Well now, here’s another paleo chicken recipe. I have to confess that I like chicken. If I had to choose only one meat to eat though, I’d choose lamb although chicken would come a close second.
When I’m looking for recipes to to try and possibly adapt for the paleo diet, I go to all of my resources including books that I haven’t looked at in years. Sometimes the perfect recipe is right there.
This recipe came into play because it seems that every time I go to the market I see containers with the cherry tomatoes and I always wind up getting one. Then I get home and wonder what to do with all of them. This Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic is perfect for just this occasion.
Cherry Tomatoes
And I had to add garlic to this recipe … of course!
Garlic
All of the mixed ingredients will be added to a greased glass casserole dish.
Mix Ingredients for the Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic
The garlic will roast quite well and the cherry tomatoes will shrivel a bit.
Baked Chicken with Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic
And the result will be awesome!
I served this entree with a broccoli/zucchini stir fry and a half an avocado.
I admire my mother ~ immensely. From when I was 5 years old, she raised six children all on her own. I don’t know how she managed it but I’m amazed whenever I think about it.
I had two boys to raise, a full time job, responsibilities at church and the normal every day tasks. With all of that, I regret not spending more time with my boys so I can only imagine what my mother felt like.
Mama never worked outside the home (at least not until the youngest had graduated from high school). She always said this was her way of putting her children first. So, with a monthly welfare check, help from Catholic Charities and even more help from her sisters who lived nearby, we always had clothes to wear and food to eat ~ even if the food was oatmeal for breakfast and dinner ~ something which is still a treat for me to this day.
But Mama was not idle. One of the things she did to help our family was go door to door selling Puerto Rican pasteles that she made from scratch. She would spend hours grating the plantains to make the “masa” (dough). By making pasteles, she was able to supplement her welfare check and get us a few extra niceties like cookies.
When most people see pasteles for the first time, they mistake them for tamales. They are quite different though ~ made from green plantains and filled with your choice of meat, sliced olives, onions, spices and whatever else you want to put in them.
Nowadays, people make the masa for the pasteles in a food processor so it’s easier and less time consuming.
Once they are made, the pasteles are wrapped in banana leaves then wrapped in aluminum foil. They are then cooked right away or frozen until you’re ready to eat them.
Puerto Rican Pasteles
Recently, I found out that a woman in my mother’s neighborhood makes them so I ordered two dozen. I’m not sure if they are paleo ~ only because I don’t know what kind of oil she uses. But the plantains and all the other ingredients are paleo.
Puerto Rican PastelesPuerto Rican Pasteles
Here’s a closer look ~ they don’t look appetizing but they are scrumptious.
Puerto Rican Pastel
The ones I ordered had shredded chicken and green olives along with different spices the cook used.
Puerto Rican Pasteles
My mother is not the most sophisticated woman on earth. She doesn’t speak fluent English, couldn’t set a table with the silverware in its proper place, nor can she balance her checkbook.
But those things were, and still are, irrelevant to a little girl who just needed to feel safe and loved.
So I’ve been looking around for some new paleo recipes to try and came across one that I could adapt and paleo-ize. Woohoo for all of us, yes?
The recipe didn’t cook “pretty” but it tasted very good and that’s all that really matters ~ well, at least in my eyes.
You will need a muffin tin. Yes you will ~ can’t really make mini meat loaves without it. (I know, I didn’t have to show you a picture of a muffin tin but not all countries know what they look like and some of my readers are from other countries.)
Muffin Tin
Before I blended the meat mixture together, I made a paleo ketchup. I found a pretty good recipe at Paleo Leaps. The ketchup will be mixed with Dijon Mustard and Worcestershire sauce. The ketchup recipe itself makes quite a bit and you won’t use all of it so you’ll have to adjust the taste. That’s a good thing though ~ taste, taste and taste, one of the better reasons to cook.
Paleo Ketchup
Your meat mixture will be combined and each one of the 12 muffin spaces will be filled.
Uncooked Mini Meat Loaves
Then you’ll be baking it for, oh, 20-25 minutes, removing it from the oven, topping it with the ketchup and baking it for a few more minutes. I find that our convection oven tends to cook things quicker than a regular “bake” setting.
I served my Mini Meat Loaves with Baked Parsnip Fries and a salad. Yum!
Even with winter lingering, a salad feels good to the bones.
This paleo Cabbage and Apple Salad is delicious. The “dressing” reminds me of one I make for almost all my salads except it doesn’t have the apple cider vinegar.
It’s like ~ uh, cold outside. Fortunately the sun is shining so it doesn’t feel like a wasted day of coldness. My eyes always seem to be looking for something “pretty” outside and I happened to see this snow laden chair that we left outside on the bedroom deck. It sure looks peaceful.
It was a goodly day for a new recipe too. My only regret? The recipe pictures did not come out as good as I would have liked. Blah. For some reason, my hands were shaky so perhaps I should use my tripod from now on.
This recipe turned out great and didn’t taste too lemony in spite of the fact that I used a whole lemon and sliced it up.
I used four garlic cloves and sliced them in half.
Parsley, Shallot & Garlic
Three chicken breasts got pounded almost flat with a mallet before I added them to the skillet.
Cook Chicken on Both Sides
The lemon slices and garlic were browned in the skillet that the chicken was cooked in.
Brown the Lemon Slices
So here’s the full recipe. It’s really easy and will be put on my “favorite” list.
Ingredients
1 medium lemon, sliced thinly
1 1/2 teaspoons maple syrup
4 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 3/4-inch thickness
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 whole shallot, diced
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine (or you can substitute this with water)
1 cup unsalted chicken stock
1 teaspoon almond flour
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and drained
Handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
In a medium bowl, combine the lemon slices, maple syrup, and halved garlic then set this aside.
