Baked Parmesan Basil Chicken Wings

Let's say you know my husband but haven't seen him in a while. If you do see him, you are going to tell him he has lost weight. You will, everyone has been saying that to him. In the last two months, Ethan has lost 20 pounds. How? Oh you know, the usual. By eating buffalo wings, drinking soda and golfing a lot. Isn't that how you lose weight? No? Well, it's all apart of the unfair and unjust way a man's body loses weight and a woman's doesn't. Without any effort, he has shed pounds while I continue to sport the 20 or so extra pounds that Violet left behind. Unjust.

Speaking of buffalo wings, he has become addicted. By our house, there is a really great wing place. Rocky Mountain Wing Shack. The owner knows Ethan by name now and they go golfing together on occasion. Alan, the owner, makes really excellent wings. Moist, never frozen and fried perfectly. The sauces he uses are housemade and the tater tots are the way tater tots should be. Crisp, light and soft on the inside. Sonic, take note.

Fine, whatever, Ethan likes wings. A lot. Like 3-times-a-week a lot. Somehow, amid his wing fascination, he has managed to lose weight. It's just not fair. I like wings, most people do. But I don't want to eat that much fried food. So in comes these wings. Tossed with herbs and baked. Once baked, they are tossed in an olive oil and Parmesan cheese mixture. Basil and garlic are also in the mix because those two can do no wrong. If you are like me and the buffalo wing diet isn't taking effect, try these babies.




2 lbs chicken wings, split and tips trimmed off
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp chile powder
1 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp olive oil
10 basil leaves, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Set oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine chicken wings, olive oil, thyme, oregano, chile powder and salt. Toss well until the wings are coated in the the oil and seasonings. Spread out onto a baking sheet, skin side up, and bake for 25 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken cooks, combine 3 Tbsp oil, basil, garlic and Parmesan and mix well. Also, clean the bowl that the wings were tossed in. When the wings are done, put the wings in the clean bowl and pour the Parmesan and oil mixture over the top. Toss well. Remove chicken wings from the bowl and onto a serving platter. Drizzle the wings with the oil and cheese that is remaining in the bowl.

Yields 4 servings.

Served with these: sauteed red chard with garlic and baked potato wedges.


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Chicken Enchiladas

I have been in the biggest cooking rut. Biggest. And in a recent moment of postpartum hormonal weirdness, I had made up my mind that I was going to quit this whole blogging business. It's a little frustrating to not be able to cook like I want to. Here is a list of my current food failures.

Peanut Butter Truffle Bars - FAIL
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Raspberry Chipotle Sauce - FAIL
Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Grapefruit Onion Sauce - FAIL
Orange and Garlic Marinated Chicken - FAIL

Basically, I have ceased to be able to create my own recipes. My gift of writing recipes left a few weeks ago, along with my placenta and I no longer can cook without specific direction. It's a shame, because it wasn't always that way. I used to develop some brilliant stuff. Not anymore. Maybe I needed this period of failures so that I can remember that there are actual cookbooks out there and they are filled with excellent recipes. So I will be making a trip to the library to get some cookbooks.

Note to self: Stop wasting ingredients and money and start following real live recipes.

This is a Tyler Florence recipe and it is BRILLIANT. Yes, I diddled with it a bit, but not much. Spicy heat from two types of chiles. Sweetness from tomatoes and corn. Savory bites of shredded chicken and two types of cheese. And great news, it can be frozen. Directions for cooking these in frozen form are at the end of this post.

Note to self: High five for starting to like cheese. Darling girl, I am proud of you.

I made an 8x8 inch pan of this for my family and then took the other half of the recipe and put it into a foil pan and froze it for my sister Caitlyn, the one having a baby in mid-June. p.s. I have two other foil pans that came in the pack from the grocery store. I want to make Caitlyn and her husband Tadd two other freezer meals and I am coming up with nothing. Any ideas?

Note to self: Don't make up the recipes for Caitlyn's freezer meals. You suck at doing that.



1 lb chicken breasts
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
1 chipotle pepper, seeds removed and minced
1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes, drained
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Mexican seasoning blend
1 15 oz can enchilada sauce or 1 1/2 cups homemade enchilada sauce
16 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Set oven to 350 degrees.

Pat dry and season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add the chicken breasts. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside on a plate to cool. Once cooled, shred into bite-size pieces.

Increase the heat and add the onion, garlic, 1 tsp salt and a few grinds of ground pepper to the pan and saute for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent and softened. Stir in corn, green chiles and chipotle chiles. Cook for 2 minutes. Add stewed tomatoes, cumin, garlic powder and Mexican
seasoning blend and cook for another minute. Fold in shredded chicken ad remove pan from heat.

