Menu Board Monday Edition #16 : Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-Ups

Happy Monday!  I hope you all had a great Father's Day weekend with many wonderful memories made.  We sure did!  We celebrated Father's Day on Saturday at our house and it was so nice... good food, good company, and lots of good conversation & laughter.  I sure wish I would've taken more pictures.  But I was too busy with the food.  :)

When the warm weather rolls around, I just itch to cook in the dutch ovens outside.  I love cooking with Cast Iron.  Everything just seems to taste so much better when it's cooked in a dutch oven!  Anyhow, because it was actually warm {a rarity around here lately}, I decided to make the whole meal outside!  I am so glad that I did! 

This is one of those things that I only make every now and again, because it is a bit pricier to feed a crowd, but hey, we were celebrating Father's Day!  And can I just tell you that if I had a million dollars, it just wouldn't be enough to repay my Dad for all he's done for me and given me in my lifetime!  I just love that guy!  He's an amazing example & the love he has for my Mom is so AWESOME that it gives me goosebumps just thinking about it! 

Back to the chicken..... I had everything prepared and starting to cook by 11 am and we ate at 2 and the chicken was melt-in-your-mouth yummy!  The preparation time is a bit longer than an average meal, but it is sooooo worth it and everyone at your table will remember it!  I promise!

I have sized my recipe down a bit... as my recipe fed 9 and we had plenty left over to eat for lunch and dinner for 2 days at my house! :) I had a full 16 inch dutch oven!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Roll-Ups
From Cupboard to Cupboard
printable recipe

1 (8 oz) pkg sliced mushrooms

3 Tbsp flour

4 Tbsp butter or margarine

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup whipping cream

2 tsp dijon mustard

thinly slice ham ( I used 2 thin slices per chicken breast)

velveeta cheese, sliced

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts ( I filet each breast so it makes two...so you may only need 2-3)

First, prepare your chicken roll-ups by taking your chicken breast and laying your ham and cheese on top, near the middle, and roll it up jelly-roll style, then place a toothpick {or two} in it to secure it! Set aside...

Take the mushrooms and coat them with the flour in a bowl.  Melt your butter or margarine in a dutch oven or large pot (whatever you're cooking them in.  Use a 12 inch dutch oven).  Add mushrooms and saute in butter about 5 minutes or until mushrooms are tender.  Add broth and cream and stir until thickened.  The flour on your mushrooms will act as your thickening agent :)

Now add your chicken roll-ups to your white sauce and bake 30-40 minutes on low heat or 350 in the oven. (can use coals 10 on bottom and 14 on top of 12 inch).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  I cook mine several hours on a lower heat stirring occasionally to prevent scorching and sticking! 

I'm sure there are many variations you could do with this simple recipe!  But we are rather, well, simple, around here.  Please feel free to share any variations you may make to this recipe!  I'd love to hear from you!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

I linked up here:

Gingered Chicken & Spinach Salad

My daughter has been BEGGING me for a week now to make Spinach Artichoke Dip. So when I was at SAM's Club the other day, I decided to buy some spinach.  I just bought one of their big tubs of fresh baby spinach. That is A LOT of Popeye food!  So, on my way home I was thinking of ways I could use the spinach so it wouldn't end up as chicken feed.  This salad immediately popped in my mind.  I once had a recipe for it but it has been misplace over the years.  But for some odd reason, I remember the ingredients.  I think I've only made it 3 or 4 times in the last 10 years or so, but every time I have made it, it is a hit!  The ginger gives it that little "Thai" kick and I just love poppy-seed dressing.  I have had a bunch of emails from people that are starting Weight Watchers and are looking for some healthier recipes.  This would be one!  It doesn't require much dressing because the flavors are distinct with just a little amount.  Measuring this out, it should be around 8 servings.  But with all the veggies, how can you go wrong?

Gingered Chicken & Spinach Salad

From Cupboard to Cupboard

printable recipe

Dressing:

3/4 cup creamy poppy seed dressing {I like Briannas Brand}

2 garlic cloves, pressed

1/2-1 tsp crushed ginger {I buy this in a small jar by the fresh produce}

Salad:

1 bag (6-10 oz) fresh baby spinach leaves

1 bag of broccoli slaw mix

1 cucumber, seeded and sliced (I didn't have one on hand)

Chicken Mixture:

1 lb boneless, skinless, chicken breasts cut into bitesize pieces

1 tsp dried basil leaves

1/4 cup salted peanuts, chopped

For dressing: combine ingredients, whisk together, and set aside. 

