Chicken fettuccine with roasted pecans

My parents went on a Mississippi River cruise earlier this year and delighted in various meals along the route. They came home with several cookbooks from the trip, including Best of the Best from Mississippi. The “best of the best” series publishes favorite recipes from all 50 states. Check out the authors’ Facebook page here.

The Mississippi book is chock-full of terrific recipes that celebrate the state’s seafood, agriculture, and history. I made a list of more than 40 recipes I wanted to try from this book, so my parents let me borrow it for a while. (Thanks, guys!!)  The first thing I made was chicken fettuccine with roasted pecans. It was creamy and crunchy and downright delicious. It was so pretty I put it in an antique serving dish before we dug in!

Chicken fettuccine with roasted pecans

¾ cup margarine, divided

3 boneless chicken breasts, cubed

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1 ½ cups sliced green onions

¾ teaspoon salt, divided

½ teaspoon pepper, divided

½ teaspoon garlic powder, divided

10 ounces fettuccine or linguini

2/3 cup half and half

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup chopped pecans, roasted

Melt ¼ cup margarine in a large skillet. Add chicken and sauté until lightly browned. Add mushrooms, green onions, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder. Sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt. While pasta is cooking, melt remaining ½ cup margarine. Combine half and half, parsley, remaining salt, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl. Mix well. Drain pasta and put in a 2-quart dish. Pour margarine mixture into chicken-vegetable mixture. Cook over medium heat until thickened slightly. Pour over pasta; top with cheese and roasted pecans. I added some extra parsley, sprinkled across the top. Serve immediately. Yield: 8 servings.

Parmesan chicken tenders

I turned leftover potato chip crumbs into dinner last week, using my mom’s parmesan chicken as inspiration.  I crushed the crumbs up, added some panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese, then used that as a coating to make homemade chicken tenders.  The results were delicious and I was glad to use items I already had on hand.

Parmesan chicken tenders

2-3 boneless chicken breasts, cut in 2 inch cubes

½ cup potato chip crumbs (mine were sour cream and onion)

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese

Combine the chips, breadcrumbs and cheese in a bowl, stirring to blend.  I did not add additional salt and pepper to the coating, but I did salt and pepper the chicken pieces before dredging them in the coating.  Shake off excess coating and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick coating.

Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, turning after about 10 minutes. They will brown nicely and look like this when they are done:

My husband and youngest son loved them!  This is a super simple dinner that could be made with ingredients on hand. I added broccoli and rice and called dinner done! (Using the fine China!)

Barbecue chicken soup

For all the recipes I post on this blog, the truth is this: It's rare that I cook from a specific recipe. Almost always I improvise something on the fly, based on my preferences and what I have on hand. Like many of my recipes, I came up with this dish after pulling things together from the cabinet and freezer.


But this soup, with tender chicken, plenty of veggies, and smokiness from some added barbecue sauce, is a keeper! If you love Brunswick stew, you will want to try this one, too. Most cooks probably have these ingredients on hand at any time, so consider this dish when you need a new recipe and you don't want to go to the store.


Barbecue chicken soup


3 chicken breasts, diced
16 ounce bag frozen, mixed vegetables
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 quart water
¼ cup barbecue sauce
½ teaspoon crushed basil
Salt and pepper

In a medium skillet, brown the chicken pieces in oil. Place the chicken in a 6-quart slow cooker.  Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Cook on low for 8 hours.

This dish had a great flavor, thanks to the barbecue sauce and the crushed basil. I grew fresh basil last summer, and then dried the leaves for use all winter. Be sure to plant some basil this year, so you can enjoy it fresh all summer (and so you can dry the leaves when the weather turns cold.) Here’s how to harvest and dry basil, step by step.

Suzanne's Secret Six-Minute Sauce

This is one of my daughter's favorite recipes and a foolproof way to transform leftovers into something special. We'll all have leftover turkey this week, so consider putting some of it in this easy sauce. This recipe produces a velvety sauce in the microwave in 6 minutes. Seriously. I started tinkering with this method as a teenager, once I learned the magic thickening power of cornstarch. You can add items to the recipe that you enjoy, but here is the basic method.

You'll need:
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 white wine (optional, but I love it)
2-3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Salt and pepper

You can use any glass container, but I prefer a 4-cup glass Pyrex measuring cup with a spout and handle. This lets you stir and pour easily. Add all the ingredients to the container and stir to combine. Blend the cornstarch completely; the cheese will not incorporate until the sauce is hot.

