Butter Chicken

Yes, I know it's no surprise that we eat a lot of Italian inspired dishes in my house. They're easy, comforting, and alway a big hit for us. So when I saw this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen blog, I wanted to try it but was nervous about how it would be received at home. Plus, the original recipe says to marinate the chicken overnight, which is something I never think about doing before collapsing on my bed. But, I was determined to try something new. So, I thought of my dad's mantra when he makes experiments which is "If it's horrible, we'll order a pizza."

We definitely did not need to order a pizza after eating this chicken. It is phenomenal. We absolutely loved it and I will definitely make it again. I only marinated the chicken for a few hours and it still had a great flavor to it. We didn't think that it was spicy, but you can cut back on the cayenne if you don't like spicy things.

Butter Chicken
Source: Tasty Kitchen

4 pieces Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoons Black Pepper
1/2 teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1/4 teaspoons Ground Coriander
1/4 teaspoons Cumin
1/4 teaspoons Cardamom
1 whole Lime, Juiced
1 whole Onion, Diced
1/4 cups Butter
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Tomato Sauce
1 can (14.5 Oz. Can) Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 pint Whipping Cream
1 bunch Chopped Cilantro, to taste
2 cups Basmati Rice (or However Much You Want) (I used white rice because that's what I could find.)

Directions:
Combine first 9 ingredients and marinate overnight. (Can also marinate for a few hours if you are short on time.)

Saute the onion in the butter until soft. Add marinated chicken and cook about 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes. Cook for 30 minutes over medium-low heat with the lid on. Add the whipping cream and cilantro just before serving over Basmati rice.

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Chicken Tamale Casserole

Brian's a freak for casseroles. I don't believe he's ever met one he didn't like. I'm sure I could dream up one he would hate, but it would be tough. I've never been a fan of them due to my picky eating habits that I've grown up with. But I'm learning to like them. It helps that I'm the one making them, so I know what's in them.

It seems like I made this casserole the same week practically everyone I knew made this casserole. It is quite tasty and easy to assemble. Next time I'll add a chopped jalapeno to the base to give it some extra heat.

Chicken Tamale Casserole
Source: Tasty Kitchen as adapted from Cooking Light

1 cup Shredded Mexican Cheese Blend, Divided
1/3 cups Milk
1 whole Egg
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/8 teaspoon Ground Red Pepper
1 box Corn Muffin Mix (such As Jiffy)
15 ounces, weight Cream Style Corn
4 ounces, weight Chopped Green Chilies (drained)
10 ounces, weight Red Enchilada Sauce
2 cups Shredded Chicken (I Use Rotisserie)
1/2 cups Sour Cream, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 400F.

In a large bowl, combine 1/4 cup cheese, milk, egg, cumin, red pepper, corn muffin mix, corn, and green chilies; stir until moist. Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Bake for 15 minutes. Pierce surface liberally with a fork. Pour enchilada sauce over the top. Top with chicken and remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top if you prefer.


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Swiss Chicken

There's a restaurant in town that has Swiss Chicken on the menu. It so happens to be one of Brian's favorite lunch spots and the Swiss chicken is one of his favorite items. He raves about it all the time and I've been trying to find a recipe that can compare.

This recipe is really good. Not quite the same as the Swiss chicken I was hoping for, but it's still a tasty meal. Brian absolutely loved this and told me to make it many more times.

Lady and Sons' Chicken in Wine Sauce
Adapted from: Paula Deen

4 large skinless boneless chicken breasts
4 tablespoons butter, melted, plus more for casserole
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Garlic Powder
6 ounces (about 8 slices) Swiss cheese
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup herb-flavored stuffing mix, crushed (recommended: Pepperidge Farm stuffing)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Add the chicken to a shallow buttered casserole and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder, to taste. Layer the cheese slices on top.

In a medium bowl, add the soup and the wine, season with salt and pepper and pour over the cheese. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top and drizzle with melted butter. Bake for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

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Have a great Friday everyone!

