Pan Fried Panko Lemon Chicken

You know those meals that you feel like you could eat every night for a week, and never get sick of them? Well, this is one of them. I related it to my Crispy Chicken with Orange Dipping Sauce, which is equally as divine in an entirely different way! This recipe is so fresh and light, yet completely filling! The touch of lemon zest in the breading as well as the squeeze of lemon juice over the top of the finished meal is to die for. My mouth is watering just thinking about this meal...we had it last night and I have a feeling it will be back on the menu again very, very soon!

Pan Fried Panko Lemon Chicken

Printable Version

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, halved horizontally*, and pounded to 1/2-inch thick

2 oz shredded Whole Milk Mozzarella cheese (1/2 cup)

2 oz shredded Provolone cheese (1/2 cup)

1 large egg

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs

1 1/2 oz fresh shredded parmesan cheese (1/2 cup)

1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano

Zest of 1 lemon (2 tsp)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Lemon slices or wedges for serving (you can just use the one that was zested)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle each side of the chicken cutlet lightly with salt and pepper. Combine Mozzarella and Provolone cheese in a bowl, set aside.

In a shallow dish, whisk together flour and egg until smooth. (yes in the same dish...I had never done this before but it worked great!)  In a separate shallow dish, toss together Panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, oregano, lemon zest, garlic powder and 1/4 tsp pepper.

Working with 1 chicken cutlet at a time, dredge chicken in egg mixture coating both sides and allowing excess to run off, then immediately transfer to panko and parmesan mixture and coat both sides with mixture, while pressing gently to allow crumbs to adhere. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat process with remaining chicken cutlets.

Pour olive oil nto a 10-inch non-stick skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once oil is hot, add 2 coated chicken cutlets and fry without moving them until bottom is crispy and golden brown, about 2 minutes, then using metal tongs rotate to opposite side and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer fried chicken to a large plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat process with remaining 2 pieces of chicken.

Place cutlets on rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle tops with Mozzaralla cheese mixture and transfer to preheated oven to bake until internal temperature registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometor, about 12 minutes (you can broil during the last 1 - 2 minutes if desired). Remove from oven and garnish with lemon slices or wedges, serve warm. Squeeze fresh lemon juice from lemon slices over chicken just before enjoying.

Recipe from Cooking Classy

Serves 2-4

Fried Rice with Homemade Yoshidas {Copycat recipe}

Well, if you keep up on the blog you know that we are busy around our house! My husband is doing a Oral Surgery fellowship and I’m at home with two 18-month old boys...and 8 months pregnant! Quick, easy meals are exactly what has been keeping us alive these days. This one was inspired from a friend, but I had nothing she required to make her recipe...so I googled a few things here and there and this delicious dish is what we ended up with. It is worth every second of the 15-minute prep!  

Fried Rice with Homemade Yoshidas {Copycat recipe}

Printable Version

Yoshidas {Copycat recipe}

2 cups soy sauce

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced

1 garlic clove

1 cup honey

Mix together, heat in saucepan and serve as desired. This sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Fried rice

4 cups rice or quinoa (prepared in advance)

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup shredded carrot

2 eggs

3 tablespoons sesame oil

Heat sesame oil in a large skillet on medium heat.

Add peas and carrots. Stir fry until tender.

In a separate pan, crack eggs and cook desired way. We love to have our yolk a little soft in order to break over noodles, but many prefer to scramble eggs.

Combine rice or quinoa, eggs, and desired amount of yoshida sauce(the entire recipe above will be too much) to pan.

Sauce makes 2 1/2 cups

Fried rice serves 2 as a main dish

Bourbon Street Chicken

Okay, so immediately after tasting this, I realized what everyone was raving about! The sauce has a great flavor, just the right amount of sweetness and spice. It is also such a simple recipe...which of course makes meals 10 times better! There is no BOURBON in this recipe...who knows why it is called bourbon?? Anyone? Anyway, it is delicious, my hubby said it is one of the best chicken dishes I have ever MADE! Points with the husband can never hurt. I even made this recipe once without the crused red pepper flakes and it was equally as divine. Enjoy!

