141.8…Chicken Breast Perfection

It was all about the leftovers last night. I cooked up some chicken breasts and served it with the leftover Three Cheese Orzo and Spinach.

The orzo seemed a bit dry before I reheated it so I added a bit of chicken broth. Turned out perfectly.

Breakfast this morning was a toasted English muffin with peanut butter and half a grapefruit. 

After I took the kids to school, I went to cooking class at Great News. I haven't been in SO long! This time Lisa came with me. It was the first time a friend came with me since I've been taking cooking classes (about 6 years!). Today's class was "Fast & Fabulous Chicken Breasts" taught by Phillis Carey. She is the master of cooking boneless, skinless chicken breasts so that they turn out juicy and cook evenly every time. What's the secret, you ask? Pound your chicken breasts! Every time. 

Place the shiny side down and pound the chicken until it's even all over, about 1/2 inch thickness all around. That way the chicken cooks faster and evenly. I always pound my chicken breasts. It really makes a difference.

The first recipe in class today was Oven-Fried Crispy Chicken Breasts with Hot Pepper Jelly Sauce.

 

I love the oven fried technique. You heat your oven to 450 degrees and put some oil on a sheet pan. Heat that up for 4 minutes and place your breaded chicken on top. Bake for 5 minutes. Turn over and bake for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Result: crispy chicken awesomeness. This recipe didn't disappoint. It was crispy and had a great sweet/spicy sauce on top.

The second recipe was Baked Italian Chicken Rolls with Prosciutto, Fontina, and Basil Ricotta Filling.

This one was my favorite. The stuffing was delicious. The chicken was drizzled with a fabulous beurre blanc.

The next recipe was Crusty Baked Greek Chicken Breasts with Yogurt, Dill and Feta Topping.

Another winner! This is a technique where you can put anything gooey (spinach artichoke dip, any other dip, etc) on top of the chicken and add fresh bread crumbs and bake. Fabulous!

Next up was Chicken Breasts with Honey Mustard and Gruyere Cheese Wrapped in Ham.

This was awesome!!!! Loved all the flavors! 

Last up was Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Whole Grain Mustard, Fresh Sage Wine Sauce.

This one was a bit bland for me. I think if you paired it with rice or an orzo pasta with a flavorful vegetable, it would be a delicious dinner.

After class, I took myself to Urgent Care. My ear has been clogged for a couple of days and it was driving me insane. Turns out I have a crazy build up of ear wax (sorry! TMI!) and they had to flush my ear, which HURT! But…I can hear now! It felt like I was living under water before that. Ugh!

Dinner was leftover pasta and sauce that I found in the fridge. Easy.

I need to get packing. Yep….traveling again. Tomorrow we leave for Cabo, Mexico!

Do you already pound your chicken breasts? Any other chicken hints/tips I should know?

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