Alice Springs Chicken

Are you surprised to see a new post?  This is what preschool can do for a mom.  It's a free two hours a few days a week.  FREE MOM TIME!!! In order to ensure I stay productive during this newly found free time, I have set a goal to post a recipe every week.

Part of my incentive for this is since I have stopped posting, we had a child diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.  In an effort to feed her better, we measure, calculate, and ultimately search for as many healthy low carb recipes as we can find so when we are enjoying brownies and ice cream or a birthday cake, we can balance her better.  The good news is this is an all around better thing for the whole family. The bad news is, I didn't plan properly the fact this meant I needed to take photos for the recipe post this week.  But alas, you are in luck, because the recipes I am posting have come from other magnificent recipe sources.

So today's feature you are going to absolutely LOVE.  It  is an Alice Springs Chicken copycat recipe.  If you have never had this delightful dish from the Outback Steakhouse, you have no idea why a copycat recipe would be so exciting.  We have made this for company, my parents, my in-laws, and it's one that we are asked to make again and again.   It is gluten free as written, so that's another plus.  I'm linking you back to her recipe.  It is amazing and she is not kidding when she says the sauce is perfect!

We pretty much follow the recipe as is with some minor adjustments.  We have a large family, so we double the sauce, make a 9x13 pan with about 8 chicken breast halves cut in half.  Why you may ask?  Well, most half breasts weigh in around 6-7 ounces. 3 ounces of chicken is plenty for the little ones, and if an adult wants six ounces of chicken, he or she takes two.  It's easier than having a half eaten breast on the plate.  Second, we have picky kids, so one pan is made without mushrooms.  I have found when doing this there is a lot less moisture in the pan.  To help counteract this issue we do not reserve any of the sauce.  Half goes over each 9x13 dish.  We also add the cheese the last ten minutes of cooking.

As far as freezer meals are concerned, the only thing we do is cut the chicken and freeze it.  The mushrooms have such a high water content I'm not sure how they would hold up after freezing.  Regardless, ones the chicken has been trimmed and cut, throwing the meal together is really just a matter of minutes.  We've been known to have this meal on the table in 45 minutes including the time it takes to preheat the oven. Enjoy!

Just in case there are ever any problems with the link, here is the recipe from The Dinner Mom.  Check her out!

Alice Springs Chicken

• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Seasoning Salt
• 1 cup Honey Mustard Sauce (recipe below)
• 4 slices bacon, cooked
• 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese,Colby jack or cheese substitute, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Layer mushrooms in the bottom of a baking dish.
3. Add chicken and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
4. Top with bacon and about ¾ of the honey mustard sauce. Reserve about ¼ of the sauce to serve on the side (the reserved sauce should never touch raw chicken.)
5. Sprinkle cheese over the top.
6. Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

 

Honey Mustard Sauce

• ¾ cup mayonnaise or vegan substitute
• ¼ cup honey
• 2 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

Use beaters to mix mayonnaise, honey and Dijon mustard until well-combined.

Chicken Cordon Bleu...in a Crockpot

Okay, so I wasn't so creative with the side dishes.  In my defense we arrived home from one of the girl's softball game at almost 6:00 p.m. and I was mainly concerned with getting dinner on the table.  However, since I haven't posted this recipe before we get the canned veggie side dishes and the egg noodles that cook up in seven minutes.

My kids ALL liked this, and with five sets of varying taste buds that is a huge accomplishment.  This started as a freezer meal that was thawed completely by allowing it two days in the fridge.  We knew in advance we had some crazy scheduling this week, but I understand that doesn't always make a great freezer meal for some families.  With the cheese in the chicken I'm not sure how a microwave defrost would affect the overall taste and texture and don't recommend it.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts fileted
4 large slices of swiss cheese
4 large, thin slices of ham
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup milk

Filet the chicken breasts in half to yield 6 long thin pieces.  I am not a top notch chef so mine do not end up in equal sizes.  This isn't a problem in my family as the kids usually want a smaller portion anyway, but it is something to note if you need to increase the number of chicken breasts you are using.  Layer 1/2 of a ham slice and 1/2 of a slice of swiss cheese on each piece of chicken lengthwise.  Roll each piece of chicken with the ham and cheese on the inside and secure with a toothpick.

