparation can be done while cooking so it really isn't time consuming to prepare.

1 (3 1/2 lb) roasting chicken....or I just use drumsticks and thighs with the bone-in
1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or more to taste)
6-8 slices center-cut bacon
1 cup chopped onion
1/8 tsp salt (or more to taste)
2-3 cups baby spinach leaves, packed
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary ( I actually put in about 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary straight from the herb garden)
1 (16 oz) can canellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

Preheat oven to 350. Cook bacon in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. While, bacon is cooking, prepare chicken. Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Trim excess fat. Cut chicken into 2 breast halves, 2 drumsticks, and 2 thighs. (To save time, I used 1 package of drumsticks...about 5...and 1 package of thighs with the bone-in) You might save some money buying the whole chicken but its so much easier to just buy drumsticks and/or thighs.) I also removed the skin at this stage. Season with 1/4 tsp salt and pepper, or more to taste.
Remove bacon from pan; chop and set aside, reserving drippings in pan. Add chicken pieces to reserved drippings in pan. Cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes on each side or until browned....I found it took longer than 2 minutes to brown the way I like it. That may be because I removed the skin in advance. I like to eat the browned l part of the chicken, though, and since the skin is discarded before serving, I preferred to remove the skin at the start. I chopped the onion and the rosemary while the chicken browns. When chicken is browned on both sides, remove from pan and set aside. Add onion and 1/8 tsp salt to pan. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown. Stir in bacon, spinach, rosemary, beans, and tomatoes. Remove from heat. Arrange chicken pieces on top. Bake, uncovered at 350 for 40 minutes. Discard skin before serving.

Samoan Buns

This is a favorite recipe Evan brought home from his mission to Australia. He learned to make them while serving in the Samoan Ward and some of his Polynesian flatmates told Evan that he made better Samoan buns than their mothers did at home. They are very similar to Chinese Buns and you could probably use the dough with a variety of other fillings.

Dough:
8 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp yeast
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp sugar
2 cups water

Dissolve the yeast in warm water and Tbsp of sugar. After the yeast foams, add flour and sugar and mix well. Add additional water until dough is the right consistency. The dough should be slightly sticky. Set the dough aside in a bowl covered with a towel to rise for approximately one hour. When you are ready to make the buns, remove a ball of dough (slightly less than a tennis ball) and pat it into a circle approximately 1/2 inch thick. Set aside and allow to rise slightly.

Filling:
2 onions
4 chicken breasts, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/4 cup soy sauce
3/4 cup soy sauce

Saute onions in a heated skillet with a small amount of oil. When onions are tender, remove them from the skillet and add chicken and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Cook until chicken is done. Drain. Add onions to chicken and additional 3/4 cup soy sauce. Blend.

Take one circle of dough. DO NOT pat it down. it needs to be slightly raised. Place several spoonfuls of chicken mixture in center of dough. Fill as full as possible and then seal the bun closed around filling. Place a small square of wax paper over seam. Repeat with remaining dough and meat. Place buns in steamer, wax paper side down. Steam for 15-20 minutes or until dough is cooked. Do not make more buns than you can steam at one time. While one batch is in the steamer, you can prepare the dough for the next batch. Making the buns too far in advance of placing them in the steamer will cause them to leak.
Serve immediately. Store leftovers in fridge and reheat in microwave for one minute to obtain soft dough consistency.

Chicken Scallopini

4 6oz skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/4 cup white grape juice
1 Tbsp butter

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of heavy duty plastic wrap, pound to 1/4 inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Brush chicken with lemon juice. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Dredge chicken in the bread crumbs. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan, cook 3 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Remove from pan, keep warm. Add broth and grape juice to pan, cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in butter. Top chicken breasts with 1 Tbsp sauce each.
Yield: 4 servings = 206 calories

Serve with garlic bread and Orzo, tomato and zucchini toss

I tried this recipe recently with a bruschetta style salsa using fresh tomatoes from the garden and it was to die for!

For Bruschetta Salsa:

2 medium tomatoes, petite diced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp orange juice

Mix all ingredients and serve over top of chicken

Simply Chicken and Rice Casserole

8-10 chicken drumsticks, thighs or breasts, bone-in
salt and pepper
paprika
1-2 tsps poultry seasoning
3 cups cooked rice
1 can creamed sour (chicken or celery...low-fat is fine)

Remove skin and visible fat from chicken. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Brown in 1-2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir together rice, soup and 1 tsp poultry seasoning. Spread in greased 9x13 pan. Place browned chicken over rice mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake uncovered at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Japanese So-Mein

The boys love to hate this dish but it really is great and very tasty! My mom got this recipe from a friend in Singapore. It was one of the favorite dishes served for Church pot-lucks there.

