Everyday Meals Archives - The Midnight Baker

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Pasta

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 06 Sep 2022 23:00:37 +0000

Copycat Olive Garden chicken and pasta is a delicious slow cooker dinner that’s easy to make.

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken And Pasta: It’s As Good As They Say!

I believe this one originated on Tik Tok. There’s a lot of recipes that go viral from there just like that feta and tomato pasta. There’s a reason they become viral; they’re usually easy and very tasty. This copycat Olive Garden chicken and pasta is no different.

This recipe makes a lot so if you have family who have huge appetites–meaning teenage boys–then there won’t be any leftovers. For lighter appetites there will be leftovers but hear me out here–this tastes even better the next day! I usually dislike any reheated chicken, but this is very good.

The Pasta

That would be any tubular shape you like. I used penne here but ziti, rigatoni or elbows will do just fine. So will small or medium shells. As always, use what you have.

One thing here is this is not a total slow cooker recipe. You cook the pasta conventionally. I’d like to try this where you’d let the pasta cook along with everything else, but there’d have to be more liquid added in order to cook the pasta. The recipe doesn’t have that much liquid so there’d have to be adjustments. You might be able to get away with it if you used regular egg noodles, but I’m not sure. So if anyone feels like experimenting, please let me know your results.

The Sauce

The sauce is pretty simple. It’s broth, salad dressing and cream cheese.

The recipe calls for the brand-name Olive Garden dressing. I was careful to use that because in a comparison of other Italian dressings on the store shelf, it looked somewhere between the creamy and traditional varieties. Since I want something I make to come out as it should, initially I will use exactly what’s called for in the recipe. The good thing here is you don’t use the entire bottle so you can pop it in the fridge to either use on salads or for another time you make.

Personally, I found the finished product a bit on the dry side so I just added a bit of cream to make it more juicy.

The Recipe

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Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Pasta

Easy and delicious

Prep Time10

Cook Time4

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: olive garden chicken, olive garden copycat chicken recipe, slow cooker chicken and pasta, tik tok chicken

Servings: 6

Calories: 741kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1.5-2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast
8 oz Olive Garden Italian dressing from a 16oz bottle
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese jarred is fine too
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp of parsley
1/4 cup of melted butter
8 oz Chicken broth
4 oz heavy cream
8 ounce block of full fat cream cheese
16 ounces penne pasta

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the chicken breasts to the bottom of your slow cooker.
In a separate bowl, mix the Olive Garden Italian dressing, cream, butter, broth, parmesan, pepper & parsley until combined.
Pour the mixture over the chicken breasts
Place the cream cheese on top.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 5-6 hours.
When the chicken is tender boil your pasta according to box directions and drain.
Shred the chicken with 2 forks mixing everything together.
Toss the pasta in with the chicken and sauce and sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese if desired.

Nutrition

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Toad In The Hole

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 23:00:18 +0000

Toad In The Hole is an old British standby that’s been around for ages. It’s a great and inexpensive way to use leftovers.

Toad In The Hole–Very British

Toad In The Hole has got to be one of Britain’s old standbys. I can tell you that my mom ate plenty of this growing up.

One of the best things about this is that practically anything can be added to it. Traditionally, it’s made with whole sausage, but bulk sausage meat can be substituted for that. With whole sausage it makes quite a nice presentation.

By the way, this is one meal you most definitely wouldn’t see served to the “upstairs” crowd at Downton Abbey. However, it was most likely served a lot below stairs. It’s a real meal of the proletariat if you will.

Yorkshire Pudding

Basically, this is a Yorkshire pudding with add-ins. And those add-ins can be anything you like, including leftovers.

In fact, it’s a great way to use any leftover meat or vegetables you have on hand. Even though sausage is traditional, anything goes here. It’s also nice topped off with some brown gravy.

Of course this can be served as a main for dinner, but it’s a terrific luncheon dish.

