Spicy Lemon Chicken Wraps

This is going to be our official meal of summer. It’s light, healthy, refreshing and doesn’t heat up the house. Even Joel, who doesn’t really like chicken all that much, loves these wraps.

The combination of the warm slightly spicy, citrusy chicken with the cool and creamy guacamole is just perfect. And what makes these even more perfect is that they can be thrown together in less than 20 minutes (not counting the time to marinate). Oh, and it doesn’t dirty up too many dishes either…major bonus for the dishes man around here.

I served these delicious wraps alongside some grilled zucchini for a super simple, healthy weeknight dinner. And it didn’t receive any complaints from the peanut gallery that it “tasted too healthy.” All around win.

Spicy Lemon Chicken Wraps
recipe slightly adapted from The Londoner

3 chicken breasts, sliced into tenderloins
1 lemon, squeezed
1 tsp. chili flakes
2 tsp. paprika
6 Tbsp. hot sauce
2 Tbsp. honey
5 Tbsp. olive oil
1 big pinch of salt

3 ripe avocados
1 clove of roasted garlic, squeezed
1 big pinch of kosher salt
1 squeeze of lemon

sour cream, optional
tortilla wraps (I used whole grain, low carb)

1. Combine the lemon juice, chili flakes, paprika, hot sauce, honey, olive oil and salt in a bowl. Place chicken in a ziplock bag and pour marinade over it. Seal and marinate in fridge for a few hours.

2. Meanwhile, mash the avocados, garlic, salt and lemon juice together. Let sit on the counter for an hour to let flavors mingle or refrigerate if you aren’t eating within that time.

3. Grill chicken until no longer pink and juices run clear. Spread guacamole and a bit of sour cream onto a tortilla. Place chicken on top, wrap up and enjoy.

Chicken Bulgogi

I love beef bulgogi (a Korean grilled marinated beef dish). I was introduced to it when I was a teenager by a good family friend. Every year they invited me to camp with them over Labor Day weekend and bulgogi always graced the table. And just to clarify, when I say camp I mean in a cabin, with beds and a shower. I don’t do tent camping. No thanks.

So when I came across this recipe, it brought back memories of our days on the river and nights roasting marshmallows and playing cards. I knew I had to make it even though it wasn’t the beef bulgogi I have had in the past. I was kind of skeptical since it didn’t seem as traditional and I just thought it would be one of the few dishes that I would prefer with beef rather than chicken. Well, I was wrong because it was just as good as the traditional beef version of this dish.

Using chicken thighs made it more flavorful and moist than chicken breast would have but they will certainly work too.

And the best thing about this recipe, my chicken hater husband really loved it and my no-meat eating little dude did too. Total win.

Chicken Bulgogi
recipe from Korean Bapsang

1 pound boneless chicken thigh and/or breast.

Marinade:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey (or 1-1/3 more tablespoons brown sugar)
1 tablespoon rice wine (or mirin)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon sesame oil
pinch black pepper
1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1. Rinse chicken pieces. Trim off excess fat. Cut each of the chicken pieces into small sizes (about 2-inch long and 1-inch wide).

2. Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved.

3. Coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Marinate for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator (I marinated it for about 4 hours).

4. Preheat a skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken pieces, reserving the marinade. Cook until cooked through and slightly caramelized, about 2 minutes each side. (The sugar and honey in the marinade will burn easily, so watch it carefully and add the reserved marinade by tablespoon when the pan gets dry. You can slightly reduce the heat to avoid burning, if needed).

Crock Pot Cafe Rio Chicken

Crock pot meals are totally where it’s at right now in our humble abode. As I said before, picking up Joel from work every day is totally cramping my cooking style so I have to adjust until a darn space in a parking garage opens up.

The ingredients combine to create a zesty, smokey and slightly spicy chicken that is just perfect in tacos and burritos or atop tostados and salads. Trust me, I have had it in all these forms. I think my favorite was definitely the tostado which is pictured below. I’ll be sharing the recipe for some delicous {crock pot, duh} refried beans that was just perfect to go with this yummy chicken.

