Lemony Herb Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli & Bacon

I clipped the original recipe for this dinner from a magazine years ago.  I can't even remember which one!  I've hung onto it for awhile but haven't ever made it - BIG mistake.

It's so YUMMY!

I decided to make a few adjustments to fit our family's tastes and the final result was perfect!

Creamy, lemony, slightly cheesy & bacon-y - everything a pasta dinner should be.

I hope you love it as much as we did.

Lemony Herb Pasta with Chicken, Broccoli & Bacon

Serves 6-8

 

4 slices bacon

2 cups chicken, cooked & cut into bite-size chunks

1 15-oz container part-skim ricotta cheese

5 Tblsp lemon juice

2 tsp lemon zest

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup chopped parsley (or 2 Tblsp dried parsley)

1 Tblsp olive oil

1/2 - 1 tsp salt (to your taste - start with 1/2 tsp & add more at the end, if needed)

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 pound (16 oz) penne pasta

1 pound broccoli, cut into 1 inch pieces

• Cook bacon until crispy, crumble & set aside.  Save leftover bacon grease in skillet (you'll heat up the cooked chicken in this skillet).
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• In a small bowl, whisk together ricotta, lemon juice, lemon zest, Parmesan, parsley, olive oil, salt & pepper.  Set aside.
• Add penne to boiling water & cook for about 7 minutes or until tender.  Add broccoli to pot for the final 3 minutes of cooking time.
• While penne is cooking, heat the same skillet you used for the bacon to medium-medium high.  Add cooked, cubed chicken.  Stir to coat with bacon grease.  Leave in skillet until warmed thoroughly, stirring occasionally.
• When penne & broccoli are done, reserve 1 cup pasta water.  Set aside.
• Drain pasta/broccoli & place in large serving bowl.
• Add ricotta mixture to serving bowl with pasta/broccoli.  Stir well.
• Add heated chicken & crumbled bacon to serving bowl.  Stir well to combine.  Add reserved pasta water by 1/4 cupful if necessary (to increase the creaminess of the cheese mixture - you may not need any pasta water at all).
• Serve immediately.

We served this with garlic bread.

Enjoy!!

Kathryn

Chicken Rice Bowls (Rumbi-style)

I had a few inspirations that drove the creation of this recipe.

First, we have a local restaurant that we love, but can't always afford - isn't that always how life goes?!  It's called Rumbi Island Grill.  One of our favorites is their chicken rice bowls.

(pictured below - 2 photos courtesy of rumbi.com)

Looks yummy, right?!?

Second inspiration - During the hot summertime, I love to serve meals that are light, fresh, and don't heat up my kitchen too much during preparation.

Third, I always like to find ways to re-create our favorite meals at home for much less money.

SO - This meal uses a slow cooker for the chicken and you whip up the veggies and rice just before serving -probably 15 minutes cooking, tops!  Plus, if I'm shopping sales, I can make this meal for about $12 for my family of 6 adults and teens.  And it feeds our Rumbi cravings too - It's perfect.

I found the recipe for the chicken portion of this meal on Pinterest.  The link (http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/07/slow-cooker-garlic-and-brown-sugar.html) took me to Six Sisters' Stuff - LOVE their blog!

The chicken recipe immediately reminded me of Rumbi - YAY! - When my family started making the yummy noises, I knew I had a winner.

Enjoy!

Chicken Rice Bowls - Rumbi-style

Chicken recipe from sixsistersstuff.com (link above)

Inspiration from Rumbi Island Grill

4-6 chicken breasts or thighs (frozen or thawed)

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup vinegar

1/4 cup lemon-lime soda (I double the soda to 1/2 cup)

2 Tblsp soy sauce

2-3 Tblsp minced garlic

1 tsp pepper

2 Tblsp cornstarch

2 Tblsp water

4-6 cups prepared long grain rice - white or brown - follow package directions

2-3 cups broccoli florets, steamed

1 cup shredded/julienned carrots

• Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place chicken inside slow cooker. (Six Sisters' Stuff used frozen chicken, I used thawed chicken)
• Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper. Pour over chicken in slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours, if using frozen chicken. For thawed chicken, cook on low 5-6 hours, on high for about 4 hours.

