Crock Pot Lemon Chicken

New crock pot recipe that we tried tonight...  I loved it!  (Found here.)

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in strips
1/2 c. flour
1 Tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate (just use half of a 12 oz. can)
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
3 Tbsp. ketchup
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

Mix flour, salt, and pepper in shallow container. 

Dip chicken in flour mixture and brown in a small amount of oil. (You don’t need to cook the chicken all the way, just brown it up.) 

Place chicken in crock pot. 

Combine remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. 

Cook on High for 3-4 hours or Low for 6-8. (I cooked mine on High for 3 hours, and it tasted delicious!)

Serve over rice.

Ritzy Chicken

This recipe is a classic - there are variations on this everywhere.  I wanted to capture the way we make it, so I can replicate it.  Definite kid-pleaser.

Ritzy Chicken

1 egg, beaten
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed (in a Ziploc bag)
1/2 tsp. garlic salt OR 1 tsp. Chef Ivo's Seasoning Salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
1/4 tsp. paprika (optional)
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix chicken pieces and beaten egg together, until well coated.
Drop coated chicken into bag of cracker crumbs.  Close and shake until well coated.
Lightly grease an 8" square baking dish with cooking spray.
Evenly arrange crumbed chicken into dish, and top with butter pieces.
Bake for 40 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear.

Serves 4.

Free Menu Printables

Over on Sprik Space,
I've posted a couple of free menu printables this past week.

These are sized at 8"x10", which makes them perfect for framing.  

Just cover them with a piece of glass,
and they become a dry erase menu board.

These are sized at 8.5"x11", and intended
to be added to a recipe or home organization binder.  

These could also be mass-printed and turned into handy notepads.

Please click on the images above to be taken
to their original posts on Sprik Space.
Download instructions are listed there.

Enjoy!

Creamy Italian Chicken

There are all kinds of versions of this easy recipe online.  This is the way I made it the other night... and it was DELICIOUS!

Creamy Italian Chicken

1/2 c. water
12 oz. lowfat cream cheese, softened
1 can lowfat cream of chicken soup
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (can be frozen)

Mix water, cream cheese, soup, and dressing mix together with a spoon or hand blender.
Place chicken in crockpot and pour mixture on top.
Cook on LOW for 4-6 hours (depending on how thawed your chicken was to begin with).
Stir occasionally (once per hour) until chicken is done.
Serve over rice.

Chinese Chicken Salad

This is the yummy salad that Faith Watabe would always make...  from the good ol' days in Houston.


Chinese Chicken Salad

DRESSING
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. MSG (optional)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 c. rice vinegar
1/2 c. salad oil

Combine all but salad oil & dissolve over low heat.
Cool, then add salad oil.
(Best if made ahead of time - refrigerate until ready to serve.) 


SALAD
3 chicken breasts, cooked & shredded
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1-6 scallions, sliced diagonally
1/4 c. sesame seeds, toasted
1 small pkg. slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 pkg. rice sticks

Cook chicken in water with 1-2 slices of fresh ginger. Drain, cool & shred.
Deep fry rice sticks & drain on paper towel.
Shred lettuce & toss with almonds, sesame seeds, scallions & 1 tsp. grated ginger.
Just before serving, add fried rice sticks & chicken and toss with dressing.

Pico de Gallo

Because it's that good, it deserves its own post!  (Plus, it'll be easier to find later.)

Pico de Gallo

1 c. diced tomatoes (remove seeds)
1/3 c. diced red onion
1 diced jalapeno (at least a Tbsp, but more if you prefer)
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
2 limes, juiced (about 1/3 c.)
1 Tbsp. cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and stir well.
Refrigerate to keep chilled.