Tag Archives: Chicken

Hardcore Hobbit: Marinated Chicken Cutlet

Posted on July 27, 2011 | Leave a comment

With all the craziness that has been going on here it is so nice to be making a hardcore hobbit recipe again. This time I made a nice simple ingredient level recipe. The marinated chicken cutlet in the game is made from green onion, fine seasonings, and chicken. So easy! I find if I see something that contains green onion I tend to go asian. This time I challenged myself to resist that temptation. The end result was delicious and oh so juicy. Once again I marvel at the pretty grill marks that my husband achieved on the grill.

  • 1 green onion
  • 1 long peppercorn
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tbl white wine
  • 1 tsp extra virgin avocado oil
  • 2 garlic scapes or 1 garlic clove
  • 1 tbl slivered or sliced almonds
  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  1. Combine the ingredients in a blender until smooth.
  2. Pour over the raw chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight.
  3. Cook using desired method. We went with grilling, definitely a recommended choice.

Isn’t that green bright? It reminds me of spring. Love it. Serves 2. Each serving contains 137 calories, 1.8 grams fat, .3 gram fibre, .7 carb, and 27.5 grams protein. This assumes you leave only a bit of the marinade on during the cooking process.

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Chicken with a Goat Cheese and Mead Sauce

Posted on May 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

What to do with leftover mead…I never thought I would actually wonder something like this. Thing is I love cooking with various other wines so why not give cooking with mead a try? I love goat cheese and it pairs beautifully with mead. This needs to be done! The end result was creamy, tart and slightly sweet with nice body to it. Definitely the star of this chicken dish. It seems to me like just the thing hobbits might serve to dwarf dinner guests.

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 60 grams goat cheese
  • 1 tbl corn starch
  • 1/4 cup mead of choice (I chose a local spiced mead)
  • 1 cup skim milk
  • 1 tbl light butter
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. If you choose you can marinate the chicken in a bit of mead for a few hours. It is really tasty to do but not crucial. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Grill chicken until done. While the chicken cooks make the sauce.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the cornstarch and stir until combined.
  3. Slowly add the milk and mead, whisking constantly.
  4. Once the sauce has heated to near boiling (do not let it boil). Add the goat cheese and stir until melted.
  5. Serve on top of sliced chicken breast.

Serves 2 and is easily doubled to serve more! Each serving contains 241 calories, 5.8 grams of fat, 10.2 carbs, no fibre (you can fix this by adding a clear supplement), and 29.9 grams of protein.

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Pulled Chicken Sandwich

Posted on May 6, 2011 | 2 comments

No, we are not engaging in cruel and unusual chicken torture here. I just couldn’t call this bbq since I made it in a crockpot. It really is a bbq pulled chicken sandwich, so very delicious. My aim here was to control more of the sauce. I would usually make the sauce using ketchup but since my beloved ketchup does contain a lot of sugar I had to investigate another way. Happily after much tweaking, I found it! I suggest serving this as an open face sandwich, it is nummy and the bread doesn’t dull the sauce as much that way. I love how using the crockpot means you can have that bbq joint style of taste no matter what the weather is like, and healthy too! This was great at the end of a really busy day too. Stir sauce, add chicken, set crock, run around all day, eat nummy food. Epic win.

  • 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, frozen is best if using thawed lower the cooking time
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tbl rice wine vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
  • 2 tbl garlic powder
  • 2 tbl worcestershire sauce
  • 3 tbl splenda
  • 1 tsp smoked sea salt
  • 1 tbl sweet with heat mustard
  1. Combine all the ingredients except the chicken in a small bowl.
  2. Pour a layer of sauce on the bottom of the crockpot. Add the chicken and then top with the remaining sauce.
  3. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
  4. Using a pair of forks shred the chicken and stir. Ladle onto bun of choice.

Serves 4. Nutritional info does not include the bun. Each serving contains 183 calories, 2.8 grams of fat, 10.9 grams of carbs, 1.6 grams of fibre, and 27.6 grams of protein. Definitely a tasty plan for busy days. Remember that each serving of this also contains a serving of veggies! Pair this with a salad and you are dealing with a beautifully balanced meal for so little effort.

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Posted in Comfort Foods, Craving Buster, Crockpot Creations, Dinner

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Hardcore Hobbit: Chicken Carrot Soup

Posted on April 4, 2011 | 4 comments

So, here we are, all drenched from those april showers. It is still so cold out there! Must comfort our little hobbit selves with a bit of soup I say. In LOTRO chicken carrot soup is made from carrots, green onion, and chicken stock. To do something different with the soup I added some matzo or matza balls to it instead of noodles, rice, etc. All I did was use a mix and drop them in during the last 20 minutes of cooking. So delicious. If you havent’ tried matzo balls before you should really give them atleast one chance. They are delicious and filling! My husband has been asking when I plan to cook with them again. One day I will definitely have to make some of my own, for now I trust the mix. Another fun addition was the use of “carrot noodles” they make it so the carrot flavour is everywhere in the soup but more fun texture wise.

