Crunchy Tortilla Chip Baked Chicken Strips

Crunchy Tortilla Chip Baked Chicken

My go-to recipe when I want to make a quick chicken dinner is Garlicky Parmesan Chicken Tenders. I defrosted a pound of chicken breasts and got them marinating in the garlic mixture, went to the pantry and… no cornflakes! Hmmm. With no time to go to the store, I almost panicked, until I spied a partial bag of Juanita’s Tortilla Chips hiding behind the oatmeal. My pantry is not exactly organized. My brain then switched gears and thought Mexican Chicken! I figured I could easily sub out the crushed cornflakes with crushed tortilla chips, add a little chile powder to the mix, and serve it with Roasted Tomato Salsa. I got two thumbs up from the family for this one!

Tortilla Chips and Marinating Chicken

Crunchy Tortilla Chip Baked Chicken Strips

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
Black pepper
1/2 teaspoon New Mexico Chile powder
3/4 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil cooking spray

Pound the chicken breasts  until they are about 1/4 inch thick. If they are very thick to start with, slice them in half lengthwise. Cut the chicken into strips and set aside. Add the garlic, egg, milk,  black pepper, and chile powder to a bowl. The chile powder went in after the fact for me but you can add it now. Whisk until well combined, then add the chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about a half an hour.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the coating. Fill a quart zip-top bag with tortilla chips and close. Crush the chips finely using a pestle (or the palm of your hand).  After crushing them, measure how much you have, and crush more if needed. Pour the crushed chips onto a large plate, then add the seasoned bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese. Mix well and set aside.

Chicken Strips Ready for Oven

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with crumpled aluminum foil and spray with olive oil. When the chicken is done marinating, dredge each piece through the coating and place them evenly apart on the baking sheet. If you have Juanita’s Tortilla Chips in your area (look for the signature red and green bag) you will know how greasy they are. That’s what makes them so gosh darned good. Anyways, these chips had enough oil in them that I did not spray the chicken at all with oil, but if you are using less greasy tortilla chips then you might want to do a light spray over the top. Cook for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through. Remove from oven and serve immediately with condiment of choice and a salad or vegetable.

Crispy Tortilla Chip Baked Chicken

p.s. I am leaving the day after Father’s Day with my daughter for a week to Texas for a family reunion, and will not be taking my laptop. I know, whatever will  I do? I will have camera in hand in case I end up cooking anything, but I’m thinking I’ll be eating a lot of Tex-Mex at some of the great restaurants in Austin. See you when I get back!

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Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan

Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan

This was a quick and easy meal I threw together last week that my family inhaled. I was going to do the traditional method by frying the chicken in oil, but at the last minute decided to healthy it up a bit and bake it. I can tell you we did not miss the extra oil, and they came out so crispy and very tender! I was excited at first to have some leftovers to take to work the next day, but then my dear daughter decided she wanted a second helping and the entire meal was finished off. Next time I will double the batch. This recipe feeds three if you have a really hungry person in the household, or four if not. I thought a quarter pound of chicken on top of a mound of spaghetti with a meat sauce would be plenty for each person, but apparently not. 

My basil plants are but wee seedlings at the moment, and I totally spaced that I had some dried sweet basil in the spice cabinet when I took the photos. By the time I remembered that fact, the dinner was pretty much a done deal. I did remember it for my leftover portion, as shown later down below in my lunch container all ready for work, but my lunch went by the wayside, alas. But I’m happy my daughter is healthy and active and growing and I can provide enough nourishment!

Baked Chicken Ready to Flip

Crispy Baked Chicken Parmesan (or Parmigiana if you want to sound Italian)

1 pound chicken breast meat
1 egg
Splash of milk
1/2 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Ground black pepper, to taste
Mrs. Dash Table Blend, or salt, to taste
About a 3/4-inch round of dried spaghetti
3 or 4 cups of prepared spaghetti sauce, any kind, heated
Shredded Mozzarella cheese (I used low-fat variety)
Fresh or dried basil, for garnish

Preheat oven to 375 degrees, get your water on to boil in a pot for the spaghetti, and heat up your spaghetti sauce, either stovetop or microwave.  I only had rather large bone-in chicken breasts, so deboned one and got two filets plus the chicken tenderloin out of it. If you have small chicken breasts, just pound them with a mallet until about 1/4-inch thin. If large, then butterfly in half, and pound a little, if needed. The tenderloin did not need it, of course.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg and a splash of milk. On a plate, mix the crushed cornflakes, Panko bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, and seasonings. Dip the chicken in the egg wash, then dredge it on both sides through the cornflake/breadcrumb mixture. Place on a baking pan lined with crumpled aluminum foil sprayed with oil. If you have a baking rack, that would work too, but I don’t. Spray the top of the chicken with oil.

