Chicken Archives

Chicken

Skillet Garlic Chicken With Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pecorino Cream Sauce

Bring a taste of Tuscany home with this simple, quick and delicious recipe for Skillet Garlic Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pecorino Cream Sauce.

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Looking for a quick chicken meal to make on those busy days? This tasty Skillet Garlic Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pecorino Cream Sauce can be ready in just 30 minutes!

I used a cast-iron skillet for this meal,(I love this one with a lid!) but you can also use a stainless steel skillet if you prefer. Just make sure it’s a large enough with high enough sides to hold all the ingredients without spilling over.

Prepare your chicken by cutting the chicken breasts into large bite-sized pieces. Set aside.

Heat olive oil and garlic in the skillet and sauté until medium brown. Remove garlic with a slotted spatula and discard. You now have lovely garlic-infused olive oil left in the skillet. Add the chicken to the skillet, season with a little salt and pepper, and cook until browned on all sides. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.

To the skillet add half & half and chicken broth; stir carefully to incorporate all the yummy browned bits left in the bottom of the skillet.

About the cheeses: Pecorino Romano is a well known and distinctive Tuscan cheese made from 100% sheep’s milk. Although used interchangeably in recipes with the more mild Parmesan, it’s not the most ideal swap due to Pecorino’s stronger flavor.

In this recipe, I’ve balanced an equal amount of Parmesan with the stronger flavor of Pecorino Romano to create a delicious balance of the two. Feel free to play with the ratio to get the flavor that suits you.

Add oregano and grated cheese to the skillet and whisk until cheese is completely melted. (I use this cheese grater.)

Reduce heat and add sun-dried tomatoes and spinach. Simmer until tomatoes soften and spinach wilts. Add the chicken back in to warm it up; let it simmer for just a bit, then serve up this glorious Tuscan dish and enjoy!

Skillet Garlic Chicken With Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pecorino Cream Sauce

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

35 mins

Skillet Garlic Chicken With Sun-dried Tomatoes and Pecorino Cream Sauce

Author: Zesty Olive

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
 4-5 large cloves garlic, smashed
 ¾ c. half and half
1 c. chicken broth, preferably organic
2 t. dried oregano
⅓ c. Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated
⅓ c. Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
½ c. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1½ c. baby spinach
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside.
Heat olive oil and garlic in a large high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté garlic for several minutes until golden brown. Remove garlic with a slotted spatula and discard.
Add chicken to hot skillet and cook until golden brown on each side, approximately 3-4 minutes per side. Season with salt and black pepper, to taste. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside.
Add half & half and chicken broth and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a spatula.
Add oregano and grated cheese to skillet and whisk until cheese is completely melted, approximately 3-4 minutes.
Reduce heat to just below medium and add the sun-dried tomatoes and baby spinach. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until tomatoes are softened and the spinach wilts.
Add chicken and its juices back to skillet and simmer for another 3-5 minutes, or until chicken is heated through. Taste and adjust seasonings, as desired. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

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Chicken, Pasta, Recipes

Chicken And Broccoli Alfredo

Easy, creamy, cheesy and gluten-free! This Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo recipe will take only 30 minutes from stove to table for a quick weeknight dinner.

Note: This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

I love pasta and I love cheese, but mostly I love a quick dinner that I can pull together with minimal effort, and this one is it. I use gluten-free fettuccini here, but I’ve also been known to use gluten-free rotini or penne. TIP: If you don’t need the gluten-free option, just replace that with your favorite fettuccini brand.

I like to use fresh broccoli whenever possible, but I have used frozen broccoli florets and they work, too. I always use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook them myself because the yummy drippings and seasonings from the chicken get incorporated into the Alfredo sauce, adding to the yumminess.

Most of the work is done in my stainless steel skillet (all except the boiling/cooking of the pasta.) Do you have a workhouse stainless steel skillet? If not, may I suggest this one:

Give this recipe a try and add it to your easy weeknight dinner rotation!

Chicken And Broccoli Alfredo

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

30 mins

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo - easy, creamy, cheesy and gluten-free pasta dinner ready in 30 minutes.