Before serving:

Prepare rice (according to package directions) and steam/boil your veggies.  We like broccoli & shredded carrots (throw the carrots in with the broccoli for the last 1 minute of cooking), but you can pick your favorite veggies here (zucchini, snow peas, stir fry mix, etc)

• Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker and lightly shred in a bowl.  Set aside.
• Pour remaining sauce from slow cooker into saucepan.
• Place saucepan over high heat.
• Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan, and mix well.
• Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze.  You'll need to watch the sauce and whisk it occasionally.
• Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down).
  
  
  ** I often make an additional recipe of the glaze (because it's YUMMY!)
  ** Mix together the quantities noted in the ingredients list of brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper. Pour into saucepan.  Follow the sauce directions above.

We like to serve this buffet-style, but you could build the rice bowls before bringing them to the table.  Rice in first, followed by veggies, top with shredded chicken & drizzle with sauce.

Oh my goodness, these are yummy!!  Leftovers keep well for a day or two, but I doubt you'll have any.

Kathryn



Zucchini Bread (high altitude recipe)

When we moved to Utah from California, I was devastated when most of my baking recipes didn't turn out right - especially my breads!  It took me a bit to figure out the high altitude challenges, make the adjustments & get back to baking zucchini, banana & pumpkin breads again.

This recipe has been my most-successful for zucchini bread.  I made 5 loaves yesterday from ONE zucchini my neighbor brought over - wow!  One and one-half of the loaves are already gone.  Happy, happy family!

I especially like that the outside crust gets slightly crisp.  You can substitute mini-chocolate chips for the raisins in this recipe if you're like me & don't like raisins!

Zucchini Bread - High Altitude Recipe

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil (you can substitute unsweetened applesauce for this but it makes the bread heavier & the crust doesn't crisp up as well)

1 Tblsp vanilla

2 cups shredded or ground zucchini (squeeze out excess liquid before using, but don't worry too much)

3 cups sifted all-purpose flour (I sometimes use 1 cup whole wheat & 2 cups all-purpose)

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp double-acting baking powder

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 cup raisins (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350*F.  Grease 2  9x5x3" loaf pans.
2. In a large mixing bowl, blend eggs, sugars, oil & vanilla.  Add zucchini.  Mix well.
3. Mix and sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg together.  (I usually don't sift anything - I just plunk it all in a bowl & stir it well with a wire whisk.)
4. Combine dry ingredients with liquid mixture.  Mix just until moistened.  Add walnuts & raisins, stirring only until blended.
5. Pour batter into prepared pans.
6. Bake about 50-60mins (depending upon your oven), or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Cool in pans for 10-15 mins, then remove loaves to a cooling rack.

These loaves freeze really well!  Make a few, wrap extras in wax paper & place in ziplock bag.  They defrost moist & delicious, but without the slight crisp on the crust.  They keep well up to 3 months.

You can substitute mini-chocolate chips or the raisins, if you like.

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Roll Loaf

Doesn't this look YUMMMMY?!?  It literally took 5 minutes to make, 40 minutes to bake & about 10 seconds to drizzle.  Then I ran it over to a neighbor as a thank you gift.

My kids were not happy it wasn't staying home.

This couldn't be easier so get baking & ENJOY!!  :)

Cinnamon Roll Loaf

2 canisters of cinnamon rolls - choose your favorite or make your own recipe from scratch

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Butter the inside of a standard loaf pan.

Place the cinnamon rolls, one by one, in the dish vertically (standing on their side).  Overlap the rolls slightly at the middle and continue until the loaf pan is filled.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown & cooked through.  (Make sure it's not still gooey/uncooked inside!)

Drizzle with included frosting.

Serve warm or let cool and enjoy later.

Lemon Meringue Pie

This pie has been a tradition in my family for as long as I can remember. My mom doesn't even remember where she got the recipe. It's not your traditional lemon meringue pie - it has graham cracker crust and the lemon filling is more like pudding or custard. But it's still tangy & lemony & delicious!

It's a HUGE success everywhere I take it and comes out perfectly every time I make it. That's my favorite kind of recipe!

Its fancy enough for a holiday meal and easy enough for an any-day treat.

Enjoy!

Lemon Meringue Pie

Makes 1 9" pie

Graham cracker crust:

18 graham cracker squares (or 9 of the tall double-squares)

3 Tblsp white sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

Mix together with a fork in an ungreased pie plate. Press graham cracker mixture into bottom and up the sides of the pie plate. Bake at 350*F for 10 minutes. Remove from oven to cooling rack.

