Creamy Chicken with Spinach, Garlic and Shallots with Pesto Pasta

Creamy Chicken with Spinach, Garlic and Shallots with Pesto Pasta

Creamy Chicken with Spinach

Ingredients

1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cut into halves and gently pounded to even thickness

1 teaspoon McCormick® Grill Mates® Montreal Chicken Seasoning (if unavailable use 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper plus a 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, finely minced or run through a garlic press

1 shallot, halved, then thinly sliced

2/3 cup chicken bouillon

2 teaspoons corn starch

1 bag baby spinach (about 4 cups)

1 tablespoon butter

2/3 cup half and half

Ingredients for Pesto Pasta

3 cups extra wide egg noodles

1 and 1/2 teaspoons pesto sauce

1 teaspoon butter

Directions

Sprinkle chicken with 1/4 teaspoon each chicken seasoning or salt and pepper and bouillon powder. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until browned and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Poke hole in bag of spinach, then cook spinach in microwave for about 1 minute 30 seconds. Check to see that spinach is wilted after 1 minute as microwave oven temperatures vary.

Melt butter in frying pan and add shallots and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute.

Mix cornstarch with chicken stock. Increase heat to medium-high and add chicken stock. Cook until slightly reduced and thickened, about 2 minutes.

Return heat to medium and stir in spinach, cream and the remaining chicken seasoning or 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper plus 1/4 teaspoon powdered chicken bouillon. Simmer for 2 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan and turn to coat with the sauce. Serve with egg noodles.

Pasta Pesto

Cook egg noodles as directed. Drain. Return to pan. Mix in pesto sauce and butter. Serve along side or under chicken.

Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Roasted Vegetables

I've tried my share of sheet pan dinners and some are good and some not so good. It's often difficult to get all of the ingredients to cook appropriately when they are all on the sheet pan. I made one today that was very simple to make, and very delicious!

Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs with Roasted Vegetables

INGREDIENTS

4-6 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin-on

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided

2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided

1 teaspoon McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning, divided

1 teaspoon McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken Seasoning, divided

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided

10-15 brussels sprouts, trimmed

8-9 small potatoes, halved

1/2 red onion sliced into 8=10 wedges, not rings

6 cloves garlic, sliced, optional

Olive oil spray

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with tin foil. Spray foil with olive oil baking spray.

To marinate the chicken, put the chicken thighs into a large bowl. Then add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon chicken seasoning, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. If desired add sliced garlic cloves.

Stir the chicken so that every piece is coated evenly, then cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.

Place marinated chicken thighs skin-side up on the rimmed sheet pan.

In the bowl that had contained the chicken add trimmed brussels sprouts (if small, leave whole, if large, cut in half, red onion, potatoes, and garlic clove. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon steak seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon chicken seasoning, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. Stir so that vegetables are well coated.

Place vegetables around chicken pieces on the sheet pan.

Bake uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-35 minutes or until the juices run clear. If you have a meat thermometer, check to see that the internal temperature of a chicken thigh has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Then crisp the skin up and brown it under the broiler for a few minutes. Watch carefully as it is quick to burn.

Polish Duck Soup (Czarnina) with Raw Potato Dumplings

Polish Duck Soup with raw potato dumplings. So good!

Polish Duck Soup (Czarnina) with
Raw Potato Dumplings (Kartoflane Kluski)  

Since it is almost impossible today to get duck’s blood and it is a turn off for most people (even though it just adds flavor and richness), this recipe does not include duck’s blood.

1 duck, cut up

1 pound pork loin back ribs

3 quarts water

2 teaspoons salt

1 stalk celery

1/2 onion

1 sprig parsley

8 whole allspice

4 whole cloves

2 Tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet Gravy Maker

1 tablespoon condensed veal stock if you can find it (Optional). I make my own by browning veal neck bones in some oil. Add ½ cup water and simmer until water is reduced to about 2 tablespoons. Use a gravy separator to pour off fat, or chill overnight and remove fat.

12 dried prunes

4 carrots

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 cup sour cream

Cover duck and pork ribs in a large sauce pan. Add salt and bring to a boil. Skim off foam. Add celery, onion, parsley, allspice, cloves, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon Kitchen Bouquet Gravy Maker. Cover and cook over low heat until meat is tender, about 1 and 1/2 hours.

Strain, discard vegetables and reserve pork for another use.

Remove duck meat from bones. Reserve meat. 

Allow soup to chill overnight. The next day remove fat. Bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat and add veal stock if available. 

Add prunes and carrots. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until carrots are tender. 

Blend flour, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add about 1/2 cup hot soup to flour mixture. Pour mixture into soup and bring soup just to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

Add reserved duck meat. Continue to simmer for an additional 5 minutes, again stirring until meat is heated through. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with raw potato dumplings.

Raw Potato Dumplings (Kartoflane Kluski)

These are not really "raw". Raw potatoes are used as the basis for this recipe, but are cooked. These dumplings are meant to go with my recipe for Polish Duck Soup You can also use the dumplings in chicken soup, or fry them up with butter and onions to create a side dish.

INGREDIENTS

 8-12 servings

2 cups raw potatoes, peeled and cut into large dice

1 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 and 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cups bread crumbs (preferably Japanese panko which have been rolled smooth)

DIRECTIONS

Process potatoes in food processor until smooth. If lots of water, drain excess water.

In a bowl, combine potatoes with beaten eggs, salt, crumbs and flour to make dough.

Drop about a good teaspoonful of dough into boiling, salted water.

Cook until dumplings float. Allow to cook for a couple of minutes, then remove to colander. Rinse lightly with cool water. Drain.