Author: Zesty Olive

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

1 package gluten-free fettuccine pasta, cooked according to package instructions
12 ounces broccoli florets, fresh or frozen
2 boneless, skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
¾ cup chicken broth
¾ cup ½ and ½ (or milk)
¼ cup heavy cream
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Himalayan sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (I use gluten-free)

Instructions

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Before the pasta has reached al dente, and during the last 3 minutes of cooking, add broccoli florets (frozen or fresh) and finish cooking. Remove from heat and drain well. Set aside. (TIP: Try to cook the pasta during the last 10 minutes of making the Alfredo sauce so that the pasta will be fresh and not sitting and clumping together while you finish the sauce.)
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Add chicken to skillet, cooking each side about 4 minutes or until center is cooked through. Remove from heat and cut into bite-size chunks.
Return skillet to the burner and melt butter over medium heat. Add flour to skillet and whisk until lightly browned. Slowly whisk in chicken broth and ½ and ½, stirring constantly, until incorporated. Add garlic powder and pour in heavy cream, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
Add Parmesan cheese and stir until well combined. If mixture becomes too thick, just add a little more more ½ and ½, as needed.
Finally, stir in the pasta, broccoli and chicken. Gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately.

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Chicken, Recipes, Vegetables

Dutch Oven Balsamic Chicken And Vegetables

Savory Dutch Oven Balsamic Chicken And Vegetables are a fall and winter favorite!

Note: This post contains affiliate links for products on Amazon.

I used a dutch oven for this meal, but you can also use a large baking/casserole dish if you prefer. Just make sure it’s large enough to hold all the ingredients without spilling over because you’ll need to cover it tightly with foil.

Lightly oil the bottom of your dutch oven with olive oil. Nestle 2-4 boneless chicken breasts in the bottom. I use thin breasts, so if each piece is large and thick, consider butterflying the meat or slicing each breast horizontally to create two thiner pieces from each piece. Then pile on the veggies. I used a bag of tri-colored potatoes, a few rainbow carrots, and one large sweet onion. I chopped them into large chunks and seasoned them with salt and pepper. I also added a few cloves of garlic, rough-chopped. Look how pretty they are!

Want more dutch oven recipes? Check out this amazing cookbook with oodles of recipes for soups, stews, desserts, savory meals and more. It’s a keeper!

Add 1 cup water or white wine, and 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar to the pot. Lastly, add some herbs – I used about 1 tablespoon of an Italian seasoning blend. Fresh herbs would be amazing if you have them on hand. Put the lid on and bake for an hour at 350°.

About half way through I added some frozen peas to the pot and checked the liquid levels. You may or may not need to add a little more wine or water. Depending on how tender you like your veggies, continue cooking for another 30 to 45 minutes.

(Here’s my favorite dutch oven. Everything cooks evenly and cleanup is a breeze!)

When ready, serve up this deliciousness!

If you’re a balsamic vinegar lover, you might want to add just a dash more of that yumminess to the final product. Enjoy!

If you like these recipes, consider joining the Zesty Recipes Facebook Group. We’d love to have you!

Dutch Oven Balsamic Chicken And Vegetables

Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

1 hour

Total time

1 hour 10 mins

Dutch Oven Balsamic Chicken And Vegetables

Author: Zesty Olive

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

2-4 boneless chicken breasts (I use thin breasts, so if each piece is large and thick, consider butterflying the meat or slicing each breast horizontally to create two thiner pieces from each piece.)
1 bag (1.5 lbs) tri-colored potatoes
4-5 large carrots
1 large sweet onion,
2 cloves garlic
1½ cups frozen peas
1 cup white wine (or water)
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Instructions

Equipment: Dutch Oven or large baking/casserole dish
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Lightly oil the bottom of your dutch oven with olive oil. Nestle 2-4 boneless chicken breasts in the bottom.
Wash and scrub potatoes. Cut in half and add to pot.
Wash carrots. Cut off ends. Peel if desired. Chop into large chunks and add to pot.
Peel and chop onion and garlic cloves into large chunks and add to pot.
Salt and pepper generously.
Add 1 cup water or white wine, and ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar to the pot.
Lastly, add Italian seasoning blend.
Put the lid on and bake for 50 minutes.
Carefully remove dutch oven and/or lid and add frozen peas to the pot. Also check liquid level and add more wine or water if needed.
**Continue baking for another 30-45 minutes, depending on how tender you want your vegetables.

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