Blackened Chicken Alfredo

This semi homemade meal is sure to become a regular busy weeknight option for your family.  And with only 5 ingredients its sure to not break the bank either.  This meal is so easy even my husband can make it.  This is my moms Chicken Alfredo recipe and I hope you enjoy it.

Blackened Chicken Alfredo

From the Kitchen of: Lisa Murphy
Serves:3-4  Time: 30 mins

1-2 Tbl Olive Oil
1/2 package McCormicks Zesty Herb marinade seasoning
1 lb Chicken Breast/Tenders
Cooked Whole grain paste
Store-bought Alfredo sauce

If using chicken breast, cut breasts into chucks, or cut and pound into cutlets. Just make sure pieces are small enough to cook through in a pan.  Toss chicken in olive oil then add Zesty herb marinade seasoning, making sure to thoroughly coat with spices. Let sit in fridge or cook right away. To cook heat a non stick skillet to medium heat and add chicken pieces.  Turn to make sure all sides are cooked.  The spices should give the chicken a blackened look. Remove chicken to a plate.  Add Alfredo sauce to the pan and stir around, making sure to get the leftover spices into the sauce.  Add the cooked pasta. Place on plate to serve and top with cooked chicken.  This recipe goes great with Sauteed Mushrooms.

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

This is one of those recipes I have had around for so long I can't even remember where it came from.  More than likely it came from Taste of Home, but which issue it was in I have no clue.  And of course I have tweaked it here and there to cater to my own tastes.  The key I find is to grill the chicken instead of pan frying it like some recipes do, and to not over cook the peppers and onions.  No one likes a soggy bell pepper.  If you like a bit more spice you might add some jalapeno peppers as well.




Grilled Chicken Fajitas

From the Kitchen of: Mary Holfelner

Makes: 4-5 servings    Start to finish: marinade+30 mins

1 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl cider vinegar
1 Tbl lime juice
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb chicken breast, pounded 1/4 inch thick
2 Tbl butter
1 small onion, sliced into wedges
1 bell pepper, sliced into strips
flour tortillas

Combine first 9 ingredients and toss with chicken in a food storage bag.  Marinade for at least 1 hour, but longer is better  Grill chicken over medium high heat. Meanwhile use butter to saute onions and peppers in a skillet for 4-5 minutes until tender crisp. Let chicken sit for a few minutes before slicing it to strips. Serve with the peppers and onions on the flour tortilla and other topping like sour cream and cheese.

Chicken Tikka Masala

I have to say that this recipe, in my personal opinion, rivals even Chicken Tikka from a real Indian home.  I first got into Indian food after my friend Sidd made Chili Chicken for me and my husband (at the time boyfriend) and taught me how to make Chicekn Biyriani back when I lived in Bloomington, IN.  I love the flavors of all the aromatic spices.  I would have never thought cinnamon or cloves belonged in a savory dish, but they are awesome in curry.  Now I have a few Indian dishes under my belt and this is one of my favorites.

I got this recipe first from, where else, Pinterest.  But I found the original recipe lacked a lot of the intense flavor Indian food has.  It started off having maybe only 1 Tablespoon of spices total in it, and by the time I was done with it it has closer to double that.  I always serve this dish with my aromatic rice and naan bread.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Marinade

1 cup plain yogurt
3 Tbl ginger garlic past, recipe follows
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken (thighs or breast)

Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
3 Tbl butter
1/3 cup ginger garlic paste
2 serrano peppers, seed removed and chopped (leave in seeds if you like a lot of spice)
1 Tbl garham masala
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp chat masala
1/4 tsp each ground coriander, ground cardamon, and crushed red pepper
8 roma tomatoes, pureed
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
Fresh cilantro for garnish

ginger garlic paste

4 oz (by weight) garlic
4 oz ginger
2 oz canola or veggie oil

For the marinade: In a large bowl, mix together the marinade ingredients. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Marinate at least 30 minutes, or in the refrigerator up to overnight.

For the sauce: When you're ready to make the curry, place a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butter. When the butter has melted, add the Ginger-Garlic Paste and serrano peppers. Saute until lightly browned around the edges. Add the tomato paste and cook until the tomato has darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Add the spices and saute for about 1 minute to draw out their flavors.

Add the tomatoes, salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook until thickened, about 20 minutes. You may need more water depending on how much liquid the tomatoes give off.

Meanwhile, fire up your grill. When it is nice and hot, lightly brush it with oil. Place the chicken on the grill, shaking off some of the excess marinade. Cook until it's charred, about 2 minutes on each side. (Don't worry that the chicken will still be a little uncooked, it finishes cooking in the sauce).

 Add the chicken and cilantro, if using. Take the heat down to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the cream and stir through. Garnish with minced fresh cilantro, and serve over rice, with naan, or a crusty piece of bread!

Ginger-Garlic Paste: Throw the garlic, ginger, and canola oil in a mini-food processor and let it go until it forms a semi-smooth paste. There will still be tiny little pieces in there, but overall, it should resemble a paste.

Save what you don't use in a small glass jar. It should last in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks. It's a delicious addition to marinades, pasta sauces, stir fry sauces, slow-cooker recipes, gravy etc. We always had a jar of this stuff in our fridge growing up

Better than Bdubs Buffalo Wings

My taste buds go through various cycles and I tend to become obsessed with various taste for weeks, maybe months at a time.  Lately a favorite of mine has been Buffalo sauce.  I have been wanting to eat it constantly and on everything.  But what goes best with buffalo sauce more than chicken wings.  While I am not unknown to go for the full fat fried and dunked in sauce version I tried a lighter version recently that I was delightfully surprised by.  I found a pretty decent way to bake chicken wings and still get that nice crisp skin you want and be juicy inside.  My sauce recipe comes from AllRecipes.com with a slight alteration due to personal taste.  Best part is this recipe is just in time for the super bowl.

The original recipe makes a ton of sauce, and I usually just cook for 2 for I make enough to cover about 10 whole wings with some left over to save for dunking chicken tenders in.  I always thought buffalo sauce just involved hot sauce and butter.  But this recipe really kicks it up a notch with the extra stuff.  The key to having the wings come out nice a crisp is having the wings roast on a cookie rack in the over so the oil drops down and air circulates well, as well as brushing it with oil.  I prefer to use whole wings mainly because I'm lazy and don't care for cutting up wings.  And don'tskim on the kosher salt and fresh pepper.  They will always be way better than table salt and pre ground crap.  And to make the sauce less spicy just us less hot sauce to your taste.

Baked Buffalo Wings

Wings

10-15 whole chicken wings

Vegetable oil

Kosher salt

Fresh cracked pepper

Sauce

1/2 cup Frank's RedHot® sauce
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tsp white vinegar
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste

Preheat over to 400 degree.  Rinse Chicken wings and pat dry with a paper towel.  Place wings skin side up on a metal cookie rack and place that on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or foil to keep oil for messing up the pan.  Brush skin side of wings with oil.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.  Roast in over for 20 minutes.  Turn wings and roast another 10 minutes.  Turn once more and change oven to broil.  Broil wings skin side up for about 5 minutes or until skin is crisp and lightly browned.  While wings cook combine the all the sauce ingredients in a pot and place over medium heat. Bring to a simmer while stirring with a whisk. As soon as the liquid begins to bubble on the sides of the pot, remove from heat, stir with the whisk, and set aside for use.  Once wings are roasted place in a bowl and toss with sauce