Chicken Parmigiana

We (I) like to make a big deal out of Sunday dinners at our home. The table is set with special dishes and glassware, along with cloth napkins. I know some of you are saying CLOTH NAPKINS? Here is the usual conversation half way through dinner:

"Jacob, why are you wiping your mouth on your sleeve?"
"Because."
"Why don't you use your CLOTH NAPKIN??"
Heavy sigh, now a roll of the eyes, along with a quick swipe of the napkin.

Sunday is a special day, sure it is. Do you ever feel worn out from the "day of rest"? I know it's not suppose to be like that...lately I've tried to simplify our Sunday meal, and tried to get more cooking/prep done on Saturday. Chicken Parmigiana is a great do-ahead meal. Pounding (tenderizing) meat is not one of my favorite activities. So, I take the shortcut route (see tips below). This is yummy served with a Caesar salad, thin green beans, and crusty bread. My friend Kimi's sis in law told me about this great secret a while back: Ask the people in the Costco Bakery to sell you the crusty bread -frozen, then take it home and put it in your freezer until you are ready to use it. Bake it (right out of the freezer) for about 15-20 minutes at 450-500 degrees. I set it right on the baking rack in the oven. Thanks Becky.
With all of the time you'll save, you can wash those cloth napkins. Oh- If you have boys- just put them back in the drawer after the meal, you know they'll still be clean.

Chicken Parmesan
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2 to 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, boneless, skinless*, about 4 large chicken breast halves
2 cups Panko bread crumbs, or regular bread crumbs, or a mixture of Italian and Panko (my fav)
1/2 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb sliced mozzarella cheese
Cooked Pasta - Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Penne
Marinara Sauce bottled or (no contest better) home made

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Flatten to 1/8 inch thick with mallet or rolling pin. Or skip this step and use *Costco frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts (see tips below). Combine Panko crumbs with grated Parmesan cheese in a bowl or shallow dish. Beat eggs in separate a shallow dish. Dip each piece of chicken into eggs, then crumbs. Heat olive oil in large non stick skillet, and cook for about 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. With tongs, remove chicken to large greased baking dish. Place chicken in dish, top each piece with about 1/4 cup sauce and a slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. If serving chicken later in the day, or the next day, cover with foil and refrigerate at this point. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve with pasta and remaining sauce.

Marinara Sauce:

1 onion chopped
olive oil
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons oregano, dried
2 Tablespoons basil, dried
2 Tablespoons parsley, dried
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon sage
salt, pepper, Tabasco, sugar to taste. (I use about 5-10 drops of hot sauce, and about 1/4 cup of sugar)

Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add the undrained tomatoes, sauce and paste. Add the remaining ingredients. Season to taste. Simmer for 2-4 hours for best flavor. If you prefer smooth sauce, pour into a blender, and whirl just until smooth.

Tips:
-I like to use frozen *Costco Chicken breasts, to cut down on some of the preparation. Let the chicken thaw for a while in your refrig, then just slice in half so you end up with two long flat pieces of chicken. Costco's chicken is well trimmed, so there is hardly any waste. Make sure you don't let these thaw too much, they are easier to slice when still slightly frozen.
-If baking after refrigeration, add about 10 minutes to cooking time. Cover dish with foil and remove last 10 minutes of baking.

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Hot Wing Dip

Scrumptious.

The essentials.

I'm all out of guy food after this post. It's just not my speciality. When I tried this appetizer at a dinner in December, I thought - Grant and the boys will LOVE this. My friend Diane made this, and believe me, she knows all about guy food. She is the mom of 4 boys, and Bob. It's yummy (sorry NOT a guy word) and easy. Speaking of - did you know there is an official list of words guys never use? Some of the words are: yummy, scrumptious, fabulous, cute, delightful... come to think of it - I hardly use any of these words. Except yummy. So, this fabulous appetizer will be added to our Super Bowl food lineup. I'm still trying to get excited over the whole thing. I just barely found out the Steelers and the Arizona team (don't even know their name) are playing... Delightful.

Hot Wing Dip

prinable recipe

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

4 chicken breasts halves, cooked and chopped, or one rotisserie chicken, chopped

1/2 bottle Franks Hot Sauce

1/2 cup grated cheddar/jack mix

1 cup Mozzarella, grated or chopped if using fresh

1 bottle Roka Blue Cheese Dressing

Spread the cream cheese in a 9 x 13 pan. In a bowl combine chopped chicken, hot sauce and 1/2 cup each of the cheddar and mozzarella cheese. Dump this mixture over the cream cheese. Drizzle the Blue Cheese dressing over top. Top with grated mozzarella. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Serve immediately with tortilla chips or baguette slices.

