Quick & Easy Dinner: Buffalo Chicken Breasts

Sorry for the crappy pictures in advance, I know they leave a lot to be desired. But, take it from me, this recipe is totally worth making!

Buffalo chicken breasts have fast become one of my favorite quick chicken recipes because it is a snap to put together. I've hardly had any free time lately due to work, and anything that is quick and tasty is at the top of my cooking list. This dinner is a no-brainer for anyone who likes buffalo wings -- but if you don't like regular hot sauce, substitute a mild version (or an even hotter version if you like more heat).

This dish only has a handful of ingredients: combine hot sauce, melted butter, onion powder and Worcestershire sauce together.

Set aside 1/4 C of the sauce, and use the rest to marinate chicken breasts (I used the thin sliced, as always) in a sealed ziplock bag for about 30 minutes at room temperature (it won't kill you, I promise). A little longer won't hurt, I think I actually marinated for closer to 45 minutes because I got side-tracked doing other things. But, if the thought skeeves you out, marinate it in the fridge for at least two hours.

Then, remove the breasts and discard the marinade. Saute the breasts in a cooking spray-coated pan over medium high heat for about 4 minutes per side (more for thicker breasts) until fully cooked.

And that is it! Such an easy, hassle-free recipe, and it's huge on taste!

...Incidentally, do you know what Worcestershire sauce is? I had heard of it of course, and even occasionally dabbed it on some steak, but I had never bothered to really find out what the heck was in it. Turns out, Worcestershire sauce was first made in Worcester, England by the pharmacists (or, in British lingo, "dispensing chemists") John Wheeley Lea and William Henry Perrins (of Lea & Perrins fame), and was first commercialized in 1837! It is a type of fermented fish sauce, believe it or not (I had no idea!) containing anchovies, malt vinegar (or white vinegar in the US), onions, garlic, molasses, cloves, soy sauce, and other spices.

Buffalo Chicken Breasts
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

• Anywhere from 1 lb to 1.5 lbs of chicken breast halves, anywhere from 6 oz (regular thickness) to 3 oz per half (thin sliced)
• 3/4 C hot sauce
• 1/4 C butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce (aka Worcester Sauce)

Directions

1. Combine hot sauce, melted butter, Worcestershire Sauce, and onion powder to make buffalo sauce
2. Reserve 1/4 C marinade, and set aside
3. Marinade chicken and remaining buffalo sauce at room temperature for 30-45 minutes
4. Remove chicken and discard marinage
5. Saute chicken in a cooking-spray coated pan over medium high heat for 4 minutes/side (thin breasts) until chicken is cooked thoroughly
6. Serve with reserved sauce

Quick & Easy Dinner: Goat Cheese and Prosciutto-Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Here is yet another easy, quick, and relatively light weeknight dinner recipe: chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and prosciutto. As with other quick chicken recipes I make, these are with thinly sliced breasts folded over a filling, but you can adapt it to work with full-sized breast halves by slicing into the breast and creating a pocket, then adjusting the cooking time accordingly (and perhaps finishing it in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350F after sauteing)

Quick & Easy Dinner: Olive and Pimento-Stuffed Chicken Breast

Here is another quick and light weeknight chicken meal: chicken breasts stuffed with pimentos/olives, cheese and bacon.


The original recipe, which I modified a bit, calls for just pimentos. However, I had never bought "just pimentos" before, and didn't have a clue where the supermarket by my house was hiding them. I looked by the olives, which seemed logical, and also by the jars of roasted red peppers, garlic, sundried tomatoes, etc etc and no dice. So I bought a jar of sliced Spanish olives with pimentos (I think this is called "olive salad" sometimes), and this is why there are olives in my pictures. I have since discovered that jars of just pimentos were hiding in the Spanish food aisle, which was probably the only aisle I didn't go down for some reason. I think the recipe was very yummy with the olive/pimento mix, although the taste of olives was strong...and salty. If you don't particularly like green olives, I'd recommend using pimentos only.

Quick & Easy Dinner: Hawaiian Chicken (Light)

I've been trying to cook lighter lately, in a concerted effort to lose weight. Because of my working hours, I've been trying to concentrate on entrees that are not only light, but also quick and easy. Many nights, this means some variation on chicken, because it cooks quickly (especially if you pound it out thin, or buy the breasts that are sliced extra thin).


The great thing about chicken is that it is so versatile -- you can completely change the meal just by changing the sauce and or accompaniments.


This meal, Hawaiian chicken, I modified off of the Cooking Light site. It is a recipe for chicken breasts which have been marinated and basted in a soy sauce-pineapple glaze, and quite easy to put together.  If you are interested in some lighter versions of meals, I suggest giving this site a try. Just make sure to check out the serving size of any recipe you intend to try, because I've noticed that some of the "light" recipes have less fat and calories because the portion size is a lot smaller, not because of adjustments to the recipe. But in most cases, Cooking Light is a great resource, and most of the recipes seem fairly simple and fairly adjustable to your individual tastes.

Jacked Jambalaya!

As in build muscles, that is! Just in time for Mardi Gras, this Jambalaya is chock-full of lean protein and whole grain carbs, perfect for anyone trying to stay healthy and/or watch their fat intake! It is modified from Emeril's Kicked Up Jambalaya, made up to be a healthier version: turkey andouille sausage, chicken breast, shrimp, brown rice, low-sodium chicken stock, and cooking spray.

But first, a brief interlude into the origin of that famous Louisiana dish, Jambalaya!

Jambalaya is a combination of meat, vegetables, and rice, similar to paella, and indeed it is of dual Spanish-French origin. There are actually two types of jambalaya: Creole and Cajun. They both start with what is known as the "holy trinity" of ingredients: onion, bell peppers and celery. Meat is then added, most often a spicy smoked sausage (andouille), poulty, and seafood. Stock and rice are also an integral part of the dish. The main difference between Creole and Cajun jambalaya is the addition of tomatoes. Creole jambalaya contains tomatoes, and is often also referred to as "red jambalaya" accordingly. Cajun jambalaya is more brownish in color, and without tomatoes.