Quick Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup

This was from my most recent Cooking Light magazine and it really took no time to put together. This is a great weeknight meal that I'm going to add to our rotation.



Servings: 6
(Source: Cooking Light)

2 cups of water
1 (32 oz) carton fat-free, less sodium chicken broth (I used a little more than called for)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 medium carrot, chopped
6 oz. fusilli pasta (I used mini fusilli)
2 1/2 c. shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast
2 tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Combine 2 cups of water and chicken broth and heat on medium until hot. While broth mixture heats, heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and carrot, saute 3 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently.

Add vegetables and pasta to hot broth mixture and bring to a boil. Cook 7 minutes or until pasta is almost al dente. Stir in chicken; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Stir in parsley.

Calories: 237
Fat: 4.8g
Protein: 22.9g
Carb: 23.9g
Fiber: 1.7g
Chol: 50mg
Iron 1.8mg
Sodium: 589mg
Calc: 28mg

Chicken Gyros

This recipes has been floating around in my Googlereader on a ton of blogs so I figured it was worth checking out and we both really enjoyed it. I really debate on whether to post recipes that I kind of like so I always stick to recipes that I intend to make again so I'm not a liar when I tell you guys I enjoy everything that I post :) This recipe is actually healthy too so it's a win/win and I ended up using the leftover chicken the next day on pitas with salsa and sour cream and it worked pretty good with both but the tzatziki sauce definitely gives it a little something different!


Chicken Gyros
(Source: Ella Says Opa!)
Servings: 4

1.25 lbs. chicken pieces (I used breasts)
4 cloves garlic, smashed
juice of 1 lemon
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping Tbsp. plain yogurt
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
salt and pepper
1/2 batch of tzatziki
sliced tomatoes
sliced onions
4 (pocketless) pitas

Whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oil, yogurt, and oregano in a bowl. Add the chicken and rub the marinade in. Cover and refrigerate for about an hour.

Preheat the broiler (we used the grill). Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides, and then broil until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, depending what size/type chicken you are using. Allow the chicken to rest for a few minutes before slicing into strips.

Meanwhile, heat your pitas. We just heated up a skillet on medium-high and heated the pitas on both sides to soften them up a little bit. Top the pita with the chicken, tzatziki, tomatoes, onions. Roll up and enjoy.

Tzatziki - I copied these instructions straight from Ella Says Opa since she seems to know the ways of tzatziki :) 1/2 of this recipe is pretty sufficient and I think we only did 1/4 and it was good for us.

1 32oz. container of plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt which you don't have to strain)
1 hothouse cucumber or 2 regular cucumbers, seeded
3-5 cloves garlic–depending how garlicky you like it, crushed
1-2 tsp white wine vinegar
salt and a little pepper
squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Strain yogurt using a cheesecloth over a bowl (if you don’t have that, a strainer lined with a coffee filter will work) for several hours or overnight to get out as much moisture as possible.

Peel and seed the cucumber. Shred the cucumbers and then squeeze the life out of them to get rid of as much excess moisture as possible. I use a towel to do this, and you will get a lot of liquid so don’t skip this step! Yes, there is a lot of straining and squeezing–and it’s all important! You don’t want a runny tzatziki

Mix together the strained yogurt, shredded cucumbers, garlic, vinegar and lemon juice (if desired). Salt to taste. It’s best to refrigerate for 30 minutes or more before serving, so flavors can meld.

Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This was a recipe that I had saved in my recipe box for awhile and I just got around to making it. It's a heavier dish but I used half and half to cut down a little on the fat and it was great. This recipe only serves 2 so keep that in mind if you're making this for a larger crowd. Although, there was plenty for me to have a serving, Casey to have a serving, and leftovers for him to take to work the next day. I took this picture on my new dining room table! I'm close to having that room finished so I can do before and afters, but that's another post :)

(Source: Allrecipes.com)

Servings: 2

4 ounces linguine pasta (I used wheat)

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning

2 tablespoons butter

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

4 fresh mushrooms, sliced (I omitted since we don't like mushrooms)

1 green onion, sliced

1 cup heavy cream (I used half and half)

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 cup grated parmesan

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in a plastic bag. Shake to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter or margarine until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).

Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.

Add the cream, basil, lemon pepper, salt, garlic powder and ground black pepper. I added a little bit of a water/cornstarch mixture to thicken the half and half and simmered for about 5 minutes until thick. Heat through.

Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Sesame Chicken

Um, YUM! I automatically added this to my recipe rotation. I served it over brown rice and had every intention of adding some sliced peppers and onions, but I ran out of time and got very flustered in the kitchen (that NEVER happens, hah). This isn't one of my light recipes by any means, but it was worth it.

I got this recipe from clstar over at Cook Like a Champion.

Sesame Chicken

(Source: Cook Like a Champion)

1 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. toasted sesame seeds, divided
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1.5 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 package chicken breast strips, cut into chunks
8 tbsp. teriyaki sauce
6 tbsp. honey

oil for frying

In a large Ziplock bag, combine flour, 1/4 c. sesame seeds, black pepper, red pepper and Chinese spice. Place chicken in bag and shake to coat.

Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Place chicken into skillet and brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove chicken from skillet and empty excess oil from pan.

Reduce heat to low and return chicken to skillet. Mix in teriyaki sauce, honey and 1/4 c. sesame seeds, and stir until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.

Barbeque Chicken

This is my grandma's recipe and my mom used to make it all the time. It's so good and the chicken turns out very tender and just falls apart (as evidenced below in the picture). This is definitely a more tangy sauce and the onions really create a great flavor.

Barbeque Chicken

(Source: Grandma!)

1/2 c. water

1/4 c. vinegar

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. mustard

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 tsp. pepper

1 onion sliced

1/4 c. butter

around 1.5 lbs of chicken (you can use breasts, legs, thighs, or a mixture)

1/2 c. ketchup

2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In stock pot mix together water, vinegar, brown sugar, mustard, salt, pepper, onion, and butter. Bring to a boil and let boil for around 10 minutes. Then add ketchup and worcestershire sauce and mix together. Add pieces of chicken and try to cover the chicken w/ the sauce as much as possible (it won't be completely submerged).

Place stock pot in oven and cook for an hour checking chicken halfway through to turn and recoat with sauce.

Jay's Jerk Chicken

I used Allrecipes.com to search for a jerk chicken recipe and Jay's Jerk Chicken got a lot of good reviews. I was kind of skeeved out at first by having to use a food processor to chop all of the liquid and vegetables together but it gave the meat a great flavor. I ended up marinating this over night so the flavor infused really well. I served it with pineapple and rice and the sweetness of the pineapple really balanced out the flavor nicely. I think we would definitely have this again.

(Source: Allrecipes)
Servings: 4

6 green onions, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

In a food processor or blender, combine all of the above ingredients besides the chicken. Mix for around 15 seconds. Place chicken in medium bowl and cover with marinade. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Preheat grill, grill pan, or broiler. Lightly oil grill grate. Grill chicken for 6 to 8 minutes or until juices run clear (I ended up grilling mine for longer than 8 minutes but I used a grill pan and my chicken was pretty thick).

Honey Chicken Kabobs

This is such an easy meal that has become one of Casey's favorites for me to make, which is fine by me. We have a simple division of chores in our house. I love to cook and I cook every night and Casey cleans up the kitchen. I get out rather easy on nights that we have frozen pizza or simple kabobs.

I pulled this recipe from Allrecipes when I was searching for a marinade that I could make with a limited amount of ingredients on hand. It involves soy sauce, vegetable oil, and honey which I usually always have. I keep an economy sized jar of soy sauce on hand and my brother-in-law makes his own honey which we usually have (but now we're out of, by the way Keith). The ingredient measurements will look weird, because the original serving was 12 and I cut it in half. I used a green bell pepper instead of a red, but use whatever pepper you have on hand! I also threaded all of my onions on one skewer, chicken on another, etc. so that if the vegetables needed to cook longer they were all on the same skewer. Also, remember to soak your skewers in water before you thread them so that they won't burn.

(Source: Allrecipes.com)

Servings: 6

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons honey

2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 clove garlic

2 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 red bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces

skewers

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better). Preheat the grill for high heat. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.