Tips:

- I spread this into two 9 inch round baking dishes.

-I used about 1/2 bottle of the Blue Cheese dressing.

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Lemon Chicken Soup

If you love chicken soup, you have to try this recipe. It's chicken soup with a rich, yummy twist. This recipe comes from my dear friend Barbara, who is a fab cook. Barbara is a funny lady, amazing mom, raises UNBELIEVABLY talented children, is a spiritual giant (really), has great style...I could go on and on. Anyway...I have been wanting to try this soup forever, and finally did yesterday. It was SO good. I made it once for a teacher luncheon at Bountiful High, then made another batch for our family. Everyone in the fam ate it up and loved it. Even the picky eaters. Yes Stephen, that's you.

Lemon Chicken Soup

12 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup butter
1 pint whipping cream
8-10 oz egg noodles "Country Pasta" brand is best
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups cold water
2 cup chicken, cooked, chopped
1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning or "Fine's Herbs"

(I used lots of garlic salt and Mrs Dash)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup fresh mushrooms, optional

In small saucepan, combine 1 cup chicken broth, lemon juice and butter. Bring to boil, and let reduce to about 1/2 cup, takes about 1/2 hour to 45 mins. After reduced, take off heat, stir in cream and set aside. While the mixture is reducing, cook the chicken with spices and chop the vegetables. In a large pot, heat remaining 11 cups chicken broth. Bring to boil, then add vegetables and noodles and cook for about 13-15 minutes. Blend flour and water and whisk into soup. Bring to boil once again. Reduce heat to low. Add cream mixture and chicken and spices to taste. Heat through, but don't boil.

Barb's note: Country Pasta is sold at Dicks, Costco, Smiths. Serves 6 hungry people or 8 polite people.

Si's note:
I used 1/2 pint of cream and 1/2 pint of half and half.

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Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

When my kids were little, and their favorite holiday was Halloween, I thought- if I make something the kids really like, they will actually eat dinner before they go out and fill up on sugar. They all loved home made chicken noodle soup and scones. So began the tradition. I don't use a recipe- just mix together water- to make chicken stock, throw in some chunky carrots, celery, onion, seasoning and chicken. Simmer for a long time, strain off the fat, add some noodles...that was it. I found a recipe for Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup, and thought it sounded good. I think good chicken noodle soup needs tarragon, and lots of chicken flavor, so I modified a bit. Try it- I think you'll love it too.

Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
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2-3 lbs of chicken pieces, any type
4 cups water
4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper, at least a teaspoon of each
1 tablespoon tarragon
1 bay leaf
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
8-10 oz noodles

chicken flavoring, to taste

Place all ingredients except noodles in crock pot. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for about 3 hours. Remove chicken and bay leaf. Take meat from bones, shred or dice, and return to broth. Add the noodles. Cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, or until noodles are done. Or, cook the noodles separately and add just before serving. Add chicken flavoring to taste.

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Chicken Tortilla Soup

It's soup time! Finally the weather has cooled down enough to make soup. I love the flavors in Cafe Rio's Chicken Soup. After experimenting with lots of white chili, (not my fav, because it has too mucho meat and beans) tortilla soup recipes and using Cafe Rio's soup as a model, I came up with this recipe. I should have saved myself some time by just GOOGLE-ing their soup name. Their guarded recipe tastes really similar to this one. The recipes I looked at call for slow cooking the chicken. This is a quickie version...It's brothy (is that a word?), with lots of vegetables and chicken. If you really like the flavor of their soup, mash an avocado, add some garlic and onion, and put a scoop of guac in just before serving. Do not make this soup unless you have grated cheese and tortilla chips to pile on top of the soup. Ole! Yes, English is my second language.

Chicken Tortilla Soup
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 chicken breast halves, skinless, boneless
3 cups water
1 whole large sweet onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
1 small can mild green chilies
1 clove garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin
1 can Rotel brand tomato, lime juice and cilantro
1 can small white beans
1 quart carton chicken broth
3 teaspoons chicken flavoring or bullion cubes
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 fresh lime, juice and zest

cilantro

Heat olive oil in pan. Add chicken and cook until light brown on both sides. Season with salt and pepper. Add 3 cups water to pan, cover and simmer chicken on medium high heat until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken and set aside. In same pan, add onion,carrots, chilies, garlic, cumin and Rotel to juices, and add enough broth from carton until vegetables are covered. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Chop the chicken. Add chicken, beans, corn and lime juice to vegetable mixture in pan with all remaining broth. If additional chicken flavor is needed, add some chicken flavoring to taste. Salt and Pepper. Garnish with fresh cilantro. 8 servings.