In a 9x13 inch pan, pour in about 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce and tilt the pan to completely coat the bottom of the pan. Heat the tortillas in the microwave for 30 seconds to soften them and make the pliable. Scoop in a scant 1/4 of filling into one of the tortillas and sprinkle about a tablespoon of shredded cheese on top. Roll tortilla up and set in the pan, seam side down. Repeat with all tortillas. Once all tortillas are rolled, pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the top and sprinkle of the remaining cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve with sour cream, avocados and cilantro.

Yields 6-8 servings.

Rookie's Notes: If you are cooking this and it's frozen, bake at the same temperature, 350 degrees, but increase the time to 45 minutes. Cover with foil and remove the foil when there are 10 minutes left.


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Chicken and Pinto Bean Tacos

Part of me never wants to develop and post another chicken recipe for as long as I live. I have so many chicken recipes and I feel like I have exhausted the entire chicken race. The other part of me recognizes that chicken is cost effective, low in fat, everyone likes it and it tastes like rattlesnake, from what I have heard. Only one side of the battle is going to win. And from the title of this recipe, you can tell who won.

With this pregnancy and it's most-wanted foods, I would like to think that the only tacos in the world are shrimp tacos and fish tacos. Magic is seafood in a tortilla. Guess what recipe on here is the most popular one according to my Sitemeter? Shrimp tacos. Rookie Cookie's ad revenue could survive alone on Google searches for my shrimp taco recipe. We recently made them and they were as excellent as I remember. Ethan put together a little chipotle pink sauce to go with them and he Googled Rubio's white sauce recipe to guide him. And guess what Rubio's white sauce is? Nothing but equal parts mayo and plain yogurt. That's it. And it is so delicious.

To try and part ways with bland chicken dishes, I have added a few things to give these tacos a bit of a punch. We have pinto beans, which will add additional protein to go with the chicken. There are also green chiles to give the chicken some added depth of flavor and spice. Everything is piled into a corn tortilla and finished off with fresh vegetables, avocados being the most essential in my opinion.




2 large chicken breasts
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 4 oz diced green chiles
1 tsp kosher salt
A few grinds black pepper
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chile powder
Corn tortillas for serving

In a large pot of boiling water, boil chicken breasts until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from water and set aside to cool. Once cooled, shred chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding fat. Set shredded chicken aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil. Once oil runs quickly in the pan, add onion and 1/2 tsp salt. Saute onion until softened and lightly browned. Add shredded chicken, pinto beans, green chiles, 1 tsp salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin and chile powder. Gently stir to combine, being sure to not smash the beans. Cook until beans are heated through, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Serve chicken in tacos shells with tacos toppings.

Yields 6 servings.

Rookie's Notes: Not sure what you prefer on your tacos, but we had shredded iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes, diced red onion, diced avocado and shredded cheddar cheese. I wanted to use cilantro too and I thought I had bought some at the store, but I couldn't find it in the fridge. You know what else I can't find? That pound of ground beef I swear I got from the butcher. I really hope it isn't in the trunk of my car rotting away and making everything stink.

Ethan's Roast Chicken and Gravy

This is my favorite meal. And I really mean that. If I have a chance to request a last meal before my death, this is the main dish. Ethan has perfected the perfect roast chicken. Moist, perfectly seasoned, crisp skin and the quintessential gravy to drown it in. When Ethan and I got married, he began a quest to perfect his favorite recipes. This chicken is something he has worked hard on. And that means I have eaten a lot of roast chicken in the last 7 years.

The garlic and rosemary under the skin.
And here is a brilliant idea from my husband.
Prep the chicken in your clean kitchen sink.
Then you don't dirty a cutting board. Smart.

What makes this roast chicken so special? Something you won't believe. Mayonnaise. Yes, mayo. You slather the entire chicken in mayonnaise before seasoning. Sounds kind of kooky, but let me convince you otherwise. What is in mayo? Eggs and oil. What do eggs do to something? You put an egg wash on a pie crust to give it a pretty golden color. And why do you put oil on chicken? Well, it crispens it up. So lets take two good ingredients and put them together and slather them on a bird. Not only does the mayo give the bird color and crispness, but it provides the ideal texture for the seasonings. Nothing falls off the skin. My mom used Ethan's method on her Thanksgiving turkey and it was by far the most excellent turkey she has ever turned out. Seriously, the most excellent.

Pretty bird all lubed up with mayo and seasoned and ready to take a bake in the oven.
Notice the toothpicks. Their job is to hold the skin in place so it doesn't shrink up while roasting.

So imagine the skin after roasting. Incredibly flavorful, crisp, perfectly browned. And who just doesn't like crisp poultry skin? No one. If you are leery about using mayo, I beg of you to trust me. It's what sets this roast chicken apart from any other.

What do you do while waiting for the chicken to cook? You take a nap. Here is Ethan, Jack and Ethan's tired college student little sister Stephanie, taking a luscious Sunday nap. What I want to know is why I didn't nap as well. Am I pregnant or not? Aren't Sunday naps a right of passage during pregnancy?



