Skillet Chicken with Pasta, Spinach and Garlic Oil

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been trying to test a series of skillet suppers for quick and easy weeknight meals. It has been slow going because I've overbooked my calendar, but I am slogging my way through the pile of recipes with the intent of of sharing the best of them with you. Hopefully, that will be before school starts. Tonight's recipe is one of a series that I found in a BuzzFeed article that featured stovetop chicken dishes. The recipe is a keeper and I think all but the youngest members of your family will enjoy it. Feel free to substitute thigh meat for the breast meat specified in the recipe and use any type of pasta that you enjoy. I hope you will give this recipe a try. You can have this dish on the table in 30 minutes and it makes a lovely supper. Here is the recipe. 

Skillet Chicken with Pasta, Spinach and Garlic Oil...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of BuzzFeed

Ingredients:
6 tablespoons olίve oίl
6 cloves garlίc, mίnced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 chίcken breasts, cubed
Salt and pepper
12-oz. farfalle
5-oz fresh baby spίnach
1 tablespoon drίed basίl, or 1/2 cup fresh
6 tablespoons fresh lemon juίce
1 cup parmesan cheese

Directions:
1) Heat olίve oίl, garlίc, and red pepper ίn a small glass bowl ίn the mίcrowave for about 1 mίnute to blend flavors.
2) Pour about 1 tablespoon of infused oίl ίnto a skίllet. Salt and pepper chίcken and cook ίn oίl over medίum hίgh heat tίll browned and juίces run clear.
3) Cook pasta ίn salted water. Drain  well. Return pasta to pan. Add cooked chίcken and all remaίnίng ίngredίents to pasta. Stίr ίn remainder of infused olίve oίl. Toss lίghtly tίll all ίngredίents are well combίned. Serve ίmmedίately. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

If you have enjoyed your visit here, I hope you'll take a minute to...

      

One Year Ago Today: Apple Raisin Bars

Two Years Ago Today: Rice and Asparagus Soup

Three Years Ago Today: Rice Squares with Poblano Peppers and Jack Cheese

Four Years Ago Today: Ginger Tea and the Yangtze

Stovetop Barbecued Chicken "Ribs"

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Rained out? Counting pennies? Both? Have I got a deal for you! Several years ago, I was asked by a local ministry to work with a group of women on menu planning and the cooking of quick and inexpensive meals. I grudging said yes because the request was put to me in such a way I couldn't refuse. I suspect that many of you have found yourselves in a similar position and understand how it happens that smiling lips say yes, yes, while the brain that should be directing the whole show, is screaming no, no. As it turned out, the classes were a really pleasant experience and I learned as much as I taught. The challenge was to prepare a month of meals for a family of four, for about $75 a week. It wasn't easy, but working together we were able to fashion a month of meals that met the challenge. My personal goal was to come up with meals that weren't necessarily associated with cooking on the cheap. I hate to pander to people or rehash lessons that folks have already learned. I used a lot of chicken in my demonstrations, particularly chicken legs, which, then and now, could be had for pennies on the dollar. This is one of the recipes that I used. It makes a really nice meal and I think those of you who try it will enjoy it. At the time, we joked about the barbecued legs and called them poor man's spareribs. I'm also including links to some of the other recipes I used for the chicken demonstrations. In almost all cases, you can upgrade to chicken thighs or breasts if you prefer to use them. The recipes are all solid and I really think you'll like them.

Barbecued Chicken"Ribs"...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Janet Porterfield

Ingredients:
8 bone-in chicken thighs or legs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup water
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup apple juice
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

Directions:
1) In a Dutch oven, brown chicken over medium heat in oil in batches on both sides; drain. Return all of the chicken to the pan.
2) In a large bowl, combine the water, brown sugar, soy sauce, apple juice, ketchup, vinegar, garlic, pepper flakes and ginger; pour over chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180°.
3) Remove chicken to a platter and keep warm. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with chicken. Yield: 4 servings.









Chicken Legs with Lemon and Rosemary













Chicken Mole














Moroccan Chicken








You might also enjoy these recipes:
Roasted Chicken Drumsticks - My Kitchen Skills
Barbecue and Hot Sauce Chicken Legs - What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine
Broiled Lemon Herb Chicken - Deep South Dish
Grilled Coriander Chicken Legs - Experiments of a Housewife
Feed a Crowd: Mustard Chicken Legs - Stacey Snacks

Polpettone - Tuscan Stovetop Meatloaf

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...There are times when my sense of the absurd overcomes common sense. Before I go any further, you need a little background. I've been working with a cookbook that was written for folks who know their way around the kitchen. There are no detailed instructions to take you from the larder to the table in 10 easy steps. There's a list of ingredients and a few charming, but terse instructions that can be summarized as "mix and bake." I've long waged a personal war with recipes that call for a chopped onion or 2 cloves of garlic. My brain is wired to handle balanced equations and specific instructions. What size onion are you talking about? If onions upset me, you can imagine how well I handle an instruction directing me to shape a meatloaf like a football. You'll be even more surprised to learn I tried. Fortunately, I realized it was impossible to fry anything shaped like an American football before reaching DEFCON 1. Undeterred, but taking terrible hazing from Bob, I decided they must have meant a soccer ball. I tried that, too, but my creation collapsed under it's own weight and became a discus. I fell back on my old standby, the salami-shaped cylinder, and fortunately that worked, allowing me to roll the loaf as it browned. I choose this recipe because it's geared to a smaller table and I was intrigued by the fact that it was cooked on top of the stove. It also made a ton of sauce that would be perfect for pasta. Despite the false starts, silliness and instructions lost in translation this is a lovely meatloaf that is perfect for smaller families. Here is the recipe for polpettone - Tuscan meatloaf.

Polpetonne - Tuscan Stovetop Meatloaf...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Judy Witts Francini

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
1 large egg, beaten
2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
2 slices crustless bread, soaked in milk, then squeezed to remove liquid
Flour for dredging
1/2 onion, peeled and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely dice
1 stalk celery, scrubbed and finely diced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Olive oil
Salt, pepper and nutmeg
1 (28-oz.) can plum tomatoes packed in juice

Diretions:
1) Mix beef with prosciutto, egg, cheese and bread, Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. I used a teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and a big pinch of nutmeg.Shape meatloaf like a football, roll in flour or breadcrumbs.
2) Saute onion, carrot and celery in olive oil. I used 2 tablespoons. After 10 minutes, add polpettone, turning to brown on all sides. Add tomatoes and up to a cup of their juice. Cover and let cook slowly, turning frequently to avoid sticking. I cooked mine for 30 minutes. Very carefully remove from pan to a cutting board. Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Slice and serve with lemon wedges. Yield: 4 servings.

Cook's Note: The parsley specified in the ingredient list was never mentioned in the instructions. I added it to the tomato sauce. Next time I'll include it in the meat mixture.

Here are some other great meatloaf recipes from other blogs:
Moroccan Meatloaf from Simply Recipes
Kalyn's Best Meatloaf from Kalyn's Kitchen
Turkey Meatloaf with Fig Gravy from The Perfect Pantry