Chicken N Dumplings

Now this recipe is a stick-to-your-ribs comfort food that will warm you up from the inside out. These babies are the lightest, fluffiest, melt-in-your-mouth dumplings that you will ever eat. It's the best cure-all of a cold dreary Winter day. Give it a try and make your fat cells smile.

Chicken N Dumplings

• 18 cups or 4 ½  qts. water
• 1/2 cup chicken base
• 1 Rotisserie chicken, whole
• 1 ½  cup diced celery hearts
• 1 ½  cup diced sweet onion
• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper     

In a large 8 qt. soup pot add water and base. Mix well with a wire whisk breaking up base. Add chicken and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes.

While chicken is simmering, dice celery and onion. After chicken has simmered for 15 minutes remove chicken from pot and place on platter and set aside to cool. Strain broth from soup pot through a fine wire mesh. Return broth back to a clean pot. Add diced celery, onion, & black pepper to pot. Bring to a boil and cover, reduce heat to simmer.

Meanwhile remove skin from chicken and discard. Pull chicken meat from bones and cut into bite size portions. Add chicken to soup pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Now prepare dumpling recipe below and add dumplings to soup pot.

Dumplings

• 2 cups sifted all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 egg beaten
• 3 Tbsp. melted butter
• 2/3 cup milk

Sift together dry ingredients. Add egg, melted butter, and milk to make a moist stiff batter. Drop by teaspoons  into boiling liquid. Cover and simmer for 18 minutes. Do not open lid or stir while dumplings are cooking.

This is a very old recipe for dumplings and they are called feather dumplings. They are the lightest and fluffiest dumpling that I have ever eaten and they will melt in your mouth.

Fiesta Chicken Casserole

I love spicy and this one will warm you up from the inside out. No spice wimps are allowed to try this one, i.e., no cry babies. This version is lower in fat, but big in taste. It's a double win when spice and low fat come together so deliciously. The cool fall days will soon be here for you to enjoy this one.

Fiesta Chicken Casserole 

• About 4 cups leftover diced chicken
• 1 4 oz. can diced green chiles
• 1 16 oz. can black beans, drained & rinsed
• 1 14.5 oz. can salsa style fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup hot salsa
• 1 Tbsp. Chili powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground chipotle powder
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 8 flour tortillas, 6 inch size
• cooking spray

Topping

• 1 2.25 oz. can sliced black olives, drained
• 1 jar sliced pickled jalapenos, only using desired amount
• Sargento 4 cheese Mexican reduced fat cheese, 8 oz.
• Utz baked Tostitos, 2 cups crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and add first 11 ingredients. Simmer over medium heat for about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile spray a 9x13 inch Pyrex dish with cooking spray, then evenly cover bottom and side with tortillas, overlapping slightly.

After simmering the chicken mixture, spread evenly over tortillas. Top mixture in following order: crushed Tostitos, cheese, olives and jalapenos. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

Balsamic Dijon Chicken Breast

The reason I love to marinate meat is to infuse the flavors and with the right ingredients it will tenderize it as well. I am happy to say that this recipe does both. The chicken was so tender and moist. I can see where this one can become a family favorite. So try a new one, I don't know about you but as much as I have my old favorites I crave a new recipe at times.

Balsamic Dijon Chicken Breast

• 4 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 3 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil, extra virgin
• 1/4 tsp. dried Thyme
• 4 Chicken breast halves, boneless and skinless
• 1 large gallon size Ziploc freezer bag

In a small bowl mix together first 4 ingredients well with a wire whisk. Place chicken breast in bag and add marinate, seal and refrigerate overnight or at least 6-8 hours.

We cooked ours on our gas grill on high at 400 degrees by a direct cooking over flames for 12 minutes. Of course every grill is different, just cook until no longer pink inside. Or you may bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until no longer pink inside.

If you want a tender moist chicken breast then this is a must try for you. I believe this marinade would go well on pork or beef too, even though I did not try it. Enjoy!

Chicken & Cheese Enchilada

Fall is here and so is the damp chilly weather and this is the best time to make food to warm you up. What I love about this recipe is that it is high in fiber and low in fat, but you would never know it when you taste it. So trick those fat cells into singing. May your fat cells sing.

