Pan-Fried Chicken Parmesan Croquettes

Pan-Fried Chicken Parmesan Croquettes

Finding creative ways to use leftover deli rotisserie chicken (or even home-roasted for that matter) can sometimes be a challenge. I was pretty stoked when this recipe for chicken croquettes showed up in my WP reader board for a unique and delicious way to use up some leftover cooked chicken. (Thank you Fabulous Fare Sisters for making my day!)

My local grocery just started offering rotisserie chicken breasts pieces for sale instead of the whole chicken. OMG what??? I am not a huge fan of dark meat (although I know it is juicier, but I let hubby always take care of that part of the chicken.) But wow, it was so nice to get some deli-roasted chicken *knowing* all the leftovers would be used up before freezing it and turning it into chicken stock. Yes, that is a nice feeling indeed…

These tasty croquettes were not that hard at all to make, and delivered on taste and were not dry at all. We were all very impressed! The adapted recipe version I am giving you made 5 croquettes, so now I have two in the freezer for an easy future meal for just the hubs and I when daughter isn’t home for dinner. Hooray!

Pan-Fried Chicken Parmesan Croquettes
Adapted from Chicken Parmesan Croquettes at Fabulous Fare Sisters

2 1/2 to 3 cups finely chopped cooked chicken (I used my Ninja food processor)
1 large egg
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (homemade are good!)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chicken stock or broth (low sodium or homemade)
Ground pepper and salt or Mrs. Dash seasoning, to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano (from our garden!)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup marinara sauce, heated through
Shredded Mozzarella cheese for topping the croquettes
Dried or fresh basil, for garnish

Cooked Chicken in Ninja Processor

Finely chop/mince the cooked chicken, either with a knife or in a food processor.

In a large mixing bowl, add the first 8 ingredients and combine together using your hands until blended well.

Croquette Ingredients

Form mixture into patty size of choice — we ended up with 5.  Add oil to skillet over medium heat, then cook on each side until golden, about 3 minutes each side (remember the chicken is already cooked).  Add more breadcrumbs on top (if you have more) when you flip over for extra flavor.

Frying the Croquettes

Preheat broiler in oven or toaster oven.

Croquettes Ready for Broiling

Top each croquette with a couple of tablespoons of heated marinara sauce of choice, then Mozzarella, and broil until cheese is bubbly, about 5 minutes.

Broiled Croquettes

Garnish with dried or fresh chopped basil. We served this over cooked pasta, but you can serve with any grain or pasta and a salad.

Pan-Fried Chicken Parmesan Croquettes

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Greek Rotisserie Chicken Wraps

Greek Rotisserie Chicken Wraps

When it’s hot outside, you’re tired of grilling, but want something quick and easy, these Greek Rotisserie Chicken Wraps are just the ticket! My family eats only half a rotisserie chicken for dinner, and when I was faced with the leftover half the next day I wracked my brain what to do with it. Then I remembered I had a Greek grilled chicken pocket bread recipe that would work, and I wouldn’t even have to grill the chicken! We always have flour tortillas on hand, so chicken wraps it would be! This was a wonderful light dinner to eat on our back deck on a warm week-day night. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Chicken Wrap Ingredients

Greek Rotisserie Chicken Wraps

 Tzatziki with Dill
1 cup Greek yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh dill
1/2 English cucumber, peeled and finely diced (about 1/2 cup)
Small amount of ground sea salt
Ground black pepper, to taste

 For the Wraps
Flour tortillas
Thinly sliced peeled English cucumber
Sliced rotisserie chicken
Diced tomato
Thinly sliced red onion
Tzatziki with Dill

Greek Chicken Wrap Ready to Roll Up

Prepare the tzatziki by blending all the ingredients in a bowl. Set aside or refrigerate if not using right away.

Slice and dice the vegetables for the wraps and place in separate bowls/containers. Dry-heat the tortillas in a skillet for about 30-seconds each side to make them more pliable. Place tortilla on a plate, add the wrap ingredients to taste, then tightly roll up. Easy Peasy!

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Chicken Fideo Soup (Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup)

Chicken Fideo Soup

After two weeks of temps in the 60s and 70s, the weather plummeted into the 30s. Cold, chilly rain, mixed in with snow. So what’s better to ward off the chill than a pot of spicy, steamy soup?

I have to once again thank my friend Richard over at REMCooks. He lives in Texas, and is a man after my own heart for spicy food. When I saw this soup recipe he posted last week, I told myself I just HAD to make it. And with the colder weather, I did.

It was a tad too spicy for my hubby, but he tempered it with some sour cream. Me and my daughter ate it “as is.” But the hubs went back for a second serving and the daughter swilled hers down, so it rates two thumbs up in this household.

I used the method to add the broth that Richard recommended, which makes this longer to make, but it is sure worth it. I adapted his recipe by de-seeding the Serrano peppers to give it less heat and used fairly small ones, and I also doubled the tomatoes. I wanted to use my homemade canned tomatoes for it, so I picked my least-filled jar of them and ended up with about a cup. (You could use a 14-ounce store-bought can if you don’t have homemade, just drain it first.) I also used Mexican Oregano instead of regular and added a pound of chicken breast meat because the boneless breast I had was that size.

