Chicken & Artichoke Pesto Pasta

I made this tonight and we really liked it.  I've combined a few recipes and some store ought shortcuts to make this really simple.

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast, sliced thinly 

1 small jar of marinated artichoke hearts (mine was 7.5 Oz) (I drained most if the liquid out)

2tsp. Minced garlic 

1 small jar of traditional pesto

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

3-4 tablespoons of sun dried tomatoes in oil

1/2 cup milk ( I used 2 %)

1-2 tablespoon of oil

Salt and pepper

2 tsp. Mrs. Dash original

1 tablespoon of dried minced onions

3/4 pound of angel hair pasta

1/2 cup of Texas pecans

Put pasta on to boil in well salted water.  Cook until just under al dente.

Put oil in a large medium high sauté pan.  Add chicken and salt and pepper the chicken.   Cook until about 3/4 done then add garlic and Mrs. Dash.  Continue to stir for about a minute then pour in the artichokes and sun dried tomatoes.  Continue stirring another 2 minutes.  Add the cooked pasta and stir.  Next, add half the pesto jar (or more if you want more) and stir until it is all covered and mixed well, stir in milk and cook another minute or two, stir in pecans.  Turn off the heat and then add in the cheese and stir.  Serve with a green salad and garlic bread. Serves 4 and could easily be doubled.

Easy Peasy Tangy Chicken

I have been trying out a bunch of new recipes lately and here is another good one that I want to share.  What I like best about this recipe is that I can bake this with some veggies tossed in olive oil and dinner is all done at the same time in the oven and I am not having to be in the kitchen.

Easy Peasy Tangy Chicken (Dang, I forgot to take a picture!)

Turn oven on to bake at 425 so it will be to temperature before you put them in.

Ingredients:
4 raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts either pounded so they are thinner that normal or cut so they are the same height all the way across
1 cup of sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or mayonnaise (I actually used a combo of low far sour cream and yogurt)
1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese (I used grated but the tiny bits would also work just fine)
1cup of Italian bread crumbs (I used Panko bread crumbs and sprinkled in some Italian seasoning because that is what I had on hand.)

Take the Parmesan Cheese and mix it with the sour cream (or yogurt or mayo) in a small bowl.  Then take each chicken breast and coat both sides with the Parmesan mixture and then coat them with the bread crumbs.  You can either sprinkle on the bread crumbs on both sides or put the bread crumbs in a plate and lay the chicken down in them for a more thorough coating.  Play the chicken breasts in a baking dish (I used a glass cake dish that was 9X13 that I had lined with parchment for easier clean up) and put them in the 425 degree Fahrenheit (218 Celsius) and bake for about 25-30 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked through and has no pink in the middle).

Now, just set your timer and wait!  I had chopped up sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, and asparagus before I made the chicken, tossed them in olive oil, spread them out on a cookie sheet and sprinkled on some salt and pepper to roast them at the same time, turning them about half way through.

The chicken is really moist and has a nice tang from the sour cream mixture.  Everyone at my table, from the 6 year old on up, liked it!