BBQ Chicken Pineapple Quesadillas

These delicious quesadillas have been making their way on to a ton of food blogs that I read and are becoming hugely popular!  When I first saw this recipe, I immediately knew I had to add it to my weekly menu.  I was intrigued by the combination of pineapple, BBQ chicken, and cheese....and it is definitely a winning combination.  We loved this recipe, and I'm glad I made extras because now I have some waiting in the freezer for when I'm feeling too lazy to cook.

I will make just a couple of small changes for the next time I make these (and there will for sure be a next time).  First, I will cut the bbq chicken and pineapple into smaller pieces so that I can get a little more filling into each quesadilla.  Here is how big I cut mine up this time (which is actually a tad bit smaller than Pioneer Woman's chicken and pineapple, but I still want them even smaller):

Also, I chose to chop up the jalapenos into a small dice because I didn't think I would want to bite into a big jalapeno piece.....but I think by doing this I lost the jalapeno flavor so next time I will just slice the jalapeno and leave them in big circles and see what that tastes like. 

These quesadillas require some cooked chicken breasts and grilled pineapple.  You can either make these right before assembling the quesadillas or use leftovers.  What I would recommend doing is making some grilled pineapple to go with your dinner the night before and then using the leftovers in these quesadillas.

Ingredients:

8 flour tortillas
butter or EVOO to grease the pan
2 cups grilled pineapple, cut into bite sized pieces
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked (grilled or baked works well) and chopped into small chunks
3 cups monterrey jack cheese, grated
2 jalapenos, sliced
cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup of your favorite BBQ Sauce (in our house, it is Sweet Baby Ray's)
salsa, for serving (we used salsa verde because I'm obsessed with it right now)
sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:

Toss the cooked chicken chunks with warm BBQ sauce to coat.
Assemble quesadillas:  Sprinkle half of each tortilla with grated Monterey Jack.  Arrange chicken chunks evenly over the cheese. Add pineapple chunks and jalapeno slices. Sprinkle on cilantro. If desired, drizzle extra barbecue sauce over the top.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat and add butter or EVOO.  For each quesadilla, add to the hot pan for about a minute.  Fold over and finish cooking until both sides are browned and the cheese is melted.  Keep the quesadillas in a 200 degree oven to keep warm while you are cooking the rest.

When ready to serve, cut each quesadilla into three wedges. Serve with salsa and sour cream.

Source:  Slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman Cooks

Pasta with Roasted Garlic, Chicken, and Brocolli with a White Cheddar & Wine Sauce

Okay, I admit it - 99% of the time, when a recipe calls for garlic of any sort, I will be using my giant jar of minced garlic.  I just like how the garlic is minced up into really small equal pieces, and all I have to do is scoop it out of the jar.  After coming across this recipe on Annie's Eats, I decided it was time for me to use some "real" garlic to make this dish.  It seemed like the roasted garlic was an integral part of the flavor, and Annie had some very simple directions on roasting the garlic so when I went to the grocery store I bought 2 heads of garlic for the first time in a very long time.

As it turns out, I have been missing out on lots of garlicky flavor!  Roasting the garlic hardly took any effort at all, and it added flavor that cannot be achieved by using store-bought minced garlic.  I think I might be converted!  I'm not going to say that I won't be using jarred garlic at all anymore, but I think now it'll be more like 50/50 instead of 99/1. 

Anyways, this dish was delicious!  It has several different elements that all come together to make a great meal.  It's light and flavorful, and it is definitely going on my repeat list.  The quantities below will serve 2 hungry people, but if I ever make this for four people, I will go ahead and double it.

Ingredients:

8 oz. tube shaped pasta, such as penne
1½ tbsp. butter
¼ cup roasted garlic paste*
1½ tbsp. flour
¼ cup dry white wine (as usual, I used Savignon Blanc)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (sharp is best!)
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets and blanched until crisp-tender*
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, grilled and cut into bite size pieces (you can also bake or saute this)
Salt and pepper, to taste

*To make roasted garlic paste, peel the outer papery skins off two heads of garlic, leaving the heads still intact. Slice about a quarter off the top of each head so that all of the cloves are partly exposed. Wrap the heads in foil and bake at 350˚ F for one hour. Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool enough to touch, squeeze the garlic cloves out of the peels and smash with a fork to make roasted garlic paste.

*I just boiled the broccoli florets for 5 minutes and set them aside until I was ready to add them in, but you could also steam them.

