Savory Archives | Bake With a Grain of Salt

Baked Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

A simple alternative to an authentic dish! Baked Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki is the easiest way to achieve the flavor without the traditional roast!

Sure, gyros aren’t typically chicken, nor are they usually baked but this recipe allows for simplicity and comes with a tzatziki recipe!

Traditionally, gryos are lamb or beef and are roasted on a spit! The marinade on the meat caramelizes and the meat is shaved off of the spit onto a fresh pita pocket!

However, not everyone has the ability to roast meat over a spit so chicken gyros are a simple solution for homecooks!

The longer you marinate the chicken the better, but a minimum of 2 hours is preferable! I wouldn’t suggest marinated the chicken for more than 24 hours. While you can use chicken breasts or tenders, chicken thighs (boneless and skinless) are really juicy and easy to make!

Because the chicken is juicy and is marinated in yogurt it can occasionally seep water and liquid as it bakes. If it does this you can remove the sheet pan from the oven and drain the liquid before placing back into the oven.

You can make homemade pitas or use storebought flat breads.

You can heat up the bread in the residual heat from the oven. But it’s best to heat it up on a pan and toast it. If you don’t warm the bread it won’t be pliable!

You can top the flatbread with tzatziki sauce (recipe included) or hummus, or both!

Lettuce is recommended for a refreshing crunch and so are raw red onions. Tomatoes and bell peppers are optional and you can always add any other type of veggies as toppings!

If you enjoyed this recipe for Baked Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki, check out some of my other chicken recipes!

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Baked Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki

A simple alternative to an authentic dish! Baked Chicken Gyros with Tzatziki is the easiest way to achieve the flavor without the traditional roast!

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Marinating Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Servings: 4 -5 Gyros

Calories: 400kcal

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

1 Lbs Chicken Thighs, boneless skinless
¾ Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
1 tsp Kosher Salt
½ Tbsp Lemon Juice
½ Tbsp Fresh Oregano
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp Coriander Powder
½ tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, grated

Pita and Toppings

4 Pita, flat breads or pockets
½ Red Onion, sliced thinly
2 Roma Tomatoes, seeded and sliced thinly
¼ Head Iceberg Lettuce, shredded
½ Orange Bell Pepper, sliced

Tzatziki Sauce

1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
¼ tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Dill Weed
½ Lemon, juiced
Dash of smoked paprika (optional)

Instructions

Chicken

Marinate the chicken in the ingredients for the marinade for 2 hours. Cover and store in the refrigerator.
Once marinaded, place the chicken onto a foil lined baking sheet and place into a 375° oven for 30 to 35 minutes.
If at any point there is too much liquid being released from either the chicken or the yogurt, you can remove the sheet and drain before placing back into the oven.
Prep the toppings and tzatziki sauce while the chicken is baking.

Toppings

Warm up your pitas in the leftover heat of the oven or on a pan. Warming them up will keep them flexible and pliable!
Prep and chop your vegetables.

Tzatziki Sauce

Mix together the ingredients for the sauce. Adjust for taste!

Assembly

Slice the chicken into thick slices.
Top the warm pita with tzatziki sauce, some lettuce, the chicken, and veggies of your choosing.
Enjoy warm!

Minestrone Soup with Tortellini

Minestrone Soup is the perfect vegetable soup packed full of flavor. Eat it alone as a side dish or with Tortellini to make it the main star. It’s a super healthy and tasty soup.

Minestrone Soup is the perfect vegetable soup packed full of flavor, eat with Tortellini or alone as a side dish!

You can add as many vegetables as you want or swap some of the ones in this recipe out for ones you like better. Celery, carrots, and zucchini are the classic ingredients!

After you saute the celery, onions, carrot, and garlic make sure you saute the tomato paste thoroughly. Don’t let it burn but do let it cook. It will reduce the sourness that raw tomato paste can have in many soups and sauces.

Once the diced tomato and herbs are added you can add the water.

At this stage you have a few choices. You can either use 4 cups of water with 2 bullion cubes mixed in. You can use either vegetable (to keep the soup vegetarian) or chicken bullion (it adds a lot of flavor), and you can choose regular or low sodium! OR you can use 2 cups of water and 2 cups of broth (vegetarian or chicken, low sodium or regular).

