Chicken Sausage Chili

I got this idea from my friend David, who does a similar recipe except with only pork sausage, onions and tomato sauce. However, I wanted something a little more filling so I made what turned into quite a tasty chili. Nevertheless, the inspiration was there!

Ingredients:
1 package or chicken sausage, casings taken off and cut into 1 inch pieces (real sausage from the poultry counter at grocery store)
1 small can of tomato sauce
1 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 can of tomato paste (I used two big squeezes of my tomato paste in a tube)
1 14 oz can of black beans
Half a small white onion, diced
2 small green bell peppers cut into half inch pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons of Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 bay leaf
Enough water to cover everything plus have some room in slow cooker, mine took about 2 and half to 3 cups of water.
Shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese blend and crackers to accompany chili

What I did:
I took all the ingredients as described above and put them in my slow cooker before I left for work.
I let it cook on low for seven hours, and when I got home my house smelt so good!
I had put too much water in the slow cooker and wanted the chili a little thicker, so I squeezed in some more tomato paste, stirred the chili, took out the bay leaf, and then turned the slow cooker on high with the lid off. I let it cook for 1 and half more hours and it was perfect.
Next time I will not add as much water, however it always seems to be the other way around…me almost scorching the food because too little water. At least this time I had enough.

I hope everyone tries this recipe, it really turned out good; and the friend didn’t complain either, lol.

Broccoli and Chicken Casserole

I had made a broccoli cheese mixture to go on top of some baked potatoes earlier in the week. I saved the almost broccoli-cheese soup mixture because I knew it would make a great casserole later in the week. This is the casserole that I came up with.

Ingredients:

Broccoli-cheese mixture:

1 small onion

2 tablespoons butter

2 table spoons of olive oil

3 tablespoons flour

1 box of frozen chopped broccoli

2 1/2 to 3 cubs of milk (I used skim, but whatever you have)

3 big hand fulls of shredded Mexican cheese mixture

1 cub shredded Parmesan cheese

salt/pepper

Breaded Chicken:

3 chicken breasts, boneless/skinless

about 2 1/2 cups of Italian bread crumbs

2 eggs

2 tablespoons of flour

2 tablespoons of oil, enough to lightly cover pan and sear the chicken

What I did:

I started the broccoli mixture by melting the butter in some olive oil. I then grated in about half the small onion into the bubbling butter and oil (this smells awesome by the way!).

After that cooked for about 2 to 3 minutes, I sprinkled in the flour and stirred together. I let that cook until it formed a nice light rue, and the white flour was not visible, about 2 minutes.

Then I added the milk and broccoli and let cook, stirring with a whisk to break up any lumps, for about 10 minutes.

The mixture starts to get up to a boil, and then I add the cheese and start to make figure 8 motions to mix the cheese into the now thickening mixture. I also add salt and pepper to taste.

I let this cook for about 10 more minutes to get everything really nice, hot and fully thickened. Last thing I shredded some Parmesan cheese on top and mixed that in as well. (Like I've said before, everything tastes better with Parmesan cheese!)

So that is the broccoli mixture, now for the chicken.

First I washed the chicken breasts and then dredged them lightly in flour. Then I dunked them in a mixture of 2 eggs mixed with a little water, making sure to shake off the extra egg. Then I dredged them in Italian bread crumbs.

I took the lightly breaded chicken and laid them in a pre-heated skillet with olive oil to about medium to medium high heat. I cooked until a nice golden brown on either side, then placed all three chicken breasts in a deep pie plate. Then I poured the broccoli mixture over top of the chicken and stuck the dish in a pre-heated 400 degree oven.

I cooked the chicken for about half an hour or until a meat thermometer read 160 (must get chicken to this temperature for it to be safe to eat).

Right before it was done, I sprinkled on a mixture of Italian bread crumbs and melted butter that I brought together with a fork. This makes a nice crunchy topping. I sprinkled this on top of the casserole along with some shredded cheese and stuck back in the oven until golden brown and delicious.

I hope you try this really easy recipe; it really tasted comforting.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken and Ratatouille

I wanted to thank my friend Gail for fixing up some chairs of mine. She re-upholstered the chairs and they look great!

