Embracing Him

Chicken Marsala is a classic and scrumptious Italian dish. It is also easy to prepare. Serve it with a side of farfelle (bowtie) pasta for a more festive presentation.

We love this sauce, so I usually triple (yes, triple) the amount so we have plenty for pasta and bread dipping too.

Chicken Marsala

4 chicken breasts, thinly pounded
salt, pepper, and dried basil (to taste)
½ cup olive oil
1 cup flour (for dredging)
2-4 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Marsala wine
4 tablespoons of butter
1 cup chicken broth
2 (4 oz) cans of mushrooms, drained

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and basil. Heat olive oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat.

Dredge both sides of the chicken breasts in flour then shake off the excess flour. Saute the chicken in oil until lightly browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Add the shallots and minced garlic and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the Marsala wine, butter, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes or until the sauce reduces by half, then add mushrooms.

Place the chicken back in the pan and cook until heated through.

Photo: Courtesy of mimikatzchen

Though I love to cook, there are some days I’m simply too tired from the day’s activities to do so. On days like that, I skip the traditional meal of a main dish and two sides and opt for something much easier to prepare.

This BBQ Chicken Pizza is one of our favorite quick meals. It doesn’t take a lot of prep work and can even be made with leftover chicken. This is the basic recipe, but as usual you can add any ingredients you like to make a pizza that suits your family’s taste.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 boneless chicken breast, diced
¾ cup barbecue sauce
1 (16 ounce) package pre-baked pizza crust (I use a Boboli.)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat the sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken breast in the skillet, and top with 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce. Cook 10 minutes, turn, and top with the remaining barbecue sauce. Continue cooking 10 minutes, until juices run clear. Cool slightly, and cut into chunks.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Spread barbecue sauce evenly over the pizza crust. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Arrange cooked chicken chunks and red onion slices over the top.

Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from heat, sprinkle with cilantro, and let sit 10 minutes before slicing.

Photo: Courtesy of disneymike

This past weekend, I participated in a soup contest. I took a Crock Pot full of homemade soup to a local community center and spent the day serving soup to the community and judges. I was there all day, but JT, the girls, and my mom stopped by for a little while to offer their support.

The winners will be announced at a later date so I don’t know how I did. However, JT told me he heard compliments about my soup while sitting at his table. In addition, a woman pulled me aside and told me, “I have to say your soup was one of the better ones!”

I first made this soup for Beyond Measure, our cooking club back in January. It was well received there so I’m posting it here just in case you’d like to give it a try.

Curried Chicken Soup:

¼ cup butter
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, diced small
½ cup onion, chopped
½ apple, diced small
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons curry powder
4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup orzo, uncooked
2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, grilled and cut into cubes
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch dried thyme
2 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

Melt the butter in a large soup pot and sauté celery, carrot, onion, and apple until tender. Add flour and curry, and cook 3-5 more minutes. Add chicken stock, mix well, and bring to a boil. Simmer about ½ hour.

Add orzo, chicken, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and thyme. Simmer 15-20 minutes, or until orzo is done.

Garnish the soup with cilantro and serve hot.