Easy Butter Chicken (With Less Fat!)

When I decided I wanted to try making an Indian Butter Chicken recipe, I started looking around for a recipe that was tasty but not too rich.  The recipe that sounded the best to me ended up having ridiculous amounts of fat, with a cup of butter and three whole cups of heavy whipping cream. That was just crazy to me and I knew there had to be a way to cut down on the fat and still have a really tasty dish.

I scrolled through the comments and found some alternatives, which I tried, with much success! This dish is wonderfully creamy and warming. With those changes and a couple of my own, here is my version of butter chicken!

Ingredients

1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 large onion, very finely minced
1 TB minced garlic

1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
2 1/2 cups evaporated milk (a little less than two 12 oz cans, can use 2%)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garam masala*
1 tsp cayenne pepper (Or to taste. I found this amount to be a mild heat that my toddler enjoys. Feel free to add more if you like things spicier!)
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 TB vegetable oil
2 TB tandoori masala*

1 1/2 cups jasmine or basmati rice, cooked
chopped cilantro (for garnish, if desired)
Naan bread (can be found in the bakery section of most grocery stores)

* Spice mixtures can be found in the ethnic or spice aisle of the grocery store

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.)

Melt three tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook slowly until the onion caramelizes to a golden brown. This takes about 15 minutes of standing in front of the stove, almost constantly stirring, so turn up some music and dance around a little while you cook. :)

This was the onion and garlic when I first added it to the butter:

Here it is after a few minutes... and a few more...

You may have to add a little more butter as the onion cooks down to keep it from sticking. Once the desired color is reached, add the remaining butter.

Once it is melted, add the tomato sauce, evaporated milk, cream, salt, garam masala and cayenne pepper.

 Bring to a simmer and add peas, then reduce heat medium low and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

If you haven't cooked your rice yet, now is a good time to get it going! I love our rice cooker and use it all the time. If you eat a lot of rice definitely consider buying one. We got ours for our wedding but they are fairly cheap!

While the sauce is simmering, trim and cube your chicken breast into smallish, bite-sized pieces. Toss with the vegetable oil and tandoori masala and spread onto a rimmed cookie sheet.

The chicken will release juices while it cooks so you don't want it all over the oven! Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, about 13 minutes.

Add the cooked chicken and accumulated juices to the sauce, and simmer for 5 more minutes.

Serve over rice and garnish with cilantro, if desired. Use warm naan (the garlic kind is our favorite) to soak up the extra yummy sauce!

Enjoy!

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

Fall is officially upon us! Here in Montana it went from 80-90 degree days to 40-60 degree days in the space of a week. We had one night that got down to 16 degrees, just to make sure all the flowers were really dead and so the leaves on the trees would start to fall.

I love having the oven on when it starts to get chilly (although I can't say I ever stopped using it this summer, yay for AC!) Now is the time I make lots of soups, casseroles and slow cooker meals. I recently found a recipe on Pinterest for Easy Chicken and Dumplings, and have converted it into this casserole.  It is warming and filling, although not necessarily low fat.  Leftovers reheat nicely, but casserole does not freeze well

I hope you enjoy this tasty casserole! I haven't been posting as many recipes as I would like to, but if I find things on Pinterest that I enjoy I always repin them to my I Made It! board along with my notes and opinion of the recipe! If you haven't already, check it out!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 cups of cooked chicken
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) of unsalted butter
• 1 cup self-rising flour (To substitute all purpose flour, use 1 cup of flour and add 1-1/4 teaspoon of baking powder plus 1/8 teaspoons of salt.)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups chicken stock/broth (low sodium preferably)
• 1 can cream of chicken soup (also better if low sodium)
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1/2 a medium onion, chopped
• 1-2 potatoes, diced in small cubes
• 1/2-1 cup frozen peas, thawed under warm water
• fresh ground black pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

You can use rotisserie chicken, leftover precooked chicken, or 2-3 pieces of raw chicken - preferably breasts.  If using raw chicken, poach it in the chicken broth or stock in a medium sized saucepan. Cook on a low simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until chicken is mostly done. It will finish cooking in the oven.  Remove the chicken and set aside to cool but reserve the stock.

While chicken is cooking, place the carrot, potatoes and onion in a medium saucepan with enough salted water to cover the veggies and cook until tender.

Melt 1/2 stick of butter and pour into the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan.

Shred the chicken and spread it on top of the butter.

Distribute the veggie mixture evenly over the chicken.

Sprinkle on the peas.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk and the flour and slowly pour that over the chicken and vegetables, taking care not to disturb the chicken and veggies too much. Do not stir.

Whisk together the chicken broth and the cream of chicken soup. I added some fresh ground black pepper to the mixture as well. Slowly pour that over the flour and milk mixture. Do not stir.

 Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes, or until top is light golden brown.

Enjoy!

This last pic was the first time I made it and I forgot to add the peas! I cooked them in the microwave and stirred them in, lol. :)






Original recipe found here.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

My husband LOVES these enchiladas. He could probably eat the whole pan by himself! I am proud of myself because I read quite a few different recipes and picked and chose what things I liked about them to make these my own. I have made them quite a few times over the last few years for family and friends and they are always well received! It is easy to make more filling if you need to feed a lot of people. This is a Sara original... get excited!


