Chicken in a Creamy Parmesan and Sundried Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 4 (6 ounce) skinless and boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
• 1/4 cup oil packed sundried tomatoes, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced

Cooking Method

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the chicken and cook until lightly golden brown on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side, before setting aside.
2. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
3. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
4. Add the broth, cream, sundried tomatoes and parmesan, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens a bit, about 3-5 minutes.
5. Mix in the chicken along with any juices, season with salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and mix in the basil.

Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Skillet

Ingredients

• 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ½ cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound sliced mushrooms (I used cremini but any will do)
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 1½ cups white wine or chicken broth (I used wine...of course!)
• 1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoons dry)
• ½ cup Asiago cheese (or other hard cheese like Parmesean)
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• ½ cup cream

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, melt butter and olive oil on medium high heat.
2. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour and sauté in butter/olive oil mixture until golden brown. About 5 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Add mushrooms and garlic to pan. Saute for a few minutes until mushrooms are slightly limp.
4. Add white wine and thyme - scraping up all the bits in the bottom of the pan.
5. Add chicken back to pan and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
6. Remove chicken from pan. 
7. Add cream, asiago, dijon and salt and pepper to taste.
8. Add chicken back to pan to reheat.  

Creamy Polenta with Melted Peppers, Mushrooms, and Fried Eggs Recipe

Ingredients

For the polenta

• 2 cups lowfat milk
• 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3/4 cup stoneground polenta (not instant)
• 3/4 cup coarsely shredded Parmesan cheese

For the vegetables

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
• Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 yellow onion, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 bell peppers, cored, stemmed, and thinly sliced
• Spinach or baby chard (optional)

For topping (garnishing)

• 4 large eggs
• Chives, for garnish
• Crème Fraiche

Instructions

Combine milk, 1 1/2 cups of water, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. When it simmers, slowly pour in the polenta and whisk to combine. Partially cover with a lid, reduce heat to low, and cook, whisking vigorously every 5 minutes, until polenta is no longer gritty and looks like creamy oatmeal, about 30 minutes total. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt, some freshly ground black pepper, and stir to coat in the oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and all the liquid is cooked off, about 8 minutes. Remove to a bowl and return the pan to the stove. Add remaining oil and the onions and stir to coat in the oil. Cook until translucent and soft, about 3  minutes. Stir in the bell peppers, add a big pinch of salt, some freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 15 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of water, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until very soft, about 5 minutes more. Meanwhile, when the polenta is done cooking, turn off the heat and cover until ready to use. Add the mushrooms back to the pepper mixture, stir to coat, cover, turn off heat, and set aside until ready to use. If you’re craving an egg, now would be the time to prepare it. Just before serving, stir the cheese into the warm polenta. Taste the polenta and check out the consistency. If you like it looser, whisk in another 1/4 cup of water as needed to loosen the polenta to the consistency of oatmeal. To serve, divide polenta evenly among four bowls. If using the greens, stir them into the mushrooms mixture until just wilted then spoon over the polenta. Top each bowl with a fried egg, a sprinkling of some chives, and a dollop of crème fraiche and serve.

Coconut Crunch Chicken Strips with Creamy Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce

Ingredients

• Vegetable oil for frying
• 2 chicken breasts (skinless and boneless), sliced length-wise into 4 strips, then those strips sliced length-wise in half, making a total of 8 strips per breast
• Pinch curry powder
• Salt
• Pepper
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sweetened, shredded coconut
• 1 tablespoon chives, finely minced
• Creamy, Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce (recipe below)

Preparation

-Begin by filling a medium-sized pot about half-way with the vegetable oil (roughly 6-8 cups), and bring the temperature of the oil slowly up to 350° while you prepare the strips.

-Place the chicken strips into a bowl, and add the pinch of curry powder, a couple of pinches of salt and pepper, and a pinch or two of cayenne pepper, to the strips; toss the strips to coat them in the seasoning, and set them aside for a moment.

-Set up your “coating” station by putting the flour, along with another couple of pinches of salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, into a medium-sized bowl and blending to combine; put the eggs into another medium-sized bowl and beat them, and put the sweetened shredded coconut into another medium-sized bowl; to coat the chicken strips, dredge one strip at a time into the seasoned flour and coat it well; next, dip it into the beaten eggs, and then into the shredded coconut; press the strips into the coconut very well to coat them thoroughly, and place the coated strips onto a plate to hold until all strips have been coated.

-To fry the strips, work in batches by adding about 4-5 strips into the hot oil, and allow them to fry for about 1 ½ – 2 minutes, moving them very gently with tongs every now and then, until they are a deep, golden color; remove from oil and place onto a paper towel-lined platter to drain, and sprinkle each batch with a pinch of salt and pepper while they’re still hot; repeat the process until all strips have been fried.

-Serve the strips hot, garnished with a sprinkle of the minced chives and a side of the Creamy, Honey-Mango Dipping Sauce.

Malai Kofta/Cheese Dumplings Simmered in a Creamy Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 cups makhani masala (Read through the recipe of the makhani masala carefully and DO NOT add any milk or cream to the makhani sauce at this stage. You will use milk or cream later in different amounts)
• 1.5 cups half and half or heavy cream
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 tablespoon cashews, soaked and ground into a paste
• 3 teaspoons kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves available at the Indian groceries)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• paneer koftas (about 30-35)
• few tablespoons of grated Paneer, for garnish (optional)

Method

Heat a thick bottomed wide pan (make sure the pan is wide enough to hold the koftas in a single layer), put 2 cups of makhani masala(without any cream/milk added to it). Add the milk & cream (in the amount mentioned in the ingredient list here), cashew paste, 2 teaspoons kasoori methi and sugar; cover and simmer at very low flame for about 15-25 minutes.

Uncover and add the koftas in the sauce in a single layer; simmer more 2-4 more minutes and serve immediately.(if you are not serving immediately, make the sauce and save it. Simmer with the koftas only when you are ready to serve).

Garnish with grated paneer and the rest of the kasoori methi before serving.