Bored with chicken?

I feel like chicken can get a little boring in the kitchen. Today, I've decided to post two recipes I've made that are really delicious. They are both pretty easy, but feel fancy. Serve them up with some healthy vegetable or salad as a side. People will think you slaved over a hot stove far longer than you actually did!

The first recipe is kind of fun to make. My hubby enjoyed battering the chicken and beating it flat. The lemon zest really makes this dish for me.

Flattened, breaded chicken with lemon and sage
Serves 4
4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup toasted bread crumbs ( Can be homemade. I cheated and used the store bought wheat type. I suppose you could use panko as well, but that might be too crunchy for this recipe.)
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tbsp olive oil
4-6 fresh sage leaves, chopped
salt, pepper to taste. (I always use ground pink himalyan or austrian salt with meat.)

Directions
1. Sandwich the chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet or the side of a rolling pin until very thin and evenly flattened. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Combine the bread crumbs and lemon zest in a bowl and season well with salt and pepper. Mix together and spread on to a plate. Put the flour on another plate. And the beaten egg on to yet another plate. Coat the chicken first in the flour, then the egg and finally the bread crumbs. Repeat for all of the chicken.

3. Heat the oil on high heat in a large heavy frying pan. Cook the chicken two pieces at a time or 8-10 minutes, turning once, until golden. Add oil if needed. Transfer to a warm platter and squeeze lemon juice into the pan, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, and mix in the sage. Scrape the mixture over the chicken and serve hot.


Chicken breasts stuffed with goat cheese and basil. Yes, this is as delicious as it sounds. And it's easier than you'd think.

Chicken
4 boneless chicken breast halves, skinned

1/2 cup fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet) (about 4 ounces)
2 green onions, thinly sliced
3 basil leaves, shredded or 1 teaspoon dried, crumbled
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 egg, beaten to blend
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter melted

For chicken:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pound chicken between sheets of waxed paper to thickness of 1/4 inch using meat mallet. Pat chicken dry. Combine cheese, green onions and basil in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread cheese mixture lengthwise over half of each chicken piece. Tuck short ends in. Roll chicken up, starting at one long side, into tight cylinders. Tie ends with string to secure. Dip chicken in egg, allowing excess to drip into bowl. Roll in breadcrumbs, shaking off excess. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Refrigerate.)
Place chicken in 8-inch square baking dish. Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter over. Bake until cooked through, about 20 minutes.

For the original recipe:
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-Breasts-Stuffed-with-Goat-Cheese-and-Basil-2749#ixzz1C6sBlNxS

This recipe can be made in conjunction with a sauce, it is found on the epi.cur.ious website. I found that I did not need the sauce.

Easy meal- yum

This meal is pretty easy to prepare, and it's really delicious. If you're a fan of "one dish/ pot/ pan" meals, than this is the one for you. I am a big fan as it has the same elements I love about a good chopped salad- many tastes in one bite.

It's from the Bet.ter Homes and Gar.dens One-Pan publication.

Chicken Supreme Casserole

Prep: 25 mins
Bake: 30 mins
Stand: 10 mins
Oven: 350 degrees

Ingredients
8 ounces dried rotini pasta (I used the Bar.illa high protein/ Omega 3 pasta discussed in a previous post)
1 16 ounce package frozen stir fry vegetables (they suggest broccoli, carrots, onions, red peppers, celery, water chestnuts, mushrooms)- I had to put 2 packs of frozen together and get a can of water chestnuts to get the flavors I liked
2 10.75 ounce cans condensed cream of chicken soup (I used some organic soup in this initially and it was a little runny, I think it turns out better with a thicker creamy paste.)
2 cups milk
1/4 cup mayo or salad dressing
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups chopped cooked chicken, about 10 ounces (I was low on time and cheated and bought some pre-cooked Chicken, it helps to save some time if you need it)
2 cups cubed French bread
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
2 tablespoons garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions (Cook chicken if you need to first...)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta according to package directions (make sure it's in a pot with extra space- I learned this one the hard way.) Add the stir fry vegetables for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain well.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together soup, milk, mayo, and the 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Once complete, stir in the pasta/ veggie mixure as well as the chicken.
3. Spoon mixture into an ungreased 3-quart rectangular baking (13x9 usually) dish. (Note: for me I didn't use all of the sauce in the bowl, I thought it would have been too much for my taste. It still turned out great.) In a medium bowl, toss bread cubes with melted butter and garlic powder; sprinkle over pasta mixture.
4. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes or heated through and bread cubes are golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to paste. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Sorry I don't have a photo for you, but it's creamy and full of all sorts of tasty goodness. The bread cubes add a nice, tasty crunch. I highly recommend this one!

Note- if you are really watching your waistline, this may not be the recipe for you. There are 584 calories per serving. But there is about 28 g of protein per serving and could be more if you add the protein-y pasta in to meal. Sodium by far the biggest problem, whenever using canned products. But you can select and try a condensed soup that works for you and your dietary needs. And also, I added some sodium in by using precooked chicken.