Parmesan Garlic & Herb Chicken Tenders (so easy. seriously.)

I’ve had the last few days off, and the past two I’ve been stuck in the house. Cooped up while the man has the car for work, and today I just couldn’t clean anymore. I needed to do SOMETHING to keep me active (and not browsing Netflix and Pinterest simultaneously) and not bored.

I was cleaning out the freezer (see, why am I always cleaning?! Stop it!!) and realized I had chicken that definitely needed to be used, like, as soon as possible. So, I defrosted it thinking… hmm. Use it for dinner? Nah, we had chicken last night. Let’s make a snack for the man!! So, of course, I get on to Pinterest (which I said I wasn’t going to do) and find a great recipe for Garlic & Herb Chicken tenders! What a great idea!

So after the chicken was thawed (the recipe actually called for un-breaded chicken tenders, but I only had a breast. So, I kind of just PRETENDED I had already cut chicken tenders. I cut them up myself. Which really holds no importance to the recipe.) I set the oven to 400 degrees, and then I started mixing up my mayo-garlic-herb-parmesan concoction. Once well mixed, I coated the chicken in it & tossed (more like shook the shit out of it) it in a zip lock bag with the bread crumbs. This was so easy! Why did I not do this more often? I’ve made them before, but always used beaten eggs to coat the chicken before dipping in the bread crumbs. But, since I’m car-less and haven’t been to the grocery lately… I didn’t have any eggs. Perfect that this recipe called for mayo instead!

I sprayed my baking sheet and laid out the breaded chicken neatly, and popped it in the oven for a total of 20 minutes (flipping half way through, so both sides get nice, crusty, and browned).

You can serve it with tomato sauce or ketchup, or really whatever your heart desires. I didn’t have tomato sauce (again, miss anti-grocery shopping over here O.o ) so I just used ketchup. Sometimes I’ll throw a bit of garlic powder in the ketchup to give it more flavour, but since I used so much garlic in the actual batter, it wasn’t necessary.

Once cooked thoroughly on both sides, and no longer pink in the middle, viola! You have homemade and relatively healthy chicken tenders. I should also mention that I used low fat mayo, to reduce the calorie and fat content. So aside from that, these puppies are just about as healthy as you can get!!

Here’s the ingredients that you will need to enjoy these bad ass tenders:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herbs
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 cup plain (or italian seasoned, if you like it super herby) panko crispy bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 package (14 oz) uncooked chicken tenders (not breaded)
• Tomato pasta sauce, if desired

  Combine all dry ingredients expect bread crumbs into a dish to coat the chicken. Put the bread crumbs into a zip lock bag (or you can just dredge it, but I found it easier to shake the crap out of it & call it a day) and shake, shake, shake! Once all are evenly coated, pop onto your greased baking sheet & cook!

  Enjoy 😀

Quick Basil Pesto for Pasta

Basil pesto is quite honestly one of my FAVORITE things, ever. Then again, I chew on basil leaves whenever they’re around, and typically always have a plant in my home. I love the smell as well as the pack-a-punch flavour they have!

With this quick recipe, I usually just toss it with pasta. 8oz-16oz, depending on how much flavour you want per bite. I also add in about double the amount of garlic (sometimes more, if I’ve roasted the garlic first, which makes it sweeter) because, if you follow this blog and should know, I am a garl-aholic and I am not afraid to admit it. Guilty as charged! I have stinky breath and probably sweat it out. 😀 In any case!
Combine all of the ingredients, except the cheese, into a food processor and pulse until smooth. Once smooth, transfer to a bowl and stir in your cheese. Then, toss pasta in the bowl to coat! Salt & pepper as desired (I love salt…)

2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Roasted Salsa Verde

 

I wanted to try something different tonight, and since the theme of my dinner is Mexican… I thought I’d give it a go with Salsa Verde. Oh good grief, am I glad that I did! This is one of the TASTIEST Salsa Verdes I have ever had.

•     1 lb. tomatillos (4-5 tomatillos)
•     1 jalapeno pepper
•     1 serrano pepper
•     2 unpeeled garlic cloves
•     1/2 cup chicken stock
•     4 tbsp. diced white onion
•     1/3 cup cilantro1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
•     1 tbsp. lime juice
•     1/2 tsp. salt

Heat oven to 500 degrees. Slice tomatillos and peppers in half, and place them on a non stick baking sheet (or in a baking dish). Roast for 20 minutes, with full cloves of garlic (unpeeled), or until nicely charred. Once cooled, puree in a food processor or blender, and add in your cilantro, lime, onion, and spice. You can use all of the pepper seeds for maximum hotness, or remove some to keep it more mild. I happened to use them all, the spcier the better! Puree until smooth. Serve with yummy chips!