30 Min Chicken Tagine from Dream Destinations Night

Serves 4.   From The Best 30-Minute Recipe.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:

In search of a shortcut that could put our chicken tagine recipe on the table in 30 minutes, we gave the chicken a head start by precooking it in the microwave. After trying a variety of powers and cooking times, we found the power and time combination that gave us what we were looking for: halfway cooked chicken that cooked through in the braising liquid in about 10 minutes. For the chicken itself, we most liked boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which were packed with flavor and had a very moist texture, for our chicken tagine recipe.

Tagines are meat stews that feature a blend of sweet and savory ingredients. The dish of chicken will be very hot coming out of the microwave—be sure to set it on a clean, dry surface or trivet, and be careful of hot steam when removing the plastic wrap. Serve the tagine over couscous or rice.

INGREDIENTS

• 2pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1onion , minced
• 2teaspoons garam masala (see note)
• 4garlic cloves , minced
• 2tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1(14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1/2cup dried apricots , quartered
• 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas , rinsed
• 2tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

1. MAKING THE MINUTES COUNT: Immediately start the chicken in the microwave, then mince the onion. Measure out the flour and broth and chop the apricots while the onion cooks.
2. 1. MICROWAVE CHICKEN: Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange in single layer in ­microwave-safe casserole dish. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave on 50 percent power for 15 minutes.
3. 2. SAUTÉ AROMATICS: While chicken cooks, heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Stir in onion, garam masala, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4. 3. BUILD SAUCE: Stir in flour and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in broth, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in tomatoes, apricots, and chickpeas, bring to simmer, and cook until apricots begin to soften, about 5 minutes.
5. 4. SIMMER CHICKEN: Reduce heat to low and add microwaved chicken with any accumulated juices. Cover and continue to cook until chicken is tender, about 10 minutes.
6. 5. FINISH: Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.

Black Bean and Salsa Chicken Soup

A friend forwarded me this recipe from the Crockpot Lady's blog (very fun. She tries a new crockpot recipe every day).
And yes, I'm in love with this soup: it involves corn, there's kick to it, and the sour cream/cilantro really completes it. As another friend pointed out "if a recipe calls for sour cream on top, you MUST make sure people know that....it won't taste the same without it." I couldn't
agree more.
I made a few changes to the Crockpot Lady's original recipe, only because I found it too watery. So I cut down on the salsa amount. And if you don't add cheese on top, it's a very lowfat meal. Enjoy!

BLACK BEAN and SALSA CHICKEN SOUP
--1 pound chicken (I used 6 frozen breast tenderloins)
--1 cup dried black beans (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
--4 cups chicken broth
--2 cups frozen corn (sweet white corn is best)
--1 1/2 cups MILD prepared salsa, from a jar (12 oz)
--1 1/2 tsp cumin
--1/2 cup sour cream
-- juice of 1/2 a lime
--cilantro (optional)

This is made in a 4 quart Crockpot (or larger)

For DRIED BEANS follow these directions:
Starting the night before, soak the black beans in enough water to cover and another 2 inches overnight. In the morning, drain the water and rinse the beans. You can also quick soak the beans by pouring boiling water over them and let them sit for an hour or two.
Drain and rinse beans and pour in the crockpot. Put in the chicken, broth, salsa, corn and cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.
Cover and cook on high for 7-9 hours. Yes. High. For 7-9 hours. It takes crazy long for the beans to soften, but they will.

Spoon out the chicken pieces and shred with two forks in a separate bowl.
Ladle out half of the soup mixture (minus the chicken you just took out) and carefully puree it in a traditional blender. Pour the puree back in the pot, add the shredded chicken, squeeze in the juice of one small lime, and stir. Ladle into bowls and serve with a large spoonful of light sour cream and cilantro.


For CANNED BEANS follow these directions:
Drain and rinse beans and pour in the crockpot. Put in the chicken, broth, salsa, corn and cumin. Stir, but don't disturb the beans---let them stay at the bottom of the pot, closest to the heating element.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4-5--similar to normal soup-cooking time.

Spoon out the chicken pieces and shred with two forks in a separate bowl.
Ladle out half of the soup mixture (minus the chicken you just took out) and carefully puree it in a traditional blender. Pour the puree back in the pot, add the shredded chicken, squeeze in the juice of one small lime, and stir. Ladle into bowls and serve with a large spoonful of light sour cream and cilantro.

Soup is best when served with: Quesadillas, chips, corn bread muffins, or warm flour tortillas.

- dana

Chicken Roll-ups

This is a great recipe that my mom always made for us growing up. It is easy and delicious!

- 2 packages crescent rolls
- 2-3 cups diced or shredded chicken
- 2 cups shredded cheese
- 2 cans of cream of chicken soup
- 1 1/2 cans of milk (use the empty soup cans)

1. Mix together the diced chicken and cheese.
2. Mix together the cream of chicken soup and milk. Pour just enough of soup mixture on bottom of 9x13 pan to cover the bottom.
3. Open the crescent rolls. Stretch each one out. Put a large spoonful of chicken mixture on the wide part of the crescent roll. Roll up and fold the ends over the middle. Place rolls in 9x13 pan.
4. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
5. Warm up remainder of soup mixture and pour over baked roll-ups.
6. Enjoy!!