  • 3 medium carrots
  • 6 cups hardcore hobbit chicken stock
  • 150 grams shredded cooked chicken (may already be in your stock)
  • 2 green onions, sliced
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tbl italian seasoning
  • 10 matzo balls (optional)
  1. Using a peeler shave the carrots into noodles. Cut the length if they are longer than desired.
  2. Add all the ingredients except the matzo balls to a crockpot. Cook low for 6-8 hours.
  3. Add matzo balls during the last 20 minutes of cooking.

Makes 5 servings. Nutritional info does not include the matzo balls as they are optional. Each serving contains 66 calories, .6 gram of fat, 4.7 grams carbs, 1.2 grams of fibre, and 10.4 grams of protein. These servings are pretty big too! About 2 cups of broth and carrots. Plenty of room for a couple of matzo balls I say!

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Posted in Comfort Foods, Crockpot Creations, Dinner, Lunch, The Hardcore Hobbit

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Fajita Spice Blend

Posted on February 25, 2011 | Leave a comment

My husband tends to wrinkle his nose whenever I pick up a fajita or taco packet or kit. I like to sing the little song that goes with them, I find them a tasty guilty pleasure but they appear to be the bane of his existence. The prepackagedness of them seems to be his biggest complaint.  Oh yeah, revel in my created word of the moment. Mmmmmm. Moving on, I decided to break down and make my own spice mix for fajita. I can’t believe how easy it was really. Although, I will miss my husband loudly announcing in the grocery store that I was getting Fa-jI-tahs…oh yeah…the j is not an h sound for this one. The stares from aghast women as they cover the ears of their precious innocent giggling children. Won’t anyone think of the children? Alright…maybe there weren’t many aghast women or scandalized children but you get the idea. Funtimes.

  • 1 packet chicken reduced salt oxo
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 3 tbl paprika
  • 3 tbl chili powder
  1. Combine, store in a sealed jar.

For chicken fajita:

  1. Sprinkle 3 tbl worth of the spice and 1 tsp of olive oil onto two chicken breasts cut into strips. Stir, and allowed to marinate for 1 hour.
  2. Slice a medium onion and pepper.
  3. Heat a pan to medium. Add the chicken to the hot pan, brown and cook until done.
  4. Add the onions, peppers, and 1/4 cup water. Cook until the water reduces to form a nice thick sauce.

Serve on a whole grain tortilla or on a salad. Serves two. Each serving contains 178 calories, 5.1 grams of fat, and 3.5 grams of fibre. I imagine this mix would be good for beef, pork and tofu as well.

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Hardcore Hobbit: Chicken Stock

Posted on January 31, 2011 | Leave a comment

A bit of a later day post than usual today. It was a Brrrraaaargh day out there today….meaning it was cold and crazy busy. Well, I can’t think of a better time to put up a less complicated and comforting hardcore hobbit. This is an ingredient recipe in the game and real life really. Having a good soup stock in my freezer is definitely a must, be it chicken, vegetable, beef, turkey, etc. Let’s face it soup rocks. It makes you feel better when sick, full for low calories and fat, warms you up on a cold day…and in some cases cools you down on a hot day. In the game chicken stock is made from water, green onions, and chicken. Simple enough really…and oh so tasty.

  • chicken carcass from roasted chicken (hehe I got to say carcass in a recipe) with bits of leftover chicken
  • 3 green onions, sliced
  • 1 tbl dried parsley
  • 2 tbl white wine
  • 6-8 cups of water
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Place all in a crockpot and allow to cook on low for 8 hours.
  2. Allow to cool, skim the fat off the top, remove bones, and store for future num.

Makes 6-8 cups of chicken stock. The recipe really varies given your volume of leftover chicken bits. I had about 1 cup of chicken bits. I got about 8 cups of stock from my attempt. Each serving of one cup came out to 31.7 calories, .2 grams of fat, and .1 grams of fibre.

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Spicy Mini Sandwich

Posted on January 29, 2011 | Leave a comment

The perfect tasty treat for the hobbit on the go! There are so many wonderful ways to make variations of club sandwiches and this is one I had this week. I love these mini bagels I have found, they are boiled and baked and full of bagel goodness. One or two is all you need with a tasty side dish like baked chips or a salad. Then tada! You have been to the deli. A very good lunch indeed. Hah, and now I just realized why I am so amused by the title of this sandwich…I play a mini in LOTRO…I could see her eating this…but then I’m just a big ol’geek.

  • leaf of lettuce
  • 1 small chicken breast
  • 1 slice of bacon, cooked crispy
  • 1 tsp half the fat mayo
  • 1 mini bagel
  • 2 tbl piri piri sauce or seasoning
  1. Marinate chicken breast in the piri piri spice the night before.
  2. Slice bagel, toast, spray with butter cooking spray if desired.
  3. Pan fry or grill the chicken breast. Slice thinly after resting the meat for 5 minutes. Place 1 ounce of chicken on the bottom bagel half. Reserve the rest for future sandwiches or sharing…if you dare.
  4. Top with bacon slice broken in half. Spread mayo on the top half of the bagel, top with lettuce leaf.
  5. Assemble!