"Chicken Pasta"

My dad never cooked until we moved to Arkansas, which was 18 years ago. If you didn't know that tidbit, you would never guess. He has a following at Razorback tailgates. It's true. The people that set up around his spot were not pleased when Brian and I showed up without my dad for the first game. He even fed some cops at the last game! The first thing he ever made was a dessert called Chocolate Bags. He painted paper bags with melted chocolate and then made a raspberry sauce to go on top. My mom cleaned up chocolate for weeks, but my dad was so proud of what he accomplished.

One of the first meals I remember my dad making was this Chicken Pasta. He and I made it together one time when my mom was out of town and we made it with LSU shaped pasta. (Now I wouldn't be caught dead eating anything LSU shaped! No offense, but my allegiance is with the Razorbacks. Woo Pig!) This was dad's dish. One time my mom tried to make it and I told her it wasn't the right color. :) Oops. Now she won't make it because it won't be the right color!

Whatever color your pasta comes out, I promise it will be fabulous.

My Dad's Chicken Pasta
Source: Paul Prudhomme, as adapted by my father

For the chicken:
1 lb. chicken breast tenderloins
Non-stick cooking spray
Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning

For the pasta:
1 lb. bowtie pasta
6 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped green onions
2 teaspoons Tony Chachere's Cajun seasoning
2 cups half & half or heavy cream (or evaporated milk)

Directions:
Heat heavy skillet over medium heat. Spray chicken with non-stick cooking spray and season with Tony Chachere's to your taste. Put the seasoned side down in the skillet. Spray the other side and season. Once cooked, set aside on a plate and cover with aluminum foil.

Cook the pasta according to package directions. Wipe out the skillet you used for the chicken and met the butter over medium heat. Add the Tony Chachere's and saute about 1 minute to bring out the flavors, stirring occasionally; add the green onions and saute 1 to 2 minutes, continuing to stir. Gradually add the cream and stir until it reaches a boil. Simmer over medium heat until the sauce thickens somewhat, continuing to stir, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooked pasta. Tear the chicken into bite size pieces and add to the pasta and sauce. Pasta should swim in the sauce.

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Bacon Wrapped Chicken

Come on, what's not better with bacon?! Bacon makes the world go 'round.

My mom found a Phyllis Hoffman Celebrates magazine at Target. Naturally, it's Halloween themed, and while I hate Halloween, I still love to decorate and make themed food. These chicken breasts caught my eye because I love me some bacon. And now I have leftovers to use more of this week! Hooray!

The cook-time in this seemed a little bit much for me, so I checked mine after 30 minutes and my chicken was done. Keep an eye on it so that your chicken doesn't dry out too much. Also, you might want to dismantle the smoke detector! It gets quite smokey in there!

Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Source: Phyllis Hoffman Celebrates Halloween, page 96

1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground chile powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 slices bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a small bowl, combine coriander, chile powder, and paprika. Season chicken breasts with spices. Wrap each chicken breast with 2 slices bacon, securing them with toothpicks.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a cooling rack over prepared baking sheet.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken breasts for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until bacon begins to brown. Remove chicken from pan, and place on cooling rack over baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of chicken registers 170 degrees.

Poppy Seed Chicken

I had never had poppy seed chicken until I was in college. The cooks at my sorority house knew how to throw down on some poppy seed chicken. We would watch the menu calendar and hope and pray for them to make it, since it was pretty much the one thing that tasted really, really good.

Whenever our main cook retired, she made the seniors a cookbook of all of her recipes, including Poppy Seed Chicken. Since I wasn't a senior that year, I sadly didn't get a copy of the book. However, my mom had been holding out on me all of these years and had a recipe of her very own. It pretty much tastes the same, but my mom's has rice added into it.

Brian has said before that he would live on a deserted island if he had a lifetime supply of this casserole. The best part of it is the Ritz cracker topping. Also, you can get low-fat soup and sour cream to make it somewhat healthy. Also, normally I would advise to cooking with a wine/sherry that you would drink. However, in this dish, use the cheap, cooking sherry. It's more rustic that way.

