Chicken Cakes with Enchilada Sauce By Karen's Kreative Cooking

2 Tbsp olive oil, plus add'l for frying
1/4 cup red pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup yellow pepper, finely diced
1/4 cup green onions, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, finely minced [more or less to your taste]
salt and black pepper to taste
2 [12 oz] cans fully cooked white meat chicken or 3 cups poached chicken, chopped
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp Italian parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tsp creole or old bay seasoning
1 tsp dried tarragon
3 cups panko bread crumbs, divided
Directions:
In a stove top pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the diced peppers and green onions to the pan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Saute until tender then add the minced garlic. Cook for an additional 1 minute, then remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. [tip: If you'd like to only use red pepper, double the amount
Meanwhile, drain the chicken well and add it to a medium size mixing bowl. If using poached chicken, chop. To the mixing bowl add the lemon juice, Dijon, mayonnaise, garlic, tarragon, chopped parsley, creole/old bay seasoning and 1 cup of panko breadcrumbs. Mix in the sauteed vegetables, making sure the chicken is thoroughly broken up and blended with the other ingredients. Taste and adjust the seasonings before you add the beaten egg.
Pour the panko breadcrumbs onto a plate. Using a 4 oz ice cream scoop, scoop the chicken onto the bread crumbs. This will keep the chicken cakes roughly the same size.
Flatten to your desired thickness genlty turning to coat the chicken cake on all sides
Put the chicken cakes onto a pan, then place into the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes before cooking. This will help the chicken cakes hold together while frying. You can make these cakes, thick or thin, your preference.
Remove from the refrigerator, then brown over medium high heat in a non stick pan coated with olive oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side depending on the thickness. Serve hot with the remoulade sauce. Yield: 8 chicken cakes

For the remoulade sauce:
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chili sauce
2 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp green onion, minced
1 tsp capers, chopped
1 tsp dry tarragon
1/2 tsp creole/old bay seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
a few drops of hot sauce
Directions:
Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and mix until smooth. Chill until serving. Yield: approximately 2/3 cup

Chicken Bombs By Karen's Kreative Cooking

CHICKEN BOMBS

Ingredients
5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts-makes 10 bombs:@)
5 jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise and cleaned
20 slices bacon
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 C colby jack or cheddar cheese, shredded
S&P to taste
1 C BBQ sauce-I used Sweet Baby Ray's

Directions
Slice chicken breasts in half (like a hamburger bun), place between wax paper and pound until it’s 1/4” thick. Season with S&P. Mix the two cheeses together and smear about 1 Tblsp into each pepper half (just use up the cheese between all of the peppers). Place the pepper on the chicken breast and wrap it up as best you can. I suggest placing the pepper cheese side down so it gets completely covered by the chicken.
Wrap each chicken breast completely with two pieces of bacon. Start at one end, wrap half the breast and finish the second half with the other piece of bacon.
Cook on a preheated 350 degree grill over indirect heat for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Turn every 5 minutes and baste with BBQ sauce each time you turn it.
For oven: Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken is done. Baste a couple times and finish under the broiler to set the BBQ sauce. **I suggest a 400 degree oven and no BBQ sauce for the first 20 minutes, turning once to help cook the bacon. Then reduce heat to 375, change pans to loose some of the bacon fat (if you don’t have a broiler pan), cover in BBQ sauce and finish bakin

BLT Dip By Now Your Cooking

BLT Dip
Ingredients:
1 pound bacon, cooked, drained, crumbled, and divided
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Fontina cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
1 cup shredded Iceberg lettuce
Toasted bread rounds, crackers, or pita chips (I’m crazy about Stacy’s Pita Chips, Parmesan Garlic & Herb)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚. Spray a 11⁄2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Set aside 1⁄2 cup crumbled bacon.
In a large bowl, combine remaining bacon, cream cheese, shredded cheeses, sour cream, mayonnaise, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard. Spoon mixture into prepared baking dish. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle chopped tomatoes, remaining 1⁄2 cup crumbled bacon, and Iceberg lettuce over hot dip. Serve immediately with toasted bread rounds, crackers, or pita chips.

Baked Chicken Balls By Karen's Kreative Cooking

3 slices Italian bread, torn into small bits (1 cup)
1/3 cup milk
3 ounces sliced pancetta, finely chopped (you can swap in Canadian Bacon if you can’t find pancetta)
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large egg
1 pound ground chicken
2 tablespoons tomato paste, divided*
3 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preheat oven to 400°F with a rack in the upper third of the oven. Soak bread in milk in a small bowl until softened, about four minutes.
Cook pancetta, onion, and garlic in one tablespoon oil with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large skillet over medium heat until onion is softened, about 6 minutes. (Alternately, as in “I thought of this after the fact”, I’d bet you could render the pancetta for a couple minutes and cook the onions and garlic in that fat, rather than olive oil.) Cool slightly.
Squeeze bread to remove excess milk, then discard milk. Lightly beat egg in a large bowl, then combine with chicken, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, pancetta mixture, bread, and parsley. Form 12 meatballs and arrange in another 4-sided sheet pan (I used a 9×13 roasting dish).
Stir together remaining tablespoons of tomato paste and oil and brush over meatballs (the paste/oil does not mix in any cohesive manner, but just smoosh it on and run with it) , then bake in upper third of oven until meatballs are just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes (though mine took a good 5 minutes longer).
* I accidentally added a heaping tablespoon of the tomato paste into the meatball mixture the first time I made it, and ended up liking it better than without it. I’d use the tomato paste on top too. It’s good both places