Goudy Straight Trippin'

Category: Main – chicken

  • Thai Basil Chicken

    Thai Basil Chicken

    OH MY GOODNESS! This dish is so easy to make and it is absolutely delicious! I absolutely LOVE Thai Basil Chicken. We were introduced to a little Thai restaurant here in Bahrain last year, Chompunuch. I sometimes crave their Stir Fried Basil Chicken and decided to make it myself to see how it would turn out. I followed the recipe only adding a basil rub, some peppers and onions, and taking out a few of the peppers as I do not handle spicy well and it was fabulous! The guys gave it two thumbs up!

    Stir Fried Basil Chicken

    • 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
    • 5 cloves of minced garlic
    • 1 small onion, diced
    • 1 red pepper, sliced
    • 1/2 lb ground chicken
    • 1 Tablespoon Basil Rub (I use Pampered Chef)
    • 1-2 packages holy basil (I used fresh basil)
    • 4-7 minced Thai chili peppers
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil

    Directions

    Mince garlic and chili peppers together. Clean basil leaves and pick from their stems. Remember, the basil will shrink down when cooked so don’t worry if you think you have too many basil leaves.

    Sautee the garlic, chili peppers, onion and red peppers in olive oil. Next, add ground chicken and Basil Rub. Cook till chicken is done. Add fish sauce and basil taking care to mix the basil leaves with the meat and to not overcook it (only a couple of minutes). Remove from heat and serve hot with garlic fried rice.  

    TIPS 

    • Make sure to remove the seeds from the chili peppers, unless you like it burning hot!
    • I took a package of chicken breast and used my Food Chopper (Pampered Chef) to dice my chicken up before cooking it.
  • Chicken Salad Sandwich

    Chicken Salad Sandwich

    Chicken Salad sandwiches are among my favorite! This recipe is quick and easy and really takes no time at all. It is also very hard to give exact measurements of the ingredients used in this recipe, as you can add or subtract according to you and your family’s tastes. Mine changes all the time depending on what I have in the kitchen.

    Ingredients:

    • 2-3 chicken breasts, cooked
    • 2 stalks of celery, diced
    • A handful of seedless red grapes, sliced
    • A dollup of mustard
    • About 1-2 cups of mayonnaise (use less or more depending on dryness and taste preference)
    • Salt and pepper to taste  

    Directions:

    Boil the chicken with onions, garlic and a celery stalk. I take the broth and freeze it for later use (i.e. soup or chicken and dumplings).

    In a food processor, place the cooked chicken and chop until it is the consistency you desire (I prefer mine to be finely shredded). Next blend in the celery, mustard, and mayo together with the chicken. Next, add salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the grapes. Cover and place prepared chicken salad in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before serving.

    Different variations: 

    • Chopped green onion also works well with the sweetness of the grapes.
    • If you don’t have grapes, you could try adding raisins or dried cranberries.
    • Walnuts are a great addition as well, however, you could substitute pecans, or cashews or actually any nut for the walnuts. 

    If you do not have a food processor, shred the chicken using forks then continue with directions as above.

  • Chicken and Dumplings

    Chicken and Dumplings

    Valentine’s Day in Bahrain means cooking a dinner at home and not going out because February 14 has a different meaning in Bahrain.  While some call this uprising, others have named it Revolution Day, and let’s just say it is safer to stay home than go out. It may sound a little scary to those of you back in the US, however, rest assured it is not too bad. So for this Valentine’s Day, I decided to make Chicken and Dumplings which taste just like my Mamaw’s, some crack biscuits and brownies. The guys love my crack biscuits! You can find the crack biscuits here. The brownie recipe was a new Pinterest recipe that FAILED and will not be posted. So gather up your ingredients and let’s get started!

