Coconut Chicken Curry Ramen

Coconut Chicken Curry Ramen

Ingredients

1 tbsp. Coconut oil

1 

yellow onion, chopped

3 

red bell peppers, chopped

2 

large carrot, cut into thin 2"-long pieces

2 

cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 tbsp. 

curry powder

1/2 tsp. 

cayenne pepper

Kosher salt

2 

(13.5-oz.) cans coconut milk (shaken well)

4 c. chicken broth

2 c. 

shredded rotisserie chicken

1/3 c. 

chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish

4 

package ramen noodles, reserve seasoning for another use

Lime wedges, for serving

Directions

Heat the coconut oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and carrots and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 minute. Add curry powder, cayenne and season with salt. Stir until combined.

Add chicken broth and coconut milk and bring to a simmer. Add shredded chicken, cilantro, and ramen noodles and cook until noodles are al dente. 

Garnish with cilantro and serve with lime.

Curry Ramen

This is super simple and you can make any change that you really need.
The original recipe used Shiitake mushrooms and snap peas. This is what I did, but seriously just do whatever you have and it will be good.

 1 Tbsp Oil
1/2-1 C Shredded Carrots
1 Bell Pepper, diced
1/2 C Peas
1-3 Tbsp Red Curry Paste (I used 1 and it wasn't spicy at all, good for the boys)
2 tsp curry powder
1/2 Tbsp Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
4-6 C Chicken Broth (I did 4, just depends on how much broth you want or if you want more noodles)
3 Packages Ramen, seasoning packet not used (If you use more broth you could add more noodles)
1 (13.5 oz) Coconut Milk (I did not have this and used soy milk)
Juice of a Lime
Salt and Pepper

Optional Toppings:
Cilantro
Lime Wedges
Sliced Jalapenos

Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add your vegetables (whatever you choose will work) and some salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes or until slightly tender. Stir occasionally. Add the curry paste, curry powder, garlic, and ginger. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Add the broth and coconut milk. Season it will salt and pepper. (This is when you can taste it and see if you want to add more curry paste to spice it up.) Add the Ramen noddles. Cook until they are soft. Squeeze the lime in the curry. Top with cilantro, lime wedges, or jalapeno. Add extra lime juice if you like.

Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad

This one is for you Jen! This is the salad I brought to Dad's birthday.

2 C Mini Bowtie Pasta, uncooked (I used regular Bow Tie)
2 (15 oz cans) corn OR 3-4 Corn Cobs
1 Avocado
3 Green Onions
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Jalapeno
6-8 Pieces Bacon, crumbled
1/2 C Cotija Cheese or Queso Fresco

Dressing
1/2 C Mayo (I used a little less than this)
3 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
1/8 tsp ground Cumin
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Sriracha or Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the pasta according to package. Drain and rinse in cold water. Dry the pasta.

CORN: If you are using the cobs, Pull back the husks and clean the corn, then fold the husks back over the cob. Put corn in water with 1 Tbsp of salt for 10 minutes. Shake the corn cobs and then grill. Grill for 15-20 minutes turning the corn every 5 minutes.
OR canned corn. Drain the corn. In a cast iron skillet, heat a little oil on medium high heat. Pour corn in a single layer and cook for about 5 minutes stirring only once. This should brown the corn. Keep doing this until all corn is blackened.
Chop the avocado into small pieces, chop the green onion and cilantro. Finely chop the jalapeno. Cook and crumble the bacon. Crumble the cheese. In a large bowl combine the cooled, dry pasta, cooled corn, avocado, onions, cilantro, jalapeno, bacon and cheese. Wait to add the avocado, cheese, and bacon until ready to eat. Toss the salad.
In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk together until combined. Toss over salad.

Instant Pot Thai Peanut Noodles With Chicken

I made this in the instant pot. It was a recipe my friend gave me. You have to make the peanut sauce. It makes enough for you to make this recipe twice. So I just split it in half and use half of it and freeze the other half of the peanut sauce until we have it again.

I liked the peas in this recipe, but I do think they were kind of chewy. I would like them a bit more cooked.

Peanut Sauce
3/4 C Coconut Milk
1/2 C Peanut Butter
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil (I just used what I had, because I don't have this)
1/4 C Fresh Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
1 Tbsp Honey
1/4 tsp Ground Ginger


Recipe
1 1/2 lb Chicken Breast
1 C Peanut Sauce
3/4 C Chicken Broth
5 oz Stir Fry Rice Noodles (I think I have also just used Fettuccine noodles)
1 C Sugar Snap or Snow Peas

Optional Garnishes
Peanuts, Green Onions, Cilantro

Turn the instant pot on saute mode. Saute the peas until slightly cooked. Remove and set aside. (I felt like this burnt them fast, I almost would prefer if they were steamed?)

