Category: Chicken

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Chicken, Dips, Dressings, and Spreads, Pasta

Hey guys! It has been a LONG week. I haven’t cooked dinner since last Sunday. Well, I made dinner Monday, but it was hot dogs and baked beans, so not exactly cooking. But it was easy and good. Those hot dogs hit the spot. Tuesday was rough and long. It was just me and the girls, so I really didn’t want to cook a lot or go to the store. So I just stopped by our favorite Chinese place and picked up dinner. The best idea since buying that extra bottle of wine “just in case.” It wasn’t a bad week, just long and draining. Well, I’m glad it is the weekend! I was glad to stop by the store and pick up ingredients for dinner the next couple of nights. Oh, and a few bottles of wine “just in case!”

Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

Chicken- Cook however you want. Or you can take a shortcut like I did on a Friday afternoon and pick up a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store.

Homemade Pasta- In the food processor, use 4 eggs and add flour until it firms up. Pull apart your dough a few sections at a time and roll out in pasta machine. Cut rustic long noodle shapes – You could just use fresh (like Burtoli or your favorite dried pasta)

Cream Sauce-
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.
Blend 1/3 of your favorite jarred pesto and cook 3-5 minutes. You could make your own. It is very simple. Garlic, basil, salt, pepper, olive oil. But like the chicken, it just saves time to buy the jarred one. I usually make homemade pesto in the summer when I have plenty in my garden. The deer and squirrels ate my herbs. Boo.
Add to your pasta and chicken. Plus, you should have some leftover for another time.

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Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry

Asian, Chicken

Good evening! We have not had this is so long! We used to make this all the time back when I was a vegan. I would make tofu and veggies in one pan, and my husband would make chicken and veggies in another pan. I still love tofu, but I haven’t yet introduced this one to the girls. They love all things protein, so I may have to try it one night. Anyways, this is super easy. You need these ingredients…

Cut your chicken into cubes and marinate it in equal parts of these and grate in some ginger…
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Slice/slice up your onion, peppers, more ginger,
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The next part is all dependent on how you like you veggies cooked.
In a wok, heat up some sesame and vegetable oil and put in onions, broccoli, and sliced peppers. Cook for a few minutes. Then add your cubed chicken and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes. Then I add bamboo shoots and water chestnuts. Then cook for a few minutes. Lastly, add your snap peas and baby corn until warmed through. Add to cooked sushi rice and enjoy! 001

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Sage Brown Butter Roasted Chicken

Chicken, Side dishes...veggies, potatoes, grains

I hope the title got your attention. Take a stick of butter and brown it up with a bunch of sage. I got the butter almost to boiling and then added the sage to fry it up a bit. I poured the butter on top. Then I salt and peppered it. I put some onion and garlic and other herbs (rosemary, oregano, thyme) inside the cavity. Then I put it in a 350 oven for 1 1/2 hours. Yes, that is pretty much all. Once I cut into it, I found it needed another 15 minutes, but otherwise, this is one of the best roasted chickens I have ever made. Moist, juicy, sagey, deliciousness!

Add with my white wine roasted risotto.. instead of portabello, I used button mushrooms. Instead of bacon pieces, I put 2 pieces of raw bacon into the pot to cook and add in the flavor the entire time.

.https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/07/10/white-wine-mushroom-risotto-plus-an-idea-for-kids-and-leftovers/

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Chicken and Ragu Sauce

Chicken, Leftovers/ Freezer Meals, One pot meal

This sauce has been taunting me from the freezer. EVERYTIME I OPEN THE FREEZER!!!!I made this Ragu sauce with some pork ribs a few weeks ago. Every time I saw it in the freezer, I was transported to my first taste of this amazing sauce. It was when I was cooking in the kitchen and tasted it before anyone else to make sure the flavor and seasoning were right. Heaven.

https://funfoodiefamily.com/2013/09/02/pork-rib-ragu/
I had a bunch of leftover sauce that I froze for future use. This thick sauce has a deep rich flavor and leaves a bit of a kick in the back of your throat. It is good with any type of meat, and you can serve it with any type of starch; rice, pasta, potatoes, polenta, etc. Veggies are optional, but you better not leave out some crusty bread for dunking!

p.s. I made mine with white rice. I cooked it with chicken stock instead of water. Read my fool proof French rice recipe as well as my Ragu recipe in the link above. Always add butter at the end. Oh, to both things. To all things.

I have more sauce and rice left over. My lunch idea is a nice thick soup with rice (plus a few bits of chicken leftover). Breakfast will be a bowl of the sauce with a couple of runny eggs. EEEKKKKK! Doesn’t that sound AMAZING! Pictures soon!

Chicken and Ragu Sauce
I had some chicken breasts that I seasoned and browned on both sides. Then I added them to the sauce for 45 minutes at a slow simmer to let them finish cooking.
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Pasta Carbonara and Oven Baked Chicken Fingers

Chicken, Kids, Pasta

Kids can be a tough group to please in the kitchen. Sometimes it is hard to get kids to eat what you want. There are a lot of “experts” out there who tell you what you should do to make your kids eat certain things. They were either lucky and got adventurous eaters, or they have no clue what they are talking about. I am lucky that my kids love to eat and will try most things. They are not perfect. My oldest used to LOVE blueberries; now she won’t touch them. When you see a willful child spit out a perfectly good blueberry more than once, you sort of just give in to the fact that maybe they just don’t like blueberries.

My husband and I have a few rules when it comes to food.
1. Try one bite. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat anymore tonight.
2. Dinner time is sacred. For the most part, we eat at the kitchen table every night we all can; we go around the table and tell what we are thankful for or something good that happened that day.
3. Dinner is what is on the table. I am not a short order cook. I make one meal. Eat it.
We have a few “whatever you want” nights where we can clean out the fridge and they can pick what they want.

What are some things kids like best? Chicken Fingers and Pasta.

Chicken Fingers- 350 for 40 minutes
2 chicken breasts cut in to strips.
flour, egg, and breadcrumb coating
Place on a rack on top of a baking sheet so all sides can get nice and crusty
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Pasta Carbonara
Pan fry some chopped bacon, then add 1/2 onion diced until nice and translucent.
Cook your pasta of choice.
Mix 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk (room temperature)with 1/2 cup parm cheese.
Place frozen peas at the bottom of your serving bowl; they will heat up and cook through with hot pasta.
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