Sweet Love and Ginger

Chicken

Clean Hawaiian Marinated Chicken

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This is a simple recipe for Hawaiian Marinated Chicken that is clean and healthy!
Hawaiian Marinated Chicken

We have fallen into a chicken breast rut. Yep, that’s seriously a thing. By that I mean I feel like I am always cooking the same chicken breast recipes over and over again.

It’s Spinach and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken, Chicken Parmesan, Sherry Mushroom Chicken, or Asian Grilled Chicken, or some kind of chicken stir-fry, time after time after time. It gets old, so since its grilling season I am on a quest to try out some new chicken breast recipes.

Someday I hope to amass a collection that hits 100 recipes, and while that might take a while there’s no time like the present to get started on that goal.

To start off this is a new recipe I recently came up with to pair with a rice recipe that I wanted to try (that one is coming soon, don’t worry). I’m really happy with the way it came out, it was incredibly flavorful, and the chicken was super moist. It is also a completely clean recipe so it’s great for those of us trying to stay healthy.

Now if you have any amazing chicken recipes that I can try please send them my way! I’ll be sure to give all of my influencers credit in upcoming posts!

Hawaiian Chicken

Clean Hawaiian Marinated Chicken
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened pineapple juice
  • 2 oz tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
Instructions
  1. Whisk together the pineapple juice, tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar, and honey.
  2. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl with a lid or a sealable bag and allow it to marinade for at least 30 minutes (may marinade for 24 hours in the fridge).
  3. To bake: Cook the chicken in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through. Serve immediately.
  4. To grill: Place the chicken on a preheated grill (400 or more degrees) and cook for roughly 5 minutes a side. Then remove from heat and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

 

Pre-made Breaded Chicken for the Freezer

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This is a simple and healthy recipe for breaded chicken as well as instructions on how to freezer and re heat it for last minute weekly meals.

Sometimes I just don’t have the time to cook a wholesome dinner from scratch. Other times I simply don’t have the energy, and while take out pizza is always a great alternative we are trying desperately here to save our pennies (for that house!), and get a little healthier (for that wedding!).

 Lately I have been making a lot of extras to freeze, so that I can prepare healthy home cooked dinners in a flash. Things like soup, meatballs, cooked chicken and blanched veggies are easy to defrost and heat up. Today I wanted to share with you a pretty basic recipe for what we call Freezer Chicken. It’s lightly breaded chicken that is baked and then frozen to be used as needed at a later date.
My basic breaded chicken recipe is below. However the key to making this idea of frozen breaded chicken work is first freezing it on a sheet tray without allowing any of the pieces to touch and then putting it in a reseal-able storage container. Freezing the chicken separately helps prevent them from sticking together in the bag. This way it’s easy to pull out just one piece of chicken and heat it up in the oven or microwave before serving.
Italian Style Breaded Freezer Chicken
Author: JC
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 4 boneless skinless Chicken Breasts
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
  2. Combine bread crumbs and spices in a large shallow dish and set aside.
  3. On a cutting board place one hand on top of a single chicken breast. Carefully slice the meat horizontally midway up the chicken, cutting almost to the other side. Open it like a book and finish cutting it through. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the chicken and working from the center out begin to pound the chicken with the smooth side of a mallet until it is about ¼ inch thick. Repeat this process with the remaining chicken.
  4. Brush the chicken with butter and dredge in the bread crumbs until well coated.
  5. Place on a greased baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes. Turn the chicken and bake for another 10 minutes until cooked through.
  6. To Freeze: Remove from heat and let cool until room temperature. Freeze on a flat sheet tray without touching for about 30 minutes. Remove from tray and place into a large freezer bag and return to the freezer.
Now that you have freezer chicken readily available to you here are some of my favorite ways to use it:
  • Dip them in Honey Mustard, or another favorite dip
  • Chicken Parmesan
  • Chicken Salad 
  • Chicken alfredo
  • BBQ or Buffalo chicken sandwich or wrap
  • Bacon Ranch Sandwich
  • Chicken Caesar Salad
  • Pizza toppings
  • Quick Chicken & Waffles

Got another suggestion? Lets hear it in the comments! I’ve got a ton of these so I’d love to try something new with them.

Chicken Basil Meatballs with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

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Chicken Basil Meatballs & Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce Recipe. This decadent sauce is the perfect companion to the flavorful and tender meatballs.

Chicken basil Meatballs w Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

Oh man you guys this sauce. It’s pretty much the best thing ever, err at least this month.

I originally saw the recipe over at Closet Cooking, but it made a reappearance on damn delicious both here and here and on Julia’s Album.

I have made it quite a few times, and poured it over many different things, chicken, fish, shrimp pasta, rice. Basically you name it. I swear this is one of those sauces that I could eat for life and not get bored, though it may add some inches to my waistline. It’s seriously that good.

IMG_7383

This time around I wanted to try it with meatballs, because meatballs are like my favorite thing right now. Combining two of my favorites in one dish is usually a good idea. In this particular case it was an amazing idea!

These tender and flavorful meatballs were only amplified by the delicious, creamy sauce and sweet little bits of sundried tomato. Of course I served this tossed together with pasta, because again we are talking favorites here.

