Panko Parmesan Garlic Chicken

IT Guy and I have been married for 40 years. And it wasn't until recently that I discovered that he wasn't much of a chicken fan. Raising three kids on a budget meant lots of chicken over the years and he never said a word. Even now....now that we're pretty much kidless, we still eat chicken 2 or 3 times a week. I really like it because I just like it and it's so versatile. IT Guy still doesn't say much about eating chicken although I know he'd probably prefer steak. And if we were the Rockafeller's, I guess we could eat steak that often. But sadly, we're not...and still on a budget so chicken it is! I'm always looking for ways to flavor the bird so he's happy....not that he's hard to please. Obviously...he ate it for 40 years and never told me he didn't like it THAT much. What a guy.

Panko Parmesan Garlic Chicken



4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup olive oil
3/4 cup prepared Ranch dressing ~ divided use
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic ~ minced
salt and pepper to taste 
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese ~ divided use
1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons melted butter
4 slices Provolone cheeese

Place chicken breasts in a large zip-top bag.

In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, 1/2 cup of the Ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, minced garlic and salt and pepper.

Pour mixture into the bag with the chicken and allow to sit in the fridge for about an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lay the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes. Turn chicken over and bake another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

Mix together the remaining 1/4 cup Ranch dressing and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Preheat the broiler.

Spread mixture over each piece of chicken. Lay a piece of the Provolone cheese on each piece of chicken.

Mix together the panko, garlic powder, remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese and the melted butter.

Sprinkle over the Provolone cheese and place under the broiler for a minute or so until cheese melts and crumb topping is lightly browned.

 
The cast of characters.

 
Combine the stuff for the marinade.

 
Throw it in a bag with the chicken 
and let it hang out in the fridge a while.

 
Mix up the parm and ranch.

 
Spread on the chicken and bake.

 
Lay a piece of provolone 
on each piece of chicken.

 
Combine the panko, parm, 
melted butter and garlic powder.

 
Sprinkle the panko mixture on top 
of the provolone and broil for a few minutes.

 
So good!

Smoked Mac & Cheese

This smoked mac & cheese gets it's fun flavor from the smoked paprika which makes it super good. IT Guy's not a huge fan of mac & cheese but he loved this. Of course, it has bacon in it so that may have helped push him over the edge, but I'll take what I can get. I loved it and enjoyed the leftovers, too. It only makes a 8x8 pan full so it's perfect for a week night side dish or can be doubled if you need more!

Smoked Mac & Cheese



6 slices bacon ~ diced
1/4 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic ~ minced
2 tablespoons flour
1 3/4 cups whole milk
3/4 cup half & half
3/4 cup shredded guyere cheese
3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
8 ounces Rotini pasta ~ cooked and drained
2  tablespoon butter
2/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese ~ the kind in the green can

Spray a 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from the pan and set aside.

Cook the onion and the garlic in the bacon fat until tender.

Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes.

Pour in the milk and half&half and cook until thick. 

Add the smoked paprika, salt and pepper.

Add the cheeses and stir until melted.

Add the cooked and drained pasta and half of the bacon. Stir to combine.

Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan.

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, Panko and Parmesan cheese.

Sprinkle Panko mixture over the pasta.

Set the oven to broil and place mac & cheese under broiler for about 3 minutes or until the Panko is golden brown, watching closely so it doesn't burn.

Scatter remaining bacon on top. Allow to set for 5 minutes before serving. 
 

Okay...here we go!

 

Combine the melted butter, 

Panko and Parm. Set aside.

 

Cook the bacon. Remove to a bowl. 

Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon fat.

 

Stir in the flour and cook a few minutes.

 

Pour in the milk and half & half 

along with the seasonings. 

Cook until thickened.

 

Then throw in the grated cheese.

 

Pour the cheese sauce over the 

cooked and drained pasta. Throw 

in part of the bacon, too!

 

Pour the mixture into the prepared 

pan. Broil for a few minutes, watching 

it so it doesn't burn! Then add the rest of the bacon.

 

Scoop it up and enjoy!

Chicken Fried Potato Patties

IT Guy and I were talking the other day and he actually suggested I make this. I know lots of people have fried potato pancakes, but his suggestion was to use Panko bread crumbs. I'm not going to tell him it's probably been done before....but I've never made them this way so they were new to us! Actually, he's not a bad guy to have around for recipe suggestions! These. Were. Yummy. 
 
Chicken Fried Potato Patties



4 cups mashed potatoes  (or you can use leftover mashed potatoes; skins on or off)
4 tablespoons butter ~ softened
1 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup half & half
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and form into patties. Set aside.

Heat some oil over medium heat in a large skillet.

To dip the patties:

1 cup flour
2 eggs ~ beaten
2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Dredge each potato pattie in the flour.

Then dip in the egg.

Then dredge in the Panko crumbs.

Fry each patty in hot oil until lightly browned on both sides. 

Okee dokee.....let's go!

Prepare your dippin' stuff.

Whip your potatoes then add the seasonings.