For the chicken:
1 3 lb whole chicken
4 garlic cloves, sliced lengthwise into thirds
1 sprig rosemary, leaves stripped off
3 Tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Lawry's seasoning salt
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp kosher salt
A few grinds black pepper

For the gravy:
All pan drippings
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup flour

Set oven to 375 degrees.

Pat the chicken dry. Gently lift skin and loosed skin from the breast. Slip in garlic slices and rosemary leaves and distribute evenly over the breast.

With your hands, spread mayonnaise evenly over the entire chicken. With the breast side up, evenly sprinkle seasoning salt, poultry seasoning and salt. Add a few grinds of black pepper. Press toothpicks into the chicken where you loosened the skin to put the garlic and rosemary in. Place bird on the rack of a roasting pan. Cover loosely with foil. Roast for 2 1/2 hours, removing foil after one hour.

Remove roasting pan from the oven. With two fork, gently lift the chicken and set onto a cutting board to rest while making the gravy. For the gravy, pour and scrape all drippings from the roasting pan into a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken stock, poultry seasoning and red pepper flakes. In a small bowl, whisk together butter and flour. Once the chicken stock mixture is simmering, whisk in butter flour mixture. Gravy should thicken. Once thickened, simmer gravy for an additional 5 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.

Once the gravy is finished and the chicken has rested, remove toothpicks, carve chicken and set on a platter. Serve chicken with gravy and rice or mashed potatoes.

Yields enough chicken and gravy for 5 servings.

Served with this: good bread for dipping, long grain white rice, steamed baby carrots with browned butter and pecans. And chocolate souffle for dessert. And then the Olympics to aid digestion.

What your gravy should look like.
Darker and separated before whisking in the butter and flour.
Once the butter and flour have made their final descent, the gravy will be lighter in color.

Rookie's Notes: If your gravy isn't as thick as you want after adding the butter flour mixture, you can further thicken it with a quick fix of vegetable oil and flour. Whisk together 2 Tbsp vegetable oil and 2 Tbsp flour and then whisk that into the gravy. Why use vegetable oil instead of butter? We are lazy and anxious to eat. It is more convenient to just throw together a quick thickener with that. And why not just add flour? You run the risk of it clumping up in the gravy. So you "thin it out" with vegetable oil, or butter in the case of the first thickening addition. I wouldn't recommend thickening the gravy with 1/4 cup vegetable oil and flour. Butter adds a far superior taste and texture, a silky smooth texture. BTW, here is what your butter and flour mixture should look like.


If you don't have a roasting pan, you can use a glass 9x13 inch pan. But if you want a great roasting pan, Pampered Chef. Their roasting pan is ideal. My Auntie Robin is a big wig Pampered Chef lady and I have bought lots of great products from her over the years. My roasting pan is my favorite. We've used it for roasting ribs, chicken and prime rib. I have used it to bake creme brulees or chocolate souffles in a water bath. And Robin told me that one of her customers uses it to make lasagna for her extended family of 40. So if you are looking for a great roasting pan, Pampered Chef has it.

And lastly, you will notice that Ethan didn't stuff anything in the cavity of the bird. I asked him why he never does and he said, "You don't eat the cavity". Good enough reason for me.

Chicken Nachos for a Crowd

The day I made these was one helluva day. It started out with me and Jack sleeping over at my sister's house in Provo (Van stayed home with Daddy). We woke up early early in the morning to go see the hot air balloons at Fox Field. It was completely awesome. Jack even got to sit in a fire truck. After being entertained by the balloons, we went to Provo Bakery where Jack had a chocolate donut and I had an extremely disgusting and disappointing buttermilk bar. They tried to tell me it's like a krueller. Lies, I tell you.

We headed down the freeway towards home. Once off the freeway, I grabbed a Route 44 diet Coke at Sonic. Such a terrible hour to consume soda, but whatever. We got home and everyone crashed. Thank you Van for having such agreeable nap times. We slept and then had to throw ourselves together to meet Lindsey of Cafe Johnsonia at the park with her 3 adorable children. Her baby has the most delightful red hair. We sat at the park and chased our children, some of which were insistent on taking their clothes off. After exhausting ourselves, we both headed home for naps. But not before I took a detour through Sonic AGAIN. Yes Kyler, I'm the same lady you saw earlier this morning. But this time I want a Strawberry Limeade. Yeah, thanks.

Once home, afternoon naps commenced. Of course I went to sleep because I was still suffering from my hot air balloon hang over. After a few hours, I woke up and wished I had the extra cash flow to just go out to dinner. But unfortunately, I don't. And I hate taking my kids out to dinner anyways. Messy madness. So I went with one of my go-to's.

Everyone has their go-to's. A go-to is a meal you know you can throw together at anytime. My go-to's are spaghetti with tomato sauce, potato soup, frittatas and chicken nachos. What are your go-to's?



4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1 large bag tortilla chips
1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded
1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 15 oz can corn, drained
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
Handful chopped green onions or cilantro

Set oven to 400 degrees.