I have never been to Cafe Rio so I can’t make a comparision but it was so great that it will become a regular around here. But if I ever get the chance, I will totally be there.

Cafe Rio Chicken
recipe from Mandy’s Recipe Box

2 lbs chicken breasts
1 cup Zesty Italian dressing
1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 packet ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup of water)
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

Mix Italian dressing, garlic, ranch dressing mix, chili powder and cumin in the crock pot. Add chicken and cook for 5-6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Shred with a fork and serve.

Quick Grilled Hunan Chicken

As I’m sure you already know, I am a big fan of Asian food. I made the menu for the next few weeks and about half of it ended up being Asian dishes…oops. But there is so much variety that it never seems like we are eating the same thing which is why I love it so much! So needless to say, there is going to be a lot of Asian food up in here for awhile. Yep, I just said that.

I am not a fan of hoisin sauce so I wasn’t sure how this chicken would go over but I was pleasantly surprised. The peanut butter, soy sauce and oils combined with the hoisin so that it wasn’t overwhelming but complimented it instead. It was a really great, quick weeknight meal. And it was even warm enough to grill it outside. Take that Minnesota!

Quick Grilled Hunan Chicken
recipe from food.com

4 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoon hot pepper oil
1/4 teaspoon sesame oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast

1. Pound chicken breasts to 1/2″ thickness.
2. Mix together hoisin sauce, peanut butter, garlic, and oil; spread over both sides of chicken.

3. Grill or broil chicken 4-5 inches from heat source until chicken is cooked through, about 5 minutes per side.

4. Slice chicken diagonally across the breast and serve on a piece of iceberg lettuce.

5. If you desire, serve with ramen noodles and steamed snow peas, as fast and easy side dishes.

Crispy Chicken Black Bean Tacos

We seriously love us some tacos around here and would probably eat them once a week without complaints. The only way we differ is that I prefer corn tortillas and Joel prefers flour. I usually have each available so that we are both happy but Joel totally jumped on the corn train when I served these.

I usually fry the corn tortillas then fill them but with this recipe, you place the tortilla in the hot oil, fill and fry. They were incredibly crispy and satisfying and though I made them weeks ago, I am still dreaming about them.

This recipe is from Cornerstone Cooking, the cookbook of food blogger Nick of macheesmo.com. I am an avid follower and really enjoy all of the unique, creative recipes he shares on his blog. Make sure you check it out!

Crispy Chicken Black Bean Tacos
recipe adapted from Cornerstone Cooking via Endless Simmer

2-3 large chicken breasts (I used polo asada from Trader Joe’s), cooked and thinly sliced
1 cup black beans, cooked
1/4 cup red onion, minced (I omitted these)
1/1 tsp. cumin
1/1 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
4-6 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 avocado, sliced
Pinch of salt and pepper
8 corn tortillas
Hot sauce
Salsa
Sour cream

1.  In a medium bowl, add beans along with red onion, cilantro, and spices. Add a pinch of salt and lightly mash all of the ingredients together. Grate your cheese and have it ready as well.

2. In a large, non-stick skillet or cast iron skillet, add a few tablespoons of oil and heat over medium-high heat.

3. Add one corn tortilla at a time and let each get hot in the oil for a few seconds. Then add about 1/8 cup of the bean filling to one half of the tortilla. Top with a few slices of chicken and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Be careful not to overfill or they will not fold.

4. Using a spatula, carefully fold the tortilla over so it forms a shell. Press down lightly on the tortilla so it holds its shape.

5. As the first tortilla cooks, move it to the side and do a second one. Depending on the size of your pan, you should be able to get 2 or 3 tacos at once. If you have a griddle you can do even more at once.

6. Cook each taco for about 3 minutes per side until they are nicely browned and crispy.

7. When flipping the taco to cook on the other side, use a spatula and flip the taco toward the fold so the filling doesn’t fall out.

