Quick, Easy and Cheap Chicken Recipes

Chicken is one of my favorite kitchen staples.  I usually purchase chicken breasts on sale for $1.79-$1.99/lb.  I also enjoy using whole chickens and drumsticks.  Chicken is served at least a couple of times a week in our house.  Here are a few of my very favorite chicken recipes:

Rachael Ray's Chicken in Mustard Sauce--This recipe offers several variations but we love the original recipe so much that we have never even tried the variations.  The mustard sauce served with this chicken is delicious.  And since the ingredients are basic: chicken breasts, thyme, chicken stock, dijon mustard and sour cream, I almost always have them on hand and can prepare this as a last minute meal.  I have served this several times to guests because it is so yummy!  Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken from My Kitchen Apron--perhaps one of the easiest chicken recipes I have ever made.  If you fill your crockpot, this can make a lot of chicken.  I have shredded it and used leftovers for other recipes, such as buffalo chicken pizza.  I have also put this leftover chicken in the freezer for future use. 

Easy Peasy Chicken from Mommy's Kitchen--Since chicken legs are on sale for a great price quite often, this meal is very frugal.  It takes just minutes to prepare and requires very few ingredients.  I love that this easy BAKED chicken comes out so crispy and yummy.   While very quick to prepare, these do take quite a while to bake so be sure to give yourself time to cook these!

BBQ Chicken Haystacks from Cooking During Stolen Moments--This is a super simple, versatile and easily adaptable recipe.  I have also seen haystacks made using fritos, refried beans, taco seasoned chicken or beef and cheese.  Either version is quick, easy and yummy!

Whole Chicken in the Crock Pot from The Happy Housewife--I like this recipe because I can season the chicken any way I like, it takes very little time to prepare and it can cook while I'm away at work.  I also love that I can easily make chicken stock with the bones.  Plus, even a small whole chicken usually gives our family enough meat for two meals.

Cheddar Garlic Mayonnaise Muffins

The title of this post may not sound appealing--that's what I thought when I first heard about mayonnaise muffins.  But I've been making them for years and I promise they are delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tbsp. mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 cup cheddar cheese

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine first 4 ingredients with a whisk.  Stir in cheddar cheese.  Pour into greased muffin tin.  Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

I created these the other night and we enjoyed them with loaded baked potato soup.  They were delicious!

Homemade Applesauce

Wow, if I knew how easy it was to make homemade applesauce, I would have been doing this a LONG time ago.  I love to use applesauce in place of oil in recipes to save on fat and calories (plus, I think it makes quick bread more moist).  My daughter also loves applesauce, so I'm happy to have a stash of this in the freezer now.

Easy peasy!

Start by peeling and coring all of your apples.  I used about 12 medium size apples for this batch.

Toss all of your apples in a stockpot. I like to put some lemon juice in mine to keep them from browning but you don't have to do this.

Add approximately 1/2-1 cup of water to pot and boil until tender.  My family prefers unsweetened applesauce but you could add sugar to taste.  Cinnamon is also a nice addition.  You can even add cinnamon red hot candy to make it a pretty pink color.  Make sure your water does not completely evaporate or you will end up with burned apples on the bottom (ask me how I know this).

Store in a freezer safe container and pop into the freezer to pull out when you're ready to use it!

Nanny's Mac and Cheese

My husband is a big fan of macaroni and cheese but he has never really liked my mac and cheese.  I typically start my mac and cheese with a roux but no matter how much cheese I put in it, he always says it isn't cheesy enough.  He, on the other hand, makes a mac and cheese that is loaded with ooey gooey cheese that has been requested at countless family get-togethers.  I have started making mac and cheese this way because this is how he likes it (although I occasionally throw in my version of mac and cheese).  His Nanny made mac and cheese this way--my husband learned from his uncle.  I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does!

For this recipe, you will need pasta, sour cream, cheddar cheese soup, butter and cheese.

Yummy, cheesy deliciousness!

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. box elbow macaroni
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2-2 cup cheddar cheese, plus additional for topping
• 

Boil macaroni until al dente.  Stir together macaroni, butter, soup, sour cream and cheese.  Pour into 2 1/2 quart casserole dish.  Top with additional 1/2-1 cup cheddar cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Guest Posting at Mess for Less: Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Crescents

I'm so excited to be sharing my first guest post.  Head on over to Mess for Less to find out how to bake these peanut butter chocolate chip crescents with your kids:

Spicy Chicken Sandwiches

I am always trying out new breading for chicken and pork.  Here is a new one I tried out recently. 



Both the liquid and dry ingredients contain spices to heat up the sandwich.

Breaded and ready to fry.

Ready for the table.

Spicy chicken sandwich with oven fries.  Yummy!

