chicken

Chicken Alfredo

If there’s one thing to know about me, it is that I am not much of a sauce person. I’m not one to order a pasta in a marinara sauce, or make a sauce (although I have a killer red sauce, or gravy, that I should make sometime soon). However, I am a lover of all things cream. I use cream in my coffee in the morning, and if I can make a sauce that incorporates cream (such as a tomato cream sauce) I’ll do it. I figured it was finally time I tried an alfredo sauce.

Alfredo, after speaking with a few colleagues today, is not high on the “Oooh, that’s what I’m craving” list. It tends to be very heavy and laden with sugar and additives. Unfortunately, for things to live on shelves, additives and artificial ingredients are required. What I love about cooking and creating is using fresh ingredients and quality brands. I’ll say time and time again, quality is what matters. I’d rather spend my whole paycheck on items that make me feel good, and brands that stand by their product every single time. To make this alfredo, I used fresh parmesan that I grated (by hand), grass-fed butter, grass-fed cream, sea salt, and fresh cracked pepper. I also added in garlic powder. Simple and quality ingredients to make one decadent and rich (and surprisingly not heavy) sauce.

Let’s talk about the chicken. I took organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs and cut them into smaller chunks. I seasoned with paprika, turmeric (hello anti-inflammatory benefits), sea salt, and garlic powder (I <3 garlic). I let the chicken sit for a while to marinade in the seasoning. The chicken turned a gorgeous golden color as it sat in the spices.

I heated a pan and added olive oil. Layering the chicken into the pan, I set the heat to medium and seared the chicken for several minutes on each side, then quickly tossed each piece around until each piece turned less pink. I poured in chicken bone broth (I love Kettle and Fire) and turned the heat to low. A while ago I purchased these chopped basil cubes by Dorot, and I wanted to use them up so I tossed two of them into the chicken as well. I covered the chicken and let simmer for 35-40 minutes on a low flame, stirring and turning the chicken to be sure it does not stick.

Once the chicken was done cooking, and the alfredo sauce finished thickening, I made the Banza pasta and tossed it altogether in a bowl. I cracked fresh pepper and dried rosemary on top to garnish (even though I should get comfortable using parsley or other garnishes) and it was so delicious. I’m quite proud of how far I’ve come with cooking, and hope you are able to enjoy this meal with family and friends, just like I did! NOMaste.

Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs

Another night, another chicken dinner. Chicken can get so boring sometimes, and I forget how to get creative, because it’s either stewed chicken in a broth, cutlets, or something that I end up not liking. Standing in my kitchen last night, I glanced up and saw my crockpot staring at me, begging to be used. I’m also grateful to be off from work this week and was able to start the crockpot at noon rather than at 8am, but nevertheless, the crockpot came to the rescue!

I love using a slow cooker for many different purposes, and am sure I have yet to try a bunch of recipes, but the mere fact that I can throw in all the ingredients at once and it come out really delicious is a MAJOR win.

Chicken thighs are a great cut of chicken to use in the crockpot, whether they are on the bone or off the bone, because they are such a tender cut of meat they naturally release fat into the sauce which creates a glorious texture and flavor. This dish was simple in ingredients and it starts with seasoning, crushed tomatoes, and The New Primal classic marinade (found here!). The New Primal makes healthy alternatives to marinades and sauces, and is Whole30 approved – for my Whole30 compliant readers! Also, they make delicious jerky, so give them a try while you’re at it.

For the seasonings, I used sea salt, oregano, chipotle powder, garlic powder, basil leaves, and onion salt. I added one 28oz can of crushed tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the marinade, stirred together and topped with fresh thyme.

The crockpot I have has two settings: low cook or high cook. I chose low cook and set it for 6 hours and 30 minutes, when really, it cooked for about 7 hours. I stirred several times through, but did not open the lid until it was at least halfway done. I did add a touch of half and half to add extra flavor but that is totally optional. About an hour in, the chicken thighs started to fall apart so I stirred and used a wooden spoon to help break apart the pieces even further until they looked like clumps of string. I roasted sweet potato and vegetables to add to this amazing chicken and it was perfect! NOMaste 🙂

Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Since the beginning of the year, I have tried to be incredibly resourceful when it comes to leftover items in the fridge. I know there are instances where this is hard to do as some condiments or produce go rancid and can’t be salvaged. However, when these items are in their “sweet spot” (just before going bad but still smells okay) I love making things to use the rest of it up! Tonight’s dinner was a perfect example: using last bits of heavy cream and parmesan to make a creamy parmesan dinner with chicken and rice.

Instead of using plain water to boil the rice, I opted for bone broth because if I’m going to have starch, I may as well use bone broth (actually, chicken mushroom bone broth) for the added benefit #amirite? I seasoned the chicken first with some salt and pepper and added it to a hot pan with EVOO. This cooked until both sides were not pink. Afterwards I seasoned with garlic powder, minced garlic, oregano, and fresh thyme sprigs.

Once the chicken cooked through, I poured in the rice and chicken bone broth. This cooked for a total of 18 minutes, but halfway through, I added 3/4 cup water because I noticed that the rice absorbed most of the liquid already. At around 3 minutes before the chicken/rice finished cooking, I added in the heavy cream and parmesan (grated) and stirred together.

