Skillet Chicken Francese

Chicken Francese is one of my favorite chicken dishes, but the recipe I was using called for a saute-then-bake progression that just left me with extra pans to wash. I reworked the process a bit so that no baking was necessary; the results were just what I was looking for!

This is a bit messy as you get it into the pan, but it's definitely worth getting your hands dirty.

SKILLET CHICKEN FRANCESE
(4 servings)

Get the recipe and nutrition information for this dish at Cook and Count!

Southwestern Chili Mac

This recipe was inspired by Picky Palate's Southwestern Chicken Chili Mac. It looked so delicious, I knew we had to try it.

I changed a few ingredients based on my family's preferences and what we had on hand. I had Pork Carnitas in the freezer and used that for the meat.

SOUTHWESTERN CHILI MAC
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1/2 lb. small pasta, cooked al dente, drained and rinsed (shells, wagon wheels, elbows or spirals)
2 cups pork carnitas (or other shredded, cooked chicken or pork)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small bell pepper, finely chopped (any color)
1 TBL minced garlic
1 10-ounce can Ro-Tel diced tomatoes with chilies, mild
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup corn (canned, frozen or fresh)
1/2 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 TBL chili powder
1 TBL cumin
1 tsp dry Ranch salad-dressing mix
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
oil for the pan

In a deep skillet, cook onions and peppers until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.  Add remaining ingredients except cheese.  Stir until well combined and simmer until heated thoroughly.

In the future I will season this differently.

Ro-Tel adds enough spice that I could have done without the chili and cumin. Also, I'd rather use a can of tomato sauce and half a can of water for the liquid rather than chicken broth.

Remember to choose the right pan for the job. It's always better to have a pan that's a little bigger than you need--the pan on the right is the one I used for this recipe and I barely squeezed it all in. Stirring without spilling was a tough job.

This is a great way to use leftover cooked chicken or pork--or pasta that was leftover from another meal. I used half a can each of corn and beans, and froze the rest for next time. (Yes, canned vegetables can be frozen in appropriate containers). We really liked this easy, pantry-friendly dish.

Speedy Skillet Dinner

Everyone in my family likes the Skillet Stroganoff recipe that Barbara shared. I leave out the sour cream, which makes it more of a "hamburger helper" type dinner, but that's how we like it.

I've worked out ways to do a good amount of the cooking of this dinner ahead of time, which is great for days like today. My choir is singing at the 5:00 Mass tonight, which means that we get home well after 6 and everyone is hungry for dinner right now. They don't want to wait. This can be on the table in 15 minutes if you do everything possible ahead and have your stuff ready to remove from the fridge and pop on the stove the second you get home!

SPEEDY SKILLET DINNER printable version

1 lb. lean ground beef
salt and pepper
1 TBL vegetable oil
1 cup white mushrooms, sliced thin
1 onion, finely chopped (or half a large onion)
3 cups* beef broth
3 TBL* red wine
3 cups* wide egg noodles
2 TBL all-purpose flour
2 TBL butter

MAKE-AHEAD:

In a hot skillet, brown ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from skillet.

Add oil and cook mushrooms and onion until liquid from mushrooms has evaporated, about 8 minutes. Add broth and the wine, and return beef and accumulated juices to pan. Bring to a simmer.

Remove from the stove and put in a large covered container in the fridge until you're ready to resume cooking.

JUST BEFORE DINNER:

Melt butter in skillet and stir in flour. Return beef mixture to skillet and bring to a boil. Stir noodles into beef mixture, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Serve with a salad or "steam in a bag" vegetables.

NOTE: You can stretch this recipe by adding extra noodles, broth and wine. Just make sure that you add 1 cup broth and 1 TBL wine for every extra 1 cup noodles.

Hawaiian Chicken

Get this recipe with nutrition facts at Cook and Count.