Cheddar Ranch Chicken

Another easy, tasty chicken recipe. It's hard to go wrong with chicken, cheddar cheese, and ranch.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
4 chicken boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons ranch dressing seasoning (the powdered kind)
1/3 cup cheddar, shredded
1/4 cup panko

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange chicken breasts in the pan in a single layer.

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, ranch, and cheese. Spread the mixture on top of the chicken. Sprinkle panko on top of the chicken and lightly spray the top with cooking spray. 

Bake for 25 to 30 mins or until chicken is cooked through and the panko is lightly browned.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Melt-in-your-mouth Chicken 
Lemon Pepper Chicken with Garlic Potatoes
Jalapeno Popper Chicken
Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
Chicken Nugget Casserole 
Orange Chicken with Fried Rice
Parmesan-Seared Chicken

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan

Over the years I've made many chicken parmesan dishes, yet none have really been a keeper (except for my parmesan chicken casserole which is by far thee most popular recipe on this blog). I never would have thought a recipe this simple would become my go-to parmesan chicken recipe.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
4 chicken breast
3/4 cup panko
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 cup marinara sauce
cooking spray

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, combine, panko, oregano, basil, and Parmesan. Place melted butter in a second shallow dish. Set aside.

Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally so you have 8 thin chicken breasts. Dip the chicken breast in the butter then coat it in the panko mixture. Place on cookie sheet and repeat with the rest of the chicken.

Lightly spray a little cooking spray on the top of the chicken breasts. Bake for 20 minutes. Flip chicken over and bake for another 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

Remove from oven and spoon 1 tablespoon of sauce over each chicken breast and then sprinkle with mozzarella, dividing the cheese equally between the breasts.

Bake for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Baked Garlic Chicken
Orange Chicken with Fried Rice
Parmesan-Seared Chicken
Pizza Inspired Chicken 
Potless Chicken Pot Pies
Provincial Chicken

Asian Turkey Meatballs

Since my parmesan turkey meatballs were such a success with Eric (who is typically anti-ground turkey) I thought I'd push my luck and try a different turkey meatball recipe. How could I go wrong with hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and toasted sesame seeds? Answer is: I couldn't! With two successful ground turkey dishes, Eric says he'll happily eat any ground turkey dish I serve.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
Meatballs
20 ounces ground turkey
3 tablespoons plus1 teaspoon sesame oil, divided
1/2 cup Panko
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 egg
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
Toasted sesame seeds, garnish


Sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine turkey, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, Panko, ginger, egg, garlic and green onions. With your hands, combine ingredients well. Shape meat into golf ball size meatballs (I made about 20) and transfer them to the cookie sheet. Brush meatball with the 3 tablespoons sesame oil.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through.

While the meatballs cook, prepare sauce. In a saucepan, stir hoisin sauce, vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and ginger together. Over medium heat, heat sauce until hot. 

Pour sauce over meatballs, garnish with toasted sesame seeds, and serve.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Dinner Recipes:
Spicy Cheese-Stuffed Turkey Burgers
Turkey Burger with Avocado Sauce
Spicy Parmesan Sausage Meatballs with a Whiskey Barbecue Sauce 
The Tale of Two Quiches: Ham and Broccoli Quiche
Lemon Pepper Chicken with Garlic Potatoes
Jalapeno Popper Chicken

Parmesan Turkey Meatballs

This recipe finally converted Eric--he has resisted ground turkey for years, but these Parmesan turkey meatballs have changed his mind. I've always been a fan of ground turkey, but even I will admit that it tends to dry out. But these meatballs couldn't have been more tender and moist and cheesy. We had all of four meatballs leftover and even a day old they were still delicious.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
20-ounce package of ground turkey
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 egg, scrambled
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
3 tablespoon olive oil

Tomato sauce or marinara sauce

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine ground turkey, panko, Parmesan, green onions, garlic, parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Shape meat into golf ball size meatballs (I made 20) and transfer them to the cookie sheet. Brush meatball with olive oil.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through. Serve with tomato or marinara sauce. (To freshen up my spaghetti sauce, I sauted some onions and garlic and threw in some oregano and basil. It's make a world of difference).

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Dinner Ideas:
Jalapeno Popper Chicken
Margarita Chicken and Steak Fajitas 
Turkey Burger with Avocado Sauce
Spicy Parmesan Sausage Meatballs with a Whiskey Barbecue Sauce 
Cheesy Tomato Zucchini Bake 

Orange Chicken with Fried Rice

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but we no longer need to order out for orange chicken. Now, I have a very good crockpot orange chicken recipe (my mom absolutely loves it--she says it's even better the second day) but for real orange chicken, you need it breaded and fried (this coming from a girl who generally prefers her chicken baked or grilled). I've made more than a few variations of it since orange chicken is something Eric and I both love; we almost always order it when we get Chinese. Eric has already perfected fried rice--honestly, I'd rather have his fried rice than a restaurant's fried rice--and I figured out the perfect breading a while ago. So I've been working on the sauce. Soon as Eric tasted it, he told me I nailed it. He also ate leftovers for his lunch and dinner the next day (which is a big deal because he isn't big into leftovers).

Ingredients:
Chicken
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
Oil for frying

Orange Sauce
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 cup orange marmalade 
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Eric's Fried Rice

Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional)

Directions:
Prepare Fried Rice and Toasted Sesame Seeds first.

Chicken
Place the cornstarch, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish and combine. In a second shallow dish, beat the eggs. In a third shallow dish, pour panko breadcrumbs. Dredge the chicken pieces in the cornstarch, dip in egg, then coat in panko.

Heat oil over medium-high heat. In batches, cook chicken until the breading is a golden brown and the meat is cooked all the way through. Place chicken on a paper towel-lined plate.

Orange Sauce
In a large saucepan, combine 1 1/2 cup water, vinegar, soy sauce, marmalade, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Over medium heat, bring to a boil.

In a small bowl or glass, dissolve 3 tablespoons of cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of water. Slowly pour into sauce. Stir until sauce reaches the desired thickness.

Pour sauce over chicken and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds (you don't have to do the sesame seeds, but Eric and I have discovered that they make everything better). Serve with fried rice.

Arya sulking because she was exiled from the kitchen while we cooked.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Chicken Recipes:
Baked Garlic Chicken
Chicken Enchiladas with Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
Chicken Patties
Jalapeno Popper Chicken
Corn and Black Bean Skillet Chicken 
Parmesan Chicken Casserole 
Pizza Inspired Chicken  

Pizza Inspired Chicken

I don't think I've ever met anyone who loves pizza more than my husband. I swear, he could happily eat it every day. But he only likes it one way: with pepperoni, which for me gets pretty boring. So I decided to try something a little different, keeping my fingers crossed that Eric would like it. He absoultely loved it. (I like it too.) It's definitely going into our meal rotation.

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup flour
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt
pepper
1 cup pizza sauce
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup mozzarella, shredded
10 pepperonis, chopped

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish with cooking spray.

In a shallow dish, combine flour with salt and pepper. In a bowl, beat egg and milk together. In a second shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs, basil, oregano, and parsley.

Dredge the chicken breast in the flour. Dip the breasts in the egg mixture and shake off excess liquid. Coat the chicken in breadcrumbs and place in baking dish.

Bake for 50 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove from oven, pour pizza sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and pepperoni pieces. Turn oven to broil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Pizza Recipes:
Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Homemade Pizza Rolls
Ricotta, Basil, and Sun-dried Tomato Pizza 
The Pizza Quiche
Pizza Zucchini Boats