From Linda Larsen,
Your Guide to Busy Cooks.
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Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are one of the most convenient meats available in your supermarket. There are so many recipes for chicken breasts. They taste delicious, and are tender and juicy if cooked properly. As an added bonus, kids love chicken!

Quick Chicken Recipes

Each of these recipes stands on its own, but use your imagination! Slice or chop any of the coated chicken recipes and place on top of mixed lettuces with avocado and your favorite dressing for a quick main dish salad. Or toss Parmesan Chicken with some spaghetti, olive oil and chopped tomatoes for a delicious quick pasta main dish recipe.

• Parmesan Chicken
  Dijon mustard, apple juice, Parmesan cheese and garlic form a crispy and delicious coating on chicken breasts in this easy recipe.
• Chicken Potato Bake
  You could make just the delicious chicken recipe if you'd like - bake them at 375 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes until the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
• Sticky Chicken
  This wonderful chicken recipe that kids love is a must for every kitchen. It's sweet, savory, tender, and, well, sticky!
• Chicken with Fruit Salsa
  Did you know that pairing meats with fruit is a hot trend in the food world? This sweet, spicy, and hot salsa really wakes up your taste buds - and it's low fat too!
• Chicken and Rice Bake
  This excellent, creamy skillet dish is a meal in itself! Just add some wonderful bread and you've got dinner on the table in minutes.
• Coatings For Chicken Breasts
  This collection of coatings for boneless, skinless chicken breasts runs the gamut from hot and spicy to soft and cheesy. Take your pick!
• Tarragon Chicken
  Citrus really pairs nicely with chicken. And canned mandarin oranges are the easiest way to use citrus! What a combination.
• Pecan Chicken with Honey Mustard Sauce
  Pecans and chicken make a crispy, crunchy, wonderful coating on an easy chicken recipe that is ready in minutes.
• Bacon Chicken
  Bacon and chicken are natural partners. This easy recipe will be a huge hit with your kids.
• Chicken Florentine
  Spinach and chicken in a creamy sauce over fettuccine makes a lovely dish that's special enough for company.
• Chicken Divan Casserole
  This simple five ingredient casserole recipe is delicious and so easy you can keep the ingredients on hand for emergency meals.
• Chicken Fruit Packets
  Pears, apples, honey mustard, and chicken are perfect partners in this easy grilled one dish meal.
• Raspberry Glazed Chicken Breasts
  This super simple three ingredient sauce is brushed onto chicken breasts, then grilled to glazed perfection. You could use this recipe with peach jam and peaches, or strawberry jam and chopped strawberries too.

Chicken and Food Safety

Food safety is one of my big concerns, so here are some tips that are especially important to follow with raw meat in your kitchen.

• Always wash your hands with hot soapy water after handling chicken and other raw meats, as well as cutting boards, the countertop, and knives.
• Never place cooked chicken on the platter that held the raw meat. Keep raw meats separate from other foods.
• Store raw chicken in the coldest part of the fridge for no more than two days, and make sure you don't put it on top of other foods that won't be cooked before eating. Raw chicken juices dripping onto lettuce or fresh fruits is a real no-no.
• Cook chicken thoroughly and don't let it sit out at room temperature for more than two hours.

Substitutions and Experiments

Feel free to substitute, add or subtract any ingredient that your family likes or doesn't like. Substitute crushed crisp rice cereal for cornflakes. Use walnuts or cashews instead of pecans. Change the seasoning completely - or leave it out if that's what your children prefer!

One tip - when you tweak a recipe and your family loves it, make sure to write down your changes. Many a time a good recipe has been lost because the cook failed to make note of additions or substitutions. As Laurie Colwin said 'those recipes are like lost chords of music'. Have fun experimenting with versatile chicken breasts, and you'll realize the possibilities for new recipes are endless!