Sweet Italian Chicken

 You know, if you review this blog carefully you will find 

that our go-to meat is, chicken.

Check out the list of labels over there --------------->

So far, 13, as I've counted today, recipes are chicken.

 There is just so much you can do with chicken.

When I put this together,

I won't lie,

I had my doubts.

Can you really combine sweet with Italian?

But I love the way this caramelized while it was baking.

Just two ingredients,

30 minutes,

and you have dinner.

A great dinner!

1 pkg Italian salad dressing mix

1 c. brown sugar

Mix them together and roll chicken breast cutlets in the mixture.

Place them on a foil lined cookie sheet with edges, 

and bake at 375 degrees F. for 25-30 minutes.

We served ours with chicken stock rice and kitchen cut green beans.

Kitchen cut?

I never knew there was a kitchen cut green bean 

until I bought some on accident.

See, we learn something new everyday.

See Ya'all Soon!

Caramelized Onion Chicken

Is there anything better than caramelized onion?

I think not!

This recipe turned out so good.

And please don't freak-out over the amount of bacon grease that was used. 

It's all good!

Bacon, that is.....

This chicken had all the bacon, onion flavor that one can only die for.

It also had just a tad bit of heat.

The good heat, not the bad.

My soon to be 2 year old grandson loved it.

And I think this would be a restaurant worthy dish.

Let me see if I can put this together for you.

Caramelized Onion Chicken

5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 c. bacon grease (I keep my leftover grease in a glass jar in the fridge)

1 onion, sliced thin, then rings cut in half

1 TBS smoked paprika

1 TBS oregano

A sprinkle of red pepper flakes

A sprinkle of garlic powder

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degree F.

Caramelize onion in bacon grease until it is nice golden brown color. Add spices and stir.

Salt and pepper the chicken breasts and place in a foil lined pan. Place the onion mixture evenly on top of the chicken breast, along with any liquid left in the skillet. Place in preheated oven for 45 minutes. 

I served mine with cooked pasta and corn.

See Ya'all Soon!

Beer Glazed Chicken

 This is another recipe that came through my Facebook feed.

When I saw the word "beer" I couldn't move 

fast enough to get the recipe pinned in my Pinterest.

I was NOT about to lose this one.

 The temperatures are still warm enough too for beer season......

And just think,

you can make this in your kitchen all year long.

This will for sure be made over and over in our house.

This recipe was posted in So, How's it Taste?

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I will be visiting her often.

Beer Glazed Chicken

2 TBS Canola oil

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

salt and pepper

1 tsp onion powder

1/2 c. beer

2 TBS soy sauce

1 TBS Sweet Hot Stone Ground Mustard

1 TBS honey

2 TBS parsley leaves (opt.)

Add oil to large skillet heated over medium heat. Generously salt and pepper the chicken pieces. Add chicken to skillet and brown (about 6 minutes each side). I cooked mine longer. I got it nice and brown. 

Add beer, onion powder, soy sauce, mustard, and honey in mixing bowl and stir with a whisk.

Remove your browned chicken from pan and keep warm.

Add the liquid to skillet and bring to a low boil. Scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Boil until liquid reduces to 1/2 c. (about 3 minutes). Return chicken to pan and turn pieces to coat with sauce. Sprinkle with parsley leaves if you like. 

Italian Ranch Fried Chicken

 I ran across this recipe posted on Facebook.

It looked and sounded so good.

I just had to try it.

But mine didn't look anything like the picture on Facebook.

Maybe it's because I used boneless skinless chicken thighs 

instead of the boneless skinless chicken breast.

All you need is four ingredients:

Chicken (8 chicken thighs)

Ranch dressing (1/2 bottle)

Italian bread crumbs (enough to coat all the chicken)

3 more TBS of Italian seasoning (mix with bread crumbs)

Oh and,

Oil for frying

 I decided to prep all the chicken so I could just drop it in the hot oil.

 And I ended up with Frankenstein fingers.

I wasn't to happy with the way the chicken fried up.

As you can see the breading fell off in spots.

And it made my oil crumby.

I used about 3/4 to 1 inch of oil in a small skillet.

I heated it up over med heat. 

When the oil was hot enough I started dropping in my chicken.

