BBQ Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Yield: 4 sandwiches

Ingredients:

2 chicken boneless, skinless breasts, approx 1 lb, cut down the middle into 4 cutlets
2 Tbsp BBQ rub seasoning, I used McCormick Grill Mates Barbecue
1/2 cup bbq sauce
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
8 slices of sandwich bread
1/2 stick unsalted butter

Directions:

Prepare gas at high heat. Add rub seasoning to both sides of chicken breasts. Add chicken breasts to grill and turn heat down to medium high.
Grill for 3-6 minutes or until dark grill marks appear. Using grill safe tongs, turn the chicken over and use a grill brush to slather bbq sauce on the chicken. After about 3-6 minutes, turn the chicken again and add bbq sauce. Turn over once again and remove chicken from the grill after 1-2 minutes. Place chicken on a plate and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice chicken into thin pieces or cut into 1 inch thick cubes.
Melt about a 1/2 stick of butter and set aside along with a brush.
Add a little bit of butter to a non-stick skillet and heat at medium. Once butter is completely melted and about to brown, 2-3 minutes, take one slice of bread and brush with melted butter. Add the bread to the pan and top with 1/4 cup of cheese, add 1/4 of the chicken. Brush the second piece of bread with melted butter and add to the top of the sandwich.
Using a spatula, smash the sandwich down ever so slightly. Paying attention to the cheese and the bread (don't let it burn), flip the sandwich over after about 2-4 minutes or when the bottom piece of bread is golden or dark brown. Again, using the spatula, smash the sandwich down a little. Remove from skillet after 3-5 minutes. Place on a plate lined with a paper towel so the bread doesn't get soggy.

Orange Chicken

Made with chile paste and orange juice, this recipe for Easy Orange Chicken stir-fry is great for busy weeknights. (Note: it is not meant to be a recipe for restaurant-style Orange Chicken. For a more traditional Chinese Orange Chicken recipe, see Szechuan Orange Chicken with Red Chilies.

Follow the link for more Chinese Chicken Recipes.

Prep Time: 35 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Total Time: 42 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch cubes
• .
• Marinade:
• 2 tablespoons Chinese rice wine or dry sherry
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• .
• Sauce:
• 1/3 cup orange juice*
• 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon chile paste
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 slice ginger, minced
• Oil for stir-frying, as needed

Preparation:

Place the cubed chicken in a bowl, and add the marinade ingredients. Marinate the chicken for 30 minutes.

While the chicken is marinating, prepare the sauce ingredients and the garlic and ginger.

Heat the wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until aromatic.

Add the chicken and stir-fry until it changes color. Push up to the sides of the wok, making a well in the middle. Add the sauce.

Combine the sauce and the chicken. Stir-fry for another minute and serve hot.

*If you find the orange flavor too overpowering, try substituting a combination of orange juice and water to make 1/3 cup.

Chicken Chow Mein

In China, chow mein is made with soft noodles. For crispy chow mein noodles, add more oil than the recipe calls for and cook the noodles longer to dry them out. You can also follow these basic photo instructions show how to make chow mein noodles. Feel free to use shrimp or pork instead of chicken.

Serves 4 to 6

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 pound mung bean sprouts
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 7 to 8 ounces each
• .
• Marinade:
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 small piece (less than 1 teaspoon) cornstarch
• .
• Sauce:
• 1/4 cup water or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons water
• .
• Other:
• 1/2 pound dry wonton noodles
• 2 medium ribs celery
• 1 pound bok choy or broccoli
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 green onion (scallion, spring onion)
• Vegetable oil for frying and stir-frying, as needed
• 1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

Preparation:

One or 2 hours before cooking, rinse the mung bean sprouts so that they have time to drain thoroughly.

Cut the chicken into thin strips. Add the marinade ingredients, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the chicken for 20 to 25 minutes.

The following 3 steps can be completed while the chicken is marinating:

To prepare the sauce, in a small bowl dissolve the 1 tablespoon cornstarch with the 4 tablespoons water. Whisk the water or chicken broth with the oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper and cornstarch and water mixture and set aside.

Soften the noodles by placing them in boiling salted water. Plunge into cold water to stop the cooking process and drain thoroughly.

Wash all the vegetables as needed. Cut the celery and the bok choy into 1/2-inch pieces on the diagonal. If substituting broccoli for bok choy, peel the stalks until no more strings come out, and slice thinly on the diagonal.  Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp cloth and slice. Cut the red bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and chut into chunks. Peel and chop the onion. Dice the green onion.

Heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the noodles. Fry in batches until golden. Remove the noodles from the pan.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onion and the meat. Let the meat brown briefly, then stir-fry until the redness is gone and the meat is nearly cooked through. Remove the cooked meat and onion from the pan.

