Tex-Mex Tortilla Pockets

This recipe is super easy to make.  I cooked my chicken ahead of time, then added the rest of the ingredients once cooled.  This recipe is taken from Kraft's "What's Cooking" magazine Summer 2013.  My kids love Mexican food, so I like to change up our usual recipes.  I found that 1/2 a pound of chicken wasn't enough, I ended up using 3 breasts of chicken and made 6 good sized tortilla pockets.  I did not need the egg to seal the tortillas that I put the refried beans in as they stuck just fine.  I made 3 tortillas without the beans for my kids and used the egg to seal those ones.  I served my tortilla pockets with the left-over refried beans and freshly made guacamole.

2 tablespoons oil, divided
1/2 lb. (225 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup Kraft 3 Cheese Mexicana Finely Shredded Cheese
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
6 large flour tortillas
3/4 cup canned retried beans
1 egg, beaten

1. Heat oven to 400F.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet.  Add chicken; cook and stir 4 minutes or until done.  Remove from heat.  Stir in cheese, salsa, corn, cilantro and cumin.
3.  Spread tortillas with beans.  Spoon chicken mixture down centres of tortillas.  Fold in opposite sides of each tortilla, then fold bottom over filling and once again to make rectangular packet.  Brush top edge with egg; press onto packet to seal.  Place, seam-sides down on baking sheet; brush with remaining oil.
4.  Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown.  

Bang Bang Chicken

This recipe is outstanding!  Great for a dinner or an appetizer.  I found the link to this recipe on Twitter.  (http://www.jocooks.com/main-courses/poultry-main-courses/bang-bang-chicken/ )  I used the 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce in the dipping sauce.

For Chicken:
4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, cut into small pieces
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
Panko breadcrumbs
oil for frying

For Sauce:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (Jo Cooks used Frank's)
1 tbsp Frank's hot sauce
2 tbsp honey

1. In a medium bowl, mix flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.  To the bowl add the hot sauce, egg, and buttermilk, and whisk until you have a smooth batter.  Add the chicken pieces to the bowl, toss to make sure each piece is coated in the batter and set aside.
2. In another bowl add about a cup of Panko breadcrumbs
3. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and refrigerate until ready for serving.
4. Heat the oil in a large skillet.
5. Coat each piece of chicken with breadcrumbs, add more breadcrumbs if needed, and fry on both sides for 3 to 5 minutes until chicken is cooked through.  Place on paper napkins to soak up some of the oil.  Repeat with all the chicken pieces.  Only add a few pieces of chicken to the skillet at a time, so the chicken turns out crispy.
6. Drizzle chicken with sauce and serve. 

Indo-Chinese Lettuce Wraps

Spicy and so good!!  This recipe is taken from "The Epicurious Cookbook - More than 250 of our best-loved four fork recipes" by Tanya Steel and the editors of Epicurious.  I used iceberg lettuce.  The cookbook suggests using butterhead varieties such as Boston or Bibb as they are more pliable and lend a more tender bite, but I was looking for some crunch. 

2 teaspoons garam masala
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 large yellow onion, cut into medium dice
1 large fresh jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
1 pound ground chicken
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 romaine hearts, leaves separated

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the garam masala, cumin, coriander, and cayenne.
2.  In a large saute pan over moderate heat, heat the oil until hot but not smoking.  Add the onion and saute, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the jalapeno, garlic, and ginger and saute, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.
3.  Add the chicken and saute, breaking up any lumps with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the spice mixture, along with the salt and ketchup, and saute 1 minute.
4.  Stir in 1/4 cup water, and saute, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 6 minutes.  Stir in 1 tablespoon cilantro, then transfer to a medium bowl.
5.  Serve the chicken alongside the lettuce leaves and the remaining 1/2 cup chopped cilantro.  To eat, pile chicken onto a lettuce leaf and top with cilantro. 
Yield: Makes 4 servings 

Southwestern-style Chicken Soup with Barley

This soup is more like a stew.  It is super tasty!  This recipe is taken from "The Epicurious Cookbook - More than 250 of our best-loved four-fork recipes" by Tanya Steel and the editors of Epicurious. Give yourself time to make this as the barley needs to simmer in the soup for 45 minutes.  The book suggests for a meatless meal, simply omit the chicken and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken stock.  You can even bump up the bean count for additional protein - and extra fiber.  

3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 boneless skinless, chicken breast halves
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes with their liquid
5 1/2 cups chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup medium pearl barely
1 (4-ounce) can diced mild or hot green chilies
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed

1.  In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and the garlic powder.  Place the chicken breasts in a large bowl.  Add the lemon juice mixture and toss to thoroughly coat the chicken.
2.  In an 8-quart Dutch oven over moderate heat, warm 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.  Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice, until browned and cooked through, about 12 minutes total.  Transfer the chicken to a plate. 
3.  Add the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil along with the onions and garlic to the Dutch oven and saute, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.  Add the black pepper along with the remaining 1 tablespoon chili powder and the remaining 1 teaspoon cumin and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, and their liquid, chicken stock, black beans, barley, chilies, and tomato paste and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.  Reduce the heat to moderately low, cover, and simmer until the barley is tender, about 45 minutes.  
4.  Cut or tear the chicken into bite-size pieces.  Once the barley is tender, stir the chicken into the soup along with the corn, and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.
Yield: Makes 8 servings

Chicken Tortilla Pie

This recipe is basically a chicken enchilada made easy, but it does take some time, especially to cook and rest. This amazing recipe was taken from "Whitewater Cooks at Home" by Shelley Adams.  A spring form pan is a must in this recipe.  I made this with the salsa found in the "Lime-grilled Chicken Breasts with Avocado Salsa" recipe found on this blog.  I found the La Victoria enchilada sauce at Sobeys.

1 10-inch spring form pan
6 10-inch flour tortillas
2 tbsp canola oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
2 red peppers, thinly sliced
6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and thinly sliced or 2 lbs ground chicken meat
1 tbsp seasoning salt
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups monterey jack cheese, grated
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup chopped canned jalapeno peppers
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 (398 ml) cans refried beans
1 can (283 g) enchilada sauce (La Victoria is best)

1.  Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat
2. Saute the onions and peppers for about 10 minutes until softened.
3. Add the sliced chicken and cook until chicken is just cooked, about 15 minutes.
4. Add seasoning salt, cumin, oregano, chili powder and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and add the cream cheese, sour cream and 1 cup monterey jack cheese.
5. Stir until combined
6. Mix in the cilantro and jalapeno peppers.
7. Brush a flour tortilla on both sides with some of the enchilada sauce.  Lay tortilla in the bottom of an oiled spring form pan.
8. Spread a layer of chicken mixture on top.  You will need to make 3 layers so only use 1/3 of the mix.  Brush another tortilla with enchilada sauce and place on top.  Press down with your fingers to glue the layers together a bit.
9. Spread this layer with one can of the refried beans, the other can is for another layer.  Sprinkle with a 1/3 cup of the remaining cheese and top with another tortilla that has been brushed with enchilada sauce.
10. Continue to alternate layers of the chicken mixture with beans and cheese using the remaining 3 tortillas and enchilada sauce.  Top the pie with remaining monterey jack and cheddar and cover with tin foil.
11. Bake in 350F oven for 1 hour. Remove foil and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes.  Take the pie out of the oven and let rest for about 15 minutes.
12. Slice the pie into wedges and serve on top of a bed of shredded lettuce.  Top with sour cream, fresh cilantro, diced avocado and salsa.  

Supposed to be Grape's Honey Dill Dip

This sauce is very close to the original that is made at Grape's. This recipe is taken from Winnipeg Free Press Recipe Swap Favourites by Ilana Simon.  

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup honey

1/4 tsp dill (or more to taste)

1.  Mix together and chill.  Serve with raw vegetables or appetizer sized chicken fingers. 

Chicken Fingers

I have been making this recipe for years, my step-daughter loved these as a little kid....now my 3 and 5 year old devour them every time I make them too.  This recipe was taken from Winnipeg Free Press Recipe Swap Favorites 2000 by Ilana Simon. I omit the melted butter. I always make these with "Supposed to be Grape's Honey Dill Dip" also found on this blog. 

