Maple Orange Chicken

serves 4

• Juice of 2 oranges (about 1/2 cup)
• Zest of 1 orange (about 2 Tbs)
• 1/2 c pure maple syrup
• 1 garlic clove, pressed
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed (or 1 Tbs fresh rosemary, snipped)
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1 Tbs butter
• 4 organic, free range chicken breasts (de-boned and skinned)
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs non-GMO corn starch (such as Rumford Non-GMO Corn Starch)
• 1 Tbs water
• Hot cooked brown rice
• 2 green onions, chopped
• handful of chopped pecans, optional

In a medium bowl,whisk together the orange juice, orange zest, maple syrup, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary.  You may also do this in a mason jar with a tight fitting lid; shake well. Set aside.

In a 12 inch skillet over medium high heat, melt olive oil and butter.  Brown chicken breasts in the butter/olive oil for approximately 2 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned.

Remove chicken to a plate.  Reduce heat to medium.  Pour the orange juice and maple syrup mixture into the pan; scrape bottom to remove any tasty browned bits.

Place the chicken back into the pan.  Cover, and reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer chicken in the sauce for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink, turning once about halfway through the time.

Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch and water.

Remove chicken from pan.  Stir the cornstarch and water mixture into the orange and maple chicken broth.  Simmer for about a minute, or until mixture is thick.

Serve chicken over rice. Top with sauce, green onions, and pecans (if desired).



Original Maple Orange Chicken Blog Post

Lemon Thyme Chicken Strips with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce/Dressing

serves 6

• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
• 2 Tbs water
• 1 Tbs Dijon mustard
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 c whole wheat bread crumbs
• 2 Tbs lemon zest (from an organic lemon)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs organic chicken tenders OR boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4" strips
• 2 Tbs olive oil (for drizzling)
• Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce, optional (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 425F.  Lightly oil 2 baking sheets.

In a shallow bowl whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, water, mustard, and egg.

In another shallow bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, lemon zest, thyme, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Dredge chicken in egg mixture, press into bread crumb mixture, turning to coat completely.  Place on prepared sheets.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Bake 13-15 minutes, or until the bottom is crispy and golden, and the breading does not stick when turned.  Flip them over and bake another 7-10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.

Serve with honey mustard dipping sauce.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce/Dressing

• 1/3 cup homemade (or very good quality) mayonnaise
• 2 Tbs raw honey
• 1 Tbs Dijon or stone ground mustard
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
• salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all ingredients together until well mixed.  Serve with chicken strips, or drizzle on salad greens.

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Chicken Booyah

serves 8-10

• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 3 c cooked chicken (from stock)
• 1 cup beef stock
• 1/2 c cooked beef (either from the stock, or left over pot roast)

**Or, see note about Booyah Stock**

• 1 c onions, diced
• 1 c peas (fresh or frozen)
• 1 c corn (fresh or frozen)
• 1 c green beans (fresh, cut into 1" pieces, or frozen)
• 1 c carrots, diced
• 1 c potato, diced
• 1/2 c celery, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 lb fire roasted tomatoes (homemade or use a 15 oz jar), diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried sage
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine stocks, chicken, beef,  vegetables through the tomatoes, bay leaves, salt and pepper in a 6 quart slow cooker.

Place the rosemary, thyme, sage, and crushed red pepper on a piece of cheesecloth. Tie it well, and toss it into the slow cooker.

Cook on low for at least 8 hours, or on high at least 5 hours.

**Note - to make your own Booyah stock specific to this soup, use the recipe for Chicken Stock, but add 1 1/2 lbs meaty beef bones plus a little more water to cover in with the chicken; you will use all the liquid and meat from that stock for this soup. 


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Braised Chicken and Cabbage

serves 6

• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 4 lbs chicken parts
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 5-6 cups green cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 large red onion, halved and sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1 apple, peeled and diced
• 2 tsp caraway seeds
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 c pure maple syrup
• 1/3 c good quality cider vinegar
• 1 c beer (I used a regular old mid-grade lager)
• 1 Tbs stone ground mustard
• 1 tsp dried thyme

Preheat oven to 400F.

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat.  Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper.  In batches of a few at a time, sear the chicken parts for a few minutes on each side, or until golden.  Remove and set aside.


In the same dutch oven, add cabbage, onion, garlic, and apple.  Occasionally giving it a stir, cook for about 8-10 minutes, or until the cabbage mixture shrinks in proportion by about 1/3.  Stir in caraway seeds and season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in a bowl or large measuring cup, mix together the maple syrup, cider vinegar, beer, mustard, and thyme.

Nestle the chicken parts into the cabbage mixture.  Pour the syrup/beer mixture over all.

Cover and bake for about 50-60 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.


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Chicken and Vegetable Stew

serves 6

• 1 Tbs olive oil or butter
• 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried marjoram
• 1/2 tsp dried tarragon
• 1 tsp sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large carrots, scrubbed and chopped into 1" chunks
• 2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and chopped into 1" chunks
• 1 large stalk of celery, chopped into 1" chunks
• 1 medium turnip, peeled and chopped into 1" chunks
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas,  thawed
• 3 cups broth (either vegetable or chicken)
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 Tbs water
• 2 Tbs flour

For the dumplings:

• 3 Tbs butter, chopped into smallish pieces
• 1 1/2 c flour (unbleached white, or a combination of white and whole wheat)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 c milk
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat.


