The BEST $4.00 I ever spent!

Ok, so my new found technique is to parooze the sale ads, see what meat is on sale, and then search for recipes using those meats. This week, whole chickens were on sale. Little did I know how much I was actually going to get out of that one little chicken! I made Beer Butt Chicken for dinner. Then I picked off all of the remaining meat and made Chicken Salad. Then I boiled the carcass with some herbs and veggies I had laying around and made chicken stock! Holy Moly! Like I said...best $4 I ever spent!!

Beer Butt Chicken

1 12 oz can beer
1 whole chicken (about 3 lbs)
1 large onion, sliced
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste
1 (14.5 oz) can low-sodium chicken broth
4 red potatoes, sliced


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking dish. Pour out half the beer from the can, spray the can with cooking spray, and set it upright in the center of the baking sheet. Loosen the skin over the breast of the chicken, and insert an onion slice, and 1 rosemary sprig under the skin of each side of the breast. Place about half the onion, cracked garlic cloves, and 2 sprigs of rosemary into the cavity of the chicken. Spray the outside of the chicken with cooking oil spray, and sprinkle with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning to taste. Place the chicken onto the beer can in an upright position, with the can inserted into the cavity of the chicken. Pour the chicken broth into the baking dish, and place the rest of the sliced onion and the potatoes into the broth. Roast about 1 1/2 hours. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before slicing.


Chicken Salad

Chicken pieces removed from whole chicken
Mayo or Miracle Whip to desired consistency
Sliced celery
Sliced black olives
salt & pepper
Dill (I use dried)

Combine and refrigerate overnight. There is no exact measurements, since this depends on how much chicken you have leftover.




Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass
1 large onion, quartered
1 carrot, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 bay leafs
2 sprigs rosemary
salt
pepper
6-8 cups water

Combine everything in a large pot, bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer, cover and let cook for 2 hours. Strain through a fine strainer or line yours with a cheese cloth to get out all small bits. Allow fat to come to the top and skim it off with a spoon. Allow stock to get to room temp before placing it in the fridge. Make some yummy soup for dinner tomorrow!!

Chicken Hashbrown Casserole

This is another one of those times when I needed to scrounge through and see what I could make with what I had on hand. This is when I love using allrecipes.com. If you click on the ingredients link, you can type in a few main things you have on hand and it'll give you recipes including those ingredients. I changed this one around a tad, and it was really good!




Ingredients:

1 2lb pkg frozen hash browns, thawed
2-3 chicken breasts, cooked and sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 cup melted butter
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz container sour cream
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 cup french fried onions

Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except french fried onions and 1/4 cup of the cheese. Bake covered in a 3 qt casserole dish for 30 minutes. In a small bowl, combine french fried onions and cheese. Uncover and top with onion/cheese mix and bake 10 more minutes.

**I made fried eggs to serve on top of this, and it was a really yummy combination, but you can skip that if you'd like.

Chicken Parmesan

One of my very favorites! I had planned on making Sloppy Joes this night, but my husband said he didn't feel like sloppy joes...so I scrounged around for what other ingredients I had on hand and sure enough, I had everything I needed for Chicken Parmesan. And it was AWESOME!

Ingredients:

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
3 chicken breasts, sliced into about 4 strips
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup jarred spaghetti sauce
1 cup shredded italian cheese blend(You can buy the preshredded in the store, or combine what you have. I had shredded mozzarella, fontina and parmesan so that's what I used)
1 tsp dried basil (optional)

Heat oven to 375
Place bread crumbs and egg into shallow dishes. Dredge chicken in egg, then bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a saute pan over med-high. Cook chicken strips in batches about 3 minutes per side. Remove to a large baking dish. Spoon spaghetti sauce over chicken in dish. Top with cheese blend, and sprinkle with basil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of your strips.

I serves spaghetti along side this. It was excellent. Photo coming soon!

Chicken Cesar Wraps

I was trying to scrounge around the house and come up with something to make that didn't force me to go to the grocery store along with every other person in town this Saturday, and this is what we had! I put everything into a tortilla for my husband so he didn't feel like he was "only having salad for dinner". I ate it as salad. Kids liked them in tortillas. My youngest threw his tomatoes on the floor. Of course he throws the one thing the dog refuses to eat as well. Lucky me!