Lemon filling:

1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 egg yolks

Blend all thoroughly and pour into baked graham cracker pie crust. Leave on cooling rack.

Meringue:

4 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

1/2 cup white sugar

Beat egg whites & cream of tartar on HIGH until egg whites are completely shiny-white and beginning to get firm.

While still beating, slowly add white sugar, a bit at a time, to the egg whites. Continue until all the white sugar is incorporated and the egg whites are firm, shiny & totally white.

Using a spatula or spoon, gently place the whipped egg whites on top of the lemon filling in the graham cracker crust. Make sure to fully enclose the lemon filling by touching the meringue to the edges of the pie crust (not to the pie plate though). Smooth the meringue all over the pie.

Put the pie back into the 350*F oven and bake until the meringue is golden - about 15 mins.

To create the standing loops, place your spatula/spoon, flat-side down, gently against the meringue & lift up.

When the meringue is golden, remove pie from oven to a cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting.

Store pie, well-sealed, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can cover it with plastic wrap or place it in a tupperware. A ziplock bag is possible is you're making an 8" pie.

NOTE:

For an 8" pie crust - use 15 graham cracker squares, 2 Tblsp white sugar, and 1/4 cup melted butter for the crust. The lemon filling & meringue recipes stay the same. An 8" pie will be much taller than a 9".

Saucy Italian Burgers

I saw this recipe on the Rachel Ray show the other day. I literally said "YUM!" while she was making it!

I printed hers out, made some adjustments for me, and served my family that night with my fingers crossed...

... They literally groaned with yummmm's!

This recipe was super-duper easy, took less than 20 minutes, and thoroughly yummified my whole family. It will be a regular on our meal plan from now on.

I used my favorite recipe for meatballs for the burger portion of this dish. If you have a favorite meatballs recipe, by all means use it.

Italian Burgers

1 pound ground meat - I use ground turkey but you can use ground beef, if you prefer
1/3 cup Italian spiced bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
1 egg
1 garlic clove minced OR 1 tsp prepared minced garlic
1/8-1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1 16oz ball of fresh mozzarella
6 ciabatta rolls, halved
Fresh arugula, if desired

Preheat your broiler to LOW or preheat your oven to 450*F. Also preheat a pan to cook your burgers - I used my stove-top grill.

Mix by hand ground meat, bread crumbs, Parmesan, milk, egg, garlic, parsley, salt & pepper in a large bowl.

Use your hand to separate the mixture into 2 equal-ish halves. Then use your hand again to separate each half into 3 piece-of-pie-shaped wedges. You should end up with 6 fairly equal portions.

Shape each portion into a burger patty, slightly indenting the very center. Place on a preheated grill (or in a skillet) and cook. Mine took about 7 minutes on each side.

While the burgers are cooking, heat your favorite spaghetti sauce in a large skillet (not a saucepan!).

On a baking sheet, lay out your ciabatta rolls, halved. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. You can sprinkle them with garlic salt & Parmesan cheese, if desired. Place in the oven & bake until lightly toasted along the edges. Don't overcook!!

Remove ciabatta rolls from oven. Set the tops aside. Leave the bottoms on the baking pan, next to the skillet with the spaghetti sauce in it.

When the burgers are done, move them directly from the grill/pan to the spaghetti sauce in the skillet. Turn them over & over a few times in the spaghetti sauce, until well-coated. Place one sauced burger patty on each ciabatta roll bottom.

Slice the mozzarella ball & place slices on top of the sauced burger patties.

Return them to the oven until the cheese has melted.

Top with arugula, if desired.

Top with the ciabatta roll tops and serve!

These were perfect with a salad. Enjoy!!

Classic Mac-n-Cheese

Creamy, cheesy, comforting - SO delicious! Our family loves mac-n-cheese. :)

I've posted a few recipes before, but this one was the cheesiest & yummiest (according to my family). It will be out go-to mac-n-cheese from now on.

This is not a low-cal recipe! But every once-in-awhile, it's nice to just load up on some cheesy-ness, right?

We really enjoyed the chicken & apple sausages I served with this mac-n-cheese!! Their low-cal, no trans fat, stats almost made up for the carb overload that is mac-n-cheese. LOL!

