Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Skillet

One of my favorite chicken dishes to make and eat is my Chicken Cordon Bleu. Sure, it's a dish that has probably been on the menu of almost restaurant at some point in time and is often referred to as old fashioned, but I think that my recipe really brings it up to date. From the use of the thyme, dijon and garlic, to the fantastic sauce that I serve with it, it's one of our favorites, and is the only chicken dish that Jon will ask for over and over.

When menu planning a few weeks ago, I was craving the flavors in my chicken cordon bleu, but wanted to do something different with it. I decided to deconstruct it and turn it into a creamy baked pasta dish. I referred back to my chicken cordon bleu recipe and came up with this awesome pasta dish.

It had all of the flavors that I love about the dish and totally satisfied my craving. It was really easy, too, and is another one of those dishes that you could toss together quickly if you cook your chicken ahead of time - like I said in my last post, I'm all about prepping ahead of times these days!

Chicken Cordon Bleu Pasta Bake
Source: Original creation

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts
• 3 cups of water and/or chicken broth
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme, plus an additional 1/4 tsp
• 1/4 tsp dried mustard
• 1/2 lb pasta - pick a small shape with some texture so it holds onto the sauce. I chose Rotini.
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/4 c dry white wine
• 1.5 c light cream 
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 c freshly shredded Parmesan cheese
• 5-6 slices of ham, diced (I used a deli tavern ham)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Bread crumbs

Directions

• Place the chicken in a pot, cover with the water/broth, and add the garlic, 1/4 tsp thyme, and dried mustard. Bring to a simmer, and cook until internal temp of the chicken reaches 160 degrees. Remove from the water and let rest 5-10 minutes. Chop into bite-sized chunks or shred. Set aside.
• Cook pasta, drain and set aside.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat butter in a large oven-safe saute pan. Add the butter and melt, then add the flour, whisking constantly to form a roux.
• Add the wine and whisk, letting it come to a simmer.
• Add the cream, Dijon mustard, and the rest of the thyme. Bring to a simmer for a few minutes.
• Add the cheese, stirring until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Add the ham, chicken, and toss with the pasta.
• Top with some more cheese, and finally bread crumbs (just a thin layer).
• Cook for 15 minutes on 400 degrees, or until hot and bubbly. Turn on the broiler for 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Potatoes

 

I have had cravings for buffalo chicken a few times over the past few months, most recently when I made these Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas. So when I was given the blog Cheese Curd in Paradise in this Blogger's Choice Recipe Swap hosted by A Taste of Home Cooking, I was excited to see this recipe for Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Potatoes.

This is an easy recipe if you have some leftover shredded chicken to use, or even leftover Buffalo Chicken Dip - it could come together in just the time it takes to bake the potatoes (quickly in the microwave), stuff them with the chicken dip, and then finish them off in the oven.



I made all of the components, including fresh chicken, all at once so it took me a little longer, but the original recipe actually calls for canned chicken so if you are ok with that you could save a lot of time.

Lately I have been trying to prep 2 days of meals at once, and this recipe gives you the chance to do that quite easily. First, make some extra chicken - if you shred it all, you have chicken to simmer in some salsa for tacos the next day. Or just cube it up and the next day throw it into soup or a pot pie, or even a pasta casserole. Also, when you scoop out the potatoes, you'll have a nice bowl of already cooked potatoes, perfect for either breakfast the next day, or even some potato pancakes for dinner the next night. I love meals and prep work that can be repurposed for another meal on another day - it makes me feel like I'm saving so much time.

I really enjoyed these stuffed potatoes - thanks for sharing them, Ashley! Stuffing them with chicken was something I had never done before, and add all that creamy, cheesy goodness on top of the Buffalo flavor and I was in heaven. Delicious!

Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Potatoes

Recipe from: Cheese Curd in Paradise 

(slightly adapted to use fresh instead of canned chicken, and quantities lowered for 2 potatoes)

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts, poached in liquid (I used some water, chicken broth, garlic powder, and onion powder) and shredded with 2 forks.
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 c wing sauce; I used Frank's Red Hot
• 2 tbsp ranch dressing
• 1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 large baking potatoes
• 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/3 c blue cheese crumbles

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Bake the potatoes; I do this in the microwave and it takes about 6 minutes for 2. Be sure to pierce them with a fork a few times before cooking. When they are done, cut off the top and gently scoop out the insides.
• Mix the shredded chicken, cream cheese, ranch, and hot sauce. I also threw in a bit of the blue cheese.
• Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and spoon the chicken mixture into the potato. Top with the cheddar cheese and finally the blue cheese crumbles.
• Bake on 375 for about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler for the last 2-3 minutes to brown the tops, making sure not to burn the potatoes.

Enjoy!!

