COOK: Asian Chicken Wraps & Salads

These wraps and salads are quick and easy to make, and are great if you meal prep lunches or dinners for the week.  I'm going to share my basic recipe below, and then list some of the different variations I like, I love recipes that can be easily personalized or changed for each person, or meal.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Last night I wanted to keep things simple, I started by making a batch of my Spicy Peanut Dressing, it's called "spicy" but can be made as mild or as spicy as you want, I was feeling extra spicy yesterday and added about 2 Tablespoons of sriracha in addition to the Chili Garlic Sauce.

Tri-Color Coleslaw Mix

Next I put about 2 cups of coleslaw mix into a bowl.  I took the easy route by buying the premade mix at the store, but you can shred you own veggies if you prefer, I think next time I might try a broccoli slaw.

Chopped Cilantro

I chopped up about 1/3 cup or fresh cilantro to add to my coleslaw mix.  Until I was pregnant with my son cilantro tasted like soap, like it does for a lot of people, after he was born it changed and now I love it, but both the the kiddos can't stand it!  I think cilantro pairs wonderfully with the peanut dressing, but if you don't like it you can leave it out, or substitute parsley.  

I added two heaping spoonfuls of my peanut sauce to my coleslaw cilantro mixture and mixed well, always start with less sauce than you think you need, if you have too much it can get limp and soggy.  If you are meal prepping I suggest keeping your dressing and greens mixture separate until you are ready to eat.

Chicken Breast in Cast Iron

I usually prefer chicken in my salads and wraps, but you can add any protein you prefer, (tofu is great if you are doing salads, but tends to get smushed in wraps).  I kept the chicken simple as well, pounded it until it was uniform in height, seasoned it with salt and pepper and cooked it in my cast iron, then I sliced into into thin strips.

To finish I cut a lime into wedges and set out some chopped peanuts, along with large wrap tortillas.  

The above wraps can also be served as a salad, I had the leftovers as a salad today and it was just as yummy!

Different Variations:

Instead of the Spicy Peanut Sauce we also like to use Simple Truth Sweet Thai Chili Sauce from King Soopers, then I usually add pineapple to my wrap or salad.

Some of the different veggies I"ve used include: sliced radishes, edamame, bell peppers, green onions, and shaved brussel sprouts.

You can swap the coleslaw for spinach, romaine lettuce, or kale.

Let me know how you make your wraps and salads, I'm always looking to try new combinations.

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COOK: Jalapeño, Black Bean, & Chicken Creamy Soup

I wasn't kidding when I said I love soup, I would happily eat some version of soup, stew, or chili every single day when it's cold.  Maybe every other day when it's hot out...

When I was creating this soup in my head I couldn't decide if it was a soup, or a chili, but ultimately decided since I added broth I'd call it a soup.  (Don't get me started on what the definition of each one is, Dustin and I spent days a few years ago trying to define each one and debating with each other, then we brought KC into it and just got out of hand! Haha!)

I served this with Crusty Bread, but when Berea stole, took home, the leftovers I sent her with tortillas, it would also be good with crackers or croutons on top.

(I used hatch green chiles I bought and froze this fall, but if it's the off season you can use canned green chiles instead.)

Jalapeño, Black Bean, & Chicken Creamy Soup

About 8 Servings

Ingredients:

1 Pound Chicken Breast (Cut into small cubes)

1 Yellow Onion (Diced)

6 Cloves Garlic (Minced)

2 Jalapeños (Seeded and diced)

8 Ounces (or more) Diced Green Chiles

1 Can (15.5 Ounces) Black Beans

1 Can (15 Ounces) Crushed Tomatoes

3 Cups Chicken or Veggie Broth

8 Ounces Cream Cheese (Softened)

1 1/2 teaspoon Cumin

Salt and Pepper to taste

Optional for serving:

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Bacon Bits

Chopped Avocado

Preparation:

In a large pot (I used my 3.5 Quart Dutch Oven) cook Chicken in a bit of oil until lightly browned, add in Onion, Garlic, and Jalapeño and let cook 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Mix in Black Beans, Tomatoes, and Broth.  Season with Cumin, Salt, and Pepper.  Let simmer for at least an hour, stirring occasionally.

 

Rough chop softened Cream Cheese and add to simmering soup, stir until fully melted.  Taste and add seasoning if needed.

Garnich with shredded cheese, bacon bits, and avocado.  

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COOK: Spicy Peanut Dressing

If I had a straw handy when I first made this I probably would have slurped it all up, it is that good!

I used it as a dressing for a Chicken and Cabbage Salad, but it's great as a veggie dip, marinade, I think it would be yummy on a cold pasta salad, honestly I think you could put it on just about anything!

