Chicken

The Best Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless, skinless  chicken breasts

1 cup  BBQ sauce

1/4 cup Zesty Italian dressing
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

salt to taste

Directions

1. Season chicken breast lightly (a small pinch per breast)  with some sea salt and place in your crockpot.

2. In a mixing bowl combine BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined.

3. Pour over chicken, cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours

4. Once time is up, you can serve the breast whole, or shred with 2 forks. If shredding, recover and let cook in sauce for about 10-15 more minutes to soak up all that delish flavor.

Tandoori Chicken with Spiced Pilaf and Cucumber Riata Deliciously marinated chicken tenders pan-grilled and served with cinnamon and clove spiced rice (maybe add peas?) ... served with a cool tomato and cucumber riata.

Comments & Reviews For the chicken: 1 cup plain yogurt 2 tsps curry powder 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 1 Tbsp fresh garlic, chopped 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated 1 tsp salt 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 lb chicken tenders For the rice: 1 Tbsp vegetable oil 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp ground cloves 2 bay leaves 1 small onion, thinly sliced 2 cups chicken broth 1 cup Mahatma® Basmati Rice 1 cup frozen peas, thawed (optional) For the Cucumber Riata: 1 cup plain yogurt 1/2 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced small 1/2 cup tomato, diced small 2 Tbsps fresh cilantro leaves, chopped 2 Tbsps fresh mint, chopped salt and ground black pepper

Poppy Seed Chicken

Poppy Seed Chicken

 

Ingredients

• 5 cups chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (or shredded)
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 2 cups crushed Ritz crackers (about 1½ rolls of crackers)
• ½ cup melted butter
• 1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Additional Ingredients to make it fancy:

• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 T lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• (optional) 3 cups cooked rice

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil raw chicken breasts with salt and pepper until done. I like to boil it with half an onion cut into large 
3. chunks to give it more flavor. Let chicken cool slightly and cut into one inch cubes. Place cubed chicken 
4. in a 9X13 casserole dish. *Note: Some people layer some cooked rice on the very bottom underneath the 
5. chicken so that it's a meal in one.
6. Stir together the condensed soup and sour cream. If you wish to add the additional flavorings stir in the
7.  Worcestershire, celery salt, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper to the soup and sour cream mixture. Pour 
8. over the chicken.
9. In a separate bowl, stir together the crushed crackers and melted butter. Sprinkle over the chicken and 
10. sauce. Sprinkle the poppy seeds on top.
11. Bake for 20-30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top of the casserole is browned and the sauce
12.  is bubbly. Serve plain or over rice. We like to eat it with steamed broccoli and we mix it all together.

http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/06/poppy-seed-chicken.htm

 Coconut chicken

1 cup vegetable oil 
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 
2 large eggs 

• 1 teaspoon soy sauce 
• 1 teaspoon Sriracha, optional 
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1 1/2 cups Original Bisquick™ mix 
• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut 
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. 
• Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. 
• In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, soy sauce, Sriracha, garlic powder, ginger and 2 tablespoons water. In another large bowl, combine Bisquick mix and coconut. 
• Working one at a time, dip chicken into egg mixture, then dredge in Bisquick mixture, pressing to coat. 
• Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet, 3 or 4 at a time, and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. 
• Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro, if desired.

French Onion Chicken

Ingredients:

Serves 4

3 boneless, skinless Chicken Breast, cubed
1 package dry French Onion Soup Mix
1 pint (16oz) Heavy Cream

Directions:

Place chicken cubes into a lightly greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with the dry soup mix. Do not salt – soup mix contains all the salt needed. Pour the heavy cream over the chicken and gently stir to combine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight or at least 3 hours to let the meat infuse the flavors.

When ready to bake, remove the chicken from the refrigerator and let sit at room temperature while preheating the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the chicken covered with aluminum foil for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 minutes longer or until bubbly and top is golden brown in color. Serve over rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.

