Sweet Garlicky Chicken Breasts & Spicy Parmesan Crusted Zucchini

I found this chicken recipe on Pinterest, but I changed a few things. So, this is my version of it. :-)

INGREDIENTS:

4 small or 2 large chicken breasts
1/2 tsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp minced garlic
4 Tbsp brown sugar
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 Large zucchini or 2 Med/small
2 Egg whites
Panko bread crumbs
Grated Parmesan cheese
Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning

DIRECTIONS:

1. Warm oil in small skillet over med-low heat and preheat oven to 350

2. Add garlic to skillet once oil is hot and saute until garlic begins browning and then remove from heat

3. While garlic is being sauteed, peel zucchini and cut into spears about 1.5-2 inches long

4. Liberally sprinkle Panko on a plate and add parmesan (lightly) and Chachere's (a few dashes - depending how spicy you like it); stir with your hands to combine ingredients more evenly

5. Dip spear in egg white, coat it in the Panko mixture and place in a glass baking dish covered with foil

6. Continue the previous step until you go through all the zucchini

7. Combine sauteed garlic with brown sugar

8. Place chicken in a glass baking dish covered with foil that is treated with nonstick spray

9. Spoon brown sugar-garlic mixture onto each chicken breast and spread evenly over each one; Salt and pepper to your taste

10. Put both dishes in the oven and bake for 30 minutes; after 30 minutes, you can turn on the broiler if the sugar needs to melt more or if the zucchini sticks aren't browned enough

I really liked the taste of the garlic and brown sugar together! I think I'd like to add Chachere's to this the next time I make it. I think the sweet with spicy would be awesome. (But, I'd definitely have to serve it with a non-spicy side!)

We loved this zucchini! I think I'll try it with other spices/seasoning, too. Maybe even dry ranch mix...?

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Baked Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Jalapeno Jack and Spinach

Man, oh, man...was this a delicious meal!

INGREDIENTS:

4 Small or 2 large chicken breasts
***I strongly recommend The Choppin' Block for chicken breasts. They're not huge, which means they're hormone-free, and it makes them much easier to cook. Plus, they taste great and have a really good texture.
1 Cup shredded Jalapeno Jack, or if you don't like the spice, you can use regular Jack cheese
1 Large handful of baby spinach
1/2 Tbsp Panko bread crumbs
1Tbsp olive oil
Seasoning Salt and Black Pepper to taste
1 Cup broccoli
1 Cup baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp butter

DIRECTIONS:

1. Slice down the thickest side of the chicken breast so that you can "open it up"

2. Put 1/4 of the shredded cheese (or 1/2 if you're using the large breasts) on the "opened-up" chicken breasts

3. Put 1/4 of the spinach (or 1/2) on top of the cheese

4. Lightly sprinkle some Panko on the spinach

5. Fold chicken over so that it's back together/"closed" and use toothpicks to tightly secure it

6. Sprinkle seasoning salt and black pepper on top of the chicken (amount is up to you)

7. Follow steps 1-6 for the remaining chicken and place chicken in glass baking dish (treated with nonstick spray)

8. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes

9. About halfway through cook time, brush olive oil (or melted butter) on top of chicken to get it to come to a golden brown color

9. Blanch broccoli in water on the stove for about 2 minutes

10. Remove broccoli from hot water, place in a colander, and run cool water over it (to stop the cooking)

11. Put butter and minced garlic in a skillet and saute garlic for a couple of minutes over med-low to med heat

12. Add mushrooms to skillet and saute for about 5 minutes, add a few dashes of soy sauce and stir occasionally

13. Add broccoli to the skillet, stir broccoli, mushrooms, garlic together and saute for about 5 more minutes

SERVE!

I LOVED the broccoli and mushrooms cooked together this way! We will definitely make this side again and will probably try it with other sauces/ spices.

The chicken was perfect! You could also grill them...once the "burn ban" is over! :-/ If Ryan could have grilled them, that's probably what he would've done, but they turned out great baked.

