Pin-spiration Monday: Copycat Chick-fil-a nuggets

I can't really write a long post tonight because I'm on deadline, but this weekend I tackled a Pin from long ago: Copycat Chick-fil-a nuggets.

Source: iowagirleats.com via Emma on Pinterest

Now, as someone who absolutely loves Chick-fil-a chicken (the whole "we hate gays" debacle this year was a huge source of inner conflict for me), I can say with all honesty that this recipe really does taste a lot like the delicious fast food goodness.

(Please ignore the mac & cheese. It's from a box. What can I say? I like what I like.)

The secret to this recipe? Pickle juice and powdered sugar. It's true. I could hardly believe it myself. (And if you don't like pickles, no worries; you really can't taste it at all once the chicken's been cooked.) For the full recipe, click the Pin above. There's a honey mustard sauce recipe on that post too, but I don't really like mustard so I didn't make it.

And now, I'm off to write (some more)! While I'm doing that, why don't you enter my giveaway? One day left!

Food Fridays: Spaghetti Carbonara with chicken and asparagus

This is by far one of my favorite quick-dinners, because I almost always have all of the ingredients on hand, and it's easy, and it's delicious. Once again, I've adapted a Rachael Ray recipe to include fewer of her crazy ingredients. And I added chicken and veggies to make this a more filling meal.





Ingredients (makes enough for four):
- 1/3 package of bacon
- 1/2 pound chicken breast, diced
- garlic powder
- 16-oz box of spaghetti or linguine
- about 4-6 stalks of asparagus
- olive oil (I like to use an arbequina oil, but extra virgin works too)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup white wine, cooking sherry or chicken stock
- 2 large egg yolks (keep the whites for omelets!)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- red pepper flakes (optional)

Start with a large stock pot of water. Set it over high heat and bring it up to a hard boil. While the water's heating, cook the bacon in the biggest skillet you have until it's good and crispy. When it's done, set the bacon on paper towels to drain, and drain out most of the bacon grease. Leave about a tablespoon or so. Add the diced chicken to the pan, season with garlic powder, salt and pepper, and cook through. When it's done, remove the chicken from the pan and onto a plate. Cover with foil to keep warm. Return the skillet to the oven and add the garlic and red pepper flakes, if using. Add a little olive oil if the pan needs it.

By now your water should be boiling. Add a small palmful of salt, then add the noodles. While those are cooking, crumble the bacon you set aside and add it and the chicken pieces back to the skillet with the garlic and pepper flakes. Add the wine/sherry/chicken stock and let it reduce by half, which should take about a minute or two over medium-high heat.

Drop the asparagus into the pasta water and let cook for about 2-3 minutes. Remove it, chop it into pieces about an inch long, and add to the skillet with everything else. (Note: Frozen peas also work well for this. Just let them thaw a little first, then boil for a few minutes with the pasta then add to the skillet to finish cooking.)

In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks. While you're whisking, add a small ladle-full (about 1/4 cup or so) of the boiling pasta water.

Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet. Remove from heat. Drizzle the egg mixture over everything, then add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat for about two minutes to let the pasta soak up all the sauce. (I usually like to pour everything into the big stock pot to toss it, but if you can manage in your skillet that works too.) Serve with extra cheese and sprinkle with some chopped parsley, if you like.

Summer Feast

So here's that awesome dish I made on Friday. It was so summery and delicious and EASY, and I did it completely without a recipe (well, except for dessert, but that's a post for another day). I just love when I can decide to make something and just throw it together without really thinking about it :)

BBQ Chicken Thighs with Corn on the Cob and Orzo with Peas

I started by preheating my oven to 350 and bringing a very large stock pot, half full of water, to a boil. I also added a splash of milk, a big helping of salt and a handful of sugar to the water. While that was heating, I took some chicken thighs and covered them with BBQ sauce to "marinade" for a bit. I also started heating a medium pot for the orzo.

I put the chicken into a greased casserole pan and popped it in the oven with the timer set to 20 minutes, then put the corn on the cob in the stock pot as the water was heating (this cooks the corn more gently than dumping it in when the water's at a raging boil). When the small pot of water came to a boil, I added a big helping of salt and the orzo. I let the orzo cook for about 3 minutes, then added half a bag of frozen peas. When the water came back to a boil, I let it simmer for another 4 minutes or so.

When the corn water came to a boil, I let it go for about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, I melted some butter and a touch of olive oil in a small pan. I divided this mixture between the corn, when it was finished, and stirred the rest into the orzo-pea mixture. If you time everything right (as I miraculously did), it will all be done about the same time! Delish.

For those who don't know, orzo is not rice. It's rice-shaped pasta. And I love it!

For dessert I made a rhubarb-strawberry crisp, which I made first and baked while everything else was cooking (it bakes at 350, so it shared the oven with the chicken). I'll post that recipe later in the week!

Finally!

It looks like that nasty flu bug has finally decided to shove off. I'm still pretty exhausted (not eating for two days will do that to you, I suppose), but I'm going back to work to tackle the huge to-do list I have. I'm almost sad that I only have a three-day work week in which to try to do everything...but then I remember it's Friday in two days and somehow that makes me feel better ;)

Matt made this dish last week or the week before, and I think I might make it again tonight. Nothing is as comforting as a chicken soup when you've been ill, right?

Creamy Chicken and Dumpling Soup

Ingredients:
- 2 leeks
- 2 small celery stalks
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper
- a bay leaf
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 pound chicken breast, diced
- 1 12-ounce package gnocchi
- 1 tsp paprika
- 3 tbsp dry sherry
- fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

I love leeks, but I hate prepping them. They always have dirt and sand inside, so you have to soak them really well. For this recipe, chop off the roots and the top 3 or 4 inches of the leaf. Cut in half lengthwise and then cut into 1/2 inch half-moon shapes. Fill a large bowl with cold water and drop the leeks in, swirling around to release all that dirt. Drain in a colander and dry off a bit with paper towels. (If you're using the same cutting board for other veggies, wipe it off well to remove any dirt!)

Thinly slice the celery. Heat about a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat and add the leeks, celery, bay leaf and a dash of salt and pepper, cooking for about 5 or 6 minutes. Add the stock and raise the heat to bring it to a boil. Stir in the cream, reducing the heat to keep the soup simmering. Add the chicken and gnocchi and cook for another 5 or 6 minutes (note that the chicken should be diced pretty small so it cooks through).

The soup will get pretty thick, almost stew-like. Season again with salt and pepper, if needed, and stir in the paprika, sherry and parsley if using. Toss the bay leaf and serve! We ate ours in bread bowls from Panera. Soooo delicious.

A word on gnocchi: You're supposed to use the refrigerated fresh kind, but we used the dry kind found in a box in the pasta aisle. It's just as good as fresh, but the soup does NOT reheat well at all, partially because of the gnocchi. This recipe is enough for two though, so leftovers shouldn't be a problem!