Lemony Chicken Kabobs

I made this tonight and John, Curran and I really liked it! It was very easy and a fresh, summery supper.

Lemony Chicken Kabobs:

2 Tbsp grated lemon peel
2/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp vinegar
4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cubed
1 1/2 lbs small zucchini, sliced
1 lb mushrooms, stems trimmed

Combine first 7 ingredients to make marinade (reserve some marinade for basting while grilling). Pour marinade over chicken and zucchini. Refrigerate for 6-12 hours, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms to marinade 1 hour before cooking. Place chicken, zucchini, and mushrooms on skewers. Grill approx 15 min. Brush kabobs frequently with reserved marinade.

{I didn't ever put the vegetables in with the chicken to marinade, and I thought with all the basting they had plenty of flavor. I served it with basmati rice and asparagus. I reduced the marinade to mix with the rice and added some fresh cracked black pepper. I usually flavor asparagus with melted butter and lemon juice, so I just used the reduction for it too. It was really good and definitely a meal we'll have again!}

This little lady LOVES asparagus! She ate 8 or 9 spears.

Recipe from Food for Thought.

Chicken Spaghetti

This is a recipe adapted from The Pioneer Woman's version. It is really easy and makes a lot. It is by no means healthy, which is just fine by me.

Chicken Spaghetti:
3-4 chicken breasts
3 cups spaghetti noodles, broken into small pieces
1 cup chicken broth
1 can Rotel
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded {save to go on top of casserole}

Cook noodles and cook chicken {I boil my chicken for this recipe}. Cut chicken into small pieces after cooked. Mix all ingredients together and pour into a 9 x 13" baking dish. Sprinkle 1 cup cheddar cheese on top of casserole and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Can't get much easier, and it leaves plenty of leftovers!

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

I'm not a big casserole person. In fact, this is the only one I cook. Our neighbors brought us something similar to this when C was born and we really liked it, so we added it into our usual dinner rotation.

Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole:

1 box Uncle Ben's Wild Rice {original recipe}
1 pkg chicken breasts {I usually get the chicken tenderloins since they are smaller and easier to cut up}
1 pkg fresh sliced mushrooms
1/2 small onion, diced
8 oz sour cream
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
Cheddar cheese, grated
Ritz crackers, crumbled

Cook rice according to package instructions. In a sauce pan, saute onions {in either vegetable oil or a little butter} for a few minutes. Add cut up pieces of chicken. I let that cook a little while and then add mushrooms and let saute until done.

Once rice is cooked, stir in sour cream and Cream of Mushroom soup. {You can also mix in some cheddar cheese at this point, but I really don't think it needs it, and I try to cut calories where I can.} Mix that with the chicken and mushroom mixture. Poor mixture into a 9 x 13" baking dish {or I split it into two 8 x 8" pans and freeze one}. Top with shredded cheese and Ritz crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20-30 minutes or until bubbly. {If frozen, it cooks for about an hour.}

Oven-Fried Chicken

I found this recipe in the paper a few months ago, and thought it was pretty good. What I liked most about it was that it was super easy, and I already had ALL of the ingredients in my kitchen except for the buttermilk. {and I divided the recipe in half since it was just for John and me}

1 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk {to be a little healthier, I think egg whites could be substituted, but don't quote me on that...I've never tried it}

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp sweet paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts {6 oz each}  {I pounded mine flat so they would cook faster}

2 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs {I just toasted two slices of wheat bread and crumbled them}

3 Tbsp canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together the buttermilk, mustard, paprika, garlic and onion powders, salt, and cayenne pepper in a large baking dish. Add the chicken breasts; turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or up to 4 hours {I only let mine soak for about 20 minutes}.

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Adjust oven rack to middle upper position.

Pulse the bread crumbs in a blender until fine. Pour them into a shallow bowl, add remaining ingredients, and mix well.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a baking rack on top of it. Liberally spray the rack with nonstick baking spray.

Working one breast at a time, remove chicken from marinade and dredge in crumb mixture. Place on rack. Bake until a deep golden brown and an a thermometer reads 160 degrees {about 25 minutes}.

Recipe by Bobby Flay