Add the pasta to your pot now as your water should be boiling. Now pop the chicken in the oven, and bake for 10 minutes, then flip over, spray with more oil, then bake 10 minutes more. Remove and drain your pasta at some point in those 20 minutes when it’s done and mix it in with about three-quarters of the heated spaghetti sauce, and divide into bowls or on plates. Now carefully spread a large spoonful of the spaghetti sauce to each piece of chicken, then top with some shredded Mozzarella cheese, turn the oven to broil, and bake until the cheese is gooey and starting to bubble, just a few minutes.

Chicken Parmesan Leftovers – NOT

I wanted to get some nice browned bubbly spots on the cheese, but the fam was starving and had to please. Place each chicken filet atop each mound of spaghetti (or cut pieces off if they are large) then garnish with fresh or dried basil. We ate this with a small green salad. We skipped doing the garlic bread thing with this, as there are enough carbs with everything else. Enjoy!

Lemony Chicken with Artichokes and Mushrooms

Lemony Chicken with Artichokes and Mushrooms

While looking for my stuffing recipe for the Thanksgiving Turkey yesterday, I came across this recipe I had scrawled on a piece of notepad paper from a previous employer. Seeing as I haven’t worked there in upwards of 12 years, I’m going to guess this recipe dates back to the mid-90s. I do remember making it once and enjoying it, but for the life of me I don’t remember where I got the recipe. I titled it “Elegant Chicken Artichoke” but truth be told, it doesn’t look that elegant either in the pan or on a dish. But the flavors are fabulous and I hope you think so too. I paired this with rice cooked in chicken broth and some balsamic roasted Brussel sprouts. The sprouts were meh so will be bypassing that recipe for here.

Lemony Chicken with Artichokes and Mushrooms

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
Ground black pepper
Mrs. Dash Original Blend
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter or substitute
4 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 large green onions, chopped
3/4 cup chicken broth
Juice of one large lemon (about 1/3 cup)
2 tablespoons flour
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained and halved

Chicken Dish Just Out of Oven

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise, or alternatively, pound them to about a half-inch thickness. On a plate, mix the flour and paprika and add pepper and Mrs. Dash to taste. Dredge the chicken in the flour  and shake off excess. Heat a large skillet to medium and add the oil and butter.  Add the chicken to the skillet and brown on each side for about three or four minutes, remove and set aside. To the same skillet, add the mushrooms and green onions. You might need to add a little more oil and butter. Cook until the mushrooms have started to release their liquid. Add the flour and stir until a paste is formed, then add the chicken broth and lemon juice all at once. Whisk until the flour is dissolved and the sauce starts to thicken. In a casserole dish, place the chicken in one layer, then arrange artichoke hearts over top. Pour the lemony mushroom sauce over that, and cook in oven for 35 to 40 minutes until chicken is done. This was great served with rice, and there is enough extra sauce to serve over it too. The artichokes and mushrooms were very filling, so you could skip another vegetable or have a small salad if you feel you need another side.

Lemony Chicken Artichoke Leftovers

Popover Chicken Tarragon with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Popover Chicken Tarragon

