One of the things I really like about our new “old” digs are the almonds. We live in a community surrounded by almond trees. There’s even an almond festival and an almond parade and all things almond. Do you have a bottle of almond extract in your pantry? Go get it, open the bottle and take a big whiff. Do you smell that sweetness of the almonds? That’s what it is like to step outside in the spring, when the trees are in bloom.
Category: Chicken Breasts
Crispy Chicken with Asparagus Sauce
Thursday nights I like to cook up something Italian. We call it Tuscan Thursday, although it’s not necessarily a Tuscan dish. While this chicken dish ain’t exactly Italian, it’s got enough going on to land it on my menu planner as a Thursday meal. Besides, the grocery store had a great deal on Cream of Asparagus Soup, so I’ve got cans sitting in the pantry that need to be put to good use.
Asparagus, Sun-dried Tomato, and Chicken Spaghetti
In our house, we have turned Thursdays into Italian Night. It means we get to try something new from my favorite part of the world – Italy. This wonderful dish brings together so many different “favorite” flavors and textures on a single plate.
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Cajun Chicken Tenders with Creamy Dipping Sauce
If your family is anything like mine, now that nice weather is here, the weekends are crazy!! Things to do, places to go, sights to see. This coming weekend alone, we have a two-day Chocolate Festival, Jumping Frog Jubilee, two different Classic Car Shows, three antique street fairs and one of the largest farmer’s markets in the state. That’s a lot to pack in over a single weekend.
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Slow-Cooker Alfredo Tuscan Chicken
Good morning everyone. Are you excited about embracing another wonderful day? I know I am. My guys and I had an incredible time at the Celtic Faire (as always), with plenty of grand food, good music and sports. Saint Patrick’s Feast Day is just around the corner. If you’ve been following along, then you know we’ve got some yummy things planned for that day. So what does all this Irish gibberish have to do with Tuscan Chicken? Nothing. I just didn’t want to get too Irished-out before the big feast day.
Warmly Satisfying Chicken Cheese Tortellini Stew
Before we get into spring and warmer weather, I wanted to share with you one more delicious one-pot supper. The key to this delicious stew is to use good quality pasta and fresh vegetables. While there might be some chopping necessary when using fresh vegetables, it is so worth the effort in the end.
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Chicken Paprikash and Dracula’s Castle
When I came across a recipe for Easy Chicken Paprikash in my now 25+ year-old Campbell Cookbook, it sparked my curiosity. Just what is Chicken Paprikash. Sounded middle-eastern to me. Boy, was I wrong. Chicken Paprikash is a Hungarian dish. The traditional rendition is made with dumplings and utilizes a whole chicken. It more closely resembles Chicken and Dumplings (surprise!). The more modern adaptations utilize wide egg noodles or even Bow-Tie pastas. Just as the name implies, this dish relies in a heavy dose of Paprika, a spice commonly used in Hungarian cuisine. The sauce takes on a rosy color. And for those Dracula fans, in Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, Jonathan Harker dines on Chicken Paprikash during his tourney through the Carpathian Mountains to Dracula’s castle.
Oh my, now my mind is swirling with all sorts of dinner party ideas and counts and scary stuff! Yeah, check the local weather reports and make this on a night that thunderstorms are in the forecast. What fun!
Easy Chicken Paprikash
4 cups cooked Wide Egg Noodles, for serving
1 tablespoon Butter
4 Chicken Breasts, boneless
10 oz Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
3 Teaspoons Paprika
1 Pinch Cayenne Pepper
1/3 cup Sour Cream
Parsley for garnish
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook egg noodles according to package directions. Keep warm until ready to serve.
While the water comes to a boil and the noodles cook, melt butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
Brown chicken for about 5 or 6 minutes per side in the hot butter. Remove, keep warm and set aside.
To the now empty skillet, heat soup with paprika and cayenne pepper. Add sour cream and whisk to blend smooth. Heat through.
Return chicken to the pan, cover and simmer until breast are cooked through and no longer pink. Spoon sauce over chicken to coat well.
Spread pasta on a serving platter. Top with chicken and garnish with parsley.
Whatever you do, don’t serve with Blood Oranges!
Mozzarella Chicken Marinara over Rotelle (Corkscrew Pasta)
Have you ever bought pasta at Costco? My spaghetti purchase lasted our family for six months – eight 1-pound packages of Organic Spaghetti Noodles. Wow, it just dawned on me, we eat over a pound of spaghetti a month! And then there are those variety packages of Penne, Casarecce and Rotelle. We are big pasta eaters in this house. I think we eat more pasta and rice than we do potatoes.
