Creamy Green Chile, Tomatillo, and Avocado Sauce

May 3, 2013 by 2 Comments

Earlier in the week I posted on Facebook about a dinner exceeding my expectations. This is that dinner. When I read the list of ingredients, poblano peppers, tomatillo, avocado, cilantro… OF COURSE I knew I would like the sauce. What’s not to love about all of those things? What I didn’t expect was standing over my food processor bowl with a spoon hoping that I could manage to leave enough sauce in it to actually serve for dinner. That’s how much I liked loved this stuff. (Notice in the photo I put sauce under AND over the chicken).

What makes this sauce even better is its versatility. I used it as a semi pasta sauce and served it with grilled chicken and a black bean and corn salad. Of course it could easily go over rice or just plain right on top of chicken. I also have plans in the near future to serve it over top of fish. I’m guessing it would also go perfectly grilled shrimp. The possibilities are endless. And I’m all about versatility in the kitchen.

Creamy Green Chile, Tomatillo, and Avocado Sauce (served over penne pasta with chicken)

Ingredients

1/2 medium onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 or 2 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded, and halved*
1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and quartered
2 medium or 3 small tomatillos, husked, cored, and quartered
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp Canola oil
1 avocado, peeled and cut into chunks
2 Tbsp cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice (about 1 lime)
1/4-1/3 cup half and half

*I only used 1 jalapeno and Jesse and I both agreed that we could have handled one more

Directions

Preheat your oven on the broiler setting. Place the onion, jalapeno, poblano pepper, tomatillos, and garlic on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with canola oil. Place the baking sheet under the broiler, until the peppers start to char and the vegetables are softened. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Once cool, place the vegetables in the bowl of a food processor along with the avocado, cilantro and lime juice. Process until it is almost smooth* then, with the processor still running, stream in 1/4 cup of the half and half. If you would like the sauce a little thinner, add a little more half and half.

Serve with grilled chicken, fish or shrimp over penne pasta or rice. Also goes great with a simple black bean and corn salad.

*I processed mine for a little longer than I needed too, as a result I lost some of the beautiful flecks of dark green cilantro. But it still tasted great!

Source: As seen on Elly Says Opa, originally from Food and Wine Annual Cookbook 2010, via Our Life in Food

Looking for more sauce recipes?

Tzatziki Sauce
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
Jack Daniels Sauce
Southwest Marinade and Sauce

 

Filed Under: Chicken, Easy Weeknight Dinner, Pasta, Poultry, Sauce/Condiment Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

April 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Up until a few weeks into my second trimester I had a major aversion to chicken. Just the thought of it icked me out. The first time I noticed the aversion was when I was having lunch with a friend and I ordered a buffalo chicken wrap. I took one bite, looked at my friend, covered my mouth with a napkin and said, “Sorry”. I wound up picking out all of the chicken (and half of the lettuce). Next time we went for lunch I asked them to replace the chicken with beans (yeah, that’s right, I ordered a buffalo bean wrap, and it was delicious!).

I am finally over that crazy aversion and we’re back to having chicken several nights a week. Of course it’s easy for things to get repetitive when you eat chicken for dinner several times a week, so I’m always trying to think up new ways to use it. What better way to spice up chicken than to add buffalo sauce? To mix it up even more I decided to stuff the chicken in pasta shells. The result was fantastic! We absolutely loved this dinner, hope you do too!

 

Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Shells

Ingredients
~20 large pasta shells
1 15 oz container part skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp blue cheese crumbles
1 celery stalk, finely diced
1 green onion, finely diced
1/2 oz (1/2 packet) Ranch seasoning packet
1/4 – 1/2 cup Buffalo sauce (You can try making your own or use something like Franks)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 small chicken breast, cooked and chopped/shredded*
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 tsp parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch of salt
Cheddar cheese, blue cheese crumbles, green onion, celery, and additional buffalo sauce for topping

*You can poach the chicken, bake the chicken, pick it off a store bought chicken or use left over shredded chicken. Whatever is easiest for you!

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a casserole dish by spraying with nonstick cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta shells just a minute shy of directions on box. (This makes them easier to handle when you’re stuffing them, they will finish cooking in the oven). Once their finished, drain them and rinse with cold water.

While the shells are boiling, combine the ricotta, blue cheese, celery, green onion, ranch seasoning packet, 1/4 cup of Buffalo in a large bowl. Taste the filling and add more Buffalo sauce if you would like it spicier. Once the filling suits your taste, mix in the egg. Add the cooked chopped chicken to the bowl and stir to combine.

Fill the shells with filling and place in the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle with additional buffalo sauce and top with cheddar cheese and additional blue cheese crumbles. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 18 minutes. In the meantime, in a small bowl combine the melted butter, Panko, parsley, garlic powder, and salt. After 18 minutes, remove shells from oven and sprinkle the breadcrumb topping over the shells. Bake uncovered for an additional 5-10 minutes or until the bread crumbs start to turn golden brown. (If you’re careful and keep an eye on it you can turn the broiler on for a minute or two at the end).

Top with additional green onions and diced celery. Serve hot with extra Buffalo sauce, Ranch, and a salad on the side

Sunny Side Up original

Check out these other tasty Buffalo recipes, too!

