Name: Baked Chicken Francese
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Yield: 2-4 servings
Ingredients: 1lb chicken breast-for me this was 2 breasts; 1 Large egg (beaten); 1 cup panko crumbs; salt and pepper; 3 tablespoons unsalted butter; 1 Large shallot (minced); 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour; 2 1/4 cups chicken stock (homemade or low-sodium); 1/2 cup dry white wine (I use Chardonnay); 1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons); chopped parsley

Baked Chicken Francese

April 24, 2018

Chicken Francese is usually sautéed with a buttery lemon sauce. My baked chicken Francese has a great lemon sauce, but it’s breaded then baked, not fried!

Let’s not beat around the bush; breaded and fried chicken is pretty great. Agreed?
Now that we have that out of the way, let’s discuss how messy frying is. If you are anything like me, you probably avoid frying at all costs because it uses so much oil and you end up with splatters everywhere. Lucky for me, I started bake-frying everything years ago and I haven’t looked back.

I mean, that’s not to say that I never fry anything. I’m not going to lie to you guys. Most days, though, I just don’t have it in me so I go for the egg and panko dip and give it a good spritz of oil and bake it till it’s crispy. What’s “it”? Well, it could be chicken, zucchini, eggplant…just about anything that you can fry.

Chicken Francese is one of Philip’s favorite dishes to order at an Italian restaurant. Traditional chicken Francese is dipped in an egg batter, sautéed, and served with a lemon-butter sauce…usually with some pasta side. To be 100% honest with you, though, I like the rice with my baked chicken Francese better…it’s a little less cumbersome on the plate.

Is that a weird thing to say?

Anyway, baked chicken Francese is as simple as:

Cut some chicken breasts in half
Pound the chicken to an even thickness
Dip the chicken in egg then in panko crumbs
Spray the chicken with a little olive oil
Bake the chicken in the oven until it’s crispy
Make a sauce of butter, chicken broth, a little flour, and some lemon
Serve it with your favorite sides

That’s it. You can pull this off on a weeknight no problem. What are you waiting for?

Mary

Yield: 2-4 servings

Baked Chicken Francese

10 minPrep Time:

25 minCook Time:

35 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

1lb chicken breast-for me this was 2 breasts
1 Large egg (beaten)
1 cup panko crumbs
salt and pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Large shallot (minced)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups chicken stock (homemade or low-sodium)
1/2 cup dry white wine (I use Chardonnay)
1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
chopped parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a stoneware pan, preheat that too (if you don't have stoneware, preheat a baking sheet).
Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise, then cut the thicker into two thinner cutlets. Place the chicken on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Pound with a meat mallet until the pieces of chicken are even thickness.
Sprinkle the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Dip both sides of each piece of chicken in egg then into the panko until completely coated. Place on the preheated pan and spray with olive oil spray. Place in oven for ten minutes, then turn and bake for ten minutes more.
As soon as you place the chicken in the oven, melt one tablespoon of the butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Sauté the shallot for about two minutes, then whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute. Add the chicken stock, wine, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and return the liquid to the pan.
To finish, turn the heat under the sauce on medium-low. Melt the remaining two tablespoons of butter one tablespoon at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Recipe Type: chicken, main dishes

https://chattavore.com/baked-chicken-francese/

Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

February 6, 2018

Instant Pot chicken and gnocchi soup is a creamy and delicious winter meal. Cooking the soup in the Instant Pot makes it amazingly easy!

