Grilled Salisbury Chicken

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Ok onto dinner. Do you ever really want to make a meal for dinner but you just don't feel like it? Or you don't have the time to do all it requires before your kids start to starve to death? That was tonight. I was so wanting to make meatballs with caprese lasagna (stayed tuned for another night) I watched Tyler Florence (sigh) last week while I was 1/2 napping 1/2 watching some man candy cooking. He made Spaghetti and meatballs and ever since then I wanted some home made meatballs. I don't like any one's meatballs other then my mom's and my soon to be sister-in -law Kim's mom's meatballs (got that). I don't even think I would have liked Tyler's but its got the craving going. But I just didn't have the time to make the sauce and the meatballs and the lasagna. Truth be told I took a nap and if I hadn't I wouldn't have any trouble getting it all done. Most of my recipes can be completed in full with prep, cooking and clean-up in an hour. But for something that big it would be double that at least. So I need to have a diet coke fuel up on caffeine and get cooking. Sometime this week I promise. Instead I made this lovely dish
I had 4 pots & pans on the stove all at the same time...again something that NEVER happens in my house.
Grilled Salisbury Chicken
borrowed from Dinners for a Year and Beyond
serves 6
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2 cups of sliced button mushrooms ***I of course omitted these, no fungus among us***
1 medium onion, sliced thin, about 2 cups **used my cheap mandoline for this**
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups beef stock
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 cup cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise for thin cutlets
salt and pepper
olive oil
8 ounces of noodles such as Kluski Egg Noodles, cooked and drained
chopped fresh parsley for garnish

In a large saute pan over medium high heat, add olive oil and 2 tablespoons of butter.
When the butter has almost melted, add the mushrooms and onions and saute for 6 - 8 minutes. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and the balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.
Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
Stir in the stock and cook until slightly thickened, about 3 - 4 minutes.
Stir in the sage, cream, salt and pepper.
Turn heat to low and keep sauce warm while the chicken is cooked.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high.
Brush chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Grill the chicken for about 3 - 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the cutlets.
Do not over cook or the chicken will be dry.
To serve place noodles on a platter and top with grilled chicken and the Salisbury sauce.
Sprinkle with chopped parsley.


VERDICT
I really liked this dish. The sauce was very tasty. It does have a higher calorie count then I normally make...real butter AND cream YIKES! But its great to have the "real" fat added every once in awhile so you can really enjoy the full flavor. I did overcook the chicken which was a warning given by the lovely blogger who posted this recipe. I should know I cant grill any chicken that isn't 1/4 inch thick without either making it raw or dry. So I suggest just buying the thin cut breasts and then you can cook them nice and quick with no issues. Unless you aren't a grilling disaster like me. Summer is coming to an end and I haven't used my outdoor grill once. I feel kind of bad for it. But darn do I love my grill pan. It isn't the same but with my 2 crazy kids running around, I don't see how I can keep going in and out the backdoor without all hell breaking loose. I made this dish with the suggested egg noodles and I had never had this kind before. They were really interesting and I think would be awesome in several of the casseroles I made in the winter. Cant wait to try those out. So this recipe was a family crowd pleaser.

Oh and the carrots were also taken from Dinners for a Year and Beyond and I will be making these a lot too.
Boil a pound of carrots, add a few pats of butter and drizzle with honey, add salt & pepper. They were so good and who knew it was that easy to make carrots taste so fancy.
AND...the parsley was only added as garnish because I bought it for another recipe I am making later in the week and it was only $.99 for the big bunch

Grilled Mexican Chicken with Tomato Avocado Salsa

Have I mentioned my love of Mexican Food?

I could eat it everyday for weeks and not get sick of it. Sadly that is really the only way I get it, is if I cook it myself because there are no great restaurants locally. Maybe someday someone will come along and build a Cantina......a girl can dream. Until then........

Grilled Mexican Chicken with Tomato Avocado Salsa
borrowed from Dinners for a Year and Beyond
serves 4 - 5


for chicken --1/4 cup onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
2 1/2 pounds chicken tenders



for salsa --1/3 cup onion, chopped
1 cup kirby cucumber, chopped
2 1/2 cups tomato, chopped
juice of 1/2 of a lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 avocado, chopped and tossed with juice of 1/2 of a lime
salt and pepper to taste


cojita cheese, for sprinkling
tortillas
tortilla chips



In a small bowl combine the first 10 ingredients.
Place the chicken tenders in a resealable bag and add the marinade.
Seal and squish around the contents to mix well.
Let chicken marinate for about an hour.
Heat a grill to medium high.
While the grilling is heating, prepare the salsa.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the salsa ingredients.
Set aside.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and and grill for about 4 - 5 minutes per side or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove from grill and top with the salsa and the cojita cheese.
Serve with tortillas and tortilla chips.


