Greek Chicken Skewers

This recipe is from lillieatsandtells.com. We've made these several times and usually eat with with Greek bowls. https://white-familyfavorites.blogspot.com/2024/03/greek-bowls.html

 INGREDIENTS

• 2-2.5 lbs of chicken
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano - finally chopped (1 1/2 Tablespoons dried oregano)
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley - finally chopped
• 7 cloves garlic (or 7 cubes of Trader Joe's frozen garlic)
• Juice from 1-2 lemons (about 6 tablespoons)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Chop chicken into 1 ½ inch pieces and place in a large ziplock. 

2. Whisk together all marinade ingredients.

3. Pour marinade over chicken and seal the bag. Move it all around to make sure it’s nice and covered.

4. Marinate up to two hours.  With so much lemon, sitting in the marinade too long could toughen the chicken so don’t leave it all night. A couple of hours is great!

5. Soak wooden skewers (if that’s what you’re using) in water for thirty minutes to help avoid burning. Then thread your chicken making sure to leave some ends to grab! (You can also cover the ends in foil to protect them from burning if needed.)

6. Spray the skewered chicken with a mist of cooking spray on each side, sprinkle with a little fresh pinch of kosher salt, and grill on a preheated, oiled** grill or grill pan over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes per side. Or until you have nice color and it’s cooked through.

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Harissa Chicken Sheet Pan

This recipe is from https://lillieeatsandtells.com and was so yummy. It will definitely become a go-to. I will copy the recipe exactly from her website but I just cleaned out my fridge and used a bunch of random veggies and cooked veggies and chicken together. Also, it is spicy so if you are feeding anyone sensitive to spice you'll want to cut down on the Harissa paste. 

Sheet pan ingredients
1 c. cherry tomatoes
1 red, yellow, or orange bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
12 oz. cauliflower
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 white or red onion chopped

2 T. harissa paste (from Trader Joes)
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. olive oil
4 frozen garlic cubes, or minced garlic
2 t. pure maple syrup
1 t. cumin
1 t. coriander
1 t. paprika
1 t. kosher salt

1 lb. chicken breasts or tenderloins, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 t. additional paprika
1 1/2 t. additional kosher salt

1/4 c. parsley chopped

Whipped Feta Hummus Sauce

6 T. sour cream

2 T. hummus

1 T. lemon juice

1 T. light balsamic vinegar or red wine or rice vinegar

1 oz. feta cheese

Directions: 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Whisk together ingredients from Harissa paste to kosher salt. Toss with all veggies. Spread veggies evenly on a sheet pan and roast for 25 minutes. 

Remove the veggies from the oven and give them a toss. Add the chopped chicken to the pan, spread out evenly. Season the top of the chicken with the additional listed paprika and kosher salt and roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with fresh parsley and a squeeeze of lemon. 

Pile your chicken and veggies over rice or arugula or onto pitas. Top with feta hummus sauce and enjoy! 

Chili Stack-ups

This is another one of Lindsey's recipes that I love. She used to make these all the time when I lived with her and Aaron. Super easy quick meal.

1 lbs. browned ground beef
1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 6 oz. can tomato paste
3 cans water (tomato paste can)
2 t. oregano
2 t. cumin
2 t. chili powder
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 c. uncooked rice

Simmer all ingredients except rice for 30 minutes uncovered. Cook rice and add to mixture.
Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, olives, and salsa.

Homemade Hamburger Helper 2.0

I know Megan put another Hamburger Helper type recipe on here but this one is a little different so I'm calling it the 2.0! A super easy, fast and yummy one pot meal - kid friendly and very little dishes. You probably have everything already on hand, enjoy! 

• 1 pound lean ground beef (I prefer turkey and it was delicious!)
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups beef broth
• 2 cups uncooked macaroni (if using other pasta you may need adjust cooking time or liquid so try to use macaroni) 
• 1 8 oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the ground beef, onion, paprika, parsley, garlic powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper. If using a ground beef with a higher fat content add in the seasonings after draining the grease.
2. Stir in the milk, broth, macaroni and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
3. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted.

Chili

Yummy Chili - made for Halloween potluck and everyone loved it!