Easy Peasy

Did I mention this is very easy to make? Well it is! You just mix up a few simple pantry ingredients and let it stand for 30 minutes. I really can’t say why it needs the standing time because there’s nothing to rise in this batter. But I do know that it won’t come out right if you don’t. The same holds for a regular Yorkshire pudding.

Another tip for success is the pan must be piping hot when you pour the batter in. For this reason, I HIGHLY recommend using cast iron or another metal.

If you are not using drippings or sausage–which gives you the required fat–you can use a bit of butter with a bit of oil.

The Recipe

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Toad In The Hole

British favorite

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Batter Standing Time30

Course: Brunch, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: british traditional foods, downton abbey foods, toad in the hole

Servings: 4

Calories: 577kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup milk
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1 lb mild sausage or bulk sausage meat
Drippings from sausage or about 2 tbs butter

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Whisk together the milk, flour, eggs and salt in a medium bowl until well mixed. Let the batter sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350F/180C. Butter a 9-inch/23 cm pie dish.
Scatter the sausages over the bottom of the prepared dish. Place the dish in the oven for about 10-15 minted to render some fat from the sausage.
Remove dish from the oven and pour the batter over the sausage. Return to the oven.
Bake for 45 minutes until sausage is cooked through and batter has puffed up and browned.

Nutrition

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Firecracker Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 16 Jul 2022 23:00:33 +0000

Despite it’s name, firecracker chicken is not hot. It’s name is homage to a British holiday.

Firecracker Chicken–Easy!

Firecracker chicken is one of the easiest and tastiest chicken dinners you ever will eat.

The name is a bit misleading. This chicken will only be as hot as you want it to be.

It gets its curious name from a major British holiday–Bonfire Night. Long story short, there are many fireworks displays, hence the name. Bonfire Night used to be called Guy Fawkes Day. Guy Fawkes attempted to burn down the Houses of Parliament. The holiday is in November. That concludes the British history lesson; now onto this scrummy chicken.

High-Quality Paprika A Must

The major flavor of this chicken is the smoked paprika. You definitely don’t want any cheap or dollar store stuff here. There are great varieties available in most grocery stores. This is something I buy online because to me this is the best paprika ever. Chiquilin also offers mild and hot paprika. All are excellent and I’ve used them for years.

The marinade also gets it’s bit of sweetness from maple syrup. Although I’ve never used pancake syrup in this, I suppose it can be substituted for the maple syrup. I prefer the real thing so that’s what I use and besides I live in maple syrup country here in New York so it’s readily available.

Try Wings

This marinade also makes great wings! Don’t hesitate to use it for that. You won’t be disappointed.

Another wonderful feature of this recipe is that the chicken can be frozen in the marinade for future use. It’s really a boon to have this in your freezer so you’ll have a nice tasty dinner.

Here’s another tip–make sure you line that baking sheet for easier cleanup. And…this is easily adaptable to the air fryer. Just reduce the temperature to 400 F/200C and check for doneness at 20 minutes for drumsticks. You will have to keep your eye on it, but it’s worth it.

The Recipe

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Firecracker Chicken

Great sweet smoky flavor

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Bonfire Night recipes, smoky chicken marinade, sweet smoky chicken

Servings: 4

Calories: 561kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 lbs chicken parts i.e. 12 drumsticks
Salt & pepper

Marinade:

2 tbs smoked paprika
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tbs maple syrup
6 tbs olive oil
2-3 drops Tabssco optional use more for more heat

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Sprinkle the chicken parts with about 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.
Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl. The Tabasco is optional if no heat is wanted, but if you do, use as much as you like.
Place the chicken parts in a plastic zipper bag and pour in the marinade. Shake the bag to coat all the pieces. Place the chicken in the refrigerator to marinate at least 30 minutes but overnight and up to a day is preferred. The chicken can also be frozen in the marinade for future use.
To cook: Preheat oven to 425F/220C. Place chicken on a baking sheet lined with non-stick parchment. Pour any leftover marinade over the chicken. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on the size of the pieces. For instance, drumsticks take about 30 minutes and thighs take about 40 minutes.