Ingredients:

Cooked chicken breast, cubed (*see recipe for marinade below)
2 romaine hearts, chopped
1 tomatoe, diced
Cesar salad dressing, as much as you like
Tortillas

Combine chicken, tomatoes and dressing in bowl and toss to coat. Wrap in tortilla, or eat as is!

Marinated Chicken

4 boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix

Combine oil, vinegar and season packet in a large ziploc bag. Add chicken and seal. Marinate in fridge for at least 3 hours, and up to 24 hours. Bake at 425 for 20-25 min or grill.

Chicken Straws

I watched Robin Miller make these on Food Network and they looked yummy. And I figured the kids would have fun dunking them! I was right - these were excellent. We all loved them.

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 1/2 cups cooked thigh meat chopped (*I cooked mine a day ahead in the crockpot)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
1 - 4oz can diced green chiles
2 tbs fresh cilantro chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 pkg egg roll wrappers
1 cup honey
3 tbs chopped jarred jalepenos (I omitted this for the kids dip)
1 tbs cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Top cookie sheet with parchment paper or cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, chiles, cilantro and cumin. Mix well.

Arrange egg roll wrappers on a flat surface. place a small amount of filling along lower third of wrapper. Fold over once, then fold in sides and continue rolling. Dip your finger in water to seal edges and place on cookie sheet. Spray straws with cooking spray then cook for 10-12 minutes until golden brown.

Combine honey and vinegar for dip, add jalepenos for adults. Enjoy!

Penne Chicken Pesto

This looked quick and easy - which is what I need on nights when we have TeeBall practice.

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli cut into florets
1 box penne pasta
2 cloves garlic diced
2 cups cooked chicken (cook your own or buy pre-cooked)
1 - 7oz container Buitoni basil pesto

Bring a large pot of water to a boil Salt and add broccoli and cook for 3 minutes. Sccop out with a slotted spoon and put aside in a bowl. Add pasta to water and cook. Heat 2 tbs olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes. Stir in broccoli, cook 3 more min. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Drain pasta. Stir chicken, pasta and pesto into skillet. Cook 2 minutes to heat through.

**My husband dumped a bunch of parmesan cheese on top of his - despite me telling him that pesto has a bunch of parmesan. We all really liked this. It was quick, easy and delicious.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken

Another one from my BFF Rachael Ray!

Ingredients:

4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2 scallions, sliced on bias
4 slices good-quality center cut bacon
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup half-and-half or cream
2 tablespoons grainy mustard


Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butterfly the chicken breast pieces by cutting across the breast but not all the way through. Open the breasts up and pound lightly between parchment paper. Peel paper away and season the meat with salt and pepper.

Cover the seasoned chicken cutlets with blue cheese crumbles, pecans and scallions in equal amounts. Roll the chicken, wrap each roll with bacon and secure with toothpicks. Season the outside of the rolls with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken evenly all over, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a small baking sheet, place in the oven and cook 10 minutes more.

Melt the butter in the same skillet pan the chicken was seared in over medium heat. Whisk in flour, cook 1 minute then whisk in stock. Let thicken a minute then whisk in the half-and-half and grain mustard, season with salt and pepper, reduce heat to warm.

Halve the chicken and stack to show off the center. Set chicken in gravy or pour over top.


Feedback:

Super good! The gravy was excellent. Hubby didn't dig the pecans, but I thought they were great and loved the texture they added. Kids inhaled it - surprise, surprise!

Oven Chicken

This is another one of our favorites. It's definitly NOT a good one if you are calorie counting or on a diet, but it is fabulous!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter or margerine
1 onion sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 tbs dried basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
8 chicken thighs (bone in)
1 cup frozen spinach, thawed
8 oz linguini noodles
1 jar alfredo sauce
salt and pepper

Heat oven to 400. Place butter in baking dish and melt in oven. Once melted, remove and stir in onions, garlic, basil, and pepper. Place in the chicken and turn to coat. Bake for 45 minutes. Meanwhile, warm alfredo sauce in a sauce pan. Add spinach and pepper to taste. Once chicken is cooked, remove chicken from the sauce. Pour alfredo sauce into the baking dish and stir to combine. Serve over noodles with the chicken.

