Chicken Lombardy

We tried this recipe for the first time last night. I am not sure of the original source of the recipe. My husband came across it somewhere and sent it to me in an email. It is highly recommended!

Ingredients:

Two 8 oz package(s) sliced fresh mushrooms
2 tablespoon(s) butter melted
6 skinned and boned chicken breasts
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozarella cheese
1/2 cup(s) parmesan cheese
2 green onions chopped

Preparation:

Cook mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 3 to 5 minutes or just until tender. Remove from heat; set aside.

Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise. Place chicken between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; flatten to 1/8 inch thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. (Note from Cheryl: you could also buy the thin cut chicken breasts. I think I will do this next time!)

Dredge chicken pieces in flour. Cook chicken in batches, in 1 to 2 tablespoons butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Place chicken in a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish, overlapping edges. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and butter. Reserving pan drippings in skillet. Sprinkle mushrooms evenly over chicken.

Add wine and broth to skillet. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in salt and pepper. Pour sauce over chicken. Combine cheeses and green onions; sprinkle over chicken.

Bake uncovered, at 450 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes until cheese melts.

Spanikopita

Recipe here.

Low-Carb Chicken with Spinach and Mushrooms

I know--it's been over two years since I posted here. If you read my other blog, you may have some inkling why. But hey, that's not the point of this post. I dropped in to share a recipe, not rehash the last two years of my life. So here you go: my husband found this one in a friend's feed on Facebook, and we tried it tonight. It was a hit! I am sharing the original recipe plus the modifications I made.

Yummy Low-Carb Chicken

6 thin-sliced chicken breasts
1 container of green onion cream cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 large package of sliced mushrooms
1 small bag fresh baby spinach
Sprinkle of Weber Herb and Garlic Seasoning
Sprinkle of pepper
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese

In a 9x13 pan lay out chicken in single layer, top with spinach and mushrooms. Then sprinkle the seasonings over the top. Soften cream cheese and whisk in olive oil and chicken broth. Pour over mixture. Lay piece of foil over the top but do not seal. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes; remove foil and bake uncovered for another 20-25 minutes; then sprinkle cheese on top and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until starting to brown. Let cool for 10 minutes and serve.

Here are my modifications: I did not have green onion cream cheese so used plain. Then I chopped up about half an onion and sprinkled that on top of the mushrooms and spinach. I used 9, not 6, scallopini cut chicken breasts. I did not have Weber seasoning so improvised that with some garlic powder and some poultry seasoning. When I tasted the sauce it was a little too heavy on the olive oil flavor, so I added some sour cream to the mixture, which also helped extend it to cover the additional chicken breasts.  I'm not sure what a "large" package of mushrooms and a "small" bag of spinach equal, so I just covered the chicken with a layer of each, and after the pan came out of the oven I wished I had piled on even more because of how much the spinach, especially, cooks down.

 Recipe and photo credit: Anna Marie.

Bobotie

The more ways you have to cook ground beef the better, right? Here's one you might not have tried: bobotie. It is of African origin and is pronounced "bah-buh-tee," not "bo-bo-tie." The recipe we use is from A Carriacou Cookbook, which we picked up when were in Grenada a few years ago.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped or thinly sliced
1/2 cup almonds or raw, skinned peanuts
1/2 cup raisins
1 thick slice of bread (or two thin slices)
1 cup milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp. oil
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. each salt and chili pepper

If almonds still have skins on, put them into a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover them. Leave for 10 minutes, then slip off skins. Split, or roughly chop and set aside. (Better yet, use skinless, chopped almonds!) Peanuts can be used whole or roughly chopped.

Put bread to soak in a little of the milk. Put ground beef on to fry and when it is starting to brown add onion and continue frying until beef is completely brown and onions are just soft. While you are waiting for the onion and beef to cook, squeeze excess milk from bread, saving the milk, and mash the bread. Drain excess grease from the beef mixture if desired. Add spices, sugar, salt and chili. Stir fry another minute, remove from heat, and add almonds, reserving about 1 tbsp. for the top. Add raisins, lime juice and squeezed/mashed bread.

Put entire mixture into an oven-proof 9x13 baking dish that has been prepared with oil, butter or nonstick spray. Beat eggs with all remaining milk and pour over the beef mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Scatter reserved almonds on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Serve with rice, vegetables, salad and mango or banana chutney (those recipes can also be found in the Carriacou cookbook).

Here's a photo of the bobotie I made a few days ago (to give credit where credit is due, my husband made it the first time). YUM!