8. Serve tacos with toppings like hot sauce, salsa, avocados and sour cream.

3 Cup Chicken

Asian food is one of my favorite types of food to cook and eat. Although Asian recipes often call for a lot of ingredients, once you have them stocked in your pantry/fridge, the possiblities are pretty much endless in what you can whip up. I have a whole section of my refrigerator door dedicated to Asian ingredients, yum!

This 3 Cup Chicken is one of my new favorite Asian dishes. Not only is it delicious but it’s easy to prepare and you can make it from start to finish in about 30 minutes. You all know those are big, important factors in my weeknight meals.

3 Cup Chicken
recipe from Simply Vicky

1/3 cup sesame oil

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup rice wine

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

20 cloves garlic

10 ginger slices

1 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

2 large handfuls of fresh basil, loosely chopped

3 green onion stalks, cut into 2-inch pieces 2 cups rice, cooked

1. Marinate chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon sesame oil (to tenderize the meat). Set aside for 5-10 minutes.

2. Heat large wok or dutch oven to high heat and add 3 tablespoons sesame oil. Once hot, add in garlic and ginger and stir fry until fragrant, about 1 minute.

3. Add in chicken thighs and brown well, about 4 minutes.

4. Stir in soy sauce, rice wine, and sugar to cover chicken.

5. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium low. Let simmer, uncovered, until sauce thickens, about 20 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, cook rice according to package instructions (I use a rice cooker, but stovetop works too).

7. After the sauce has thickened in consistency, turn heat up to medium heat and add in basil and scallions. Cook until basil and scallions wilt, about 2 minutes.

8. Serve over white rice and enjoy!

Cap’n Crunch Chicken

I love any kind of chicken that is breaded. It’s pretty much my favorite as evidenced here and here. So, when I saw this recipe I got really excited and thought it would be a big hit in my house. When I told Joel about it, he wasn’t so sure. He thought it sounded weird and was quite leery of the whole thing. I think the fact that it had cornflakes in the mix helped balance out the sweetness of the Cap’n Crunch, creating the perfect balance. It was moist and juicy with a crispy coating…perfect in my book! And once again, it’s an easy weeknight meal that will be ready in less than 30 minutes!

Noah loves noise and destruction so this was the perfect recipe to have his assistance. He was great at smashing up the cereal with the rolling pin.

And then he had to check out his handiwork.

And yes, his shirt says ”Certified Hunk” because he totally is.

Cap’n Crunch Chicken
recipe from Forkful of Comfort

2 lbs. chicken breast, boneless & skinless, cut into strips
2 cups Cap’n Crunch cereal, crushed
1 1/2 cups cornflakes, crushed
1 egg
1 cup milk
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper, to taste
vegetable oil, for frying

1. Combine the cereals in a large bowl.  In another bowl beat egg with the milk and set aside.  Stir together the flour, onion and garlic powders and salt & pepper.  Set aside

2. Dip chicken strips into the flour, coat and shake off excess. Dip into the egg mixture, coating well, then dip into cereal mixture, coating well.

3. Heat about one inch of oil in a large, heavy skillet to 350 degrees F. Fry until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken pieces. Drain on a wire rack over paper towels and serve

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken

Although this recipe looked delicious, I was worried about making it because it seemed involved and complicated with the pounding, filling, wrapping, breading and baking. Turns out it wasn’t so bad once I had all the required ingredients collected and placed in a little assembly line.

I knew I would love this recipe because it combines some of my very favorite foods: chicken, cheese and broccoli. Plus, it has a cripsy coating but is still healthy. I couldn’t really ask for more in a dinner. Well, maybe I could ask for more cheese but everything could always use more cheese in my world.

Broccoli and Cheese Stuffed Chicken
recipe adapted from Eat Yourself Skinny

4 chicken breasts
1/3 cup shredded part skim mozzarella
1/2-3/4 cup steamed and finely chopped broccoli (depends on size of chicken)
1 large egg
2 tsp. water
3/4 cup whole wheat seasoned bread crumbs
Nonstick cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine egg, water and a little salt.  Beat with a fork to make an egg wash.  Set aside.  Fill a second bowl with breadcrumbs.

