Chicken Florentine Pasta

Another delicious recipe from the Pioneer Woman! Easy and delish!

Ingredients:
1 pound Penne
4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
3/4 cups Dry White Wine
3/4 cups Low-sodium Broth, More If Needed
1 bag Baby Spinach
2 cups Grape Tomatoes, Halved Lengthwise
4 ounces, weight Parmesan Cheese, Shaved With Vegetable Peeler
I also had some left over white button mushrooms that I threw in there as well :)

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions in lightly salted water. Drain and set aside.
2. Cut chicken breasts into chunks and sprinkle on salt and pepper.
3. Heat butter and olive oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add chicken chunks in a single layer and do not stir for a minute or two in order to allow the chicken to brown on the first side. Turn the chicken and brown on the other side. Cook until done, then remove chicken from the skillet.
4. Turn heat to medium. Add garlic and quickly stir to avoid burning. After about 30 seconds, pour in wine and broth, stirring to deglaze the pan. Allow the liquid to bubble up, then continue cooking until it's reduced by at least half (most of the surface of the liquid should be bubbling at this point.)
5. Turn off the heat. Add spinach, tomatoes, chicken, and cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss to combine; the spinach will wilt as you toss everything. Add plenty of Parmesan shavings and toss to combine.

Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps

E,

S and I have made an effort to try more vegetarian dishes, it's amazing how much chicken we eat a week! I found this recipe for vegetarian lettuce wraps from the Pioneer Woman and it did not disappoint!

Ingredients:
2 teaspoons Peanut Or Olive Oil
1 package (about 12-14 Oz. Size) Firm Tofu
2 ears Corn (or 1 1/2 Cups Frozen Corn Kernels)
1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder (more To Taste)
1/4 cup Soy Sauce
Romaine Lettuce Hearts
2 whole Avocados, Sliced
1 teaspoon Balsamic Vinegar (optional)

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Throw in the tofu, then break it up into very small pieces. Cook tofu for several minutes, until much of the liquid cooks off and tofu starts to turn golden.
2. Cut kernels off the cobs of corn and throw it in with the tofu. Cook for a few minutes (corn can remain crunchy.)
3. Add chili powder and soy sauce, then cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off heat and stir in balsamic if using.
4. Pile mixture into romaine hearts, then add sliced of avocado. Fold up and chow down!

 

Make Ahead Tacos

Erin,

Lunch time during the week is a crazy time around here. If I forget to make enough of last night's dinner or we end up eating more than I thought, we have nothing for lunch the next day and we end up going out to eat. I get so fed up when we have to resort to eating out for lunch because the cost can add up  quickly -- especially in the city! Anyway, I was researching some ideas and skimming Pinterest and combined a few of my own ideas and Viola! Make ahead tacos!!

Basically, the idea is to make a bunch of tacos ahead of time, wrap them up in foil individually, and throw them in the freezer! If we don't have anything for lunch or the fridge is empty on a Saturday, just take out a taco from the freezer, wrap it in a paper towel and heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Instant lunch!

I have even expanded this idea and now I am trying to come up with a similar idea for breakfast sandwiches -- stay tuned!

Chicken Tacos - Lunch

Ingredients:
5 frozen chicken breasts
1 can enchilada sauce
Taco seasoning
Tortillas
Mexican Cheese (shredded)

Directions:
1. In a crockpot, combine chicken breasts, enchilada sauce, and taco seasoning. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  Shred the chicken and continue to cook for another hour
2. When the chicken is finished, lay a tortilla flat and place a spoonful of chicken in the middle and top with cheese. Roll up the tortilla and wrap in foil. Combine a handful of tacos in a gallon size ziploc and freeze!

(This recipe makes between 20-30 tacos!)

I also varied the recipe a bit when I ran out of chicken but still had left over cheese and tortillas -- I did the exact same thing but with refried beans to make bean and cheese tacos! I used the refried beans recipe on this site, topped with cheese, rolled up, wrapped in foil and froze!

I know, I know, I am a genius ;)

Grilled Chicken Pasta in Tomato Cream Sauce

E,

Another recipe from Kevin and Amanda. I really really like this recipe because it's easy and delicious and I really love grilled chicken pasta and I really really love anything tomato cream based. 