Directions:
 
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to the package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet or saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the roasted garlic paste and cook just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Whisk the flour into the mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to turn golden brown, 1-2 minutes. Stir the white wine and broth into the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the cheddar and stir until melted. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Mix in the broccoli florets and chicken pieces, and cook just until heated through. Mix in the cooked pasta until evenly coated with the sauce. Serve warm.

Grilled Jerk Chicken Sandwiches

To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of boneless, skinless chicken breast.  Actually, I take that back - I love using boneless, skinless chicken breasts if I get to bread and fry them, like if I'm making something like parmesan chicken or sweet and sour chicken, but grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts can end up being dry, flavorless, and boring.

With that being said, Kevin and I wanted to grill up something semi-healthy on our first night at the lake this past week, so we decided to make some sort of grilled chicken sandwich.  I needed something to kick up the flavor on these grilled chicken sandwiches.....and I found it - mango chutney!  We love anything with mango in it so I decided to give this mango chutney that I found in the Indian section of my grocery store a try.  This sandwich was definitely a winning combination :)  We will be making this again for a healthy meal (although I just can't bring myself to give up the cheese which would make it a bit healthier). 

Ingredients: (to make 2 sandwiches - adjust as needed)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, butterflied and pounded out a bit (just to thin and even out a bit so the breasts aren't super thick - I always do this so that the chicken cooks evenly and doesn't get dried out)
2 hamburger type buns
2 slices of pepperjack cheese
1/2 of a medium-sized red onion
EVOO
1/4 cup mango chutney (I found this in the Indian section of my grocery store)
Caribbean jerk seasoning, to taste
Salt & fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions:

Slice up the red onion and saute with a little EVOO, salt, and pepper in a skillet until softened. 

Meanwhile, season the chicken breasts with jerk seasoning and salt & pepper, to taste.  Grill until cooked through (we grilled them for maybe 10-12 minutes, but it depends on your grill and how thick the chicken breasts are). 

Add cheese slices to the chicken about a minute or two before they are ready to come off of the grill.  Assemble sandwiches and divide mango chutney and sauteed onions between the sandwiches.

Orange Chicken

Lately, I've been having cravings for chinese food.  I used to always order take-out instead of cooking it myself, but ever since I made sweet and sour chicken that turned out really great, I decided to try to make some orange chicken at home.  I found this recipe on a great blog called, What's Cookin, Chicago?  The recipe is originally from the cookbook, Cooking at Home with America's Test Kitchen. 

Overall, I really liked this meal.  I really liked the flavor of using chicken thighs instead of chicken breast in this recipe.....I just think the thigh meat is a little more flavorful and juicy.  The sauce was really good and easy to make.  The only thing that I would do differently next time is to brown the chicken a little longer in the oil to make it crispier and more golden brown.

Ingredients:

Marinade and Sauce-

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skineless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
3/4 cup low sodium chicken broth (I used regular chicken broth)
3/4 cup juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons grated zest and 8 strips orange peel (each about 2" long by 1/2" wide) from 2 oranges (it took me 3 oranges to get enough juice and peel)
6 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup darn brown sugar (I used light brown sugar because that's what I had on hand)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/4 cayenne
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
8 small whole dried red chiles (optional - I omitted)

Coating and Frying oil-
3 large egg whites
1 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
3 cups peanut oil

Directions:

For the Marinade and Sauce-
Place the chicken in a 1-gallon zip-lock bag; set aside. Combine the chicken broth, orange juice, grated zest, vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and cayenne in a large saucepan (I used a 2 quart saucepan); whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. Measure out 3/4 cup of the mixture and pour into the bag with the chicken; press out as much air as possible and seal the bag, making sure that all the pieces are coated with the marinade. Refrigerate 30-60 minutes, but no longer.

Bring the remaining mixture in the saucepan to a boil over high heat. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and cold water and whisk the cornstarch mixture into the sauce. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and translucent, about 1 minute. Off the heat, stir in the orange peel and chiles, if using; set the sauce aside.

For the Coating-
Place the egg whites in a pie plate, and using a fork, beat until frothy. In a second pie plate, whisk together the cornstarch, baking soda and cayenne until combined. Drain the chicken in a colander or large mesh stainer; thoroughly pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Place half of the chicken pieces in the egg whites and turn to coat; transfer the pieces to the cornstarch mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the dredged chicken pieces on a wire rack set over a baking sheet; repeat with the remaining chicken.

To Fry the Chicken-
Heat the oil in an 11-to 12-inch dutch oven or staight sided saute pan with at least a 3 quart capacity over high heat until the oil reaches 350 degrees on an instant read or deep fry thermometer. Carefully place half of the chicken in the oil; fry to golden brown, about 5 minutes, turning each piece with tongs halfway through cooking (next time I'll fry a bit longer than 5 minutes to get a good golden brown color). Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Return the oil to 350 degrees and repeat with the remaining chicken.