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Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
One of the things that I love about this recipe is that the chicken can go straight into the crock frozen – no need to “think ahead”. When you are as forgetful as I am, this helps. Whipping up the sauce takes no time at all, so it’s easy to start in the morning and come home to the wonderful smells of dinner waiting.
Honoring Saint Bernadette with Chicken Cordon Bleu
Hey There everyone. Happy National Battery Day, Crab Stuffed Flounder Day and National Wine Drinking Day. Also, it’s Presidents Day, so this day is jam-packed with reason to celebrate. As a Catholic, let me also wish you a happy Feast Day of Saint Bernadette Soubirous.
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Buttery Panko Baked Chicken
You know what they say about best laid plans and all that jazz. On my meal planner this week was a recipe from Cookies and Cups for Buttery Chicken. The recipe called for 1 sleeve of Ritz Crackers for breading the chicken. I’ve used Ritz Crackers before, but unlike my method, this recipe had the chicken breasts dipped in egg, rolled in crushed crackers and baked in the oven with pats of butter scattered around the pan. When I’ve made my Ritz Cracker chicken, I brush my breasts with Miracle Whip (for a little “zip” while creating a thermal blanket to hold in the moisture), then rolled the chicken in crackers and baked on a pan lightly sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
The night before making my chicken, I thawed the breasts in the refrigerator. The next night, when we returned home, I was ready to make dinner. My mouth was all set for the buttery breasts with salty-crushed crackers. That’s when I discovered we did not have any Ritz crackers in the pantry, or any other kind of cracker that would suffice. Time to improvise. We had butter, panko crumbs and a wide assortment of seasonings to choose from. I rolled up my sleeves, put on my creative thinking cap and made an awesome, flavorful chicken supper for my hungry guys.
Buttery Panko Baked Chicken
4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
1 1/2 Cup Panko Crumbs, Plain or Italian
2 Tablespoons Mrs. Dash Original Blend
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) Butter
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a small casserole dish (Just large enough to dip and roll chicken one piece at a time), place panko crumbs and mix with Mrs. Dash Original Blend. Set aside.
In another casserole dish, melt 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons) in the micro wave. Heat butter in intervals of about 20 seconds until just melted but not heated. Set aside.
Slice breast lengthwise to create two thin breasts. Repeat with remaining breasts. Rinse sliced breasts under cold water. Place in a single layer on sheets of paper towels over a cutting board. Place more paper towels over the chicken breast and pat dry. Season lightly with salt and pepper on both sides.
Dip each breast into the melted butter, allowing excess butter to drip back into the dish. Press and roll the breast in the panko crumb mixture and place on a rimmed baking pan. Repeat with remaining breasts, allowing about 1/2 inch between them.
Place baking pan into the pre-heated oven and bake 25 to 30 minutes or until done, turning breast over about mid-way through the cooking time.
Remove from oven and serve with your favorite sides. (This is great with Stove-Top Boxed Stuffing with a Home-Made Twist. Just make the stuffing while the chicken bakes.)
Easy Kid-Friendly President’s Day Supper
This year, President’s Day falls on the Monday after Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day is a Thursday. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to turn Valentine’s Day into a four-day romantic weekend. For those California ski enthusiasts, hitting the slopes is probably in the game plan. Unless you are stuck in mountain traffic, you might want to make something simple, all-American to honor Abe and George.
For Abe, it was a simple choice – Honest Abe’s Herb Delights – Savory Dinner Rolls in honor of our country’s 16th President who was partial to Biscuits. As for George – sorry sir but I’m going for easy way out and suggest a store-bought Cherry Pie on your way home from the slopes. After all, it’s the thought that counts even if the tale of George and the Cherry Tree is the stuff of political make-believe. The story was invented by Parson Mason Weems who wrote a biography of George Washington shortly after Washington’s death. Since so little is known about Washington’s childhood, Weems invented several anecdotes about Washington’s early life to illustrate the origins of the heroic qualities Washington exhibited as an adult. Introduced to countless schoolchildren as a moral tale in the McGuffey Reader textbook, the parable has become a persistent part of American mythology. Still, a Cherry Pie to honor George is a fitting symbol.
Let’s face it, we need more than Herb Biscuits and Cherry Pie. What could be easier than Chicken Tenders? Kids love ’em, they are super easy to make and go well with Mr. Lincoln’s Savory Rolls. Who could ask for more? Serve this up with a toss salad or some buttery corn and call it a night. These days, I’m all about simple – so long as I don’t need to skimp on flavor.
