Tortellini with Brown Butter, Garlic & Basil

If you're looking for a really flavorful, quick side dish this Tortellini with Brown Butter, Garlic & Basil is it! Brown butter adds a wonderful nutty flavor to many dishes like pasta, vegetables and one of my favorites...home popped popcorn! If you've never tried making brown butter before, here is how you do it. The entire process only takes a few minutes. 

Gremolata Chicken Skewers

These chicken skewers make a fantastic, quick weeknight meal and the kids will LOVE them! They can be prepared the night before, then just grill them when you get home. The simple flavors of fresh parsley, lemon and garlic would also make these Gremolata Chicken Skewers a fun, healthy appetizer for your next get together with family and friends. 

Gremolata Chicken Skewers

Prep Time: 2 hours                         Yield: 12

Cook Time:  10-12 minutes            Servings: 4

Total Time: 2 hours 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 12 Fresh Chicken Breast Tenders
• 1 Lemon, zest and juice
• 2 tbsp. Garlic, minced
• 1/2 c. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 1/4 c. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 12 Skewers

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine the lemon zest and juice, garlic, chopped parsley and oil. Whisk together. 
2. Add the chicken to a large resealable plastic bag and add the marinade and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 
3. Heat grill and remove the chicken from the bag. Grill chicken until it is cooked through; approximately 5-6 minutes per side (grilling times may vary depending on type of grill and whether or not you close the lid. Cooked chicken should be 165 internal degrees). 

Enjoy! 

Nutrition Facts per Skewer
Calories 90, Carbs .8g, Fat 4.5g, Protein 11.4g, Fiber 0g, Sugar 0g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate.

Honey-Lime Chicken Bites

 

My kids used to love chicken nuggets when they were younger. WAIT..Who am I kidding? They still do! Though long gone are the days where I used to have to purchase those Chicken Dino's now that their food palates have been expanded (THANK GOODNESS!). So every once in a while I find a new way to make them like I did with those Pretzel Coated Chicken Nuggets a while back that everyone loved. 

This time I decided to dip the chicken into a mixture of honey and fresh lime juice and zest; then coat them with some panko breadcrumbs and bake them for a healthier option. The kids LOVED these, including my 18 year old nephew who happened to stop by to mow our lawn the day I made these. He gave these Honey-Lime Chicken Bites a giant seal of approval. He also said that he would be willing to come by each week to be my taste tester and that his cousins were lucky. Gee, I hope they see it that way too! :) 

Anyway, the kids and I really liked these also. Eat them as a meal and serve them with a vegetable, side dish and salad or serve these as an appetizer. The choice is up to you!


Honey-Lime Chicken Bites
Prep Time:   15 minutes           Yield: 6 (36 pcs.)
Cook Time:  15 minutes           Serving: 6 pcs.
Total Time:   30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4-4oz. Boneless Chicken Breasts, trimmed and cut into approximately 36 pieces
• 1/4 c. Honey
• 1 Lime, zest and juice
• 1 c. Panko Breadcrumbs
• Cooking Spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Combine the honey and lime zest and juice in one bowl and the breadcrumbs in a separate bowl. 
3. Dip the chicken pieces first into the honey mixture; then into the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. 
4. Once all of the chicken is on the pan, spray the tops with cooking spray; then bake the chicken 12-15 minutes depending on the thickness of your pieces. Makes 36 pieces 

Nutritional Information (per piece)
Calories 31, Carbs 4.5g, Fat .2g, Protein 3.1g, Fiber .1g, Sugar 2.6g

*Calculations based on ingredients entered into Calorie Count and may not be 100% accurate.

Enjoy!

Pretzel Coated Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

The other night my kids wanted chicken nuggets, and I agreed since I haven't made them in a while. However, I stopped buying the frozen kind months ago after my youngest finally saw the "foodie light" and started eating what I was cooking. So I decided to just cut up some chicken and then "bread" it with chopped up pretzels. It gave it a unique, tasty twist and wasn't salty like I thought it would be. These would also make a great appetizer for people of all ages. 

Pretzel Coated Chicken Nuggets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1 1/2# Boneless Chicken Breasts (approx. 3)
1 c. All-Purpose Flour
Egg Wash (2 eggs+1/4 c. 2% Milk)
2c. Snyders Sourdough Hard Pretzels, chopped (approx. 5-6 pretzels)

Rinse the chicken under cold water, trim any fat and cut into 1" cubes. Finely chop the pretzels in a food processor. Prepare three bowls: one for the flour, one for the egg wash, and one for the pretzels. Dip the chicken first in the flour, then in the egg wash then in the pretzels. Place on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce. Makes approx. 25 pieces.

Points+=7 pts. per 5 chicken nuggets

Now, you can't have chicken nuggets without honey mustard! Well, at least not in this house. And this so SIMPLE, you'll never use that salad dressing again! 

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

1/4c. Grey Poupon Mustard

1/4 c. Honey

Whisk together until well blended.

Here's a tool from eRecipe.com that I'm thinking of adding to some of my recipes. What do you think? Will this be helpful?

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Enjoy!