To Serve-
Reheat the sauce over medium heat until it simmers, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and gently toss until evenly coated and heated through. Serve immediately.

Parmesan Chicken

I've always loved cooking, but I think I really got into cooking a few years ago after I got addicted to watching the food network.  I know everyone has their favorite food network chefs, but I would have to say one of my very favorites is Ina Garten (in case you're wondering, my other two favorites are Paula Deen and Tyler Florence).  Ina makes so many great recipes, and a lot of them are pretty simple.

I've been making Ina's parmesan chicken recipe (not to be confused with chicken parmesan) for a year or so.  It uses the same simple breading technique that I always use when frying up chicken breasts, and the cold salad greens with the lemony vinaigrette on top goes perfectly with the warm crispy chicken.

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded out to about 1/4 inch thick

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 extra-large eggs
1 tablespoon water
1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs (I use panko and season it with salt & pepper)
Lemon zest from one of the lemons that you are using for the dressing below
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
Unsalted butter (I always buy salted butter)
Good olive oil
Salad greens for 4, washed and spun dry (I usually use a mix of baby spinach and spring mix)

Lemon Vinaigrette-
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Whisk together all of the lemon vinaigrette ingredients and set aside.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. First, season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper.  Next, coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan (and I also shave a few strips of parmesan on top as well).

Caribbean Jerk Chicken Sandwiches

Kevin and I recently got back from a Caribbean cruise that we went on with my parents and my sister.  It was a great vacation, and it was hard to come back to freezing cold weather afterwards. Last week, we decided to use some of the Caribbean jerk seasoning that we bought on our vacation to make chicken sandwiches.  There was a snow storm that night so I decided to grill up the chicken on our indoor grill, and they turned out very good.  This was a good weeknight meal and the jerk seasoning added lots of spice and flavor to the chicken breasts.  Of course we had to top the sandwiches with some melted cheese! 

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts halves, butterflied and pounded out a little bit

4 sandwich buns

salt, pepper, and Caribbean jerk seasoning, to taste

4 provolone cheese slices

1 medium yellow or white onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Season chicken breasts liberally with salt, pepper, and Caribbean jerk seasoning.  Grill either outside or on an indoor grill until chicken is cooked completely through (on my indoor grill it took about 7-8 minutes).

Meanwhile, saute the onions and red bell peppers in butter over medium heat until softened (about 8 minutes). 

During the last couple minutes of grilling the chicken, put some of the onion and bell pepper mixture on top of each sandwich followed by a slice of cheese.  Cook until the cheese is melted, stick them on buns, and enjoy!

Coconut Chicken Strips

I made coconut shrimp a few weeks back for a thanksgiving appetizer, and I loved the flavor and the dipping sauce, so I decided to use the same recipe and concept to make coconut chicken strips.  As a kid, chicken tenders were one of my favorite meals, and it was nice to find a new twist on chicken tenders that I liked.  The sauce was very good with the coconut chicken tenders, although next time I'll also have some honey mustard for dipping just because I love chicken tenders and honey mustard together.

Ingredients:

Peanut oil (or you could also use canola or vegetable oil), for frying
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
3 large eggs
splash of milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic powder

Zesty Dipping Sauce-
1 (6-ounce) jar orange marmalade
1/4 cup sweet Asian chili sauce
1 lime, juiced

Directions:

Make your dipping sauce just by mixing the ingredients together in a small bowl, and store it in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat.

Heat oil (enough to have a depth of about 1/2 of an inch) in a large skillet over medium to medium high heat.

Season your chicken strips with salt and pepper and set aside.

In medium bowl mix together panko and coconut (I first put the coconut in the food processor and pulsed a few times to get the flakes a little smaller so that they would stick better to the chicken). In another medium bowl beat eggs with a splash of milk. In a third bowl mix flour, onion and garlic powder together. Dredge chicken in flour, then eggs, then the bread crumbs.

Place chicken in the large skillet and fry, in batches, until crisp and golden brown and cooked through; 7 to 10 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel-lined sheet tray. Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve.  Serve hot with Zesty Dipping Sauce on the side.

Sweet and Sticky Chicken Legs

I absolutely love bone-in chicken.  A lot of people I know would much rather cook with boneless, skinless chicken breast (which I like too), but I just think that bone-in chicken is so much more flavorful and juicy.  I also prefer the dark meat so I often will roast up bone-in chicken drumsticks and thighs.  For me, boneless skinless chicken breast can get dry baking in the oven (which is why I almost always bread and pan fry boneless chicken breasts instead of just baking them), and the color just isn't as appealing as roasted bone-in chicken with the skin on. 

