Chicken is boring

Actualyl I love it, but I'm getting sick of making it the same way all the time.  Anyone have any good and/or unusual ways to make chicken besides the usual?

Yes, it can be boring, but it's also versatile.  I like to poach chicken breasts in salsa.  It's really easy.  Pour a jar of salsa into a saute pan and heat it.  Place the chicken breasts on top and spoon some over them.  Cover and simmer on low until the chicken is just done.  It comes out juicy and spicy.

Chicken Cacciatore (hunter style chicken) is good too.  Put chicken parts into a roasting pan with chopped peppers, onions and plum tomatoes.  Season with salt & pepper and some dry oregano, and pour in about a cup of red wine.  Bake for 1 hour, replenishing liquid as needed so it doesn't dry out.  You can also do this in a crockpot - dump everything in and cook on low for 8 hours. 

 

Just search CC recipies for great ideas:

http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/search.php?s earch_type=recipes&searchpro=chicken

Although I recently found a great recipe for Chicken Gorgonzola (have to make some substitutions to make it more healthy, but it's wonderful):

http://www.kraftfoods.com/recipes/PastaPizzaE ntrees/PastaPoultry/PennewithGrilledChickenGo rgonzolaAsparagusandCaramelizedOnions.html

I usually make it with low fat cream of broccoli or mushroom soup and some brown rice and chicken stock. Then bake the whole thing until the chicken is done. BORING!! I like the salsa idea. Sounds easy. Some marsala wine, onions and mushrooms is good too for Chicken Marsala but my 5 yr. old doesn't like mushrooms. I wish I had some better ideas too!!!!

I think I'm going to go with Chicken Cacciatore, that was a great suggestion.  Thanks!

I saw the title to your post and was open mouthed. It's all about what you do with your chicken. I LOVE chicken. You can do a number of things w/chicken:

A. You can shake n bake it in the oven and eat a whole piece or make "chicken fingers".

B. You can throw bbq sauce/glaze on it in the oven (yum) or grill it.

C. Roast a whole chicken (I use McCormick BBQ powder/seasoning and put it all over the outside and just roast it in the oven :D yum-yum).

D. Make exotic dishes such as Thai Coconut Chicken Curry or Mexican Arroz con pollo or Mole or Filipino Chicken Adobo (plenty of recipes online)

Cook it in a pan with some spices (like chinese 5 spice, or teriyaki glaze, or , and use it instead of deli meat for your sandwiches or, chop it up (or use your leftover roasted chicken) and:

1. Put it in a green salad

2. Use it in Stir fry.

3. Any number of sauces including spaghetti, in mushroom sauce (with veggies such as yellow squash with sweet basil), or a tomato cream sauce.

4. throw it in a pasta dish with alfredo

5. throw (small choped pieces) into a chicken salad mix with mayo olives, chopped celery, celery seed, chopped peppers/onions/olives etc. You can also make a "sweet"version of this with carrots, golden raisins and sliced almonds & nutmeg etc.

6. Cook it with some fruits (such as dried apricots), or chopped nuts such as pecan and a touch of honey over rice.

7. Make Chicken Fried Rice

8. Make a taco salad: Get tortilla shells in the shape of a "bowl" from the store and fill it with mexican style stuff (black/kidney/pinto beans, lettuce, cheese, tomato, salsa, olives sour cream) use chicken instead of beef.

9. Toss it in a casserole with rice, cheese sauce, brocolli, or any combo of other "casserole type" stuff.

10. Make a simple (so not-mexican) taco (this is great using the left over roasted chicken): stuff a small bit of this chicken in a lightly salted soft fried tortilla (done with a spray or 2 of pam), put a small bit of light miracle whip on the side of your tortilla (inside), sprinkle parmesan cheese, top with salsa (I use green) and stuff with chopped lettuce (one of my family favorites).

11. Make a soup/stew: Shred/chopped, toss it in a pot with sliced/chopped veggies (carrots/celery/potato), chicken stock, corn, and herbs and spices to taste or look up chicken/tortilla soup, or a split pea soup with chicken in it.

12. Put it in Pita Bread with your favorite Veggies.

13. Make a burrito!

Have Fun 

buy ground chicken and replace it for ground beef!!

use it for tacos, meatloaf, meatballs etc!!!

One recipe I like Is similiar to  traditional chicken cacciatore without all the cheese

In a casserole dish with a lid mix together

1 cup rice with 1/2 can crushed tomatoes and 1/2 cup water and salt and pepper.

Add any other spices you like to the rice mixture.  I like garlic, parsley, oregano.

on top of rice place 3-4 chicken pieces.  Breasts work best top with remaining crushed tomatoes that you spice the same as the rice mixture.

put on lid and bake in 325 oven for 1 1/4 hrs of until rice cooked.

Half way through cooking time take off chicken to stir the rice and add any water if needed put chicken back on and continue baking 

this recipe makes 6 servings

My niece just gave me this recipe...