Go to the end of the post if you want to see what kind we had.

Enjoy!

Classic Mac-n-Cheese
Makes 1 2-quart serving dish - should serve about 8 people

Prep: 10 mins Cook time: 25 mins

1 box (1 lb) elbow macaroni (or penne)
1 1/4 lb shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
3 Tblsp butter
3 Tblsp all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (you can use evaporated or powdered, reconstituted to equal 2 cups)
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or paprika, if you don't like it spicy

Optional breadcrumb topping:
2 Tblsp butter
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350*F. Coat an oven-safe baking dish with nonstick cooking spray & set aside.

Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain & set aside.

In a large bowl, toss together cheddar and Parmesan. Set aside.



In a large pot (I used a dutch oven), melt butter over medium heat.

Whisk in flour, onion powder, salt & cayenne or paprika until smooth and bubbly.

In a thin, constant stream, whisk in milk until smooth.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often or constantly, if possible.




Reduce heat & simmer 3 minutes.

Remove from heat; whisk in 2 1/2 cups of the cheese mixture. (This will be hard to whisk at first, but dig in & whisk hard until it's smooth & all the cheese is melted in.)

Dump cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce; stir until well combined.





Spoon half of the cheesy macaroni into prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle with a generous cup of the cheddar/Parmesan cheeses.

Spoon remaining cheesy macaroni into the baking dish (over the top of the cheese).

Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.

The next step is optional:

In a medium skillet, melt 2 Tblsp of butter with 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.

Cook & stir until butter is melted & breadcrumbs just begin to turn golden brown.

Sprinkle cooked breadcrumbs over the top of the mac-n-cheese is the baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes at 350*F.

Remove from oven & serve hot! Enjoy!


NOTE:
If you didn't use the breadcrumbs & you'd like the top of your mac-n-cheese to be lightly browned, put the baking dish under the broiler for 2-3 minutes before serving.

YUMMMMM!!!



We served this mac-n-cheese with chicken & apple sausage and a side of steamed broccoli.

The sausage we used was:

I bought it with a Buy-1-Get-1-Free coupon, but they're regularly about $3.75/pkg at my grocery store.

I've been wanting to try them because they're chicken (not pork, which I can't eat), they have no trans fats, and the apple sounded yummy.

The had a terrific snap as we cut through them and they were SO juicy! The apple could've been stronger, in my opinion, but my family had no complaints. Just "yum" noises all around the table. :)

I cooked them on a grill pan on my stovetop. You can microwave them or cook them in a skillet with a bit of water, but the grill sounded yummiest to me.

I'm getting no compensation from Johnsonville for this post - just wanted to share something we'd tried and loved.

Balsamic Tri-Tip Roast in the Crock Pot

If you like balsamic vinegar, you'll LOVE this roast! If you don't like it, stop reading now.

This roast, for those who like balsamic vinegar, is amazing. Fall-apart, mouth-watering amazing! And SO easy!

Just a few ingredients & about 5 minutes in the morning for a delicious dinner that night. Especially satisfying now that the cooler days of Fall are here.

FYI - Balsamic vinegar is the dark vinegar they bring you to add to your olive oil for dipping bread at nicer Italian restaurants, in case you're not sure what it is. It has a strong, tangy, rich flavor. It's a flavor you either love or hate, so be sure you like it before making this dinner. It's easy to find at any grocery store. Don't spend the money for the super expensive brands since it's cooking all day in the crock pot, the store brands work just as well.

We serve this with mashed potatoes, gravy & usually green beans and corn on the side. DELISH!!

Balsamic Tri-Tip Roast in the Crock Pot

3 lbs tri-tip roast (You can buy 1 big roast or 2 smaller ones for this recipe. Watch for tri-tip on sale since it can be expensive, keep it in the freezer & take it out for this recipe.)
1 8-oz bottle balsamic vinegar
2 Tblsp minced garlic
Spices: salt, pepper, sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley


Turn crock pot on LOW.

Sprinkle minced garlic on the bottom of the crock pot. Place the lid on top to keep the heat in.

Sear tri-tip on all sides in a very hot pan. Use tongs to hold the roast upright to be sure you get all sides well-browned.