Notes

See post body for air fryer method

Nutrition

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Buttermilk Chicken Breasts

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 14 Jun 2022 23:00:54 +0000

Whether it’s served on a plate or on a roll, these buttermilk chicken breasts are tender and delicious. Easy too.

Buttermilk Chicken Breasts

Looking for something easy but delicious for dinner–or lunch–that can also be served as a sandwich? Look no further than these scrumptious buttermilk chicken breasts!

Since you pound them down to a uniform thickness of about1/4-inch, they cook very quickly and stay moist and juicy. It’s also amazing how something so simple can be so delicious too. I personally prefer these served on a roll. So you can bypass that fast-food place’s chicken sandwich and make your own. Off the top of my head I’d say that you can serve four people for what you’d pay for two sandwiches in one of those joints. So consider these a budget-friendly option.

Chicken Breast Size

Any time these are on sale at the stores I shop in, the size is, in a word, huge. The only time I’ve seen “normal” sized chicken breast is in the organic variety. So, if that’s your choice you’re set to go with four servings.

However, if the size you buy is the enormous ones, you’ll probably be able to cut them in half after pounding and get double the servings. This is especially true if you’re using them for sandwiches and/or are serving lighter appetites.

Spice It Up

For those that like things a little spicy, you can make.a very simple sauce to drizzle over this chicken.

Just a bit of honey, maybe about 4 tablespoons, and add a couple of drops of your favorite hot sauce. That’s all there is to it!

The Recipe

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Buttermilk Chicken Breasts

Great on a roll too

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Chill Time (optional)1

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: buttermilk batter chicken, chicken cutlet sandwich, copycat fast food chicken sandwiches

Servings: 4

Calories: 945kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to 1/4-inch thickness
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbs paprika
1 cup oil - fill a a 10 inch to 12 inch skillet about 1/2 inch deep

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a mallet to about 1/4-inch thickness. If breasts are large then one breast will serve 2 people.
Place flour, cayenne (can be omitted if desired) salt, mustard, garlic powder and paprika in a plastic bag and mix well.
Place the buttermilk in a shallow dish--a pie plate is perfect for this.
Shake chicken in the bag with the flour. Now dip in the buttermilk, letting excess drain. Now place in the bag with the flour to coat again. Shake off any excess flour and place on a plate. Refrigerate the chicken of at least one hour.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Heat oil to 350F/180C. Fry chicken on both sides about 5 minutes per side. You likely will have to fry in shifts. Drain on a paper towel.

Nutrition

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San Marzano Chicken Cacciatore

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 11 Jun 2022 23:00:29 +0000

This special variety of tomatoes makes this San Marzano chicken cacciatore extra special.

San Marzano Chicken Cacciatore

Sometimes it’s funny when you realize how long it’s been since you’ve eaten something that you enjoyed so much. That was the case here. A recent bout with sciatica left me chair bound with a heating pad planted firmly on my butt. There was not much else to do than binge watch movies and shows. So, I re-watched The Godfather and there was some chicken cacciatore.

Since I was reading all the hype about San Marzano tomatoes and how awesome they were, I decided to make San Marzano chicken cacciatore.

I usually buy the store-brand canned tomatoes. They’re good and they’re inexpensive. San Marzano tomatoes will at first produce some sticker shock because they’re expensive; almost twice the cost of the store brand. Are they worth it? A big YES there. However I only use them when the flavor of tomatoes is the dominant flavor.

The Chicken

Chicken cacciatore is a stew. In fact, it’s sometimes referred to as “hunter’s stew.” And just like beef stew, using a less tender and more inexpensive cut of beef to get the best flavor, the same applies here with the chicken.

Dark meat produces the very best flavor. Because the flavor is everything, you’ll want skin and bone chicken. Boneless skinless breasts won’t produce the flavor necessary; it will be rather bland with the taste of the chicken completely overpowered by the tomatoes. Bone-in skin-on chicken breast would work a little better but won’t be as good as thighs and drumsticks.

Fresh Basil

Using fresh basil is important here.

