Crispy Chicken Costoletta

(photo via flickr)

Last weekend, I ate at The Cheesecake Factory, and thanks to Lindsay's suggestion, I have now found a new favorite dish!


I was looking for a good recipe and found this one HERE. Based on the comments, I changed a couple of things. I substituted Panko bread crumbs instead of the normal, (found in the Asian foods section of your local grocery store) I used less Dijon mustard and lemon juice, and I added dried parsley for a bit of color. I also did not use the dried lemon zest that her blog suggested because The Cheesecake Factory does not used dried lemon zest in their crispy chicken.

(Copycat of The Cheesecake Factory's Chicken Costoletta)
Serves 4


Crispy Chicken

4 chicken breasts, cut horizontally, and pounded to about 1/4 inch thick.(you can also use chicken cutlets)
1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs
2 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
2 eggs, whisked with 2 Tbsp water
3 Tbsp flour
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp kosher salt


Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

On one plate combine flour, pepper and salt. On another plate, combine eggs and water, whisk until well combined. On another plate, combine bread crumbs, parsley and cheese. Place pounded chicken in the flour, coating well, followed by the egg mixture an then the bread crumbs. Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. Place chicken in pan and cook on each side about 5 minutes until middle is no longer pink. You'll need to work in batches, adding more oil and butter as needed. Keep chicken warm in 250 degree oven.

Lemon Sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tbsp Canola oil
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (do NOT use bottled lemon juice)
1/8 cup chicken stock (make sure it's stock, not chicken broth)
Kosher salt
pepper
1 Tbsp butter

Heat oil over medium heat in a fairly large saucepan. Add minced garlic and saute about 3 minutes. Add whipping cream and boil until reduced by one-third. Add Dijon, lemon juice, chicken stock and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in butter until melted.



Serve the cream sauce UNDER the chicken...trust me, it's divine!

This dish is delicious served with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus.

Buckeye Cake

I found this recipe in a magazine a couple of years ago, and fell in love with it! It is a chocolate/peanut butter lover's absolute dream! {The recipe calls for unsalted butter, but all I ever have is salted, and it's still delicious}

2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 packets (1 oz. each) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® CHOCO BAKE® Pre-Melted Unsweetened Chocolate Flavor
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

PEANUT BUTTER LAYER
3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup powdered sugar

GANACHE
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1/3 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Peanut Butter & Milk Chocolate Morsels

Directions: Preheat oven to 350º F. Grease 9-inch-round cake pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper; grease. {I ran out of parchment paper, so I just buttered and floured my pan and it was perfect}

FOR CAKE: Combine eggs and sugar in large bowl. Stir in flour, melted butter, Choco Bake, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of cake; cool for an additional 10 minutes. Invert cake onto serving platter. Remove pan and parchment; cool completely.

FOR PEANUT BUTTER LAYER: Beat peanut butter, butter and vanilla extract in medium mixer bowl until combined. Gradually beat in powdered sugar. Spread mixture on cake. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

FOR GANACHE: Heat cream in small saucepan to boiling; remove from heat. Add semi-sweet morsels; let stand 5 minutes. Stir; refrigerate for 30 minutes or until mixture is spreadable. Spread chocolate on top and sides of cake.

Melt peanut butter & milk chocolate morsels in resealable plastic bag on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 30 seconds. Knead bag to mix. If necessary, microwave at additional 10- to 15-second intervals until melted. Cut a small hole from corner of bag; squeeze to drizzle over cake. Store in refrigerator. Let stand for 30 minutes before serving.

Orange Rolls

1 cup shortening
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup cold water
7 1/2 to 8 cups flour
3 pkg instant yeast (6 3/4 tsp) dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water

Dissolve yeast in warm water and allow to activate until almost double in size. Set aside. Pour boiling water over shortening, sugar, and salt. Stir until shortening is melted and add cold water, eggs, and dissolved yeast mixture. Mix. Stir in flour and mix well until dough is soft and pliable. Store in refrigerator overnight. This is a must. Doing so makes for very light and fluffy rolls.

Filling
1 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
Grated orange peel and juice from 2 oranges.

Cream the butter and sugar with a fork. Add grated orange peel and squeeze all of the juice from the oranges over the mixture. Stir until well combined.

