Herbed Chicken and Pasta

This has been one of my family's favorite meals forever.  I've been making it long enough that I can't even remember where I got the recipe.  The best thing about this is that its one of those things I can have on the table in about 30 minutes and I know everyone will be happy.

Herbed Chicken and Pasta
10" dutch oven

1-2 tsp. salt free seasoning blend (I used Mrs. Dash)
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
2 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 Tbs. butter, divided
2/3 cup water
2 Tbs. teriyaki sauce
2 Tbs. onion soup mix (I used Lipton)
1 envelope savory herb and garlic soup mix, divided (I've used both Lipton and Knorr brands)
8 ounces of your favorite pasta
2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

Combine the seasoning blend and  poultry seasoning and sprinkle over the chicken.  Saute the chicken in oil and 2 Tbs. butter over a full spread of coals until juices run clear.  Add the water, teriyaki sauce, onion soup mix and 2 Tbs. herb and garlic soup mix.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and move about 1/4 of the coals from the bottom of the dutch oven to the top, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.  Drain and add to the chicken mixture.  Add the cheese, Worcestershire sauce, remaining butter, and remaining herb and garlic soup mix.  Toss to coat and serve immediately.  Serves 4.

The Finished Product

The Review

I haven't made this in a long time, and I'd forgotten how good it is.  The herb and garlic soup mix can be a little hard to find.  My local grocery store will randomly quit carrying the Lipton brand, which I like best, but the Knorr brand makes a good substitute.  This was super easy in the DO, and the DO flavor really adds that something extra to this meal.  We love it!

Day 341: BBQ Chicken Pasta with Bacon

Whew!  I've had a busy day already.  My hubby and I are in charge of our church's Christmas party tonight, so I've been trying to put that together.  Dinner for 175 people.  I'm glad I'm not doing all the cooking.  I love to cook, but that's ridiculous!  :)  Here is last night's dinner.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

BBQ Chicken Pasta with Bacon
12" dutch oven

1 pound penne or other short pasta, cooked according to package directions
1 pound bacon, chopped
3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
1 red onion, diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2/3 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp.)
Green onions, bacon, and shredded cheese for garnish, if desired

Cook the bacon to a 12" dutch oven over a full spread of coals, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon to paper towel.  Add the chicken and red onion to the bacon grease in the skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the chicken is browned and cooked through and the onion is softened. Drain off any excess grease and stir in the reserved bacon, barbecue sauce and sour cream. Once mixed, add in the shredded cheese. Add pasta and stir to combine; heat through.  Serve immediately.  Serves 6-8

The Finished Product

The Review

This one had me at bacon.  Its actually an unusual combination of ingredients that I never would have come up with myself, but it was really good.  I liked the kick the red pepper flakes added.  Even my hubby said I could make it again which is the same as saying its the best pasta dish ever.  Sounds like an A to me.

Day 334: Chipotle Chicken Alfredo

Just a quick post today!  I have a few extra little people at my house for the day. 

Chipotle Chicken Alfredo
12" dutch oven

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tablespoon chipotle in adobo puree
8 ounces linguine or fettuccine, cooked and drained

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a dutch oven over a full spread of coals. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and cook and stir until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken; cover to keep warm.

In the same dutch oven, stir together cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk, remaining 2 tablespoons butter and the chipotle puree; cook 5 minutes or until cream cheese is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Gently stir in chicken. Toss with the hot pasta.

The Finished Product

I forgot to take a picture of this, but you really aren't missing anything.

The Review

I wasn't really impressed with this one.  I did a chipotle chicken pasta a while back that was much better.  The cream cheese in this just overpowered all the other flavors, even the chipotle peppers. I tried to add some chicken broth to thin the sauce (because it was thick and pasty) and dilute the cream cheese flavor, but nothing worked.  I won't make this again.  Grade C-.

Day 314: Cajun Chicken Pasta

Just for the record, I cooked this out in my garage in a snow storm.  Yep, a snow storm.  I'm glad this dish cooked fast, because I was freezing!  (Of course if I would quit wearing sandals outside I probably would have been warmer.)  That is one of the few things I won't miss when the year is over.

Today's recipe is one I found handwritten on a scrap of paper in the bottom of my recipe pile.  I haven't got a clue where I got it, but it sounded good, so here it is.

Cajun Chicken Pasta
12" dutch oven

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
4 tsp. Cajun seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's)
4 Tbs. butter or margarine
1/2 sweet red pepper cut into strips
1/2 sweet green pepper cut into strips
8 large mushrooms, sliced (I left these out--no fungus here)
2 green onions, sliced
2-3 cups whipping cream
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
12 oz. linguine,cooked and drained
Grated Parmesan cheese

Place the chicken and Cajun seasoning in a resealable plastic bag and toss to coat.  In a dutch oven, over a full spread of coals, saute the chicken in butter until almost cooked.  Add the peppers, mushrooms and onion.  Cook and stir for about 5 minutes.  Remove about 1/4 of the coals.  Add the cream and seasonings and heat through.  Add the linguine and heat through.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  serves 4-6.

