Making Shredded Chicken the Easy Way

Keeping a supply of shredded chicken in your freezer is a great way to simplify your weeknight meals.  The recipes you can make with shredded chicken are endless.  I’ve always hated shredding chicken  until I recently learned a new way using my Kitchen Aid Mixer!

Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 (about

2 pounds) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and pepper

3/4 cup water or low-sodium chicken broth

DIRECTIONS: In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. Pat the chicken dry and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place the chicken top-side down in the hot skillet and let the chicken cook for 5 minutes until golden brown on top.

Flip the chicken, add the water or chicken broth, cover the skillet and let the chicken simmer gently over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through (it will register 160 degrees on a thermometer). Don’t overcook or it might be dry.

While the chicken is simmering, add additional water 1/4 cup at a time if the liquid evaporates too quickly.

Remove the chicken from the skillet. Let it cool slightly before shredding. The cooked chicken will keep well-covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Now the magic!

Place your cooked chicken (make sure it is warm, cold chicken won’t shred well) in the bowl of your Mixer and using the paddle attachment, beat on low speed and gradually increase the speed until chicken is shredded.

Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel Tomatoes

I’ve posted a chicken spaghetti recipe before, but recently tried this one I found on Pinterest.  Everyone in the family really liked this one and I have to admit, it was a lot easier than my old recipe.  The Rotel gave it just the right amount of kick.

8 ounces angel hair pasta

2 cups chopped, grilled chicken

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 10-ounce can Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained

8 ounces sour cream

Sprinkling of Parmesan or Mexican-blend cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Boil pasta as package directs and drain. Mix all other ingredients (except cheese), add to cooked pasta and put in a 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with your choice of cheese and return to oven to melt.

One Pan Meal

This recipe has been spreading across Pinterest like wildfire and my curiosity was killing me.  Could it really be as easy and delicious as everyone was saying?  Well, like most Pinterest recipes, I was a little disappointed in the results and I should have known better than to cook chicken breast for one hour in an oven, but I wanted to prepare the recipe as written the first time.  The green beans and potatoes were delicious, but the chicken was so tough and tasteless, we could barely eat it!

I’ve made a few adjustments to the recipe and I think you will enjoy it when prepared my way!

1-1.5 lbs chicken breasts (I used tenders because it is all I had)

1 lb fresh green beans, trimmed and snapped

8 small new potatoes, quartered

1 pkg Italian Dressing Mix

1 stick of butter, melted (do NOT use margarine!)

1.  Lightly salt and pepper the chicken breasts

2.  Arrange chicken, potatoes, and green beans in a 9 x 13 pan

3.  Sprinkle with entire package of Italian Dressing Mix

4.  Pour melted butter over entire dish

5.  Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.  I would check it at 30 minutes.  If vegis are not tender, give it a little more time.

 

 

 

Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs

This is an economical dish that is easy to prepare.  When I first read the ingredients for this recipe, I thought these were going to be very spicy.  I was pleasantly surprised to find they had a very mild taste and should be palatable to even picky eaters!

Ingredients:

1 pkg Chicken Thighs, excess fat and skin trimmed off

kosher salt

pepper

Spice Mix:

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp garlic powder

Honey Glaze

1/2 cup honey

1 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Directions:

1.  Preheat broiler to high

2.  Trim off any excess fat or skin from the thighs and season with salt and pepper

3.  Mix spice mix together and set aside

4.  Mix glaze ingredients together and set aside

5.   Lay the chicken on a cookie sheet

6.  Rub the spice mix into both sides of the chicken

7.  Cook 10 minutes one one side, flip and cook another 10 minutes

8.  Take the chicken out and cover well with the glaze mixture.

9.  Broil for another 5 minutes or so until the honey starts to thicken up and glaze.  It may smoke a little but this is normal.

10.  Take chicken out of the oven and let rest a few minutes

Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This casserole feeds a big crowd so I usually make it in 2 9″ square foil pans.  We eat one and freeze the other.  Even though the recipe doesn’t call for it, you can top it with chopped fresh tomatoes and green onion tops to make it look prettier.

 

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

1 cup canned chopped green chiles, drained

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup fat-free sour cream

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2  (10 1/2-ounce) cans condensed 98% fat-free cream of chicken soup, undiluted (such as Campbell’s)

1  garlic clove, minced

Cooking spray

18  (6-inch) corn tortillas

4 cups shredded cooked chicken breast (about 1 – 1.5 lbs)

2 cups (8 ounces) finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine the first 9 ingredients in a large saucepan, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Spread 1 cup soup mixture in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 6 tortillas over the soup mixture, and top with 1 cup chicken and 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layers, ending with the cheese. Spread remaining soup mixture over cheese. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

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Broiled Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

Geoff and I love Buffalo Wings.  When I learned how easy they were to make, and how diet friendly they are for South Beach, I began to make them quite frequently.  We have these often during the football season while we watch our favorite games.

2 1/2 lbs chicken wings

3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot (get the heat level you prefer, but we like ours hot!)

