Crunchy Onion Chicken (Recipe #47)

This recipe was simple and delicious. The only thing I would change is to fry the chicken for a few minutes before baking it in the oven. From prior experience with Chicken Parmesan, frying it first ensures a crispy coating instead of a slightly soggy one. I served the chicken with Parmesan Pecan Whole Grain Rice.

2 cups (4 oz.) FRENCH'S Original French Fried Onions
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
4 (5 oz.) boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten


1. Place French Fried Onions and flour into plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

2. Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet.

3. Bake at 400°F for 20 min. or until no longer pink in center.

Sarah & Brad's Wedding

September 2010 Update

Recipes I Tried:
Oven-Fried Chicken Parmesan
Chicken and Basil Dumplings
Lasagna

Books I Read:
Four Blind Mice by James Patterson
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling


Items I Worked On:
#6. Do something with my mom (dinner, etc) twice a month while my dad is gone
#19. Clean out the file cabinet every spring
#38. Get together with friends at least once a month
#40. Get together with “the girls” from M.A. at least 3 times per year
#53. Learn basic French
#58. Volunteer
#83. Re-read the Harry Potter Series (again!)
#87. Read all books in the “Alex Cross” series by James Patterson

Items I Completed:
#45. Buy chair(s) for the living room

Apples

We went to the apple orchard this weekend with Andrew's family. I was a little peeved that we didn't actually pick any apples because, if I'm not mistaken, isn't that the whole point of going?But whatever.

Chicken and Basil Dumplings (#44)

Andrew came home sick yesterday with a cold. He really hates being sick, but probably not as much as I hate him being sick. Ha. I had planned on making this recipe before I found out he was sick but, honestly, what is better than soup when you're sick?

It's healthy, hearty, and you probably have all of the ingredients to make this already. The broth is thick and has a rich chicken flavor. The dumplings were the best part, though. With the garlic, basil, and butter, they weren't at all bland. I'll definitely be making this again come wintertime.

Photo Courtesy of Delicious Meliscious

Chicken and Basil Dumplings
(Source: Heather Drive)

Soup Ingredients:
1 chopped onion
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 cup frozen peas
2 cloves of garlic, minced
8-10 cups of chicken broth
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (you can put them in frozen to start)
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

Soup Directions:
Put all ingredients above into slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6 hours.

Dumpling Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups of flour
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp butter, softened
1/2 cup low fat buttermilk
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Dumpling Directions:
Combine the flour with basil, garlic powder, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. But in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Combine buttermilk and egg, stirring with a whisk. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring until just combined.

Remaining Ingredients:
1/4 cup of cornstarch
1/4 cup of chicken broth (you can dip some out of the crockpot to mix)
1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

To Finish Soup:
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred with 2 forks. Add the chicken back into the slow cooker. Combine the cornstarch with the chicken broth and mix thoroughly to make a slurry. Add slurry to the soup.

Dumpling Directions:
Drop dumpling dough, 1-2 tsp. per dumpling, into the chicken soup. Cover and continue to cook on low for another hour and a half to two hours. Add the chopped parsley to the soup and serve.

Oven Fried Chicken Parmesan (#43)

Okay, truth-be-told, I've made chicken parmesan before. But not this recipe, so it still counts right? I don't think you can ever go wrong with Chicken Parmesan. This recipe was no exception. It was easy and delicious, and really dressed up what could have been just an ordinary spaghetti dinner.

Oven-Fried Chicken Parmesan

(Source: MyRecipes)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
Cooking spray
1/2 cup jarred tomato-basil pasta sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a shallow dish; place egg whites in a bowl. Place panko in a shallow dish. Dredge 1 breast half in flour mixture. Dip in egg whites; dredge in panko. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken, flour mixture, egg whites, and panko.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 2 minutes. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Turn chicken over; cook 2 minutes. Coat chicken with cooking spray; place pan in oven. Bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Turn chicken over; top each breast half with 2 tablespoons sauce, 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano, and 3 tablespoons mozzarella. Bake 6 minutes or until chicken is done.

Lunch with my girls

I managed to get away from work for a while to have lunch at Highland Grill (One of my absolute favorite places too eat. I never realized just how close this place is to my work. That could be dangerous.) with my girls. Liz missed out on seeing Joan last weekend, so we planned a lunch as one last opportunity to see Joan and her new hubby before they went back to Germany for who knows how long.

In addition to the happy couple, Liz, Lindsay, and Tracy were all able to make it, and we had a great time. We usually get pretty silly when we're together - further proof that age and maturity level do not always go hand-in-hand. And, quite honestly, I'm surprised Yitz didn't go running and screaming in the opposite direction. We seem to have that kind of effect on people.