Set a large pot of water on to boil. Once boiling, add the chicken breasts. Boil until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from the water and set on a cutting board to cool. Once cool enough to handle, shred and put into a medium bowl. Pour salsa over the chicken and toss to coat.

Spray a large baking sheet with non-stick spray. Add half of the bag of tortilla chips and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle on half of the shredded chicken, half of the black beans, half of the corn and half of the onion. Sprinkle on half of the shredded cheese. Repeat again, beginning with the rest of the tortilla chips.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Sprinkle on green onions or cilantro as garnish. Serve with more salsa if needed.

Yields 6 servings.

Spicy Pepita-crusted Chicken with Cilantro Dressing

For those of you with crawling babies, answer this question: HOW ON EARTH DO YOU COOK WITH YOUR BABY AROUND??? I normally can handle it, but with Van crawling around everywhere, I feel like I can't get anything done in the kitchen. Like, "Hurry quick and wash the raw chicken off my hands so I can grab Van before he climbs up the stairs." Or, "Finish chopping that green onion before Van digs into the house plants."

While I was cooking this, Van was all over the place and then Jack decided it would be awesome to fall down the stairs. So I have chicken in the oven, Van pulling apart the pots and pans drawer and Jack bawling his brains out like his limbs have been cut off. Boy I hate that kind of chaos. But I had kids by choice, so I have to figure out how to hack it.

Enough about my insane children, what about this recipe? I love it when I nail a recipe. This one was nail gunned to the wall. Even though I was going to cut off my own head when I was making this, it was quick on the prep, clean in the flavors and fresh in the ingredients. Big time pleaser in our house (after everyone stopped screaming, including me) and hopefully in yours as well.



2 cups raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/4 tsp chile powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 slice fresh bread
1 cup flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
3 eggs
4 chicken breasts, halved horizontally, making 8 chicken portions

Set the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the pepitas, oregano, cumin, chile powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and bread slice. Process until the pepitas are finely ground. Transfer mixture to a shallow dish. Rinse out the food processor bowl and set aside for the cilantro dressing.

In another shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. And then in another dish, add the eggs and whisk. Create an assembly line with the egg dish, flour dish and pepita dish. Dip the chicken in the eggs first, then the flour, back into the eggs and then into the pepitas mixture. Set the crusted chicken onto the baking sheet and repeat with other chicken pieces. Once all pieces are crusted, bake for 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a serving platter.

For the dressing:
1 bunch cilantro, stems cut off
3 garlic cloves
1/2 lime, juiced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

In a blender, combine the cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt and pepper. Process until smooth. While the machine is running, add the olive oil. Scrape the sides down and pour into a small jug or pitcher and serve with the chicken.

Yields 4-6 servings.

Chicken Breasts with Mushroom Cream Sauce

Mother's Day was cool. I always get breakfast in bed. I think I have had that every year since I have been a mother. This year's breakfast was delightful. Eggs over medium, cracked black pepper bacon, strawberry jam rolls and a diet Dr. Pepper to wash it all down. See? The breakfast of a queen.

After enjoying my breakfast in bed, I decided I should look hot for my big day. So I gave myself 2 hours of leisure get-ready time. I painted my toes (who hadn't seen any shade of pink or red in months), shaved my legs and even put rollers in my hair. Rollers turned out to be a bad idea. They made my hair extremely voluminous. Like a lion. I looked like the hot tranny mess king of the jungle. Thank goodness my hair can't hold a curl to save it's life. I looked almost normal by the time I got to church.

Anyways, enough about me on Mother's Day. More about me and food...

It feels good to create a recipe out of nowhere. Makes me feel like the bomb diggity. This particular recipes was partial bomb diggity for me because I no likey mushrooms. I have tried and tried and I just can't. The texture just kills me. Like chewing on a stress ball. Makes me shutter to even think about it. The flavor of mushroom is great. The texture, no.

BTW, while I was typing this up, I was cruising old school with "No Diggity", hence "bomb diggity". I am bringing it back, baby.




For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and ground pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

For the sauce:
4 Tbsp butter
2 8 oz packages sliced mushrooms
Kosher salt and ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup heavy cream

Set the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add two chicken breasts. Cook on each side until well-browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Once browned, place chicken breasts into the prepared baking dish. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil into the pan and brown the other two chicken breasts. Remove the pan from the heat and set the chicken breasts in the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

Leave the skillet off the burner until there is 10 minutes left until the chicken is cooked. When the chicken is almost done, put the pan back over medium high heat to make the mushroom sauce. Add the butter and the mushrooms to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms until very soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.

Once chicken is done, remove from the baking dish. Serve chicken breasts with the mushroom sauce ladled over the top.

Yields 4 servings.