3 large ribs celery, cut into sticks

1 recipe blue cheese dip (recipe follows)

Preheat broiler to high

1.  Place the wings on a broiler pan (make sure it is about 5 to 6 inches from the flame)and broil until the skin begins to blister and brown, about 10 minutes.  Turn the wings over and broil 10 minutes more.

4.  Transfer the wings to a large bowl and coat with Franks Hot Wing Sauce

Dip

1/4 cup plain Greek style non-fat yogurt

2 tbs mayonnaise

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese

salt to taste

In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayo, vinegar, and blue cheese.  Mash any large chunks of blue cheese with the back of a spoon to integrate the cheese into the dip.  Serve at room temp.

1/4 of the wings + 1/4 of the dip = 260 calories, 5 grams of carbs, and 14 grams of fat.

Chicken Parmesan

Geoff and I made this dish at least once a week last year while we were on the
South Beach diet.  We served it with a side of broccoli and no pasta.  We still make it frequently because it is a perfect weeknight meal that will be ready in less than 30 minutes.

1/2 cup Progresso Italian Bread Crumbs

1/4 up graded parmesan cheese

1 pkg chicken breast (about 1.5 lbs)

1 cup buttermilk

3 Tbs oil

2 cups of your favorite pasta sauce

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

8 ounces of spaghetti, freshlycooked and drained

1.  Place chicken breasts into a ziploc bag and pound to flatten to an even thickness.  Cut the breasts in half.

2.  Mix bread crumbs and grated parmesan cheese.  Dip chicken in buttermilk, then bread crumbs to coat.

3.  Heat oil in a medium-size skillet.  Add chicken and cook over medium heat 10 minutes or until browned.  Remove from skillet; pour off fat.

3.  Add pasta sauce.  Bring to a boil, add chicken, reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes until chicken is no longer pink in midddle.

4.  Top chicken with mozarella cheese.  Cover and heat until melted.  Serve with spaghetti (or broccoli!)

 

Lemon Garlic Chicken Thighs

This is a satisfying weeknight meal made out of economical chicken thighs.  I’ve had this recipe for many years.  I got it out of a Cooking Light magazine and was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it was to make and how much everyone in the family enjoyed it.

Ingredients:

juice of 2 lemons

2 Tbs molasses

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

4 garlic cloves, minced

8 chicken thighs

Cooking Spray

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1.  Combine first four ingredients in a dish, add chicken.  Cover and marinate 1 hour, turning occassionally.  (I usually put these in fridge to marinate in morning before work and they came out fine)

2.  Preheat oven to 425

3.  Remove chicken frrom dish, reserve marinade.  Arrange chicken in shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray.  Pour reserved marinade over chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

4.  Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, baste with marinade adn then bake an additional 20 minutes.

Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

Here is a great weeknight meal that I made often when my children were younger.  It is easy to throw together and has all the flavors kids love.  It is also great if you ever need to take something to a potluck.  I cringe when I read all of the processed foods in this recipe and I’d probably have to revamp it if I made it these days, but for a busy mom, I think it is a great dish as long as you don’t serve it too often!

1 lb chicken breast, cooked and chopped up

1 16 oz pkg thin spaghetti, cooked and drained

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 15 oz can cream of chicken soup

1 15 oz can cream of mushroom soup

1 lb velveeta sliced for easier melting

Directions:

1.  Boil chicken until done.  Cool and chop up.  Reserve 2 cups of liquid

2.  Sautee vegetables in butter until limp.

3.  Add soups and 1 cup of reserved broth.  Stir well and add velvettea and more broth if needed to make a smooth consistancy.

4.  Simmer on low until cheese is melted.  Do not burn!

5.  Break spaghetti into pieces and cook according to pkg directions

6.  In large pot combine cooked spaghetti, sauce and chicken.  Mix well

7.  Pour into a 9 x 13 pan and bake 20 minutes until bubbly

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This is a copy cat of Olive Garden’s  Parmesan Crusted Chicken.  Geoff and I rarely eat pasta, so we serve this with cauliflower.  I will print the recipe exactly like I found it, but everywhere you see the word pasta in the recipe, just know that we substitute cauliflower.  I have to tell you that I have always been a cauliflower hater, but this recipe had me asking for seconds of that cruciferous vegetable!

1 cup plain Progresso bread crumbs

2 Tbs flour

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1  cup buttermilk

1 pkg chicken breast strips or chicken tenders

oil for frying

2 cups dry bow tie pasta

Sauce:

2 tbs butter

2 tsp crushed garlic

1/2 cup white wine

1/4 cup water

2 tbs flour

3/4 cup half and half

1/4 cup sour cream

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp basil leaves

3/4 cup mild, finely grated asiago cheese

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

1.  Prepare pasta (or cauliflower) according to package directions.

2.  Wash and dry chicken (salt and pepper if desired)

3.  Mix breadcrumbs, flour, and parmesan cheese together

4.  Dip chicken in breadcrumb mixture, then in milk, and then back in breadcrumbs.

5.  Place in frying pan with heated oil and fry at medium low temperature until golden brown.

6.  Remove and drain chicken

7.  In a saucepan on medium heat, melt butter, whisk in flour, quickly add garlic, water, and  1/2 tsp salt.  Stir well and then add in wine, half and half, sour cream, and parmesan.

