weeknight meal

Marry Me Chicken with Lemon Spinach Pasta

I ain’t get no engagement ring BUT…this chicken dish was worth one!!! Lol! We really enjoyed this meal! It was reminiscent of the Lemon Garlic Basil Chicken recipe in my cookbook found here but it didn’t have a lemon taste. However the sun dried tomatoes added a nice twang! If you don’t like them tho you can certainly leave out or replace with fresh grape tomatoes. Also I included the side I made which was the perfect compliment in my opinion. I searched my local stores for orzo which I couldn’t find so I replaced with this melon seed shaped pasta which can be found in the Hispanic section of the store. Or you can use any small shaped pasta. Let’s get cooking my version of this great meal!

Ingredients for Marry Me Chicken:

3-4 chicken breasts butterflied (cut in half to make thin)
1/2 cup or water
1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
3-4 cloves of garlic minced
1 chicken bouillon cube (or you can use 1/2 a cup of chicken broth)
1 cup of half and half or heavy whipping cream
2-3 tsps of Italian Seasoning
Fresh or dried basil
1-2 tablespoons of butter
1/4 cup of sun dried tomatoes (they are kind of big so I chopped mine up)
2-3 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese
Seasoning for the chicken (I used a light shake of ranch, garlic & onion powder and garlic salt and more Italian seasoning)

Ingredients for Lemon Spinach Pasta:

1 and 1/2 cup of pasta
1 garlic clove minced
2-2 1/2 cups of water
1 chicken bouillon cube
1-2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1 tsp of garlic salt
1 tbs of olive oil.
Juice of 1 lemon.

Directions for chicken:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in oven safe skillet on medium high. Butterfly chicken breasts and season with seasonings of choice. Sear chicken on both sides about 3-5 minutes each. Remove from pan. Turn heat to medium low add butter and garlic. Sauté for about 30-45 seconds (garlic burns fast!) then add Italian seasoning and water. Add chicken bouillon cube and let simmer for a few minutes. Add half and half or heavy whipping cream slowly whisking in. Add sun dried tomatoes and let come to high simmer (slightly boiling). Turn on low and let sauce thickens. Add chicken back in. You can add some Parmesan and fresh basil at this point. Cover with pan or foil and bake in oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese if desired and fresh basil.

Directions for pasta: While Chicken is baking add olive oil to pasta pot and then garlic. Sauté for 20 seconds and then add pasta. Sauté for about 1 minute and then add water and chicken bouillon cube. Bring to boil, stir and then cover and let steam until pasta is tender about 10-15 minutes or most liquid is cooked off. It can still be a little liquid in the pan. Then add garlic salt, butter, Parmesan cheese and spinach. Stir until combined and then add juice from lemon.

The chicken and sauce over the pasta is divine y’all!!! As always I hope you try this and if so make sure to tag me on IG @severalpeoplesmama! Enjoy!

Love Ricki

Chicken Parmesan my way!

Winner, winner chicken dinner!!! And this meal was definitely a winner! We enjoyed this take on Chicken Parmesan and I actually made it low carb by not using breadcrumbs and using grated Parmesan cheese instead. If you use a low carb marinara sauce and serve over zoodles you have a keto friendly version. Let’s get to cooking!

Ingredients:

Boneless skinless chicken breasts- butterflied (split in half) and pounded thin
Jar of marinara sauce
2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese
2-3 eggs beat in a shallow dish
Seasonings – I used season salt (Tony’s), garlic and onion powder, Italian seasoning and Italian dressing seasoning mix. I add seasoning to my raw chicken and the beaten eggs.
1-2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil

Directions:

Butterfly (cut in half lengthwise) and pound out 3 chicken breasts fairly thin (you should end up with 6 thin breasts total. Season chicken and set aside. You will now set up your breading station. Beat 2-3 eggs in a shallow dish with seasoning. In another dish add 1-1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheese. Take the seasoned chicken and put in egg mixture and then cheese immediately following. Add to pan with olive oil on medium heat. Pan fry chicken on both sides until golden brown (about 3-5 minutes)and then add to baking dish. Chicken will finish cooking in the oven. Top chicken with marinara sauce, then cheese and Italian seasoning. Bake in oven on 350 for 20-25 minutes. Top over pasta and serve with salad or veggie.

This meal was delicious. I did add mine to the broiler for about 2 minutes because I like my cheese a little brown lol. This will be an alternative to spaghetti or spaghetti Mac for my family. If you try it make sure to tag me on IG @severalpeoplesmama! It really makes me so happy when y’all do!

Love Ricki

Cheesy Chicken Burrito Skillet

Hey y’all! Yesterday I was challenging myself to come up with a meal using what I already had on hand. And I have plenty of chicken!!! In particular boneless skinless chicken breasts. I think I need to share a week’s worth of budget friendly chicken recipes lol. Anyways after checking my pantry and surfing the internet I came up with this recipe that can be made in one pan and in about 30 minutes! The kids enjoyed it and it’s something that can easily be added to a tortilla or on top of nachos.

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (you can use boneless skinless thighs) cut in about 1 inch chunks
1 can of black beans
1 can of diced tomatoes (can also use rotel for a little spice)
2 cups of water (or chicken broth)
1 chicken bouillon cube (not needed if using chicken broth)
1 cup of rice
1 package of taco seasoning and 1/2 pack of ranch seasoning
1 cup of shredded cheese (I use Mexican blend)
2 tablespoons of oil

Directions:

Add oil of choice to pan or skillet and heat on medium high. Add chicken breasts and seasoning and cook til brown about 5-7 minutes. The chicken does not have to be cooked all the way thru as we will be cooking later. Remove chicken from pan and set aside. Set heat on medium and add rice. Sauté for about a minute and make sure not to burn. Add beans, diced tomatoes, water and bouillon cube or broth if using. Stir to combine and turn heat back to medium high until it begins boiling. Add chicken back in, set heat to low or simmer and cover. Let steam about 10-15 minutes until rice is cooked thru. Top with cheese and serve with your regular taco toppings.

As always tag me @severalpeoplesmama if you make this!

A lot more recipes to come because my teenagers had decided to change his diet and is no longer eating red meat or pork. I’m kinda proud BUT that means I need to get creative so follow along to see what I come up with by subscribing by email and making sure you’re following me on all my social media!

Love Ricki

Quick Crab Wontons

Last night I decided to share a video on how I made some quick crab wontons to go with our dinner. We had teriyaki chicken & fried rice and even though I could have made egg rolls this was a faster and easier alternative! Check out the video on my IGTV @severalpeoplesmama. Here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

One 8 ounce package of softened cream cheese
One package of flake stye imitation crab meat
One stalk of green onions chopped
Seasoning: I used garlic salt, onion powder and a dash of ranch
1 package of wonton wrappers (you will find this near the salad section in your grocery store)
Vegetable or canola oil

Directions:

Heat oil on medium heat (about 350 if using an electric fryer). Mix cream cheese, crab meat, green onions, and seasonings with a fork breaking up the crab meat. Then spoon a quarter size in to the wonton wrapper. Dab water on your finger and run along each side of the wrapper. Fold wrapper in half til it forms a triangle. Pinch sides in (it will kind of look like a diaper lol). After making several drop in hot oil and cook til golden brown, this will not take long so don’t go anywhere! Repeat til finished and drain on paper towel.

These are delicious on their own or dipped in soy, duck or sweet and sour sauce. Lil Diva enjoyed helping make them because she said it was like origami!

As always tag me on IG if you make them!

Love Ricki

Easy Weeknight Dinner Part 2 – Pesto Ranch Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner

Need another easy weeknight dinner? I got you!!! This is also a remix of a main dish featured in my Cook Yo Meals Dinner Inspiration Cookbook that I usually make in the crockpot or Instapot. But I have to honestly say I enjoy just as much this way to! So let’s get cooking!

Ingredients:

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast butterflied in half (check my highlights on Instagram to see what I mean)
1/4-1/2 cup of olive oil
1 dry ranch seasoning packet
1/4 – 1/2 cup prepared pesto
1 package of petite gold or red potatoes
2 – 3 cups of broccoli and cauliflower
Seasoning (I used garlic salt and powder, onion powder, lemon pepper and black pepper
1/2 onion finely chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
Bacon bits (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Start by rinsing and drying your veggies and potatoes. Make sure you dry them! Especially the potatoes or they won’t crisp up in the oven. Add veggies to a bowl and add 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil, your seasonings and 1/3 of the ranch seasoning. You can also add some pesto but I just added bacon bits instead. Add a dash of the chopped onions and garlic. Mix together thoroughly and make sure the veggies are coated in the oil and seasoning and then spread on 1/3 of the sheet pan or a 9 x 13 glass dish. Repeat steps with potatoes in same bowl. I added pesto to the potatoes and left out the bacon bits this time. Add to the pan. Finally in same bowl add chicken and repeat steps to season. Add to sheet pan and place in oven for 25 minutes. Turn meat, potatoes and veggies so it can cook on all sides. Bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes until chicken is tender and clear juices come out when pierced with a fork. You can turn on the broiler for about 5 minutes to give everything a crispier texture but I found everything was cooked perfectly and the potatoes were almost perfect!

I love this dish because I only dirtied a bowl and a sheet pan. And the veggies! Y’all if you never roasted your veggies in the oven you’re playing yourself! Even Lil Diva likes them and she’s my resident veggie hater.

If you try this please tag me on Instagram @severalpeoplesmama and also highlights of both this recipe and the Goulash recipe are posted on my page to guide you in making a delicious dinner for you and/or your family!!!

Love Ricki