I suggest making this a few hours before you are going to use it so that all of the flavors can meld together, it only takes a few minutes to mix up, then stick it in the fridge until you are ready to use it.  If you have extra (or make a large batch) it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to about 2 weeks.  

Note: If you can't find Chili Garlic Sauce (it's usually in the Asian section of your local grocery store) you can substitute Sriracha, and add some minced garlic.

Spicy Peanut Dressing

About 4 servings

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons Peanut Butter (I used creamy but crunchy would work too!)

2 Tablespoons Honey

2 Tablespoons Light Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 Tablespoon Lime Juice (Bottled is fine)

3-5 teaspoons Chili Garlic Sauce (Depending on how spicy you want it)

3 teaspoons Grated Fresh Ginger

Preparation:

Put everything into a bowl and whisk until fully combined,  Add more Chili Garlic Sauce, if you want more spice, more Peanut Butter or Honey if it's a bit too spicy.  

For Chicken & Cabbage Salad:

Season a chicken breast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, cook in a cast iron skillet until browned on both sides and fully cooked through (should be 165 degrees at thickest point), cut into cubes.

I used Tri Color Coleslaw mix but you could cut/grate your own cabbage and carrots if you prefer, I also added sliced radishes, and chopped peanuts, but feel free to add any veggies you like, I think edamame, bean sprouts, or shaved brussels sprouts would be a great addition!

I let everyone build their own salad and then add the dressing,but you could mix it all together ahead of time (I'd leave the peanuts seperate to sprinkle on top when serving), and chill before serving.

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COOK: Parmesan Mushroom Chicken

For years we've had a little container garden on our back deck, last year for some reason I don't remember we decided to skip it, and we both realized that we really missed being able to pop outside and cut a bit of fresh herbs when we were making dinner.  This year we decided to keep it simple with just a few pots of herbs, this chicken is one of the first things I made using my own homegrown thyme this summer, and it was delicious.

I served this with some homemade focaccia bread, and a bit mixed greens salad, I think the sauce would also be great with wild rice, rustic smashed potatoes, or a warm loaf of Crusty Bread.

Parmesan Mushroom Chicken

Makes 2-4 Servings

Ingredients:

1 Pound Chicken Breast (Butterflied and cut into tenders)

About 1/2 Cup Flour mixed with 1/2 teaspoon Salt, 1/2 teaspoon Pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder to dredge chicken

2 Tablespoons Butter

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Cups (16 Ounces) Baby Bella Mushrooms (Sliced)

4 Garlic Cloves (Minced)

1 Cup Dry White Wine or White Wine Vinegar

1/2 Cup Chicken Broth

2 teaspoons Fresh Thyme (About 4 springs with leaves removed)

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:

In a large, heavy bottomed. skillet (I used my 10 inch Cast Iron) heat up butter and 2 Tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat.  Cook flour dredged chicken tenders until golden brown on both sides, about 4-6 minutes per side, then remove to a plate.

Add in additional 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and sauté mushrooms until they are browned, add in garlic and cook another minute.  Turn heat to low, dd wine and broth to skillet, gently scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the skillet, thrown in thyme leaves and let sauce cook down for about 5 minutes.  

Slowly pour in heavy cream and while whisking sauce sprinkle in parmesan cheese.  Once sauce is well combined and fragrant put chicken back in, and flip to cover both sides, and warm up.

Serve chicken with a generous amount of sauce.  Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.

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COOK: Chicken Souvlaki on Stove Top

This chicken is so easy, the most time consuming part it making the marinade, and the flavor is amazing.  Usually souvlaki is cooked on skewers, often on a grill, but I realized belatedly that I was out of skewers and decided to make it on the stove, it turned out wonderfully, and I knew I had to share the recipe with you.

When we had this for dinner I served it with warm, homemade, flatbread, some tzatziki sauce I made the day before, red onions, tomatoes, spinach, feta cheese, and lemon wedges.  (Kalamata olives would be good too!)

The next day I added leftover chicken, onions, tomatoes, feta, and tzatziki to a big bowl of spinach and had a delicious salad for lunch. 

You could also serve the chicken over a simple herby orzo pasta, or instead of cutting the chicken into cubes marinade a whole breast or thigh to make the chicken a main dish all on it's own.

One note: because of the lemon juice in the marinade you don't want to let the meat marinate for too long, I mixed up my marinade in the morning while I had my coffee and cooked the chicken for dinner that night.

