Tag: chicken (Page 2 of 3)

Hot Chicken Salad

February 18, 2016 / Jenny / 18 Comments

Serve this hot chicken salad on a bed of greens with a side of seasonal fruit for a special lunch or a light dinner. Tender chicken is baked with chopped celery, slivered almonds, and sliced mushrooms, all in a tangy sauce of mayonnaise and lemon juice, topped with browned, crunchy potato chips. It’s easy to make, yet it tastes like something special and delicious.

The recipe for this simple, yet elegant salad is from my grandmother: a charming, elegant lady who had a beautiful life, yet faced many challenges and struggles with a sense of grace that I can only hope to someday cultivate. According to my mother, my grandma often served this hot chicken salad at the bridal showers she hosted. My mother’s extended family is very large, and grandma liked to have parties, so she had a great many bridal showers at her house over the years. I can remember eating this lovely chicken salad at her house as a young girl, sitting at a table with my cousins and giggling.

I had some extra cooked chicken that needed to be used the other day, and suddenly remembered this salad. I’m so glad I made it, because not only does it taste delicious, it also gives me a chance to write a bit about my grandmother, and to share it here on the blog. This recipe is a classic that does not go out of style (at least in my opinion!)

Today is special for another reason. Today is my father’s birthday. I started this blog a couple months short of two years ago, soon after my father passed away. I had been wanting to start a blog for awhile, so I finally did, in part to honor the memory of him. He and I shared a passion for good food, photography, and writing. By focusing on these things, I felt (and still feel) a connection with him. I know he would enjoy it, and I also want to do justice to his camera that he gave to me when he knew his physical health was in question. I treasure that camera, and my memories of him.

The sun is shining today, finally! It is so good to see bright sunshine–it seems we do not see enough of it here in Michigan in the winter time. I have noticed that the days are getting longer, with mornings and evenings becoming gradually brighter. We had a beautiful sunrise this morning, with the frost on the tree branches sparkling like jewels.

I hope you all have a great weekend! This post will be shared at Angie’s Fiesta Friday, co-hosted this week by Margy @ La Petite Casserole and Su @ Su’s Healthy Living.

Hot Chicken Salad

Servings: about 6-8
Time: about 15 minutes prep time, about 20 minutes baking time
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Ingredients:

2 cups of cooked chicken
1 cup of mayonnaise
2 cups of celery, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of onion, finely sliced or grated
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1/2 cup of mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup of slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 and 1/4 cup of crumbled potato chips

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash, chop, and slice the vegetables. Shred the cooked chicken if it is not already shredded. Mix the first eight ingredients together in a large bowl. Transfer the mixture to a large casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle the mixture with the shredded cheese and crumbled potato chips. Bake in your 450-degree oven for about 20 minutes, or till chips are golden, cheese is melted, and the mixture is hot. Place each serving on a bed of greens with seasonal fruit. Enjoy!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches and Colorful Slaw

February 20, 2015 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 21 Comments

There is great value in meals that can be made ahead of time. Sometimes the hour before dinner can be the most busy and full time of the day. In our house, there are often multiple things going on at that time, including kids doing homework, unpacking lunchboxes, frantically searching for clean soccer and/or basketball clothes, shin guards and the appropriate shoes for the practice immediately following dinner, and lots of other things not even worth mentioning! Some evenings, it is a huge relief to know that the main part of the dinner is already simmering away in the crockpot while we tend to all the other issues at hand. And some meals taste better the longer they simmer, allowing the flavors to blend and strengthen. That is the case with these pulled chicken sandwiches. With just a few simple ingredients and a crockpot, the chicken becomes tender and mouth-wateringly flavorful. The recipe below is formed from a conglomeration of a few different recipes for pulled chicken and sloppy joes, based on the combination I feel tastes best while maintaining simplicity. Because there is a fair amount of ketchup in this recipe, I like to get the highest-quality of ketchup I can find, and as always, that goes for the chicken as well. This recipe is really easy to throw together a few hours ahead of time, and is perfect for when you have a little pocket of time in the afternoon and know it will be a busy evening. I like to make a delicious, colorful coleslaw to serve with these sandwiches. This coleslaw can be made with either red or green cabbage, but I chose red cabbage yesterday. Cabbage is really good for us–it has lots of fiber and vitamins K, C, and A. Plus, red cabbage (which can actually also be purple, but is still called red cabbage) contains an extra concentration of anthocyanin polyphenols, giving it extra antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It is easy to like the health benefits of cabbage! Red (also colored purple) cabbage is so beautiful. I really enjoyed taking photos of this salad. The dressing is mildly tangy, bringing out the flavors of the vegetables without overpowering. I often think of coleslaw as a summer salad, but it works well in the winter too. Cabbage, carrots, and apples keep well over the winter, and goodness knows we all need a burst of color and crunch in the midst of winter. This evening, my husband and I had leftover slaw on a bed of dark, leafy greens, topped with shelled, roasted pumpkin seeds. That was so tasty! I could feel the vitamins and minerals flowing into my body. I cannot write this post without mentioning how utterly cold it is here in Michigan! Today (and probably tomorrow too) my kids are home because their schools are closed due to dangerously cold wind chill temperatures. While we normally enjoy skiing or just being out in the snow, it is even too cold for that. I feel like we need healthy food now more than ever! Whether we are cozied up at home or facing a busy evening driving to and from obligations, a good, nourishing dinner helps us meet whatever life has in store for us. I will be taking this dinner over to Angie’s at The Novice Gardener, for Fiesta Friday. This week’s fiesta is hosted by Tina at Mademoiselle Gourmande and Juju at Cooking with Aunt Juju. With the cabin fever going on here, I especially look forward to checking out what everyone else has posted and look forward to communicating with all of you! Stay warm and have a great weekend!

Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

Servings: about 4
Time: about 15 minutes preparation, about 4-5 hours in the crockpot
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Ingredients:

1 cup of onion (red or yellow), finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 and 1/2 to 2 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons molasses
1 teaspoon paprika
8 hamburger buns

Directions:

Place the onion in your crockpot. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil to the pan and swirl to coat the pan. Add the garlic and chicken to the pan and cook, about 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. (Chicken does not need to be completely cooked–it will finish cooking in the crockpot). Transfer the chicken and little pieces of garlic to the crockpot and place on top of onions. In a small bowl, combine the next 5 ingredients and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low heat for about 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is tender and sauce thickens a bit. Remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred it with two forks. Then put it back in the crockpot. Ladle the chicken and sauce mixture onto each bun and cover with bun tops. Enjoy!

Colorful Slaw

Servings: about 4
Time: about 15-20 minutes
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Ingredients:

1 medium-sized carrot, peeled and sliced into thin strips
1 apple, cored and finely chopped
2 cups of finely chopped red, green, or napa cabbage
2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 tablespoon of apricot preserves
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
a pinch (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) of salt

Directions:

Wash and prepare the carrot and apple, and put the chopped pieces in a large bowl. Wash the cabbage and peel off the outer layers of skin. Cut the cabbage in half, and then finely chop. Add the cabbage to the bowl with the carrot and apple. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise, apricot preserves, lemon juice, and salt. Adjust the amount of salt and lemon juice to your taste. Pour this mixture over the salad and stir well to coat evenly. Enjoy!

Slow-Cooked Chicken and Tomato Sauce with Rice

January 13, 2015 / Dragonfly Home Recipes / 4 Comments

Chicken and rice are great comfort foods, especially when cooked slowly with rich, saucy tomatoes. This is a meal that my husband and son enjoy very much on a cold, snowy evening. And we are definitely having some cold, snowy evenings these days. Right now we have enough snow to cross country ski, so I was very grateful and excited to get the chance to get out on my skis yesterday afternoon. The snow was piled up on every little branch, and I was the first person on the trail since the previous night’s snowfall, so the only tracks in sight were from rabbits. Fresh snow is so pristine and cleansing. Breathing in all that cold air and looking at the clean, white snow and the white-blue sky soothed my overactive mind. There is something so silent about snow. The woods were hushed, as the snow absorbed all sounds, including the internal sounds from my mind. It is easy to get overstimulated and stressed out in the this world we live in, but I left the woods a more peaceful person than I was when I entered them. Simple, nourishing food is also good for the mind, body, and soul. With the help of a crock pot, this meal cooks and builds flavors for a few hours on its own, once the prep work is done. One of the many things I like about this recipe is that it is intentionally simple. I made it as basic as I could, because sometimes that I what I have time for, or what my kids like best. You can cook the rice while you are preparing the chicken and sauce, or cook it a few minutes before mealtime, whichever works best. Add a green salad or a green vegetable, and you’ve got a healthy, complete meal that tastes good and warms up those you love. And that too is good for the soul.

Slow-Cooked Chicken and Tomato Sauce with Rice

Servings: about 4
Time: about 15 minutes preparation, and 5 hours cooking time
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Ingredients:

1 to 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup chicken broth
1 14.5 ounce can of tomatoes (I really like organic San Marzano tomatoes because they have a great flavor)
1-2 teaspoons salt
1-2 teaspoons honey
about 2 cups cooked rice (I start out with 1 cup of uncooked rice, but it expands to about 2 cups when cooked)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Swirl the oil to coat the pan, and add the chicken. Cook chicken for 5-7 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned. Place chicken in your crock pot. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic to the pan. Saute for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth, scraping the brown bits from the pan, and stirring. Add the tomatoes, breaking the tomatoes into small pieces with your spoon. Turn off the heat and pour the tomato mixture over the chicken in the crock pot. Cover and cook on low for about 5 hours. When you are about to serve the meal, test and season to taste with salt. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of honey to taste, and stir to combine. Serve the chicken and tomato sauce over cooked rice. You may add the cooked rice to the crock pot before serving if you wish. Enjoy!