Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

My first recipe-test from my new cookbook The Food You Crave by Ellie Krieger and it turned out great! I love it and am looking forward to eating on it the next few days for lunch - it was even better the second day!

I usually don't eat very much soup because I never feel full because there's nothing really crunchy, so this time I bought a french baguette and toasted it with some EVOO like Giada does and it is the perfect accompaniment to this delicious soup.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Notes:

• I always use less onion than recipes call for.  ; )
• I also added more chicken because it just didn't look like enough to me.

Ingredients:

• 4 t olive oil
• 8 oz. sk/bnless chicken breast halves, cut into small junks
• Pinch of salt, plus more to taste
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cup)
• 2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 medium carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons copped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup orzo, preferably whole-wheat
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat 2 t of the oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with the salt, add it to the pot, and cook, stirring, a few times, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a dish and set aside.

Add the remaining 2 t oil to the pot. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and thyme and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil. Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes. Turn the heat down to low to keep te soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs. Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs. Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while. Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened. Do not let the soup come to a boil. Add the cooked chicken to the soup. Season with salt and pepper and serve!

My Chicken Parmesan

I have become incredibly picky when it comes to Chicken Parmesan since I started making my own. I finally got the original recipe off my old computer, just to find out that I've deviated from it a lot, so I'm providing what I do because I love it too much to go back to the original.

 

Notes:

• This is my own homemade recipe, so if it's hard to understand just let me know and I'll try to fix the problem!
• The measurements of the flour, buttermilk, breadcrumbs, and cheese are total estimates b/c this is the one recipe that I don't measure out anymore. So take them with a grain of salt and adjust to what you need. ; ) This is not a picky recipe at all.
• I always serve with a marinara sauce, on a bed of spaghetti, and with a side garlic bread; but Ina Garten serves hers with a Lemon Vinaigrette.

Yield: 2-4 servings, but can easily be adjusted

Ingredients:

• 2 sk/bn less chicken breasts (3/4 - 1 lb.)
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (I actually really like Shurfine)
• 1/4 cup Mozzarella cheese, extra for garnish
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ~ 2 Tbs. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and whole or minced
• salt and pepper

Special tools: Parchment paper, meat tenderizer (with flat side) or rolling pin.

Directions:

Between two pieces of Parchment paper, pound chicken breasts to a uniform 1/4" thickness.

Combine butermilk, mozzarella, and parmesan in good dish for dredging. Lay out breadcrumbs in dish or parchment paper. Set aside.

Heat oil and garlic in heavy, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Keep an eye on the garlic, you don't want it to burn!

Dust chicken with flour --  a thin, uniform coat and shaking off excess -- and then s&p both sides. Dip both sides of chicken in buttermilk-cheese mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge in Italian breadcrumbs.

Remove garlic from oil. Saute chicken 4-5 minutes until golden brown. Turn and saute another 3-4 minutes, or until brown and chicken is cooked through. 

Tip: 

B/c my pans tend to get and stay very hot, I allow the oil to heat up on med-high heat until the first side of chicken is a light brown, then I lower the temp to med, med-low so that the chicken can cook through, without burning the outside. This is especially helpful if the breasts are large. Just don't drop it too much because you want your oil to stay hot, so the breasts don't get soggy.

Enjoy!

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

I first made these a few months ago when my friend Amber came to visit and they are delish! Extremely simple, but still extremely tasty. Would be great served on a bed of rice. Recipe is from allrecipes.com

So, you say you want you red bell peppers to still be crispy, but (obviously) want the chicken cooked through? Well then just follow this tip: Because each ingredient (veggies/chicken) cooks at different rates naturally, don't alternate ingredients on skewers, instead designate one kind of ingredient per skewer. Ex. skewers with only onions, skewers with only chicken, etc.

Notes:

• I just use my George Foreman grill - it cooks up much faster than original recipe allows.
• Of course you can use any veggies you like (I really wanna try it with mushrooms too. Yum!)

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 t ground black pepper
• 8 sk/bnless chicken breast halves - cut into 1" cubes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 small onions, cut into 2" pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2" pieces
• skewers

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (or overnight.)

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables on skewers.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12-15 minutes (only about 3-5 minutes on G.F.) until chicken juices run clear. Brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Gooey cream cheese goodness! These have consistently been a good hit w/ my family and friends. I originally got the recipe from my friend Nicole a long time ago, but the recipe is actually on the back of the Old El Paso Green Chile Enchilada Sauce can. 

To illustrate how much I love these, since Scott is an uber-picky eater and won't eat anything green, I will actually go through the trouble of making 2 separate meals for the two of us when I want these. I'll make him some really simple meat burritos and make these for myself. They also make excellent leftovers so I usually eat on them for a few days and are always sad when they're gone. So enough babbling, here's the recipe!

Notes:

• You can make the chicken however you prefer. I've boiled sk/bnless chicken breasts and chicken pieces (such as thighs we had on hand) and shredded the meat, but what I usually do is just cut the breasts into really small pieces and cook in a skillet b/c it's just easier and faster for me.
•  I usually fill my enchiladas up pretty good so all mine will fit in a 8x8 or 9x9. So the amount of enchilada sauce you need to use depends upon the size of the pan. 1 can (even less actually) is enough for that small of a dish, but if you use a 9x13 you need the two.
• I like Old El Paso chopped green chiles much better than generic brands.
• I use the four cheese Mexican blend of shredded cheese instead of just cheddar.

Yield: 12 enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. uncooked chicken breast strips
• 1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cut into cubes
• 1 can (4.5 oz.) chopped green chiles
• 1 package (10.5 oz.) flour tortillas (6 in.) 
• 2 cans (10 oz. each) Old El Paso green chile enchilada sauce
• 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (3 oz) 

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease 13x9 (or any other size) baking dish.

In nonstick skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink in center. Add cream cheese and chiles; reduce heat to medium. cook and stir until blended and cream cheese is melted.

Spoon chicken filling onto tortillas; roll up and place seam sides down in baking dish. Pour enchilada sauce over top; sprinkled with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes until hot and cheese is melted.