Chicken Parmesan Bake

Here's an easy weeknight meal that offers the taste of Chicken Parmesan without the hassle of pounding out, breading and frying the chicken. This recipe by Chef John was recommended to me via Grandma Honey's blog. I've made a few tweaks just to adjust for my own preferences, but for the most part have stayed pretty close to the original recipe.

Chicken Parmesan Bake

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serves 4-6

olive oil
red pepper flakes
3-4 minced garlic cloves
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 jar marinara sauce (I used Barilla traditional marinara)
8 oz mozzarella, shredded
4 oz parmesan, grated
italian seasoning, salt, and pepper
5 oz bag of garlic croutons

Preheat oven to 350F. Drizzle olive oil into a 9x13" baking dish and generously sprinkle with red pepper flakes and garlic cloves. I did not skimp on the pepper or garlic, but it was not over powering at all, so don't be afraid of it being too spicy!

Cut the chicken into 2-3 oz cutlets. This is optional but I felt it made the chicken more flavorful and ensured that the chicken was cooked through. Some reviewers of the original recipe complained that the whole breasts were not cooked through in the allotted time, but I did not have this problem when I cut up the chicken a bit.

Arrange the chicken breasts on top of the olive oil in the baking dish. Season generously with salt, pepper, and italian seasoning.

Spread marinara sauce on top of chicken, and sprinkle on half of the mozzarella and parmesan.

Distribute the croutons evenly on top and sprinkle on the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 35 minutes, uncovering for the last 15 minutes so the croutons have a chance to crisp up.

Serve with a salad and french bread.

Chicken Curry over Rice

I literally sat down to write this blog post three times in the past week. Each time I ended up playing solitaire on my computer for an hour instead, not because the recipe isn't good but because when my husband is out of town I am pretty much burnt out by the time I get the kids in bed and the house clean. Which means the blog suffers.

Fortunately for the blog, not to mention my emotional well-being, my husband is on his way home! Which somehow gives me the motivation I need to get this recipe posted before he returns and I go MIA from the blog for a few days while we enjoy being a family in the same house again.

This rather unconventional take on chicken and rice comes from my mom. It is topped with rice, peanuts, eggs, and bacon bits, which is tastier than it sounds. Give this a try next time you need a quick, tasty weeknight meal.

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Chicken Curry over Rice

2 cups of cooked, chopped chicken (or turkey)
1 stick of butter
3 Tbs of flour
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup milk
1 Tbs curry powder
rice
peanuts, raisins, chopped hard-boiled eggs and bacon bits

Melt butter in skillet.

Add flour and brown over medium heat.

Add curry powder, milk, and soup.

Stir until mixture boils.

Turn heat down to medium-low and add chicken.

Simmer for 20 minutes.

Prep garnishes.

Serve curry over rice and top with garnishes.

Balsamic Fontina Chicken

Several years ago, Olive Garden offered this dish on the menu for several months and my husband and I loved it. We were so sad when it was taken off the menu and have been waiting for it to come back, to no avail. The other day, it finally dawned on me that I could recreate it at home.

It turned out pretty fantastic, if I do say so myself. And even though it wasn't technically a light meal, I felt better eating it at home where I served fresh produce on the side instead of fattening breadsticks and salad.

printable recipe

Balsamic Fontina Chicken

serves 4

1 package refrigerated cheese-stuffed tortellini
4 chicken breasts
Italian dressing (we like Good Seasons)
8 oz Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp brown sugar
4 oz fontina cheese, sliced thinly
freshly grated parmesan cheese
fresh ground pepper

Marinate the chicken breasts for several hours in the Italian dressing. Cook the chicken on the grill over medium heat until cooked through. Remove to a plate, arrange cheese slices on top, and cover with foil for 5-10 minutes.

While the chicken is sitting, cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain and divide into 4 serving plates or bowls.





While tortellini is cooking, pour the balsamic into a large skillet and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add brown sugar and cook and stir for several minutes, until the liquid is reduced into more of a pourable sauce.

Place chicken breasts on tortellini and drizzle the balsamic reduction over each breast.

Garnish with parmesan and black pepper and serve!

Fontina and Prosciutto Chicken

Here is the first recipe from the Italian cookbook that I found in a thrift store a week ago. When my husband described this dish to his dad, who served a two year mission in Sicily, my father-in-law described it as "The Italian version of Chicken Cordon Bleu." I think that description was pretty accurate, and I have to say, I like the Italian version! Stuffed with prosciutto and topped with melted fontina cheese, what's not to love?

These are a little bit "fancier" ingredients than I usually cook with, but they really were not that expensive or hard to find. The 2 slices of prosciutto were less than a dollar at the deli counter in the grocery store. I did have to hit Sunflower Market to find the fontina (about $6 for 8 oz, although you only need a few slices for this dish), I am sure you could also find it at Whole Foods or any other market with a selection of fine cheeses. Alternately you could substitute Swiss or Gruyere.

