Chicken - Double-Post Tuesday

Besides being Taco Tuesday, it's also Double-Post Tuesday. Today's double post deals with chicken, and includes Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff and Grilled Chicken Torta Sliders. Enjoy!

CROCKPOT MAPLE BBQ CHICKEN SANDWICHES

This came from a Weight Watchers crockpot email list maybe a decade or more ago. The points value is from then.

4 servings = 225 calories, 4g fat, 1g fiber; 5 points per serving

Ingredients

1/2 C. maple flavored syrup

2 T. prepared mustard

2 T. Worcestershire sauce

2 t. lemon juice

1/2 t. chili powder

1/4 t. garlic powder

4 boneless, skinned chicken breasts

Directions

Place all ingredients in crockpot & cook on LOW for about 7 to 8 hours or until chicken is done.

You can either eat the breasts whole or shred them on buns or rice for more points.

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH

This comes from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “Spices lose their flavor over time but few as quickly as paprika, which starts out tasting of pepper and sunshine but deteriorates in but a few months to sawdust and bitterness. For this recipe, get some new at the market: sweet or hot Hungarian paprika is best, but the generic article isn’t terrible and the smoky Spanish varieties known as pimentón de La Vera would not be out of place either, lending a deep, woodsy aroma reminiscent of cooking over an open fire. It’s a dish that pairs beautifully with butter-slicked egg noodles.” Yield: Serves 4 - 6; Time: 1 hour.

This was featured in “The Fresher the Spice, the Better the Chicken Paprikash” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

3 to 4 pounds chicken thighs and drumsticks, or whole chicken legs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon neutral oil, like canola

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow or Spanish onion, peeled and diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons Hungarian paprika, sweet or hot, or a combination

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes or 1 large ripe tomato, chopped

1 cup chicken broth, homemade or, if not, low-sodium

1 pound egg noodles

3/4 cup sour cream

Preparation

Heat oven to 400. Season the chicken aggressively with salt and pepper. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy, oven-safe sauté pan or Dutch oven set over high flame, until the butter is foaming. Sear the chicken in batches, skin-side down, until it is golden and crisp, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Then turn the chicken over, and repeat on the other side, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest.

Pour off all but a tablespoon or 2 of the accumulated fat in the pot. Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently with a spoon to scrape off any browned bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and gone translucent, approximately 5 minutes. Add the garlic, and stir again, cooking it until it has softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the paprika and the flour, and stir well to combine, then cook until the mixture is fragrant and the taste of the flour has been cooked out, approximately 4 to 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes and broth, whisk until smooth and then nestle the chicken back in the pan, skin-side up. Slide the pan or pot into the oven, and cook until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, set a large pot of heavily salted water to boil over high heat. Cook noodles in the water until they are almost completely tender, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the noodles, and toss them in a bowl with the remaining butter, then toss again to coat.

Place the chicken on top of the noodles, then add the sour cream to the sauce, stir to combine and ladle it over the whole.

COWBOY CAVIAR PASTA SALAD

This is from Betty Crocker, and begins, "The popular, Texas-inspired cowboy caviar can take the form of dip, garnish, side dish and more, but in this recipe, it becomes a complete meal, and one that’s much better than anything you’d find in the grocer’s deli case. Packed with vegetables, beans and pasta, and dressed in a light and tangy dressing, it's flavorful, fresh and hearty enough to feed the whole family. And it comes in at a great price, since it can be made with leftover rotisserie chicken and seasonal vegetables—although frozen and canned work well, too! In the summertime, this cold salad is perfect dinner on a sticky night and a guaranteed potluck hit. Even better, it’s easily made ahead. So next time you’re in the kitchen, why not put on a pot of water to boil. With a few minutes of chopping, you can rustle up tonight’s—or tomorrow’s—dinner!"

Prep Time: 25 minutes; Total Times: 25 minutes; Makes 6 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 box Betty Crocker™ Suddenly Salad™ classic pasta salad mix

3 tablespoons cold water

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped cooked chicken

1/2 cup chopped cooked bacon (5 slices)

1/2 cup Progresso™ canned black beans or black-eyed peas, drained, rinsed

1/2 cup frozen corn, cooked as directed on bag, cooled

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup diced fresh tomato

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons chopped red onion

Directions

Pour pasta (from Suddenly Salad box) into 3-quart saucepan 2/3 full of boiling water. Gently boil uncovered 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta. Rinse with cold water; drain well.

In large bowl, stir together seasoning (from Suddenly Salad box), cold water, oil, lime juice, honey, cumin, pepper flakes and salt to make dressing.

Add pasta, chicken, bacon, beans, corn, bell pepper, tomato, cilantro and red onion to dressing mixture in bowl; toss to gently coat. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until serving.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

tip 1

For food safety purposes, frozen corn must be cooked before adding to pasta salad. If you want to skip this step, use canned, cooked or fresh sweet corn.

tip 2

Prep ingredients ahead of time, and refrigerate so everything is ready to throw together when it’s time to eat. If you’ve made your pasta salad ahead, you might need to stir in a few teaspoons of olive oil to moisten the salad before serving.

tip 3

This salad is delicious with either black-eyed peas or black beans—or both.