You will need:

1 large (or 2 small) chicken breasts (or leftover pre-cooked chicken)

1 small can green chiles

1 small can sliced olives, drained

1/2 medium onion

4 oz (one half cube) cream cheese or lower fat version, softened

salsa (no exact measurement for this, maybe about 1 cup)

cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper to taste (maybe 1/2 tsp of each, less cayenne if you don't want it too spicy)

LOTS of cheddar cheese! If you are using pre-shredded I would have two bags to be safe. You can also get Mexican cheese mixtures, I have used both.

6-8 soft taco sized tortillas

1 or 2 10 oz cans enchilada sauce, depending on how wet you want them (or homemade enchilada sauce if you are feeling adventurous)


Directions:

I cook the chicken first. If I'm planning ahead, I cut up the chicken breasts into a couple pieces so they cook faster, and toss them in my crock pot with a little broth and some cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. This adds some nice extra flavor! Cook on high for about three hours, or until the chicken shreds easily. You could also use leftover grilled chicken. (If you go this route, add the chicken and juices to the pan AFTER the onion is cooked.)

Otherwise, I cut up the raw chicken into fairly small pieces and saute it in a pan with a little oil until cooked through.

Add in the onion and cook until it is translucent. Add in the chiles, and olives, and some salsa, probably about a cup. I eyeball it at this point until it is the consistency I want. Add in the cream cheese and stir it until it melts. Add more salsa if needed. Add the spices and stir it all up, letting it cook together for a few minutes.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Take one tortilla at a time and fill the center with some chicken mixture and sprinkle cheese over it. Roll it up and place it in the baking dish. Repeat until the dish is full! you may end with with some extra, I usually get 6 or 7 in the dish. Sometimes I have to put two in my glass bread loaf dish as well. Pour enchilada sauce over filled tortillas. Cover with cheese!



Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes (or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly.)




Serve with rice, salsa, sour cream and chopped green onions if you wish!

Enjoy! :D

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

I LOVE soup! We have lots and lots of winter nights here in Montana that call for comfort food. The great thing about this soup is it calls for a box of Rice-A-Roni Long Grain and Wild Rice, which you may already have in your pantry! This is easy and quick, and would be great with a fresh, crusty roll! Well, the prep is quick, it hangs out for a few hours in the crock pot. But if you put all these ingredients together after lunch, a very tasty and filling soup will be waiting for you for dinner!

Ingredients

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 package of Rice-a-Roni long grain and wild rice
1/2-1 cup diced carrots
1/2-1 cup diced celery
1 11 oz can of corn
1/2 tsp salt (plus more to taste)
1/2 tsp ground pepper

3/4 cup all purpose flour (I used about half this)
1/2 cup butter (I used 1/4 cup)
2 cups half and half (I used milk mixed with heavy cream, but it was probably only a little over a cup total)

Directions

Combine broth, water, carrots, celery, corn, chicken and rice (along with seasoning packet) in a large slow cooker. If you are wondering why the chicken breasts look seasoned in the pictures, mine were marinated because we had extra in the fridge I needed to use.



Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Take out chicken and shred with two forks and then add back into slow cooker. In a small bowl combine salt, pepper, and flour. In medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour mixture by tablespoon to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Stir cream mixture into slow cooker and then let cook on low for 15 more minutes. (I used less of the cream mixture in mine and it was still amazing and creamy!)



Enjoy!

Original recipe here.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

My husband and I made these last month but I wanted to share the recipe because we really enjoyed it, and if you are doing any grilling while the weather is still nice (or if you live somewhere it doesn't get too cold) this would be a tasty dinner to try! (I got the basic recipe from AllRecipes but I added a lot to it.)


Ingredients
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 cloves garlic
• 5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces
• skewers

Directions
1. In a large bowl whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper. Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 2 hours (the longer the better).
2. Preheat the grill for high heat.
3. Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers.
4. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

I doubled the sauce recipe (except the honey) because we had lots of veggies and meat and I wanted to have some for the rice. I made some in our rice cooker. I think we only used 1 whole chicken breast (both sides) and Nic cut them into strips so they would stay on the skewers better. He also had some beef he brought home from work the other day that had been marinating in the fridge. We used mushrooms, red and green peppers and onions for the veggies. Pineapple chunks would be very good with this! We marinated the chicken in one bag and the veggies in another. We also reserved some marinade to baste the kabobs (and afterward I cooked it down a bit to drizzle over the rice.) If you put them in separate bags you can also use the marinade on the veggies still to baste since it doesn't come into contact with the raw meat. And don't forget to soak the skewers so they don't burn! :)

Here are the approximate amounts I used in the marinade:
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup honey, 1T brown sugar
• 1/3 cup soy sauce (low sodium) and 1/3 cup Kikkoman Teriyaki marinade
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (I just ground some into the mixture)
• 1 tsp sambal oelek chili paste
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• A squirt of ginger juice (fresh grated ginger would also be good!)
• A couple squirts of lime juice (to break down the meat, I always use citrus in marinades)



This was so good, both Nic and I stuffed ourselves. We did take some over to our next door neighbor since we thought it wouldn't be as good rewarmed. She loved it and asked me for the recipe! :) Enjoy!