Chicken Tenders with Dipping Sauce
Chicken Tenders
3-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch strips
½ Cup Butter
1 Cup Bread Crumbs seasoned with:
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
½ Teaspoon Dill Weed
Cooking Spray
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Cover baking sheet with foil. Pour olive oil onto foil-lined baking sheet to lightly coat entire surface.
Cut chicken breasts into strips, set aside.
Combine bread crumbs and seasonings in a pie pan. Melt butter in another pie pan.
Dip chicken strips into butter, then roll in breadcrumb mixture to coat.
Place the chicken on a baking sheet and lightly spray cooking spray over chicken. Pop chicken in the oven and bake 25-30 minutes or until golden and chicken is cooked through.
Dipping Sauces
1 Cup Barbecue Sauce
1 Cup Honey Mustard
Place dipping sauces into small bowls. Arrange chicken tenders around dipping sauces and serve.
Tip: If serving with Honest Abe’s Biscuits; have those ready to go before starting chicken. Pop chicken in the oven about 5 minutes before cooking biscuits and you should be good to go. Toss a salad (if serving) while everything bakes in the oven.
If you are looking for something more substantial menu to honor President’s Day and gather the family around the supper table, try my post from last year, In Honor of President’s Day – with a Boston Cream Pie, Country Ham, Sweet Potatoes, Peas and Herb Biscuits.
Super Easy Lemon Chicken Primavera
This rendition of Campbell’s Lemon Chicken Primavera is over 20-years old. The current recipe from Campbell’s uses garlic powder instead of minced garlic, and their Cream of Mushroom Soup rather than Chicken Gravy. The one thing I did like about the more modern take is that the breasts are served whole rather than cut into strips. Also, the older recipe has the Primavera served over a bed of Spaghetti Pasta. That’s fine, but if you leave the breast whole, you could serve with a creamy Risotto instead. This is a combination of the things I like in both recipes. If you have people who will refuse to eat anything that includes cauliflower, use a bag of the Green Giant’s Broccoli Steamers and add some carrots to the mix. The vegetable combination is really just a matter of convenience and personal preferences.
Greek Inspired Lemon Chicken
This recipe comes to us from Pampered Chef. It’s been years since I last attended a Pampered Chef party. What about you? Those were always fun. A great excuse to get together with my female friends, have a few laughs and eat some good food. I’ve got a ton of Pampered Chef gadgets. Everything from Apple Peelers to Zester – literally everything from A to Z. When I make my Slow Roasted Kahlua Pig without the Pit, you better believe I use my big clay roaster from Pampered Chef. It has served me well over the years.
This recipe is popular among clay bakers. The clay baker allows the chicken to get a golden color that seems to be lacking in most glass casserole dishes. I suppose you could finish the dish off under a broiler for a few minutes to achieve that same golden roasted goodness.
The only things missing from this delicious dish would be a nice salad and maybe a loaf of warm, buttery bread or sourdough dinner rolls. Of course, a glass of wine is always welcomed.
Greek Inspired Lemon Chicken
3 Lemons, divided
¼ cup Olive Oil
4 garlic cloves, pressed
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
¾ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
8 New Red Potatoes
1 medium red bell pepper
1 medium red onion
8 oz white mushrooms
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Using Zester, zest two of the lemons. You should get about 1-1/2 tablespoons of lemon zest. Set zest aside.
Cut one of the zested lemons in half, squeeze out the juice. You should have about 2 tablespoons of juice.
In a mixing bowl, combine the zest and the juice from the lemons with the olive oil.
Peel and press garlic over the lemon mixture.
Add oregano, salt and black pepper. Mix well.
Arrange chicken in a rectangular baking dish with a rim. (Pampered Chef has some very nice clay baking dishes).
Brush chicken breasts with the lemon mixture.
Cut the potatoes in half and set aside.
Cut the bell pepper into strips and set aside.
Cut the onion into wedges and set aside.
Thinly slice remaining lemon and set aside.
Combine the potatoes, bell pepper strips, onions, lemon slices and mushrooms with the remaining lemon juice mixture in the mixing bowl.Toss together to coat well.
Arrange the vegetables on the pan around the chicken. Bake in heated oven for 1 hour or until breasts reach 180 degrees at their thickest part.
Bush chicken with pan juices after 30 minutes of roasting, and again at the end.
Barbecue Chicken and Vegetable Foil Packs Be it Summer or Winter
The beauty of these moist barbecued Chicken Breasts (besides cooking up with the veggies) is that you can grill or bake your little packages of flavorful delights. The prep work is minimal, a little chopping, slapping on the sauce and folding the foil packets. Then it’s just a matter of cooking indoors or out.
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