A couple of weeks ago it was time for dinner and I was somewhat stymied by what I was going to cook. Usually I try to have a plan made earlier in the day but on this particular day, my plan to have a plan didn’t quite pan out.
I’d been having a hankering for chicken on a salad and I had lettuce and a bag of individual quick frozen breasts on hand; however, I wasn’t terribly excited about just slapping a plain ol’ piece of poultry on my romaine.
And so I rummaged through the pantry for inspiration and happened upon this little gem.
Usually you mix the contents of this marinade packet with vinegar, oil and water and let the meat sit in it for a while but I wondered what would happen if I started with a tablespoon or two of olive oil (and a little butter for extra flavor) and then sprinkled in a little marinade.
It doesn’t look real inspiring but this is the first step on the road to tastiness.
As my oils and seasonings were doing their thing, I took thee breasts out of the freezer and defrosted them about halfway in the microwave before cutting them into smallish pieces. (Tip: cutting half-frozen meat is easier than cutting it when it is completely thawed.) The reason I cut them is so that they will cook faster; you could also cook them whole (or cut in half) if you weren’t pressed for time.
I threw the chicken into the pan and let the magic begin.
After about 10-12 minutes of occasional stirring, I did the “is it done?” test which consisted of taking a large spoon and trying to cut a piece in half with it. I didn’t use a knife because I wanted the chicken to be tender enough to cut with a non-sharp edge. When a piece cut easily and wasn’t pink inside, I was done! (Or at least the chicken was done.)
And then came the fun part–compiling the salad.
On this particular night I happened to have on hand pecans, sliced strawberries, crispy red peppers, and grated carrots. (Tomatoes, shredded cheese, boiled eggs and diced onion are just a few additional ingredients that would also be great.)
I added a piece of oven toast and my salad (and my happiness) were complete. Start to finish: about 20 minutes.
The great thing about this recipe is that the chicken doesn’t need constant tending; as long as you give it a quick stir every few minutes, you can spend the rest of the cooking time preparing the salad toppings and getting the toast in the oven. When the chicken is done, the rest of the meal is done and you are golden!
I love that there are so many marinade flavors to choose from so you can experiment and find your favorite. Also, using a smaller portion of the package cuts down on sodium AND means you can get 2-3 meals from one package. (I use about a third of a package per pound of chicken.) And if you wanted to do several pounds at a time, you could freeze the rest for other meals. There is really not a whole lot more time or work involved.
Another tip: If you do make extra chicken, flash freeze it rather than dumping it all in a Ziploc bag. Simply put some foil or parchment paper on a cookie sheet, and then spread out the pieces of chicken. Freeze for at least an hour and THEN dump in a Ziploc. That way the pices stay separate and you can reach in and grab three pieces or ten pieces, as needed.)
I almost always keep a bag of frozen chicken breasts on hand so this is a great emergency meal that we can enjoy for about a quarter of what we would pay in a restaurant.
And if you happened not to have lettuce in the house, you could just eat the chicken with rice or a baked potato side. Or you could even throw it into a tortilla with a topping or two.
There is no bad way to eat good chicken
What about you? Do you have any tips to make this idea even better?
Do you have any great quick meal cooking tips?
Be sure to date the spice mix so the next time you use it you’ll know how long it’s been open. The herbs and and such loss their herb-e-ness (trust me, it’s a real cooking term) once the sealed package has been opened. Also, you can keep an emergency bottle of liquid marinade on hand. It would serve the same purpose and give you even more flavor options. You may even be able to use it to make a vinaigrette salad dressing (if you use a fresh batch)!
Jodi,
Great advice; I will definitely remember to do that.
And I love the use of the word herb-e-ness! 🙂
Yummmmmm.
Steve,
I’m thankful I have YOU in the kitchen to do all that cutting and chopping!
But does he have his cutting and chopping card? 😛 Looks yummy!
Sarah
Sarah,
Well, if he doesn’t have his, he could always borrow one from Nathan. 🙂
This would be an easy thing for you to make in your dorm kitchen! Can’t wait to see you soon.
My newest “creation” is garlic/dill mashed potatoes. I boil my potatoes in water that has dill pickle juice in it. You can use real dill but the juice works just as good and I feel good about not pouring the juice from the empty jar down the drain. When they are done, I just add butter and instead of milk, I pour in caesar dressing. Definitely one of my family’s favorites.
Mel,
I have to say, that is quite the exotic idea and so different I will definitely have to give it a try. You could also call it recycled dill juice potatoes if you really wanted to throw people for a loop. 🙂
And also adding Caesar dressing? What a cool combination.
