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Moroccan Chicken Bowl

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I recently ran across a recipe that I had pulled from a magazine quite awhile ago and decided to give it a try. It was the perfect fall day for it – cold and rainy! I made a few variations as I went along, trying to use some things I already had in my cupboards, and it turned out delicious! To save a bit of time, use pre-cooked chicken or throw some frozen tenders in a slow cooker for a few hours with chicken stock to cook.

Moroccan Chicken Bowl

  • 1 T. olive oil
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 c. chopped carrots
  • 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (if you don’t have this, you can make your own)
  • 1 t. ground fresh ginger
  • 1/2 t. salt
  • 3 c. chicken broth or water

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-large soup pot over medium heat. Add the shallots and carrots and cook until softened. Add the pumpkin pie spice ginger, and salt, stirring well. Add broth or water, cover and cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.

2. Prepare couscous:

  • 1 c. couscous, cooked according to directions
  • Puree: 1-1/2 c. cilantro, 2 T. water and 1 T. olive oil. Stir into cooked couscous and keep warm. (*you can also use 1 T. of leftover Cilanto Pesto if you have some in the freezer like I did!)

3. After carrots are tender in the broth, stir in:

  • 3 c. cooked or rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • 1/2 c. golden raisins
  • 6 dried apricots, quartered
  • 1 T. honey
  • 1/4 c. cilantro leaves

4. When chicken mixture is warm, serve over a scoop of the couscous in a bowl and top with sliced almonds and artichoke hearts. Delicious on a blustery evening.

moroccan-chicken

Asian-Inspired Stuffed Peppers

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I was never a big fan of the traditional green peppers stuffed with rice/ground beef/tomato sauce mixture – probably because I dislike green peppers and the filling always seemed bland to me. This recipe is my spin combining recipes for stuffed peppers with lettuce wrap filling. It can be made and even assembled ahead of time then just heated up for those evenings where the whole family is rushing in late. I prefer the mellow sweetness of yellow, orange and red peppers, but you can use green ones if you prefer. Blanching them (cooking them in boiling water then zapping them with cold water) softens them up and lessens the time needed in the oven for the finished dish.

Ingredients:

6 red, yellow or orange bell peppers

1 c. cooked rice

Chicken Filling from Lettuce Wraps Recipe here.

Make the Chicken Filling first. Then clean the peppers. Cut in half from stem to bottom and remove stem, seeds and any excess membrane. Bring a large pot of water to boil, then drop the peppers (in 2 batches) into the water for 5 minutes until softened. Remove, drain and rinse in cold water until cooled. Spray with oil a large baking dish then put all the peppers in, open side up.

 

Put 1 T. of cooked rice in the bottom of each pepper. Use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to put chicken filling in each pepper on top of the rice. Sprinkle with extra chopped basil or sesame seeds. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes to warm everything up together just before serving.

Asian Inspired Stuffed Pepper serving

Sunday Supper Roasted Chicken

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I’m discovering that as life gets busier, it gets harder to make time for the simple things such as sitting down to a nice family dinner. I enjoy nice home cooking, but rarely have the luxury of time during the week, so I try to do bigger meals on the weekends and hope for leftovers.

Here’s an easy favorite to throw in the oven and let cook while you do other things. The recipe below is a combination of a few favorites, and I use different herbs almost every time, depending on what I have in the kitchen. Try your own combinations, you won’t go wrong. The best part is that your house will smell amazing and you can tell all your guests that it’s your secret recipe! Try pairing it with oven-roasted Brussels sprouts that you can cook at the same time. The roasting process makes the flavor of the sprouts very mild. Even my mom, the biggest vegetable pusher (who ironically hates Brussels sprouts) ate them!

Sunday Supper Roasted Chicken

(1) 5-6 lb. whole roasted chicken

1 large lemon, sliced

1 t. dried parsley, sage, or thyme

1 large fennel bulb OR medium onion, cut into eighths

Several sprigs of fresh rosemary or fresh sage leaves, rinsed well

1 T. butter, melted

1 T. olive oil

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Discard the neck and giblets from inside the chicken and rinse it thoroughly in cold water, including inside the cavity. Dry it with paper towels and place on cutting board to prep. On the breast side, loosen the skin from the meat and slip in a few of the lemon slices, dried parsley/sage/thyme and/or sprigs of rosemary. Put half of the fennel bulb or onion chunks in the cavity, along with the remaining lemon and fresh rosemary or sage. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side down. Mix the melted butter and olive oil together and brush over entire bird. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put the remaining fennel/onion and herbs around the chicken in the pan.

Put pan in oven, uncovered, and bake for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Baste with juices every ½ hour. The chicken is done when it’s tender and meat thermometer reads 180-185 degrees in the thickest part of the breast or thigh. If chicken looks too brown partway through, cover lightly with foil. Remove lemons from cavity and let sit covered for 5-10 minutes before carving and serving with the fennel and onions. Serves 4-6.

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Easy Summer Chicken

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Who doesn’t love summertime? Spending the evening outside enjoying the warm weather and longer days, cooking less and eating lighter? This will definitely help you save time, and cook less by cooking more!

The best part about making a batch of this Easy Summer Chicken is leftovers ­– if you have any. Slice up one or two tenders and serve over a light summer salad for lunch the next day. Put them whole or chopped up on a flavored tortilla with lettuce, fresh summer tomatoes, cucumbers, some fresh chopped herbs, a couple of teaspoons of ranch dressing or Dijon mustard, and then you have a delicious wrap. Or, chop up the leftover chicken, toss with a little bit of mayo and more fresh chopped herbs, and make your own serving of chicken salad to serve with crackers or in a leftover BBQ hot dog bun for a Northwest chicken version of a lobster roll.

As with all recipes, choose your ingredients according to your own favorite tastes, and don’t be afraid to experiment! I’ve listed some of my favorites below next to each other.

Easy Summer Chicken

  • 1 ½ lbs chicken tenders (can also use breasts or cut either into 1” pieces)
  • 1 pkg. dry Italian or Ranch salad dressing mix (various flavors are available)
  • 1/3 c. each of: water, an oil, and an acidic ingredient from list below
  • 2 tsp. fresh chopped herbs such as basil, thyme, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, chives or dill (optional)
Acid: Oil:
White, balsamic, or champagne vinegar Olive, vegetable or canola oil
Rice vinegar Sesame oil
Citrus juice (lemon, lime, orange) Basil or herb-infused olive oil
White wine, champagne or sherry Grapeseed oil

Combine the dressing mix, water, vinegar and oil in a large plastic bag. Add in the chicken and toss to coat the pieces. Close and seal, then refrigerate for a minimum of two hours or overnight, occasionally rearranging the pieces so they are evenly marinated.

Remove from refrigerator about an hour before cooking (bringing the meat slightly up to room temperature helps it cook more evenly). Arrange pieces over indirect medium heat on BBQ grill and cook until done in the middle, approximately 4 minutes per side for tenders. These can also be cooked on the stovetop in a frying pan over medium heat, or on an electric grill for about 5 minutes. Serve hot with Easy Seasoned Summer Vegetables for a lovely meal to enjoy outside!

Easy Summer Chicken