We eat a lot of chicken at our house, cooked in many different ways. I hope one of these recipes looks good to you and you’ll try it soon.
Roll-up chicken
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened
1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1-1/4 C shredded Mozzarella cheese, divided
6 TBS grated Parmesan cheese, divided
6 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (1-1/2 lb.), pounded to 1/4-in. thickness
1 egg
10 Ritz Crackers, crushed (about 1/2 C)
1-1/2 C traditional pasta sauce, warmed
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix cream cheese, spinach, 1 cup Mozzarella and 3 TBS Parmesan until blended; spread onto chicken. Starting at one short end of each breast, roll up chicken tightly. Secure with wooden toothpicks, if desired. Whisk egg in shallow dish until blended. Combine cracker crumbs and remaining Parmesan in separate shallow dish. Dip chicken in egg, then roll in crumb mixture until evenly coated. Place, seam sides down, in 13×9-in. baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.
Bake 30 min. or until chicken is done (165 degrees). Remove and discard toothpicks. Serve chicken topped with pasta sauce and remaining Mozzarella.
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Chicken picatta
For the chicken:
2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally to make 4
2 TBS flour (all purpose or plain)
2 TBS finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. salt
cracked pepper
For The Sauce:
light spray of cooking oil
1 TBS olive oil
2 tsp. butter
2 TBS minced garlic
1¼ C chicken broth
½ C milk
⅓ C fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2 TBS capers (plus 2 TBS extra to garnish)
1 tsp. cornstarch mixed with 1 TBS water
2-3 TBS lemon juice – juice of 1 lemon
2 TBS fresh parsley
Lightly spray pan/skillet with a light coating of cooking oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. In a shallow bowl, combine flour and Parmesan cheese. Season chicken with salt and pepper; dredge in flour mixture; shake off excess and set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil and 2 teaspoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until butter has melted and pan is hot. Fry chicken until golden on each side and cooked through and no longer pink (about 3-4 minutes, depending on thickness of your chicken). Transfer onto a warm plate.
Add garlic to oil in pan (spray with a light coating of oil if needed) and fry until fragrant (about 1 minute). Reduce heat to low-medium, add broth and milk. Bring sauce to a boil; season with salt and pepper to your taste; add in Parmesan cheese and capers and allow sauce to simmer for about 2 minutes until thicker. (If sauce is too runny for your liking, add cornstarch/water mixture into center of pan and mix fast to combine into sauce. It will begin to thicken immediately).
Pour in lemon juice, allow to simmer for a further minute to combine. Add chicken back into pan to serve, or serve over steamed vegetables, zucchini noodles or cooked pasta with sauce. Top with extra capers to garnish, lemon slices and parsley.
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Marinated chicken
½ C extra virgin olive oil
½ C balsamic vinegar (or other vinegar)
¼ C soy sauce
¼ C Worcestershire sauce
⅛ C lemon juice
¾ C brown sugar
2 tsp. dried rosemary
2 TBS Dijon mustard
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder
6 chicken breasts
Mix all ingredients except chicken to make marinade. Pour into large plastic bag and add chicken and Marinate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
To grill: Preheat grill to medium high heat and lightly oil grates. Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off. Grill chicken for about 10 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Baste chicken occasionally with leftover marinade. Remove chicken from grill and tent with foil. Let chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
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Thought – Men say women should come with instructions. What’s the point of that? Have you ever seen a man read instructions?
If you would like to share a recipe with me, just send it to the J-T or email it to me.
(Melanie Behrens – (melb@marysvillejt.com)