Chicken Breasts Arrabbiata

I am always in search of new ways to prepare boneless, skinless chicken breasts. This is my go to protein; it is cheap, healthy and extremely versatile. During a normal week at the Williams house I tend to cook about 5 dinners, out of those dinners you will find boneless, skinless chicken breasts in at least 4!

Thanksgiving weekend was SOOOO relaxing. Since meeting Terry and Kylie seven years ago, I usually spend my Thanksgiving break watching Kylie play in her softball turkey tournament. This year was different because the tournament that Kylie’s team participated in was the weekend before Thanksgiving. This left our entire break open for lying on the couch and watching football. While I do enjoy the occasional game, I took this opportunity to peruse through my cookbooks and see if there were any hidden gems that I had not tried.

Chicken Breasts Arrabbiata has the requirements that I look for in a recipe. It is chuck full of vegetables, has good flavor, is very low fat and low calorie, and it’s made with boneless, skinless chicken breasts!

Chicken Breasts Arrabbiata

Prevention’s Ultimate Quick & Healthy Cookbook

1 Tablespoon Extra -virgin olive oil

1 cup chopped red bell pepper

1 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup seeded, chopped peperoncini

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 cups coarsely chopped plum tomatoes

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

Preheat the broiler and broiler-pan rack

In a large skillet, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, peperoncini, garlic, basil, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper, 1/8 teaspoon of the salt and the red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.

Add the tomatoes, broth, and tomato paste, increase the heat to medium-high and saute for 1-3 minutes longer or until the tomatoes start to release their juices.

Reduce the heat to medium, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally and mashing the tomatoes with a spoon, for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are reduced to sauce.

Meanwhile, season the chicken on both sides, with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Broil the chicken 4 to 5 inches from the heat for 5 minutes per side, or until browned and cooked through. Add the chicken to the tomato sauce, spoon the sauce over the chicken and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle with the parsley and remove from heat.

To serve, place a piece of chicken on each of 4 plates and top with the sauce.

220 cal

5.6 fat

4 servings

Chicken Breasts Arrabbiata has a nice heat without being spicy. I really enjoyed the fact that the flavorful sauce was produced from fresh vegetables and utilized the jar of peperoncinis that I have had lingering in the pantry. As always, I veered from the original recipe and had Terry grill the chicken outside for me. Let’s face it, when the weather is nice enough to be outside grilling at the end of November, you better take advantage of it! We served this with mashed potatoes and green beans and were pleased with the results. This was not Terry’s favorite dish, but he did appreciate the flavor in contrast to the low fat and calories. I brought my leftover Chicken Breasts Arrabbiata for lunch on Monday and the flavor seemed to be more impactful the next day.

Happy Cooking!

-Heather

November Update

I must apologize for my neglect towards this blog. My camera memory card has been “misplaced.” I often wonder how I achieve such randomness. I am fairly certain that I will be getting a new one soon, so the logging of my recipes will begin again shortly. I am trying something new tonight, so I have borrowed one of Jon Box’s memory cards.

Almost everything seems to be going right lately. Many of my family and friends know of my recent struggles with General Motors, having bought a defective Saturn. When a 2008 Vue ends up in the shop 7 TIMES for the same problem….well you can imagine my annoyance and frustration. We demanded that GM buy our Vue back from us and with no lawyers involved, it actually happened! We purchased a new Rav4 and have been happily driving since. The puppies are really comfortable in the far back area and traveling with them has been a breeze.

My little brother, Derrick just bought his first home. He is only 23 years old, has an awesome engineering job and is really moving in the right direction. My parents are flying out from Chicago to help him move and organize so Terry and I will be headed down to San Diego to see everyone and help out. Shortly after that we will be headed to Chicago for a frosty Christmas trip. I know at some point that these trips may not be feasible, but I am certainly happy that they currently are. There is just something about being in Chicago with my crazy fun family that makes the holiday for me.

The pups are getting HUGE, 41 and 43 pounds. They are too much fun, I adore spending my days with them. They spend their time exploring, retrieving, digging holes, and getting into trouble.

I hope this post finds all well and again, I promise to post more recipes soon. I have a “feeling” that I may be getting a new camera as a Christmas gift, so my pictures should be improving!

