Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors

Uncategorized

Hot Pockets. Not Special, Home-Made Ones Either.

February 18, 2011

That's right, we actually had microwaveable hot pockets for dinner one night this week. See the menu on the right side of this page? The one that Julia so fervently updates each week? Well, it usually ends up being about 75% accurate. Maybe less. See, I'm a realist. No matter how much planning you do on your menu, there's always something that comes up to throw you off, and that was the story this week. Sometimes it's as simple as, "I know that last Saturday I wanted to make omelets for dinner on Wednesday, but I don't want an omelet now." Well shoot, don't force it! Eat something that actually sounds good to you, yeesh!

Grilled chicken thighs were planned for Tuesday. I got home from work and Julia and I tag-teamed everything that needed to get done- feed, bathe and get Greta in bed, laundry, mop the kitchen floor (Greta thinks it's hilarious to throw bananas on the floor- love the phase she's in), and watch Glee. About halfway through our to-dos, we remembered that we hadn't taken out the chicken to thaw. Yikes. We took the chicken out and started the speedy thaw process, which, contrary to popular belief, does NOT involve a microwave. The unfortunate thing is, we didn't start this process until about 8:30 at night. Even with our expedited procedure we were looking at a 9:30 dinner time, and that cuts into my "do nothing" time way too much. So, we postponed the chicken to Wednesday, nuked a couple hot pockets, threw together a salad and satisfied our hunger. Sometimes, you just gotta keep it simple.

As ghetto as hot pockets are, postponing our chicken dinner one night ended up not being a bad thing. Sure, I had digestive issues the following day thanks to that jalapeno steak and cheese filled little number, but Wednesday more than made up for it. While I was waiting for our hot pockets to cook, I put the chicken in a zip top bag with a little oil and a lot of seasoning to wait until the following night. I think that one of my top 3 favorite seasonings for bone-in, skin on chicken is curry powder. Yeah, the cheap stuff you get from the grocery store. Something to know, curry powder is pretty much useless for curry. Basically, some British folks went on a trip to India, returned home to their bland food and concocted curry powder in an attempt to mimic the Indian flavors. Unsuccessfully, in my opinion, but they did however create a great chicken rub. So that's what I used; curry powder, a little extra garlic powder (most curry powders already have garlic powder in them) and some kosher salt.

Chicken after marinating for a day

Because we postponed the dinner, that allowed the meat to finish thawing in the fridge, soaking in the flavors of the spices- and let me tell you, it turned out awesome.

So, I don't typically marinate chicken. Especially thighs with the skin on, because they stay really juicy by themselves and are not shy on flavor. But we'll chalk this up to a happy accident, because it turned out delicious. Usually, I would grill this, skin side down for about 10 minutes, then flip and finish cooking for another 5-10 minutes. Unfortunately for my pallet, we had an ice storm come through last night and I was not in the mood to step outside. So we ended up baking the chicken. Preheat the oven to 375 (place an oven-safe saute pan in the oven while it preheats), cut up a quarter of an onion, remove the pan from the oven once it's heated thoroughly, add some oil, then the onions, and place the chicken right on top. Cook until internal temp reaches 145, then kick on the broiler until the skin browns and internal temp is 165. If the skin is browning too fast, just remove from the oven and finish cooking on the stove top. 
onion, mushrooms, jalepeno (seeds and ribs removed) yellow squash and red pepper

Again, we're still trying to eat healthier, so we just paired it with some vegetables.

Sautéed these veggies in our wok with a little salt and pepper, and some of the oil from the chicken- loads of flavor.

never use a metal utensil in a non-stick pan, fyi

That was it. That's definitely a meal anyone can get down on, because it's so quick and easy. Even if you don't let the chicken soak in seasoning for 24 hours, you'd be surprised at how quick the curry powder will get into the meat and really bring the food to life. If you're really watching your weight, just toss the skin AFTER the chicken is cooked (skin helps it stay juicy). Either way, you can feel good about a meal like this and you won't feel like you're missing out on anything.

el fin

What do you use to season your chicken? There are a lot of great options out there and I'm always looking for some new ideas. Let us know, so I can give it a try.

