CHICKEN PASTA BAKE & BROILED VEGGIES

Servings:4

I  took this recipe from Ms. Giada DiLaurentis!! I watched her make it one night while I was out on vacation [YES, I confess I watch the FoodNetwork even while on vacation!!] and my mouth watered! SO, upon my return I looked up the recipe and found that while it ranked high, the verdict was pretty much  the same throughout “pasta  edible but lacked flavor” I could not believe this! I read the recipe and made a few changes to add flavor to the dish without making it anymore or anyless complicated … the result you ask? Well, why don’t you try it out and tell me how I did!

Ingredients:

 1 cup cooked macaroni -or- any other small pasta shape

 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cubed

1 small onion diced

2 garlic cloves minced

1lb roma tomatoes

1 cup good quality shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley [flat-leaf not the curly stuff]

1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tbsp butter

salt + pepper 

olive oil

-BROILED VEGGIES-

4 small red -or- while potatoes

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tsp each of chopped fresh thyme and rosemary leaves

2 small zucchini

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

2 tbsp. butter

salt + pepper

Directions:

-START with the PASTA-

1.  ROAST the TOMATOES:

• preheat oven to 450 degrees
• cover deep baking pan with aluminum paper [trust me this makes for ez clean up]
• place tomatoes in baking dish drizzle with olive oil, salt + pepper and toss until evenly coated
• bake in preheated oven until the skins pop & start to brown, about 20-25 minutes
• set aside

2. Bring down oven temperature to 400 degrees

3.  COOK the CHICKEN:

• coat the bottom of a sautee pan with olive oil over medium heat
• season chicken with salt + pepper
• add chicken to hot pan and cook for 3min.
• add onions and garlic, stir to combine and cook until onions are soft and chicken is cooked through, about 5min.

4.  PUT the PASTA TOGETHER:

• Put cooked pasta, chicken mixture, mashed roasted tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt and pepper [to taste] into a 8×12 baking dish :: stir to combine
• in a small bowl mix together bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. then sprinkle over the pasta mixture.
• dot the top with small bits of butter
• bake until top is golden brown, about 30minutes 

-MAKE the BROILED VEGGIES-

5. Start the potatoes:

• bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat
• add the potatoes and cook until just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
• drain the potatoes and let cool
• cut the potatoes in half

6.  Season and pan fry:

• place a medium saute pan over medium heat
•  add the butter, garlic, thyme and rosemary and let cook until the butter melts, about 2 min.
• meanwhile, season the cut sides of the zucchini and potatoes with salt and pepper
• carefully place the zucchini and potatoes cut side down in the melted butter
• let them cook until golden brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.

7. Broil the veggies:

• Preheat the broiler
• line a baking sheet with foil
• place the browed zucchini and potatoes on the baking sheet cut side up
• sprinkle the tops with Parmesan
• place in the broiler until the cheese is golden brown, about 4 min.

6. SERVE TOGETHER and ENJOY!!

CHICKEN CHOW MEIN

Servings: 8

This is a super easy no brainer meal! The recipe came from the back of a seasoning package and with little to no changes and within 30 minutes it was on table and DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:

4 skinless boneless chicken breast

3 carrots

2 celery stalks

1 onion

2 bags of soy bean sprouts

1/3lb of snow peas

4 tbsp. cooking oil

2 packages of SunBird Chow Mein mix

ground ginger

salt + pepper

Garnish: fried noodles

Directions:

1. Chop the veggies.

2. Season chicken with salt, pepper and ground ginger, set  aside.

3. Prepare Chow Mein mix per package instructions.

4.  Heat large skillet over medium heat until vert hot, add oil. Add chicken to pan and stir-fry until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to clean plate, cover and set aside.

5. Add  onions, carrots and celery to pan. Stir-Fry veggies about 2-3 minutes.

6.  Return chicken skillet. Add snow peas  and  bean sprouts to skillet stir-fry for about 2-3 minutes. Add chow mein mixture to skillet, heat through for a minute or two. Remover from heat and serve immediately!

7. Serve over white rice and garnish with fried noodles.

EZ Lemon Chicken

Servings: 6

Ingredients:

1 whole young chicken [ between 3-5lbs]

1 lemon thinly sliced

1/4 cup good olive oil

poultry seasoning

salt + pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Prep Chicken:

• Rub entire chicken [inside & out] with olive oil
• Generously season chicken with salt, pepper and poultry seasoning
• Place half of lemon slices inside cavity
• Separate skin on breast area from chicken with fingers, place remaining slices between skin and breast meat.

3.  Bake for 30 mintues at 375 in preheated oven. Increase temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes or until chicken is brown and juices run clear.

4.  Allow to cool about 15 minutes before serving.

CHICKEN and RICE CASSEROLE

Servings: 6-8 

This recipe delicious casserole recipe is from Simply Recipes, one of my favorite food blogs on the net. I changed a few ingredients around and it was AMAZING! 

Ingredients: 

2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 

2 leeks [sliced, washed and rinsed]

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 lb. each of baby portabello and button mushrooms sliced

1/4 cup white wine

1 1/3 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 cup raw, medium or long grain, white rice

1 tsp. each of italian seasoning and poultry seasoning

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

olive oil 

salt + pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F.

2. Butterfly chicken breasts; season all over with salt and pepper.

3. Heat 2 tsp. of olive oil in a large saute pan on medium high or high heat. Working in batches, brown the chicken beasts on both sides, about 1-2 minutes.  Cut  browned chicken into 1 – 1 1/2 inches, set aside in a bowl.  [note that the chicken does not have to be cooked through, only browned]

4.  In the same saute pan add 1 tsp. of olive oil, lowe heat to medium, add onions and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds. Remove to a shallow casserole dish. Raise heat to high, add sliced mushrooms. Dry saute them (do not add oil) allowing the mushrooms to brown lightly. Add to casserole dish.

5. Add 1/4 cup white wine to the pan to deglaze pan, scraping off the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine reduce to about 1 tbsp., then add the chicken stock, and remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon, sour cream and cream. 

6. Add raw rice to the casserole dish. Then cream mixture over rice. Add the italian and poultry seasonings and paprika to the dish. Stir the rice, onion, mushroom and herb mixture so that they are evenly distributed in the casserole dish. 

7.  Place the chicken pieces over the rice mixture, in a single layer. Cover the casserole tightly with aluminum foil. Bake at 375F for 45 minutes. Remove foil. If casserole is still to liquidy, let it cook a few minutes more uncovered, until excess liquid is evaporated.  

8. Enjoy. 

CREAMY SPAGHETTI DISH

Servings: 8

Ingredients: 

16oz cooked spaghetti

8oz sour cream

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/2 onion, thinly sliced

10 slices of deli ham, thinly sliced 

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp rosemary, chopped

grated romano cheese 

dried sweet basil 

Directions:

1. Prepare ingredients: cook and drain spaghetti, slice ham and onion; chop rosemary. 

2. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. 

3. Add sliced ham and spaghetti to skillet.  Toss until heated through.

4.  Add rosemary, sour cream and heavy cream to spaghetti; toss until combined. Sprinkle top with dried sweet basil and romano cheese.

5. Serve alone or over our delicious chicken parm.