Pioneer Woman Ranch Style Chicken Recipes

PIONEER WOMAN RANCH-STYLE CHICKEN

Steps:

• To begin, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together 1/2 cup Dijon or country/grainy mustard with 1/2 cup honey, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and whisk until smooth. Sprinkle in some crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne if you like things a little spicy. Set aside.
• Next, rinse the chicken breasts, place between two sheets of waxed paper and pound to around 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick with a mallet. Next, add the chicken to the bowl with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 1 to 3 hours.
• While the chicken marinates, fry up some bacon. When finished cooking, reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon grease and clean out the skillet.
• When the chicken is done marinating, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the chicken from the fridge and pour off excess marinade. Heat half of the reserved bacon grease with an equal quantity of Canola Oil in the clean skillet over medium-high heat. When the grease is nice and hot add two or three pieces of chicken to it. Cook until brownish/blackish, about 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a large baking sheet. If cooking many pieces of chicken, repeat skillet process and remove finished chicken to baking sheet. Place chicken in preheated oven and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from over.
• Lay a few pieces of bacon over each chicken breast. Sprinkle shredded sharp cheddar cheese over the top of the chicken as generously as you like. Return pan to oven for an additional five minutes until cheese is melted and bacon is sizzling. Serve immediately.

KING RANCH CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• Make the soup/tomato mixture, which is very bizarre and might scare you off. But please: Be brave and stick with me through this challenging time. You won't be sorry! In a large bowl, combine the soups and diced tomatoes and chiles. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and chicken broth. Then--this is the time to be strong--stir it all together. Trust me!
• Line the bottom of the baking dish with half of the torn tortillas. Layer on half the chicken. Add half the onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Sprinkle on half the cheese and pour on half the wacky soup mixture. Then repeat the layers, beginning with the rest of the tortillas, and ending with the rest of the you-know-what.
• Cover with foil and bake for 45 minutes, then uncover and bake until bubbling, another 15 minutes.
• Look at that! Serve it with a salad and a dang hearty appetite.
• To make ahead and freeze: Fold foil over the unbaked casserole and freeze until solid. Then, lift the foil-topped casserole out of the pan, wrap the whole thing in plastic wrap and freeze until needed. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap, put the foiled-topped casserole back into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and thaw. Bake at 350 degrees F following the baking instructions above.

RANCH CHICKEN SANDWICHES

Steps:

• With a very sharp knife, cut the chicken breasts in half down the middle. This will result in 8 chicken breast pieces that are thinner and uniform in size.
• Next, make the marinade. In a large bowl mix together the honey, mustard, paprika, salt, pepper to taste, lemon juice and crushed red pepper flakes if using. Stir to combine.
• Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge, 2 to 4 hours.
• While the chicken marinates, fry up the bacon until chewy. When finished cooking, reserve 1/4 cup of the bacon grease and pour off the rest of the grease (but do not clean the skillet).
• When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove it from the marinade and cook it in the skillet over medium-high heat, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Brush a little reserved bacon grease on the chicken as you cook it. (Or you can grill the chicken breasts on an indoor or outdoor grill.)
• When a couple of minutes grilling time are left, lay 2 pieces of bacon onto each chicken breast. Top with some Cheddar and allow it to melt on the grill (if you need to remove the chicken you can finish melting the cheese under the broiler).
• Halve the rolls and immediately load with the bacon-and-cheese covered chicken.

RANCH CHICKEN TACOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the chicken: Put the chicken in a resealable bag. In a bowl, mix together the cumin, chili powder, crushed pepper, garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper; pour over the chicken. Seal the bag and smush to coat.
• Add the oil to a skillet and heat it up over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken to a cutting board, cut into cubes, and then return to the skillet; keep warm over low heat, covered in foil.
• For the tortillas: Wrap the tortillas in foil and warm them in the oven for 15 minutes. Serve the chicken with the tortillas as part of a taco bar.
• Add the avocados, cilantro, sour cream, milk, salt, pepper and lime zest and juice to a blender. Blend until smooth. Serve as part of a taco bar.
• Add the beans, chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 2 teaspoons pepper to a large pot. Add cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until tender, about 6 hours. Serve as part of a taco bar.
• Heat up a grill pan and slap the peppers on. Cook, turning them occasionally, until blistered on all sides and softened, about 8 minutes total. Remove and set aside. Serve as part of a taco bar.
• Add the jalapenos, tomatoes, onions, mangoes, cilantro, lime juice and salt to a bowl and stir together. Serve as a taco bar fixing.
• In a blender or food processor (see Cook's Note), combine the diced tomatoes, whole tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic, chiles, hot sauce, cumin, salt, sugar and lime juice. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you like; I do about 10 to 15 pulses. Test seasonings with a tortilla chip, if you dare. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.