Easy Baked Chicken Wings

I came across a great recipe for lower-guilt chicken wings back some months ago, and have been making them this way ever since. The fact that these come out crispy, are baked instead of fried, and are super easy to throw together, makes me love ’em even more. I do switch up the sauce at times, using one of my favorites from a wing place back home in Rochester, New York (Country Sweet Chicken and Ribs), and also just regular barbecue sauce and honey. Whether you use the sauce in this recipe, or your favorite, I think you’ll love this cooking method and how great these wings turn out.

Ingredients

2 pounds chicken wings (I used wings & drumettes)
1 cup peach jam
2-3 tbsp. chili paste
1 tbsp. lime juice

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450° and line a baking sheet (with sides) with parchment paper. Set aside.
Trim off any extra fat from the chicken wings.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, adding 1-2 tablespoons of salt to the water.
Place the chicken wings in the boiling water, and boil for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove the wings from the water to a wire cooling rack placed over a baking pan. Let the wings dry for a few minutes before patting them dry with paper towels (the drier the chicken wings are before you begin to bake them, the crispier they will become).
Place the chicken wings on the baking sheet in a single layer.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Flip the wings over, and bake an additional 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, stir together the peach jam, chili paste and lime juice. Reserve half of the mixture in a separate bowl to be used as dipping sauce when you serve the wings.
Place the hot chicken wings in the large bowl with the remaining sauce. Stir and toss to coat the wings completely with the sauce.
Transfer the wings to a plate and serve with the reserved dipping sauce, blue cheese or ranch and some celery sticks, if desired.

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Baked Cod with Basil Chive Yogurt Sauce

Last weekend, I stopped at my neighborhood Smart & Final for just a few things, and decided to pick up some frozen Cod. I typically prefer my fish to be fresh, but when in a pinch (or I’m being lazy), I’ll grab some frozen. I wanted something light, but flavorful so perused a bunch of recipes for both fish and different types of sauces. I like this Cod dish as it has some crunch on the top while remaining healthy since it’s seared quickly then baked. As for the yogurt sauce, I find it be a nice complement to the fish in terms of flavor points and adding some additional protein. I suggest making the sauce first (directions further down) so it’s ready when the fish is done.

Ingredients

2 (6-ounce) cod fillets
Panko bread crumbs
1 egg, for egg wash
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tbsp. grapeseed oil
1/4 lemon, juiced
1 tbsp. butter
1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1/8 tsp. dried thyme)

Directions

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place the fillets on a sheet tray or rack so the fish can release its natural juices.
Place the bread crumbs into a shallow dish.
In a separate shallow dish, add 1 beaten egg. Season both sides of the fillet with salt and pepper. Once seasoned, brush the belly side of the cod with the egg. Dip the egg side into the panko bread crumbs.
In a cast iron skillet, add grapeseed oil. Before placing fish into pan, make sure the skillet is very hot. Sear only 1 side of the fish (the side with the bread crumbs). Once the 1 side is seared, place the skillet in the oven for about 4-6 minutes until cooked. *If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, use a regular skillet, then transfer to a greased baking dish, and increase the time to about 10-12 minutes.
Once the fish is cooked, flip it over and add the lemon juice, butter and sprig of thyme. Let melt and baste the fish with the juice.
Remove from pan, place onto plate and top with sauce.

Chive Basil Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

1/8-1/4 tsp. garlic powder, depending on your garlic preference
A pinch of kosher salt
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
The finely grated zest and juice of a 1/2 small lemon
4 tsp. of dried parsley
A small fistful (about 3 tbsp.) of fresh basil, stems removed, chopped
A thumb-thick bundle of fresh chives, chopped (or approx. 1 tbsp. dried)
1/2 cup thick natural yogurt; use full-fat Greek yogurt if calories aren’t an issue
1 tbsp. good-quality light mayonnaise, such as Hellman’s (optional)
Salt and milled black pepper

Directions

Stir mustard, garlic, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice in a small mixing bowl, mix/mush well.
Add parsley, then very finely chop the basil and chives, and add them to the bowl.
Stir in the yogurt and mayonnaise (if using), and season to taste with salt and black pepper.

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Baked Fish Fillets

Here’s another healthy and delicious recipe for baked fish. You can use any firm white fish; cod, haddock or grouper. I used one large piece of cod, which was perfect for two servings.

Ingredients

1 large piece of Cod
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. light mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. panko breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. butter
Salt
Cooking spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 425°F.
Place fish in a 5 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray and season with salt.
Combine lime juice, mayo, onion powder, pepper and garlic powder in a small bowl, and spread over fish.
Sprinkle with panko breadcrumbs and parmesan; drizzle with butter.
Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
Serve with avocado-lime sauce, if desired.

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Honey Bunches of Oats Chicken

I’m always looking for new (and easy) ways to make baked chicken, and have experimented recently in the kitchen with crackers and cereal. Last night, it was Honey Bunches of Oats, and I am so pleased with how it turned out. And talk about simple… only three ingredients!!

