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Chicken Recipe

Mediterranean Diet Recipe: Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Basil Tomato Sauce and Polenta

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Mediterranean Diet Chicken Recipe
Most people have a favorite type of “diet” or style of cooking they prefer above the rest. I have always been drawn to the Mediterranean diet – the colors, the flavors, the healthiness, the variety of options… basically, I love everything about it.

The recipe below is one of the wonderful Modern Mediterranean Diet recipes, inspired by Greece, Spain and Italy, from Pangea Nutrition. Pangea Nutrition recently announced its new Modern Mediterranean Diet Program, where people can sign up to receive a month of groceries and recipes to set them on a path to eating the way people in the Mediterranean have eaten for centuries (which clinical trials have shown to prevent various health issues and promote longevity).

This makes life simpler for the home cook as well as healthier for his/her family.

Pangea would like to offer you an additional 10% off a month of the program, with the code MDM17 through mid-June. Act now to take advantage of the discount (Pangea Nutrition)!

I’ll have another Pangea Nutrition Modern Mediterranean Diet recipe tomorrow, but for today you’re going to LOVE this chicken recipe. To make it gluten-free, substitute gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and gluten-free flour.

 Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Basil Tomato Sauce and Polenta

1lb chicken tenders
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup flour
2 eggs
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
12 cherry tomatoes (1/2 pint)
2 tablespoons of fresh basil

  1. For the polenta: Bring small pot filled with 1 cup of water to boil. Slowly add 1/4 cup cornmeal while stirring, until mixed well. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally (every 5 minutes).
  2. Set up breading station with 3 shallow dishes: On dish 1: place 1/4 cup flour; on dish 2: whip 2 eggs; and on dish 3: spread 1/2 cup breadcrumbs. To bread the chicken: pat dry with a paper towel and coat each tender in flour, shaking to remove excess. Then dip in egg, making sure it covers completely, and then coat in breadcrumbs. Press down gently to adhere.
  3. Heat 6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a large pan. Place the breaded chicken tenders in the pan and heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.
  4. Meanwhile, cut the basil into a chiffonade: stack the leaves and roll them, and then thinly slice.
  5. After removing the chicken, add to the hot pan 12 cherry tomatoes and 2 tablespoons basil chiffonade. Toss for 1-2 minutes, until the tomato skins blister.
  6. For the polenta: Now mix in 1/4 cup parmesan cheese. (Optional: add 1-2 tablespoons of water to reach desired thickness.)
  7. Serve each plate with the chicken on a bed of polenta, topped with fresh basil tomato sauce. Enjoy!

Thanks to Pangea Nutrition for sharing the wonderful recipe, picture and savings code!

French’s Flavor Infusers Add A LOT to Chicken

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Chicken with French's Flavor Infuser

As a matter of fact… yes… the baked chicken above was even more delicious than it looks!

I was sent a few of French’s wonderful new Flavor Infusers to review on the food blog.  I received the following flavors (click the links to find the infusers on Amazon):

French’s also makes these promising sounding other flavors of Infusers:

I knew that French’s (makers of the mustard and Crispy Fried Onions we all swear by!) would be launching these new products in April, so I held on to them for a while – planning to use them when we whipped out the grill when the weather warmed up.  I figured that the products coming out right at grilling season would be a perfect fit for a post featuring grilled meat.

Ah, the best laid plans.

Needless to say, I didn’t make it. Each time I fixed chicken, beef, or pork, I’d pick up one of the infuser bottles and flirt with the idea of going ahead and trying it out.  New food products and kitchen gadgets are toys in the playground I call a kitchen and me… well, I’m just a little girl who forgot to grow up.  I always figured it wasn’t quite what it was cracked up to be.

Suffice to say, they didn’t stay in the Spice Cabinet long.  The first to disappear was the Teriyaki Flavor Infuser.  I used it to add an uncommon amount of flavor and unexpected sassiness to baked ribs.  I HATE that I forgot to take pictures of the ribs before they disappeared. They were juicy, flavorful, and amazingly delicious.

French's Flavor Infusers

I did, however, learn my lesson when I used the second Flavor Infuser to disappear – The Classic Steakhouse. I took several pictures before they disappeared!  Although I had huge plans for using it on the first grilled steaks of the grilling season, the temptation was just too much for me.  One evening, as I was getting ready to bake chicken for supper, I found myself deciding on a marinade. Why even bake chicken if you don’t marinade it for an hour or two, right?  When I went to the cabinet to begin retrieving ingredients for a marinade concoction I saw the French’s Classic Steakhouse Flavor Infuser sitting there looking all enticing.  I tried  to tell it about my grilled steak plans… but, as the words were coming out of my mouth, my hand was reaching for the bottle.

What will power?

If the chicken hadn’t been so uncommonly delicious (best baked chicken I’ve ever had), I’d feel a little remorseful.  But, as it is, I just feel peachy.

The French’s Flavor Infusers are a cinch to use.  You simply open the bottle and insert the tip into your meat – then you squeeze the desired amount of magical goodness right into the meat.  Not over the top, where you watch helplessly as it pours down the sides and runs all over the dish.  The French’s Flavor Infuser tip gets to the heart of the matter and you LITERALLY taste the difference with each bite.

I’ll be buying these up by armfuls as soon as I see them in my local store. My mouth is watering thinking of ways to use them with the grill – hamburgers, steaks, chicken, pork, hot dogs…  I also can’t wait to experiment with them with Boca Burgers and Black Bean Burgers.

The possibilities are as endless as they are delicious.

Baked Chicken with French’s Classic Steakhouse Flavor Infuser

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Rinse chicken pieces in water and pat them dry with paper towels – then toss the paper towels.  Infuse some of the Classic Steakhouse Flavor Infuser (or any flavor you choose) into each piece of chicken.  A little will run out, which is perfectly fine.  Infuse the flavor into several different parts of each piece of meat.

Spray the bottom of a roasting pan with Olive Oil Spray (or use Olive Oil straight from a bottle – just be sure to coat the entire pan lightly).

Arrange the pieces skin-side up in the roasting pan, being careful not to over-crowd the pieces. Salt and pepper the pieces of chicken at this point. Be sure to get the bottom sides as well as the top sides.

Cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees, then lower the temp to 350 degrees and cook for 10-30 minutes more (about 14 to 15 minutes per pound total cooking time) until juices run clear (as opposed to pink) when you gently poke the chicken with a sharp knife – or the internal temperature of the chicken breasts is 165 degrees F and the thighs are 170 degrees F.

This last part can be a little risky, but I like the effect.  During the last 5 minutes of cooking, you can turn put your chicken under the broiler.  Don’t even think of walking away, though, or your entire meal will be a hot mess.  Putting it under the broiler for the last 3-5 minutes gives it a cool brown color on top that reminds me of grilled chicken.  You just have to be very careful not to overdo it – dried, overly browned chicken is darn near sinful.

Click the links at the top of the post to find French’s Flavor Infusers on Amazon.  Be sure to check your grocery store as well, they may be there on the shelf – just waiting to rock your culinary world.  These, honestly, are amazing.

Chicken with French's Flavor Infuser