Crunchy Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Blue Cheese Dressing

I got lots of cookbooks for Christmas.

So many to add to my already extensive collection that I cannot wait to dive into each of them. I'm vowing to stop pulling recipes from the Internet and adapting them, but instead to use the pretty books that grace my bookcase.

I was going to wait a few days before bombarding you with another Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This! recipe, mainly because I just feel bad for the other cookbooks. It's like they are just begging to be opened. But since I've developed a major obsession with this cookbook - for its ease of use, its healthy recipes, its photos of a very attractive looking Rocco - you're getting it today instead of next week. I made these tenders tonight and they completely changed our world.

Is it sad that I speak this way of chicken? Perhaps.

But it's so true. These tenders are not only crunchy and flavorful, but the elimination of frying keeps them light and healthy. As Michael Scott would say, it's a win-win-win.

Oh and if turned up buffalo tenders isn't enough, how about DIY blue cheese dressing? It's creamy, light and has convinced the mister and me to never ever go back to the bottled stuff.

Somebody stop me before I start singing from the rooftops.

Crunchy Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Blue Cheese Dressing
*Adapted from Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This!
For the tenders:
1 C whole wheat flour
2 C panko breadcrumbs (I could only find regular, not whole wheat)
4 egg whites
1 lb chicken tenders
1/2 C Frank's RedHot Sauce
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Nonstick cooking spray
For the blue cheese dressing:
1 C low fat mayonnaise
1/2 C low fat sour cream
1/4 C buttermilk (I made my own)
1 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed, please!)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
5 oz low fat blue cheese crumbles
kosher salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Set up an oven-safe wire rack over a large baking sheet and spray with nonstick spray. Next, set up your dredging station. A bowl for flour, a bowl for egg whites that are whisked until foamy, a bowl for the panko breadcrumbs and a package of chicken.  

Coat the chicken in flour, then submerge in egg whites and then coat with panko. Lay on the wire rack.

Once the chicken is breaded, sprinkle with salt and pepper and spray with nonstick spray. Turn the chicken over and repeat. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink (for thinner tenders, it might be less time). I flipped them over about midway through. The panko will turn golden and crispy.

Meanwhile, heat up the Frank's RedHot in the microwave and make the blue cheese dressing (and be prepared to never return to that store-bought stuff again).

To make the blue cheese, whisk the mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, Worcestershire, blue cheese crumbles, salt and pepper together until combined and creamy. Though the original recipe called for garlic paste (1 clove mashed together to form a paste), we thought it was overkill so I am not recommending it in this adapted version. I'm still tasting garlic which I find unnecessary at this juncture in the evening.

Once chicken is done baking, brush the chicken with the RedHot. I used a silicon pastry brush.

 

I even got my multitask on while doing this part. I'm on the phone with one of my very good friends who had some fantastic news to share!

Serve with a dollop of the blue cheese sauce and any other accompaniements you choose. Shaun whipped up a yummy couscous with baby bella mushrooms and chopped baby carrots.

 

You may also have noticed that some of these photos are not at an angle that can be gotten from my usual countertops. That's because tonight we broke in our brand new kitchen island!

A gift from my parents, we are so thrilled with this addition to our avid kitchen. It still needs some finishing touches so I'll do a full post about how it came to be and how it's functioning in the coming weeks. But meanwhile, I just had to share it because...well, it. is. awesome!!

So there you have it. A quick, delicious and healthy weeknight meal and a new kitchen fixture to boot. I can't wait to share more details about how we (mostly my mom) DIY'd our new island and to give you the grand tour!

What are your favorite weeknight meals? Any quick and easy ones to share?

Provolone Stuffed Chicken with Pesto & Quinoa

Though our beautiful herb garden kicked the proverbial bucket during this extremely hot summer combined with our constant vagabond state, we do have one potted sweet basil plant that is alive and well.

Since we had accumulated lots of leaves, all looking ripe and ready to eat, I thought that a quick and easy pesto was just the ticket to a simple, yet flavorful Monday dinner. By substituting traditional pine nuts with walnuts that we already had on hand, this dish was comprised of all work with what we have ingredients.

This dish was really a team effort. While I made the pesto, Shaun cooked up an idea to turn the ordinary chicken breasts from bland and boring to juicy and mmmm-inducing. Rather than simply grill up the chicken, he seasoned and stuffed them with a slice of provolone cheese, adding that extra oomph that rounded out the dish.

Provolone Stuffed Chicken with Pesto & Quinoa
For the chicken:
1 lb chicken breasts (3-4 pieces)
3-4 slices provolone or mozzarella cheese
kosher salt or Lawry's seasoning salt
black pepper
toothpicks
For the pesto:
2 C fresh basil
1/2 C extra virgin olive oil
1/4 C walnuts, lightly toasted
1 small clove garlic
1/2 C parmesean or peccorino, grated
For the quinoa:
1 C organic, dried quinoa
1 14oz can low sodium chicken broth

Get your grill heated and ready. Butterfly the chicken breasts, stuff with provolone cheese and secure with toothpicks to keep it all together. Season with salt and pepper and grill. Meanwhile, in a food processor, add the basil leaves, lightly toasted walnuts (you can just toss these in a small skillet for a few minutes until they are fragrant - but don't let them burn!), and one small garlic clove. Note: I used two large garlic cloves and was tasting garlic for the next 24 hours. Unless you’re trying to keep those hot vampires away, then I recommend using at least half as much garlic as I did.