Use tongs to move browned tri-tip from the skillet to the crock pot. Try to lay the roast mostly flat, but don't push it down.




Sprinkle roast with spices - don't overload it, just a light covering (see below).

Pour balsamic vinegar into the crock pot. Don't pour it over the top of the roast or you'll wash away all the spices. Just pour it along the sides, into the bottom.

Replace lid & cook on LOW for at least 8 hours. (10 hours is best, but 8 is great too)

About 30 minutes before serving, use tongs to turn the roast in the crock pot. This will allow the vinegar to get into all sides of the roast. Replace lid & prepare side dishes.


To serve, remove from crock pot with tongs. (The roast will usually just fall apart. Sometimes, it holds its shape.) If necessary, move roast to a cutting board & cut into slices.

Serve with your favorite sides.

We like mashed potatoes & gravy, baked potatoes, or rice pilaf with this roast. Veggies on the sides are yummy too.

Enjoy!

Sausage Gravy over Biscuits

This meal is one of my family's favorites, but I should admit that it's not one of MY favorites. But at 5-to-1, that means we have this at least once a month. Happy family = happy life, right?

Usually this recipe is called "S.O.S" and served over white toast. I decided to fancy it up a bit & serve it over fresh biscuits.

I make the gravy from scratch, but you can buy powdered mixes if you want REALLY fast & easy. Look for mixes called "Country Gravy" to get the same flavors. You can also use pre-made biscuits or a pre-made dough (like Pillsbury) for the biscuits.


Sausage Gravy over Biscuits
Serves 6

12 freshly made biscuits (use your favorite recipe)
8 Tbsp butter or margarine
8 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 - 1 tsp pepper
4 cups milk
16 ozs cooked breakfast sausage (not maple flavored)

Start biscuits baking & sausage browning before you start making the gravy.

Gravy:
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over low heat.

In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt & pepper. When butter is melted, stir in flour/salt/pepper mixture all at once. Cook over low heat, stirring/whisking mixture until smooth & bubbly.

Stir in milk & heat to boiling; stirring/whisking until smooth & thickened.



Pour cooked sausage onto a paper towel-lined plate to soak up excess grease. Dump cooked sausage into finished gravy.

Stir to combine.

Serve sausage gravy over freshly cooked biscuits.

We always pair this with some fruit to balance out the richness of the gravy.

Enjoy!

Polska Mac-n-Cheese Casserole

I found this recipe in a Halloween-themed ad for Hillshire Farms products a few years ago. They called it "Spook-tacular" Smoked Casserole. It was similar to a from-scratch mac-n-cheese with polska recipe I've posted before, but this one uses fewer ingredients & bakes up without much prep. Hmmm... Sounds good to me!

I had all the ingredients on-hand, but could think of modifications too. Like substituting broccoli or green beans for the peas. Or substituting a different pasta, one you have on-hand. Or substituting fat-free products for the cream of mushroom soup, the milk & the cheddar. Or even substituting cream of something for the cream of mushroom... I'm sure you can think of a few too.

The real taste-kick though is one that you shouldn't substitute - the lightly browned polska kielbasa! It's YUMMY! Brings such a great smoky flavor to the mac-n-cheese. It's definitely one part you don't want to leave out.

So whether you bake this up at Halloween-time ("spook-tacular"!) or any old night you want a warm & cozy meal, it's a winner. My family declared it "A KEEP!"



Polska Mac-n-Cheese Casserole
adapted slightly from Hillshire Farms

Prep time: 10 mins
Bake time: 45 mins
Serves: 6

1 16-oz pkg turkey polska kielbasa (original recipe calls for smoked sausage)
1 10.75-oz can fat-free cream of mushroom soup
2 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups or 8-oz uncooked penne pasta
1 1/2 cups french-fried onions, divided
1 cup or 4-oz shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup frozen peas

Preheat oven to 375*F. Cut polska kielbasa into 1/4-inch slices.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add polska; cook & stir for 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned.



Combine soup & milk in a 9x13" baking dish. Stir in uncooked pasta, browned polska, 1/2 cup french-fried onions, 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, and peas. Cover baking dish tightly with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove foil & top with remaining 1 cup french-fried onions and 1/2 cup cheddar cheese. Bake for 3 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving.



We paired this with broccoli - YUMMM!!


