One-Pan Garlic Chicken Pesto Pasta

 

Saw the video for this recipe and was immediately drawn in.  It looked fast and easy.  And it was!  The name of the recipe is a bit of a misnomer as you do need another pot to cook the penne pasta in.  I wasn't sure how the boyfriend would feel about the tomatoes since he doesn't like raw ones, but they cooked just enough when stirred in that he didn't mind them.

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 chicken breasts, sliced into 1/2 inch (2cm) strips
• 2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
• ½ tablespoon kosher salt
• ½ tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup pesto
• 3 cups penne pasta, cooked and drained
• ¾ cup cherry tomato, halved
• parmesan cheese, to garnish
• fresh basil, chopped, to garnish
• 
  
• Heat the oil in a pan over high heat. Combine the chicken, garlic, salt, and pepper, cooking until chicken is browned.
• Then, mix in the heavy cream, parmesan, and pesto, stirring until evenly combined.
• Next, bring to a boil and cook until the sauce has reduced, about five to seven minutes.
• Toss in the pasta and cherry tomatoes, stirring until evenly coated. Remove from heat.
• To serve, sprinkle parmesan cheese and basil on top!
• Enjoy!

Chicken thighs (boneless skinless) in the oven

 How have I not shared this easiness?  What is now years ago I was looking for something (probably easy) to do with chicken thighs and found this on TheKitchn.  I will copy and paste their instructions at the bottom, but really, I just go the laziest easiest route I can with these, and I'm always happy with them.  Maybe one of these days I'll try the sauce.

Preheat the oven to 425 and in the pan (I use a 7x11) I place the chicken thighs, drizzle with some olive oil, and season with some salt, some pepper, and a Penzey's seasoning (in this picture I used Fox Point).  Mix with hands and add a bit more seasoning if you think it needs it.  Bake for 20 minutes or more until temp is 165.  Around the time it's almost done, start some veggies in the microwave and let the chicken rest  a bit (I don't really hit ten minutes like it says).

INGREDIENTS

For the chicken:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil

For the sauce (optional):

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Pinch red pepper flakes

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EQUIPMENT

• Bowls
• Spoon
• Whisk
• 9-inch or 8-inch baking dish
• Aluminum foil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven and season the chicken. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 425°F. Place the chicken in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. The most basic seasoning that this meat really needs is salt and pepper. At this point, if I'm not adding another sauce, I drizzle a little bit of olive oil over the meat too, to help it brown well in the oven.

2. Make a sauce (optional). Whisk all the sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.

3. Toss the chicken with the sauce. Pour the sauce over the chicken and toss to combine.

4. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish. Place the chicken in a single layer in an 8- or 9-inch baking dish. No need to grease the dish, just lay the chicken inside.

5. Roast the chicken. Boneless, skinless thighs cook quickly. Roast until the chicken has an internal temperature of 165°F, about 20 minutes. If they are not ready, continue roasting and checking the temperature every 5 minutes.

6. Rest the chicken. Remove the baking dish from the oven, cover with aluminum foil, and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes. This will help it be more tender. Eat and enjoy!

The Lady's Chicken Noodle Soup

The boyfriend made this last year (or so) and I really loved it.  He did the whole thing with making the stock while I was at work and then assembled the soup part when I got home.  I had been wanting it again (I really loved the creamy aspect - not something I think of with chicken noodle) so I made it last Saturday.  Because I went straight from stock to soup steps, the stock pretty much stayed at boil while I added everything in.  But I cheated - I didn't want to deal with cutting up a whole chicken nor deboning it so I used chicken tenders and thighs (to get a combination of white and dark meat).  In hindsight I used a bit more chicken than I really needed.  But soup is forgiving about that.  I do wonder though if my stock would have been richer with the bones.  Maybe that was the reason I think his tasted better than mine... or maybe it was because I didn't have to make it!


Ingredients
Stock:
1 (2 1/2 to 3-pound) fryer chicken, cut up
3 1/2 quarts water
1 onion, peeled and diced
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Soup:
2 cups sliced carrots
2 cups sliced celery, with leafy green tops
2 1/2 cups uncooked egg noodles
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/3 cup cooking sherry
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 cup grated Parmesan, optional
3/4 cup heavy cream, optional
Seasoning salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, for serving

Directions
1.  For the stock: add all ingredients to a soup pot. Cook until chicken is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Remove and discard bay leaves and onion. You should have approximately 3 quarts of stock. When chicken is cool enough to touch, pick bones clean, discarding bones, skin, and cartilage. Set chicken aside.