Spicy Chicken Sandwich

• 3-4 chicken thighs or breasts
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup milk 
• 1/3 cup hot sauce
• oil for frying

Heat a couple of tablespoons of oil in frying pan over medium heat.  Combine flour and cayenne pepper in pie pan.  Combine milk and hot sauce in seperate pie pan.  Dip chicken in flour, liquid and flour again.  Pan fry in oil until cooked through.

Linking up at:

                

Perfect Peanut Butter Sundae

I love ice cream.  I mean really love ice cream.  I would eat it every night if I could (and sometimes do).  I also love peanut butter.  I'm a big fan of any kind of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup ice cream or peanut butter swirl ice cream.  Homemade ice cream is my absolute favorite--I often create a vanilla base and toss in chopped up PB cups.  This is a simple way to recreate this type of ice cream when all you have is vanilla.

Peanut Butter Sundae

• 2-3 scoops vanilla ice cream
• 1 tbsp. chocolate syrup
• 1 tbsp. peanut butter

Scoop ice cream into a bowl.  Top with chocolate syrup.  Heat peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl on high for 30 seconds.  Pour over ice cream.  Yummy!!

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How to Make Sure No One Eats the Dinner You Made

Want a surefire way to make sure NO ONE in your family eats the dinner you made?  Do you want to waste the food you made and spend money ordering takeout?  Here's how:

Start by browning one pound of hamburger meat with half an onion.  Drain.  If you want dinner to taste good, use it in another recipe.  Now.  Tacos, anyone?  Chili?

Realize that you do not have a can of tomato sauce, so substitute one can of tomate paste and one can of water.  Add 1/3 cup of ketchup (yes, I thought at the time that it sounded like a lot of tomato based products, but I decided to go with the recipe anyway).  Add 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper.  Taste.  Add 1 tbsp. worcestershire sauce to try to make it taste better.  Taste again.  Add 1 tbsp. Heinz 57--still trying to make it taste better.  Taste.  Add 1 tsp. garlic powder. 

Now, throw it all in a pie plate and hope that adding cheese and crescent rolls and baking it will miraculously make it taste better.  Top with Velvetta cheese and a crescent roll crust.  Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Slice and serve.  Take one bite.  Realize that the cheese and crescent rolls didn't help.  Watch the faces of your family members.  Throw everything in the trash and order from Pizza Hut.

But be sure Pizza Hut forgets to make your pizza and leaves you waiting for 30 minutes while they make another one!

On another note, this recipe had 4 stars so apparently somebody out there liked it...

Our Family's Favorite Appetizer--Pizza Dip

This appetizer is a family favorite and is always a huge hit at potlucks and game day celebrations.  A colleague shared this recipe with me several years ago.  It is so easy to put together and just delicious!

Spread cream cheese in the bottom of your baking dish.

 Top with pizza sauce.

Add chopped pepperoni.

Top with shredded mozzarella and bake.

Serve with bread chunks.

Pizza Dip

• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1 jar pizza sauce or 1/4 recipe homemade pizza sauce
• 1/2 of 3.5 ounce package pepperoni
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 loaf french or italian bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread softened cream cheese in the bottom of an 11 x 7 baking dish.  Pour pizza sauce evenly over cream cheese.  Chop pepperoni into small pieces and spinkle over pizza sauce.  Top with mozzarella cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is melted a dip is bubbly.  Serve with bread cut into bite size pieces. 

This recipe was shared at:
Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange, Tasty Tuesday, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tuesday's At the Table
                                 

Italian Pork Chops

I had honey mustard pork chops on my menu plan this past week but when I got ready to make them, I realized I didn't have all of the ingredients I needed to prepare them--we lost a lot of stuff in our fridge and freezer during Hurricane Irene, and I have yet to replace everything.  So, I made a quick last minute change to our menu and prepared these pork chops.  I often make pork chops this way, with various seasonings and usually an egg with milk for my liquid.  This time I tried something different and they were really good.  I SHOULD have taken a picture of the chops on the plate because the picture in the pan is not very appetizing but I completely forgot.  You will just have to trust me that they are really good!

My dipping stations--Bisquick, Italian Dressing and breadcrumb mixture

Porkchops ready to go into the oven.

 

I told you the finished product didn't look very appetizing!  But it is, I promise!

These pork chops can be baked or fried.  Personally, I like them better fried but with an infant and a 3 year old in the house, frying doesn't happen too often!

Italian Pork Chops

• 3-4 pork chops
• 1 cup Bisquick
• 1 cup Italian dressing
• 1 cup bread crumbs (I used garlic croutons that I put in the food processor)
• 1 tsp. basil
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 3 tbsp. butter (if baking in oven)

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees or heat oil over medium heat in large frying pan..  Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Set up a dipping station with 3 pie plates or cake pans.  Place the Bisquick in one pan and the Italian dressing in another pan.  In the final pan combine bread crumbs, basil and Parmesan cheese.  Dip each pork chop in Bisquick, then dressing and finally bread crumbs.  Place in pan.  If  baking in oven, pour butter over pork chops.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes or fry on each side in oil.