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!

Corn Salad with Honey-Wasabi Vinaigrette

It's Day 4 of Salad Week and I brought you another vinaigrette-based salad to add to your summer salad repertoire. This time, I used some leftover corn on the cob I had after making too many ears (go figure!), mixed it with some grape tomatoes; then made this sweet and tangy honey-wasabi vinaigrette to give it an Asian flair. 

Corn typically is in season June-August; however, you will start to see some stores and local farmers markets carry the fresh ears in May. I prefer the Butter-Sugar or White Corn variety; as they are generally sweeter than the others. For this recipe, you can use corn that has been cut off of the cob or frozen corn that has been defrosted and drained. This refreshing salad is great, especially for those who don't like to eat corn on the cob (or can't like Gab with her braces!) and would go wonderfully with some of my Asian Pork Spareribs! 

Corn Salad with Honey-Wasabi Vinaigrette

Prep Time:  15 minutes                               Yield: 8

Cook Time: 15 minutes                                Serving: 1/2 cup

Total Time:  30 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Corn Salad

• 4 Ears Corn on the Cob, cooked and cut from the husk (approximately 3 cups of kernels)
• 1 Scallion, chopped
• 1 c. Grape Tomatoes, sliced
• 1 tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• Prepared Honey-Wasabi Vinaigrette

For the Honey-Wasabi Vinaigrette

• 1 tsp. Honey
• 1 tsp. Wasabi Paste
• 1 tsp. Ginger, grated
• 1 tbsp. Rice Wine Vinegar
• 2 tbsp. Canola Oil
• Kosher Salt, to taste
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Directions

For the Corn Salad

1. Add the corn kernels, scallion, tomatoes and parsley to a bowl; then add the prepared Honey-Wasabi Vinaigrette. 
2. Mix well, season with salt and pepper; then refrigerate until ready to serve. 

For the Honey-Wasabi Vinaigrette

1. Combine the honey, wasabi paste, ginger, vinegar, mustard and oil. Whisk well.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 87 , Carbs 13.4g, Fat 4g, Protein 1.7g, Fiber 1.7g, Sugar 2.9g

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

Enjoy! 

Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken Breasts & Home Grown Chef Contest Winner!

You can really learn a lot in a year without even realizing it. Last year, I can honestly say I used to burn or just about overcook everything I tried to grill (to the point of shoe leather!), but I have to say, though I'm not perfect yet, I am doing a much better job.


Here are some grilling tips for chicken I thought you might find helpful:

• After you fire up the grill, don’t poke the chicken. Instead, use tongs to turn it over. Using a fork to turn the chicken pokes holes in the meat, thus letting some of those juices go to waste. 
• The only time you need to cut into the meat is when you are cooking a whole chicken and it is almost done. 
• One trick I learned for grilling chicken on the bone is to simmer it in water first. Add chicken pieces to a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Then allow to simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes. You can do this with or without the skin on. This accomplishes several things. One: The chicken doesn't dry out on the grill (especially when using chicken breasts) before it has time to cook through. It also won't have that completely charred bbq sauce on the meat; which if you're like my family, the kids refuse to eat! Two: It reduces your grilling time which is helpful if you're entertaining for a large crowd. Three: If you are cooking for a crowd, you can prepare the chicken ahead of time, even the day before the event, so you can spend more time with friends and family and less time sweltering over the heat of the grill...BONUS in my opinion! 
• Grills vary, thickness of meat, bone-in or bone out, skin or no skin, and even the weather all effect the cooking times of chicken. Use a meat thermometer, look for golden brown skin, clear running juices, and monitor closely to cook to the best doneness.
• Get a grilling thermometer. The recommended internal temperature for chicken when it is finished is between 165 - 175 degrees and the juices run clear. 
• Don’t serve the chicken right away. Let the chicken “rest”. For grilling a whole chicken let it sit for about 15 minutes after taking it off the grill and before carving. For chicken pieces let them sit for about 5 minutes to let the juices run back into the meat. The chicken will be much juicier this way! 

You can't get any simpler than this and the flavor was INCREDIBLE! Sweet, tangy and woodsy all in one made this one of my favorite ways to marinate chicken. 

Honey Lemon Grilled Chicken

Four 4-6oz. Boneless Chicken Breasts

½ c. Honey

1 Lemon, zest and juice

1 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, chopped

Add the honey, lemon zest and juice, and rosemary to a bowl and whisk until well blended. Add the chicken to a resealable plastic bag, then add the honey mixture. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator at least 15 minutes prior to grilling to bring the meat to room temperature, discard the marinade, then grill until desired internal temperature. Serves 4. 

Enjoy!


And now for the contest results! THANK YOU to everyone that voted and again to our contestants! Are you ready.... 

In 5th Place with 7 Votes was Lily Zhou's Steelhead Trout


In 4th Place with 11 Votes was Patty VanKirk's Caramelized Snack Mix


In 3rd Place with 50 Votes was Jenn Cedeno's Chicken with Roasted Peppers


In 2nd Place with 55 Votes was M.J. Vitelli's Nana's Chicken Ravioli Filling


And...The winner of the $50 Williams Sonoma Gift Card and the Bamboo Cutting Board with 71 votes was Karin Hung's Hot Cross Buns Ice Cream

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL OF YOU! 

Please email your mailing address to carrieexpktchn@optonline.net so that I can get  your prizes out to you asap! :)

Recipe Shared on Recipes for My Boys Tasty Treasures 6/7/12


THIS CONTEST HAS BEEN CLOSED. 

