30 Ways to Say NO to Boring Chicken Breasts!
Beef may think it's what's for dinner, but we all know it's often actually chicken breasts. In fact, chicken recipes just happens to be the number one online search topic under the subject of recipes. And for lots of health reasons, chicken breasts tend to be the cut of choice for most people.
And this is understandable. Chicken, and the chicken breast especially, is such a versatile food. But quite honestly, this entrée can get a little ho-hum. The chicken-ho-hum was what caused me to join the ranks of the online recipe hunters the other day. And did I hit pay dirt! On food.com I found just what I needed: 30 Ways to Say NO to Boring Chicken Breasts!
The by-line to the article said "Make that supper staple sing with these endlessly creative takes on your favorite bird." Here are just a few terrific ideas the clever food.com folks came up with:
1.
Bacon-Wrapped Smoked Gouda-Stuffed Chicken Breasts
. Recipe creator, Dawn, described this dish: "Easy to put together and flavorful. The Gouda cheese doesn't melt as readily as other cheeses, so the chicken
retains its stuffing much better."
2.
Baked Parmesan Chicken Breasts. Another recipe creator, Southern Lady (hmm, makes me want to change my name to Swedish Princess or something), had a good
tip for this recipe: "I cut slits into the chicken so the garlicky butter can seep inside for more flavor. This chicken is tender, moist and oh so good."
3.
Chicken Breasts Diane. One recipe reviewer suggested: "While the parsley and chives add great flavor and color, try adding extra brandy for an increased taste sensation." Yup-extra brandy can do that.
4.
Sesame Chicken with Apricot Sauce. Another reviewer said, "We loved this recipe. Fresh paprika gave it a real zing. And the sauce was the ultimate compliment to this dish."
And the food.com folks said: "So easy and good! For lunch the next day, combine the leftover sauce with four parts vinegar (rice or white wine or whatever you have) and one part oil (sesame or whatever you have) for salad dressing. Pour over your favorite greens, sliced leftover chicken and chopped veggies for a delicious Asian salad!" This takes about 50 minutes to make, but also found this to be scrumptious. Here's the recipe for 8 servings:
SESAME CHICKEN WITH APRICOT SAUCE
- 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 ⁄4 cup sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 ⁄4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 -2 1⁄2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, tenderized
Mix the first six ingredients in a bowl. Beat the eggs with the water and soy sauce in another bowl. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then coat with the bread crumb mixture. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Combine the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with the chicken.
APRICOT SAUCE
- 1 (18 ounce) jar apricot preserves
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 teaspoons soy sauce
- ½ cup water
5.
Skillet Cranberry Chicken. The food.com tester said she omitted the sugar (because the recipe was sweet enough without it), she used cider vinegar which worked well, and the cranberries added a tasty fruit flavor to the dish which really made it sparkle.
I knew I'd seen this recipe before, so I went searching through Aunt Annie's recipe box, and sure enough, there it was. She had starred this one, along with the comment "Easy, FAST, and perfect for Valentine's Day dinner!" It only takes 25 minutes to make, and uses pretty much what most of us have on hand. No wonder she liked it so much.
All you do is sauté chicken breast strips and chopped onion in butter in a big skillet, for 3 minutes or so. Then stir in 1 cup of ketchup and some whole berry cranberry sauce-we like about ½ cup. Add a little brown sugar to taste (maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons), a little white vinegar, Worcestershire Sauce, and prepared mustard (maybe 1 tablespoon of each). You bring all this to a boil and then simmer for 15 minutes. Serve this delicious concoction over hot cooked rice. Aunt Annie is right about it being perfect for Valentine's Day dinner-the red sparkle of the cranberries does the trick.
- www.food.com
Alice Osborne
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2006
Email the author! alice@dvo.com
