Chicken Fingers with Ranch Dip and Seasoned Fries

The cooking board that I frequent had a recipe exchange for January and February. We all submitted recipes to one of the members and she was in charge of assigning everyone a recipe to make. The theme of this exchange was healthy meals. The recipe I was assigned to make was Chicken Fingers with Ranch Dip and Seasoned Fries, which is a recipe from Weight Watchers. It was a pretty tasty dish, and definitely different from the usual chicken fingers. I really liked the flavor of the fries. Here's the recipe adapted from Weight Watchers:

Chicken Fingers with Ranch Dip and Seasoned Fries:
3 sprays cooking spray
1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 cup oatmeal
2 teaspoons garlic herb seasoning, preferably salt-free (I used garlic powder)
1/2 teaspoon table salt (I used kosher salt)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 large Russet potatoes, peeled and cut into strips
1 tablespoon Creole seasoning (I did not have this so I used a mixture of oregano, paprika, and
cayenne)
1/2 cup fat-free Ranch dressing

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
Coat chicken strips with mustard. Combine oats, garlic herb seasoning, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dip chicken strips in oat mixture and turn to coat; place chicken strips on prepared pan.
Arrange potatoes around chicken on pan; lightly coat both with cooking spray. Sprinkle potatoes with Creole seasoning.
Bake, flipping once, until chicken is cooked through and both chicken and potatoes are tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes. Serve chicken and potatoes with dressing on the side.

Yields about 3 ounces of chicken, 1/2 a potato and 2 tablespoons of dressing per serving (6 WW points)

Baked Louisiana Dirty Rice and Beans

This is another new recipe from Cooking Light that David and I decided to try. The traditional New Orleans version contains chicken livers and gizzards, but this version substitutes chicken thighs. We both loved this dinner. It had just the right amount of spice and the flavors were so good together. I will definitely be making this again. Here's the recipe from the October 2007 issue of Cooking Light:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice
2 1/2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bell pepper, red onion, and celery to pan; cook 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in rice; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and remaining ingredients; bring to a simmer. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

YIELD: 6 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
250 calories and 6.2 grams fat per serving

Chicken Enchiladas

This is one of our favorite dishes. It's a bit involved for enchiladas, but definitely worth it. David found one night while making this dish that boiling the chicken in the sauce makes it more flavorful, so I make some more sauce just for this purpose. To do this, I usually make another recipe of sauce in another pot and add the chicken to it. Here's the original recipe adapted from Emeril on the Food Network:

3 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon flour
¼ cup chili powder
16 ounces chicken stock
10 ounces tomato puree
1 teaspoon oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt
3 cups grated cheddar cheese
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
10 corn tortillas

Preheat oven to 350.

Make sauce: In a saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons oil; add flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute. Add chili powder and cook 30 seconds. Stir in stock, tomato puree, oregano and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until flavors are well-blended. Season to taste with salt.

Combine cheese and chicken for filling. Dip each tortilla in sauce. On a plate fill with a generous spoonful of filling and roll up, place enchilada seam-side down in a baking dish and repeat until all ingredients are used up. Top with remaining sauce. Bake 30 minutes.

Chicken Stuffed Shells

This is a popular dish with David and me. We are both huge fans of any kind of Italian food, and we eat pasta pretty often. These stuffed shells are pretty easy to put together and it's so good! I got the recipe from Amber's Delectable Delights, but I did make a few changes after making it for the first time. It's also a great way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken. I used the chicken from my roasted chicken a few posts below. The rotisserie chicken adds a lot of flavor to the dish. This dish also freezes well. Here's my version of the stuffed shells:

18 to 20 uncooked jumbo pasta shells
2 teaspoons olive oil
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups cooked chicken (I use leftover rotisserie chicken)
1 (15-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
Marinara sauce (I always do a homemade version)
salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, and basil to taste
Parmesan and/or mozzarella cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Cook pasta shells according to package directions and drain. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Combine chicken and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta, chicken, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and basil. Spread about 1/2 cup marinara sauce in the bottom of the dish. Fill cooked shells with chicken mixture and place filled sides up in baking dish. Pour desired amount of sauce over shells (I always use a lot of sauce). Bake covered with foil for 18 to 20 minutes; remove foil and bake until filling is lightly browned, about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with desired cheese toppings and serve.

I always make homemade marinara sauce to go with these types of dishes. I never measure, but here is my "recipe" for marinara:

Saute 1 large onion and about 2 cloves of garlic in olive oil. Add 2-3 cans tomato diced tomatoes (If I buy these from the grocery store, I use 15-ounce cans, but often David's grandmother gives us canned tomatoes from her garden so I use those). Add 2 (15-ounce) cans of tomato sauce and 1 (8-ounce) can of tomato paste. Then add spices: oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

This makes a ton of sauce. I like to freeze it in small containers to bring out when I need it.

My First Whole Roasted Chicken!

Chicken is a popular dish on our dinner menu. There are so many ways you can make chicken, and I love it's versatility. Most of the time we have some version of the chicken breast. We often have it baked, sauteed, fried, in in some type of sauce. I have always wanted to try to roast a whole chicken but never did because I thought it would be too difficult or because I didn't have the time. Now that classes are over for the semester, I have more time to cook, so I thought it was finally time to try a whole chicken. This chicken came out so tender and moist. The chicken really absorbed the flavors of the rub. David said this was one of the best meals I've ever cooked for him. He had the idea of cooking rice in the pan drippings. We used 2/3 cup rice, about a cup of pan drippings, and about 1 1/2 cups water and cooked the rice until it was done. I got the ideas for the rub from allrecipes. Here is my recipe:

Rotisserie Chicken:
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 onion, quartered
2 cloves fresh garlic

In a small bowl, mix together spices.
Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with a paper towel. Rub chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place in resealable bag. Refrigerate at least 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place chicken on a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 4 to 4 1/2 hours to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees (mine got to about 185 degrees). Let chicken stand at least 10 minutes before carving.