Spicy Chicken Tenders or Non-Spicy Chicken Tenders.....whichever you prefer

Simple, simple, simple......and yummy!  These were slightly spicy and delicious.



They are coated in a cornmeal crust with some cayenne pepper and chili powder mixed in, which resulted in a light and crunchy crust that I loved.  But I am a little biased, and am also a huge fan of cornmeal these days.  (Note: If you're feeding either a kid, or a picky eater, you can adjust the cayenne pepper to suit. I have made it one other time and I believe I put in half the cayenne pepper that the recipe calls for, without a complaint from the natives.)


And you bake them in the oven.  No frying mess. Yay!  I was sold immediately. I breaded them a couple hours ahead of dinner so they were all ready to just pop into the oven. Really. They can't be beat.


The honey mustard sauce that accompanies these is a must-have.  It is frighteningly simple to put together, the kick from the dijon was wonderful, and it looks pretty alongside.  Your friends will ask you where you got it....


These could be served as an appetizer, or as a main dish.  I served them alongside a vegetable parmesan, to satisfy those at the table who need a little something else with an all-veggie dish.  It did the trick.

Spicy Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce
adapted from Giada De Laurentiis and foodnetwork.com

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
3 large eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco)
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 to 2 lbs of chicken tenders
Olive oil, for drizzling
Kosher salt

Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a heavy baking sheet liberally with vegetable oil cooking spray or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.

Breading:
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour and 1 tablespoon salt. In a second medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and hot sauce. In a third medium bowl, mix together the cornmeal, chili powder and cayenne pepper.

Dredge the chicken in the flour and then into the egg mixture. Allow any excess egg mixture to drip off and coat the chicken in the cornmeal mixture.

Arrange the breaded chicken in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, to taste. Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 to 17 minutes.

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup Dijon or whole-grain mustard

Mix the two together until smooth. Set aside to serve with tenders when ready.

Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

What could be better on a cool, rainy, spring day than a bowl of chicken soup.....and a panini on the side of course...... kidding, kidding.... The panini maker has become our favorite kitchen appliance this week...



Although I normally make my good ole standby Rachael Ray recipe for chicken soup with stars, which is always a big hit, this past weekend I thought I would try Giada's version. Hers has the added twist of fresh squeezed lemon juice added to the chicken broth.

The original recipe is called Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti, but I decided to use Lumachine noodles as well as a handful of stars instead of the spaghetti because I really love the Lumachine noodles in soups, and they seemed easier to deal with than spaghetti. If you're not familiar with them, they are very much like mutant macaroni noodles and about the same size. My ding dong calls them 'cyclops pasta' because they have one large hole on one end.... at least I think that's why he calls them that, but you can never be sure...... I also shredded the rotisserie chicken instead of chopping the chicken into bite sized pieces. It was delicious and the perfect meal for a relaxing day inside.

Recipe is adapted from Giada De Laurentiis and foodnetwork.com (Recipe can also be found in Giada's book Giada at Home)

10 cups low-sodium chicken broth (add more or less depending on how much broth you like)
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup Parmesan cheese
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
1 medium onion, diced fine
2 ribs celery, diced fine
1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) Lumachine pasta (you can use broken spaghetti noodles or any short cut pasta)
1 rotisserie chicken, meat shredded
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt

In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, bay leaf to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots, onion and celery and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.