Made By Melissa

This recipe is a variation off of Cooking Light’s chicken and asparagus in white wine sauce. That recipe was very similar to the chicken francaise recipe in my blog, so I made a few changes. The end result was a very good chicken dish that I will certainly be making again.

Chicken and Asparagus in Creamy White Wine Sauce

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (about 2 1/4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth (I increased to 1 cup)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I increased to 4 cloves)
• 1 pound asparagus spears, trimmed (or green beans/hericots verts)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (Omitted)
• 2 tablespoons low free 1/2 and 1/2

Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken breasts evenly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in flour. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add wine, broth, and garlic to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; cook 2 minutes. Add asparagus; cover and cook 3 minutes or until asparagus is crisp-tender (this took more like 6 minutes for me). Remove asparagus, keep warm. Increase heat to high and simmer liquid until slightly thickened, add 1/2 and 1/2 and simmer for 2 more minutes. Return chicken to pan, stir in parsley. Serve with asparagus.

There are a couple different versions of this recipe floating around- some with a whole chicken, some with chicken parts, different herbs etc. I chose to go with this one from crockpotrecipes101.com. I made a few changes, based on what I had on hand. This chicken came out well, not as good as I thought it would be, but something I will probably make again. All of the extra roasted garlic was a huge bonus though! I added red potatoes to the crock-pot, one less side for me to cook.

Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic

• 40 cloves garlic (about 3 heads of garlic)
• 2 sprigs rosemary (I used dried)
• 2 sprigs thyme (I used dried)
• 2 sprigs sage (I used dried)
• 2 sprigs Italian parsley
• Ground pepper to taste
• 3 pounds roasting or fryer chicken
• 3 stalks celery
• 4 red potatoes, quartered
• Loaf french bread - optional

Rinse chicken in cold water and pat dry. Put celery on the bottom of the crock-pot. I rubbed the chicken with olive oil inside and out, then sprinkled with the dried herbs. Put 1 sprig of each herb into the cavity of the chicken. Place chicken on top of the celery. Add potatoes around chicken. Cut up the rest of the herbs and sprinkle on top of the chicken. Add ground pepper to taste. Peel garlic, leave skin on, and place on top and around chicken. I have a 6qt. crock-pot, so I added about 3/4 cup chicken broth. Cook on low for 8-9 hours. Remove chicken from crock-pot and place on a platter, arrange potatoes around chicken and top with some fresh parsley. The cooked garlic can be used in place as garlic butter for the french bread. Just squeeze and spread onto bread slices.

On my first ever trip to Trader Joe’s, I knew I had to pick up some much-raved-about pizza dough. I generally go the boboli route when it comes to homemade pizza, my one attempt with actual dough resulted in a very messy kitchen and a very lop-sided pizza. But, after hearing so many great things about TJ’s dough, I decided to give it a try.

For this pizza, I used the garlic herb dough, as well as TJ’s Alfredo sauce and roasted minced garlic. The crust was fantastic! The Alfredo sauce was pretty good, definitely convenient for a busy night, but if I had time I would probably make my own. The roasted garlic added a lot of flavor to the pizza and I look forward to using it in more dishes. I also bought some plain pizza dough and a few other items you will see in future entries!

After reading several reviews for the crust on traderjoesfan.com, as well as the advice from the What’s Cooking? forum, I decided to pre-bake the crust. I also made my pizza into a rectangle, as I don’t have a pizza stone (yet!) We had this with a side salad. I am definitely looking forward to making more home-made pizzas!

Chicken Alfredo Pizza

• Trader Joes garlic herb pizza dough
• Alfredo sauce
• 2 small or 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 onion, roughly chopped
• Trader Joes roasted minced garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

 Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees. Let dough sit out at room temp for 20 minutes ( I read this is important to make the dough roll easily.) Work with dough on a well-floured surface to shape into a circle/rectangle with a rolling pin. Some people find it is easier to stretch the dough by hand, I thought the rolling pin worked better. Bake the dough in pre-heated oven for 8-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, drizzle 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan. Season chicken breast(s) with salt and pepper. Heat over medium heat, add chicken and cook for 6-8 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside, add another tablespoon of olive oil or so, add onions to pan and turn down heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions are golden brown, about 12-14 minutes.

Remove pre-baked crust from the oven and spread on Alfredo sauce (I used about 1/2 a jar.) Top with chopped chicken, onions, roasted garlic and cheeses. Return to oven and bake another 12-14 minutes, until crust is golden brown on the edges.

This recipe for chicken francaise produced a very juicy, flavorful chicken breast with a tangy lemon flavor. The recipe is from one of my favorite food sites epicurious.com. We had it with roasted red potatoes and steamed sugar snap peas.

Chicken Francaise

• 4 large skinless boneless chicken breast halves (2 lb total)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice plus 1 whole lemon, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (I used 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes)

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and gently pound chicken with flat side of a meat pounder or with a rolling pin until 1/4 inch thick.Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until hot but not smoking.While oil is heating, stir together flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl. Dredge 2 pieces of chicken, 1 piece at a time, in flour mixture, shaking off excess. Lightly beat eggs in another shallow bowl.

When oil is hot, dip floured chicken into beaten eggs to coat, letting excess drip off, then fry, turning over once, until golden brown and just cooked through, about 4 minutes total (it around 8 minutes total for me). Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Fry remaining chicken in same manner.

Pour off and discard oil, then wipe skillet clean and heat butter over low heat until foam subsides. Add wine, broth, and lemon juice and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 6 minutes. Stir in parsley and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and top with lemon slices.