Slow Cooker Greek Style Chicken with Spinach and Tomato Orzo

It's been awhile since I last posted on my blog, but I'm back and ready to go now!  The reason being is that MGG and I moved to a new home and we love it.

Moving is a major bummer in my eyes.  With all the packing , sorting, donating tons of stuff, and packing...and packing!  When you've lived in a place for eons you find the strangest stuff that you've latched on to and hid away.  I found items from the 90's!  Yikes!  So much to do, with so little time.  Note to self:  stop buying stuff for the kitchen!....you have too much!!!!! (Pottery Barn is a no, no!!)

The good part about moving is letting go and getting rid of a LOT of items that I didn't use, and certainly didn't need.  Plus we get to start a new chapter in our lives in a new home, and new area.  I love a good adventure and making new memories. Don't you?

So while I was packing day and night for the last month, I didn't have much time for anything else, let alone cooking.  At some point during the month I packed my entire kitchen and just decided to forgo all cooking and ate a lot of ready made salads for dinner or items from the deli.  Good for the waistline, but not so good for my blog posts!  

Just when I thought it was over and we were all moved I took a look around and saw a sea of boxes.  Noooooooooo....now I have to unpack! OMG will it be over soon?  So relying on my trusty memory to determine which box my crockpot was in I decided to get it out and whip up this wonderful meal for dinner.  The chicken, spinach and tomatoes cook all day (while I unpack) and you just cook the orzo when it's done and pull it all together. I used frozen spinach as suggested but next time I think I'll use fresh spinach, adding it toward the end of the cooking time.  I like a little more texture to my spinach than frozen offers.  You can do this either way, it will be fine. 

What a easy, yet tasty meal!

Enjoy this dish this spring when you want to have extra time to yourself!


Slow Cooker Greek Style Chicken with Spinach and Tomato Orzo
adapted from BHG Special Interest Publication "Chicken Dinners" 2015

Ingredients

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1teaspoon dried parsley, crushed
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 14 1/2 ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cups grape tomatoes
1 1/2 cups cooked orzo pasta
1teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Directions
In a small bowl combine dried oregano, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle mixture evenly over chicken; rub in with your fingers. In a large skillet cook chicken in hot oil over medium-high heat about 4 minutes or until brown, turning once. (It doesn't have to be cooked through) Remove from heat.

In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine chicken, broth, and garlic. Add spinach; top with tomatoes. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 4 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 hours.  Remove chicken from cooker; cover and keep warm.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer spinach and tomatoes to a large bowl; discard liquid.  Stir cooked pasta, lemon peel, and lemon juice into spinach mixture.  Serve chicken with pasta mixture.  Garnish with cheese.  Enjoy!

Kitchen Tip: Garlic Fix

I don't typically post just a Kitchen Tip.

But today I am.

I saw this on Cuisinerecipes.com and knew this tip was too handy not to share.  

Here it is:

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves. To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag. Pat the minced garlic to about ¾-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into ¾-inch cubes and refreeze. The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each — perfectly portioned for easy use.

- See more at: http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2015/03/05/7201/#sthash.bYiGQp59.dpuf

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves. To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag. Pat the minced garlic to about ¾-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into ¾-inch cubes and refreeze. The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each — perfectly portioned for easy use.

- See more at: http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2015/03/05/7201/#sthash.bYiGQp59.dpuf

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam's Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves.  To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag.  Pat the minced garlic to about 3/4-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into 3/4-inch cubes and refreeze.  The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each - - perfectly portioned for easy use.




Tip and picture source:  Cuisinerecipes.com

Garlic Fix

 

Garlic Fix

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves. To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag. Pat the minced garlic to about ¾-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into ¾-inch cubes and refreeze. The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each — perfectly portioned for easy use.

- See more at: http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2015/03/05/7201/#sthash.bYiGQp59.dpuf

Garlic Fix

Warehouse stores like Sam’s Club and Costco often sell large tubs of already peeled garlic cloves. To get the most out of them, mince the garlic in a food processor, then transfer to a freezer bag. Pat the minced garlic to about ¾-inch thick and freeze, then cut the garlic into ¾-inch cubes and refreeze. The cubes will be about 1 teaspoon each — perfectly portioned for easy use.

- See more at: http://www.cuisinerecipes.com/2015/03/05/7201/#sthash.bYiGQp59.dpuf

Walnut and Rosemary Oven "Fried" Chicken

Keeping to your New Year's resolution to eat healthier?

Typically my resolution starts out with a bang and peters out somewhere between February and March.  Snacks and sweets start to sneak in there.  Being a professed ice cream-oholic it's soooo hard to put that stuff down.  

But I still try.  Each day is a new start and our motto is one day at a time!  This dish fits the bill with healthier eating.  Who doesn't love fried chicken?  I grew up on the stuff.  I mean we ate it all the time.  Mom's fried chicken was the best.  Crunchy and tender.  I can see it cooking in those cast iron skillets right now.  Mmmm memories.  Well this chicken is oven fried instead of deep fried which really cuts down on the fat.  That's such a good thing.

It gets it's crispy coating from panko crumbs, and to ensure they crisp in the oven you spray just a little cooking spray on them.  This will give you the crunch that's similar to pan fried chicken.  The addition of rosemary and walnuts just adds flavor to the dish and give it a little twist.  You can really taste the rosemary and it's makes the dish special so don't skip this part.

We both loved this dish!  Serve it with some mashed potatoes, vegetables, or a nice salad.  It's a healthier way to eat chicken.  So make some oven "fried" chicken tonight and save the real thing for a special occasion.






Walnut and Rosemary Oven "Fried" Chicken
serves 4

1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 Tbls Dijon mustard
4 chicken cutlets
1/3 c panko 
1/3 c finely chopped walnuts
2 Tbls grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp minced fresh rosemary
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper 
cooking spray


Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add panko to the skillet and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until golden brown. 

Arrange a wire rack on a large baking sheet and coat with cooking spray.  Set aside.
 
In a breading dish or pie pan combine buttermilk and mustard.  Stir to combine.  To another breading dish add the panko, nuts, Parmesan cheese, rosemary, salt and pepper.  Stir to combine.  

Add chicken to the buttermilk mixture and turn to coat.  Add chicken to the panko mixture and dredge on both sides to coat. 
 
Arrange chicken on the rack and lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for 13 minutes or until chicken is done. Serve immediately.






Source:  Cookinglight.com