Fiesta Lime Chicken

I came across this recipe on A Few Shortcuts and thought it sounded absolutely delicious.  We buy our chicken in bulk from Sams, so I'm always trying to find new chicken recipes to try out.  This one was a hit in our house and I have made it multiple times since I came across it.

Don't exclude the lime from the recipe.  I didn't have one the second time I made this recipe, so I didn't use it.  I didn't realize it was going to make that much of a difference until I bit into it.  The chicken tasted so bland.  So make sure you have the lime or some lime juice.

For the rice, the original recipe uses her own version of Fiesta Rice.  Instead of making my own rice, I've been using the packaged mixes.  I've used both Mexican rice and Taco rice and prefer the Mexican.  So, stuff the chicken with whatever Mexican type rice mix suits your fancy.

Fiesta Lime Chicken

2 chicken breasts (thick enough that it can easy be stuffed)

1 lime

1/2 Tbsp. EVOO

1/2 c. rice

1/2 c. shredded Mexican cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice a pocket into your chicken breasts so that you will be able to stuff it.  Do not cut all the way through to the other side.

Come the juice from the lime, olive oil, and some salt and pepper to make a marinade.  Pour this over the chicken breasts.  Let marinate while you prepare the rice (about 30 minutes).

Prepare rice according to the directions.

Discard the marinade and place chicken on a plastic cutting board.  Stuff each breast with a couple tablespoons of rice and some cheese.  Adjust ratios to your tastes.

Place chicken in an oven safe dish and sprinkle tops with some more cheese.

Bake for 30-45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  I like to add a little more cheese to the last 5 minutes of cooking time to melt a little extra.

Pizza Bites

I'm not a huge fan of frozen pizza or even homemade pizza.  If I eat pizza, it needs to come straight from a delicious restaurant.  I saw these pizza bites on Annie's Eats though and thought they looked pretty delicious, so I had to try them out.  Well, I  ended up loving them and can't wait to make them again!

I'm sure you could also add different things to the filling to suite your preference.  I did half pepperoni and half cheese.

Pizza Bites

Serves 2

Pizza dough -- Enough for one pizza

Grated mozzarella cheese (or you can use cubed like the original recipe)

Pepperoni

Olive oil

Italian seasoning

Garlic salt

Grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a circular cake pan or pie plate with PAM.  Separate the pizza dough into even sized balls (mine made 13, but I'm sure the amount would change by which pizza dough recipe you used).  

Roll one of the dough pieces out into a small 4-5 inch circle.  Put some grated mozzarella cheese into the center along with a couple slices of pepperoni.  Pull the edges of the circle up over the filling and pinch together.  Put the ball into the pan seam side down.  Repeat this process with the rest of the dough balls.

Lightly brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil and then sprinkle with Italian seasoning, garlic salt, and grated Parmesan. 

Bake until golden brown.  Serve right out of the oven with pizza sauce.

Recipe adapted from Annie's Eats

Sesame Chicken

J loves Chinese food, but I'm not a big fan.  I would rather have good 'ole American meat and potatoes or Italian pasta every day.  But, since he loves it, I try to make it every once in a while.

I came across this recipe for Sesame Chicken on The City Girl Cooks and it looked delicious.  And after reading over the instructions, it looked like something I would like.  There was nothing weird in there that I don't normally eat.  So off I went to cook this meal.  

And guess what.  It was absolutely delicious!  I actually liked it more than J.  He said it was a little bland and needed more sauce.  I will definitely be making this again, with a little extra sauce on the side to pour over his food.

 Sesame Chicken
Serves 2

A couple cups of brown rice (I just estimate how much we'll eat)
1 1/2 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 egg white
1/8 c. cornstarch
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Olive oil (to heat in the pan)
Broccoli

1. Cut chicken into small chunks.
2.  Heat oil in pan over medium heat.
3. Whisk egg whites and cornstarch together in a bowl.  Coat each piece of chicken in the mixture.
4. Cook chicken until golden brown.  Season with salt and pepper.
5. While the chicken is cooking, cook your rice according to the directions on the box.
6. Mix honey, sesame seeds, soy sauce, and garlic together in a small bowl.
7. Steam broccoli to desired doneness.
8. After the chicken is cooked, pour your honey/soy sauce mixture into the pan and toss to coat.
9. Add broccoli to pan and toss to coat.
10. Serve sesame chicken and broccoli over rice.


Recipe adapted from The City Girl Cooks

Double Stuffed Chicken Breast

My husband and I love Italian food, so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to make it.  I halved the recipe since there are only two of us. It was kind of a labor intensive dish, but it was totally worth it.  I will definitely be making this recipe again.

Double-Stuffed Chicken Breast

Serves 4

- 1/2 c. small shell pasta (Make sure to get small shells.  I used the medium shells and they were too big.)

- 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese

- 1/2 c. ricotta cheese

- 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

- 1/2 c. chopped parsley

- Salt

- 2 large eggs

- 2/3 c. breadcrumbs

- 4 8-10 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 3 c. marinara sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tinfoil. 

2. In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta for 4 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water.

3. Transfer pasta to a bowl and add the mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan, and 1/2 c. parsley; season with salt.

4. In a shallow bowl, beat the eggs.  Place the breadcrumbs in another shallow bowl.

5. Butterfly the chicken so you have room to stuff it. 

6. Stuff the pasta-cheese mixture in the chicken.

7. Dip the stuffed chicken in the egg, then roll in breadcrumbs.  Place on baking sheet.

8. Bake chicken until it reaches 165 degrees, about 50 minutes.

9. While the chicken is cooking, heat the marinara sauce.

10. Serve breast on bed of sauce, topped with remaining parsley

Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine.