Chicken Thigh Bake

I was inspired by the show Jamie At Home for this dish. It is easy to prepare and works great for a fairly quick work night dinner. A beauty of this is that you can use pretty much whatever veggies you'd like. The same is true of the herbs.

I boiled some new potatoes and reconstituted some dried tomatoes in another pan of boiling water. I tossed in a couple cubes of frozen basil puree for good measure. When the potatoes were tender, yet still firm, I removed them from the water. The tomatoes and basil were drained through a fine strainer.

On to the chicken. I cut a package of skinless and boneless thighs into hunks slightly bigger than bite-size. Maybe even a little bigger than that. I placed the chicken in a frying pan with some olive oil and let it go until it was nearly cooked through. This took 10-15 minutes.

While the chicken was frying, I took a bundle of asparagus spears and cut them into one-and-a-half inch pieces. I set the spear tips aside.

In a mixing bowl I combined the potatoes, tomatoes, basil, chicken and the asparagus (except the tips). I splashed in some red wine vinegar, some black pepper and some olive oil. Mix thoroughly. Gently.

This is spread evenly in a baking dish. Then I scattered the reserved asparagus tips over the top. A drizzle of olive oil over everything and into a 400° oven for 45 minutes and it's dinner time.

This came out absolutely spectacular. Susie and I both loved it. We still do.

Bon appétit!

Puff Pastry Chicken Fajita Braid

Inspired by something I saw on the Cooking Channel, the main difference in my version is that I used a puff pastry sheet instead of Pillsbury crescent roll dough.

Chicken breast is cut into 1 by 1 by 1/2-inch strips. Or thereabouts. A little vegetable oil is heated in a skillet and the chicken is added, along with some chili powder, salt, and garlic. I also added a splash of chipotle marinade for a little, just a little extra kick. Sliced onion, and strips of red add green bell peppers are added. When the chicken is cooked through, remove from the heat.

Line a baking sheet with a silpat. Now spread out a sheet of thawed puff pastry dough. Yes, on the silpat. Spread the chicken and vegetable mixture on the center third of the pastry sheet. Spread about a quarter cup of salsa over the top. Sprinkle with grated jack and cheddar cheese.

Now the tricky part. Or as tricky as any part of this recipe gets. With a knife, make cuts one inch apart on the long sides of the pastry sheet not covered with the filling. Careful not to cut into the silpat! Carefully life the strips of dough, alternately, and cross them over the filling, to form a roll. Gently press the opposing edges to seal. Finally brush the top of the roll with a little egg wash.

Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes until the top is a deep golden brown. Cool for a few minutes. To serve, cut crosswise into slices. When I entered this into Weight Watchers recipe builder, I figured 8 servings and that came to five points. Goody! I can have two servings.

Bon appétit!

Deep-dish Polenta Pie

My inspiration for this came from a Weight Watchers' recipe. Even the name. I added a few things. I love polenta! You can do so many things with it. And I can too.

Milk (1%), water and salt are brought to a boil. The heat is reduced to medium-low and yellow corn meal is slowly drizzled in while whisking continually. Continue whisking until the polenta thickens to the consistency of mashed potatoes. This takes about seven minutes. Stir in a tablespoon butter and three tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese.

Away from the heat, the rest of the ingredients are mixed in. Chopped broccoli, diced cooked chicken, reconstituted sun-dried tomatoes, chopped garlic, and chopped onion. Mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are well coated with the polenta.

The mixture is pressed into a lightly-oiled 10-inch deep-dish pie pan. I used a spring-form. A tablespoon of grated Parmesan is sprinkled over the top. It bakes at 400° for 35 minutes. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes. Or serve at room temperature.

This makes eight servings, each of which counts as 4 Weight Watchers' points. Just 4! At that rate, you may have seconds! If you've been good.

I served each slice with a spoonful of salsa and a couple slices of avocado. Absolutely yummy!

Bon appétit!

Chicken with Sage & Walnut Pesto

Susie gave me a new cookbook recently. Pestos, Tapenades & Spreads. I made a batch of the Sage & Walnut Pesto. OK, OK. A double batch. I took a couple chicken breasts, dried them well with a paper towel, then spread a thin layer of the pesto on them. Into an olive-oiled pan and into a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes. About 10 minutes into the baking I thought I could add some reconstituted Italian heirloom tomato slices. A few minutes before removing from the oven, I laid a thin slice of provolone on top and let it melt.


I served the chicken with some domathakia. Dolmas. Canned dolmas. Canned? Yes. Canned. I found them at a Greek deli & grocery in Portland and had to try them. They are delicious.

Bon appétit!

Chicken Pot Pie

Comfort food on a Friday evening. Life is good. I decided yesterday to make a chicken pot pie for dinner tonight. From scratch. Mainly. I was looking for an easy way to put together something that Susie and I would really like. Puff pastry sheets to the rescue. Susie stretched the sheets to fit the pie pan while I cut up onion and potatoes. Adirondack
Blue potatoes. I followed a recipe, loosely, for the gravy: butter, chicken broth, flour, salt & pepper. When it thickened, I added the spuds and onions, some frozen mixed veggies, and a couple chicken breasts that had been diced.

I poured the mixture into the pie pan and turned it back over to Susie to add the top of the crust. Before she covered it, I snapped this picture. Check out the blue potatoes! Although they look more purple than blue. Then into the oven for 30 minutes at 400. Or until the crust was golden.


The verdict was unanimous. We both loved it! But we also agreed that an additional 10-15 minutes in the oven would improve the pie. Next time. And there will be a next time.

Bon appétit!