Thin Crust Barbecue Chicken Pizza

When I was a senior in high school, I was the food and cooking class TA. Go figure. Anyways, my co-TA was a kid named Buddy. Yes, Buddy was his given name. Buddy and I helped the teacher grade the food assignments of her students and we did lots of dishes. I got really good at dishes. But thank heavens I did because I have done MOUNTAINS of dishes for my caterer husband.

When the foods class was approaching their pizza making day, Buddy and I decided to blow them all out of the water and make barbecue chicken pizza. The adorable little Food Fads 1 students were so impressed. But their pizza was probably more complicated than ours. We used bottled sauce and a rotisserie chicken. Cheating all around.

The sauce is my own recipe and I love it. I am actually quite the prideful jerk about my barbecue sauce. My family likes it and I hope yours will too.

The crust is an adaption of Stephanie Nielson's whole wheat pizza crust. I wanted some white flour, so it's about a 50/50 split. You can do all white or all wheat. Whatever you want.

For the order of things, I would suggest you make the sauce then make the dough. While the dough is rising, prepare the toppings. Then roll out the dough and put on the toppings.



For the barbecue sauce:
3/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp honey

3/4 tsp molasses
1/8 tsp liquid smoke

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 tsp ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes to an hour.

For the dough:
1 envelope active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil and more for rolling out.

Add the yeast to the warm water and set aside. Let it sit for about 5 minutes so that the yeast can dissolve in the water.

In a large bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, salt and sugar. Whisk to combine. Add the olive oil and the yeast mixture. Mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts to come together. Start mixing with your hands until a ball begins to form. Turn the dough out onto the counter and begin kneading. Knead for 5 minutes and then form into a smooth ball.

Spray the inside of a clean bowl with non-stick spray. Put the dough in the bowl and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour. Once risen, spread a small amount of olive oil (about 2 Tbsp) on the counter. Divide the dough in half and roll one half out really thin and then put on a greased 10x15 inch baking sheet. Roll out the other half and put it on another greased 10x15 baking sheet.

For the toppings:
4 chicken breasts
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 red onion, sliced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Fill a large pot with water, cover and set over high heat. Once boiling, add chicken breasts. Boil uncovered for 15 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from water and set on a cutting board to cool. Once cooled, shred and put into a large bowl. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add 1/3 cup of the barbecue sauce and toss to coat.

Spread the rest of the barbecue sauce evenly over the dough. Add the chicken, cheese and onions. Cook for 20 minutes at 450 degrees, or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Remove pizza from pans and sprinkle with cilantro. Cut with a pizza cutter and serve.

Yields 2 10x15 inch pizza.

Michelle's Sesame Chicken

As I was making this, I was trying to justify how easy it was. I don't like making recipes that claim they are good because they are easy. Easy doesn't mean something tastes good. It just means it is easy. Maybe I think that way because I have had food that isn't easy and it's so blasted good. Example? The butterscotch creme brulee at Spencer's Steak and Chops in Salt Lake City. It isn't easy to make and I am over the moon for it.

Anyways, as I was trying to think of the easy justification, I thought, "Okay, it is just basic. It is made with basic methods." Then my day was ruined when I remembered lame Lisa from Next Food Network Star and her whole "beautifully basic" crap. Remember her? She BUGGED.

ALERT: I have made this four times in the past month. Ladies (and the few gentlemen reader I have. You know who you are, Misssster Fowers), that is huge. I barely make anything more than once because I have Culinary ADD.

This recipe is another Michelle Special. You know, Michelle with the great ankles. Michelle is my sister's mother in law. She is just the greatest.

Dear Michelle,
I cordially invite you to be my other mother in-law.
Oh, and Megan does too.
Love, Whitney

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast, trimmed of any fat and cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbsp flour
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp sesame seeds
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2 cups white or brown rice, cooked according to package directions

In a bowl, combine soy sauce and sugar and stir well to combine. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken pieces and flour. Season with salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, add chicken. Cook, stirring often, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Transfer chicken pieces onto a plate and put the pan back on the heat. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. With a wooden spoon, scrape the cooked bits on the bottom of the pan while the soy sauce mixture simmer. Let simmer for 2 minutes, until slightly thickened. Add the chicken back into the pan. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and toss well, coating all the chicken pieces in the soy mixture.

Serve over rice and garnish with green onions.

Yields 6 servings.

Served with this: Just a plain old green salad. Romaine, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados and sliced almonds.

Chicken Breasts with Balsamic Garlic Sauce

This is the last chicken recipe for a while, I promise. Except for the sesame chicken coming soon. Then after that, I promise that is it for a while.

Why promise? Have you ever seen my chicken section in the recipe index? It's a little over the top. The recipe index is a good way for me to see where I could use a little more variety in my cooking. The pie section is suffering.