Sprinkle the chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then add the olive oil.
Add the chicken to the skillet then cook them on both sides until done.
Remove the chicken from the skillet and set it aside.
Add the lemon mixture to the skillet then cook until the lemon slices are lightly browned, turning occasionally.
Return the lemon mixture to a bowl.
Wipe the skillet with paper towels then heat the skillet over medium heat again.
 Add 1 1/2 teaspoons butter to the skillet and allow it to melt.
Add the shallot, oregano, and thyme then cook 1 minute.
Add the wine to the skillet, scrape the skillet bottom to loosen any browned parts then bring this to a boil until most of the liquid evaporates.
Add the stock and flour to the skillet, stirring with a whisk, then bring this to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced to about 2/3 cup.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and the capers. Allow the butter to melt.
Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and turn the chicken to coat it with the sauce.
Top the chicken with the lemon mixture and sprinkle with the parsley.
Whala!!! It sounds like a lot of steps but really it isn’t.
I served this paleo Lemon Chicken with steamed broccoli and sliced avocado.
It’s been a month or so since I’ve blogged what with the holidays and all I used my favorite recipes to make life less stressful.
But, here we are today a couple of weeks into the New Year and I’m finding new recipes that I’m ready to try.
This paleo Garlic Chicken with White Wine recipe is easy and, if you prefer, you can use water and a little bit of lemon juice to replace the white wine.
This recipe will use 2 heads of peeled garlic. Yes! I love garlic and can assure you that you will not have garlic breath after you eat this meal since the garlic is cooked well.
2 Heads of Peeled Garlic
The chicken will be browned on both sides in olive oil to as crispy as you’d like it to be.
Brown Chicken Both Sides
Once the chicken is browned, you’ll be taking it out of the Dutch Oven pot and setting it aside then adding those garlic cloves that you diligently peeled and browning them. They will taste scrumptious!
Brown the garlic
Next you’ll add the chicken back into the pot with the garlic along with the rest of the ingredients and allowing it to simmer for approximately 25 minutes.
Easy, no? Here’s the recipe ~
Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 whole heads of garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1.5 teaspoons dried thyme
Directions
Prepare the chicken by trimming the extra fat from it and lightly salting it.
Peel the garlic and trim off the ends.
In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
When the olive oil is hot, add the chicken (skin side down) until it’s browned then turn over and brown on the other side.
Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven and set it aside.
Add the garlic to the hot oil in the Dutch oven and saute until browned.
Add the wine, thyme and the chicken (skin side up) and bring to a simmer.
Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and simmer on low for approximately 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Season with additional salt (if needed) and pepper to taste.
Now ~ sit down and enjoy this delicious meal. Â I served my chicken with a slice of avocado and stir fry veggies.
After Thanksgiving, turkey goes on sale and is very very cheap (cost-wise).
So it was that we purchased a large turkey breast that we baked and then, as often happens with turkey, we had a lot of leftovers.
I was fortunate to find this paleo Turkey Curry at the Well Fed website that tastes just wonderful and will be on my favorites list.
I was very very reluctant to add the unsweetened applesauce to the mixture though. I mean, who adds applesauce to a curry, right?
Well, I was wrong. Â The applesauce, along with the raisins, gave it a little bit of sweetness but not enough to be noticed. So, if/when you try this recipe, ADD THE APPLESAUCE. Don’t be afraid to try something new ~ that should be the motto of life, well, sometimes.
I served this with baked squash and a little bit of aged parmesan cheese. Â (Yeah, yeah, I know, not the best picture …)
Taj Mahal Turkey Curry
This is the first time I’ve tried a recipe from Melissa at Well Fed but I think I’ll head over there and see what else I can find. Â I’d invite you to do the same.
I enjoy the taste of spices that are used in Indian foods. Â My taste buds explode with the taste of these flavors.
Spices
It sometimes looks as if you’re only using a small amount of the spices but you really don’t need too much.
Spices
I used three very large cloves of garlic as I’m not afraid of the taste of lots of garlic. My one fear was using a red onion as they can be very very potent.
Garlic & Red Onion & Ginger
My fears were relieved when the recipe said to brown the red onion as that would help to mute the bold flavor. Â You can use a regular onion for this recipe if you prefer and it should come out fine.
Brown the Red Onion
The original recipe calls for a serrano pepper and two sprigs of curry leaves which I did not use. If you want a really spicy curry you should probably add those. Â They also use homemade meat masala and I just used garam masala from a bottle.
Once everything was blended together the smell was, well, peaceful. It just left a sense of calmness in my hurried soul. Â Food that comforts tends to have that effect on me.
Indian Ground Beef Coconut Curry
After adding the coconut milk, the recipe comes out like a thick beefy soup.
Indian Ground Beef Coconut Curry
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Â We had plenty of leftovers and a couple of days later the recipe tasted quite as good.
This can be served on a bed of rice or lettuce or just in a bowl by itself.
Today was “cleaning out the refrigerator” day and I decided I wanted to use the olives that were left over in a Chicken Salad.
I like to surprise my husband by sending him something unique for his lunch so I try different ingredients. Â The strange thing is, he is never surprised. Â He never says “great job” or “that tasted horrible.” I get absolutely no feedback and, of course, I think everything I make is wonderful. Â (laughing)
For this particular recipe, I used 2 cooked chicken breasts that I had seasoned with salt and white pepper.
It’s another “simple” recipe that I concocted.
Ingredients
2 cooked chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
9 pimento stuffed green olives, sliced
9 black olives, sliced
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1/2 cup of paleo mayonnaise (more or less ~ gauge it to your taste)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Directions
Mix all of the ingredients together.
That’s it folks! Â Easy peasy, no?
Paleo Chicken Salad With Olives
This tastes great by itself or you can also serve it on a bed of lettuce.
