Chicken!

If you've read this blog for a while, you're probably aware that there was a time when chicken was a Sunday-only meal. But now they're more of an anytime meal. Just think how many chicken restaurants, as well as burger places selling chicken sandwiches, are around.

Here are six chicken recipes to check out, including Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts with Tomato & Basil & Potatoes with Peppers & Onions and 20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas. Enjoy!

SZECHUAN PEANUT CHICKEN

This is from FamilyTime, and begins, “Pace® Picante Sauce provides the flavor punch to this peanut sauce seasoned with soy, ginger and garlic. Stir-fried chicken and spaghetti are tossed with this Szechuan-inspired sauce for an out-of-the-ordinary dinner dish.”

Serves: 4 servings (2 cups each); Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 15 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 small clove garlic, minced

1 tablespoon Vegetable Oil

1/2 cup Pace® Picante Sauce

2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

3 green onion, thickly sliced (about 3/4 cup)

1/2 of a 16-ounce package thin spaghetti, cooked and drained (about 4 cups) green onion, thickly sliced

Directions

Stir the chicken, soy, ginger and garlic in a medium bowl.

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture and stir-fry until it's well browned and cooked through. Remove the chicken mixture from the skillet and set it aside.

Stir the picante sauce, peanut butter and onions in the skillet. Return the chicken mixture to the skillet and heat until it's hot and bubbling. Serve over the spaghetti. Sprinkle with additional onions.

PARMESAN CRUSTED CHICKEN BREASTS WITH TOMATO AND BASIL AND POTATOES WITH PEPPERS AND ONIONS

This comes from Rachael Ray, star of the Food Network show 30 Minute Meals.

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 12 minutes; Total Time: 27 minutes; Yield: 4 servings; Level: Easy

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2 pounds fingerling potatoes or red skin baby potatoes

1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips

1 Italian mild green pepper, cubanelle, seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium yellow skinned onion, thinly sliced

4 large cloves garlic, cracked away from skin

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Coarse salt and pepper

2 cups shredded Parmesan, available in tubs near deli -- make sure to get shredded cheese, not grated

4 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

4 plum Roma tomatoes or small, vine ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped

15 to 20 leaves fresh basil, pile leaves, roll then thinly slice -- chiffonade

Directions

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.

Cut fingerling potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on thickness of fingerlings -- thin, small fingerlings may also be left hole, larger potatoes should be quartered to speed cooking process. If you are using small red potatoes, halve or quarter them in the same way.

Cover a large cookie sheet with foil. Place potatoes on cookie sheet. Combine with peppers and onions, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Coat the potatoes, peppers and onions with extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat vegetables in a thin layer, 2 to 3 tablespoons. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Place potatoes in the oven and roast 20 to 22 minutes, until potatoes are just tender and peppers and onions are crisp at edges. Toss mixture with tongs, turning the potatoes after 15 minutes. When the potatoes are cooked, transfer them to a serving dish and peel the foil off the cookie sheet and discard for super-quick clean up!

While potatoes cook, prepare chicken. Roll out a 2-foot piece of waxed paper or foil near the stove top. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat -- your pan must be very hot when the chicken is added. Pile the shredded cheese on the work surface created with the waxed paper or foil. Season your chicken breasts with black pepper but no salt; the cheese will add enough salt to the taste of the dish. Press the breasts firmly into the cheese. Coat both sides of breasts with as much cheese as possible. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Set breasts into the skillet and cook 7 minutes on each side, until cheese forms an even, golden casing around the tender chicken breasts.

While chicken cooks, combine chopped tomatoes with basil in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Drain off any excess oil from chicken as you remove it from the skillet. Top chicken with big spoonfuls of raw sauce and serve with potatoes, peppers and onions.

LEMON CHICKEN TARRAGON

This recipe is from Family Time, and begins, “A restaurant-style dish in just 30 minutes? You bet...this tasty skillet dish is simply amazing!”

Serves: 4 servings; Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Vegetable Oil or 1 tablespoon olive oil

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast half (about 1 pound)

2 cups water

1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)

2 tablespoons Lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh tarragon leaves or 1 teaspoon dried tarragon leaves, crushed

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 cups uncooked instant white rice

Directions

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes or until well browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Stir the water, soup, lemon juice, tarragon and black pepper in the skillet and heat to a boil.

