BBQ Chicken Burgers

I know I describe a lot of food on this blog (either dishes from a restaurant or recipes that turn out well) by saying it is "to die for." And these burgers are no different. I made these for our Fourth of July barbecue, and they were a huge hit! They are SO juicy and flavorful and out of the ordinary. 


Just a head's up though- this recipe calls for pulled pork, so plan ahead! I used this recipe, which is for crock pot Hawaiian Kalua pork. The pork recipe is very basic, as I didn't the pork to be too heavily seasoned and compete with the flavor of the burgers. It was extremely easy, it just required a bit of extra time. You could probably leave the pork out, but I really think it took these burgers to the next level.

 

BBQ Chicken Burgers
(makes about 10-12 burgers)

for the burgers:
2 lbs of ground chicken
1/2 cup of cornmeal
3 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup of cilantro, chopped
1/2 medium onion, minced

1 teaspoon of paprika
1/2 teaspoon of  garlic powder
2 teaspoons of dry mustard
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 Tablespoons of brown sugar

1 1/3 cups of pulled pork
4 Tablespoons of BBQ sauce

for serving/cooking:
extra BBQ sauce for basting
2 red onions, sliced into rings
8 oz. of sharp cheddar cheese, sliced
hamburger buns

Directions: Put all of the ingredients for the burgers in a large bowl. Hand mix until everything is well combined. Form about 12 equal sized patties. (I froze the patties for about 30 minutes to make them a bit more solid, since they were pretty sticky and fragile.)

Grease your grill grate, and place burgers and onions on the grill. Close the lid, and allow to cook for about 2-3 minutes. Flip the onions and burgers, and brush BBQ sauce on grilled side of the burgers. Close lid again, and cook for another 2 minutes. Flip the burgers again, top with cheese, and close the lid. Cook for about 1 minute, or until cheese is melted. Assemble burgers on buns with grilled onion, and extra BBQ sauce if desired. Enjoy!


Adapted from Pink Parsley, original recipe here.

Chicken and Mushroom Crepes with Rosemary Cream Sauce

One of my all-time favorite restaurants is Beau Monde, a creperie in Philadelphia. As much as I usually like to order different things when I visit a restaurant multiple times, I always always always end up getting the coq au vin crepe with Swiss cheese and herbed butter whenever I go there. It is absolutely to die for. So when I had some gouda to use up and some Nutella in the cupboard, my mind immediately went to crepes. Don't worry though, I'm not planning on using those two ingredients together.

Where my mind did NOT go (until I was about to pour the batter, at least) was "Hold up, what are you thinking? You have trouble flipping pancakes sometimes, and here you are attempting crepes? This is totally not going to turn out well. I suppose you could make some pasta to toss with the chicken and mushrooms so your dinner isn't totally ruined." But luckily, all turned out well and we were able to enjoy an amazing meal.

Chicken and Mushroom Crepes with Rosemary Cream Sauce
(The recipe for the batter makes 6 crepes, while the recipe for filling makes enough for 4 crepes. I used the two extra for dessert.)

For the batter:
4 eggs
3 teaspoons of honey
1 pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of non-fat milk

For the filling:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 sprigs of rosemary

2 Tablespoons of butter
12 oz. of button mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of half and half
1 Tablespoon of flour
1 Tablespoon of chopped rosemary

extra butter for greasing pan (about 1-2 Tablespoons)

4 oz. of gouda cheese, shredded

4 sprigs of rosemary to garnish

Directions: Whisk together eggs, honey, and salt. Add flour and stir to combine. Slowly add milk, lightly whisking until smooth. Refrigerate batter for 30 minutes.

Place chicken breasts in a small pan so they fit snugly, but not overlapping. Cover with water, and add rosemary sprigs to the water. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to just barely a simmer and keep partly covered for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, and allow chicken to sit in hot water for 15-20 minutes. Remove chicken, shred/cut into pieces, and set aside.