Poppy Seed Chicken
Source: My mom

6 chicken breasts (Or a Rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers (One sleeve from the box)
2 Tbsp. poppy seeds
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1/4 cup Holland House Cooking Sherry
3/4 cup rice

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook rice in 1 1/2 cups hot broth or water. Once rice is cooked, spread rice in bottom of a 9x13 pan. Boil and bone chicken breasts, or shred the meat from a rotisserie chicken. Put chicken on top of rice layer.

Mix soup, sour cream, and sherry in a medium sized bowl. Pour on top of chicken. Top with crushed crackers and poppy seeds. Pour melted butter over the crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes.

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs

Whenever I was in elementary school, my dad had a meatball sub from Subway and that was the first time I had ever heard of a meatball sub. Meatballs are supposed to be on spaghetti, not a sandwich! I remember him getting it all over his shirt. From there on out, whenever I hear "meatball sub" I think of my dad eating that sandwich.

This recipe calls for ground chicken, but I could not find anything except for ground turkey at the Wal-Marts. Use chicken, turkey, beef...whatever floats your boat. Also, the original recipe has directions to make your own sauce. I was feeling lazy that night and used a jar. Tasted just fine, but feel free to make your own.

Chicken Parm Meatball Subs
Source: Rachael Ray

1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoon grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
1 large egg
1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
Handful of chopped parsley leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil, for liberal drizzling plus, plus 3 tablespoons, 3 turns of the pan
2 large cloves garlic, cracked from skin and split
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, a healthy couple of pinches
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
1 cup chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
8 to 10 leaves fresh basil, torn or shredded
4 (6 to 8-inch) crusty sub rolls
1 1/2 cups shredded provolone
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place chicken in a bowl and season with grill seasoning. Add egg, half of the grated cheese, bread crumbs, parsley, and a serious drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil to the bowl. Mix the meat and form 12 large meatballs. Squish the balls to flatten them a bit like mini oval meatloaves. Be careful not to form the balls wider than your bread. The flattened balls will stay put on your sub, no roll-aways! Bake the meatballs 15 minutes until golden and firm. Switch the broiler on.

While the meatballs bake, heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and garlic and cook 5 minutes then remove the cloves. Add crushed red pepper flakes then tomatoes and stir in the chicken stock. Season the sauce with salt and pepper and simmer 10 minutes, adjust seasonings and stir in the basil. Reserve a extra sauce for dipping on dinner table.

Remove the meat from oven and loosen with a thin spatula. Turn meat balls in sauce.

Cut sub rolls making the bottom a little deeper than the top. Hollow out a little bread and lightly toast the sub rolls under broiler. Fill the bottoms of the breads with flattened balls and sauce. Combine the provolone and remaining Parmigiano. Cover the subs with cheese and return to broiler to melt the cheese until golden.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

I've been on a pasta kick. Can't say I didn't warn you that I really am addicted to pasta. I promise some non-pasta posts in the near future.

While the dish is not very photogenic, it is very, very good. The smell of it is reason enough to make it. Brian ate almost every bit of it and said it was one of the best things I've ever made.

If you can't find shallots in your store, just use a small onion. I like shallots because they pretty much melt while you cook them and I absolutely hate biting on a huge chunk of onion. However, use whatever you like. Also, for ease, I used the chicken breasts from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, which I think added a nice flavor to the dish.

Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina
Adapted from Giada

Ingredients:

1 cup pastina pasta (or any small pasta) - I used Mini Bow-Tie Pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus one tablespoon (divided)
1 cup cubed chicken breast from rotisserie chicken (1-inch cubes)
1 shallot, diced (or 1 small onion)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5-ounce) can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon olive oil or butter

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta into a large mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, put the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, stirring to combine, and cook until the shallot is soft. Put the chicken, onions and garlic into the bowl with the cooked pasta. Add the canned tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, parsley, basil, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Place the mixture in a buttered 8 by 8 by 2-inch baking dish. In a small bowl mix together the bread crumbs and the Parmesan cheese. Stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil with the breadcrumb/cheese mixture until combined. Sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture. Bake until the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes.