Adapted from Yellow Bliss Road
Ingredients
Olive oil
1 pound package of smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
1 small onion, chopped
2 clove garlic, minced
20-oz refrigerated cheese tortellini
28-oz diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
Salt and pepper
1-oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded jack cheese
Directions
1. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over
medium heat. Add onion and cook about 3-4 minutes until softened. Stir in garlic
and cook for 30 seconds. Add sausage and cook until browned on both sides.
2. Stir in chicken broth, tortellini, and tomatoes; season
with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Turn heat to low, cover
and simmer for 10-15 minutes, until pasta is tender, stirring at least once to
prevent sticking. If there is too much liquid left in the pan, spoon some out.
But be sure to leave enough behind to make the sauce.
3. Remove from heat and stir in cheeses. Cover and let stand
for 5-10 minutes.
Adapted from Barbara Bakes
Ingredients - Stew
1 pound chicken sausage
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 large onion, diced
¼ tsp chili flakes
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups baby spinach
28-oz. can whole tomatoes
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 large potatoes
Ingredients - Polenta
4 ½ cups water
1 tsp salt
1 cup instant polenta
2 Tbsp butter
1 cup grated parmesan
Directions
1. Lightly grease a 9×9 baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a Dutch oven or saucepan, boil water, then slowly pour
polenta in to water whisking constantly until mixture thickens, about 3
minutes. Remove from heat; stir in butter and Parmesan. Pour polenta into prepared
baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least
1 hour until polenta is firm.
3. Meanwhile, parboil potatoes: Peel potatoes, and cut to similar
sizes if uneven. Fill the Dutch oven with room temperature water, high enough
to cover the potatoes. With potatoes in the pot, bring water to a boil, and
cook (7-10 min for small / 12-15 for large). Once done, remove potatoes from
hot water, and immediately submerge them under cold water to stop the cooking process.
Dice into bite sized pieces.
4. Remove the polenta from the refrigerator and cut into
triangles with a sharp knife. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a large
skillet over high heat. Grill polenta in
the skillet, about 5-6 minutes per side until crispy and lightly browned. Plate
and set aside; cover to keep warm.
5. At the same time, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large
skillet, and cook chicken sausage until browned. Add onion, and cook until soft. Then add the
garlic and chili flakes, and cook for one minute. Add spinach to sausage
mixture, cover and wilt spinach for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and corn
and bring to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Using the same skillet as the polenta, grill the
parboiled diced potatoes until crispy on all sides.
7. Serve the polenta topped with the sausage stew and the
crispy potatoes.
We didn't have a jar of butter chicken sauce at home, so we used a jar of Patak's Rogan Josh Sauce instead which was a great substitute. If you're feeling crazy, you can also make the sauce from scratch like in this post. Next time, I may try adding some garlic to the dough mixture to add some extra flavor to the naan.
Butter Chicken Naan Pockets
Adapted from Dinner with Julie
Ingredients – Naan Dough
½ cup warm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
½ tsp salt
¼ cup canola oil
1/3 cup plain yogurt (regular or Greek)
1 large egg
Ingredients – Butter Chicken Filling
canola or olive oil, for cooking
2 lb chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch
pieces
1 jar favorite butter chicken sauce
½ to 1 cup grated mozzarella (optional)
Directions
1. In the bowl of a large mixer such as a Kitchen Aid, stir
together the water, yeast and sugar; let stand for 5 minutes, until foamy. If
it doesn’t foam, the yeast is inactive and needs to be replaced.
2. Stir in flour, salt, canola oil, yogurt and egg. Mix until
dough comes together using the dough hook; then knead by hand for a few
minutes, until the dough is soft, smooth and elastic. Cover bowl with a towel, and
let rise about an hour, until dough is doubled in size.
3. While dough rests, heat oil in large skillet set over
medium-high heat. Cook chicken for 7–8 minutes until it starts to brown. Add butter chicken sauce, and simmer for 15-20
minutes until chicken is cooked through and sauce begins to thicken. Cool chicken completely; it’s best if you can
chill it in in the fridge.
4. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or use splat mats
(as shown in picture). Preheat oven to 400 F.
5. After dough rises, divide it into 6 pieces. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to
shape each piece into an 8-inch circle or oval. Pile equal portions of the butter
chicken mixture onto each circle, top with a bit of grated cheese and fold
over, pinching the edges to create the pocket/calzone shape. Transfer to prepared baking sheet, and cut a few
slits on the top of each with a sharp knife. Bake for 20 minutes, until bubbly
and golden.
I recommend serving with Spanish Rice-a-Roni. If chicken
breasts are too thin, prepare them as roll ups, placing the cheese mixture on
one end of the piece, folding over, and
securing with tooth picks.
Jalapeno Popper Chicken
Adapted from Elly Says Opa
Prep Time: 15 min / Cook time: 30 min
Serves 2
Ingredients
½ cup bread crumbs
2 tsp. canola oil
2 tsp taco seasoning
1 egg
2-oz cream cheese, room temperature
¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced
1 lb. chicken breasts
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375. Spray a oven-save baking sheet
with cooking oil and set aside.
2. In a small skillet over medium heat, combine breadcrumbs
and canola oil. Stir often, and cook until breadcrumbs are golden and crisped. Stir
in taco seasoning, and place mixture in a shallow dish; season with salt and
pepper as necessary.
3. In a small bowl, beat egg. In a separate bowl, combine the cream cheese,
cheddar cheese, and jalapeños.
4. Cut a pocket into each chicken breast, divide cheese
mixture evenly between each chicken breast’s pocket. Use toothpicks to secure,
if necessary.
5. Dip chicken pieces into the egg mixture, and then the breadcrumb
mixture; make sure chicken is fully coated. Place chicken on the prepared
baking sheet and cook 25-30 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