You don’t let it cook with the sauce. You stir it in when the chicken and sauce is done. It adds a lovely pop of color because it’s still bright green and gives a bolder flavor to the sauce because it’s not cooked down.

If you don’t grow basil yourself, it’s readily available in supermarkets.

The Recipe

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San Marzano Chicken Cacciatore

San Marzano tomatoes make the sauce extra-special

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chicken cacciatore with san marzano tomatoes, hunters chicken, italian chicken stew, san marzano tomatoes

Servings: 4

Calories: 578kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 chicken leg quarters separated into thigh and drumstick
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup flour
3 tbs olive oil

Sauce:

28 oz San Marzano tomatoes
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 small onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Dredge chicken in the flour and brown well on both sides; remove to a plate.
In the same pan you browned the chicken, add the bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook until the onion just begins to get tender. Stir frequently so this mixture doesn't burn.
Add the wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half; about 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, stock and oregano. Stir well. Add the chicken back to the skillet and turn so it's coated with sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken tests done (160F/80C) about 30-40 minutes.
Stir in the chopped fresh basil.
Serve immediately--nice with pasta.

Nutrition

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Chalupas

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 23:00:02 +0000

These chalupas are soft yet crisp. They’re the perfect shell for any filling.

Chalupas: Make Your Own!

Anyone will agree that what you make from scratch is almost always better than anything you buy in the store. These chalupas are no different.

Next time tacos are on the menu at your house–or party for that matter–don’t buy shells from the store; make these easy chalupas to hold all those fillings.

The fillings can be mostly anything you want. It doesn’t have to be like tacos.

These chalupas can be made in a disk shape or you can do the fold to make them like shells. Until I have my own video on how to do this, I’ve included a very good one in the recipe card instructions.

Just Three Ingredients

That’s right. Only three ingredients.

What makes these easy is that you use self-rising flour. But don’t fret if you have none. Trust me, you have all the ingredients on hand to make your own.

All you need is salt, flour and baking powder for your own. To one cup of flour add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and voila, you’ve got it.

But I do recommend that you keep at least a two-pound bag of self-rising flour on hand. It does come in handy for a lot of things.

Filling

As I mentioned above, any filling you like will do here. In fact any taco-like filling would be great.

I’ve included one for ground beef that suits my tastes. As a rule, I’m not a lover of cumin so I go very light with it. I prefer a more garlicky taste and maybe a bit of heat (not included with this). So, adjust to your tastes. The fellow whose video I linked to in the recipe instructions gives a pretty standard ground beef taco filling., however, that comes before the shaping so you’d have to watch the whole thing.

The Recipe

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Chalupas

Easy to make chalupas

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Course: Main, Main Course, Snack

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: chalupas with self-rising flour, copycat taco bell chalupas, soft taco shells

Servings: 8

Calories: 694kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

Chalupas:

3 cups self-rising flour
2 tbs vegetable shortening like Crisco
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup oil

Filling:

2 lbs lean ground beef
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cumin

Topping:

1/2 cup diced white onion
2 cups shredded lettuce
1 cup diced plum tomatoes
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chalupas

Heat the oil in a deep skillet or dutch oven. There should be at least 1-inch/2.5 cm in the pan. The oil is the right temperature if a little piece of dough immediately begins to sizzle when dropped in.
In large bowl, combine the flour and shortening. Mix until the mixture looks like fine meal. You can use a food processor too.
Gradually add the milk (you might not use all of it) until a soft, pliable dough forms. It'll be a bit sticky. If it's too sticky, add a teaspoon or two of additional flour. Form the dough into a ball; cover and let it rest for about 10 minutes.
Divide dough into 8 equal portions. This is easily done by flattening the ball slightly and cutting wedges, like a pie.
Form each wedge into a ball and roll out on a floured surface to a thin circle about 1/8-inch/0.7 cm. Carefully place the rolled dough into the hot oil. Fry for about 30 seconds then flip. With tongs, grab one end and fold over, forming a shell. Fry each side of the shell for 30 seconds or until golden brown. If you don't want to make shells, they can be left as disks, frying each side for 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining dough. Drain on paper towels and set aside. See this video if you need help forming the shells.
Video link-- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPEkWibcXKY - start at 5:13 for how to shape.

