Tag: chicken

Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Oh, man!  We had an awesome dinner tonight.  I don’t know how it even popped into my head, but while I was trying to decide what to make for dinner I thought back to a delicious pasta dish I had at Chili’s a while back and decided to recreate it.  I didn’t remember exactly what ingredients were in the dish, but I knew it was some sort of Cajun chicken fettuccine alfredo.  So this is my take on it.

Here’s what you’ll need:

boneless, skinless chicken breasts

fettuccine pasta

Emeril’s Original Essence seasoning (recipe below, in case you don’t have the pre made version)

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
  • 2 tablespoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme

roasted red peppers (found on the same grocery aisle as pickles, banana peppers, etc.)

your favorite alfredo sauce (since I was adding roasted red peppers to the dish, I decided on some alfredo sauce with some red peppers already mixed in)

I don’t think you could ask for a recipe with more simple ingredients.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Liberally sprinkle Emeril’s Original Essence on chicken.  If you’re wondering why there is only one large chicken breast while the rest are chicken tenders, it is because when I brilliantly decided to make this dish I didn’t realize that I only had one normal sized chicken breast left until I had already gotten all my other ingredients together.  So the only other option was my chicken tenders in the freezer.  It actually worked out better though, because the chicken tenders chop up quicker. 🙂

Now, if you are feeling extra frisky and spicy, get out your cayenne pepper and pour a little in the palm of your hand.  In case you’re wondering, I did not use this much cayenne pepper.  If I had, I’m pretty sure my mouth would still be on fire.  A little goes a long way with cayenne pepper, so you should pour it in your hand first and then sprinkle it on using your other hand.  That way, you won’t mistakenly dump half the container on your chicken.

This is how much I sprinkled onto my chicken.  You can add more or less depending on how spicy you want it.  Or you can just omit it all together if you don’t like spiciness, like my friend Elizabeth.

Learned that one the hard way.  She and her fiance, Rustin, came over for dinner one night and I made my Jambasta (which is a Rachael Ray Jambalaya recipe using pasta instead of rice).  I did not know at the time that she was not a fan of spicy foods.  Now if you’ve ever had Jambalaya, you know that it is really spicy.  So when we sat down to dinner, she took one bite and that was enough for her.  I had to find her something else to eat quickly, and like an idiot, I gave her our left over Fulin’s Lo Mein from the night before.  But I had forgotten that we had asked for it extra spicy.  Sigh….another fail on my part.  She ended up eating a bagel for dinner.  Not one of my best moments.

Put the chicken in a hot pan seasoned side down.

Season the other side of the chicken the same way as the first side.

Cook chicken on the first side for about 3 minutes.  You want the pan to be pretty hot so that it blackens the seasoning.  Turn chicken over and cook for another 2-3 minutes.  Then, place the entire pan into your preheated oven for 8-10 minutes or until chicken is cooked all the way through.

Meanwhile, place the fettuccine pasta in some boiling water.  I used linguine since I didn’t have any fettuccine, but you can use whatever you have.

Pour alfredo sauce into a sauce pan and heat over medium heat.

Place 3 roasted red peppers on a cutting board.  You may want to dry them off on a paper towel first, as they can be quite wet out of the can.

Chop into a small dice.

Throw peppers into a small skillet and heat over medium high heat.

Take chicken out of the oven and let rest on a cutting board.  You don’t want to cut into meat when it is fresh out of the oven, grill, or skillet.  Let it rest for a few minutes to let the juices redistribute.

Drain pasta and toss it into the pan that the chicken just came out of.

Throw the peppers in and mix around so that all the yummy drippings from the pan are coating the pasta.  Talk about flavor!  Why let it go to waste?

Pour heated alfredo sauce over pasta and mix well.

Cut chicken into bite sized strips.  This is why the chicken tenders came in handy. 🙂

Place pasta on a place and lay chicken strips on top.  Doesn’t that look delish!?

If you are feeling especially dangerous…..as I clearly was…..pour some left over alfredo sauce on top of the chicken.  Yum!  My tummy is happy.  As are my taste buds.  I know yours will thank you as well.

Teriyaki Chicken & Pineapple Bowls

I don’t know about you, but I’m always looking for more chicken recipes.  And when we don’t want to go out to a Japanese or Chinese Restaurant but still want some teriyaki chicken, I make this delicious teriyaki chicken & pineapple bowl.  But if you think I just throw some chicken and pineapple in a pan and pour on some teriyaki sauce, you’d be terribly mistaken.  I make this teriyaki sauce with chicken stock, honey, sesame oil, and finally, the ingredient that is this recipe’s namesake….teriyaki sauce!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup white rice (or brown if it suits your fancy)

1 cup chicken stock (choose low sodium stock if you’d like a healthier option)

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp sesame oil

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce

Can of pineapple chunks, drained


Start by pouring the chicken stock into a small sauce pan.

This is the stock I use.  It’s unsalted, cuz who needs more sodium?  Pretty sure Americans get way more sodium than is healthy, and plus, salt makes you retain water and feel bloated, and lets face it…..bloated is not a good look for me.  (Was that a run on sentence?)

Bring stock to a boil.

Then add the honey.  I’ve found that it pours alot easier if you take the cap off.  Thick honey and that tiny little pouring hole do not go well together.

Next you’re going to add the sesame oil.  You can find this on the international foods aisle at your local grocery store.  Don’t skip it, cuz it add a really nice flavor to the sauce.

I poured it in without measuring, but if you’re not a good eyeballer make sure you measure the sesame oil because a little goes a loooooooong way!  It’s a very strong flavor and if you add too much it could overpower the sauce.  Since you probably will only use sesame oil for a couple recipes you might want to keep it in the fridge.  It’ll keep longer that way.  But don’t worry, it lasts for a pretty long time.

Now add the teriyaki.  Normally I don’t use this particular teriyaki sauce.  I like to use a thicker sauce that has the consistency of ranch dressing or something like that.  Sorry, that was probably a bad comparison because teriyaki sauce and ranch dressing taste nothing alike, but just keep the thickness and consistency in mind when you are looking for a teriyaki sauce.

Let that simmer for a little bit while you prepare the chicken.

Cut chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.

Add a little Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) to a pan and heat to medium high.

Add your chicken and some salt and pepper.

Once your chicken is fully cooked, add drained pineapple and toss into pan with the chicken.  Pour enough of the teriyaki sauce mixture onto the chicken and pineapple to coat the bottom of the pan and surround the chicken.  Bring it to a bubble.

Cook for about 5 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  You want the chicken and pineapple to fully absorb the flavor of the sauce.

Put some white (or brown) rice in a bowl and spoon the chicken and pineapple on top.  If you want ALOT of flavor, pour some of the left over sauce on top of the chicken and let it soak into the rice.  Sprinkle some sesame seeds on top, and you’ve got yourself a nice Asian dinner without the restaurant prices!  Now who doesn’t like that?

Honey Chicken

If you’re looking for a chicken recipe, this one is amazing.  Steve’s mom, Toli, gave me this recipe per Steve’s request, and I have made it many times much to his delight.  If I can’t think of what to make for dinner, I usually go back to this since I know it’s a winner.

Here’s what you’ll need:

boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup honey

1/2 cup yellow mustard

1 tbsp seasoned salt

1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 (1 stick) butter, melted

Pre-heat oven to 375°.  As if you needed a picture to show you what to do. 🙂  Hey, what can I say?  I like to be thorough.

Fill a measuring cup with 1 cup of honey.  You’ll want a large measuring cup so you can add the other ingredients on top of the honey and still have room to stir it around.

Next, add the yellow mustard.  Oh, by the way, this is a portion size for about 2-3 people.  You can double or triple the recipe as needed depending on how much sauce you want.

Add seasoned salt….

….and curry powder to the honey and mustard.

Give it a good stir so that all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Next put a stick of butter in a coffee mug, or another microwave proof glass

and melt it.

Pour melted butter into a baking dish.

Then pour honey/mustard mixture onto the butter.

Mmmm, look at that heart attack waiting to happen!

Place chicken breasts into the dish and coat well with the sauce.  Don’t be afraid to get your hand nice and sticky.

Bake for 30 minutes.

During this time you can upload and edit the photos you’ve been taking throughout this entire cooking process, paint your toe nails, watch an episode of Friends, walk your dog, run around the block, go on facebook, check to see if your photo has been picked as a finalist on The Pioneer Woman’s Photography Assignment (which it hasn’t…yet), or snuggle with your significant other.

I’ll leave it up to your imagination to decide which one I chose to do. 🙂

When your timer starts beeping at you after 30 minutes, take the dish out of the oven, turn the chicken breasts over and spoon sauce over each piece.  Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.  Then lay your finished chicken on a bed of rice.  Make sure to spoon a bunch of sauce over your rice as well!  Yum.  Make a side dish of your own choosing.  Enjoy!