• 1 lbs pound beef
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 green pepper (chopped)
• 2 jalapeños (chopped)
• 3 garlic cloves (minced)
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 28 can of diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted)
• 15 oz can of tomato sauce
• 27 oz can of chili beans (I used seasoned chili beans in sauce)
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons worcestershire sauce
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 beef bouillon cubes

1. Brown ground beef. Remove meat with slotted spoon into a paper towel lined bowl. and reserve 1-2 tablespoons of grease in the bottom of pan to sauté vegetables. 

2. Saute onion until translucent. Add green pepper, jalapeños, and garlic. Sauté a few more minutes. 

3. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water to vegetables. Use hand blender and lightly blend to desired consistency. Add meat back to the pot and the rest of the ingredients. Simmer for at least 20 minutes. If simmering longer you may need to add more water. 

Spicy Pesto Linguine

(This recipe is from Sesily and is a Lee family favorite)

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/3-inch-wide-strips
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
1 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced seeded jalapeño
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1/2 cup pesto (we use Costco's)

12 ounces linguine

Additional chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet and sauté until cooked through and beginning to brown. When cooked remove from skillet.

Add green onions, cilantro, pecans, garlic, jalapeños, and crushed red pepper to skillet. Sauté until fragrant. Add pesto and chicken back to the pan and heat through.

Meanwhile boil pasta. Reserve 1 cup of liquid at the end and add to pasta if it needs moisture.

Mix pasta and sauce, add water if needed, top with fresh cilantro and fresh park.


(You could easily add peppers or asparagus to this if you wanted to incorporate a veggie. For peppers sauté with green onion mixture, for asparagus boil with the pasta towards the end of cooking)

Lemon Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I just threw this together tonight but wanted to write it down so I remember what I put in it! It also reminds me a lot of my favorite greek soup but without the creamy base. This is traditionally served with feta cheese which would be really yummy on top of this one too.

I started this morning by putting 3 frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot with water just covering the bottom, salt, pepper, dill and thyme - just to add some flavor. I think adding herbs when cooking plain chicken can make a world of difference without over salting!

Oil (enough to coat your pan)
1/2 Yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

Add these ingredients to your stock pot and saute until onions are slightly translucent.

6-8 cups of chicken stock
1/2 cup wild rice
Juice of 1 lemon plus the rind (clean and scrub very well)

Add the stock and rice to the pot and bring to a boil. Juice the lemon separately but throw the rind in with the stock to boil while everything cooks together.

My package of rice said 45 minutes but I checked it after 30 because I didn't want it mushy so just go by what your package says or your taste. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Once veggies and rice are cooked, add lemon juice, chopped cooked chicken and salt and pepper to taste.

*This could definitely use more lemon if you like that flavor but not everyone at my house does. The 1 lemon isn't overpowering but adds a very fresh flavor!*

Enjoy!

Butter Chicken with Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

• - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or thighs)
• - salt and pepper
• - 1 cup chicken broth
• - 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• - 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• - ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
• - 1 tablespoon olive oil
• - ⅓ cup finely diced shallots (or red onions)
• - 2 tablespoons salted butter
• - ¼ cup heavy cream
• - 2 tablespoons chopped parsley or basil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Using a mallet, pound down the chicken breasts/thighs into ½ inch thickness. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken. (I just used thin tenders, or you could just slice the breasts horizontally instead of pounding them out)
2. In a 2 cup measuring cup or a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, lemon juice, garlic, and red pepper flakes.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken and allow to brown on both sides and cook all the way through.
4. Reduce the flame to medium, add the shallots to the skillet along with the chicken broth mixture. Using a whisk, scrape the bottom of the pan so all the brown bits are loosened. Let sauce reduce for about 8-10 minutes or until about ⅓ cup of the sauce remains. (I didn't let it reduce that much because I wanted more left over to serve)
5. When the sauce has thickened, remove from the flame, add the butter and whisk until it melts completely. With the skillet off the flame, add the heavy cream, whisk to combine. Place the skillet back over the flame for just 30 seconds, DO NOT allow the sauce to boil. Remove from heat, add the chicken back into the pan and drizzle the sauce over the chicken. (I let the chicken sit in the sauce at this point while I cooked some pasta) Top with chopped parsley or basil and serve warm with additional lemon slices.

I served this over some penne and it was delicious!