Orange Chicken and Rice

I will admit, this dish turned out to be something totally different than what I was expecting. The title and ingredients made me think this would be a lighter version of the kind of orange chicken you get from a Chinese takeout. It actually turned out to be a mildly-orange flavoured curry. Not at all Nate's kind of thing, but I found it enjoyable.

Orange Chicken and Rice

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken pieces
2 tbsp. oil
1 med. onion, coarsley chopped
14.5 oz chicken broth
1.5 c. orange juice
1-3 tsp. curry
2 cloves garlic
dash of cinnamon
3 tbsp. raisins
1/2 c. frozen peas
1/2 c. rice, white or brown

1. Saute chicken and onion in oil until brown. Add broth, orange juice and seasonings. Cover and simmer 45 mins.



2. Add raisins, peas and rice to pot, lower the heat and cover.



3. Cook until rice is done, ~25 mins. Add water and broth if necessary.

Chicken and Lentil Stew

As I'm sure you can tell from the selection of recipes I've posted so far, I really enjoy so-called 'comfort foods'. The problem with most of them is that they're not usually very healthy, so I'm always looking to find dishes that check both the 'comfort food' and 'healthy' boxes. This certainly fit the bill.



Chicken and Lentil Stew

1 tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into 1/2" cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
3/4 c. dried lentils
1 (14 oz.) can of chicken broth
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1/2 tsp. basil
1 tbsp. lemon juice

1. Heat oil over med. heat. Cook chicken 5 mins on each side. Remove from skillet and set aside.



2. Place onion in skillet. Cook 5 mins. until tender. Mix in carrot and garlic. Stir in lentils and broth and season with salt. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 mins.



3. Return chicken to skillet. Cover and continue cooking 20 mins (add water if too dry). Season with rosemary and basil. Continue cooking for 10 mins. Stir in lemon juice and serve over rice.



Emily's rating: 8 out of 10
Nate's rating: 7 out of 10

Tomato, zucchini and chicken pasta

One of my favourite things to do is scrounge up a meal from the odd-end ingredients I have on end, and this recipe is definitely a success story from that process. I was running low on groceries, but needed to throw together a quick dinner, and came up with this.

Tomato, zucchini and chicken pasta

1 bag wide egg noddles
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1" pieces
10 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 shallot, thinly sliced
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup frozen zucchini, thawed
1/2 cup parsley or 2-3 tbsp. parsley paste
1/4 cup instant potato flakes
salt and pepper

1. Boil noodles according to package instructions.



2. Salt and pepper chicken and saute in olive oil until browned. Add garlic and shallot and cook until chicken cooked through.



3. Pour tomatoes with juice over chicken and bring to boil. Add zucchini and parsley and heat through. Add potato flakes, as needed, to thicken sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.



4. Drain noodles and pour sauce over pasta.



Emily's rating: 9 out of 10

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Bake

I was very lucky to receive a batch of delicious recipes, compiled for me by friends and family, at my wedding shower this summer. This one came from my high school bestie Allison, and it's become a good go-to throughout the fall and winter because it's the perfect comfort food.

Cheesy Chicken Tortellini Bake



Pasta Mixture
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 jar (16 oz.) Alfredo sauce
2 pkgs. (9 oz. each) cheese tortellini
1.5 cups cubed, cooked chicken
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 cup frozen peas
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped or 1 tbsp. dried basil

Crumb Topping
1/4 cup grated fresh parmesan
2 tbsp. melted butter
1 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cook pasta in boiling water according to instructions. Drain and set aside.

3. Meanwhile, heat oil over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes until onion is tender.



4. Stir in pasta sauce, tortellini, chicken, milk, water, peas and pepper. Heat until mixture just comes to boil; remove from heat. Stir in basil.




5. Grate parmesan and melt butter. Stir in bread crumbs and cheese; mix well.



6. Spoon pasta mixture into bakeware; sprinkle with crumb topping. Bake 15-20 minutes or until edges are bubbly and topping is golden brown.

Rosemary-Fried Chicken

Healthy? No. Delicious? Yes.

Okay boys and girls, prepare for some delightful indulgence- this isn't a heart-friendly meal, but definitely worth the few extra miles at the gym it will take to burn this dish off.

Rosemary-Fried Chicken

3 lbs. of chicken (white or dark), cut into small pieces
1 cup low-fat buttermilk
1.5 cups flour
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. finely chopped rosemary, plus 4 sprigs
1 cup vegetable oil

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil.



2. In large bowl, combine chicken, buttermilk, 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper. Set aside.

3. In separate bowl, whisk flour, paprika, chopped rosemary and 2 tsp. pepper.



4. Lift chicken from milk, shake excess. Dredge in flour, shake excess.

5. In large pan, heat oil over medium-high with sprigs of rosemary, until rosemary begins to sizzle. Remove rosemary and discard.



6. Fry chicken in batches, 4-5 minutes per side.



7. Remove chicken to foil-lined sheet. Bake chicken for 15-20 minutes.



Emily's rating= 9/10

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans

This was a recipe I adapted from a recent issue of Everyday Food. Much to the horror of my vegan and vegetarian friends, I just don't consider something a full meal unless it contains a dead animal, so I added some leftover shredded rotisserie chicken to the original recipe. I can't imagine making anything Mexican without a little cilantro, so I threw that in too and I think it adds a lot of needed punch. It tasted a little too much like watery salsa without it.

Tortilla Soup with Black Beans (and Chicken!)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans
1 pkg. frozen corn
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 cup tortilla chips, slightly crushed
1 tbsp. lime juice

1. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook garlic and chili powder, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes with juice, bean, broth, corn, cilantro and 1 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper.



2. Bring to boil and reduce to simmer. Add chicken and lime juice. Continue simmering for 5 minutes to bring chicken up to temperature.



3. Remove from heat. Serve with crushed chips and sprig of cilantro.

Nate's Rating: 9 out of 10
Emily's Rating: 9 out of 10

Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 packet fajita seasoning
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup sour cream
8 corn tortillas
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese



1. Sauté chicken over medium heat in vegetable oil until cooked through. Remove from heat and shred with two forks. Return to pan and add fajita seasoning with 1/2 cup water (or whatever the instructions on the packet say). Sauté until sauce has reduced slightly. Remove chicken from heat, draining sauce into pan.



2. Add chicken broth and sour cream to remaining sauce in pan and simmer lightly.




3. While sauce is simmering, heat tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds. Spoon 1/4 cup of chicken onto each tortilla and roll.



4. Place tortillas in square dish, seam side down. Cover with sauce and top with cheddar cheese.



5. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

I think next time I will try adding some corn and black beans to the tortillas before rolling them. These tasted delicious but felt a little too unhealthy (all the cheese, flour tortillas, lack of vegetables) to really enjoy properly.

Nate's rating: 9 out of 10
Emily's rating: 8.5 out of 10.