Here's what it looks like to start:

Place the container in the microwave and heat on high for two minutes. The butter will start to melt and the sauce will look like this:

Stir the sauce and heat for two more minutes. The sauce will tighten up more and look like this:

Again, stir thoroughly and give the sauce 1-2 minutes more (based on the power of your microwave). I find that three rounds of 2 minutes each is perfect at my house.

You sauce will now look like this:

I added about a cup of cooked chicken, a half cup of sauteed mushrooms and some steamed spinach to produce this:

Yummy, huh? This is a great way to use roasted chicken, like I suggested on Sunday. This is one of my daughter's all-time favorites, plus it is easy and quick to prepare. And you don't have to whisk or try to avoid lumps. This is a lump-free method that yields about 3 cups of sauce.

Perfect roast chicken

I realize most people have turkey on the brain, since Thanksgiving, the whopper of all turkey holidays, is just days away. Consider this my urging to learn the basics of roasting chicken. I roasted a pan of chicken thighs last week and made two delicious meals from it. For about $5, you can feed a family at least twice.

For simplicity, and easy cleanup, consider the method I use to roast chicken. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the chicken pieces on the foil. Sprinkle with lemon juice, then follow with a liberal sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast the chicken at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes, until the skin is crackly crisp and the meat is tender. Let cool, skin and debone for any recipe that calls for roast chicken. Or serve with whatever accompaniments you enjoy.

I think roasting chicken parts -- bone-in breasts or thighs, especially -- is a cost-saving and time-saving method for great meals. So if you love chicken salad, chicken casseroles or pretty much any dish with chicken, roast a batch on Sundays and enjoy it throughout the week. Some favorite offerings to come later this week.

Suzanne's smothered chicken

This one is an oldie, but a goodie. I started making this recipe in the early 1990s, when I worked long hours at a small newspaper. It is a delicious recipe, easy to make and a perfect recipe for moms who work late and still want a homemade dinner (like me). You can use canned mushrooms in this dish (I've done it many times for speed and convenience), but fresh mushrooms make it even better.

You'll need:

6 chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 medium onion, sliced in rings
1 pound fresh mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 cup red wine (use chicken stock or apple juice, if you don't use alcohol)

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a medium skillet, then brown the chicken thighs on both sides. Put the chicken thighs in a 6-quart slow cooker.

In the same skillet, add the mushrooms and cook over medium heat until they are slightly browned. Add onion, oregano and basil.

Deglaze the pan with the wine, then pour all over the chicken.

Cook on low for about 8 hours until it looks like this:

Looks terrific, right?

I served the chicken with rice and peas and it was fantastic -- tender, tasty and easy!

A chicken in every pot

Several weeks ago, my husband asked me whether I could make chicken stew. Everyone makes beef stew, it seems, but what about changing the recipe and using chicken? It was a great idea, so I jumped on it and came up with this dish. Readers of this blog know I am a big fan of beef stew, so I used the basic technique to come up with this.

Chicken stew

You'll need:
1 pound of chicken, cut in 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons cooking oil
3 potatoes, diced
2 cups carrots, diced
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 cups water
2 cups corn (frozen or canned)
2 cups diced tomatoes, with chipotle peppers
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley to garish

In a medium skillet, brown the chicken in oil.

Put the diced potatoes and carrots in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Add the browned chicken and diced tomatoes.

Deglaze the skillet with white wine, then add to the cooker. Add barbecue sauce, water and corn. Stir well to combine and cook on low for about 8 hours.

Garnish the bowls with chopped parsley. Yield is about 10 cups.

Brown sugar chicken

This recipe is from 365 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes and just downright delicious. I'm giving full credit to Nicole Phillips and her terrific book -- I didn't change a thing in the recipe, although I think I used slightly less than two pounds of chicken. And I really did use the Domino "Brownulated" sugar in this dish. It pours like granulated white sugar -- no clumping!

My husband grumbled when I told him I was trying a new recipe, but raved (I mean RAVED!) when he tasted this dish. It is sweet and salty and sour and fantastic. Plus, you might already have all the ingredients on hand.

I know this is a slow cooker dish, but I made it in the oven. I covered and cooked the chicken for about an hour at 350 degrees. The following instructions are for a slow cooker.

You'll need:
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut in 1-inch pieces (I used boneless thighs)
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (I used diet Sprite)
1 teaspoon black pepper
Cooked rice, to serve

Place chicken pieces in a slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients, except rice, and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve with rice. Serves 4.

