Bul Gogi Marinade for Chicken or Beef

Click here to enter to win a $100 Carrabba's Gift Card and to read my review of Carrabba's Italian Grill.

I got this recipe from my sister in law, Megan. I've had it for years and I finally made it last night. It was a really nice change from barbecue sauce or Italian dressing which are my usual standbys. The oriental flavor made these chicken legs a special treat! They were a hit with the whole family.

Bul Gogi Marinade

8 chicken breast
New York or sirloin steak

8 T. soy sauce
6 green onions -chopped with 1/2 green
4 T. sesame oil
6 T. brown sugar
4 T. sesame seeds
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground pepper
Marinade choice of meat in the above mixture for 24-48 hours, then grill. I used a Ziplock plastic bag, but if you use a bowl, be sure to use glass or plastic bowl and not metal.

Ritzy Chicken

I got this recipe years ago from my sister, Amy. She has given me so many recipes that have become regulars at my house. I made this one last week when we had the missionaries over for dinner. I forgot how moist this recipe made the chicken and how much I loved the buttery, crunchy coating. It was delicious.

From my sister, to me , to you.....Enjoy!

Ritzy Chicken

1 c. sour cream (I used light)

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. celery salt

1 tsp. paprika

1-2 cloves of garlic minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

chicken breasts

For coating:

1 1/2 c. Ritz crackers (blended or crushed into crumbs)

1 tsp. garlic salt

1/2 c. butter (I actually just used spray butter to cut down on fat)

2 T. poppy seeds

Combine first 8 ingredients in a gallon size resealable bag. Add chicken and marinade all day or overnight. Remove chicken and roll in crumbs and garlic salt mixture.

Arrange in a 9x13 or jelly roll pan and drizzle 1/2 of the butter over the chicken. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes. Spoon poppy seeds and remaining butter over chicken and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Chicken on a Stick

Is it true that everything tastes better on a stick?

In this case I am compelled to say....YES!

I got this recipe from the Classic Rachel Ray cookbook. I actually won it from a giveaway on Dunkin Cooking the Semi-Homemade Way. I had never made a Rachel Ray dish and to be honest, I was kind of intimidated by most of the recipes. I then found the"Kidchefs" section and knew I'd be safe there.

My whole family loved the flavors and the chicken was so moist. I made some extra sauce to drizzle on the finished product and some jasmine rice. By the way....jasmine rice is the best!!!!

Here is the recipe which I will definitely use again:

Chicken Stick-ens

18-20 bamboo skewers (8 inches long)
1 to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken tenders or boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into thin tenders.
3-4 TBSP hoisin sauce (found in Asian food section)
3 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP honey
2 TBSP sesame seed oil
1/2 tsp ground ginger
A meat mallet
Waxed paper

Soak the skewers in a shallow dish of water.

Cover work surface with wax paper, place chicken tenders in a single layer and top with 2nd piece of wax paper. Flatten strips out with meat mallet.


Thread chicken onto the skewers one at a time.

Mix hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, sesame seed oil and ginger in a small bowl.



Place chicken stick in a baking dish and pour sauce over them. Coat chicken sticks evenly.




Heat a big skillet or nonstick griddle pan over high eat. Using tongs to turn, cook skewers 3 minutes on each side in a single layer, half a batch at a time. If the pan smokes a lot, reduce heat.


I can safely say that my first Rachel Ray experience was a great one! It's good to know that I can cook on the level of a "kidchef"!

My Favorite Chicken Salad

My Favorite Chicken Salad

Combine and refrigerate:
2 cups small shell macaroni-cooked and drained
1 cup Kraft Coleslaw dressing (or any coleslaw dressing will do)
1 cup Miracle Whip

Before serving add:
4 cups chicken breast cooked and diced
1 cup water chestnuts - diced
1/2 Tbsp grated onion
2 cups chunk pineapple
2 cups unpeeled apples - diced
2 cups red seedless grapes
2 cups celery diced
1 1/2 cups cashews

Mix it up really well and add more dressing if needed. Serve alone or in a croissant.

Serves 20-25!


Enjoy!

