Cooking for one or two is not often easy,
largely because of the lack of availability of truly good recipes that makes
such an endeavor worthwhile. I generally will make two entrées when I cook so
that I can either share one with my dad, or if I’m making something I think he
won’t enjoy, pop one into the freezer for later.
I like a dish that I can put together early in the day, because as the day wears on and I wear out my interest in cooking diminishes. This is a tasty, company worthy meal that I started the day before. It’s not necessary, but, as I’ve often mentioned, chicken needs to be marinated in buttermilk to make it juicy. So, this time I included that step in the recipe. You can skip this step if you are short on time, but it makes a world of difference, so I always encourage it. Another advantage to this recipe is that you can make the topping 1 to 2 days ahead of time, so this dish can go together in a hurry. I served mine with rice pilaf (Truth be told it was this, and this is an excellent price, by the way.) and roasted carrots from my garden. It was an elegant meal.
I like a dish that I can put together early in the day, because as the day wears on and I wear out my interest in cooking diminishes. This is a tasty, company worthy meal that I started the day before. It’s not necessary, but, as I’ve often mentioned, chicken needs to be marinated in buttermilk to make it juicy. So, this time I included that step in the recipe. You can skip this step if you are short on time, but it makes a world of difference, so I always encourage it. Another advantage to this recipe is that you can make the topping 1 to 2 days ahead of time, so this dish can go together in a hurry. I served mine with rice pilaf (Truth be told it was this, and this is an excellent price, by the way.) and roasted carrots from my garden. It was an elegant meal.
Spinach Artichoke
Chicken for Two
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut horizontally*
1 cup buttermilk
¼ cup Italian Dressing, any kind will do
Topping:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
½ 10-oz. pkg. froz. chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
½ cup chopped artichoke hearts
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon Melissa’s lemon pepper
Freshly ground black pepper
2 slices provolone cheese
Preheat oven to 400ºF. Grease a 1-quart baking dish (or
individual au gratin dishes); set aside.
Place chicken breast halves into a shallow bowl,
cover with buttermilk and return to the fridge for 6-8 hours or overnight.
Remove chicken from buttermilk; pat dry. Pour salad dressing into a Ziploc bag.
Place chicken breasts into bag, squish to cover chicken with dressing, set
aside for 15 minutes while you prepare topping.
Place all topping ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Beat until thoroughly combined.
Remove chicken breasts from marinade, pat dry. Place breasts into prepared casserole. Divide topping among the two breast halves, thoroughly covering the top of each. Place a slice of provolone cheese on each piece of chicken, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
Place all topping ingredients into a medium mixing bowl. Beat until thoroughly combined.
Remove chicken breasts from marinade, pat dry. Place breasts into prepared casserole. Divide topping among the two breast halves, thoroughly covering the top of each. Place a slice of provolone cheese on each piece of chicken, and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F.
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2 comments:
Oh my gosh Pattie - that topping! It looks to-die-for. My "Must Make" list of your recipes is getting very long.
ummm, it sounds delicious and it looks beautiful.
Since I am ONE now, it is really hard to cook for one. I have tried so many things I find at the deli but I have eaten home cooked meals most of my life and it is seldom I find something that tastes good to me, cooked in masses.
Chicken and Dumplins is a very favorite since childhood and last night, I bought a small carton of them from the deli...so not good to me...shredded chicken and cooked until the dumplins were just mushy. I find I am using my freezer more and more.....
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