Anyway, I was looking through one of Giada's cookbooks (Giada's Kitchen:  New Italian Favorites) and spotted this recipe using bone-in drumsticks.  It ended up juicy and sweet (and a little messy), and I served it with a side of cous cous.  I will be making this one again sometime, except next time I will probably use both drumsticks and thighs.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup soy sauce
5 fresh rosemary sprigs
5 garlic cloves, halved
10 to 12 chicken drumsticks
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions:

Combine the balsamic vinegar, honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves in a large, resealable plastic bag. Shake and squeeze the contents of the bag to dissolve the honey and the brown sugar. Add the chicken drumsticks to the bag and seal, squeezing out as much air from the bag as possible. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Remove the chicken drumsticks from the bag, reserving the marinade, and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the skin is caramelized and very dark in spots, 30 to 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the marinade in a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook over low heat until thick, about 15 minutes.

Use a pastry brush to brush some of the cooked marinade on the cooked chicken. Place the chicken on a serving platter. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and the chopped parsley.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Last night, I made some very cheesy chicken enchiladas.  Not the healthiest of meals with all of the cheese, but everything in moderation.  I'm starting a new work out plan (something I never had to do when I was younger because I could eat anything without gaining a pound, but that's a whole other story) so that I can keep making (and eating) the foods that I like.  I once tried to only cook healthy meals, but that only lasted about a week because I got upset when my meals didn't taste as good as they normally do!  Anyways, I have a weakness for cheese and these enchiladas satisfied my cheese craving.  This is by no means an authentic Mexican enchilada recipe, but it is very good.

Ingredients:

1 roasted whole chicken, shredded (I usually just buy a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but I had a whole chicken in the freezer so I used this recipe to make my own roasted chicken)
8 medium sized flour tortillas
2 (14 oz) cans enchilada sauce
1/4 cup diced green chilis
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
4 cups shredded cheese (this time I used a mixture of 3 cups cheddar and 1 cup queso fresco)
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream to serve with enchiladas

Directions:

1.  In a 9x13 baking dish, pour in 2/3 of one can of enchilada sauce to coat the bottom.

2.  In a large bowl, mix together the remaining 1/3 of the can of enchilada sauce, cream cheese (I usually mix these first 2 ingredients first to make the cream cheese a little easier to work with), green chilis, scallions, shredded chicken, half of the shredded cheese, and salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Divide the chicken mixture amongst the 8 flour tortillas, and roll into enchiladas.  Place seam side down in the baking dish and top with 1 can of enchilada sauce and the remaining half of the shredded cheese.

4.  Cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes or long enough for enchiladas to be heated through and the cheese on top melted.  Let cool for 10 minutes or so before serving.  Serve with sour cream if you like.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

I haven't really made too many Asian dishes (well about a month ago I made mongolian beef but it didn't turn out like I thought it would), but this one turned out great! I found this recipe on this really great blog called My Kitchen Cafe that I came across while surfing the internet, and the recipe looked really tasty with not too many ingredients so I decided to give it a try. It was a winner with my husband so I'll definitely make it again. I didn't make any changes to the original recipe, but the only thing I may do next time is to make the sauce on the stovetop and then bake the chicken seperately for a little less time and then mix together at the end (just because a whole hour in the oven dried the chicken out a tad).

Ingredients:

Chicken -

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

Sauce -

3/4 cup sugar

4 tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic salt

Directions:

Cut the chicken breasts into chunks. Dip chicken in cornstarch first and then in eggs.

Fry in a little oil until golden brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Whisk up the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.

Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes.

If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced - about 6 to 8 minutes.

I served this over jasmine rice with a side of potstickers and it turned out to be a great meal!

Chicken Fettuccine a la Fuente

The reason why I originally decided to try this recipe is because my husband and I used to always eat a flavor of Pasta-Roni called chicken quesadilla as a side dish to some of our meals. We liked the mix of pasta with a mexican flavor, but for some reason our grocery store stopped carrying this flavor so we haven't had it in awhile. I found this pasta recipe on http://www.pillsbury.com/ and decided to give it a try since it had the mexican flavorings but also had chicken so I could make it into a full meal. The original recipe can be found here. It turned out really good and a nice alternative to regular chicken fettucini alfredo.