Stir in the cheese. Allow to cool if 

you're making fresh mashed potatoes.

Form the potato mixture into 

patties and start dredging and dipping!

Heat some oil in a skillet over medium 

heat and start frying the patties until 

lightly browned on both sides. Set aside 

to drain on paper towels.

We used this dipping 

sauce with ours. So good!

These are great heated up in the 

oven the next day, too! So yum!!

Ranch Chicken Strips

I think that ranch and chicken go hand in hand. Such a great flavor combo. I also love panko when I want a really crispy topping for something. So this little recipe just made good sense to me. I did chicken strips, but of course you could do your favorite chicken pieces. I made a bbq/ranch dip to go with these, but plain ranch dressing is also really good. Or plain bbq....whatever you like!


Ranch Chicken Strips



4 boneless, skinless chicken breast ~ cut into strips
2 cups panko bread crumbs
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Mix
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium bowl, combine the panko, ranch dressing and salt.

Place flour in a small bowl.

Place eggs in a small bowl and beat.

Dredge chicken strips in flour then dip in beaten egg.

Roll dipped chicken in panko mixture and place on a cookie sheet.

Repeat until all chicken is coated.

In a large skillet, heat 2 cups of oil to medium heat.

Fry chicken until done and juices run clear.

Serve with BBQ Ranch dressing (recipe follows)


BBQ Ranch Dressing

1 cup prepared Ranch dressing
1 cup prepared BBQ sauce

In a small bowl, combine Ranch dressing and BBQ sauce until well combined. Serve with chicken strips.

The stuff you'll need.

Get your dipping ingredients all ready.

Then start dredging, dipping and rolling!

Like this!

Then make sure your oil in hot 

enough and start frying...

...until the strips are golden brown 

on each side and the inside isn't pink! 

 Depending on how thick your strips 

are will determine how long to cook them.

And here's what you need for

the bbq/ranch dip. Just equal amounts!

Very yummy and very crunchy!!

I love a good onion ring. So does #1 son. He's loved them since he was a little tiny boy and used to call them earrings. So when I looked in my pantry and spied an onion sitting next to the Panko bread crumbs, I knew there was something wonderful about to happen. These are every bit as good as what you can get in a restaurant and are even delicious leftover. I threw them on a cookie sheet and popped them into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes and they were just as good as they had been fresh out of the fryer!

Onion Rings



2 large onions
milk
1 cup flour
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
Oil for frying

Slice onions 3/4 inch thick and place in a bowl. Cover with milk and set aside.

Place flour in a shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Combine both bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Beat eggs in a small bowl.

Dredge onions rings in flour then egg then bread crumbs.

Fry in a large skillet until golden brown on both sides.

Drain on paper towels and keep in a warm oven.

The ingredients....

...oops...and the eggs. 

You kinda need these.

Slice the onions in 3/4 inch slices, 

put them in a bowl and pour the milk over the slices.

Meanwhile, assemble the other things.

Dredge the slices in the flour, 

then the egg then the panko.

Then fry!

Then eat!!!

Living here in the south, macaroni and cheese is EVERYWHERE! HomeMADE mac and cheese. Not the stuff in the box...which, by the way, I am a BIG fan of. (I think last that sentence wasn't grammatically correct. This is a cooking page...not a grammer page...so whatever.) Aaannywayyy, I decided to take a basic cheese sauce and re-do your basic mac and cheese...but with no mac. I used gnocchi instead! If you've never had gnocchi, you don't know what you're missing. Little potato dumplings is what they are! And SO yummy! Mixed with the cheese...sprinkled with a little parm, a little breadcrumbs...I was a happy girl, let me tell you! THIS...you HAVE to try!

Gnocchi and Cheese

1 lb. gnocchi ~ I used store bought

2 tbsp butter

2 tsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp flour

1 cup half & half

1 tsp dijon mustard

2/3 cup gruyere cheese, grated (or a combination of your favorite cheeses, 1/3 cup each)

1/3 cup parmesan, grated

1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs

Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F and spray a small casserole dish with cooking spray.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add gnocchi and cook until they’ve floated to the surface. About 2 minutes.

Drain gnocchi and place in a single-layer in the prepared pan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat

Stir in garlic and cook about 30 seconds.

Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in the half & half and the dijon.

Continue to whisk and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes

Add the cheese to the butter/milk mixture, stirring until cheese has melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour sauce evenly over the gnocchi.

In a small bowl, combine the parmesan and panko then sprinkle on top of the gnocchi

Bake  until the top is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes.

Let the gnocchi set for a few minutes before serving.

Here's what you'll need for this yumminess.

 

 

Melt the butter in a saucepan 

then add the minced garlic.

 

 

Add the flour and cook that for a bit.

 

 

Then add the milk and the dijon mustard.

 

 

Then the cheese. Stir until smooth 

and the cheese is melted.

Cook the gnocchi...

 

 

..then place it a shallow pan. 

Pour the cheese sauce over the gnocchi.

 

 

Combine the panko and the parm.

 

 

Then sprinkle over the cheese sauce.

 

 

Bake it up!