The Finished Product

I miss using my nice serving dishes.  Sigh!  So we used them last night.

The Review

I wasn't sure how this was going to taste, but it was delish!  My 5 older kids loved it, and the 2 youngest hardly eat anything anyway, so they don't really count.  (Ha Ha!)  It isn't super spicy, but it leaves a nice little burn in the back of your throat.  You can adjust the heat by using more or less Cajun seasoning, so if you like it mild its not a problem.  My only complaint is that the cream sauce was too thin.  Next time I'll use a little of the roux I keep in the back of the fridge to thicken it up just a little.  Overall, it was yummy!  Grade A-.

Day 259: Artichoke and Asparagus Chicken

I've neglected to tell you something important!  A week ago I was honored to be part of a podcast on dutch oven cooking with Andy from the Back Porch Gourmet.  I had a great time talking with Andy!  He is a very talented cook and I love his site and there is always something delicious there.  Check it out and be sure to check out the podcast.

On to the recipe!  I've done several of this type of recipe in the past in my search for a favorite, and I think I may have finally found it.  The artichokes give it that extra something special.  I adapted this recipe from Our Family Treat.

Artichoke and Asparagus Chicken
12" dutch oven

3 chicken breasts
1/2-3/4 cup marinated artichoke hearts, chopped  (I opted for the 3/4 cup)
1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup of zucchini
1 pound of your favorite pasta, cooked according to package directions (I used bow ties)
garlic powder to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Saute your chicken in olive oil over a full spread of coals. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Then saute your veggies. Combine chicken and veggies and keep on low heat while you are cooking your pasta.

Sauce:

2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
salt and pepper

Saute garlic in the butter, over a full spread of coals,  just until fragrant. (I used the same coals I cooked the chicken over).  Then add cream. Slowly bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and parsley flakes. Make sure to stir often. Add more cheese if you want your sauce thicker. Then toss the pasta with chicken, sauce and veggies.  Serves 6-8.

The Finished Product

The Review

Oh artichokes!  Why did I wait so long to discover your goodness?  Artichokes are like Brussel sprouts, your only THINK you hate them when you're a kid.  But then you grow up and realize what you've been missing.  The artichokes are what really gives this its awesome flavor.  I also really liked that the sauce wasn't as thick and creamy as other similar recipes I've tried.  Even my little kids loved this and I was really disappointed that there weren't any leftovers.  Go ahead and use mushrooms (as they did in the original recipe), or any combination you'd like.  This is a recipe that is easy to adapt to your own tastes.  We gave this an A.

Day 129: Creamy Tomato Pasta

First thing this morning, I have to apologize for the stupid ads that now appear on my blog.  I was trying to stay "ad free", but the cost of charcoal and food are adding up.  I'm going through about 6 bags a month, sometimes more.  Seriously, we have never eaten this good.  My kids are getting really spoiled.  They are used to a couple of days a week of leftovers or a "fend for your self" night (at least for the older children).  Those have been few and far between this year. : ) 
I found this recipe on a site called Summer's Recipes.  I really like homemade Alfredo sauce.  I have several recipes for it, but I haven't found the perfect Alfredo recipe yet.  Of course, even the worst homemade recipe trumps the best Alfredo sauce from a jar.

Creamy Tomato Pasta
10" dutch oven

1 cup Alfredo sauce (recipe follows)
1 15oz can diced tomatoes
4-5 cups cooked pasta  (I used penne)
3 cups vegetables, cooked al dente
shredded Parmesan cheese

Alfredo sauce
3 Tbs. butter
2 Tbs. flour
2 cups whole milk
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste

In your DO, over about 15 coals, boil water and cook the veggies.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.  Add pasta to the same pot, and cook until al dente.  Drain water  and set pasta aside.  In the same DO, make the sauce.  Melt the butter and whisk in the flour.  Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly.  Add the cream cheese and whisk to combine.  Allow cream cheese to melt and the sauce to heat without boiling.  Add the Parmesan cheese.  Simmer until it is melted.  Add the salt, garlic powder and pepper to taste.  Remove all but 1 1/2 cups of sauce from the DO.  Add the pasta, veggies and tomatoes to the sauce and mix well.  Add more sauce if you like it creamier.  Top with shredded Parmesan cheese.  Bake at 350*, using 12 coals on top and 8 on the bottom, for 20-25 minutes.  Serves about 6.