Bourbon Street Chicken
Printable Version

Chicken
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbs. oil (for frying)
4 Tbs. cornstarch

Sauce
1 garlic clove (minced)
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup apple juice
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoon ketchup
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup soy sauce (or Bragg Liquid Aminos to be GF)

Cut chicken breasts into bit sized pieces, and lightly dust with cornstarch. Heat oil in your wok or frying pan and fry chicken until lightly browned. Drain chicken on paper towels and set aside.

In a separate bowl combine all sauce ingredients. Pour into wok or frying pan and bring to a boil. Add chicken back to the pan, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over rice or quinoa...delish!

Serves 4.
Recipe from Blog Chef

Honey Sesame Chicken

I love easy chicken dishes! By easy I mean under 30 minutes, one pan to clean, and ingredients I almost always have on hand. (Yes, I always have fresh ginger on hand. Did you know you can peel and freeze ginger, then grate it from it’s frozen state right into your meal?! It works wonders!) I have made this recipe a few times, and I have made quite a few alterations to the original. What I came up with we really enjoyed-and hope you do, too!

Honey Sesame Chicken
Printable Version

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut into 1” chunks)
Oil (for deep frying)
Sesame seeds (for garnish)

Batter
4 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 egg white

Sauce
1 ½ tablespoons oil
4 tsp. ginger (minced)
4 Tbs .garlic (minced)
2 tsp. salt
6 Tbs. honey
6 Tbs. rice wine vinegar
⅔  cup water
⅔ cup sugar
2 tsp. accent
2 teaspoon cornstarch (mixed with 1 Tbs. water)

In a large bowl mix all batter ingredients together until smooth. Cover and allow the batter to site for at least 30 minutes. Add the chicken to the batter tossing to coat.
Heat a deep fryer to 350 degrees. Fry chicken bits in patches for 2 minutes or until batter becomes firm. Drain on paper towels.
To make the sauce. Heat 1½  tablespoons of oil in your wok. Add garlic and ginger and stir fry for 30 seconds.  Add salt, honey, vinegar, and water. Mix well. Combine 1 teaspoon of water with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch. Add to the sauce and Simmer for 2 minutes.
Return chicken to pan and Coat chicken with the sauce. Garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with rice or quinoa

Recipe highly adapted from Blogchef.net
Serves 4.

Mongolian Beef

We love american versions of asian meals. We may love true Asian meals, but to tell you the truth, we have not eaten at real Authentic restraunts. P.F. Chang’s is about as authentic as we have gotten! We love our share of sweet and sour chicken, orange chicken, and honey sauced chicken. It is nice to have a beef meal to mix it up a bit. This was super duper easy, and honestly, I had to go back for more! It was delicious. I even shared it with my friends at work and they were all raving!

Mongolian Beef
Printable version

1 lb flank or sirloin steak, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 teaspoon grated ginger
3 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (adjust to change heat)
green onions, for garnish

After slicing the steak thinly, pat dry with a paper towel.  Put cornstarch in a large ziploc bag and add the steak pieces. Toss to coat. If needed, place beef slices in a strainer and shake off excess corn starch.

Heat wok to medium high and add the oil to the wok. Add the beef and cook, stirring until it is all browned. While meat is cooking, combine ginger, garlic, water, soy sauce, brown sugar and red pepper flakes in a bowl. When meat is sufficiently browned, pour the sauce back into the wok and let it cook along with the meat. The longer it cooks, the thicker it will become. Turn off heat when desired thickness is reached. Serve over rice or quinoa and top with green onions.

Serves 2.
Recipe from pinterest

Buffalo Chicken Tacos

He took seconds! And thirds, I think. We loved this meal. It was definitely too hot for my palate, and brinking on too hot for my hubbs. So, I added a little sour cream and some brown sugar. BAM! A perfect meal. We have eaten this 3 times already, it is one of those easy, go-to meals that I always have everything for. ENJOY!

Buffalo Chicken Tacos
Printable Version

2 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, cut into 1 inch pieces
⅓ cup flour
3 tablespoon cornstarch
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce (we did Frank’s Buffalo Wing), plus extra for garnishment
3 Tbs sour cream (optional, to lessen amount of spice)
1 Tbs brown sugar  (optional, to lessen amount of spice)
1 Tbs olive oil
10 6-inch yellow corn tortillas

Toppings
shredded Lettuce
cilantro
tomato
Avocado slices
Ranch dressing-(so good!)

