"Restaurant Style" Chicken Tikka Masala

 

From 40aprons.com

Ingredients

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced, about 1 ½ pounds

For the Marinade

• 1 cup plain full-fat yogurt See Notes for alternate diets
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice about half a lemon
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon dried ginger

For the Sauce

• 4 tablespoons ghee or butter, ¼ cup
• 1 medium white onion diced
• 1-2 serrano chiles minced, see Notes for heat level
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh ginger grated
• 3 ½ teaspoons garam masala
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
• 1 green bell pepper deseeded and sliced into strips
• 1 tablespoon dried fenugreek leaves
• lots of salt to taste
• 2 cups heavy cream or half-and-half, See Notes for alternate diets

For Serving

• basmati rice See Notes for alternate diets
• naan
• fresh cilantro chopped

Instructions

Marinate the Chicken

• Combine all marinade ingredients besides chicken in a medium bowl and stir well. Add chicken and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, up to overnight.

Make the Sauce

• Heat the ghee in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add serrano chiles, garlic, ginger, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a nice toffee color, about 20 minutes, adding a few drops of water here and there if drying out and sticking. Add garam masala and paprika and stir well. Cook until fragrant, a few minutes, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if necessary to reduce sticking.
• Stir in the tomato sauce then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Return the sauce to your skillet. Add sliced bell pepper, fenugreek, and salt.
• Meanwhile, cook the chicken. Preheat broiler and place a wire rack over a baking sheet. Place chicken pieces on top of the rack. Broil, turning occasionally until browned in spots and cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
• Simmer for 30 minutes on medium-low heat or until thick and more like a paste than a sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir until very smooth. Taste and correct seasonings. Add chicken, stir well, and serve over basmati or cauliflower rice and naan. Top with plenty of chopped cilantro.

Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken Soup

Very rarely do I try a new recipe and then all 5 of us eat it up.  The boys were actually licking their bowls.  No leftovers on this one!

• 2 Tablespoons red curry paste
• 1 12 ounce can coconut milk
• 3 cups chicken stock or broth
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 Tablespoons natural smooth peanut butter
• dash of soy sauce
• 1½ pounds chicken breast or thighs
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 red (or any color, or a combination) bell peppers, seeded and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1-2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I used corn, green beans, peas, and carrots)
• 2 tsp. fresh ginger
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice

Place chicken and onion in slow cooker.  In a bowl, whisk together curry paste, soy sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and peanut butter.  Pour into slow cooker.  Set on low for about 6 hours or until chicken is cooked through.  Add coconut milk and vegetables and cook for another hour.   Remove chicken and shred, then return to slow cooker.

I adapted this recipe from monicaswanson.com

Savory Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts

2 cans stewed tomatoes

4 T white wine

2 bay leaves

Several shakes of pepper

4 garlic cloves minced

1 onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

4 cups broccoli

Combined everything in the crockpot except the broccoli.  (Or in a freezer bag for later.)

Cook on low 9 hours, add broccoli in last 30 min.

Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon oregano
1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.  Place chicken breasts inside slow cooker.  In a small mixing bowl, combine cream of chicken soup, ranch dressing mix, chicken broth, garlic powder, parsley flakes, paprika, and oregano.  Pour evenly over chicken breasts.  Cover and cook on low for 4-5 or high for 2-3 hours.  Remove chicken and stir cream cheese into the sauce until smooth.  Put chicken back in the slow cooker and serve over cooked egg noodles or rice.  Drizzle with extra sauce.

Freezer Meal: Coconut Chicken Curry

IN THE BAG- 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thighs, 2 lbs of chopped butternut squash, 2 cups onions, chopped, 8 minced garlic cloves, 1 oz fresh ginger, 2 Tbsp curry powder, 1 tsp ground coriander, 1 tsp ground cumin, dash coarse salt

TO COOK- Add the contents of the bag and a can of coconut milk to a slow cooker and cook on low for 4-6 hours. 25 minutes before serving, add another can of coconut milk and a bag of frozen peas.

TO SERVE- Serve with rice. Garnish with chopped cashews and cilantro.

Freezer meal: Braised Peanut Chicken

IN THE BAG- 2 cups onions, 2 cups carrots, 2 cups zucchini, 1 cup red pepper, 1/2 tsp grated lime peel, 2 Tbsp lime juice, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 2 Tbsp flour, 4 garlic cloves, 2 lbs. cubed boneless, skinless chicken breasts/thighs.

TO COOK- Dump contents of bag in slow cooker. Cover with 3/4 cup chicken broth and 3 T peanut butter (whisked together). Cook on low for 5-6 hours. For the last five minutes, add in 1 can of coconut milk and 1 bag of frozen peas.

