Cooking ideas...?

Question

My boyfriend and I love to cook, and it's my turn next time, but I'm not sure what to make. We both love chicken, and cheese and pasta. But I don't want to make something like fettucini alfredo, that's too common for us to eat...any ideas??

Answer 1

Lemon Chicken Lasagna
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 40 minutes

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1 16-oz. jar roasted garlic alfredo sauce
1 Tbsp. drained capers
6 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 of a 15-oz. container ricotta cheese
6 oz. fontina cheese or mozarella shredded (1 1/2 cups)
1-1/2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
1/4 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
1 9-oz. pkg. refrigerated or frozen cooked chicken breast strips (thawed, if frozen)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat a 2-quart square baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. In a saucepan combine alfredo sauce and capers. Bring to boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Spoon 1/3 cup of sauce mixture into prepared dish. Top with 2 lasagna noodles. In a bowl stir together ricotta, 1 cup of the fontina cheese, and 1 teaspoon of the lemon peel. Spoon half the cheese mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with half the chicken. Spoon half the remaining sauce over chicken layer.


2. Top with 2 more noodles, remaining ricotta mixture, and remaining chicken. Add 2 more noodles, remaining sauce, and sprinkle with remaining fontina and Parmesan.

3. Cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Let stand, covered, on wire rack for 20 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with remaining lemon peel. Makes 6 servings.

Chicken and Cheddar Pasta Toss
Prep: 20 minutes
Chill: 2 hours

Ingredients
6 ounces no-boil lasagna noodles, broken
1 9-ounce package frozen Southwestern-flavored chicken breast strips or 1 9-ounce package (2 cups) frozen chopped cooked chicken, slightly thawed
3 ounces cheddar or American cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 medium green, yellow, or red sweet pepper, cut into strips
1 ounce pepperoni, chopped
1 8-ounce bottle Italian salad dressing
1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper
5 cups torn curly endive
1 cup red or yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions
1. In a large mixing bowl cover noodles with boiling water. Let stand for 10 minutes, separating the noodles occasionally with a fork; drain. Rinse with cold water and drain again. If using chicken strips, halve them crosswise.

2. Return noodles to bowl; stir in chicken, cheddar or American cheese, sweet pepper strips, and pepperoni. Add dressing and black pepper; toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before serving, add endive and tomatoes; toss gently to mix. Makes 6 servings.

Make-Ahead Tip: Prepare salad. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Before serving, add endive and tomatoes.

Chicken Caesar Lasagna
Prep: 35 minutes
Bake: 50 minutes

Ingredients
9 dried whole wheat or regular lasagna noodles
2 10-oz. containers refrigerated light Alfredo sauce
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cracked black pepper
3 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast*
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 cup bottled roasted red sweet peppers, drained and chopped
3/4 cup shredded Italian blend cheese

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain; rinse with cold water; drain again. Meanwhile, in a bowl combine Alfredo sauce, lemon juice, and black pepper. Stir in chicken, spinach, and red peppers.

2. Lightly coat a 3-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Arrange 3 noodles in bottom of dish. Top with one-third chicken mixture. Repeat layers twice. Cover; bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Makes 9 servings.

3. *Note: For chopped cooked chicken, season 2 pounds raw skinless boneless chicken breast halves with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add chicken. Cook, uncovered, 8 to 12 minutes or until no longer pink, turning halfway through cooking. Cool chicken slightly before chopping.

Chicken Mac and Cheese
6 servings
Prep: 40 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes

Ingredients
1 pound skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves
1 to 2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces dried mostaccioli, ziti, or penne pasta
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups milk
8 ounces smoked cheddar, Gruyere, or Swiss cheese, shredded (2 cups)
Salt and ground black pepper
2 cups soft sourdough or French bread crumbs
2 ounces finely shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese (1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. In a large skillet cook chicken, Italian or desired seasoning blend, salt, and pepper in hot oil over medium heat until chicken is no longer pink.* Remove chicken from skillet; set aside.

