Summer Pasta with Breaded Chicken

If breaded chicken and pasta are not the most toddler friendly- no forget that, everyone friendly foods on the face of the earth, I simply don't know what is.  We don't eat breaded chicken and pasta everyday, but I don't think Laela and Kyle would complain if we did. 

Breaded chicken is easy to make- and easy to ruin.  If you cook it on too high of a temperature, you wind up with burnt chicken on the outside, and oftentimes the chicken will be raw in the center.  If you put chicken in a cold pan that has cold oil in it, the breading will soak up all the oil and won't get the right amount of crunch to it, so you can wind up with a greasy, not-so-delicious mess.  The trick is heating it to medium and not a degree higher, letting the oil get hot in the pan, and putting the breaded chicken in the hot pan, ready to cook itself to perfection.

This particular dish sprung to mind one day when Laela was begging for pasta, Kyle wanted breaded chicken, and all I wanted were some veggies.  It's a happy compromise with a nice, light sauce for a hot summer day.

Summer Pasta with Breaded Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breast (If your butcher has cutlets, make your life easier and pick those up)
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• Pasta of your choosing (we use Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti- which by the way, they really do use this kind in Italy!  We were just there and it was the only brand in their grocery stores that I'd ever heard of!)
• 1/2 red pepper, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 heads of broccoli or broccoli florets
• 1/2 cup white cooking wine (or dry white wine)
• 2 sprigs thyme, leaves only
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 stalk of rosemary, leaves chopped
• 1Tb butter
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

• Put a pot of water on to boil with a few tablespoons of salt.
• Cook according to instructions.
• In a medium sized bowl, whisk the egg and milk together.  I sometimes add a dash of salt and pepper to the egg wash for extra flavor.  The salt also helps mix the egg and milk together more efficiently.
• In another medium bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
• Make sure that all fat is cut from your chicken.  You can make this easier on yourself by using some really sharp scissors rather than using a knife.
• Heat a large sized skillet to medium heat.
• Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into the pan.  Your objective is to cover the bottom of the pan with oil. 
• After about a minute, begin the process of "dredging" the chicken.  First, dip it in the egg wash, then dip it in the breading.  The trick is to keep one hand wet- for dipping in the egg wash, and one hand dry- for dipping in the breading. 
• Once the chicken has been breaded, place it in the frying pan.  If the chicken is sliced into thin cutlets, cook for 3 minutes per side.  If it is not pounded or sliced thin, it should cook for about 5 minutes per side.  (You will see the chicken begin to looked more "cooked"  up the sides of the chicken.  When you see this, it is time to flip the chicken.  Once you have flipped it, a trick of knowing it is done is pressing on it with a spatula or your finger.  If it is firm, it is done.  Try not to slice into it right away.  You don't want to lose all the yummy juices that make it so delicious!)  Continue this process with the chicken until all of the chicken is cooked.  You can place the chicken on a plate that is lined with paper towel if you would like to soak up some of the oil from the pan.
• **Make sure to keep an eye on the oil level in the pan.  You want to make sure that there is always a bit of oil to cook the chicken in so that the breading does not burn, so that the breading gets an adequate crisp, and so that the chicken doesn't stick to the pan.
• Heat a medium sized skillet to medium heat.
• Add the chopped pepper, garlic, chicken broth, herbs, peas, butter, and broccoli to the pan.
• Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Raise the heat to medium high. 
• Add the wine.
• Keep an eye on the veggies.  Stir regularly to prevent burning.  The wine and broth will bubble violently. 
• After about two minutes, or when the wine and broth have reduced and thickened, remove from heat.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the pasta to the sauce.  Cook on low heat to mix it all together for one to two minutes.
• Top with the chicken and a fresh grating of parmesan cheese.
• Enjoy!

A Simple, Healthy Fall Meal

When I think fall, I think chicken pot pies, roasts with potatoes, roast beef sandwiches double dipped, and lots and lots of soup.  I think I made it pretty clear in my last post that I've about had it with chicken soup, and when I started to come down with the diptheria that the rest of my house had, this herb infused, braised chicken with quinoa spirals and veggies was right up my alley.

The picture was kind of an afterthought because I was starving, so please forgive the shanty quality.

For the quinoa, I purchased some Ancient Harvest Quinoa Spirals.  I cooked the quinoa pasta according to the package.

Here's what you'll need for the chicken and veggies (this served 4 adults and 1 toddler):

(2) Large boneless chicken breasts

(1) Quart of organic chicken stock (or a quart of homemade)

Seasonal veggies (I used two Yukon Gold potatoes, 1 zucchini, 3 large carrots, and 2 stalks of celery)

(2) Sprigs Rosemary

(1) Small bunch of Thyme

(2) Sprigs of Sage (or about 8 large leaves)