Tai Garlic Chicken

This is a modified Rachael Ray recipe, and we love it! It has a few ingredients you may not have, but trust me it's worth the extra buck to get them and try this one, it's really good. Spicy though, so not for the kiddos!

Ingredients:

2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 lb soba noodles
3 tbs wok oil
1/2 cup diced onion
8 cloves garlic minced
1/2 lbs chicken breast tenders
1 cup fresh torn basil

In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup water with fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar and red pepper flakes. Stir and set aside. Cook noodles. Heat wok or large skillet over medium/high heat. Add 2 tbs oil, onion and garlic. Stir fry for 3 min then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add last tbs of oil to skillet and cook chicken. Put sauce mix, onion mix back into wok and cook for 2-3 minutes together. Remove pan from heat and toss in noodles and basil. Serve.

Garlic Ranch Pizza

Wednesday Dinner-
Super easy and yummy! And cheaper than ordering it in!!

Ingredients:

1 large pizza dough - whatever is your fave-homemade, frozen etc
3/4 cup ranch dressing
2 cloves garlic
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup cooked crumbled bacon
1 cup chicken, cooked and cut in strips
3 tomatos sliced

Mix ranch and garlic together and spread onto pizza dough. Sprinkle some cheese and then top with bacon and chicken. Sprinkle a little more cheese, then add tomatos. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.


Feedback:
This was okay. I have another chicken pizza recipe that I like better. The dough didn't cook all the way in the time listed, but if you cook it much longer the cheese would start to burn. I think I'll just use my old standby next time!

Chicken Salsa Verde Bake

Friday dinner- I am home (I got the day off!), but I want something I can make ahead anyways, so that I can have fun trick-or-treating with the kiddos!

This is a Rachael Ray recipe. Laugh if you like, but I am one of her many fans! She is the reason I started cooking. I was flipping through the TV right after I got married and saw her making a Chicken Chorizo Stoup. I watched her and thought "I could do that", and I did. And it was great! And now I do it everyday. If not for her, we'd be living on Hamburger Helper and meat off the barbeque. Thanks Rachael!

Ingredients:

2 tbs vegetable oil
2 1/4 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Two 16-ounce jars salsa verde
One 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup sour cream
3 cups crushed tortilla chips
One 8-ounce bag shredded Mexican-style cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until cooked through, 10 to 12 minutes. (***I usually use my Foreman Grill to pre-cook chicken for recipes. It's faster) Let stand until cool, then shred the meat into a large bowl. Stir in the salsa, kidney beans, onion and sour cream.

Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, scatter 1 cup tortilla chips on the bottom and top with half of the chicken mixture and half of the cheese. Repeat the layers and cover with the remaining 1 cup tortilla chips. Bake until the cheese is bubbly, about 30 minutes.

**Photo from www.rachaelraymag.com

Feedback:
This was really good. Spicy, and easy. The kids couldn't eat it with us. I will make this again!

Chicken Tetrazzini

Thursday Dinner-
Haven't tried this one before...hope its good!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup whole milk
4 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese
1/2 pound pasta, cooked, drained - whatever you have on hand (I had macaroni)
4 cups cooked chicken cut into bite size pieces
1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350F.

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Saute until liquid evaporates, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Gradually add broth and milk, stirring until blended. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 3-5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Add 3 cups cheese, stirring until cheese melts. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir in pasta and chicken. Pour into a buttered shallow 3 quart baking dish.

Mix remaining cheese and bread crumbs; sprinkle over casserole.

Bake, uncovered, until bubbly. 35-40 minutes


Feedback:

I made this today before I left for work, and couldn't help but eat a serving for myself. This is super good! I didn't get to try it with the crumb crust of course, but the sauce is cheesy and creamy, and the mushroom sauted in garlic...oh my, oh my! The kids gobbled it up. And my youngest, who has been acting like he didn't feel too well all day, ate a little and then threw up all over his highchair. Poor thing (him AND my husband, who had to clean it up). Hubby hates mushrooms, but he doesn't mind picking them out. I am determined to change his mind about them, so I refuse to take them out of the recipe...not that he had too much of an appetite, after the above mentioned incident.