I have loved cream of chicken soup for as long as I can remember. As a kid and even now as an adult I would choose cream of chicken soup over chicken noodle as my “sick day soup”. This Instant Pot chicken and gnocchi soup is a grown up (but still kid-friendly!) version of my childhood favorite. Sure…you could make this on the stovetop; but the flavor that the Instant Pot extracts from the chicken can’t be matched, and you won’t believe how tender the chicken thighs are. I made this soup two weeks in a row and ate it for lunch nearly every day – that’s how much I love it!
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite and The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Mary

Yield: 6-8 servings

Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

10 minPrep Time:

40 minCook Time:

50 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 large or 2 small carrots, scrubbed or peeled, diced
1 stalk celery, scrubbed and diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1 pound bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 pound potato gnocchi (I used mini gnocchi)
1 cup heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk
2 cups baby spinach
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

On the Instant Pot, press the "sauté" button or turn the knob to select "sauté". Add the butter and allow it to melt. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until it begins to soften. Add the carrots and celery and cook until the carrots begin to soften.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir to combine. Cook for about one minute. Slowly add 2 cups of the chicken stock, stirring constantly. Add the chicken thighs and press the "cancel" button to turn the Instant Pot off.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the steam release valve to "sealing". Choose the "manual" setting and set the time for 20 minutes.
When the cook time is complete, press the "cancel" button to turn the Instant Pot off. Turn the steam release valve to "venting" and allow the pressure to release completely. Remove the lid.
Remove the chicken thighs from the Instant Pot. Remove the skin and use two forks to pull the meat from the bones and shred it. Add the meat to the Instant Pot along with the remaining chicken broth.
Select "sauté" again and allow the soup to come to a low boil. Add the gnocchi and cook, stirring frequently, until the gnocchi float.
Add the cream, milk, or half and half and the spinach and cook until the soup is heated through and the spinach is wilted. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Recipe Type: soup, chicken, main dishes

Notes

Cook time does not include the time that it takes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure. This takes about 15-20 minutes.

https://chattavore.com/instant-pot-chicken-gnocchi-soup/

Instant Pot chicken and gnocchi soup is a creamy and delicious winter meal. Cooking the soup in the Instant Pot makes it amazingly easy! #InstantPot #InstantPotSoup #Soup | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Sriracha-Ranch Chicken Nachos

January 25, 2018

This post was sponsored by Cost Plus World Market. As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that keep Chattavore running!

There’s nothing quite a like a huge platter of cheesy nachos to satisfy everyone’s tastebuds on game day! These Sriracha-ranch chicken nachos check off all of the flavor boxes!

What are your game day traditions? Do you invite friends over, or do you go to them? Or maybe you congregate in a “neutral” location? I don’t know about you, but for me, the only game day tradition that matters is game day food. It’s certainly no secret that I could live the rest of my life eating snack and finger foods only, so tailgating food is my jam. And I’ll be honest – we are not people that watch football religiously, but we do love to watch the “big game”…and for me (surprise) that’s because of the snacks.

I tend to err on the side of salty rather than sweet, well, 95% of the time. And besides popcorn, there is really no better snack in my book than nachos. A trip to Chattanooga’s Cost Plus World Market, one of my very favorite places (follow this link to find your local store), delivered all the inspiration that I needed to create the perfect platter of nachos for an easy game day snack, down to the actual platter and a great galvanized tub to hold our beverages (scroll to the bottom for links to all products). Sriracha-ranch chicken nachos seemed like a pretty perfect place to start (did you know that Sriracha is almost as popular as ketchup in the U.S. these days? It’s a fact!).

Some shredded chicken (however you want to do it – I just put some chicken thighs in the Instant Pot, but you could totally use leftover or rotisserie chicken), Sriracha, mayo, sour cream, and some Cost Plus World Market spices were all I needed for a tangy and spicy topping for my nachos. A creamy, peppery cheese sauce, a drizzle of lime crema, some Sriracha peas, and sprinkle of cilantro were all it took to perfectly finish off the Late July tortilla chips that I found at Cost Plus World Market. I piled the Sriracha-ranch chicken nachos on a big platter and served it with appetizer plates so everyone could help themselves.