This makes a big pot of soup, and it reheated well the next day for a delicious lunch. And if you are feeling really feisty the day you cook this, you can do like I did and poach the chicken and make the homemade chicken broth for the soup at the same time!

Fideo Soup Ingredients

Chicken Fideo Soup (Mexican Chicken Noodle Soup)
Adapted from Fideo Soup with Chicken (Sopa de Fideo con Pollo) by REMCooks

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup onion, chopped
2 Serrano chiles, stemmed and de-seeded (use 1 if you don’t like too spicy)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 cup of homemade canned tomatoes, diced
1 teaspoon dried Mexican Oregano, crushed
6 ounces Angel Hair Pasta, snapped into 1 to 2-inch pieces (or pre-cut Fideo)
6 cups homemade chicken broth, or low-sodium canned
1 pound cooked chicken, chopped
Cilantro for garnish

Add two tablespoons of the oil to a medium pot over medium heat and cook the onions and peppers for several minutes until starting to soften. Add the minced garlic, and cook for about another minute. Next add the oregano and the tomatoes, stir to combine, and cook for a few more minutes. Pour the mixture into a blender with 1/2 cup of water, and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Spicy Tomato Mixture

In a large pot or dutch oven, add the other 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-low heat, add the noodles and stir. And stir, and stir, and stir! You want to stir them constantly to evenly brown them, and if you walk away for a minute you might burn them! This took me about 10 minutes to get them to a light brown color.

Browned Angel Hair Pasta

Next add the tomato mixture from the blender, increase the heat to medium, and add 2 cups of the chicken broth. Bring up to a simmer and boil for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to make sure the noodles don’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Now cover, and lower the heat and gently simmer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add 2 more cups of chicken broth and bring back up to a simmer for another 15 minutes. Finally, add the last 2 cups of broth and simmer covered for yet another 15 minutes. Uncover, add the chicken, and simmer for a few more minutes until the chicken is heated through. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro. Spicy goodness in a bowl!

Chicken Fideo Soup

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Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Edamame, Mushrooms, and Carrots

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Edamame, Mushrooms, and Carrots

I have made several variations of this soup over the past couple of years, and each time I make it I love it even more! I’ve been tweaking the flavorings with each round, and this particular recipe got thumbs up all the way around from my family. My husband was pleased I used spaghetti noodles in this instead of angel hair pasta, and I had every intention of using them but somehow I ended up grabbing the spaghetti, not even realizing my mistake until after they were cooked.  But I have an excuse! My daughter was getting ready to go on her first date to the Homecoming Dance. I was a bit distracted.  🙂

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Edamame Mushrooms and Carrots

Asian Chicken Noodle Soup with Edamame, Mushrooms, and Carrots

2 cups frozen edamame
4 ounces dried spaghetti or angel hair pasta, snapped in half
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounces sliced mushrooms
1 cup julienned carrots
3 large green onions, chopped, white and green parts divided
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon minced garlic
6 or 7 cups homemade or low sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons chile paste (I used Sambal Oelek)
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
Lime wedges
Fresh chopped cilantro
Dark green onion parts, sliced thin

Place the frozen edamame in a bowl to thaw out. Meanwhile put on a pot of water for the pasta and cook it according to package directions. When the pasta is done, remove and rinse, and return to the pot, spray with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking, and set aside. While all that is coming up to speed, prep the ginger and veggies, etc.

Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients

In a soup pot, add the two oils and cook the mushrooms, carrots, white and light green parts of the onion with the ginger and garlic over medium heat. Once the vegetables are soft, toss in the edamame and heat it all up for a few minutes more.

Now add the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and chile paste to the pot. Bring up to a low boil, add in the chicken, then turn down and simmer for about 15 minutes to let the flavors meld. When ready to eat, add a serving of noodles to each soup bowl, then ladle the chicken soup and veggies over all. Garnish with lime wedges to squeeze over, dark green onion parts, and cilantro. Add additional soy sauce according to taste. Winner!

Edamame and Veggies

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Asian Green Bean Chicken Noodle Soup

Asian Green Bean Chicken Noodle Soup

This is another great use for leftover rotisserie chicken. I had bought one the other day for the three of us, but then my daughter unexpectedly had dinner and a sleepover at a friend’s house. With a half a chicken to deal with, I decided to make some Asian soup with the leftovers and frozen Trader Joe’s Haricot Verts (skinny green beans) I had bought a few days before. You can use fresh green beans in place but those in the store didn’t look so fresh that day.

Some of the Many Chicken Green Bean Noodle Soup Ingredients

As with most Asian cooking, you will want to prep everything in advance. I finally found some rice noodles in town, and word to the wise: a 6.5 ounce package makes a TON of noodles! Next time I’ll use half the package. But since you assemble these bowls individually, you can bag up and refrigerate the leftovers for another use.