When I made this dish, I used about 1.5 pounds of boneless chicken thighs. I think (at least based on my family) it yielded about 5 servings. And it is one of my husband's new favorites.

To make it in a conventional oven, cut the chicken in pieces and place them in a 3 quart casserole dish.

Blend all the sauce ingredients and pour over the chicken.

Yes, it's got plenty of garlic, but that is what makes it good!

I baked mine in a 350 degree oven for about an hour. Cover the dish with foil -- you don't want this sticky, sweet sauce splattering around in the oven.

Serve over cooked rice...

...and forgive the horrible kitchen lighting in this photo!

Blast from the past

This is my all-time favorite frozen meal, and one I had not seen in years. I found a couple at the Walmart in Bristol (Va side) recently and had to scoop them up. I'm not a big frozen meals person, but I used to eat these (maybe 10 years ago) when I worked as a writer and editor in Wise County, Va.

O.K. Stouffer's, you were my guilty pleasure. And for some weird reason, I would eat this with saltine crackers. Who knows? But I recreated the experience when I found these meals again recently. Yum!

Creamy enchiladas

My family loves Mexican food, but I hate how fattening many recipes can be. Too often, Mexican dishes are full of cheese, lard or are fried in grease. I came up with this recipe to fill the craving for Mexican food, without all the extra fat and calories. Plain yogurt with a sprinkling of lemon juice is an excellent substitute for sour cream. Sour cream has about 100 calories per tablespoon; yogurt has about 100 calories per cup. This recipe is creamy and satisfying, but with considerably less fat and calories of many similar dishes.

Creamy enchiladas
2 cups cooked chicken, diced
1 cup plain yogurt
4 ounce can green chilies
1/3 cup salsa
14.5 ounce can cream of mushroom soup
8 flour tortillas
½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated

In a large bowl, mix together the yogurt, chilies, salsa and mushroom soup.

Put a couple of spoonfuls of the yougurt/soup mixture in the middle of a tortilla. Add one-eighth of the chicken and a sprinkling of cheese.

Roll the tortilla and place seam side down in a greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Repeat with the remaining tortillas. You should have leftover yogurt/soup mixture – spread this over the rolled tortillas and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees until enchiladas are browned and bubbly on top.

Yield: 8 enchiladas. Serve with rice and fruit.

Start Your Ovens: Rosemary Chicken

I’m having fun as I cook and eat my way through “Start Your Ovens: Cooking the Way it Ought’a Be,” the official cookbook of the Bristol Motor Speedway. It was developed by the Junior League of Bristol to showcase fantastic recipes by Junior League members, NASCAR drivers, their wives and others who have made terrific meals at BMS. In celebration of their efforts, and the 50th anniversary of BMS, I am giving away a copy of this book in a contest that ended Aug. 31, 2011.

This Grilled Rosemary Chicken recipe is exceptionally flavorful. If you have a backyard grill and a rosemary plant growing outside, you could enjoy this delicious meal for dinner tomorrow. No fresh rosemary? Stop by any grocery store – fresh herbs are commonplace.

To make Grilled Rosemary Chicken, you will need:

8 to 12 boneless skinless chicken breasts
16 ounce bottle Italian salad dressing
½ cup dry white wine
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup (rounded) packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
! teaspoon pepper

Place the chicken in a deep plastic or glass bowl or in a large sealable plastic bag. (I use both -- put the bag in a larger container to avoid any spillage.)

Combine the salad dressing, wine, soy sauce, brown sugar, rosemary, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well. Pour over the chicken, turning to coat. Marinate, covered, in the refrigerator for 8 to 10 hours, turning occasionally.

Drain the chicken, reserving the marinade. Grill on hot coals until the chicken is cooked through, turning and basting with the reserved marinade occasionally. Yield: 8 to 12 servings.

Here’s the chicken, just getting started:

And after about 30 minutes, once it is cooked through:

I served the Grilled Rosemary Chicken with another terrific dish from “Start Your Ovens,” Broccoli Salad Supreme. It was fantastic! Happy Friday, all!

Chicken in wine in the slow cooker, 2.0

I tried my hand at coq au vin in the slow cooker recently, after seeing a recipe in a favorite cookbook. It wasn’t as fancy, or involved, as the original recipe, but the results were delicious – red wine, thyme and garlic gave a great depth of flavor.