I browned the chicken about 4 minutes on each side.

Be careful when you flip it. 

Do it slowly or all the breading will fall off.

This was good.

But I don't think it will be a go-to recipe for the future.

Johnie liked it.

And we made sandwiches with it.

A little mayo and broccoli sprouts on a bun.

See Ya'all Soon!

Broccoli Sprouts & Green Bean Bundles

 Where have we been?

You ask.

Well between working ourselves to death,

doctor appointments,

dodging the springtime cold,

and just simply trying to rest.....

We have been working on ways to use broccoli sprouts,

and making green been bundles.

 Have you tried broccoli sprouts?

They are fantastic.

I (Angie) prefer these over lettuce.

They tend to last longer in the fridge,

and they have an incredible crunch.

I have placed them in rice:

Just cook your rice to the fluff stage 

and fluff in some broccoli sprouts.

I topped the rice with lemon pepper chicken from Schwan's.

We also used them as a topping for spicy chicken ranch tacos.

FABULOUS!

And the green bean bundles.....

They were fantastic too.

They were pretty easy to make.

This is what I did:

I melted about 3 TBS butter with 1 TBS garlic powder (whisk).

Set aside.

Blanch the green beans in boiling water for 3 minutes.

Drain, set aside.

 I cut the package of bacon in half (placed the unused portion in the freezer).

Place the thick sliced bacon pieces in a skillet and 

only fry until the edges start to brown.

Drain on paper towel.

Separate the green beans into bundles (6 - 8 beans)

Wrap a piece of bacon around each bundle 

and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

 Once the bundles are assembled,

drizzle with garlic butter.

Sprinkle on tomato/basil Parmesan cheese,

and bake in a preheated 400 degree F. oven for 8-10 minutes.

Serve immediately. 

We served them as a side along with herb roast turkey breast,

and mashed potatoes and gravy.
Make sure you check out this party for great Easter ideas.
 Foodie Friends Friday

See Ya'all Soon!

Schwan's & Chicken Tikka Masala

 How many of you are Schwan's customers?

Do you have a favorite item that you buy every two weeks?

Schwan's is the perfect solution to the two member household.

Believe me, I KNOW.

Their delivery service is perfect for Johnie and I.

Since we work different shifts Schwan's makes the

meal planning perfect.

 I found this mix at our local grocery store.

Chicken Tikka Masala is one of my favorite Indian meals.

With the help of Schwan's fully cooked oven roasted chicken bites,

this meal came together quickly,

and deliciously.

 There is one full step that you can completely skip.

Which makes the seasoning packet a two step process.

You don't have to cook the chicken when you use Schwan's.

You just dump in the chicken and heat.

 All you need to make this perfect meal is:

Butter

Onion

15 oz. tomato sauce

1 seasoning packet

1/2 bag Schwan's oven roasted chicken bites

1/2 c. heavy cream

Cooked white rice.

Done in 20 minutes.....Start the rice and chicken dish at the same time.....

20 minutes folks!

Dinner to the table in 20 minutes!

That's it!

20 minutes!

Did I mention this meal only takes 20 minutes?

See Ya'all Soon!

And tell Schwan's I sent ya.....

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

 Are you looking for some game-day goodies?

Bacon wrapped chicken makes the perfect snack.

And you can make these in bite size if you want to.

Serve them with a little honey mustard dip

and you will have a satisfied crowd.

 I made this as a meal for Johnie and I.

It is very easy to prepare.

All I did was:

Cut two boneless skinless chicken breasts into

three strips each.

I wrapped each strip with one slice of bacon.

I placed them on a cookie sheet and baked them

in a 375 degree preheated oven for about 45 minutes.

As you can see I served them with mashed potatoes and corn.

May the best team win!

See Ya'all Soon

Some Mediterranean For YOU

 How many of you are die-hard Mediterranean food fans?

I am one!

I think Johnie can live without it,

but whenever I can bring the Mediterranean into our kitchen I am

happy

happy

happy

I found this wonderful pasta mix at our local Aldi's Supermarket.

I love shopping at Aldi's.

Their products are unique and you never know what 

they will supply for you.

I was shopping there before the holiday and ran across these

lovely peaches.

