Honey Marinated Chicken Stir Fry

Hello! I know I've been slacking on my posts as of late. We've been gone for the holidays and busy busy busy! Hopefully you all had a wonderful holiday and spent it with loved ones. So back in the swing of somewhat "normal" this week, I finally got around to making a meal. This was so easy, I feel embarrassed even calling it that. It was so tasty though, I wanted to share! I did have the opportunity to be off work through New Years, and I am loving the down time! This stay-cation is good for my soul and body. I decided to take on home improvement projects and getting back into cooking a bit while I'm off. Two of my favorite things. Oh, and lets not leave out that I've visited the mall areas several times since Christmas. Yes, I am insane. Spending quality time with the pup as well. I can't complain. Life is pretty great.

This dinner recipe was whipped together and so easy to prep for...and worth the 10-15 min prep time. We had some left over rice from Chinese take out. I feel pretty inventive that I utilized that in this recipe. So this is my own for the most part, but I did steal the marinade idea from another blogger. Recipe for that can be found at: http://www.bombshellbling.com/mamas-sweet-marinade-chicken/

The chicken needs to be thawed. I do this the night prior. In the morning, I threw the marinade together in a large mixing bowl which included the following:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6 Tablespoons olive oil
• 4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon of honey
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder - or use garlic salt and do not add any more salt
• 1 Tablespoon of mustard seasoning - (original recipe calls for 3 tablespoons of grainy mustard)
• 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 
  
• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and add your raw chicken. This makes enough marinade for at least 10 pieces of chicken according to the recipe, however I only used two breasts and had enough to add into my stir fry as a sauce. You can marinate overnight if you want a stronger flavor. You can also grill these babies after you've marinated.

Because I wanted to use up my left over rice, I went the route of a stir fry. My buddy left me a sweet potato, and green peppers prior to her vacation in sunny FL, so I combined those in with my rice for a tasty stir fry! This would be good also with carrots, broccoli, and other veggies. 

1. First add your marinated chicken into a stir fry pan on medium heat. I added a bit of the marinade to the pan for simmering. 

2. Peel your sweet potato and throw in the microwave until semi-tender...about 5-6 minutes. Chop and add to the pan when chicken has started to whiten. 

3. Wash and chop your green pepper, and add into the mix of the pan.

4. I added about 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of chicken broth to keep the mix simmering and not burning in the pan. You can add in the rest of the marinade left overs to the "sauce" of the stir-fry as things start cooking along nicely in the pan. 

5. Add spices as you see fit. I added a bit more garlic powder, salt, and pepper for flavoring. As well as a couple shakes of Teriyake sauce. You can always put more Soy or Teriyake sauce on later when you serve as well, depending on how everyone likes theirs. 

Hope you enjoy! This marinade is so versatile and easy. I will definitely be making it again. The chicken was very juicy and sweet. Can't wait to grill it up this summer!

Happy New Year, everyone! Be safe. See you in 2014

Roasted Pumpkin Chicken Chili

Happy December! Time sure does fly when you add a beagle pup in the mix of life! Seems our weeks and days pass quicker and quicker. We're excited for Christmas with our little guy. He sure does test our patience, but we still love him! We do hope that this biting phase passes quickly though! Below is our "family pic" for 2013 :)

So with all of our time being taken up with Christmas shopping, puppy house breaking, as well as work, dinners have been somewhat "on the go" lately. I also decided shopping for presents was more important than fine dining :) With that in mind, I decided to throw together something that I feel turned out "blog-worthy".

A few months back, my mother brought back a jar of Chipolte Pumpkin Roasted Grilling Sauce made by "American Spoon", you know the company with the awesome jams in all the boutique's in every cutesy town across Michigan? I love their products and I think I've found a new favorite. I used a few products in this recipe that may be considered "specialty" but I'm sure there are easy alternatives if you don't have the exact same product for your chili! I'm all about improving a recipe as anyone knows who may check out my blog. Please also notice, it's December and I'm not over my fall pumpkin obsession...it's a delicious problem. Finally, my husband, who HATES pumpkin, had no idea this was pumpkin based or flavored...he loved it.

Below is my adapted recipe - I show the alternatives to the recipe online in ( )'s. Online recipe can be found at: http://www.spoon.com/recipe/?p=1248

• What you need....
• Large crock pot
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced (I used a yellow cooking onion)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey (I used chicken diced in 1 inch cubes)
• 2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern or cannellini beans, drained - ( I used only one!)
• 1 (28 oz) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 jar of any kind of "sweet" salsa will work - the recipe calls for the cherry salsa from American Spoon
• 1/2 jar American Spoon® Pumpkin Chipotle Roasting Sauce 
• 4 oz green chilies, chopped (I used a can)
• 1 Tbsp cumin
• 1 Tbsp chili powder (instead of this I used a Tbsp of my Tastefully Simple Spicy Four Pepper Dip spice)
• 1 tsp salt (I used seasoning salt)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder (I didn't have any so I used a full packet of hot chocolate! It added a sweetness to the flavor.)
• I also added in a bag of mixed veggies and about 3/4 cup of chicken broth to the crock pot mix.

Here's a blurry pic of my Pumpkin Sauce. I love this stuff! 

I love Tastefully Simple products. If you aren't familiar, check out the website!

https://www.tastefullysimple.com/

Cooking Directions: Heat crockpot to HIGH, add in everything to start simmering except your onion and chicken/turkey. Throw the olive oil in a pan to cook on medium over the stove. Simmer the onions in the oil until soft, add in your poultry and cook until nearly cooked through. Add onion and chicken/turkey to the crockpot. Allow about 3-4 hours until fully cooked on High in the crock pot. Quite delicious served with grilled cheese or I topped mine with mozzarella and Fritos! :) 

My version

My husband's version.

Either way, it's comfort in a bowl! Enjoy! Happy Holidays!