Diary of a Really Bad Eater - Vol. 1

Ok, I’m just going to come right out and admit it. I’m a picky eater. Very picky. But I am definitely not the pickiest eater by far (you should meet my dad)! Actually, until I met my boyfriend, my dinners pretty much consisted of salad or chicken, or sometimes salad topped with chicken. I basically ate chicken five to six days out of the week. It got so bad that people started telling me, If you eat one more piece of chicken, you’ll start clucking.Hmph! Well, I concede, they were right…after all, man cannot live on chicken, err, bread alone! Yes, yes…I have since been expanding my horizons and now eat other food besides chicken (thanks, sweetie!).

That being said, when you eat chicken almost every night, you’ve really got to get creative with how you prepare your dinner so you don’t get bored! I could honestly write a book entitled, To Cluck or Not to Cluck: 1000+ Ways to Cook Chicken. From baked to boiled, to roasted to grilled, to fried to braised, you name a method, and I’ve done it! I just thought I’d take a moment to share a few of my favorite chicken recipes with you. They’re super simple to make, and I hope you enjoy them!

Chicken Parmigiana

There are a couple of ways you can make this dish, either with pan-fried or baked chicken. Regardless, the chicken cutlets are prepared the same way. Pound the chicken breasts thin; then coat them in egg yolks and bread crumbs (panko or Italian seasoned). If you’re going for the healthier approach, you can bake the coated breasts on a pan in the oven at 350F for approximately 40 minutes (depending on the thickness). If you’re going for the less healthy approach, you can pan-fry them until golden brown and almost cooked through. Then line a 9x12 dish with a thin layer of pasta sauce; place the prepared chicken cutlets on top. Add more sauce to the cutlets until they’re covered, and top with a handful of shredded mozzarella and a generous sprinkle of grated Pecorino Romano cheese; shake some parsley on top of the chicken. Cook at 350F for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted.

Stuffed Chicken Breast

This is one of my favorites because it’s so versatile! I usually stuff mine with spinach or broccoli, but you can also use cheese and mushrooms or sausage-bread stuffing. I make this dish with uncoated chicken, but you can also coat the outside of the chicken with egg and breadcrumbs for even more flavor! Pound the chicken breasts thin, and butterfly them (cut them lengthwise in half). Coat the bottom of a 9x12 dish with non-stick cooking spray. Lay the chicken, sliced open, in the dish in a single layer. Line each side of the sliced chicken breasts with a thin slice of mozzarella. In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and chopped garlic cloves; when the cloves start to brown, add spinach (or broccoli) and cook until wilted and warmed through. Add salt and pepper to taste; then add ¼-½ cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese and toss. Lay a generous spoonful of the spinach mixture onto each chicken breast; fold the breasts to close. You can either leave them as is (the cheese might ooze out a bit) or close them securely with toothpicks. Bake at 350F for approximately 45 minutes (depending on the thickness of the chicken).

Cashew Chicken Stir Fry

I originally made this one with just red peppers, but my boyfriend hates them (now who’s picky?!) so I added a variety of vegetables to this recipe. Chop one bunch of scallions, separating the scallion whites from the greens. Cut 2-3 chicken breasts into small chunks or thin slices; toss with ½ tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Heat olive oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat; add the chicken and fry until golden brown and cooked through (approximately 4-5 minutes). Remove the chicken from the pan using a slotted spoon and set aside in a bowl. To the wok, add 3-4 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 chopped red pepper, snow peas, broccoli florets, sliced baby bella mushrooms, julienned carrots, and the chopped scallion whites; stir fry until tender, approximately 5-6 minutes (add a little more oil if needed). In a separate bowl, mix ¾ cup of chicken broth, 1½ TBSP soy sauce, 1½ tsp. cornstarch, and 1 tsp. sugar; stir into the vegetables. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring until the sauce is thickened, approximately 1-2 minutes (add a little more chicken broth if necessary). Stir in ½ cup salted whole cashews, cooked chicken, and scallion greens. Toss all together, and serve over a bed of rice.