Pulse until combined. With the motor running, add 1/2 C olive oil and process until smooth. Add salt to taste, but keep in mind that you will also be adding grated cheese so don't over do it!

Remove from the processor and stir in the grated cheese. This will soak up some of the excess oil and give it that extra depth of deliciousness.

Meanwhile, rinse your quinoa thoroughly. I used a sieve to rinse mine. Next, combine this in a saucepan with one can of low sodium chicken broth and 1/4C of water. Bring it all to a boil and then simmer until the quinoa has soaked up all the liquid. Follow the package directions for cooking time - mine took about 15 minutes.

Once chicken is grilled, serve over quinoa and slather some pesto on top. The result is nothing short of mouthwatering. In fact, Shaun and I agreed that this is one of our best creations yet.

So there you have it. A homemade Monday night dinner that was not only full of flavor but healthy to boot. And the fact that we used homegrown basil - that was F-R-E-E, I might add - was just the icing on the cake. I've never had a dish taste so fresh and look so green! And what I'd love to know is, do you cook with fresh ingredients? Have you ever tried quinoa? It was our first foray and I'm converted!

Psst...want to know how to make your own herb garden, just about anywhere? Check out this article.

Skillet Chicken Parmesean

Since Shaun and I have had such a busy summer, I quietly cherish the nights when I come home to my new condo after work without any other commitments. You may have noticed that due to my extreme lack of recipe posting that I haven’t been cooking all that much recently. Since we’ve adopted an outdoor space in our new home, that meant immediately purchasing a grill and that Shaun has been responsible for most of our dinners since June. Grilling is just not something that I’ve tackled as of yet.

Anyhow, last night I found myself on the very rare occasion where I had the place all to myself for a few hours after work while Shaun was at a work dinner. While I’m typically content with a glass of wine and a plate of cheese and crackers, the frozen chicken in the bottom of my freezer was just calling my name this morning when I left the house. Defrosted and ready to be cooked by the time I got home, I had no grand plan for the pound of organic chicken that greeted me on arrival.

Instead, I rummaged through my cabinets for anything that would be semi-appropriate for dinner fare. With two giant sleeves of shredded mozzerella in my freezer and tomato sauce in the cupboard, I decided to try chicken parmesean. But not any chicken parmesean that I’ve ever had. Oh no. For a one person dinner, the thought of breading, frying and subsequently baking a real dish of chicken parm was out of the question. After all, I have much better things to do...like writing this little ol’ blog, catching Jersey Shore, and enjoying my terrace with a glass of Malbec. So with all of these fun things in mind, I realized that the only way to do a chicken parm for one would be to make it all on the stovetop. Without breading the chicken.

I’m completely putting aside all of my Italian heritage and my mother’s inevitable judgement by going for the gold and trying this dish. In fact, I secretly wish that just maybe she won’t read this post. Because not only did I make chicken parm in a skillet, but I used tomato sauce from a can. Not even a jar. Without even going so far as to doctor it up in a saucepan with herbs and bay leaves, which would still be blasphemy but at least semi-respectable. And let’s not even touch on the fact that since I have my groceries delievered now, I was unable to stop the grocer from replacing the highly coveted Red Pack brand of tomato sauce with lowly Del Monte. I was just doing all kinds of wrong.

But the outcome? It was nothing short of a perfect dinner for one. Flavorful and even semi-healthy. I was so excited by the outcome that I had to share with you at the first possible moment. So here you go...

Skillet Chicken Parmesean
1 lb chicken breast (I use organic, skinless, boneless)
3 tbsp whole wheat flour
8 oz tomato sauce (I would typically recommend Red Pack, but whatever you have on hand is fine)
shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
kosher salt
olive oil
dried basil leaves
dried parsley
Parmesean or pecorino, grated

On a plate, combine whole wheat flour and a sprinkling of salt. On a non-wooden cutting board, slice the chicken breasts in half length-wise, as if you were to butterfly them, but cut all the way through. This will make thinner pieces and will cook through faster. Lightly coat the chicken in the flour mixture. In a skillet with the olive oil heated, cook the chicken, about 3 minutes or so on each side.

This is where those splatter screens that I threw out before the move would have come in handy as I had oil splattering all over my beautiful new stove. Anyhow, cook the chicken until golden brown and completely cooked through. For me, this entailed cutting each piece multiple times to ensure that the pink had left the building. Anyhow, once they are cooked through, pour a bit of sauce over each one. Sprinkle with basil and parsley.

Douse with shredded cheese and cover to melt the cheese, which should only take a minute or so.

Sprinkle with a bit more parsley and grated cheese.

Enjoy! Preferably with a glass of wine! Do you have a go-to dinner for one?