Chicken with Tomatoes, Fennel and Basil

This dinner tasted (and smelled) restaurant-quality. It is based on Amanda's Spiced Chicken and Mezzi Rigatoni, with a few changes. Total cook time is 35 to 40 minutes, unless you have an enormous pan to cook the chicken. I had to do the cooking in batches so the chicken would saute instead of steaming.

CHICKEN WITH TOMATOES, FENNEL AND BASIL
Serves 6

Get the recipe and nutrition facts at Cook and Count!

Skillet Chicken Parm

My husband's favorite dinner is Chicken Parmesan. But while I am a big fan of pasta with red sauce, Chicken Parmesan is not high on my list of best-loved dishes--either to make or to eat. Breading, frying, then baking the chicken is a mess and a chore. Today I bought a new cookbook: The Cook's Country Cookbook (from the America's Test Kitchen editors) and found a Skillet Chicken Parmesan recipe in there.

I know that the America's Test Kitchen people are all kinds of scientific and they think they have found the One Best Way to make anything. Honestly, though, I didn't buy this cookbook for the recipes but for the information on technique (like shaping rolls and boning chicken) that had lots of useful photographs. So while the recipe below was "inspired by" the ATK one in the cookbook, there were a lot of changes that I made to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand.

This version of Skillet Chicken Parm cooks in about the same time as a big pot of linguine, so it's great when you want to have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes!

This was way easier to make than conventional Chicken Parm, and there was plenty of sauce to go around (that's my favorite part!) I used my own homemade pizza sauce, but you can use your favorite thick spaghetti sauce.

SKILLET CHICKEN PARM

Get the full recipe plus nutrition information at Cook and Count!

Penne Vesuviana

This recipe is loosely based on Amanda's Farfalle alla Vesuviana.

1 pound penne or mini penne pasta, cooked al dente (reserve 1 cup pasta water)
3 TBL olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
4 cups crushed tomatoes (if they're fresh) or 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp capers, drained
1/3 cup Italian green olives, pitted and chopped
1/4 tsp each oregano and basil
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tbl dried parsley flakes or 2 tbl fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
grated Parmesan or Romano cheese for topping

Saute garlic in the olive oil until softened. Add tomatoes, capers, olives, and seasonings, except parsley and cheese. Simmer until the pasta is done. Add pasta water a little at a time if needed to moisten the tomato sauce.
Toss the sauce mixture with the pasta and parsley. Top with grated cheese before serving.

Barb's Italian Chicken

This is a great busy-day dinner. You can start it ahead of time and turn it off if you have to do a Mom's Taxi run in the middle of dinner prep. Just leave the lid on, and turn it back on to simmer when you return. (I wouldn't leave this or anything with meat in it for more than 15 minutes, in the interest of food safety.)

Barb's Italian Chicken

3/4 pound boneless-skinless chicken breast, in 1-inch chunks
1 TBL olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 TBL minced garlic
1/4 cup red wine
1 28-oz can plum tomatoes (or diced if you prefer), with the juice
1 tsp EACH basil and oregano
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup sliced mushrooms

Saute the onion and garlic in olive oil for a couple of minutes. Add chicken and cook 2 minutes per side. Pour in wine and allow to cook down. Add remaining ingredients, turn down to simmer, and cover. Cook 30 to 45 minutes to let the flavors mingle. Serve over your favorite pasta.

Italian Veal Stew

My mom always called this "veal scalloppine" but I'm not sure that's the right term for this dish. Whatever you call it, it tastes great.

ITALIAN VEAL STEW

1 1/2 lb. veal stew (shoulder) meat, cubed & browned in a little olive oil
1 can (14 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
Italian seasonings to taste (oregano & basil)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup  baby bella mushrooms, whole or sliced
1 tsp capers (more if you really like them)

Simmer in a covered skillet for 1 hour. Serve over pasta. Serves 6.

Alternate methods:  I cook mine in a 4-qt roaster oven set at 325 for 1 hour. OR you can put it in the crockpot for 4 hours.

Extra, extra:  if you like a thicker stew, also add 1 8-oz can of tomato sauce.

Magnificent Marinara Sauce

My homemade chunky marinara sauce:

1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil for the pan
Dash of white wine for deglazing
1 14-oz can petite diced tomatoes
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
Seasonings to taste: coarse salt, oregano, basil & a touch of crushed red pepper, pinch of sugar

Saute the onion in the olive oil. When it begins to soften, add the garlic and saute for a minute or so. Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add tomatoes and seasonings and simmer, covered, at least 1/2 hour.

I just tweaked this recipe today after overhearing someone talking about the white-wine-deglazing step. Normally I do this in my Nesco roaster but I did it all in a large heavy skillet, and I WILL NOT MAKE MARINARA ANY OTHER WAY EVER AGAIN. I could eat this sauce with a spoon.