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Cooking Tips | for a better bird ...
Keep chicken from drying out in the refrigerator by
keeping it tightly wrapped. If the chicken dries out, it will become tough.
� Let roasted chicken rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving to allow
juices to be distributed throughout the meat. Standing the chicken up with
bottom end up allows more juices to run into the drier breast area. � When
adding cooked chicken to dishes that have a long cooking time, it is best to
use dark meat because it will stay moist longer than white meat. � When
adding chicken to a recipe that calls for a measured amount, determine how
much chicken is needed by following a standard of one pound of boneless
chicken equals approximately three cups of cubed chicken. � Do not overcrowd
chicken pieces when cooking. Leaving space between them will allow them to
brown and cook more evenly. � Leaving the skin on the chicken, when cooking
it, helps to hold in juices, which increases tenderness. Removing the skin
before eating chicken eliminates about two-thirds of the fat content.
PARMESAN CHICKEN
From Peggy Morison of Fredericksburg
INGREDIENTS:
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� cup Hellman�s mayonnaise
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� cup grated Parmesan cheese
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4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
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4 t Italian seasoned bread crumbs
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DIRECTIONS: Combine mayonnaise and cheese; spread on
chicken; sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake at 425� for 20 minutes.
PEPPER APPLE CHICKEN
From Jean Stainback
of Clarksville
INGREDIENTS:
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6 boneless chicken
breasts
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2 cups apple juice
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2 T butter
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3 large apples (Granny Smith)
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� T of nutmeg
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� cup brown sugar
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1 T ground cinnamon
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1 T black pepper
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1 T cornstarch
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� cup water
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DIRECTIONS: Wash chicken and dry thoroughly. Allow chicken
to soak in apple juice for two hours in refrigerator. Remove chicken from
apple juice (save juice). In a skillet, melt butter. Add chicken, reduce
heat from high to medium. Peel and core apples, slice as thin as possible.
Turn chicken once after browned then add apple slices. Spread evenly. Cover
and allow to simmer until other side of chicken is browned. Add apple juice,
nutmeg, brown sugar, cinnamon and pepper. Stir thoroughly and cover. Simmer
20-25 minutes. Mix cornstarch in water. When chicken mixture starts to
bubble, add cornstarch. Stir until thick. Serve hot.
SNAPPY CHICKEN & RICE
From Joann Hensley of McGaheysville
INGREDIENTS:
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3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
fillets
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16-oz. jar mild picante sauce
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3 T packed light brown sugar
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1 t yellow mustard
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2 cups hot cooked rice
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� cup shredded cheddar cheese
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DIRECTIONS: Place chicken fillets in 2-quart shallow
baking dish. Combine sauce, brown sugar and mustard; pour over fillets. Bake
at 400� for 20 minutes or until tender. Serve over rice. Top with cheese.
Makes 4 servings.
CHICKEN IN A PILLOW
From Patricia Harbin of Louisa
INGREDIENTS:
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1 package frozen puff pastry
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8-oz. garlic-and-spice flavor Alouette
Cheese (or something similar)
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8 skinned and boned chicken breast halves
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Salt and pepper to taste
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1 egg, beaten
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1 T water
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DIRECTIONS: Thaw and unfold pastry sheets, and roll each
sheet into a 14x12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut into
7x6-inch rectangles or 4 pieces. Spread pastry evenly with cheese, staying
away from the edge. Place a chicken breast in the center of the pastry,
sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lightly moisten pastry edges with water. Fold
ends over chicken, fold sides over, and press to seal. Place bundle, seam
side down, on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam. At this point you can cover
and refrigerate up to 2 hours if desired. Combine egg and 1 tablespoon
water; brush over pastry bundles. Bake at 400 degrees on lower oven rack 25
minutes or until golden brown. Yields 8 servings.
