Gooey Chicken Alfredo Bake

Last night David and I needed an easy, filling, delicious comfort food - style dinner. I had seen a "health food" recipe using rotini and a low fat alfredo sauce that looked delicious, but as I said before - we were in the mood for ooey-gooey comfort food, not health food. So, I threw together this little recipe. It was perfect.

Gooey Chicken Alfredo Bake
Source: The Peaden Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 frozen Chicken Breasts (one would be fine if it was a large one)
1/2 bag of rotini noodles
Mozzarella Cheese
Cheddar Cheese
1/2 jar alfredo sauce
Optional: Mushrooms, Green Onions, Bacon Bits, Broccoli etc...

Directions:
Cook the pasta until "al dente". While pasta is cooking defrost chicken, cube and saute chicken in a little bit of oil. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder if desired.

After chicken and pasta is cooked - put it in a small 4x8 pan. Mix in alfredo sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and shredded cheddar cheese. (And bacon, broccoli or any other delicious tidbits you may have on hand.) Top with cheese and bake at 350 until ooey and gooey inside. (20-30 minutes).

Chicken Pepperoni

This is a delectable dish - especially when you have a bit of pepperoni left over in the fridge and you are all pizza-ed out. (If that ever happens?) I made it for David once when we were engaged and it's been a favorite ever since. Its not something that we eat every other week, but it's delicious to pull out every once in a while.

Chicken Pepperoni
Source: Adapted from About.com

Ingredients:
4 chicken breasts/tenders
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 (16-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 ounces pepperoni, sliced in thin rounds (8 slices)
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flatten the chicken breasts to about 1/2-inch thickness. In a shallow skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs with the oregano and garlic powder. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Coat the chicken breasts with the bread crumbs. Saute in the olive oil until browned, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the chicken cutlets to a baking dish. Set aside.

In a saucepan, combine the tomato, sugar, oregano, basil, and garlic powder. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pour the sauce over the chicken in the baking pan. Place the slices of pepperoni on top of each cutlet. Sprinkle the tops with mozzarella cheese. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. or until the cheese melts and just begins to brown.

*Sometimes I supplement the sauce with a can of Hunts Spaghetti sauce - we like to serve the chicken over spaghetti or fettucini and so we like there to be a little more sauce available. 

Menu Plan {4/18/2011}

M-Chicken Pepperoni
T- Hamburger Helper

W- Meat and Bean Burrito

Th- Pasta
F- Pizza


S- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
S- Crockpot Lasagna

California Club Pizza

This pizza is a knock off of the California Pizza Kitchen's California Club. In fact, most of the time I refer to it as "California Pizza Kitchen's California Club Pizza of Deliciousness." But... lets be honest, that title is quite the mouthful, and you are going to want to save all of your mouthfuls for this delicious recipe. Thus, from now on, we will refer to this meal as "The California Club." (p.s. The recipe may look a little daunting, but it's really easy and so worth it!)

California Club Pizza

Source: Insipration from California Pizza Kitchen

Ingredients:
Pizza Crust (recipe below)
1 large chicken breast
5 strips bacon
3-4 cups Iceburg lettuce
3-4 cups Romaine lettuce
Avacado, sliced
3 cups cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons Miracle Whip
Lemon Juice
Garlic Powder

Directions:
First things first, make the pizza dough: 

Pizza Dough (adapted from here)
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 1/2 c. flour

In mixing bowl, combine water, sugar, and yeast. Let stand for 10 minutes or until yeast is bubbly. 

Add salt and stir. Add about half of the flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour (usually between 3-4 cups) until dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Pull dough out of mixing bowl, spray with cooking spray and place dough back in. Cover and allow to rise for 45 minutes or until doubled in bulk. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 and place bacon inside for 10-15 minutes or until brown and slightly crispy. 

Move onto making the toppings for the pizza:
Defrost chicken slightly so that it is still frozen but easier to cut. Cube chicken and grill in a tiny bit of oil until brown. Crumble bacon into little bits.

Remove pizza dough from bowl and place on a lightly-floured surface. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and roll/stretch dough to fit pan. Place dough onto pan, poke a couple of holes with a fork and then bake for 10 minutes or until dough starts to slightly brown. 

Chiffonade lettuce. Mix iceberg lettuce and romaine lettuce together in large bowl. Add a dash of lemon juice and the miracle whip. Mix until lettuce is well coated. Slice avocado. Set aside.

