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.

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.

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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!

Sun-dried Tomato Bread

Yesterday I blogged about Fontina and Prosciutto Chicken which I served with this Sun-dried Tomato Bread.

I pulled this recipe from The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia, I made some adjustments to the ingredients I had on hand. It turned out very flavorful, with a great crust. With the leftover bread, we topped slices with grated mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan, melted the cheese under the broiler, and served with marinara dipping sauce. Yum!

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Sun-dried Tomato Bread

yield: 2 small loaves

3 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup drained sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped

Combine flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Allow yeast to dissolve for a few minutes in the warm water.

In a small saucepan over low heat, dissolve the tomato paste in the milk.

With a wooden spoon or a dough hook on low speed, mix the yeast/water mixture into the flour mixture.

Add the milk/tomato paste mixture along with the oils and mix well. Gradually mix the flour into the liquid ingredients, until a dough is formed.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. I did most of the kneading process with the KitchenAid on medium speed.

Place in a greased bowl, turn to coat, and cover. Place in a warm oven and allow to rise for about an hour.

Punch dough down and knead in the tomatoes and onion until evenly distributed. Form the dough into two balls. Place the balls of dough on a greased baking sheet and return to the warm oven. Cover with a dish towel and let rise for about 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the bread for about 45 minutes, or until the loaves sound hollow when you lift them up and tap the bottoms with your fingers. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

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.

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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.

Spicy Romano Chicken

Here is an easy copycat recipe of Johnny Carino's Spicy Romano Chicken. Really, I can't tell the difference between my version and the real thing. Serve it with crusty bread dipped in olive oil and roasted garlic, and you've got yourself a great stay-in date night!

This is a very versatile recipe. If you don't care for some of these vegetables, feel free to substitute others that sound good to you.

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Spicy Romano Chicken

serves 4

8 oz bowtie (farfalle) pasta, other kinds work too
1 Tbsp butter
1 can quartered artichoke hearts in water, drained
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
4 green onions, chopped
1 cup chopped raw mushrooms
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 pint prepared alfredo sauce (we like to use Olive Garden's alfredo, available for about $5 per pint for takeout, but you can use a store-bought jar if you prefer)
cayenne pepper, to taste

To begin, chop the mushrooms and green onions and set aside.

Next, slice your chicken into thin strips diagonally against the grain. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet or dutch oven, melt 1 Tbsp of butter over medium high heat. Meanwhile, begin cooking the pasta according to package directions.

As soon as the butter is melted, add the chicken to the pot or skillet.

Cook several minutes per side, until the chicken is golden and cooked through.

Add the mushrooms, green onions, artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes, cooking and stirring until mushrooms are cooked, about 3 minutes.

Add the cooked (and drained) pasta and alfredo sauce. Season with cayenne pepper, to taste. Cook and stir until sauce is hot, then remove from heat and serve.

Braciole

I have been wanting to make Braciole (pronounced bra'zhul) ever since I watched the Everybody Loves Raymond episode where Deborah makes it. Up until this particular episode, the only thing she cooks well is Lemon Chicken, coincidentally also on this week's menu plan. So when Deb makes a delicious Braciole, Ray and Frank can't get enough of it and Marie gets quite jealous. Hilarity (including Deb dumping tomato sauce all over Ray's pants, on purpose of course) ensues...

So back to Braciole. There are all kinds of fancy ways to prepare this dish including expensive cheeses, prosciutto, currants, etc but I decided to start with a very basic recipe. I already had all of these ingredients on hand, just had to pick up the meat. I thought the result was simple and delicious, although I had company over when I served it so I neglected to take pictures of the finished product.

The above picture as well as the recipe is courtesy of Momma Hen's Kitchen. The pictures of the cooking process are all me, for better or worse.

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Braciole

serves 4

1 1/2 lb flank steak (also called round steak or London Broil), cut into 4 pieces

4 Tbsp minced fresh garlic

4 Tbsp freshly grated parmesan

4 Tbsp breadcrumbs (I used Italian seasoned, since that's what I had on hand)

salt and pepper to taste

3 Tbsp olive oil

32 oz spaghetti sauce

cooked spaghetti noodles (enough for 4 people, about 1/2 of a 16 oz box)

kitchen string

Pound out the steak until thin enough to roll (somewhere between 1/4" and 1/2" thick). Sprinkle each piece with 1 Tbsp each of garlic, parmesan, and breadcrumbs. Season with salt and pepper. 

Roll up each piece of steak and secure with kitchen string.

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown each roll of meat.

Once browned, place in saucepan with spaghetti sauce over medium heat. Heat until bubbling then turn down to low and simmer 2 hours, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to cook down too much, you can cover the pot with a lid.

Remove from pot, cut each roll into 4 slices and serve with sauce over spaghetti noodles.

 

Tomato Tortellini Soup

This is meatless meal that will please kids and adults alike. I love making things from scratch, but sometimes it's great to have a meal that's just "semi-homemade" with the help of a few cans and pre-made ingredients. The end result definitely doesn't taste like it's from a can!

I adapted this recipe from one found in a Taste of Home magazine.

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Tomato Tortellini Soup

serves 6-8

1 pkg (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini

2 cans (10 3/4 oz each) condensed tomato soup, undiluted

1 can (15 oz) vegetable broth

1 1/2 cups milk

2 cups half-and-half cream 

1/2 cup chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes 

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus additional cheese for garnish

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large stockpot (5 quarts at least) combine the soup, broth, milk, cream, tomatoes and seasonings. Heat through, stirring frequently. 

Drain tortelli and carefully add to soup.

Simmer over medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir in Parmesan cheese.

Serve hot with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh ground pepper as garnish, if desired.

This recipe is featured in Menu Plan 7.