For the chicken:
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and ground pepper
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided

For the sauce:
1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp butter, softened
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar
1 cup of chicken broth

Set the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside. Season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add two chicken breasts. Cook on each side until well-browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Once browned, place chicken breasts into the prepared baking dish. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil into the pan and brown the other two chicken breasts. Remove the pan from the heat and set the chicken breasts in the baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

In a small bowl, combine flour and butter. Mix, making a paste. Set aside. In the same pan that the chicken was browned in, add 1 Tbsp olive oil. Once hot, add minced garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Add balsamic vinegar and bring to a simmer, while scraping the bottom of the pan. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Whisk in butter and flour paste and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve sauce over chicken breasts.

Yields 4 servings.

Served with this: Fried cauliflower and Caesar salad. But next time, I am making mashed potatoes. The sauce is great when sopped up with mashed potatoes.

Quick and Easy Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

When I was writing up this post, I realized that saying a recipe is quick and easy makes it sound like it's a slutty recipe. Then I wondered if I am allowed to call a recipe slutty. Is that taking things a little far? Will people be all offended and send me e-mails and crap? So I asked my mom and Ethan what they thought.

"Can I say a recipe is slutty if it's quick and easy?"

My mother winced. Ethan shook his head in disapproval. Well, geez, sorry for being so bold! So sue me if I soft shoe on the line! Then I called Megan. She is a good barometer on appropriate (NOT). She didn't answer her phone. So I texted her.

"Call me, damn it."

She called and I asked her, "Can I say a recipe is slutty if it's quick and easy?"

She said absolutely. She said that slutty is far less inappropriate than when I mentioned porn.



Bread for serving (whole wheat, sourdough, kaiser roll, hamburger bun, whatever you have)
1 rotisserie chicken
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle barbecue sauce (whichever brand is your favorite. I do have a recipe at the bottom if preservatives aren't you shtick)

Turn on the boiler. Set bread slices, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Broil until lightly toasted, about 4 minutes.

Strip the meat off the rotisserie chicken. Pull apart into bite-size pieces, discarding fat, skin and bones. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add chicken and enough barbecue sauce to coat all the chicken evenly. Toss until the chicken is heated through.

Serve between bread slices.

Yields enough chicken for 4 sandwiches.

Served with this: Panzanella

Rookie's Notes: You want some fantastic barbecue sauce? Try mine. I have worked hard on this recipe and I think it is perfect.

Whitney's Barbecue Sauce
1 1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp molasses
1/4 tsp liquid smoke

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes to an hour.

Butter Cracker Chicken Nuggets

This recipe came from the 2007 edition of the Griffitts Family Cookbook. I love my Grandma Griffitts. She makes the best cinnamon rolls. I especially love my Uncle Toby Griffitts. He is just the funniest. One year at the summer family reunion in Pocatello, he chugged a whole can of Sprite in seven seconds! We were all laughing so hard.

Okay, I am not really a Griffitts. Not even close. Sister Haley is, kind of. I was at her house a few weeks ago and I saw her collection of cookbooks. She let me borrow a few and one of them was the Griffitts Family Cookbook. Haley's mother in law, Michelle, is a Griffitts decendant. I love Michelle. I have only met her at Haley's wedding, but I still love her. Michelle helped Haley sew a blanket for my little baby Van and he sleeps with it every night. Michelle also has great ankles. At Haley's wedding, my sisters and I were all complaining about our fat ankles (mine were especially bad because I was 8 months pregnant). Even my skinny sisters have fat ankles. But then we noticed Michelle's slender, beautiful ankles. We all were and are still jealous. Go Michelle! You have great ankles!

So here is a Griffitts recipe. A yummier and healthier version of chicken nuggets. I changed a few things with the original recipe, like double dipping them.

When I made these, I thought to myself, "Okay, I will make these for Jack. I don't like to eat toddler food, but Wacko will love these so I am doing this for him". These went way past toddler food. I ate one and was surprised. I ate another and another and another. These were good. They would have been good for the Stupid Bowl. Thank heavens that is over. Go Dodgers!



2 sleeves of Ritz Crackers (there are about 36 in each sleeve)
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
5 chicken breasts
4 eggs
4 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp water

Set the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray and set aside.

Combine the crackers, Parmesan, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the crackers are crumbs. Pour crumbs into a shallow dish, like a pie plate. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine eggs, honey and water. Whisk until well combined and set aside.

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Cut the chicken breasts in half crosswise. Then cut the chicken into strips lengthwise. Repeat with all chicken breasts.

Set up a dredging station by setting the chicken on the table first, then the egg mixture and then the crumbs. Dip the chicken strips in the egg mixture and then into the crumbs. Put the chicken back in the egg mixture and then back into the crumbs (double dip). Place the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the chicken.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping once half way through. Serve with ketchup, mustard, fry sauce, barbecue sauce or honey.

Yields 6 servings.

Rookie's Notes: For our dipping sauce I mixed about 1 1/2 cups ketchup with one chopped up chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. Spicy ketchup. So delectable. Can I even use the work delectable when referring to ketchup?