The Finished Product

The Review

This was good.  The tomatoes gave it a nice pink color that was really pretty.  The sauce was good, but it isn't the recipe I'm looking for.  I know there is the perfect Alfredo sauce recipe out there.  Maybe adding some Romano cheese.  Overall, the sauce was a little bland.  Somewhere it needs some herbs or something to enhance the flavor.  I think this recipe has potential, and the sauce will be what makes the difference.  I did add a little leftover cooked chicken I had in the fridge.  Your could also use ham, or shrimp would be really good.  I'm going to give this one a B-, but I'm going to work on it and see if I can make it better.  What is your favorite Alfredo recipe?  Do you have a great one?  If you do, please share!!

Day 99: BBQ Chicken and Ranch Spaghetti

Good Friday everyone! Finally, we are at the end of the week. There are a few things I've neglected to tell you about. First, is that I am excited to be involved with the IDOS Spring Convention in Farmington, Utah on Saturday. I will be cooking in the Taste of Dutch. I am cooking the Tomato Upside Down Cornbread, and maybe one or two other dishes. Honestly, I have never been to one of these kind of things. I have no idea what to expect, except that I will be hob nobbing (did I spell that right?) with some great people. Any tips or advice anyone?

Second, a reader named Carolyn has been making some youtube videos of the recipes she has tried. You can watch them here and here. Thanks to her for taking the time to not only try the recipes, but then to go to the work of making and posting videos!

Finally, I am going to start using my World Championship Cook Off cookbook. So a couple of times a month, at least, I will be trying some of the award winning recipes. I don't even pretend to be in the same league as the cook off participants, but it will help my DO skills to try their recipes. If you still haven't got a copy of the cookbook, you can order one here. The recipes look and taste amazing! Since I'm working on yeast breads, I'll start with some of the bread recipes, so stay tuned!

My Thursday's are terribly busy, so we always have quick meals. This one is ridiculously easy. the combination of ingredients is kind of weird, but it was good. It would be a super easy camping meal. I got this recipe at Picky Palate.

BBQ Shredded Chicken and Ranch Spaghetti

10" dutch oven

1 lb. thin spaghetti

4 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 large red onion, peeled and finely chopped

2 Tbs. dry ranch dressing mix

3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (I didn't have any of these)

Shredded BBQ chicken (I used cooked shredded chicken mixed with BBQ sauce)

In your dutch oven, cook the noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside. In the same DO, add the olive oil and onions and saute until softened and golden. Add the cooked spaghetti to the onions; mix in dry ranch dressing seasoning and cilantro leaves. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Top spaghetti with BBQ chicken.

I tried this several different ways. I tried it with the dry ranch dressing, which was good. I also tried it with bottled ranch dressing. I only used a little bit, because you want it to barely coat the noodles to add just a bit of flavor. You don't want it saucy. I actually liked it better because the pasta stayed more moist. You could also add bottled ranch dressing to your BBQ sauce to make it even easier for camping. For that matter, you could use that Lloyd's BBQ chicken that you can buy in tubs at the store. I also topped ours with some mozzarella cheese.

The Finished Product

The Review

This would be a great camping meal and a great busy night meal. It didn't "wow"me, but even my hubby said it was good, and that's a pretty good recommendation because he is picky. This will be going camping with us this summer. Grade B.

Day 59: Spaghetti a la Philly

Whew! This weekend has been one of those where life gets in the way! Every weekend seems to be that way lately. Good thing I have learned to plan ahead! The hubby and I finally got to go out for Valentine's Day, albeit a few weeks late. We went to my favorite Japanese steakhouse in Provo called Tepanyaki. It is one of those places where you get dinner and a show. I love watching them prepare the food right in front me and unfortunately, I missed the shrimp that they tried to flip into my mouth. However, the fillet Mignon melted in my mouth and made everything okay! On those rare nights that we get out without the kids, spaghetti is my go to meal for the little munchkins. It is quick and easy to prepare, and they love it. I found this variation of the traditional spaghetti at Real Mom Kitchen. We even had some of yesterday's rolls leftover so that was good. I have never thought of adding cream cheese to spaghetti before. Quite frankly, I thought it would be just weird. But it worked! So here goes...

Spaghetti a la Philly

10" dutch oven

1 lb. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce

2-4 ounces cream cheese

12 oz. uncooked spaghetti

Parmesan cheese

In your DO, over about 15-18 coals, brown the beef, onion and garlic. Drain any grease and add the spaghetti sauce and cream cheese. Cook until heated through and well combined. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. I used a 10" DO on my propane camp stove. You can easily use coals for this, start with 15 or so and add more, if necessary to keep the water boiling. Drain the spaghetti and add it to the sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese. Serves about 6.