VERDICT
REALLY REALLY GOOD
This chicken is so versatile. You can do so much with it. It is a really easy marinade to put together and its really flavorful. Much more so then anything that comes in a packet or bottle. The leftovers were great the next day too. I grilled it the 1st day and ate it with the salsa on tortillas. The next day I had a few smaller pieces left so I chopped it smaller and added a can of black beans and it was burritos again but would have made a great filling for quesidillas, I just didn't feel like the extra work. This is going to become my go to need chicken for a Mexican dish recipe. I can check "all around Mexican Chicken" recipe off my too find list. Oh and the salsa was good too. I liked it after about an hour when it was softened and a bit juicier. Even ate the left overs of that the next day and they were good

PS--If anyone knows what kirby cucumber is can you let me know. I need to google it but keep forgetting
AND where the heck can I get Cojita Cheese? I use Cheddar but am Curious to try Cojita because Rachael Ray uses it too and I need to know if I am missing something magical

Apple Toffee Dip

Chicken Chicken Chicken and more Chicken AND Apple Toffee Dip-OH MY

If you haven't noticed we eat A LOT of chicken in our house. It is nice to find a different way to eat it, or a different flavor to incorporate.

Today we had a great stroller strides class and then a lovely little party for 2 lovely expecting moms Csilla and Linda. I made a very yummy dip recipe and the best part is you eat it with apples so that eliminates any calories involved. No really, I read that someplace.

So today's entry is a 2 for one. First things First the dip

Apple Toffee Dip

INGREDIENTS

3/4 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla extract

1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese,softened *** I used low fat***

3/4 c. toffee bits (ex: Heath bits of brickle bits)

Beat together and chill. Serve with apple wedges

VERDICT

HOLY COW, is this dip good. I could eat it all day....in fact I think I did. It is a great dip with so few ingredients, that takes no time at all. In my book that makes it a winner and the fact that it has zero calories because you eat it with apples makes it even that much better.

ONTO DINNER.........

CHICKEN PESTO BURGER

borrowed from BHG June 2009 although they called it Open Faced Chicken Pesto Burger, I ate it with both sides of the bread because why waste a perfectly good piece of ciambatta bread?

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. uncooked ground chicken or ground turkey ** I used 99% lean ground chicken**
4 Tbsp. purchased basil pesto
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. kosher salt or salt
2 3-inch pieces ciabatta bread or four 3/4-inch-thick slices rustic Italian bread
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 slices fresh mozzarella cheese
2 cups fresh basil leaves, arugula, or spring garden mix
8 small tomato slices
Ground black pepper

1. In bowl combine ground chicken, half of the pesto, the Parmesan, garlic, and salt. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick oval patties (to fit bread).
2. Halve ciabatta horizontally. Brush cut side of ciabatta or both sides of Italian bread with olive oil; set aside (reserving any extra oil). **I just popped the rolls into the toaster oven**
3. For a charcoal grill, place patties on greased rack directly over medium coals. Grill, uncovered, 10 to 13 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (165 degrees F), turning once halfway through grilling. Top each patty with a mozzarella slice. Cover grill; grill 1 to 2 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Add bread and grill for 1 to 2 minutes per side or until toasted. (For gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place patties on grill rack over heat. Cover; grill as above.)
***I actually used my indoor grill pan to cook them for 5 minutes on each side on a higher heat. Then I covered them with cheese and put them under the broiler for 3 minutes. They were cooked perfectly***
4. Arrange greens on toasted bread. Top with chicken patties and tomato slices. Stir any remaining olive oil into remaining pesto and drizzle over all. Sprinkle with coarsely ground black pepper. Makes 4 servings.


VERDICT
I thought these were very tasty. They were fast to put together which is nice and they didn't require too many ingredients. I used the leaner chicken because I figured the oily pesto would keep them from drying out and I was correct and I think you probably save a bunch of fat grams that way. As I said earlier I ate them like a burger because the rolls were so good. I think this would be a nice & unexpected addition to regular BBQ food. The presentation makes them look pretty fancy and perfect for company. Jackson even ate a few bites to my shock. I would defintely make these again