Filling:

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet breaking up clumps; drain fat.
Add the garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper and cumin. Stir to combine.
Divide the meat mixture among the 8 shells/disks. Mix the toppings and divide them equally between the chalupas.

Nutrition

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Air Fryer Pickle Chicken

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 23 Apr 2022 23:00:10 +0000

Save that pickle juice to make this air fryer pickle chicken!

Air Fryer Pickle Chicken

At first this sounded crazy to me. However, I got to thinking how the composition of pickle juice would make a great marinade. And besides, it comes from Meredith Laurence who is also known as The Blue Jean Chef. I like her recipes so I decided to give this a whirl. I wasn’t disappointed–far from it in fact.

There are some slight deviations from her original recipe, but nothing very major. Since I rarely make my own pickles anymore, I opted for using commercially packed dill pickles–the ones that are shelf stable, not the refrigerated variety. Meredith gives a brine you can make yourself on her site which you may want to use because it’s clear.

A Word About Marinating

A rule of thumb is that marinating for longer produces a better flavor. That’s true here as it is with other meats.

I marinated this for about 10 hours, which is a bit more than “overnight.” And the flavor of the pickle juice really flavored the meat, so I suggest you let it sit for at least 8 hours.

One thing that I noticed was that the chicken had taken on a chartreuse color like the pickle juice. It actually looked radioactive–but don’t let that put you off. The chicken gets a breading so you won’t see it, but if you think that may be an issue (it would have been with my late husband), then I suggest you use Meredith’s formula for your own pickle juice since it’s clear.

Air Frying

The chicken is air fried in batches, which makes sense if you have a basket-style fryer, but it’s final cooking is done with the chicken stacked. Again, I thought this was weird, but as I said before, I trust her recipes and it came out perfectly. Of course this won’t be an issue if you have an oven-style fryer where you can use two racks.

The Recipe

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Air Fryer Pickle Chicken

Surprisingly delicious

Prep Time20

Cook Time47

Marinate5

Course: Dinner, Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: air fryer chicken marinated in pickle juice, chicken brined in pickle juice, using leftover pickle brine

Servings: 4

Calories: 743kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3.5 lb chicken legs bone-in and skin-on cut into drumsticks and thighs, 4 whole legs
pickle juice from a 24-ounce jar of kosher dill pickles
1/2 cup flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs
2 tbs oil
1 cup fine breadcrumbs
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground paprika
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
vegetable or canola oil in a spray bottle

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place chicken in a large zipper freezer bag and pour in the pickle juice. Seal bag and refrigerate overnight.
Let the chicken come to room temperature before you are ready to cook.
Mix the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Whisk the eggs and the 2 tablespoons of oil and place in another shallow dish.
Preheat air fryer to 370F/185C.
Remove the chicken form the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Dredge the chicken in the flour then dip it into the egg mixture and then press it into the breadcrumb mixture coating all sides. Place the breaded chicken on a baking sheet and spritz with oil liberally.
Air fry the chicken (in shifts) 10 minutes on one side then turn and air fry for an additional 10 minutes. Repeat with the other batch of chicken.
When the second batch is done, place the first batch on top of it and air fry at 340F/170C for an additional 7 minutes or until internal temp is 165F/80C and juices run clean

Nutrition

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Bucatini Carbonara

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 Apr 2022 23:00:08 +0000

Bucatini carbonara is an easy mid-week meal with a gourmet flair.

Bucatini Carbonara–Quick And Easy

This delicious pasta dish is so easy to make, it qualifies for a quick mid-week meal. There’s really nothing to it.

