Chicken Thighs with Mango Chutney

 With this recipe you need to have boneless, but with skins on chicken thighs. Why? Because you are going to press the chutney under the skin along with the goat cheese. Sounds like fun in the kitchen tonight! Make sure you crisp up the skin before baking. Only 7.8g carbs! To keep this meal lite serve with various vegetables like: asparagus, broccoli or green beans. Even a side of berries would be great as they are on the keto diet and are under 11g carbs. Serves 3-6. *tip: the 7.8g carbs is based on 1 thigh per serving. On a standard serving it’s usually 1 breast vs 2 thighs. 

Ingredients: 

6 boneless skin-on chicken thighs 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

1/2 cup mango chutney 

You can buy mango chutney from various stores like: Meijer, Kroger or even on line from Amazon 

6 oz goat cheese 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

Directions: 

Loosen the skin on the chicken thighs. Season with salt and pepper. Evenly divide the chutney and goat cheese between the thighs. Press the chutney under the skin, then press the goat cheese over the chutney. Stretch skin over thigh and secure with a toothpick.

Preheat oven to 375F. 

In a skillet on med/high heat add the olive oil. Add the thighs skin down and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a baking dish. Bake 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165F. 

Creamy Spinach Parmesan Chicken Skillet

 

Boy, did I goof making this recipe! I thought the milk and flour were the same amount….lumps galore! Have you ever messed up a recipe? So, this Creamy Spinach Parmesan Chicken Skillet total time was way off. It’s suppose to be 50 minutes. I served it with rice. Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts 

2 tablespoons Italian seasoning 

Salt and pepper, to taste

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 

8 oz brown mushrooms, sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced 

1 1/2 cups half & half

1 1/2 tablespoons flour 

8 oz baby spinach

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan and Fontina cheese blend

Directions:

Season both sides of the chicken with Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. In a large skillet add 2 tablespoons oil and cook the chicken until the internal temperature reaches close to 165F, about 15 minutes. Place chicken on a paper towel lined plate to absorb any grease. 

In the same skillet add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil then the mushrooms and garlic, sauté 3-4 minutes. In a bowl add the flour and the half & half, whisk to combine making sure there are no lumps. Pour over the mushrooms then add the spinach and cheese, stir. If you think the sauce is too thick add more half & half. Stir to combine.

Add the chicken back in and simmer for 15 minutes to make sure chicken reaches temperature before serving. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, optional. 

Serve with a vegetable medley with rice. 

Creamy Chicken Potato Skillet

Do you think more people are buying chicken thighs than breasts to save money. I always preferred breasts, but recently I have been buying thighs to save money. Meijer 2 lbs chicken breasts are currently $9.58 vs a 2 lb package of chicken thighs for $5.98…that’s a $3.60 savings on thighs. 

Sometimes you might get lucky and find a package of chicken breasts on sale for under $5. Make sure you check the sales areas in your store.

I know what you are thinking, but per serving it’s 1 breast vs 2 thighs usually per person. And if you have growing children, like my granddaughter told me she can eat 2 breasts per serving..your food budget is blown! Personally, I tip my hat to those families that can feed their family good hearty meals these days. 

Here is an inexpensive meatless meal for a family of 4. 

This recipe serves 4. 

Marinade:

1 cup Italian dressing 

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 

1 tablespoon paprika 

1 teaspoon oregano 

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

In a gallon ziplock bag pour in the dressing, then add in the Italian seasoning. Pat dry the 1 lb of skin-on bone-in thighs and rub on 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken to bag, seal, and make sure chicken is coated with dressing. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. 

Ingredients: 

1 tablespoon olive oil 

1/2 tablespoon butter 

2 cups of small red or yellow potatoes, scrubbed and quartered 

1/2 jar of sun-dried tomatoes or 2 medium tomatoes, diced 

4 garlic cloves, minced 

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional 

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup half & half 

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions:

In a large skillet add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon butter on med/high heat add the chicken skin side down and cook until golden brown, about 6-7 minutes. Turn over for the same time. Place chicken on a paper towel covered plate. 

In the same skillet add in the potatoes and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Then add in the tomatoes and stock, cook for 5 minutes.

Stir in the half & half, spinach, Parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes, if using. Reduce heat to simmer and cook 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add the chicken back in skin side up and simmer for 15 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F and the potatoes are tender. Salt and pepper, to taste. 

Grilled Chicken with a Blackberry BBQ Sauce

Has anyone made a blackberry BBQ sauce before? With beer? 

Since I have diverticulitis and unfortunately I can’t eat blackberries, because of the seeds, I’ll have to strain my sauce. I’ve seen a lot of recipes that have whole blackberries in them. It’s up to you how you want to make it. 

It’s also a little early here in Indiana to grill outdoors, you can opt either with an outside grill or use a grill pan. (Except today is 66 and sunny) This recipe I’ll use my new grill pan from IKEA. 

The original recipe is with skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, but if you like breasts or wings you can substitute, it doesn’t matter. Serves 4 Total Time: 3 hours

Blackberry BBQ Sauce Ingredients: (makes about 2 qts)

2 pints fresh blackberries 

12 oz dark beer

1 cup balsamic vinegar 

1 cup red wine vinegar 

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar 

1 onion sliced

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 habanero pepper, slit

1 tablespoon ground chipotle chile powder

1 tablespoon finely ground coffee

1 tablespoon ground coriander 

1 tablespoon ground cumin 

Directions:

In a large saucepan combine all the ingredients on medium/low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours. Once cooled carefully puree sauce in a blender then strain. 