Tip 4

Turn your leftover rotisserie chicken or other leftover cooked chicken into a new meal with this recipe.

tip 5

No time to cook bacon? Precooked bacon is convenient to use and sold in the meat section of the grocery store.

tip 6

Add chopped jalapeño or serrano pepper for more heat.

Tip 7

In place of diced tomatoes, feel free to substitute halved grape or cherry tomatoes.

BUTTER CHICKEN

This is from Amandeep Sharma and adapted by Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Sam wrote, "Butter chicken is a great, ever-evolving, cross-continental dish found in Delhi, London, New York, Perth and most points in between. In its purest form, it is yogurt-and-spice-marinated chicken dressed in a velvety red bath comprising butter, onions, ginger and tomatoes scented with garam masala, cumin and turmeric, with a cinnamon tang. This version was adapted from Amandeep Sharma, a young kitchen hand at the restaurant Attica, in Melbourne, Australia, who used to make it for staff meal. It is wildly luxurious. Serve with basmati rice and mango chutney, with papadums or naan if you can find them, with extra rice if you cannot."

Time: 1 hour 15 minutes; Yield: 6 servings

This was featured in "Indian Butter Chicken, by Way of Australia." It can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016754-butter-chicken.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1-1/2 tablespoons ground turmeric

2 tablespoons garam masala

2 tablespoons ground cumin

3 pounds chicken thighs, on the bone

1/4 pound unsalted butter

4 teaspoons neutral oil, like vegetable or canola oil

2 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and diced

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

3 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and grated or finely diced

1 tablespoon cumin seeds

1 cinnamon stick

2 medium-size tomatoes, diced

2 red chiles, like Anaheim, or 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced

Kosher salt to taste

2/3 cup chicken stock, low-sodium or homemade

1-1/2 cups cream

1-1/2 teaspoons tomato paste

3 tablespoons ground almonds, or finely chopped almonds

1/2 bunch cilantro leaves, stems removed

Preparation

Whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, turmeric, garam masala and cumin in a large bowl. Put the chicken in, and coat with the marinade. Cover, and refrigerate (for up to a day).

In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter in the oil until it starts to foam. Add the onions, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add the garlic, ginger and cumin seeds, and cook until the onions start to brown.

Add the cinnamon stick, tomatoes, chiles and salt, and cook until the chiles are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the chicken and marinade to the pan, and cook for 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for approximately 30 minutes.

Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the almonds, cook for an additional 5 minutes and remove from the heat. Garnish with the cilantro leaves.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN STROGANOFF

This comes from Judi Ann at Allrecipes. Judi Ann wrote, "Cubed chicken breast cooked in the slow cooker with a simple, creamy sauce mixture. This is so good, and so easy to make on a busy day. Serve over hot cooked rice, if desired."

Prep Time: 10 minutes; Cook Time: 5 hours; Total: 5 hours 10 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/17227/slow-cooker-chicken-stroganoff/.

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed

1/8 cup margarine

1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions

Put chicken, margarine and dressing mix in slow cooker; mix together and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.

Add cream cheese and soup, mix together and cook on high for another 1/2 hour or until heated through and warm.

GRILLED CHICKEN TORTA SLIDERS

This comes from Old El Paso, and begins, "Get your torta on with these simple, fresh, party-sized chicken sandwiches."

Prep Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Makes 8 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/grilled-chicken-torta-sliders.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 package (0.85 oz) Old El Paso™ chicken taco seasoning mix

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (3/4 lb)

8 slider buns, split

1 tablespoon butter, melted

1/2 cup Old El Paso™ refried beans (from 16-oz can)

1/2 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, thinly sliced

2 slices (1 oz each) Monterey Jack cheese, quartered

2 green onions, thinly sliced on the bias

Chopped fresh cilantro, if desired

Old El Paso™ Thick 'n Chunky salsa, if desired

Directions

Heat gas or charcoal grill. In small bowl, mix oil and taco seasoning mix. Rub chicken breasts with oil mixture.

Place chicken on grill over medium heat. Cover grill; cook 12 to 15 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (at least 165°F). Let stand 5 minutes. Cut each breast in quarters.

Meanwhile, brush cut sides of buns with melted butter and place, cut sides down, on grill. Cook 30 to 60 seconds or until cut sides are browned. Turn, and grill 30 to 60 seconds longer or until grill marks appear. Place beans in small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High 60 to 90 seconds or until softened and easy to stir. Spread bottom bun halves with beans. Top with avocado, then top with chicken.

Top chicken with cheese, remaining ingredients and tops of buns.

Expert Tips

Craving a little more heat? Opt for pepper Jack cheese.

Cutting green onions on the bias is easier (since they don’t roll around your cutting board) and are more beautiful, providing a slender slaw-like appearance.