I love to shop the food section of Cost Plus World Market, but it’s also one of my favorite places to shop for textiles and dishes. I found a great party bucket to fill with fun sodas, global beers (no complaint from Philip there!), and Clearly Canadian (CLEARLY CANADIAN!!!!!). They always have the cutest napkins, which I stock up on for my photos, and now they have Duralex shatterproof glasses, so I was able to replace the two that I somehow managed to shatter (only I could shatter shatterproof glass) in a freak vacuuming accident.

How do you celebrate the big game? If you need a new tradition, these Sriracha-ranch nachos are a perfect fit!

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!

Mary

Yield: 6-10 servings

Sriracha-Ranch Chicken Nachos

15 minPrep Time:

5 minCook Time:

20 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

2 cups shredded chicken, warmed
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried dill
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
4 2-ounce wedges Northwoods Jalapeño Jack cheese, grated (see note)
1/4 cup milk
2 bags Late July tortilla chips (I used Mild Green Mojo and Jalapeño Lime)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/4 cup Hapi Sriracha peas

Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, sour cream, mayonnaise, Sriracha, and herbs/spices. Set aside.
Place 3/4 of the cheese in a small bowl. Add the milk. Microwave for 30 seconds and stir. Repeat until the cheese is melted and the milk is completely incorporated to make a cheese sauce. (See notes for alternative to this cheese sauce if you are not able to find Northwoods Jalapeño Jack cheese).
Pour the tortilla chips onto a large platter. Drizzle the cheese sauce over the top then distribute the chicken over the chips. Sprinkle with the reserved shredded cheese and microwave for one minute to melt the cheese.
Sprinkle the cilantro over the top of the chips. Stir together the sour cream and lime juice and drizzle over the top (I like to put it in a sandwich bag and snip off the corner to do this). Sprinkle the Sriracha peas over the top. Serve immediately.

Recipe Type: snacks, appetizers, main dishes, chicken

Notes

If you can't find Northwoods Jalapeño Jack cheese, you can use regular pepper jack to make the cheese sauce. Grate 8 ounces of pepper jack cheese. Set aside 1/4 of the cheese to melt on top. In a medium skillet, melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and whisk to combine. Cook for about one minute. Add 1/2 cup milk and whisk until thickened. Add the remaining pepper jack cheese. Add more milk to thin the sauce to your desired consistency. If needed, add salt to taste.

https://chattavore.com/sriracha-ranch-chicken-nachos/

There's nothing quite a like a huge platter of cheesy nachos to satisfy everyone's tastebuds on game day! These Sriracha-ranch chicken nachos check off all of the flavor boxes! #sponsored #worldmarkettribe #gameday #nachos | Recipe from Chattavore.com

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Classic Chicken Pot Pie + Video

November 2, 2017

This classic chicken pot pie is exceedingly simple but totally from scratch. It is the perfect cool weather comfort food! Scroll down for video.

Who doesn’t love the comfort of a classic chicken pot pie? When I was a kid, my mom’s homemade chicken pot pie with a biscuity-type topping was one of my favorite things that she made. I also really, really loved the frozen Swanson chicken pot pies that had about 1 million calories apiece. For several years I made it with refrigerated pie crust, Veg-All, canned chicken, and cream of chicken soup. I tell you, for a college student, that’s good eating.

These days, of course, my classic chicken pot pie is a little more involved…but still pretty dang easy and always crazy comforting. I love to make a little creamy chicken and white wine sauce, throw in whatever vegetables I have, and wrap this all up in cream cheese pie crust. Could it be more perfect for a cool fall day? Oh, and obviously, this chicken pot pie would also be perfect for your Thanksgiving turkey leftovers.

Mary

Yield: 4-8 servings

Chicken Pot Pie-Better Than Frozen? Yes!

