bbq chicken pizza with caramelized onions and shaved celery

this pizza is absolute heaven. for those that haven't used fontina before, it's a semi-soft buttery cheese that melts just beautifully. using shaved celery adds an unexpected crunch.
the process of caramelizing onions is simply cooking over a low heat stirring occasionally until brown and translucent, allowing all the yummy sugars to come out. it's totally worth the half hour, i promise. i personally would rather cook my pizza on the grill, but my wisconsin home doesn't allow winter grilling. so here we are using the good old fashion oven, patiently awaiting spring and more importantly, summer.

bbq chicken pizza with caramelized onions and shaved celery
pre-made pizza dough
2 chicken breasts shredded (i used rotisserie chicken)
1 cup bbq sauce
1 large onion, sliced
4 oz fontina cheese, shredded
4 oz  provolone cheese, shredded
1/2 c thinly sliced celery (slice on an angle  super thin to make it pretty)

1. preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
2. heat 2 tbl butter in a sauce pan and add onions. saute at a low heat until brown and yummy. (this can take up to a half hour depending on how many onions you have). add some salt and pepper in the last few minutes of cooking. (and if you're crazy like me add a splash of marsala wine... makes it even yummier but not absolutely necessary).
3. roll pizza dough out on a baking sheet. combine shredded chicken with bbq sauce.
4. layer fontina and provolone on dough, followed by caramelized onions, chicken and celery
5. bake for 15-20 minutes or until crust becomes golden brown.

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buffalo chicken sandwiches

i had a revelation. buttermilk. it made this recipe...truly. i am in love with buffalo wings. okay, let's be honest- anything buffalo. i was determined to re-create.

buffalo chicken sandwiches

4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup hot sauce (we use frank's wing sauce)
2 tbl melted butter
1/2 c buttermilk
1 c flour
1/4 c canola oil
romaine lettuce
crumbled blue cheese
4 whole wheat buns

1. prep your dredging bowls. one with buttermilk, one with the flour, and the other with the hot sauce and butter combined. dredge chicken breasts in buttermilk first, followed by flour.
2. heat a saute pan with canola oil until hot. (but not too hot!) add chicken breasts. cook 5-7 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
3. dredge cooked chicken breasts in hot sauce.
4. build your sandwich with buffalo chicken, topped with crumbled blue cheese and lettuce.

chicken picatta

i f-ed up mashed potatoes. yes i did. how is this even possible? i consider myself a fairly decent cook and i f up mashed potatoes? my mother-in-law is going to be so disappointed in me. (my in-laws are potato farmers. yes, you read that correctly). so i have to confess that i have not quite mastered the "smooth" mashed potato. lumps seem to be a common occurrence in my mashed potato making. however, this time was a different story. we had a gluey/sticky disaster! they had the consistency of paste. i googled away to find out how to fix. after 2 short minutes of reading the potato nonsense, i threw them in the garbage irritated and disappointed in myself. linguine as a side? sure. someday when i muster up the patience i will learn how to make perfect mashed potatoes.

chicken picatta

4 chicken breasts
2 tbl olive oil
3/4 c chicken broth
1-2 tbl capers, drained
2 tbl unsalted butter
1/4 c dry white wine
1 tbl garlic, minced
2 tbl lemon juice

1. pound the chicken with one of those kitchen mallet/hammer thingys until they are about 1/4 inch thick. pat dry and season with salt & pepper. dust each side with flour.
2. heat a saute pan with 2 tbl of olive oil. place chicken in pan and cook each side for 3 minutes or until brown. transfer chicken to a plate.
3. deglaze pan with wine and add garlic. cook for 2 minutes on low heat scraping brown bits off of the bottom of the pan.
4. add broth, lemon juice and capers. return chicken to pan and cook on medium-low heat for 2-5 minutes allowing chicken to cook thru.
5. transfer chicken again to a plate. add butter to sauce and stir until melted. pour sauce over chicken.
6. serve with un-gooey mashed potatoes or linguine with butter and parmesan cheese.

pretzel crusted chicken tenders

so proud that milwaukeemoms.com is featuring my recipes weekly. i'm sharing family-friendly ones specifically catering to the younger generations. here was my first recipe shared a month ago on their site.

pretzel crusted chicken tenders

1 1/2 lb chicken tenders
3 cups pretzels
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 egg whites
salt & pepper
3 tbl canola oil

mustard cheese sauce
1/2 cup honey mustard
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup skim milk

