Chicken Vegetable Bake

Here is one of my down and dirty recipes.  I know we online foodies have a reputation for being snobs who are morally opposed to anything canned, but I for one find lots of uses for canned, prepared, instant, and frozen foods.  Sometimes I just don’t feel like spending an hour in the kitchen, and sometimes I just don’t have the energy.  This is one of those meals that comes together in about 10 minutes, and then bakes, unattended, while you relax on the couch with a glass of wine, or bottle of beer (or run around like a crazy person chasing children, doing laundry, cleaning, or whatever else occupies your time in the real world).  So, this is my ode to Campbell’s, oh how we love thee…

A few notes: I strongly believe in organic chicken breasts.  Not only are they generally better for you, being free of antibiotics, hormones, and whatnot – more importantly, they taste better, and in my experience, are juicier and more tender – even if you over cook them!  So, I’d say if you can, spend the extra money on a tastier more forgiving chicken breast.  If you, like me, never remember to thaw anything, never fear: you can easily thaw the veggies for this recipe by dumping the bag into a colander and running them under cool water.  They’ll defrost enough to work with, and they’ll thaw the rest of the way in the oven.  If you’re really exhausted, or really pressed for time, put the chicken in without browning, and just increase the baking time.

Easy Chicken Vegetable Bake
Ingredients:
1 package thinly sliced chicken breasts
1 tsp. canola oil
1 tsp garam masala (divided)
salt and pepper
16-32 oz mixed frozen vegetables, thawed
1 can Healthy Request condensed Cream of Mushroom soup (Campbell’s)
1 package Instant Whole Wheat stuffing, prepared according to directions

To Prepare: Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat.  Rub chicken breasts with 1/2 tsp. garam masala, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Brown chicken breasts.  Remove from heat.  In a 13 x 9 inch pan or a large casserole, combine vegetables, mushroom soup, and garam masala.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Place browned chicken breasts over vegetables in pan.  Spread prepared stuffing around chicken.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are hot and bubbly.

 

Chicken and Vegetable Curry

This is one of my favorite, simple curry dishes – it combines warm, wonderful flavors and it’s easy to make.  You can also easily adjust it to make it vegetarian or vegan.  If you like your curry spicier, add more cayenne, or try adding some Thai chili paste, which has good flavor and good heat.  If you can get your hands  on some good Indian flatbread, I would recommend cutting the chicken into small pieces and mixing it in with the veggies and sauce so that it can be eaten in the traditional way (with your hands, using the flatbread to pick up the curry).  Serve with yogurt, if desired.

Chicken and Vegetable Curry
Ingredients:
4 thinly sliced chicken breasts
1 Tbs. olive oil/canola oil
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. Turmeric
1/2 tsp. coriander
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbs. minced ginger
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium onion, sliced
3-4 zucchini or yellow squash, sliced
1- 28oz. can crushed tomato
1 cup coconut milk
additional spices to taste

Combine dry spices in a small bowl.  Rub chicken breasts with spice mixture.  Reserve extra spices.  In a medium dutch oven over medium heat, brown chicken.  Remove from pan.  Add onions and zucchini to pan, saute until soft.  Add ginger, garlic, and leftover spices.  Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, until spices are fragrant.  Add tomatoes to the pan, simmer 5 minutes.  Add coconut milk, check seasoning.  Return chicken to the pan, bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

Apricot Chicken (or Tofu)

This is a recipe I adapted from a recipe on the Food Network.  This makes a wonderful one-pot dinner (two if you count the couscous).  It’s my husband’s favorite meal (for the moment), so I make it a lot for anniversaries, birthdays, etc.  I serve it very simply, but you can dress it up and make it look fancy if you have the time and inclination.  The dish was originally very, very sweet, so I added the Thai chili paste and ginger – these two flavors balance out the sweetness nicely.  If you still find it too sweet, you can use a white onion instead of a yellow or sweet onion, and use a drier wine.  I like to serve it with couscous and a baguette.

I have also made this dish with tofu.  Press extra firm tofu between paper towels before browning in the skillet (or, alternatively you can dry with paper towels, then place on parchment paper coated with cooking spray and spray tops of tofu w/ cooking spray (or brush with sesame oil).  Bake tofu at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, or until browned.)  Reserve browned tofu and continue with recipe, adding tofu back to mixture during the last 5-10 minutes of cooking.  If the tofu cooks too long in the mixture, it will just fall apart.  If you’re the planning ahead type, which I am not, put the cubed tofu in a ziploc with a little bit of olive oil, ginger, thai chili paste and preserves.  Allow tofu to marinate for about 30 minutes (although longer will make for stronger flavors).  This will flavor the tofu nicely.

Apricot Chicken
Ingredients:
2 Tbs. Olive oil
1 1/2-2 lbs chicken tenderloins, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 large sweet onion
1 Tbs. minced ginger (for convenience I use the jarred kind from the store, use a bit less if you’re using fresh ginger)
1 tsp Thai chili paste (this can be quite hot, adjust to taste depending on brand and heat tolerance)
2 Tbs. cider or white wine vinegar
12 dried pitted apricots, chopped
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup white wine
1 cup apricot preserves or mango chutney
couscous, for serving

To Prepare: In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown chicken in olive oil.  Add onion, cook for 5 minutes, add ginger and chili paste; cook, stirring for 2 minutes.  Add vinegar to pan and let it evaporate.  Add apricots, stock, and wine.  When mixture comes to a bubble, add preserves; stir to combine.  Cover pan, reduce heat, and simmer 10-15 minutes.  Serve over couscous.