To freeze, place the rolled chicken in a freezer bag.  I double bagged mine because of the toothpicks.  I don't know if this was necessary, but I was concerned of puncturing through the freezer bag.  It wasn't so much freezer burn as I knew it was only in the freezer for the month as much as the concern of the raw chicken juices leaking while the chicken thawed...


Freezer bag label: Thaw completely, place in crockpot and cover with 1 can cream of chicken soup mixed with 1/2 cup milk.  Cook on low in crockpot 4 -5 hours.

If you choose not to freeze this, place the chicken in a crockpot and cover with the cream of chicken soup mixed with milk.  Cook on low in the crockpot  4 - 5 hours.  If you have a small crockpot you can teepee the chicken so they are all in a single layer.

Please remember crockpot cooking times typically assume your crockpot is 1/2 - 2/3 full.  The chicken may dry out if you have a seven quart crockpot and are only cooking 8 pieces of chicken.

Lettuce Wraps

First, let me just say I have never been to PF Chang's.  With that said, I know this is a copycat recipe, and for any PF Chang fans out there, I apologize in advance if this does not resemble the real thing.  HOWEVER, even if this doesn't resemble theirs, my family finds this worth making.  This is not a leftover meal.  I froze a little the last time we made them, and I'll be defrosting it within the next week to let you know how it holds up as a freezer meal.  You won't be freezing the lettuce of course.

The page I picked up the recipe from is Wasabimon.com.

Did I do anything different?  Yes, but only because I was using what I had, not because of any culinary insight.  I used regular sesame seed oil, and the dijon mustard I had was not the "good stuff" but a store brand.  Also, I did not have fresh lemons, so I did use lemon juice from my fridge.  The verdict...they were still AMAZING.  We had no leftovers either time I have made them.  The only reason I was able to put some to the freezer test is because I put it in the freezer before we started eating.  Even if I can only freeze the cut chicken ahead of time this recipe is staying as a regular in our house.  If for any reason the link doesn't work let me know and I'll send you over the recipe I have printed from the website.

By the way...this has moved so high up our favorites list it is what I requested for my Mother's Day dinner...the bad news - I think I'm prepping it today. Such is life.

Garlic Lime Chicken

This recipe wins in all categories.  First off, two of my favorite things are garlic and lime.  Second, it's a freezer meal. Third, it's diet friendly. And last, it is flexible in preparation; it can be cooked in a crockpot or you can marinate the meat and cook it on a grill.  How can you possibly go wrong?

Yes, after I took the pretty picture I did add sauce to my rice and chicken...I'm a saucy kind of girl...

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


If you are marinating the meat, stab the chicken and place in a gallon size ziploc freezer bag.  Combine the other ingredients and pour over the chicken.  Marinate at least 2 hours and grill.

If you are using a crockpot place the chicken in the bottom of your crockpot.  I find a 4 quart works great for this recipe.  Combine the other ingredients and pour over the meat.  Cook on high 3 - 4 hours, or low 6 - 8 hours.  If you can, turn the meat about half way through.  Also, if you are cooking in a larger crockpot this will cook MUCH faster.  Check your meat frequently or double the chicken.  There is no need to double the sauce, there will be plenty.

For those who are counting calories...I cut the chicken as best I could into 4 ounce pieces before I placed it in the crockpot.  With the chicken I purchased, it four chicken breasts allowed for approximately two and a quarter pounds of chicken.

To prepare as a freezer meal.  Place the chicken in a labeled ziploc freezer bag.  Combine the other ingredients, then pour into the bag.  Again, if you plan to grill the chicken, it's best to stab the chicken first. For grilling, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  The meat will marinate while it's thawing.  For crockpot cooking, on cooking day place the items from the bag in the crockpot and cook as above.  If you cook from frozen remember your cooking time will be on the high side.

We usually serve this with rice and steamed veggies.  LOVE IT!!!

Nutritional information per Spark People Recipe Calculator

For each 4 oz serving of chicken:
115     calories
0.5 g   fat
2.3 g   carbohydrate
0.1 g   fiber
0.5 g   sugar
24.1 g protein

Chicken and Potatoes...on the lighter side.

The weather is warming, and it's time to face the reality a swimsuit may have to worn this summer.  In an effort to do so, I tried to find some new recipes that were a little less on the calorie count.  I found this amazing website, Skinnytaste, that I am now in love with.  We tried her recipe for Baked Chicken with Dijon and Lime tonight.  It was absolutely amazing.  Because I have a family of seven, I did increase the chicken from 8 pieces to 12.  The younger kids only ate one piece each, so it was plenty and the hubby even has two pieces for lunch tomorrow.  I was worried about the salt generously part, so I used about a half tablespoon of sea salt.  I also forgot to press the garlic clove into the sauce before I tossed the chicken, so I pressed garlic and spread it around on top of the chicken thighs in the pan.  It worked great.