 



Blue Cheese Crusted Filet

Before baby girl was born, Jon and I would often make Saturday night our date night at home. We'd get a nice bottle of wine (or two) and pick a fancy menu - usually something time consuming - to cook together. More often than not we preferred these nights over nights out at a restaurant. These days we make dinner a bit earlier so we can all eat together, and while we aren't spending an hour or two cooking together, we are still putting some really good food on the table.

Good food doesn't have to mean hours in the kitchen, and that's exactly the thought I had when I read the recipe I was assigned in this Special Occasion Recipe Swap hosted by A Taste of Home Cooking. I was given this recipe for Blue Cheese Crusted Filet from the blog The Jey of Cooking. From start to finish, including prep and resting time, this recipe only takes 15-20 minutes, but tastes like something you would order at a steakhouse.

I have topped filet mignon with blue cheese before - after it would come off the grill I'd just put a spoonful on top and let it melt while the meat rested. This recipe from Jey makes a nice mixture out of the blue cheese, garlic, bread crumbs, and a few other ingredients. The result is a topping that creates a nice crust, and has more texture to it than just a few crumbles of cream cheese.

I served the filet with roasted asparagus and Garlic-Parmesan Risotto.

Jey, thanks for sharing this recipe in the swap - I loved it!!

Blue Cheese Crusted Filet
Source: The Jey of Cooking

Ingredients

• 2 Filet Mignons, at room temp, seasoned to your liking (I always use salt and pepper - that's enough for a filet!)
• 1/4 Cup Blue Cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs (I used plain - it's all I had)
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Parsley, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. Whole Milk

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450
• Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat (I don't have one so I used my stainless pan with some olive oil in it. I also added just a touch of olive oil to the steaks)
• In a small bowl, combine the blue cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley and milk and mix until it achieves a paste-like consistency; set aside.
• Add the steaks to the skillet and sear on each side for one minute. (tip - don't flip the steak until it releases from the pan on its own - you shouldn't have to tear it off the bottom of the pan)
• Place the skillet with the steaks in the oven and cook for 4-5 minutes for medium rare, depending on thickness (I left them in for about 8 minutes and they were just medium). Remove from oven and turn the broiler on.
• Top each steak with the blue cheese mixture and place under the broiler for 2 minutes (keep watch so it doesn't burn) until the crust starts to become golden.

Panko Crusted Chicken with Horseradish Cream Sauce

Horseradish is something I really didn't eat until my late 20s. I always saw my grandmother and dad eating it in things like Borscht Soup and on Kielbasa, but I never tried it. I regret it now because my grandmother always made her own horseradish! I think I'll have to try my hand at that someday.

Now that I like horseradish, recipes incorporating it always catch my eye, and I like experimenting with it in things like sauces and marinades. I tagged this recipe for Panko Crusted Chicken with Horseradish Cream Sauce a while back, and finally got around to making it a few weeks ago. I baked my chicken instead of frying it, and it came out nice and crispy from using the Panko and turning on the broiler at the end.

The horseradish cream sauce had a nice amount of heat, but was mellowed out from the cream and dijon. I wouldn't call it spicy as the heat from horseradish hits you differently than say a jalapeno - it's not that tongue burning heat but it will still definitely make your eyes water!

Panko Crusted Chicken with Horseradish Cream Sauce
Source: Adapted from Becoming Pigzilla

Ingredients:
Chicken:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs

Horseradish Cream Sauce:

• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 2 cups milk (I used 1 c light cream)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp prepared horseradish (adjust to personal taste)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray the bottom of a baking dish lightly with cooking spray.
• Pound chicken breast to 1/4 inch thickness and season lightly with salt and pepper.
• Set up three bowls - bowl 1: flour; bowl 2 - egg mixed with milk; bowl 3 - Panko mixed with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 
• Dredge chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess, then egg mixture, and finally Panko, making sure to completely coat the chicken. If you want extra crispy chicken, dredge in flour, egg, then flour again, then egg again, and then the Panko mixture.
• Cook the chicken approximately 15-20 minutes, flipping once and turning on the broiler at the end. Make sure the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 170 degrees. Let rest a few minutes before serving.
• While the chicken is cooking, make your sauce. Heat butter over medium eat in a small sauce pan. Whisk in the flour until combined. Once combined, slowly add the milk or cream, whisking constantly. Once milk/cream has warmed and flour and butter are incorporated, increase heat to medium high and bring mixture to a boil, whisking occasionally. Keep a close eye so it doesn’t burn or boil over. Once sauce has thickened, add Dijon mustard, garlic, and horseradish. Whisk until incorporated and sauce reached desired thickness. Salt and pepper to taste.
• Spoon sauce onto plate and top with panko crusted chicken. Serve.

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Muffins

Over the holidays I tried my hand at some holiday baking - I had some successes, one major failure, but all in all I had a good time! Now I'm not going to become a baker by any stretch, but I have gotten over my fear of baking, I guess you could say!