4 chicken breasts, boned
1 cup corn flake crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp garlic salt
1/2 cup melted butter

1.  Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces.
2.  Mix together all dry ingredients
3.  Dip chicken in melted butter and roll in dry mixture.  Place on cookie sheet sprayed with vegetable spray. Bake in 400 F oven for 12 to 15 minutes (turning once) or until done. 

Chicken Panini with Avocado Mayonnaise and Tomato Chili Jam

This recipe is taken from LCBO's Food and Drink magazine Autumn 2012.  The recipe for the Tomato Chili Jam is also on this blog.  If you do not have a panini pan, use a skillet and press sandwiches down with a spatula. I used the food processor to make the avocado mayo with great results. I also used demi-baguettes.  I do not have a panini press, so i just pressed my sandwiches down with a smaller skillet, I found the spatula too small. 

CHICKEN
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, about 6 oz (175 g) each
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp (5 ml) grated lemon rind
1 tsp (5 ml) paprika

AVOCADO MAYONNAISE
1 large ripe avocado
1/2 cup (125 ml) mayonnaise
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped coriander
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped green onions
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice
1/2 tsp (2 ml) sambal oelek or other Asian chili sauce
3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil

4 ciabatta, Demi-baguette or buns
1/2 cup (125 ml) Tomato Chili Jam (recipe on blog)

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. Toss chicken with 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil and season well with salt and pepper, grated lemon rind and paprika.  Heat remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) of oil in skillet over high heat, add chicken and sear for 2 minutes a side or until golden.  Place in oven and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until juices run clear. Set aside.
3. Mash avocado in a bowl.  Add mayonnaise, coriander, green onions, lemon juice and sambal oelek.  Stir in olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Alternatively, place all ingredients in a food processor and combine.
4. To assemble: slice ciabatta open and generously spread 1 cut side with avocado mayonnaise and the other with Tomato Chili Jam.  Slice chicken and pile into the middle of the sandwich.  Repeat with remaining ingredients.
5. Heat a panini  or grill pan and grill sandwiches for 5 minutes, pressing down on the sandwich, or until warmed through.
Makes 4 sandwiches

Tomato Chili Jam

This condiment goes with the Chicken Panini with Avocado Mayonnaise recipe on this blog. This recipe was taken from the LCBO's Food and Drink magazine Autumn 2012.  The magazine also suggests that you can use this as topping for hamburgers or serve with French fries.  If fresh tomatoes are not available then use 1 can (798 ml) chopped tomatoes with juice.

1 jalapeño or Serrano chili, seeded and finely chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
2 tbsp ginger, chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup red-wine vinegar
2 lbs (1 kg) Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
Asian chili sauce, to taste

1. Place jalapeño, garlic, ginger, fish sauce, brown sugar, and vinegar in a saucepan
2. Bring to boil slowly, stirring constantly.  When it reaches a boil, lower heat to a simmer and add diced tomatoes.
3. Simmer gently for 40 to 50 minutes or until dark red and jam-like.  If jam is too sweet add Asian chili sauce to taste.
4. Pour into a bowl, cool and place in jars.  Refrigerate for up to a month.
Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 cups

Chicken Marinade

I took this recipe from the website allrecipes.com.  I have used it before and it's really good.  The original recipe makes 4 cups of marinade, but I used the conversion calculator within the recipe website to work it out to 4 servings.  The 4 serving recipe is what is listed below.  My kids love this one!

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 Tablespoon and 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon finely minced fresh parsley

1.  In a medium bowl, mix together oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, wine vinegar, and lemon juice.  Stir in mustard powder, salt, pepper and parsley.
2.  Use to marinade chicken before cooking as desired.  The longer you marinate, the more flavor it will have. 

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Grapefruit Glaze

I make this recipe alot, and I am suprised I haven't added it to my blog earlier. I love the grapefruit flavour with the chicken.  This recipe was taken from Food and Wine's Magazines's "Quick From Scratch Chicken Cookbook".

