Tag Archives: Chicken

instant pot

Chicken in Instant Pot

Gather the following ingredients:

Chicken

Cup of water

Seasoning

Use the rack in the instant pot

Place chicken on the rack. Do not put more in than the line at the top

Add a liquid. I add water up to the bottom of the rack. You can use chicken broth or Crockery Gourmet for chicken mix which will also make gravy.

Season the chicken as you like. If you used water you can pour vinaigrette like salad dressings over the chicken to add flaver.

If frozen cook for about 40 minutes. If thawed it should only take 15- 20 minutes.

Put the lid on and set to seal. Hit manual and set the time. Walk away.

When it is done cooking the timer will count up. You can vent the steam, do not put hand over steam. You can open when the steam has fully released.

If it is bone in chicken it may fall apart.

Serve.

Restaurant, Travel

Smashburger

Smashburger – chain restaurant

Eagan location – 1270 Promenade Pl, Eagan, MN 55121

Smashburger!  I am told that you are not supposed to smash a burger while making it which makes me think someone was told that and said, whatever I will do what I want.  Personally I love Smashburgers.  They are nice and thin.  I do not know why people like thick burgers.  No one needs half a pound of ground beef.  No, no, no.  All you need is one thin patty and the right bread and toppings.

Pick your sandwich:  beef or chicken if you like.  Add a side.  I like they Smashfries.  The flavoring added to it is very nice.  Also I love the thin fries.  I wonder if McDonald’s would be as good as Smashburger if they had not gone down the path of low quality versus the obviously high quality food that you will receive at Smashburger.

You have other choices of course.  I like their malts.

If you find yourself near a Smashburger I highly recommend eating there.  The sauces and grease might drip down your arm over onto your basket, but that is part of what makes this food amazing.

Smashburger malt

Apple Valley location – 7394 153rd St W #100, Apple Valley, MN 55124

If you are in Apple Valley on a Sunday and realize that you can’t get Chick-Fil-A look across the street and get yourself a burger.

smashburger 004

This particular location is very nice.

smashburger 008

Cooking, Salads

Chicken and Red Grape Salad

Chicken and Red Grape Pasta Salad – oh yeah

Gather the following ingredients:

1 small jar Mayo or 2 cups
1 tbsp. Sugar
1/2 tbsp. Mustard
1 tbsp. Heavy Whipping Cream
16 oz Rotelle noodles
Rotisserie chicken
1 celery rib
1/2 lb cheddar cheese
Seedless Red Grapes

large pot
large bowl
small bowl

Cook the noodles and let them sit until they cool to room temperature.

rotelle noodles

In the meantime mix together the Mayo, sugar, mustard, and Heavy whipping cream in the small bowl.  Put this into the fridge to cool.

Mayo, sugar, mustard, heavy whipping cream

When the noodles are cool and the mix is chilled start to put everything together.  Put the noodles in the large bowl.  Pull the chicken apart and add it to the bowl.

chicken and noodles

Chop up the celery stick and add it.  Cube the cheddar cheese and add it to the bowl.  Add some grapes.

rotelle, chicken, cheddar, red grapes, celery

Top with the dressing from the fridge and mix.

chicken and red grape salad

Put it back into the fridge until you are ready to serve it.

 

Restaurant

Chick-Fil-A

Chick-Fil-A – Eat more chicken

If you have never eaten at a Chick-Fil-A then you have never had amazing fast food chicken.

Warning:  if you are allergic to peanuts you may want to stay away.  Take note:  cooking the waffle fries in peanut oil makes them amazing.

Chick-fil-a started down south by a southern baptist family and has never gone public which is why the quality of the food has never suffered.  Some of the restaurants are franchise.  The price back in the day seemed higher than most fast restaurants, but these days I would call it perfectly priced.

This restaurant is a throwback to a day of unapologetic cooking (peanut oil) and Styrofoam cups (look my ice isn’t melting).  They do not care about maximizing profits and appeasing everyone.  They care about offering a great meal.