Add the bay leaves as well. And once everything has mixed, you can add the sugar and some salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste. The sugar is used to counter the acidic sourness of the tomatoes in the soup.

Let the soup cook for a bit and then add the zucchini, red kidney beans, and the tortellini. Let cook at a rapid boil so the tortellini can cook. This may take around 8 – 10 minutes.

Add the spinach at the very end so and serve hot!

Add some grated parmesan for some more flavor!

Make sure you remove the bay leaves before servings!

This Minestrone Soup with Tortellini is fully vegetarian!

(depending on which broth or bullion cube you use!)

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Minestrone Soup with Tortellini

Minestrone Soup is the perfect vegetable soup packed full of flavor. Eat it alone as a side dish or with Tortellini to make it the main star. It's a super healthy and tasty soup.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Course: Main Course, Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: 6 -8 Bowls

Calories: 200kcal

Ingredients

1 Cup Celery, chopped
½ Medium Onion, chopped
1½ Cup Carrot, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, grated
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1½ tsp Herbs du Provence
1 14 oz Can of Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes
4 Cups Water
2 Cubes Bullion (veg or chicken, low sodium)
½ tsp Sugar
2-3 Bay Leaves
Salt, Black Pepper, Crushed Red Bell Pepper, to taste
1 Cup Zucchini, chopped
1 Cup Red Kidney Beans
1 Cup Tortellini
2 Cups Baby Spinach, roughly chopped, stems removed

Instructions

Heat up some oil in a pot and saute the onion, garlic, celery, and carrots.
Add the tomato paste and saute it.
Add the canned fire roasted diced tomatoes and the herb du provence.
Dilute the two bullion cubes in 4 cups of warm water. (You can use 2 cups of low sodium broth with 2 cups of water instead) Add the water to the pot.
Add the sugar, bay leaves. Stir and add salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste.
Add the zucchini, red beans, and tortellini and cook for about ten minutes.
Add the spinach and a half cup of water if you want your soup to be thicker.
Remove from heat once your tortellini is cooked!

Easy Buttery Garlic Knots

Soft, fluffy and easy to make, these buttery garlic knots are perfect with any italian dish or soup! Eat on the side with a salad or just as a snack! Top with parmesan or flaky salt!

Okay, what’s better than easy to make buttery garlic knots to eat with any of your Italian dishes?

This recipe only requires about ten to fifteen minutes of active prep time and a few hours of down time.

This is what the dough will look like after you mix the yeast water, half of the dry ingredients, and the olive oil. At this point you want to switch to a dough hook if you’re using a stand mixer.

This is what the dough should look like once it is done being mixed.

After the dough has done it’s first rise. Once you punch, roll, and shape the dough this is what they should look like.

Let them rise once more for an hour before baking.

Then brush with garlic butter and enjoy!

Once you brush the easy knots with garlic -y buttery goodness, you’re welcome to top the knots with flaky salt, grated parmesan, or crushed red pepper!

Some tips on storing these knots if you want to premake them and bake them when the craving strikes.

You can freeze the whole batch or just half of it, whatever you prefer.

If you want to store these, then place them on a parchment paper lined sheet pan and place in the freezer right after you shape them into the knots. Do not allow the dough to do its second rise. Freezing the knots at this stage will freeze the yeast in the dough and prevent it from fermenting or rising more during storage.

Once the knots are frozen, you can remove them from the sheet pan and store in a freezer safe container or plastic bag and place back into the freezer. They can last for a few weeks like this.

When you’re ready to eat them, remove them from the freezer and place on a parchment paper lined sheet pan. Cover with a damp towel and allow to thaw and proof. Once they have thawed, you can bake them the same way you normally would.

Finally, finish the knots with a generous coating of garlic butter and any other seasonings and enjoy!