(1) Tb chopped Garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

• Heat your cast iron skillet to medium high and pour in the chicken broth, garlic and herbs.  Cut each chicken breast into thirds, and put them in the skillet with the lid on.  (This will "steam" the chicken and really bring out the flavor)
• Bring the heat down to medium and let the chicken cook for five minutes without the vegetables.
• Chop the vegetables (the smaller you cut them, the quicker they cook) and add them to the chicken/stock mixture.
• Put the lid back on the pan and let it cook for another five minutes.  Bring the heat down to medium-low heat.  Stir the chicken and veggies around to make sure all the flavors are mixing in well.  Taste the broth.  If it doesn't seem flavorful enough to you, add some chicken boullion.
• If you're not ready to eat quite yet, you can leave the chicken and veggies on low for up to an hour.  They'll get packed with flavor and really be delicious.  Just make sure that the broth doesn't reduce too much, because you want that sauce for your pasta. 
• When you're ready to chow down, mix your pasta with your chicken, veggies and broth.  Just fair warning, if you've never had quinoa before, it's super filling (because it's filled with oodles of protein!), so maybe pace yourself slow so you don't stuff yourself like a turkey!

This week is one of my family and friends favorite spoooktacular holidays, so check in with me later in the week for some yummy spooky treats, and some sweet treats for my parents wedding anniversary!

Chicka Chicka Soup Please

Laela and I both woke up this morning with some good old fashioned snot-o-rama.  I think hers is from the vaccines she got on Friday (they said cold like symptoms would occur a few days later) and that mine's just from being a bit run down, but regardless, we're both cranky and in the mood for some tlc and chicken noodle soup.

Here's how to make a pretty fool-proof chicken noodle soup:

Ingredients:

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 3 large carrots (chopped into chunks or diced, depending on your preference.)
• 2 stalks celery (chopped or diced, depending on how you preference.)
• 1 medium onion finely chopped (I prefer vidalia)
• 1 small bunch chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 ounces egg noodles
• 1/4 cup freshly cut dill leaves, chopped
• 2 Tb butter
• 3 Tb all purpose flour
  

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant, 1 minute more. Whisk in the flour and stir frequently until it coats the vegetables and makes a paste. Cook until it reaches a pale blonde color, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the chicken stock, making sure there are no lumps.  Let the soup simmer for 15 minutes to thicken and develop the flavors.

Reduce the heat and add the chicken and the noodles. Do not boil the chicken or it will become tough. Add the dill and simmer gently for 10 more minutes.

Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and serve.

  *Note:  If you like peas or corn in your soup, feel free to add as much as you want.  Also, I prefer more noodles than chicken, So I sometimes make more noodles than the recipe yields.
 
I hope this soup helps you as much as it helps my stuffiness!

Anniversary Chicken

When I was single, I had a few rules that I tried to abide by (the key word here is "tried").  One of those rules was not to cook for a guy until we'd been dating for a reasonable amount of time, because otherwise, the next thing you know I'd have another idiot thinking that he either found a Mommy fill-in or a nice girl to take advantage of.  He'd get all crazy clingy and want to marry me or something.  And not take me to dinner anymore.  I don't know about the rest of you, but as much as I like to cook, I love to go to great restaurants and really enjoy some quality cuisine, delicious desserts (or hoity-toity desserts as Kyle calls them), and good wine/craft beer.

I was completely out of my element with Kyle.  I've always been a very free spirit, and didn't like to be held down or told what to do.  Hell, I have a cell phone and it wasn't until I had a child and a husband that worried that I began carrying the darn thing around.  I've just never been the leash- electronic or otherwise, type.

Anyway, the point is that once I met my husband, I saw him everyday.  Not practically everyday, not everyday but one day a week.  I'm talking everyday.  We ate dinner together every night, and damn it if I didn't break down and make the boy dinner much earlier in the relationship than I had ever planned.

So now, whenever it's an anniversary or Ky needs cheering up, I make "Anniversary Chicken".  It's a very simple breaded chicken that for some reason impressed Kyle's roommates (Doby declared that "it looked like restaurant chicken!" when we met), and I hope you enjoy it too.  Oh, and to all you parents out there, my little one LOVES this chicken.

Anniversary Chicken
(serves 4)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
Bread Crumbs (doesn't matter if they're seasoned or not)
1 tsp Onion Powder
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 cloves Garlic (crushed)
3 sprigs Thyme (leaves only)
2 sprigs Rosemary (chopped finely)
2 Eggs
3 Tbs Milk
Sea Salt (to taste)
Pepper (to taste)

Clean the chicken breast.  If you don't have great knife skills, no worries, just use some sharp kitchen shears.  If you're afraid of cooking a whole breast, you can slice it in half so that it's thinner, and cooks about four minutes faster.

Now that the chicken has been butchered, beat the eggs and milk together in a medium sized bowl.  Add the spices and herbs to the egg mixture.  Get another bowl and fill it with breadcrumbs.  Before you dredge the chicken, heat the skillet to medium low heat.  Add a few glugs of olive oil.  Let the pan get hot before you put the chicken in the pan.

While you wait for the pan to get hot, dip the chicken in the egg mixture and then in the breadcrumbs.  To test if the pan is hot, flick some water in the pan, and if it sizzles, you can put the breaded chicken in.  Cook the chicken for about six minutes per side (depending on thickness).

Let the chicken rest for a minute or two before eating it so it stays nice and juicy.  Enjoy!