Classic Chicken Pot Pies Baked in Mini Cocottes are one of my family’s very favorite meals. My children, especially, have always enjoyed these individual pies filled with tender chicken, potatoes, peas, and carrots all enveloped in a creamy sauce. I think part of their charm …
Tarragon Chicken Stuffed Avocados are pretty avocado rings filled with creamy tarragon and lemon chicken salad. This is a pretty lunch to serve to the ladies; for my husband I just smashed the whole thing between two slices of white bread and he was perfectly …
Chicken and Strawberry Chopped Salad is a delicious mixture of fried chicken, strawberries, kale, blue cheese, pistachios, strawberries, and red onion. Everything is chopped up and tossed with a balsamic vinaigrette. This is a great family meal because picky kids can just eat the chicken, while the adults can enjoy a tasty main course salad.
The Equipment You’ll Need
A Cast Iron Skillet- This does the best job of frying chicken. If you don’t have one, use any heavy skillet.
A Deep Fry Thermometer- This is a must for any frying in an inch of oil or more.
A Mason Jar- You’ll need this to shake up your salad dressing. Or, you could use a food processor, or a bowl and a whisk.
The Ingredients Needed to Make this Chicken and Strawberry Chopped Salad
The Vegetable Oil- You can fry this in vegetable, peanut or canola oil. I like to use Crisco Vegetable Oil.
The Flour- You need to use all purpose flour to flour your chicken.
The Kale- Make sure you remove all the tough stems, and chop the kale up well.
The Olive Oil- Use extra virgin, and make sure it’s not too bitter. I like California Olive Ranch olive oil.
How I Made This Salad
First, I fried my chicken. I was careful to only put chicken in the pan when the oil was exactly 350 degrees. I let the oil come up between batches and made turned down the heat if the oil got too hot.
Next, I made the vinaigrette.
Finally, I tossed all everything together in the bowl and served it.
I really like serving these big chopped salads as the main course in the summer. First of all, big salads allow me to use all the beautiful summer produce. It just doesn’t seem like summer to me if I can’t cook with lots of fruits and vegetables. Secondly, I can cook this early in the day and then serve it after we get back from a long day at the beach. Lastly, the big salad concept allows me to eat a light dinner, especially if I only have a little bit of the chicken. Not that that ever happens in reality, since this chicken is really delicious. But, in theory, I could just taste the chicken and it would be a light dinner. If I had some kind of super human willpower, that allowed me to totally resist all yummy foods, I’m sure I could totally just have a few bites of this Chicken and Strawberry Chopped Salad. But, at least, I was too full from the salad to have the strawberry milkshakes, that I just made for the bottomless pits known as my family.
Chicken and Strawberry Chopped Salad
Chicken and Strawberry Chopped Salad
Fried chicken, strawberries, kale, blue cheese, and pistachios all chopped up and tossed with balsamic dressing.
Cut each breast vertically into long strips, about a half inch thick. Season the strips with salt and pepper.
Prepare 3 bowls for dipping the chicken. Divide the flour and spices between 2 bowls and place the buttermilk in a third bowl.
Heat a cast iron skillet filled with one inch of oil to 350 degrees. Dip each strip in the flour, then the buttermilk, and then into the second bowl of flour. Fry each piece until golden brown on both sides. Drain the chicken on a wire rack. Then, chop each strip into bite sized pieces.
Place the chopped chicken in a bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients and then pour on as much dressing as you want, and toss everything together and serve.
For the Balsamic Vinaigrette:
Add all the ingredients to a mason jar, and shake to combine.
I was inspired to make Chicken and Waffles with Sriracha Honey Sauce, after a visit to the Grand Floridian Hotel, the flagship resort at World Disney World in Orlando, Florida. While there we dined a couple of times at their Grand Floridian Cafe, and saw …
Spicy Chicken Topped Corncakes are the perfect dish for families that love Tex-Mex flavors. Fresh corn is blended with masa harina to form small cakes, that are topped with spicy chipotle chicken, salsa verde, guacamole, and sour cream. We’ve been on a real Mexican food …
Chicken Fajitas with Queso Fundido is a fun and tasty twist on classic chicken fajitas. I made these for dinner last night, and they were a big hit with the family. The queso fundido sauce is nice change from guacamole, which is what we usually top our fajitas with. And, it makes a great dip for broccoli and other vegetables. Although this dish has a lot of ingredients, it can be made in under an hour.
