Honey Lime BBQ Chicken

I know I have mentioned that I really love Eating Well magazine. I even have several of their magazine covers framed in my kitchen that I have gotten scores of compliments on over the years. Recently, I discovered the yummiest recipe for bbq chicken(Eating Well's recipe pictured) that is not only easy and healthful, but super flavorful which is the most important thing to my boys. The honey and lime provide a sweet, tart and deliciously sticky glaze that turns any humble piece of chicken into a culinary treat. We like this recipe best using boneless chicken thighs. Try it and I promise you will want to eat it over and over again. Sometimes, I even make extra sauce and serve it with stir-fried veggies over brown rice. Delish!

6 tablespoons honey
6 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons freshly grated lime zest
6 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional-we usually leave this one out)
6-8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Whisk marinade together to combine and pour into a gallon zip lock bag. Add chicken and gently massage marinade around it. Turn the bag occasionally and marinate for no more than 2 hours or the chicken can become stringy and spongy in texture from the acid.

Start your charcoal grill with the briquets on one side of the grill. When the grill is at medium heat(you can hold your hand above it for 5 count), place chicken on the unheated side of the grill and close the lid. Meanwhile, pour remaining marinade into a saucepan and reduce for about 8-10 minutes until thickened. Baste chicken a couple of times while on the grill. Grill for about 15-20 minutes(until chicken is still moist, but not pick in the middle), moving around the grill a bit to make sure each piece is cooked through.

Serve with my Mexican Street Corn and some buttered green beans to round out your meal. Serves 4-6.

Green Chili Chicken

Ok, so I was reviewing my most recent posts and I have discovered that I have been carrying on a love affair with Mexican-inspired cuisine! Well, I must add another item to the list and I know that you will just LOVE it. Not only is it healthy, but man is it versatile! The best part is that I used a crockpot, so once you do the 10 minutes work of prep, you can take your fabulous self out of the kitchen to do something so much more fun than preparing dinner.

2 lbs. chicken breast tenders, tendon removed
1 16 oz. jar of 505 Southwest green chili sauce(whichever heat you prefer, we used mild so Jack would eat it too)
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Cup low sodium chicken stock
4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
salt and pepper to taste

Brown chicken tenders in 2 Tbs. olive oil and add to crockpot. Then, saute onions and garlic in remaining olive oil and add in cumin and coriander to combine. Add the veggies to the crockpot and cover with 505 sauce and chicken stock. Stir to combine and set crockpot to low and let cook for 6-8 hours until the chicken shreds easily. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serving suggestions*:
-Use whole grain tortillas and make green chili burritos with all the fixings.
-Easy, flavorful quesadillas served with a side of pineapple with a squeeze of lime.
-Mexican Chicken Salad: Serve chicken on a bed of greens, cabbage, shredded carrots, whole pinto beans, tomatoes, avocado and ranch dressing mixed with salsa for a spicy change to your standard ranch.
-Tacos
-Enchilada filling

*You may want to strain off a bit of the liquid when using it with a tortilla for burritos, tacos or enchiladas. Or you could strain off the liquid and combine with a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce and recombine it.

Seriously, your family will think you are a genius for picking up take out, but you will know you are a genius for making this super simple and deliciously healthy chicken!

Enjoy!

Chicken Lollipops

Kids love chicken nuggets, but often they are filled with too many bad fats, sodium and preservatives. The solution? Make your own and make it fun! They don't take a lot of time and the results are delicious. Add a popsicle stick(make sure to soak them for 30 min prior to use) and voila, chicken lollipops! I have even made these for playdates before in bite size chunks cooked onto toothpicks for tiny fingers. This year they will be served at my son's Dinosaur birthday party and will be transformed into "Stegosaurus Lollipops!" These chicken lollipops help fulfill your growing child's need for protein, selenium and B vitamins. The crust is made with whole grain cereal, flaxmeal and wheat germ, so you know the kids are getting what they need while they get what they want! Serve them with lots of different sauces for dipping and let the kids dig in.


1 Cup crushed cereal(I used Cascadian Farms Organic multigrain cereal.)
1/2 Cup wheat germ
1/4 Cup flaxmeal
1/2 Cup finely grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 Cup whole wheat flour
2 lbs. chicken tenders


Preheat oven to 375. Spray 2 cookie sheets with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Thread each piece of chicken with a popsicle stick. In a gallon ziploc, combine crushed cereal, wheat germ, flax, salt, pepper, thyme and cheese and shake until combined. Pour out onto a shallow plate. Beat eggs and put on a plate. Pour flour onto another plate and then set up your breading station. First dip each skewered tender in flour, then egg and then the cereal mixture. Set on the greased cookie trays and bake for about 12 minutes on each side until cooked through and browned.

If you make your chicken into bite-sized pieces, adjust cooking time accordingly.

Serves 8 or enjoy leftovers for lunch!

Italian Chicken Burgers

My garden isn't doing so great this year, but it is producing more zucchini and arugula than we can eat! To keep my family from going on strike, I needed to figure out how to use the zucchini in a new way. I have been experimenting with chicken burgers after seeing a recipe on the foodnetwork that looked tasty. It includes mayo, garlic and rosemary which gives it an incredible taste and lots of moisture, but they kept falling apart. My solution? Adding finely shredded zucchini! I was wondering what that would do to the texture, but the result was FABULOUS and HEALTHY! And my family is benefitting from extra veggies cleverly hidden away adding Vitamins A&C, plenty of fiber, folate and even some omega 3's! So liven up your summer by adding a new, healthier burger to your family's menu.