So when I was given the blog Cookies on Friday in the most recent Taste of Home Cooking Recipe Swap, I didn't have the same reaction that I did the first time I had this blog in a swap. I decided to do something with chocolate chips since I had a bag of chips left over from holiday baking, so that's how I narrowed down my choices (and wow, are there a lot of great choices in this blog!!).

I made cookies the first time I had this blog in the swap, so this time I decided to try muffins.

These Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Muffins sounded really interesting, looked easy, and I actually had all of the ingredients on hand. Now don't let the word "muffin" fool you - they definitely aren't breakfast muffins (to me anyway). They were very sweet and ate more like a dessert... a dessert that I enjoyed a few days in a row! I took a bunch of them to work too and they disappeared with rave reviews.

Graham Cracker Chocolate Chip Muffins
Source: Cookies on Friday

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (this was about 3/4 of a sleeve; I used cinnamon graham crackers)
• 1 cup milk
• ⅓ cup vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• ¾ cup milk chocolate chips

For the topping:

• ¼ cups flour
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¼ cup graham cracker crumbs
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

 Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners. This recipe made 18 muffins for me. 
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs until blended.
• In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, egg, and vanilla.
• Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
• Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.
• Fill each muffin cup about 2/3 full.
• Make the topping: in a medium bowl mix the flour, brown sugar, graham cracker crumbs, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and mix well until crumbly and looks like wet sand. Divide the topping between the muffins.
• Bake for 16-19 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Savory Cracker Snack

If you are looking for one more snack to add to your party menu, give this a try. I made it for Christmas and it was well received by everyone - salty, savory, crunchy, and light enough to have a few handfuls without ruining your appetite for all of the other yummy appetizers or dinner.

Savory Cracker Snack
Source: Examiner.com

Ingredients

• 1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
• 1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp dried dill weed (or to your taste)
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder (or to your taste)
• salt to taste
• 1 box or bag oyster crackers

Directions

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees
• In a large mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients and mix well. Stir in oyster crackers mix to coat. Pour crackers onto a large cookie sheet.
• Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
• Cool and add to a covered container.

Caramelized Onion, Gruyere, and Bacon Spread

Mmm, you had me at bacon. And Gruyere. And caramelized onions.

Three of my favorite ingredients in one recipe? Yes, please.

I first saw this one on Pinterest, pinned from the site My Recipes. Once I looked at it, I discovered it was a Cooking Light recipe from November 2011. I made some changes to the recipe that definitely changed it to "not cooking light" status, but if you want to lighten it up, check out the original recipe.

I served this on Christmas and it was such a hit. I have said it before, but caramelized onions and Gruyere work so well together. They are one of those perfect flavor combinations in my book. This spread was so creamy, had the ideal balance of salty-savory and sweet, and was just a little bit too easy to eat. I served it with some toasted baguette slices.

Caramelized Onion, Gruyere, and Bacon Spread
Adapted From: My Recipes

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 white or yellow onions, chopped
• Approximately 4 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh chives
• 1/3 c mayonnaise
• 1/3 c sour cream
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 4 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
• Sliced baguette for serving (sprayed with olive oil and toasted for 5-6 minutes in the oven)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees
• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add onions; cook approximately 20 minutes until they turn a deep, golden brown. Be careful not to fry or burn them - you want them to caramelize.
• Transfer onions to a bowl, and add 3 oz of the cheese, half of the chives, and the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine.
• Transfer the mixture to a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
• Bake on 425 for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.
• Top with the remaining chives and serve immediately.

Bolognese Sauce

It's recipe swap time again! This Taste of Home Cooking Recipe Swap featured recipes from Celebrity Chefs. I submitted this Chicken Pot Pie recipe by Martha Stewart, and was given this Ina Garten recipe for Bolognese Sauce shared by Dawn at Simple Gourmet Cooking.

Jon usually cooks when we are going to have "meatsauce," so I was excited to give this a try. Just from reading the recipe I knew it would be a lot different than his. Fancier, if you will.


I made the recipe exactly as it was shared, except for the amount of time it cooked. This is a weeknight (quick) bolognese, but since I made it on a Sunday, I let it simmer for about 45 minutes in addition to the cooking time required by the recipe. However, it's really nice to know that this is a great sauce recipe that could be made in just 30-40 minutes, if needed.

I really liked this - it was hearty and tasted like something that had cooked and simmered all day. The one change I'd made next time is that I would not add the remaining 1/4 c of wine at the end. I could still taste a lot of the wine as it didn't really have time to cook off. But other than that, I loved everything about the recipe, even the use of cream! I never would have thought to add cream to a tomato sauce unless I was making a pink sauce.

Dawn, thanks for sharing this one!