Aren't they beautiful?

They had all different flavors.

This one is flavored with vanilla.

But let's get back to the Mediterranean.....

This is what I did:

I cut up two boneless skinless chicken breasts.

I browned them on a cast iron skillet with 

olive oil and a little salt and pepper.

 The seasoning packet that was attached to the pasta is very simple to make.

Just add 1 c. of water and boil until the water disappears.

I added about 1/4 c. of kalamata olives while the seasonings were boiling.

 Boil the pasta in salted water for 15 minutes.

Add the pasta to the cooked seasoning mix.

Add 4 TBS olive oil and stir.

 Top your pasta with browned chicken and you have

a meal to die for......

Definitely Mediterranean all the way.

 I also ran across this new item from Kraft.

I topped the pasta dish with some of this 

and it just added more to the FANTASTIC.

Make a trip to your local Aldi's and see what you can find.

See Ya'all Soon

Chicken Cordon Bleu & The Weekend

 Johnie and I spent the whole entire weekend in Christmas mode.

We spent the day in Columbus on Saturday.

It was a day of shopping, and of course, eating.

We found these huge ornaments at Sam's Club. 

 They fit perfectly inside the large glass vases that we have.

We just dropped a couple in the vases and added some Christmas

ribbon to dress them up a bit.

Our Sunday consisted of attic digging.

You know exactly what I'm talking about.....

The dreaded "dig out the Christmas" tree,

ornaments,

wrapping paper,

cards,

and decorations.

Johnie dug out his Christmas tree (pre-lighted) of fifteen years.

We worked on it,

(Christmas music in the background)

and worked on it,

(Christmas music in the background)

and worked on it,

(Christmas music in the background)

but could not find any success 

in getting all the sections to light up.

So we finally gave up and headed to Sears.

We bought two new (pre-lighted) Christmas trees.

One is tall and skinny and the other is just a normal size.

We have a big picture window in our living room 

where we wanted both trees to sit together.

But as the evening went on we decided to move one 

in front of the picture window in the dining room.

 One thing we did find out on Sunday:

We are compatible when it comes to assembling

and decorating Christmas trees.

Kind of like our compatibility with cooking. 

After we got the house decorated for Christmas

we headed to the kitchen to make this wonderful

Chicken Cordon Bleu.

 This is a very easy recipe.

We used prosciutto instead of ham.

 All you do is:

pound your chicken breast flat.

 Place prosciutto and sliced Swiss cheese on top of the chicken.

Roll the chicken around the prosciutto and cheese.

After you get them all (we did four) assembled,

roll in flour,

dip in egg wash (three eggs and a splash of water), whisked

and then roll in Italian bread crumbs mixed with Parmesan cheese.

Bake them in a preheated 450 degree F. oven for 50-60 minutes.  

We served ours over chicken flavored rice,

and roasted asparagus on the side.

A very good meal.

See Ya'all Soon

Italian Baked Chicken

 I know our posts have been very few here lately.

But as long as we connect with you as we can, 

I think everything will be okay.

Per our work schedule we know that people cannot

cook every day of the week.

That is what leftovers are for.

Right?

Right!

I have been traveling for my job which leaves my cooking

days limited.

But I always try and leave Johnie with something he can 

pack in his work lunch.

And even eat at home if he needs to.

I threw together this Italian baked chicken last week.

I will share with you what I do to prepare this.

 I used to make this a lot when my kids were growing up.

I always mixed up the spices so it never tasted the same.

I had three chicken leg quarters, which is more than enough

for Johnie and I.

I started with a half of a stick of butter.

I placed it in a foil lined baking dish big enough to hold three

chicken leg quarters.

I placed 1 1/2 TBS garlic powder on top of the butter.

 While the oven was preheating to 350 degrees F. I placed the pan in the oven.

The butter and garlic powder melted together.

It's okay if the garlic powder browns.

Everything is going to bake anyway.

The chicken leg quarters that I purchased were already seasoned with

Italian seasoning.

But it wasn't enough for me.

After the butter melted I rolled the chicken pieces in it.

I got them good and coated and then added more Italian seasoning.

I baked the chicken for an hour.

See Ya'all Soon