Tag Archives: chicken

Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza

Sometimes I forget that I actually like blue cheese. Or at least some blue cheese. Ever since I made Pear Chutney Bruschetta with Pecans and Gorgonzola so long ago, I’ve become much more likely to make a dish that calls for blue cheese. Before, I would substitute feta which isn’t even close to the same flavor. But even though I’ve come a long way, I still eat ranch with my buffalo wings and substitute gorgonzola for real blue cheese. A tiger can’t change it’s stripes. This Peach and Gorgonzola Chicken Pizza is a good way for someone to baby step their way into the world of blue cheese.

Prebaked pizza crust is topped with sliced fresh peaches, crumbled gorgonzola cheese, shredded chicken, and mozzarella cheese. After baking, a reduction of balsamic vinegar is drizzled over the top to add yet another bold taste which enhances the whole pie. The sweetness of the peaches, the bite of the gorgonzola, and the tang of the balsamic vinegar all make for a perfect marriage of unique pizza flavors. With nary a tomato in sight, this isn’t your typical pizza. But it’s ease and amazing combination of flavors makes for a quick week night dinner that’s perfect for a warm summer night.

If you like this, also check out Apple, Ricotta Cheese, and Pecan Pizza.

The ingredients:

Place pizza crust on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil evenly over crust.

Top evenly with 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, chicken, Gorgonzola cheese, and peach slices.

Top with remaining 1/4 cup mozzarella. Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 11 minutes or until crust browns.

Place vinegar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until reduced to 2 tablespoons (about 5 minutes).

Drizzle balsamic reduction evenly over pizza.

Cut pizza into 8 wedges.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Cooking Light magazine

Black and White Chicken Chili

August can be strange because it’s still beach weather but with the school supply commercials and preseason football on the television and cooler-weather clothes in the stores, it can tease your mind into thinking it’s already fall outside. Just the sound of the whistles blowing during a football game sends me to the kitchen with the urge to make chili. But since it’s still hot outside, I didn’t want to spend a lot of time standing over the stove. This Black and White Chicken Chili couldn’t have been any easier or any faster to make.

Navy beans, black beans and salsa verde are warmed together before adding in chicken (I used precooked rotisserie chicken which saved TONS of time!). That’s it! Obviously you can add in any vegetables or spices you want (just taste it first). Once it’s all warmed through, I topped the bowl with feta cheese, lime juice and scallions. Talk about simple. The whole time I thought there weren’t enough ingredients for this to be a flavorful chili but it really was. I did add a teaspoon of cumin and some black pepper which added a little spice but I completely underestimated the flavor of the green salsa in this. It is spicy, salty and everything you want in an everyday chili. Since I used precooked chicken, this whole dish took about ten minutes to make. If you want a quick chili that can be made in a flash, try this.

The ingredients:

Drain and rinse the beans. In large saucepan, mix beans with salsa, chicken and 1/2 cup water (or if using precooked chicken, omit the chicken in this step).

Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Remove chicken; shred and stir into chili (or add precooked chicken, if using).

Serve chili with toppings and lime wedges.

Additions:

Cumin
Black pepper

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Reduced-fat feta cheese
Scallions

Overall Rating: Love It

Source: Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine

Fiery Buffalo Sauce

I think I have finally found the perfect homemade buffalo sauce! I’ve seen on food shows that really good buffalo sauces are usually made with some kind of mixture of hot sauce and butter. The more butter the better. But this recipe for Fiery Buffalo Sauce only uses a little bit of butter and has a secret ingredient that just blows my mind.

Melted butter, cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot Original), and white vinegar are mixed together before adding in ranch dressing (or blue cheese dip as the recipe says, if you prefer). That’s it. This sauce is great with wings, nuggets or, in my opinion, anything you want to add buffalo sauce to. Got some plain chicken breasts? Add this sauce. Got some boring pasta? Add this sauce. This is a perfectly universal buffalo sauce that will meet just about any need. I have my leftover sauce in a container in the fridge and I’ll being using it later as a dressing for a spinach salad with chicken I plan on having. I mean, why not? If I could put this in my coffee, I think I would.