Honey Chicken over Snow Pea Rice

From Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats

Make your own take out at home.



Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups long-grain rice
Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
2 large handfuls snow peas, thinly sliced
2 pounds chicken tenders, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 large onion, sliced (I omitted.)
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
3-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon cornstarch
5 scallions, thinly sliced (I omitted.)



Directions:

Heat a medium saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and the butter to the pot. Once the butter melts, add the rice, season with salt and pepper, and lightly brown the rice for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the wine and allow it to evaporate entirely, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 3 cups of the stock and the lemon zest to the rice. Bring the liquid to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat. Cook the rice for 18 to 20 minutes, or until tender.



Once the rice only has about 3 more minutes of cook time, remove the lid and add the sliced snow peas. Don't stir the rice; just add the snow peas on top and put the lid on. Once cooked; fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the snow peas. They should still have some crunch to them.

While the rice is cooking, preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and brown for about 3 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes, onions, garlic ginger, and honey. Stir frequently and continue to cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until the onions are tender.



Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock to the pan and bring up to a simmer. Once at a simmer, combine the cornstarch with a splash of water, and mix to create a thin paste. Add the cornstarch mixture to the simmering chicken, mix throughly, and continue to cook for 2 minutes, or until the liquid is thickened. Add the sliced scallions and the lemon juice to the chicken and stir to combine.

Serve the honey chicken over the snow pea rice.

4 Servings

Verdict:

Laura - Thumbs Up - This honey chicken is delicious. The snow pea rice was also good. The chicken was a big hit with the family. I'll make it again.

Randy - Thumbs Up - Chicken is good but a bit juicy. Randy didn't eat the rice.

Nathan - Thumbs Up - Nathan ate a big plate of the chicken. He is not a fan of rice, so I made him some broccoli on the side.

Leftovers: The leftovers were great. The rice was a bit dry.

Stove Top Easy Chicken Bake

Prep: 10 minutes Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/3 cup sour cream
1 bag (16 oz) frozen mixed vegetables, thawed, drained



Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Boil 1 1/2 cups of water and 1/4 cup butter in medium saucepan.



Stir in stuffing mix.



Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.



In a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; add soup.



Add the sour cream.



Add the chicken chunks.



Add the vegetables.



Mix it all together.



Top with the stuffing.



Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. (I baked mine for a total of 45 minutes.)



Makes 6 servings.

Verdict:

Laura - Thumbs Up - This was like chicken pot pie but with stuffing instead of a crust. I liked the creaminess of the vegetables.

Randy - Thumbs Down - Randy didn't taste this; here's why: He hates stuffing and doesn't eat green beans, peas, corn that is not on the cob or cooked carrots. If there were no veggies or stuffing, he would have tasted it and probably liked it.

Nathan - Thumbs Up - Nathan ate the chicken and stuffing. He wasn't interested in the green beans, but he has eaten them before.

Leftovers: The leftovers were great. I'm so glad that I get to eat them all!

Spicy Chicken Mac Skillet

Prep: 10 minutes Total: 30 minutes

Ingredients:
1 pkg Kraft macaroni & Cheese Dinner
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes and green chilies, drained (I didn't have this so I used chunky salsa.)
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup Mexican style shredded cheese



Directions;

Prepare mac & cheese as directed on package.



Heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat.



Add chicken; cook until lightly browned and cooked through.



Reduce heat to medium; stir in tomatoes.



Stir in salsa.



Stir in soup. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.



Add mac & cheese; stir until well blended.



Sprinkle with cheese; cover.



Cook 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.



Makes 6 servings, 1 1/3 cups each.

Verdict:

Laura - Thumbs Up - This was yummy! I will make this again.

Randy - Thumbs Down - I don't like cooked tomatoes. It looked great just as the cooked chicken and the mac & cheese, but not with all the stuff mixed together.

Nathan - Thumbs Up - Nathan loved this. He ate a whole serving.

Leftovers: The leftovers were super cheesy. I ate some for breakfast the next day.

Easy Chicken Parmesan

Prep: 5 minutes Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients:
1 jar (14 oz) spaghetti sauce
6 Tbsp grated parmesan cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breast (1 1/2 lb)
1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese



Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour sauce into 13x9-inch baking dish.



Carefully stir in 4 Tbsp of the parmesan cheese.



Add chicken; turn over to evenly coat both sides with sauce.



Cover with foil. Bake 30 minutes.



Uncover. Top with mozzarella cheese and remaining 2 Tbsp parmesan cheese.



Continue baking 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted.



Serve over hot cooked pasta, if desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Verdict:

Laura -Thumb Sideways - This was just ok. It didn't blow me away. I liked the pasta more than the chicken. I won't make this again.

Randy - No response - Randy wouldn't even take a bite of this. It didn't look appealing.

Nathan - Thumbs Down - Nathan only ate a couple of bites of the chicken and pasta. He wasn't interested in it.

Leftovers: I scraped the cheese and sauce off the chicken. I cubed it up and ate it in a salad. This meal was a bust for the whole family.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

Prep: 10 minutes Total: 45 minutes

Ingredients:
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 pkg (6 oz) Stove Top stuffing mix for chicken
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp dried basil leaves (I didn't have basil instead I used Italian seasonings.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Mix tomatoes, stuffing mix, water and garlic just until stuffing mix is moistened.



Layer chicken,



basil,



cheese



and stuffing in 13x9-inch or 3 qt baking dish.



Bake 30 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.



I added some more cheese to the top and baked an additional 5 minutes.



Enjoy now or cover and refrigerate. To reheat, microwave each serving on high 2 to 3 minutes.



Makes 6 servings, 1 cup each.

Verdict:

Laura - Thumbs Up - I like this meal. It is fast and easy to make. I love the fact that it bakes in the oven and I don't have to stand over a hot stove. I also love the moistness of the chicken and the crunchy top of the stuffing. I will make this again.

Randy - Thumbs Down - The chicken was too juicy and I don't like stuffing.

Nathan - Thumbs Down - Nathan didn't eat this which surprised me. His Dad did fill him full of yogurt while I baked it, so he just wasn't hungry. Maybe he will eat some leftovers.

Leftovers: I reheated it in the microwave. It was really good except the stuffing was a little soggy. If you want crunchy stuffing the second time around, you'll need to reheat in the oven.

On a side note, Nathan did not eat this for leftovers. So his "Thumbs Down" stands.

Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

Prep. 10 minutes Total: 8 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients:
8 small boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 pound)
3 Tbsp flour
1/3 cup orange marmalade
1/3 cup barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp grated fresh gingerroot (I didn't have fresh.)



Directions:
Toss chicken with flour.



Mix remaining ingredients.



Add to slow cooker.



Mix the chicken and marinade together coating all the chicken.



Cover with lid.



Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours (or on High for 3 to 4 hours.)



Makes 4 servings.

Verdict:

Laura - Thumbs Down - I didn't like the flavors of the marinade together. I also am not a fan of thigh meat. I won't be making this again.

Randy - Thumbs Up - The chicken was not juicy and a bit dry. Just the way I like it.

Nathan - Thumbs Down - Nathan wouldn't eat any of this chicken. It kept coming right back out. He ate broccoli and yogurt for dinner.

Leftovers: Randy ate the leftovers and they were just as good as the first night he ate it.