Ingredients:

1 (12-oz.) pkg. uncooked fettuccine
1 tablespoon olive oil (and I also added a tablespoon or two of butter with the olive oil)
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 lb.), cut into 1-inch pieces (after I cut up, I seasoned generously with salt and pepper)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
(1-oz.) pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 cup whipping cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley (I omitted it just because I didn't have any but it would have given the dish some nice color)
1 oz. (1/4 cup) grated fresh Parmesan cheese (I used a little extra)
Chopped fresh parsley, if desired
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese, if desired

Directions:

1. Cook fettuccine as directed on package; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven, heat oil and butter over medium-high heat until hot. Add seasoned chicken; cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken turns white. Stir in garlic and taco seasoning mix. Cook 1 minute. Stir in cream. Reduce heat to low; cook 3 to 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated (at this time I did add a little cornstarch mixed with cold water to thicken the sauce up a bit - I maybe used 1 tablespoon of cornstarch).

3. Stir in 1/3 cup parsley and 1/4 cup cheese. Add cooked fettuccine; toss to coat. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fettuccine is thoroughly heated. Transfer mixture to large serving platter. Garnish with additional parsley and cheese.

Turned out good and I will definitely make again when we're craving mexican flavored pasta :)

Chicken, Noodles & Dumplings

I'm a little late on this post, but about a week and a half ago my husband requested one of his favorite comfort meals that I make - Chicken, Noodles & Dumplings. I grew up on this meal, and my mom would make it often when it was cold outside. It's almost like chicken noodle soup but with a little less broth and it has dumplings on top. It's sooo good and really easy to make. I've changed it just a little bit from the way my mom makes it.

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, meat removed from the bones and chopped up into bite size chunks
1 package of frozen egg noodles (I use the 12 oz. Reames brand noodles - if you can't find these you can also use dry egg noodles and adjust the cooking time, but I really like the texture and thickness of the frozen ones)
6 cups chicken broth
3-4 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon EVOO
1 can refrigerated biscuits (any variety you like - I usually use Pillsbury homestyle biscuits)
Seasonings to taste (I use salt, pepper, vegetable supreme, and garlic pepper)
Optional - cornstarch and a splash of heavy cream or half and half

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, heat butter and EVOO over medium to medium high heat.
2. Add onions, celery, carrots, and minced garlic and saute until softened (about 5-8 minutes)
3. Add in chicken and chicken broth, and bring to a boil.
4. Season with salt, pepper, etc. to taste.
5. After this has boiled for about 10 minutes and you are happy with the seasonings, add in egg noodles and boil for about 10 minutes.
6. At this time, if you would like to thicken the broth a bit you can add a splash of cream and/or a little bit of cornstarch disolved in water. Lower heat to low so that it is just simmering.

Here's what mine looked like at this point:

7. Place biscuits on top (I then add some fresh cracked pepper on top of the biscuits) and cover with a lid. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until biscuits are cooked through.

Here's a picture of what the biscuits should look like (make sure you leave the lid on while cooking so that biscuits can steam and cook through):

8. Take off the heat and let cool for a few minutes, then serve and enjoy!

Thanks mom for this great recipe :)

Whole Roasted Chicken

For yesterday's dinner, I wanted to make a delicious, comfort meal that was kind of a Thanksgiving replica. I decided my menu would be whole roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing (from a box), rolls, and pumpkin pie. It turned out great! I had never made a whole roasted chicken before, and it took a little longer than I thought it would but ended up being really juicy and flavorful. I ended up making two so that I could freeze the meat of one and use for a dinner next week. Here's how I made the chickens (I read a few recipes and created my own with the ingredients I had on hand):

Ingredients:

2 whole chickens (giblets removed from the cavity)

2 yellow onions

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 can chicken broth

minced garlic (I probably used around 1/4 cup on each chicken

salt

pepper

Directions:

1. Place the two chicken in roasting pan on a roasting rack.

2. In the bottem of the roasting pan, pour in the can of chicken broth and also add 1 stick of butter (sliced up).

3. Cut onions into quarters, and stuff the inside of the chickens with 1 onion each and the rest of the butter (sliced up).

4. Season the chicken liberally with salt, pepper, and the minced garlic.

5. Roast the chickens in a 350 degree oven until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees (I put my meat thermometer into the middle of one of the breasts, and it took about an hour and a half to cook).

6. Remove from oven, baste with the juices from the bottem of the roasting pan, cover with foil, and let rest until the internal temperature reaches 180 (I let the chickens rest for 15-20 minutes), and carve.

Overall, easy and great recipe! Make sure you have plenty of time to cook the chicken because depending on your oven and how big the chickens are it would take awhile to get up to 180. Very juicy and flavorful :)