2.  For the soup: bring stock back to a boil, add carrots, and cook for 3 minutes. Add celery and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes. Add egg noodles and cook according to directions on package. When noodles are done, add chicken, mushrooms, parsley, sherry and rosemary. Add Parmesan and cream, if using. Cook for another 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning, if needed, by adding seasoning salt and pepper. Enjoy along with a nice hot crusty loaf of French bread.

Chicken Tetrazzini

The boyfriend found this recipe and it was the perfect time since I had just poached up a big package of chicken breasts (half were cubed and half shredded).  I used shredded for this recipe.  Also, as you can see by the picture, I opted for the casserole dish instead of cooking in the dutch oven (the cast iron dutch oven can't go in the dishwasher - the glass 10x13 pan can!)  The blog author included cooking times for both options (see recipe notes at the bottom).

Ingredients

For the Chicken Tetrazzini:

• 12 oz thin spaghetti or linguine
• 4 cups shredded rotisserie chicken *or cook 2 lbs chicken breast
• 1 lb button mushrooms thickly sliced
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 3-4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

For the Creamy Sauce:

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups half and half or sub with equal parts milk & heavy cream
• 1 tsp sea salt or to taste
• 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped, plus more to garnish
• 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 350˚F. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted water until aldente according to package instructions then rinse to stop the cooking process, drain and set aside.
2. Cut 4 cups of chicken meat from a rotisserie chicken and shred into bite-sized pieces and set aside. 
3. Place a large dutch oven or pot over medium/high heat. Add 2 Tbsp oil then add sliced mushrooms and sauté 3 min or until softened. Add diced onions and cook until onions are soft and golden, 5-7 min. Add minced garlic and sauté another 1-2 min until fragrant. Remove to the cutting board with chicken.
4. In the same pot, melt 4 Tbsp butter and whisk in 1/3 cup flour until lightly golden (1 1/2 min). Add 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and whisk until smooth. Add 1 1/2 cups half and half and bring to a simmer. Season sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. 
5. Return chicken, mushrooms, onions and pasta to the pot then sprinkle in 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley and stir to combine. Sprinkle the top generously with shredded mozzarella, cover and bake at 350˚F for 30 min then remove lid and continue baking 15 min.**

Recipe Notes

*To cook your own chicken: in your dutch oven or pot, melt 1 Tbsp butter and 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Season 2 lbs chicken breasts with about 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Once oil is hot, saute chicken until golden brown on both sides and cooked through (about 4 min per side). Remove to cutting board to cool then cut into bite-sized pieces.

**If baking in a 13x9 casserole dish, cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes then bake uncovered an additional 10-15 min (it bakes 5-10 min faster in a casserole dish)

Creamy Parmesan One Pot Chicken and Rice

Last year I was in a fb group for fall meal planning.  Well, we didn't do a good job with planning meals, but we did share some recipes.  I pinned the ones shared and now the group has disappeared so I can't be sure the pinned recipe I found when I went hunting this fall is one and the same.  But all turned out well.  This recipe came out excellent!  The boyfriend thought it could have used some mushrooms or some other veggies (I think sliced fresh mushrooms, not canned, could be added at the same time as the chicken, but I'm not sure when I would add something like broccoli).  I thought the taste was fantastic, but I'm sure it wouldn't be affected by the addition of at least the mushrooms.  And it's one pot!  That's so awesome!  Also, just a quick note, my store (as per usual when I want something specific) did not have regular boneless skinless chicken breasts, so I used tenders - which made the cutting into one inch pieces really speedy.

Ingredients

• 1.5 Pounds Chicken Breasts, Cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 Large onion, Diced
• 3 Cloves Garlic, Minced (3 Teaspoons)
• 2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 Cup long grain white rice
• 1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
• 1/2 Cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Parsley for serving, Optional

Instructions

• Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes, until beginning to soften.
• Add the diced chicken to the pan along with the Italian seasoning, pepper, and salt.
• Cook and stir for 5 minutes until chicken is golden on all sides.
• Add the garlic and cook for one more minute, stirring constantly.
• Add the chicken broth and rice to the pan and stir.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low.
• Cover with a lid and simmer for 17-20 minutes, until rice is completely tender.
• Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan.  Serve immediately topped with parsley if desired.

