I had a craving for my standard 7th grade lunch, circa 1993 today: a basket of chicken tenders with a side of mashed potatoes.  Surprisingly these nut crusted tenders and a side of cauliflower mash with extra Kerry Gold butter in it did the trick.  I posted this recipe a while back using skinless chicken breasts, but the pecans stick really well to smaller pieces of chicken.  Kids are going to love this.

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

You’ll need:

1 pound chicken tenders

1 cup raw pecans or pecan pieces

3 Tablespoons coconut flour

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 egg, beaten

1 Tablespoon almond milk

1. In a food processor, pulse the pecans, coconut flour and seasonings until everything is blended and has the consistency of cornmeal.

2 . In a separate bowl, beat the egg and almond milk.

3.  Put the pecan mixture in a large bowl.

4.  Using one hand to handle the dry ingredients one hand to handle the wet ingredients, first dip each chicken tender in the egg mixture, coating it well.

5.  Using your dry hand, coat the chicken tenders in the nut mixture, pressing down on the chicken tender to make the coating stick on both sides.

6.  Line the coated chicken on a foil-lined baking sheet.

7.  Bake for 12 minutes, flipping the chicken tenders over halfway through 

Pepperoni Stuffed Chicken

Salt and Pepper to taste

1.  Season both sides of each chicken breast with salt and pepper.

2.  With a paring knife, cut a pocket in through the side of the chicken breast.  So if you’re right handed, put your left hand on top of the chicken breast and hold the knife in your right hand.  Holding the knife parallel to the chicken, cut a pocket along the side of the chicken.  Cut as far over to the other side of the chicken as you can without cutting a hole in the other side.  You’re trying to make a safe little pocket for the filling to fit in without falling out of the chicken as it cooks.)

3.  Stuff the sliced pepperoni into each pocket

I created a paleo pesto recipe (the real deal has dairy in it) as one of my first Gourmaleo recipes which can be found in the archives, or I’ve re-printed it here.  I love this creation because I’m a huge fan of food you can hold in your hand while eating.  Get the squash and the chicken in the oven first and make the pesto while they’re cooking.

Pesto Chicken Stuffed Squash

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

You’ll need:

2 chicken breasts

2 acorn squash

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

2 roma tomatoes (optional)

1 pesto recipe

1.  Cut the top inch off each squash and cut off the bottom half inch- just enough to flatten it out so that it stands up on its own.

2.  Using a spoon or an ice cream scoop, scrape out the seeds and threads from inside and discard.

3.  Pour the olive oil inside and on top of the squash and use your fingers to coat it evenly.  Sprinkle the salt and pepper inside each squash.

4.  Line a sheet pan with foil, put the squash on the foil and cook in the oven for about 45 minutes, or until soft.

5.  Wrap the chicken breasts in foil and cook in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until cooked through.  (How big the chicken breasts are will determine this!)

6.  Start the pesto:

In a food processor or a blender, blend the following:

1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves

1/2 cup fresh baby spinach

2 large artichoke hearts (canned)

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Blend everything together and scrape it down to get everything off the sides.  Then drizzle in:

1/2 cup olive oil

Keep blending until smooth.  

7.  When the chicken is cooked, let it cool slightly and then chop into small, bite sized pieces.  If you like tomato, chop the tomato and mix in a bowl with the chicken.

8.   Add about half a cup of the pesto to the chicken and stir to coat well.

9.  Once the squash is done, take it out of the oven and fill with the pesto chicken/tomato mixture.

Sound pretty fancy?  Completely easy recipe, I promise.  I tried to blog this one last week but it was devoured before I could get photos.  These crispy leeks are my new favorite food ever.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Garlic Apple Roasted Chicken with Crispy Cinnamon Leeks

You’ll need:

1 whole roaster chicken

1 apple, peel on, sliced into long slices or 1” cubes

1 bunch of leeks

1 heaping Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons Kerry Gold grass fed butter (optional)

1.  Rinse the chicken off and pat it dry with a paper towel.  Coat with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

2.  Rinse off the leeks, pulling off the outer 2 layers to remove any dirt.  Slice the ends off of the white part, about 1/2” and throw away.  Slice disks about 1/4” thick up until you hit the green part of the leek.  Throw away the top green parts.

3.  In a large bowl, mix the apple pieces, leeks, cinnamon and garlic and toss well to coat everything in cinnamon.

4.  Take half of the mixture and put it in a large roasting pan or casserole dish.

5.  Take the other half of the mixture and stuff it inside the chicken.  The garlic should have fallen to the bottom of the bowl.  Stuff half of the garlic in the chicken.

6.  Using your finger, separate the chicken breast from the skin creating a little pocket.  Put the rest of the garlic inside the pocket, 1 on each breast.  Optional- put a Tablespoon of grass fed butter in the pocket, on top of the garlic.

7.  Set the chicken, breast side up, on top of the leeks and apples. 

8.  Roast in the oven for about an hour if your chicken is 2 1/2 pounds or less, and about an hour and 15 minutes if it’s 3 pounds or more. 

