Chicken, Biscuits, 'n' Gravy Casserole

Wow, lots of recipes lately! I guess I am going through yet another foodie obsession. I promise I have some non-food related blogs lined up next!! Lots of stuff to post about. But, for now....

We LOVE to make this recipe. It's like a guilty pleasure. So delicious and so easy to make. It probably isn't the healthiest meal, but it's worth it. I've altered it a bit to fit our healthy needs. I usually serve with some sort of vegetable to make it better, too. We made this last night and had a side of steamed green beans with it; perfect!

Chicken, Biscuits, 'n' Gravy Casserole
Adapted from Every Day With Rachael Ray

1 rotisserie chicken
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 cups Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese


1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Butter a large casserole dish. Pull the meat off the chicken, shredding it with your fingers or a fork into the baking dish.

2. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, sprinkle the flour into the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in 1/3 cup of the milk and simmer for 1 minute more. Remove the skillet from the heat, add the lemon juice, and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour the gravy over the chicken in the baking dish.

3. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter with the garlic.

4. Stir together the baking mix, the remaining 2/3 cup of milk and the cheese. Drop tablespoonfuls of the biscuit mixture on top of the casserole and brush with half of the garlic butter. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 25 minutes, brushing them once or twice with the remaining garlic butter.

Spinach-and-Goat-Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Another fabulous recipe! My personal chef (he's so good!) made this for dinner and it was so good. Good enough that I was actually sad when I had finished because it was all gone. I love me some goat cheese!!

Spinach-and-Goat-Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breasts

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch spinach, tough stems removed
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
4 ounces low-fat goat cheese
Salt
Pepper

Heat oven to 400.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until spinach is wilted and liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper and transfer to plate. Wipe skillet dry with paper towels.

Beginning at thickest end of chicken breast, carefully insert a sharp knife into center and cut pocket as evenly as possible, leaving 1-inch border on 3 sides. Repeat with remaining breasts. Open each pocket, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then fill evenly with goat cheese and spinach. Seal each with 2 toothpicks and season outside with salt and pepper.

Heat remining oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, turning once, until well browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until juices run clear, about 8 minutes. Serve hot.

Chicken Couscous

So we are trying to be healthy lately, as always, and we've been cooking some yummy meals. My main motivation is knowing that I have to wear my wedding dress again soon and I want to look just as good in it the second time around! (Stay tuned for more about this in a couple of weeks!)

Most of you know I'm a huge library nerd. I love to check out cookbooks and try various recipes. I found this one in a South Beach Diet cookbook, and it's SO yummy! I added grape tomatoes to it just before serving, which added some color and an extra flavor. I think you could easily add a lot of veggies to it. It's also super easy and quick!

Chicken Couscous

Serves: 4 (we halved the amount of chicken to make it just for the two of us)

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onions, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup whole-wheat couscous
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
Salt
Pepper

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook chicken until no longer pink inside and lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Remove from pan with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

Reduce heat to medium and add onion, cumin, and cinnamon to pan; cook until onions softened and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to simmer. Stir in couscous, chickpeas, and good pinch of salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 1 minute. Return chicken to saucepan, combine with couscous, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.