    Ingredients:

    • dumplings:

      • 4 cups of self-rising flour*

      • 2/3 cup of oil

      • 2 eggs

      • black pepper

    • CHICKEN AND BROTH

      • salt

      • garlic

      • 2 cans of Cream of Mushroom Soup

      • 4 cups of chicken broth (saved from chicken)

      • 1 cup of celery, diced

      • 1 small onion, diced

    Directions:

    Boil the chicken, celery, onion with garlic, salt and pepper until the chicken is tender and cooked completely. Debone the chicken preserving the broth, add the chicken and soups back into the pot. 

    You can also use precooked chicken and chicken broth from a can or box, whatever works for you!

    * If you do not have self-rising flour, you can make your own. For 1 cup of all purpose flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

    In a medium size bowl, mix flour, oil, eggs and pepper, adding water until doughy. Next, on a floured surface, roll out the dough until it is very thin and using a butter knife cut into long strips. Repeat until all of your dough is cut into strips. Bring your broth to a slow boil. Next, add your dumplings one at a time into the broth, keep on a slow boil until done, making sure to stir so that it does not stick or burn. Depending on how big of a batch you made, this process could take anywhere to 25-30 minutes. Enjoy!

  • Chicken Parmesan Soup

    This is a Pampered Chef recipe and it is delicious!

    Ingredients:
    1/4 of a 16-oz loaf French bread
    2 tbsp olive oil
    3 tbsp Garlic & Herb Rub, divided
    1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
    2 cups marinara sauce
    1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with garlic and onion (about 1 3/4 cups/425 mL), undrained

    2 1/2 cups (625 mL) diced cooked chicken breasts
    3 garlic cloves
    1 oz (30 g) fresh Parmesan cheese
    3/4 cup (175 mL) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

    Directions:
    1. Cut bread into 3/4-in. (2-cm) cubes. (You
    should have about 2 cups/500 mL.)

    2. Toss bread cubes, oil and 1 tbsp (15 mL)
    of the rub in Deep Covered Baker.

    3. Microwave bread cubes, uncovered,
    on HIGH 3–4 minutes or until they
    begin to brown, stirring every minute.
    Spread croutons over a piece of
    Parchment Paper to cool.

    4. Stir stock, remaining 2 tbsp (30 mL)
    rub, marinara sauce, tomatoes,
    chicken and garlic pressed with Garlic
    Press into baker.

    5. Microwave, covered, on HIGH
    11–13 minutes or until soup is hot.

    6. Grate Parmesan using a fine grater.

    7. Carefully remove baker from
    microwave and stir in Parmesan.

    8. Top soup with half of the mozzarella
    and sprinkle with half of the croutons.
    Top with remaining mozzarella.

    9. Let stand, covered, 2–3 minutes or
    until cheese is melted. Serve soup
    with remaining croutons.

    Yield: 6 servings

    Nutrients per serving: (about 1¼ cups/300 mL): Calories 330, Total Fat 13 g, Saturated Fat 4 g, Cholesterol 60 mg, Sodium 980 mg, Carbohydrate 23 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 28 g

    Cook’s Tip: Garlic Oil can be
    substituted for the olive oil, if desired.

    Croutons can be stored at room
    temperature in an airtight container or
    resealable plastic bag for 3 to 5 days.
    Make extra and save them for your
    salad!

  • Chicken Cordon Bleu

    Stephen and I started a new way of eating this month called Clean Eating, basically no sugars (unless natural), all whole wheat and no processed foods, so far so good! Pinterest is my best friend! I love searching for new recipes on there and testing them out to see how Stephen likes them. This one I made last night and it was scrumptious!

    INGREDIENTS:

    • 2 4-oz boneless, skinless chicken breasts

    • 2 large spinach leaves, washed stems removed

    • 2 wedges light cheese

    • 1 oz ham

    • Paprika, to taste

    • 1 clove garlic, minced

    • 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

    • 1 cup mushrooms, sliced

    • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper

    DIJON YOGURT SAUCE

    • 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

    • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard

    • 1/2 tsp 1% buttermilk

    • 2 tbsp chives, chopped

    INSTRUCTIONS:

    1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Pound chicken with a mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. Be careful not to tear apart the breast. Lay 1 spinach leaf on top of each breast. Then spread cheese wedge to cover spinach. Top with 1/2 slice ham, folding ham over as needed to fit breast. Gently roll up each breast and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle outer side of breast with paprika. Bake in oven for 20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.