As a side I roasted potatoes.  My kids love the onion soup mix roasted potatoes, but again, there's a ton of sodium in the package, and it calls for three tablespoons of oil.  This was our homemade lighter version:




Oven Roasted Potatoes
4 pounds red potatoes, washed and cut into 1 - 2" pieces
4 teaspoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons dry minced onion
2 teaspoons garlic
1 teaspoon salt



Preheat oven to 400
Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.


Mix together dry ingredients.
Toss the potato pieces in the olive oil.
Add dry ingredients and toss until coated.
Spread evenly in greased pan.
Bake 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender when poked with a fork.  To brown the potatoes, after the 40 minutes I turned to broiler on high, leaving the pan on the center rack, and left them in the oven about five more minutes. DELICIOUS!!!



Okay, this is where I made my fatal mistake.  I have garlic, fresh garlic, I don't know why I opted for the granulated, but I did.  I will make it next time with the fresh garlic and let you know how things go.


Using a recipe calculator online I came up with the following nutritional information.  Please remember this is and online tool, not a science lab...



Serves 10 (I think we got closer to twelve even servings from the pan, but I didn't measure exactly so I'm erring high on the calorie count)

Calories	151.9
Total Fat	2.1 g
Saturated Fat	0.3 g
Sodium	243.8 mg
Carbohydrates	29.9 g
Fiber	3.2 g
Protein	3.6 g

To top the meal off we served steamed broccoli. It was wonderful, and I'm excited to see if we can make the chicken as a freezer meal!  Wish us luck.

Orange Chicken

Yet another freezer meal.  This is a most requested meal at our house.  The girls love orange chicken and I am way too frugal to take them out for Chinese food as often as they would like.  We found this recipe on a copycat bulletin board but I was unable to locate the exact recipe again.  There are a few changes from the original, I increased the sauce quite a bit.  You can't tell from the picture because unfortunately in this batch we also added A LOT of chicken since the girls love it so much.  They surprised us and ate it all AGAIN, leaving no lunch leftovers for dad today.

If you choose to freeze this meal, we make the whole recipe, start to finish.  One of the reasons I like to make this as a freezer meal is because the frying of the chicken can be a little time consuming.  If you do it in batches, making three or four meals at a time, on cooking night, you have dinner on the table in the time it makes to cook your rice.  That is a winner in my book.

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces

1 egg

1 1/2 tsp salt 

1 tsp pepper

oil (for frying)

1/2 c cornstarch

1/4 c flour

1 garlic clove, pressed

1/2 tsp crushed red chili pepper

1/4 c green onion, chopped

1 Tbl rice wine

1/2 cup water
2 Tbs cornstarch 

1/2 tsp sesame oil

Orange Sauce for Stir Fry

1/4 c soy sauce

1/4 c water 
1 Tbs ground ginger

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c white vinegar

zest of 1 orange 

Whisk egg, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil and mix well in a large bowl
Place chicken pieces in the bowl and stir to coat.

Stir cornstarch and flour together, and the flour mixture to the chicken, stir to coat.

Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375 degrees. (We use a regular frying pan and turn the chicken)

Add chicken, small batches at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden crisp. Do not overcook chicken. (If you can't cover the chicken with the oil you will need to cook it a little longer)

Remove chicken with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; set aside.

Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat.

Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add ginger and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant; about 10 seconds.

Add and stir-fry crushed chiles and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds.

Add Orange Sauce and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.

Stir water into remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch until smooth and add to chicken.

Heat until sauce is thickned. Stir in sesame oil and orange zest.

Serve over rice.

**Note - I did not add the crushed red pepper the first time we made this recipe and EVERYONE loved it.  The second time I made it, I used the red pepper and it had a bit too much heat for my little ones.  It may be wise to omit the pepper if you are nervous about the heat, and allow those who like a spicier dish to add it at the table. 


To freeze this meal: Allow the chicken to cool completely then place the chicken in a labeled gallon size or quart size freezer bags according to your family size.  Lay flat in the freezer.  

