(image)
Apparently my cooking (or recipes rather) impress someone. One of my friends offered to buy all the ingredients for a meal if I would come cook for him and his roommate. Clearly I do love cooking, so I agreed. He requested chicken, which I’ve never worked with before, so it was off to Pinterest for inspiration and direction. I came across many delicious looking recipes, but most were way to complicated for this amateur college cook. Plus, buying ingredients gets pretty pricy. I settled on this (and this) simple, tasty meal that took no time at all to prepare (and requires minimal supplies.) Keep in mind I made this in a college male’s kitchen; meaning you don’t need much to make this dish.
What I really liked about this meal was yes, the quick turnaround time, but mostly that it’s an updated classic. The amount of times I had breaded chicken and mac & cheese as a school-night meal are countless. This is a slightly more adult version of that doesn’t compromise taste. If you’re ever feeling a little homesick or nostalgic, I’d highly recommend this.
Baked Pecan Crusted Chicken
3 – 4 Chicken breasts or tenders, skinned
2 egg whites
1/4 tsp chili powder
2 cups pecans chopped (I misread the ingredient list and didn’t get enough pecans but chopped almonds worked fine as a substitute – or addition)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt (I thought it was too salty, although the guys begged to differ, so depending on your taste less salt might be something to consider)
2 tsp paprika (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Combine pecans, parsley, salt, chili powder (and paprika if used.)
- Prepare egg whites in a separate bowl.
- Place one chicken in egg whites, coat each side, and place in the pecan mixture. Make sure the chicken is well coated. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces.
- Place coated chicken on a greased baking/cookie sheet and cook for 22-25 minutes.
Quick Mac and Cheese
3/4 pound elbow macaroni (I used a whole box and it came out fine)
4 tbsp butter
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
Few dashes of Tabasco sauce
1/2 tsp salt, or more to taste
1/8 tsp fresh-ground black pepper
Directions:
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the macaroni until just done, about 8 minutes. Drain and return to hot pot.
- Put the pot over the lowest possible heat and add butter, cheese, mustard, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Stir until the cheese melts, and serve.
I’m not a meat eater but my boyfriend will love this! Thanks for sharing :) follow balanced peanut on facebook :)
LikeLike