Roasted Lemon Chicken

Until this past Thanksgiving I had never roasted a bird before. Then I finally roasted a turkey. It was good. Obviously turkeys are huge and require a long time to roast so I thought well why not try roasting a chicken. I thought it would be complicated and time consuming. Then as I was browsing through one of my favorite cookbooks by Ina Garten I saw this recipe. Yum. Yum. This was so simple. A roasted chicken with lemons. But.... there was a twist. She makes homemade croutons by sautéeing them in some olive oil and then cuts the roasted chicken into pieces and lays the pieces over the croutons. The croutons sponge up all that yummy juice from the chicken. Ina describes that she was inspired by this idea when she went to France and saw these chickens being roasted (rotisserie) and the drippings would fall onto the bread cubes. Yum. I love chicken. I love lemons. I also LOVE croutons. Homemade you say? Well.... I never tried before either, but really its just some bread cubes (great way to use leftover bread) tossed with some S+P and OO. Yum! First they get crunchy on the outside and then they get a little soggy from the juices of the chicken. Perfect if you ask me. This is also a relatively healthy recipe.... for those of you who are concerned (as I should be....). To make it even healthier you could omit the butter and use OO instead. Tommorow, go chicken shopping. Make it for dinner. Let me know what you think.

Lemon Chicken with Croutons

Adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa

Here is what you'll need:

• 1 (4 to 5-pound) roasting chicken
• olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 baguette or round boule French or Sourdough bread(cubed, about 3 cups)

1. Take the giblets out of the chicken and wash it inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers. Pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Preheat the oven to 425F.

3. Generously rub entire chicken inside and out with kosher salt and black pepper.
4. Quarter about 2 lemons........
5..... and stuff inside the cavity. I just tuck them in tightly and leave it like that... no pinning require (as long as they are not falling out of the chicken)

6. Place the chicken (breast side up) on a roasting pan covered with foil and drizzled with a little Olive Oil. Tuck the wings under the chicken. You can also tie the legs. I don't.

7. Now brush the chicken all over with the melted butter. Or you can brush it with Olive Oil if you preffer.

8. Now pop that chicken into the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 425F.

9. In the meantime at some point make the croutons......

.............. Drizzle a large pan with some olive oil... and turn the heat on medium-high.

10. In the meantime, cube a baguette. I have made these croutons with a sourdough boule or a French baguette. Either works just fine.
You will need about 3 cups. This specific time I only used 1/2 of a baguette as I was serving dinner only for the two of us.
11. Now throw the bread cubes into the pan with hot oil. Lower the heat to medium-low and saute the bread cubes, tossing frequently, until nicely browned, 8 t0 10 minutes.12. Add more olive oil, as needed, and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.


13. Place the croutons on a serving platter and please try not to eat them all while the chicken is roasting... I eat about half, so make extra. (oops, my bad)
14. The chicken should be done roasting in 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. It will look nice and golden like this!
15. Cover with foil and allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. This allows all the juices to really flavor the bird. (Is chicken a bird???)
... Now, you could just set this entire bird (I like saying bird...) right over the croutons to have a nice presentation and carve it in front of guests right at the dinner table....
..or if you are like me and don't know how to carve the bird the right way, just cut it up into pieces and arrange the pieces over the croutons. This way all the juices soak right into the croutons.


I also take out the lemons and arrange them right onto the platter for a nice look. Some like to squeeze out the juice of these lemon wedges onto the chicken. Yum!

And of course, enjoy!

Chicken Parmiagana

Today I am going to share with you a very special recipe... Why it's special, I don't know except that my husband and I both Looooooooooooove this chicken. There are millions of recipes out there for Chicken Parmesan, but I think I like mine better. :) I know.... I know...... what you are thinking. (Actually I don't.) Anyways, make this, you won't regret it. Also, I used to always make Chicken Parm with regular seasoned breadcrumbs, and it's yummy. Now, I make it with Panko breadcrumbs which are Japanese style breadcrumbs. They are light and airy, unlike regular breadcrumbs. Panko breadcrumbs used to be hard to find but now they are available in almost any grocery store. Either way, you can make this recipe with either kind of breadcrumbs. Also, most people fry the chicken prior to adding the pasta sauce and cheese, I like to brush it with butter (because butter makes EVERYTHING taste better, right?) and stick it in the oven. This way the chicken isn't as fatty and I don't have to deal with frying anything.

