These 2 recipes are ones that I learned a long time ago in elementary school. My mom was trying to teach my sister and I the importance of giving by having us buy or make presents for people on our own. My grandmother's birthday was fast approaching and I had the perfect present for her- dinner cooked by moi! It sounds simple enough, but my grandmother had just been diagnosed with diabetes, so I would have to pick my menu carefully. After much deliberation and preparation, it was the big day. I set the table complete with the good china and stemware, our prettiest tablecloth, the nice napkins, and even candles. The menu for the night- a fresh garden salad, lemon pepper chicken, spinach pesto pasta, and a mocha mousse for dessert. The good memories and great flavors from that dinner have stayed with me and the basis of this meal has evolved into a tried and true favorite.
To start with, I made my spinach pesto. Since this requires me to lug out (and clean) my food processor, I try to make the task worth my while by tripling the recipe. It freezes amazingly and is a quick and healthy dinner when added to pasta or a protein, but also is delicious on sandwiches or mixed into quionoa. Just keep in mind that for the pesto portion of this post, all quantities are tripled from my original recipe.
You could surely do this recipe with fresh spinach but, let's face it, I'm a broke college kid and frozen spinach is way cheaper and pretty dang convenient. I started with 3 (10 oz) packages of Kroger brand frozen spinach. I usually throw mine in the fridge for a few days before making this for them to thaw but you can just defrost them in the microwave also. Most importantly, before throwing the spinach in food processor, be sure to squeeze the excess water out of the spinach.
The other ingredients for this recipe are 3/4 cup olive oil, 1 head of garlic cloves (with skins off), 3 teaspoons lemon juice, and 2 cups Parmesan cheese. Add into the food processor with the spinach, the lemon juice, the garlic, and 1/4 cup of olive oil. Normally, I use the pre-minced garlic sold in jars but I had some garlic I needed to use on hand. It doesn't matter which you choose as the food processor will mince it up for you. Keep in mind, I love
lots of garlic in everything. It adds a nice zip to this pesto but if you're not a true lover of garlic, you may want to reduce this amount.
Begin by pulsing the spinach mixture in your food processor and then turn it onto a low speed of 1 or 2. As the food processor is running, add the remaining 1/2 cup of olive oil slowly, as picture above. Once this is incorporated, slowly add in the 2 cups of Parmesan cheese and mix until it looks like the picture below.
Mix the pesto in with one package of cooked pasta and you have yourself a beautiful healthy dish. I personally love
Ronzoni Garden Delight pasta- it has a full serving of veggies for every serving of pasta. I didn't have any on hand tonight, so I used a whole wheat angel hair.
Now onto the chicken. I have begun buying split chicken breasts and butchering it myself to save money and make homemade chicken stock. You can either use chicken breasts or tenderloins for the recipe. If you use the breasts, I do recommend cutting them into small strips. You will need about 1 pound.
Next, mix 1/4 cup of flour with 2 tablespoons lemon pepper seasoning. I used whole wheat flour to keep it healthy.
Dredge you chicken in the flour until it is fully coated and looks like this. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat and add chicken. Cook until chicken is white on the edges. Depending on the thickness of your chicken, this is usually around 5-8 minute marker.
Flip over your chicken pieces. They should look something like the above picture. Add 3 tablespoons lemon juice into the pan and cook until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear being careful to not overcook the chicken. The addition of the lemon juice to this recipe is a healthy method to add tons of flavor!
Next, add a splash of white wine to your skillet and reduce into a sauce making sure to stir constantly. I used a lovely Riesling as it was the wine Jacob and I were having with dinner. After thinking about it, I may add white wine in at the same time as the lemon juice when cooking the chicken next time.
Above, a picture of the fully cooked chicken.
Here is the lovely wine for the night. It is Peter Mertes Platinum Riesling Pfalz 2010 1.5 L. can be found at kroger for about $17 although it is often on sale for much less. I would highly recommend it!
Also, served dipping bread with dinner. Simply a few pieces of fresh French bread (thanks Kroger 10/$10) accompanied by dip of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and spices. I used a delicious dipping bread spice blend with toasted sesame seeds tonight that my gradnmother gave me. There are many of these blends out there but you can also just stick with course ground black pepper or italian seasoning.
For your final product, plate your chicken on a bed of the pesto pasta and drizzle with your reduction sauce. The best tip I can give for this recipe is don't skip the sauce! It's a quick way to really elevate your dish and is a flavor-packed component. Everyone will be super impressed by the words like "de-glaze" and "reduction sauce," and you'll be super happy that you already cleaned your skillet......with wine.... to make something delicious. Let's be honest, simple sauces like this are a great excuse to always have wine on hand and, seriously, cooking is way more fun with a glass of the stuff.
A beautiful close-up. It's so yummy, you'll never feel like it's healthy. Stay hungry my friends!
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