Brown paper packages tied up with strings....

...these are a few of my favorite things

Below are a few of our favorite quick and easy chicken recipes:

Jane Collins Chicken

This was a dish Jane made in college (that's why I had it in my recipe book as Collins & not Boutwell). She always accompanied it with wild rice, broccoli casserole, and sister shubert yeast rolls. Its yummy and super easy!!

(1) Chicken (you can use whatever cuts you'd like as long as it has skin and bones- I tried it with boneless skinless once and it absorbs way too much salt. I usually use a mix of thighs and legs because they are Zack's favorite and they are super cheap!!)
(2) Garlic Seasoning
(3) Soy Sauce
(4) Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place chicken, skin side up, in a casserole dish
Sprinkle chicken liberally with garlic seasoning
Cover with soy sauce ( I put a lot- don't just sprinkle)
Squeeze lemon juice over chicken

Cook in oven for 1 hour or until chicken is done.

Note: I think the original recipe calls to cover with kosher salt and place in the fridge then rinse and prepare- I find that this chicken is super tender even if you skip this step so I always do

Papa's Chicken

My sweet Papa is the best cook I know. He calls his kitchen his la-bor-a-tory- and he is always sending the most delicious meals our way!! After James was born the one thing I requested was my Papa's Chicken and Dumplings- by far the most wonderful meal ever. Well my sweet Papa kept the meals coming and sent us this delicious chicken a few nights later. The meat was so tender it just falls off the bone. Here is the recipe. I like to serve it with steamed green beans, a roll, and white rice (the gravy made from the dish is oh so good over the rice).

One cut up chicken (or pieces if you prefer)
1 8oz. jar apricot preserves
1 bottle Russian Dressing (I usually use 1/2 bottle)
1 envelope onion soup

Place chicken in casserole dish or pan. Mix all other ingredients and pour over chicken. Cover tightly with foil. Bake at 300 degrees for two hours OR 350 degrees for one hour. (I like to remove the foil the last few minutes to brown the chicken a little especially if cooking just one hour)

Check for doneness and enjoy over rice!

Carraway Chicken

This is a dish my preceptor at Carraway hospital told me about. It is oh so good, and Zack always thinks I have slaved in the kitchen when I make it (I only sometimes correct him). It is great served with rice or noodles. My preceptor always bought sundried tomato bread from walmart to as she said "sop up all that goodness".

Chicken ( You can use boneless, skinless or regular)
1 bag of baby spinach
1 can of diced tomatoes or sliced fresh tomatoes
1 box of baby bella or while mushrooms sliced ( you can also use a jar of mushrooms) *
Balsamic Vinagrette
Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Wash spinach and place in bottom of casserole dish. Cover spinach with chicken. Season with salt and pepper ( I like to add a little garlic seasoning). Cover with tomatoes and mushrooms. Pour Balsamic Vinagrette (it's really good if you make the Italian seasonings dressing yourself but just a jar of kraft dressing is fine) over to taste. Cover with foil and cook at 350 until done. Sprinkle with cheese and cook 5 more minutes or until melted.

*I added the mushrooms to this dish because Zack loves mushrooms. You could just as easily leave them out.

Mama's Soup Chicken

Mama always made this chicken growing up. It's simple to make and comforting on a cold night. We always had it with green beans and white rice (once again the gravy made by the dish is yummy over rice)

One cut up chicken (or pieces if you prefer)
1 medium onion, sliced
1 can of cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom soup

Place chicken in casserole dish. Cover with sliced onions. Pour soup over both. Cook at 350 for about an hour.