Chicken with Stewed Tomatoes

Every time I am invited to a recipe exchange, this is the first recipe I think of. It's fast, easy, and light.

1. Dredge boneless skinless chicken breasts in flour with a bit of salt and pepper mixed in.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, fry on medium-high with a bit of oil or butter until lightly browned, about 4 min each side.
3. Dump a can of stewed tomatoes on top; bring to a boil then simmer, uncovered, on low until chicken is done, about 20 minutes. Use about one can of tomatoes per pound of chicken, or more if you like a lot of tomatoes.
4. Serve with rice or other starch.

Recipe notes:

Cut cooking time down by cutting chicken breasts in half horizontally, so you have two wide thin pieces. Reduce fry time to about 2.5 to 3 mins and simmer to about 10 to 12 mins.

Any flavour of stewed tomatoes will work, my favorite is Aylmer original flavour; the petite cuts work best. I do not recommend home-brand or no-name tomatoes.

If you have one, put a splatter screen over the tomatoes.

Fancy it up with buttered or garlic croutons served on top of the tomatoes (with original flavour tomatoes).

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb ground chicken
1 onion, diced
1 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 dash ground cayenne (or red pepper flakes)
1 bag mature spinach, chopped (or one box frozen, thawed and drained)
½ cup raisins or chopped apricots
2 tbsp mint, chopped fine (or 2 tsp dried)
½ cup water
butter to taste (optional)

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high. Cook chicken, onion and garlic, stirring to crumble the meat.

Stir in paprika, cinnamon, and cayenne, and cook for a minute. Add spinach and cook until wilted.

Add remaining ingredients and cook until water is mostly absorbed and raisins are plumped. Season with salt and pepper if desired and finish with a bit of butter.

Serve with plain rice. To make it fancy, layer the meat pilaf-style between rice in a buttered pan and cook on low until the rice forms a browned “crust” around the edges.

Note: Ground lamb can be substituted for the chicken.

Souvlaki

I tried about half a dozen souvlaki recipes before perfecting this one. The marinade can be made in bulk and frozen in ice cube trays, then stored in a doubled freezer bag; use about 50% more frozen than you would fresh. And yes: there really is no lemon in this recipe.

Marinade
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp garlic, chopped
1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced (do NOT substitute dried oregano)
¾ tsp ground pepper
½ tsp salt

Kebabs
¾ lb boneless meat, large cube: lamb leg, chicken thigh, pork loin or tenderloin or shoulder
2 yellow peppers, kebab cut
2 zucchinis or summer squash, kebab cut
1 red onion, kebab cut
16 cherry tomatoes

Greek-style pitas
Tzatziki sauce

Combine the marinade ingredients. Marinate meat and vegetables in fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight, turning occasionally.

Thread onto presoaked skewers and barbecue until done and browned, rotating to cook evenly, 5 to 10 minutes. Alternately, place on a broiler rack and broil 6 inches from heat until done, 6 to 15 minutes. In a pinch, everything can be pan-fried on high heat, but the meat and veg should be kept separate.

Optional: grill pitas to warm and crisp them a bit, about 30 seconds on each side. Pitas can be effectively warmed on the grill, an electric burner on low, over an oven vent, in a dry pan, or under the broiler.

If you want to skip the grilled veggies: increase the meat to 1½ lb.

Serve souvlaki with pitas, tzatziki sauce, plus Greek-style salad and rice or potatoes.

Tuscan Chicken Salad with Goat Cheese

I love goat cheese, and so does the kid, which makes this salad an easy way to get the greens in. This tangy salad is an easy quick-fix on a warm day.

These quantities are for one lunch-size serving. Omit the chicken and increase the cheese for two side-servings.

1½ to 2 cups romaine lettuce or romaine-iceberg mix, torn bite-size
3 tbsp sliced roasted red peppers, drained
1 tbsp julienne oil-pack sun dried tomatoes, drained
½ oz (about 1 tbsp) firm goat cheese, crumbled
3 to 4 oz cooked chicken breast, sliced
2 to 3 tbsp Newman’s Own Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing

Gently toss all ingredients together and serve immediately.