Sweet and sour chicken recipe

iheartnaptimedotcom

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Sweet and sour chicken recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken (cut into bite size pieces)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic salt
• 3/4 cup corn starch
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• Sweet and sour sauce:
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 cup + 1 TB rice vinegar (distilled vinegar will work too)
• 1 TB soy sauce

Instructions

1. Place the chicken, corn starch, salt, pepper and garlic salt in a large ziplock bag and shake until the chicken is evenly coated.
2. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Dip the chicken in the egg mixture and place in the frying pan with a fork. I did half the batch first. Fry both sides of the chicken for about 2 minutes a piece. Line a baking sheet with foil and place chicken on the pan. Dispose of the burnt oil and then heat up the rest of the oil and finish the chicken.
3. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.
4. In a medium size bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the sauce.
5. Next you'll pour the sauce over the chicken and bake for 20 minutes. Pull the chicken out and flip the chicken to evenly coat it with sauce. Then bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.
6. Serve with steamed rice and veggies.
7. Enjoy!

Cordon Bleu Casserole

Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

serves 6

• 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 cup diced ham
• 15 oz alfredo
• 2 cups greyere or swiss
• 1 can (12 oz) refrigerated Pillsbury Grands Jr flaky biscuits

Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cut biscuits into quarters. Place in medium bowl. Toss biscuits with alfredo sauce, chicken, ham and 1 cup of cheese. Pour mixture into prepared 9x13-inch pan.

Top with remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until biscuits are done. 

Bang Bang chicken

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1 cup Panko*
FOR THE SAUCE
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 teaspoons Frank's Hot Sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

• To make the sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, 
• honey and Frank's Hot Sauce in a small bowl; set aside.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, 
• salt and pepper, to taste.
• Working one at a time, dip chicken into buttermilk mixture, then dredge in Panko,
•  pressing to coat.

Chicken Burger with Moroccan Spices & A Tahina, Mint n Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients (makes 4)

For the Burger

500 gms chicken mince

2 tsp Moroccan All Spice

2 tsp roasted cumin seed ground to powder ( adds extra fragrance )

2 tsp paprika

1 tablespoon garlic

1 tsp Sumac

1 tsp white pepper

handful of chopped mint leaves

salt to taste

4 burger buns

Sliced tomatoes

Lettuce leaves

For the Sauce

2 tablespoons Tahina

1 tablespoon Mayonaise

5 tablespoons thick yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped mint

salt to taste

For the burger patties mix together all the burger ingredients minus the bread tomatoes n lettuce ofcourse. Leave to marinate for 2 hours at room temperature. In a non stick pan pour some olive oil and let it heat well. Divide the mince into 4 portions and make the burgers with your hands. Put it in the oil. In the mean time for the sauce mix all the ingredients together and chill. When the burgers are well done on one side, flip them and take another frying pan to toast the burger buns. Cut them in half drizzle a little olive oil and lightly toast them on the inner sides. By now the burgers would be ready. Remove from pan and set aside. Get the burger buns ready, place the lettuce then tomatoes and then the burger patties. Pour some sauce over it and top with the bread. You could add some onions if you like, but I chose not too. Serve hot with come cold shredded salad.

Pollo Loco

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 bottle Lawry's Baja Chipotle marinade or Lawry's Mesquite Marinade

3 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup uncooked long grain rice (not instant)

1 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tsp Pampered Chef Southwestern Seasoning or Taco Seasoning

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 container Mexican Queso (I used Gordos Cheese Dip)

chopped tomato

Pour Baja Chipotle Marinade over chicken and let marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or overnight. When ready, grill chicken until done (165 degrees).

While the chicken is grilling prepare the rice.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and Southwestern or Taco Seasoning. 

Stir in onion flakes, tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork. 

Heat cheese dip according to package directions set aside.

To assemble the Pollo Loco - place 1/4 of the rice on a plate, top with grilled chicken. Pour 2-3 Tbsp cheese dip over chicken and rice and top with chopped tomatoes.