Chicken Souvlaki

Makes 2-4 servings

Ingredients:

1 Pound Chicken Breast (Cut into 1 inch cubes)

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1/4 Cup White Wine Vinegar

1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (Fresh squeezed is best)

8 Garlic Cloves (Smashed)

3 Tablespoons Fresh Dill

2 teaspoons Dried Oregano

1 teaspoon Coarse Salt

1 teaspoon Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

Preparation:

In a small bowl mix together all ingredients for marinade, pour over chicken cubes in either a zippy bag or glass dish to marinade for at least 2 hours, longer is better, but not for more than 12 hours.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat, add chicken pieces, (discarding any leftover marinade) and cook a few minutes per side until cooked through.  Serve immediately.

Leftovers can be stored in fridge for up to a week.

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COOK: Burger and Sandwich Pockets (Great to make ahead and freeze!)

These burger or sandwich pockets, are great to make and then freeze, and with summer break coming up it's a great time to stock your freezer with quick and easy food that the kiddos can grab and heat up on their own.  

These are also great for appetizers, just make each pocket smaller so it can be eaten in a bite or two!

When I make these I wrap each one individually in foil, then label them and write down the time to microwave them on the foil, then put them all together in a big plastic bag in the freezer.  

I don't have an air fryer (yet!) but I think these would probably re-heat wonderfully in one, if anyone tries it please let me know so I can add the instruction to the post, and maybe send you a little gift! 

I use my pizza dough recipe for these, but you can use refrigerated pizza dough from the store to make it easier.

I'm going to give you three filling recipes that I like, but you can mix things up with different meats, chesses, sauces, etc.  One tip, you don't want your filling to be too watery as it can make in inside a bit soggy, so if you are using a lot of vegetables make sure to drain the liquid before adding any sauces or final seasonings.

I'm hoping to test some sweet fillings soon and will let you know how they turn out.

All recipes, including the pizza dough, can be cut in half.

Burger and Sandwich Pockets

Makes 12 or more depending on size

For all pocket recipes you'll need:

1 batch of my easy pizza dough (plan ahead as it takes at least 1 hour to rise) OR refrigerated pizza dough, enough for two pizzas (about 14-16 Ounces)

Egg Wash Mixture: 2-3 Egg Yolks with 2-3 Tablespoons Cold Water whisked together

Bacon Cheeseburger:

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Ground Beef

12 Slices Uncooked Bacon

2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

2 teaspoon Onion Powder

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

4 teaspoons Worcestershire 

16 Ounces Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)

4 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard (Or your favorite mustard)

Preparation:

Chop bacon into small pieces, mix together uncooked meats, garlic, onion, pepper, salt, and worcestershire sauce, cook until meat is cooked through, remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. 

Mix in shredded cheese, mustard, and season to taste.

I like to serve these with dipping cups of ketchup, (If you haven't tried the Heinz Chipotle, Jalapeno, or Habanero flavored ketchups you should!) mustard, or barbecue sauce.  

Buffalo Chicken:

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Chicken Breast (Cooked and Shredded)

1 Cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sandwich Sauce (or other thick hot sauce)

16 Ounces Cheddar Cheese (Shredded) 

8 Ounces Crumbled Blue Cheese

4-5 Stalks Celery (Finely Chopped)

Preparation:

Once shredded chicken has cooled to room temperature mix all ingredients together, add additional seasonings if needed.

Serve with Ranch or Blue Cheese Dip and Carrot Sticks

Beef French Dip:

Ingredients:

16 Ounces Thinly Sliced Ribeye, or Shaved Roast Beef

2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

1 Medium Yellow Onion (Sliced)

2 Green Peppers (Sliced)

12 Ounces Cheddar (Shredded)

12 Ounces Monterey Jack (Shredded)

Preparation:

Season meat and set aside.  

In a large pan sauté onions and peppers until soft and slightly browned, remove from pan into a large bowl,  Add meat to pan and cook just until it's cooked through, remove and give it a quick rough chop so meat is in bite size pieces,  add to onions and peppers and let cool until room temperature.

Mix in cheeses, and add any additional spices if needed.

Serve with or horseradish sauce or beef au jus (I always have a bottle of Johnny's Au Jus in the fridge and an extra in the pantry!).

For all pockets:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, prepare baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.  (You can also use a cast iron pan like pictured above, however this causes small holes where they touch and isn't good if you'll be freezing them.)

Divide pizza dough into 12 or more balls depending on the size you want the pockets to be.  (12 will make large pockets, good for a filling dinner with a salad, if you are doing appetizers I'd cut it into 36 balls.  I usually do a few big for dinner that night, then some smaller to freeze for lunches.  Keep dough balls covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out.  