Creamy Honey Mustard Bacon Chicken

This is one of the many (many!) pins I've saved on Pinterest.  It looked good so I saved it and I finally thought I would make it.  I had chicken thighs in the fridge (thinking I would just do my simple roasted chicken thighs with one of my Penzeys spices.  But here was this recipe as I was scrolling through my pins looking for ideas for the coming week - and she said chicken thighs would work too.  And I had milk and cream in the fridge - no extra stops at the store to get special ingredients.  Win!  It did take longer (as per usual) than the blogger said (could have been how long it took the bacon - I used what I had left in the fridge, a half pound - to cook).  And I skipped the parsley.



Ingredients

1/3 cup honey
3 level tablespoons whole grain mustard
1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic, (or 3-4 cloves crushed garlic)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to season
5 skinless and boneless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
1/2 cup diced bacon, trimmed of rind and fat (I used 4 small bacon rashers)
1/3 cup cream (light or reduced fat) *SEE NOTES FOR SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS
1 cup milk (skim, 2% or full fat - almond milk may be used for a dairy free option)
1 teaspoon cornstarch (corn flour) mixed with 1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large, shallow dish, combine the honey, mustard, garlic, oil and salt to taste (not too much salt if serving
with bacon as the bacon will add a salty flavor when served). Coat chicken evenly in the sauce. Set aside.
2. Heat a nonstick pan (or skillet) over medium heat. Fry bacon until crispy; transfer to a plate. To the same pan,
sear chicken fillets on each side in the oil left over from the bacon until just beginning to brown (about 3
minutes per side -- not completely cooked through as we will finish them in the sauce).
3. Add any remaining honey mustard sauce into the pan along with the cream and milk. Bring to a simmer while
stirring occasionally to mix the flavors through the sauce (about 3 minutes), until the chicken is cooked
through. Transfer the chicken to a warm plate.
4. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the centre of the pan, mixing it through the sauce until it thickens. Place
chicken back into the pan; coat with the sauce. Top with the bacon and garnish with parsley.
5.Serve over steamed / roasted vegetables for lower cal options. Also great with pasta, rice or mashed
potatoes!

Creamy Cheesy Chicken

I went looking for a new recipe tonight.  Found this one on my friend's pinterest board.  This will definitely be added to the chicken rotation.  I doubled the recipe, using 2 teaspoons of dried minced onion and a package of boneless chicken tenders (one and a half to one and three quarters pounds).  (I copied the recipe as is, including the blogger's notes).

Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used boneless skinless strips)
4 oz softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons softened butter
2 tablespoons whole cream
1 tablespoon minced onion (I omitted this simply because I didn't have any)
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 cup of shredded cheese (I used cheddar and I used more than 1/2 a cup)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375. Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and place your chicken in without overlapping.
2. Mix the cream cheese, butter, cream, onion, and spices and spread the mixture evenly over the chicken.
3. Spread the cheese on top and bake for about 45 minutes or until chicken is done. Let it rest and cool a bit after taking it from the oven.

Cheesy Chicken with Mushrooms

The boyfriend has been finding lots of new recipes for us to try lately.  This is one of the recent ones.  I wasn't thinking clearly at the store that evening, so I grabbed regular chicken breasts - next time I will definitely take the poster's advice of getting tenderloins.  A bit of browning the breadcrumbs on the chicken and layer in the pan with mushrooms and mozzarella cheese - add a bit of broth to keep it moist and you're done!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup (112 grams) Italian bread crumbs
• 16 ounces sliced mushrooms, divided
• 4 tablespoons (57 grams) salted butter, divided
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 cup (237 ml) chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Spread half of the sliced mushrooms over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
3. Place the eggs and bread crumbs in two separate shallow dishes (pie plates work great for this).
4. Dip the chicken breasts in the egg, then into the bread crumbs, patting them to adhere.
5. In a 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until melted. Add half of the breaded chicken to the pan and saute until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the skillet and place on top of the mushrooms in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining butter and chicken breasts.
6. Sprinkle the remaining sliced mushrooms over the chicken, then top with the shredded mozzarella cheese. Pour the chicken broth into the bottom of the pan.
7. Bake until the cheese is melted and browned, and the chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes.

RECIPE NOTES:

• I recommend using the thin sliced chicken breasts, or chicken tenders.
• This dish is also great with Swiss cheese instead of mozzarella.
• You can choose to cover the dish with aluminum foil while baking to retain the juices, however the mozzarella cheese will not brown.

