Friday - Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers

I need better words than YUMMY but that's that you get. I made these tonight and Eric told me a few hours later that dinner was good - good sign. It's also true what he said, it was just a good meal, nothing fancy but very tasty. The best part - PARKER ate it!! It's a miracle!

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less...)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)

preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Give coconut a rough chop so it's about the same size as the panko pieces

Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices.

Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating.

Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour.. then dip in egg...

And then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.

Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a teeny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely, but it's optional.

Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they're big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.

Served with Caesar salad, chips & salsa

Side note: I'm not a HUGE coconut fan, but these work for me.

Cheesy Chicken, Vegetables & Noodles

I've made this twice recently, that's saying alot because I like to try new things, but it has a great flavor!

3 cups egg noodles, uncooked
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pkg. (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables (sugar snap pea mixture)
1/4 lb. (4 oz.) Velvetta Cheese , cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese

COOK noodles as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, cook and stir chicken in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 4 min. or until no longer pink. Add vegetables; cook 5 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in VELVEETA; cook and stir 1 to 2 min. or until melted.
DRAIN noodles; place on platter. Top with chicken mixture and Parmesan.

Hawaiian Chicken

We eat alot of chicken. Blame me.

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple
1 bottle (16 oz) BBQ sauce
4-6 cups rice, cooked

Place meat in greased slow cooker. Combine pineapple and BBQ sauce and poor over meat. Cover and cook on high heat 3-4 hours, low heat 6-8 hours. Serve over rice.

I've also done this with meatballs and pork - SO GOOD!!

Creamy Italian Chicken

My sister-in-law showed me this one - so yummy over rice!

4-6 Chicken breats
1/2 cup butter
1 pkg cream cheese
1 pkg Italian dressing mix

Melt butter and cream cheese on stove until nice and creamy. Add Italian seasoning mix, and poor over chicken in crock pot. Cook on high 4 hours or low 6-8 hours!

Whole Cranberry Chicken

I love to use my crock pot whenever possible so here are a few of my favorite creations!

3-4 pounds chicken pieces (i use whatever I want for us and leftovers)
1/4 cup driend minced onion
1 can (16oz) whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup BBQ sauce

Combine all ingredients in greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat 4 hours or low heat for 6-8 hours. Makes 4-6 servings

DON'T use jellied cranberry sauce - it adds to much liquid.

(from 101 things to do with a slow cooker)

Greek Chicken & Rice Skillet

1/3 cup Greek Vinaigrette Dressing
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
4 cups cut-up fresh vegetables (such as broccoli, carrots, and green pepper) about 1 lb
1 can (14 oz) reduced sodium chicken broth
2 cups Minute brown rice, uncooked
1 lemon

HEAT dressing in a large deep nonstick skillet on medium heat. Add chicken; sprinkle with oregano. Cook 5 min., stirring once. ADD vegetables and broth; simmer 5 min. stir in rice; simmer 5 min. turn off heat. Let stand, covered 5 min. or until liquid id absorbed. GRATE 1 tsp. lemon peel; sprinkle over chicken. Cut lemon into 4 wedges; serve with chicken and rice mixture.

This has a very clean taste!! I loved it. I used white rice because that is what I already had..

Smothered Chicken

This tastes like it is from a restaurant, my whole family loves it!!

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Montreal Steak Seasoning
1 TBL vegetable oil
1 small carton button mushrooms, quartered
½ - 1 lb real bacon, cut into pieces
4 plus slices of Colby jack cheese
½ cup chopped green onions
1½ cups diced tomatoes
4 TBL barbeque sauce

Pound chicken to ¼ inch thick, sprinkle with seasoning. In skillet brown chicken in oil for 4 minutes. Sauté cut up mushrooms and bacon until bacon is crispy. Drain any excess grease. Put 1 TBL BBQ sauce on top of each chicken breast and pile mushroom & bacon mixture evenly on each chicken. Top each smothered chicken with one slice of cheese. Place lid on skillet and cook until chicken juices run clear and cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes. top with diced tomatoes and chopped onions. Serve with honey mustard sauce and cheesy mashed potatoes.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

3 cups corn flakes
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. garlic powder
pinch of pepper
1 lb. Boneless skinless chicken breast
¼ cup flour
2 large eggs, beaten


Cut the chicken breast into nugget sized pieces, set aside. Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly oil or coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Place the corn flakes in a resealable plastic bag and crush to a fine texture using a rolling pin or the bottom of a small saucepan. Poor unto a medium sized bowl. Add the Parmesan cheese, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, and pepper to the crushed corn flakes. Place the eggs in a separate small bowl. Place the flour in a separate small bowl. To bread the chicken, coat in flour, shaking off excess. Dip in the egg, then coat well in the corn flake mixture. Arrange the chicken on the prepared baking sheet and cook until golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.


Harmons sells chicken already pre-cut chicken, I hate touching raw chicken so I usually get those.
Also this is yummy with honey mustard (recipe to come)

Chicken Enchiladas

Combine the following together:
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
4 green onions chopped
4 oz can diced green chilies
1 cup sour cream
½ tsp. cumin
3-4 chicken breasts (halves) cooked & chopped

Spread just enough of the sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan to cover it. Add the chicken to about 1 cup of the sauce. Put chicken mixture in the center of each flour tortilla. Fold in 1/3’s and place flaps on the bottom of pan. Spread remaining sauce over the tortillas to completely cover. Top with grated cheese. Cook uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.

Chicken Roll-Ups

Combine together:
3 oz cream cheese with chives
3 oz regular cream cheese
¼ cup melted butter
2 cups chopped chicken
1 cup chopped celery

2 pkgs crescent rolls
2 cups crushed seasoned bread crumbs
¼ cup melted butter

Separate crescent rolls. Add chicken mixture to center of each roll. Roll up and seal edges, dip each roll in melted butter, then roll in bread crumbs. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes. Top with chicken gravy and/or cranberry sauce.

Chicken Gravy
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ cup sour cream
1 TBL lemon juice
Mix and heat

Chicken & Broccoli Bake

This is one of my stable recipes! It's easy and very yummy over rice!

2 – 8 oz. pkgs. Cream cheese
1 tsp. salt
1 cup parmesan cheese (divided)
1 whole chicken, cooked & cubed
2 cups milk
½ tsp. garlic salt
2 – 10 oz. pkgs. Chopped, cooked broccoli (warmed)

Layer broccoli, then chicken in the bottom of a 9x13. Mix cream cheese, salt, milk, ½ of the parmesan and garlic salt. Heat until warmed through and mix together. Pour sauce over chicken. Top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30 minutes.

I usually half this recipe and it is a good size for Eric and I, I use 2 pieces of chicken (or one from costco) and put it in a 9x9 pan!