Chicken Pesto Pasta With Spinach

This is an easy-to-make, easy-to-keep-on-hand recipe...and a great use for leftover chicken.  I don't add any extra salt to this dish.

8 oz. dried ziti pasta
1 packet (1.8 ounces) Knorr Cream of Spinach Recipe Mix
3/4 cup water
1 cup 2% milk
2 tablespoons pesto
2 cups rotisserie chicken, chopped or 1 box (9 ounces) Perdue Short Cuts Carved Chicken Breast, Original Roasted variety, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup sliced green onion
Freshly ground black pepper and Italian Seasoning, to taste
2 cups baby spinach leaves
Freshly grated Parmesan, for garnish
Chopped tomato, for garnish

Boil ziti for 8 minutes; drain, reserving 1/2 cup water from the pot.  Set aside.

Meanwhile, whisk together cream of spinach recipe mix, 3/4 cup water and milk in a small saucepan.  Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to low and cook for five minutes.  Whisk in pesto.  Set aside.

In a large skillet (or the used pasta pot), heat olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add chicken, garlic and green onion.  Season with pepper and Italian seasoning.  Heat through, approximately three minutes.  Add the reserved pasta water to deglaze the pan.  Stir in the spinach leaves.  Cook until wilted.  Add pasta and sauce; stir well.

Spoon out onto serving plates and top with Parmesan and tomato.

4 generous servings

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta: Chicken Soft Tacos & Chile Cheese Rice

I made this for lunch today and it was SO delicious.

Chicken Soft Tacos

1 3/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

2 tablespoons Williams-Sonoma Argentine Rub or fajita seasoning or a mixture of smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Fajita-size flour tortillas, warmed

Cacique Crema Mexicana, creme fraiche or thinned sour cream

Shredded Monterey Jack or Colby Jack

In a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker, place the chicken breast in a single layer.  Rub both sides with Argentine Rub.  Pour the can of tomatoes over the chicken.  Cover and cook on HIGH for 3 1/2-4 hours or until tender.  Shred with two forks.  Add cilantro.  Reduce the heat to LOW and cook for one more hour.

Spoon the chicken into the warmed tortillas and top with crema and cheese.  Sliced radishes and iceberg lettuce would also be wonderful additions.  

Marcela Valladolid's Chile Cheese Rice

Marcela is one of my favorite hosts on Food Network.  This rice dish of hers is fantastic!  Long-grain rice is cooked with onions, garlic and sweet corn and then tossed with roasted poblanos.  The mixture is then topped with crema and Monterey Jack and broiled until golden.  It's a little labor intensive but SO worth it!!!  It's creamy, cheesy, smoky, sweet, spicy and comforting.

I follow her recipe almost exactly.  I use broth instead of water to cook the rice and I add a little cumin, onion powder and garlic powder as well.

Also, I wear disposable gloves when I handle chiles.  I once managed to find a fiery poblano and chopped it up, sans gloves.  My fingers burned for days!  Lesson learned--the hard way.

Slow-Cooker Chicken=2 Great Meals

Slow cookers have been around forever for a reason:  You can buy inexpensive ingredients, throw them into the cooker, turn the dial and come home to a savory meal.

What's more, the leftovers are so deeply flavored and versatile.

My most recent slow cooker experiment:  Spain-Meets-Italy Chicken.  The chicken is seasoned with smoked paprika, coriander, oregano and chili flakes, seared in olive oil with onions and wine and slowly simmered in garlic-basil broth and sun-dried tomatoes.  Delicious.


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut up, skin removed
2 tablespoons Williams-Sonoma Potlatch Seasoning
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 cup dry white wine or Beringer White Zinfandel (to add a little sweetness)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth or stock
1/2 cup slivered sun-dried tomatoes (packed in olive oil)

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with Potlatch Seasoning on all sides, rubbing it in well.  Add it to the skillet and brown it well.  Using tongs, remove the chicken from the skillet and add it to the slow cooker.

Add the onion to the drippings, reducing the heat if necessary, and cook until the onions are golden.  Add the garlic.  Cook for 1 minute.  Deglaze the pan with the wine.  Season with salt, pepper and basil.  Stir in the broth.  Pour over the chicken.  Scatter the tomatoes over the top.  Cover with the lid and cook the chicken on High for 4-5 hours or on Low for 8 hours.

Excellent accompaniment:  Marcela Valladolid's Foolproof Mexican Rice.  Marcela used frozen peas as a final flourish to her rice.  I used frozen corn instead.  Also, her recipe calls for a medium-grain rice.  My store didn't have it, so I substituted regular long-grain rice.  It worked just fine.

