Chicken on the Go

It's that time of year where our evening meals are being eaten almost everywhere but home.  We are eating at soccer fields, baseball fields, dance studios and in the car.  If we do happen to eat at home we certainly aren't eating together as a family.  This crazy dining schedule requires meals that are portable and can be eaten hot or cold.  And if they can fix themselves that is even better.

One of my favorite solutions to the dining dilemma is chicken breast in the crock pot.  At the start of the week I throw a pound or two of boneless chicken breasts in with some broth, cook it for a few hours, shred it and have numerous meal options throughout the week.

The repertoire usually includes chicken salad, bbq chicken or thrown in with a tossed salad, but this week thanks to Jenna's Cooking Journey, my Secret Recipe Club match, we had a new chicken dish in the rotation - Chicken Cesar Sliders.  These wonderfully simple and tasty sandwiches were a big hit with all and will definitely stay in the rotation.

Besides these delicious sliders Jenna's blog is filled with many wonderful recipes.  She participates in a lot of different blog challenges - my favorite is the "Whats Baking Challenge" I am looking for an excuse to bake her latest recipe for cream cheese delights.  

Crockpot Chicken Caesar Sliders

2 lbs. boneless chicken breast

2 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon onion powder

Salt and pepper 

1/2 to 1 cup Caesar salad dressing

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, rolls

Place chicken in a 3-4 quart slow cooker.  Add broth garlic, onion powder and salt and pepper.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.  Using a slotted spoon remove cooked chicken, allow to cool slightly.  Remove any fat from chicken and broth. Using two forks shred chicken.  Place shredded chicken back in slow cooker, add Caesar dressing and Parmesan cheese, stir until coated.  Cook for an additional 15-30 minutes.

Serve on toasted rolls with lettuce, tomatoes and additional Parmesan cheese if desired. 

Veggie Crepes

Wow this month flew by!  I don't know how it happened, but it is already time for another Secret Recipe Club reveal.

This month I got to check out Kirsten's Kitchen.  Kirsten's blog is filled with a wonderful assortment of vegan recipes, you can find recipes for everything from breakfast to dinner!

I wanted to make the Vegan Sheefa she made for last month's SRC, they look absolutely delicious.  I don't know if I will make the vegan or meat version - either way I am guessing they are going to be delicious.  Since Kristen just made them for last month's reveal I decided to keep hunting around.  

After much hunting and pinning I finally settled on the veggie filled crepes.  It has been a long time since I made crepes and while we usually fill them with cheese or nutella I loved the idea of filling them with fresh crisp veggies.

Once I had decided on what to make I passed the actual work part on to Will and Mike.  The girls and I were out for the day, so the boys had dinner duty and they came up with a wonderfully tasty meal.

 They used regular milk instead of soy and added some leftover chicken to the filling selections.  Mike also made a wonderful Asian influenced dipping sauce, it was a wonderfully simple and tasty meal.

Crepes
1 cup flour
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. olive oil, plus additional oil for the pan

Combine all ingredients, whisk together until smooth.
Rub a small amount of oil on the bottom of  a crepe pan, or small saute pan.  Place over medium heat, let pan heat for about 3 minutes.  Add a small ladle of batter, rotate pan so entire bottom surface is covered with batter, should be almost see through.  Let cook for about 2-3 minutes then flip.  Repeat with remaining batter.

Chicken and Polenta

I have a confession - I sometimes forget about Polenta. Then I make it and wonder why I haven't made it in such a long time.  I get so wrapped up in my rice and quinoa side dishes that I forget there is a whole other world of sides out there.

Polenta is super easy to make and can be used in so many ways - hot and creamy is my favorite, but if you let it cool and get nice and thick, then cut it in big chunks and throw it on the grill, oh so good I can feel the summer heat thinking about it.

I got back on a polenta kick earlier this week with a goat cheese polenta served with orange chicken.  The kids weren't fans of the goat cheese polenta - they like it when I keep it simple with just a little Parmesan - but the rest of the meal was a big hit.

Orange Chicken (Printer Ready)
4-5 boneless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. Poultry Seasoning (see below)
½ cup marmalade
½ cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. Cointreau (or orange juice)
1 Tbsp. brown sugar

Trim fat from chicken breasts and lightly pound.  Generously season both sides with seasoning mix.  Place large saute pan over medium high heat, drizzle pan with olive oil to coat.  When pan is hot add chicken, reduce temperature to medium low.  Cook until brown, then flip.  While chicken is browning mix marmalade, vinegar, cointreau and brown sugar together in small bowl.  Once both sides of the chicken are brown pour sauce over chicken cover pan and let simmer at medium low heat until chicken is cooked through and sauce has thickened.  Total cook time will be 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.  
Serve sauce and chicken with goat cheese polenta.  


Poultry Seasoning Mix
2 Tbsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp. dried sage
2 Tbsp.  dried thyme
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. dried marjoram
1 Tbsp. celery salt
1 Tbsp. ground garlic
1 Tbsp. ground pepper

Combine all ingredients, mix well.  Store in a small airtight container.  


Goat Cheese Polenta (printer ready)
1 quart chicken (or vegetable) broth
1 cup coarse ground cornmeal
3 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. salt
4 oz. goat cheese

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large oven safe saucepan bring broth to a boil.  Whisking continuously gradually add the cornmeal.  Once all the cornmeal has be added cover and place in oven.  Cook for 40 minutes stirring every ten minutes, this will prevent lumps.  Once the mixture is creamy remove from oven, add the butter and salt and pepper to taste.  Slowly begin adding the goat cheese stirring continuously while adding.