Tag: Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Healthified Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

Holy cold front, Batman!

Where has my lovely spring weather gone to? The other day it was reaching 90+ degrees F. and then suddenly the winds blew through and now it’s a whopping 59 degrees F!

Well, at least it was a perfect day to cook up some nice warm tortilla soup – just in time for Cinco de Mayo too!

I started making this soup a few years back and it was an instant hit with the family.

My mom has been asking me for a while why I haven’t posted it, but I’ve just been so busy cooking up so many other wonderful things!

This is a seriously easy soup to toss together and has some of the most amazing mouth-watering taste-bud-bursting flavors that you will ever come across.

Do not forget to add the lime at the end! The addition of the lime juice changes the flavor of the soup entirely and adds a whole new level of depth to taste.

Healthified Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
TheSkinnyFork.com

The Skinny:
Servings: 6 • Size: About 1 1/2 C. Soup + Tortilla Strips • Calories: 244 • Fat: 1.8 g • Carb: 35.1 g • Fiber: 7.1 g • Protein: 24.7 g • Sugar: 6.1 g • Sodium: 708.3 mg

Ingredients:
Soup:
1 Lb. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (About 2-3 Breasts), Cubed
10 Oz. Diced Tomatoes With Green Chilies (RoTel)
14.5 Oz. Diced or Whole Peeled Tomatoes, No Salt Added
1 C. Corn, Frozen or Canned
14.5 Oz. Black Beans, No Salt Added
1 Medium White Onion, Diced
1-2 Jalapeño, Diced
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2-3 C. Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth (I use Sodium Free Instant Chicken + Water)
1 Tsp. Ground Cumin
1 Tsp. Chili Powder
1 Tsp. Salt
1/4 Tsp. Black Pepper

Tortilla Strips:
3 White Corn Tortillas, Cut Into Strips
Salt & Pepper To Taste

Final Touch:
1 Lime, Cut Into 6 Wedges

Optional Suggested Toppings: Shredded Cheese, Diced Onion, Avocado, Fat Free Plain Greek Yogurt, Cilantro, Etc.

Directions:
Toss all the ingredients for the soup into your crock pot and give everything a good stir. Secure the lid and set to cook on low for 6-8 hours.

If you use whole peeled tomatoes you will want to carefully smash the tomatoes at some point so that they break apart into smaller pieces. Careful though or you’ll have tomato guts everywhere!

Once the soup is done, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray each tortilla with non-stick cooking spray. Cut the tortillas into thin strips and toss them onto a baking sheet.

Dust the strips with some salt and pepper to taste. I gave a sprinkle of taco seasoning too!

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until starting to brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

Dish the soup into bowls and top with a few tortilla strips and your choice of toppings.

Serve hot with a lime wedge!

Squeeze the lime wedge over the top of the soup and enjoy!

Spicy Cashew Chicken

I love this recipe because of its simplicity.  I don’t usually think of Chinese dishes as quick and easy, probably because I get hung up on the fact that there are all those little condiment and sauce bottles to juggle.  But it’s not hard or complicated, and the result is so worth it.  This one is a snap, especially if you are organized enough to keep all your Asian sauce ingredients in the same section of the refrigerator door.  (I’m not.)  When you break it down it’s just browned chicken quickly stir fried with garlic and ginger, scallions, cashews, and a few common sauce components.   My husband and I agreed it was one of the best things we’ve had in a while.  We polished it off way too quickly, and my only regret is that I didn’t double the batch.

One of the nice things about stir frying is that the food tastes very fresh.  Nothing is overcooked, and the flavors pop.  Even the scallions stay bright green!  The chicken, the sweet/hot/sour sauce, and the strong crunchy cashew presence makes this really wonderful, I highly recommend it.

If you’re a dark meat type, use boneless chicken thighs in place of the breasts.

What You Will Need

  • 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, grated
  • 2 dried hot red peppers, sliced, seeds and all (or about 1 – 2 tsp red pepper flakes, to taste)
  • 1 bunch, about 10, green onions, sliced, both white parts and green parts
  • 2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
  • 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 Tbsp tamari soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar (optional)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • several dashes sesame oil
  • 3/4 cup raw cashews that have been lightly toasted (see note below)
  • snipped chives for garnish
  • Cooked white or brown rice

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, toss the chicken pieces with the cornstarch, making sure to get all the chicken coated.
  2. Heat the oil in a wok or large saute pan over medium high heat. When the oil is nice and hot, brown the chicken on all sides. Do this in batches, so you don’t crowd the chicken. The chicken needs space in the pan to brown well. Set the browned chicken aside on a plate.
  3. Add the garlic, ginger, and hot pepper to the pan and stir fry for a few minutes. Add most of the scallions, (reserve a handful for garnishing later.) and the chicken back into the pan and toss to combine.
  4. Add the vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, if using, and the water to the pan. Mix everything well,bring up to a simmer and cook gently for a minute or two until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is thick and glossy. Taste it now to see if you want to adjust any seasonings.
  5. Add the cashews to the sauce, and sprinkle on a few dashes of the sesame oil. Serve over hot rice garnished with the rest of the scallions, and some snipped chives. I also threw on a few more cashews.