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Easy Buttery Garlic Knots

Soft, fluffy and easy to make, these buttery garlic knots are perfect with any italian dish or soup! Eat on the side with a salad or just as a snack! Top with parmesan or flaky salt!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Proofing Time2

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American, Italian

Servings: 6

Calories: 115kcal

Ingredients

Knots

1 tsp Instant Yeast
½ Cup Water, lukewarm (95° – 110° F)
1½ Cups All Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Fine Sea Salt
1½ tsp Olive Oil

Garlic Butter

2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
2 Cloves Garlic
Parmesan (Optional)
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (Optional)
Flaky Salt (Optional)

Instructions

Mix the yeast into the water thoroughly and set aside while prepping the rest of the ingredients.
Mix the salt, sugar, and flour thoroughly in a bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl (or your stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment) Add half of the dry ingredients mixture and the yeast water. Mix with a wooden spoon (or on low with your stand mixer) until combined.
Add the oil and mix until combined (turn the speed up one notch on a stand mixer).
(If using a stand mixer, swap to a dough hook. Make sure you scrape the dough off of the paddle attachment) Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is smooth (turn up to a medium/medium low speed on the stand mixer)
Add the dough to a greased bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature for about an hour (until the dough has doubled in size)
Punch the dough down once it has risen and cut into 12 even pieces (they can be any shape since we will be rolling these)
Roll those 12 pieces into balls and then roll them out into thin logs that are about 8 inches in length.
Cut those logs in half and tie each half into knots.
Set the knots on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and cover with greased cling wrap. Let rise for an hour.
Once proofed, place the knots in a 400° F oven for 10 – 13 minutes.
While the knots are baking, melt the butter and grate the garlic cloves into the butter. Let the garlic steep.
Once you remove the knots from the oven, brush the garlic butter on.
Sprinkle on any option flaky salt, crushed red pepper, or grated parmesan and enjoy!
Read the blog post above for information on how to store the garlic knots so you can bake them on demand!

Fluffy Spicy Mexican Rice

This fluffy mexican rice recipe has a slight spicy and sweet kick to it that you can adjust by taste. It’s one of my favorite things about this recipe! Some days I want extra corn and other days I want it with more lemon.

This recipe is written to be the baseline ingredients, you can adjust to your taste and how you prefer it!

The most important thing about cooking rice is to wash any of the starch out of it and let it soak with some water before you cook it. Drain the water the rice was soaking in and use fresh water to cook with or it will be too sticky.

As far as the ingredients inside go. You’ll want to cook the onion and garlic before adding the corn and black beans. You can add jalapenos to your taste but make sure to account for any additional spice. If you want to add cilantro, it’s better to add it at the end!

Once the rice, tomato sauce, and water is added, add the seasoning and taste. Keep in mind that you want the flavors to be a little more bold than what you would prefer because it’s takes more spice and salt to season rice.

Cook the rice uncovered at a medium heat for above 10 minutes while stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, refer to the photo below.

Once it gets to that stage, add the lemon juice, turn to a simmer and cover for about ten minutes or until the rest of the water has cooked off.

Add the cilantro and use a fork to make your spicy mexican rice fluffy!

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5 from 1 vote

Fluffy Spicy Mexican Rice

Fluffy Mexican Rice with corn, beans, and a spicy kick! This recipe is really simple and doesn't utilize any special ingredients, perfect for any home cook.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 4 – 6 Servings

Calories: 215kcal

Ingredients

1 Cup Uncooked Rice medium or long grain, I used basmati
1½ tbsp Olive Oil
3 Cloves Garlic, grated
½ Cup Diced Red Onions
½ Cup Canned Black Beans, drained and rinsed
½ Cup Corn, frozen or canned (drained and rinsed)
½ tsp Cumin
½ tsp (Mexican) Chili Powder
1½ tsp Kosher Salt
½ Cup Tomato Sauce, canned
2 Cups Water
1 tsp Lemon Juice
3 Sprigs Cilantro chopped
Jalapeno, diced Optional

Instructions

Rinse the rice and set aside to soak while you prep the other ingredients.
Add the oil to a saucepan and cook the garlic and onions (and optional jalapenos)
Add the beans and corn to the pan followed by the rice, water, and tomato sauce.
Season with cumin, chili powder, and salt and stir. Taste and adjust, the water should be slighlty spicy and salty or the rice will be bland.
Cook uncovered at a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the water has almost fully evaporated.
Stir to ensure that the rice doesn't stick. Add the lemon juice, cover the pot and turn the heat to a simmer. Cook for another 8 – 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the cilantro and fluff the rice up with a fork so it doesn't clump.
The rice is ready to serve!

Easy Sandwich Loaf Bread

Once you start making this easy sandwich loaf bread, you’ll never want to buy the store bought stuff ever again! It’s slightly sweet and toasts to the perfect crunch!

