Dijon Roasted New Potatoes

These potatoes are amazing.  Seriously.  I’m a huge fan of potatoes in general, but these, well, these are my most favorite potatoes I’ve had to date.  The Dijon mustard makes these crispy on the outside without having to use too much oil.  The husband hates Dijon mustard, and he gobbled these up, so don’t get turned off if you’re not a Dijon fan.  Easy, delicious, and healthy.  Pefection 🙂

Dijon Roasted New Potatoes
Servings: 4  Points+: 4 per serving

1 spray cooking spray (I used my Misto)
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp olive oil
3/4 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds uncooked new potatoes, red or white, quartered or halved

Preheat oven to 425.  Coat a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, whisk together the mustard, olive oil, paprika,salt, thyme, and pepper; add potatoes and stir to coat.

Transfer potatoes to prepared baking dish and roast 15 minutes; stir and roast until tender on the inside, about 15 to 20 minutes more.  Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Source:  Weight Watchers

Laughing Cow Chicken

Laughing Cow cheeses are one of my most favorite healthy snacks.  Paired with some reduced-fat Triscuits, it makes for a satisfying evening snack.  When I saw this recipe for chicken stuffed with the cheese, I had it on our menu plan immediately.  My favorite flavor is Garlic & Herb, which is what I used for this chicken.  Let me tell you, for such a simple and quick dinner, this was delicious.  I could have eaten all four chicken breasts I made it was that good.  Thankfully the husband and toddler agreed with my review, and they ate up the rest of this.  I’m sure this will be a staple in our dinner rotation as it was so easy to make. 

Laughing Cow Chicken

4 thinly sliced chicken breasts
4 wedges Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb cheese
Cooking spray
1/2 cup Italian seasoned panko

Lay each chicken breast flat.  Spread one wedge of cheese over one side of each chicken breast.  Roll up and seal with a toothpick.  Spray the chicken with cooking spray and cover with panko.  Place on baking sheet.  Spray breaded chicken breasts with more cooking spray.  Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  Remove toothpicks and serve.

Source:  Adapted from Macaroni and Cheesecake; originally adapted from Elizabeth’s Cooking Experiments

Garlic and Citrus Chicken

Oh, this chicken.  Let me tell you about this poor chicken.  I first made this recipe about 4 years ago, shortly after the husband and I moved into our house.  Before we did some renovations a few years ago, my only oven was a 24″ wall oven that is about 30+ years old.  You cannot fit most roasting pans in there.  I finally found one that would fit, and so I was excited to try this chicken.  Let me just say, it was a collosal failure.  Because the chicken sat up too high and thus too close to the heating coils, it was burnt beyond reason on the outside, but still really raw on the inside.  Add to that the fact that I was about 3 months pregnant with the toddler, and I was a sobbing mess about my ruined chicken.

Fast forward 4 years, I was determined to try again since we finally have a normal sized oven.  I prepped the chicken, cooked it perfectly, pulled it out of the oven, and realized I cooked it breast side down, not breast side up.  Despite that, the chicken was delicious!  The flavors work really well together and the meat was super tender and moist.  I will make this again and again, although perhaps I should work on paying closer attention to what I’m doing.

Garlic and Citrus Chicken

1 (5 to 6-pound) whole roasting chicken, neck and giblets discarded
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 head garlic, halved crosswise, plus 3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (14-ounce) cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
Kitchen string or butcher twine

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Pat the chicken dry and sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the orange, lemon, and garlic halves. Tie the chicken legs together with kitchen string to help hold its shape. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.

Place a rack in a large roasting pan. Place the chicken, breast side up, on the rack in the pan. Roast the chicken for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding some chicken broth to the pan, if necessary, to prevent the pan drippings from burning. Whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, oil, oregano, and chopped garlic in a medium bowl to blend. Brush some of the juice mixture over the chicken, after it has baked 1 hour. Continue roasting the chicken until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the innermost part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, basting occasionally with the juice mixture and adding broth to the pan, about 45 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to a platter. Tent with foil while making the sauce (do not clean the pan).

Place the same roasting pan over medium-low heat. Whisk in any remaining broth and simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1 cup, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Strain into a 2-cup glass measuring cup and discard the solids. Spoon the fat from the top of the sauce. Serve the chicken with the pan sauce.

Source:  Food Network