Makes one immediate serving…and ofcourse chicken for future servings. One mini sandwich is 167 calories, 6.4 grams of fat, and 1.1 grams of fibre. If you need to reduce the fat go with turkey bacon, I went with bacon because sometimes you just need to indulge. Another great version is using avocado instead of mayo. NUM! Like your sandwich extra spicy? Add some of that piri piri seasoning to your mayo.

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Hardcore Hobbit: Roasted Chicken with blue cheese and onion stuffing

Posted on January 17, 2011 | 3 comments

Oh num! I love my cheeses very sharp and this definitely did the trick for me. Ofcourse, if you are not as much of a fan of sharp cheese or the idea of blue cheese just oogs you out, you can just substitute with any other cheese you love. This hardcore hobbit was so simple to start with. The game suggested: chicken, salt, and a pouch fine seasonings. With that chicken so tasty and roasted your vitality will be renewed. Well, I felt a tasty chicken like that needed a stuffing and the grocery store had this lovely blue cheese on special and roasting chicken….well….I think you know what happened.

  • 3-4 lb chicken
  • 4 slices of whole wheat bread
  • 1/2 medium onion, sliced
  • 40 grams blue cheese
  • 1 tbl dried parsley
  • 6 fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 tsp fresh rosemary
  • 1 tbl extra virgin olive oil
  • black pepper and sea salt to taste
  • butter cooking spray
  1. Cube or tear bread into pieces. Season with parsley, black pepper and salt.
  2. Saute the onions in a sprayed pan until golden, pour into the bread mixture. Add olive oil and toss to coat.
  3. Crumble the blue cheese into the mixture and stir in carefully.
  4. Stuff into the chicken. Truss the chicken using cooking twine to help it keep it’s shape. Some stores will do this for you. Spray with cooking spray. Season the chicken with basil, rosemary, salt and pepper.
  5. Place in roasting pan and bake uncovered at 425F for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375F and bake for 1 hour.

Serves 4. Each serving contains 191 calories, 8.2 grams of fat, and 1.7 grams of fibre. This assumes that your portion comes from the breast meat mostly and that you remove the skin before eating. Sure, I had a bit of skin but I was being naughty. Shhhh.

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Coconut Chicken Fingers

Posted on December 4, 2010 | Leave a comment

Oh, what a tasty twist on that plain old chicken finger. You can use a similar method to make those tasty coconut shrimp as well. Sure you could serve these with a plain old plum sauce but my favourite is to get a nice thai style sweet and spicy sauce. Oh my delicious! It doesn’t take much sauce to bring you to flavourtown. Which is what these fingers are all about really. Yum!

  • 1/4 cup sweetened coconut shredded
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1 egg white
  • 2 chicken breasts, skinless and boneless
  1. Cut the chicken breasts into strips. I usually get about 3 or 4 strips per breast. If the chicken is particularly plump you may need to pound it a bit to get some nice thin strips.
  2. Combine the coconut and panko bread crumbs in a medium bowl.
  3. Dip the strips in the egg white.
  4. Coat the strips with the bread crumb mixture in the medium bowl.
  5. Bake the coated strips for 15-20 minutes at 400F. For extra crispy fingers give them a spray of butter flavoured cooking spray.

Makes 2 servings. Each serving contains 185 calories, 4.4 grams of fat and 1 gram of fibre. Don’t forget, that thai sauce is really the way to go for these. Another tasty dipping sauce for these fingers is my Spicy Peanut Sauce.

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Red Wine Chicken

Posted on November 24, 2010 | Leave a comment

Now a part of me would call this a coq au vin rouge but…since I’m not using a rooster it just doesn’t seem all that traditional. Now if you are looking for a cheaters version of coq au vin, then I think I can help you out. Not only is this a lovely fancy sounding dish it really is quite economical. It would amaze the people in finances when I would tell them how much I spent on groceries and that the week of groceries included dinners such as coq au vin. I’m not sure why though considering the dish has humble rustic beginnings. Since we are all trying to save a bit before those holidays hit us, I figured this recipe might come in handy for some folks.

  • 4 skinless chicken thighs (bone in gives more flavour)
  • 2 slices bacon, chopped
  • 1/2 pound crimini mushrooms
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 3 tbl flour
  • 4 red potatoes, washed and quartered
  • 2 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 2 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 1/2 fat free chicken broth
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 tsp herbs de provence
  • salt and pepper to taste
  1. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a bag. Add the chicken and toss to coat.
  2. Heat a sprayed pan to medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a crockpot.
  3. Add the bacon to the pan and cook stirring occasionally for one minute. Add the onions, mushrooms, remaining flour and garlic. Stir in the wine to deglaze. Transfer to the crockpot.
  4. Add the remaining ingredients to the crockpot. Cook on low for 6 hours. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

This makes 4 servings. Each serving contains 275 calories, 5 grams of fat and 4.5 grams of fibre. Great served on rice if you really need a super filling meal or with a side of lovely crusty bread. Delicious!

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