The Ingredients You’ll Need
The Vegetables- I used red, orange, and yellow peppers, and a red onion last night. But, you can use any combination of peppers and onions you want.
The Spices- I used onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, and chili powder to spice up my chicken. But, if you don’t like that many spices, just tone them down.
The Cheeses- I used pepper jack and sharp cheddar. But, you could also use all cheddar. I used pepper jack that had been in my freezer, and it made the sauce a tad grainy, but it was so minor that I don’t think anyone else noticed. It was an expensive pepper jack cheese from the gourmet department, so I was really glad I was able to use it up.
The Evaporated Milk- You can find this in cans in the baking aisle of your supermarket.
The Cilantro- This gives the whole dish a really nice bright flavor.
The Equipment You’ll Need for Chicken Fajitas with Queso Fundido
A grill pan- I like to grill my chicken on a grill pan, but you could use any skillet to do this.
A cast iron skillet- I like to grill my tortillas on a grill pan. However, last night I was feeling pressed for time, so I simply put the tortillas in the microwave, wrapped in a damp paper towel, and microwaved the tortillas for a minute. But, my husband far prefers the tortillas when I grill them with butter.
A large skillet- I use this for frying the peppers and onions.
A 3 quart saucepan- I use this to make the queso fundido sauce.
How I Made the Fajitas
Although this is a quick and easy dish, I do find it a struggle to juggle all the various pots and pans needed to get this dish on the table. But, with a good strategy it can easily be done.
I start by cooking the peppers and onion, since they can easily be warmed up in the microwave right before serving.
Then, I make the queso fundido sauce, because that, too, can easily be reheated right in the pot or the microwave.
Next, I grill my tortillas, stack them on a plate, and cover them with foil to keep them warm.
Last of all, I grill the chicken breasts, because they tend to get dry when reheated.
I also made some steamed broccoli to serve with this meal.
These Chicken Fajitas with Queso Fundido are a classic Bretti family dinner entree. I love that they are inexpensive to make, and also that they reheat well the next day for lunch. Why go to a restaurant and order fajitas, when they are so easy to make at home? For a fun theme night, play some Mexican music, and set the table with colorful ceramic dishes. Also, make a fun drink, like margaritas, and maybe a Mexican dessert. We love fried ice cream at my house. Whether you do a complete theme night, or serve your fajitas solo, I hope you’ll try this innovative take on traditional chicken fajitas.
Chicken Fajitas with Queso FundidoChicken Fajitas with Queso Fundido
Chicken Fajitas with Queso Fundido Sauce
Grilled chicken, peppers, and onions topped with cheesy queso fundido sauce, all wrapped in a buttery flour tortilla.
½cupchopped and cooked peppers and onions from fajitas
½tsp.chili powder
¼cupminced cilantro
2tbsp.salsa
Instructions
For the Chicken Fajitas:
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet, and cook the peppers and onions until they are just tender. Sprinkle with cilantro, and set aside.
Meanwhile, cut each breast horizontally into 3 pieces, and pound each piece until they are evenly thin.
Mix all the spices together and coat both sides of the chicken in the spices.
Heat the grill pan over medium heat, and add the oil to it. Grill the chicken on both sides, until it's cooked through. Cut the cooked chicken in thin slices and set aside.
Heat the cast iron skillet, and brown each tortilla on both sides in a teaspoon of butter each.
Serve each tortilla filled with the chicken, vegetables, some lime juice, queso fundido sauce, and sour cream.
For the Queso Fundido Sauce:
In a small bowl, mix together the cheeses and cornstarch.
In a 3 quart saucepan, heat the milk and bring it to a simmer. Turn the heat to low, and stir in the cheese. Whisk until the sauce thickens.
Stir in the peppers, onions, chili powder, cilantro, and salsa.
Filled with tender, spicy chicken and topped with creamy gochujang mayonnaise and tangy pickled slaw, these chicken tacos will satisfy your Korean food cravings. Although we live less than an hour from New York City, we’re sadly deprived of Korean restaurants and grocery stores. So, …