Everyone talks about Chick-Fil-A’s chicken sandwich.  I disagree.  The chicken nuggets are where it is at.  Chunks of chicken very lightly coated with a great seasoning.  Always pair your chicken with waffle fries, always.  If you want sauce you need to ask because they will not.

chick-fil-a chicken nuggets and waggle fries

Minnesota

7480 153rd St W, Apple Valley, MN 55124 – Consistently great food!

The entrance to the Chick-fil-A in Apple Valley, MN

The Apple Valley Chick-Fil-A is amazing.  The food is always cooked right.  They get you through the lines inside and out quite quickly.  It looks full most of the time, but do not let that scare you off.

You can always hear children playing in the game room, not too loud.  There is a car in there about six feet or so off the ground.  Looks like fun if you are that age.

 

2500 West 79th St, Bloomington, MN 55431 – Almost great food unless it is great.

The Bloomington Chick-Fil-A is pretty good, but on occasion they do not meet the perfection of the others I have eaten at.  That being said one of the chicken sandwich’s served there was described to me as the greatest chicken sandwich ever made.

Kids really seem to like this Chick-Fil-A.  You can really hear them having a grand time in the playroom.

Cooking, Main courses

Chicken in a Crock Pot

Chicken in a Crock Pot – simple

Gather the following ingredients:

Chicken breasts 3 – 6
2 Peppers – green, red, yellow, etc.
Bacon

Crock Pot
Pan

Optional:

Rice

Place the chicken breasts into the Crock Pot.

Cut the peppers into strips like you would for fajitas.  Remove the seeds, and stem, and the ribs.  Place the peppers into the Crock Pot.

Cook the bacon.  Sometime within the first 3 hours of cooking free up some bacon.  Cut the bacon into one inch sections.  Separate the sections and place them into the pan.  Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes.  Add the bacon to the Crock Pot.  *I have made this without the bacon.  It isn’t as good.

Cook on low for 5 – 7 hours or until the chicken starts to fall apart.

This chicken is really good served over rice with the peppers and the bacon.

Video Link

Cooking, Main courses

Chicken Enchiladas

Enchiladas, Mexican rice, and refried beans. Not amazing, but what Mexican dish is? You will enjoy it.

Gather the following ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Poblano pepper

Jalapeno pepper
Enchilada sauce
Cheddar Cheese
Chicken – cooked

Tortilla, small

Mexican rice

Refried beans

Large glass pan
Medium pan
Medium sized pot with lid
Small pot

Optional:

Hot sauce

Cut the poblano into long strips and then again into small one inch or less chunks. Fry on a medium heat until done (easily cut in two with spatula). Stir often to prevent overcooking one side.

Cut the jalapenos into small bits.

Place the poblanos, jalapenos, pieces of chicken, a sprinkling of cheddar cheese, and just enough enchilada sauce to tint the chicken into a bowl. Stir. Let this sit about twenty minutes to soak in the chicken.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chicken mix placed in tortilla
Chicken mix placed in tortilla

Place chicken into the tortilla. Fold it and place it into the glass pan.
– Tortillas want to fold along the grain. Make sure you work with the natural fold.

Fill the pan.

Enchiladas in pan waiting for sauce and cheese
Enchiladas in pan waiting for sauce and cheese

Cover the enchiladas with the remaining enchilada sauce and then sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Enchiladas sprinkled with cheese and ready to cook
Enchiladas sprinkled with cheese and ready to cook

Cook for 30 minutes.

Cook the Mexican rice according to the directions. Stir every 7 minutes.
– I use butter instead of oil.

Cook the refried beans on an extremely low temperature.

When all 3 items are complete put them on the same plate and serve. Perfection.

Top with your favorite hot sauce for taste.

Cooking, Main courses

Stove Top Chicken Casserole

Stove Top and Chicken Casserole in forty minutes.

Gather the following ingredients:

Stove Top stuffing mix
1/2 stick of butter
Water

Chicken – rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or another cooked chicken
Cream of chicken soup

Small glass pan

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stove Top stuffing, cream of chicken, and one cooked chicken
Stove Top stuffing, cream of chicken, and one cooked chicken

Make the Stove Top stuffing mix according to the directions.

After the necessary 5 minutes transfer the stuffing onto the bottom of the glass pan.

Add the chicken to the top.

Cover with the cream of chicken soup.