9.  Serve the chicken with the leeks and apples on the side.  The apples will soften in the oven and the leeks will become dark and crispy.

I would describe this recipe as one of my more difficult ones, and that’s only because the base of the dipping sauce is homemade mayonnaise.  Store-bought mayo is full of preservatives, stabilizers and of course, sugar.  The homemade stuff is as paleo as it gets, but it’s a little messy and involves some patience.  Don’t let that discourage you.  The sauce is totally worth it!  (P.S. if you see sesame soy wings on a menu that look delicious, just remember that soy sauce is not gluten free, nor is it even close to paleo.)

Sesame Chicken Wings

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

You’ll need:

2 pounds of chicken wings

3 Tablespoons sesame oil

1 1/2 Tablespoons black sesame seeds (find this in the Asian section of the grocery store or in the spice section)

2 teaspoons red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1. Put everything in a large bowl and mix together to make sure the wings are well coated in oil and spices.

2. Line a sheet pan with foil and, if you have it, set a baking rack on top.  If you don’t have a baking rack, just set the chicken wings on the pan, making sure to leave some space in between.

3. Put in the preheated oven and cook for 30 minutes.

While the wings are cooking, start the sauce.  You’ll need:

2 egg yolks

1 Tablespoon vinegar (I use apple cider vinegar)

1 Tablespoon water

1 teaspoon mustard

1/2 cup sesame oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic

1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (find this in the Asian section of the grocery store.  It’s super spicy, really cheap and will last you forever.)

1.  In a blender on low speed, blend the egg yolks, water, vinegar and mustard for about 30 seconds.

2.  Keep the blender on low speed and take the little plastic middle cap off.  Slowly start pouring the sesame oil in in a thin little stream.  If you pour it too fast, the mayonnaise will separate.  As the mayonnaise becomes thicker, it may start to splatter out of the top.  Just keep a dish towel draped over your hand as you pour in the sesame oil.  This process should take about 3-4 minutes.

3.  After you’ve added all of the sesame oil, the mayonnaise should look pale yellow and thick.  Scrape it out of the blender using a rubber spatula and put it in a bowl. 

4.  Add the salt, red pepper flakes, garlic and chili garlic sauce.  Stir together well.

5.  When the wings are finished cooking, take them out to cool for a few minutes.  You can toss the wings in the bowl of sauce to coat them, or keep it in a small bowl on the side for dipping.

It’s HOT outside.  I came home from work yesterday and it was a miserable 106 degrees. I wasn’t about to make anything hot for dinner, so I decided to play around with a mayo-less chicken salad and ended up creating my new favorite dish for summer.  This one has lots of ingredients but totally worth it.  I recommend doubling the batch and keeping it in the fridge to eat for a few days.

Far East Chicken Salad

You’ll need:

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 can (13.5 ounces) of coconut milk

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1 teaspoon Five Spice powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 carrot

1 zucchini

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

1.  In a medium sauce pan, bring the chicken stock, coconut milk, five spice powder and garlic powder to a boil.  Add the chicken breasts and boil for about 15 minutes.

2. While the chicken is boiling, shred the zucchini and carrot in a food processor with the grater attachment, or grate it on the large holes of a cheese grater.

3. When the chicken is cooked through, take it out of the pan and put it in the refrigerator to cool. 

4.  Keep the liquid in the pan boiling and add the raisins and salt.  Let the liquid reduce down to about a cup, until it it thick and syrupy. When it is reduced, take it out of the pan and let it cool in the refrigerator.

5.  When the chicken is cool, pull it apart with your fingers into shredded, bite-size pieces, or cut it with a knife into small pieces.

6.  In a large bowl, mix the shredded carrots, zucchini, chicken, almonds, and cooled syrup/raisins.  Mix well and serve cold.

I kind of have a crush on five-spice blends right now.  The chili garlic sauce can be found in the Asian section of the grocery store, right next to the Sriracha.  And once this zucchini is cooked, it resembles the texture of noodles!  If you are only cooking for one person, it’s still worth it to buy a whole roasting chicken (they have local pasture raised ones at Whole Foods for about $3.99 a pound) because the leftovers are awesome eaten cold on top of a salad.

Five Spice Ginger Chicken with Chili Garlic Zucchini

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees

For the chicken, you’ll need:

1 whole roasting chicken, skin on

1/2 Tablespoon salt

1 Tablespoon five spice

Fresh ginger root

1 1/2 Tablespoon coconut oil

half a bunch of celery, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 1/2 cup chicken stock

1.  Rinse off the chicken and pat it dry. 

2.  Peel the ginger root with a vegetable peeler or a paring knife.  Slice the ginger root into about 6 quarter-sized pieces.  With the chicken breast facing up, separate the skin from the meat and put 3 pieces of ginger under each chicken breast.

