Tales of a Grocery Store Chicken: Pesto Chicken Salad

I love being in the kitchen. I love trying out new things and testing new recipes. but sometimes after a long day at work I don’t want to spend 45 minutes prepping ingredients or an hour cooking. I just want something healthy (and hopefully points-plus friendly) on the table fast. So I’d like you to meet my long day dinner BFF. The grocery store chicken. Now I know I could roast a chicken myself, but that takes more pre-planning skill than I generally have. This sucker is four meals easy or more depending how you fix him up. So don’t judge and try this quick yummy chicken salad.

Pesto Chicken Salad
Serves: 4
8oz Chicken Breast, removed from bones and chopped
2 Tbsp Pesto Sauce, use your favorite jarred or homemade
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup

8oz chicken breast

2 Tbsp pesto sauce, use your favorite jarred or homemade

1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

½ cup walnuts, chopped

4oz non-fat Greek yogurt

Sal and pepper, to taste

1. Remove chicken breast meat from whole chicken. Chop or shred; reserve thighs and wings for another use.

2. Combine chicken, pesto sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, yogurt, salt, and pepper.

3. Serve on the bread of your choice or on a bed of lettuce. 

Points+:  6 (for chicken salad only)

=)

Recipe Redux: Butternut Squash Calzones

Ok so do y’all remember the EPIC FAIL butternut squash with orzo, chicken, and bacon? Since I can tell you don’t remember let’s recap a little bit ago I was feeling especially fall-ish and what should happen to pop-up in my google reader, but a fantastic sounding recipe for orzo with butternut squash sauce, bacon, chicken, and parmesan. It sounded awesome; I was stoked. So I followed the recipe and it was terrible. The whole thing was cold and mushy and tasted overwhelmingly like mushy bacon. Blech!
However, the squash sauce itself was pretty darn good and I figured I could find a way to make it into soup later in the week. Then a better idea. On Tastespotting, a recipe for Winter Squash Calzones. I had to alter the recipe a little to use what I already had, but it was totally awesome.

Butternut Squash Calzones
Original Recipe Here
Dough (I used Publix Pizza dough made fresh in the bakery, it’s awesomeness)
1/2 medium butternut squash
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
 1 cup shredded mozzarella or ricotta
¾ cup chevre, or parmesan, or crumbled feta or another pungent cheese
about ½ tsp. each salt and pepper
tomato sauce for serving, if desired

I had previously roasted and pureed my squash onion and garlic (see previous epic fail recipe explanation). But if you’re starting from scratch,
– Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. 
– Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out the the seeds and rub squash with a little olive oil. Cut Onion in half and rub with olive oil. Roast squash, onions and garlic on a cookie sheet cut sides down. Bake until vegetables are soft and easily pierced through. Squash will generally take about an our onion and garlic will likely be done sooner.
– When squash is cool enough to handle, scoop flesh into a larger bowl. (At this point I pureed all the veggies in the food processor). Chop onions and garlic and mix thoroughly with squash to combine. Mix in cheese, (I used mozzarella and goat cheese.)
– Divide dough into four pieces. Press or roll each pieve of dough to desired size (about a quarter inch think). place half to three-quarters cup in on one half of the dough. Fold dough over and press to seal (I used a fork). – Use a fork (the one you used to close the dough will do) to poke the surface of the calzones.
– Place calzones on a greased or nonstick cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until dough is golden brown.
– Remove from oven and allow to cool momentarily. Then Enjoy your awesome creation.

=)

Dot Dot Dot

I’m so tired I can’t think of anything to say. I planned to write about one of my go to chicken dinner recipes, but a double batch of pumpkin scones has done me in so just pictures and a recipe.

Swiss Chicken
I don’t know where this recipe originates, Mom taught me to make it without a recipe.

I’m still getting the hang of the picture taking, It tastes a lot better than it looks. Promise.

Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts (or one for every person you’re feeding)
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
4 slices of Swiss cheese (I clearly did not used sliced cheese. Use whatever you have. It will still taste awesome.)
2/3 c to 1c Italian flavored breadcrumbs (I use two handfuls; which is usually enough to form a pretty good layer).

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Lightly coat a 13×9 pan with nonstick spray. Placed chicken breasts in the pan.
3. Spread mushroom soup over the top of the pieces of chicken. Place cheese slices on next and top with bread crumbs.
4. Bake for 40-50 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

That’s all I’ve got tonight.
=)