Greek Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

The boyfriend has been finding all sorts of new recipes lately.  Among them was this winner (I haven't tried most of them yet to be fair) - it's quick to put together (and I'll be faster with more repetitions and less double checking measurements) and the whole meal is cooked together.  I used the full package of chicken thighs (six, but there's always one or two that are quite small) and found "rainbow carrots" at the store, which seemed close to the heirloom it calls for.


Ingredients
2 medium lemons
4 (4-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 pound baby red potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
12 small (12 ounces) heirloom carrots, trimmed
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
Directions
Adjust the oven racks in the center and bottom third, and preheat the oven to 450°F. Line two large rimmed baking sheets with foil and spray with oil.

Slice one lemon into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Cut the second lemon in half.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, potatoes, carrots, juice from 1/2 lemon, olive oil, 1 tablespoon oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste, and toss well with hands until everything is evenly coated. Spread out in a single layer along with the lemon slices, without overcrowding, onto the prepared baking sheets.

Roast until the bottoms of the potatoes are golden, about 14 minutes. Flip the potatoes and carrots, rotate the baking sheets and roast until carrots are tender, potatoes are golden on both sides and chicken is cooked through, another 14 minutes.

Squeeze the remaining 1/2 lemon over everything. Top with feta, lemon zest, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper and 1 teaspoon oregano. Serve immediately.

Country Casserole

This had been on my list to make for a few years now and the cooler weather we've finally been having made it a good time to give it a try.  It's fairly quick and easy to throw together.  And it definitely makes a good amount.  If I start running into occasions that I need to bring food to somebody, this would definitely be a good place to start (I mention this because if you read Christie's blog, she specifically states that).

Ingredients

• 2 cups small shell pasta, cooked and drained
• 3 cups frozen mixed vegetables, cooked and drained
• 2 cups shredded cheddar, divided
• One can French fried onions, divided
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (can use canned chicken or rotisserie )
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine everything in a large bowl, reserving half of the cheese and half of the onions for topping later. Spoon into 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for twenty five minutes. Top with remaining onions and cheese, bake until cheese is melted, about five minutes more.

Creamy Chicken Soup

A high school classmate shared this link on facebook a couple of weeks ago.  Since we've been back in winter again, I figured this was a good time to try it.  It does take a little bit of work to prep the veggies, but after that it comes together pretty quickly.  Except waiting for it to come to a boil and then simmering.

FOR THE ROUX (to thicken soup...this is made first):
• 4 T flour
• 2 T olive oil
• 2 T butter - unsalted
• ****make the roux by heating the oil and butter in pot then sprinkling the flour on top. whisk together until fully absorbed and turns almost golden. take off the heat and set aside while combining other ingredients****
• 2 T butter - unsalted
• 2 T olive oil
• 4 stalks carrots, peeled and chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped (opt)
• 1 sweet yellow onion - diced
• 4 cups chicken stock or broth (or a combo) - low salt or unsalted
• 3 1/2 cups milk or cream or half & half, i use a combination of skim milk and cream
• 2 T chicken base granules
• 1 t fresh cracked pepper
• 1 T dried parsley or 2 T fresh parsley
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 1/2 t Herbs of Provence
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
• 1/4 t garlic powder or 1 t. chopped garlic (i use garlic from a jar)
• 3 cups rotisserie chicken - cubed or shredded and cooked
• 1/4 cup white wine (your favorite)
• shredded gruyere cheese to sprinkle on top after spooning soup into bowls

Instructions

1. start by making the roux (directions above)
2. chop the vegetables and set aside until ready to saute.
3. In a Dutch oven, saute the vegetables in 2 T olive oil and 2 T butter until softened. i cook the carrots and celery first, then add the onions since they don't take as long to cook.
4. Add all other ingredients including the roux, stir well.
5. bring to a boil then turn down the heat to low and let simmer 20-30 minutes until the soup thickens to the desired consistency.
6. Stir every 3-4 minutes. Do not leave the soup unattended - it can burn quickly.
7. if you need to thicken the soup a little, mix together some cornstarch with milk or water (per box instructions) then stir into the soup.
8. stir frequently - the soup is milk-based and can burn easily.
9. before ready to serve, take out the bay leaves
10. pour into bowls and sprinkle with shredded gruyere cheese
11. serve with french baguette or other crusty bread
12. enjoy!