Chicken Roll-Ups

It's been a long time since I've posted and I'm pretty excited about this one so I'll jump right into it.

1 bag of Spinach (about 10oz if doing fresh)
1 cup of Ricotta Cheese (can use sour cream or even plain Greek yogurt)
1/4 cup diced Bell Peppers (Doesn't matter if they are red green yellow orange or purple completely optional)
3 Mushrooms diced
3-4 cloves of Garlic
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
4 Chicken Breast pounded 1/2 inch thick
8 slices of Bacon
4-5 tablespoons of olive oil


Pre-heat oven to 375
Heat oil in a pan. Once hot add garlicand cook til aromatic. Add in mushrooms and peppers cook until tender. Add you spinach stirring until all the leaves have wilted. Tranfer to a bowl and drain off any extra liquids.
Add to your spinach the ricotta and Parmesan cheese. Stirring til combined
Lay the chicken breast out season lightly and spoon some of the mixture into each one. Roll chicken up and wrap 2 slices of bacon around each. Secure with a toothpick.

Place chicken in a baking dish in pre-heated oven for about 35-40minutes. Place under broiler for addition 5 minutes to fully brown bacon.


HINTS, TIPS, AND SUGGESTIONS:

• I used a cast iron skillet for this whole recipe. I sauteed my spinach and poured it in a bowl. Then pour about half a cup of white wine in the skillet while I rolled the chicken. (Thats why it's in the picture lol) If your using a baking dish you can still pour in the wine FYI
• When the chicken was done and the wine reduced I added a tablespoon of butter and spooned it over the chicken before serving. A tip I got from a friend, Darius. Please go visit his blog. Also used a little nutmeg to season my spinach
• If you're like me and don't care for bacon, feel free to omit that step. But please make sure to secure the chicken closed with baking string or toothpicks.
• They sell chicken breast already flattened out.
• Try this recipe with kale
• Also feel free to try different cheese. Parmesan is just my favorite.
• If you are a fan of heat, try adding paprika, red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper to the spinach mixture

White Bean Chicken Chili

So I'm sure everyone loves chili or knows someone that does. It was a staple in my house growing up in the winter months and even as an adult I continue to make it. So I decided to try something a little different and I encourage you to adjust this according to your taste. The best part of all this, you only need one pot.

2 tablespoons of olive oil
half an onion diced
2-3 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
1 bunch of green onion chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 lbs of ground chicken
2 tablespoons of cumin
1 tablespoon of dried oregano
2 teaspoon of chili powder
3 tablespoons of flour
4 cups of chicken stock
4 (15 ounce) cans of any white bean drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to season

In a large pot heat oil over medium heat.
Saute onions and peppers til tender, about 5 minutes.
Add meat and seasoning to the pot. Cooking until meat is done (about  10 minutes)
Sprinkle flour over meat and stir.
Bring liquid to a boil then lower the heat til it simmers.
Simmer chili til liquid has thickened and reduced to about half.


Tips:

• For a little extra heat add red chili pepper flakes and simmer for an addition 10 minutes
• Try other peppers but remember the heat is in the seeds and vein
• Serve with a nice heap of sour cream cheese and croutons
• This would probably work well with left over turkey (add it in at the end since it's already cooked)
• Also try with chicken breast. 
• Add corn. At the same point that you add the beans

Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad Sandwich with Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients

• 4 cups cooked chicken, Diced
• 2 stalks Celery, Chopped
• 1/4 cup Red Onion, Diced
• 3 whole Green Onions, Chopped
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• A Small Handful Of Fresh or Dried Herbs (parsley, dill, or cilantro work great), Minced
• 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
• Juice Of One Lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
• Kosher Salt To Taste
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper To Taste 

Combine mayo and sour cream with lemon juice (vinegar can also be used). Stir in herbs and brown sugar.And heavily add your salt and pepper (especially if you didn't season your chicken). Mix in with chicken and both the green and red onion. Refrigerate one hour before serving.  

Tips

Serve with crackers at a party. If you're cutting crabs try it in a tortilla wrap or a lettuce wrap.

Great way to get rid of that leftover chicken from the holiday so it doesn't waste

Try crumbling some bacon (turkey or pork) in for a added crunch

Don't like sour cream try some plain yogurt or just use a whole cup of mayo

If you want a creamier salad add a little more mayo and sour cream

What's For Dinner

So because of my work schedule I generally only cook one meal per week. It will generally last me into the weekend as I'm off on Thursday. But I'm always looking for something quick easy and, of course, delicious. So last week it was baked chicken with garlic smashed potatoes and corn. You can do this for almost any baked meat and I guarantee you will love it.

What you will need:
A baking dish
aluminum foil
chicken (wing or drumstick work best)
seasoning (whatever is in you cabinet)
rough cut vegetables like carrots celery onion (optional)
1 cup of milk
flour

Take your chicken and season it on both sides. Place your rough cut veggies into the baking dish with chicken cover tightly with foil, or lid if you have one. The chicken needs to sweat and you want to use those juices to make the gravy. Place covered pan into a preheated oven (about 325). Cook for 1hr to 1.5hr. Juices should run clear and internal temp. should be about 175 (180 by standard but it will get there trust me). Once chicken is done it's time to start plating up the food, but lets do the gravy first. Pour most the juice from the chicken into a warm skillet on med low heat. Pour the rest  into a dish with the milk then add to the skillet. Slowly add 1-2 tablespoon of flour to the mix and simmer until thick and your gravy is done. You can use more or less flour just remember its easier to add but once its in you can't take out.

Once gravy is done, try adding the chicken to the gravy and simmer for a few minutes while prepping the rest of dinner. Then you'll have smothered baked chicken for dinner.