Chicken With Basil & Pine Nut Pesto

I had trouble getting the water to boil for the fettuccine, I would definitely start the water before the other steps in this recipe!! The pesto was OK, but the cheese was to "large". I should have used grated instead of the shredded I had on hand. Also the dish was too cold, even if I had warmed the bowl first it would have been too cold. Perhaps a short trip through the microwave before serving would work? Overall, this is just a simple pasta-pesto-chicken dish that really doesn't need a recipe!! I won't be keeping this recipe, but plan to reheat tomorrow for breakfast with some cream in the sauce. I always prefere creamy pesto, and I will toast some pine nuts for the top. Oh, I always toast my pine nuts before putting them into a pesto because it brings out the flavor.

Chicken With Basil & Pine Nut Pesto

1 2/3 c. shredded fresh basil
4 oz. olive oil
3 T pine nuts
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt
1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 T freshly grated Romano cheese
2 T vegetable oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
12 oz. dried fettuccine
freshly ground pepper
sprig of fresh basil, for garnish

1. To make the pesto, put the basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic, and a generous pinch of salt in a food processor or blender. Puree the ingredients until smooth. Scrape the mixture into a bowl and stir in the cheeses.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet over a medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts, turning once, for 8-10 minutes, or until the juices are no longer pink. Cut into small cubes.
3. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a warm serving dish. Add the chicken and pesto, then season with pepper. Toss well to mix. Garnish with a sprig of basil and serve warm.

Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce

I have been trying to create a sweet and sour dipping sauce that is like those little red packets you get at Chinese restaurants. This is the closest I have come. Substituting rice wine vinegar seemed to make it a bit sweeter than other recipes I have tried. I also took someone's advice to make it thicker by adding more cornstarch and water to the pan, I think I added 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and two teaspoons of water, which I mixed with a little whisk before I stirred it into the sauce. I will keep this recipe until I get a better one.

Sweet and Sour Dipping Sauce

1 t. cornstarch
1/3 c. distilled white vinegar
2 t. vegetable oil (I probably used peanut oil)
2/3 c. unsweetened pineapple juice
2 T ketchup
3 T brown sugar
salt to taste

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat whisk together vinegar and cornstarch.
2. Add remaining ingredients, whisking constantly until the mixture is heated through.
3. Chill before use.

Chicken & Onion Cream Sauce

This recipe used ingredients I had on-hand and I substituted the pasta tubes for fettuccine. This recipe was OK, worked well as a leftover, too. I should have chopped the green onions finer, since I don't prefer to eat onions in big pieces. It is a basic cream sauce with some chicken and pasta. I will keep it, until I find a better one.

Chicken & Onion Cream Sauce

1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 garlic clove, chopped very finely
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
1 onion, finely chopped
1 chicken bouillon cube, crumbled
1/2 c. water
1 1/4 c. heavy cream
3/4 c. milk
6 scallions, green part included, sliced diagonally
scant 1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb. dried fettuccine
chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, to garnish

1. Heat the oil and butter with the garlic in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic until just beginning to color.
2. Add the chicken breasts and raise the heat to medium. Cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the juices are no longer pink.
3. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.
4. Remove the chicken, leaving the oil in the skillet.
5. Slice the chicken breasts diagonally into thin strips and set aside.
6. Reheat the oil in the skillet. Add the onion and gently cook for 5 minutes, or until soft.
7. Add the crumbled bouillon cube and the water. Bring to a boil and then simmer over a medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the cream, milk, scallions, and Parmesan. Simmer until heated through and slightly thickened.
9. Cook the fettuccine in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and transfer to a warm serving dish. Layer the chicken slices over the pasta. Pour on the sauce, then garnish with parsley and serve. Serves 4.

Basil Grilled Chicken

Do not adjust your computer monitor, the chicken really did look PINK!! This was a strange recipe, all I did was add some basil to some melted butter and brush it on the chicken. I baked it rather than grilled it, and it tasted only OK. The confusing part of this recipe was actually the addition of the flavored butter. Wasn't sure what to do with it!! I ended up dipping the chicken in the butter as I ate it!! I had leftover butter and chicken that I ended up using in a new dish the next day, creating more sauce for a pasta dish. This is not a keeper, though.

Basil Grilled Chicken

3/4 t. coarsely ground pepper
4 chicken breast halves, skinned
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1/4 c. chopped fresh basil
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
2 T minced fresh basil
1 T grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 t. garlic powder
1/8 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
fresh basil sprigs (optional)

1. Press 3/4 teaspoon pepper into meaty sides of chicken breast halves.
2. Combine 1/3 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup chopped basil, stir well.
3. Brush chicken lightly with melted butter mixture.
4. Combine 1/2 cup softened butter, 2 Tablespoons basil, Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Beat at low speed of an electric mixer until mixture is well blended and smooth. Transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside.
5. Grill chicken over medium coals for 8-10 minutes on each side, basting frequently with remaining melted butter mixture.
6. Serve grilled chicken with basil-butter mixture. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired. Serves 4.

Pasta with Gorgonzola & White Corn Sauce

I had some fresh basil and wanted to make a dish that I could eat with my Basil Grilled Chicken. I had most of the ingredients for this recipe, but had to go out and get some white corn and Gorgonzola cheese. I didn't realize how strong Gorgonzola cheese is, but the sweetness of the corn and the saltiness of the bacon helped to balance it out. I won't be keeping this recipe, though. There was not enough of the sauce for the pasta and I wasn't wild about the taste. I prepared a mix of the chicken and the pasta dish for leftovers, creating more sauce from the leftover evaporated milk, corn, and the flavored butter from the chicken recipe.

Pasta with Gorgonzola & White Corn Sauce

6 T minced red onion
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 t. salt
1 1/4 c. evaporated skim milk
6 oz. sweet Gorgonzola, crumbled
dashes of Tabasco sauce
1 lb. fettuccine
1 1/4 t. grated lemon rind
12 large basil leaves, but into thin strips
1 1/2 - 1 3/4 c. white corn
8 thick slices bacon, fried crisp & crumbled

1. In a skillet on medium heat wilt onions in oil, stirring about 5 minutes.
2. Add salt and milk.
3. Add cheese and Tabasco.
4. Cook, stirring, until cheese melts and mixture thickens (do not boil).
5. Remove from heat.
6. Cook pasta.
7. Reheat sauce and add the other ingredients except bacon. Divide pasta to 8 warm bowls. Top with sauce and sprinkle with bacon. Serves 8.