Chicken, Pork and Sausage Pastalaya Recipe

This amazing Pastalaya recipe was given to me by my LaPlace, La. friend and neighbor, Amanda. 

16 Ounces Fettuccine

1 Lb Boneless, skinless chicken meat

1 Lb Smoked Sausage (I like Vernon's)

1 Lb pork tenderloin

1 Medium Green bell pepper- small dice

2 Medium onions – small dice

4 Stalks celery – small dice 

1 Can of cream of mushroom soup

1 Jar of Heinz savory beef gravy

½ can tomato sauce

½ can of Rotel Original diced tomatoes w/ green chilies

3 Cups chicken broth

Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning

Accent

Cut the meats into bite-sized pieces.

Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a 5 or more quart pot and add in the sausage. Sprinkle some Tony's seasoning and Accent on the sausage, brown, and remove to a bowl. Do the same with the chicken and pork and cook until done.

Add the veggies into the pot, sprinkle with the Tony's and Accent, then saute until very tender, about 20 minutes.

Then add in chicken broth, Rotel, tomato sauce, cream of mushroom soup, and savory beef gravy; mix well. Add in meat and any accumulated juices and stir to combine.

Break the Fettuccine in half, add to the pot, stir to combine, and then bring to a boil. Ensure the pasta is covered by the liquid, then cover it. Place the pot into a 300-degree preheated oven, cook for 45 minutes, and check the pasta for doneness. Replace the lid once the pasta is tender, and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve in deep bowls.

If excessive liquid is in the pot, stir gingerly and place it back into the oven, uncovered, for a few more minutes. 

Enjoy!

Lasagna Stuffed Chicken Breasts Recipe

This recipe is compliments of The Stay at Home Chef but with some subtle modifications that I made to the original recipe. 

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 egg
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning divided
2 cloves crushed garlic
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella divided
1 cup marinara sauce
Black Pepper

Instructions

Butterfly chicken breasts and place into a lightly greased baking dish.


In a small mixing bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, egg, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese.


Spoon about 1/4 cup of sauce onto one half of each chicken breast. Spread ricotta mixture on top of the sauce and fold chicken breasts over to close.


Drizzle remaining marinara sauce over chicken. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese and black pepper. 


Bake in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

Chicken Provencal with Herbs de Provence Recipe

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion finely chopped

6 clove garlic minced 

1 anchovy fillet minced 

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1 cup dry white wine 

One 14 ½ can diced tomatoes drained

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 ½  tablespoons tomato paste 

1 ½ tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (1 Tbsp dried)

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano (½ tsp dried)

1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence 

1 Bay Leaf

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest (⅓ tsp dried) 

1/2 cup pitted Nicoise or Kalamata olives 

Season both sides of the chicken with salt.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a Dutch or large saute pan oven over medium-high heat until shimmering then add three chicken thighs and cook without moving until well browned, about 5 minutes.

Using tongs, flip the chicken and brown on the second side about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a large plate repeat with the remaining three chicken thighs and transfer to plate, set aside and discard all but one tablespoon of fat from the pot.  

Add onion to the Dutch oven and cook stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until browned about 4 minutes.

Add garlic, anchovy and cayenne and cook stirring constantly until fragrant about 1 minute, then add the wine. Scrape browned bits from the bottom of the pot and stir in tomatoes, chicken broth, thyme, tomato paste, oregano and Herbs de Provence (if using) and bay leaf. 

Remove and discard skin from the chicken thighs (optional) then submerge the chicken in liquid and any accumulated chooses to the pot. Increase heat to high, bringing the mixture to a simmer.

Transfer the chicken to the pot. Cover and simmer until chicken reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken onto a serving platter and tightly cover with aluminum foil. Discard the bay leaf.

Increase the temp to high heat stirring in the lemon zest and bring to a boil and cook stirring occasionally until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the olives and cook for 1 minute. 

Adjust seasonings for personal preference. 

Pollo a la Brasa (Peruvian Chicken) With Aji Amarillo Sauce Recipe

This is a wonderful recipe for Pollo a la Brasa and its mayonnaise-based dipping sauce made with Aji Amarillo paste. I found the sauce so delicious that I did not even include a pic of the whole chicken here but if you want to see it follow this LINK to the actual recipe and pic. I purchased the paste from Amazon. 

Prepare either a whole chicken as you normally would and brine in salted water for a few hours on the counter, not in the refrigerator. Or, you could do the same with chicken pieces and either grill or broil them. If you elect to use a whole chicken make sure you tie the legs together before you roast it.

Ingredients

Chicken

1 whole chicken

3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup lime juice (about 2 limes)

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tablespoon salt

1 tablespoon ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Peruvian Green Dipping Sauce

1 cup fresh cilantro loosely packed or 2 Tbsp dried

1 to 2 jalapenos seeded

1 tablespoons aji Amarillo paste*

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1 clove garlic minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon lime juice

1teaspoon white vinegar

½ cup mayonnaise

1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions

For the Chicken

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place the chicken on a roasting pan rack.

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt, cumin, paprika, sugar, pepper, and oregano. Use your fingers to loosen the skin around each end opening. Spoon some of the spice mixture under the skin so the flavors get in direct contact with the meat. Brush the outside of the chicken with some of the mixture as well.

Roast in the 475 degree preheated oven for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Continue roasting until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.

Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Serve hot with Peruvian Dipping Sauce.

Peruvian Green Dipping Sauce

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and puree. Store in the fridge.

