Parmigiana-Style Sauteed Chicken

Boneless/skinless chicken breasts are a healthy but usually boring protein, so I wanted to try my own spin on Chicken Parmigiana. 

I split each of the two giant chicken breasts into three cutlets (tail, then butterflied the thicker front), and pounded them to flatten them so they would cook more quickly. A dusting of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper on each side, and a quick dredge in flour before sauteeing in a couple tablespoons of olive oil got things going. Even with the huge nonstick frypan, I only sauteed three cutlets at a time. 

When all were nicely browned and up to temperature, each was garnished with a fresh basil leaf and a slice of mozzarella cheese. The cheese melted and it was time for supper!

Served in a pool of spaghetti sauce, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese, we also had twice-baked potatoes and Italian vegetable blend. Yummy - and lots of leftovers too!

Pan Pizza with Spinach, Meatballs, and Garlics

We had a taste for pizza, and had an available Pillsbury crust in the fridge, and frozen meatballs too. The spinach was frozen too, so I defrosted it and squeezed it as dry as I could. 

Meatballs were defrosted and halved, and the garlics sliced. Oiled up my deep dish pizza pan, spread out the dough and patted it into place, topped with sliced mozzarella cheese and then a nice thick tomato sauce.

Spinach went on next, Italian seasoning, garlic slices, and the meatball halves. Twenty minutes in the oven at 475F got the pizza nice and brown and the crust crispy!

Asian Orange Peel Chicken

It has been a long time since we have had any sort of Asian cuisine, so I thought that Orange Peel Chicken would be a good Saturday supper choice. 

Rather than a batter for the chicken, I dredged the sliced chicken breast in cornstarch before frying in a lightly-oiled nonstick pan until browned.

I made the sauce from the peels of two oranges - minus the bitter pith, the juice, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 5 minced garlics, similar amount of minced ginger, and a splash of soy sauce to prevent it from getting too sweet. Sautee the peels until both sides have some browning, then add the garlics and ginger to cook thru. Before the garlics and ginger start to brown, add the orange juice and brown sugar. 

When the sauce had boiled down into a sort of caramel, I folded the chicken in to reheat.

Served with Thai jasmine rice and green beans, it was very tasty and a lot healthier than the battered-and-deep-fried version that restaurants tend to feature.