I only made 2 chicken breasts so that is what is pictured, but this recipe is for 4 breasts and serves 4 people. This recipe is adapted from The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia.

printable recipes

Fontina and Prosciutto Chicken

2 thin slices of prosciutto
4 thin slices of Fontina cheese
4 chicken breasts
4 sprigs of fresh basil
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
tender young salad greens, to serve

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the prosciutto slices in half and roll each half around a sprig of basil.

Cut a slit lengthwise in each chicken breast and stuff with the rolled prosciutto and basil.

Heat the oil and butter in an oven proof skillet over medium heat until foaming.

Place the chicken breasts into the skillet and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side, until golden.

Remove the chicken to a plate, and pour in the wine or chicken broth, stirring until sizzling.

Place the chicken breasts back in the skillet and spoon the sauce over them.

Season with salt and pepper.

Place slices of fontina cheese on top of the chicken.

Bake for 20 minutes at 400F, or until chicken is tender and cooked through. Serve on top of the fresh greens.

Balsamic Lemon Chicken

Yesterday I hit a great sale and got some new summer clothes for my kids. Doesn't Hannah look cute trying on her new dress with matching hair bows and bracelet? I couldn't get her to look at the camera, she was too excited about the bracelet.

Trying on summer clothes really put me in a summer mood, so I made this meal from Tasty Kitchen. The chicken was very flavorful and, paired with a salad, it made a light summery meal.

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Balsamic Lemon Chicken

serves 4

8 pieces chicken (bone-in legs and thighs, skin on)
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 whole lemons, zested, 1 juiced, and the other cut into wedges
2 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp canola oil
4 Tbsp butter

Prick the chicken pieces all over with a fork and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar with the salt, pepper, and half of the lemon zest.

Add the chicken and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Mix the sugar with the remaining lemon zest in a small bowl and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat until very hot, about 2 minutes. Melt 2 Tbsp of butter.

Place chicken skin-side-down in the pan along with the remaining marinade.

Cook until the chicken is browned on one side, 3 to 4 minutes, and then flip each piece over and cook 1 minute more.

Sprinkle the lemon sugar over the chicken and transfer skillet to oven. Roast until chicken is completely cooked through and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 165F, about 25 minutes. Cut remaining 2 Tbsp of butter into small pieces and scatter around chicken. Squeeze the first lemon over the chicken.

Once butter is melted, serve with pan sauce drizzled over the chicken and lemon wedges on the side.

PW's Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

I made The Pioneer Woman's Fried Chicken and Mashed Potatoes for a "Welcome Home" meal for my husband a couple of days ago. The fried chicken recipe is from her cookbook, which I love. The mashed potatoes recipe is in the cookbook, but also found it on her website, so if you want to make it just click here for the instructions. I halved the potato recipe for my family of four and had plenty leftover. The potatoes are so creamy and delicious, you will love them.

As for the fried chicken, it was delicious too. It was flavorful and a little less greasy than store-bought fried chicken. However, it was a little time consuming and I found that after I bought the chicken and oil, it was more expensive than store-bought fried chicken. Since we do not eat fried chicken very often (like once a year), I'll probably just buy it next time. But it was fun to learn how to make perfect fried chicken and if you live in an area (like PW) where you can't get store-bought fried chicken, this recipe is for you!

As I pulled the pictures from my camera for this post, I realized that I never took a picture of the plated chicken, potatoes and roasted asparagus that I served with it. I guess I was too distracted by my cute husband after 6 days apart!

Note: if you don't want to buy buttermilk and don't have any on-hand, you can make your own by combining 1 Tbsp vinegar with 1 cup of milk and letting it sit for 5 minutes.

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Pioneer Woman's Fried Chicken

1 cut-up fryer chicken
3 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp seasoned salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp milk
Canola oil for frying

Rinse the chicken and place in a large bowl. Pour the buttermilk over it and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Place in the refrigerator and let soak overnight, or up to 24 hours. (I actually just started soaking it in the morning, about 8 hours before frying it). A half hour before you are to fry it, pull the bowl out of the fridge to warm it up a bit.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the flour, seasoned salt, pepper, thyme, paprika, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl.

Add the 2 Tbsp of milk, and stir into the flour. Cut up the chunks with a fork or biscuit cutter until there are little bits throughout. Meanwhile, heat about 1 1/2 inches of oil in a big skillet, large heavy pot, or dutch oven to 365F. This was a pretty steady medium-high heat for me, but it might be different with your stove. Don't let it get too hot or cool.

Thoroughly coat each buttermilk-soaked piece of chicken in the flour mixture, pressing the flour bits onto the surface of the chicken to ensure plenty of good texture! The quality of this picture is terrible, sorry.

Add the chicken to the oil a few pieces at a time. Cook several minutes per side, covering the pot with a lid while it cooks, but making sure to peak in and check often to make sure the oil is not getting too hot and the chicken isn't burning.

After frying, place the chicken on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until the largest piece of chicken is cooked through.

Serve with Pioneer Woman's Creamy Mashed Potatoes or with home-made Biscuits.

This meal is featured in Menu Plan 13.