1 teaspoon grapefruit zest (from about 1/2 grapefruit)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grapefruit juice (from 1 grapefruit)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
4 bone-in chicken breasts (about 2 1/4 pounds in all)

1.  Light the grill.  In a small bowl, combine the garlic, grapefruit zest, grapefruit juice, oil, honey, salt and pepper.
2. Grill the chicken breasts over moderately high heat, brushing frequently with the glaze, for 8 minutes.  Turn and cook, brushing with more glaze, until the chicken is just done, 10 to 12 minutes longer.  Remove.
3.  In a small stainless-steel saucepan, bring the remaning glaze to a boil.  Boil for about 1 minute, remove from the heat, and pour over the grilled chicken.

Sher Ping Pancakes

Taken from Jamie's America by Jamie Oliver, this recipe calls for bread flour, which I did not use.  I used all-purpose with not very good results.  The pancake turned out doughy.  The inside meaty part was outstanding though!!  I will be making this again with the bread flour.  We used lime juice, soy sauce and sweet chili sauce as condiments to these tasty little treats.  The recipe calls for ground pork, but I used chicken.  Jamie Oliver suggests to swap the fillings with pork, chicken or seafood. 

For the dough:
3 3/4 cups white bread flour, plus extra for dusting
scant 1 cup water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Sea salt and freashly ground black pepper

For the filling:
14 oz ground pork, the best quality you can afford
a handful of finely grated white cabbage
a small bunch of fresh cilantro, leaves and stalks finely chopped
a thumb-size piece of root ginger peeled and finely grated
4 scallions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and finely grated
Sea salt
Freshly ground Szechuan pepper

To serve:
Sweet chilie or hot chilie sauce
Soy Sauce
2 limes, cut into wedges

Serves 4 (makes 8 pancakes)

1. Make the dough by mixing the flour, water, vegetable oil, and a bit of pepper, and a pinch of salt with a fork.  Then use your hands to knead it until smooth and elastic.  Cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for a couple of hours.
2. When you're ready to make your pancakes, mix all your filling ingredients together in a large bowl.  Use your hands to really scrunch everything together, and season well with a good pinch of salt and Szechuan pepper.
3.  Dust a clean surface with flour and cut the dough into 8. Divide your filling into 8 even piles.  Oil a sheet pan and your hands.  Pick up a piece of dough and create a patty like a mini pizza about 4 3/4 inches across and 1/2 inch thick.
4. Take one of your piles of filling and pop it into the middle of the dough.  Pat it flat with your fingers, then slowly stretch the edges of the dough out, folding them back in over the pork mixture.  Do this all the wall around and, once closed, press down on the stuffed pancake with your hand.  It should be about 1 inch thick and 3 1/4 inches across.
5. Do the same with the other 7 pancakes, then lay them on your oiled sheet pan and put them into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes or so.  After that, get a large dry frying pan on a medium heat.  Add a tiny drizzle of vegetable oil and lay each pancake, folded side down, in the pan.  Gently push down on them with a spatula slice to flatten them slightly.  keep doing this until they're about 1/2 inch thick and about 4 inches wide.  Be careful that the pan is not too hot, though, otherwise your pancakes will brown before they're properly cooked through.
6.  After 4 minutes you'll have a nice golden colour happening, so turn the pancakes over, push them down lightly, and cook them for 4 minutes on the other side.  Only push down once on this side.  When they're golden and crisp, the meat should be perfectly cooked, but you can always break one open to check.
7. To serve, pour some chile sauce into one bowl and soy sauce into another.  Pop a few wedges of lime on the side for squeezing over, and dunk away in your sauces.  These pancakes hit all the right spots!

Chicken Chasseur

I love the sauce on this chicken!   This recipe is taken from Food & Wine Magazine's Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook. 

1 Tablespoon cooking oil
4 bone-in chicken breasts (about 2 1/4 pounds in all)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon butter
1 onion, chopped
3/4 pound mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
6 Tablespoons dry vermouth or dry white wine
2/3 cup canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes, drained
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1.  In a large, deep frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat.  Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper and add to the pan.  Cook until browned, turning, about 8 minutes in all.  Remove.  Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from the pan.
2. Add the butter to the pan and reduce the heat to moderately low.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes.  Raise the heat to moderately high.  Add the mushrooms, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables are browned, about 5 minutes.
3.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.  Stir in the vermouth and bring back to a simmer.  Stir in the broth, tomatoes, thyme, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Add the chicken and any accumulated juices.  Reduce the heat; simmer, covered, until the chicken is done, about 10 minutes.  Stir in the parsley and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. 

Yakitori Chicken

You have to make this!  This recipe is taken from "Food" by Guy Fieri. Instead of buying a whole bottle of sake, I just bought a 300ml size of draft sake. The mirin I found at Supervalu.

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
2-inch piece ginger, plus 2 tablespoons peeled, roughly chopped ginger
2 green onions, roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 quarts of water
Yakitori Sauce (recipe follows)
Cilantro leaves, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish
Cayenne pepper, for garnish
Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce (recipe follows)


Special Equipment: Twenty 6-inch bamboo skewers, soaked in water


1. In a food processor, pulse together the chicken, eggs, garlic, the chopped ginger, green onion, salt, flour, cornstarch, and panko until well combined. Form the chicken mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls. To keep the mixture from sticking to your fingers, wet your hands with water between rolling the balls. Place balls on a plate, leaving space between them.
2. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil over high heat, then adjust the heat so that the water is at a simmer. Roughly chop the 2-inch piece of ginger and add it to the pot. Add 8 to 10 balls at a time into the water. Cook for about 6 minutes or until cooked through. (the balls will float to the top and change color; make sure there's no pink on the outside.). Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat until all the balls are cooked. When the balls are cool enough to handle, thread 3 per skewer, leaving 1/4-inch space between each ball.
3. Lightly oil a grill and preheat the grill to medium. Grill the skewers for 7 to 10 minutes, turning gently as they brown lightly. When the chicken is browned, lightly baste the balls with the yakitori sauce. Place the skewers on a serving plate and drizzle with additional yakitori sauce. Sprinkle with cilantro, green onion, sesame seeds, and cayenne pepper and serve immediately with the sweet chili dipping sauce.


Yakitori Sauce
(makes about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons cornstarch


1. Whisk together all the ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 2 minutes.


Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
(makes about 3/4 cup)
3/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon minced green onion
1 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper


1. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients.

Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup with Noodles

This recipe is not that spicy. If you want more heat, add more cayenne. This recipe is taken from Food and Wine Magazine's Quick From Scratch Chicken Cookbook.

1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1 quart canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
2 cups canned unsweetened coconut milk
5 teaspoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam) or soy sauce
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
2 3-inch-long strips lime zest
1/2 pound egg fettucine
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3), cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro (optional)


1. In a large pot, heat the cooking oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander, ginger, black pepper and cayenne; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
2. Add the broth, coconut milk, fish sauce, salt, and lime zest. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the fettuccine until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain.
4. Add the chicken to the soup and simmer until just done, about 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and stirring the fettuccine, lime juice, and cilantro, if using. Serve the soup in bowls with a fork and a spoon.
Serves 4

Chicken and Spinach Salad

Fantastic!! Another gem taken from "The Italian Way - Cooking with the Deluca's".

1 pound fresh spinach
4 skinless chicken breasts
5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Dressing:
1/2 pound shallots
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons mustard seed or 1 tablespoon dry mustard
Salt and pepper to taste


1. Wash and dry the spinach leaves and arrange on a serving platter to use as a base for the chicken. Refrigerate until ready to use.


2. Peel the shallots, chop coarsely, and place in a large saucepan with the wine. Allow the wine to boil until reduced in half. Remove the shallots, let cool for 5 minutes and transfer them to a blender or food processor. Add the oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, and mustard seeds and blend until dressing is smooth and consistent. Set aside.


3. Place the chicken breasts, one at a time, between sheets of plastic wrap and pound lightly with a mallet or rolling pin to uniform thickness. Slice in 1/2-inch strips. Heat 5 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and cook the chicken strips for 3-4 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the chicken strips to the spinach platter. Top with the dressing and serve.

Runaway Train Wraps

The salsa in this wrap is so good!!  This recipe is taken from Whitewater Cooks by Shelley Adams. The recipes are all from The Fresh Tracks Cafe in Nelson B.C. (Thank you Mom for bringing these cookbooks back from your trip there!) The BBQ sauce listed in the ingredients is found in BC, but i just used original Kraft BBQ sauce. I also used a pre-cooked chicken and shredded it up.