Braised Hunter-style Chicken with Buttered Quinoa

Quinoa has made a come-back on Rookie Cookie. Why? Because it really does a body good. Serve quinoa in place of rice in dishes like this. It cooks quicker than rice and you can serve it with anything. You can even have quinoa for breakfast with milk and maple syrup. Keep cooked quinoa in the fridge and add it to anything. Have it plain or in soup. Throw it in a green salad. You can feel good knowing your body is getting protein AND fiber and it even tastes good.

I have had people ask me what quinoa tastes like. I would say it tastes like rice, but a little nuttier. It is a seed after all. As for the texture, think of a cross between couscous and sesame seeds.

I have never seen quinoa in a regular grocery store. Maybe I haven't looked hard enough. If your regular grocery store doesn't have it, you can get it at health food store in the bulk grains section. While you are there, pick up some steel-cut oats as well (it's cheaper at a health food store) and make some slow cooker oatmeal for breakfast. It will shock you that oatmeal has the audacity to taste that good.



For the chicken:
3 lbs chicken, whatever parts you prefer, skinned
Kosher salt and pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 8 oz package button mushrooms, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup chicken stock
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1 15 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
A handful of chopped fresh parsley

Set oven to 350 degrees.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large skillet over medium high, heat olive oil. Once oil is shimmering and runs quickly in the pan, add the chicken in batches. Brown on each side, but not cooking through, about 3 minutes each side. Remove from pan and set aside in a bowl. Repeat with the rest of the chicken.

Once chicken is browned, add onion, mushrooms and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken stock and tomatoes. Stir and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, thyme and bay leaf. Stir and allow to come to a simmer. Add chicken and season with additional salt and pepper.

Cover pan and put into the oven for 30-35 minutes. Cook until chicken internal temperature reaches 170 degrees for breasts and 180 degrees for legs and thighs.

Serve over buttered quinoa and sprinkle with parsley. Make sure you drizzle some of those yummy pan juices over the quinoa.

For the quinoa:
4 cups water
2 tsp salt
2 cups quinoa, rinsed in a mesh strainer REALLY REALLY REALLY well
3 Tbsp butter
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 tsp dried oregano

In a medium saucepan, add water and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add quinoa. Cook uncovered until most of the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is sputtering, about 10 minutes. Turn heat to low and simmer until all liquid is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add butter. Season with salt and pepper and add oregano. Serve with braised chicken.

Yields 6 servings.

Chicken Chili with Tortilla Crisps

I often have people ask me for easier recipes (Jamie and Tiffany. You know who you are:). They aren't too familiar with the ingredients used in a lot of the recipes on here and cooking just isn't their shtick. Well, cooking or not, people need to be fed and here is a recipe to do the job. The ingredients aren't too foreign and shouldn't be a problem to find in the grocery store. This meal can literally come together in 15 minutes. And it was a huge crowd-pleaser in this house. Even myself, who is trying desperately to like cheese, loved it.



3 cups tortilla chips, divided
1 Tbsp olive oil
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces.
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 15 oz cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans), rinsed and drained
1½ cups grated Monterey Jack cheese with jalapenos, divided
1 4 oz can diced green chilies, undrained
1 15 oz can reduced sodium chicken stock
½ tsp fajita seasoning blend

Preheat broiler. Coarsely crush 2 cups of the chips and set aside.

In a large pot, heat olive oil over high heat. Add chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cook chicken until browned. Add beans, 1 cup of the cheese, green chilies, chicken stock, 1/2 cup water and crushed chips. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Spread chips over the sheet and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Broil 6 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until cheese is melted and begins to brown. Serve chili with tortilla cheese crisps.

Yields 6 servings.

Chicken and Apple Salad Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

I am not about to admit that I come up with all the recipes on this here blog. Although, 95% of the time, I alter whatever recipe I am following. I have a notebook that I am constantly writing ideas in, whether it is something I want to make or an ingredient I want to use that I never have. Currently in the notebook, red velvet cake (I haven't forgotten about you Tammy) and Israeli couscous.

One thing I have been jonesing for is a chicken salad sandwich. I didn't have all the ingredients that some recipes called for, so I did some altering. I think you will like it.



2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 Granny Smith apple, diced (peeled or not, it's up to you. Although I wish I wouldn't have peeled mine. The peel would have added a nice color)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
A few spoonfuls of mayonnaise, depending on what consistency you want
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1 Tbsp honey
2 tsp dried parsley
Toasted bread for serving

In a skillet, over medium heat, add onions and sugar. Cover and stir occasionally, until onions are well-browned and soft, about 30 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

Combine chicken, apples, walnuts and mayonnaise. Mix well (using your hands is best). Season with salt and pepper and add honey and parsley. Mix well.

Spread chicken salad on bread and top with caramelized onions. Add another piece of bread and enjoy!

Yields enough chicken salad for 4 servings.

Sweet Pea's Chicken Taco Soup

Sweet Pea has yet to fail me. Once again, her food has satisfied. This one is a slow cooker recipe. And hey, there isn't any cream-of-whatever "soup" in it! So it is good for you! Healthy AND tasty! Imagine that.