On cooking day: Thaw completely.  Reheat the chicken in a covered frying pan on low until warm through, stirring frequently.  I usually start my rice the same time I reheat the chicken and they are typically ready about the same time.


I think the next time I freeze I may try using half the sauce while cooking and freezing half...I'll let you know how that goes!

Mexican Lasagna

I have to be honest.  I took photos of dinner tonight and thought to myself, "I'd never make that looking at the picture."  I promise, however, it is REALLY good.  It's a really easy meal, it's just not a photogenic meal. Also, I know there are some who refuse to cook with freezer meals because "they don't do casseroles."  Well, this is a casserole and it is easy, tasty, and even though the photos don't show it, it does look nice when served...


With that said, this is one that can also be a freezer meal.  You can actually prepare the whole meal in a disposable 9x13, cover and freeze.  To freeze the casserole, I recommend covering once with saran wrap and then again with aluminum foil.  Keep in mind there is no way to keep the air out of a frozen casserole, so you absolutely need to eat it with at least a month or month and a half.

We use the hybrid version of the freezer meal for this one.  We cook the chicken, freeze it, separate the cheese for the recipe, freeze it, and separate the tortillas, freeze them.  At that point, the only items that are not frozen are a can of green chiles and the enchilada sauce.  However, it means I only needed about 1/3 of the space also.

Mexican Lasagna

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 Tbs cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 cans green chiles
2 cups shredded cheese (jack, cheddar, or a colby jack mix)
1 can green enchilada sauce
12 corn tortillas whole
6 corn tortillas halved

To prepare the chicken, we cook it in the crockpot with 1 can of green chiles, the cumin and chili powder.  Cook on low 4 - 5 hours and shred.  (If I am cooking this for multiple meals I will cook up to 16 chicken breasts and add 1 cup of water and 1 bouillon cube)  If you are freezing the chicken, you want to separate into labeled quart size ziploc bags.  Make sure there is at least 3 cups of shredded chicken in each bag.

When I prepare the rest of the meal for the freezer, I make sure I have on had the can of green chiles and the can of enchilada sauce.  Then place the cheese in a labeled quart size freezer bag, and the tortillas in a separate labeled quart size freezer bag.  This will ensure you have all the pieces of the meal on hand when you are planning to prepare it.  (Especially with the cheese if you have a family who likes to add cheese to their snacks or meals.)

To prepare the meal:
Remove 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and set aside.
If you are using the hybrid frozen chicken, you will need to add the second can of green chiles to the chicken as we only used one in the crockpot.
Preheat oven to 375
Spray a 9x13 pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Pour 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan, and spread by tilting the pan.  Arrange four of the whole tortillas, and four of the half tortillas to cover the enchilada sauce.  Pour 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce on top of the layer of tortillas and spread evenly.  Spread evenly 1/2 of the chicken over the tortillas, and then half of the remaining shredded cheese.
Repeat again starting with the corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, chicken and cheese.
To complete the casserole, layer the remainder of the corn tortillas, pour and spread the remainder of the enchilada sauce, and top with the 1/4 cup of cheese that was separated at the beginning.
Bake in preheated oven 35 - 45 minutes, until cheese is melted and it is heated through.
Allow the casserole to set for about ten minutes before serving.

If you choose to prepare the whole casserole before freezing, on serving day you can cook the casserole at 350 for 2 hours from frozen, or thaw ahead of time and cook at 350 for 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Chicken Alfredo and Rolls

This is one of the simplest meals we prepare in our home, and it is also one of our favorites.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 c light zesty italian dressing
1 pkg pasta
1 jar alfredo sauce


We serve the meal with rolls and either a vegetable or salad.  I'll include the roll recipe also, but a loaf of french bread from the store works just fine for those who don't like to bake.  We bake the chicken in advance and it is frozen for future meals.

Chicken
Preheat oven to 375.  Lay chicken breasts in an 8x8 or 9x13 pan.  Use a fork to make several holes in the chicken.  Pour half the dressing over the chicken, then turn the chicken over and pour the remainder of the dressing.  Bake the chicken for approximately 40 minutes.  Baking time may vary depending on the thickness of the chicken.

If you are preparing the chicken in bulk for future meals:  Allow the chicken to cool completely.  When the meat has cooled, slice the chicken and then place 2 sliced chicken breasts in a labeled quart size freezer bag.  Squeeze out as much air as possible and place in freezer.

