In A Pinch Chicken Spinach Food

IN-A-PINCH CHICKEN & SPINACH

Steps:

• Pound chicken with a meat mallet to 1/2-in. thickness. In a large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Cook chicken 5-6 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm., Add spinach and salsa to pan; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or just until spinach is wilted. Serve with chicken.

SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE CHICKEN CASSEROLES

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and a pinch of kosher salt and cook, stirring, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Stir in the flour to evenly distribute. Add 1 cup milk, stirring continuously until thickened; repeat with the remaining 1 cup. Stir in the chicken soup bouillon, then add the chicken, thyme and a few turns of black pepper and simmer, stirring often, until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the artichokes, spinach, cream cheese, parsley, a pinch of crushed red pepper and a few turns of black pepper. Stir until the cream cheese is melted. Taste and adjust as desired.
• Divide the spinach, artichoke and chicken mixture into eight 5-inch aluminum pans or a 9-by-13-inch casserole pan. Separate the biscuits, then top the casseroles with them. Brush them with the egg wash and sprinkle with the flaky salt and some black pepper.
• If baking immediately, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bake until the biscuits are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
• If freezing, allow the casseroles to cool to room temperature, then cover tightly with foil and freeze. To reheat, bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes.

CHICKEN RAMA IN THAI PEANUT SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Add coconut and ginger to a medium saucepan, and stir until well blended. Cook it over medium heat and bring it to a boil.
• 2. Add the chicken pieces to the saucepan. Reduce the heat and let it simmer 5-7 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (i.e., no pink remains).
• 3. With a slotted spoon, remove the chicken and transfer to a bowl; cover and set aside. If any coconut milk accumulates at the bottom of the bowl, just pour it back into the saucepan.
• 4. To the saved coconut milk, add the peanut butter, red curry paste, fish sauce, brown sugar, and chopped peanuts. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes or until the sauce is creamy and not grainy in appearance.
• 5. Add the chicken to the saucepan and heat for another 2 minutes.
• 6. Arrange the fresh spinach on individual plates. Spoon the chicken and peanut sauce over the spinach leaves, and serve immediately while still warm.
• 7. Serving suggestion: Classic side dishes to accompany this dish are steamed white rice and Pad Thai noodles.

CREAMY CHICKEN / SPINACH & HAM MANICOTTI

Steps:

• 1. Cook manicotti shells according to package directions.
• 2. In a small skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. In a small skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add garlic, cook 1 minute longer. In a large bowl, combine the onion mixture, chicken, spinach, ham, cheese, eggs,ricotta, cream cheese basil, pepper, salt and nutmeg; set aside.
• 3. Sauce: Combine flour and chicken broth in a large saucepan until smooth; gradually stir in the milk, salt, nutmeg, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat, and stir in the 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.
• 4. Spread 1 1/2 cups sauce into a 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray.
• 5. Stuff each pasta with chicken filling. ( An easier way to stuff is cut one edge lengthwise, open up and lay out flat. Spoon on filling, roll up and place seam side down in dish.) Sometimes I drizzle a tablespoon of cream sauce down the center before rolling. Don't worry of filling comes out the ends when placing in the dish, you can stuff it back in once placed.
• 6. Once all are stuffed and placed side by side in dish. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with desired amount of Parmesan cheese, and sprinkle with paprika.
• 7. Cover with foil, and place in preheated oven, for 30 - 35 minutes, until heated through and bubbly. Remove foil and continue baking for another 5 minutes to slightly brown top. If you have sauce left, save it for reheating leftovers.
• 8. Enjoy!

QUICHE WITH RED PEPPERS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet and add onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes, and add a generous pinch of salt, the garlic, peppers and thyme. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, then turn the heat to medium low and continue to cook for 5 to 10 minutes more, until peppers are very tender and sweet.
• Turn up heat to medium-high and, a handful at a time, add spinach and stir until each handful wilts. If there is liquid remaining in the pan turn up the heat and stir while you let it cook off. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. If you are making filling a day ahead, refrigerate uncovered.
• Beat together egg yolks and eggs in a medium bowl. Set tart pan on a baking sheet for easy handling. Using a pastry brush, lightly brush bottom of the crust with some of the beaten egg and place in oven for 5 minutes.
• Add salt (I use 1/2 teaspoon), pepper, and milk to the remaining eggs and whisk together.
• Spread pepper and spinach mixture in an even layer in the crust. Stir together cheeses and sprinkle in an even layer on top. Very slowly pour in the egg custard over the filling. If your tart pan has low edges, you may not need all of it to fill the shell, and you want to avoid the custard spilling over. Place quiche, on baking sheet, in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until set and just beginning to color on the top. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

CHICKEN AND SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Bring large pot of water to a boil, season with a pinch of salt and two slices of onion, stir in penne pasta.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, put some butter to warm up and add the chopped clove of garlic, meanwhile season the chicken with salt and black pepper, add the chicken to the butter and garlic in the skillet and cook until golden brown, add the chicken broth simmering for about 3 minutes.
• Stir in cubed cream cheese, fresh chopped spinach, and sliced mushrooms. Return to simmer (low heat), and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cherry tomatoes, and cook about 3 more minutes.
• Drain the cooked pasta and removing the cooked onion slices, in a large sauce pot, mix together the pasta and the sauce. Let stand a few minutes before serving!

