Lemon Pepper Chicken Two Ways: Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad with Apples and Dijon or Spicy Lemon Pepper Chicken Wrap

Green Girl Goodies, September 2012

Chicken salad was never a favorite of mine until I started working at Guckenheimer.  We served primarily breakfast and lunch, and chicken salad is a must for any nice deli bar.  I had always perceived chicken salad as a bland, mayonnaise heavy mess but I was proved wrong.  We always looked for creative ways to alter your standard chicken salad to keep the customer’s palates intrigued and I have since continued the experimentation on my own.  In this version I cooked the chicken breasts in a simple lemon pepper marinade.  I then paired the cooked chicken with crispy granny smith apples, tangy Dijon mustard and creamy olive oil mayonnaise for a delightful yet light chicken salad.

FOR THE CHICKEN:

Lemon Pepper Chicken Marinade

Yield approximately ¼ c or enough for 20 oz of chicken

4 small Chicken Breast (4 – 6 oz breasts)

¼ c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp Lemon Pepper

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Kosher Salt

-     Preheat the oven to 350.  Combine all the marinade ingredients and stir well to combine.

-     Pour the marinade over the chicken and rub it in, making sure all surfaces of the chicken are covered.

-     Cook the chicken 12 – 17 minutes or until the juices run clear or the internal temperature of the chicken is 165.

Enjoy the chicken immediately with your favorite sides or cool it down to use in salads, sandwiches or chicken salad.  See below the chicken salad recipe for another tasty way to enjoy your lemon pepper chicken.

Lemon Pepper Chicken Salad with Apples and Dijon

Yield approximately 2 ½ cups

1 c Lemon Pepper Chicken Breasts, small dice

½ Red Onion, small dice

½ c Celery, small dice

½ c Granny Smith Apple, small dice*

2 tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil Mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

*heaping cup

-     Combine all ingredients together in medium size bowl.

-     Stir well to combine.

The chicken salad can be eaten immediately but it best served after chilling for at least 30 minutes to let the flavors combine.  It can be stored properly refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Spicy Lemon Pepper Chicken Wrap with Red Pepper, Red Onion, Baby Spinach and Romaine

I thinly sliced some of the extra lemon pepper chicken and used it to make a spicy chicken wrap.  I paired the chicken with shredded romaine, baby spinach, julienned red pepper and onion and wrapped it up in an 8” tortilla with some Tapatio sauce.  Yummy! 

Up Next…

Tri-Pepper, Black Bean and Corn Salad

Honey Dijon Chicken Marinade and Crispy Turkey Bacon Sauce

Green Girl Goodies, September 2012

Unfortunately I dropped the ball on getting good pictures of this one as I was making it for a group of friends and enjoying the wine while doing so :) Don’t let the lack of pictures discourage you from giving the recipe a shot.  The Crispy Turkey Bacon Sauce was a last minute impulse addition to the meal and was a perfect complement to the chicken.  I baked my chicken but if I had a choice I would have grilled it for sure.

Honey Dijon Chicken Marinade

Yield approximately 1 c or enough for 4 6 oz Chicken Breasts

3 tb Honey

3 tb Dijon Mustard

2 tb White Wine (I used Pinot Grigio)

2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 tsp Lemon Juice

½ small Yellow Onion, cut into medium pieces

5 ea large Garlic Cloves, crushed and peeled

4 tsp + 2 pinches Kosher Salt

20 Turns of Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

-     Place the garlic and onions into a food processor and pulse until minced.

-     Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.

-     Pour the marinade over the chicken and marinade for at least 2 and up to 6 hours.  Bake or preferably grill the chicken to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Crispy Turkey Bacon Sauce

Yield approximately 1 1/2 c

1 c Turkey Bacon, julienned

3/4 c Honey Dijon Marinade*

*If also cooking the Honey Dijon Chicken use the same marinade used to marinate the chicken.

-     Heat a medium sauce pan over high heat and add the Turkey Bacon.

-     Cook the bacon until it begins to turn golden brown and gets crispy.

-     Add the Honey Dijon Marinade and bring it to a boil.  This is crucial if you are using the marinade reserved from the raw chicken as it is necessary to kill any raw chicken bacteria.

-     Let the sauce reduce until there is very little liquid left.

