Onion Chicken in Balsamic Sauce

I can't say that I am a complete chicken snob but I will say that I am pretty oblivious when it comes to other available cuts of chicken.  If I buy chicken, it is usually boneless, skinless chicken breast.  I happened upon a great deal for leg quarters -- I don't remember the price per pound -- but I had 5 leg quarters for about $3.20.  I figured it was worth the gamble and I would figure it out.  Time to be adventurous and try something new.  Enter this new recipe.  I found it on AllRecipes.com.  I forgot to write down some of the "adjustments" that reviewers left so I made it pretty much the same as the recipe.  I made a few adjustments and need to add a few notes. I think that this is binder worthy and would like having it again.

Onion in Chicken Balsamic Sauce


1 T olive oil
1 onion chopped
2-3 leg quarters
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 C chicken stock
1/2 C balsamic vinegar
1/2 C sun dried tomatoes, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (I would go to 375)

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.  Add onion and reduce heat to low. (I kept the heat at medium because I needed to speed up the process)  Allow onions to caramelize, stirring only enough to prevent sticking and to be sure that all sides are fully cooked.  Add garlic and saute briefly.

Increase heat (if you need to) and add chicken to skillet, brown on both sides.  Remove chicken, onion, and garlic to a 9x13 inch baking dish.

Combine stock and vinegar.  Deglaze the skillet with this mixture and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened.  Pour mixture over the chicken and stir in the sun dried tomatoes.  Cover dish tightly and bake  in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes (I did 30), or until chicken is done and juices run clear.

**Again, I want to make note that I increased the oven temperature to 375F and I cooked it for 30 minutes to ensure that it was done.  Still super tender because of the sauce.  As I was typing this up I realized that I used WAY more balsamic than called for and it was still super yummy.  I had the recipe printed in double ingredients but soon realized there was no need for it.  The original 1 onion and sauce is plenty for 3 or more pieces of meat.  The sauce didn't thicken up enough for my liking so I added some Wondra -- you can use cornstarch, flour or arrowroot for the same result.  Finally, I used what sun-dried tomatoes I had on hand which I am sure was less than half a cup and it seemed to be plenty!


We had a brown rice, orzo, tomato, spinach pilaf-type side with it.  The extra sauce was yummy!


I saved the sauce to put over some left over quinoa for lunch the next day.  YUM!


The above picture was taken just before putting it in the oven - it was SO pretty.  It was just a pretty coming out of the oven but I was busy feeding a baby and Husband had to pull it out.  I don't think he would have been super excited if I had requested him to photograph dinner, too.  HA!  Although, I am sure he would have if I had asked.  Love him.

Chipotle Chicken

I don't generally make up recipes and if I do they are really simple and not really noteworthy in my book.  However, my Chipotle Chicken will probably be making another appearance soon.  It's nothing fancy and really revolves all around one spice but it was pretty yummy.





Chipotle Chicken


1 T extra virgin olive oil
4 Chicken breasts (or any cut you feel like using)
Salt
Black pepper
Garlic powder
1 onion sliced
1 can petite diced tomatoes
1-2 tsp ground chipotle chile (from Spice Island for sure)

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat.  Rub chicken with  salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Place chicken breasts in skillet.  Cook about 4 minutes on each side.  (You could also grill your chicken which would add phenomenal flavor - cook until almost done.)  Remove to cutting board and shred chicken with forks (it will be hot!).  Place onions in skillet and cook until tender.  Add chicken and tomatoes. Stir.  Add ground chipotle chile.  (I originally did about 1 1/2 tsp and it was plenty spicy.  Husband probably would have liked more but we had a little mouth at the table.  She probably would have liked just 1 tsp.)  Mix well.  Simmer for about 10 minutes just to let the flavors combine.  Drain. (I just place a colander in a bowl and dropped it in so we would avoid soggy tacos.)

You can serve this as taco filling (soft or hard) - cheese, cilantro, sour cream, etc.  Make it for a taco salad type of meal.  Add some beans.  I think the next time I make this I will add a green bell pepper in with the onions.  Husband really liked this!

I cannot remember what other recipe I had this spice for and I think it was a little pricey at first (maybe $5?) but I am going to research more meals to make with it because we like it so much!

Artichoke Chicken

On my birthday I made a pretty yummy meal for our family.  Husband had already taken me out for my birthday and this meal was pretty simple so don't feel too bad for me.  Plus, apparently my birthday is also National Artichoke Day.  (They have a day for everything these days.)  A couple of people have asked for it so I thought that I would post it here so I can keep track of it, too.

It's a Phase 1 qualified meal for those who are familiar with The South Beach Diet.  My husband loves artichokes so we cannot really go wrong with this one.

Artichoke Chicken


4 T extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, pounded to 1/2" thickness.
1 bag (approx. 16 oz) frozen small whole onions
1 can (13 3/4 oz) chicken broth or stock
1 T balsamic vinegar
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
1 package (approx. 10 oz) frozen artichoke hearts

Heat 2 T of EVOO in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the chicken and cook for 10 minutes, tuning once, or until browned on both sides.  Remove chicken to large bowl.  Empty pan, carefully wipe down with paper towel.

Heat remaining 2 T oil in the skillet.  Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.  return the chicken to the pan and add the chicken broth and vinegar, season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Add the artichoke hearts and cook for 10 minutes, or until the artichokes are tender and the meat registers a temperature of 170 (juices running clear).

** If you want to use fresh small onions or artichoke hearts this may be a place where it is not so cost effective.  Plus, I have yet to figure out on my own how to just get the heart of the artichoke.  A bag of hearts here was about $3 and you cannot buy enough fresh ones for that price.

Variety is the Spice of Life

It's a funny thing that saying. There would be times in life when I would find a particular meal so satisfying that I would quip, "I could eat this every day for the rest of my life." Indeed I may eat that meal the very next day or even the next. Inevitably the meal would change. I recently learned that "I could eat this every day" may never pass over these lips again.

For some odd reason there have been foods of late that we are eating more frequently that for now I seem to have an aversion toward. Things like string cheese or a particular dressing or two on a salad. I was munching on some cheese and it seemed like quite the chore. My yummy salad didn't seem quite so yummy anymore with a dressing that I was limited to for a week and a half.

What's the deal, you ask? No, there's no big announcement to be made other than Husband and I decided to try and turn our eating habits around a bit to benefit our health a bit more. We are using the "South Beach" method and the first couple of weeks are the most strict. It's been good and we both have lost 9.5 pounds in the last two weeks which is amazing. We are eating and feeling better. Husband has much better control of things than I do. I am ready to bail on Phase 1 and move on to Phase 2 which will happen on Friday. The foods have been yummy but I need some more variety before I go crazy. Although, my need for something new helped me search the store for some new and creative ways to make things different... like Crystal Light in my water... South Beach approved!

Let the adventure continue... with a bit more spice!