Chicken Breasts with Sweet Peppers, Onions, and Garlic

By Jodee Weiland

For many years now, one of my favorite dishes is Chicken Breasts with Sweet Peppers, Onions, and Garlic. This simple dish is full of delicious flavor, but is really very simple to make.

http://learnfromyesterday.comPreparing the sweet peppers, onions, and garlic is just a matter of cleaning and cutting these three ingredients first. Then you simply sauté the prepared vegetables in extra virgin olive oil until the onions are translucent. Set aside this mixture and brown the boneless chicken breasts after seasoning them to taste. Once done, everything goes in a prepared baking dish and into the oven to bake.

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It doesn’t get much easier than that, but the end product is full of great flavor and gives you a moist delicious chicken breast meal to eat. One thing for sure, you have prepared a meal that will definitely please everyone. My family loves this meal, and it’s a meal that I found easy to prepare after working all day years ago.  It’s a meal that looks and tastes like something from a restaurant, but in fact, is homemade and healthy. Sometimes the easier meals are the best ones, if they have the delicious flavor that everyone expects from a meal well done!

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Chicken Breasts with Sweet Peppers, Onions, and Garlic

2 to 4 boneless chicken breasts without skin
2 to 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 medium thinly sliced onions
3 to 6 garlic cloves chopped
6 to 8 mini sweet peppers cleaned and sliced
2 to 3 tablespoons white wine worcestshire sauce for chicken
Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

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Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray your baking dish lightly with olive oil.  Clean and cut the sweet peppers, onions, and garlic. In a skillet, add the olive oil and heat slightly. Then add the peppers, onions, and garlic to the skillet and sauté until the onions are translucent. Just before removing from the skillet, add the worcestshire sauce with white wine for chicken to the mixture and let heat slightly. Remove this mixture to a bowl, so you can now lightly brown the chicken breasts after seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Once browned, add the chicken breasts to your baking dish. Pour the mixture of peppers, onions, and garlic over the chicken breasts. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for 5 minutes longer, watching carefully, so you do not burn the vegetables.

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Once done, the Chicken Breasts with Sweet Peppers, Onions, and Garlic will be ready to serve. We like to have a side of broccoli with this dish and a crusty loaf of bread. This dish is great as is with a baked potato as well or even just a salad. The chicken breasts are moist and succulent. However you choose to serve it, you will be eating a healthy meal with delicious flavor coming from those fresh peppers, onions, and garlic. This simple recipe will delight your senses, so give it a try and enjoy!

Italian Chicken Sausage, Beans, and Escarole…All in One Pot!

By Jodee Weiland

When I was growing up, it was not unusual for my parents to cook one of my favorites, escarole and beans. I loved this dish, and I usually didn’t care what else was being served with it. As an adult, I realized that other people do care, and many of those who do, like a nice sausage, meat, or fish of some sort with it.

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So I decided to do escarole and beans in a red sauce with Italian sausage. The best part of this dish is that Italian Chicken Sausage, Beans, and Escarole is cooked all in one pot!

http://learnfromyesterday.comLater when I needed to watch the use of sausage in our family for health reasons, I switched to Italian chicken or turkey sausage. Either way it’s good, and I seriously doubt many can tell the difference, even if they claim they can. But that’s okay, because with this dish you can choose for yourself which kind of sausage to use.

http://learnfromyesterday.comItalian Chicken Sausage, Beans, and Escarole…All in One Pot!

6 to 8 mild Italian chicken (Italian sausage or turkey sausage may be used)
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
15 ounce can of diced tomatoes
15 ounce can of crushed or puree tomatoes
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes cut up
4 to 5 cups of escarole cut up
Optional: 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
15 ounce can of cannellini beans

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Prick the sausage with a fork several times, and then cook it in olive oil over a low heat turning often until browned lightly.  Many chicken sausages are pre-cooked, so if that’s the case, you will just want to brown them lightly and continue. Add the onion and the garlic, allowing this to cook covered for a few minutes. Once done, add the escarole on top of this and cook covered until the escarole cooks down slightly.