POPPY SEED CHICKEN
From Carolyn Maddox of Hurt
INGREDIENTS:
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4 chicken breasts cooked and cut into
chunks
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1 can cream-of-chicken soup
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1 can cream-of-mushroom soup
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8 oz. sour cream
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2 T poppy seeds
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1 T minced onions
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1 sleeve of Ritz crackers
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DIRECTIONS: Mix all ingredients except crackers, reserving
1 tablespoon poppy seeds. Place in casserole dish. Top with sleeve of Ritz
crackers (crumbled). Sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake at 325� for 30 minutes.
Serve over noodles or rice.
CHICKEN ROLLS
From Veronica Terry of Moneta
INGREDIENTS:
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6 chicken breast fillets or 6 boned
chicken breast halves
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Salt and pepper
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6 slices of deli ham
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4 oz. cream cheese
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3 T fresh parsley
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Toothpicks
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1 T butter
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� cup water
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1⁄3 cup cherry or red wine (optional)
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1 cup milk, divided
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10.5-oz. cream-of-chicken soup
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DIRECTIONS: To make the chicken fillet, place each
chicken-breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to
1⁄4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Sprinkle chicken
fillet with salt and pepper; place on every fillet a slice of ham and a
slice of cheese and sprinkle a little parsley; roll and hold it with a
toothpick. Melt the butter in a pan over low heat; add the chicken rolls and
fry until lightly brown; add the water, wine and 1⁄2 cup of milk. Let it
boil and cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is done. In another pan,
mix the soup with 1⁄2 cup of milk and cook over low heat. Pour soup mixture
over chicken rolls to serve.
CHICKEN BREAST SUPREME
From Debbie Day of Catlett
INGREDIENTS:
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4 chicken breasts (whole or cut into
strips)
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Swiss cheese, sliced
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1 can cream-of-chicken soup
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1 cup sour cream
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1� sticks butter, divided
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2 cups stuffing mix
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2 cups cooked rice
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DIRECTIONS: Lay uncooked chicken in pan. Cover with slices
of Swiss cheese. Mix together 1 can cream-of-chicken soup with 1 cup sour
cream and 1⁄2 stick melted butter. Pour over Swiss cheese and chicken. Mix 2
cups of stuffing with 1 stick of melted butter. Top the dish with the
stuffing mixture. Bake at 350� for about 1 hour. Makes a wonderful sauce.
Serve over rice.
CHICKEN MEATBALLS
From Velma McGregor of Gretna
INGREDIENTS:
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2 lbs. ground chicken meat
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2 large eggs
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1 small onion (chopped fine)
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� cup celery (diced fine)
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1� cups dried bread crumbs
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� cup grated cheese
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1 t salt
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� t pepper
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� cup cooking oil
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2 cups water
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DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 375�-400�. In a large bowl,
combine chicken, eggs, onion, celery and bread crumbs, cheese, salt and
pepper; mixture will be moist. Pour oil in a small bowl and dip hands in the
oil. (Oil is needed to keep hands from sticking to mixture.) Shape mixture
into 1-inch meatballs; place meatballs in a 51⁄2 x 101⁄2-inch roasting pan.
Pour 2 cups water in the roasting pan; place on oven rack and bake for 25
minutes or until meatballs lose their pink color throughout. Makes about 16
or 18 meatballs. Serve with pasta in a light tomato sauce or chicken gravy.
EASY CHICKEN
From Dorothy Chidester of Boones Mill
INGREDIENTS:
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1 chicken (cut up), or 4-6 chicken breasts
(skinned)
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� cup margarine (melted)
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� cup honey
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� cup Dijon mustard
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� t salt
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� t pepper
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DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350�. Place chicken pieces in
13x9x2-inch baking dish. Combine margarine, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.
Spread over chicken. Bake 1 hour, basting with pan juices every 15 minutes,
until chicken is tender and golden brown.
Have a favorite recipe or a cooking tip to share? E-mail
recipes and tips with your name and address to:
[email protected] or mail to Reader Recipes, P.O. Box 2340, Glen
Allen, VA 23058. Readers are awarded a $10 gift card for each published
submission.
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