50 min 5 min prep   4 chicken breasts nonstick cooking spray 1 cup ketchup 1 (12 ounce) can diet cola (I hear diet orange soda works well also)

Spray your pan with cooking spray.

1. Place chicken breasts in pan.
2. Brown lightly on each side.
3. Mix Ketchup and Diet Cola together.
4. Pour over chicken.
5. Cook for about 45 minutes or until chicken is tender.
6. Very Yummy!

I make chicken almost every night, and I like variety.  I have found lots of great chicken recipes on kraftfoods.com.  It's a great site, you can have an online recipe box and there is nutrition info for all recipes along with very honest and helpful reviews. 

I have a YUMMY recipe for chicken breast stuffed with feta cheese...sooo good and very low cal and low fat.

You need the crumbled feta that has tomato and basil in it. You pound the chicken breast half until it's flat , then spoon 1.5tsp of feta mixture on half of it, a sprig of parsley, some diced green onion, then fold over the chicken breast. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs drizzle with .5 tsp olive oil and bake! Delish!! Serve over a spinach salad and you're set! My 4 year old daughter and my husband love it as well.

My husband also makes chicken in a foil bag with red wine, potatoes, mushrooms, small amount of lean bacon, garlic and spices - that's amazing as well :)

We eat a lot of chicken :) 

AWESOME ideas everyone...I too love the benefits of chicken (to my health and to my wallet) but am noticing my dh say "oh...chicken" an awful lot so some of these ideas will be great. I think I am going to look online for more recipes too because I am doing grocery shopping tomorrow anyway

this one's not rocket science but it's definitely great if you're strapped for time or low on groceries. 

 just rub chicken breast(s) with a bit of olive oil.  rub on some lemon juice too.  sprinkle both sides of breasts with salt, pepper and plenty of parsley.  bake for 25 mins on 350 - delicious, simple, and the chicken is always so moist. 

another thing i sometimes add is some spicy brown mustard.  not alot, just baste on for extra flavor.

Here's one of my favs.  Simple and delicious.

Lemon Chicken

4 4-ounce skinless boneless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions (white and pale green parts only)
2 small garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Pound each chicken breast between sheets of plastic to 1/4-inch-thickness. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Place flour in bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large nonstick skillet over high heat. Lightly coat 2 chicken with flour; shake off excess. Transfer to skillet and cook until brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate and tent with foil. Repeat with 1 teaspoon oil, flour and remaining chicken. Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in same skillet over low heat. Add green onions and garlic; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth and wine scraping up any browned bits in skillet. Add lemon juice and 2 tablespoons parsley. Increase heat to high; boil until liquid is slightly reduced, about 3 minutes. Mix in lemon peel. Season with salt and pepper. Return chicken to skillet; simmer until heated through, turning to coat. Transfer chicken to plates. Spoon pan juices over chicken. Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Serve with crostini. Serves 4
   

chicken broiled boil long gain rice in seperate pot and get out them frozen beans take a casarole dish lay your rice then your beans then your broiled chicken pour over top a mixture of cream of chicken soup and spinkle top with cheese I usually dice the chicken bake at 375 for about 40 mins yum....

Mash it out into flat chicken sheets... then roll it around...umm...something. Or, put something in the center of the chicken sheet and fold it all the way around it (all sides) then bake it (After searing it a little on the stovetop, the creased side down so it seals up.

Maybe cream cheese? Or ... rice? Or...bunch of chopped up veggies?

No idea how it would turn out, never tried it, but sounds like it would work :)

All the recipes sound terrific (I'm so old I've made 90% of them).  The one from loriklorik is one I use often because the chicken bakes so quickly.

Essentially, I treat the chicken as if it was a piece of 'dough - and I fill it up.  One of the favorites around our house is:  I take the rest of the stuffing I've made.  I saute some mushrooms.  I take slices of swiss cheese - all are in front of me.  I lay out the 'hammered' chicken that I've flatted.  I put the swiss cheese on first; then some stuffing, then the mushrooms (and sometimes some thinly-sliced green pepper).  I mix 2 cans of Golden mushroom soup with about 5 ounces of white wine, and pour this mixture all over the chicken 'wraps' that I've set side-by-side in a casserole dish.  Bake this for about 30 minutes; check for doneness (use 350 for a glass dish and take it to 40 minutes).

The little chicken wraps just 'burst open' with the filling and are so good.  You can create a number of 'fillings' that you like; using the Golden Mushroom soup and wine is good with virtually anything you could probably think up to fill the wraps with.

When Asparagus is in season (nice and thin stalks), I put these into the wraps - let a little 'hang out', and how tasty and pretty it is.

I love chicken, so I'm so excited to read all of these recipe ideas!

One thing that I do is throw a couple of chicken breasts in the crockpot all day covered in salsa and black beans and then shred it when I get home. I then add the mixture to lettuce and and vegetables and make a moist, healthy taco salad.