Best wishes,

Heather

Basil Beer Bread

Bread has always seemed very scary to me....so much potential for failure! When I read a thread on the Cooking Light BB posted by someone who shared my thoughts this recipe for Basil Beer Bread was recommended. It was originally posted by Elizabeth 13 and the source is Real Simple, and that is exactly what this recipe is. The name of the recipe says it all, Basil: Good, Beer: Good, Bread: Good, how can you go wrong!!??

Basil Beer Bread
Source: Real Simple


3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4-ounce package active dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
3/4 cup (3 ounces) grated Parmesan
1 12-ounce bottle beer, preferably ale
Flour for the work surface
1 cup chopped or torn fresh basil


1. Heat oven to 400° F.

2. In the bowl of a standing mixer on low, or in a large bowl using a spoon, combine the flour, yeast, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Add the beer and mix just until the dough comes together. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle with the basil (or rosemary if subbing) and knead gently just until incorporated. Shape the dough into a round loaf and transfer to the prepared sheet. Bake until the loaf is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Turn the loaf onto a wire rack. Let cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing.












I used two cups of whole wheat flour and used all purpose while flour for the remaining cup and 1/4. Basil Beer Bread is a perfect way to use all of the basil that I have growing out back. For years I planted basil plant after basil plant with my typical "black thumb" results. Kylie thought she would give it a try and she clearly has the magic touch! It has been flourishing in an almost out of control way. The basil really makes this dense bread taste fresh and the beer deepens the rich flavor. This Basil Beer Bread is excellent on its own, dipped into soup, or used to make a great ham and swiss melt. It is a crucial element in satisfying a comfort food craving!

-Heather

Dogs in Shirts!!!

The boys are growing much larger and I just had to buy them these shirts. I never thought I would be one of those people....but I just couldn't pass them up! Halo doesn't mind his too much, but Figgins LOVES his!! These two are such goof balls, I can't believe how much joy they bring to my life!!

-Heather

Mexican Rice

Since moving to CA I have found myself preparing more and more Mexican inspired dishes. I have even made the jump from "mild" to "medium" in regards to salsa, which I thought would never happen:) Avacados which I once feared are now a weekly occurrence. Thanks to crazy Cousin Bud and his interesting take on the holidays, within a few years we will be harvesting our own avacados from the tree he gave us for Christmas a few years back. Regardless of the main dish, enchiladas, tacos, chili relleno casserole, I always make Mexican Rice as a side. I have tried several different recipes and finally found one we all really enjoy. While this recipe is inspired by an existing one, this is my take on the versatile side.

Mexican Rice
(My adaption of a classic recipe.)

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 chopped medium white onion
2 diced jalapanos
2 cups long grain white rice
1/4 cup olive oil
6 minced garlic cloves
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
A large handful of minced fresh cilantro
1 lime

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine tomato, onion and jalaponos in processor or blender until pureed completely smooth. Transfer mixture to measuring cup and reserve 2 cups.

Place the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear- about 1 or 2 minutes.Shake rice vigorously to remove excess water.

Heat the olive oil in heavy bottomed ovensafe 12 inch straight sided sautee pan or Dutch oven with tight fitting lid over medium high heat about 2 minutes. Drop a few rice grains in, if they sizzle then it is ready. Add rice and fry stirring until rice is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and cook , stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth, pureed mixture, tomato paste, and salt. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil.

Cover pan and transfer pan to oven to bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30-35 minutes.Stir well 15 minutes into the cooking time and return to oven.

Stir in the juice from the lime and the minced cilantro.








Terry has said over and over again that this Mexican Rice is better than any he has had in a restaurant. The consistency of restaurant rice was something I had trouble reproducing until I found this original recipe. Rinsing the rice and frying it in the oil are the two techniques that set this rice apart from rest. This rice can seem a bit time consuming, but it is well worth the effort. It freezes well so we usually make a large batch and freeze what we don't eat. We served it along side of beef enchiladas and Terry's guacamole. I hope you enjoy this Mexican Rice as much as we do, I have never received anything less than a rave review when adding this to a meal!

-Heather