Broiled Chicken with Roasted Fennel and Tomato Sauce

Flavor Galore!

I don't know about you but, if I'm going to spend the time to cook a meal, it better be tasty. That is why I tend to roast my vegetables. It may take a bit longer but in the end, it's worth it. I mean, why go through the trouble of cooking at all if you're not going to be totally satisfied. You could go out to eat or for that matter, pop a frozen meal in the microwave. Brrrrrrrrifff, sorry I just gave myself shivers.

The point is...if you are going to cook, make it worth your while!

This recipe is not only very tasty but also healthy and good for you. By broiling the chicken, you are cooking it in a healthy way but also getting the flavor your looking for. If you prefer, however, to brown the chicken in the skillet, go for it. Do whatever works for you...

Broiled Chicken with Roasted Fennel and Tomato Sauce
by Mixed Salad Annie

For Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, washed, bulb part only sliced into rings about 1/4" thick
1 - 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
6 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1/2 can black olives, whole
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 pound cooked farfale or your favorite pasta shape

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Spray a 13 x9 inch baking dish with the cooking spray. Add the fennel, drained diced tomatoes, olives, garlic, salt and sugar to the pan. Add the oil and toss well to coat everything evenly with the oil. Put the dish in the oven and bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and start to caramelize. Remove from oven.

For Chicken:
4 skinless boneless chicken cutlets, cut in smaller pieces or use chicken tenderloins
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Olive oil or canola cooking spray
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth or reserved pasta water

Preheat broiler.

Mix flour, garlic powder, onion powder and poultry seasoning in a pie plate. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dredge in the seasoned flour. Shake off excess flour. Spray a large oven proof skillet with the cooking spray and add the chicken pieces. Spray the chicken pieces with cooking spray and place skillet in oven about 6 inches from broil element.

Cook for 3-4 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other. Don't worry about it being completely cooked through because it will cook in the sauce. Remove from oven.
Add the reserved tomato juice and chicken broth to the skillet with the chicken, and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits (de-glaze).
Add the fennel mixture and simmer for 15-20 minutes on low heat until chicken is cooked through and all the flavors have blended.

Toss with pasta and sprinkle with fresh parsley and grated cheese if desired.

Lemon & Rosemary Marinated Grilled Chicken

Bam! Sort of...

I'm not a huge fan of Emeril; I guess he's ok. I've only tried one of his recipes in the past which was the Chicken Marsala and that was pretty good. Since most of his recipes seem to involve pork fat and heavy spices, I tend to stay away. Not there's anything wrong with pork fat or spicy food, it's just that I can't eat it.
I was recently looking for a marinade for grilled chicken and I came across his Lemon and Rosemary Marinated Chicken with Couscous and Sauted Balsamic Cremini Mushrooms. I decided to give it a try, minus some of the spices and I opted to forgo the balsamic cremini mushrooms because I didn't have any on hand. I used tabouli instead of couscous. It was very tasty. Here's my version:

Lemon & Rosemary Marinated Grilled Chicken

1 package of Near East Tabouli, cooked
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place the chicken, lemon juice, olive oil, rosemary, and Essence in a re-sealable, 1-gallon plastic bag. Let marinate for 1 hour at room temperature. Preheat a grill pan to high heat. Remove the chicken from the plastic bag, and place on a platter. Season the chicken on both sides with the salt and pepper. Place the chicken, smooth side down, on the grill and cook for 4 minutes, rotate 45 degrees and cook an additional 4 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 4 minutes on the second side, or until cooked through. You can choose to baste the chicken with the marinade but you need to either: baste the chicken and continue cooking the chicken a little bit longer on each side or you need to bring the marinade up to a boil for at least 5 minutes and then you can baste the chicken.(I didn't bother)
Serve over cooked Tabouli.

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper(I only used 1 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (I only used 1 teaspoon, if that)
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Yield: 2/3 cup

Side note: I recently used this same marinade on chicken cutlets. I broiled them on a foil lined bake sheet for about 5 minutes per side. The trick to cooking it perfectly is to lightly pound the chicken to make sure it is of even thickness. This extra step is worth the time and trouble because there will not be some pieces over cooked and other pieces undercooked. (I've learned my lesson)

Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Fennel and Cherry Tomato Sauce

YUM!

This recipe is an adaptation of two recipes. One is MaryAnn Espisito's (Ciao Italia) Roasted Fennel and Cherry Tomato Sauce and the other is Ellie Krieger's Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables. I changed both recipes and sort of combined them together. It turned out great.

The fennel tomato sauce is very versatile. As Mary Ann suggests, it can be used as a side vegetable dish, over baked fish, or even as a topping for pizza. And according to Mary Ann the exquisite flavor is due to one key ingredient…sugar. I must say I agree!!

Chicken Cutlets with Roasted Fennel and Cherry Tomato Sauce

3/4 pound of penne or short-cut macaroni, cooked al dente
1 pint of cherry or grape tomatoes (washed) 1 bulb fennel 3 tablespoons oil, divided 3/4 teaspoons salt, divided
3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon sugar
~
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 chicken breast halves skinless, (cut each breast in half to make 2 cutlets)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the minced garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice. Rub the mixture into the chicken and let marinate for 1/2 hour.

Remove the outermost layer of the fennel bulb and discard. Cut the bulb in half so that each half retains part of the stem end. Cut each half into 8 thin wedges so each wedge is held together by a little piece of stem.

Put the fennel, tomatoes and garlic halves into a large baking pan. Toss them with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon sugar. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then give the vegetables a stir and arrange the chicken pieces in the pan with the vegetables.

Cook for about 17 to 20 minutes more until the chicken is done and the vegetables are tender and beginning to brown.

Place chicken on a serving platter. Toss the fennel tomato sauce with the cooked pasta and serve along side the chicken.

Chicken Escarole with Mushroom Balsamic Cream Sauce

Good Stuff!

This dish is actually my interpretation and combination of two different recipes- Chicken Escarole and Chicken with Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce. The first is a recipe I found on Cooks.com and the second is a Rachel Ray recipe. I made some changes to each recipe and then melded them together.

I did like the combination of the two recipes, but at the same time, I also wondered if there was too much going on in one plate. I guess I'll have to try the individual recipes to know for sure.
If you try it, let me know what you think!

Chicken Escarole with Mushroom Balsamic Cream Sauce

For Chicken:
2 chicken breast halves, butterflied and cut into two pieces (for a total of 4 cutlets)
1 egg
Flour
Head of escarole, cleaned and chopped
1/4 cup black olives, sliced
Garlic, crushed
3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
Parmesan or Romano cheese
Olive oil

Boil escarole in large pot until tender, about 10-15 minutes. Drain and squeeze out excess water and dry with paper towels. Set aside.

Dip chicken cutlets in egg and then in flour. Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat, add chicken and cook until light golden brown on both sides. Set chicken aside.

In the same pan, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and saute crushed garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chopped escarole and olives and cook for 2-3 minutes. Set aside.

For Mushroom Cream Sauce:
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoons butter
10 ounce box white mushrooms, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
2 large shallots, chopped
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons fat-free half-and-half, (If you're a purest, use real cream)
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil and butter. Once the butter melts, add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots.

Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more.

Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the half-and-half. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Add the parsley.

Pour the sauce into a buttered casserole dish. Nestle the chicken in the sauce and top with the escarole mixture. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes.

Serve with rice or pasta.