The Loosle Chronicles

I don’t know about any of you, but I LOVE chicken cordon bleu. I’ve never made it myself until about a month ago. I didn’t have a recipe because I figure there’s not much to it…right? heehee. So, I made it up and I’m sure Jon was nervous, but he loves me so he ate it. AND he loved it! So here’s what I did. BTW, I’m not very specific. I really think every recipe has room for doing whatever you want with it. This will definitely be one of them. I’ll give you the ingredients, but I’m not going to say how much I used because I have no clue. Enjoy!

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Chicken Breasts

Deli Ham

Swiss Cheese

Italian Bread Crumbs

Parmesan Cheese

Egg

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pound the chicken breasts out (I did this by placing the chicken between plastic wrap and then used a mason jar to pound it). Season with salt and pepper. Then place a few slices of ham and swiss cheese toward the end. Roll it all up and use toothpicks to secure the ends. You want to try to get all the cheese and ham wrapped in the chicken. Then beat an egg or two (depending on how many pieces of chicken you’re making) in a dish that will allow you to coat your chicken. And in another dish add some bread crumbs and the parmesan cheese. Now, you’re going to dip the prepared chicken in the egg mixture. Then coat it with the bread crumb mixture. Then place it on a sheet pan. Bake it in 350 degree oven for 20-30 min or until chicken is cooked thru. I’m sure there’s a sauce you can make with it, but Jon doesn’t usually like the sauce. Have fun!

I am currently on my “summer” break from my babies and I miss work so much. With that said I am unemployed for three months so money is going to be a little tight. Jon and I have been trying to go the last two weeks without spending money. So I’ve had to come up with some crazy dinner ideas. One night I made a stir fry with frozen vegetables, ramen, onions and garlic. I knew as I was creating it that he would eat it, but he wouldn’t really enjoy it. When he got home I gave him the option to eat it or make his own dinner. He made his own dinner. ANYHOW, when I made this chicken I was hoping it wouldn’t be a bomb like the stir fry. And it wasn’t thank goodness! It actually turned out to be DELICIOUS!! I totally redeemed myself! I’ll tell you what I did and what ingredients I used, but it really was just a mesh of things. I didn’t measure anything. So good luck! Enjoy!

Fried and Baked Chicken

Chicken (I only had thighs, but use whatever you have)

Shortening (to fry the chicken in)

Buttermilk (I had to make it using powdered milk. The ratio is: 1 cup of milk you add 1 tbsp of white vinegar or lemon juice…let it sit 5-10 min)

Garlic Powder

Cayenne Pepper

Flour for dredging

Garlic Salt to taste

Soak the chicken in buttermilk for at least 8 hours. Overnight works too! Mix garlic powder and cayenne pepper in a small bowl (I think I used a 2:1 ratio (2 being the garlic powder)). Remove the chicken from the buttermilk. Rub the seasoning on the chicken. Then put it in the flour. Shake off excess flour. Fry for about 3 min on each side. You just want to let it get crispy, but not cooked all the way thru. Once gold brown place chicken on baking sheet. And bake for about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until internal temperature of the chicken is about 180 degrees. Then eat!

I was going to make chicken fajita’s for dinner, but when I looked in the fridge I realized I had no cheese and no sour cream. A lot of people don’t like all that in their fajita’s but I do! Long story short…I was in a pickle. It was 5:30 and I still didn’t know what to have for dinner. So, I looked in my freezer and found that I had some breaded chicken that I had cooked in the past and froze. I then decided we were eating Chicken Parmesan. It also helped that I found a killer easy and good breadstick recipe online last night. But I’ll share that recipe tomorrow. I hope you try this! Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

seasoned bread crumbs

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more

1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce

Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish.

Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella and bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly. Serve with spaghetti, garlic bread and a nice green salad.

Sorry this picture is a little on the blurry side. I made this recipe and took this picture before I purchased my new camera. Anyhow, I LOVE this recipe! It wasn’t too hard to make. I found this recipe on one of my favorite food blogs. So, if you get a chance you should add this to your menu!

Sweet & Sour Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

salt and pepper

1 cup cornstarch

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup canola oil

Cut boneless chicken breasts into chunks. Season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken in cornstarch and then in egg. Fry in a little oil until brown but not cooked through. Place in a single layer in a baking dish. Mix sauce ingredients (below) together and pour over chicken.

Sauce:

3/4 cup sugar

4 Tbsp ketchup

1/2 cup vinegar

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp garlic salt

Bake for one hour at 325 degrees. Turn chicken every 15 minutes. If you like extra sauce, make another batch of sauce and bring it to a boil on the stovetop. Stir constantly and let cook over medium heat until thickened and reduced – about 6-8 minutes.

Ok…so I don’t intend to post recipes that are from pre-made seasoning packets. However, this one was just too good not to share! It is super easy and super good! I’m not going to post the recipe because I threw it away. But I do have a pic of what you get and a pic of the exact package! I promise you it is delicious! I think it must be eaten with white sticky rice…but that’s just me. So, enjoy!