Carbohydrates are very important  to a person's diet, wether you be diabetic or not.   They are your main source of fuel to keep your body and brain going and active.   They also are the things which affect your blood glucose levels the most, so it's really important as a diabetic to know which carbohydrate sources are worth ingesting and are the most nutritious!  It goes without saying that if you are having to limit your carb intake, you will want the ones you do eat to count in positive ways.

I love chicken.   Next to fish, it is probably the meat/protein I choose to eat most of the time.  Oddly enough it wasn't something we had very often when I was a child.  Maybe once or twice a year my mother would roast a chicken and as a real treat, once in a blue moon she would do her Maryland Fried Chicken, which was chicken breasts rolled in egg and cracker crumbs, and then fried in butter.  We loved it!

I normally eat chicken breast meat, but the other day I got a package of chicken drumsticks for a pretty good price.  A price I simply could not resist, and so I did what anyone who lives on a limited budged does  . . .  I brought them home with me!

I confess we eat a lot of chicken in this house and if you have been reading my blog for any appreciable of time that won't be news to you.  Sorry about that.  It's affordable protein, adaptable to lots of flavours and techniques and we like it.  It was a lot more expensive when I was a child.  I don't think we had it very often then.  It was a real treat and usually came in the form of a roast chicken . . .

We really love chicken in this house.   It's quite an affordable meat and very adaptable, which is why I was really happy to receive the latest cookery book by Paul Gayler to review, entitled . . . "Chicken & Other Birds, from the perfect roast chicken to Asian-style duck breasts.  Photography by Kevin Summers.   This is a book that will get a lot of use.

There is something deeply satisfying about a buttery, breaded and spiced breast of chicken baked until crisp . . . yet still fork tender on the insides . . . served alongside of a crisp and flavourful slaw . . . eaten out on the patio on a nice summer's evening . . . and shared with the one you love.









This is the perfect summer supper pour deux. The bread crumbs . . . all savoury and buttery . . . gilding the chicken breasts in a golden crisp blanket . . . with just a hint of spice. It won't smack you in the face . . . but it's there . . .

I just adore this chicken dish, which is really quick and simple to make and oh so delicious!  I just love peanut butter and the sauce in this is moreishly peanutty . . . I absolutely love it.

In the summer I like to cook meals that are quick and simple and that won't heat up the kitchen.  I don't think I am alone in that.  We do eat a lot of salads and such, but I also often like to make quick and easy skillet meals such as this Skillet Chicken and Rigatoni with Pesto.

Usually on Sundays I try to put something into the crockpot for dinner before I leave for church.  We are always so starving by the time we get home, which usually isn't until about 2 PM!  If I haven't been really organized and used the crockpot, we end up eating things we shouldn't because lets face it . . .  by that time we don't care what goes into our mouths.  We just want to fill that gap!   Not to self . . .  perhaps carry an apple in your church bag . . .



Sister Johansen who is another Senior Missionary here in the UK, said she really wanted to make this Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing recipe that she found on Pinterest, but wasn't sure if she actually could because they don't do boxed stuffing mix here.  Well  . . .  they do, but it's not like any stuffing mix we are used to in North America.  Over here in the UK, it is like cracker crumbs . . .  I think it's called crumbled rusk.  Anyways, like Sister Johansen, I didn't think it would work in this recipe.



And so I promised Sister Johansen that I would find a way to make it work.  And guess what???  I did!  I created my own stuffing mix.  (You will find the recipe below.)  And you know . . .  it has to be better than anything storebought with artificial ingredients and additives.  Well, that's my theory anyways!

 

It worked really well!  Really, REALLY well.   This was delicious and so simple to put together.  All I had to do was add some potatoes and vegetables.   Boiled baby potatoes and some steamed veg were just the trick.  The leftovers the next day were even tastier.




Place your chicken in the bottom of your crock pot.   Pour the chicken broth over all and then lay a slice of cheese over top of each.  Whisk together both of the soups and the milk.  Pour this over top ov the cheese and chicken.   Top with the stuffing mix.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, or high for 4 hours.   Serve with your choice of side dishes.  I recommend steamed baby potatoes and broccoli.



To make stuffing:  combine 1 tsp instant chicken boullion stock powder, along with 6 ounces of boiling water.  Melt 6 TBS of butter in a skillet and saute one medium onion (peel and chop) with 4 stalks of celery (chopped) until softened.  Toss together with the chicken stock and 7 cups of the stuffing  mix.    Use to stuff a chicken or turkey prior to roasting, or bakd in a lightly buttered casserole for half an hour at 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4.  You can also use it to stuff pork chops.

Some days it is just too hot to cook.   I find really hot and sticky days just zap all of my energy and I just can't be asked to cook anything.  Not complaining . . .  just saying is all . . .

We had the most delicious chicken for lunch last week when we went to our friend's house.   It was incredibly tasty, and I think it's pretty safe to say that nobody was worrying about calories that day!  (What with this chicken dish and the Malva Pudding and all!)  It's nice to indulge once in a while and this chicken was incredibly tasty.  My friend Tina got the recipe from her daughter Kim and it was sooo good that I had to make it for the Missionaries when they came for tea.   Once again no complaints.  I am calling it Kim's Chicken Dish, but it really should be called the Flippingly Amazingly Delicous Chicken Dish!!

We eat a lot of chicken in my house.  We really like chicken.  It is incredibly versatile, and most of the time it is pretty affordable.