Heat a large saute pan oven over medium-high heat.

In a bowl, combine cornstarch, flour, cayenne, and garlic powder. Season the chicken pieces with pepper, then dredge in the flour mixture.

Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the saute pan, add chicken and cook until done, stirring frequently-about 5 minutes.

While chicken is cooking, mix buffalo wing sauce, sour cream, and brown sugar. Both of these ingredients are optional, they cool down the “hotness” of the wing sauce.

Once the chicken is done, drain on paper towels. Then, toss chicken in wing sauce mixture.

Assemble tacos, dividing the toppings evenly among each taco.

Serves 2.
Adapted from Mrs. Ruguerio

Sun dried tomato Basil pasta

Girls, gather round! I served this at a girls lunch, and it was devoured. I then served it to my hubby, and he ate it, but did not devour. Ha. This was an awesome dish, but it is definitely a girly one! Perfect flavor from the combo of sun dried tomatoes and basil. Also, I LOVE that I could make a cheese sauce from evaporated milk, I will now be stocking it in my pantry for food storage macaroni and cheese!

Sun Dried Tomato-Basil Pasta
Printable Version

2 cups (8 oz.) dry penne pasta
8 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
1 can (12 fl. oz.) Evaporated Lowfat 2% Milk
2 cups (8-oz. pkg.) shredded Italian-style four-cheese blend
1 bunch fresh basil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Prepare pasta according to package directions, adding sun-dried tomatoes to boiling pasta water for last two minutes of cooking time; drain.

Meanwhile, combine evaporated milk, cheese, basil, (leaving some basil for garnish) garlic powder and pepper in medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until cheese is melted. Remove from heat.

Add pasta and sun-dried tomatoes to cheese sauce; stir until combined. Garnish with additional basil and serve.

Serves 4.
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home.

PW's Chicken Fried Steak and Potatoes

Cube steak and me have not gotten along in the past. Not at all. It has been tough, ickey, and, well, ickey. Pioneer Woman has a way of turning almost anything into a delicious meal, however! She explains perfectly how to treat your meat, how to coat it, and how to cook it. This is definitely not a meal for the faint of heart, we were full for about 5 days after we ate this! I felt like a true country girl when I was preparing, frying, and chowing on this dish! Thanks PW!

PW’s Chicken Fried Steak
Printable Version

3 pounds Cube Steak (tenderized Round Steak That's Been Extra Tenderized)
1-1/2 cup Whole Milk, Plus Up To 2 Cups For Gravy
2 whole Large Eggs
3 cups All-purpose Flour
Seasoned Salt
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne
LOTS of Black Pepper. Lots.
Canola Oil, For Frying
Salt And Pepper, For Both Meat And Gravy

Steaks
Begin with an assembly line of dishes for the meat: milk mixed with egg in one; flour mixed with spices in one; meat in one; then have one clean plate at the end to receive the breaded meat.
Work one piece of meat at a time. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then dip in the milk/egg mixture. Next, place the meat on the plate of seasoned flour. Turn to coat thoroughly. Place the meat back into the milk/egg mixture, turning to coat. Place back in the flour and turn to coat.
(So: wet mixture/dry mixture/wet mixture/dry mixture.) Place breaded meat on the clean plate, then repeat with remaining meat.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop in a few sprinkles of flour to make sure it's sufficiently hot. Cook meat, three pieces at a time, until edges start to look golden brown; around 2 to 2 1/2 minutes each side.
Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and keep warm. Repeat until all meat is cooked.

Gravy
After all meat is fried, pour off the grease into a heatproof bowl. Without cleaning the pan, return it to the stove over medium-low heat. Add 1/4 cup grease back to the pan. Allow grease to heat up.
Sprinkle 1/3 cup flour evenly over the grease. Using a whisk, mix flour with grease, creating a golden-brown paste. Keep cooking until it reaches a deep golden brown color. If paste seems more oily than pasty, sprinkle in another tablespoon of flour and whisk.
Whisking constantly, pour in milk. Cook to thicken the gravy. Be prepared to add more milk if it becomes overly thick. Add salt and pepper and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until gravy is smooth and thick. Be sure to taste to make sure gravy is sufficiently seasoned. Salt, Salt, SALT it up!

