Pioneer Woman's Ranch-Style Chicken

Y'all...this is good. Really good. You should make it, and you should make it today. This recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman. If you haven't seen her site, go and take a peek. In addition to the delicious recipes she posts, she also blogs about photography, homeschooling, and home and garden. The marinade for this chicken is great and it is the perfect copycat of Outback Steakhouse's Alice Springs Chicken (which I order every time I go there). The Pioneer Woman says nothing about Alice Springs Chicken, but that's what it tastes like to me.Instead of following the directions the first time, we grilled it. Don't get me wrong- the flavor of the marinade still came through. It was just not the version of Alice Springs I had hoped for. So, the next time I made it, I followed directions...and it was pure yumminess (is that a word?)! Too bad I didn't get a picture the second time around- so you get the grilled version. =) We also added mushrooms the second time, which made it even better. I served it with fries, and a copycat version of Outback's honey mustard, which you'll find below. If you make it, let me know how you like it!

~Pioneer Woman's Ranch-Style Chicken~ I used 5 smallish boneless skinless breasts

Marinade:

* 1/2 c. dijon mustard

* 1/2 c. honey

* juice of 1/2 a lemon ( I didn't have one, so I used a couple of teaspoons of the bottled stuff)

* 1/2 teaspoon paprika

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix together in a large bowl.

1.) Rinse your chicken breasts under cool water, and pat them dry.

2.) Placing them between two sheets of wax paper (one at a time), pound them to about 1/2-3/4 inch thickness.

3.) Add the chicken to the marinade bowl, and make sure they are coated well. Place in the fridge for at least an hour (I did mine more like 3 hours).

4.) While the chicken is marinating, go ahead and fry your bacon (we used 1/2 pound I believe- the kids didn't eat it on theirs).

5.) Clean out your skillet, but reserve about 1/4 of the bacon grease.

6.) Preheat oven to 400.

7.) Remove chicken from fridge and pour off excess marinade.

8.) Heat reserved bacon grease with an equal amount of canola oil in your clean skillet over med-high to high heat.

9.) When the grease is sufficiently heated, add chicken to skillet, taking care not to overcrowd. (I split it up and did 3 the first time, then the other 2.)

10.) Watch the chicken, and when it starts to get brown/black on the underside- flip, and do the same to the other side. Each side should cook for a maximum of 1-1 1/2 minutes. (I'm pretty sure mine took a little longer, but I have OCD when it comes to the doneness of meat or poultry).

11.) Place all chicken breasts on a baking sheet (I used a 9x13 dish), and put them in the oven to continue cooking for about 10 minutes.

12.) Remove the pan from the oven, and place a couple of bacon slices on each piece (and mushrooms if you are using them).

13.) Top with grated sharp cheddar cheese (we used a mexican blend), and return to the oven for an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling.

Serve immediately.

~Outback Honey Mustard~ so good! We all even dipped our fries in it instead of ketchup.

1 1/2 cups real mayonnaise

1/2 cup dijon mustard

1/2 cup honey

Stir all together, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Pepperoni-and Cheese-Stuffed Chicken and My First Award!

This recipe comes from Cassie, who very kindly gave me an award yesterday! I will post about the award in a bit, but back to this yummy chicken. I made it a few weeks ago, after browsing through Cassie's blog. I had 4 last boneless chicken breasts in the freezer, and just wanted to make something different with them. Heath and I loved it, and Jasper and Sawyer did too- but of course, I had to pick all the pepperoni pieces out for them. They amaze me by eating things I have not seen many other kids touch, but then there are some things you would think they'd eat, that they don't like. It's puzzling. I say you can't go wrong with pepperoni and melted cheese. Period. The only change I made from Cassie's recipe is that I used sharp cheddar, and I sprinkled some on top as well as inside. I know. I'm bad. *sigh*

~Pepperoni-and Cheese-Stuffed Chicken Breasts~

Ingredients:

* Boneless skinless chicken breasts

* Sliced pepperoni

* Shredded cheese (I used sharp cheddar)

* Italian seasoning

* Garlic powder

* Salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut a slit about halfway into the side of each chicken breast. Stuff with a few slices of pepperoni (I used 4 medium slices per breast) and shredded cheese (I probably used about 1/8 cup per breast). Secure edges with toothpicks, if desired. Season both sides of chicken with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

3. Heat a small amout of olive oil in an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Pan fry chicken breasts until browned on both sides.

4. Move skillet to oven. Bake chicken at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until cooked through.

Now, on to the award!! Cassie gave me this lovely award, and I am to pass it on to 15 other blogs I have recently discovered. So here it goes!

Passing it on to:

1. Real Mom Kitchen

2. Two Peas and Their Pod

3. Mennonite Girls Can Cook

4. The Sisters Dish

5. Tried-and-True Cooking with Heidi

6. Stirring the Pot

7. Cooking with Carrie

8. When Amber Cooks

9. cooking this and that

10. Delicious Meliscious

11. Sadie's Kitchen Adventures

12. Carrie's Sweet Life

13. Cara's Cravings

14. elly says opa!

15. Annie's Eats

Mean Guy's General Tso's Chicken

For my very first post, I thought I should post something Heath and I are both crazy about. We love Chinese food, and we go out and eat it whenever we can. Of course P.F. Chang's is one of our favorite places to go. They have their own version of General Tso's called Chang's Spicy Chicken. It is one of two dishes we order there, and it is delicious, but let's face it- eating out is expensive! So, I searched away until I found what I thought would be a good homemade version. I found it here at Recipezaar. I have to admit I did not cook this myself. This is Heath's specialty, and it will continue to be because...well...it's just better when someone else makes it. Right? We have made it quite a few times (served every time with white rice), and I couldn't even guess how many more times there will be. We always make something different for the boys whenever we have this because it is just too spicy for them. We always joke and say that we have burned up our taste buds, because the heat of the dish never phases us. Oh well, burn away..it is delicious!

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken thigh, boned and cubed (we use boneless skinless breasts)

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. cornstarch, plus

2 tsp. cornstarch

5 dried chili pods

1 1/2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. rice wine (we use cooking sherry)

3 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. soy sauce

Directions:

1.) In a large bowl, thoroughly blend the 1/2 cup cornstarch and the eggs; add the chicken and toss to coat.

2.) If the mixture is too thick, add some vegetable oil to separate the pieces.

3.) In a small bowl, prepare the sauce mixture by combining the 2 tsp. cornstarch with the wine, vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.

4.) First-Stage Frying: Heat 1-2 inches of peanut oil (we use vegetable) in a wok to medium-high heat (350-400).

5.) Fry the chicken in small batches, just long enough to cook the chicken through.

6.) Remove the chicken to absorbent paper and allow to stand (this step can be performed well in advance, along with the sauce mixture, with both refrigerated).

7.) Second-Stage Frying: Leave a tablespoon or two of oil in the wok.

8.) Add the pepper pods to the oil and stir-fry briefly, awakening the aroma but not burning them.

9.) Return the chicken to the wok and stir-fry until the pieces are crispy brown.

10.) The General's Favorite Sauce: Add the sauce mixture to the wok, tossing over the heat until the sauce caramelizes into a glaze (1-2 minutes).

11.) Serve immediately.