Buffalo Chicken Salad
Buffalo Chicken Bites
Homemade Spicy Garlic Buffalo Sauce
Buffalo Chicken Sliders
 

Filed Under: Cheese, Chicken, Dinner, Easy Weeknight Dinner, Main Course, Pasta, Poultry Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Chicken Fajita Pizza

January 7, 2013 by 3 Comments

One thing that I made a lot of when we were living in China was pizza. There was actually a Papa John’s pretty close to our apartment, but it wasn’t my favorite and making pizza at home is just fun. There are a endless flavor combinations. Really, if flavors go well together on their own, there’s a good chance they’ll go well together on a pizza.

One day when I was staring at an open fridge, trying to decide on the flavor of day, I came up with this idea for Chicken Fajita Pizza. No, it’s not the first Chicken Fajita Pizza ever made, but I think the combination of my favorite fajita marinated chicken and the Mexican black bean sauce, really made it special.

These photos are actually from the first time I made this pizza (while still living in China) but it’s one of my favorites still. Nowadays, I roll the pizza dough just a little bit thinner and I go a little heavier on peppers and onions, but the basic pizza is still exactly the same!

Now I want to know what YOUR favorite homemade pizza is!

 

Chicken Fajita Pizza
Ingredients
1 batch Best Fajita Marinade
1/2 red pepper, cut into 1-2 inch strips
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-2 inch strips
1/2 small red onion, cut into 1-2 inch strips
1 large or 2 small chicken breasts
1 batch Mexican Black Bean Sauce
1 ball of pizza dough
1 Tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2-2 cups Colby Jack or Mexican
2-3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions
Preheat oven and pizza stone to hottest temperature (450-500 degrees Fahrenheit).

Marinate chicken in the fajita marinade, reserve 2 tablespoons of the marinade and toss with the peppers and onions. Cook chicken on a grill, in a grill pan, or in a skillet. During the last few minutes of cooking, add the peppers and onions (using foil if cooking on a real grill). Set cooked chicken, peppers, and onions aside to cool.

On a well floured surface, roll pizza dough to desired thickness. Using a pastry brush, brush a light layer of olive oil on the outside edge of the pizza. Spoon desired amount of black bean sauce over dough (you probably won’t use the entire batch, but it makes for good leftovers!). Top with sliced chicken, peppers, onions, and cheese. Using a pizza peel or cookie sheet, carefully transfer to hot pizza stone. Bake for 8-12 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown. Top with fresh cilantro.

Sunny Side Up Original Idea


 

Filed Under: Chicken, Main Course, Pizza Tagged With: , , , , , ,

White Chicken Chili

December 18, 2012 by 2 Comments

Do you ever hear about something someone else is having for dinner and immediately wish you were invited? That’s exactly what happened to me when I was reading a nightly “What’s for Dinner” post on a message board that I frequent. Someone said they were having White Chicken Chili for dinner and I.could.not. get it out of my mind. Luckily I have a recipe I’ve been making for years that is easy enough to throw together on a whim.

This recipe is adapted from a recipe my aunt gave me. It happens to be dairy free (for my allergy cousin :) ) but it’s still somehow creamy and delicious. The seasoned split chicken breast add a nice layer of flavor and spice level in the chili is completely adjustable.  The ingredient list/directions may seem long, but it’s actually really easy to put together. Jesse wound up working late and when we spoke on the phone and I told him I had a pot of this chili on this stove he got super pumped. I like to think it inspired him to hurry up and finish his work so he could get home and eat!

 

White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
*2 split chicken breasts, bone-in with skin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp coriander
kosher salt & pepper
2-3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
6-8 jarred jalapeno rings, chopped
1 4 oz can chopped green chilies
1/2 cup flour
6 cups HOT chicken broth
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp dry parsley
1 tsp oregano
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp hot sauce (Cholula, Tabasco, Franks)
3 15 oz cans navy or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

*We love the added layer of flavor that the roasted split chicken breasts provides, but if you want to save time, feel free to use a store roasted chicken, or even just blanched chicken.


Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine the onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, coriander, and salt and pepper. Rub over the split chicken breast, skin and bone side.

Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a dutch oven or large stock pot over medium-high heat. Place chicken breast, skin side down, in the pot and cook for 3 minutes, or until skin is brown and crispy. Remove pot from heat and use tongs to transfer chicken breasts to rimmed baking sheet skin side up, tent loosely with foil, and cook for 45-55 minutes, or until internal temperature reads 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and leave tented with foil for 10-15 minutes.

While the chicken is roasting, add onion to the dutch oven/stock pot over medium heat. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until onions are translucent, stirring often to loosen any browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic, jalapeno, and green chiles. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and cook for 3-4 minutes. Slowly pour in the HOT chicken broth, stirring constantly to avoid the flour clumping. Season with parsley, oregano, and cumin, and hot sauce. Add the beans and baking soda. Reduce heat to low and simmer.

While the soup is simmering, use a fork to remove chicken from bone and shred. Add shredded chicken, along with any juices from the pan, to the chili.

Simmer until ready to eat. Serve with cheese quesadillas*, sour cream, salsa, guacamole -whatever sounds good!!

*Homemade tortillas are awesome, but I also found some cilantro & jalapeno tortillas that make delicious quesadillas! (hence the greenish quesadillas in the photo)

Adapted from my Aunt Ava’s recipe

 

Filed Under: Chicken, Main Course, Soup Tagged With: , , , ,