Serve meat next to a big side of mashed potatoes. Pour gravy over the whole shebang!

Recipe from Pioneer Woman

Chicken Parmesan

The best. It is the best feeling when my husband tells me that he loves a meal. He does not like red sauce, not at all. He wasn’t super excited when he saw what I had whipped up for dinner, until he took a bite. He said, “If you can make me like red sauce, anyone would like this!” He loved it. This red sauce is so perfectly sweet, it was beyond delicious.

Chicken Parmesan
Printable Version

4 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Trimmed And Pounded Flat
½ cups All-purpose Flour
Salt And Pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
¾ cups Wine (white Or Red Is Fine)
3 cans (14.5 Oz.) Crushed Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Sugar
¼ bunch Chopped Fresh Parsley
1 cup Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 pound Thin Linguine

Mix flour, salt, and pepper together on a large plate.
Dredge flattened chicken breasts in flour mixture. Set aside.
In a skillet, add onions and garlic and gently stir for 2 minutes. Pour in wine and scrape the bottom of the pan, getting all the flavorful bits off the bottom. Allow wine to cook down until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
Pour in crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Add sugar and more salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cook for 30 minutes. Toward the end of cooking time, add chopped parsley and give sauce a final stir.
At this time, you can start a pot of water for your pasta. Cook linguine until al dente.
Heat olive oil and butter together in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and oil/butter mixture is hot, fry chicken breasts until nice and golden brown on each side, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Remove chicken breasts from the skillet and carefully lay chicken breasts on top of the sauce and completely cover them in grated Parmesan. Place lid on skillet and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer until cheese is melted and chicken is thoroughly heated. Add more cheese to taste.
Place cooked noodles on a plate and cover with sauce. Place chicken breast on top and sprinkle with more parsley. Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6.
Recipe adapted from Pioneer Woman

Sweet Orange Glazed Salmon

Fish Tuesdays. This is my new goal. I want to have our family eat fish once a week...it is going to be quite the challenge. The challenge is not cooking the fish, that is super easy. The challenge is making it different enough each week to keep my hubby interested. Right now we have only ventured out to salmon, tilapia, and halibut. I would love to try others, but for now this is all that is on our  menu. This recipe will be making an appearance quite often! It was perfectly sweet and surprisingly flavorful from the spices. It was great, I can’t wait to make it again...and most of important, neither can Hubbs!

Sweet Orange Glazed Salmon
Printable Version
3 Tbs. cajun seasoning
1 tsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
2 boneless, skinless, salmon filets
2 Tbs. EVOO
1/4 cup orange marmalade
1 Tbs. lime juice

Combine cajun seasoning, brown sugar, and salt. Rub the mixture over both sides of the filets.
Saute filets in EVOO over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, flip filets over and saute for 3-4 more minutes.
Blend marmalade and lime juice. When fish is cooked through, swirl marmamlade mixture in the skillet until melted, and turn fish to glaze on on all sides. Be careful not to add this before the fish is done or the mixture will crystalize...still delicious but hard to eat!

Recipe from cuisine at home.com

Penne with Vodka Sauce

Thank you to my friends for providing me with the 1/2 cup of vodka that I needed so that I didn't have to purchase any! Unfortunately, I will be having to purchase some in the near future; this meal is now a #1 meal in our house. Easy and O SO TASTY! There is a little sting from the vodka after a creamy, tomato sauce and fresh basil flavor. We love it, ate every bite, and wanted more.

Penne with Vodka Sauce
Printable Version
Kosher salt
12 ounces whole-wheat penne
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 shallots, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup vodka
2/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
Handful of fresh basil leaves, torn, plus more for topping
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta. Empty the tomatoes into a bowl and crush with your hands.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in the vodka, tomatoes and salt to taste. Return the skillet to medium heat and simmer, stirring often, until the alcohol cooks off, about 7 minutes. Stir in the heavy cream and cook until the sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and basil.
Add the pasta to the sauce and toss to combine, adding some of the reserved cooking water to loosen, if needed. Season with salt. Serve topped with more parmesan and basil.
Serves 3.