THAI STYLE CHICKEN IN LETTUCE LEAVES - Fayetteville Pilates and Barre - recipedoodle Wednesday

My family and I loved these Chicken Lettuce "wraps".
Fresh tasting, with a delicious burst of mint, spicy ginger and cool cucumber. The flavors blended beautifully.
Placing everything out in the bowls, made it fun for the kids to put together, and even the adults enjoyed playing with their food.

THAI STYLE CHICKEN IN LETTUCE LEAVES

3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
4 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
1 red pepper, stem and seeds removed, sliced
1/4 cup mint leaves
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts
1 head of butter lettuce
2 tablespoons water

In a small saucepan, mix the vinegar with the sugar and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic and the crushed red pepper and let cool.
In a large bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of the sweet seasoned vinegar with the remaining 3 teaspoons of garlic and the soy sauce, ginger and sesame oil. Set aside 2 tablespoons of this soy marinade. Add the chicken and the remaining marinade in the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.
Heat the broiler. Remove the chicken from the marinade and let it drain, slice thinly, then broil for about 3 to 4 minutes per side until browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let it rest for 5 minutes.
In a medium bowl, toss the cucumber with the remaining sweet seasoned vinegar. Put the red pepper, mint, cilantro and peanuts in separate bowls. Arrange the lettuce leaves in a basket.
Add the water to the reserved 2 tablespoons of soy marinade.
Wrap the chicken and garnishes in lettuce leaves, and pass the soy marinade and cucumber salad separately.
Enjoy!

THAI PUMPKIN AND CHICKEN CURRY

Sometimes I am just in the mood for a good curry. I love the combination of flavors in this wonderful, flavorful, crave quenching dish.

THAI PUMPKIN AND CHICKEN CURRY

2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
500 grams of pumpkin or 1 acorn squash, peeled and diced
500 grams of boneless chicken, cubed
chopped basil leaves for garnish

Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan and stir in the curry paste. Saute for 1 minute to bring out the flavors.
Add 1/2 cup coconut milk, then add the pumpkin. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the chicken and remaining 1 cup of coconut milk. Cover and simmer until cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve garnished with fresh basil.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Foodtown Magazine
www.foodmag.co.nz/‎

CHEESY CHICKEN BAKE and SLOW COOKER THAI CHICKEN and GARAM MASALA AND SOUR CREAM CHICKEN BAKE

Tuesday is our super busy, crazy, running from one activity to another night. My daughter has horse riding lessons right after school and we make it home in time with barely 30 minutes until my oldest son and husband walk out the door for Scouts.
I have been tempted to stop and pick dinner up on the way back into town from the stable, but so far  I have managed to make meals in advance. The slow cooker has been the quickest and easiest and my cooking method of choice for these hectic evenings, as it doesn't require any hurried re-heating, a big deal with so little time to enjoy our dinner and time together.

CHEESY CHICKEN BAKE

1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, cut into large cubes
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped parsley or basil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 to 5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup grated fontina

Heat oven to 350F.
In a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, toss tomatoes, onion, 1/4 cup parsley or basil, garlic and olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Place chicken on top of tomatoes, season. Bake 30 minutes, turn chicken and bake again until sauce bubbles and chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes more.
Sprinkle with cheese, bake another 2 minutes, garnish with remaining parsley or basil
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine, September 2013
www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/‎

SLOW COOKER THAI CHICKEN

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 red and 1 green bell pepper coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup roasted peanuts chopped
rice, to serve

Place chicken, bell pepper, and onion in slow cooker. Pour soy sauce, chicken broth, cumin, garic, chili pepper flakes, salt and pepper over chicken. Stir well to combine. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours. After this time, whisk togeher cornstarch, peanut butter, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and lime juice together with 1 cup of chicken broth. Mix together until smooth, and then stir back into slow cooker to blend well. Cook an additional 20 to 30 minutes, until sauce is well thickened.
Garnish with cilantro - serve over rice if desired.

Enjoy! Please pass onto your friends!

Recipe adapted from The Holiday Cookbook, November 2008
www.arkansasonline.com/news/features/food

GARAM MASALA AND SOUR CREAM CHICKEN BAKE

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
8 pieces of chicken (I used chicken tenders)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon garam masala
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
salt to taste

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium. Add onion and cook 10 minutes, or until golden.
Meanwhile, cut shallow slits in chicken to help infuse spices.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cooked onions, sour cream, yogurt, lemon juice, garam masala, turmeric and salt. Mix until smooth. Pour into a resealable plastic bag, add chicken and turn to coat, place bag in shallow pan and let marinate in refrigerator for 4 to 6 hours.
When ready to bake, heat oven to 350F. Transfer chicken and marinade into an 8 by 12 inch baking dish. Bake 45 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Serve chicken with sauce.
Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from The Arkansas Democrat Gazette, August 2013
www.arkansasonline.com/news/features/food/‎