1. grind pretzels in a food processor to a breadcrumb consistency. add thyme and a generous amount of salt and pepper.
2. prepare 3 shallow bowls: one with flour, one with pretzel crumbs and one with whisked egg whites.
3. pat chicken tenders dry and season with salt and pepper. using tongs, coat a chicken tender with flour, followed by egg white and then pretzel crumbs shaking off excess. repeat coating process with all chicken tenders.
4. heat canola oil in a saute pan at medium to high heat. cook chicken tenders 7 minutes on each side or until cooked through.
5. combine mustard and milk in a small sauce pan. heat until warm. add cheddar cheese and stir until melted.

chicken & shrimp with pancetta chimichurri

this is by far the best summer dinner party main dish... it's a hit every time. (i'm still trying to pretend it's summer here folks, just go with it). my girlfriend, lisa, brought over spanish rice made with yellow and red cherry tomatoes from her garden. it was simply delicious.
do yourself a favor and make this for special friends.

chicken & shrimp with pancetta chimichurri

1 lb boneless chicken breast
1 lb jumbo shrimp
1/3 c fresh oregano

pancetta chimichurri
8 oz pancetta, 1/4 in cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 c fresh parsley
1/2 c fresh oregano (or 2 tbl dried)
1/3 c red wine vinegar
3/4 c olive oil
3 tbl lemon juice

1. season chicken & shrimp with oregano, salt and pepper. drizzle with olive oil. grill chicken for 5-6 minutes on each side and shrimp for 1-2 minutes on each side.
2. in small skillet, saute pancetta in 2 tbl olive oil until crispy (about 6 minutes). place on a paper towel to drain.
3. combine all other chimichurri ingredients in food processor streaming in olive oil in slowly.
4. serve chicken & shrimp with pancetta on top and drizzled with chimichurri.

chicken gyros

guest blog with tricia binder
 
after having my second baby i quickly came to the conclusion that i needed to give my recipe repertoire an overhaul. complicated dinners that took a half hour or more to cook needed to be saved for sundays and weekday meals to feed my hungry toddler and baby had to be ready in twenty minutes flat – ideally ten. quick, simple, & healthy was my new motto and from this evolution came one of my husband’s favorite dishes. fortunately, it’s so fast and easy i never mind making it. so here’s my take on gyros (made with chicken instead of lamb) and a homemade tzatziki sauce that’s a cinch to throw together. from start to finish you’ll need only 15 minutes before this is ready to serve – and enjoy!

chicken gyros

1 pkg flatbread* (a.k.a. pitas – be careful not to buy pita pockets!)
2 – 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
¼ - 1/3 cup greek vinaigrette salad dressing, depending on amount of chicken (e.g. kraft® greek vinaigrette with feta cheese & oregano)
1 small white or yellow onion
1 cucumber, divided
1 3oz container feta cheese
1 tomato, thinly sliced (optional)

preheat an indoor or outdoor grill, adding chicken breasts when the grill is hot. while chicken is grilling, place greek vinaigrette in a small serving bowl and set aside. prepare toppings by first cutting the onion into thin slices and placing on a serving platter. cut 1/3 of the cucumber and set aside for tzatziki. with the remaining cucumber, cut into thin slices and quarter, adding it, tomato slices (if desired) and the feta cheese to the platter, set aside. check chicken, turning if needed.

next, prepare tzatziki sauce by combining all ingredients, mix well. when chicken is done, remove from grill and set aside to rest, cooling slightly. turn grill heat to low and grill pitas for ~30 seconds on each side or until heated through – being careful not to burn. when chicken is cool enough to touch, cut into cubes, add to greek vinaigrette dressing and mix until all pieces are lightly coated. serve with toppings and sauce on delicious grilled pitas.

tzatziki sauce
1 5.3 oz container oikos organic plain greek yogurt
1/3 cucumber peeled, deseeded and finely chopped
1/8 tsp lawry’s® season salt
1/8 tsp dill
1/8 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp salt
dash black pepper

*kangaroo brand flatbreads are readily available in the deli section of most grocery stores

cooks note: picky eaters? me too! if you have little ones that won’t go for this, take their pita, add pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, bake and you have a personal pizza in no time! even moms and dads will love using these flatbreads for a tasty ‘za. don’t have that on hand? set aside some chicken before adding the sauce and serve with cucumber slices and fruit or use the pita for a pita-pb&j.

