Feta Chicken & Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

I was looking for a new way to cook chicken and asparagus and came across these treasures at http://juliatylerfoodblog.wordpress.com.  The chicken was so delicious and moist.  If you like feta you have to try this recipe!  I usually just steam asparagus or cook it with garlic and olive oil.  This recipe is truly incredible.  Even the leftovers I took for lunch had my coworkers salivating.   

Feta-Stuffed Chicken (from juliatylerfoodblog.wordpress.com, original recipe from Cooking Light)

 

Ingredients:

4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs

1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese with basil and tomatoVegetable

cooking spray

1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

Preparation:Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/4-inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Dredge chicken in breadcrumbs. Spoon 1 tablespoon of cheese onto each piece of chicken, and fold chicken in half. Place folded breast halves in an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray. Drizzle butter over chicken. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until done.

 

Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

 

 

trimmed asparagus stems

Cooking spray

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until tender.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and vinegar. Drizzle over the asparagus, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately. 

 

 

 

Chicken Olive Cacciatora and Garlic Parmesan Orzo

I love orzo but have never cooked it myself so I have been looking forward to making Garlic Parmesan Orzo from allrecipes.

Ingredients:

1 c orzo pasta, cooked according to package

1 1/2 tsp minced garlic (I used 3)

1/4 c butter, cubed

1/4 c grated Parmesan cheese (grate before you start, I made the mistake of trying to do it while I was cooking and didn’t have enough time)

2 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp fresh, minced parsley (omitted)

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

In a large skillet, saute garlic and butter until tender. Add the orzo, Parmesan cheese, milk, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir until thoroughly heated.

Growing up, Chicken Olive Cacciatora was one of my favorite recipes. The chicken is so moist and flavorful. I have always made it in the oven but my orzo was almost ready so I quickly made it on the stove. This is my quick and easy adaptation for two.

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-2″ squares

3 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, sliced

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1/2 c dry white wine

2 Tbsp vinegar

10 black olives

10 green olives (I only had black)

Combine all ingredients in skillet and cook on medium heat until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Savory Crescent Chicken Squares

I started my blog because I have found so many great recipes and received inspiration from other food blogs.  One blog I have found some treasures on is Good Eats ‘N Sweet Treats.  One quick and easy dish we have made several times, including this week, is these chicken squares.  I have not spent much time or energy photographing for my blog, so along with my mediocre photo of our chicken squares I wanted to post one from MrsPresley .  It tastes like hers looks- delicious!    Savory Crescent Chicken Squaresfrom Doris Castle on Pillsbury.com

1	(3-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1	tablespoon margarine or butter, softened
2	cups cubed cooked chicken
1	tablespoon chopped fresh chives or onion
1/4	teaspoon salt
1/8	teaspoon pepper
2	tablespoons milk
1	tablespoon chopped pimientos, if desired
1	(8-oz.) can Pillsbury® Refrigerated Crescent Dinner Rolls
1	tablespoon margarine or butter, melted
3/4	cup seasoned croutons, crushed (we used the croutons on top the first time and weren’t too impressed so I omitted them this time)  DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oven to 350°F. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese and 1 tablespoon softened margarine; beat until smooth. Add chicken, chives, salt, pepper, milk and pimientos; mix well. 2. Separate dough into 4 rectangles. Firmly press perforations to seal. Spoon 1/2 cup chicken mixture onto center of each rectangle. Pull 4 corners of dough to center of chicken mixture; twist firmly. Pinch edges to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet. Brush tops of sandwiches with 1 tablespoon melted margarine; sprinkle with crushed croutons. 3. Bake at 350°F. for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

  

Salsa & Enchiladas

Tonight our Japanese friend Nanae came over to learn how to make Mexican food. We made some pretty simple, yet delicious recipes. The salsa recipe is from my Aunt Debbie and the enchilada recipe is one my husband grew up on. Salsa- combine the following. For peak flavor refrigerate overnight.-2 cans diced tomatoes-4 oz can diced green chiles-1 clove minced garlic-juice of one lemon-1 Tbsp olive oil-1/2 purple onion, chopped-1 tsp cumin-1/2 tsp crushed oregano (optional)-1/2 tsp salt-1/4 tsp pepper-1/2 bunch cilantro, choppedGreen Chicken Enchiladas Ingredients:-mozzarella cheese-chicken, cooked and shredded/sliced into 1″ strips-corn tortillas-vegetable oil-diced olives-chopped onion-canned green enchilada sauce (in shallow bowl)We don’t have a recipe we follow and this can be made in various quantities so it’s more a guide than a recipe. Heat vegetable oil in a pan. Dip corn tortillas, one by one, in warm oil for a few seconds until pliable. This is so you can roll the tortilla without it breaking. Dip tortilla in green sauce and coat well. Fill with chicken, onion, olives and cheese. Roll and place in pan. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce, cheese, and olives. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.

Kat’s Fast Fancy Chicken

This recipe has been one of our favorites since we found it a couple months ago. I have made chicken in cream of mushroom soup before but the wine, cheese and bread and stuffing are what make this recipe. It has amazing flavor and the chicken is so moist!Ingredients6 Boneless Chicken Breasts6 Slices Swiss Cheese (I use provolone)1/4 lb. Fresh Mushrooms, Sliced1 Can Cream of Chicken Soup (I used cream of chicken and mushroom)1/2 Cup White Wine2 Cups Herbed Stuffing Mix1 Stick Butter/MargerineDirectionsPre-heat oven to 350. Place chicken in lightly greased 9×13 baking dish. Top each piece with a slice of swiss cheese. Arrange mushrooms over cheese. Mix soup and wine and pour over chicken. Sprinkle stuffing mix over top and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.Recipe from Kat’s blog.I need to start taking pictures, but until then here is the photo that first enticed me from April’s blog.