Chicken Parmiagana

You will need:

*3 large (or 6 small) boneless, skinless chicken breasts

*2 eggs beaten with a splash of milk

*1/2 cup flour

*1 cup Panko breadcrumbs (regular can be substituted)

*1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

*1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

*1/2 cup your favorite tomato or marinara sauce

*Salt and Pepper to taste

and NOT IN PIC

*ABOUT 6 TBSP. MELTED UNSALTED BUTTER

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Now, if you have large chicken breasts, slice them in half. With a mallet or rolling pin pound each piece of chicken in between two pieces of waxed paper or in a plastic bag. About 1/2in. thickness.

*** You don't want to pound too hard and make the chicken super thin.... you also don't want thick pieces.

3. Combine the grated Parmesan with the breadcrumbs.

3a. You should now build an assembly line and have ready your pounded chicken, and 3 bowls with the following: the cheese/breadcrumb mixture, egg mixture and flour.

3b. Now you can preheat your oven to 375F

4. Before starting to coat the chicken, I lightly sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chicken pieces. I also sprinkle some salt and pepper into the egg mixture. (If using seasoned breadcrumbs which might already be a little salty, take care to not over salt.)

5. Ok, now, take a piece of chicken and coat both sides in flour.

6. Now coat each side of the floured chicken piece in the egg mixture.

7. Now b/c I am a loser.. I forgot to take a pic.... but coat each side in the breadcrumb mixture. As you are done with each one, lay them on a baking sheet lined with foil and greased.
8. Now take that melted butter and GENTLY, listen to me when I say GENTLY with a brush PAT NOT RUB the butter onto each piece of chicken to coat the top. You can also use a spoon and evenly pour the butter on top.

9. When you have patted the chicken with butter, you can now bake it at 375F for about 25 minutes or until golden and crisp and juices run clear. Don't turn your oven off just yet.
10. After about 25 minutes take out the chicken and spoon some sauce over it. I had some herb marinara on the fridge. Use whatever kind of pasta/tomato sauce you would like.

11. It is now time for that Mozzarella cheese. Evenly sprinkle it on top of the sauce.
12. Stick your pan back the oven for about 5-7 minutes or until the cheese melts.
And that for you my friends is my very special CHICKEN PARMIGIANA! I hope you enjoy it.

Cajun Chicken Pasta

I don't have anything to say except that this dish involves pasta, chicken and veggies. Have I said enough??? The Cajun makes it spicy. Yum!!!

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Adapted from Pioneer Woman

Here is what you will need:

2 large whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut Into Cubes

2 teaspoons Cajun Spice Mix, More To Taste

1 pound pasta (Fettuccine preferred)

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons Butter

1/2 Green Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced

1/2 Red Bell Pepper, Seeded And Sliced

½ whole Large Red Onion, Sliced

2 cloves Garlic, Minced

2 whole Roma Tomatoes, Diced

1 can (14.5oz) Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1/4 cups White Wine

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

Cayenne Pepper To Taste

Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste

Salt To Taste

Chopped Fresh Parsley, To Taste

1. Cut up chicken into cube size pieces. Sprinkle 1 teaspoons Cajun spice over chicken pieces. Toss around to coat.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil and start cooking the pasta as package directions.
3.Heat 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a heavy skillet over high heat.
4. Add half the chicken in a single layer; do not stir. Allow chicken to brown on one side, about 1 minute.
Flip to the other side and cook an additional minute. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a clean plate.

5. In the meantime, slice your peppers if you haven't already done so....

and your onion....
and dice your tomatoes....

...and mince your garlic.
6. By now your chicken should be done. Add remaining olive oil and butter to the same pan you fried the chicken in.
7. When heated, add peppers, onions, and garlic. Sprinkle on remaining Cajun spice, and add salt if needed. Cook over very high heat for 1 minute, stirring gently and trying to get the vegetables as dark/black as possible.8. Add tomatoes and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
9. Remove all vegetables from the pan.
10. With the pan over high heat, pour in the wine and chicken broth. Cook on high for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.

11. Reduce heat to medium-low and pour in cream, stirring constantly. Cook sauce over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until cream starts to thicken the mixture.
11. In the meantime, chop up some fresh parsley.
12. Back to the sauce.... Taste and add freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and/or salt to taste. Sauce should be spicy!
13.Finally, add chicken and vegetables to sauce, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. ... I added some more pepper...
14. Stir and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until mixture is bubbly and hot.
15. Now, add drained fettuccine and toss to combine.
16. Finally, top with chopped fresh parsley and dig right in.