Honey Tangerine Chicken

Honey tangerines, which are also known as Murcott oranges, are only grown in the state of Florida. The actual origin of this fruit is a bit of a mystery, but what we do know about it is that is a hybrid between the tangerine and sweet orange, also known as a tangor. It is thought that a man by the name of Charles Murcott Smith is the developer of the fruit, hence its name. He was a manager of a nursery located in Bayview, Florida. Charles is believed to have created the honey tangerines in the 1920s. Also, supposedly, involved in the development of the honey tangerine are J. Ward Smith and W. T. Swindle. Another name for the honey tangerines is Murcott orange, but it’s mostly sold under the name honey tangerine. The fruit comes in various colors, but most of the time it has an orange red color and sometimes it’s more of a yellow orange. It all depends on the winter conditions that year; if it was a cold winter, they have a darker orange and during warmer months, they have a lighter, brighter yellow orange. 

The reason why the honey tangerines got their name was because of its sweet taste, perhaps the sweetest tangerine there is – usually compared to the sugar levels of the honeybell, also known as the Minneola tangelo. The juice of honey tangerines is mainly used in the kitchen for baking desserts like orange cakes. Some even put it in their salad dressing and croutons. Others put it in during the last minute of their stir fly to give it a citrusy taste. Honey tangerines are only grown in Florida between January and April. The best ones to pick are those that are a bit heavy, shiny and smooth. Those that are light may not be as juicy. Don’t buy any that have green spots or wrinkled skin. Honey tangerines are known to spoil quickly, so make sure you plan to eat them fairly quickly before getting them; don’t buy too many at a time if you don’t think they’ll be consumed in a timely manner. The average honey tangerine is small to medium in size. (Source: Citrus.com)

I had purchased a few of these tangerines and still had one left. So I decided to just cut it up and make a sauce with it. It was very good. A little on the sweet side but not overly so and it was perfect over some brown rice. 

Honey Tangerine Chicken
4-6oz. Boneless Chicken Breasts, cubed
2 tbsp. Flour
1 Honey Tangerine, peeled, segmented and cut in half
1/4 c. Honey
3/4 c. Low Sodium Chicken Broth
3/4 c. Orange Juice
1 tsp. Dill
2 tbsp. Canola Oil


In large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil and saute chicken until it is cooked through. Add flour and mix. Next, add the chicken broth, orange juice, honey, tangerine pieces and dill. Bring to a boil, then let simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve alone or over rice or noodles. Serves 4. 

Points+=9pts (assuming all of the sauce is used and divided equally into four parts)


Enjoy!


Shared on Amee's Savory Dish Fit and Fabulous Fridays on 2/3/12

Ginger Soy Marinated Strip Steaks

Ginger. Another item I've had many times before but never cooked with it until now. It adds a great depth of flavor to marinades, salads and prepared meals. Fresh ginger has a very thin, light brown skin that must be removed before using. Simply cut off as much as you think you will need from the root, then peel off the skin using a thin teaspoon or knife. Fresh ginger will keep for several weeks in the refrigerator or several months in the freezer. I marinated these steaks that we received from Omaha Steaks last week and let the flavors combine for about 4 hours before grilling them.  These steaks were juicy and tender and since they were so large (at least for us), I only used three of them and still had some left over to top salads with afterwards. 

Ginger Soy Marinated Strip Steaks
3-4 Strip Steaks, fat trimmed

Ginger Soy Marinade
1/2 c. Low Sodium Soy Sauce
1/2 c. Honey
1 tsp. Fresh Ginger, grated
1/4 c. Canola Oil
1 tsp. Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp. Fresh Ground Black Pepper


Whisk all ingredients together until well blended. Add the marinade and steaks to a resealable plastic bag and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Remove steaks, discard the marinade and grill until desired doneness. 


Don't forget! If you haven't done so already, there is still time to enter the Giveaway. Entries close at midnight on Tuesday, January 17th. 

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!

Honey Wheat Rolls

This recipe originally came from the Regal Kitchen Pro Bread Machine Recipe Book and has been a favorite in my Mom's house for years. No matter what occasion it was, you could be sure we'd have these rolls present. Since I no longer own a bread machine (I got rid of it about 10 years ago when I had no place to store it and no time to use it with small children), I had to adapt this recipe slightly to use my food processor and good old fashioned rising. These rolls are delicious with just a hint of sweetness. They went perfectly with our pot roast last week and taste even better when they're hot. You can even make them ahead of time, freeze them, and then wrap them in foil to heat them up in your oven just before eating. 

Honey Wheat Rolls
2 1/2 c. Bread Flour
1 c. Whole Wheat Flour
1-3/4oz. Package Dry Yeast
1 tsp. Salt
2 Eggs
1/4 c. Honey
3/4 c. Warm Water
1/4 c. Milk

In a food processor, add both flours, yeast and salt and pulse until it is mixed together. In a small bowl, whisk one egg and the honey then gradually pour into your food processor until blended. Slowly, add your warm water until a ball forms around the blade then pulse for about 30 seconds. Remove the dough and place onto a lightly floured surface. Using your hands, knead dough about 8 times until it isn't real sticky then form dough into a 12" log and slice into 12 sections.  Roll each section into a 7-8" long pencil strand and form a loose knot. Place rolls 2-3" apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and let rise for 1 hour. Whisk together the remaining egg with the milk and brush on top of the rolls. Bake at 325°F for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 1 dz. 


Enjoy!