3.  Stuff the chicken with the celery.

4.  Melt the coconut oil and pour it on the chicken, rubbing it with your hands to make sure its entirely coated.

5.  Mix the 5 spice and salt together and sprinkle them over the entire chicken.

6.  Put the chicken in a roasting pan or a large casserole dish and pour the chicken stock in. 

7.  Put the chicken in the pre-heated oven for about an hour.  While it’s cooking, take the chicken out of the oven every 20 minutes to baste it with the chicken stock.

Chili Garlic Zucchini

For the zucchini, you’ll need:

2 large zucchinis

2 Tablespoons coconut oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoons chili garlic sauce

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger (peel it and grate it using a cheese grater or a microplane)

1.  Cut the ends of each zucchini.  In a food processor with a grater attachment, or with a cheese grater using the larger holes, shred the zucchini.

2.  Heat a large saute pan over medium/high heat.  When it is hot, add the coconut oil.

3.  After the coconut oil is melted and hot, put the zucchini in.  Stir and let it cook for about 2 minutes. 

4.  Add the salt, fresh ginger, and chili garlic sauce and stir to combine everything.  Cook for another 2 minutes until soft.

Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

You’ll need:

3 chicken breasts

1/3 cup sauteed spinach leaves, chopped (or 1/3 cup frozen spinach, thawed, if you’re in a hurry)

2 canned artichoke hearts, chopped

2 sprigs of fresh thyme, chopped

Zest from half a lemon

3 Tablespoons bacon fat or coconut oil

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1.  In a bowl, combine the sauteed spinach, chopped artichoke hearts, thyme, lemon zest, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. 

2.  Season both sides of each chicken breast with the remaining salt and pepper and the nutmeg.

3.  With a paring knife, cut a pocket into the chicken breast.  (If you’re right handed, put your left hand on top of the chicken breast and hold the knife in your right hand.  Holding the knife parallel to the chicken, cut a pocket along the side of the chicken.  Cut as far over to the other side of the chicken as you can without cutting a hole in the other side.  You’re trying to make a safe little pocket for the filling to fit in without falling out of the chicken as it cooks.)

4. Fill each chicken breast with the spinach artichoke mixture.

5. Heat a pan over medium/high heat.  Add 3 Tablespoons of bacon fat or coconut oil and let it get hot.  After the oil is hot, put the chicken breasts in the pan.

6.  Cook the chicken for 3 minutes and, using tongs, flip the chicken over and cook for another 3 minutes.

7.  Put the chicken on a sheet pan and put in the oven for about 10 minutes to finish cooking.  It may take a couple of minutes more or less, depending on the size of the chicken breast.

After my coconut curry, this is my second favorite Gourmaleo recipe.  I don’t know if it’s the crunch, or the salt, or the comfort food factor but this one is a big win.  It’s a very basic recipe with few ingredients and easy technique.  Enjoy!

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Pecan Crusted Baked Chicken

You’ll need:

3 skinless chicken breasts

1 cup raw pecans halves

3 Tablespoons coconut flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 egg

1 Tablespoon almond milk

1.  Line a sheet pan with foil.

2.  In a food processor, pulse the pecans, coconut flour, salt, pepper and cayenne until all ingredients are mixed together and the pecans resemble really coarse cornmeal.  Put this mixture in a bowl large enough to hold a chicken breast.

3. In a second bowl, beat the egg and almond milk together.

4. Take the first chicken breast and dip it in the egg mixture, covering all sides. Then put it in the pecan mixture, coating it well on all sides. 

5. Put the coated chicken breast on the foil-lined sheet pan.

6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the remaining chicken breasts and put the sheet pan in the oven for about 25-30 minutes (depending on how large they are), flipping the chicken breasts over about halfway through.

I accidentally bought chicken thighs this week and was like “What in the world am I supposed to do with these?” because I’m not the biggest fan of dark meat.  Low and behold, I had some delicious hydroponic basil and a couple of decent tomatoes on hand and chicken caprese was created.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Chicken Caprese

You’ll need:

6 chicken thighs

2 tomatoes

6-8 large leaves of fresh basil, rinsed and dried

3 cloves of garlic, each cut in half lengthwise

Salt and Pepper

Balsamic vinegar for garnish

1.  Line a sheet pan with foil and set the chicken thighs on the foil.

2.  Season both sides of each chicken thigh with salt and pepper.

3.  Put half a garlic clove on each chicken thigh.

4.  Rinse and slice 1 tomato into 6 slices.  Put 1 tomato slice on each chicken thigh, on top of the garlic.

5.  Put 1 piece of basil on top of each tomato, like this:

6. Close the foil around the chicken.  Put it in the preheated oven and cook for about 30 minutes.  While the chicken is cooking, cut the remaining tomato into small pieces and season with salt and pepper.  Finely slice the remaining 2 basil leaves and mix with the tomato.

7.  Take the cooked chicken out of the oven and top it with the fresh tomato and basil.   Drizzle a little bit of balsamic vinegar on the plate for garnish.