If you are preparing the entire meal tonight:  While the chicken is baking, prepare your pasta, warm the jar sauce and prepare any vegetables or salads that will be accompanying the meal.

I love this meal for a couple reasons.  First, the kids enjoy it so much there are never leftovers.  Second, it's very inexpensive.  If you are a coupon shopper, the Ragu brand of alfredo, which is what we usually purchase, can often be purchased on sale and with coupons for $1.00 or less.

My family also loves italian rolls with their pasta, so that is something else I make whenever we have spaghetti, lasagna, alfredo, anything of that nature.  I use a pampered chef fluted pan.  Any bundt pan will do, but I highly recommend using a bundt pan for these.

 
Rolls
1 c warm water
1 Tbs active dry yeast
2 Tbls + 1 tsp sugar
1 Tbls olive oil
2 1/2 - 3 c flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
2 Tbls butter

I am a huge fan of my kitchen aid, so that is how I combine the ingredients.  You can use a bread maker, or combine them by hand.  It's entirely up to you.  Pour the water, yeast and sugar into your mixing bowl.  Allow the mixture to sit for five minutes.  You DO NOT have to dissolve the yeast, but you are more than welcome to if it makes you feel better.  While the yeast mixture is sitting, combine 2 cups of flour and the remaining dry ingredients.  You will need the butter for later. After the five minutes add the oil to the water/yeast mixture, then gradually add the flour mixture. Knead the flour until it pulls away from the side of the bowl if using a kitchen aid, or until it pulls away from the board if kneading by hand.  You don't want it to get too dry.

Allow the dough to rest for fifteen minutes.  We don't usually have a warm place for the bread to rise, so I use the inside of my oven.  I preheat the oven to 170, and then turn it off,  By the time the bread has rested it seems to be the perfect temperature.

After the dough has rested punch it down and knead for another minute.  Melt 2 Tbls butter in a small bowl.  Twist and pull enough dough to make a 2" ball.  Dip the ball in butter and place in an un-greased fluted baker or un-greased bundt pan.  Continue until you have used all the dough, spacing the balls evenly and stacking on top of each other in the pan.

Place the pan in the oven for 25 minutes.  After 25 minutes, turn the oven on to 350 and bake for 30 minutes.  Leave the pan in the oven while it's preheating.

After the rolls are finished baking, turn the pan over and serve.

I feel like the tedious part is baking the chicken.  Maybe it's because I have seen the value in baking enough for four meals at once and defrosting seems so much easier, but I'm sure there are those of you who will find me insane for baking the bread...all I know is it is well worth it!

Chicken Enchilada Soup

One of our favorites around here is chicken enchilada soup.  In fact, on a good day, everyone eats it without complaining.  I'm finally losing the battle with the guck just about everyone else in the house had, so I'm feeling like I need soup.  The great thing is this is one of our freezer meals too!  For me that means, take it out of the freezer, thaw, heat and dinner was ready.  It doesn't get better than that!

1 Tbs oil

1 lb chicken breast

1/2 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, pressed

5 c water

5 tsp chicken bouillon

1 c Masa Harina (corn tortilla flour)

1 c enchilada sauce

16 oz Velveeta cheese, cubed

1 tsp salt

2 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add chicken, brown 4-5 minutes per side and set aside. Add onions and garlic, sauté about 2 minutes.

Add water and bouillon, heat until bouillon is dissolved.

In a small bowl combine Masa Harina with 2 c water and whisk until well blended.  Add to pot with onions, garlic and broth.

Add enchilada sauce, cheese and spices and bring to boil.  Stir regularly to keep cheese and enchilada sauce from sinking to bottom and burning.

Shred chicken and add to pot.

Simmer 30-40 minutes or until thickened stirring frequently..

If you prefer a thinner soup, add water to desired consistency.

Serve with shredded cheese, salsa and tortilla strips.

 This is also one of my favorite freezer meals.  When making this for the freezer I cut the water down to 4 cups and double the recipe for two freezer meals.  Cool the soup completely. Place a gallon size ziploc freezer bag in a pitcher with the opening of the bag folded over the top of the pitcher.  (This helps you not to pour the soup on the floor or counter.)  When the bag is full seal it, removing as much of the air as possible.  Repeat with second bag and lay flat in the freezer.

On cooking day: Thaw and add 1 cup of water. Simmer on stove top until heated through, usually around 20 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese, crumbled chips and salsa.