Posts Tagged ‘chicken’

What’s for Dinner? Volume 5

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

This will probably be the last What’s for Dinner post for a while because this week I’ve found myself repeating stuff I’ve made during the last 4 installments. So if none of this week’s meals look good, go back and check out volumes 1, 2, 3, or 4 to get some home-cooked inspiration.

1. Angel Sugar Cookies – The Pioneer Woman (DANGER: IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP EATING)
2. Marlboro Man’s Favorite Sandwich – The Pioneer Woman
3. Lemony Crispy Chicken Cutlets and Roasted Tomato Salad – Rachel Ray 365: No Repeats
4. Penne a la Betsy – The Pioneer Woman

5. Spicy Shrimp & Noodle Soup – Soup or Salad Blog
6. Pan-Roasted Garlic and Herb Chicken Breasts with Chopped Salad and Creamy Caper Dressing – Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats (This salad is so delicious I eat practically the whole 4 servings myself every time. I am extremely sorry Rachael doesn’t have it on her website.)
7. Couple-of-Minute Steaks and Potato Ragout – Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats
8. Chef Salad Bar – Inspired by Soup or Salad Blog

My favorites from the week were definitely the cookies, the spicy soup and the salad bar. I ate way too much those days, especially the salad bar – I should NOT have bought three different kinds of cheese plus my favorite Caesar dressing. It makes salad so delicious and soooooo not really salad anymore. Also, while I was writing this post my craving for more sugar cookies has gotten entirely out of control. I’ll be making those again soon. Or now.

Suzanne’s Thai Chicken Pizza

Friday, February 25th, 2011

This is half Rachael Ray’s Thai Chicken Pizza and half California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken Pizza with a dash of “oh crap I don’t have that in my fridge, what can I use instead?” I never get tired of making or eating it, and it’s the perfect meal to share with a toddler – lots of nice little bite sized things. Just watch out for the peanuts.

Suzanne’s Thai Chicken Pizza

1 store-bought thin crust pizza crust
1 bottle duck or plum sauce
Sprinkle red pepper flakes
2 cups Monterey Jack cheese
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons peanut butter (we only ever have crunchy)
A couple of good dashes of Tabasco
A couple of good dashes of grill seasoning (whatever you happen to have in the pantry)
3-4 thin cut chicken breasts
2 tablespoons apricot preserves (honey works too)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup mung bean sprouts (they’re next to the tofu at my Stop & Shop)
4-5 scallions
Cilantro
Peanuts

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Put the pizza crust on a rectangular cookie sheet and stretch it so it fits exactly. Pour the bottle of duck/plum sauce over the crust like it’s tomato sauce. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and then the cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.

In a medium sized bowl or dish, mix the vegetable oil, peanut butter, Tabasco, and grill seasoning. Toss in the chicken and stir it all around to coat well. Heat up a grill pan (I just use the thing I use for grilled cheese)(I cannot remember what that kind of pan is called) to medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for a couple of minutes on each side. This is the reason I use the thin sliced chicken – it doesn’t take very long and it’s hard to accidentally leave a raw spot in the center. When it’s cooked, slice it up into bit sized pieces.

In another bowl, mix the cider vinegar and apricot preserves. Add the shredded carrots and toss it all together so they absorb some of the liquid.

Now chop up your scallions and cilantro. I love scallions so I tend to use a LOT and I don’t chop them up super small.

Once the pizza is done, top it with the chicken, then the carrots and mung beans, then the scallions, cilantro and peanuts.

The original recipe claims it feeds 4 people but E and I usually eat all but one or two small pieces, especially now that Little Evan can eat a whole piece on his own. A lot of the toppings tend to fall off during the hand-to-mouth transfer so keep a fork handy to shovel them back on. Enjoy!