Chicken & Cheese Enchilada

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 med. sweet onion, diced
• 2-3 jalapeno peppers, diced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped garlic, from jar
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 (10 oz.) cans Campbell's 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
• 1 (4 oz.) can chopped mild green chiles
• 1 (16 oz.) container fat free sour cream
• 2 (12.5 oz.) cans of chicken breast packed in water or 3 cups cooked chopped chicken
• 6 (10 inch) flour tortillas
• 1 (8 oz.) bag grated reduced fat Sargento's Mexican style cheese
• cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat add olive oil. Then sauté onion, jalapenos, garlic and cilantro for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile mix together soup, green chiles, and sour cream, mix well. Add to above mixture and cover and heat over med/low heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Open and drain canned chicken if using this and crumble with fingers to break up large chunks. 

Add 3 cups of the  soup mixture to chicken and add the cheese as well. Reserving the rest of the soup mixture for the next step. Spread out tortillas on counter and evenly divide chicken mixture between the tortillas, about 2/3 cups each plus a little more.

Spray a 10 x 13 inch pyrex dish with cooking spray and roll up tortillas and place into baking dish. Spread the remaining soup mixture on top of enchiladas and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Enjoy!

Chicken Corn Soup

I live in a quaint small town called Jefferson. We have a beautiful view of the mountains and we are blessed to have a little over 4 acres with lots of wildlife. It was a perfect house to raise our two sons in. Our boys used to play in the creek that runs through our backyard. They would bring home crayfish and minnows from the creek and of course they would always want to keep them as pets. Bless their hearts they tried so many times, but I would send them packing to return them so that they would not die. The only prize catch that really shook me was when they brought the snake inside the house. They had the encyclopedia opened and were trying to figure out what type of snake it was. Snake-e-poo got the bums's rush rather quickly!  Another great thing about Jefferson is the local corn stand where people come from all around to buy the sweet white corn. That my Feasty Fans is what inspired me to post my Chicken Corn Soup this week. The sweet white corn with the little dumplings are simply delicious in this soup. Enjoy!

Chicken Corn Soup

• ½ cup chicken base
• 18 cups or 4½ qts water
• 1 Rotisserie chicken
• 1½ cup diced celery hearts
• 1½ cup diced sweet onion
• ¾  tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ears fresh sweet white corn or a 16 oz. bag frozen white corn
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour, all purpose
• ½  cup milk

In a large 8 qt soup pot add water and base. Mix well with a wire whisk breaking up base paste. Add chicken and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer covered for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile dice celery and onion, set aside. 

Remove chicken from pot and place on platter to cool. Strain broth through a wire mesh and return back to cleaned soup pot. Add celery, onion, and black pepper to broth in pot. Bring to a boil and cover and reduce heat to a simmer.

When chicken is cool enough to touch remove skin and discard. Pull chicken from bones and cut into bite size pieces. Add chicken to soup pot. Then cut away corn from cob and add to soup pot as well. 

In a medium bowl beat eggs until light in color. Beat in flour and milk until smooth. Drop batter into hot broth  (you may need to turn up heat) to make small ¼ to ½ inch round dumplings. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 to 5 minutes, until dumplings hold their shape and float to the surface. This soup is delicious, it is so much better with fresh corn. You may use 4 ½ qts. chicken broth instead of water and chicken base.

I keep a few rotisserie chicken in my freezer so I can make soup at a moments notice.

Bruschetta Chicken Sandwich

I found this lovely sandwich at the Red Robin Restaurants and quickly became addicted to it. I love those big fat french fries that they serve with the sandwich too, but my waistline does not. So since I have zero will power when those fries are in front of me, I thought maybe I should try to make this one at home. Well I'm happy to say I nailed it on the first try! I just love when that happens. I made it a little healthier by using lower fat cheese and mayo. My mouth is watering just thinking about how good this sandwich is. So maybe you too will become a Bruschetta Chicken Sandwich addict like me. Get your fix here.

Bruschetta Chicken Sandwich

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 Ciabatta rolls
• 4 slices provolone cheese
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• ½ small red onion, diced
• fresh basil, chopped
• ½ cup, plus 5 Tbsp. mayonnaisse
• 1 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
• 1 pkg. Knorr Pesto Sauce mix 
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled

The night before or early in the day mix together the Pesto sauce mix with ½ cup of the mayo. Mix together well with a whisk and cover, then refrigerate. Do the same with the 1 Tbsp. of the Balsamic vinegar and 5 Tbsp. of Mayonaisse but place Balsamic mayo into a small ziploc bag and refrigerate. This will make your Pesto Mayonaisse and Balsamic Mayonaisse.

