chicken

Lemon Chicken Parmesan

/ Jodi / 2 Comments

lemon chicken parmesan cover

I love chicken.

It is so versatile, and I am always looking for different ways to create chicken dinners.

Especially for a hot summer day, I loved this LEMON version of Chicken Parmesan.  It is a lighter version of the typical red-sauce chicken parmesan.

I found the recipe from The Recipe Girl’s Blog, and we enjoyed it Sunday evening for dinner.

Delish with angel hair pasta, fresh lemon juice and zest, fresh basil, freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and some bubbly fresh mozzarella on top.

Here is the recipe as I slightly adapted from The Recipe Girl:

Ingredients:

PASTA:
1 box angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (or your favorite Parmesan)

CHICKEN:
4 chicken breasts – pounded to tenderize and make thinner for more even cooking
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (or your favorite Parmesan)
1 tablespoon fresh basil (or as much as you like)
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic

TOP:
1 small ball fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
salt and coarsely ground pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Mix the cooked pasta with the butter and lemon zest. As soon as the butter is melted and mixed in, stir in the Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Blend the Panko, Parmesan, Basil, Lemon Zest, Salt and Pepper in a medium bowl.

4. Heat the butter, lemon juice and garlic in a large, oven-safe skillet.

5. Dip the chicken in beaten egg, then Panko cheese mixture, and place in the pan. Cook on both sides until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes per side (depending on thickness of chicken). Remove the chicken to a plate.

6. Spoon the mixed pasta into the skillet. Place the cooked chicken breasts on top followed by the sliced mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle top with salt and pepper.

7. Bake 15 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through) covered.

8. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes until the mozzarella is bubbly and brown.

Serve and ENJOY!

Lemon Chicken Parmesan

We sure did.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Kicked Up Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich

/ Jodi / 2 Comments

cs

I LOVE Chicken!

It is so versatile.  There are so so so many different things you can do with it.  So many ways to prepare it.

Grilled, fried, baked, broiled, boiled, stir fried…

In pasta, in the crockpot, marinated, breaded, with vegies, with fruit, with sauce, in a wrap or in a sandwich……

The possibilities are limitless, and I make chicken at least twice a week.

So when I saw this AMAZING looking Chicken sandwich on Carlsbad Cravings’ Blog,   I knew I had to try it!

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Since  my dear friend Janet was coming over for dinner this past Monday, I thought this would be a great recipe to try.  (and being that Marty is not a huge teriyaki fan <SERIOUSLY?? – WHAT THE HECK!>, I knew he wouldn’t mind with Janet here 🙂 ).

From the sticky sweetness of the homemade honey teriyaki sauce with a kick of heat to the smooth coolness of the honey lime avacado yogurt sauce to the tangy sweetness of the grilled, marinated pineapple to the crunchy goodness of the crisp red onion, to the heat and bite of the melted pepper jack cheese to the juiciness of the marinated grilled chicken breast to the sweetness of the tomato………..

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SIGH…

Oh My!  Are you dying yet??

So many layers of wonderfulness on a grilled bun!

We all decided it might even be just fine without one or two of the ingredients, but totally enjoyed these delish, but a bit sloppy sammies that are totally restaurant worthy.

Have an extra two or three napkins on hand when eating this one!

We enjoyed with a large fresh tossed salad, and I have lots of leftover chicken for salads and sandwiches and wraps the rest of the week.

Check out the recipe Jen posted here for what she calls Honey Teriyaki Pineapple Chicken Sandwiches with Honey Cotija Avacado Spread and tweak to your own taste and enjoyment (i.e. I subbed Feta cheese for Cotija cheese, which I was clueless about…)

I’m pretty sure you are going to love this.  I know I did!

cs

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Wraps with Pineapple Slaw

/ Jodi / 5 Comments

Hawaiin BBQ Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Slaw 2One day last week, I was surprised to get an email from Nick sending me a link to a recipe he saw on Host the Toast’s Blog for Crock Pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Slaw.  (Who knew he read recipe blogs?!?)

Anyway – he somehow charmingly hinted that it would make a great dinner sometime.

Well – woohoo!  Looked YUMMY to me, and I am always up for a new recipe.

I was excited that he wanted me to try something new and different.

So last night I made these yummy wraps (our version of the taco) – because – hey – Nick loves any meal that can be wrapped in a flour tortilla and eaten with one hand.

srirachaAnd we both love anything zipped up with spicy Sriracha sauce.  (In this case both the chicken and the slaw!)