This easy sandwich loaf bread recipe is a perfect introduction to the art of bread making! It’s a versatile bread so it surely won’t last long in any household!

I make this recipe using my stand mixer, but I will walk through how to make the bread without one. For home cooks that are trying to bake casually, I would recommend using a stand mixer if you have one just out of convenience and efficiency.

It’s key to ensure that your milk and water (and any liquid you use to bloom yeast) is at a ‘lukewarm’ temperature. This is usually between 95 and 110 F. Anything lower won’t activate the yeast properly and anything higher runs the risk of killing it.

Mix thoroughly and allow the yeast to bloom for around 8 – 10 minutes before you use it. Measure out your other ingredients while the yeast is blooming. Do keep in mind that your butter should be room temperature and soft to the touch.

If you’re using a stand mixer to mix the dough, fit on the dough hook attachment and start by mixing the dry ingredients together. Slowly drizzle in the yeast mixture and continue mixing until the dough comes together. Add in the butter a tablespoon at a time until fully incorporated.

If you’re doing this without a stand mixer, you’ll want to mix the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon. Mix until the dough looks like this

When you’re adding the butter, the dough will become sticky you can add a few sprinkles of flour to help but I would be cautious of adding too much. Once the butter is in, you can turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth.

Place in a oiled boil and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let rest for an hour to hour and half or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough out and work any air bubbles out as you roll the dough out into a rectangle. Then fold the dough over itself into thirds across the long side.

Then roll the folded dough out again so the short side of the dough matches the length of your loaf tin. Tightly roll the dough onto itself so it can rest in your loaf pan. There will be holes in your bread if it’s not rolled tightly enough (my bread rose too much so there’s an air pocket in the center of the loaf).

Place the log in a prepped loaf tin and cover with another loaf tin, let rise for about an hour and bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes!

Let your easy sandwich loaf bread cool fully before slicing!

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5 from 1 vote

Easy Sandwich Loaf Bread

Once you start making this easy sandwich loaf bread, you'll never want to buy the store bought stuff ever again! It's slightly sweet and toasts to the perfect crunch!

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Rising Time2

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 12 Slices

Calories: 120kcal

Equipment

Standard Loaf Tin

Ingredients

¾ Cup Lukewarm Water (95°-110° F)
½ Cup Lukewarm Milk (95°-110° F) (preferably whole milk)
2½ tsp Instant Yeast
3 Cups All Purpose Flour
1½ tsp Fine Sea Salt (grind your kosher salt if you have kosher)
1 tbsp Granulated Sugar
3 tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature

Instructions

Mix together the lukewarm water and sprinkle the instant yeast on top. Stir and set aside for ten minutes to let the yeast bloom.
Mix together the flour, salt, and sugar in large bowl. (Stand mixer bowl if you're using one)
(Fit the stand mixer with the dough hook or use a larger bowl and a wooden spoon if you don't have one) Add the yeast, milk, and water mixture to the bowl and mix on a low speed until incorporated. (this will take a few minutes with a mixer, and more time by spoon)
Add a tablespoon of butter at a time to the mixture until full incorporated. Once fully incorporated mix for 30 seconds more. (If you're doing this by hand, put the dough on a floured work surface a knead the butter into the dough. Work until the dough is smooth.
Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and cover with greased plastic wrap. Let sit at room temperature for about an hour and half or until the dough doubles in size (make sure it doubles, if you live in a colder or less humid climate this may take longer)
Once the dough doubles in size, punch the air out and place onto a floured work surface. Make sure you punch any air pockets out.
Roll the dough into a large rectangle and fold into thirds across the long side. (refer to photos)
Roll that out into another rectangle where the short side is the length of your loaf pan.
Start from the side of your dough that matches the length of the load pans and Tightly roll your dough into a log.
Place in a greased and floured loaf tin and cover with another loaf tin, let rest for about an hour at room temperature or until doubled in size.
Bake at 350° for 35 – 40 minutes. Let cool for ten minutes until removing from loaf pan and let cool fully on a wire rack.

Spicy Sweet Corn Disks

Spicy seasoning for sweet corn disks sauteed with onions and a dash of lemon juice! The perfect snack or accompaniment for a main entree. A 10 minute dish!