Taking one ball at a time roll it out until it is a thin round circle, add filling of your choice to the center covering about 2/3 of the dough (I use my cookie scoops for the filling, this set  has three sizes and works great for all sizes of pockets.)  

After filling pull up each side of pocket and have them meet in the center above the filling and pinch so that it is sealed with no holes, flip over so seam is down on prepared baking sheet, leave at least an inch between each pocket. (I promise I'll add pictures or a video of this soon!) 

Using a pastry brush gently brush egg wash onto the top of each pocket, I like to sprinkle them with Everything Bagel Seasoning, Sesame Seeds, or Dried Minced Garlic.

Bake for about 20 minutes until tops are golden brown.  (If you are making appetizer sized pockets check them at about 12 minutes, tops should be golden and bottom slightly browned around the edges.)

Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauces.  If freezing cool completely on a cooling rack before wrapping in foil to freeze.

Reheating Instructions: From frozen, microwave 2 minutes, then wrap in a moist paper towel and microwave another 2 minutes.  When I pack these in lunches I put them in the fridge the night before, then you can just wrap it in a moist paper towel and microwave about two minutes.  

Please let me know if you have any questions, or what fun fillings you come up with!

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COOK: Chicken Lazone

I know this sounds like a fancy dish, but it's actually really easy!  It's one of our favorite chicken recipes, and although it's easy it tastes and looks amazing, great for serving to company.

I like to serve this over rustic smashed potatoes, but it's also good over pasta or rice, or even on it's own with a nice big side salad.

I often use my oven's Keep Warm option when I'm making meals like this, I'll make my potatoes and stick them in the oven covered, and then cook the meat and do the same, then after KC gets home I'll put my pan back on the stove and make the sauce and complete the meal.)

Chicken Lazone

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1 Pound Chicken Breast(s)

1 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Onion Powder

1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder

1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika 

1/2 teaspoon White Pepper (Can substitute Black Pepper)

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Cups Heavy Cream

Preparation:

In a small bowl mix together all spices, reserve 2 2/1 Tablespoons for sauce.

Cut chicken breast(s) lengthwise into 1 inch wide strips, rub with remaining spice mixture.

 In a large pan (I use my 10 inch cast iron) heat oil and butter over medium heat, cook chicken until it's cooked through and a pretty golden brown.  Remove from pan, cover with foil and set aside.

Turn pan down to low, add in heavy cream and reserved spice mixture, slowly whisk until lightly simmering, let cook about 10 minutes stirring every few minutes until sauce is thick,  add chicken back in and let sit about 5 minutes, turning chicken so that all sides are covered.

Serve over potatoes, rice, pasta, or on it's own.  Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and are just as tasty when reheated.

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COOK: Chicken Piccata

This is one of my favorite dinners!  It's quick enough it can be a weeknight meal, but also seems fancy enough you can serve it to guests and impress them.  

The last time I made this I served it over some herby orzo pasta, it also goes well with a simple angel hair pasta, with a nice green salad, or even with a quick rice pilaf.  (I always keep a few boxes of Rice-A-Roni in the pantry for quick side dishes.

Chicken Piccata

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 Large Chicken Breasts (Cut in half lengthwise, directions below)

1/2 Cup Flour

1/2 Cut Parmesan Cheese (Finely grated, divided)

1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

1 teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

1/2 Cup Dry White Wine  (Can substitute chicken or vegetable broth)

5 Cloves Garlic (Minced)

3-4 Tablespoons Capers (Drained)

1 Cup Chicken Broth

3 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice

1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley (Chopped)

Preparation:

To cut the chicken in half lengthwise you'll want to lay the chicken breast on your cutting board, press down on the top with your non-dominant hand, and place your knife in the middle of the breast and cut as if you were going to butterfly the breast, but cut it all of the way through.  This website gives a great step-by-step instruction: How To Cut Chicken Breast In Half Lengthwise

Once you have 4 pieces of chicken, in a wide short bowl, or a place with edges, mix together flour, 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt.  In a large skillet heat butter and oil over medium-high heat.  Dredge each piece of chicken in flour mixture, shake off excess, and cook chicken until golden brown on each side.  (About 3-5 minutes per side).  Remove chicken from pan and set aside.  

Turn heat down to medium low, pour in white wine (or 1/2 cup of broth) and garlic, scrape up any brown bits left in the bottom of the pan from the chicken.  Let reduce, about 5 minutes.  Add in capers, broth, and lemon juice.  Mix well.  Add the chicken back into the pan covering both sides with the sauce.  Cover pan about half way and let cook about 5 minutes.  

Serve over pasta, rice, or on it's own with a generous spoonful of sauce, sprinkle with remaining parmesan and parsley.

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