Punch down the dough and roll out in desired shape, then spread your filling on and roll up. {I've done them Butterhorn style before and got about 70 rolls. I've also done them Cinnamon roll style on large cookie sheets and got 32 rolls.} Place on greased cookie sheets and allow to raise for 3 hours.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Cover with glaze and ENJOY!

Glaze
3/4 cup sugar
2Tbsp frozen Orange Juice Concentrate
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup butter
Grated orange peel from 1 orange

Put all ingredients into a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Brush liberally onto each roll and enjoy!

Cinnamon Rolls

Makes 24 rolls

1 ¾ cups warm water
1 Tbsp instant yeast
½ Tbsp sugar
¼ cup powdered milk
2 eggs
½ Tbsp salt
¼ cup sugar
½ cup oil
6 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve yeast and ½ Tbsp sugar in warm water. When it bubbles up, add powdered milk, eggs, salt, sugar, and oil. Then add flour 1 cup at a time and mix well until dough is cleaned from the sides of the bowl, and is soft and pliable like elastic. Put a small amount of oil into a large bowl and roll the dough around, until it is lightly coated. Cover and let rise until double. (1 ½-2 hours)

Punch down dough, and divide into two equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a large rectangle ½ inch thick. Spread filling onto each rectangle and roll up tight lengthwise.

Filling
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup cinnamon

Melt butter and add sugars & cinnamon and mix well. Cut rolls into 2 inch sections and place in 2 greased 9x13 pans. {Dental floss is an EXCELLENT tool for cutting the rolls} Let rise for 45 minutes, until doubled in size.

Bake for 25-30 minutes @ 350 degrees. Frost while still warm, and enjoy.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1/3 cup butter
4 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp milk

Cream together cream cheese and butter. Gradually add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Mix until smooth and creamy.

Caramel Pecan Version

Spray 2 9x13 pans with cooking spray, and fill pans with the following caramel sauce
2 cups butterscotch chips
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup butter
1 cup chopped pecans

Melt together, stirring constantly until smooth.Place rolls on top of caramel sauce in pans, and bake as directed above. When rolls are finished, place a large sheet pan on top of rolls and turn upside down while holding 9x13 pan. Allow the sauce to drip over rolls before removing pan. Enjoy!

Cheesy Broccoli and Potato Soup

Last night our cooking club's theme was 'Soup'. My favorite soup of the night was this Cheesy Broccoli and Potato Soup, from my friend, Gina. Broccoli in soup doesn't exactly make my boat float, but this soup does it well. Very, very well.

Perfect hearty soup for a cold day (and it's cold here in the east!).

1 cup diced onion

2 Tbls butter

3 chicken bouillon cubes

1 cup diced celery

3 1/2 cups water

4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces

3-4 sliced carrots

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1/2 head broccoli, chopped

1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed

Fresh parsley (a hand full), chopped

Saute onion, celery, and butter. Add water, bouillon cubes, potatoes, carrots, parsley, and broccoli. Cook 15-20 minutes over med-high heat with lid on to steam vegetables.

Add cheese and chicken soup.

Stir and cook on low heat until warm.

White Bean Chicken Chili

This soup is easy, yummy, and good for the soul (maybe, I don't know).

2-3 chicken breasts , cooked and shredded
4 cans white beans
1/2 chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small can diced green chilies
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves
2 cans chicken broth
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese

Saute onion and garlic and mix with chicken. Add with the rest of ingredients into a crock pot except, add sour cream and cheese for the last 45 minutes. Garnish with cilantro, cheese, avocado, and sour cream.

(I usually make this stove top instead of crock pot for faster meal).

Baked Ziti

I always make this without the beef. Simple and yummy.

1 lb dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 lb lean ground beef (optional)
1 (26 oz) jars spaghetti sauce
6 oz provolone cheese, sliced (optional)
1 1/2 cup sour cream
6 oz mozzerella cheese, shredded
2 Tbls grated parmesan cheese

Boil pasta until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
In a large skillet, brown onion and beef over medium high heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes. Add sour cream to spaghetti mixture. (I skip all of that and simply add the onions and sour cream to the spaghetti sauce and call it good).

Butter a 9x13 inch dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, provolone cheese, 1/2 the sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella, and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the cheese melts.