Bourbon Street Chicken

Yuuuppp! 
HA!  Anyone who watches "Storage Wars" just said that in Dave Hester's nails on a chalkboard voice. 
Anyway, back to the YUP.  I meant to go on and say "YUP, just like the Bourbon St. Chicken you get in the mall."  It is scrumptious.  It is simple.  The only change I will make next time I make it is to use chicken thighs instead of breasts.  The mall uses dark meat and I just feel like dark meat stays oh-so moist.

Bourbon Street Chicken
Recipe slightly adapted from:  Big Oven

• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts OR boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces 
• 1 -2 TBSP Olive Oil 
• 1 Garlic Clove, crushed
• 1/4 tsp Ginger (I used dried ginger powder) 
• 1 tsp Sriracha Sauce 
• 1/4 cup Apple Juice
• 1/3 cup Light Brown Sugar
• 2 TBSP Ketchup
• 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1/2 cup Water
• 1/3 cup Soy Sauce
• 1 TBSP Cornstarch (to thicken sauce if desired)

Heat oil in a large skillet.

Add chicken pieces and cook until lightly browned.
Remove chicken.
Add remaining ingredients, aside from cornstarch, heating over medium heat until well blended and dissolved.
Add chicken and bring to a hard boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes uncovered.
If you want a thicker sauce, combine 1 TBSP of cornstarch to 1 TBSP water.  Add to sauce and stir to thicken.
Serve over hot rice.

This recipe has been linked up to:
This Chick Cooks
Country Cook
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home

Better Than Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana

I am this close to a trifecta my friends!  I present to you "Better Than Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana".  The name pretty much says it all...it IS better than the Zuppa Toscana soup at Olive Garden.  I am working on finding a fabulous salad dressing for the "Better Than Olive Garden's Salad".  I already have the breadsticks that I think are way better than Olive Garden's, found HERE.  Don't wait to make this one, it is SCRUMPTIOUS!

Better Than Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana
Recipe Source:  Steak N Potatoes Kinda Gurl

• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 1 lb ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups (32 oz) chicken stock
• 3 cups russet potatoes, cubed
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups kale, washed and cut into bite size pieces
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• Parmesan cheese, grated, to taste

In a large pot, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the grease. Add the sausage, breaking it apart as it cooks. Once sausage is browned and crumbled, remove sausage and drain off grease leaving a tbsp to saute the onion.
Add the onion to the pan; saute until translucent; add garlic; saute until fragrant.  Add the bacon and sausage back into the pot.
Stir in the stock and potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and simmer for about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Add kale and heavy whipping cream. Bring to a simmer. Top with Parmesan cheese, when serving.

This recipe has been linked up to:
This Chick Cooks
The Country Cook
Tidy Mom
SImply Sweet Home
Eat at Home

Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken....a copycat recipe

It seems the older I get, the more unimpressed I get with restaurant food.  The concept is good, but somehow the execution just isn't there.  More often than not, I end up leaving a restaurant thinking "I could have made that".  So, it should come as no surprise that I love copycat recipes.  Can I just say, this was one tasty chicken dish!  I mean come on, what is not to love...chicken in a delightful honey mustard marinade that makes it insanely juicy, sauteed mushrooms, bacon, cheese?!?!  Also, as impressive as the dish seems, it is surprisingly easy to put together. 

Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken
Recipe Slightly Adapted From:  A Treasury of Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur

• 4 Skinless, Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 3 TBSP Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
• 2 cups sliced mushrooms (10-12)
• 2 TBSP Butter
• 1 clove garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 8 slices bacon, cooked
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

For the Honey Mustard Marinade

• 1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
• 1/2 tsp lemon juice

Whisk together the Honey Mustard Marinade ingredients either by hand, hand mixer, or blender until well combined.
Place defrosted Chicken Breasts into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag and pour 2/3 of the marinade over top, making sure all the chicken gets covered by sauce.  Place remaining 1/3 Honey Mustard Marinade in the refrigerator.  Once it is nearing the end of the marinating time, cook your bacon and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
In a skillet over medium heat, heat up 2 TBSP of the Olive Oil.  Sear the chicken 3-4 minutes per side and remove to a baking dish. DISCARD Ziploc bag with marinade!
While the chicken is searing, heat Butter and reserved Olive Oil in a saute pan.  Add sliced mushrooms and allow to saute until soft and brown.  Near the end of the saute time, add Garlic Clove and cook until fragrant.
Once in the baking dish, brush each chicken breast with some of the reserved Honey Mustard Sauce, saving any leftover for serving if desired.  Stack 2 slices of bacon on each chicken breast, creating an "X".  Spoon the mushroom mixture onto the bacon, making sure to coat each breast evenly.  Spread 1/4 cup Monterey Jack Cheese and 1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese on top of the mushrooms. 
Bake the chicken for 8-10 minutes.
ENJOY!!!

This recipe has been linked up at:
Tidy Mom
Simply Sweet Home
This Chick Cooks
Eat at Home