2. Butterfly chicken breasts then pound them to make them thinner and so that they are easier to roll.

3. On half of the chicken, sprinkle lightly with cheese then top with broccoli. Wrap chicken around to completely cover cheese, using toothpicks to secure.  Season with a little salt.  Dip chicken into egg wash, then breadcrumbs.  Spray cookie sheet with nonstick spray and place chicken on cookie sheet.

Lightly spray chicken and bake about 25 minutes, until cooked.

Maple Pecan Chicken

During our trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior, we bought some delicious, pure maple syrup from the guy who actually made it. We got to see the taps and system that he used to extract the syrup and cook it up. Since then, I have been on the hunt for ways to use it besides the typical pancakes or french toast.

When I found this chicken recipe, I thought it would be worth a try even though I had a feeling I wouldn’t like it all that much. Why you ask? Because this is yet another one of those dishes that I always swore I didn’t like….until I actually tried it. The combination of meat/poultry and nuts just sounded too weird to me but turns out it is quite good. The nuts, along with the panko, add a nice texture to the chicken. The maple flavor is noticable but not overpowering. I think next time I may switch out the mayonnaise for mustard to make it even healthier.

This is a wonderfully easy, no-fuss meal for fall that is ready in less than 30 minutes. Make sure to prepare extra because it is great for lunch the next day over a bed of mixed greens with a little honey mustard dressing drizzled over the top. Yum!

Maple Pecan Chicken
recipe from Betty Crocker

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 1/4 lb)
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans

1. Heat oven to 400°F. Line baking sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. Between pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper, place each chicken breast smooth side down; gently pound with flat side of meat mallet or rolling pin until about 1/2-inch thick.

2. In shallow dish, mix together maple syrup and mayonnaise. In another shallow dish, mix together panko and pecans.  Dip chicken into syrup mixture, then into panko. Place on baking sheet. Spray top of chicken with cooking spray.

3. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut (165°F) and coating is golden brown.

Crispy Baked Asian Wings

When I served these for dinner recently, Joel asked me if I fried them….that’s how crispy they are after being baked in the oven! The recipe for these wings is from Alton Brown’s show Good Eats. I am not really into science so I don’t watch it too often but I happened to catch the episode where he made these wings and I knew I had to try them.

The trick is steaming them first, thoroughly drying them and then baking them at a high temperature. They turned out unbelievably crispy so I will be cooking wings this way always.

I usually go for traditional buffalo sauce  but Joel isn’t a big fan of spicy foods so I try to change it up occasionally so I don’t have to hear his whining. We both like Asian inspired sauces so I searched for a copycat of the Asian Zing sauce from Buffalo Wild Wings and it was pretty good. The sauce is not as spicy so that’s something to consider if you like things hot. If I were making these just for me, I would add in a good amount of red pepper flakes to bump up the spice factor.

Crispy Baked Wings in Asian Sauce
recipe from Alton Brown

24 whole chicken wings
1 sauce recipe, follows

1. Place a 6-quart saucepan with a steamer basket and 1-inch of water in the bottom, over high heat, cover and bring to a boil.

2. Remove the tips of the wings and discard or save for making stock. Using kitchen shears, or a knife, separate the wings at the joint. Place the wings into the steamer basket, cover, reduce the heat to medium and steam for 10 minutes. Remove the wings from the basket and carefully pat dry. Lay the wings out on a cooling rack set in a half sheet pan lined with paper towels and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

4. Replace the paper towels with parchment paper or liberally spray the baking sheet with non-stick spray. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Turn the wings over and cook another 20 minutes or until meat is cooked through and the skin is golden brown.

5. While wings are roasting, make sauce recipe below.

Asian Sauce 
recipe from Food.com

2 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup chili-garlic sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced

1. Dissolve corn starch in rice wine vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.

2. In a small sauce pan combine remaining ingredients.

3. Add corn starch and rice wine vinegar mixture and stir well.

4. Heat mixture on low/medium heat, stirring often until sauce reaches a boil and thickens.