I dusted off this recipe out of my 1979 Better Homes and Garden Cook Book and decided to not only make the mushroom sauce healthier, but to alter the method of “frying” the chicken first. I thought it would be neat to melt my frozen tarragon oil cubes in the casserole dish, then baste the chicken with the tarragon oil and bake the chicken for about a half hour before adding the popover batter. Unfortunately I had a complete “DOH!” moment when I went to pour the batter over the chicken when I took it out of the oven. I had the eggs all mixed with everything else but wanted to wait to add the flour because I didn’t want it to harden or get too stiff in the half hour the chicken was in the oven. So the timer went off, I pulled the chicken out of the oven and poured the egg mixture over it and popped it back in. About five minutes later as I was cleaning up my mess on the counter, I noticed – yep, you guessed it – the flour still in the measuring cup on the counter. ACK!!! You know I thought the batter looked a little watery, but I blamed my poor memory of the dish I’d made 20 years ago and convinced myself that’s the way it’s supposed to be and would set and rise in the oven. Alas, what a mess that turned out to be. I pulled the chicken out of the dish with tongs, then poured the flour right into the casserole dish and mixed it right there in the sizzling hot casserole dish. Then I dunked the chicken back in. Needless to say it made for a pretty messy dish.  And the durn thing stuck to the sides pretty bad too since my oil coating got mixed in with the batter, so there was no hope of getting a shot of it plated with the mushroom sauce served over it. I tried to crop out most of the sides in the picture. HOWEVER, the good news is my family thought it was delicious! My husband was disappointed though it didn’t have any chicken wings in it like the picture in the cookbook. I have taken a shot of the recipe (and its photo) so you can compare the differences in the recipe.

Popover Chicken Tarragon

4 cubes frozen tarragon oil (or sub 2 tablespoons oil and 1 teaspoon dried tarragon)
1/4 cup flour
Mrs. Dash Table Blend
Ground black pepper
2 large bone-in chicken breasts with skin (about 2 pounds)
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

Tarragon Coated Chicken

Turn on the oven to 400, add the oil and tarragon to a casserole dish, and place in oven while the oven preheats.  Meanwhile, mix the 1/4 cup flour and seasonings to taste on a plate. Coat the chicken in the flour, then carefully remove the casserole dish from the oven. Place the chicken in the dish and coat the chicken with the tarragon oil using tongs and a baster. Place the dish back in the oven with the chicken skin side up. Cook for a half hour. Meanwhile, whisk three eggs, the oil, and baking powder in a bowl with an electric mixer until the eggs are frothy. Add the flour and tarragon and mix well. Go ahead and do it now so you don’t forget the flour! The then start making the Mushroom Sauce (recipe below). After a half hour, carefully pour the batter over the chicken. Cook for another half hour or so until the chicken is done and the popover is brown and crusty. Serve with Creamy Mushroom Sauce.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce

4 tablespoons butter or equivalent
4 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms (about 3/4 cup)
2 green onions, white and light part only, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup chicken broth
Mrs. Dash Table Blend (or salt if you prefer)

In a saucepan, cook the mushrooms, onion and garlic in the butter on medium low heat until the mushrooms have released their liquid, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and mix into a paste. Add the milk and chicken broth all at once, and whisk to combine. Cook over medium low heat until it thickens. If it gets too thick, add more milk or chicken broth. Season to taste.

Better Homes and Garden Photo

Better Homes and Garden Recipe

Garlicky Parmesan Chicken Tenders

Garlicky Parmesan Chicken Tenders

One cannot make too many of these crispy chicken tenders! They are great as leftovers for lunch, and my daughter loves to pack these for her school lunch. Since these are baked, one of the tricks to getting them to come out crispy is to add crushed corn flakes to the bread crumb and cheese coating. And the wonderful garlic flavor comes from marinating the chicken for an hour in a garlic, milk and egg mixture. The marinade not only adds the garlic flavor, but it helps the coating stick to the chicken, and the meat comes out very juicy and tender. Serve these with some curly fries and a green salad, and you have an easy, healthy dinner!

Garlicky Parmesan Chicken Tenders

1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle
Black pepper
3/4 cup crushed cornflakes
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Olive oil cooking spray

Marinating the Chicken

Pound the chicken breasts with a meat mallet until they are about 1/4 inch thick. If they are very thick to start with, you can also butterfly the breasts instead. Cut the chicken into strips and set aside. Add the minced garlic to a bowl, and mash it into a paste with the back of a spoon. Crack the egg into the bowl then add the milk, Chipotle seasoning and black pepper to taste. Mix well, then add the chicken. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for about one hour.

Meanwhile, you can prepare the coating. Fill a quart Ziploc bag with cornflakes and close. Crush the cornflakes finely using a pestle (or the palm of your hand).  After crushing them, measure how much you have, and crush more if needed. Pour the cornflakes onto a large plate, then add the seasoned bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with crumpled aluminum foil or parchment paper and spray with olive oil. When the chicken is done marinating, dredge each piece through the coating and place them evenly apart on the baking sheet. Spray the chicken lightly with olive oil. Cook for 20 minutes, turning once halfway through.