2009-02-23

Really Good Recipe!

I am the first to admit that I am not a very good cook. I certainly have no sense of timing to get a meal ready all at the same time. If I have to cook for more than myself, it can be even worse. I think most of it is just being out of practice, I used to be able to pull off decent meals for 4 on a regular basis. Now? Not so much!

I am one of those cooks that takes measurements as a guideline and ingredients as suggestions. Recipes always call for something I am allergic too, so I just ignore that part, or find something to substitute. This tends to make for some interesting meals and if I try to repeat one that turns out well, it makes for yet another interesting meal ;)

Keeping all that in mind, I have found a recipe that I haven't managed to screw up yet, so I thought I would share it with all of you. From RecipeZaar:

Mediterranean Chicken Breasts


Ingredients

1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated
1/4 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried garlic
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon sea salt or salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper or fresh ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves (about 2lb/1kg)

Directions

Mix together the first seven ingredients (from the cheese through to the black pepper) on a piece of waxed paper - saves on washing up later! - or if you prefer on a plate; put the oil in a shallow dish.
Dip the chicken breast halves in the oil, then coat them evenly with the cheese/breadcrumb mixture.
Spray a non-stick skillet with cooking spray and set over a medium heat; add the chicken and cook, turning once, for 15 minutes, or until golden brown and the juices run clear.


Now, I didn't make it for 6 people, I made it for me...so... I guessed at the proportions and I didn't have breadcrumbs or the correct cheese, I used cracker crumbs and parmigiana. Neither are big changes and it tasted heavenly! I have made it twice with chicken and once with pork chop and although it is good with pork, it is best with the chicken.

Of course someone that is a good cook, will have more luck removing the fillet (in order to remove the last scraps of skin and the tendon thingy that the butchers never take out) and then not overcooking it while under cooking the rest of the breast ;{

Have a good day all.

14 comments:

fiwa said...

That sounds really good. I'll give it a shot. :)

Leah J. Utas said...

Oh, yeah. That does sound good. I've done something similar with oil and vinegar followed by crumbs etc.
I've used soy parmesan in favour of real cheese so I totally get subbing.
Tasty post.

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

I no longer deal with allergies, but those are some of the exact same issues I have with food. You are not alone, Reb! I know my dh would love to eat right at 6:30pm, but that only happens if I am shooting for, say, 5:45pm. Oops. We often eat closer to 7 or 7:15pm. I'm sure it drives our visitors nuts!

Anyhoo, that recipe looks delicious! I think I might make it tomorrow night! :)

Reb said...

Fiwa, let me know how you like it.

Leah, does it still smell like dirty socks?

Kcinnova, I once went for supper at 19.00 and we didn't eat until 00.00 - needless to say, by then I had a migraine from not eating and didn't eat more than a few bites in case I threw up. First time I had met them, so I wasn't about to say anything. By now I am sure your friends know it will be about an hour and that is not bad.

Let me know how you like it.

Jay said...

That does sound pretty good. I'm always on the lookout for new chicken recipes.

Reb said...

Jay, it is good and you can fry up the left over crumbs to put on your veggies!

the Bag Lady said...

Sounds fabulous, sis! I will definitely try this one.... I think I have some chicken breasts in the freezer!

Reb said...

Oh, it is good Sis.

Hilary said...

It sounds very close to my Chicken Parmesan which when cooked through, I drown with a decent spaghetti sauce and cover each piece of chicken with a slice of Mozzarella cheese. When it's all melty.. it's done.

Reb said...

Hilary, that sounds good too.

Barbara Martin said...

This looks perfect for me, so I'm going to tuck it away into my recipe slot. Thanks, Reb.

Reb said...

Barbara, it is worthy of being tucked away.

Clare2e said...

Reb and Kcinnova- When I'm hosting, I always put out little, advance nibbles of some kind just for that reason, then I don't panic if things take longer to come together and don't worry about fainting guests.

I'm a recipezaar junkie, and your chicken recipe is similar to one I use for my pork chops (finished in oven) which makes the most tender ones I've ever had. Yum!

Reb said...

Clare, I turn to recipezaar more often than my multitude of cookbooks lately.