Roman-Style Fettuccine with Chicken

This is another terrific Italian dish from Giada De Laurentiis. I grew up thinking that if you were going to serve pasta, you had to smoother it in either a tomato or heavy cheese sauce. Oh what a sheltered life I lead! I have made this dish many times, and it's always a crowd favorite. When I tell Julie I'm making this for Sunday dinner, it always makes her smile.

The recipe calls for 1 1/2 lbs of pasta. Since pasta is only sold in 1 pound boxes, I usually go ahead and cook the full 2 pounds and include a little more chicken.

Giada lists this recipe as making 4 to 6 servings. My experience is it makes 8 servings, and more if you up the quantity of ingredients. Even if you invite friends over you'll still have plenty of leftovers.

If you don't have fresh herbs, it's OK to use dried, but just reduce the amount by 1/3 to 1/2.

I recommend serving this dish with a nice Chardonnay. It's a great one-dish meal to serve on a cold winter night.

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves
2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced
3 oz prosciutto, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 lbs. fettuccine
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley.

1. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.
2. Keeping the same pan over medium heat, add the bell peppers and prosciutto and cook until the peppers have browned and the prosciutto is crisp, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
   
3. Add the tomatoes and their juice, wine, thyme, and oregano. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan, add the broth, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir and cook until tender per the directions on the package.
5. Remove the chicken and let it cool slightly on a cutting board. Using a fork and knife, gently shred the chicken. Return the chicken to the pan Stir in the parsley.
6. To serve, spoon the pasta into serving dishes and top with the chicken and sauce.

From Giada De Laurentiis Everyday Pasta

Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients for the chicken:

1lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs (5 or 6)
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts halves (about 3 pieces)
1/2 tsp. fine sea salt, plus more for the cooking water
1/8 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 14 1/2-ounce can low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme
2 Tbs. cornstarch
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 cups low-fat milk
3 carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 lb. green beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Ingredients for the dumplings:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. fine sea salt
2 Tbs. cold unsalted butter, cut in bits
3/4 cup low-fat milk

1. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium; add the thighs. Cook, turning once, until nicely browned on both sides and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter. Repeat with the breasts, cut the breasts crosswise into thirds.
2. Add the butter to the pot; when melted add the onion, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the broth and thyme; bring to a boil. Combine the cornstartch and flour in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the milk, and whisk the milk mixture into the broth. Boil,whisking until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat; return the chicken to the pot.
3. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil; add salt. Add the carrots and geen beans; cook until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain in a colander, rinsing with cold water to stop the cooking. Stir into the chicken mixture in the pot.
4. Prepare the dumpling dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Add the butter; cut into the dry mixture until mealy. Pour in the milk, stir with a fork until the dough comes together. Return the chicken mixture to a simmer, and drop the dough by tablespoons on the surface of the stew. Cover; cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. (The dumplings will puff up.) Serve.
   

Per Serving, 442 calories, 12 G fat, 42 G carbohydrates

From The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The New Classics

Baked Buttermilk Chicken

I had three quarters of a jug of buttermilk in my refrigerator this morning. Searching for recipes over the Sunday paper and a cup of coffee; I settled on this one. It comes from my television girlfriend and real life convicted felon Martha Stewart. It's from her book: Martha Stewart Living Cookbook, The New Classics. This cookbook contains a mammoth 1,200 recipes published in her magazine over this decade. This recipe serves 4, and has 362 calories and 5g of fat per serving.

I liked the consistency and spiciness of the coating. It had a little bite, but wasn't over the top spicy. Julie didn't care for this recipe. She said it tasted like cornflakes on chicken!

Ingredients
Olive oil cooking spray
4 chicken drumsticks (about 1lb), skins removed
2 whole boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 3/4lbs), halved
2 1/2 cups low-fat buttermilk
4 cups cornflakes, finely crushed
3/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Lemon wedge, for garnish (optional)
Flat-leaf parsley sprig, for garnish (optional)

1. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Transfer to a medium bowl. Pour the buttermilk over the chicken. Cover and let marinate 1 hour in refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F. Generously coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, set aside.
3. Toss the cornflakes, Old Bay, thyme, basil, and cayenne in a large bowl. Remove 1 piece of chicken at a time from the buttermilk, letting excess drip back into the bowl; dredge in the cornflake mixture.
4. Transfer the pieces to a baking sheet; lightly coat each with cooking spray. Bake, turning the pieces once, until crisp and cooked through, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a platter, garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.
   

Chicken Burritos

This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook: Reader's Digest Great Recipes for Good Health. This recipe serves 4. A single serving has just 379 calories and 3 g of saturated fat.

Ingredients
1 Tbs. corn or peanut oil
4 boned chicken thighs, skinned and cut into 1/2" cubes (about 1lb)
1 large yellow onion, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. flour
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup buttermilk
1 can (4 oz.) chopped green chilies, drained
2 tsp. low-sodium tomato paste
8 6-inch flour tortillas

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. In a heavy 10-inch skillet, heat the corn oil over moderate heat for 1 minute. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until no longer pink on the outside -- about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a bowl.
2. In the same skillet, cook the onion and garlic, uncovered, until soft -- about 5 minutes. Blend in the flour, chili powder, and cumin, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
   
3. Stir in the chicken broth, buttermilk, chilies, and tomato paste. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return the chicken to the skillet and stir.
4. Place a scant 1/2 cup of the chicken mixture on the lower third of each tortilla, and roll it up like a cigar. Place seam side down in an ungreased 13"x9"x2" baking pan.
5. Bake, uncovered for 5 minutes.