Turn off saute mode. Add chicken, peanut sauce, and broth to pot. Cook on high for 12 minutes. Do a quick release. Remove chicken from pot while leaving the sauce. Add the noodles to the sauce and ensure all of the noodles are submerged in sauce or the best you can get. Then add the peas. Set Instant Pot to Slow Cooker and cook for 10 minutes or until the noodles are soft. While this cooks, shred the chicken. When the 10 minutes is up remove the lid and stir the noodles. Add the chicken to the noodles. Cook on the slow cooker mode for 10 more minutes if noddles aren't quite done or if you want the chicken a little warmer. Or if you are fine with it, just eat it.

Copycat Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta

This is Jen's recipe and it is good! We have made it without the chicken and the pasta is still good by itself!

Chicken
4 Tbs vegetable oil
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 C breadcrumbs
1/4 C Parmesan cheese grated
1 C milk
2 Tbs flour

Sauce
1 Tbs butter
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
3/4 small red onion
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 1/4 pints whipping cream
1 C chicken broth
4 Tbs fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 C grated Parmesan
12 oz bow tie pasta
1 C mushrooms, sliced

Melt the butter in a large skillet. Add the yellow and red bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion until they are tender. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and saute for 3 minutes. Add whipping cream and chicken stock. Add basil and 1 C grated Parmesan cheese. Stir all the ingredients together.  Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce to low and let simmer. The sauce will reduce and thicken.

Meanwhile put oil in a fry pan and heat. Pound the chicken very thinly (the thinner the better). Mix the breadcrumbs, flour, and Parmesan cheese together. Put milk in a bowl for dipping. Dip the flattened chicken in the breadcrumbs, then in the milk, and back in the breadcrumbs. Place chicken in the fry pan and cook until golden and crispy. Make sure the chicken is cooked through.  Add more oil as needed. Remove and drain the chicken. Keep them warm.

Lastly, cook bow tie pasta in a pot of boiling water until tender, but still firm to bite. Drain the water. Add the sauce to the pasta. Toss the pasta until it is all coated in sauce. Place pasta on plate and top with chicken. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Spinach Shrimp Pasta

I have used precooked shrimp and just skip the first step of cooking the shrimp. I like it this way because then it isn't too shrimp flavored, but if you are a shrimp fan definitely use the raw shrimp.

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbs Olive oil
1 Tbs Butter
2 Cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
1 1/2 C Milk
1 1/2 C Chicken Broth
8 Oz Fettuccine Pasta
4 C Spinach
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 C Parmesan Cheese, grated

Melt butter and olive oil in a big pan. Add the garlic and shrimp, seasoning with the salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp is pink. Remove shrimp and keep warm. In the same pan, add milk, broth, and pasta. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the pasta is al dente, add the spinach, salt, pepper, seasoning, and cheese. Mix until the spinach is wilted. Add the shrimp back in and stir till everything is covered with sauce. Eat with extra cheese if you like.

Italian Sausage Tortellini Pasta

I know Amy has a pasta up here that is very similar to this one, and I have tried it and liked it. This is the one that we really love so I am putting it here so I can always find it. They are very similar recipes.

1 Tbs oil
2 C diced onions
1 lb mild Italian Sausage (I use Johnsonville the sausage links)
3 cloves garlic minced
3/4 C chicken broth
14.5 oz diced tomatoes
1/2 C heavy cream
9 oz tortellini
salt and pepper
2 C spinach

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Squeeze the sausage from the casing. All you do is squish at one end and it will come out. You can make them into small meatballs or I just chop them up into small pieces. Cook the sausage until it is browned. Reduce to low heat and add the garlic. Then add the broth, tomatoes, cream and tortellini to the pan. Stir in to combine. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Cover pan and reduce heat. Let it simmer for 15 minutes or until the tortellini are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat and eat.

Sun Dried Tomato Pesto Pasta

I made this the other day with things that I needed to get rid of so it was a gamble if it was going to be good. It was surprisingly delicious! Dexter said he thought it was pretty good too which is amazing for a pasta meal. Remember this recipe was what I needed to get rid of so the measurements might not be perfect, you could add or take away anything you liked.

You can add some cooked chicken to make it a more hearty meal.

1-2 Tbs. Butter
1-2 Tomatoes diced (You could use sun-dried tomatoes I am sure they would be great!)
8 oz Mushrooms
1 Tbs. Minced Garlic
1/2 of an 8 oz Jar of Sun Dried Tomato Pesto (I used Classico brand, but really as much of this as you want it is the sauce.)
1/2-1 C Milk (Depending on how saucy and liquid you want it.)
1/4 tsp. Salt/Pepper
8 Oz Penne Pasta

Cook pasta according to package.
Meanwhile, heat butter on a skillet until melted, then add mushrooms. Let the mushrooms saute for about 2 minutes then add the diced tomato and garlic. Cook this mixture until the mushrooms are softened to your liking. Add the jar of sun dried tomato pesto, milk, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer, stirring until everything is combined. Remove from heat. Combine the cooked pasta and sauce. Enjoy!

Pasta Salad

We threw a baby shower for one of our friends here and the theme was "little man" so I was trying to find a bow tie pasta salad, found this one and loved it!

INGREDIENTS

1 C chopped pecans (I didn't do this, but only because I'm not crazy about nuts)
1/2 (16 oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
1 pound fresh broccoli
1 C mayo
1/3 C sugar
1/3 C diced red onion
1/3 C red wine vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
1 tsp salt
2 C seedless red grapes, halved
8 cooked bacon slices, crumbled (I forgot this part, but am sure it would've be better)

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake pecans in a single layer in a shallow pan 5-7 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant, stir halfway through.
Cook Pasta.
Cut broccoli florets from stems and separate them into smaller pieces. Peel away tough outer layer of stems and finely chop stems.
Whisk together mayo and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl; add broccoli, hot cooked pasta, and grapes, and stir to coat. Cover and chill 3 hours. Stir in bacon and pecans right before serving.

Thanks for the original recipe you can find HERE.

Sausage, Pepper Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

This was delicious! I almost think it was better the second day! I only made 1 spaghetti squash, but I still made all the stuffing for it. Dexter and I really liked it this way! A lot of sauce/meat for the spaghetti squash. But this is the recipe with more than just 1 squash.

2 small spaghetti squash, cut in half and seeded
2 Tbsp oil
salt and pepper
1 lb. Italian sausage (I used sage flavored sausage)
1 onion diced
2 bell peppers (it calls for red, I used green peppers)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 C marinara sauce
1 C mozzarella shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. After cutting the squash in half, brush the 1 Tbsp oil on the inside flesh of the squash. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven placing skin side up for 30 minutes or until tender.
While the squash is cooking, cook the sausage, crumbling as you go. Once cooked set aside. Put 1 Tbsp oil in pan and saute the onions until tender. Add the bell pepper and cook until tender. Then add garlic. Add the sausage back into the pan with the marinara sauce. Heat up all ingredients.
Pull spaghetti squash out of oven. Use a fork to fluff the inside of the squash. Split the sauce mixture between the spaghetti squash equally. Then top with cheese. Broil in the oven until the cheese has melted.

Linguine Alfredo

Linguine Alfredo

1 Tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Asiago or Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup (2 oz) cream cheese
1 cup broccoli
1 red pepper, seeded and cut into bite sized pieces
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup mushrooms, sliced
4 cups cooked linguine, 8oz uncooked

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt butter. Sauté garlic until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Whisk in flour, and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Whisk in cream cheese and Asiago or Parmesan cheese. Cook stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, steam broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms and carrots until tender-crisp. In a large bowl combine cooked pasta and steamed veggies. Add the cheese sauce and toss to coat throughly. Serve immediately.

Recipe from weight watchers.

Spinach Tomato Tortellini with Sausage

My boys love this tortellini. And it is so quick and easy to make. Refrigerated tortellini can be found in the refrigerated section. Usually it is by the lunch meats and cheese. You can substitute dry tortellini pasta. I prefer the taste and texture of fresh tortellini.

Spinach Tomato Tortellini with Sausage

20 oz refrigerated tortellini pasta

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 lb ground sausage

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes

2 cups spinach, chopped

1 tsp. basil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. thyme

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp. Flour

Cook tortellini according to package directions.

While tortellini is cooking, heat a large skillet and cook sausage and onion. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add tomatoes, spinach, and spices. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spinach begins to wilt.

In a small bowl whisk heavy cream and flour together until smooth. Stir cream mixture into sausage and tomato mixture. Add parmesan and cook another 4-5 minutes, until thickened. Add drained tortellini and toss gently. 

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Damn Delicious 

Creamy Sausage and Spinach Pasta Skillet

 I made this and I loved it! Dexter doesn't really like pasta and he said that he actually really like this! It is almost better on the second day too.

Ingredients

• 6 oz. smoked sausage
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion (We definitely used less than this.)
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes w/chiles
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz. pasta
• 3 cups fresh spinach
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded monterrey jack
• 1 whole green onion 

Instructions

1. Thinly slice the smoked sausage and add it to a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Saute the sausage over medium heat until it is nicely browned (about 5-7 minutes). Drain off the excess fat.
2. Dice the onion and add it to the skillet. Continue to saute until the onion has softened (about 5 minutes). Add the can of diced tomatoes with chiles and the chicken broth. Stir to combine and dissolve any browned bits off of the bottom of the skillet.
3. Add the uncooked pasta to the skillet and make sure it is all submerged under the liquid. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about ten minutes, or until the pasta is tender. Stir once or twice while the pasta cooks to keep it from sticking.
4. Stir in the fresh spinach, one cup at a time, until wilted. If you add it all at once, the skillet will be too full to stir. Keep the heat on while adding the spinach, so the liquid will continue to simmer and thicken.
5. Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top, replace the lid, and let it sit for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Slice the green onions and sprinkle them over top. Serve hot!

World's Best Lasagna

I made this one before, but thought it was too salty. So I tweaked it this time and it. is. amazing!!! Bo even said so. :) Instead of 1 Tbsp of salt, I put in 1 tsp. and a pinch. (maybe like 1/4 tsp.) It takes a while... like 3 hours, but I promise you, it's worth it!!

Prep: 30 mins.
Cook: 2 hrs. 30 mins.
Ready In: 3 hrs. 15 mins.
Serving size: a whole 9x13" pan (8??)


INGREDIENTS

1 lb sweet Italian sausage (I just used my Jimmy Deans from Costco I had on hand)
3/4 lb. lean ground beef (I used the whole pound)
1/2 C minced onion (I used red onions, but I usually use yellow)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes (I had diced tomatoes at 15 oz each, so I just used two)
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 (6.5 oz.) cans canned tomato sauce (Again, I had a 15 oz. can and just used the whole thing)
1/2 C water
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
1/2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp. salt (here is where I used only 1 1/4 tsp. salt, the sausage already brings a lot of salt in)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I used dried parsley and just did the same amount, didn't even realize it said fresh until now...)
12 lasagna noodles
16 oz. ricotta cheese (I used cottage cheese instead, worked great!)
1 egg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced (I just used the shredded I had in the freezer and sprinkled as much as I wanted on it)
3/4 C grated Parmesan cheese (I just sprinkled what I wanted again)


DIRECTIONS

1 - In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel, seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 Tbsp. salt (again 1 1/4 tsp. but you be the judge, I figured you can always salt after), pepper and 2 Tbsp parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

2 - Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8-10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese (cottage cheese) with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 tsp salt.

3 - Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).

4 - To assemble, spread 1 1/2 C meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese. Spoon 1 1/2 C meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 C Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure foil doesn't touch the cheese.

5 - Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.


ENJOY!

Thanks to Johnchandler over at AllRecipes.com for the recipe. Find the original recipe HERE.

Spaghetti Squash - Substitute for Spaghetti

I substituted Spaghetti Squash for my regular Spaghetti noodles last night, and was quite surprised. I couldn't taste a difference (maybe it's cuz I made the amazing sauce below) but it was crunchy. I dunno if you could boil it after to get rid of the crunchiness? Maybe I'll try that next time. Bo didn't like it cuz of this reason, but if I can still enjoy my pasta dishes with less calories and have a vegetable, count me in! :)

INGREDIENTS:

Spaghetti Squash

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise.
Scoop out the seeds.
Bake on a cookie sheet with flesh side down for 30 mins.
Make Sauce while this is baking.
When done, scoop out the flesh with a fork (it should be stringy like spaghetti).

Enjoy!

Find the original recipe HERE.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce

I made this and poured it on the Spaghetti Squash that I substituted for pasta. We loved this pasta sauce! I usually do Prego, so this was a nice change!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I just had 1 lb)
2 Tblsp Olive Oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried basil (I had fresh and used that and it worked great!)
1 tsp. italian seasoning
1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
ground pepper
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
2 (16 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced and sautéed in butter (optional) (I did without this cuz I didn't have mushrooms on hand)
parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic in olive oil with bay leaves, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
2. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.
3. Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
4. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. (I'm impatient and think I only did 45 mins. for this, turned out great still!)
5. Use sauce to top your cooked spaghetti. (spaghetti squash)
6. Top with sautéed mushrooms and parmesan.

Thanks to Bev for the recipe! Original recipe HERE.

Pasta Fra Diavolo

I discovered this recipe in my Weight Watchers Cookbook several years ago.  We always make this in place of spaghetti.

Pasta Fra Diavolo

2 tsp. Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp. Tomato paste
2 Tbsp. Dry red wine (or sherry)
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c. Fresh parsley, finely chopped
4 oz linguine

In a large saucepan over medium heat, cook onion and garlic in olive oil until golden, about 8 min. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, wine, sugar, salt and pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 mins. Stir in parsley. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package direction. Drain and serve with sauce.

Spicy Pepper Penne

I got this recipe from my friend, Kadee. It is ridiculous easy to make and the best part, it is all done in one pan!

Spicy Penne Pasta

1 lb hot Italian sausage
16 oz penne or tube pasta
1/8 tsp. Rosemary
1/2 c peperoncini
1jar (7 oz.) roaster red peppers, drained and chopped (or you can use fresh peppers)
3 1/2 c. water
1/2 c. Heavy cream
1/2 c. Parmesan

In a large skillet, cook sausage. Drain. Layer pasta, rosemary and red peppers on top of  sausage. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 12 minutes, or until pasta is tender. Add cream and Parmesan, toss to coat.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

This recipe is a staple in our home.  It is quick and easy to make too.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

8 oz. linguine

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces

1 Tbsp. Cajun seasoning

2 Tbsp. Butter

1 green pepper, diced

1 red pepper, diced

4 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced

3 green onions, chopped

1 Tbsp. Flour

1 1/2 c. Heavy cream

1/4 tsp. basil

1/8 tsp. pepper

1/4 tsp. lemon pepper

1/8 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. salt

Parmesan cheese (topping)

Cube chicken and place in a ziplock bag with Cajun seasoning. Toss to coat.

Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a LARGE skillet, over med-high heat, sauté chicken in butter until no longer pink. Add peppers, mushrooms and green onions. Cook 2-3 mins. Sprinkle flour over chicken and veggies and cook for another min. Reduce hear to med-low and stir in cream. Season with spices. Heat until simmering and sauce begins to thicken. Toss linguine with sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Chicken Parmesan

Bo wanted some Chicken Parmesan for dinner tonight and had me look up a recipe. This is what I found. If it makes it to the blog, it means both Bo and I liked it. J I did make some alterations, which I noted throughout the recipe.

Hope y’all enjoy it as much as we did.

Ingredients

¼ C extra-virgin olive oil, plus 3 Tblsp

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced (2 ½ tsp)

2 bay leaves

½ C kalamata olived, pitted (I did without this and it still was great)

½ bunch fresh basil leaves

2 (28-oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes, drained and hand crushed (I just used diced tomatoes)

Pinch sugar

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts (I did 2 chicken breasts and just sliced them in half length wise)

½ C all-purpose flour

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 Tbsp. water

1 C dried bread crumbs (I toasted 4 pieces of bread in the toaster and then set them in the oven for a little while it warmed up, just make sure to check it, I almost forgot)

1 (8-oz) ball fresh buffalo mozzarella, water drained (I just used shredded mozzarella I had in the freezer and measured the amount I wanted)

Freshly grated Parmesan (Again, just used parmesan from the shaker)

1 pound spaghetti pasta, cooked al dente

Directions

Coat a sauté pan with olive oil and place over medium heat. When oil gets hazy, add onions, garlic, and bay leaves; cook and stir for 5 mins. Until fragrant and soft. Add olives and some hand-torn basil. Carefully add tomatoes, cook and stir until liquid is cooked down and the sauce is thick, about 15 minutes; season with sugar, salt and pepper. Lower the heat, cover and keep warm.

Preheat oven to 450 degree F.

Get the ingredients together for the chicken in an assembly line. I sliced the two chicken breasts in half, but you can place them side by side on a cutting board and lay a piece of plastic wrap over them and pound them with a flat meat mallet until they’re ½ inch thick. Put the flour in a shallow platter and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. In a wide bowl, combine eggs and water and beat until frothy. Put breadcrumbs on a plate, season with salt and pepper.

Heat 3 Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high flame in a large ovenproof skillet. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, dip them in the egg to coat completely letting excess drip off, and then dredge in breadcrumbs. When oil is hot, add cutlets and fry for 4 minutes on each side until golden and crusty, turning once.

I then transferred them to a cookie sheet instead of putting the skillet in the oven.

Ladle the tomato-olive sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmesan, and basil. Bake Chicken Parmesan for 15 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly. Serve hot with spaghetti.  We also added some Prego pasta sauce to ours to make it a little more moist.

Thanks for the recipe! You can find the original recipe HERE.