Stork Meal 13: Mediterranean Caprese Chicken

This is one of those times that I have to give credit to Google for helping me find (then adapt) a recipe.

The original game from Our Story, but for whatever reason, when I found the picture on pinterest, I could not get any links to work. Regardless of WHO pinned the darn thing, the recipe would not come up! And I tried like 15 boards! Argh!

I might have panicked a little, because the Mama-to-be doesn't have many requests, but this was one of them. And as a self-proclaimed chef in training, I needed this recipe and thankfully Google knew where to find it. After only a few search strings, I found Aaron and Jill's blog and read through her recipe.

But like I always do... I changed the snot out of her recipe. I took out the sugar, added the onion and garlic and didn't drain my artichokes.  Upped the temp, lowered the cooking time and I also added way more cheese then she did... but we like cheese. A lot. And, while I haven't tried freezing this yet, I'm almost certain it will freeze beautifully!

The results were frighteningly good! We served ours over Quinoa but you can serve over pasta or rice. We had a two-year-old eating and two picky 9-11year olds and everyone loved it!

Here is my recipe:

Ingredients:
6 Chicken Breasts
8-16 shredded mozzarella cheese
Fresh Basil
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
1 heaping tablespoon of garlic
6 large diced roma tomatoes
1 white onion
1 large jar of artichoke hearts
1/4 cup quinoa flour (or any flour but I am wheat free so I used quinoa)

Directions: (Preheat 375)

1. Slice onion and keep the onion in rounds. Lay the rounds on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.

2. Place well salted and peppered raw chicken breasts over the top of the onion.

3. Mix together; tomatoes, whole jar of artichoke hearts (with liquid), garlic, some olive oil, generous salt and pepper, and the flour. Pour in pan between the chicken.

4. Bake for 35 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken hits just about 135-140.

5. Mix chopped basil (generous amount) and shredded mozzarella together and cover the mostly cooked chicken. Put back in the oven and continue to bake until chicken reaches 160ish. Flip on the broiler for 3-5 minutes to brown the cheese.


Freezer directions: Because of the nature of this meal, you would need to make this in a freezable 9x13 container like pyrex or throw away foil. Follow all the instructions to assemble but instead of cooking, cover with foil (or your lid). Bag cheese and basil mixture and place it on top of the meal with siran wrap.

Label with: Bake 375 for 35 minutes. Top with cheese mixture. Bake additional 10 minutes. Serve over a starch.

I will try this recipe again with a mock caprese (for my non tomato eating body) and use roasted red peppers. I think it will be amazing... but I will let you  know when I try it.

To see the other Stork Meals, click here.

Stork Meal 8: Sausage, Peppers, and Tatery Goodness

I was trying to think of a name for this epic meal of deliciousness, but I can't seem to find one that does it justice. And to call it Parika/Rosemary-EVOO-Kielbasa-Roasted-Red-Pepper-Potato-peperoncini-onion mix... just doesn't work. So, if you have any ideas... I'm all ears.

I actually found the original recipe on pinterest, but I never follow recipes. They are more like general guidelines. And this time, I'm glad I didn't follow it. Because in one pan I did exactly what the "recipe" said and in the other I did what I'm posting here.

And the score: pinterest zero, me epic win! ;)

(**I've made this meal many times now due to it's popularity among my household. I've begun to add anything and everything to the veggie mix with exceptional results! A cup of mushrooms, roasted red peppers AND fresh bell peppers, whatever I have fresh on hand that is in dire need of being cooked before I think it goes bad, Bam, I slap it in. Be brave and throw those bad boys in as extra color and flavor. You won't be disappointed.**)

Ingredients:
Polish Kielbasa (cut into slices)
4-5 red potatoes (1 inch cubes)
1 onion (sliced thin)
1-2 jars of roasted red peppers (diced)
       Alternately you could use 2-3 fresh bell peppers (pick something besides green)
2 tsps of rosemary (if you can, chop it up into smaller sticks ;))
3 tsps of smoked paprika
salt and pepper
extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)

AND, you need 1 jar of peperoncini peppers... or mild banana peppers but keep those in their jar until you serve!

To make the mix:
Mix sausage, potatoes, onion, red peppers, rosemary, smoked paprika, salt/pepper and EVOO all together in a large mixing bowl. Put the whole mix into a freezer bag and seal.

Write on the outside:
Defrost. Roast on 400 for 30-40 minutes. Top with peperoncinis and enjoy.

SOOO delish!



To see the other Stork Meals, click here.