    2. While chicken is baking, sauté garlic in oil in a nonstick skillet for 1 minute on medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and pepper. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes until soft. Remove from heat. Cover and set aside.

    3. To prepare sauce, whisk together yogurt, mustard and buttermilk. Mix in chives.

    4.  Divide mushrooms equally between 2 plates, about 1/4 cup each. Then place chicken on bed of mushrooms and drizzle 1/4 cup yogurt sauce over top. 

    Variations: I did not make it with the mushrooms or the yogurt sauce. I did add some crushed croutons to the top (I was out of my homemade bread crumbs!) And our chicken took a little longer than 20 mins.

  • White Chicken Enchiladas

    This is one our family’s favorites and they are hit here as well! We made this for our Mexican Dinner Party we hosted this past weekend and everyone loved them. 

    INGREDIENTS

    8 soft flour tortillas
    2 cups cooked, shredded chicken*
    2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
    3 Tbsp. butter
    1 cup sour cream
    1 (4 oz) can diced green chillies
    1 tsp dried cilantro
    1 can cream of chicken soup 
    1 can of Old El Paso Green Enchilada Sauce

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

    Mix cream of chicken soup, sour cream, green chilies and 1/4 of the enchilada sauce together. Fold in chicken. Place an equal amount of the mixture into each tortilla.  Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down in the pan. 

    Pour the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese.

    Bake 20-25 minutes.

    * My shredded chicken: I melt 2 T butter and a clove of garlic then I add my uncut chicken into the pan.  I turn once taking them out once they are 98% cooked, then I place them on a cutting board and shred them with a knife and fork. I add more butter (if needed) and 1 chopped onion, and then add my shredded chicken back to the pan. Depending on my mood, I sometimes I add a tsp of taco seasoning and 1/4 cup of water. Let the chicken finish cooking and then use as directed above.

  • Parmesan Chicken

    INGREDIENTS

    • 1 clove garlic, minced
    • 1 stick unsalted butter (1/2 cup or 1/4 pound), melted
    • 1 cup dried bread crumbs
    • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (or 2/3 cup if you are using a Microplane zester)
    • 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
    • 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
    • A large pinch of Italian seasoning (herb mix)
    • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 2 lbs of skinless, boneless, chicken meat, cut into pieces no larger than 2×2 inches

    METHOD

    1 Preheat oven to 450°F. Pat the chicken pieces dry with paper towels.

    2 In a bowl, combine the minced garlic with the melted butter. In another bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan, parsley, salt, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, and pepper. Dip chicken pieces into garlic butter, then into crumb mixture to coat.

    3 Place coated chicken pieces on to a 9×13 baking dish. Try to leave a little room between each piece. Drizzle with remaining garlic butter and bake uncovered 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear. Note that the chicken will get much more browned on the bottom side than on the top.

    The last time I made this dish, I ended up just coating the chicken with the breadcrumbs then sprinkling the cheeses over the top – both come out tasting delicious!

  • Creamy pesto chicken

    Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes:

    3 pieces of chicken

    2 tbl lemon juice

    special spices (use any you would like for you chicken)

    olive oil

    Pesto sauce:

    Pesto (McCormick bag – add water and oil)

    Cream Sauce:

    2 cloves of garlic

    2 tbl butter

    1 cup heavy cream or half and half

    1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese

    2 tsp lemon juice

    Pasta of choice

    While the chicken is grilling, cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Set pasta aside and keep warm. (You can either grill your chicken or cook it on the stove. I cook mine on the stove in butter and olive oil and then set aside)

    Meanwhile, prepare the pesto sauce, follow directions on the package or make your own. Next prepare the cream sauce. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in milk and lemon juice. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, add pesto and cook about 3-5 minutes making sure not to burn the milk.

    Toss cooked pasta in the pesto, top with chicken and garnish with tomatoes.