Parmesan Chicken

From Ina Garten

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• Unsalted butter
• Good olive oil
• Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
• 1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Directions

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the salad greens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Cook's Comments:

Did this with an arugala/cherry tomato/red onion salad on top or on the side and it was delicious!

Chicken Marsala

From Williams Sonoma

Chicken with a creamy Marsala sauce is a standard of old-school Italian restaurants, where you might find it prepared or finished tableside in a chafing dish. Cooking it at a more leisurely pace in a slow cooker or on the stovetop eliminates much of the fuss and produces very tender, flavorful results. Substituting tangy Italian mascarpone, a soured cream cheese, for the usual cream adds a sophisticated touch.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, plus more, to taste
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, each about 6 oz.
• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 3 Tbs. olive oil
• 4 shallots, minced
• 1/4 lb. pancetta, diced
• 2 1/4 cups Marsala
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 lb. cremini or button mushrooms, brushed clean, stems removed and caps cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
• 1/2 cup mascarpone
• 3 Tbs. finely chopped fresh chives

Directions:

On a plate, stir together the flour, the 1 tsp. salt and the 1/2 tsp. pepper. One at a time, turn the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, gently shaking off the excess.

In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, melt 1 1/2 Tbs. of the butter with 1 1/2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Working in batches if necessary, add the chicken breasts and cook, turning once, until golden on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.

Add the shallots and pancetta to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 cups of the Marsala, increase the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the wine is reduced and thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the broth and oregano and return to a boil.

Stovetop method: Transfer the chicken to a large Dutch oven and add the Marsala mixture. Cover the pot, set over low heat and cook until the chicken is opaque throughout and very tender, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large fry pan over high heat, melt the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. butter with the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the edges begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone, bring to a boil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the mushroom mixture and the remaining 1/4 cup Marsala to the Dutch oven. Cover and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 30 minutes more.

Slow-cooker method: Transfer the chicken to a slow cooker and add the Marsala mixture. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions until the chicken is opaque throughout and very tender, about 2 1/2 hours on high or 5 hours on low. About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, in a large fry pan over high heat, melt the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. butter with the remaining 1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the edges begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the mascarpone, bring to a boil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the mushroom mixture and the remaining 1/4 cup Marsala to the slow cooker. Cover and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes more.

Spoon the mushrooms and sauce over the chicken, garnish with the chives and serve immediately. Serves 6.

Cook's Comment: don't use as much salt as they say, its salty enough

Maple Braised Pork Chops

From Williams-Sonoma Slow Cooking


3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 bone-in pork loin chops, each about 12 oz. and 1 1/2 inches thick
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chile powder
3/4 cup chicken broth
3/4 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives

Directions

On a plate, stir together the flour, 3⁄4 teaspoon salt, and 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper. Turn the pork chops in the seasoned flour, shaking off any excess. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the canola oil. Working in batches if necessary, cook the pork chops until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Pour off all but a thin coating of fat in the pan and return it to medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and chile powder and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour in the broth and deglaze the pan, stirring and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the maple syrup, vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil.

STOVE TOP: Transfer the pork chops to a large Dutch oven. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the chops to cover them. Partially cover and cook over very low heat until the pork chops are very tender and the sauce is thick, about 2 hours.

SLOW COOKER: Transfer the pork chops to a slow cooker. Pour the maple syrup mixture over the chops to cover them. Cover and cook until the chops are very tender and the sauce is thick, 4 hours on the high-heat setting or 8 hours on the low-heat setting.

Arrange the chops on warmed plates. Top with the sauce, garnish with the chives, and serve at once.

Cook's Comment:

- it's optional to add apple slices for the last hour....we did this and it was amazing