For salad:  place spinach, slaw mix, {cucumber} in large serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For chicken: heat your skillet over medium-high heat.  Spray your skillet with non-stick spray.  Add chicken to hot skillet and stir fry until chicken is no longer pink.  Add basil.  Take off heat, stir in peanuts and toss with 1/4 cup of the dressing.

When ready to serve, toss the greens with the remaining dressing or serve dressing to the side.  Toss chicken with salad. 

Happy Cooking,

Teauna

Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Yummy Oven Fries

How do you get your kids to eat their veggies?  Surprisingly veggies are the one thing that every member of my family will eat.  I saw the idea for these chicken nuggets here and have just wanted to make them so badly.  They call for ground chicken (they also call for veggies ....eeeeh!).  So, I was thinking that I could just go into the store and get some ground chicken.  WRONG!! I have spent two weeks asking butchers to grind me chicken just to be turned down, looking in the frozen section for the little pound tubes of ground chicken (you know... like ground turkey comes in), and I finally learned that I would obviously just be better off grinding my own chicken.  Problem... I don't have a meat grinder!  Well, my sweet grandma has one and she was kind enough to let me borrow it for a few hours.  I went to the local butcher and bought a bag containing almost 10 pounds of chicken.  I trimmed all the fat off of it.  Then cut it into 2 inch pieces and ground it.  I then measured it out and placed a pound of ground chicken into quart sized freezer bags.  (When you do this, make sure to get all the excess air out of the bags to prevent freezer burn.)  I ended up getting 6 1/2 lbs of ground chicken.  My sweet little girl labeled the freezer bags neatly, however as much as we enjoyed these, those 6 pounds aren't going to last too long.  (grinding this meat took about 45 minutes from start to finish) 

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

original recipe from Cheeky Kitchen

adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard

Printable Recipes

1 16-oz pkg frozen California-style veggies, thawed out

1 1/2 lbs ground chicken

1 tsp onion salt

Crispy Coating Mix (recipe to follow)

Thaw out your package of California-style veggies and blend in your blender.  Mix veggies, chicken and onion salt together.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Grease your cookie sheet.  Prepare your crispy coating:

note my little helper's beautiful hands... I love her helpful hands in the kitchen.

Crispy Coating Mix

recipe from More Make-A-Mix Cookery

3 cups corn flake crumbs

1 cup wheat germ

1/2 cup sesame seeds

4 teaspoons dried parley leaves, crushed

1 tablespoon paprika

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon onion salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients.  Stir with a wire whisk until evenly distributed.  Pour into a 5-cup container with a tight-fitting lid.  Seal container.  Label with date and contents.  Store in a cool dry place.  Use within 2 months or freeze.  Makes about 4 1/2 cups crispy coating mix...

NOW:

So there are bunches of ways you could do this!  This is the way we chose to do it:

First, put a layer of crumb mixture on the countertop or cutting board.  Then, grab a handful of the chicken/veggie mixture and press it down onto the crumb mixture.  Then sprinkle the chicken with more crumbs and press down into the meat to coat it.  We used a pizza cutter to just cut bite-size squares (My mom and I didn't figure my dad would be impressed by fun shapes :) ) You could just make single chicken nuggets and press them each into the crumb mixture, or your could cut them into shapes with cookie cutters.  Just do as you please! Now place the chicken nuggets on the prepared cookie sheet and bake them for 14-16 minutes in your preheated oven. 



so they weren't all the same size, but they were DELICIOUS!



For the Yummy Oven Fries:

Scrub 1 potato per person being served.  Wedge the potatoes lengthwise.  In a large (gallon-size) ziploc bag, add some olive oil.  Place the wedged potatoes in the bag and seal the bag.  Shake well to coat all the potatoes with olive oil.  You can either add your seasoning to the bag at this point, like ranch dressing mix, salt and pepper, etc.  We just added salt and pepper and shook well making sure each potato has been seasoned well.  Place them on a cookie sheet (no need to grease) and bake in your 400 degree oven.  They should bake for nearly an hour.  So place them in the oven approximately 45 minutes before your plan on placing your chicken nuggets in the oven.  Then simply place your chicken nuggets on the lower rack when  there is approximately 15 minutes of cook-time left on your potatoes.

