As part of my return to the kitchen, I came across a recipe for chimichurri sauce and used to create this chicken dish with Argentinean flair.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 recipe Spicy & Smokey Rub
1 recipe Chimichurri Sauce
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil

Preheat oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with foil. Place a baking rack on top of the sheet and foil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Rub each piece with a small amount of olive oil. Using hands, massage dry rub into meat, coating lightly. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, prepare Chimichurri Sauce. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet. Add peppers and saute 3-5 minutes, until near tender. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add prepared chimichurri sauce and toss with peppers. Cook until sauce is warmed through, then remove from heat.

To serve: slice chicken and spoon peppers and sauce over top.

The original recipe from Cooking Light Magazine was for pork, not chicken, and used just cherry preserves. I added the apricot jam and decided to use frozen cherries for extra flavor. I served this chicken over egg noodles and zucchini sauteed with sweet onion, garlic, tossed with sesame seed oil. By slicing the chicken and tossing with the cherry-apricot sauce, it made a delicious stir-fry style dish.

Chicken w/ Cherry-Apricot Sauce
adapted from Cooking Light

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders
Olive oil
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
1 cup frozen pitted cherries, thawed
1/4 cup apricot jam or preserves
2 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

Using a meat tenderizer or small frying pan, pound chicken between two pieces of wax paper until about 1/2 to 1/4 inch thick. Season on both sides with salt and black pepper. Heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook about 5-6 minutes on each side, until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink. Set aside and keep warm.

In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Add to hot skillet, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen any browned bits. Heat until slightly thickened, about 2-3 minutes or until sauce is warmed through. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

I prefer to slice the chicken first, then pour the sauce over top.

Sometimes, it is easy to get bored with chicken. This recipe infuses the flavors of sage and lemon into chicken, creating an intriguing flavor that is earthy yet bright. Green onions and lemon give this dish a taste of spring before most spring vegetables are available. Sage, along with pasta and broccoli, keep the dish hearty and savory while the weather is still chilly. In Spring, basil and asparagus would be good substitutions for the sage and broccoli.

Sage & Lemon Chicken w/ Broccoli

4 bonesless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage  
1 lemon
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
3 green onions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
2 cups uncooked orzo or other small pasta
olive oil

Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet.

Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper. In a large ziplock bag, combine chicken, garlic, and sage. Zest lemon into bag, then cut in half and squeeze half of the juice into the bag, reserving the other half. Arrange chicken on wire rack and bake 15-20 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook 5 minutes, then add broccoli. Cook an additional 4-5 minutes until pasta is al dente and broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain and toss with olive oil.

In a small amount of olive oil, saute green onions in a large skillet over medium heat until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add broccoli and pasta to skillet and squeeze remaining half of lemon juice on top. Season with pepper.

Remove chicken breasts from oven and place over broccoli mixture. Serve immediately.

Frugal Breakdown:
4 chicken breasts: $3.20
salt and pepper: negligible
2 garlic cloves: negligible
1/4 cup chopped fresh sage : $0.75 
1 lemon: $0.60
1 head broccoli: $1.67
3 green onions: $0.25
2 cups uncooked orzo: $0.75
olive oil: negligible
TOTAL: $7.22

Verdict: An easy success, considering the deal I found on chicken breasts. Most of the other ingredients are pantry staples, so this was not an expensive dish to make.

From Sunset magazine, this recipe for Blood Orange Sauce is simple and flavorful. Blood oranges, named for their ruby-colored flesh, taste very similar to regular oranges, but with a hint of raspberry. Regular oranges or orange juice can be substituted, but blood oranges are currently in season so now is a good time to take advantage. The sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days.

• Above: Blood oranges add interesting color to the plate.

Chicken w/ Blood Orange Sauce
adapted from Sunset

1 1/2 cups  blood orange juice or regular orange juice (about 6-8 oranges)
1/3 cup  sugar 
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 head broccoli, broken into florets
4 cups dry egg noodles
1 blood orange, halved

Preheat oven to 450F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire rack on top of the baking sheet.

In a 10- to 12-inch skillet over high heat, mix orange juice, sugar, garlic, ginger, salt and red pepper flakes to taste. Boil until reduced to 1 cup, about 10 minutes; stirring often.

Arrange chicken breasts in a single layer on wire rack. Brush both sides of chicken with prepared sauce. Cook 10 minutes. Brush another coat of sauce on both sides of chicken. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, bring a large stock pot of salted water to boil. Add egg noodles and cook 5 minutes. Add broccoli and cook 5 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender and noodles are tender. Drain and return to pan. Squeeze one half of reserved blood orange over noodles and broccoli. Cut remaining blood orange half into slices.

To serve: divide noodles and broccoli among four plates. Slice chicken breasts and place over noodles. Place orange slices on plates.

•  The blood orange season is relatively short, so take advantage!

Frugal Breakdown: 
10 blood oranges: $4.00
sugar: negligible
garlic: negligable
salt: negligible
crushed red pepper flakes: negligible
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts: $3.20
1 head broccoli: 1.67
egg noodles: $0.89
TOTAL: $9.76

Verdict: Success, but pretty darn close. The major expense was blood oranges, and the lot I bought were rather small so it took more to get 1 1/2 cups of juice (even though it was 5/$2 regardless of size).

With the chicken breasts, I found an excellent deal. I bought a family size package of 9 boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.99/lb. Most of the chicken breasts still had good sized tenderloins, so I trimmed each piece and placed in freezer safe bags, then trimmed and cut up the tenderloins, which yielded about half a pound. Overall, I got 10 servings out of that one package.

Want a easy, weeknight dinner (and who doesn’t)? Try making some Baked Chicken Tenders and turning them into Jenn’s Shortcut Chicken Parmesan! It is incredibly easy. James and I have tried this with basic marinara sauce and Alfredo sauce, both were very tasty.

If you would rather use whole chicken breasts, increase the baking time to 20-25 minutes. Save time by preparing breading ahead of time and store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Jenn’s Shortcut Chicken Parmesan 

Preheat oven to 450F and place a large pot of water over high heat.

Prepare chicken tenders and bake 12-15 minutes.

While chicken tenders cook, add pasta to water and cook according to package directions.  Empty a jar of pasta sauce into a medium saucepan and slowly heat over low heat.

By the time the chicken is done baking, the pasta and sauce will be ready. Drain pasta and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking. Place pasta and chicken tenders on a plate and spoon sauce over both. Top with Parmesan cheese.

Serve immediately and enjoy! Steamed veggies or a green salad on the side completes the meal.