For those unfamiliar with Sriracha – a little goes a long way – so BEWARE faint of spicy taste bud fans – and use sparingly if you are a bit wimpy about zippiness.

The chicken is so tender and juicy and spicy and sweet and yummy.

It could be eaten as is or on a bun or even over some steamed rice (I happened to make a yummy pan of Basmati Rice Pilaf as the “side” dish last night).

And the slaw – oh so yummy and bright and fresh – and such a perfect blend of crunchiness and sweet and zippy and tangy.  Placed atop the BBQ chicken on a flour tortilla with a generous sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese – Oh my!

Pineapple SlawI’m guessing some of the more unusual ingredients from the original recipe  (like coconut milk and rice vinegar) can be omitted or substituted.  (In fact, I did purchase the coconut milk – for the first time – but substituted red wine vinegar for the rice vinegar).

Be creative – don’t worry if you don’t have all the ingredients – mix and match – plug and play – substitute – omit – follow your own taste buds.

So…

Happy to report that Nick LOVED it…

I loved it…

Marty liked it – a lot – (can’t give it a “LOVE” though –  he’s always been a little weird about fruit mixed with savory  – whatever – be boring then)

Here is the recipe for how I made it.

Enjoy!

Chicken:
3 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast
1½ cups pineapple juice
½ cup honey BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup honey
⅓ cup soy sauce
¼ cup red wine vinegar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp ginger
2 Tbsp sriracha sauce (this stuff is POTENT – so only use 1 Tbsp if you’re a sissy!)

Flour tortillas
Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Pineapple Slaw:
½ small purple cabbage, sliced thin
¼ medium green cabbage, sliced thin
¼ fresh pineapple, cored and diced
½ small red or Vidalia onion, diced
3 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup coconut milk
1 lime
1 Tbsp sriracha
1 tsp brown sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste

Whisk together pineapple juice, soy sauce, BBQ sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, and sriracha.
Place chicken breasts in crock pot and cover with the sauce mixture.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Combine and toss all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

After the chicken is cooked for 7-8 hours in the crock pot, shred it with a fork and let it absorb the sauce for another 30 minutes or more.

To eat, place a serving of chicken on the flour tortilla, top with pineapple slaw and a generous sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese. Roll it up, and enjoy!

Hawaiin BBQ Chicken Tacos with Pineapple Slaw 2Cheers and Hugs and a zippy Aloha!

Jodi

Zippy Pepperoni Chicken

/ Jodi / 1 Comment

pepchknI could make chicken for dinner every night.

Marty, on the other hand, is like – “Where’s the Beef!”

But he puts up with it – at least twice a week for dinner.

Oh – there must be ten thousand gajillion ways to make chicken, and this is one of my FAVORITES!  Zippy Pepperoni Chicken!

And what makes it even better is it’s a crockpot recipe.

So throw it together in the morning, go to work, and come home to this deliciousness.

Start by throwing a 3 lb bag of frozen chicken breasts or tenderloins in the crock pot (no need to thaw) and sprinkle with a little salt and lots of coarsely ground pepper.

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Then sauté some garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes.

pepchkn2While that is infusing, chop up a handful of pepperoni (no measurement needed – just add as much as you like) – I probably used about 3/4 of a cup chopped.

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and stir that into the garlic and olive oil to sauté for about another 2 minutes.

pepchkn4Add a jar of your favorite Marinara Sauce (I used Bertolli) – or you could certainly make fresh if you are so inclined, have time – or are a better cook than me!

pepchkn5and some dried and/or fresh herbs to your liking.  I used dried oregano and fresh basil (one of my faves!)

pepchkn6Then just pour all this yumminess over the chicken in the crockpot, set to low, go to work – or shop – or play – or whatever you do all day…..

pepchkn7and about 15 minutes before you are ready to eat – at least 6 hours or so later – lay some plump slices of fresh mozzarella on top and a smathering of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (ooooohhh  la la!)

pepchkn9And oh wait until you taste and smell this!  Party in your mouth!

Add some pasta if you like (I used Dreamfields Angel Hair – an itsy bit healthier with some extra grams of fiber – since this recipe is so – well (ahem) healthy…. (ok Yummy!)

pepchkn8pastaPretty dang delish!

pepchknBest enjoyed with some red wine and a great friend!  (Loved sharing it with you Jan!)

pepchkn10Until we cook again…

Cheers and Hugs,

Jodi