Serve with bbq sauce, ranch dressing, & fry sauce.  And remember, no need for adding veggies, as you already did!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

From Cupboard to Cupboard Weekend Challenge #1~ Ooey Gooey Baked Chicken

Grab my button ------>

Hey everyone!  I have been so excited about the FCtC Weekend Challenge since I made up my mind last week to do it!  I have looked and looked thru my recipes trying to decide which one to use!  A dear friend of mine sent me this awesome recipe and it's been on my to-do list!  So, I decided that there wasn't a better time than NOW to cook it up... OOEY GOOEY BAKED CHICKEN!  Doesn't that name just make your mouth water?  Well, just you wait until you get a nice wift of the aromas coming from the oven while it's cooking!  Can I just say AMAZING?!  This recipe is one that can really be changed up, fancied up, or just followed exactly!  I'm home alone tonight, so I actually made this, kept some and sent the rest home with my friend for her family's dinner.  Oh My Goodness!  I enjoyed every single bite of mine, served on a bed of brown rice.  Please feel free to change up the recipe to suit you and your family!  Take a picture (my pics do not serve this chicken justice!) and post the picture with changes you made, changes you might make next time, how you and your family liked it, etc.. on your blog.  Add my button to your blog to let all your readers know where to come for the recipe and many many more to come! Make sure you add your link to your blog at the bottom of this post.  I want to see all of your ideas! I can't wait to see what you all come up with!

Ooey Gooey Baked Chicken
recipe by Brooke G.
adapted by From Cupboard to Cupboard
printable recipe

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic salt (I used California Style)
GET CREATIVE!  ADD A FEW DASHES OF GARLIC POWDER, ONION POWDER OR YOUR FAVORITE HERBS!
2 cans evaporated milk
4 whole chicken breasts cut into strips...
I USE BONELESS/SKINLESS CHICKEN BREASTS BUT USING CHICKEN WITH SKIN MAY MAKE IT EVEN MORE MOIST...
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup water


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Pour melted butter into 9x13 baking dish.  In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt, pepper, basil and whatever your favorite dry spice is.  In a separate shallow dish, add 1 can evaporated milk.  Coat chicken strips in evaporated milk then dredge in flour mixture.  Place in prepared baking dish.  Bake uncovered 35 minutes.  Remove from oven and turn chicken.  In a small bowl, combine soup, water and the 1 remaining can evaporated milk.  Pour over chicken.  Return to oven and bake for an additional 35 minutes.  Remove chicken from baking dish... whisk gravy in baking dish until smooth.  Serve chicken and gravy over rice or even a bed of egg noodles.  You can also add shredded cheese to the soup mixture!  YUMMY!!!!

I can't wait to hear from you!!!

Happy Cooking!
Teauna

P.S.... I'm hoping that I have all the kinks straightened out to make this run smoothly... please if you have any problems with adding your link, etc... send me an email so I can do my best to take care of it!  Thanks so much!    teawclark@gmail.com

AMAZING SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN

In the words of my husband, "You're a fool if you don't want to try this stuff, it's AMAZING!", hence it's name... 'Amazing Sweet and Sour Chicken'. I found this recipe months ago and have had it sitting in my kitchen just screaming my name since. The problem is, I have been on a diet, and this isn't exactly 'diet food'. Well, I decided to cheat today, so this was the recipe I wanted to make and try! Woo Hoo!!!! So glad that I did! It reminds me of the chicken you get at the Chinese Restaurants where the chicken is so tender and the sauce has just the perfect combination of sweet and sour... Mmmmmm... I just can't say it enough. Try it for yourself! Because "you're a fool if you don't want to try this stuff! It's AMAZING!"

Printable Version of this recipe here.

For Chicken:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, slightly beaten

vegetable oil for frying

For Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 Tablespoons ketchup

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Season chicken with salt & pepper. Heat oil to 350-360 degrees. (I like to use my deep fat fryer since it keeps a perfect temperature). Toss chicken pieces in cornstarch and then coat in eggs. Drop pieces into hot oil. Cook until golden brown. Place in single layer in 9x13 pan. Whisk together ingredients for sauce in a small bowl and pour evenly over chicken. Bake for 1 hour, turning chicken every 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cooks.

Serve with your favorite rice recipe! This serves 3-4 people... (2 at my house:-) )

Happy Cooking!

Teauna

Recipe adapted from The Brown Eyed Baker .

**Ritz Chicken**

Alright... I know, I know! This is not a good picture. But I was in such a hurry to get it out of the oven and in containers for Mike to take to work with him, that this was the best I could do! This is a really easy way to make some AWESOME chicken!!! Because the chicken is dipped in butter, it cooks up to be so tender!

First, thaw 4 lg boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Then crush a pkg of ritz crackers and melt a cube of butter or margarine in another dish. Coat the chicken breasts with the melted butter then roll in crushed crackers. Place in a well-greased 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle with Lawry's seasoning salt.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour...

YuMmY!

Happy Cooking!

Teauna