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Oh My-Chicken Pot Pie

Now that the weather is getting cooler, I've been in the mood to cook comfort foods...this is one of our family favorites. Chopped vegetables, chunks of chicken, gravy and flaky pie crust. Yes, home made crust. Making pie crust is EASY. Pie crust is your friend. None of that store bought junk. You know the kind- thick, heavy, no flake. That stuff is nasty. OK, tell yourself you can do it. YOU are the Pie Crust Master! Your family is worth it. Your self esteem depends on making this crust. Kidding. OK, sorry. I just can't help myself when it comes to pie crust. I have a crust obsession. We ate this for dinner last night...Mamma Mia! It was good.
Oh- almost forgot- this is one of those recipes I make without a recipe, so I tried to measure and make note of amounts...it's a little different every time. You want a pan full of vegetables (use veggies you like), a little chicken (not really big on a lot of meat) and enough gravy to cover all of the filling. The gravy shouldn't be too thick because it thickens as it cools. Most pot pie recipes call for peas. Well, that's the great part about being the cook. I really don't care for peas. So I don't put them in my pot pie. I love green beans. I buy the Costco frozen "fine" beans - throw them in right out of the freezer, just before topping the filling with the crust.




Oh-My Chicken Pot Pie
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe (for filling and crust)


2 -3 chicken breast (about 1 ½ lbs) halves, cooked and shredded
4-5 cups chunked red potatoes, skin on
1 cup carrots, sliced
1 cup onion, chopped
1 quart chicken broth or stock
1-2 handfuls fresh or frozen petite green beans or peas
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sifted flour
2 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate*
1-2 cups water
2 teaspoons tarragon
Salt and Pepper

Place potatoes, carrots, and chopped onion in a large pan. Cover with chicken broth. Heat to boil, cover and cook just until vegetables are tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Using another pan, cook butter over medium heat. Add flour, whisk until smooth. When vegetables are cooked, remove vegetables from pan using slotted spoon and place cooked vegetables, fresh green beans or peas and chopped chicken in a greased 9x13 pan. Slowly add the chicken broth to the pan with butter and flour. Cook until sauce is thickened, and smooth. Whisk in chicken stock concentrate. Add one to two additional cups of water, a little at a time, until gravy is still slightly thickened, about the consistency of a cream soup. Add 2 teaspoons dried tarragon, salt and pepper to taste. Pour gravy over vegetables and chicken in 9x13 pan.
Cover with pie crust. Cut slits in crust to allow steam to escape. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes.

Tips:
-*Stock concentrate is sold in many forms. It enhances the flavor of the gravy. Knorr and Swanson both sell stock concentrate. Knorr is sold in a little "cup" about 4 cups to a package the little cups are equalt to about 1 tablespoon of flavoring. Swanson sells their product "Flavor Boost" in a box with 8 liquid packets included. You can also buy stock concentrate in jars at Costco or other food specialty stores. These are usually sold in 2 cup (actual 2 cup measurement) jars that need to be refrigerated after opening. I always look for products that are MSG free. A crumbled bullion cube will also work.
-Brush top of crust with beaten egg for a glossy crust.
-I usually set the pan on top of a cookie sheet to catch any gravy that may bubble over the pan.
-This recipe yields 2- 9" pie plates or one 9x13 pan. If you like LOTS of sauce, double the gravy, and serve the extra sauce/gravy on the side with the pie.

I made these little hand pies with the leftover dough. YUM.

Pie Crust:

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup solid shortening (I like Butter Flavor Crisco for Pot Pie)
1/2 cup cold water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix flour and salt in bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry cutter, until pieces of shortening are small and pebble like. Stir water in with a fork until all of the water is absorbed and dough gathers together. Flour surface and rolling pin. Flatten dough with hand to make a round or rectangle to begin. Roll out from center to about 1/8 " thick. Roll out into shape of pan. Fold crust in half, transfer to pan or pie plate. Unfold dough over the filling. Brush crust with beaten egg, cut slits for steam to escape. Bake pot pie for 40 minutes.

A few hints:

-If you are uncomfortable making dough, do a practice run. Make a trial batch or two.

-Don't add too much flour to the dough (in addition to the amount called for in recipe), or it may be too hard to handle. This is a tender, soft dough. Flour your hands, rolling pin and the counter generously.

-Refrigerate dough for easier handling.

-Don't panic if the dough tears while transferring to the pan. Just pinch it back together.

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