The Finished Product

The Review
The cream cheese in this gave it a whole different flavor. It was nice and rich, and gave the sauce a lighter color. I used 2 oz. of cream cheese because I wasn't sure how it would taste and I didn't have time to start over if the kids hated it. But they loved it! I don't think I would use more than 3 oz. though. But that's just me! I still think that for the DO I like the baked versions of spaghetti better. I think there is more DO flavor in them. But this was good, and it will grace our table again. Grade: B+.

Day 51: Southwestern Spaghetti

Today is the big day to announce the winner of the WCC cookbook. The winner was drawn at random from everyone who commented on Wednesday's post. Could I have a drum roll please....And the winner is....Will Shattuck!! Will shared his recipe for Blueberry Dump Cake. His recipe will be making an appearance here very soon! Thanks to everyone who commented. It was fun to read them, and I will try to use each recipe that was posted. Will, if you will just email me with your address (the link is on the right), I will get that out to you!

Before I give you the recipe today, I have to show you what it looked like when I went outside to cook! I don't know if you can see all the snowflakes. It was really cool, especially since we haven't had much snow this winter, just a lot of cold!

On to today's recipe! Friday nights are busy at my house. My hubby works and I just started taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class every Friday night. So I have to make quick meals that my kids will like. Recipes like that can be hard to find, but this one went over pretty well.

Southwestern Spaghetti

10" dutch oven

12 oz. uncooked spaghetti

1 1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 small onion, chopped

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 jar spaghetti sauce

1 4 1/2 oz. jar mushrooms, drained (I left these out)

1 2 1/4 oz. can sliced olives, drained

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, sour cream and salsa

Cook the spaghetti according to package directions. I cheated and cooked the spaghetti inside because of the snow. Meanwhile, in your DO cook the beef and onion until meat is no longer pink; drain if necessary. I used about 15 coals for this. Stir in the taco seasoning, spaghetti sauce, mushrooms and olives. Drain the spaghetti; stir into the beef mixture. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until heated through. Mine took about 15 minutes. Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and salsa. 8 servings.

The Finished Product

The Review

This one won't win any awards, but it was pretty good. The flavor was different, but the taco and spaghetti flavors went together better than I thought they would. My kids loved it. We didn't use any of the garnishments suggested in the recipe. Lettuce on spaghetti is just weird. It would be an easy camping recipe, and would go well with cornbread. I give this one a B.

Day 17: Toasted Orzo with Peas

While I was out on the porch cooking dinner I made an amazing discovery. At 6:02 pm there was still just a trace of light in the sky! I love the first time I notice the days just beginning to lengthen because it helps me look forward to the warm sunny days that I know are coming. I start thinking about what veggies to plant in the garden. In exactly 2 months from today the peas, beets, lettuce and broccoli can go in (at least where I live). Fresh veggies just make my mouth water, and I can't wait to cook them in the D.O. I am always looking for new side dishes. We get really tired of the same old, same old. I have never made this dish before, and I didn't even know what orzo was until I found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe. It is just as easy as Rice-a-Roni, but has way better flavor. In case you don't know what orzo is, it is a pasta that looks like rice. It is so easy to cook with and had great texture.

Toasted Orzo with Peas

10" dutch oven

2 Tbs. butter

1 small onion, chopped

3/4 tsp. salt

2 medium garlic cloves, minced

1 1/4 cups orzo

2 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 cup frozen peas, thawed

1 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1 cup)

2 Tbs. fresh minced parsley leaves

Melt the butter in a 10" dutch oven (I used about 18 coals on the bottom for this) and add the onion and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened. Stir in the garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant. Then stir in the orzo and cook, stirring often, until most of the grains are golden, it takes about 5-7 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer. At this point, I covered the D.O. and used 12 coals on the bottom and about 7 on top. It took about 12-15 minutes to cook the orzo. Be sure you watch the heat and stir every few minutes or it will burn as the liquid is absorbed. When the pasta is soft, take it off the heat and stir in the peas, Parmesan and parsley. Let it sit until the cheese is melted and the peas are heated through. Be sure the peas are thawed before you put them in.

The Finished Product

What I learned

I am getting so much better at this. I feel pretty daring for trying this dish, and it turned out to be really easy. Just be sure you don't use too much heat and check it often.

The Review

Oh my, oh my, oh my!! This was soooo good. I can't remember the last time I found a recipe that made me want to lick my plate clean, not to mention the pot it was cooked in. The flavor of the garlic and Parmesan are the real stars in this recipe, and the orzo just soaked it all up. I doubled the recipe and I am so glad I did. I will be having this for breakfast and lunch and a snack and... I will need to find a good place in the fridge to hide it so no one else can find it. When spring comes I will make this again but with fresh asparagus from the garden. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. Could someone pass me a napkin? Grade A+++.