IMG_7368

 

 

Chicken Basil Meatballs with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 16 oz. short pasta
  • 1 lb lean ground chicken
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon Oregano
  • 1 tablespoon basil chopped fine
  • ¼ cup unseasoned bread crumbs
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup of chicken broth
  • ½ cup whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan
  • Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cook pasta according to package instructions and set aside.
  2. In a large bowl combine the chicken with salt, pepper, oregano, basil, bread crumbs, and egg white. Use your hands to mix well and then form balls about 2 inches in diameter.
  3. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add meatballs and cook for about 6 to 8 minutes, while turning frequently. They should be browned on all sides and cooked through. Remove the meatballs from the pan and set aside.
  4. Add the butter to the pan and let it melt. Add the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant, about 1 to 2 minutes.
  5. Add the broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the sundried tomatoes, cream and parmesan. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  6. Return the meatballs to the pan tossing well to coat. Remove from heat and stir in the pasta. Serve immediately.
Clean Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Clean Salisbury Steak Meatballs

Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Skillet

Teriyaki Chicken Meatball Skillet

Shrimp with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Shrimp with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Thai Ground Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce

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Thai Ground Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce
Everyone seems to be into these Thai lettuce wraps and what not, but lettuce wraps have never been my thing. I mean there’s only so much you can pack into a lettuce wrap before your lettuce is exploding all over the place.
Now I am a fan of messy food, usually the messier the better, but the ratio of the mess to food that actually makes it o my mouth needs to lean a certain way if you know what I mean. Why not just take all that goodness and plop it in a bowl, and eat it with a fork. It’s still messy but I get so much more into my mouth this way!
Thai Ground Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce Recipe

It’s this line of thinking that got me to come up with this amazing recipe. It’s not just a Thai ground chicken salad, but it’s a Thai ground chicken salad on top of a loaded green salad and soaked in delicious peanut sauce.

Larb Gai

By the way, did you know that thai ground (or minced) chicken salad is a thing? Before researching this recipe (yep I’m  nerd) I had no idea, but it’s a traditional dish that’s usually served with sticky rice and it’s called Larb Gai. There that’s your piece of trivia for the day.

Back to the salad.
Seriously I could eat/talk about this thing all week.
I won’t torture you that way I’ll just give you the recipe.
A little note: make more peanut sauce than you think you will need. I promise it will end up on all kinds of things that you don’t expect, and you will run out before you are ready.
Thai Ground Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce

 

Thai Ground Chicken Salad with Peanut Sauce
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 lb ground chicken
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • 1 small shallot, peeled and minced
  • 1/3 cup mint, chopped
  • 1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • 1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon rice flour
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • ½ cup peanut butter
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce of choice
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1 large carrot, julienned
  • 4 red, yellow or orange sweet peppers, julienned
  • ½ cup green onions, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen edamame, defrosted
  • ½ cup crispy wonton strips
Instructions
  1. Heat a oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  2. Add the ground chicken and cook, crumbling it as you go until the chicken is cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.
  3. Add the shallots and cook for another minute. Remove from heat and add the lime juice, fish sauce, rice flour, and chili flakes tossing to combine. Set aside.
  4. In a medium sized mixing bowl whisk together the garlic powder, ginger, soy sauce, vinegar, lime juice, oil, peanut butter, and water. Adjust the seasonings and set aside.
  5. In a large bowl toss the lettuce, cabbage, carrot, peppers, onions, and edamame.
  6. Top with the cooled chicken mixture. Drizzle with peanut sauce and top with crispy wonton strips.
  7. Serve immediately.

Seasonal Chicken Pot Pie

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Spring Chicken Pot Pie

So pot pie.

It’s one of those things that has been a staple in my life for pretty much the entirety of it. It can be pretty easy to throw together if you already have a pie crust, it’s so incredibly satisfying and it isn’t completely artery clogging. I’m pretty sure we eat one at least once every couple weeks.
So how do you keep from getting bored with the same old pot pie you ask? Well let me tell you.
There is no end to the combinations of ingredients for these little pies. I’ve made taco pot pie, and beef pies, one pan pies and so many more, but today we are going to focus on the classic chicken pot pie because it’s amazing.
Pot Pie

So to really narrow down the question at hand here; how do you keep from getting bored with chicken pot pie? Again there is no end to the combinations of ingredients for these little pies.

A typical pot pie has onions, carrots, celery, green beans, and peas, maybe some potatoes or corn, but there are so many more good vegetables!!!! For example a late summer pot pie might have corn, summer squash, zucchini, bell pepper and tomato while a winter pot pie might have onion, carrot, turnip, parsnip, potato and squash. There is absolutely no reason not to try all of the vegetables! Yeah I’m excited, but who doesn’t get excited for pot pie. Today I’m sharing one of our favorites which is Chicken & Spring Vegetable Pot Pie. Asparagus and leeks are some of Chucks favorites so he gets especially excited for this one.

Spring Chicken Pot Pie

Seasonal Chicken Pot Pie
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 Servings
Ingredients
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large leek, chopped (white & light green parts only)
  • 1 clove of garlic, minced
  • 2 cups cooked, cubed chicken meat (about breasts, cooked)
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 ½ cup chicken broth
  • ¾ cup whole milk
  • 2 cups chopped Asparagus
  • ¾ cups peas, fresh or frozen
  • 2 premade pie crusts, rolled out
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  2. In a large skillet melt butter over medium high heat. Stir in leek and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until it becomes fragrant.
  3. Add chicken, flour, salt, pepper and thyme, stirring well to combine. Cook for about 1 minute or until the flour starts to turn golden.
  4. Stir in the broth and simmer until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the milk, asparagus and peas. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. Lay one pie crust in a pie pan and press it into the bottom of the pan. Pour the chicken and vegetable mixture into the pie crust and lay the second crust on top. With your hands crimp the two pie crusts closed removing excess crust from the edges.
  6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden.
  7. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.