Notes

To toast the cashews, put them in a small saute pan over medium heat and toss them until they start to brown lightly and you can smell their aroma. Watch the pan and don’t let them burn.

This recipe is adapted from Martha Stewart

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http://theviewfromgreatisland.com/2013/09/spicy-cashew-chicken.html

*Recipe from [The View from Great Island|http://theviewfromgreatisland.com] All images and content are copyright protected. If you want to use this recipe, please link back to this page.

Oh, one other thing…good fresh cashews really make this dish.  Try to find raw ones.  Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are good sources.  Even chain grocery stores start stocking all kinds of nuts for the holiday season, so you may be able to find them at your regular store.

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Chicken Paprika

Today’s recipe is for one of those days when you just want something different to do with boneless skinless chicken breasts! This recipe gives them a nice smokey flavor and although it looks spicy, it isn’t at all. My kids gobble it right up!

Thank you to everyone for all of the great compliments on the new SouthernPlate.com, I’m pretty tickled with it myself! To finally have a professionally designed website that works efficiently and is as user friendly as this is a real treat for me and I’m thrilled that you are enjoying it, too!

With spring in full swing – at long last – I’ve got my garden in and am anxiously watching all of the sprouts and blossoms on my plants. I even have tiny tomatoes already growing and can’t wait to put them up! Of course, we’ll eat a good bit of them fresh, but I’m specifically planning my garden this year so that I can have food to preserve during the fall and winter.

With the price of groceries set to go up like a small nitrogen propelled rocket, I strongly encourage you to put in a garden if you haven’t already. Grow something. Anything. If you can raise your own meat, even better! If you’re only good at growing one thing, then grow a lot of it and see about trading produce with someone who is good at growing something else.

I’m trying out some new methods myself this year and since I don’t live in an area where I am able to have  large garden, I’ve made contributions to my parent’s garden in order to help them have a greater output. Mama and Daddy have even put in an assortment of fruit trees on their land and this year’s garden is four times the size of last years. This is a great idea if you do have family that has the land to offer and willingness to help. Join forces to make the load lighter on everyone and the yield better than ever.

Where there is a will there is a way, so if at all possible I strongly encourage you to get growing!

You’ll need: Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika, Black Pepper, Salt, and Olive Oil.

Now you can use regular paprika if you want or just grab a bottle of the smoked kind next time you are at the store.

You can also use vegetable oil instead of olive oil if that is what you have on hand.

You’re also going to need some chicken breasts. Now listen y’all, this recipe is enough for four chicken breasts but you know how some chicken recipes seem to almost expand the chicken? This is one of them. So when I make this, I only make two for my entire family.

Sounds crazy, I know. But we have also started eating more sides and like one reader said, think of your meat as a side rather than an entree. This saves a great deal of money but either way, when I cook two chicken breasts like this by the time they are done it feels like four small chicken breasts – plus three or four bites of chicken is all Katy Rose eats. Clearly, she did not come with the wooden leg component that our teenage son has.

OH, did I mention you want to pound these kinda flat? Well ya do. I have a perfectly acceptable and really nice meat mallet just for this purpose but why dig for it when that spaghetti server is right on top?

whack! whack! whack!

There ya go! Nice and uniform thickness. These are about 1/2 inch thick or so right now. We don’t have to be too particular with it though. You just don’t want this hugely thick chicken breast because it would take forever to cook in the middle.

Now take all of your spices and combine them in a bowl or cup or whatever you grab first.

See how close I had to crop this shot?

This is why. Sometimes, when I measure out spices, it looks as if my dogs helped me.

They didn’t, I promise.

I’m just messy that way.

I used to be a personal chef and one of my clients called me “The White Tornado”. He said “It’s always spotless when you leave, but I’ve learned its best not to even look in the kitchen when you’re here…”

P.S. It may seem like a lot of salt but the salt is what adds sparkle to these flavors. With less, the chicken ends up tasting somewhat bland. Feel free, of course, to add less if you prefer. But if you go rogue and end up with bland chicken, I warned ya

Stir those up a bit.

Add your Olive Oil and stir it up until it is well mixed.

Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.

Brush your paste on each side of the chicken breasts.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until no longer pink in the center.

Let sit for a minute or two before cutting and serve over rice*, adding the pan juices over the top.

Learn how to make your own instant rice from bulk rice by clicking here.

Ingredients

  • 2-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

  1. Place chicken in a plastic bag and pound until it is about 1/2 thick.
  2. Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and add chicken breasts to dish.
  3. Combine all spices in a small bowl and stir to mix. Stir in olive oil until it forms a nice thin paste.
  4. Brush on both sides of the chicken breasts. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until no longer pink in the center.
  5. Allow to cook for a minute or two before cutting into. Serve over rice, adding pan juices over the top.

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http://www.southernplate.com/2014/04/chicken-paprika.html

~Tom Peters

Submitted by Cathy Kelley. Click here to submit your own.

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