Baked Crunchy Ranch Chicken

2 C crushed cornflakes

1 C grated Parmesan cheese

1 (1oz) pkg ranch salad dressing mix

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (or 12 boneless/skinless tenders)

1/2 C butter, melted (or 3 egg whites)

In a shallow bowl, combined the cornflakes, Parmesan cheese and salad dressing mix.  Dip chicken in butter (or egg whites), then roll in cornflake mixture to coat.  Place in a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear. 

Tips:  We couldn't decide if the whole ranch packet was a little too much flavor--so I may try using 1/2-3/4 of the pkg next time.

Serves size: 1 tender (or 2 oz)

Parmesan Chicken

2 C crushed Ritz crackers

3 T grated parmesan cheese

2 tsp garlic salt

8 boneless chicken breasts (I prefer boneless/skinless chicken tenders)

1 C plain yogurt

1/4 C butter, melted

Combine cracker crumbs, parmesan cheese, and garlic salt.  Dip each piece of chicken in yogurt to coat and then in crumb mixture.  Arrange in greased 9x13-inch baking dish.  Drizzle with melted butter.  Bake at 350 for about 45 minutes.  Serves 8.

7 up Chicken Marinade

1 can 7up (or sprite)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tb horseradish sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used chicken tenders)

Blend all ingredients and add chicken. ( I usually do this in a big zip loc bag) Let marinate over night or at least 6 hours, in your fridge. You can also marinate chicken then slice it into strips. Fry with onions and sweet peppers for fajitas.

Serves: 6 (breasts); Weight Watchers Points+: 4

Saleeg with rice

Ingredients 

Original recipe makes 6 servings Change Servings

• 3 pods black cardamom
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 medium red onion
• 1 (3 1/2) pound chicken, split in half lengthwise
• 1 teaspoon dried cilantro

• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups long grain white rice
• 3 cups milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Place the chicken, cardamom pods, cinnamon, and whole red onion into a large Dutch oven. Fill with enough water to cover the chicken, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boil for 20 minutes. Reserve 4 cups of the resulting chicken stock in a large saucepan.
3. Remove the chicken and onion from the Dutch oven and place in a roasting pan. Season the chicken with the dried cilantro, black pepper, and salt; cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking until the chicken becomes golden brown.
5. Meanwhile, pour the rice in with the reserved chicken stock. Bring the rice to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. once it reaches a boil, cover the saucepan and reduce the heat to low, simmer covered for 15 minutes. Stir the milk into the rice and bring the heat back up to medium-low; cook uncovered until no liquid remains. Serve the rice topped with the chicken and onion.

Pasta With Mascarpone, Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Spinach

Yield: Serves 4 - 6

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

This pasta dish is a complete meal in a bowl!

Ingredients:

1 Cup Mascarpone Cheese At Room Temperature
Zest & Juice of 1 Lemon
1 Teaspoon Cracked Black Pepper
3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs, Cleaned Of Fat And Cut Into 1 Inch Dice
1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, Peeled & Minced
Salt & Pepper
1/3 Cup Chopped Sun-Dried Tomatoes
1 (9 Ounce) Bag Baby Spinach
1 (500 Gram) Package Pasta
To Serve:
Sauteed Garlic Breadcrumbs or
Grated Parmigiano Reggiano/ Pecorino Cheese

Directions:

Combine the zest, lemon juice, mascarpone, and pepper in a bowl, and whisk to combine.
Bring a pasta pot of salted water to boil.
While waiting on the water, heat the oil in a skillet, and cook the chicken until it is cooked through and just beginning to brown, about 6 to 8 minutes .
Add the garlic and cook another minute or two, then season with salt and pepper.
Cook the pasta until al dente, taking it off the heat about 1 to 2 minutes before you would normally remove it.
Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Return the pasta to the pot, and set over medium heat.
Stir in the mascarpone and lemon mixture, the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach.
Loosen the sauce with about 1/4 cup of the water and toss all over the ingredients together until the spinach has wilted and everything is piping hot, adding a little additional pasta water if needed.
Serve immediately, topped with grated cheese or sauteed breadcrumbs.

Japanese Teriyaki Chicken

Teriyaki Chicken
About six servings


Adapted from Japanese Farm Food (Andrews McNeel) by Nancy Singleton Hachisu
Nancy refers to this teriyaki recipe as “country-style”, which I think means the marinate isn’t as sweet or sticky as other styles of teriyaki. This is a straightforward recipe with a simple marinade, which is perhaps how farm folks eat in Japan.
This recipe uses boneless chicken thighs. If you can only get bone-in ones, simply turn the chicken thighs skin-side-down, make two slices on both sides of the single bone, the cut it off at the top, where it’s attached and pull it out. Some might inquire about boneless, skinless chicken breasts, which I suppose you could use with this marinade, but I would advise against them as they’ll dry out when cooked.
You’ll probably have to cook these in batches, as I did, unless you have an outdoor grill, then use that. If using a grill pan, don’t clean it between batches; the juices will collect after each cooking and darken the chicken nicely as you go.

• 1/2 cup (125ml) mirin
• 1/2 cup (125ml) soy sauce
• One 2-inch (5cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2-pounds (900g) boneless chicken thighs (4-8 thighs, depending on size)

1. Mix together the mirin, soy sauce, and ginger in a large zip-top freezer bag. Add the chicken thighs, force the air from the bag and seal it closed. Massage the chicken to distribute the marinade then refrigerate the chicken for 8 to 12 hours, flipping it over a few times to distribute the marinade.
2. To cook the chicken, drain the chicken over a saucepan and set the pan over medium heat reduce the marinade it comes to a full boil, then reduce the heat and cook it longer, until it’s slightly boiled down.
3. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over high heat and add the chicken thighs, skin side down, cooking off only the amount of thighs in the pan so they are not crowded – I did three at a time in mine.
4. Sear the thighs for 2-3 minutes on each side, then cover, and cook for 6 minutes.
5. Remove the cover, wipe the condensation off the underside of the cover with a kitchen towel, flip the thighs over, cover, and cook for another 6 minutes.
6. Uncover the chicken and finish cooking them for about 3 minutes on each side, brushing and basting the chicken with the reserved marinade as you go, until the skin and meat have darkened.
Remove from the pan and cook off the remaining chicken thighs the same way.


Storage: Leftovers are especially good to have in the refrigerator for a few days, and I used mine to make rice bowls with kimchi. Nancy suggests sandwiches, too.

Korean Sweet and Spicy Crispy Chicken Wings

Four to six servings
Adapted from Dakkangjung: Sweet & Crispy Chicken from Maangchi
I made a few changes to the original recipe. One was that I used the Actify, whereas Maangchi deep-fried her wings, twice. I plan to try them with baked wings, but anyone tries it in the meantime, let us know in the comments. I also used rice syrup instead of corn syrup, which I buy at Ace Mart, the Korean shop in Paris.
I divided her recipe in half, since it made a lot of wings. So if you’re having more people over, feel free to double the recipe.

• 1/4 cup (35 g) flour
• 1/4 cup (30 g) cornstarch or potato starch
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red chili pepper
• 10 chicken wings, tips removed, then each wing cut into two pieces
• 1 tablespoon frying oil (I use colza or peanut)

1/2 cup (125 ml) water or beer
three-inch (7 cm) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup (packed) light or dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 cup (160 g) light corn syrup or rice syrup
1/3 cup (35 g) roasted peanuts, very coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, starch, egg, salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground chili pepper until it’s a thick paste. Add the wings and mix with your hands until they’re thoroughly coated.
2. Put the coated wings in the ActiFry and drizzle with the oil. Close the lid and cook for 35 minutes, until brown and crispy.
Or the deep-fry the wings in a pot of hot oil (Maangchi recommends 350º-380ºF, 177º-193ºC) twice, in batches. Then drain well.
3. In a large pot or wok, bring to a boil the water, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, and corn or rice syrup. Let cook until the mixture becomes syrupy and thick, and starts to foam. It should be about as thick as honey.
4. Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked wings, peanuts, sesame seeds, and chili flakes, until completely coated.