Tell me what I should make for dinner!

[Joffrey]

You folks get to suggest dinner recipes for me based on what I have in the fridge and pantry.

IN the fridge:
2 lbs bone in split chicken breasts.
Half a bottle of balsamic vinagrette
Bottle of lemon juice
A couple of packets of butter
Some brown mustard (maybe 1/4 bottle)

In the pantry:
Olive Oil
Balsamic vinger
2 cans of diced tomatos
two jars of pasta sauce
Jar of pesto
Packet of angel hair pasta
Packet of Penne pasta
2 cloves of garlic

Seasoning:
dry Thyme
dry Oregano
dryParsley
dryCilantro
Chilli powder

A few rules:
1. I need to use the chicken cause it's been in my freezer for a few weeks and I've already defrosted it last night
2. I can't go out to the store to buy anything
3. Preferably any recipe will take a total of 60minutes (including prep) to complete.


Thanks!

* If this goes well I may periodically update with other dinner requests when I am feeling uninspired.

 

[hamish5178]

Originally Posted by Jodum5

* If this goes well I may periodically update with other dinner requests when I am feeling uninspired.

Is this supposed to act as motivation?

 

[Joffrey]

I thought some folks here would find it fun coming up with meals to make based on things I have in my kitchen.

 

[kwilkinson]

Boring, but I'd butterfly the chicken breasts, stuff the pesto in there, and serve it over the angel hair pasta.

 

[mmh]

Marinate the chicken in the lemon, balsamic vinegar with garlic & dried GREEN herbs, also add some olive oil if available. Pan fry or bake. Saute' tomatoes with olive oil, garlic & pesto, serve w/ pasta. Garnish w/ parmesan cheese if available.

Stock up on fresh & dried garlic & dried herbs. 2 cloves of garlic is almost a state of starvation.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

Boring, but I'd butterfly the chicken breasts, stuff the pesto in there, and serve it over the angel hair pasta.

You can do better.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by SField

You can do better.

He wanted something easy and in less than an hour. He got it.

 

[SField]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

He wanted something easy and in less than an hour. He got it.

******* you want to work for ******* Charlie Trotter.

You can do better.

 

[Milhouse]

You don't have any produce at all??? Not even onions, carrots, or celery?

 

[Joffrey]

I ended up just slicing the chicken to mini cutlets then pre-cooking them (fried at medium heat for a few minutes until they were white all around) then added them to a pasta sauce which I simmered for about 10minutes. Added the penne and they are percolating now on low.

I'll supply pics later tonight or tomorrow.

 

[feynmix]

should have used the pesto.

I have this weird condition where if there is pesto in my apt, it must be finished. I f'in love pesto.

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by feynmix

should have used the pesto.

I have this weird condition where if there is pesto in my apt, it must be finished. I f'in love pesto.

Depends on the pesto...the only store brand pesto I can count on seeing anywhere is Classico which is absolute **** (not even made with primarily olive oil, bad cheese content, bad everything else). I had a jar of that in my fridge forever... Now that my grocery store changed hands, there is a bottled pesto that they sell which is pretty good ($7-8 for the small bottle and like 30 for the big) and made from the right ingredients. The produce store nearby also often has their own pesto available which is pretty cheap for the size and doesn't taste bad.

My favorite has to be my mother's pesto though...made from homegrown basil in giant batches ones a year and frozen in ice cube trays (move them to ziplock bags and then just thaw a few cubes as needed). Hmm...I should have tried to get some when I was home for christmas...damn

 

[Huntsman]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

Boring, but I'd butterfly the chicken breasts, stuff the pesto in there, and serve it over the angel hair pasta.
Why do people butterfly? I never butterfly -- I cut a pocket in the breast and stuff. So much tidier, and requires no tying. ~ H

 

[feynmix]

Originally Posted by otc

Depends on the pesto...the only store brand pesto I can count on seeing anywhere is Classico which is absolute **** (not even made with primarily olive oil, bad cheese content, bad everything else). I had a jar of that in my fridge forever... Now that my grocery store changed hands, there is a bottled pesto that they sell which is pretty good ($7-8 for the small bottle and like 30 for the big) and made from the right ingredients. The produce store nearby also often has their own pesto available which is pretty cheap for the size and doesn't taste bad.

My favorite has to be my mother's pesto though...made from homegrown basil in giant batches ones a year and frozen in ice cube trays (move them to ziplock bags and then just thaw a few cubes as needed). Hmm...I should have tried to get some when I was home for christmas...damn

I can imagine Classico being terrible. As of now, I use the Trader Joe's pesto, which is mediocre, nothing great. The good stuff I can find at my local Harris Teeter is expensive. I have been told that the best pesto is the one that is made at home (since we won't skimp on the olive oil or the cheese). As the summer rolls around, I am definitely think of growing basil at home and use it to make the pesto.

I bet your mom's pesto would be delicious, because this is how it should be done. A quick question though: To get the same kind of texture back, do you add any more ingredients (more olive oil) once its thawed?

 

[Joffrey]

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