Remove crust from oven and add cheese to the top of the pizza. (The more cheese the better.) Sprinkle a little bit of garlic powder over the entire thing. Spread cubed chicken and crumbled bacon over the entire crust. (Then throw a little bit more cheese on top of that.) Put crust (with cheese, chicken, and bacon) back into the oven until cheese is melted and chicken is warm.

Top with lettuce mixture and avocado.  Serve immediately.

Seriously, the very first time we ate this at the California Pizza Kitchen I was blown away. I am pretty sure I described it as "a party in my mouth".  This recipe may not be exactly the same, but it sure was just as delicious. One warning though, it doesn't make great leftovers, so it's better to try to make exactly the right amount.

*Note: As a variation, you can toss the bacon and chicken in with the lettuce. This way you see more of the meat without it all being covered in lettuce. We like to put it with the cheese because it sticks a little bit better, but when I make it for guests I put it in with the lettuce because it looks better.

Chicken Veggie Skewers

These little skewers are yum-yummy! We don't have a grill, so we just bake them in our oven. They turn out really well. However, I'm sure they would be even better on the grill.  (If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for about 30 minutes.)

Skewer Stuff: 

Cubed Chicken (5 tenders-ish, we like our skewers chicken-y)

5 Cubed Potatoes (we also like out skewers potato-y. Boil them for five minutes to tender them up a little bit)

Small Whole Mushrooms (stems removed)

1/2 Small Red Onion - cubed (try to keep as much of the pieces in tact as possible, but don’t stress it if they start to fall apart)

1 can chunked pineapple

Marinade:

1/4 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. lemon juice

2 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. seasoning salt

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (this really doesn’t add much heat; it’s better with it!)

1/4 tsp. black pepper

4 cloves garlic

1 c. canola oil

1/3 c. Parmesan cheese (either fresh or from a can)

3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning (add more if needed)

In a blender, combine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, mustard, salt, seasoning salt, black pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Blend. While blender is running, slowly add oil in a steady stream. Turn off blender and add Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Pulse blender 2-3 times to combine herbs and cheese. Remove 1/2 c. of dressing for basting during grilling and set aside.

Place cut-up chicken in a shallow dish and pour a little less than half of the remaining dressing over the chicken. Place in refrigerator for 2-3 hours or until ready to use.

Place chopped veggies in a dish (a 9×13 pan works great) and pour remaining dressing (except for reserved 1/2 c.) over the veggies. Toss gently to combine. Set aside.

When chicken is done marinating, skewer veggies and chicken. Then bake in the oven about 30 minutes or until chicken is done and potatoes are tender. 

p.s. When we made them, we actually used chicken and steak. We browned it a little bit in a frying pan first because we were a little worried that it would be completely cooked. It was delicious. Yum Yum Yum. 

Menu for 3/21/2011

M- Potato Supreme
T- Corn Chowder from Our Best Bites

W- Leftovers/Nachos 
Th- Pasta
F- Chefs Salad 

Menu Plan

{4/2/2011}

S- Shish Kabobs

M- Steak and Potatoes
T- Free Burger King

W- Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Th- Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup

F-Ultimate Chicken Bacon Ranch Bites

S- Spring Break Celebration Dinner

S-  California Club Pizza

Ultimate Chicken Bacon Ranch Bites

Yum, yum, yum. These really are the ultimate. Take a Chicken Bacon Ranch pizza. Now make it bite sized. Can this dish get any more delicious? I submit that it cannot!

Chicken Bacon Ranch Bites
Source: Adapted from Our Best Bites. (These two wonderful ladies offer amazing recipes paired with happiness and humor that makes me excited to get into the kitchen.)

Ingredients:
12 Rhodes rolls (I use half of my pizza dough recipe and divide it into 12)
5 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large chicken breast
2-3 cups cheddar cheese
1 T oil
1 tsp Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 T grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Take your ranch dressing mix and combine it with 1 1/2 T parmesan cheese. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. Rip the first roll in half, stretch it out so it's flat and place cheese and desired toppings on each square. Pile it on. No really - even if you think it won't all fit - just put it in there. It will be better that way. Next stretch the sides of the flattened roll to cover all of your fillings.

Place seam side down in half of a muffin pan section. Repeat the filling process with the second half of the roll. Scootch the second tasty bite next to the first in the same muffin section. Continue these steps until all 12 rolls have been split in half and filled. Each muffin section should have two pizza bites. We like a lot of filling so our motto is "It will fit if you make it!"

Brush with oil and then top with cheese/ranch mixture. Bake for 11-14 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve hot with Ranch for dipping. Mmm... Mmmmm ... Delicious!