Garlic-Lime Chicken

Garlic-Lime Chicken
Adapted from All Recipes

3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 tablespoons lime juice

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.

Mom’s Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta

Mom’s Baked Chicken & Spinach Pasta

1 lb. pasta (I used whole wheat shells)
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 lbs.), diced
1/4 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
5 cups fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
2 cups mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350°. Set a large pot of water to boil. Once it comes to a rolling boil, salt it and cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, set a large skillet over medium heat. Once it’s hot, heat the olive oil then add the chicken. Brown the chicken on all sides – about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and simmer with the chicken until it’s fragrant and begins to turn golden – about 3 minutes.

Add the salt. spinach and white wine to the skillet and cook for an additional 3 – 5 minutes, or until the spinach begins to wilt. Toss the contents of the skillet with the pasta and place in a casserole dish. Cover with cheese and bake for 25 minutes.l juices run clear.  If you're 

Honey Lime Chicken

Honey Lime Chicken

Marinade:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (2 limes), plus the zest of both limes

2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

2 pounds of chicken (I used boneless skin-on breasts, but use whatever suits you)

In a large zip top plastic bag combine all of the ingredients except the chicken. Seal bag completely and mix well. Add chicken to bag, turn to coat and reseal. Place in refrigerator overnight.

Heat grill (either outdoor grill, or indoor grill pan) to medium high. Grill chicken for approximately 6-7 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. 

Grilled Chicken Rigatoni Florentine

This dish is Italian-inspired comfort food at its finest. It's a long recipe, but the results are well worth the effort. Although the concept is simple, it's largely made from scratch. You could certainly substitute more pre-packaged ingredients, but the result won't be the same.

Ingredients

8 Chicken thighs, boneless and skinless

1 1/2 lb Dry rigatoni

16 oz Frozen spinach, thawed

16 oz Heavy whipping cream

4 cups Milk, 2%

8 oz Sour cream

1 cup Italian three-cheese blend (Parmesan, Asiago & Romano)

2 Tbsp Butter, unsalted

2 Tbsp Canola or vegetable oil

2 Tbsp All-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbsp Garlic, minced

2 tsp Garlic salt

2 tsp Kosher salt

1 tsp Black pepper, ground fresh

1/2 tsp White pepper

Dash Cayenne

Dash Nutmeg

Method

Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs.

Season both sides of the chicken evenly with the garlic salt and the black pepper.

Set aside and let sit 30 minutes at room temperature.

Start your grill and prepare for direct cooking at medium-high heat (400-450º).

Cook the pasta per the package directions until it is just shy of al dente, then drain it well.

Note: You want the pasta a little underdone because it will finish cooking when it's baked.

While the pasta is cooking, brush the chicken with one tablespoon of the canola/vegetable oil and grill it over direct heat for three minutes per side.

Remove the chicken to a plate and set aside.

Pour the thawed spinach on top of the draining pasta and stir to allow it to drain simultaneously.

Preheat your oven to 350º.

Heat a large sauce pan over medium-high heat.

Add the butter and the other tablespoon of canola/vegetable oil and let heat 30 seconds.

Add the flour and whisk constantly to make a roux. You want a blonde roux, so cook it until it just starts to give off a nutty aroma.

Add the cream to the pan and bring just to a slight boil, whisking constantly.

Add the milk, salt, garlic, white pepper, cayenne and nutmeg to the pan and bring back to a slight boil, whisking constantly.

Add the cheese and sour cream to the pan and bring it back to a simmer, whisking constantly.

Remove the sauce from the heat.

Note: The sauce will be a little thin, but that's intentional, as it will thicken when baked with the pasta.

Slice the chicken to 1/4" and add put it in a large mixing bowl.

Add the pasta and spinach to the bowl.

Add the sauce to the bowl and fold to combine all of the ingredients

Pour the pasta mixture into a very large baking dish.

Cover the baking dish with foil, and bake 40 minutes.

Plate the pasta with shaved Parmesan. Serve and enjoy!

Spinach Pesto Grilled Cheese

Spinach Pesto (aka Spanakopita Pesto)

(makes 1 cup)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup baby spinach (packed)
1/4 cup fresh herbs (chopped, I used a combination of parsley, dill and mint)
1 clove garlic
2 tablespoons walnuts (toasted)
1/4 cup feta
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 lemon (juice and zest)
salt and pepper to taste

GRILLED CHEESE:

Directions:
1. Place everything into a food processor and blend.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons spinach (aka spanakopita) pesto
1/4 cup graviera or gruyere (grated)
2 slices bread
1 tablespoon butter

Directions:
1. Assemble sandwich and grill until the cheese has melted and the bread is golden brown on both sides, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

Mashed Potatoes with Bacon & Cheddar

By jgreghenry Published November 21, 2009

Ingredients:

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 10 sli bacon
• 8 oz cream cheese
• 0.5 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c sour cream
• 0.25 c chives, minced
• 2.5 c cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 t kosher salt
• 0.5 t pepper

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Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Place in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a colander to drain; return to pan, cover, and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon, and cook until crisp and browned, turning once. Transfer to paper towels to drain; let cool, and crumble into pieces.
3. Using a fork, mash the potatoes in pan until light and fluffy. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
4. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

·         6 tablespoons butter, plus more for baking dishes

·         kosher salt and black pepper

·         1 pound penne rigate (I used a 14.5 oz box of Ronzoni Smart Taste Penne Rigate)

·         1 teaspoon olive oil

·         2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each), halved horizontally (I used some leftover cooked chicken)

·         1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour

·         6 garlic cloves, finely minced

·         6 cups whole milk

·         10 ounces white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (I used 8 oz of button mushrooms)

·         1 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained

·         1 1/2 cups shredded provolone (6 ounces) (I used an italian blend that had provolone in it)

·         1 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan (about 6 ounces)

1.       Preheat oven to 400. Butter two shallow 2-quart baking dishes. If you’re going to freeze one, use a disposable foil pan.  In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside.

2.       While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise, then thinly slice crosswise.  While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes).  Use a little extra olive oil if needed.(Since I used left over chicken, I just cooked the mushrooms in the olive oil)

3.       In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy pot , melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer.  Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and and gradually stir in provolone and 1/2 cup Parmesan.

4.       Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide pasta mixture between baking dishes.  If freezing, place remaining parmesan cheese in a zip-top baggie.  If cooking, sprinkle on top.

5.       Bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Freezer instructions:

To freeze, prepare through step 4 and then let pasta cool.  Cover pan well with plastic wrap.  Place extra cheese in baggie (for topping) on top and then cover entire pan well with foil.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  To bake, preheat oven to 400.  Remove foil and plastic from pan and set cheese baggie aside.  Place foil back on pan and bake for about 1 1/2 hours.  Remove foil, stir pasta, and top with cheese.  Return pan to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes (I only did 10 minutes)  or until mixture is hot and bubbly throughout.