Jenn's Chicken Parmesano Supreme and Classic Asparagus Saute

Jenn’s Chicken Parmesano Supreme

I love the idea of taking a traditional recipe and tweaking it just a little to give a jaded meal a new, interesting kick.  I found this recipe online and just had to try it.  I was not disappointed and you won’t be either…

Ingredients:

• 4 skinless, boneless Chicken Breasts – lightly pounded to an even thickness
• 3 Tablespoons all-purpose Flour
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1 Cup of Breadcrumbs
• ¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
• 1 ½ Cups Spaghetti Sauce*
• 4 Tablespoons Caesar Salad Dressing
• 1 Cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese*
• ½ grated Parmesan Cheese
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Source: www.allrecipes.com

* I used a little more Spaghetti Sauce, probably closer to 2 Cups.  I also upped the amount of Mozzarella Cheese to 2 Cups.

Preparation:

            First preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Season the Chicken with Salt and Pepper.  Dredge each piece of Chicken in the Flour, and then dip in the beaten Egg, and lastly coat with the Breadcrumbs.  Make sure each piece is evenly and thoroughly coated.

            Heat the Vegetable Oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Cook the Chicken about 3-5 minutes, until it’s no longer pink on the inside. Remove from heat.

            Pour half of the Spaghetti Sauce in a glass baking dish.  Lay the Chicken pieces on the sauce.  Add the remaining Sauce over all the Chicken pieces.  Spread one Tablespoon of the Caesar Dressing to each Chicken piece.  Sprinkle the entire dish with the Parmesan and Mozzarella cheeses.

            Bake the dish for approximately 15 minutes, until heated through and the cheese is melted.

            This dish is hearty, filling and the Caesar dressing gives it a delicious added dimension.  I served this with spaghetti and loved every minute of it!

Classic Asparagus Saute

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh Asparagus – about 1 Pound
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon minced Garlic
• 3 Tablespoons Parmesan
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Source: www.allrecipes.com

Preparation:

            First, rinse the Asparagus and pat dry.  Cut off the rough ends.  Next heat the Olive Oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the minced Garlic and the Asparagus.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

            Remove from the heat and sprinkle the spears with Parmesan and Salt and Pepper before serving.  Simple, classic and oh-so-yummy!!

Mexi-Chicken Casserole

I love casseroles.  They minimize dishes and are great freezer-ready meals for the busiest of us!  This recipe intrigued me for many reasons.  The first and most prominent, it called for “canned” chicken.  I must admit I have never used canned chicken and to the best of my knowledge have never tried it.  While on the one hand I feel that it is the easy-way out, I promised myself that I would try all avenues and this is one path I have never traveled.  I was also interested in the juxtaposition of Mexican flavors and the sweetness of the pie crusts.  So away we go…

 Canned Chicken - the other White Meat

Ingredients:

• 1 16 Ounce jar of Salsa
• 1 can of Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 Cup Sour Cream
• 2 Cups shredded Cheddar Cheese
• 2 12 Ounce packages of frozen, whole kernel Corn*
• 2 12.5 Ounce cans of Swanson’s premium white chunk Chicken, drained
• 1 15 Ounce can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 Package about 14 ounces) refrigerated Pie Crusts, at room temperature

Source: Campbell’s Kitchen

My deviations:

*I only used one package of Corn, and substituted one whole white Onion for the other bag.

Preparation:

            Start by pre-heating your oven to 400 degrees.  Next stir the Salsa, Cheese, Corn, Chicken, and Beans in a large bowl.  Transfer the mixture to a 3 quart baking dish. 

            Now unfold the Pie Crusts onto a lightly floured surface.  Lay the Crusts side-by-side, with an overlap of about 3 inches at the center.  Press the seam to seal them.  Next roll the Crusts into a 14x10 inch rectangle.  Place the Crust over the baking dish and trim any excess crust.  Press the Crust to the rim of the baking dish to seal it and finish by cutting several slits on the Crust.

 So mine's not the prettiest  :)

            Bake the casserole for 40 minutes, until the Crust is golden brown.

And the final result -  delicious.  I was more than impressed with this dish.  I loved the simplicity of the recipe and it froze quite well.   Try this and you will not be disappointed!!

Crunchy Onion Chicken and Creamy 3 Cheese Pasta

I made both of these recipes on a whim.  French’s Fried Onions seem to be a staple in our pantry and I’m always looking for new ways to incorporate them into different dishes.  The creamy 3 cheese pasta just sounded delicious, so away I went…

Crunchy Onion Chicken

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups French’s Fried Onions
• 2 Tablespoons Flour
• 4 boneless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Egg, beaten

Source: www.frenchsfoods.com

Preparation:

            First pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.  Next place the Fried Onions and Flour in a plastic bag and crush the heck out of them.  I generally use a heavy can, but you can pick your own weapon.   

            Now dip each Chicken Breast in the beaten Egg and then in the Fried Onion & Flour crumbs.  Arrange the Chicken Breasts on a baking sheet and bake for just about 20 minutes.

            These are delicious and so, so simple!  I can’t tell you how they freeze as it was Aquaman’s job to put these away, but he somehow forgot.  Still I can’t really be mad; I think it hurt his feelings even more than mine.

Creamy 3 Cheese Pasta

Ingredients:

• 1 10 ¾ Ounce can of Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1 8 ounce package of shredded 2-Cheese blend, about 2 Cups
• 1/3 Cup grated Parmesan
• 1 Cup Milk
• ¼ Teaspoon ground, black Pepper
• 3 Cups Rotini Pasta, cooked and drained

Source: www.campbellskitchen.com

Preparation:

First pre heat your oven to 400 degrees.  Next stir the Soup, all Cheeses, Milk and Pepper in a large bowl.  Add the cooked, drained Pasta and mix thoroughly.   

Pour the mixture into a 1 ½ quart casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes, until hot, creamy and bubbly.

Together these two are an absolute master piece!  I highly recommend you add these to your recipe collection.  Both use few ingredients, have almost no prep time and are on the table in under 30 minutes!  What could be better?

 A close up of the star of the show!

Cheesy Goodness!