Chicken Parmigiana

I sit the whole thing on the table and we dig right in!

So, everyone has heard of the Pioneer Woman, even my boys. I only had to make this recipe once and they were all hooked....Chicken Parmigiana. You can get the handy dandy printable from her site here. I follow her recipe to a "T" and it always turns out great. The chicken is tender and flavorful, and the sauce is simple and abundant!
I make it in my large electric skillet...it takes that much to satisfy everyone. I also use chicken tenders some times...because that is what I often have on hand.

I made this over weekend while Drew was home....YUM.   

Make it soon, you won't regret it!

4 whole (up To 6) Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat

½ cups All-purpose Flour

Salt And Pepper, to taste

½ cups Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped

4 cloves Garlic, Minced

¾ cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)

3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes

2 Tablespoons Sugar

 Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.

Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.

At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta.

Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and keep warm.

Without cleaning skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes.

Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.

Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes.

Cook pasta while sauce simmers.

Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.

Carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.

Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. OR remove chicken, add pasta to sauce, stir to coat then return chicken to top of pasta. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

The chicken tenders are great, you can have one, like me, or 3 like Jonah!

Shredded Beef Au Jus

before...

1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 lbs)
2 cups water
2 teaspoosn beef bouillon granules
1 1/2 teaspoon dried italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
8 buns or hoagie rolls.

Place roast in crockpot.

Combine all other ingredients, except buns, and pour over the beef.

Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or until meat is very tender.

Remove meat from crockpot and allow to cool slightly. While cooling skim fat from cooking liquid.

Shred meat with two forks, return to cooking liquid and reheat.
I like to add a teaspoon of Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce to make the au jus a little richer...

during...

 

Split buns/rolls and toast under broiler in oven, remove from oven.

Using a slotted spoon, place about 1/2 cup of meat on bottom half of each bun.

Top with a slice of provolone cheese and return to oven and broil until cheese is melted.

Serve with a small bowl of cooking liquid (au jus) for dipping.

and after...

I found this recipe in Taste of Home magazine and tweaked it a little to meet our needs.

Hot Antipasto Salad

have I mentioned we like pasta?
...no south beach diet here!

2 packages cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions & drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped tomato
1 package slices pepperoni, I use turkey (70% less fat) pepperoni and it is excellent
2 chicken breasts, cooked and cut up
1 cup colored pasta noodles, cooked according to package directions & drained
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 can sliced black olives...I skipped these!
1 bottle Italian salad dressing
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together in a large casserole dish.

Bake in a 350* oven for 30 minutes, stirring half way through.

Can be served hot or cold.

This makes a ton, so I usually cut it in half and it is plenty for my family.

This recipe comes from the school cookbook...from Kristen and Colin O'Brien...HI KRISTEN!

It is just as good the second day!

Make up a batch in the summer and keep in the fridge for quick meals on busy nights.