Bolognese Sauce
Source: Simple Gourmet Cooking


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1¼ cups dry red wine, divided
• 1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1½ teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 pound dried pasta, such as shells
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• ¼ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

Directions

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat into the pan and cook until no longer pink and starting to brown, 5-7 minutes, breaking up the meat.
• Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Add 1 cup of the wine to the pan and stir, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
• Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let simmer for 10 minutes. I had time, so I let it simmer for an additional 45 minutes over low heat.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions.
• While the pasta is cooking, finish the sauce. Stir in the nutmeg, basil, cream, and remaining ¼ cup wine. Simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened.
• When the pasta is cooked and drained, toss with the warm sauce and grated Parmesan until well coated. Serve with additional Parmesan if desired.

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas

Last week I had planned on making a salad with buffalo chicken and blue cheese. But that day, it ended up being very cold and windy, and I just wasn't feeling like eating a salad. I wanted something heartier, but still with the buffalo flavor since it had been on my mind for 2 days.

I sat in the parking lot of the supermarket searching for a quick and easy recipe, and came across this one for Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas on the blog I Will Not Eat Oysters. Quesadillas... hmm. That's not usually the type of thing I make for dinner, maybe lunch. But they sounded so good, and I figured we could still have a side salad with them, so I ran in and bought some blue cheese and tortilla shells and decided to give them a shot.

Now these are easy, but they do require 4 different pans to prep and cook them... Jon wasn't too happy with the dishes that night. BUT - this IS the kind of recipe that can be prepped in advance. Make the sauce, dipping sauce, and cook/shred the chicken the night before, and you have a really quick and easy meal to throw together on a weeknight.

I didn't tell Jon what I was making until I put a quesadilla on his plate and said "try it." After eating it and liking it, he admitted that if I would have told him we were having Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas, he would have been wary of them. I'm glad he did, because I really liked them and look forward to making them again, either for a quick dinner or a fun appetizer at a party!

I made several changes, so my adaptation is below.

Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas
Source: Adapted from I Will Not Eat Oysters

Ingredients

For Buffalo Chicken:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups hot sauce (like Frank's RedHot)
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 stalks celery, sliced thinly - I really don't think these were necessary in the quesadillas. I would have rather had celery sticks on the side.
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded - I poached my chicken and then shredded it.
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

For Quesadillas:

• 6 tortilla shells (medium size)
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, jack cheese, marbled cheddar, or your favorite kind
• 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
• A large nonstick pan

For Blue Cheese Dipping Sauce:

• 1 c sour cream
• 1/3 c blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

• Make the hot sauce: In a small sauce pot over med heat, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add the flour and mix with the butter. Cook, stirring, for about a minute to cook out the flour taste. Add the hot sauce and vinegar, and let the sauce heat but not boil for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Set aside, or store in an air tight container in the fridge.
• The dipping sauce: In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and blue cheese crumbles. Cover and store in the fridge.
• The chicken mixture: Heat the olive oil in a skillet or large pan on med-high heat and add the celery, if you are using it. Sweat until celery is slightly soft and darker in color. Add the shredded chicken and season with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to med-low and add the buffalo sauce. Cook together, stirring, for about 5 minutes.
• Make the quesadillas: Place a nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add the tortilla and cook for 20-30 seconds per side. Add chicken to one half of it, top with shredded cheese and then blue cheese. Fold the empty side of the shell over to "close" it. Let cook until crispy and slightly browned, and then flip to cook the other side.
• Slice and serve with the blue cheese dipping sauce.

Enjoy!!

French Onion Pasta

I made this recipe about 2 months ago - I'm a bit behind on blogging! Luckily I made some notes so I wouldn't forget what I did!

A while back, I pinned a recipe for French Onion Pasta found on the blog Stephanie Cooks. I took a few things from that recipe, and a few ideas from this French Onion Braised Chicken, and pulled together a quick and tasty pasta dish.

It was really good - tasted like French Onion Soup with some pasta! I think adding shredded chicken and even some spinach would make this a complete meal.

Ingredients

• 2 yellow onions, sliced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• Pinch of sugar
• Approximately 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1/2 envelope of Lipton onion soup mix
• 1/3 c brandy
• 1 c beef stock
• 1/4 c light cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 c penne pasta, cooked
• Chopped parsley
• Shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Directions

• Heat olive oil and butter in a large, oven-safe saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sugar. Stir almost constantly until they turn a rich, golden brown color, being careful to keep the heat low enough so they do not fry or burn. At the end, add the dried thyme. This will take about 20-25 minutes.
• Add the garlic and soup mix; stir.
• Turn the heat up a bit and add the brandy, stirring to scrape up any brown bits.
• At this point, turn the broiler on in your oven.
• Add the broth and bring to a simmer.
• Add the cream and a handful of cheese, stirring until the cheese has completely melted.
• Add the pasta and parsley, stir. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Top with cheese and place under the broiler until the cheese has melted.