NotesCafe Rio Chicken

realmomkitchendotcom

Cafe Rio Chicken

Ingredients

• 2 lbs chicken breasts ( I use boneless)
• 1/2 cup zesty italian dressing
• 1/2 Tbsp. minced garlic
• 1 pkt ranch dressing mix
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin

Instructions

1. Place chicken in a crock pot.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the remaining ingredients and pour over the chicken.
3. Cook on High 5-6 hours OR on Low 8 hours.
4. Remove chicken from crock pot and shred.
5. Remove half the liquid from the crock pot and place in a bowl. Add the chicken to the crock pot and combine with the liquid left in the crock pot. You want the chicken nice and moist. Add more of the reserved liquid if needed.
6. Serve in tacos, burritos, salad, quesadillas, etc. I got two meals from this. I did tacos with some and quesadillas another time with the leftovers. This meat freezes well.

Chicken Meatballs With Spinach-Walnut Pesto Recipe

foodrepublicdotcom

+ ENLARGE

. 

Servings:24 golf ball-sized meatballs

Ingredients

For the meatballs

2 pounds ground chicken thigh

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon fennel seed, ground

1 teaspoon black peppercorn, ground

1/4 cup white wine

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 eggs

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the pesto

1/8 cup walnut pieces

4 cups fresh baby spinach

2 cups Fresh Basil leaves

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup olive oil

1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

For the pesto:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Spread the walnuts on a baking dish and roast in the oven until golden brown and toasted, about 12 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool thoroughly
3. Fill a large stock pot ¾ of the way full with water and bring to a rolling boil over a high heat
4. Fill a large bowl with ice and water ½ way up and set close to the sink
5. Dump the spinach and basil in the boiling water and give it a stir. After 1 minute, strain the greens, discarding the water and plunge the greens into the bowl with ice and water.
6. Drain the greens and squeeze them so that they are good and dry, then chop the greens
7. Combine all of the ingredients in a food processor and blend on high speed until an even “pesto like” consistency is reached. Season with extra salt as needed.

For the meatballs:

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.
2. Combine all of the ingredients except for the olive oil in a large mixing bowl and mix by hand until thoroughly incorporated.
3. Drizzle the olive oil into a large baking dish (10 x 17) making sure to evenly coat the entire surface — use your hand to help spread the oil.
4. Roll the mixture into round, golf ball-sized meatballs making sure to pack the meat firmly. Chicken meatballs can be a pain to roll, a great trick is to use a #24 disher (ice cream scoop) rounded over and dropped into the pan.
5. Place the balls into the oiled baking dish such that all of the meatballs are lined up evenly in rows and are touching each of their four neighbors in a grid.
6. Roast until firm and cooked through, about 14 minutes.
7. Allow the meatballs to cool for five minutes before removing from the tray and topping with pesto. 

Slow Cooker Cashew Chicken
Source: Original recipe from 365 Days of Slow Cooking

via Six Sisters' Stuff 

Ingredients:
For the chicken:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thigh 
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp canola oil

For the sauce: (this should be doubled if you want plenty to pour over rice)
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger (see Note)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 cup cashews

Directions:

For the chicken: Trim any visible fat off the chicken. Combine the flour and black pepper in large Ziploc bag. Add the chicken and shake to coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown chicken about 2 minutes on each side. Place chicken in slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes in small bowl; pour over chicken. Cook on LOW for 4-5 hours. Add cashews and stir. Serve over rice. Makes 4-6 servings.

 

Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/3 pound bacon, diced
• 2-3 pounds chicken thighs, skin on
• Salt
• 1-2 pounds andouille sausage
• 1/2 cup peanut or other vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 green peppers, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 quart water
• 1/2 to 1 pound okra, sliced into discs
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cajun spice mix

• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 2 Tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano

Method

1 Cook the diced bacon until crispy in a large stew pot set over medium heat. Remove the bacon and set aside; you'll add it back in when you serve your gumbo.

2 Once the bacon is cooked, set the chicken thighs skin side down in the bacon fat to crisp. Salt the meat side, which will be facing up in the pot. Cook the chicken, without moving, for at least 4-5 minutes before trying to turn the chicken over. Brown the other side of the chicken thighs. Incidentally, you start with skin side down to render some fat, which you will need for the roux.
3 Remove the browned chicken thighs and set aside. Brown the sausages in the fat, remove and set aside.