Next day's delight:  Chicken Tortilla Soup.

The leftover chicken and Mexican rice form the base of one amazing (and easy!) soup.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
Kosher salt, to taste
2 cups cubed leftover Spain-Meets-Italy Chicken (and any remaining onions and tomatoes from the pot)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 can (14.5 oz.) Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained. (Canned tomatoes with green chiles may be substituted.  Add oregano and cumin to taste.)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups leftover Foolproof Mexican rice
1 quart chicken stock or broth (Stock is better!)
1 cup water
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb Seasoning
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 cup minced cilantro
1 can (15.5 oz.) Goya Cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
Sour cream, cilantro, tortilla chips and shredded cheese, for garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add onions and bell pepper.  Cook for five minutes.  Add the salt and garlic.  Cook for 2 minutes longer.  Stir in the chicken, corn and tomatoes.  Heat through.  Deglaze with the wine.  Add the rice, stock, water, seasoning, herbs and beans.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Garnish and serve.  Thick, hearty and flavorful!

Southwestern Chicken and Potato Bake

One of my favorite weekend breakfast items is Southwest Style Hash Browns by Simply Potatoes.  They are H.O.T. and addictive.  Great with eggs and toast and delicious in burritos.

A recipe on the bag caught my eye:  Chicken Salsa Verde.  I made it last night for dinner, with my tweaks, and it was great.  If you can take the heat, this one is a winner.

This is how I made it:

1 tablespoon garlic oil

1 package boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about one pound)

1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Southwest Chipotle Seasoning

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 package Simply Potatoes Southwest Style Hash Browns (in the grocer's refrigerator case by the eggs)

1 cup sour cream

2/3 cup Herdez salsa verde (in the Mexican Foods section of your grocery store)

1 cup shredded Mexican Four-Cheese Blend

Chopped green onions and sliced avocado, for garnish

Grease a 12 x8" or 13 x9" casserole dish and set aside.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat up the garlic oil until it sizzles.  Season the chicken with Mrs. Dash and salt on both sides.  Brown the chicken on both sides.

While the  chicken is browning, combine hash browns and sour cream.  Spread into prepared casserole dish.  Top with the chicken.  Cover with foil and bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until potatoes are tender and chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Pour the salsa verde on top of the chicken only.  Sprinkle the cheese over the entire casserole.  Continue baking, uncovered, for five minutes to melt the cheese.

Garnish and serve.  I only used the green onions last night because, sadly, I neglected to buy an avocado :(

Of course, you can substitute chicken breasts for the thighs and red salsa for the salsa verde.  If you think the Mrs. Dash may be over-the-top spicy, season the chicken with only salt and pepper.  We prefer red salsa in general, so I bought a 7 oz. can of the Herdez salsa verde for this recipe. 

Lo Mein Monday

Monday can be torture. The solution? An exotic pasta that can be thrown together in 30 minutes flat!





3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided

3 scallions, root ends trimmed and thinly sliced

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 small package chicken breast fillets (3/4-1 pound), thinly sliced across the grain

Chinese five-spice powder, to taste

Reduced-sodium soy sauce, to taste

1/2 pound dry linguine

1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly shredded with your chef's knife

2 large carrots, shredded

5 oz. package sliced shitake mushrooms

1 tsp. minced ginger from a jar (from the produce aisle)

Pinch red pepper flakes

1/2 pound fresh bean sprouts

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup dry sherry

1/4 cup chicken broth

3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced


Have the ingredients prepped and ready to go!


Heat your largest nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour in 1 tablespoon sesame oil. When the oil becomes fragrant, add scallion and garlic. Saute for 1 minute. Add chicken and sprinkle with five-spice powder. Saute for five minutes or until cooked through. Splash with a bit of soy sauce, approximately 2 tablespoons.


Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to boil for the pasta. Boil it for 7 minutes; drain and set aside.


Remove chicken from pan with slotted spoon. Add another tablespoon of oil. Increase the heat slightly. Add cabbage, carrots and mushrooms. Saute for two minutes. Make a well in the middle of the pan; add ginger and red pepper flakes. Heat for a few seconds and stir the mixure into the vegetables. Season to taste with soy sauce.

Add pasta, chicken and bean sprouts to the pan. Toss with tongs or wooden spoons. Mix together cornstarch, sherry, the last tablespoon of oil and chicken broth. Stir into the noodles. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Stir in the cilantro. Taste for seasoning. More soy? Salt? Five-spice? How's the texture? If it seems a little dry, add a little more broth. Or sesame oil :) Yummmm!