So corn really is one of my favorite foods in the entire world. I could eat corn in any form, from bread to creamed to steamed and anything inbetween. These spicy sweet corn disks are super easy to make and full of flavor. There is no added sweetness, just the sweet corn!

Aside from the spices, there are four main ingredients: corn, onion, lemon, and cilantro.

Take a medium pan and sautee the onion until translucent and add the spices. Stir well.

Then toss the corn in and add water to cook and steam the corn.

Add the cilantro and lemon just before serving and enjoy!

Check out some of my other side dishes if you liked this spicy sweet corn disks recipe!

Follow me on facebook and instagram!

Some tips: This recipe is super simple and will only take about ten minutes to cook but it’s best to ensure that your corn disks are no more than 3 but no less that 2 kernels thick.

You might need to use a mallet to help you cut the corn if the cob core is too thick. If you want you can also make this a corn salad and use off the cob sweet corn with the same seasonings! It’ll be a great burrito bowl or salad topping!

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Spicy Sweet Corn Disks

Spicy seasoning for sweet corn disks sauteed with onions and a dash of lemon juice! The perfect snack or accompaniment for a main entree. A 10 minute dish!

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4

Calories: 110kcal

Ingredients

2 Whole Sweet Corn Cobs, sliced every two to three kernels
½ Yellow Onion, diced
2-3 sprigs Cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
½ tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Chili Powder
¼ tsp Cumin
Juice of quarter lemon
¼ Cup Water

Instructions

Prep your onions, cilantro, lemon, and corn. The corn may need a mallet to help with the cutting of them.
Saute onions in the olive oil until lightly translucent.
Add the chili powder, salt, and cumin and stir properly.
Add the corn, stir well, sprinkle in the water, and cover immediately. Let the corn cook and steam for about five minutes.
Stir the corn again and toss in the cilantro and lemon juice just before serving.
Enjoy! You can even lightly drizzle some sour cream on there if you want!

Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Perfectly soft chicken topped with grilled vegetables, cheese, pico, and more! This Grilled Chicken Fajitas recipe is perfect for a family dinner and includes recipes for some toppings!

Grilled chicken fajitas are one of my favorite, go to, family dinner recipes!

It’s easy to put together and make a large batch of. This recipe is perfect for a dinner of 4 or a dinner of 2 with perfect leftovers!

The chicken marinade is pretty simple. If you’ve seen some of my other Mexican recipes, you’ll see that my chicken marinade is pretty similar. It’s what I think is the best all purpose chicken seasoning.

You can grill your choice of bell peppers, all one color or a mix of them. Red onions are the best for grilling onions. They are a little sweet, a little crunchy, and develop an awesome flavor.

This is a super basic and simple pico recipe that only requires four recipes. If you want, you can hit it with a squeeze of lime!

If you want, you can use regular sour cream. But I never have it at home and I always have yogurt on hand. I wanted to make a healthier alternative. So it’s just yogurt, salt, and lemon or lime juice.

Try to get the best quality, restaurant style flour tortillas. Heat them up on a pan to get the warm and pliable.

Top your grilled chicken fajitas with grilled veggies, pico de gallo, salsa, mexican cheese, sour cream, avocado, and salsa. All of the above or some of the above!

Check out my recipe for Guacamole!

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Grilled Chicken Fajitas

Perfectly soft chicken topped with grilled vegetables, cheese, pico, and more! This Grilled Chicken Fajitas recipe is perfect for a family dinner and includes recipes for some toppings!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 450kcal

Ingredients

Grilled Chicken

2 Large Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless
½ tsp Mexican Chili Powder
½ tsp Kosher Salt
1 Clove Garlic, grated
½ tsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
½ Tbsp Olive Oil

Grilled Veggies

2 Bell Peppers (any color), sliced I used red and green
1 Large Red Onion, sliced
1½ tsp Olive Oil
½ tsp Mexican Chili Powder
½ tsp Kosher Salt

Pico de Gallo

½ Red Onion, diced
1 Roma Tomato, seeded and diced
2 Sprigs Cilantro, diced
¼ Jalapeno, seeded and finely diced

Home Made Sour Cream Alternative

½ Cup Yogurt, full fat
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Pinch Kosher Salt

Other Toppings

Flour Tortillas
Mexican Cheese
Avocado, sliced
Salsa of your choice

Instructions

Grilled Chicken

Cut the chicken breasts laterally so that you have four flat chicken fillets (Butterfly the chicken all the way through)
Marinate the chicken with the seasonings above for about an hour.
Add a dash of olive oil to the pan and cook the chicken.
Grill the chicken (preferably on a cast iron pan). Only flip once to ensure that the chicken is soft.
Let the chicken cool and slice it into thin strips.