I decided to make a twist on a recipe that I saw Giada De Laurentiis make on Food Network. She was making Goat cheese stuffed pork chops. I don't eat pork so I used chicken instead.

I wanted to pair it with some type of nice vegetable. I was watching Tyler Florence make his ultimate Ratatouille, so I just had to try it.

These two dishes went perfectly together.
Recipes follow:

Goat cheese, spinach, sun-dried tomato stuffed Chicken Breasts


What I used:


1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
4 big boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt
freshly ground black pepper

What I did:

I mixed the goat cheese, cream cheese, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes all in a bowl until it formed a nice filling.

I cleaned the chicken breasts and slit a pocket into the side of each one, just deep enough to stuff filling into. I took a heaping table spoon of filling and stuffed each chicken breast pocket.
I then got a skillet hot and added some extra virgin olive oil to coat the pan. I made a light dredging flour by mixing some flour and thyme together in a flat pan. I dredged the chicken in the thyme/flour and then lightly browned both sides of each chicken breast in the skillet.

Then I transferred all the chicken into a pan to finish cooking in the oven at 350 o F, about 45 minutes for large chicken breasts, until internal temperature was at least 160o F. You could probably turn up to 400 o F and cut some cooking time off; I just did it slower to make sure the chicken was moist. I also wanted the ratatouille to come out at same time as the chicken.

Ratatouille

What I used:

1/3 cup plus 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 pound small Italian eggplants, cut into 1-inch cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound zucchini, cut crosswise into 1-inch sections
3 anchovy fillets, finely minced
2 onions, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Leaves from 1/2 bunch fresh basil,
coarsely chopped Leaves from 4 fresh thyme sprigs
2 pints cherry tomatoes
Splash balsamic vinegar

What I did:

I lined a large platter with paper towels, heated 1/3 cup olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. I then fried up the eggplant, seasoning with salt and pepper; until the eggplant is soft and wilted. I placed the eggplant on the paper towels to remove some of the oil and then began the same process for the zucchini. When it was soft I added it to the eggplant.



I took the same pan and added more oil if needed. Then I added the anchovies (you can find them by the sardines and canned tuna in the supermarket), onions, garlic and herbs. Then cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions get nice and caramelized/wilted. Then add the tomatoes and cook that down until pulpy.

Then add back in the eggplant and zucchini, season with salt and pepper and let the ratatouille cook slowly until the mixture is soft, mushy and juicy. It begins to look like a stewing vegetable soup goulash. I placed all of the finished ratatouille into a big bowl and drizzled balsamic vinegar over top.

I enjoyed this recipe the most. And it was a perfect complement to the stuffed Chicken.

Once again, THANK YOU FOOD NETWORK for giving me such great ideas!

Rachael Ray's Fiery Chicken Chili

I am a subscriber to Rachael Ray's magazine: EveryDay with Rachael Ray.

This is a recipe in the November 2007 edition. My mom and I tried this recipe and loved it.
Our variation substituted chicken thighs with chicken breast; we left out the adobo sauce and cilantro. Those two flavors are an acquired taste I have yet to obtain. We topped this wonderful chili with cheddar cheese, avocados, sour cream, and scallions!

Here is the recipe direct from Rachael Ray magazine; check out her magazine website by clicking on the link above:

6 servings
Prep time 25 minutes
Cook time 1 hour

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
4 teaspoons dried oregano
2 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 large chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped, sauce reserved
3 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, thinly sliced
Two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes with their juice
Three 15.5-ounce cans pinto beans, rinsed
Chopped avocados, cilantro leaves, grated cheddar cheese, chopped scallions
and sour cream, for serving

Directions:
1. In a large, heavy saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
2. Add the onions, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and paprika and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened and the spices are fragrant, about 7 minutes.
3. Stir in the chipotle and 1 tablespoon adobo sauce.
4. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, until the meat begins to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the tomatoes and beans and bring to a boil.
6. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Uncover, increase the heat and simmer the chili briskly, stirring often, until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
8. Add more adobo sauce to taste.
9. Serve with avocados, cilantro, cheese, scallions and sour cream.