Serve with more fresh thyme, a dollop of sour cream or like we did, a side of charred broccoli, which can be found here! This was a dish that I had seen done before, but wanted to make it my own. Here is this version, and damn is it tasty! NOMaste 🙂

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Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy, Chicken, garlic, Hearty, parmesan, quick meals, rice
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 6 people
Author nomastehungry

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lbs Chicken breasts Diced
  • 1/5 cups Rice white
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/4 cup Heavy cream or half and half
  • 1 pint Chicken stock or bone broth
  • 1 tbsp Minced garlic
  • 2 tbsp Olive oil extra virgin
  • Garlic powder
  • Dried Oregano
  • Fresh thyme
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  1. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil and add in diced pieces of chicken on medium heat.  Let sear on each side until each piece is no longer pink.  

  2. Add in seasonings (garlic, minced garlic, oregano, thyme) and stir.

  3. Pour in rice and chicken stock.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and let simmer for 18 minutes on low flame.

  4. Halfway through, check and see if the rice may absorb a lot of the liquid; add in 3/4 cup water and stir.  Continue to simmer with lid on.

  5. Three minutes before timer is up, add in heavy cream/half n half and parmesan cheese.  Stir to combine ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Pan Seared Herb Chicken

Chicken, it’s what’s for dinner. I have to be very honest, chicken can be so boring and mundane, especially when it’s chicken breast. It dries out very easily, due to it being lean and low-fat. It can also be chewy if cut wrong, and can go rancid if kept out or in the fridge too long. One thing I love to do is bread chicken breasts and make chicken cutlets, but being that I am completely revamping my nutrition, that’s not an option. I threw out my grill pan a while ago because I butchered it (see what I did there?), so how else should I make chicken? *LIGHTBULB* I can pan sear it!

A while ago, I purchased Herbes de Provence from Trader Joe’s and can not stop using it. I’ll use it in marinades, seasoning for vegetables, sweet potatoes, and decided tonight was a perfect opportunity for using it with chicken. I have not pan seared chicken in a very long time, solely because I always have a horrible outcome: chewy, under-seasoned, barely cooked chicken because I lose my patience. The trick I used was extra butter. Yep, you heard right, butter. I swear by Kerrygold butter because it’s grass-fed and has a delicious taste, also really good for cooking! I pan seared my chicken tonight in the butter and it was everything I needed. Here’s how it went down:

  • Start by rinsing three pieces of chicken breast (preferred organic). Trim the sides and slice thin. Pat dry and place in a large bowl.
  • Take four tbsp of the Herbes de Provence and pour into the bowl of chicken.
  • Mix together by hand so that all the chicken (and both sides) are fully coated. Let stand for 10-15 minutes.
  • Heat a large sauce pan. Cut 3 tbsp of butter (do not freak out here) and melt in the pan.
  • Add the chicken (three at a time) into the pan. Sear on each side for 6-7 minutes. You’ll know when the chicken is ready to flip when the sides of the chicken turn white.
  • Repeat for the remaining chicken breasts.
  • Top with pesto (my recipe linked here) and pair with veggies!

Here’s a picture tutorial for those who need some visuals (#multimodallearningbaby)

  • Chicken marinading with Herbes de Provence
  • Chicken placed in butter, first side cooking (6-7m)
  • Second side cooking
  • Second batch of chicken breasts

I hope you enjoy this one, it’s very straightforward, simple ingredients, and oh so yummy! NOMaste 🙂

A Leftover’s Makeover: Chicken Zucchini Boats

If you haven’t heard about using zucchini as a vessel for chicken, lamb, ground beef, etc., you absolutely live under a rock. It’s a “thing,” a trendy new way to use zucchini sans making them into noodles (I have feelings about zoodles but that’s for another post).

Zucchini happens to be one of my favorite vegetables to eat. Not only is it high in water and fiber, it’s actually known to lower blood pressure and provide your body ample amounts of vitamin C. Zucchini is incredibly versatile and when made into tiny “boats,” it can turn any meal into a low-carb masterpiece!

I originally sought to make these boats in an enchilada style, but that will be a follow-up recipe. Instead of taking out more chicken and boiling it then shredding, seasoning, and making an enchilada sauce, I opted to repurpose the leftover coconut cream and tomato chicken thighs from yesterday’s blog post (that recipe can be found here). Ready for the step by step? It’s super easy that it doesn’t even require a recipe. Here’s the deal:

  1. Take four zucchini and slice in half.
  2. Hollow out the zucchini with a spoon (or melon scoop) and repeat until all are finished. Remember to not hollow all the way down to leave a “skin” of zucchini so it resembles a boat. They will soften in the oven.
  3. Preheat oven to 350*
  4. Layer in the leftover chicken (or you can use ground beef, lamb, etc.) Be generous here 🙂
  5. Place in dish (pre-sauced with any kind of marinara sauce or some leftover sauce from the chicken).
  6. Bake for 15 minutes; take out at 15 minutes to sprinkle cheddar cheese and turn oven to broil.
  7. Broil until cheese is melted about 3 minutes.

THAT’S LITERALLY IT. Here are pictures to explain visually (it’s also really not complex, just follow the steps above).

  • hollowed zucchini
  • sauce in dish
  • zucchini filled with chicken
  • after 15 minutes of baking, add cheese and melt.

Don’t worry, if you weren’t able to use leftovers it’s really alright. Make some taco meat with taco seasonings found on Thrive Market and make taco boats! Hmmm, #idea.

Nomaste 🙂

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