2 15 oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz can tomato sauce
10 oz package frozen corn (I used 1 15 oz can of corn)
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 15 oz can chicken stock
1 small onion, diced
1 package taco seasoning
2 boneless chicken breasts (I used three)

Toppings:
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Crushed tortillas
Sliced scallions
Sliced olives
Minced cilantro (my favorite)

Place the first 7 ingredients in the slow cooker and mix well. Place chicken breasts on top of the ingredients and cover the slow cooker. Cook on high 4-5 hours, or low 8-10 hours. Remove the chicken and cool on a cutting board while you prepare the cheese, sour cream and crushed tortilla chips. Once chicken is cool, shred or cut up very fine, mix back into soup.

Serve soup in bowls, and let the kiddos do their own toppings!

Rookie's Notes: You can put in frozen chicken breasts. They will defrost and cook just fine.

Here is a thought: this would be great to give to the minis before they go Trick-or-Treating. You can throw everything together in the morning and it will cook while you put on costumes.

UPDATE 12/3/2009: I made this today and once again, it satisfied. I didn't have a can of diced tomatoes with the green chiles, just the diced tomatoes. So I added a 4 oz can of mild diced green chiles along with the diced tomatoes and it tasted great and wasn't too spicy. So don't stress if you don't have the right tomatoes. Just add green chiles separately.

Mahogany Chicken Wings

When I was newly married, I made some of the dumbest kitchen mistakes. And recipes that I thought were going to be amazing were totally not. Like some really nasty tuna casserole and some terrible potato fries. But occasionally, I was able to find a recipe that was actually good. This was one of them.



3 lbs chicken wings, split and tips discarded
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup honey
¼ cup molasses
2 Tbsp chile sauce
1 tsp dried ground ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced

Place the chicken in a 9x13 baking dish. In a medium bowl, mix soy sauce, honey, molasses, chile sauce, ground ginger and garlic. Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Set oven to 375. Place the dish in the oven and bake for 50 minutes, turning and stirring the chicken occasionally. Serve with a little extra sauce drizzled over the top.

Yields 4 servings.

Pan-roasted Chicken Thighs with Garlic Thyme Cream Sauce

A few months ago, Ethan, my dad and I went to one of my favorite local restaurants, the New York Grill in Ontario (California not Canada). Some of the best food I have ever had in my life. During this last trip there, I got the pan-roasted duck breast. Ever had duck? My heavens, it was amazing. Since then, I have been wanting to try out a pan-roasted bird body part myself. I finally got around to it and this is what I came up with. Yum.




5 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and ground pepper
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup chicken stock
¼ cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp dried thyme

Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add olive oil and butter. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add the chicken thighs, skin side down. Sear until skin is well-browned, 5-7 minutes. Once browned, turn over the thighs and sear until slightly browned. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Pour in chicken stock and deglaze the pan, being sure to scrape up the bits of chicken on the bottom of the pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes and allow to reduce by half. Add heavy cream and thyme. Simmer for an additional 10 minutes.

Serve chicken with a ladle-full of cream sauce underneath.

Yields 5 servings.

Served with this: Sauteed corn with ginger and mint and buttermilk biscuits. Buttermilk biscuits are really good at soaking up any extra cream sauce. In fact, they told me it is their favorite thing to do.

Curry Chicken and Rice

Rice and something good on top is comfort food to me. This is something our family loves. There is great curry flavor and tang from the yogurt. But the cilantro really sets off the flavors.



2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 tsp curry powder
½ cup plain yogurt
¾ cup heavy cream
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp pepper
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 cups white rice, cooked according to package directions
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil. Once the oil runs quickly in the pan, add the onions. Cook until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with curry powder and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add yogurt and cream and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper and tomato. Remove from heat. Stir in chicken.

Serve over rice with cilantro sprinkled on top.

Yields 6 servings.

Moroccan Chicken Kebabs with Hummus and Naan

This dish is something I have had at the Glendora Farmer's Market a bunch of times. There is this guy that sells lamb and chicken kababs with hummus and fresh naan. He marinates the kababs and slow roasts them. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

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1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 inch chunks
Hummus, click here for the recipe
Store-bought naan

Combine oil, green onions, parsley, cilantro, garlic, paprika, cumin, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper in the container of a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Transfer to a ziploc bag and add chicken. Rub the mixture all over the chicken and let sit for at least 30 minutes.

Once ready to grill, skewer chicken onto skewers, whether bamboo or metal. If using bamboo, be sure to soak them for 30 minutes before adding the chicken.

Heat the grill to medium. Grill chicken kabobs for about 5 minutes on each side, or until done.

Serve chicken kebabs with a dollop of hummus and some naan. Garnish with some chopped fresh parsley.

Yields 4 servings. Here is a tip, when figuring out portions for this, think one chicken breast per person.