TO SERVE- To make it spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of red curry paste before serving (I kept ours not-spicy for the kiddos). Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve over rice.

Cilantro Lime Chicken with Black Beans

Recipe:

6-8 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
4 Tbs Olive Oil
2+ Limes, juiced (I like a little more lime then the recipe calls for)
1 large bag of Frozen Corn (or two smaller bags)
4 minced Garlic Cloves
1 finely Chopped Red Onion
2 cans of Black Beans, drained and rinsed
2 tsp Cumin or Chipotle powder
Salt and Pepper to taste

Take ingredients and split everything into two containers. Mix bag by shaking, seal, label and put in the freezer. Cooking instructions: Cook in Crockpot on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours. Serve with hot tortillas and dress with sour cream, guacamole, and/or cheese.

Crock Pot Honey Sesame Chicken

Ingredients

• 2.5 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (thighs would be fine too)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup honey
• ½ cup soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons diced onion
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tablespoons water
• Sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
2. Season both sides of chicken with lightly with salt and pepper, and place in the bottom of slow cooker.
3. In a small bowl, add honey, soy sauce, onion, ketchup, oil, garlic and pepper flakes and stir until well combined. Pour over chicken.
4. Cook on low for 3-4 hours, or just until chicken is cooked through.
5. Remove chicken from crock pot, leave sauce. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornstarch in 6 tablespoons of water and pour into crock pot. Stir to combine with sauce.
6. Replace lid and cook sauce on high for ten more minutes or until slightly thickened.
7. Cut chicken into bite size pieces, then return to pot and toss with sauce before serving.
8. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve over rice or noodles.

Sweet Hawaiian Chicken

1 cup Pineapple Juice

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/3 cup Light Soy Sauce

2 lbs Chicken tenderloins; in chunks

Original recipe makes 4 Servings.
Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until chicken is fall-apart.

Katie's African Peanut Stew

Ingredients

• 2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
• 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
• A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
• 2-3 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup roasted peanuts
• 1 Tbsp ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

Method

1 Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Don't crowd the pot, so do this in batches. Set the chicken pieces aside as they brown.
2 Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and stir well to combine.
3 Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.
4 Remove the chicken pieces and set them in a bowl to cool, until cool enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin if you want, or chop it and put it back into the pot. Shred the meat off the bones and put the meat back in the pot.
5 Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand—the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.

Chicken Saltimbocca

I pulled this recipe out of an old "Taste of Home" I had floating around.  3 out of 4 kids asked for seconds, so I take that as a win!  I did make a LOT of rice, so I ended up freezing a bunch for another meal.  The original recipe calls for fresh sage, which I skipped since I forgot at the store...  Plus I think this would have scared away kids.  Instead I just sprinkled some dried sage into the sauce, and it added a really nice flavor to the entire dish.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups uncooked long grain rice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 8 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 4 thin slices prosciutto or deli ham, halved
• 16 fresh sage leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, saute onions in butter until tender. Add rice and stir to coat. Stir in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Fluff with a fork.
2. Meanwhile, cut a slit lengthwise through the thickest part of each chicken breast; fill with prosciutto and two sage leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown chicken in oil in batches for 1-2 minutes on each side; return all to the pan. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes or until a thermometer reads 170°. Remove and keep warm.
4. Add wine to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 minutes or until slightly reduced. Stir in the sour cream, sugar and minced sage; heat through (do not boil). Serve with chicken and rice. 

Crockpot Chicken Tacos

 

 

Place 6 boneless chicken thighs in the crockpot.  Cover with 1 can of diced tomatoes and 1-2 Tablespoons taco seasoning, to taste.

Cook on high for 6-7 hours.  Shred chicken with a fork and inside tortillas with condiments.

Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken and Rice

1 cup rice
2.5 cups hot water
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup (can use cream of celery if like more celery taste)
1lb chicken breasts- each cut in 1/2
1 package dry onion soup mix
paprika

Mix all ingredients except chicken together in slow cooker. Place chicken breasts on top. Sprinkle with a little paprika (1/2 tsp or so) and cook high for 3-4 hrs or low for 6-8hrs until Chicken is done. The rice is suppose to be a little sticky with this meal. Sever it up with a side of veggies (or throw some broccoli in to cook with it!) and you've got a great meal.

Again this meal can go in the oven too. Place in baking dish and cover with foil. Bake 375* for 2 hrs.

