Apple Chipotle Chicken Wings

This is another one that I came up with on the fly because I happened to have a ton of apples left. That means it's not very precise. I wasn't very pleased with the results, but I have some ideas to improve it so I'm posting the improvements, rather than the original recipe. We found it had the perfect amount of sweetness, but not nearly enough spice.

You may be wondering why I'm posting an untested recipe. Well, I'll tell you. I mentioned the wings on a forum and someone asked me to post it. When I test it again I will update the recipe.

What you'll need:
4 Dry Chipotle Chilies (This is all I could get my hands on and I'm sure it was the downfall of my wings. If you can get fresh peppers do that and use to your taste preference.)
About 1 cup apple juice or cider
12 Chicken wings (when you cut them up you'll get 2 dozen wings.)
About 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Dash of salt
Dash of pepper
2 Large apples, cored and sliced
About 1/4 cup sugar
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of ginger

1. Heat cider, break open chilies, and put chilies into cider for about half an hour. (At this point I still couldn't cut into the dry chilies so I put it on the stove for a few minutes. I should have cut the chilies up and gutted the inside, but we were concerned it would be too spicy. Next time I'm going to do that)

2. Cut the tips off the chicken wings at the tip. Separate the wing at the elbow joint so you get two of what is commonly thought of as "chicken wings."

3. Heat the oil in a pan and pan fry the chicken wings. They should take about 10 minutes. Remove chicken wings and about half of the oil from the pan (discard oil).

4. Add apples, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, chilies, and cider to the pan with the oil. Allow this to caramelize until the apples begin to soften, stirring frequently.

5. Add the chicken wings back into the pan and stir. Cover the pan and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes. At the end of the time the chicken wings should be coated and the apples should be falling apart.

6. Remove the chicken wings and pour the remaining sauce over them.

7. Allow the wings to cool for a little while before eating them.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

This was always a favorite in my house growing up. My mom made it when we were young, and eventually found an easier recipe that just didn't taste as good. My brother's, sister's and my favorite is now back!

What you'll need:
4 pieces boneless chicken breast (fresh or frozen will both work)
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 chopped onion
3 Tbsp ketchup
3 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/8 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp cornstarch

1. In a large frying pan, over medium heat, saute chopped onion, in oil, until soft.
2. In a small bowl combine ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper. Add this mixture to the onion in the skillet.
3. Add the chicken to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and put on serving platter.
5. Dissolve cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water, and add to pan with sauce.
6. Bring the sauce to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened.
7. Slice chicken into strips.
8. Pour sauce over chicken and serve warm.

Buffalo Chicken Dip

This dip was delicious. Everyone who came to the party that I served this at asked for the recipe.

What you'll need:
8 ounce package of cream cheese
2 cups cooked chicken
2 Tbsp butter-melted
1/2 cup hot sauce
1/2 cup ranch dressing (you can substitute blue cheese dressing if you prefer that)
1/4-1/2 cup mozzarella cheese

1. Cover the bottom of a glass dish 9x9 or larger.
2. In a medium sized bowl combine the chicken, hot sauce, and butter and pour the mixture over the cream cheese.
3. Top with just enough ranch dressing and mozzarella cheese to cover. Be careful to not use too much cheese or it will be difficult to dip anything.
4. Cook in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese bubbles.
5. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving warm.

Lemon Chicken Penne

What you'll need:

1 Pound dry penne
2 Chicken cutlets
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook penne in boiling salted water until al dente.

2. Drain pasta well

3. Season chicken with salt and black pepper

4. Cook in preheated grill pan over medium-high heat until golden and completely cooked.

5. Remove chicken to plate and cut into fingers.

6. Add garlic and red pepper to pan with olive oil. Saute until aromatic.

7. Add cooked pasta and turn off heat.

8. Stir pasta and garlic, olive oil, and red pepper.

9. Pour pasta mixture into large bowl. Add in chicken and season with salt and pepper.

10. Add lemon juice and mix.

11. Top with cheese and serve.

I made this dish because I wanted to bring my husband some dinner at work. I needed to find something that could be transported easily, wasn't too complicated to eat, and would work well reheated. This worked perfectly.