Jerk Chicken

Wednesday Dinner-
I adore this stuff. We went to Jamaica for our one year anniversary and ate jerk chicken at all hours of the day and never got sick of it. This is a pretty close recipe, but nothing is as good as the real thing!

Ingredients:

1 habanero pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tbs sugar
2 tsp fennel seed
2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp all spice
2 tsp thyme
1 tsp ground ginger
4 garlic cloves chopped
4 green onions chopped
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup orange juice
4-5 lbs chicken pieces - bone in

In a food processor, blend all the ingredients (except the chicken) together until smooth. Reserve 1 cup of the marinade. Place chicken pieces in a ziploc bag and pour marinade over them. Seal and allow to marinate for 4-6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Bake 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat reserved 1 cup of sauce in a small saucepan until reduce by 1/3(about 10 minutes). After 20 minutes, baste chicken with thickened sauce. Raise heat to 400 and cook another 20 minutes.

Serve with rice.

**In Jamaica, we had the cook making us a special sandwich. Jerk chicken shredded and put on a hamburger bun with a slice of melted cheese (warmed on the bread in a pan). Like a jerk chicken melt. Fabulous! I'll make this for lunch - if there are any leftovers!

Feedback:
So yummy! I used a poblano pepper instead of a habanero - hubby has a wimpy mouth ;). And there's no leftovers. I scraped off the skin and cut up the chicken for the kids, they ate a ton and so did we. No Jerk Melts for lunch for me!

Blackened Chicken Wraps with Balsamic Mayo

Dinner for Tuesday-
I had this amazing wrap at Mimi's Cafe the other day, and I can not wait to re-create it! It was excellent! So I dug up a few recipes and threw in a little of what I thought I tasted and come up with this:

Ingredients:

Blackened Chicken:
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
Olive oil
4 boneless chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all spices together. Drizzle olive oil over chicken breasts. Then coat evenly with spice mixture. Heat a non stick skillet over high heat until it is really hot. Place chicken in hot pan and cook for 1 minute on each side. Transfer chicken onto baking sheet and cook in oven for 5-10 minutes (depending on the size of breasts)

Balsamic Mayo:
1 cup mayonnaise
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp cayenne (opt)

Combine all ingredients.

Wraps:
Sundried tomatoe tortillas
Lettuce
Tomato
Shredded cheddar and/or monterey jack cheese

Spread mayo onto tortilla. Lay down lettuce, tomatoe slices, and cheese. Place slices of blackened chicken. Fold tortilla in on the sides and then roll. Cut at an angle in the center and serve.

Feedback:
Oh my gosh, were these fantastic! Even my husband loved them. And I thought FOR SURE he'd give me a hard time about the sundried tomato tortillas, since that would trigger the "healthy flag" in his mind and he is positive that he can't stand any healthy/diet food. So I was surprised I got no resistance, and he loved it too!

Crockpot Italian Chicken & Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Sundays are always the busiest day! Church, making dinner, and then off to work. This recipe is a classic around here, everyone loves it so I make it often. And it allows me to use my crock pot - a working mothers best friend!!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix
1/2 cup water
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of chicken soup

Place chicken in crock. Combine salad dressing mix and water, then pour over the ckicken. Cook on low for 3 hours.

Mix soup and softened cream cheese. Pour over chicken and cook 1 hour more. Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.

We serve this over Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

5 Potatoes, peeled and chopped into small cubes
1/2 cup melted margerine
salt and pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cloves garlic

Cover potatoes with cold water and bring to a boil. Cook until fork tender and drain. Pour in melted butter, sour cream, salt and pepper. Mash well. Add a little milk if you need more liquids. Using a zester, grate garlic over mash potatoes and stir to combine.

Chicken Rice Bake

This is an easy recipe that I THINK came from Campbells...but I could be wrong. It's one of my growing collection of recipes I can throw together before I leave and all hubby has to do is throw it in the oven. The kids love rice, and they make a holy mess with it. But I'm not on clean-up duty tonight!