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Montreal Steak seasoning
1/2 pound penne pasta
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 to 1 tsp salt & pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
6-8 fresh basil leaves, chiffonaded

Directions: 
1. Rinse chicken breasts in cold water. Layer between sheets of wax paper and pound to even thickness. (I put chicken breasts in a ziploc bag and pound them with a hammer, because I am classy like that)
2. Season both sides with Montreal Steak seasoning. Preheat grill for medium high heat, lightly oil grate, and grill chicken breasts on medium high heat for 6-8 mins each side. OR heat 2 tbsp butter & 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the butter and olive oil is nice and hot, add chicken breasts and cook 5 mins each side. (I chose the latter)
3. Set chicken aside to cool. In a large pot, boil water with 1 tbsp salt. Add 1/2 lb penne pasta noodles and boil according to package directions.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is tender, but do not let the garlic turn brown (about 3-5 mins).
5. Add the chicken broth to the pan and allow to reduce by half. Meanwhile, slice chicken.
6. Once the broth has reduced, stir in tomato sauce. Add the heavy cream and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low. Chop the parsley and basil, add to sauce and mix well.
7. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir well to coat. Serve pasta on plates, top with sliced chicken.

Spicy Sausage Pasta

Erin,

Another great cooking and recipe blog to follow (besides PW, who is my hero!) is Kevin and Amanda.  I have made a few dishes from their site and I have not been disappointed. When I first saw this recipe, I thought sausage and pasta sounded strange together, but I decided to give it a try anyway and I was pleasantly surprised. Sam loooooved this dish. I think sausage pasta is definitely man food!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage (I used Butterball Smoked Turkey! So much better for you and tastes the same as sausage!)
1.5 cups diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1/3 cup green onions, sliced or chopped 

Directions:

1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Erin,

Confession: I only decided to make this dish because it had the word "Tuscan" in it. It sounded beautiful and fancy delicious. Tuscan chicken pasta sounds so much better than chicken pasta with spinach and red bell pepper, doesn't it? The great thing about this dish is that it looks super fancy and complicated but it's actually pretty easy. Woo hoo!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 Tb salt
1 teas pepper
1/2 teas dried basil
1/2 teas dried oregano
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 Tb extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tb finely minced garlic (about 4-5 cloves)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
6 oz fresh spinach
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teas cornstarch
1 cup low fat milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 pound fettuccine



Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a shallow pie plate or similar dish, combine the flour, salt, pepper, basil and oregano. Dip each chicken piece in the flour mixture until both sides are well coated.
3. In a large 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat 3 Tb of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot and shimmering. Carefully place the chicken breasts in the pan, cooking them for 2-3 minutes on each side, until they are golden and browned but not cooked all the way through (they’ll finish up in the oven). Gently remove the chicken to a foil-lined, lightly greased baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside and tent with foil until ready to use.
4. While the chicken is cooking, heat a large pot of water to a boil and add the noodles, cooking until al dente. Also, wipe out the skillet with a couple paper towels and return it to medium heat, adding the remaining 2 Tb olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and bell pepper, sautéing for 2-3 minutes.
5. Stir in one Tb flour and stir constantly while cooking for another minute. Add the chicken broth to the skillet and bring the mixture to a low simmer, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3-4 minutes. In a small liquid measure, whisk together the cornstarch and cream. Add the spinach, milk and cream mixture to the skillet. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted and sauce is slightly thickened, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese.
6. When the pasta has finished cooking, drain and return it to the pot. Toss the pasta with half of the cheese sauce. Place some of the coated pasta on each plate. Top with a breaded chicken breast and spoon some of the sauce over the top of the chicken and pasta. Serve immediately.

Enjoy! 

Enchilada Lasagna

E,

It's enchiladas! It's lasagna! It's delicious! You really can't go wrong with this recipe.

(Is it just me or is this picture a bit fuzzy? Oh well, I will fix it later!)

Ingredients:

2 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 lbs chicken breast, chopped to bite pieces
5 cups of mexican blend cheese
1 can of cream of celery
1 can of cream of chicken
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup canned and chopped green chillies (drained)
small corn tortillas
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425. Brown chicken in a pan on 2 tbsp of oil. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a bowl combine cream of celery, cream of chicken, sour cream and green chillies.

3. Prepare the dish you will assemble the lasagna in. 

4. To assemble: Put 1/2 cup of cream mix on the bottom of the baking dish and spread. Layer a row of tortillas followed with cream mix, chicken and cheese. You should be able to make 3 layers like this. Last layer doesn't need chicken, just a ton of cheese. 

5. Cook 25 minutes! ;)