Planning Ahead Grilled Chicken

Planning your meals is half the battle when you are dieting. For me, it is so important to have quick meals and snacks that are high in protein. I try to have protein with every meal and every snack. To make this easier, I plan ahead. Here is one thing I do:

This week I found boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for $1.69/pound. I bought about 20 pounds and put 10 of it in the freezer for later use. I had two packets of McCormick Grill Mates in the zesty herb flavor so I prepared those marinades in two separate gallon size Ziploc bag. I then separated the chicken evenly into the two bags, massaged the bag to cover the chicken with the marinade, and then put them in the fridge for an hour.

After the chicken was marinated, I grilled it all up in a couple batches.


After the chicken was all grilled up I let it cool on a plate so that it would be easier to handle.


Then I sliced up most of the chicken breasts and put serving size portions in snack size bags. I didn't count, but I had probably 30 serving size bags.


I then put the small bags into a labeled gallon size freezer bag.


I also cut some of the breasts in half to make a serving size. A serving size of chicken should be the size of a deck of cards. The chicken breasts I purchased were easily 2 servings per peice. I put 2 halves in sandwich bags and then place all of the sandwich bags in a labeled gallon sized bag for the freezer.

So, now I have a bunch of sliced chicken for wraps, salads, pasta, or for whatever I want. I also have some bigger chicken peices to have with veggies and brown rice for dinner. All I have to do is take it out of the freezer, microwave it and I'm all set!

Here is a printable menu planner from Chart Jungle to plan out your week. Hang it on the fridge for quick reference.

Tortilla Soup

Here is a great soup to use up any leftover shredded meat from a rotisserie chicken. I had a bag of shredded chicken I had saved in the freezer and set out to find a good "blog worthy" recipe in which to use it. I had forgotten how good this soup is. Especially on a cold, winter night. This one had JD licking his bowl!
Tortilla Soup

1 Tbsp olive oil (could omit completely)
3 tsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp dried onion
1- 4 oz. can of chopped green chilis
1- 15 0z. can of beef broth
2- 15 oz. cans of chicken broth
2- 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
1- 15 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen sweet corn
1 tsp each of ground cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper
1 Tbsp steak sauce
1 cup water
1 1/2-2 cups of shredded chicken

Toppings:
grated cheddar cheese
baked tortilla chips
fat free sour cream

In a large dutch oven, saute onion and garlic in oil. Add rest of the ingredients (except for toppings) and let simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours. To serve, top with chips, grated cheese and sour cream.

Buffalo Chicken Wrap & Sweet Potato Fries

Doesn't that look yummy? And it is good for you. What more do you want? Oh, the recipe? Here you go!

Buffalo Chicken Wraps
1-2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-2 T. butter
3-4 Tbsp Hot Sauce
1/2 head of lettuce sliced thin
Light Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing
Reduced fat Cheddar cheese, shredded
4 large tortillas or wraps

Cut the chicken breast into tenders and put into a hot skillet with butter. Let chicken cook on one side until browned and then turn to cook the other side. Meanwhile, in a bowl,add the dressing to the lettuce until it is nicely coated. When chicken is done, transfer it to a bowl and add hot sauce and stir until chicken is coated. Add more or less according to your taste.
Take your tortillas and warm them in the microwave for 15-20 seconds. This just helps them fold better without breaking. Put lettuce mixture in the center of the tortilla in a line about 1" away from the edges. Top with 2-3 chicken pieces and some shredded cheese. Fold ends in and then carefully wrap the side closest to you into the center and then roll the whole thing over so that the last flap is now under the wrap. Get it? Good. Now, just cut the wrap in half and enjoy.

Sweet Potato Fries

This is one of those "invent it as you go" recipes. But here is how I made mine:

1-2 large sweet potatoes
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
course kosher salt
cayenne pepper
brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Peel sweet potatoes and cut into long strips. Try to make them similar sizes so that they will bake evenly. Put potatoes in a bowl and add olive oil, salt, dash or two of cayenne and about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Stir to coat evenly. Prepare cookie sheet with foil and give it a spay of Pam. Spread fries in a single layer on sheet and place in hot oven. Cook for 25-30 minutes or longer for more crisp fries. Use a spatula to turn fries after 15 minutes. Add more salt if need.