Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad

Ingredients:

Marinade/Dressing:

• 1/4 cup SOOC 18 year Traditional Balsamic Vinegar
• 2 tablespoon SOOC Basil Olive Oil
• 2 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Salad:

• 4 chicken thigh fillets, skin removed (no bone)
• 5 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, washed and dried
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup mini mozzarella
• 1/4 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Whisk marinade ingredients together to combine. Place chicken into a shallow dish; pour 4 tablespoons of the dressing / marinade onto the chicken and stir around to evenly coat chicken. Reserve the untouched marinade to use as a dressing.
2. Heat about one teaspoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, or grill marinaded chicken until golden, crispy and cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, set aside and allow to rest.
3. Slice chicken into strips and prepare salad with lettuce, avocado slices, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese and chicken. Top with basil strips; drizzle with remaining dressing; season with salt and pepper.

 

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Parmesan and Garlic Chicken Wings

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 quarts cold water
• 1/3 cup SOOC 18 year or Espresso balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup salt
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pinch salt
• 3 Tbsp SOOC Garlic Olive Oil (plus as needed to coat foil)
• 1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 4 lbs chicken wings (separated at joints, tips discarded)
• 2 Tbsp bread crumbs
• 1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat foil with SOOC Garlic Olive Oil.

Combine water, balsamic vinegar, ¼ cup salt, bay leaf, thyme, oregano, and rosemary in a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Add chicken wings, return to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Remove chicken wings with a slotted spoon to a cooling rack and allow to dry for 15 minutes.

Mash garlic and a pinch of salt together in a mortar and pestle until smooth.

Combine mashed garlic, olive oil, black pepper, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Add chicken wings and bread crumbs, toss to coat. Sprinkle with ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Bake in the preheated oven until browned, 20-25 minutes.

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Balsamic Glazed Apricot Chicken

Ingredients:

– 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
– 20 dried apricots, halved
– 1 cup chicken stock
– 1 cup apricot preserves
– 2 tbs SOOC Blood Orange olive oil
– 1/4 cup SOOC Fig balsamic vinegar
– 1 large onion, chopped
– 2-3 cloves chopped garlic
– 1 tbs fresh chopped thyme

Directions:

– Heat Blood Orange EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, until edges are slightly crispy, but still pink in the center. Stir in the onion and garlic, and cook for 3 more minutes. Reduce to a medium heat, and pour in the Fig balsamic vinegar and allow to reduce for a couple minutes.

– Halve 10 apricots, leaving the other 10 whole. Place apricots and chicken stock to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Stir in the apricot preserves and thyme. Reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until apricots have softened. Salt and pepper to taste.

– Serve over your favorite steamed vegetables or quinoa! You can also substitute the Fig balsamic vinegar with Espresso balsamic for an even richer flavor. Enjoy and eat in good health!

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Marinated Mushrooms and Onions

 

Ingredients:

1 pound fresh whole or halved mushrooms
1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

For Marinade:

1 cup SOOC Garlic EVOO
1/4 cup SOOC Sicilian Lemon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

Combine mushrooms and onion in medium mixing bowl. Set aside.

For marinade, blend all marinade ingredients in small mixing bowl. Combine mushrooms and onions into the mixture. Toss and cover. Refrigerate 1-2 days, stirring occasionally. Remove mushrooms and onions from marinade. Serve over a fresh grilled steak or chicken breast! Substitute Sicilian Lemon balsamic with Fig balsamic for a more savory option.

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Chicken with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

1 cup balsamic vinegar, such as the Traditional 18-year or Pomegranate Balsamic
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
4-6 pieces of chicken
salt and pepper

For the BBQ sauce
Combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper in a small saucepan and stir until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Simmer over medium heat until reduced by 1/3, about 15 to 20 minutes.

For the chicken
Place a grill pan over medium heat or preheat your grill. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Lightly coat with some of the BBQ sauce using a pastry brush. Place the chicken on the grill. Place the remaining BBQ sauce, still in the small saucepan, over low heat or on the edge of the grill and allow to gently simmer while the meat cooks.

Cook the chicken about 8 minutes per side. Continually brush the meat with barbecue sauce every few minutes. Remove the meat from the grill and let rest for at least 5 minutes. Serve with the heated barbecue sauce alongside.

Serve with grilled vegetables
Drizzle olive oil on fresh vegetables, salt and pepper. Grill until done. Asparagus works well.

by Steven Valenti via http://blogs.rep-am.com/whatsfordinner/2010/09/01/chicken-with-balsamic-bbq-sauce/

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Garlic-Balsamic Chicken Kebabs

Start to finish: 2 hours (20 minutes active)

50 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil, such as the Garlic Olive Oil

50 ml (1/4 cup) white balsamic vinegar, such as the Pineapple White Balsamic

50 ml (1/4 cup) dry white wine

2 ml (1/2 tsp) hot sauce

30 ml (2 tbsp) hoisin sauce

4 cloves garlic

2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt

2 ml (1/2 tsp) whole black peppercorns

15 ml (1 tbsp) grated fresh ginger

625 g (1 1/4 lb) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2.5-cm (1-inch) chunks

1 large red onion, cut into bite-size chunks

Directions:

In a blender, combine olive oil, vinegar, wine, hot sauce, hoisin, garlic, salt, peppercorns and ginger. Puree until smooth. Reserve half of the marinade and refrigerate it.

Into a large bowl, pour remaining marinade. Add chicken and onion, then stir gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for about 1 1/2 hours.

When chicken is ready to cook, heat a grill to high. Oil grates or coat them with cooking spray.

Divide meat and onion chunks among 4 skewers (if using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 30 minutes first). Reduce heat on one side of the grill to low. Arrange skewers on the cooler side of the grill, then cover and cook for 6 minutes, turning frequently, or until an instant thermometer reads 74 C (165 F) at the center of the chicken.

Serve skewers with the reserved marinade for dipping.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 336 calories; 142 calories from fat; 16 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 82 mg cholesterol; 12 g carbohydrate; 33 g protein; 1 g fibre; 614 mg sodium.

from the Canadian Press http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5ggj4bWIx-cIfXd3wTG3kiaPDl_rg

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Ginger’s Dark Chocolate Balsamic & Walnut Oil Chicken Breast Salad

3 to 4 fresh chicken breasts
1 cup dark chocolate balsamic vinegar
1 cup walnut oil
1 sweet onion
Fresh spinach
Chopped walnuts
Feta cheese
Fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)

Directions:

Take chicken breasts and add ¼ cup of dark chocolate balsamic and ¼ cup of walnut oil. Set aside in refrigerator for a few hours.

Next, place 2 tablespoons of walnut oil into a frying pan over low heat. Add a few handfuls of fresh spinach. Wilt the spinach on low heat until it is the consistency you prefer (wilted but not too soft). Place the spinach on 3 or 4 plates. Top each salad with chopped walnuts, 1/8 cup chopped sweet onion, and 2 tablespoons feta cheese.

While building the salads, grill the marinated chicken breasts. Chop the grilled chicken breasts into cubes and add to the salads. Finish with a vinaigrette for the salad with 2/3 cup dark chocolate balsamic and 1/3 walnut oil. Top with your favorite fresh berries.

The vinaigrette is also very delicious enjoyed with vanilla ice cream and fresh berries!

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