Grilled Veggies

Add a dash of oil to the pan and saute/grill the veggies until a little soft but still crunchy.

Pico de Gallo

Mix the tomato, onions, cilantro, and jalapenos.

Home Made Sour Cream Alternative

Mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, and salt.

Assembly

Warm up some flour tortillas in a pan.
Top with your desired assortment of chicken, veggies, and toppings.

Creamy Indian Chicken Curry

Creamy Indian Chicken Curry that requires no cream! A perfect introduction into authentic south Indian cooking that uses nuts to make it creamy! Enjoy with rice, roti, or naan!

Okay, so creamy Indian chicken curry is a super simple and easy introduction to Indian cooking. It’s the first Indian recipe that my fiance learned to cook from my mom! It’s not SUPER authentic but not super un authentic either. It utilizes authentic techniques and flavors.

The recipe is straightforward once you understand certain basic steps and concepts.

Overall, you need to have the right spices and seasonings. That means you should get Indian Chili powder, specifically. Any turmeric, any garam masala, and any coriander powder works fine.

Below, you’ll see three other very crucial ingredients to this recipe.

The first is a ginger – garlic paste. This paste is just 1 part ginger 1 part garlic blended into a paste. We make it in large batches and store it in the fridge (it tends to turn a little green as it technically ferments). It smells heavenly when being made and when being cooked. If you don’t want to make and store this, you can just grate 1 part each of the ingredients to make the paste on the spot.

You’ll also need to get whole clove. You can find it in the Mexican aisle at most grocery stores. Don’t get ground clove, you’ll need to roast the clove for good flavor.

Finally, you’ll need cinnamon sticks. You can find these at the regular seasoning aisle but they are sometimes cheaper and better quality in the Mexican aisle as well.

Microwave the nuts in a bowl of water and let sit for at least 30 mins. Then peel the almonds (if you didn’t already get prepeeled almonds.)

When you blend the nuts and tomatoes, add a little bit of water. The best way to describe the consistency is like a smoothie bowl.

Having the right ingredients is most of the work, but there are a few more tips and tricks in the method of cooking that can help.

Once the oil is heated, cook the cinnamon and clove until fragrant and they begin to turn dark.

You want to cook the onions before you cook the ginger garlic paste or it will burn. Cook the onions until they are translucent and then add the ginger garlic paste.

Cook until the paste is fragrant and no longer feels raw.

Add the chili powder, turmeric, salt, and coriander powder. Add the chicken and cook.

Once the chicken is cooked, add the tomato-nut paste and stir. Add the water and stir. Add the garam masala

Cook and then taste. Add salt if you feel that it needs some. If you want it spicier add a little more chili powder.

Add a handful of chopped cilantro and stir.

Serve hot!

This creamy Indian chicken curry can be store in the fridge for a few days and reheated in the microwave or on the stove.

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Creamy Indian Chicken Curry

Creamy Indian Chicken Curry that requires no cream! A perfect introduction into authentic south Indian cooking that uses nuts to make it creamy! Enjoy with rice, roti, or naan!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 200kcal

Ingredients

1.5 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenders, diced
⅓ Cup Almonds (skin on off if you can, but on is fine too)
⅓ Cup Cashews
4 Roma Tomatoes, diced
1 Yellow Onion, diced
4-5 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 ½ inch Sticks of Cinnamon
4-5 Cloves
1½ Tbsp Ginger Garlic Paste 1 part peeled ginger, 1 part peeled garlic blended into paste.
2 tsp Chili Powder Indian chili powder
½ tsp Turmeric
2 tsp Coriander powder
3-4 tsp Kosher Salt
½ tsp Garam Masala
6 Sprigs Cilantro