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Then add in the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, and the sun-dried tomatoes. Stir together and simmer covered for about five to ten minutes longer.  Finally, add in the cannellini beans, stirring them in over a medium heat until bubbling. Once bubbling, lower the heat to simmer, cover and cook for fifteen to twenty minutes or longer to allow the flavors to blend.

http://learnfromyesterday.comhttp://learnfromyesterday.comItalian Chicken Sausage, Beans, and Escarole…All in One Pot is definitely is a hearty and delicious meal! Serve this meal with a crusty multigrain bread and a robust red wine for a delightful dinner any time. The various flavors blend together easily to create a savory dish that will please any one, young or old. But don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself, and enjoy!

Lemon Basil Chicken Breasts with Olive Oil, White Wine, and Garlic

By Jodee Weiland

We’ve been on the road travelling for the last two and a half weeks.  As usual, when I get back home, I look forward to cooking something homemade and delicious for dinner, like my Lemon Basil Chicken Breasts with Olive Oil, White Wine, and Garlic.

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Since our basil plants were so full yesterday when we arrived home, I immediately cut a whole bowl of basil, brought it in the house, cleaned it, and started making batches of my Italian Basil Pesto.  I froze several batches and one was used for our dinner on our first night home.  It was delicious.  Nonetheless, I still had a good amount of basil left, so I decided I was going to use it in an old favorite recipe of mine, Lemon Basil Chicken Breasts with Olive Oil, White Wine, and Garlic, for dinner tonight.

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I love chicken with fresh lemon, olive oil, and white wine, and I have been making various adaptations of this basic recipe for years.  I vary up the herbs I use with it and add plenty of fresh garlic sliced thinly.  I usually use a little sea salt, some black pepper, and whatever other seasonings appeal at the moment.  Tonight it was a little onion powder, nothing more.  Add a little lemon zest and lemon slices at the end, and this dish is delicious.  You can’t go wrong when you put chicken together with fresh lemon, olive oil, and white wine to start.

http://learnfromyesterday.com Lemon Basil Chicken Breasts with Olive Oil, White Wine, and Garlic

3 to 4 boneless chicken breasts without the skin
Sea salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Onion powder to taste
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white wine (I use Riesling)
6 garlic cloves sliced thinly
Fresh lemon juice from one lemon
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 lemon sliced
6 basil leaves sliced

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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Treat baking dish with olive oil.

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Lightly brown the chicken breasts in 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Season the chicken with sea salt, black pepper, and onion powder to taste.  Just before finishing, add the sliced garlic to the pan, so it can cook slightly.  Once done, put the chicken breasts in the prepared baking dish.

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Add the remaining one tablespoon of olive oil to that left in the pan with the sliced garlic.  Add the white wine, fresh lemon juice, and heat a few minutes longer together.  Then drizzle this over the chicken breasts in the baking dish.  Spread the lemon zest over the chicken.  Place the lemon slices around the chicken breasts and finally, spread the sliced basil over the chicken.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes.

http://learnfromyesterday.comOnce done, serve the Lemon Basil Chicken Breasts with Olive Oil, White Wine, and Garlic with your favorite vegetable.  I usually choose fresh broccoli for my vegetable because it is wonderful with the lemon flavored juices from this dish over it.  Add a crusty loaf of bread and a glass of Riesling for a wonderful meal that will make you feel as if you are eating out! This meal is always enjoyed by my family, and best of all, it is a healthy meal as well.  I hope you decide to try it, and enjoy!

Oven Baked Parmesan Chicken Breasts…Tasty and Healthy

By Jodee Weiland

Years ago, I wanted a healthy baked chicken breast recipe for my family that tasted like fried chicken or better without frying it.

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The recipe I ultimately came up with is the result of what I thought would taste good together after trying several different recipes I found in various heart healthy cookbooks and articles.  I played around with a few different things and finally came up with my own adapted version of oven baked chicken.

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First of all, I use chicken breasts that are boneless and skinless, not chicken legs or thighs.  You can use legs and thighs, but be sure to use skinless.  The second thing I do is to soak my chicken in skim milk, although you can use low fat or whatever kind you like.  The third thing I do is to use crumbled corn flakes instead of bread crumbs and I add Parmesan cheese and seasonings to my mixture.  Last of all, I oven bake my chicken.  It all adds up to tasty chicken that is healthier than fried chicken. As I have said before many times, I am a health nut, but that doesn’t mean I want to eat bland tasteless food.  That just wouldn’t work for me.  After all, I’m Italian, and I love good food, so here it is.

http://learnfromyesterday.comOven Baked Chicken Breasts…Tasty and Healthy

2 to 4 boneless chicken breasts without skin
Skim milk for soaking chicken
1/2 to 1 cup corn flakes crushed
1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
1/2 to 1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 to 1 tablespoon dried basil
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Olive oil spray

Spray baking pan with olive oil.  Cut chicken breasts in half in order to coat more of the chicken (this is optional, but in my family we like more coated pieces).