1 package So-Mein Noodles (thin rice noodles)
1 head Romaine Lettuce (cut into thin strips)
1-2 cups chopped or shredded cooked chicken or Chinese style BBQ pork
4 Eggs, soft scrambled
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
Sauce:
3 Tbsp Rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp light soy sauce
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
Cook So-Mein noodles in boiling water. Drain and run under cold water. Spread noodles in a 9x13 pan. Garnish with chopped lettuce, chicken, eggs and onions. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a tight container. Shake well to mix. Pour over the noodle dish just before serving. Note: you may not need to use all the sauce.

Chinese Sundaes (Hawaiian Haystacks)

The first time I had Chinese Sundaes was a Mutual activity when I was around 14. I loved them immediately. My kids and David were never really big fans but I made Chinese Sundaes occasionally. I was happy when I found out they were a regular part of the Girls Camp menu for the Philadelphia Stake.

White rice, cooked (approximately 1 cup per person)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups milk
1 can cream of mushroom soup (can use another cream soup)
2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or diced

Melt butter in large saucepan. Add flour and salt and stir. Add milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. DO NOT allow milk to boil. Add cream of... soup and chicken. Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Pour sauce over rice then add toppings of your choice. (grated cheese, finely chopped celery, chowmein noodles, pineapple tidbits, petite diced tomatoes, coconut, toasted sliced almonds, chopped green onions, soy sauce, mango, etc)

Individual Chicken Pot Pies

1 cup peeled, cubed butternut squash
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 cup finely chopped carrots
1 cup petite diced unpeeled red potatoes
1 pkg mushrooms, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
2-3 tsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 cups torn rotisserie chicken
2 (12oz) jars classic chicken gravy
2-3 tsp thyme
1 (17oz) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
2 tsp snipped fresh parsley
2 tsp snipped fresh rosemary

In a cake pan, combine vegetables. Toss with olive oil garlic, salt and pepper. Bake at 425 until tender (25-30 minutes) stirring occasionally. In a large bowl, toss roasted vegetables with chicken, gravy and thyme. Spoon 1-2 cups filling into individual oven-safe bowls. Remove pastry sheets from package and lay flat on floured surface. Sprinkle each sheet with 1 tsp parsley, thyme and rosemary. Roll sheets to 1/8 inch thickness. cut circles from each sheet 1-2 inches larger than top of oven safe bowls. Arrange each pastry circkl over prepared bowls crimping edge of pastry around side of bowl. Be certain the pastry does not touch the filling or it will not puff. Place prepared bowls on baking sheet and bake at 400 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving. You may want to pierce the crust to release steam and allow filling to cool slightly before serving.
Yield: 4-6 potpies depending on size of bowls.

BBQ Spiced Chicken

This makes a great chicken for fajitas

2 Tbsp dried onion flakes
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder

Combine all ingredients and sprinkle evenly over 8 (6oz) boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add half of chicken to pan and saute 2 minutes on each side to brown. Repeat with other half of chicken. Arrange chicken on a jelly-roll pan. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until done. If making fajitas, saute peppers and onions in skillet used to brown chicken to pick up some of the flavor.

Herbed Chicken Parmesan

I tried this recipe for the first time in 2006 shortly after moving to PA. It became an instant favorite with the kids and has been requested for birthday dinners as well as final dinners before heading away to college.

1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 Tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg white, beaten
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
1 Tbsp butter
1 can spaghetti sauce
2 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup provolone cheese

Combine 2 Tbsp parmesan, crumbs, parsley basil and salt. Dip chicken in egg white, then crumbs. Melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 3 minutes on each side or til done. Combine sauce and vinegar. Pour over chicken in pan. Sprinkle with parmesan and provolone. Broil 2 minutes or until cheese melts.
We love this served with tortellini, salad and garlic bread.

Grilled Chicken Bruschetta

Salsa:
2 1/4 cups finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped basil
1 Tbsp orange juice
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp (or more to taste) balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and chill until ready to serve.

Chicken:
1 Tbsp chopped oregano
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsely
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
4 6oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients except chicken in a ziploc bag. Mix well. Add chicken and marinade 1 hour in refrigerator. Remove chicken from bag and discard leftover marinade. Grill or broil chicken 6 minutes per side or until fully cooked. Serve with salsa spread over top of chicken.
1 chicken breast + 1/2 cup salsa = 293 calories

Chicken and Couscous Salad

This is a maindish salad but that is more of a pasta dish.

1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 box couscous
1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or cubed
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/4 cup parsley
2 Tbsp pine nuts, toasted

Dressing:
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp cumin
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Bring broth to a boil in sauce pan. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Spoon couscous into large bowl. Toss with remaining ingredients. Prepare dressing by whisking together all dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle over couscous salad. Toss to combine.
1 1/2 cups = 334 calories