I like to use the baby red potatoes, boiled with fresh basil and cracked black pepper. Finish as for regular mashed potatoes, using butter and milk or half and half. Yum!
Kari,
Hmmm. That would be intereting to use red potatoes instead of russet; I’ll have to give that a try! And boiling with fresh basil sounds wonderful
One of our favorite meals, we call it Chicken Caesar Salad. Grilled boneless skinless chicken breast (we vary the seasoning/marinade) sliced into thin strips after cooking, salad (lettuce, grated carrot, cucumber, sliced red onion, grated cheese, tomato, and the ingredient that really makes it complete, chopped hard boiled egg!
Kari,
Your salad sounds wonderful. I also love putting boiled egg on a salad, not just for the extra flavor and texture but also the extra protein it adds.
Yum!
Becky, you are not only a gifted photo-journalist, singer, wife and mom… but also a great chef. This blog has my mouth watering. I’ll be sure to share it with Lucy! 🙂 911-CHICKEN. Indeed! 😉
Fred,
Thanks for your nice compliment; I didn’t realize I was so many things until you lined them all up in a row like that. 🙂
Hope you and Lucy can enjoy some chicken-on-salad in the very near future–emergency or not!
When whole chickens are on sale, I buy several for this super time/money saving idea: Clean out the inside of the bird and then place it in a crock pot (my crock pot fits two). Add one can of broth for each chicken and some salt and pepper. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Cool the chicken, remove the skin and bones and chop the meat. Divide the meat into portion sizes to make your family dinner and seal in freezer bags. When you are in a pinch for time or money, take a bag of chicken out to start a quick soup, salad, quesadilla or casserole. A favorite: a box of cornbread stuffing mix prepared as directed, a can of cream of corn soup and a bag of chicken from the freezer. Mix well and bake in a buttered casserole dish until warm through. I teach this in a cooking class all the time!
Kristy,
What a GREAT idea to do the chicken in the crockpot. And the cornbread stuffing casserole sounds fabulous; will definitely give it a try.
And you are so right about how helpful it is to have chicken cooked and in the frezzer when meal time comes around; you’re halfway down the road toward having the meal on the table when your protein is ready to go. Thanks so much for sharing your good ideas.
Looks delicious! I was like Ann Martin – was surprised to see a post on Thursday.
Phyllis,
Well, I have to surpise you and Ann a few times along the way! 🙂
That looks delicious! I am the boring salad person – lettuce, seasoned protein, onion, dressing. Okay, bell peppers & croutons, too.
I recently made a knock off Panera creamy tomato soup (took 30 minutes). It has only taken 62 years for me to decide to eat tomato soup. It was a good run, but Panera tripped me up (still won’t eat creamy clam chowder!). A 30 minute dinner to me is a quick dinner – especially if there’s leftovers for another couple of days! Next time I’m tripling the recipe and freezing some!
Love the tip about pre-freezing before bagging the chicken. Have to try this! Thank you!
Guerrina,
Have you heard of C.O.S.T? (Cook Once, Eat Twice.) It’s such a great way to cook, especially since doubling or tripling a recipe is usually not all that much more work.
And a recipe for Panera knock off of anything sounds like a winner to me. That is such a great restaurant.
Enjoy chicken in a salad, too. I sometimes buy two fried tenders at Walmart and cut them up. Rather have grilled. I like grapes, pineapple, strawberries and walnuts or almonds added but not Jim. He does not want any fruit in his salad. Is this your Friday post or do we get an extra one this week? Enjoy the weekend.
Ann,
That question made me smile since it means you have a pretty good handle on the days I usually post.:)
Today’s post is it for the rest of the week. Traveling tomorriw so I wanted to get something up ahead of time.
Your chicken looks really good! I will have to try that some time. 🙂 I love the Grill Mates marinades. However they discontinued our favorite: Southwest Chipotle. Grrrr.
One of my favorite quick meals to throw together when I am dining solo is cubed chicken breast sautéed in olive oil with onion, garlic, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Add a can of petite diced tomatoes (undrained) just before the chicken is done and simmer until heated through and some of the liquid cooks off. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve over angel hair pasta or linguine with a side salad. YUM!!
LeeAnne,
Ooooh. That recipe sounds wonderful. I am saving it to try very soon. Sounds so simple yet tasty and healthy. The best kind of recipe.
Don’t you hate it when a brand discontinues a favorite? I just have to tell myself that I will find another favorite–which hopefully will NOT be discontinued.
When a brand discontinues a product, sometimes I am able to find it at a discount store such as Big Lots or Dollar Tree.