Penne with Chicken, Broccoli, and Cheese

When I found this recipe, I was very excited, as it sounded delicious! 

But as I got farther into the recipe, I realized WHY it sounded so delicious, it's pretty much Chicken Alfredo.  

And let's be honest: Who doesn't love Alfredo pasta?

It was very easy to make, and you could add just about anything to it (veggie or meat wise, and it would still be just as tasty)

Let's Get to it!

The Crew
It called for white wine, but I just used chicken broth (which isn't pictured here) also it called for heavy cream (I just used fat free half and half, and added more butter) I know the picture shows cheddar, but I made the executive decision, that Italian Blend Cheese would be tastier (even though the recipe called for Gorgonzola) (Come to think of it, the Italian blend cheese might be why it tasted like Alfredo, but I'm sure Cheddar would have been tasty too) (So, I just realized that I changed the entire recipe around. LOL)

Cut up one cup of broccoli into small florets

Bring salted water to a boil, and dump the broccoli in and let it boil for two minutes

Strain and rinse under cold water.

Set aside to drain completely

Cut one chicken breast in half, width wise (so you have the same size, just thinner)

Then cut into strips

Crush two cloves of garlic

(I use the flat side of a knife, and hit it with the heel of my hand)

Melt butter in a large skillet, add chicken and garlic, with salt and pepper to taste, stir well.

Fry over medium heat for 3 minutes or until chicken becomes white

 

Meanwhile, on another burner, start cooking that pasta according to the directions

Pour wine (or Chicken stock) and cream (Or Half and half & Butter) over chicken mix, stir to mix, then simmer, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until sauce has reduced and thickened

(now, for some unknown reason, I have an extremely difficult time getting sauces to thicken, and I know that the half and half doesn't reduce as well as cream, but I just added some flour and stirred it in well, and that thickened it up nicely)

Increase heat, add broccoli, and toss to heat through

Drain pasta and add to sauce

Add cheese and toss well

Then add a bit more cheese

Top with parm (Even more cheese!) and serve immediately

It was a big success, and I served it with salad.

I don't think I would make it again, as it was kind of bland, and since it was just Alfredo, I have a better recipe for that.  But it was very good, and a hit with TheHubby.

Sorry about the quality of the pics, I had strapped TheIttyBitty into the BabyBjorn and was cooking dinner, so it was the ULTIMATE Multitasking

Find a printable version of this recipe here

The original recipe was from Don't Panic -- Dinner's in the Freezer: Great-Tasting Meals You Can Ma (Google Affiliate Ad)

Parmesan Garlic & Monterey Jack Stuffed Chicken

Now, after reading the last post, you may think that TheIttyBitty napped!  That is not the case.

We went to visit the InLaws and they wanted to keep him for a few hours, so I could get stuff done.  Well he napped so well yesterday that I got everything done that I wanted for the weekend.  It is truly amazing how productive you can be when you know you only have X amount of hours before the baby wakes up!  So I washed the three dishes that I had...and here we are...

So, I decided to take this opportunity to blog.

As is the norm, the Parm Chicken was a success for TheHubby.  He told me: I could *Literally*  eat this every day. What a goober

And that is nice for me, to know that I have something, that he will always eat, ready to go, in the freezer.  AND it's super easy to make!

This recipe makes 6, but I froze the rest.

The Crew:

6 Chicken breasts
1 Cup grated Parm Cheese
1 pack Italian dressing mix (you can make your own, which I did, as I didn't have any of the packs...and they're expensive.)(And you probably have all you need in your spice cabinet. The recipe I used is Here.  But if you google it you will find about 1000000 variations)
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 C Olive Oil

Directions: 

Mix the dressing mix, cheese and garlic
Dip the chicken breasts in the olive oil, then into the cheese mix.
Bake at 400 for 45-60 minutes (but I've found that 45 is the magic number with our stove)

That's it. 

Ta-da.

The rest of the chicken, wrap individually in saran wrap, and freeze.
Printer Friendly Version

The cheese gets nice and crispy and it has an awesome flavor.

Now onto the Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken

A little more time consuming, but still easy.

It also serves 6

The Crew:

6 Chicken breasts
10oz Pepper Jack Cheese (not shredded, you want the block)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C bottled salsa, not chunky
1/4 tsp Salt
2 Cups breadcrumbs
2 tsp Chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin (I left this out, as I don't particularly care for cumin)
1 1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Directions:

Cut the cheese into 6 equal slices (length wise)
Cut a slit down the length of the chicken breast (TIP: Don't cut all the way through or to the ends, you want to make a pocket)
Place one slice of cheese in the pocket of each chicken breast (you may have to cut the cheese to fit the chicken breast)
In a shallow pan, mix eggs, salsa and salt
In a separate pan, mix breadcrumbs, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt and oregano
Dip each breast in the egg mix to coat, then into the crumb mix
Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes (or 400 for 30) (That's what I do, so that TheHubby and I both get to eat what we like :-)

To Freeze: Wrap the chicken breast individually in saran wrap.

Printer Friendly Version

There you have it.

Sorry about the lack of pictures.  I will be doing better! I promise!

Both of these recipes were from "Don't Panic, More Dinner's in the Freezer, by Susie Martinez, Vanda Howell, and Bonnie Garcia

Oh My!

An entire EIGHT MONTHS has passed since I posted last!  What happened? 

Oh you know... Life...Work...BABY!

That's rights, as I type this laying on my stomach, a pleasure I haven't been able to enjoy for a while, I had the baby!  A bouncing, big, baby boy.  And by big I mean close to 10 pounds big...  Literally.

He is such a joy!

 Even when he does this:

Mainly because he is still so stinking cute!

Even when he pouts

I learned the hard way that he doesn't like raspberries blown on his cheeks.  This is the face I ALWAYS get.

But as we are now on an even tighter budget, I will get back into cooking.

If it wasn't for my Amazing In Laws, and take out, my husband would have starved.  

Because I Sure as Heck wasn't cooking!

Who wants to do that with a 10 pound baby in your belly?  Riddle me that!

On the food Front:

I have found a life saver! Especially if you work long hours, like me.

Two cookbooks:

Don't Panic, Dinner's In the Freezer

And 

Don't Panic, More Dinner's In the Freezer

It gives recipes and the conversions you need to know how much to buy to make a big batch, in order to freeze. (It also has thawing instructions, and single serving sizes.)

So that is where I got the recipe for dinner tonight:

Garlic Parmesan Chicken (For TheHubby)

And Pepper Jack Stuffed Chicken (For me)

TheHubby's reflux doesn't appreciate it when we ply it with spicy food.

Maybe, if TheIttyBitty naps tomorrow, I will be able to provide you with aforementioned recipes, minus pics

But Alas, we struggle with nap time.