vegetarian? yup, you guessed it … me too. skip the chicken, double up on the cucs and drizzle a little of the dressing on before adding the remaining toppings. delish!

healthy chicken fried rice

everybody has a soft spot for fried rice. it's my favorite part of chinese & japanese restaurants. this is a healthier version. you won't feel the least bit guilty.

chicken fried rice

1 1/2 c cooked brown rice
2 chicken breasts, diced
1/2 c celery, diced
1/2 c carrots, diced
1/2 c frozen peas
5 green onions, diced
2 egg whites
4 tbl soy sauce

1. cook egg whites as you would scrambled eggs and set aside.
2. saute veggies (except for peas) in 2 tbs olive oil until soft (about 10 minutes). add peas in last few minutes of cooking. shift all to one side of the pan. add diced chicken to the other side cooking till cooked thru.
3. stir together. add cooked egg whites, rice and soy sauce.

rosemary chicken burgers

how sweet it is. thank you yet again, giada, for this amazing recipe. i added a bit of lemon juice which really made a difference. top with spinach or arugula.
p.s. my daughter gobbled this sucker right up so i would consider this very "kid friendly"

rosemary chicken burgers

mayo
1 cup light mayo
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tbl fresh lemon juice

burgers
1 lb ground chicken
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 buns

1. combine mayo ingredients.
2. combine burger ingredients and add half of the mayo mixture. form into 4 patties and place on a plate. place plate in freezer for 15-20 minutes making it easier to work with.
3. grill burgers at med-high heat on grill for 7 minutes on each side. toast buns for 3 minutes on grill.
4. spread mayo mixture on the the tops of toasted buns. place chicken on bottom half and top with spinach or arugula.

adapted from giada de laurentiis

grilled chicken with dijon and lemon

how's this for a summer recipe. i have to admit my husband did the grilling, but i swear i did everything else!

grilled chicken with dijon and lemon

4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
1 cup dijon mustard
2 lemons (both lemons zested and only 1 juiced)
1 tsp red pepper flakes
sea salt

1. prepare marinade by putting mustard in shallow bowl. zest 2 lemons adding the yumminess to the bowl. juice only 1 lemon into the bowl. add red pepper flakes.
2. paint mixture on chicken breasts and allow to marinate at room temp for 2 hours.
3. sprinkle sea salt on top of chicken and grill breasts at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes on each side. you want to get the skin crispy so allow the time to do so.

adapted from anne burrell

"i really likes this"

guest blog with liz girsch
it is an honor to be stacy’s first guest blogger. it was a lot of pressure to deliver a recipe, and i think i spent a bit too much time obsessing about what would be the right fit. should it be kid-friendly, delicious for grown ups, easy to make, a soup, one of our house’s standard favorite, slow cooker fare? i could go on and on – ask stacy, i did.  and after all of my analysis, i’m sharing with you something brand new to me. i made this for the first time last night. my four-year-old announced “I really likes this” and a friend of my seven-year-old walked in our house and asked “what smells so good?” so that answers that… kid-friendly, check… easy to make, check.

i served with rice – sticky chicken and sticky rice are always a great combination plus a salad on the side. martha stewart served a napa cabbage slaw on the side. i didn’t want to push the envelope with my under 8 audience too much. next time around we’ll try that.

honey-teriyaki chicken is now in our family’s regular dinner rotation and i hope it will be in your’s too.

honey-teriyaki chicken

½ cup honey
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 tbs soy sauce
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbs peeled and finely grated fresh ginger (actually I say buy the stuff in the jar. it’s much easier than grating fresh ginger.)
coarse salt and ground pepper
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 3 pounds total)

1. preheat oven to 475°.
2. line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. in a large bowl, mix honey, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and 1 tbs salt and ½ tsp pepper.
3. add chicken and toss to coat. transfer chicken and sauce to baking sheet.
4. bake chicken, skin side up, until well browned and cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes. serve chicken drizzled with pan juices.

adapted from martha stewart

chicken enchiladas

i've been making this recipe for years. these enchiladas remind me of el azteca in good 'ol menasha, wisco. they always used green peppers and onions. i profusely begged them to open one in milwaukee... not sure they even understood what i was asking. of course these buggers aren't going to come close to an authentic mexican restaurant; for god's sakes there's cream of chicken soup in there! but, here's to tryin...

