Simple Chicken and Noodles

Happy Fall Y'all!

It's finally starting to cool off a little around here.  Woohoo!  Man, I love Fall.  It makes me want to visit pumpkin patches and bake bread while wearing a sweater.  It's just awesome.

If you're busy doing Fall-y type stuff all day, you'll need a simple recipe to cook for supper.  Here's a good one:

SIMPLE CHICKEN AND NOODLES

2 chicken breasts, cut into small chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped (or 10 baby carrots)
4 cups chicken broth
12 oz egg noodles (or broken spaghetti, or elbow macaroni)
salt/pepper
a little oil (2-3 TBS)
1 TBS butter


Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

In a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, heat a little oil over medium-high heat.  Brown the chicken.  You don't need to cook it all the way through here.  It will finish cooking later on.

Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.  Add the onion, celery and carrots.  Saute until softened.  To speed this process up you can add a little water then cover.  Let the veggies steam for a few minutes then stir.  Repeat until softened.  Season with salt and pepper.

Return the chicken to the pot.  Add broth.  Bring to a boil.

Add the butter then add the noodles.

Stir well and press the noodles down as best you can.

Put the lid on, reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.

It's done when the broth is absorbed and the noodles are tender.


Garnish with a little parsley.

This is a simple dish that's comforting and filling.  Plus it makes a little chicken go a long way.  Great way to use up a few chicken breasts.  The family gave it the thumbs up.  Give it a try and see how you like it.

Chicken Pizzaiola

Life is still hectic here.  It seems we are always so busy.  I really hate settling for take out just because days are frenzied.  That's why I'm always looking for quick, easy recipes that taste good.  Chicken Pizzaiola is just that.  It's a great recipe with a few ingredients that anyone can make.  The best part is, it's delicious.

 CHICKEN PIZZAIOLA

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 TBS olive oil (or canola, vegetable, etc)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 oz) can Italian flavored diced tomatoes
salt/pepper
2 TBS chopped fresh parsley (or fresh basil)
1/2 lb of spaghetti (or whatever pasta you have)

Cut the boneless chicken breasts in half horizontally to make 4 thin cutlets.

Season the cutlets on both sides with salt and pepper (I used 3 chicken breasts because my Pickiest Eater Ever Son wanted plain chicken so of course I made him plain chicken because I'm a sucker).

Now, put on a big pot of water to boil for the pasta.  Once it comes to a boil, then add a good amount of salt, about a Tablespoon.  Salting the water before will cause it to take longer to come to a boil.  After salting the boiling water, add the pasta and stir frequently to keep it from sticking together.  Cook until al dente (which just means until it is soft but still has a little bite to it.  In other words, cooked but not mushy).  That is usually a minute less than the package tells you to cook it but you be the judge.  Just take a piece out and taste it to see if it's cooked how you like it.  Also make sure you keep the water the pasta was cooked in, you will need it later on.  Don't dump it down the sink!

HINT:  I put a colander inside a big bowl then scoop the pasta out of the pot with a slotted spoon into the colander.  The small bit of water that's on the pasta drains into the bowl underneath and I keep the majority of the pasta water in the pot.


Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add 2 TBS oil.  Once hot, add chicken cutlets, two at a time, to the skillet.  You don't want to over crowd the skillet or else the chicken won't brown properly, it'll just steam (yuck).  Brown the chicken for 5 minutes on the first side, flip then cook for 4 minutes on the other side.

Once the first two are done, remove them to a plate and loosely cover with foil to keep warm while you brown the other two.  Once all the chicken is browned, remove excess oil from the skillet.  You want to leave about a Tablespoon of oil.  Lower the heat to medium-low and add the garlic.  Stir and cook for about 2 minutes.  Don't let it burn!  Make sure the heat is lowered and you keep stirring.  Burnt garlic will ruin the entire dish!

Next, add the diced tomatoes and stir well, scraping the bits off the bottom of the skillet.

Add 1/4 cup of the reserved water the pasta was cooked in.  It is starchy and helps the sauce come together.

Return the chicken cutlets to the skillet and spoon some of the sauce over them.

Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a simmer.  Simmer the chicken for 10 minutes.

Garnish with the fresh parsley.

Serve over spaghetti.

This is a hearty dish that is quick and easy.  Perfect for those busy days when you don't have a lot of time but want a great, home cooked meal.  Enjoy!

Herb Marinated Chicken Breasts

I heard on the radio today that Americans purchase 700 million pounds of chicken in the week leading up to July 4th.  That's a lot of chicken!  Since America loves it so much I thought I would share a really yummy chicken recipe to grill up this Independence Day (If you don't have a grill, don't worry, you can totally bake this in the oven).  This recipe makes 4-6 servings but it's really easy to double or triple if you're feeding a crowd.