Cooked Stove Top and chicken, quick and easy
Cooked Stove Top and chicken, quick and easy

Cook in oven for 30 minutes.

Cooking, Main courses

Chicken Strips in Marinade

Chicken Strips in Marinade is a great topping for rice.

Gather the following ingredients:

Raw chicken cut into long strips
A salad dressing, something with lemon or raspberry

Large storage bag
Small glass pan

Optional:
Rice, Uncle Ben’s Chicken and Wild Rice is a good choice

Marinade and chicken ingredients, yep just two
Marinade and chicken ingredients, yep just two

Place the chicken strips into the storage bag and cover with the salad dressing. Allow this to marinade for 30 minutes.
– If it sits too long the acids in the dressing will breakdown the protein in the chicken and make it mushy. Do not let it sit longer than a few hours. 30 minutes to an hour is optimal.

Chicken strips in marinade
Chicken strips in marinade

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook the chicken for 30 minutes.

Serve over rice if you like.

Video link to this recipe: Chicken and Dressing with Rice

Cooking, Main courses

Basque Chicken Stew

Basque Chicken Stew is one of my favorite stews. It is very light.

Gather the following ingredients:

1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 lb. tomatoes
1 lb. Yukon potatoes

1/2 lb. of bacon
3-6 chicken breasts

3 tbsp. garlic
2-3 fresh parsley sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 celery stalk cut into 3 or 4 pieces

salt
fresh ground pepper
cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup chicken broth (you can use stock)

Large frying pan
Large stew pot with lid
Cooking string

Chicken Basque Ingredients

Cut the red pepper and green pepper into 1/2 inch slices and then cut them in half. Deseed the tomato and chop it up. Peel the potatoes and cut them into halves or quarters.
– I chop the tomatoes into large pieces.

Cut the bacon into 1/2 inch wide pieces. Separate the chunks and place them into a large frying pan.

Cut the chicken breasts into 1/2 or 1/3 pieces.

Heat the bacon on a medium high heat for 10 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon with a slotted spoon into a large stew pot. Add the 3 tbsp. of garlic to the stew pot. Add all of the vegetables to the stew pot.
– Keep the bacon grease in the frying pan.

Add the chicken pieces to the frying pan. Cook on a medium heat for 5-6 minutes per side to brown the outside. Transfer the browned chicken into the pot.
– Do not drop the chicken into the bacon. If it splashes it will burn you.
– I use tongs to turn the pieces at 5 minutes and transfer them into the pot. It will cook in the pot.

While the chicken is cooking tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf onto the celery.

– I also like to measure out the wine, chicken broth, and flour.

Once the chicken is removed spoon out all of the grease in the frying pan until you have about 1 tbsp. of fat left in the pan, a light coating. Add the flour and cook on a medium heat blending the flour and bacon fat. Stir constantly for 1 minute. Add the wine and the chicken broth and continue to stir for another 2-3 minutes. It should thicken. Drizzle the mixture over the chicken.

Sauce

Add salt, fresh pepper, and cayenne pepper for taste to the pot. Put the tied celery stocks on top.

Chicken and Vegetables with herbs

Cover the stew pot and turn on the heat to simmer (2). Cook for 25 minutes.

Remove the tied celery and keep to the side. Stir the pot. Replace the tied celery and cook for another 25 minutes.

Discard the tied celery and serve.

Cooking, Main courses

Chicken and Ham with Biscuits

Ingredients:

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
2 cups of diced ham (cubed ham works, ham steak cubed, or leftover ham)
2 cups of diced chicken (uncooked)
1 package of frozen peas (about 12 ounces or less)
1 package of frozen corn (about 8 ounces or less)
1/2 cup of chopped celery
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
1 to 2 cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Crock Pot
baking pan (pizza pan works)

Mix everything but the cornstarch and water in the Crock Pot.  Turn carefully so you do not crush the peas.  Cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

Whisk the cornstarch and water together until it is smooth and then stir that into the Crock Pot.  Cook an additional 10 to 15 minutes.

Cook the biscuits per the package directions while the cornstarch is thickening the mixture.

Serve the chicken and ham mixture over the biscuits.

Video Link:  Coming Soon…