To try it yourself, you will need:

8-10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 medium onion, cut in wedges
1 cup carrots, in bite-sized pieces
6-8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 cup red wine
½ cup mushrooms (canned is fine; just drain first)
2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Salt and pepper

Place the onion and carrots in a 6-quart slow cooker.

Cook, drain and crumble the bacon. Place the chicken pieces over the carrots and onions, then top with garlic, mushrooms and bacon. Pour red wine over all.

Top the mixture with salt, pepper and sprigs of fresh thyme. Yes, these sprigs came right out of my tiny herb garden.

Cook on low for about 7 hours. This dish is excellent with pasta or rice. I used mini fusilli.

This dish was terrific – the chicken was fall-apart tender and had a delicious flavor thanks to the wine, thyme and bacon. Try it soon!

Chicken in red wine, in the slow cooker

My house smells delicious right now because a huge pot of coq au vin has been cooking all day in my slow cooker. Coq au vin (chicken in wine) is a French staple and something I normally equate with being involved and time consuming. If you want a full version of the traditional recipe, use Julia Child’s method.

But I got excited when I saw a much easier version in one of my favorite slow cooker books: “Make it Fast, Cook it Slow: The Big Book of Everyday Slow Cooking.” The book, by home cook and mother Stephanie O’Dea, is the result of a year’s worth of slow cooker cooking. In 2008, O’Dea resolved to use her slow cooker every day of the year. She chronicled her recipes – the successes and the failures – on a website called A Year of Slow Cooking. You can access that site here.

If you want to read more about O’Dea, her popular shortcuts and her cookbooks, check out this link.
If you want to get a copy of “Make it Fast, Cook it Slow” go here.

My sweet husband got me a copy last year, and it is terrific. I especially love how she included popular take-out recipes that can be made at home easily and inexpensively.

Photos to come soon on my version of coq au vin – gotta finish cooking it first.

Can't beat cornflakes and cheese

Hot chicken salad: Every family in the South (and perhaps elsewhere) has a version of this recipe. It’s a great way to use up leftovers and turn them into something special. Most all the variations I have seen use crushed potato chips or corn flakes as a crunchy topping.

I recently bought a rice cooker and despite Alton Brown’s edict to avoid one-purpose devices, I love mine and have used it many times. I measure out the rice and water, turn it on and get on to other things. (It is cooking rice right now, while I work on this post, btw.) Last week, I had all the basics for this dish on hand – chicken, rice, cheese, corn flakes, so I set to work.

In a 9x13 dish, I combined 2 cups cooked chicken, ½ cup of mayonnaise, 2 cups of cooked rice (thank you rice cooker!), 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup and a ½ cup of milk. I sprinkled it with salt and pepper…

…then added a cup of green peas, straight from the freezer.

In a medium bow, I mixed 1 cup of crushed cornflakes and ½ cup grated Cheddar cheese. I like mixing the two, then adding it as a topping -- it blends completely and the cheese helps brown the crunchy top, without adding more butter or margarine.

Bake the casserole 20-30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Delicious!

Here’s the complete recipe

HOT CHICKEN SALAD

2 cups cooked chicken
½ cup mayonnaise
2 cups cooked rice
1 can cream of mushroom soup
½ cup milk
Salt and pepper
1 cup green peas, frozen
1 cup crushed cornflakes
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients except cornflakes and cheese together and spread in a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Top with the cornflakes and cheese, which have been mixed together. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 20-30 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

Giving chicken a turn

I’ve had such success with using pork to make a filling for burritos or quesadillas that I thought I would try the same technique using chicken. My children all love Mexican food, but making it at home is so much less expensive. And this method is simple and delicious.

Take a pound of boneless chicken and put it in a 2 quart pan. Slice an onion into wedges. Sprinkle the chicken and onions lightly with salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper and sugar. Cover the pan with foil and bake in a 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, top with 2/3 to 1 cup of salsa. Cover with foil and return to the oven for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven, let rest about 15 minutes, then shred with two forks.

I served the onions separately.

I also made a cheese sauce. In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour. Blend flour into butter and cook for 2 minutes. Slowly add 1½ cups milk, blending with a whisk to prevent lumps. Cook for 2 minutes. Add 1 cup shredded cheese (I used a Colby/Jack blend) and stir to melt completely. Add 2 tablespoons of salsa and stir to blend.

We made burritos with this filling and sauce, adding lettuce, salsa and rice – a delicious, easy meal.