Instructions

Microwave cashews and almonds in a small bowl while submerged in water for 30-45 seconds, then leave them to soak for 30 minutes.
Peel the skin from the almonds then set aside. (still soak the nuts even if you’re using pre peeled almonds)
Finely dice 1 whole yellow onion and cut the tomatoes into around eight chunks per tomato.
Blend the tomatoes, nuts, and a small amount of water into a fine paste for around 1 to 1 and a half minutes on high. (Should be a smoothie bowl consistency)
Put the oil into a pot on medium heat, wait until warmed and add the cinnamon and cloves; Cook until dark brown and fragrant.
Add the onions and cook until translucent, next add the ginger-garlic paste. Cook until the paste is fragrant.
Add the chili powder, turmeric, coriander powder, salt and cook for an additional minute.
Add the chicken and stir to coat; cook the chicken for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Pour in the tomato/nut mixture and stir. Add 1 cup water and garam masala. Cook.
At this point you can season to taste, add salt if you feel like it needs it and if you feel like it isn't spicy enough then add some more chili powder.
Cook until some oil floats to the top. Add chopped cilantro and serve!

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Easy to make and tasty Creamy Chicken Enchiladas! With corn, black beans, cheese, chicken, and spinach. Includes an enchilada sauce recipe!

These easy, creamy chicken enchiladas are cheesy, soft, and full of flavor! This recipe even includes a recipe for yummy enchilada sauce!

If you have been looking at some of my other chicken recipes on the blog, you may have noticed that I really prefer using chicken tenders. I just really like how, well, tender they are but less fatty than chicken thighs. You can swap the tenders out for breasts in this recipe but the cook time in the sauce will be increased!

You can make this a vegetarian recipe but removing the chicken altogether!

If you are using chicken, you’ll get the best flavor by cooking it in the sauce!

The enchilada stuffing is pretty customizable but my base is always chicken, black beans, spinach, corn, cheese, onions, cilantro, jalapenos and my secret ingredient: cream cheese!

You can use ricotta or extra regular cheese if you want but the cream cheese is so thick and rich that the flavor is the best!

To make sure the tortillas don’t break when you roll them, you want to warm them up on a pan a few at a time so they are pliable. For about 14 – 16 enchiladas, you want to scoop about 1/3 of the stuffing into every tortilla.

The amount of enchilada sauce made for this recipe is the perfect amount to keep your enchiladas moist. The best ratio is a third of the quantity of the sauce goes on the bottom of the tray and the final two thirds go on top of the tortillas. Then sprinkle some more cheese on it.

Then cover and bake.

Enjoy the creamy chicken enchiladas with slices of avocado and fresh cilantro!

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Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Easy to make and tasty Creamy Chicken Enchiladas! With corn, black beans, cheese, chicken, and spinach. Includes an enchilada sauce recipe!

Prep Time40

Cook Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 14 – 16 Enchiladas

Calories: 184kcal

Ingredients

.75-.8 lbs Boneless skinless chicken tenders
1½ Tbsp OIive Oil
1 Large clove Garlic, grated
1 tsp Cumin divided
1½ tsp Mexican Chili Powder divided
1 tsp Kosher Salt divided
29 ounces Tomato Sauce Hunt's no salt added
¾ Cup Water divided
⅓ Cup Onion, diced
⅓ Cup Corn
⅓ Cup Frozen Thawed Spinach water squeezed out
⅓ Cup Black Beans can, drained
½ Jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
2 ounce Cream Cheese, full fat
½ Cup Mexican Cheese more to top with
14-16 Small corn tortillas
6-8 sprigs Cilantro, chopped

Instructions

Heat up the olive oil in the in a pot and add the chicken, grated garlic, ½ tsp of cumin, ½ tsp chili powder, and ½ tsp of salt.
Cook until chicken is seared and add the tomato sauce, ½ cup of water, ½ tsp of salt, 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin.
Cook until chicken is tender and about to fall apart, remove chikcen and set aside.
Add another ¼ cup of water and simmer with lid on while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
In a large bowl, add ⅓ cup each of corn, frozen thawed (drained) spinach, and black beans (drained), chopped cilantro, jalapeno, and onion.
Shred the chicken and add it to the bowl.
Mix 2 ounces of cream cheese and ½ cup of shredded mexican cheese to the large bowl and mix thoroughly.
Pre heat the oven to 350°
Warm up the tortillas two at a time on a pan to make them flexible.
Scoop about ⅓ cup of the stuffing onto the tortilla and shape it into the center, lengthwise and roll it up (refer to photos)
In a baking dish, line the bottom of it with some of the enchilada sauce. (this applies if you're using multiple dishes or just one , but you want about 1/3 of the sauce on the bottom and 2/3 to go on top of the tortillas)
Place the stuffed tortillas in the baking dish (assemble them however you like), top with enchilada sauce and add cheese on top.
Cover with foil and bake for 20 – 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a few more minutes if the cheese on top isn't fully melted.
Enjoy with some mexican rice and some sliced avocados!

