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Creamy Chicken Marinara

September 15, 2011 By Kate 1 Comment

For some reason, any time I’m trying to come up with a quick dinner idea my mind always instantly goes to something that involves tomato sauce. Maybe it’s because I know that’s one flavor that will always be a hit with the kids. Who knows? But whatever the reason, one thing I know for sure is that tomato sauce and diced tomatoes are probably two of the most common ingredients on this blog.

This dish evolved as it cooked. I originally was just planning to slow cook some chicken in a basic marinara sauce to serve over spaghetti. That’s a stand-by in our house on busy days. As dinner time was getting closer though, I knew I wanted to mix things up a little bit. So I improvised and tossed in a few extra ingredients that sounded good and ended up with something much better than the original. I just love it when that happens!

Creamy Chicken Marinara

  • 1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 t. Italian seasoning
  • 1 t. sugar
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
  • 1 12 oz. bag frozen spinach
  • Spaghetti, cooked and drained
  • Garnish: Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Combine tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, garlic and seasonings in a bowl and stir until mixed.

2. Place the chicken breasts in a crockpot or casserole dish. Pour sauce on top. Cook on high for 3 hours in a crockpot or bake at 250 degrees for 3 hours.

3. Add the cream cheese and spinach. Continue cooking using preferred method for another hour.

4. Remove chicken and bay leaf. Stir sauce until creamy. Shred chicken and add back into the sauce. Serve over spaghetti. Garnish with Parmesan cheese, if desired.

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Crock Pot Country Chicken

August 24, 2011 By Kate 9 Comments

I think my crock pot is the most under-used appliance in my kitchen, which always baffles me. Not only do I love crock pot meals but using the crock pot fits perfectly with my stolen moments method. So it’s beyond me why I don’t use it more. I’m hoping to use it more often over the next few months. We’ll just see if I remember though.

There’s a funny story behind the name of this recipe. Actually, it’s the same story that’s behind many of the recipe names that I post here. My tendency is to call whatever I’m making “skillet stuff” or “chicken casserole” (no matter what else is in it) or “noodles with sauce” or even, when I’m really desperate, “I don’t know, just stuff!” Yeah, my creativity kind of ends once I decide on all of the ingredients. Fortunately, the kids are never satisfied with those names. So they spend many a night around the dinner table coming up with recipe titles. The winning name is the one that you see here.

With this meal, we went back and forth between Country Chicken and Chicken Soup Casserole. You can see the name we settled on, but they are both equally appropriate. The flavors are really reminiscent of an old-fashioned, homemade chicken soup, which also gives it that country flavor. The slow cooking just infuses everything with fantastic flavor that is not at all boring or bland.

Crock Pot Country Chicken

  • 6-8 Yukon gold potatoes, halved or quartered
  • 4 carrots, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and cut into large pieces
  • 4 celery ribs, cut in half lengthwise and cut into large pieces
  • 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper
  • 3 T. corn starch
  • 1 1/4 c. chicken stock
  • 2 t. dijon mustard
  • 1 1/2 t. dill
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1 1/2 c. frozen peas

1. Place potatoes, carrots and celery in the bottom of a crock pot. Place seasoned chicken breasts on top.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and chicken stock. Stir in the dijon mustard, dill, salt and pepper until well combined. Pour into the crock pot.

3. Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Add the peas during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.

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Brown Sugar Chicken

July 27, 2011 By Kate 11 Comments

I always enjoy the combination of sweet and savory. I know it’s not a winner with everyone, but fortunately everyone else in my family agrees. So I had this idea to make a coating for chicken that was heavy on brown sugar. I wasn’t sure what direction to take it though so I did a little research.

I found several different recipes and most of them had an Asian spin to them. That wasn’t really what I was going for, so I improvised and combined and came up with something that turned out fantastic! I veered a bit from my original plan and opted for a marinade instead of a coating. I think that was the right call because the chicken ended up being so tender and full of flavor.

This dish also got me what might possibly be the best compliment I’ve ever gotten on my cooking when our 4 year declared “this tastes like angels flying around in my mouth.” With praise like that, I think it’s safe to say you can ignore the strange sounding ingredients and just trust me that this will be a hit!

Brown Sugar Chicken

  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 2 T. dijon mustard
  • 1 large (or 2 small) clove garlic, finely minced
  • 1 t. salt
  • 1 t. paprika
  • 1/2 t. black pepper
  • 1/4 t. crushed red pepper flakes
  • About 1/2 – 1 c. lemon-lime soda (ie. Sprite, 7Up, etc.)
  • 1 1/2 – 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Combine brown sugar, mustard and seasonings in a bowl and mix well. Stir in soda just until mixture is the consistency of a thick dressing.

2. Place chicken in a dish or plastic ziploc bag and pour marinade on top. Let chicken sit in marinade at least 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until fully cooked. Or, grill the chicken until fully cooked.

3. If desired, pour the remaining marinade into a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Spoon over cooked chicken.

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