Hey fellas!  Thanks for dropping by over.  Are you hungry?  I am not sharing anything fancy here today just a simple dish that you can whip up at home in no time on a week night and maybe impress that special someone – or even your own stomach.

For this little number, I took boneless skinless chicken thighs gave them a little crack with the mallet to flatten them, seasoned them, breaded them with panko and baked them in the oven.  After the bake, I hit them with some homemade basil tomato sauce, and topped them with a hint of feta.

My spin on chicken parmesan without the parmesan…

Ingredients

• 8 Chicken thighs, boneless skinless
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 Tsp. Oregano
• 1 Clove garlic
• 6-8 ripe tomatoes, chopped or from a can
• 2 Tbsp. fresh basil chopped
• 1/4 Cup goat cheese

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or tin foil.
3. Place the bread crumbs in a large bag and season it with th1 tsp. of the oregano and salt and pepper.
4. Using wax paper and a meat mallet, gently smack the chicken thighs so they flatten out slight to a more even thickness
5. Drop the flatten chicken thighs in the bag of bread crumbs, tossing to ensure they are coated well.
6. Distribute the chicken on the baking sheet and cook for 350 for 45 mins until crispy and tender.
7. In a large pot, add the tomatoes, garlic and remaining oregano.  Begin to cook the tomatoes over medium heat allowing them to break down.  after about 10 minutes you can puree the sauce with a hand blender and let simmer.
8. Add the basil at the final moment to the sauce.
9. Remove the chicken, pat dry with a paper towel the underside as there may be some excess fat.  Plate, top with the sauce and feta cheese.
10. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip:  When using fresh herbs versus dry herbs you want to add the fresh in at the very last minute versus early on as you would with dry.  The aromatics and freshness will come through in a short time with fresh herbs brightening your dish with both color and flavor.

I hope you enjoyed this spin on a classic.  Let me know if you try it at home.  It was well received here and will make the February calendar as well.  Have a good Wednesday and I will see you on Friday.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

Welcome to my kitchen for a little mid week Wednesday fun!  Do you ever watch the show chopped on the Food Network – I happen to LOVE it.  Here is the premise if you are not familiar.

“Chopped” the Show

The series challenges four up-and-coming chefs to turn a selection of everyday ingredients into an extraordinary three-course meal. After each course, a contestant gets “chopped” until the last man or woman left standing claims victory. Each week, a rotating panel of culinary elite judges decide whose dishes shine the brightest and award the winner $10,000.

Here is my spin on the whole version of mystery basket of ingredients and a 45 minute time frame to complete the entree.

Ingredients

• 2 Boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Grape Tomatoes
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
• 1/4 Cup slivered almonds

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Warm a large saute pan over medium heat and add oil, tomatoes and garlic – cook down for about 5 minutes





3. Add basil and remove from heat.
4. Lay the chicken on parchment/wax paper and another piece on top and hammer the chicken using a heavy blunt object. I chose a big pan.







5. Once flattened to your desired consistency, start adding the filling and rolling/folding the chicken over.  Once complete, you can top with the almonds or roll your chicken in them depending on how tight your roll is…. mine was kind of loose.  I was rushing for the time clock.



6. Return the chicken to the pan and sear on both sides until brown.



7. Add chicken to a oven safe baking pan and complete the cooking process; about 20 minutes.



8. ENJOY!

Zesty Tip: I really feel the key to this dish is searing the chicken prior to roasting it in the oven.  The tomato and garlic combination as well as the almonds create a flavor on the outside.  The last thing you want is to have a dry flavorless chicken which can easily happen.

Well there you have it!  A super fun game to play in your kitchen and really focus on keeping it simple but not sacrificing flavor.  Overall, What is your favorite food to cook of all time? I am going to dedicate an entire post to this but I just wanted to throw the question out there.  Have a super Wednesday and I will see you all on Friday for yet another salad post by zesty.  Can you believe this health kick I am on? – I am loving it!

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty

What a weekend!  Lets summarize shall we.  First, I decided to put my Honda Accord up for sale this weekend in preparation to buy a truck to replace it.  I always wanted a truck so now might be the time.  I thought with the new house coming and all the building going on – it would nice to have the ability to haul something when you need to.

On Saturday evening I was treated to a homemade cold plate. It included ham, potato salad, garden tomatoes, cucumbers and homemade bread.  What a treat!  Thanks Nan.

The Black Bomber

In addition, we had a last minute boy/girl wedding shower on Sunday that we had to attend. It was a good time and the desserts were incredible.  I didn’t have my camera which is unfortunate.

So a new week has started and our goal is to make some positive traction on the house.  Survey of the property and soil test is complete.  I am just waiting for the elevation of the plans to be finalized, then move onto the building permit along with temporary electric service.  Once  that is complete, we will be ready to dig the hole a get this party started.

I hope you have a great Monday! I have a real treat for you tomorrow (and Wednesday) so stay tuned for some really creative baking.

Take care

zesty

Download my Free Recipe Book: Simply Zesty