If you can fry bacon and boil up some pasta, you have it made. Bucatini carbonara is one of those meals where meat is purely a condiment. And as luck would have it, that meat is everyone’s favorite; bacon. OK if you want to get technical and be a true gourmet, bacon is standing in for pancetta here. However, I don’t know many people who have pancetta on hand but most of us have some bacon kicking around.

About The Pasta

Bucatini is a thick strand with a hole in the center–sort of a very thin elongated elbow. You won’t find this is store-label pasta. You will in premium brands.

If you want to get adventurous, you can make your own pasta. What you see here is my own homemade bucatini. The disk to make this comes with the KitchenAid extruder so I figured why not. I love making my own pasta because the difference in taste though subtle is better in my opinion. If you don’t have a bucatini disk, thick spaghetti will do very nicely and most pasta machines come with a thick spaghetti disk.

My basic formula for an extruded pasta is a mix of semolina, all-purpose flour and water. I will give the recipe in the card below. FYI–when it comes to making pasta, I always weigh the ingredients. Weighing is important for consistent great results. My recipe is European so the weights are in grams. Don’t be put off–all modern kitchen scales weigh in both systems so just choose grams.

About The Eggs

The type of eggs you use here is important.

Since the heat of the just-cooked pasta is what is going to “cook” the egg, it’s important to use organic or pastured eggs. I get my fresh pastured eggs from a neighbor who keeps chickens, so I don’t have to worry about salmonella. If you don’t have that kind of access to eggs, then either get what I mentioned before or so-called pasteurized eggs. Cage-free eggs are OK too.

The Recipe

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Bucatini Carbonara

Quick and easy delicious dinner

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: extruded pasta, extruded pasta dough recipe, pasta carbonara, recipes with bucatini

Servings: 4

Calories: 829kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 slices bacon cooked crisp and crumbled
2 cloves garlic minced
2 tbs bacon drippings
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
12 oz bucatini cooked per package directions
1/2 cup pasta water
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Salt & pepper to taste

Pasta Dough (if making your own)

200 g semolina pasta flour
50 g all-purpose flour
90 g water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Sauté garlic in the reserved bacon drippings; set aside.
Drain masta but reserve 1/2 cup of the water. Place the hot pasta in a large bowl. Add the beaten eggs and toss to coat.
Mix in the reserved pasta water, grated cheese, bacon, garlic with bacon drippings and chopped parsley. Add salt & pepper if required.
Serve immediately.

Notes

If making your own pasta, my recipe will yield approximately 12 oz

Bacon called for is streaky bacon.

Nutrition

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Chicken In Bacon Mushroom Cream Sauce

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 05 Apr 2022 23:00:38 +0000

Chicken in bacon mushroom cream sauce is out-of-this-world delicious. Easy to make too.

Chicken In Bacon Mushroom Cream Sauce

If you’re looking for a really deliciously gourmet meal that’s easy to make, this recipe is for you.

While it’s fancy enough for a “date night” or guests, it’s equally great as a weeknight family meal. The reason for that is that it is easy.I know I say this a lot but some of the best-tasting meals are those with the simplest ingredients and are ridiculously easy. That pretty much sums up this recipe. And I bet you have most, if not all ingredients on hand too!

Chicken Thighs

I used boneless skinless thighs for this. The original recipe called for skin on, bone in thighs. Honestly, that’s what I prefer but I had a package of the boneless skinless in the freezer so that’s what I used. And my followers know my mantra of “use what you have.” In this recipe, I feel the boneless skinless actually work a bit better. Since the sauce contains cream and bacon, the extra fat would probably detract from the flavor. Trust me, I’m NO health nut but sometimes fat is overkill. Personally, I’d rather have bacon and cream than chicken fat. Don’t think I’m alone there.

Chicken breast would work just as well. I’m sure mostly everyone has these in their freezer as they are on sale quite frequently. However, if you do opt to use boneless skinless breasts, I’d advise pounding them down with a meat mallet so the thickness is pretty much even. That way, you won’t have the thin parts overcooked.

Don’t Like Mushrooms?

Simple–leave them out and this dish is just as good.

