Chili Lime Chicken (Pressure cooker)

I love my friend Robin for many reasons.  Her introducing me to Trader Joe's Chili Lime seasoning and this recipe is most definitely among them!  (The fact that she has a huge heart, is funny, kind and teaches a kick-a** yoga class doesn't hurt, either.)  This recipe has become a staple in my house, as she promised me it would be.  It is easy and versatile, and there isn't a member of my family who isn't happy to see it on the menu.  Though Robin originally made it in the slow cooker, I love tossing this together in the pressure cooker and serving it with some rice.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lb Chicken breast
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup frozen corn
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 T chili  lime seasoning (Trader Joe's)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken in instant pot and add all other ingredients on top of it, in the order listed.
2. Set pressure level to high and timer to 6 minutes. Start.
3. When the timer goes off, allow the pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes and then quick release.
4. Shred chicken.  Serve over rice with toppings of your choice or as burrito or taco filling, or as the protein in a taco salad.  The options are limitless!
5. Slow cooker instructions: add all ingredients to slow cooker, cook on low 6-8 hours.

Sometimes I add tomatoes and sour cream, too!

Difficulty: super easy
Time: 15-20 minutes
Source: My friend, Robin J.

Slow Cooker Italian Chicken

After finding that my son has some food allergy issues involving red dye, I have been trying to use more whole food ingredients in my cooking. Seeing the immediate behavior change in him has made me wary of chemicals.  This recipe has you making your own pasta sauce thus avoiding the sugar that many store-bought sauces have.  Local honey is used as my sweetener; in my opinion, it adds more flavor and helps us with our seasonal allergies.   As you are working with this recipe, you may want to add mushrooms or other vegetables on hand to your sauce.

I have made this a few times. At first, I used a small food processor to puree my ingredients.  I needed to refill my processor a few times; this added to my prep time.  After Christmas, I used my Vitamix.  It allowed me to get everything done in one batch.  My whole family enjoyed this meal, and the leftovers were great.

I often plan ahead so I pureed my sauce and threw some chicken breasts in a freezer bag to freeze. When I am ready for the meal, I pull it out the night before to thaw; the next morning into the crock pot.  Sometimes my mornings are just too hectic to find all the right ingredients to put in the slow cooker; prepping ahead in this manner has really helped keep me a bit more calm on our busy mornings.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 5 medium tomatoes
• 1 onion
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 T honey
• 2 red peppers
• 2 T minced garlic
• 1/3 cup Italian seasoning 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Use a high speed blender to puree the remaining ingredients.
3. Pour sauce over chicken; cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Shred chicken to allow it to absorb juices.
5. Serve over whole grain pasta or quinoa.
   
   
   
   
   

Difficulty: Easy

Time: Prep-5 minutes (if using a high speed blender) Cook:6 hours

Source: adapted from an online group

Slow Cooker Apricot Salsa Chicken

As I try to feed my family a more healthy diet, I need to consider time. Most of my life centers around time needed to do things. That said, Irving Naxon's invention of the crock-pot is one of my most prized possessions given the time it can save me.

Many of the recipes I find I skim over because I know I don't have the time to dedicate to the food prep.  Sometimes this leads me to looking on the "Kids Can Cook Clean" section of one of my favorite food blogs The Gracious Pantry. Not so I can have my kids prepare the meal, but because I know if a child can do it, I can too (and probably faster).

My husband raved about this meal each time I have made it; I serve it over quinoa or couscous.   The other great thing about this recipe is most homes stock these items. When I am running short of time or have no idea what to make, I throw this is the crock pot-5 minutes flat.




INGREDIENTS:

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup apricot spread
• 1 cup frozen corn

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place chicken in slow cooker.
2. Top with chicken stock, salsa, apricot spread, and corn.
3. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
4. Shred chicken with forks.

DIFFICULTY: Easy

TIME: 5 minutes prep, 4-6 hours in slow cooker

SOURCE: adapted from The Gracious Pantry

Citrus-Herb Marinated Chicken

I may never have the homes that appear in Better Homes and Gardens, but I can surely enjoy looking at them.  And when it comes to the food, often I think, "I could do that!"  And sometimes I do.  This is a wonderful, flavorful, easy chicken dish from the October 2014 issue.

I go on chicken kicks and then I get kind of tired of it at times, but during those times it is usually a nice, flavorful dish that gets me out of the rut.  This is one of those dishes.  I love all of the herbs and the citrus in the marinade.  Personally, I am a big fan of grilling this chicken, but in the winter months sometimes the broiler just has to do!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• 1/3 c lemon juice or orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped shallot
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. snipped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme, crushed
• 2 tsp snipped fresh rosemary or 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 clove garlic, minced

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Place chicken in a resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish.  For marinade, stir together lemon juice, shallot, honey, oliveoil, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Pour over chicken; seal bag.  Marinate in refrigerator for 2-4 hours, turning bag occasionally.

2.  Preheat broiler*.  Drain chicken, reserving marinade.  Place chicken on the unheated rack of a broiler pan.  Broil 4-5 inches from the heat about 6 minutes or until light brown.

3.  Turn chicken; brush lightly with reserved marinade.  Discard any remaining marinade.  Broil 6-8 minutes more until chicken is no longer pink.

*Alternatively, you can grill the chicken.

Difficulty: easy
Time: 10 minutes prep, 2-4 hours marinate, 12-15 minutes broiling
Source: Better Homes and Gardens, October 2014

Chicken Salad with Garbanzo Beans (and a giveaway!)

As runners, my husband and I are always trying to increase both our protein and fiber intake.  I add beans to anything I can.  I had read about making chicken salad with garbanzo beans so when Joyce and I were approached by Hampton Creek to sample its Just Mayo products I thought a chicken salad would be a great use.

I've made this recipe using both the garlic flavor and the chipotle; when I used the garlic version, I didn't bother adding any garlic salt.  Our family enjoyed this as a lunch on whole grain bread, but we also used leftovers as a high protein snack paired with whole grain crackers.

As I looked at the Hampton Creek website, I saw many great looking recipes; the Chiptole Carrot Salad is on my list for my next pot-luck.  I also started following their Pinterest pages; the board Game Day had some new ideas for the upcoming Super Bowl.  Check it out!


Hampton Creek would love to send a package of all four flavors of Just Mayo, plus a few bonuses, to one lucky winner.  To enter, just leave a comment in the comment section below. 

INGREDIENTS: 

• 15 oz can of garbanzo beans (or soaked beans)
• 2 chicken breasts, boiled and shredded
• 2 celery stalks, chopped finely
• 1 small onion, chopped finely
• 1/4 cup Just Mayo, chipotle
• 1/2 t garlic salt
• Lemon juice from 1/2 lemon (2 T)
• Dill pickle slices, chopped
• 1 T dill, minced
• pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add celery, onion, pickle slices, garbanzo beans lemon juice, and dill to chopper. Chop to fine consistency.
2. Add Just Mayo, garlic salt, and chicken. Mix well (my chopper is pretty large so I just add this to the chopper).
3. Refrigerate to chill. 
4. Serve on whole wheat bread, bagels, or crackers.
   
   
   
   

Difficulty: easy
Time:  20 minutes

Source: adapted a few recipes from Pinterest