The other thing I did today was go on the hunt for canning supplies to make homemade canned salsa. I wanted pint jars, and the two stores I went to were all out of them. I asked the checker at one store if they had any in the back, and she said there has been quite a run on them lately. But my mom came to the rescue and found some for me on her way home at another store. (She took me clothes shopping today, what a nice mom!) Now, on to the recipe! Simple, satisfying, soothing.

Sauteing the Green Beans

Asian Green Bean Chicken Noodle Soup

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen green beans, snapped in half
6.5 ounce package of dried rice noodles (can be halved)
1 tablespoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced Serrano pepper
2 green onions, chopped, white and green parts divided
2 teaspoons sesame oil
6 or 7 cups homemade or low sodium chicken broth
2 or 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
Fresh lime wedges
Fresh chopped cilantro
Fresh chopped basil

If using fresh green beans, blanch them in boiling water for about four minutes then dunk in a cold ice bath. Otherwise, set the frozen green beans aside to thaw out a bit. In a large bowl, add the rice noodles then pour boiling water over them. Let them soak for about 15 minutes, then drain and rinse with cold water and set aside.

Meanwhile, prep the ginger and veggies, etc. In a soup pot, saute the ginger, garlic, Serrano pepper, and white and light green parts of the onion in the sesame oil for a few minutes over medium heat. Toss in the green beans and heat them up for a few minutes more. Using tongs, remove the green beans and set aside. Now add the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and chicken to the pot. Simmer for about ten minutes to let the flavors meld. When ready to eat, add a serving of noodles to a soup bowl, top with some of the green beans, then ladle the chicken and chicken broth over all. Garnish with lime wedges to squeeze over, dark green onion parts, cilantro, and basil. Add additional soy sauce according to taste.

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Asian Green Bean Chicken Noodle Soup

Soothing Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Soothing Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Mom!? We’re having soup AGAIN??!! You’ve made that like five times already the past week! (Not true.) OK, OK, my soup kick has gotten out of hand. But I’m in comfort mode. It’s winter, the hubby is gone on a business trip for two weeks, my work is crazy busy right now, and that’s what I feel like eating. So there. I did, however, promise the daughter I’d serve her  some “real food” next, although I can’t quite figure out how a good soup for dinner is not real food. Oh well.

So this is another one of my Asian-inspired soups that is a snap to make. I used my Inside-Out Won-Ton Soup broth as the base, but then threw in some new flavors and textures. To make this really simple, I picked up a rotisserie chicken on the way home from my physical therapy after work for my pinky finger (YES, I still can’t straighten the durn thang… apparently in the long healing process my tendon got stuck to the top of my joint and will be awhile to get it unstuck). I also picked up a baby bok choy, which was an astounding $2.99 a pound, but I handled it and it felt pretty light. At the checkout stand it only ended up 53 cents. I can do that! I also picked up some quite spendier fresh basil, as I know I have some cilantro-hater fans (read it’s SOAP!) so I thought I’d throw some of that in to see how that melded.  A fairly decent-priced bag of bean sprouts was also added to the cart. With all that in hand, I traveled home to concoct a really soothing, very slightly spicy, chicken noodle soup. I didn’t bother even looking for rice noodles at the store as I knew they didn’t have any from my prior hunt. So I used Angel Hair pasta snapped in half instead. This took about 35 minutes to make from start to finish to table to eat. Well, it actually took me closer to 45 minutes by dinking with my camera to take pics because I forgot to add the green onion for garnish in my first shots, and when I reshot with them I forgot to do my white balance setting again.My daughter ate it during that process. All in good time.

OK friends, now on to the recipe! Oh, and I made half the amount I normally would, so feel free to double or triple.

Simmering Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Soothing Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

Angel hair pasta, broken in half
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 large white mushroom, sliced
1/2 tablespoon peeled fresh ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 or 2 green onions, chopped, white and green parts divided
1 cup baby bok choy, roughly chopped
1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
3 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 cup rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 tablespoon lime juice
Fresh cilantro, chopped
Fresh basil, chopped

Some of the Asian Soup Ingredients

Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta, then start gathering and chopping up all the ingredients. Things tend to go quickly when cooking Asian, so it’s always best just to have everything ready. When the water starts boiling, add the pasta and cook according to package directions. I’m sorry I didn’t give you an amount to use, as I’m terrible about measuring or guessing pasta amounts to cook. Go with your gut. If you don’t have enough, that won’t matter much with the soup, or if you have too much, just leave some in the pot for something else. When all your ingredients are ready, heat the sesame oil in a soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, ginger, garlic, crushed red pepper, and the white and light green parts of the green onion. Saute for five minutes, then add the broth, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Bring this up to a low boil, then turn down to simmer for about 10 minutes. Now add the cooked angel hair pasta, shredded chicken, bean sprouts, bok choy, spinach, and lime juice. Come up to a simmer again, and let the flavors meld for about another 10 minutes. Serve in bowls garnished with the green onion parts, fresh chopped cilantro and/or basil. This was a perfect soothing soup for a cold winter’s night, and I cursed myself for halving the recipe, as the one small  portion of leftovers the next day was fabulous and I was hankering for more.