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups rice (uncooked)
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1 can cream of chicken
1 can cream of mushroom
3 chicken breasts, halved
I packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
Shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Put rice in the bottom of a glass baking dish, add water and salt. Combine soups and pour over the rice. Place chicken breasts on top of the rice & soup mixture, then sprinkle the onion soup mix on top of each chicken breast. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes, then check to see if rice is getting dry. If it is, add a splash of milk to re-hydrate. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle cheese over the top and return to oven for another 5 minutes.


**First let me apologize for the not-so-appetizing looking picture. Keep in mind that I am not home once the dinner is actually cooked, so lets just say that this particular site shows you what it looks like BEFORE it's cooked. Maybe I can coerce my husband to take a pic for me when dinner is done...but somehow I doubt it!

Malibu Chicken

My husband always orders this when we go to Sizzler, and it was his idea for me to pick up the ingredients so he can make it for dinner tonight. I like being off the hook. I'm not sure that this counts as a recipe, but it's what they had, so it's getting posted. Easy, simple dinner!

Ingredients:

4 frozen breaded chicken patties
Sliced deli ham
Swiss cheese slices

Cook chicken patties as instructed on package. Top cooked patties with ham and cheese and put under broiler to melt cheese. Serve.

Feedback:

Hubby said this was great, just like Sizzler. The kids gobbled it up...surprise, surprise!

Enchilada Verde Casserole

I made this one up. I didn't get to the store today, so I had to use what I had on hand, and this is what came out! Has all the same ingredients as the chicken enchiladas I have made before, just all tossed together. Hopefully its good, it sure looked good to me!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb chicken breasts
8 flour tortillas, torn into pieces
1 1/2 cup salsa verde
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese - separated
1/2 tbs cumin
salt and pepper

Boil chicken breasts until cooked through. Shred. In a large bowl, combine tortillas, salsa, sour cream, 1 cup of the cheese, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir in chicken. Pour into 9x9 baking pan. Top with remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered, at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly.

Feedback:

Ok, I changed this a little based on what hubby said. He didn't like the corn tortillas I used and he said the beans were kind of hard still. So I revamped the recipe above to reflect the changes. He said the kids really liked it though, of course. I can always count on them to finish their plates!

Shredded Chicken Paninis

My mom bought me a panini press last christmas, and I use it every chance I get! It makes for the best sandwiches. I picked up some foccocia sandwich bread at the store today in the day old bread bin for cheap, so I figured it'd be best used as a panini! I grilled up some chicken in the good ol' Foreman Grill and made some YUMMY sandwiches!

Ingredients:

Crusty sandwich bread
2 chicken breasts
salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
Mayo
Dijon Mustard
Sliced tomatoes
Provolone Cheese

Season chicken breasts to taste and grill. Shred. Spread mayo and dijon onto bread. Layer tomatoes, cheese and grilled chicken. Place sandwich in heated panini press, or on a stove top grill weighted down with a heavy pan. Heat through to melt cheese.

Feedback:

These were so yummy. The bread had some dried herbs on it...yum yum!! If you've never made paninis try them. You're missing out!

Crunchy Chicken Roll-Ups

I saw this recipe on another blog and decided to give it a try. Seems like something the kids will really like.

Ingredients:

1-2 cans of canned chicken (you can also use shredded chicken breasts)
8 oz. sour cream
2 tbsp. milk
1 tbs dried parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 cans crescent rolls
2 c. crushed croutons
1 stick butter or margerine melted


Blend together first five ingredients. Separate crescent rolls into triangles. Spoon chicken into the bottom of the triangle, fold in the bottom corners, and roll up. Lightly roll in melted butter then roll in crushed croutons. Place on un-greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 20 min.

** Canned chicken smells just like tuna. Next time I'll make a few chicken breasts and shred them, the smell kinda freaked me out! =)
** I forgot to take a picture again, darn it! Sorry!!

Feedback:

My husband asked me if this was canned meat, so he got that funny taste or smell too. But he said they were still good, and of course the kids loved them. Next time I'll just grill up my own chicken. Chicken that smells like tuna...not too appetizing!