i am a big fan of rachael ray… and was very excited recently to watch her in the mornings on some extended time off from work.  this was one of the recipes that she featured… which included fish.  it almost made me want to try the recipe as it was.  however, i chickened out (no pun intended) and the voice of reason in my head (tom ) said to go for the chicken.  so here is my version of the recipe, slightly adapted from the original.  this recipe also includes a bonus recipe for pico de gallo!

• 4 small vine-ripened tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 large jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped (leave the seeds in for more heat!)
• 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
• a small handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• salt
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1/2 bag of steamed corn from a bag (in the freezer section)
• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
• vegetable oil for drizzling
• salt and pepper
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 c shredded low-fat mexican blend cheese from the bag
• 12 soft flour tortillas

1. pre-heat a non-stick large pan over medium heat.
2. combine tomatoes, jalapeño, onion, cilantro, salt and 1 tsp of lime zest and the juice of one lime.
3. coat the corn with a liberal drizzle of vegetable oil.  season with salt and pepper.  cook the corn in the pan for 10-15 min. or until the kernels begin to darken in spots.  remove the corn from the pan, allow to cool.  fold into the tomato mixture.
4. in the same pan, cook the chicken sprinkling each side with salt, pepper and paprika until cooked through.  shred the chicken using a knife and fork.
5. heat a drizzle of vegetable oil in the same non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a tortilla.  warm the tortilla, then flip it over and sprinkle with shredded cheese; scatter some fish and pico on half of the tortilla and fold over.  cook the taco for 1-2 min on each side to melt the cheese.  repeat with the remaining tortillas, keeping the tacos warm in the oven on a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet until ready to serve.
6. serve with a garnish of additional pico, guacamole, sour cream.

enjoy!

my mom’s friend lori gave this recipe to my mom a few years ago.  lori’s recipe is for pistachio fish.  i do not like fish, but when my mom made this recipe using fish, i thought it made the fish taste bearable and had to try it with chicken.   whether you like fish or chicken, you will not be disappointed.

• 1 c dry-roasted pistachios, chopped
• 1/2 c brown sugar
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp dill weed
• 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• basil pesto
• 6 6 0z. pieces of salmon or 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved.

1. preheat oven to 425° (for fish) or to 375° (for chicken)
2. combine nuts, brown sugar, lemon juice, dill weed and pepper. set aside.
3. place salmon in foil-lined 9×13 pan or chicken in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  make sure that the chicken does not overlap or it will not cook evenly.  the same goes for the fish, i suppose.
4. spoon pistachio on top of the chicken.
5. press down to form crust.
6. bake the fish for 6-8 min, chicken for 25-30 min.
7. serve with basil pesto.

enjoy!

i’m a huge fan of ikea.  unfortunately in nashville, the closest ikea is four hours away in atlanta.   nashvillians are crazy about ikea.  there is a rumor that one is coming to nashville, and there is also a company that specializes in personalized ikea shopping for nashvillians.  anyways,  we took a road trip there a few weeks back and i picked up one of these bad boys.  honestly, i think i’m most excited about making homemade mac n’ cheese in it.  but i broke it in making chicken stir fry.

i’m not sure what to think of my first wok experience.  it did produce a tasty result and it was a lot less messier than cramming all of the ingredients into a 12″ non-stick pan.  but the shape of the pan made it very difficult to cook all of the chicken evenly at once (especially cornstarch coated chicken which made a nice big blob.)  i would recommend keeping the 12″ non-stick pan on the next burner and cooking the chicken the rest of the way, while you prep the veggies and wait for the sauce to thicken.  i’m sure over time i’ll be trying other recipes and will learn how to adapt to the new pan.

with that said, here’s the recipe:

• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 c cornstarch
• 2 tbs soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• sesame oil
• 1 c thinly sliced carrots
• 1 small onion, cut into wedges
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into strips and halved
• 1 can water chestnuts, drained
• 1/2 c chicken stock
• red pepper flakes

1. cut chicken into chunks, place in a gallon-sized ziploc bag.  add cornstarch and toss to coat.  combine soy sauce, ginger and garlic.  add to bag and shake well.  refrigerate while you prep your veggies.
2. prep veggies.  you can use whatever veggies that you’d like.  i’m just a fan of this combination.
3. in the wok, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil; stir-fry chicken over medium-high heat until brown on the outside.  transfer to 12″ pan nearby.
4. add an additional tbsp of sesame oil to wok, add vegetables and cook for 4-5 minutes.  add chicken stock.  return chicken to the pan.  cook and stir until thickened and bubbly.
5. serve over rice and top with red pepper flakes, as desired.

enjoy!