CHICKEN AND SPINACH IN PUFF PASTRY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 °F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add ½ pound of chicken and season with a pinch each of salt and paprika. Cook for around 5-10 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the chicken from the pan and shred.
• Add 6 ounces of spinach to the same skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes until the spinach wilts. Remove the pan from the heat.
• Return the shredded chicken to the skillet and stir in ½ a cup of shredded Parmesan cheese.
• Divide each puff pastry sheet into 4 equal rectangles to give 8 rectangles in total. Place them on the prepared baking sheet.
• Place chicken and spinach filling on one half of each rectangle leaving space to seal the pastry around the edges. Do not overfill. Fold the other half of each rectangle over the filling to close and using wet fingers, seal the edges of the pastry.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes until golden brown and cooked through.
• Serve warm with a fresh green salad on the side.

CHICKEN BACON MUSHROOM PASTA WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Prepare your noodle substitute of choice and set it aside. Make sure to reserve some of the pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce with it. *If using zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash, prepare those now as well, but we can substitute pasta water with regular water or broth if need be.
• While the pasta cooks heat a large skillet over medium-heat high, add the bacon pieces, and cook until fat is rendered out, and bacon is cooked completely. Remove bacon and set aside, and leave bacon grease in the skillet.
• Dry chicken off really well with paper towels. In a bowl, season the chicken fillets liberally with salt, pepper, and oregano on both sides, saving some seasonings for later.In a hot skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Sear the chicken until it is browned on both sides and cooked through completely. A quick read thermometer should read 165°F. Remove chicken from the skillet, and leave browned bits in the bottom of the pan.Allow to rest for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and set them aside.
• Add 2 more tablespoons of butter to the skillet, followed by onions and mushrooms. Cook until beginning to soften, about 3-5 minutes, then season with a pinch of salt and remove from the skillet and set aside.
• Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter, followed by garlic and oregano to the skillet. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds, then immediately pour in the white wine to deglaze the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes to cook off the alcohol.
• After the sauce has simmered for a few minutes, then add in heavy cream, half and half, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Stir continuously to melt the parmesan cheese. Once the sauce has formed, add the spinach to the cream sauce and allow it to wilt. Add the onions, mushrooms, chicken, and bacon to the skillet to warm through and finish the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings, add pasta water to thin the sauce if desired.
• Serve over pasta. Garnish with parmesan cheese, fresh cracked black pepper, and optional minced parsley.
• Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

SPINACH STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST WITH MOZZARELLA & TOMATO SAUCE IN BREADCRUMBS

Steps:

• Start with the sauce. Peel and seed the tomatoes and place to one side. Next pour your measured oil into a deep skillet or pot and leave on a medium heat.
• Next dice your onions and peel/chop your garlic as finely as you can. Once you have done this add them to the simmering oil and stir until the onions become colourless.
• Then add the herbs, tomatoes and cherry tomatoes stirring well until thoroughly combined. After this add the tomato puree and stir again. Finally add season generously and stir once more.
• Place a lid over the pan and leave to simmer for 1.5-2 hours stirring every 20 to ensure the sauce-like consistency.
• While the sauce is simmering you can begin to prep the chicken. Preheat the oven to 230 degrees centigrade and begin by pouring the breadcrumbs into a bowl and mixing them thoroughly with the salt and a generous sprinkle of parmesan.
• Next prep the filling. Using a frying pan sauté the spinach using garlic oil to add flavour until just cooked. then mix together the spinach, a tablespoon of parmesan and 1 egg white. Stir gently as to not let air into the egg white.
• Next prepare the chicken. slit the raw chicken in the middle and so a flap is created. then spoon in a tablespoon or enough of the spinach mixture into the flap and so it is not pouring out of the chicken but the flap just gently rests on top and the flap still closes. Repeat this with all the chicken breasts you could add an optional smooth layer of ricotta cheese for a little extra flavour.
• (optional) Place the chicken in the remaining egg white and cover completely and dip in the breadcrumb/parmesan mix then place in an oiled baking dish. Repeat with the remaining chicken breasts and place them evenly apart from each other.
• Bake the chicken in the oven for 25 minutes until the breadcrumbs have turned golden brown. Then remove from the oven and cover in the tomato sauce and place a slice of mozzarella over the top of each breast.
• Place back in the oven and for roughly 5 minutes until the mozzarella has melted. Then sprinkle with the remaining parmesan and basil leaves and serve warm. This dish can be served with mushrooms, potatoes or seasonal veg for an additional healthy and delicious taste.

CHILI CHICKEN AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Finely chop the garlic and chilies, then use the side of your knife to press them together into a rough paste. (Add a pinch of salt to make this process easier.).
• Preheat a wok or stainless-steel saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and the garlic-chili paste you just made, and cook for 1 to 3 minutes (be careful not to burn the garlic).
• Chop the chicken into small pieces and add them to the pan, cooking until they're lightly browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soy sauce, red-chili paste, and sugar, and continue to cook until the chicken is done all the way through, another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Add the pepper and spinach, and cook until the spinach is just wilted, about 2 minutes.
• Serve immediately.