I like to cook our chicken on our gas grill for about 7 minutes on each side over a high heat or until no longer pink in center.  You may also bake in oven for 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until no longer pink in center. The last minute or two add a provolone slice and let it melt over chicken.

Meanwhile, while chicken is cooking, make the tomato garnish. Add to a small bowl the chopped romas, diced red onion and freshly chopped basil to taste.

About the last 3-4 minutes of grilling the chicken is when you will want to toast the inside of the rolls for about 3-4 minutes. If you are cooking inside broil for about 4 minutes when chicken is done baking. When rolls are toasted remove from and rub garlic back and forth into toasted sides of roll to add garlic flavor.

Prepare sandwiches by spreading Pesto mayo on the toasted sides of the rolls, then add chicken breast. Cut a small corner off of the ziploc bag and squeeze the balsamic mayo back and forth over top in a zig zag motion. Evenly divide the tomato mixture over the top of the other half of the roll and serve open faced.

I used Sargento's reduced fat cheese slices and Hellman's light mayonaisse.

Hot and Crunchy Chicken

I used to eat this chicken dish at a restaurant in Frederick called Jennifer's, they have since closed. My hubby and I were fairly regular diners there. We had many date nights there through the years. The Hot & Crunchy chicken was one of our favorites. Jennifer did not give me the recipe for it, but this is my version. I added more spice and crunch to it, by using Cayenne pepper and Panko bread crumbs. It is not over the top spicy because the sweetness of the honey mellows out the cayenne. I don't know what it is, but I love the combo of spicy and sweet together. So take the time to make this awesome chicken dish. I always get great feedback on this one.

Hot & Crunchy Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, 4 to 6 oz. each
• 2 cups Panko bread crumbs
• 1 tsp. plus ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• ⅛ cup milk
• ⅓ cup canola oil
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• ⅓ cup honey
• cooking spray

Trim all fat and cartilage from chicken and place inside a Ziploc bag. Place on top of cutting board and with a meat mallet, hammer breasts to about ¼ inch thickness. Set aside.

Place bread crumbs on a large flat plate. Then beat egg and milk in a small bowl. Rub ⅛ tsp. of cayenne pepper evenly on one side of chicken breast then flip over and do the same on the other side until all chicken breasts are coated with cayenne. Dredge chicken into egg, then press into bread crumbs.

Heat up a large 14 inch and a small 8 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil to large skillet and spray small skillet with cooking spray. Add pecans to small skillet stirring occasionally for about 4 minutes to toast pecans. Add honey and ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper to toasted pecans, mix well. Turn off heat to pecans and set aside.

As soon as oil is hot in large skillet add chicken breasts one at a time. Cover with a splatter screen and cook for about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink in center.

When chicken is ready, remove from skillet and drain on paper towels. Then place chicken on plate and evenly divide honey pecan mixture over top of breasts. This sounds like a lot of cayenne but it really is not too spicy. Try serving this with Baby Red Mashed Potatoes withPearl Onions and a green vegetable. Serves 4. Enjoy!

Chicken Salad

This recipe is a very popular one, it's unique and refreshing. I have made these little sandwich treasures for a rehearsal dinner, weddings, birthdays, funerals and anniversaries. Yesterday was the best reason of all. I made them for my daughter-in-law Katie's baby shower. Now how about that, I will soon be a first time Grandma. Baby James is due on June 9th. I have not met the little guy yet

and I can hardly wait. I am already in love with my grandson--Nonna is waiting. You don't need a special occasion for these treasures. Chicken Salad is great for the hot spring and summer days ahead. Enjoy!

• 2/3 cup petite frozen peas, thawed
• 2 (12.5 oz.) can chicken breast packed in water, drained
• 1 cup mayonnaise, I use Hellman's light or Aldi's Fit & Active
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. ground white pepper
• 2/3 cup sliced spring onion, tops and root trimmed, sliced thin
• 2/3 cup diced celery

Thaw peas in cold water. Meanwhile, open and drain chicken. Place chicken in a large bowl and break up chunks with fingers. Add mayonnaise, mustard and white pepper, mix together well. Chop celery and onion, drain peas well and mix all 3 into chicken salad. Cover and chill overnight.

This chicken salad tastes best on potato rolls. I make them on Martin’s potato party rolls (24 pk). They make a nice small sandwich. Or you can use the burger buns too. I use reduced fat mayonnaise and it is still delicious. Also I can not stress the importance enough to use petite frozen peas, they have a sweetness to them that the larger peas do not.

