I love having a couple of ‘go-to’ recipes for chicken in my arsenal.  I am a dark meat girl and my husband prefers white meat so together, we can easily demolish half a chicken!

Today I’m sharing two delicious and easy recipes with you.  The first one will take a total of 30 minutes from start to finish!  It’s my creation which I’ve dubbed “Chicken Princess” and the second one is a classic Chicago dish called Chicken Vesuvio.

The first time I had this, Mike and I were in Chicago on tour and we discovered this wonderfully fragrant and incredibly rich chicken dish in a little Italian restaurant that we probably returned to half a dozen times over two months, just for this dish!  If you love garlic (married to an Italian I definitely do!) then this recipe is for you.  It’s so easy and so flavorful, it will likely become a staple in your kitchen!

In order to prove to myself that chicken breasts don’t have to be boring, I experimented  and came up with a little gem of a recipe that’s easy and best of all, flexible.  Feel free to substitute ingredients as you see fit!

Kitchen Princess-Chicken Princess

Chicken Princess

Serves 2

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I leave them thick but you can butterfly them or pound them thin if you want )
• 8 oz sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup pesto
• 1/4 cup grated cheese -I use monterey jack, but  parmesan, mozzarella, feta, really any kind you have on hand will work just as well.

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan.  When hot, add the chicken breasts and cook about 8 minutes on each side over medium heat.  You want to cook them through.  While the chicken is cooking, scatter the mushrooms and garlic all around.  Season the mushrooms with a little salt and pepper.
2. When the chicken is finished and the mushrooms are cooked, spread your pesto over the chicken breasts and then sprinkle the cheese on top of the pesto.  Over low heat, put the lid on for a few minutes to let the cheese melt.  I can totally see using sun-dried tomatoes instead of the mushrooms.  Or, yellow peppers and onions.  Add a splash of white wine if you’re feeling adventurous!

Serve with some pasta if you like and a green salad.

Kitchen Princess-Chicken Vesuvio

Chicken Vesuvio - savory and wonderful!

Serves 4

• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 whole chicken cut up or 2 breasts cut in half and 4 thighs
• Salt and  freshly ground pepper1
• 1/2 pounds small, red-skinned potatoes, cut in half or russet potatoes cut into wedges
• 10 large, whole garlic cloves
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 8 ounces frozen peas or if you want to be fancy, frozen artichoke hearts

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Over high heat, heat the oil in a large ovenproof pot or roasting pan.  Sprinkle the meat with the salt and pepper.
3. Cook the chicken in batches until golden brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.  Remove the chicken and set aside.
4. Add the potatoes to the pot and cook them until golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic and saute until golden.
5. Add the wine (I use Pinot Grigio)  and stir to scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pot.  Add the chicken broth, oregano and thyme, bring to a boil over medium-high heat and let it cook down a bit.
6. Now, add the chicken and potatoes back to the pot or roasting pan, cover and put in the oven and bake for about an hour or until a thermometer inserted into the chicken reads 165. During  the last 15 minutes in the oven, add the thawed peas or artichoke hearts.  Serve and don’t forget to spread those soft, sweet cloves of garlic all over the chicken pieces as you eat them.

Your kitchen will smell divine and your family will be so impressed with your culinary expertise!  Serve with some crusty Italian bread and a green salad.  Enjoy!