15 minPrep Time:

50 minCook Time:

1 hr, 5 Total Time:

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Ingredients

1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
pie crust for double-crust pie (I used this cream cheese pie crust)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 rib celery, diced
4 mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup dry white wine or Vermouth
1 cup unsalted chicken broth
1/2 cup milk, half and half, or heavy cream
2 cups shredded chicken
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350?. Place the potatoes and carrots in a small sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and add a teaspoon of salt. Boil until cooked through then drain.
Roll half of the pie crust out into a 10-12 inch circle and press into a 9-inch pie pan or a deep dish tart pan (my favorite way to make any pie these days). Place in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Place the onions and celery into the pan and cook until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook until softened. Sprinkle with the flour. Stir and cook for one minute.
Add the white wine and stir. Cook until thickened. Add the chicken broth and the milk, half and half, or cream. Stir to combine and cook until thickened.
Add the chicken and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bottom pie crust from the refrigerator and pour the chicken pot pie mixture in.
Roll the top pie crust into a 10-12 inch circle and lay on top of the pie. Seal the edges and discard the excess. Cut 4 vents into the top crust. Bake for 25-30 minutes then, if desired, brown the top under the broiler.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow to stand for 15-20 minutes before serving.

Recipe Type: chicken, main dishes

Notes

If you prefer not to use the wine, just sub in chicken broth.

https://chattavore.com/classic-chicken-pot-pie/

Shared on The Weekend Potluck on Served Up With Love!

One-Pot Chicken Milano + Video

October 6, 2017

One-pot chicken Milano is a restaurant copycat with chicken, pasta, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy herb sauce. Minimal dishwashing required! Scroll down for video.

People are always shocked when they find out that I do occasionally eat at chain restaurants. With all the great locally-owned restaurants around here, I try not to make it a super-regular event, but I definitely don’t turn my nose up at chain restaurants. Philip and I used to love Romano’s Macaroni Grill, which no longer has a location here in Chattanooga (but actually, we only ate at that one once – we used to go to the one at Opry Mills every time we went there).

When we went there I would always order chicken Milano – chicken, bowtie pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, and mushrooms in a creamy herb sauce. I used to make it at home using a recipe that I had found that incorporated a packaged herb blend. I haven’t made that in years, and chicken Milano is no longer on Macaroni Grill’s menu. I thought about it recently, though, and decided that I had to have it.

It seemed like a perfect dish to turn into a one-pot recipe. I mean, why on earth would you need to use more than one pot to sauté chicken and mushrooms and cook some pasta? To me, one-pot dishes means that, even if you do a little cooking in stages, everything cooks together in the same pot at some point so that all the flavors meld perfectly. There’s no need to take the chicken and mushrooms out of the pot to boil the pasta in water then fool with draining it. When you use just a little bit of liquid, the pasta soaks all of the liquid up and achieves a perfect al denté consistency, while releasing some of its starch to thicken up the liquid that remains.

This tastes just like the chicken Milano that I remember, or maybe even better. We ate leftovers for dinner a couple of nights later and it made a perfect Thermos meal for my lunch later in the week.

Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Plate!

Mary

Yield: 4-6 servings

One-Pot Chicken Milano

10 minPrep Time:

25 minCook Time:

35 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
8 ounces mushrooms (button or cremini), cleaned and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock (I use Kitchen Basics brand)
1 1/2 cups half and half or milk
8 ounces (2 1/2 cups) farfalle (bow tie) pasta
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced (you can use regular, i.e. not oil-packed, but if you do, add the sun-dried tomatoes when you add the pasta)
salt and pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping
chopped fresh Italian parsley for topping (optional)

Instructions

Set a 6- or 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the butter and one tablespoon of the olive oil. Allow the butter to melt. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until no pink remains on the outside of the chicken. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken from the pan.
Add the other tablespoon of olive oil. Add the mushrooms to the pan and cook until softened, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the liquid and the pasta, then add the Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir again.
Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce the heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is al denté and the liquid is thickened, about 15 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese and chopped Italian parsley for topping.

Recipe Type: pasta, chicken, main dishes

https://chattavore.com/one-pot-chicken-milano/

One-pot chicken Milano is a restaurant copycat with chicken, pasta, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes in a creamy herb sauce. Minimal dishwashing required! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

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