4 If you want, measure how much fat is in the pot; it should be about 1/2 cup. Or, do what I do and add 1/2 cup peanut oil to the pot. Let this heat up a minute or two, then stir in 1 cup flour. Stir this almost constantly for the first few minutes, then every couple minutes or so thereafter. Turn the heat to medium-low and cook this roux until it turns dark. How dark? I like my roux the color of coffee with just a tiny bit of cream. You can go all the way to chocolate brown, but be careful! If you burn your roux you will need to start over and make it again. This whole process can take 30 minutes.
5 While you are stirring and cooking the roux, bring the chicken stock and water to a boil in a separate pot.

6 Add to the roux the onion, green pepper and celery and mix well. Let this cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, stir again and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste.

7 Using a large ladle, add the hot chicken stock to the gumbo. It will sizzle and seize up as the roux absorbs the liquid. Keep adding more stock, stirring all the time and scraping the bottom of the pot, to incorporate all the stock and all the roux. You might not need all 2 quarts, but add enough to make the gumbo slightly more watery than you want it to be at the end — remember you are going to cook this down for several hours. Stir in half the Cajun spice mix, taste the gumbo, and add more if you want.
8 Lower the heat to medium-low and add back the chicken thighs. Now you can either eat the skin while it's still crispy, or toss it into the gumbo and chop it fine later. I tend to do half-and-half. Simmer this gently, stirring from time to time, until the meat wants to fall off the bones of the chicken, about 90 minutes. Remove the chicken and let it cool a bit.

9 While the chicken is cooling, cut the andouille sausage into thick discs and drop them in the gumbo. Add the okra. Pick the chicken meat from the bones and chop it roughly. Add it back to the gumbo. At this point you can cook the gumbo for another hour, or up to several more hours, depending on how cooked down you want the final stew to be.
10 When you are ready to eat, add the green onions, parsley and bacon and stir well. Serve over rice, or with good French bread.

Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu 
Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafeviathegirlwhoateeverythingdotcom

Ingredients:

For the Cordon Bleu:
3 large, thick boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (to make two thinner chicken breast cutlets; you will have 6 total thin chicken breasts)
12 slices good quality deli ham
1 cup bread crumbs (preferably fresh)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 pound (8 ounces) thinly sliced Swiss cheese

For the Parmesan-Dijon Cream Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules (or 1 bouillon cube, crushed)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

*Note: Mel saves the heels of her bread and stores them in the freezer until she needs them then grinds them up quickly in a blender or food processor.

Instructions:
Lightly grease a 9X13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and melted butter. Set aside.

Lay the cut chicken breasts in a single layer in the 9X13-inch dish. Layer each chicken breast with two slices of ham and top with slices of Swiss cheese, layering across the chicken breast to make sure the entire chicken breast is covered with ham and cheese. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top of the chicken. 

Bake the chicken for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through completely, the cheese is bubbling and the bread crumbs are golden.

When the chicken is almost done, in a medium saucepan, melt the 2 tablespoons butter. Stir in the flour, whisking constantly. Cook the flour/butter mixture for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in the milk while whisking quickly. Stir in the chicken bouillon granules and salt. Whisk mixture constantly over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer and thicken, about 3-5 minutes. 

Once the sauce has bubbled and thickened, remove from heat and stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted. Keep the sauce warm until the chicken is finished baking. If your sauce is too thick, whisk in some more milk. If it's too thin, simmer longer.

Serve each chicken cordon bleu portion with warm sauce. Makes 6 servings.

Malibu Chicken

3 egg yolks

2 cloves garlic, minced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
6 Tbsp. butter
1 c. Panko bread crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs)
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
½ Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground black pepper
4 slices black forest ham
4 slices Swiss cheese

Creole Mustard Sauce:
2 tablespoons Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 teaspoon honey
Mix together and chill in refrigerator.

In a small bowl, beat egg yolks with garlic. Place chicken and egg mixture in a large Ziploc bag, squeeze out all the air and seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter and pour into bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Mix together the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dip marinated chicken in crumb mixture. Place coated chicken in baking dish, and pour remaining egg mixture over the top. Bake for 15 min on each side or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Top each piece of chicken with ham and slice of Swiss cheese. Place back in the oven for about 5 min or until cheese is melted. Remove from oven and serve with Creole Mustard Sauce.