Melt half of the butter in a saucepan over medium high, and add mushrooms. Saute until cooked, remove, and set aside. Reduce heat to medium, melt the remaining half of the butter, and add garlic to the pan. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add half and half and chopped rosemary, stirring frequently as it reduces.

Whisk flour and 1 Tablespoon of water together to form a roux, and add to the cream sauce, stirring to combine. When sauce is thickened, add chicken and mushrooms, and stir enough to coat. Remove from heat, mostly cover, and set aside.

In a new pan, with a large, flat bottom, melt a bit of the extra butter over medium heat. Slowly ladle crepe batter into the pan and spread until it is a large circle and reaches the edges of the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until edges start to look cooked. Gently flip crepe, and then add a spoonful of filling to the center of the face-up side and top with gouda. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, and bring edges up so that they wrap up the filling. (my pan wasn't big enough to get them properly wrapped, so mine looked more like enchiladas than crepes. Totally worked though!) Hold in place with a spatula if needed, and cook for another minute or so. Scoop onto a plate, and garnish with a sprig of rosemary and a bit more cheese. Repeat for the 3 remaining crepes. Enjoy!

And use up the remaining batter for dessert crepes! I cooked them the same way, spread Nutella on them, covered with sliced bananas, rolled them up, and topped with powdered sugar. Yum!

Different pieces of the recipe were adapted from Poor Girl Eats Well, Healthy Hedonista, and About . com.

Moroccan Chicken and Vegetables

I really enjoy Moroccan cuisine, but it is another one of those things that I've only had in restaurants and never tried to make at home. When I came across this recipe and realized I already had most of the ingredients, I decided to give it a try. I didn't have saffron, though, and neither of the two grocery stores near us did either, so I decided to combine it with another recipe I found. The spices were slightly different, and I had them all on hand.

This was so delicious, and totally easy! Do all the chopping and prep work first, and you'll be able to just dump everything in the pot and be good to go. This was great as leftovers too, the flavors really blended together.

Moroccan Chicken and Vegetables

4 chicken thighs
salt / pepper
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, pressed

2 zucchini, sliced
5 carrots, chopped
1 onion, sliced
1 can of chickpeas

1/4 teaspoon of turmeric
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon of oregano
1/2 teaspoon of paprika
3/4 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes with juice

1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
1/3 cup cilantro

Directions: Rinse and pat dry chicken thighs. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil and garlic in stock pot, and put chicken thighs in. Brown on both sides, but they don't need to cook completely through at this time.

Add the remaining ingredients up until the pine nuts, including the vegetables, spices, and chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer and cover. Allow to cook for about 15 minutes, or until all the vegetables are soft. Serve over brown rice or couscous and garnish with the pine nuts and cilantro. Enjoy!

(We had the leftovers in pitas, which were delicious as well!)

Adapted from Apple a Day and allrecipes.com, original recipes here and here.

Maple Dijon Chicken

The MO for dinners this week of Thanksgiving has been easy, fast, and light. One night I had some butternut squash to roast up, and decided to have chicken thighs with it. As far as how I was going to cook them, I couldn't quite decide, but I was drawn to some maple Dijon flavoring. I turned to my good friend Google, searched for "maple Dijon chicken," and came across this recipe. Sounded good to me, so on to the menu it went.

This was so good and so easy! The flavor was amazing, and although it went very well with the butternut squash, it would have been great to have some rice or pasta to soak up all those nice juices. I will definitely be making this one again. I know this picture doesn't make it look all that appetizing, but it's so good, I promise!

Maple Dijon Chicken
Serves 4

4 chicken breast pieces (I used thighs, which worked as well)
2 Tablespoon of olive oil

2 shallots, chopped
2 Tablespoons of minced garlic

1 cup of chicken broth
2 Tablespoons of honey Dijon mustard
1/3 cup of maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper

Directions: Rinse and pat dry chicken. Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and place chicken in pan. Cover, and brown for about 6 minutes on each side.

