Terra Chicken

I don't know the name of the cookbook where we got this recipe.  It was at a friend's house, who practices Orthodox Judaism, so this recipe was from one of her kosher cookbooks.  Needless to say, it was memorable, simple, and delicious (and kosher)!  I have made this many, many times since then.  You can find Terra Chips in the chips aisle at the grocery store, or sometimes in the organic section.  They come in several flavors/varieties.  My favorite is "Original."  You can also vary the flavor with your choice of hummus, again, I use typical "original" flavors.  It's a unique dish -- I don't think everyone will like it (like Dad, who is a picky "meat & potatoes" man).

~Leah

“Terra/Hummus Chicken”

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts  - it helps if they are pounded flat or halved. You should end up with 4-6 halves (or flattened breasts).

8 oz. hummus, your choice of flavor

1 pkg. Terra chips, crushed

2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

1 Tblsp. Olive oil

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Carefully trim any excess fat off the chicken. Place the crushed Terra chips in a shallow bowl (I find it easier to crush the chips while they’re still in the bag.) Don’t crush them too finely – you want a nice course texture and enough brilliant colors showing.

Spread the hummus on each side of each chicken breast, then dip/press into the crushed Terra chips. Place the chicken breasts in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Heat the olive oil in a small shallow pan, then add the garlic, stirring it at a med-high heat until the garlic begins to color. Then, carefully drizzle this oil/garlic mixture over the chicken breasts.  In a pinch for time, I've drizzled the oil & garlic on the top w/out cooking it & it turned out fine, or even omitting the garlic/oil altogether.

Bake for 45 min. or until cooked and tender.

Red Pepper Chicken Pilaf

This is a simple and tasty meal, and especially healthy if you use brown rice.  It would be fairly easy to modify to be gluten-free, using gluten-free flour and broth.  The trick is to not over cook the chicken, so watch it closely as it cooks.  ~Leah

INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 chicken breast halves, skinned & boned
Salt and Pepper
All purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup white wine
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Hot Cooked Rice (2-3 cups cooked)

Melt butter and oil in large skillet over medium high heat.  Add peppers and garlic and saute until peppers are tender, about 10 minutes.  Remove peppers from skillet and transfer to bowl.

Season chicken with salt and pepper.  Lightly and evenly coat chicken with flour.  Place chicken in skillet and saute until light brown, about 4 minutes per side.  Remove chicken from skillet.  Place peppers back in skillet, adding broth and wine.  Turn heat to high and cook for about 5 minutes until liquid resembles sauce texture.  As sauce thickens scrape up browned bits.  Return chicken to skillet and cook to 170F and until it is no longer pink in the center.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Place chicken and peppers on platter, sprinkling with fresh parsley.  Serve over rice.  Optional:  May cut chicken into 1" pieces rather than serving whole breast half.

Grilled Vietnamese Chicken

This is one of our favorite recipes for chicken. It's easy and the chicken is so flavorful. Serve it with some Jasmine Rice or Quinoa and Steamed Green Beans and you've got a nice quick, healthy meal. You don't have to grill it outside, I'm sure that's great, but I'm not a griller unless Will is home...so I cook it inside on the stove.

Ingredients:
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fish sauce (I found this in the Asian section of HEB and also at World Market)
2 tablespoons Honey(or molasses)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (or lime juice)
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 teaspoons black pepper
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (thighs would work well too)

Directions:
1 Heat grill (or pan).
2 Place all the ingredients except the chicken in a shallow glass baking dish and stir them together.
3 Make shallow slits across the chicken breast, going a little deeper in the thick end.
4 Make shallow slits long ways, resulting in a slight diamond pattern in the meat.
5 Put the chicken in the marinade and make sure some gets in the slits.
6 This only needs to marinade for 10 or 15 minutes to pick up the flavor, I believe this is because of the slits.
7 Place on grill and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until no longer pink.
8 Turn once during cooking.

Adapted from a recipe from www.food.com

Peruvian-Style Roasted Chicken with Sweet Onions

This is a scrumptious meal, perfect for company.  It's simple, unique, juicy and tasty.   I doubled the recipe and we served 8 (plus two children), with leftovers.  Our guests loved it (see the picture of Joe, smiling with his food?)

I got this meal from Whole Foods Recipes online ( http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/2510 )

~Leah

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 teaspoons expeller-pressed canola oil, plus more for oiling the pan
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet paprika
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground black pepper
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 large sweet onions, peeled and thickly sliced
1 chicken, cut into 10 serving pieces* (* Note: If the chicken has been precut into eight pieces, simply cut each breast in half through the rib cage to ensure even cooking. Or, you can ask your butcher to cut a whole chicken into 10 pieces with breasts deboned). 
2 red or yellow bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into chunks
1 lemon, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425°F. Oil a large roasting pan and set aside. In a small bowl, combine paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic, vinegar and oil to make a paste. Place onions in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of the paste.  Rub chicken pieces with remaining paste and place in prepared pan, then cover with onions, peppers and lemon. Roast, basting occasionally with pan juices, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are very tender, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes before serving.