Parmigiano and Herb Chicken Breast Tenders

Ingredients

• Olive oil, for frying
• 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs, beaten with 1/4 cup water

Breading:

• 2 cups Italian style bread crumbs
• 1 cup shredded Parmesan
• 6 sprigs or stems fresh thyme leaves, stripped and chopped, 2 to 3 tablespoons
• 6 sprigs fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped, 3 tablespoons
• 2 handfuls chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Chicken Parmigiano, recipe follows

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a nonstick cookie sheet in oven with a tin foil liner.

Heat 1/2-inch oil in a large nonstick skillet or frying pan over medium to medium high heat.

Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Wash hands. Place flour in a shallow dish. Beat eggs with water in a second dish along side the flour. In a third dish, combine the breading ingredients. Coat chicken in flour, then egg, then bread and cheese mixture. To keep your hands clean, ask for plastic gloves at the butcher counter. To ease your clean up, try using disposable tin pie tins for the flour, egg and bread crumbs.

Cook chicken until deeply golden on each side, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to cookie sheet in preheated oven and finish off for another 5 minutes cooking time. Cook chicken 5 or 6 tenders at a time in a single layer, adding additional oil if necessary. If the chicken begins to brown too quickly lower heat slightly. Serve chicken hot or cold with green salad or, complete as a Parmigiano.

Simple Tomato Sauce for Chicken Parmigiano:

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14 ounce) can chunky style crushed tomatoes
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth or stock
• A handful fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• Coarse salt
• 1 1/2 cups shredded provolone
• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 1 pound spaghetti, cooked to al dente

Set water on to boil for pasta and prepare according to package directions for al dente. Before coating chicken, add oil, onions and garlic to a saucepan to cook medium low heat. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes while you are working on the chicken. Add both cans of tomatoes and a cup of chicken broth and bring sauce to a bubble. Reduce heat to a simmer until ready to serve. Stir in torn basil and season sauce with salt, to your taste.

Place a little of the sauce on the chicken tenders, top with the shredded provolone and Parmigiano. Place in oven or broiler to melt the cheese and then serve. Coat the hot, cooked pasta lightly with sauce then serve.

Enjoy!

crock pot chicken tacos

1 envelope Taco Seasoning (I use Old El Paso Reduced Sodium)
6 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 16-ounce jar Salsa (I switch between brands, but Newman's Own is my favorite)

Dump everything into a crock pot and give it a little stir to blend the seasoning with the salsa. You do not need to add any water to the taco seasoning. Cook on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours. When done, the chicken should shred easily when stirred with a fork.

For tacos, serve the chicken with soft flour tortillas, guacamole, lettuce, shredded cheese and/or sour cream. This is very versatile and can be used for enchiladas, nachos, tostadas, quesadillas, etc. Any leftover chicken can then be used for tortilla soup (make it the next day or freeze the chicken to use at a later time).

Chicken with Sun Dried Tomato-Basil Sauce

Serves: 2-3
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: Chicken: 10 minutes
Cook time: Sauce: 10 minutes
Cook time: Spaghetti: 10 minutes

6 boneless, skinless chicken tenders, thawed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Fresh ground pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup onions, chopped finely
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 shallot, minced
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped (in package, NOT oil packed)
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 16 ounce package whole wheat spaghetti, uncooked


Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.  Add chicken & grind fresh pepper on each side. Cover & cook until done, about 5 minutes on each side. (When done, chicken will have NO pink on the inside.)  Remove from heat and set aside, keeping covered.
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, & shallots, cooking 1-2 minutes, just until soft.  Add sun dried tomatoes; stir. With a whisk in hand,  add flour & stir.  Slowly pour in chicken broth, whisking constantly to remove any lumps.  Add cream, still whisking.  Whisk that sucker to death! (just kidding).  Continue whisking for 3-4 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken.  Take off heat and let sit; it will continue to thicken, feel free to stir every so often as you cook the spaghetti:
Cook spaghetti according to package directions.  It is done when it is soft, but still has a bite; al dente please.

Add fresh basil to sun dried tomato sauce and give it a good stir.

Place spaghetti noodles on serving plates, placing chicken directly on top of noodles.  Spoon as much sauce as you would like over chicken & noodles; enjoy!  

Tips: *To keep spaghetti noodles from sticking together after you drain them, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil over & toss.
*You could also grill the chicken; that would be super yummy in this dish.  Make slight changes and brush the olive oil over each chicken tender before grilling on foil.  Grill on medium-low heat until done.
*Goes great with cooked asparagus & crusty bread.

Hawaiian Chicken

Crockpot! 1 cup pineapple juice 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/3 cup light soy sauce 2 pounds chicken breast tenderloins. Cook on low 6-8 hrs and they should just fall apart.

melt in your mouth chicken

4 boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Directions:

1
Mix mayonnaise, cheese and seasonings.
2
Spread mixture over chicken breast and place in baking dish.
3
Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes.