Bread Bonda (Fried Potato Balls)

Bread Bonda is an Indian recipe for fried balls stuffed with potato, onion, and cilantro! Easy to make with household ingredients.

Bread Bonda are these fried potato balls that my moms aunt used to make her growing up. It’s called bread bonda because they are potato balls wrapped in white bread and shallow fried to crispy perfection!

I know, I know, the idea of taking white bread, slightly wetting it and frying it doesn’t sound that great but it’s not that different from croutons!

Boil whole, medium sized gold potatoes (2 pounds of them) with the skin on until they can be pierced with a fork. Peel the skin off after you drain and cool them and crush them with a fork. You want them to be crumbly and a little chunky.

Mix the potatoes with the salt, chili powder, grated ginger, diced onions, and chopped cilantro.

Make sure to use red onion for this recipe, they stay crispy and add a great balance to the creaminess of gold potatoes.

Roll the potato into ping pong sized balls, you’ll get about 20 of them.

Take a slice of bread for each potato ball you have and cut the crusts off. Then flatten them with your hand or a rolling pin.

Here comes the slightly tricky part: wrapping the potato balls in the bread.

If you get a presliced loaf of white bread (think Mrs Baird’s or Sara Lee) the size of the slices should be just large enough for you to wrap the potato balls.

Generously wet your hands and pat the water onto the bread slice to get it slightly wet. This will help you mold the bread around the potato balls. Bring the four corners of the bread together and wet your hand once more. Use your wet hands to help you seal the edges of the bread around the balls. Don’t be afraid to keep using water if you need to. It’s okay for the bread to be damp, you just don’t want it to be soggy. (refer to the photo above)

In a small, deep pan on medium heat prepare 2 cups of canola oil for frying.

Keep turning them as they brown. They’ll hit a beautiful golden brown but they won’t be done yet. The first photo below shows that stage but the second photo will indicate that they’re done.

Place the balls on a draining rack or on a paper towel.

My favorite way to each bread bonda is with ketchup or Maggi Hot and Sweet sauce!

You can make the entire batch of bonda all at once or you can store the potato filling in the fridge for up to a week!

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5 from 1 vote

Bread Bonda (Fried Potato Balls)

Bread Bonda is an Indian recipe for fried balls stuffed with potato, onion, and cilantro! Easy to make with household ingredients.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 20 Balls

Calories: 150kcal

Ingredients

2 pounds Gold Potatoes
½ Red Onion, diced
5-6 Sprigs Cilantro, finely chopped
½ Tbsp Ginger, finely grated
½ tsp Chili Powder
½ tsp Kosher Salt
20 slices White Bread Mrs Baird's Large White Bread
2 Cups Canola (for frying)

Instructions

Boil potatoes with skin on until they can be pierced with a fork (don't overboil or they will be too mushy, boil them just until they can be pierced and no longer)
Drain and peel the potatoes.
Take a fork and lightly mashed (crumble) the potatoes. Refer to the photos in the post.
Mix in the ginger, onions, chili powder, salt, and cilantro. You want the potatoes to still be somewhat chunky.
Roll the potato mixture into ping pong sizes balls. You'll get about 20 of them.
Cut the crust off of your bread slices and roll lightly with a rolling pin (you can flatten the bread with your hands if you want)
To wrap the potato balls in the bread, you want generously wet your hands and pat the water onto the bread slices. (this will help them wrap better)
Place a ball on a dampened bread slice and bring the four corners together. Wet your hands again and pat the bread around the balls to seal the edges. Roll the bread ball between your palms.
Heat up 2 cups of canola oil in a medium pan on medium heat to shallow fry.
Fry the bread bondas until they are medium to dark golden brown. Turn the balls often as they fry to get an even color.
Enjoy with ketchup or Maggi Hot and Sweet Sauce!
You can refrigerate some of the potato mixture for up to a week if you don't want to make a large batch.