My recipe is an awesome twist on chicken salad. This is a very requested recipe. I buy large cans of chicken from the wholesale food clubs. Don't let the fact that the chicken is canned fool you, it tastes better then one you would cook up fresh and does not get that flavor change that whole cooked chicken does.

 If making a lot of sandwiches this tip is a time saver. Refrigerate the 24 count packs of Martin's party potato rolls, this makes slicing easier. Pull out 12 attached rolls at a time, do not separate them, slice in half horizontally all the way through. Then remove all 12 bun tops leaving them still connected. Using a small cookie dough scoop up chicken salad and place a dollop on top of each of the 12 roll halves. Top with bun tops and cut with a long knife to separate into 12 mini sandwiches. Repeat until done. This is a great assembly line technique to prepare them.

This is a pic of my expecting daughter-in-law Katie. We just had these chicken salad sandwiches at her baby shower over the weekend and they were a hit.

Teriyaki Wings

Now that football season is here, try some Teriyaki Wings for a nice change of flavor. Wings and football go together like peanut butter and jelly.

• 2 cups Teriyaki sauce
• 1 cup white wine
• 2 tsp. freshly grated ginger root
• ½ tsp. garlic powder
• 4 to 5 lbs. wing sections
• cooking spray

Mix first four ingredients together and set aside. In a large roasting pan sprayed with cooking oil layer wings over bottom of pan in a single layer. Stir marinade well, then pour over top of wings in pan. Cover and refrigerate for 2 days in pan (no need to thaw out frozen wings), turning wings over every 12 hours.

Preheat oven to 450 °. Place roasting pan in oven and bake uncovered for 45 minutes, then remove pan from oven. Using tongs turn wings over and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and serve wings. You will want them to caramelize and they will be dark.

These are so delicious it is hard to stop eating them. Make sure your refrigerator is large enough for the roasting pan. If not you will need to marinate in another container making sure wings are coated well and turned every 12 hours.

My favorite brand teriyaki sauce is Kikkoman marinade and sauce. Other brands are higher in sugar and will burn. You can buy fresh ginger root in the produce department. Keep it in the freezer as it will grate much easier and last longer. Just peel skin away on a small portion and grate. I also like to use frozen wing sections. You can buy them in bulk at wholesale food clubs. Also you do not need to cut and separate them this way.

Only use a wine that is good enough to drink. If you can't drink it, don't cook with it. Enjoy!
These will make your fat cells sing!

Chicken Quesadillas

Who has ever said that they don't have time to make dinner when they get home from work? I know there were times when I really did not feel like it as well. But sometimes you don't want to go out for dinner either. This was my solution for a quick and easy dinner, and it works well for lunch too. You can always make a couple of extra, and the leftovers microwave well. Fast food at home, but healthy and tasty.

Chicken Quesadillas:

• 4 tortillas, 10-inch round
• 1 lb. cooked chicken strips
• 1 8 oz. pkg. grated cheddar or mexican cheese blend, 1/3 less fat
• sliced jalapenos from jar
• fresh cilantro, chopped, about ¼ cup
• 3 spring onions, sliced thin, green tops too
• cooking spray
• Cholula Hot Sauce
• sour cream (fat free)
• dry seasoning of your choice

Place chicken strips on large plate and sprinkle with seasoning of your choice or you may leave plain. Microwave until heated through. Meanwhile, preheat a large nonstick 12-inch skillet over medium heat. On one half of tortilla add cheese, chicken, sliced jalapenos, cilantro and spring onions. Evenly divide ingredients over all 4 tortillas. Fold over top to form a half circle. Spray skillet with cooking oil and add 2 tortillas to skillet, turning over after about 2 minutes or until lightly browned. When other side is browned remove from skillet and serve on plate with sour cream and Cholula hot sauce. You are able to heat up 2 at a time, they cook quick. These may be made on top of a grill too. Preheat grill and follow same cooking directions. This is a quick and easy lunch or dinner. Serves 4. Enjoy!

My favorite brand tortillas are La Tortilla Factory wraps, they are made with extra virgin olive oil. They have 13 g dietary fiber, only 3 g fat and they are 90 calories. Some grocery stores carry them, you may also purchase them online. My favorite spice is Mexican Seasoning by The Spice Hunter, it is salt free as well. I found this in the organic section of my grocery store. It is a great way to use up leftover chicken. Or you can omit the chicken and just do cheese quesadillas. Try leftover beef or shrimp too.