Gluten Free Baked Chicken Thighs

This is a really versatile recipe for Gluten Free Baked Chicken Thighs. Why is it so versatile you ask? Well because you can choose the ingredients based on what you have on hand, or what your taste theme for your meal is! Here are a few for salad dressing/spice ideas, but the options are limitless:

• Caesar dressing with Italian seasoning
• Honey Dijon dressing with curry powder
• Balsamic dressing with garlic powder and thyme
• Ranch dressing with paprika and oregano
• Catalina dressing with taco seasoning

For the crumbs, I usually lightly toast two pieces of gluten free Udi's white sandwich bread and then turn it to crumbs in my mini food processor. Sometimes I add in a few tortilla chips or crackers too.  

Also, don't worry too much about measurements here... I usually just eyeball it but you can use the measurements listed as a guideline. Enjoy!

Chicken Thighs Before Baking

Chicken Thighs After Baking

Gluten Free Baked Chicken Thighs

Yield:  4 servings

8 chicken thighs (skin on or off, your choice)
1 cup gluten free crumbs (bread crumbs / cracker crumbs / tortilla chip crumbs)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

1 tsp (approx) spices (Italian seasoning, garlic power, onion powder, salt, pepper, etc.)
1/2 cup salad dressing (Italian, balsamic, ranch, Caesar, etc.)

Directions:

1. Combine crumbs, Parmesan cheese and spices.
2. Dip chicken in salad dressing, then coat with crumb mixture. Place on a rack in a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes (bone-in) or 35 minutes (boneless), or until cooked through. Placing on a rack helps the chicken from becoming soggy on the bottom.
3. Let rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Gluten Free Asian Honey Dijon Noodle Salad

This cold Asian noodle salad is another Kraft modification... very good. Check the ingredients on the salad dressings to make sure they're gluten free. The ones I bought for this weren't Kraft, they were a local store brand. I think a lot of the Kraft salad dressings are gluten free but check the ingredients to be sure.

Asian Noodle Salad

Gluten Free Asian Honey Dijon Noodle Salad

Yield:  6 servings

2 cups coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
2 green onions, chopped
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips 
2 small chicken breasts, sliced really thin
2 Tbs Honey Ginger dressing
4 cups cooked vermicelli noodles, cold
1/2 cup Honey Dijon dressing
2 Tbs soy sauce (gluten free of course!)
1 tsp sesame seeds

Directions:

1. Cook chicken in Honey Ginger dressing over medium-high heat, until cooked through.Cool.
2. Combine all ingredients and serve. (lasts in fridge for a few days).

Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner

I actually found this recipe on the Kraft website and changed it slightly. And it turned out great! I reheated a leftover foil-pack (took out of foil, put on a plate!) at work the next day and it was honestly even better than the night before. I don't know if it's the foil or what, but the chicken turns out very nice and tender.

Gluten Free Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner

Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Dinner
   

Yield:  4 servings

1-1/2 cups instant rice, uncooked

1-1/2 cups hot water

2 Tbs taco seasoning mix (I make my own, will post recipe asap!)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb total)

1-2 green and red peppers, cut into strips

1/2 cup salsa

1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded

  Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lay out 4 large sheets of foil and spray with cooking spray.
3. Season chicken with 1 Tbs taco seasoning, on both sides.
4. Combine rice, hot water and the other 1 Tbs taco seasoning. Spoon equal amounts of rice mixture onto center of each piece of foil. Top the rice with the chicken and remaining ingredients.
5. Bring up sides of foil and fold top and ends together a few times to seal each packet.
6. Place on a baking sheet and bake for 40 minutes or until chicken is done. Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.
7. Serve with sour cream (or not!).

Gluten Free Asian, Mexican and Greek!

Just wanted to post pictures of a few of this week's meals. I made an asian noodle salad, chicken fajita foil wrapped individual dinners and greek inspired gluten free tortilla pizza. All super yummy and I will post the recipes shortly! :)

Asian Noodle Salad

Chicken Fajita Foil Wrapped Dinner

Gluten Free Greek Tortilla Pizza

Gluten Free Sweet & Sour Pork

Here's my gluten free sweet & sour pork recipe. I've been using this recipe for years (like 15+ years!), but I've tinkered with it so many times that it would be interesting to go back to the original recipe now to see how different it is. Actually, the original recipe was for sweet and sour chicken, but I've used chicken/pork interchangeably over the years and both work great!

I prep everything before cooking so that it comes together easily.

I sprinkled some pepper, ginger and garlic powder onto the pork while it browned (not in instructions).

Everything cooking up nicely. Isn't it pretty!? :)

This is after adding the sauce, pineapple and water chestnuts.

And VOILA! The Sweet & Sour Pork served on Rice.

Sweet and Sour Pork

Yield:  6 servings

1 pork tenderloin, cubed or sliced
1 cup carrots, sliced into thin strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 onion, sliced into strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup gluten-free soy sauce
1/4 cup cold water (or chicken broth)

3 Tbs firmly packed brown sugar
2 Tbs cornstarch

1/4 tsp ground ginger  
1 14 oz can pineapple tidbits (including juice)
1 8 oz can sliced water chestnuts

Directions:

1. Spray cooking spray in a large pot or wok and cook pork over medium-high heat, until lightly browned. Add carrots, peppers, onion and garlic and continue cooking until crisp-tender.
2. In a bowl, combine vinegar, soy sauce, cold water, brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Pour over pork mixture and stir in pineapple tidbits (including juice) and water chestnuts.
3. Cook until boiling, about 2 minutes. After it comes to a boil I usually take it off the burner, cover it and let it sit for a few minutes before serving. Serve over rice.

Carnival Cruise - Gluten Free Review

And finally - Gluten Free review of my Carnival Cruise... 

Our 7-night Carnival cruise aboard the Splendor was a success! We all had a great time and the kids loved Camp Carnival. 

I was excited to see how the gluten free experience would be. The first night we wend to the main dining room and I informed our server that I'm gluten free, so he sent over the restaurant hostess to speak with me. She was very accommodating and told me what my options were for dinner that first night. From then on she came to the table every evening to take my gluten free order for the next night. 

I meant to take pictures of everything, but I can't tell you how many times I finished eating and then smacked my head with my hand as I realized I forgot to take a picture of my meal *again*, ugh. So here are a few photos that I did remember to snap:

Gazpacho

French Onion Soup

Stuffed Mushrooms

Yukon Gold Potato Cream Soup

Assorted Seafood Newberg Style

Steak with Vegetables

Warm Chocolate Melting Cake

Not sure what this was but it tasted like white chocolate mousse

Cherries Jubilee

 

Gluten Free Bread

 Everything was really good. The gluten free bread grew on me. The first night I took a bite of it and went YUCK! But they kept bringing it to me every night so I just kept trying it and I honestly liked it more and more. The best way to describe it is like warm biscuits. So I just slathered on the butter and ended up kind of missing it by the time I got home from the cruise.

I started off being really careful when I'd eat breakfast and lunch up at the buffet, but by halfway through the week I quit worrying about it. Like I've mentioned before, I do not have celiac disease, the main reason I east gluten free is because it really helps with my tummy issues (IBS). I still used common sense with the food choices I made, but I just stopped worrying about hidden gluten. And I was fine and didn't have any ill-effects.