Taste Like Chicken...

This past week we cooked at home three times since we were getting ready for the excitement of the 4th of July week!!!  We were trying to keep it low key because both Joe and I had a lot of work to do, so we stuck to simple chicken recipes that are full of flavor and can be paired with just about any side :)  One was actually made with ground chicken or turkey, whichever you prefer!  The meatballs I tend to eat with pesto pasta.  That is simple to do, make homemade pesto (recipe to come later) and mix it with pasta! 

Enjoy!

Mediterranean Meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lbs ground chicken (or turkey)

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese, pasturized (i.e. Athenos)

1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1/2 cup chopped sundried tomatoes, packed without oil (i.e, Bella Sun Luci or California Sundry)

The zest of one fresh lemon

1 egg, beaten

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper pepper

Canola cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a medium bowl, combine ground chicken, garlic, panko, Feta, spinach, tomatoes, egg, zest, salt and pepper. Roll chicken mixture into 1-inch balls and then place on a foil-lined baking pan coated with cooking spray.  Spray cooking spray evenly over meatballs.  Roast in the oven 18 minutes or until golden. Serve with pesto pasta.

Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, and Tomatoes

Ingredients:

1 cup of low fat ricotta cheese

Small handful of baby spinach, chopped

Small handful of grape tomatoes, diced (remove the seeds if possible)

2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated

1 clove of garlic, minced

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste

Dash of oregano

2 chicken breasts

Italian seasoned panko crumbs

2 tsp olive oil

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Combine the ricotta, spinach, tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, basil, garlic, sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Mix until thoroughly combined.

Rinse the chicken breasts then cut a long horizontal slit along the center of the thin long edge of the chicken breast, nearly through to the other side. Fill the cavity of the chicken breast with the ricotta mixture. Season each side of the chicken with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste. Carefully dip the chicken breasts in the panko crumbs until both sides are evenly covered. Close the slit together with toothpicks (or if you are like me and realize that you don’t have toothpicks, simply break some kebab sticks in half and use them).

Heat the olive oil in an OVEN PROOF skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown, flip the chicken over and place the skillet into the oven. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Cornflake Ranch Chicken

Ingredients:

6-8 Chicken Breasts

1 cup corn flakes

1 cup shredded parmesan

¼ cup butter

1 packet of ranch dressing mix

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix cornflakes, parmesan, and ranch packet.  Cut the chicken into half, dip the chicken into the melted butter then in to the cornflake mixture.  Place into the greased baking dish.  Pour the remainder of butter on top if desired and bake for 45-50 minutes uncovered.