Stir in the rice. Return the chicken to the skillet. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the rice is tender.

LEMONY ROASTED CHICKEN WINGS

This is from David Tanis in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. David wrote, “These meaty out-of-the-ordinary roasted wings are infused with lots of lemon, garlic and rosemary, then roasted on a bed of fingerling potatoes. Use a large roasting pan that's at least 3 inches deep, or a big earthenware gratin dish, or a couple of Pyrex lasagna pans side by side. The lemony chicken and potatoes are delicious hot and crisp, but just as good at cool room temperature.”

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Time: About 1 1/2 hours.

This was featured in “Lemony Chicken Wings, Soaring Above the Rest”, and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

2 pounds very small potatoes, such as fingerlings, whole, or use medium-size yellow-fleshed potatoes, cut in halves or wedges)

3 pounds chicken wings, preferably drumettes

Salt and pepper

Red pepper flakes, to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 small lemons, cut into 1/4-inch thick half-moon slices

6 large rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped

8 garlic cloves, minced, or 1/2 cup chopped green garlic shoots

1 cup dry white or rosé wine

Pinch of dried oregano (optional)

Preparation

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse potatoes with lukewarm water and pat dry.

Spread chicken wings out on a baking sheet or cutting board in a single layer. Season both sides of wings generously with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Sprinkle with red-pepper flakes as desired.

Transfer seasoned wings to a large bowl. Add olive oil, lemon slices, rosemary and garlic and toss well with (plastic-gloved) hands so everything is evenly coated.

Place potatoes on the bottom of a roasting pan. Arrange seasoned wings over potatoes in a single layer. Add wine and cover pan tightly with foil.

Bake, covered, for about 45 minutes, until potatoes are done. Remove foil and return the pan to the oven and bake about 20 minutes more, until wings are nicely browned. Using tongs, turn wings over and bake for another 20 minutes to brown the wings’ other side. Sprinkle with dried oregano, and serve hot or at room temperature.

20-MINUTE CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

This was posted in MyRecipes, and is originally from CookingLight. This begins, “Quick tip: While the sauce cooks, shred the chicken. For a spicy kick, top with chopped jalapeños.”

Yield: Serves 6 (serving size: 2 enchiladas and 1 tablespoon sour cream)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 cup prechopped onion

1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 (15-ounce) can unsalted tomato sauce

3 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 15 ounces)

1 (15-ounce) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained

12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Cooking spray

3 ounces preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese (about 3/4 cup)

1 cup chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

6 tablespoons sour cream

Directions

Preheat broiler to high.

Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture. Add chicken and beans to pan; cook 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.

Stack tortillas; wrap stack in damp paper towels and microwave at HIGH for 25 seconds. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture in center of each tortilla; roll up. Arrange tortillas, seam sides down, in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with reserved sauce and cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly. Top with tomato and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.

Chef's Notes

MyRecipes is working with Let's Move!, the Partnership for a Healthier America, and USDA's MyPlate to give anyone looking for healthier options access to a trove of recipes that will help them create healthy, tasty plates. For more information about creating a healthy plate, visit www.choosemyplate.gov.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

This was posted in MyRecipes, and is originally from CookingLight. This begins, “Our take saves 446 calories, 22 grams of fat, and 1,260 milligrams of sodium over one serving of a leading chain's sweet and sour chicken.”

Yield: Serves 4 (serving size: 1 cup)

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

2 large egg whites

4 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 tablespoons unsalted ketchup

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil, divided

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks

2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

Combine egg whites and 1 tablespoon cornstarch in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat.

Combine remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch, ketchup, and next 4 ingredients (through soy sauce) in a bowl, stirring with a whisk.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add bell pepper to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add pineapple, ginger, and onions to pan; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer bell pepper mixture to a plate.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add chicken mixture, allowing any excess egg white mixture to drip back into bowl. Stir-fry 6 minutes or until chicken is browned and done. Add ketchup mixture and bell pepper mixture to pan. Bring to a simmer; simmer 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Sprinkle with salt; serve immediately.