3 boneless chicken breasts, cooked and sliced
6 tomato tortillas
2 onions, caramelized (see below)
3/4 cup Runaway Train BBQ sauce
1 cup roasted corn salsa (recipe on blog)
1 cup lettuce, shredded


1. In a skillet, sauté chicken until just heated. Remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, place tortilla to quickly heat up. To assemble the wrap, place tortilla on work space and spread chicken, caramelized onions, BBQ sauce, salsa and lettuce. Roll up and slice in half.


*To caramelize onions: In a skillet, place sliced onions and sauté in oil until translucent. Add 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar per onion. Cook at low heat for another 15-20 minutes until "syrupy" looking. Season with salt and pepper.

Bruschetta 'n Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Here's another quick dinner recipe from Kraft's What's Cooking magazine 2008.

1 can (19 fl oz/540 ml) diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil, undrained
1 1/4 cups Kraft Mozzarella shredded cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pkg. Stove Top stuffing for chicken
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts (2lb/900g)
1/3 cup Kraft Signature Roasted Red Pepper with Parmesan dressing


1. Preheat oven 350F. Combine tomatoes, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the basil and dry stuffing; stir just until moistened.
2. Place 2 chicken breasts in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bag. Pound chicken with meat mallet or side of heavy can until chicken is 1/4 inch thick. Repeat with remaining chicken, adding 2 at a time to bag. Place chicken, top sides down, on cutting board; spread evenly with stuffing mixture. Starting at one of the narrow ends, tightly roll up chicken. Place, seams-sides down, in 13x9-inch baking dish. Drizzle evenly with dressing.
3. Bake 40 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake an additional 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through (170F) and cheese is melted.


Variation: For a spicy-style chicken dish, simply use diced tomatoes with bell or jalapeño peppers, Kraft Tex Mex Shredded Cheese instead of the mozzarella cheese and chopped cilantro instead of the basil.

Chicken Burritos with Black-Bean Salsa and Pepper Jack

This recipe says it makes 4 burritos, but I always come out with 5.  I highly recommend you make it with the Tomato Salsa recipe also found on my blog. This burrito recipe was taken from Food and Wine magazine's Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook.

1 2/3 cups drained and rinsed black beans (from one 15-ounce can)
2 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 pounds, boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4)
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
1/2 pound pepper Jack cheese, grated
4 large (9-inch) flour tortillas


1. Light the grill or heat the broiler. In a small glass or stainless-steel, combine the beans, scallions, lemon juice, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt.
2. Rub the chicken breasts with the chili powder, pepper, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook the chicken over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until brown and just done, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Remove, let the chicken rest for a few minutes, and then slice.
3. Heat the oven to 350F. Put one quarter of the cheese in a line near one edge of each tortilla. Top the cheese with one quarter of the black-bean salsa and then with one quarter of the chicken slices. Roll up the burritos and wrap each one in foil. Bake them until the cheese melts, about 15 minutes.

Lemon Chicken with Nutty Coating

I make this recipe a lot as lemon chicken is our favorite menu item at a Chinese restaurant, so it is great to be able to make it at home. This recipe was taken from The Complete Light Kitchen by Rose Reisman. I do not add the parsley.

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
Pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg
2 Tbsp water or low-fat milk
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 tsp water
1 tsp honey
3 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley


1. Working with one at a time, place the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of waxed paper and pound to an even 1/2-inch thickness.
2. Combine the breadcrumbs, nuts, salt and pepper in the bowl of a small food processor and process until finely ground. (The finer the nuts, the better they will stick to the chicken.) Place on a plate. Whisk the egg and water or milk together in a shallow bowl.
3. Dip the chicken into the egg mixture, then coat well with the breadcrumb mixture.
4. Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking oil, add the vegetable oil and place over medium heat. Sauté the chicken until browned on both sides and no longer pink inside, approximately 8 minutes. Place in a serving dish, cover and keep warm.
5. Spray the same skillet with cooking oil and sauté the mushrooms until softened, approximately 3 minutes. Add the stock, lemon juice, rind, dissolved cornstarch and honey and reduce the heat to low.
6. Simmer for 3 minutes, until the liquid is reduced and the sauce thickened.
7. Pour the sauce over the chicken and garnish with parsley.