Chicken Paddies with Cabbage & Beans

While playing with flavor combinations in my head over morning coffee I came up with another white meat chicken dish that works well with cooked cabbage and cannellini beans. 

Use my seasonings as a guideline and get creative to make this dish your own. I started pretty plain with a modified version of my chicken meatballs, but after sampling the finished dish I realized that OMG this one is a great jumping off point for many many flavor varieties.

Mild, spicy, earthy, tangy... Seriously... have fun with this one!

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs ground chicken breast
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2-3/4 cup flavored bread crumbs
• 4-5 tbsp avocado oil
• 1 medium head green cabbage - shredded 
• 1 15.5 oz can cannellini beans - drained

Preparation:

In a large mixing bowl beat the two eggs and mix in parsley, cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add meat and mix thoroughly. Finally, add 1/2 cup bread crumbs and blend. Gauge the mixture for balling and add more breadcrumbs if needed. Shape the mix into small paddies. Fry paddies until they are a light golden brown over medium heat. Do not char the meat. Set aside and cover to keep warm.

Saute shredded cabbage in a large Dutch oven or skillet until soft, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. When cabbage is cooked, gently fold in the beans and the chicken.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Asian-Italian Chicken Tenders

This dish was born of a missing ingredient when I was up at Sylvan Run and had decided on Chicken Tenders Lyon for dinner. As I was gathering my ingredients I realized I had no muffuletta (olive salad). Chef Pepin's philosophy of "using what you have in the refrigerator" came to mind and a new dish with an Asian/Italian flair was born. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 5-6 chicken tenders, trimmed if needed
• whole milk or half & half
• Wondra flour
• 1 tbsp avocado oil
• salt & pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, smash minced
• 1 shallot - minced
• 4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 4 tbsp water
• 4 tbsp ginger teriyaki marinade
• dash of tabasco or sriracha
• shredded mozzarella - or sliced Swiss cheese
• minced scallions for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Trim any ligament ends from tenders and lay them side by side on a plate. Add S & P to both sides.

Heat a frying pan with avocado oil. Dredge tenders through milk and flour and brown them on both sides. Once chicken is well browned, cover and steam rest of the way on low for 4-5 minutes.

Remove chicken from pan and place on warmed serving dish with a cover. Add garlic and shallot to the pan and saute on medium heat for a minute or so. 

Add the vinegar and reduce on high heat to remove acidity. Taste… Add water, ginger teriyaki marinade and sriracha and stir until well blended. 

Return chicken to the pan and cover with sauce and mozzarella. Turn heat to low and put the lid on. Once cheese is melted, remove from heat, add garnish and serve.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Chicken Tenders with Creamy Broccoli & Lima Beans

This chicken dish originally came together using leftovers but has risen to earning a spot as a family favorite. Listen for the yummy noises....... Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 6 chicken tenders - trimmed if needed
• 1/3 + 1/4 cup half & half
• olive oil
• Wondra flour
• 5-6 baby portobello mushrooms - cut up
• 6 oz frozen lima beans
• 6 oz broccoli crowns - cut up after cooking
• 1 lg yellow onion - diced
• 3 scallions - cut to 1/4" rings
• 1 15.5 oz can Cream of Mushroom unsalted soup

Preparation:

Cook the lima beans and broccoli as you normally do. Cut the broccoli into small pieces. Set both aside.

Heat ~2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add salt & pepper to both sides of tenders. Dredge tenders through 1/4cup half & half and then flour and cook in skillet over medium high heat, about 5 min per side until cooked through and nicely browned. Set aside on a plate with a cover.

Add a little more oil if needed and saute the onion over medium heat. Add scallions and mushrooms and when mushrooms are cooked add the soup. Rinse can with 1/3 cup half & half, add and blend. Add the vegetables, blend and season with salt & pepper to taste. 

Finally, lay cooked tenders on top and cover. Simmer on low for a couple more minutes for everything to heat through.

Blessed be... and happy cooking!

Montreal Steak Chicken & Broccoli

The original version of this recipe featured venison or beef and is still available to Red Meat Foodies by clicking HERE. I found it works quite well with chicken too, especially that healthy white meat. Comfort food for sure... Earthy flavors and textures that will delight!

Something to point out here, following my blog's intent of creating good meals especially for diabetics, is that pearled barley should be our go-to grain with a GI of around 35 (low) when cooked. In comparison, brown rice comes in at 50 (medium) and white rice at 89 (high).

Okay... let's cook!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb chicken tenders cut into bite size strips
• 2 tsp McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1 cup pearl barley (substitute low sodium chicken broth for water)
• 1 large yellow onion - cut up
• 6 baby portobello mushrooms - sliced
• 2 cups broccoli florets cut into small florets
• salt to taste
• olive oil

Preparation:

Start off by placing the chicken in a standard salt brine for about an hour. Rinse the chicken and set aside.

Continue on by thoroughly rinsing the barley and then cooking it according to package instructions - this usually takes about 45 minutes on a low boil. Use low sodium chicken broth instead of water for more flavor. While the barley is cooking we'll get everything else ready.

Next cut up the meat into bite size strips and toss with the Montreal Steak Seasoning.

Cut up the onion, mushrooms and broccoli florets and heat some olive oil in a non-stick Dutch oven. Have everything ready and start when the barley is just about done as the actual cook is a pretty quick process.

Sautee the onions first. As their edges just start to brown, add the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are tender (~1 min) add the broccoli and sautee until cooked but still crunchy (~1 min). Scoop out mixture and set aside, covered.

Add a splash of oil to the Dutch oven and sear the meat with a high flame and a continuous toss. With the pieces being relatively small be sure you get a nice color without overcooking.

Finally add the onion, mushroom & broccoli mix and toss over low heat. Once blended add the cooked barley and carefully mix it all together. Alternatively serve the barley as a side, but personally I prefer the full blend. ENJOY!

Serves 3 - 4

Blessed be... and happy cooking!