Spaghetti Puttanesca Recipe - The Red Light is On

Fettuccini Puttanesca 

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca is a quick, simple, and rustic pasta and tomato dish with a history as rich as its delicious sauce.

In Italian, Spaghetti alla Puttanesca directly translates to whores spaghetti and as the story goes (well, at least one of them), this was a staple meal prepared and consumed by Neapolitan prostitutes between clients. It makes sense to me but let's get to the recipe.

I concocted this recipe from a variety of online sources which like most recipes, can differ greatly. Some didn't look too appetizing and others did, some used Italian sausage and others not, and some used cherry tomatoes and you guessed it, some used canned tomatoes and the same as with olives. So, here is my version.

Recipe Ingredients

8 Ounces bulk Italian Sausage with fennel 

1 Tbsp anchovies paste or 4 fillets oil-packed

1 28 Ounce can of whole tomatoes crushed by hand in a bowl
2 Bay leaves

2 Tbsp capers

¼ cup pitted black olives, oil-cured if you can find them

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ Cup olive oil

3 Large cloves garlic

8 Ounces thick, long-stranded pasta

Note: I reduced the number of the olives as seen in the pics

Recipe Procedure

Heat the oil in a saute pan over medium heat and gently fry garlic until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan when finished and don't forget to snack on them.

Then fry the sausage breaking it into small pieces. When done, add the capers, pepper flakes, anchovy, and olives and cook for 1 minute then add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat, and stir to combine. When slowly bubbling reduce the temp to low and gently simmer until the sauce thickens about 20 minutes. Add salt/pepper if necessary.

At the 10 minute mark, place your pasta into a pot of salted water and boil until al dente.

Once finished, drain the pasta and combine with the sauce. Note: The Kalamata olives are quite pungent and eating them with the pasta will overpower the subtle flavors of the sauce. They made their contribution to the sauce so at this point I recommend that you remove them from the sauce before combining or simply push them to the side of your serving bowl or plate.

Buon Appetito! 

Tuscan Chicken Recipe

Looking for an authentic version of Tuscan Chicken then your search has ended with this recipe by Chef Gennaro Contaldo. I have provided his video at the bottom of this page.

I must admit that I was very hesitant to give it a try when I saw the copious amount of extra virgin olive oil that was the base for the sauce particularly since the vast majority of the online recipes were cream-based. But I threw caution to the wind and decided to make it knowing that I could make a chicken sandwich if it was a bust.

2 lbs bone-in, skin-on thighs and legs

Salt/Pepper

Flour for dusting/dredging

1 Cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Cup white wine

1 Head garlic cloves, whole

1 large bunch fresh rosemary or 1 Tbsp dried

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 

Parmesan - Good Quality

8+ Ounces Farfalle Pasta (Bowties) 

Recipe Procedure

Trim the excess fat and skin from the thighs. Lay the thighs and legs on a cutting board skin side up and using your hand push down to flatten them somewhat. Season the very generously with salt and pepper. 

Place a small amount of flour on a plate, lightly dredge and shake off any excess. Then place the chicken skin side down in the pan and fry until the skin has crisped. Then turn them over and reduce the temp to a simmer.

Sprinkle with the pepper flakes and then place the garlic and rosemary on top of the chicken, cover the pan and cook for 30 minutes. After that, add the wine and continue simmering uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Try to plan for your pasta to finish at the same time. 

Drain the pasta and return it to the pot and ladle in just enough of the sauce into the pan to coat the pasta. Add in a 1/4 cup or more of Parmesan and stir to combine.

Lay a portion of the pasta on serving plates followed by the chicken and spoon on the sauce and finish with a sprinkling of Parmesan. 

Enjoy! 

   

   

     

Creamy Garlic Chicken Recipe

This is really good and the more garlic the better. Compliments of Cafe Delites. 

Recipe Ingredients 

4-large boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs

4 tablespoons flour (all-purpose)

4 tablespoons finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon black cracked pepper
8 oz mushrooms (optional) 

5 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1 small onion finely chopped

1 whole head of garlic peeled and divided into 10-12 cloves

1 ¼ cup chicken broth (stock)

1 ¼ cup half and half or heavy cream 

½ cup finely grated fresh Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, to serve

Recipe Procedure 

Season the chicken with salt, garlic powder, and pepper.

In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, Parmesan cheese.

Dredge chicken in the flour mixture; shake off excess.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until pan is nearly smoking. Swirl pan to coat evenly.

Fry the chicken pieces until golden on each side, cooked through and no longer pink (about 4-5 minutes each side, depending on the thickness of your chicken). Transfer to a warm plate. Set aside.

Wipe pan over with a sheet of paper towel. Repeat with remaining oil, butter, and chicken breasts. When cooked, transfer the chicken onto the same plate.

Reduce heat to medium. Sauté the onion in the remaining oil/juices in the pan until softened.

Smash 6 whole cloves of garlic with the blunt edge of the back of a knife

Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat through, mixing it through the onions. Sauté smashed garlic cloves, the whole garlic cloves, and mushrooms if using until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. 

Add the broth to deglaze the pan. Scrap up any browned bits and let simmer and reduce to half, about 5 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low. Pour in the cream. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer for about 2-3 minutes, combining all of the flavors together.

Mix in the Parmesan cheese. Continue cooking gently for about 2-3 minutes until cheese melts, while stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.

Add the chicken back into the pan and let simmer for a further 2-3 minutes to thicken the sauce to your liking. The chicken breast will soak up all of the delicious flavors.

Garnish with parsley and a little black cracked pepper.

Serve over pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.