VARIATIONS:
Change the polska kielbasa to chicken or smoked sausage.
Change the cheese to Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack.
Change the peas to broccoli, carrots and/or corn or green beans.
Change the cream of mushroom soup to cream of chicken (if using chicken).

These are just a few I thought of - get creative!! Let me know if you find a new combo that works!

Enjoy -

Crusty Baked Chicken

Y.U.M.

There's something special about fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy that makes me swoon. But fried chicken is usually too much for me. All the spattering grease, the "is the breast done first or the wing?" questions, and the heat in my kitchen - all too much most of the time.

Usually, I just want quick-n-easy. Delicious, but fast. My family's schedule explodes in the Fall. So many things to do, so many places to be. I need something in 30 minutes or less most nights. Frying a whole chicken (or two, honestly) is too much.

But baked "fried" chicken is definitely an option! Using thin chicken cutlets or small(er) chicken breasts is even better - from prep to table in 20-25 minutes. Perfect!

Crusty Baked Chicken

3 lbs thin chicken cutlets or small(er) chicken breasts
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 cup instant potato flakes
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (not fresh, use the Kraft kind)
2-4 Tbsp melted butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 400*F. Line two baking pans or rimmed cookie sheets with foil, spray lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.

In one bowl, beat together egg & milk.

In another bowl, stir together potato flakes, garlic salt, paprika, poultry seasoning & Parmesan cheese.

Dip chicken, one piece at a time, into the egg/milk mixtue and then roll in the potato flakes mixture to coat evenly on all sides. Place coated chicken in baking dish. Repeat with all chicken pieces. Chicken pieces should not touch in the baking pans.

Sprinkle leftover (if any) potato flake mixture on chicken pieces and drizzle with melted butter/margarine.

Bake for 20 minutes, or until internal temp reads 170*F with a meat thermometer.

Serve & enjoy!


NOTE:
You can use a cut-up 3# frying chicken for this recipe with the following changes:

Bake at 400*F for 35 minutes, turning chicken only once.

Increase oven temp to 425*F and bake for another 10-15 minutes or until chicken is tender and juices from thigh pieces run clear when pierced with a fork. Internal temp should be 170*F.

Quick-n-Easy Chicken Parmesan

I have a totally-from-scratch recipe for Chicken Parmesan that I LOVE to make in the winter-time. It's time consuming (like make-your-own-breadcrumbs-&-sauce time consuming!) and it includes loads of pots on the stovetop & the ovens going too. It's wonderful & comforting on a chilly winter day.

But it's NOT what I wanted on a hot summer day! I found this quick-n-easy recipe from kraftfoods.com that isn't as fancy & rich as my from-scratch recipe, but after a few adjustments of my own, it was really delicious! My family said this recipe was a "keeper"!!! (triple exclamation points from my youngest)

So here it is - my summertime, quick-n-easy version of Chicken Parmesan. Enjoy!

Quick-n-Easy Chicken Parmesan
serves 6, Total cook & prep time: 30 minutes

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 - 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tblsp. dried Italian seasoning
2 eggs
2 Tblsp. water
1 cup grated mozzarella or 6 slices mozzarella or provolone, halved
Spaghetti sauce
Spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Preheat oven to 400*F.
Line a rimmed baking sheets or 9x13" casserole dish with foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray and set aside.



In a medium-sized bowl, mix breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese & Italian seasonings.

In a small bowl, beat egg & water well.

Pat each chicken breast dry on both sides with a paper towel. Dunk chicken breast in egg mixture then in breadcrumb mixture. Be sure to coat chicken breast on all sides.



Set each coated chicken breast on the foil-lined baking sheet, leaving a space between.

Continue process until all chicken breasts are coated & arranged on the baking sheet.

Bake 15 minutes at 400*F. (If your chicken breasts are bigger, you'll need to cook them longer - until an internal temp of 165*F)



Remove baking sheet from oven. Pour 1-2 Tblsp. spaghetti sauce over the middle of each chicken breast. Cover spaghetti sauce with mozzarella/provolone cheese.

Return baking sheet to the oven for 5 minutes more, or until cheese is melted & spaghetti sauce begins to bubble.

Serve over cooked spaghetti with sauce. (any other pasta would be fine)

We always pair this with a big green salad.