2. In a large pot or kettle cook pasta according to package directions until just tender. Drain; return pasta to pot.

3. Meanwhile, in the same skillet in which chicken was cooked, cook onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons hot butter over medium heat until tender. Stir in flour until well combined. Stir in tomato paste. Add milk. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened and bubbly; reduce heat. Add the shredded cheese. Stir until cheese is almost melted. Remove from heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add sauce and chicken to cooked pasta in pot; stir to coat. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart square or rectangular baking dish.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl stir together bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Sprinkle crumb mixture over pasta mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until crumb mixture is golden and edges are bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings.

Test Kitchen Tip: Use a blender or food processor to make soft breadcrumbs. About 1-1/2 ounces of break makes 1 cup of crumbs.

Reheating and Serving: crumb mixture in refrigerator overnight. Bake refrigerated or thawed casserole, covered with foil, in a 350 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Uncover and top with bread crumb mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes more or until crumb mixture is golden and edges are bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Answer 2

CHICKEN TETRAZZINI

1 lb. pasta, cooked
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms
1 stick butter
2/3 cup flour
1 large onion, sliced
5 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
4 c. chicken broth
2 c. light cream
1/4 cup dry sherry
4 c. diced chicken, cooked
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook and drain pasta according to package directions. Slice the mushrooms 1/8 of an inch thick and sauté in 2-3 tablespoons of the butter, along with sliced onion, and chopped garlic until lightly browned. Combine the remaining butter with flour and add chicken broth, stirring over low heat until thickened. Add the cream, salt, pepper, sherry, and garlic powder.
Divide the sauce in half. And one half of the chicken meat, and half of the mushrooms and cooked pasta. Butter a casserole dish and turn the pasta mixture into the casserole leaving a well in the center of the pasta.

Turn remaining cooked chicken half into the center of the pasta mixture. Top with Parmesan cheese, and bake uncovered at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.

Optional: may also top with butter to breadcrumbs and grated cheddar or American cheese.

Hope this helps! =]

Answer 3

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 13/ cup water
3/4 cup uncooked white rice
2 cups vegetables
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breast
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Stir soup, water, rice, vegetables, onion powder in a 12 x 8 inch baking dish, top with chicken, cover with foil and bake @ 375 degrees F. for 45 minutes, top with cheese.

Answer 4

How about a chicken kiev, or a chicken saltimbocca? Just serve the pasta on the side. Something simple like with garlic butter and some steamed veggie like broccoli and topped with Parm.

Answer 5

What about mashed potatoes? Mmmmm.... Depends how you make it though. Here's a recipe I hope you'll like as much as I do!

The ultimate mashed potatoes


Mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food -- they are filling and hearty and they stick to your ribs. The most important thing about them is their texture -- if you don't mash them enough, they are too chunky, but if you stir them too much, they are glue-y. With a little care, though, you can easily create the ultimate mashed potato. Here's how:

1. Start with a great mashing potato, like Yukon gold.

2. Boil 2 to 3 potatoes, with the skin on, in salted water for about 18 minutes, until they are easily pierced with a fork, then strain and peel them.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a sauté pan over medium-low heat, and cook until the butter is light brown and smells nutty.

4. Then whisk in 2 tablespoons of cream, 2 tablespoons of milk, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a little salt, grated nutmeg, and ground white pepper.

5. Mash the potatoes with a fork and stir the hot liquid into the mash.

The beauty of mashed potatoes is that you can do lots of variations. This is where it gets fun:

Try adding cheese -- say, 2 tablespoons of grated Dutch gouda, Vermont cheddar, goat cheese, or Parmesan.
Or, for a Japanese twist add a touch of wasabi.
If you want to get really creative, you could follow the recipe above, using half potato and half parsnip, and add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar with the butter and cream.
You can even create a mash using no potatoes for a wonderful side dish that serves up sweet and sour flavors -- replace the potatoes with half celery root and half Granny Smith apples, and stir in chopped thyme in the final step.

Answer 6

I love Chicken Piccatta. Google it.... it's elegant, easy, and so super yummy! Do some rice, or some angel hair pasta, salad. Really nice. I don't have a recipe on me at work, but just go to www.Cooks.com, or www.AllRecipes.com. Good luck!

Answer 7

Break away from chicken this time and go for strip steak, salad, green veggie and cheesy scalloped potatoes.