Thai Chicken with Peanuts

This dinner packs a flavor PUNCH!

I put this on the menu when I need

something QUICK and EASY

for dinner.

Thai Chicken with Peanuts

4 skinless chicken breasts diced

1 bag of cole slaw mix

1 bunch of green onions

1 tsp. minced garlic in the jar

1 tsp. ground ginger

basic barbecue seasoning to taste

1/2 cup Plum Sauce (Found in Asian food section)

Peanuts for garnish

Cut fat off of chicken and dice

the breasts into bite-sized pieces.

Saute' the chicken in a little Canola oil in

a Dutch oven pan over medium/hi heat.

While the chicken is browning,

prepare veggies.

I buy this ready-made cole slaw mix

which is why this dinner is so fast and easy.

Cut most of the green part off the green onions

and chop the white part to make

about a third cup.

When chicken is cooked through, lower

the heat to medium and

add the bag of cole slaw mix...

and, the green onions and cook until

the veggies are soft.

Gather your seasonings.

When veggies are cooked,

add the garlic and cook about a minute longer.

Add the ground ginger and sprinkle

in the barbecue seasoning.

I add this as if it were salt, so season

according to your own taste.

Add the plum sauce and mix

everything together.

Sprinkle peanuts on top for garnish

and serve immediately.

Your family will think you ordered take-out

from a Thai restaurant.

AMAZING FLAVOR!

Green Rice with Chicken

I got the idea for this recipe in college from my

FAVORITE dish served in the dining hall...

Green Rice!

After college, I made up a recipe trying

to match it, and added chicken to

make it a full meal.

You can make it without the chicken

and serve it as a side dish.

The kiddies won't even know they're getting

a good dose of spinach.

It's easy and DELICIOUS!

Green Rice with Chicken

3 boneless chicken breasts

2 boxes Rice-a-Roni Chicken flavor

1 box frozen chopped spinach (Don't get the 'leaf' spinach)

1 tsp. minced garlic in the jar

2-3 cups sharp cheddar (or regular cheddar if you prefer)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees.

Spray a 9 X13 inch glass pan with cooking spray

and set aside.

Prepare the Rice-a-Roni according to package

directions. It takes 20 minutes to cook

on the stove top.

While rice is cooking, prepare the

chopped spinach.

Place frozen spinach in a covered

microwave safe bowl and microwave

for seven minutes on high.

Cut chicken breasts

into bite-sized pieces.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a dutch oven pan

over med/high heat.

Saute the chicken until cooked through

When spinach is done, press

out excess water and set aside.

When chicken is cooked through,

add the minced garlic and cook

an additional minute.

Remove the chicken from the stove and

season it with salt and pepper to taste.

When rice is done,

stir it in with the seasoned chicken.

Mix in the chopped spinach.

Spread this mixture into the

prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle the top generously with the

cheddar cheese and bake in

the oven until cheese is melted.

(about ten minutes.)

My kids have loved this dinner since

they were little.  I like that it has

all the food groups in one

easy, cheesy dish!

Baked Parmesan Chicken

My son was home from college over the weekend and begged me to make

one of his favorite dinners.

Baked Parmesan Chicken.

This is a great plan-ahead meal

for days you know you will come home from work frazzled,

and need a QUICK dinner.

Baked Parmesan Chicken

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Kraft Parmesan cheese in the green canister

Mayonnaise

Dried oregano leaves

Heat oven to 360-degrees

Line a large cookie sheet with no-stick foil.

Trim fat off of chicken and place one breast

into a gallon-sized Ziplock bag

Seal the bag and flatten the chicken with

a meat mallet.

The bag will keep the chicken from splattering around

your kitchen.

Flatten each breast this way

and place pounded chicken on the foiled pan.

Plop a spoonful of mayonnaise onto each chicken breast.

Be careful NOT to touch the spoon to the raw meat

or you will contaminate your jar of mayonnaise.

Smear the mayonnaise over each breast covering all areas.

Sprinkle with Kraft Parmesan cheese.

Sprinkle on some dried oregano leaves.

When I was working full time, I would prepare this part

either the night before, or if I had time...

in the morning.

I covered it with plastic wrap and stuck it in the fridge

until I returned from work.

It only takes about a half hour to cook!

Preheat oven to 360-degrees.

Bake the chicken for about 20 minutes.

It will be swimming in a lot of liquid.

Carefully drain this off.

Return the chicken to the oven

and cook another ten minutes or until the

cheese is golden brown.

This chicken reminds me of the Wiener Schnitzel I ate

when I was an exchange student in Germany.

It's always a hit at our house!

Even Sonny's friend loved it.

Barbecued Chicken Drumsticks

It took me many hit-and-misses before I perfected barbecued chicken drumsticks!

Chicken legs are very budget friendly and delicious if cooked correctly.

Here's how to create perfection EVERY TIME!

Preheat oven to 350-degrees

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil and place two cooling racks on top.

(Or you can use your broiling pan with foil over the bottom half.)

Spray the racks well with Pam cooking spray.

I buy these big spreads of chicken drumsticks when they are on sale.

Makes for a super inexpensive dinner...yet super tasty!

Start by pulling back the skin.

Sprinkle the meat with garlic powder.

Stretch the skin back over the meat and garlic powder.

At first I tried adding the garlic powder to the outside of the skin, but it burned

when I got to the grill part.

With this method, the garlic flavor soaks into the meat AND skin.

Do this with all the chicken legs and line them up on the prepared racks.

Bake this in the oven uncovered for a full hour.

When they come out, the chicken legs are cooked through, the fat is under the rack,

and the skin is crispy.

Now, place the drumsticks on a hot grill to add the flavor and color,

This doesn't take long because the meat is already cooked.

Flip over and crisp up the other side.

Paint on your favorite barbecue sauce after you remove the legs from the grill.

If you don't like barbecue sauce, you can add salt and pepper and the drummies will

still be DELICIOUS!

Once you try this method, you will ALWAYS cook them this way!

A delectable meal served with steamed broccoli and cheesy rice.