When chicken is browned on both sides, remove from pan and set aside. Add more olive oil as necessary, and place shallots and garlic in pan. Sauté for a few minutes, until nearly soft.

Meanwhile, mix chicken broth, mustard, maple syrup, and crushed red pepper in a small bowl. When shallots and garlic have sautéed a few minutes, add liquid, scraping up browned bits. Bring to a simmer, add chicken back in, cover, and allow to simmer for about five minutes. Enjoy!

Adapted from Kitchen Daily, original recipe here.

Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes

 I'm toying around with creating a new tag for my blog- budget meals. H and I would like to have a bit of extra spending money in some other areas, and I decided there was enough room in the grocery budget to do a bit of trimming. Who doesn't want to save a few dollars if they can? I'll be doing the cost breakdown at the bottom of the budget meal posts, below the recipe.

I consider budget meals a bit of a creative challenge. Eating healthy, delicious food is important to me, and not something I want to sacrifice. However, I strongly believe that it's not necessary to give up taste or nutrition to cook frugally. There are absolutely healthy, delicious options out there that don't cost and arm and a leg.

One easy way to make dinner on a budget is to pick a recipe that has few ingredients. Obviously, fewer ingredients means a lower cost per serving, but the flavor of those few ingredients is really able to shine through as well. Simple and delicious. And that is what drew me to this recipe for Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes from Cooking Light.

Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes

1 pint of grape tomatoes
1 medium yellow onion
1 Tablespoon of honey
2 Tablespoon of olive oil

4 chicken breasts
salt and pepper to season

2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette

8 oz. orzo pasta        

Directions: Preheat oven to 450. Cover a baking pan with aluminum foil, and spread grape tomatoes and sliced onion on it. Drizzle honey and 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil on top, and roast in the oven for 6 minutes. Remove the pan, stir veggies, and place back in oven for 7 minutes, or until tomato skins begin to burst. When finished, set aside in a small bowl.

Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil for pasta, and when ready, cook according to package directions. Then, pound chicken breasts to 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness. Rinse, pat dry, and season on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat remaining Tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan over medium high. Sauté chicken in saucepan until lightly browned on both sides and juices run clear (about 8 minutes per side).

When chicken is done, serve over orzo pasta, and drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Divide roasted tomatoes and onions on top. Enjoy!



Adapted from Cooking Light, original recipe here.

Budget Breakdown:
My definition of a budget meal will be $2.50 or less per serving. Obviously, the total cost of ingredients will be more, but these are things you'll most likely already have in the pantry, and if not, easily use again. I'll do my best to total the meals up with the actual prices we paid, but if it's an item we already had on hand, I'll be using the current price from our local supermarket.

Final rule- I'm not counting salt and pepper (or spices), because I am not even going to attempt the math involved in measuring that out, and it will most likely add up to fractions of a cent.

For 4 servings

(Ingredient @ cost)                                                  cost per serving

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 pint of grape tomatoes @ $1.99                                      50¢
1 medium yellow onion @ $6.50 for 20                              8¢
1 Tablespoon of honey @ $3.50/12 oz.                               5¢
2 Tablespoon of olive oil @ $22.00/101 fl. oz.                    5¢
4 chicken breasts (5 oz. portions) @ $2.99/lb                    93¢
2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette @ $1.24/16 fl.oz     2¢
8 oz. orzo pasta @ $1.05/16 oz.                                         13¢
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                       $1.76 per serving

Chicken Pesto Paninis

H and I were looking for an easy and casual, but still tasty Friday night meal last week. I looked at the half loaf of Italian bread we had, and the abundance of ripe tomatoes, and immediately knew what I wanted to make.

Chicken Pesto Paninis

1 chicken breast, cut into strips
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves of garlic, minced

4 slices of Italian bread
4 Tbsp. of basil pesto
1 large, ripe tomato, sliced
4 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 Tbsp. of butter, at a spreadable consistency

Preheat panini press (or Foreman Grill) to medium. Heat olive oil and garlic in a saucepan, add chicken strips, and brown until cooked through.