chicken enchiladas

12 corn tortillas
1 1/2 lb shredded chicken (i bake 2-3 bone-in chicken breasts at 375 degrees for 45 minutes and shred)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 can chopped green chili peppers
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 c chicken stock
1 can enchilada sauce
1 cup cheddar cheese

1. combine cream of chicken soup, chili peppers and chicken stock.
2. saute green pepper and onions in 1 tbl olive oil until soft. add 1/2 c of combined sauce mixture above and shredded chicken. cook for 5 minutes.
3. add enchilada sauce to remaining sauce mixture.
4. spoon chicken mixture into corn tortillas fold each side over and place seam side down in 9 x 11 pan. continue this process with remaining tortillas and chicken mixture.
5. pour enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas and top with cheese.
6. bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until bubbling.

chicken marsala

bon appétito!

chicken marsala

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts

flour, for dredging

salt and pepper

1/4 c olive oil

8 oz mushrooms, sliced

1/3 c marsala wine

1/2 c chicken broth

2 tbl butter

1/4 c chopped flat leaf parsley

1. put flour and a reasonable amount of salt and pepper in a shallow bowl.

2. heat olive oil over medium heat in a skillet.

3. dredge chicken in flour mixture and pan fry in skillet for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown. remove to a plate and cover keeping warm.

4. add mushrooms and saute until moisture has evaporated. add marsala wine and boil down for 3 minutes cooking out alcohol. add chicken stock and simmer for 1 minute.

5. stir in butter and add chicken heating through.

6. garnish with parsley.

my favorite recipe evah

one of my favorite cook books...pasta cooking by jeni wright. i found this recipe and thought i'd give it a shot. i've made it a million times since. this is my version of chicken lasagne. it sounds scary- it has carrots, but it's delectable. and folks, there's bacon in it... now i got your attention! when i cut the bacon i use just the lean part (not the fat). your call obviously. i cook my own chicken, but feel free to shred rotisserie chicken.
on another note, did you know the average american consumes more than 17.9 pounds of bacon per year? yikes.

chicken lasagne

2 tbl olive oil
4 bone-in chicken breasts (cooked in oven for 60 min at 375 degrees, cooled and shredded)
8 oz bacon, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
3 tbl tomato paste
1 3/4 c chicken stock
12 sheets lasagne, cooked

for cheese sauce:
4 tbl butter
4 tbl flour
2 1/2 c milk
1 c sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp mustard powder
salt and black pepper

1. heat olive oil in large stock pot. brown bacon. add garlic, onions and carrots. cook for 5 minutes or until softened. add tomato paste, stock and seasoning (salt and black pepper). bring to a boil, cover and simmer for 30 min. add chicken for last 10 minutes.
2. on to the sauce... melt butter in saucepan, add flour and gradually blend in the milk, stirring until smooth. bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened, and simmer for several minutes. add half of the cheddar cheese and mustard. season to taste.
3. layer the following in casserole dish with chicken mixture, lasagne noodles, cheese sauce (save some for top) repeatedly ending with chicken mixture.
4. pour the cheese sauce over the top and sprinkle remaining cheddar. bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until lightly browned on top.

 

adapted from jeni wright

easy peezy

another dedication to my non-cooking friends. this recipe is beyond easy and really quite healthy. lately, i've been serving on a bed of spinach with a red wine vinaigrette. simply delicious! also a tidbit of information... when you are buying whole wheat bread check the ingredients. if the word "whole" isn't in front of wheat it isn't actually whole wheat.

walnut-crusted chicken breast

2 pieces toasted whole wheat bread
1/3 c walnuts
2 tbl parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper
1 large egg white
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tbl olive oil

1. combine bread, walnuts, parmesan cheese and a generous amount of salt and pepper in a food processor. pulse until fine breadcrumbs form. place in a shallow bowl.
2. season chicken breast with salt and pepper, dip in egg white and dip in breadcrumbs. press the crumbs into the chicken so they stick.
3. heat oil in a nonstick ovenproof skillet. add chicken and cook until browned. (3 minutes on each side). throw the skillet in the oven at 425 degrees for 8-10 additional minutes until chicken is cooked through.

adapted from martha stewart