Try using different cheeses and veggies to stuff the chicken, if you like. Feta would've been good with the spinach, also. (Ryan has done that combo before when making chicken breasts spirals.) If you try this recipe or your own variation, let us know how it turns out!

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Artichoke Garlic Chicken

YOU'LL NEED...

* 4 4oz Boneless chicken breasts, trimmed
* 6oz Jar of marinated artichoke hearts (or canned artichoke hearts are fine, too)
* 1/3 Cup light mayo
* 1/2 Cup part-skim mozzarella, shredded
* 2/3 Tbsp minced garlic
* Grated parmesan
* Salt and black pepper to taste
* 2 Tbsp olive oil

STEPS...

1. Use a tenderizer/kitchen mallet to thin out the chicken
2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat; when hot, put chicken in the skillet
3. Cook chicken over medium-low to medium heat, flipping once, for about 8 to 10 minutes - until it is cooked through, being careful not to overcook
4. When chicken is done, set it aside
5. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine mayo, mozzarella, artichokes (drained and broken up into small pieces), garlic and s&p til evenly mixed together
6. Place chicken in a baking dish and evenly spread artichoke mixture over each breast and very lightly sprinkle grated parmesan over the top (Parm cheese helps with the browning on the top)
7. Put in the oven and broil on low until cheese is melted and the tops are golden brown

Our sides were fresh, braised broccoli and mashed potatoes. The only thing I added to the broccoli was salt when serving. For the potatoes, I peeled and diced them and boiled til soft. Then, before mashing, I drained them and added a splash of chicken stock, a dash of garlic powder, a small "pad" of butter (less than a Tbsp), and salt and pepper to taste.

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I will make this chicken again, for sure! It almost melts in your mouth. It sort of taste like artichoke dip with chicken instead of tortilla chips...LOVED it!

This meal served two, with two chicken breasts leftover, and I brought those for my lunch today. :)

Parmesan Panko Chicken Breasts

Parmesan Panko Chicken is one of my FAVORITE ways to cook chicken! I love the crunchy Panko bread crumbs. I think it's the perfect breading for chicken's texture.

Here's what I do...

1. Put about a cup of breadcrumbs on a plate, sprinkle in garlic powder, Tony Chachere's More Spice Seasoning, parsley and grated parmesan. (A couple or three dashes of everything, except add a few more dashes of parmesan. AND...more Chachere's if you want to spice it up.)
2. Coat the chicken breasts with all-purpose flour, dip in egg (that you've scrambed up in a bowl) and then, coat really well with the Panko mixture on both sides.
3. Place breasts in a glass baking dish that has been lightly coated with non-stick spray.
4. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes - depending on the size of the chicken breasts.

Our chicken breasts always come from The Choppin' Block. They are trimmed beautifully and are the perfect size! I don't like the GIGANTIC chicken breasts you find nowadays. I find them difficult to cook properly, and they're more than people really need for a serving, anyway. Not to mention that they must be injected with hormones, etc. to get that size! The Choppin' Block's chicken is all natural, steroid free, and solution free.

Here's a close up, so you can get a better idea of the size of the chicken breasts:

Our sides were garlic sauteed broccoli and brown sugar pears.

Garlic Sauteed Broccoli:

1. 1.5 teaspoons olive oil warmed over medium heat in a skillet
2. Minced 2 cloves of garlic and put it in the skillet with the fresh broccoli florets (2 servings)
3. Sauteed for about 5 minutes, keep turning and stirring broccoli to cook/brown evenly

Brown Sugar Pears:

1. Open 1 can of pear halves and place pears in glass baking dish
2. Put a "sliver"/almost paper thin slice of butter in center of each pear
3. Sprinkle light brown sugar over each pear
4. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes

Normally, I add cinnamon to these pears, too, but I didn't have any on hand.

I was so proud of my presentation that I didn't realize I should've used a more brightly colored plate for the picture. Oh, well, I'm learning, and, anyway, the food tasted delish - that's what matters, right? :)

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