Up Next:

Quick and Easy Vegetarian Quesadillas

Spicy Tapatio Tuna Salad Wrap

Green Girl Goodies, August 2012

Those who have known me for a long time are probably very surprised to see a canned tuna recipe posted on my blog.  Ever since I can remember, I have felt very strongly about the stuff:  it smells and tastes like what I feed my cats.  Always sure I didn’t want to eat cat food, I have always avoided canned tuna, especially in the form of the always popular tuna salad.  I believe in giving things another try and when I made this version of tuna salad for my boyfriend I was shocked when I tasted it.  Not only was it edible, but it was enjoyable as well!  I wouldn’t go as far as to say tuna is my new favorite food but I will be working it into my eating routine a bit more.  I pick the tuna packed in water to avoid the extra fat!

Yield 2 large or 4 mini wraps/sandwiches (approximately 1 ½ cups)

1 5 oz can Tuna in water, drained

¼ c Celery, small dice

3 tb Red Pepper, small dice

3 tb Yellow Onion, small dice

1 tsp Jalapeno, minced

1 tb Mayonnaise

1 tsp Dijon Mustard

½ tsp Tapatio

½ tsp Lemon Juice

1 pinch Kosher Salt

6 turns Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

-     Drain the tuna well and mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

 

-     Let stand at least an hour to let the flavors combine.  The tuna salad with hold up to 4 days properly refrigerated.

FOR THE WRAPS:

 

2 8” Flour Tortillas

½ c Romaine Lettuce, shred

¼ c Spinach

4 ea Tomato Slices

Kosher Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

-     Place a large saute pan over medium heat and place the tortilla inside, warming it slightly and making it more malleable.

-     Place the warmed tortilla on a plate and evenly distribute the spinach and lettuce over the center of the tortilla.

-     Place a layer of tuna salad over the lettuce.

-     Place tomato slices over the tuna salad.

-     Season the tomato slices with a pinch of salt and a pepper to your taste.

-    Fold the left and right ends in towards the center and roll up the tortilla as tightly as you can.  Pictured below is one large and one mini wrap:

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Spicy Dijon Strip Steak served with Avocado Mashed Potatoes and Sautéed Asparagus

Green Girl Goodies, August 2012

I am a firm believer that all food is fine for the body when enjoyed in moderation.  While most of the time I eat a vegan diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains every once in a while, I too crave a nice juicy steak.  In this case I added a little Sriracha to spice up a simple Worcestershire-Dijon marinade and served the steak with asparagus and potatoes for a complete balanced meal.  To minimize the amount of animal fats I used in the mashed potatoes I added some avocado to make the potatoes creamier. 

Yield 2 servings

FOR THE STEAK: 

2 ea Strip Steaks

Spicy Dijon Marinade:

1 “Z” per steak Sriracha Sauce

1 tsp Garlic, minced (1/2 on each steak)

1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce split between both steaks

1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil split between both steaks

½ tsp Dijon Mustard split between both steaks

1 pinch Kosher Salt per steak

7 turns Freshly Crushed Black Pepper per steak

-     Rub the marinade onto the steaks and let the stand at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

-     I normally would grill the steaks but since I sadly don’t have a grill at the moment, I pan seared them in a cast iron pan.

-     I used a ½ c of wine to deglaze the hot pan and make a sauce for my steak as well.

FOR THE POTATOES:

Avocado Mashed Potatoes

3 med Red Potatoes (approximately 10 – 12 oz)

½ ea Avocado

2 tsp Garlic, minced and caramelized

1 ½ tb Light Sour Cream

1 tb Butter

2 ½ tsp Sea Salt

14 turns Freshly Cracked Black Pepper

-     Boil the potatoes in water with the skin on until soft when punctured with a fork.  Drain and mash the potatoes.

-     Heat the butter and garlic.  Add the heated butter and remaining ingredients to the potatoes and mix well.  Keep hot until ready to eat!

The whole meal came together nicely and my lack of a grill made for a delicious pan sauce for my steak.  Unfortunately my boyfriend made the asparagus so I have no recipe to include here.

He did a very simple quick preparation and sautéed the asparagus in olive oil with minced fresh garlic, salt and pepper.   If you feel more comfortable, broil your asparagus tossed in the same ingredients and if you don’t like asparagus, broccoli would also go nicely with this meal!

  

Up Next…

Spicy Tapatio Tuna Salad Wrap