Cook the rest of the vegetables separately, except for the green onion, seasoning each with a bit of salt while stir-frying if desired. When cooking the bok choy or broccoli, add 1/4 cup of water and cover while cooking. Remove each of the vegetables from the pan when finished stir-frying. Add more oil as needed.

Give the sauce a quick restir. Add all the ingredients back into the wok, making a "well" in the middle if the wok for the sauce. Add the sauce, stirring quickly to thicken. Mix everything together. Stir in the green onions. Pour the cooked vegetable and sauce mixture on top of the noodles. Garnish the chow mein with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve hot.
Nutritional Breakdown based on 4 servings, Calories 434, 54 g Carbohydrates, 14 g Protein, 20 g Total Fat, 2 g Saturated Fat, 10 g Monounsaturated Fat, 5 g Polyunsaturated Fat, 5 mg Cholesterol, 7 g Fibre, 685 mg Sodium, 900 mg Potassium.

Chicken Pasta With Mango Sauce

Servings -04


INGREDIENTS
• 8 ounces uncooked rigatoni pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
• 1 onion, sliced and separated into rings
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 mango - peeled, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni pasta, cook for 8 minutes, until almost done, and drain.
2. Heat 1/2 the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in the skillet, and cook 10 minutes, or until juices run clear. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Heat the remaining olive oil in the skillet, and cook the onion and green pepper until tender. Mix in the garlic, ginger, and mango, and continue to cook and stir 5 minutes, or until mango is soft. Gradually mix the heavy cream into the skillet, and cook 5 minutes, until thickened.
4. Return the chicken to the skillet. Stir in the partially cooked pasta, and season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir 2 minutes, until ingredients are well blended and pasta is al dente. Mix in the cheese. Garnish with parsley to serve. 

Chicken Piccata

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1/2 Cup Flour
Salt & Pepper
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
For The Sauce:
1/2 Cup White Wine
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
3 Tablespoons Butter
4 Tablespoons Capers
5 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley
Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Season the flour with salt and pepper, and slice the chicken breasts into 3 to 4 slices, using a sharp knife and cutting diagonally to create thin slices of meat.
Dredge the chicken slices in the seasoned flour.
Heat the oil and butter in a heavy frying pan, and add some of the chicken pieces to the pan, and cook in batches.
Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side over medium heat, until the chicken is lightly browned and cooked through.
Keep the chicken warm while you prepare the sauce.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the pan juices.
Add the wine to the pan and cook over high heat until reduced by half.
Add the lemon juice and chicken broth to the pan and bring to a boil.
Add the butter and using a whisk blend it into the sauce.
Stir in the capers and parsley and season with salt and pepper.
Return all of the cooked chicken to the frying pan, and heat in the sauce.
Serve hot.

Crispy Chicken Cutlets With Taleggio Cheese & Prosciutto

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

This is one of my favorite chicken dishes that meshes crispy, golden brown chicken, and creamy cheese and sweet prosciutto.

Ingredients:

For The Cutlets:
4 Chicken Cutlets
3 Cups Stale Bread Cubes
1 Teaspoon Grated Lemon Zest
1 Teaspoon Chopped Red Chile Pepper (Optional)
3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Parsley
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Cup Pine Nuts
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper
2 Large Eggs
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Slices Taleggio Cheese (About 12 Ounces)
4 Slices Prosciutto
For The Sauce:
4 Cups Ripe Cherry Tomatoes, Halved
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil
Sea Salt
Cracked Black Pepper

Directions:

For the cutlets, place the bread cubes, lemon zest, chile pepper, parsley, grated cheese, sea salt and pepper in the food processor, and pulse until finely blended. Add the pine nuts and pulse just until the nuts are coarsely chopped.
Beat the eggs and dip the cutlets first into the eggs, then the breadcrumbs and press with your fingertips to help the crumbs adhere.
Refrigerate the chicken for one hour to allow the crumb coating to set.
To prepare the sauce, heat the oil in a small saucepan until hot.
Add the garlic and cook just until it is sizzling.
Add the cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, and basil, and cook for about 10 minutes on low heat just until the tomatoes begin to soften and break down. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To cook the cutlets, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Place the butter and olive oil in a flat casserole dish or pan large enough to hold all of the cutlets and place the cutlets on top.
Cook for 10 minutes until the cutlets are browned on one side and turn.
Cook an additional 10 minutes or until the cutlets are cooked through.
Place a slice of the cheese on top of each cutlet, and then return to the oven just until the cheese melts.
Top with the prosciutto, and serve on individual plates with a scoop of the cherry tomato sauce on each plate.