Category: Chicken

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms

Chicken, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Pasta

Another favorite for dinner tonight! 2 thumbs up from everyone! I have tons of basil in my garden, so I wanted to make a pesto of some sort. I also discovered a carton of mushrooms that needed some love. Here is what I came up with!

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta with Mushrooms

Ingredients
4-5 chicken thighs cut up in to bite sized pieces.
1 small carton of mushrooms, sliced
1 box Ziti noodles
1-2 cups Alfredo sauce
1/3 cup of Pesto

Alfredo- 1 jar of Alfredo (I like Classico Light Creamy Alfredo) OR you could make your own- Melt 1/2 cup of butter and then stir in 2 cups of heavy cream. Cook for 6-8 minutes. Add 1 cup of Parmesan cheese. Add until mixed through.

Pesto- 1/3 of your favorite jarred pesto OR make your own. This time I did since I have plenty in my garden.
Ingredients and directions- .
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated cheese- I combine Parmesan and Pecorino Romano
Combine basil, garlic, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Blend to a smooth paste.

Directions
Add your chicken and mushrooms to a hot skillet with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. Brown your chicken and let your mushrooms cook down, about 8-10 minutes. Cook pasta. Add Alfredo sauce to chicken and mushrooms. Add in your pesto a little bit at a time. When your pasta still has a bite, add it to the sauce. Mix well. This is a creamy sauce, but if you think it seems too thick, add in a ladle or 2 of starchy pasta water or maybe even more cream sauce or pesto. Cook until combined.

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I also made some quick garlic toast. I added 3 tablespoons of butter with 3 cloves minced garlic (used garlic press). I spread the bread with the garlic butter and put them in the oven on broil. So good!

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Leftover Loving- Chicken Friand

Chicken, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, Party Time

Is the weekend over already? We had a great day…slept in, ate bagels and cream cheese for breakfast, had pajama day until it was time to put on bathing suits for the pool, ate Jimmy John’s at the pool, swam for hours, read, went to the store (ALONE!), and made and ate a delicious dinner.

Last week I made this…https://funfoodiefamily.com/2015/06/11/creamy-mushroom-chicken-with-skillet-green-beans-and-rice-with-pine-nuts/

So I took the leftover chicken and made this family hit. One of the biggest hits on this blog and on my Pinterest account. This would also be great for a dinner party. Everyone can get their own…https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/07/16/chicken-friand/

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Creamy Mushroom Chicken with Skillet Green Beans and Rice with Pine Nuts

Chicken, grains, Side dishes...veggies

Hello! Tonight I made a family favorite that I have done in many variations on the blog before. I had some beautiful green beans freshly picked from my garden and some pine nuts leftover that needed to be used up. I made enough to have for leftovers for another night!

Creamy Mushroom Chicken

Ingredients
4 chicken fillets
1 onion, diced
1 carton mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves of crushed and diced garlic
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 container of reduced sodium chicken stock
add salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken pieces to hot oil in a single layer without crowding. Cook 4-5 minutes per side or until chicken is browned; remove from pans.
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Add in your veggies. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Add the stock. Cook down about 5 minutes.
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Add your chicken back in the pan. Cook for 30 more minutes with the chicken in the sauce. Take out the chicken and add in the cream cheese and heavy cream. Stir and let them all melt together. If you want a thicker sauce (to dunk bread), add in more cream cheese. If you want a thinner sauce (to add to pasta) add in more cream. Add your chicken back in. Cook for just a few more minutes… Again…Perfection.

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Rice with Pine Nuts-

Ingredients
1/2 stick of butter
1 small bag of rice
1 cup toasted pine nuts
1 container of low sodium chicken or veggie stock

Directions
Toast some pine nuts in a pan for a few minutes on low heat. Watch these; they burn quickly.
In a large round pot or pan, heat butter on med heat until it melts. Add in your rice and cook for a few minutes. This toasts the rice and helps give it a nice nutty flavor. Then I added all of the stock in the pan, mixed well, and put on the lid. Every 5 minutes or so, I stirred it to make sure the bottom didn’t burn or stick. Near the 20 minute mark, I felt mine needed a little more liquid, so I added a few more tablespoons of water. I mixed well and added in my pine nuts. Delicious!

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Skillet Green Beans

I had these beauties from my garden.
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So I threw them in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of bacon fat (butter or olive oil would be fine). I cooked them about 15 minutes. stirring them occasionally. In the end, I threw in a handful of the toasted pine nuts.

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Oven Baked Wings

Chicken

Happy Friday! I hope everyone had a great day! We slept in and spent a few hours at the pool. Then we came home and relaxed. Well, the girls read books and watched TV, and I binge watched more Entourage; almost done with season 4!

My family loves wings. So tonight I baked an entire package (flats and drumsticks separated by my hubby) with a little salt and pepper and coated in a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a 375 oven for almost an hour. Then I coated a little over half of them in a sweet chili sauce. The rest I left plain for the girls.

I also made some egg rolls and yellow rice. Perfect Friday night dinner! No wing was left uneaten. I consider that a success!

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Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry with Cantonese Noodles

Asian, Chicken, Pasta

First things first. Full Disclosure; Yesterday, the girls and I had this for dinner…

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After playing at the pool all afternoon eating these…

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No shame! Ever!

This week they are going to Lacrosse camp. They are seriously loving it. So looks like we are going to have a couple of cheerleading lacrosse players. Should be an exciting year! You just wait until you see K in her cheerleading uniform. Totes adorbs!

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So anyways, tonight I made a yummy stir fry for dinner. I have made a couple of different stir fry meals before here on the blog. Usually it involves a sauce, lots of veggies, a protein, and a carb. Tonight was no different. Next time, I am going to try to make beef and broccoli. Look for that soon!

Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry with Cantonese Noodles

Ingredients

Sauces: Stir Fry (1/2 bottle), Hoisin (2 tablespoons), Sesame Seed Oil (1 tablespoon)

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Veggies: Sweet Peppers (I used 3 different colors, all sliced equal to about 1 full pepper)
1 container of shiitake mushrooms, chopped
3 heads of Baby Bok Choy, chopped
1 handful of snow peas
1 small can each of baby corn, sliced water chestnuts, and sliced bamboo shoots

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Protein: Chicken Thighs, cut in bite sized pieces

Carb: Cantonese Noodles-use whatever noodles you can find…I also love those Ramen noodles, minus the weird “flavor” packet it comes with.

Directions- Marinate your chicken thighs in half of the stir fry sauce (1/4 bottle). Prep all your veggies. Start boiling your water for your pasta. Heat your wok (or large circular pan) with a few tablespoons of peanut or veggie oil. Begin to cook the chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes or so. Add in your mushrooms and peppers. Cook another 5 minutes. Add the rest of the veggies and start cooking your pasta. Add in the rest of your sauces. When the bok choy is cooked down, add in your pasta. Mix well and taste. Add more sauce if desired.

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