Cowpokes

I've gotten behind on my blog, so I am forgoing the menu plans and posting some of the recipes that I have cooked the past couple of weeks. Since it has been so long, I decided to post something that was quick and easy and one of my husband's favorites: Cowpokes!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless and trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
4 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz pepper jack cheese, freshly grated (see my Note About Cheese)
8 slices bacon


Steps:

1. Take your chicken breasts


and flatten them

and salt and pepper them

2. Take the cream cheese

and soften it in the microwave for about 10 seconds


3. Shred the pepperjack cheese

and mix it in with the cream cheese
4. Form 4 equal logs and place the logs in the center of the chicken breasts.

5. Wrap the chicken around the cheese log and wrap 2 slices of bacon around each breast and secure with toothpicks.

6. Cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 degrees.

7. Turn on broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown bacon.

Potstickers

This a Pampered Chef recipe...a little time consuming, but made faster if you get an already cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. I tried to include lots of pictures to help you along the way!

Ingredients:

1 can (8 oz) water chesnuts, drained and finely chopped

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion with tops

1/4 cup grated carrot (I use matchstix carrots)

1 tsp peeled and finely grated fresh gingerroot (*see note on gingerroot below)

10 oz chicken (I use rotisserie, but you can also use canned or get some fresh chicken breasts and boil them)

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 egg white, lightly beaten

1/4 c mayo

1 garlic clove, pressed

24 square wonton wrappers (these can be found in the produce section of most supermarkets)

* A few things to know about gingerroot: Here is a picture:

When you purchase it from the grocery store, just break off a small piece...you don't have to purchase the entire root.

To store in the refrigerator, wrap it in a paper towel and put it in a sealed plastic bag. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

Gingerroot freezes well. If you have any left over, keep it wrapped in paper towel and in sealed plastic bag and it will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Peel it with a vegetable peeler before using.

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Finely chop water chesnuts.

3. Thinly slice green onions (I use kitchen shears).

4. Grate carrot OR use matchstix carrots, like me! About a handful...

5. Finely grate gingerroot...I do this by using a microplane.

6. If using a rotisserie chicken or boiled chicken, finely chop...

7. Combine chicken, water chestnuts, green onions, carrot, gingerroot, soy sauce, egg white, mayo and garlic in a bowl and mix well.

8. To assemble potstickers, place 12 wonton wrappers onto smooth surface.

9. Lightly brush edges of each wonton with water.

10. Scoop filling onto center of each wonton.11. To assemble, fold one point over filling and overlap with the opposite point. Repeat with remaining two points.

12. Place potstickers on pan and repeat with remaining wontons.

13. Bake 12-15 minutes or until edges of potstickers are golden brown.

I serve mine with Hot Chinese Mustard, but you may want to try this dipping sauce:

Ingredients:

1/2 c red jalapeno jelly

1/4 c rice vinegar

2 Tbsp soy sauce

Steps:

Place jelly in small, microwaveable bowl and microwave on HIGH 30-40 seconds or until warm; add vinegar and soy sauce. Whisk until well blended.

Teriyaki Chicken

This is my new recipe of the week and I got it from another blog, but, I changed some stuff up. I'm still working on perfecting it, but it was tasty and very quick and easy!


Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips
3 Tbsp vegetable oil, divided
4 carrots, julienned (I normally just buy a bag of matchstick carrots and do about 1 small handful per carrot)
1 medium sweet onion, julienned (see my note on How to Cut an Onion Without Crying)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Hot, cooked rice (I use Boil in a Bag)
sesame seeds (optional)
green onions (optional)

Steps:

In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry chicken in 2 tablespoons oil for 6-8 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove chicken and set aside.



















In the same skillet, stir-fry carrots in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add onion; stir-fry about 2-4 minutes longer or until vegetables are tender.

Combine soy sauce and brown sugar; add to skillet. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to skillet. Boil for 5 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened.

Serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions if desired.

Chicken Fajitas

Ingredients:

1 - 1 1/2 lbs chicken
1 small bottle Zesty Italian Dressing
vegetable oil or butter
1 small onion
1 small green bell pepper
fajita or taco sized flour tortillas
sour cream
guacamole (click on link for my recipe)
cheddar cheese (see my Note about Cheese)
salsa


Steps:

Cut fat from chicken and slice chicken into strips. Put in a container and cover with Zesty Italian Dressing. Cover and let sit in refrigerator for at least an hour.

I use a grill pan to cook these inside, but you could also use a wok or skillet. In the grill pan, pour a little bit of veggie oil and use a paper towel to make sure the surface is covered in oil. When using butter, I use a couple of tablespoons and melt it in the grill pan...once melted, I swirl it around until the surface is covered.


Slice up bell pepper and add it to the pan. [When slicing bell peppers, I slice from top to bottom. Leaving the core of the pepper intact will help preserve it if you are not using it all at once.]


Slice up onion and add it to the pan. Let the veggies cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. Scoot pepper and onion to the edge and lay chicken in the pan in a single layer. Cook for 4-5 minutes and then flip to other side. Remove chicken as it cooks. When all chicken has been cooked, add it back to the pan and mix in with peppers and onions.

Heat tortillas according to package. I layer mine with sour cream, guacamole, chicken mixture, cheese and salsa (in that order!):