Chop the chicken breasts into 1 inch chunks.  Season with thyme, marjoram, tarragon, salt and pepper. 

Cook chicken in oil for about 5 minutes, or until nicely golden.

Add carrots, potatoes, celery, turnips, and onions.  Cook for about two minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add broth and bay leaf.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover, and simmer 20 minutes.

Stir in peas.  Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer another 5-10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, mix together the dumpling ingredients: combine flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl.  Cut in the butter pieces with a fork (or even your fingertips, which is my preferred method). 

Pour milk over all and mix just until combined.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix together the water and flour. 

Pour the flour and water mixture into the chicken and vegetables and mix well.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for one minute.

Drop the dumpling mixture by 10-12 spoonfuls over the top of the stew.  Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.  Cover and cook for 10 more minutes, or until dumplings are cooked and tender.

Serve warm.


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Good Ol' Chicken Noodle Soup

serves 6

• 2 quarts chicken stock (preferably homemade)
• 1/2 c chopped carrots
• 1/2 c chopped celery
• 1/2 c chopped onion
• 1/2 c frozen peas
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 c cooked chicken
• 2 tsp chopped fresh sage (or about 1/2 tsp dried)
• 2 tsp chopped fresh marjoram (or about 1/2 tsp dried)
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme (or about 1/2 tsp dried)
• 1 - 2 tsp minced fresh rosemary (or about 1/2 tsp, dried and crushed)
• at least 1 tsp sea salt (taste to see if you prefer more)
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 c uncooked egg noodles
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients except egg noodles and parsley in a large soup pot.  

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until carrots are tender. 

Add the uncooked egg noddles.  Bring the soup back to a low boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer uncovered for about 6 minutes, or until noodles are tender.  Stir in parsley.

Original Good Ol' Chicken Noodle Soup Blog Post

Chicken Stock

yeilds 2 quarts
cooking time: 6 hours

• 4-5 lbs chicken parts (preferably organic)
• 2 medium onions, cut into quarters
• 3-4 large carrots, cut into large chunks 
• 3-4 stalks celery, including leaves, cut into large chunks
• 3-4 cloves garlic, peeled
• 10-12 sprigs fresh thyme
• 10-12 sprigs fresh parsley
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 10-12 black peppercorns
• 6 qts water

Combine everything in a large stock pot.  

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer uncovered.  For the first hour, skim the foam from the top of the soup and discard.

Continue to simmer another 5 hours (for a total of 6 hours) or until liquid has reduced by about half.

Position a fine mesh strainer or a colander lined with 1 layer of cheese cloth over a large bowl or another stock pot. Slowly pour the stock into the strainer and allow the liquid to drain through.  Set the chicken and vegetables aside to cool.*  Check the stock and if there are any food or herb particles, strain again.  Set aside to cool, then refrigerate for several hours.


Once the stock has been refrigerated, the fat will rise to the top. Using a spoon or skimmer, remove the fat.

Your stock is now ready to use.  Refrigerate and use within three days, or freeze in appropriate portions for your cooking applications.

*Remove the chicken meat from the bones and skin.  There should be about three cups of meat.  Refrigerate 
and use within three days or freeze.  


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Chicken and Vegetable Shepherd's Pie

serves 8

• 2 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch chunks
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 6 cloves garlic, cracked and peeled
• 1/4 c milk
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 c carrots, diced
• 1 c frozen peas
• 1/2 c fresh green beans, cut into 1 inch pieces (or from a bag of frozen green beans)
• 1 1/2 c chopped cooked chicken or cooked white beans
• 1/3 c butter
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/3 c chopped onion
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 4 oz roughly chopped cremini mushrooms
• 1/3 c flour
• 1/2 tsp rubbed sage
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp dried marjoram
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 c chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 c milk
• 3 oz Swiss cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a pot, combine potatoes, rosemary sprigs and garlic.  Add just enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil, lower the heat, partially cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.  Strain.  Pull out the rosemary stems, adding any leaves back into the potatoes, and discard the stems.  Place the potatoes, garlic and rosemary leaves back into the pot.  Add 1/4 c milk.  With a handheld mixer, whip the potatoes until smooth (about 1-2 minutes).  Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, add carrots and fresh green beans (if using frozen green beans, don't add them now), and  about 1/2 c water.  Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 8 minutes.  Stir in peas (add frozen green beans now), and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter over medium high heat.  Stir in garlic, onion, celery, and mushrooms.  Saute 2-3 minutes, or until veggies are tender.  Add sage, thyme, marjoram, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium.  Add flour and mix well; cook for about 30 seconds.  Slowly add the broth and milk, stirring constantly (a wire whisk is handy here). Continue to stir over medium  heat for about 5-7 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and bubbly (the mixture will not splatter when dripped from the whisk back into the liquid).

Drain the the vegetables and place in a 2 qt baking dish.  Stir in the chicken or beans (season with salt and pepper if desired).

Mix in the gravy.  Top with mashed potatoes.  Sprinkle with Swiss cheese and parsley.

Bake in preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese begins to brown and the filling is bubbly.

Original Chicken and Vegetable Shepherd's Pie Blog Post