Meanwhile, spread pesto on each slice of bread. Layer tomato slices, and mozzarella on top of two slices. When chicken is done, spread strips on the mozzarella and top with remaining 2 slices of bread. Butter the outsides of the sandwich on both sides and place on heated panini press (or weighted grill pan, or Foreman Grill). Cook about 3-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and cheese is melty.

Sorry for the terribly blurry picture, but OMG, these are heaven in your mouth! So tasty and filling, and absolutely delicious!

New Recipe Review- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

For my new recipe last week (again, a little late), I made buffalo chicken in the slow cooker. I had this recipe filed away for a long time, and Super Bowl Sunday seemed like a great day to try it out. It was a huge hit with H, who loves buffalo chicken but hates all the work (seriously) involved in wings. He says it's too much work for too little meat. Anyway....

It is absolutely one of the easiest recipes ever and it turned out really well. Here is the original recipe. I made a few changes- I took the meat out at about 5 hours and shredded it, then put it back in with the butter to better absorb the juices. I also only used a half packet of ranch dressing mix (cause that's all we had- no idea why) and didn't put any extra sauce on the sandwiches after they were done (didn't think they needed it). We used kaiser rolls and I had mine with ranch dressing and provolone, while H had his with crumbled bleu cheese. We also had purple cabbage slaw (which went REALLY well with them- soothed the spiciness), and loaded potato skins for our football feast. Awesome!

Please excuse the terrible photo- I was in a hurry to eat!

New Recipe Review- Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Sauce

For my new recipe last week (yikes, I'm bad at this!) I tried "Steak Tips with Peppered Mushroom Sauce" from the blog Elizabeth's Edible Experience. The recipe was originally from Cooking Light magazine (so pretty healthy too) and it turned out really well. I used chicken instead of beef, since we don't eat a lot of red meat and that worked too. I'm sure it would have been heartier with the steak, but the portabello mushrooms really beefed it up (ha!).


Recipe here. Mine turned out a little runnier than the recipe because I will forever suck at thickening sauces with flour/cornstarch, but it was still good. We were actually able to use the leftover sauce as a gravy for a side of brown rice a couple nights later.

Lost my (Roasting) Virginity

I did it. My first roast last night. I don't know what to say, other than I guess I was feeling "wife-y" or like little Suzy Homemaker.

I also kind of get (if you can say that) the myth of "engagement chicken" a bit more. Rumor has it, you make that dish, and your man proposes. You can read more about it here, but I don't think it's the recipe itself, it's more the roast (I actually considered the recipe, but I was afraid of all that lemon in there). Something about making a roast probably smacks your guy upside the head and all he can see is "family" I don't know. Maybe. Or maybe I just offended all the "readers" of my blog.


Here is the recipe I used. I followed it exactly, except the chicken I used was closer to 3.5/4lbs, so it did have to cook a little longer. I made roasted red potatoes with asparagus with it. Perfect combo!


Roasted Red Potatoes with Asparagus

6-8 red potatoes
1 bunch of asparagus
2 T olive oil
2 T minced garlic
2 t fresh thyme
2 t crushed rosemary
1/2 t kosher sea salt

Preheat oven to 425. Boil potatoes in water for about 10 minutes. They don't have to be fully cooked, just softened. Meanwhile, mix garlic, olive oil, thyme, rosemary, and salt in small bowl, and stir well. When potatoes are boiled, cut into chunks, place in glass baking pan, and pour olive oil mixture over them. Stir to coat, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, add asparagus (cut into chunks), stir to coat with olive oil mixture as well, and cook for another 15 minutes, uncovered.

Adapted from this recipe.


I served the meal with a Polka dot Riesling. Since the original recipe-poster for the chicken said the recipe was German, I thought a Riesling would go great. I honestly don't know if I would have picked up this particular one if the wine store I was at had a bigger selection, but it was pretty good. It was crisp and sweet, and went well with the meal. I just wish the flavor was a little bolder.


image from: www.gallofamilystore.com