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/melt-in-your-mouth-chicken-breast-37336?oc=linkback

Cheesy Loaded Twice-Baked Potato Casserole

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of red skinned potatoes, about 10 medium, baked
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
• 1 (5 ounce) can of evaporated milk
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled
• 1-1/2 cups of shredded Cheddar cheese,divided
• 2 green onions, sliced, reserve a teaspoon for garnish
• 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper,or to taste

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub potatoes, puncture each with a knife to vent, toss with olive oil and salt and place on a pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, cook the bacon to crisp; set aside, chop once cooled, reserving half for garnish; set aside. Set potatoes aside until cool enough to handle, then slice in half lengthwise, then into half rounds about 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick. Place into a large bowl. Add 1 cup of the Cheddar cheese and half of the bacon. Set aside a big pinch of the green onion for garnish and add the rest to the potatoes; toss.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 x 8 inch baking dish; set aside. Blend together the evaporated milk, sour cream and melted butter. Add parsley, garlic salt and pepper. Pour mixture over the potatoes and gently toss. Use a potato masher to break down the chunks to desired texture. Turn out into the prepared baking dish, cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until heated through. Remove, top with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese, return to the oven, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes. Garnish top with remaining bacon and green onion. Serve immediately.

Cook's Notes: Double for a cookout, potluck or church supper. Leftover baked potatoes are perfect for this, so if you're already baking some, bake extra, or bake the potatoes ahead to save time. Also good for smoked potatoes.

crock pot orange chicken

Ingredients:
• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small chunks
• 1/3 cup flour
• olive oil
• 1/2 T salt
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 T ketchup
• 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (thaw or throw it in the microwave for 45 seconds)
• 4 T brown sugar

In a bowl, mix the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and ketchup.

Pour the flour in a small bowl.
Cover the chicken breast chunks in flour and shake off the excess

Pour a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and brown the flour-covered chicken.

The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked since it's going in the crock pot.

After the chicken is done cooking, pour the pieces into the crock pot.
Then cover the chicken with your sauce mixture and give the pot a stir.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3.

Serve over rice and even add veggies if you want a healthier meal.
Enjoy!

sweet and tangy chicken

Sweet and Tangy Chicken

This is a 4 ingredient dish that will become one of your go-to dishes.   You can make ahead first thing in the morning up to the point of baking, place in the refrigerator, then just pop in the oven for a little over an hour, add a side and a tossed green salad.  Dinner is served!

8 chicken thighs  - You can use a whole chicken or other parts.  We love thighs the best.  And we want them on the bone with the skin.

1 package dry french onion soup mix

1 (8 oz bottle) Russian dressing (I prefer Wishbone Russian dressing)

1 small jar of apricot preserves or about a cupful

Mix all ingredients, except chicken, in a bowl.

Place chicken pieces in a baking pan. Sprinkle with pepper. No extra salt is needed.

Pour sauce over chicken and make sure it’s coated well.

Roast uncovered at 400 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes until chicken is done. Baste several times during cooking. This is the way the chicken will look when done.

Serve it up and act like you are worn slap out from working so hard. Take all the compliments gracefully. You deserve it.

sweet and spicy bacon chicken

Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken

4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces)

Bacon slices

salt and pepper to taste

garlic powder

chili powder

brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine {I skipped this since I grilled them.  I honestly think you could coat your dish with nonstick cooking spray instead to save a few calories}.  

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.

**Also great on the grill!  No juices to drizzle on anything, but still delicious!

Confetti Chicken Pasta

CONFETTI CHICKEN PASTA RECIPE

Veggies & Pasta

16 oz. of Whole Wheat Penne Pasta (always cook al dente in salt water according to pkg directions)
2 tbsp. olive oil, divided
2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut in 1″ cubes
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
½ c. Onion, diced
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper, long thin slices (mom uses red, yellow and orange…)
1 c. Broccoli florets
1 c. Asparagus, chopped in 1″ pieces
1 c. Grape tomatoes

Cook your pasta and let it drain.  (tip: I always add a bit of olive oil to my pasta water during cooking so the noodles don’t stick together). Sprinkle the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a skillet over medium heat and cook chicken until done and golden on all sides. Remove and let rest in a large bowl.

Add the remaining olive oil and begin sauteing the onions for 2 min. Add in the garlic and bell pepper and saute another 2 mins. Then toss in any other woody veggies  (broccoli, asparagus) saving the tomatoes until the very end.

When everything is cooked, combine the veggies with the chicken in your big bowl. (I’m all about reducing dishes here) Now its time for the sauce!

Spicy Cream Sauce

2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour (I used whole wheat)
2 c. half & half
1/4 tsp. of red pepper flakes
1 c. Feta cheese (mom uses Parmesan)

In the same pan you cooked the chicken and veggies in, melt the butter over medium heat. Toss in the flour and stir, cooking 1-2 minutes.  (We are making a roux)

Slowly add in the half and half while stirring to prevent any clumps from forming.  Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and allow to simmer until you see boiling action.  Stir periodically.

When your sauce begins to thicken and bubble, turn off the heat and add in your cheese. Stir until melty (yes that’s a technical term).

To assemble everything I like to add the pasta first so it gets nice and coated with sauce and then pour the rest of the goodies in. (see photo above). This makes enough for 4 people (or two if you want lunch the next day!)