8.  When mixture is smooth, pour over pasta (or cauliflower).  (I like to reserve a little sauce to pour over chicken)

Monterey Chicken

This is a very easy, low-carb dish that is perfect for Atkins, South Beach or Weight Watchers.  It is a copy cat of the Monterrey Chicken served at Chilis. At the Hughey house, we serve it with a large salad and call it a meal! 

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast

2 Tbs barbecue sauce

6 slices crisp bacon crumbled up

1 cup Monterey jack and cheddar cheese blend (I never use pre-shredded cheese!)

Garnish:  diced tomato, green onion tops

Directions:

1.  Pound chicken breast until it is somewhat flattened, and season with salt and pepper.

2.  Spray Pam in a nonstick skillet, and cook chicken breast until it is done. (Don’t  over cook because you will be finishing this off in the broiler.  Over cooking will result in tough chicken!)

3.  Transfer to a cookie sheet

4.  Brush chicken breasts with BBQ sauce and then top with cheese, onions and diced tomatoes (optional)

5.  Broil chicken breast in the oven to melt cheese.  (I broil it until the cheese starts to bubble just a little bit)

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Green Chicken Chili

This soup is so easy!  While my chicken is cooking, I saute the onions and garlic while opening all the cans.  I dump everything into my soup pot, start some cornbread and then add the chicken for the last five minutes.  Dinner is served in 30 minutes!

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

1 jar of salsa verde

2 cans of Rotel Tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 ears fresh corn (if you can’t use fresh, use frozen, but don’t use canned!)

1 pound diced, cooked chicken breast (about 2 fillets)

1 (15 ounce) can white beans

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.    Heat oil, and cook onion and garlic until soft.

2.  Stir in broth,salsa, tomatoes, chilies, and spices.  Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

3.   Add corn, chicken, and beans; simmer 5 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Our Favorite Oven Fried Chicken

This is my favorite oven-fried chicken recipe.  It is perfect for those nights when you are wondering what you will do with that package of chicken you have thawing in your fridge.  I make sure I always have  Peppridge Farm Herb Stuffing in my pantry so that I can make this meal when I don’t know what else to make. 

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law, Sally Hughey, about 25 years ago and have made it ever since.  It makes your entire house smell delicious!  When the Hughey kids were younger, I used a whole cut up chicken because it is cheaper.  These days, I usually use boneless, skinless breasts. 

1 pkg of Peppridge Farm Herb Stuffing

1-1.5 lbs of chicken (can use boneless, skinless breasts, bone-in breasts, or a whole chicken cut up)

1 cup buttermilk

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 stick of butter (do not use margarine)

1.  Preheat oven to 400

2.  Put stuffing mix in a large ziploc bag and crush with a rolling pin or meat mallet

3.  Rinse chicken and lightly season with salt and pepper

4.  Dip chicken pieces into buttermilk and then coat with stuffing mix

5.  Place onto a cookie sheet that has been lightly greased.  Pour melted butter over the top of the chicken

6.  For chicken breasts:  Cook 20 minutes, turn over and cook 10 more minutes.  For Bone in breasts or whole cut up chicken, cook 30 minutes, turn and cook 15 minutes more.

Chicken Enchiladas

I got this recipe from Cooking Light but I have made several changes.  The original recipe did not call for bacon grease, but I think bacon grease makes everything taste better!  After years of low-fat living and only getting fatter and fatter, Mom and Dad Hughey have given up on low fat and now eat a diet high in fat, low in sugar, and low in refined carbohydrates.  The pounds have fallen off and we eat delicious food!

Chicken Enchiladas

2 Tbs of Bacon Grease or Olive Oil

1/2 c. chopped onion

1/4 c. flour

1 Tbs chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 1/2 c. chicken broth

1 c. sharp cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1 c pepper jack cheese (4 oz)

1 c sour cream

3 c chopped chooked chicken (about 1.5 lbs but a little more or a little less won’t matter)

1/2 c salsa (I like to use bottled green salsa, but sometimes I use some of my homemade salsa if I have it)

6 – 8 flour tortillas (small to medium in size)

1.  Preheat oven to 350

2.  Cook onion in fat (bacon grease or olive oil) in a medium saucepan about 3 minutes or until tender.

3.  Combine flour and spices in a medium bowl; gradually add broth, stirring with a whisk until well-blended.  Add to saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook 3 minutes or until it thickens.  Remove from heat; stir in cheese and sour creamm.  Combine 1 cup of this cheese misture, the checken, and the salsa in a blowl.  Reserve the rest of the sauce.

3.  Spread 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the checken mixture down center of each tortialla; roll up.  Place ina 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Pour remaining cheese mixture over tortiallas.  Batke at 350 for 20 minutes or until bubbly.