White Chicken Lasagna

So I’m sure there’s a million different ways to prepare lasagna, but this has to be one of my favorites.  This recipe came to me via the best Christmas present ever, “Tailgating Indy Style 2010 Cookbook.”  Thanks to Mr. & Mrs. Courthouse Canoodlers for driving all over the city just to get it.  And by the way, the automatic wine opener is so money – although it may be my new enabler.

Ingredients:

• 9 Lasagna Noodles
• ½ Cup Butter
• 1 White Onion, chopped
• 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced or pressed
• ½ Cup Flour
• 2 Cups Chicken Broth
• 1 ½ Cup of Milk
• 4 Cups of Mozzarella, divided
• 2 Cups Parmesan, divided
• 2 Cups of Ricotta Cheese
• 1 Teaspoon dried Basil
• 1 Teaspoon dried Oregano
• ½ Teaspoon ground Black Pepper
• 2 Cups cooked, cubed, or shredded Chicken
• 2 – 10oz. packages of frozen, chopped Spinach, thawed and drained

Source: Tailgating Indy Style 2010 Cookbook

Preparation:

            First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and bring a large pot of slightly salted water to boil.  Cook the Lasagna Noodles for 8-10 minutes, drain and rinse them under cold water, then set aside.

            To make the sauce, melt the Butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add the Garlic and Onion and cook until tender, stirring frequently.   

           Now go ahead and add in the flour and salt, and stir for about a minute.  Add the Chicken Broth and Milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Next stir in 2 cups of the Mozzarella and ¼ cup of the Parmesan, until smooth. Season the sauce with the Basil, Oregano, and ground Black Pepper and set aside.

            In a 9X13 baking dish, spread 1/3 of the sauce mixture along the bottom.  Layer with 1/3 of the Lasagna Noodles, then the Ricotta and Chicken*.  (I choose to use rotisserie Chicken that I shredded – eliminating a step and I think it adds a depth of flavor!)  

            Arrange another 1/3 of the Noodles over that layer and top with 1/3 of the sauce, the drained Spinach and sprinkle with the remaining 2 cups of Mozzarella and ½ cup of Parmesan.  Arrange the remaining Noodles over the cheese layer and spread the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the last ½ cup of Parmesan.

            Bake the Lasagna for 35-40 minutes, until the Parmesan begins to turn a lovely golden brown.

            This dish is too good to be true!  It’s tasty, hearty and perfect for the cold winter months.  Bonus- it feeds a bunch and freeze very, very well.  C’est tres bon! 

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!!

Chicken Scallopine

Alright, for my first act, let me introduce you to Chicken Scallopine.  This fabulous blend of chicken, mushrooms, wine and heavy cream is absolutely scrumptious, as well as quick and easy.  To be honest it was love at first mention of wine and heavy cream.  I have yet to meet any recipe with these two stars that was less than yummy!

The Ingredients:

• 1 Pound Linguine
• 6 Whole Boneless, Skinless, trimmed Chicken breasts
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Flour
• 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 4 Tablespoon Butter
• 12 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 cup Dry White Wine   (yay!)
• Chicken Broth (optional)
• 1 Whole Lemon, juiced and set aside
• ½ cups Heavy Cream
• 1 Teaspoon (heaping) Capers
• Chopped Fresh Italian Parsley
• Parmesan Cheese, for topping

Source: Pioneer Women, August 24, 2009

First I cooked the linguine according to package instructions and then set aside for later. 

Now it’s time for the chicken.  You need to flatten your chicken breasts to uniform thickness.  The easiest method I’ve used in the past is to cover the breast with a Ziploc bag and literally pound the heck out of it with a kitchen mallet ( a very essential tool in my personal opinion). 

Unfortunately, I started this meal quite late (Aqua Man and I have some very bad habits, including eating late), so in an effort to appease my neighbors, I skipped this step, hence the plumpness in the photos.

After flattening your chicken breasts, salt and pepper both sides and then dredge with flour.  Then heat the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Fry chicken breasts until they achieve that lovely golden brown color on each side.  Remove them to a plate and set aside.  You may, depending on the size of your skillet, have to fry your chicken in batches.

Now your skillet is ready for your thinly sliced mushrooms.  Throw your 'shrooms into the skillet and stir.  Immediately pour in the wine (yay!) and chicken broth, if using.  I personally added ½ cup.  Now add the lemon juice.  Stir to deglaze the pan, making sure to scrape up any golden-chicken goodies stuck to the pan.  Cook for about one minute while the sauce reduces.

Now it’s time for the other star player, the heavy cream.  Pour it into your pan and stir, then add the capers and parsley and stir.  Turn off the heat.  Continue to stir the sauce while adding salt and pepper to taste.  That means you actually need to taste the sauce beforehand to get an idea what amount to add people!

Now for the plating of this glorious dish….  This part is up to you.  Pasta, Chicken, Sauce and Parmesan, how could you go wrong?  Food is art and every artist has their own views and tastes.  No matter what you choose, just be sure not to waste a single drop of sauce, after all it is the coup de grace!

Ta da!  From beginning to end, we’re talking about less than an hour until you have a fabulous, hearty meal with a sauce to die for.  After making this for the first time, I will admit that I did double the ingredients to make more sauce, but again, it’s your preference.   Bon Appétit!!   

**One more quick little side note, this dish does fairly well with freezing, my only suggestion is to cut the chicken up before freezing for easier and more consistent defrosting.