Popover Chicken

 

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, cut up
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon cooking oil
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon each of: dried tarragon, thyme, basil
• 10 3/4 ounces cream of chicken soup
• 1/3 cup milk
• 4 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons snipped parsley

Directions

1. Brown chicken pieces in the 2 T. oil; season with a little salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken pieces in a well greased 13x9 baking dish.
3. In mixing bowl beat eggs; blend in the 1 1/2 cups milk and the 1 T. oil.
4. Stir together flour, salt, and spices.
5. Add to egg mixture; beat till smooth.
6. Pour over chicken.
7. Bake, uncovered, at 350 till done, 55 to 60 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, in saucepan stir together soup, the 1/3 cup milk, mushrooms and parsley.
9. Heat through, stirring occasionally.
10. Pass the sauce with chicken.

Sweet & Saucy Chicken (in the slow cooker)

This one was delicious!!

Ingredients

• 1 broiler/fryer chicken (4 pounds), cut up and skin removed
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup white vinegar
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onion
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Hot cooked rice or egg noodles, optional

Directions

• Place chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small saucepan, combine
• brown sugar and flour. Stir in the water, vinegar and soy sauce. Add
• the ketchup, onion, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bring
• to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
• Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until
• chicken juices run clear. Serve with rice or noodles if desired.
• Yield: 6 servings.

Chicken, asparagus, goat cheese pasta

This recipe originated from a blog called Smitten Kitchen.  I found it with a google search for asparagus and goat cheese.  The only thing I changed from the original recipe was to toss in some rotisserie chicken shreds.

Photo from Smitten Kitchen

1 pound spiral-shaped pasta
1 pound slender asparagus spears, trimmed, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lemon (1 Tbl grated peel plus all the juice)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 5- to 5 1/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese (Costco always has this at a great price)



Cook your pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until it is almost tender, or about three minutes shy of what the package suggests. Add asparagus and cook until firm-tender, another two to three minutes. Drain both pasta and asparagus together, reserving one cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, combine olive oil, lemon peel, tarragon and cheese in a large bowl, breaking up the goat cheese as you put it in. Add hot pasta and asparagus to bowl, along with a couple slashes of the pasta water. Toss until smoothly combined, adding more pasta water if needed.

Stir in shredded chicken.

 Season generously with salt and pepper, and lemon juice.

Sweet and Tangy Lemon Chicken

3 to 4 pounds chicken parts (I used frozen legs and a few breast halves)
1 (6-ounce) box Lemon Jello powder
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon prepared Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon dried minced onion flakes (or one tiny onion, finely diced)

Directions.

Use a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker. My chicken was frozen solid, too. If you have thawed chicken, shave about 90 minutes off of the cooking time.
Place the chicken into your slow cooker. In a small mixing bowl, combine the jello powder, melted butter, dijon mustard, and onion flakes. Stir together to make a paste. This isn't liquidy at all--- it's sort of a combo between paste and playdough. Smear this onto your chicken the best you can.
Cover, and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. I cooked our chicken on low for exactly 7 hours, then kept it on the warm setting for another 2 hours.

I thought this one was very tasty.  The kids weren't totally in love though.

Chicken Enchilada Pasta

Ingredients

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 medium onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1 can diced green chiles (4 oz)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

2 cans green chili enchilada sauce (10 oz, each)

2/3 cups red enchilada sauce

2 cups shredded cheese (any kind)

1 cup sour cream

Penne pasta

Topping Ideas

Avocado

Green Onions

Black Olives

Tomatoes

Sour Cream

Directions

1. Shred chicken (I recommend doing this earlier in the day, or even the day before to save time, as well as chopping the veggies).

2. Boil pasta according to package. Heat olive oil in a deep skillet and cook onions for 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for another 3-5 minutes.

3. Add cooked chicken, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, salt, and enchilada sauces. Let sauce simmer for about 8-10 minutes.

4. Add cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and heated through. Slowly add the sour cream, but DO NOT bring to a boil (so as not to curdle the sour cream). Stir until sour cream is well mixed and heated through.

5. Drain pasta and add to the skillet with the cheese sauce; mix well. Serve and garnish with desired toppings.

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Crockpot Italian Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 packet Zesty Italian dressing seasoning
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can milk (can adjust soup/milk ratio for desired thickness)
2 tablespoons of garlic powder

1 package of pasta (cook separately and toss with other ingredients from crock pot)

Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
If sauce is too thick, add a little milk.
Add pasta to chicken and toss

Asian Marinated Chicken

 

 

Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
3 Tbs peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger, from 1 ( 3 - 4 ") piece
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp garlic chili sauce *optional
3 Lbs bone-in, skin-on,chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breasts, combination of all three

Directions:
Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together and pour into a 9X13 broiler proof baking dish. Lay chicken pieces in a single layer on top of marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours, turning chicken at least once during that time. Remove chicken from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Place oven rack in the middle and heat oven to 475 degrees. Turn all chicken pieces skin side up in the dish. Bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is starting to turn dark brown in color. Set the oven to broil and roast until the skin is nice and crisped, about 3 minutes. Serve with sauce on the side.