Ingredients

1 lb. thin chicken breast or tenders
1 egg
2 cups Honey Bunches of Oats cereal, finely crushed

Directions

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Lightly beat egg in a shallow bowl.
Put cereal in a Ziploc bag, crush with rolling pin, or your hands, then transfer to a plate or bowl.
Dip chicken in egg, turning to evenly coat.
Roll chicken in cereal crumbs on both sides.
Place in a baking dish, or on a cookie sheet, lightly sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake for 25 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.

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Sweet and Spicy Baked Chicken Wings

On a recent episode of The Chew, Daphne Oz and Mario Batali had a chicken wing cook-off, and after seeing Daphne’s ingredients (and that hers were baked), I had to try them right away. Needless to say, they did not disappoint. I love the fact that the marinade on these babies caramelize while baking, which makes them a bit crispy. Oh, and the dipping sauce… yummy!!! Since I’m a huge fan of anything sweet, the sauce was perfect for me, but if you’d like it with a little more twang, reduce the half cup of honey by a couple of tablespoons (1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons).

Ingredients

For the Wings:

2 dozen chicken drumettes
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 cup honey
2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves (minced)
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Dipping Sauce:

1 tbsp. sambal chili paste
1/2 cup Honey
2 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. grated ginger

Directions

Combine all the ingredients for the drumettes in a bowl and toss the wings to coat.
Place in the refrigerator and marinate a minimum of two hours and preferably over night.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove drumettes from the marinade and season with salt and pepper.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the drumettes so they are not touching. Brush generously with the leftover marinade.
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes, or until deep golden brown, rotating the tray half way through and flipping the wings over.
While chicken is baking, combine all of the dipping ingredients and whisk together.
Serve the drumettes with the dipping sauce.

Shown with my guiltless blue cheese dressing.

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Easy & Delicious Baked Beans

The 4th of July is quickly approaching (yay), and I am thinking of all of the wonderful traditional dishes associated with this holiday as my department at work is having a little potluck lunch to celebrate (my mouth is already salivating). Clearly, I have long list of possibilities of what I can bring, but one of my favorite sides comes to mind… baked beans. When I went to look for my recipe on here, I was shocked to find that I did not post it previously. My bad! So… here it is!

This recipe calls for bacon, but I believe it would be just as tasty if you choose to omit it.

Ingredients

8 strips of bacon, thick cut
2 (28 ounce) cans of Bush’s baked beans w/bacon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Directions

Cook bacon in microwave, checking after each minute, so it’s still soft. Don’t let it get crisp.
Cut into small, bite-size pieces, set aside.
Put the remaining ingredients in a crock pot. *
Add the bacon and mix.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

* This can also be prepared in the oven at 350 for 1 hour in a 3-quart baking dish.

Serves 10

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Crunchy Onion Chicken

I’m back! Sorry I’ve been away for so long! Thought I’d share a very quick and easy chicken dish that I made tonight. This is not my recipe, but one that I found on the can of French’s French Fried Onions… and it’s so good! That is, if you like onions. It’s also pretty low in calories, so definitely guilt-free 🙂

~ Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cups French’s® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (5 ounces each)
1 egg, beaten

Directions

In a resealable plastic bag, combine onions and flour. Lightly crush with hands or a rolling pin.
Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.
Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion mixture. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet.
Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20 minutes or until juices run clear and no longer pink in the middle.

Enjoy!

* To add a sweet & tangy taste, substitute 1/4 cup honey mustard instead of using the egg when coating the chicken with the onion pieces.

360 Calories, 19 g Fat, 8 g Saturated Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 131 mg Cholesterol, 32 g Protein, 13 g Carbohydrates, 1 g Dietary Fiber, 225 mg Sodium

Popchips Chicken Cutlets

Some of you may be asking… what are Popchips? Well, for starters, they are my favorite chips. Why? For many reasons. First off, they are healthy, delicious and all-natural. They’re not fried or baked, but… popped. And NO preservatives. They come in a variety of flavors to tantalize everyone’s taste buds. So, while I was snacking on some, I thought, these would be great to use on baked chicken. I came up with a quick recipe that I literally, just whipped up. I decided to try the BBQ (pictured on the left) & also, the Cheddar. Scrumptious! I have a half cutlet left, so will reheat it tomorrow & serve it with creamy cheese grits that I made earlier today (I’ll post that recipe soon)! For those of you with kids, you can make chicken fingers or nuggets & just provide some dipping sauce for fun.

Ingredients

3 chicken cutlets
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp honey
Black pepper to taste
12 Popchips (any flavor)

Directions

Preheat over to 375F.
Line baking sheet with foil.
In shallow bowl, combine cream, salt, pepper & honey. Mix well.
Crush Popchips on a folded sheet of parchment paper using a rolling pin to make crumbs, place in separate bowl.
Dip chicken in cream mixture, coat on both sides, and then dredge in chip crumbs.
Place cutlets on baking sheet and cook for 15-20 minutes.