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Crush the corn flakes by putting them in a sealed plastic bag and running your rolling pin over the bag.  Once crushed, mix in the Parmesan cheese, parsley, basil, and black pepper. Mix together well.

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Soak the chicken breast pieces in the skim milk, then dip into the mixture of corn flakes and parmesan cheese coating completely.   Place the coated chicken breast pieces in the prepared baking pan.  Then bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.

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The blend of corn flakes and Parmesan Reggiano cheese with seasonings as a coating for this oven baked chicken makes it not only very tasty, but healthy as well.  Serve your oven baked chicken with the sides of your choice and enjoy a meal that is not only satisfying but has an abundance of flavor as well.  The coating is crunchy and when the chicken is baking, your whole house will smell great!  This is definitely an appetizing alternative to fried chicken and as far as I’m concerned, it’s better.  If you try it, you will know exactly what I mean.  Try it and enjoy!

Chicken Cacciatore…a Classic Italian Chicken Delight in a Crockpot!

By Jodee Weiland

One of our favorite ways to have chicken is an old Italian classic, Chicken Cacciatore.

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Sometimes things get hectic around our house, and we find ourselves running from one place to the next doing errands.  When that happens, a meal made up in a crockpot can be the best answer to a great homemade meal at the end of a hectic day.  That’s why I decided to take my recipe for Chicken Cacciatore and adapt it slightly for the crockpot.  It really wasn’t difficult, since this dish is typically made in a rich red sauce, and either served with rice or pasta.

On a day when things are hectic, I find using rice with my Chicken Cacciatore the easiest way.  On a really hectic day, I just use microwavable rice cups, which is practically effortless.  It works well and saves time.  On a day with plenty of time, a creamy parmesan risotto works nicely with this dish.  Either way, the Chicken Cacciatore is wonderful, and the whole family will love it.

http://learnfromyesterday.com Chicken Cacciatore…a Classic Italian Chicken Delight in a Crockpot!

1 large onion thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 red/yellow bell peppers sliced
1 cup of sliced mushrooms or a 4 ounce can of sliced mushrooms
1 to 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped (or 1 to 2 teaspoons dried basil)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary)
1 to 2 bay leaves
4 boneless chicken breasts without skin
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon sugar or less (some people prefer to use 2 carrots finely shredded or chopped for sweetness)
15 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water (optional)
Freshly grated imported Parmesan Reggiano cheese (optional)

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Spray crockpot sides and bottom lightly with extra virgin olive oil for faster cleaner up later.  After putting extra virgin olive oil in the bottom of the crockpot, layer the onions slices, chopped garlic, and finally, the sliced bell peppers.  Top this with the sliced mushrooms, covering it with the chopped basil, rosemary, and then add the bay leaves.

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Now brown the chicken breasts lightly, adding salt and pepper to taste.  Do not cook the chicken breasts through, but just lightly brown them for a few minutes before adding them to the crockpot on top of all the vegetables.   Once the chicken is in the crockpot, pour the can of diced tomatoes over it.  Sprinkle this with the tablespoon of sugar.  Finally, pour the can of crushed tomatoes over the top of the chicken breasts being sure to cover them.  Then pour 1 cup of water around the edges of the crockpot without disturbing the crushed tomatoes covering the chicken. This last step is optional for those who like the sauce thinner.

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Turn the crockpot on high and cook covered for about four hours.  Prior to serving, decide what kind of rice you want to use and prepare it.

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This dish is absolutely wonderful, and your family will not be disappointed with the results.  Serve it with a salad and a glass of Chianti, while you savor the blending of the rich flavors and taste.  The meal can cook while you do other things, but when you walk in the door from outside the rich aromas of this flavorful dish will greet you and with very little trouble, you will be ready to sit down and eat a superb meal.  If you like, you top it off with a little freshly grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese, but that is optional.  Take your time, relax, and enjoy!