You can always add some spinach or peas if you leave out the mushrooms. In fact, either of those would be a great addition even with the mushrooms.

The Recipe

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Chicken Thighs in Mushroom Bacon Cream Sauce

Simple and delicious chicken

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy gourmet chicken dinners, one-dish chicken dinners with cream sauce, one-skillet dinners with chicken

Servings: 4

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs oil divided
4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 tsp Italian seasoning
6 oz sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine or vermouth
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Sauce:

5 slices bacon cooked chopped
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Season chicken thighs with the salt, pepper & Italian seasoning.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet and brown chicken over medium-high heat on both sides; remove from pan.
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same skillet and sear the mushrooms until they begin to brown. Deglaze the pan with the wine. Add the thyme and the chicken back to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the chicken tests done.
Remove the chicken from the pan and add the bacon, cream and salt. Cook over medium heat until the sauce is reduced about 50 percent and it coats the back of a wooden spoon.

Notes

For UK/EU readers--the bacon used in this recipe is streaky bacon.

Canned mushrooms may be used if you don't have fresh.

The post Chicken In Bacon Mushroom Cream Sauce appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Wacky Pork Chops

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 02 Apr 2022 23:00:47 +0000

Don’t let the name fool you–wacky pork chops are seriously delicious.

Wacky Pork Chops–Easy And Delicious

This looked a bit interesting when it appeared in my Facebook feed from a large contributor-based website.

Of course I checked out the recipe and the person who contributed it raved about it.. I happen to know that contributor and am a friend as well. That’s how I know I had to make this since anything Lillian raves about has got to be good. Lillian had a food blog although she hasn’t posted in years. It’s still available and she has tons of great family recipes–My Recipe Journey. She now makes custom wine jewelry and you can check her out here.

Grape Jelly? Heck Yeah

I’m convinced that the grape jelly is the ingredient that ties all this together.

Sure the sauce contains a lot of other tasty ingredients, but the grape jelly is the thing that makes all the others cohesive and form a wonderful sauce.

At first the jelly is very lumpy when you mix it, but take heart, it does melt when you heat it and there are no lumps in the final product.

Whenever mustard is called for in a recipe, I tend to use Dijon or whole grain. However, Lillian specified yellow mustard so that is what I used. As I mentioned before, I trust her taste in things.

Bone-In Or Boneless

This is where I deviated from the main recipe. I had a whole boneless loin in my freezer that I wanted to use. Since I’m always on about using what you have, I took my own advice.

Of course bone-in chops will be tastier because the bone will produce a better flavor, but I don’t think it will make a radical difference. Therefore, either/or is a good choice.

The Recipe

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Wacky Pork Chops

These pork chops in delicious gravy will be a big hit

Prep Time25

Cook Time1 30

Course: Main, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: pork chops cooked in sauce, slow cooked pork chops, wacky pork chops

Servings: 6

Calories: 706kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 pork chops preferably bone-in chops
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 tbs olive oil divided
12 oz egg noodles cooked per package directions
1/2 cup dry red wine not cooking wine
3 tbs butter

Gravy:

5 tbs ketchup
5 tbs grape jelly
3 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs yellow mustard
2 tbs Worcestershire sauce
3 cloves garlic crushed
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Mix the flour, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper in a plastic bag.
Mix all the sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Don't worry about the lumpy jelly--it will melt when cooking.
Place 3 pork chops in the flour mixture and shake to coat.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the olive oil and brown the 3 chops on both sides; remove to a plate and repeat with the last 3 chops. Frying in shifts doesn't crowd the pan and produces a better sear. Place the pork chops in a 13x9-inch pan in a single layer if possible.
Deglaze the skillet you fried the pork chops in with the red wine, then add the sauce mixture, stirring well for about 3 minutes until the jelly melts and it's heated through. Stir in butter.
Pour the sauce over the pork chops then cover the dish with foil and bake at 350F/180C for 1 1/2 hours.
Serve over noodles.

Video

Nutrition

The post Wacky Pork Chops appeared first on The Midnight Baker.