HERB MARINATED CHICKEN BREASTS

1 handful each of basil, parsley and green onions (any herbs will do)
1/4 cup canola oil
2 TBS vinegar (red wine, white wine, whatever you have)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp honey (or sugar)
4-6 boneless chicken breasts (I like to use cutlets, they're cut thinner and cook faster)

Chop the herbs.

Mix oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and honey with a whisk until well combined.

Add the herbs and stir well.

Place the chicken in a large zip top bag and add the marinade.  Close the bag and turn to coat all the chicken.

Let the chicken sit on the counter for 30 minutes (you can also do this the night before and let it sit in the fridge over night.  Just be sure to remove it from the fridge and let it sit on the counter long enough to take the chill off.  Putting ice cold meat on a hot grill makes it tough!).

If you are grilling, place the chicken on a hot grill and cook over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken, you may need to cook a few minutes longer.  When they are ready to flip, the meat will easily release from the grill.  If it's sticking, it's not ready to flip.

Flip and continue to grill for 5 more minutes or until cooked through.

If you don't have a grill, you can bake in a 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, again, depending on the thickness of your chicken.

This marinade is easy and super flavorful!  It's a nice change from the usual chicken dripping with barbecue sauce (not there's anything wrong with that).  This recipe is healthy, too.  There is very little sugar compared to what's in barbecue sauce.  I hope you'll give this chicken recipe a try this July 4th.  Enjoy your holiday and God Bless America!

Honey Mustard Chicken

If you've ever read this blog you know that I have the Pickiest Eater Ever for a Son and my Old School Italian Husband is where he gets it from.  So, I am used to making separate suppers.  I'll make something cool and delicious for my Adventurous Daughter and myself and something plain and boring for the boys.  Would you believe that Honey Mustard falls under the umbrella of foods they won't eat?  Seriously.  My Pickiest Eater Ever Son eats no condiments at all.  None.  Except for barbecue sauce (and he just started eating that a few years ago).  Yeah.  I'm a big time foodie who loves to cook and half of my family won't touch ketchup.  Go figure.

Anyway, here is an example of something they won't eat (and how to customize it).  

Bonus:  It's quick and so simple to make (perfect for a busy week night)! 

HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

salt/pepper

oil (canola, olive, etc)

2 TBS mayonnaise

1 TBS Dijon mustard (any mustard you have will work)

1 TBS honey

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking sheet (with sides) with oil.  

If you have really thick chicken breasts, you can cut them in half horizontally to make two thinner pieces.  Pound them with a mallet (or a skillet) to make them an even thickness.  This makes sure they cook evenly.  Plus, thinner pieces cook faster.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place on the greased baking sheet.

Bake for 20 minutes (thicker pieces would have to cook longer).

While the chicken is in the oven, whisk together the mayo, mustard, honey and apple cider vinegar.  Season it to taste with salt and pepper and whisk again to combine.

After the chicken bakes for 20 minutes, remove from oven and brush with honey mustard mixture.

If you have a picky eater who won't eat honey mustard, just leave a piece plain or brush it with something they do eat, like barbecue sauce or ranch dressing.  (I use barbecue sauce for my boys, as you can see in the background of this pic):

 

After you brush on the honey mustard, return it to the oven for 5 more minutes.   

That's it!  Super easy and very flavorful. 

FYI, the honey mustard mixture makes a great salad dressing (or a dip for chicken nuggets or pretzels).  It's simple to make and with ingredients you probably have on hand.

So, there is a really quick and easy recipe that you can customize for your picky eaters.  Enjoy!

Italian Stuffed Chicken

I cook chicken a lot, especially boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  I am always looking for new ways to prepare it.  This idea came to me while I was shopping.  I saw some sun dried tomatoes and Parmesan cheese next to each other in my buggy and inspiration struck!  Stuff chicken breasts with a mixture of Italian flavors.  I tried it and it worked.  These were delicious!  Plus, they look impressive.  You could definitely make them for a dinner party.  No one needs to know how easy they are to make.

ITALIAN STUFFED CHICKEN

6 small or 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 TBS minced sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 TBS chopped fresh parsley (never use dried parsley, yuck!)
2 TBS olive oil (plus more to drizzle on chicken)
Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix together the sun dried tomatoes, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley and olive oil.  Salt and pepper to taste (easy on the salt, the cheese is very salty).  Set aside.

Cut a pocket in the side of each chicken breast:

Don't cut all the way through, just enough to form a pocket to stuff.

Spoon some stuffing into each pocket.

Use a toothpick to close the pocket.  This keeps the stuffing from coming out during baking.

Drizzle a little oil on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.  Place stuffed chicken into dish and brush a little olive oil onto each piece of chicken.

Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on each.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Be sure to remove the toothpicks before eating!

These are so flavorful!  They are literally stuffed with bold flavors.  But, they're really easy to make!  Give these a try.  Your friends and family will think you're a culinary wiz.  If only they knew...