Grilled Chicken Ingredients:

1 tablespoon ground coriander 

1 tablespoon paprika 

1 tablespoon salt 

8 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs 

Olive oil 

1/2 recipe Blackberry BBQ Sauce 

Directions:

Pat dry the thighs with a paper towel then season with the coriander, paprika and salt rub in on both sides. Place chicken in a gallon size ziplock bag and refrigerate for several hours or over night.

In your grill pan on high heat add the oil. When hot place chicken thighs skin side down on the pan. Cook until golden brown then turn over. Check internal temperature the chicken is safe to eat when it reaches 165F. 7-10 minutes on each side. Baste the chicken occasionally with the sauce the last 10 minutes of cooking. Serve with the remaining sauce on the side. 

 

Balsamic Baked Chicken with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese

This Balsamic Baked Chicken with Tomato Sauce and Mozzarella Cheese only takes 30 minutes. It’s super easy. Enjoy this American recipe. 

Ingredients: 

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 

1/2 teaspoon dried basil 

1 teaspoon salt 

Pepper, to taste 

1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic 

2 cups cherry tomatoes 

1/4 red onion, sliced 

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 

1 tablespoon brown sugar 

3/4 shredded mozzarella cheese 

2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley 

Directions:

Preheat oven 430F/220C. Place chicken on a baking dish and drizzle with oil. Rub the oregano, basil, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon garlic on the chicken. Arrange the tomatoes and onions around the chicken. 

In a bowl combine the balsamic vinegar, sugar and remaining garlic and pour over chicken. Flip chicken to insure chicken is evenly coated. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. 

When done switch oven temperature to broil. Sprinkle with the cheese and broil until melted, 3-4 minutes. Garnish with parsley and drizzle with the tomato onion sauce in the pan. 

Herbed Cranberry Pear Chicken

Do you have a mortar and pestle set? If you do, combine a teaspoon of each in your mortar: salt, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, garlic, onion, dried red bell pepper, crushed red pepper. Grind together. You can purchase this Tuscan Farmhouse Blend from: https://saltsisters.net/products/tuscan-farmhouse-blend

Serves 4 Total Time: 30 minutes 

Ingredients: 

3 chicken breasts, cut into large chunks 

4 tablespoons olive oil 

1 cup flour 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon pepper 

1 yellow onion, diced 

1 cup cranberry pear balsamic vinegar 

1 cup chicken stock or water

1 cup heavy cream or half & half

2 cups baby spinach 

1 teaspoon of your herb blend (store rest) or Tuscan farmhouse blend 

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional 

Directions:

Dredge chicken in a flour, salt and pepper mixture. In a sauté pan on med/high heat add the oil. Add chicken cook for 5 minutes, stir frequently. Add more oil, if needed. Remove chicken and set aside.

Add onions to pan stir until translucent. Reduce heat to medium add in 2 tablespoons of the leftover flour and cook 1 minute. Add stock or water stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add in the cream and vinegar, stir until thickened then add in the spinach, blended herbs and red pepper flakes, if using. Put the chicken back in the pan and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165F, about 5=10 minutes. 

Blood Orange Balsamic Chicken

Do you ever search for a recipe based on what you have available? I do all the time. And for what needs to be made before it goes bad. I had these gorgeous cherry tomatoes from ALDIs that were about passed their point of no return and found this recipe which I tweaked a bit. I bought different balsamic vinegars when I was in Brown County, Indiana last fall. A blood orange and a cranberry pear. 

So, I decided to switch out a plain run of the mill balsamic vinegar with this blood orange infused balsamic vinegar. What do you think? I added this chicken recipe to my must have again file, because it’s that good. A surprise when trying it was the cherry tomatoes tasted great because they were soaked in the garlic blood orange balsamic vinegar while baking. Yummy! 

This recipe serves 4. A rule of thumb is one breast per person. Make sure to check your chicken after baking that it is at a safe internal temperature of 165 F. It took about an hour to make this, but I marinated the chicken a couple hours prior to baking. I would at least marinate it an hour. Enjoy! 

Marinade Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 tablespoon blood orange balsamic vinegar (or balsamic vinegar of your choosing)

2 garlic cloves, minced 

1 teaspoon oregano 

1 teaspoon thyme 

1 teaspoon basil 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Remaining Ingredients:

4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts

2 tablespoons melted butter 

2 garlic cloves, minced 

6 tablespoons blood orange balsamic vinegar (or balsamic vinegar of your choosing)

1 pint cherry tomatoes 

1 cup fontina cheese (you can substitute mozzarella or Parmesan)

1 tablespoon basil 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions: 

Put all the marinade ingredients in a large bag (large enough for your chicken breasts) add the chicken and  make sure your chicken is coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least an hour. 

In a greased 9x13” baking dish add the melted butter, garlic and balsamic vinegar, stir to evenly distribute. Add the chicken and cherry tomatoes. Bake in a preheated 425F oven for 30 minutes. When done check internal temperature to see if at least 165F. Switch oven to broil. Top the chicken with the cheese and broil until melted, 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle on the basil and salt and pepper, to taste.