Chicken Souvlaki

alexandra'skitchendotcom

Chicken thighs marinating in olive oil, garlic, basil and oregano:

Skewered chicken thighs:

Serve the grilled chicken with tzatziki, lemon and grilled naan or pita. A Greek salad or this simple cucumber, feta and mint salad is nice to serve on the side:

Tzatziki ingredients:

Cucumber, feta & mint salad:

Grilled Chicken Souvlaki

3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
kosher salt and pepper
oregano
lots of basil (at least once cup packed), roughly chopped
3 to 6 cloves of garlic, minced
extra-virgin olive oil

wooden or metal skewers

for serving:
lemon wedges
naan or pita bread
tzatziki (recipe below)
cucumber, mint & feta salad (recipe below)

1. Wash and dry the chicken. Cut chicken into pieces roughly 2×2-inches in size — it’s ok if these are a little bit smaller or larger in size and if they are more rectangular than square, etc. Place chicken in a large bowl (if your fridge has space for it) or a large ziplock back.

2. Season chicken all over with kosher salt and pepper. Crumble oregano (about a teaspoon or two) over top. Throw in the basil and garlic. Pour olive oil into bowl or bag to submerge chicken.

3. Place bowl or bag of chicken in fridge. Marinate for at least four hours if possible. My mom always starts marinating this chicken the morning she plans on grilling it.

4. When ready to grill. Preheat grill to its highest setting (525ºF or 550ºF). Meanwhile dump chicken out onto a jelly roll pan. Skewer the chicken, trying to place similarly sized pieces on the same skewer if possible. When chicken is skewered and grill is hot, grill skewers for 3 minutes a side. Transfer to a platter.

5. Turn grill off. Place naan or pita on grill. Keep an eye on it — it should be warmed through and read to go after 2 or 3 minutes tops.

6. Serve chicken with tzatziki, lemon wedges and grilled naan.

Tzatziki:

Note: Use these measurements as a guide. I like my tzatziki garlicky, but others do not. Also, I have received comments on other posts that tzatziki isn’t tzatziki if it doesn’t have cucumber, but that’s really not true. If you like adding cucumber, by all means add it, but it is not necessary.

1 cup Greek yogurt (or plain yogurt, which will need straining*)
2 T. finely diced red onion
1 T. chopped mint
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
kosher salt to taste
squeeze of lemon juice

*To strain plain yogurt, rest a strainer over a bowl. Line it with cheese cloth. Add at least a cup of yogurt to the cheese cloth because once drained, the amount of yogurt is considerably less than what you have started with.

1. Stir together the yogurt, onion, mint and garlic. Season with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste. Add more salt or lemon or anything else if necessary. Chill until ready to use.

Cucumber, Feta & Mint Salad

Note: Use these measurements as a guide. The dressing for the salad is simple: equal parts olive oil and white balsamic vinegar.

2 cups diced cucumbers (If the skin tastes a little tough, peel the cucumber)
feta cheese, crumbled
mint, thinly sliced (a tablespoon or two)
extra-virgin olive oil
white balsamic vinegar

1. Combine cucumbers, feta and mint in a bowl. Toss with equal parts olive oil and white balsamic. As a reference, I used 1 tablespoon of olive oil and one tablespoon of vinegar for the 1 cucumber (about 1 3/4 cup diced) I diced up. Season with salt if necessary — the feta is salty, so go light to start.

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Creamy Chicken Marsala

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra as needed

1/4 pound pancetta or thick cut bacon, cut into 1/4 inch dice

1/2 cup flour seasoned with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 chicken breast cutlets, pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1 cup Marsala wine

1/2 cup heavy cream

Chopped fresh parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add pancetta and cook until slightly crispy, about 5 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon, leaving oil in the skillet.

2. Dredge the chicken in flour and add to the pan, adding more olive oil if the pan looks dry. Cook until golden on each side and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and put on a plate.

3. Add Marsala wine to the skillet and cook over medium high heat for one minute, stirring up any cooked on bits from the bottom of the pan. Add cream and simmer for an additional two minutes.

4. Return chicken and pancetta to the skillet and turn the chicken over a time or two until it is covered in sauce and reheated about a minute.

5. Place chicken on plates, pour sauce over and garnish with parsley.