Italian Chicken Burgers
1 lb. ground chicken breast
3/4 C. canola based mayo
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 TBS. fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 C. finely grated zuccchini(about 1 small/med)
1/4 tsp. salt and freshly ground pepper
olive oil
4 whole grain buns
1 large handful baby arugula leaves(or you can use regular lettuce/spinach if you don't have or like arugula)

In a small bowl, combine mayo, garlic, rosemary and salt and pepper. In another bowl, mix 1/2 of the mayo mixture and zucchini into the ground chicken. Use your hands to combine well and shape into 4 patties. Heat an indoor grill or skillet until nearly smoking and then turn down to med heat. Grease pan liberally with olive oil and place the burgers on the grill. Cook them about 6-8 min on each side until cooked through and golden brown.

Split the buns and put a little bit of the remaining mayo on each bun top and place on the grill until the bun browns and is slightly crispy.

Place burgers on the buns and top with the rest of the mayo mix and arugula leaves!

Serves 4-6(small children can split burgers since they are fairly substantial)


Serve with homemade sweet potato fries and a tossed salad.

BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad

Occasionally, when my son and I are out at the mall, we like to stop at California Pizza Kitchen for lunch. When we do, we share a bowl of their split pea soup(so good and so far I haven't been able to replicate it!) and a BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad. It's a pretty healthy and flavorful meal and I love that my 3 year old will scarf down every morsel of this salad. Here is my take on this salad, the salad dressing is a little different, but it tastes great! So simple and most everything can be prepared ahead, so for those week night dinners when there is never enough time, this recipe is for you! Keep in mind, you can use more or less of any item, add something new, etc., it's super versatile!

1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 head iceberg lettuce, chopped
1 14 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 14 oz. can no salt corn, drained
1 avocado, chopped into chunks
1 tomato, chopped
1 small jicama,peeled and chopped
2 TBS. cilantro, chopped
1 lb. grilled chicken breasts, chopped
1/2 C. shredded jack cheese
3 corn tortillas, thinly sliced and fried(optional)

Dressing
1/2 C. light ranch
1/4 C. bbq sauce


In a small bowl, combine ranch and bbq sauce and set aside. Combine lettuce, corn, beans, cilantro, cheese and jicama in a large bowl. Pour dressing over top and toss to coat. Arrange salad on plates and top with tomato, avocado, chicken and tortilla strips. Serves 4-6.


Ever tried jicama?: You will LOVE it! It's crunchy, slightly sweet and starchy and tastes somewhere between a potato and an apple. Plus, it's high in Vitamin C and FIBER! Try it with dip to spice up your crudite platter.

Chicken Parmigiano

Who doesn't like Chicken Parmigiano? I love it, but what I don't love is the unhealthy fried chicken and too much cheese. This way you can have all of the wonderful flavors and TONS of veggies without the excess fat! My secret? Adding spaghetti squash to the spagnhetti noodles! For those of you who haven't tried spaghetti squash, it is an oval-shaped, pale yellow winter squash that kind of resembles a yellow watermelon. It is full of fiber, vitamins A, B6, C and calcium. When it is cooked, you scrape out the insides and it looks like strands of spaghetti. When it is mixed into pasta, you almost can't tell its there! Pretty cool, right?!

Sauce
1 15oz can of diced tomatoes in juice
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 med onion, diced
1 bay leave
1 small handful fresh italian parsley, chopped
2 TBS. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBS freshly grated parmegiano reggiano
3-4 slices of provolone cheese(I buy mine in the deli)

Chicken
1 lb chicken breasts(if they are large, just filet the breast in half)
2 TBS. olive oil
salt and pepper

Squash and pasta
1 med spaghetti squash, halved and seeds and strings removed
8 oz. pasta cooked al dente

Preheat oven to 350. Place squash(cut side down) in a large baking dish/sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Prick the outside of the squash several times. Bake for 30-40 min until the strands can be easily scraped with a fork. When done, combine with spaghetti noodles.

To make the sauce, heat olive oil to nearly smoking in a skillet. Add veggies and cook until onions are translucent and starting to brown a bit. Pour in canned tomatoes and add bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer until the sauce reduces a bit. Remove bay leaf. Place in blender or processor and run until smooth. Set aside.

In the same skillet, add in remaining olive oil. Salt and pepper both sides of breasts and add to the pan. Cook until lightly browned on both sides and nearly cooked through(about 4 min per side depending on thickness).

Assemble:

Lightly spray baking dish. Add chicken breast to bottom and then pour the sauce over top. Sprinkle with parm cheese and layer with provolone slices on top. Cover with foil and bake for about 20 min and then uncover and bake another 10 min or until cheese is slightly browned.

Serve on top of squash and pasta mixture. Serves 4-6.

Note: If you like alot of sauce, just double the sauce recipe.

Crunchy Chicken Fingers

Panko bread crumbs are the secret here! They are a special Japanese-style bread crumb that are light and very flaky. My son loves chicken fingers, but many times the ones that come in a box or a drive thru bag are loaded with transfats and preservatives. So, I came up with this recipe to satisfy his kid craving without having to sacrifice his nutrition!

1 C. Panko bread crumbs(whole wheat are best, but harder to find)
1/2 C. finely grated parmigiano reggiano
2 TBS. wheat germ
2 eggs
Sea salt and pepper
1/2 C. whole wheat flour
1 lb. chicken tenders
1tsp. oregano or other seasoning(optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Spray cookie sheet lightly with olive or canola oil. Set up an assembly line. Flour on one plate, beaten eggs in a bowl, and all other ingredients combined(except chicken) on a 3rd plate. Take each chicken finger and dust in the flour, dredge in the egg and then coat with the bread crumb mixture. Press the coating onto each side of the chicken tender and then lay it on the baking sheet. Lightly spray tops of tenders with oil and bake about 25 minutes until cooked through. Enjoy with barbecue sauce and breaded zucchini chunks for a meal that feels like takeout, but is healthy! Serves 4.