Enjoy.

----------------------------------------------
Psst.  Congrats to twocuff for winning Miss Kajsa Virka in our giveaway.  If you aren't twocuff, don't fret--we have plenty more pretty giveaway items to hand out in the future.  

filed under: 
— Hide Comments
+ ShowComments
What do you think?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Hey Tiffany, glad it looks good! I do make most of this stuff up, but I get a lot of inspiration from the Food Network, haha. Also, my minor was culinary arts, so I just really love cooking.

    Next time you guys are out this way let's meet up and we'll make a crazy-awesome dinner.

Next Post

What We're

Loving

Right Now

What We're

Loving

Right Now

Looking for our favorite things? A place to shop our home room by room, or just catch up on what Julia's wearing / loving right now? Browse the CLJ shop
Shop All

Love Stories

Love Where You Live

In an industry that often feels designed to make you discontent, we want this to be place you come for inspiration, ideas, and encouragement to make the space you're already in feel like home.
Read All Posts
let's break this thing up

BROWSE BY CATEGORY

01

Portfolio

Befores, afters, mood boards, plans, failures, wins. We’ve done a lot of projects, and they’re all here.
read more
02

Projects

We have a long-standing relationship with DIY, and love rolling our sleeves up and making it happen.
read more
03

Design

Even when you don’t want to rip down a wall, you can make that space in your home better. Right now.
read more
hello world!

looking for inspiration?

Modern traditional girl's bedroom with a scallop-edge Loloi rug
Cleaning & Organization

7 Rug Hacks for Your Home

Want to transform your home with rugs but not sure where to start? From choosing the perfect rug pad to mastering the art of layering, we've got you covered. We're sharing seven clever rug hacks that will elevate your space, whether you're looking to add a touch of luxury, define a space, or simply keep […]
A mood board with cowboy-inspired moody fashion picks and equestrian-themed home decor
Fashion

Canadian Cowboy: Not Your Average Western Look

I loved seeing fresh takes on Western wear. It goes to show there's room for fashion in every aesthetic. Recently I saw this funny interview with Brett Goldstein of Ted Lasso fame. He said he recently went to Texas for the first time (he's English if you're unaware), put on a cowboy hat and immediately […]
5 cutting boards in a grid on a marble countertop with various fruits, herbs and vegetables
Product Tests

My Tell-All Review of Composite Cutting Boards

This post is not sponsored and all opinions are my own. Nothing matches a beautiful wooden cutting board (our Boos board lives on my counter—it's a piece of art and sturdy as an ox). The drawback with wooden cutting boards is they can't be cleaned in the dishwasher. For anyone cutting meat, seafood, or anything […]
Decor

The Final Reveal: Greta's Bedroom Transformation

Greta is turning 15 in just a few days, and it feels like the perfect time for the reveal of her teen room makeover! Shop Greta's Room When we moved into this house, we replaced the floors and painted her room, but didn't really do much other than that. She’s growing up, and she wanted […]
Learn With Us
Want to do what we do? Get the tools, mentorship, and training to be a Good Influencer professionally.
Learn More
Looking for Something?

SEARCH THE BLOG

We've been doing this since 2009 and we've posted a whopping 24145+ blog posts and counting. You might need a little help searching, huh?

Can We Send You Our Love Letter?

Another way for us to stay in touch! Joining our weekly newsletter gives you access to exclusive content, never-before-seen photos, your questions answered, and our favorite DIYs. Sign up below!

hello world!
Follow Along on Instagram
Welcome to our online community where we've posted home, DIY, style, renovations, and family since '09. Renovating our #cljmoderncottage in Idaho and headed for new adventures in Raleigh, NC. #cljfam #cljtransformations
© 2025 Chris Loves Julia, LLC
PRIVACY POLICYTERMS & CONDITIONSAFFILIATE DISCLAIMERSITE CREDITCOMMUNITY GUIDELINES