Quick Chicken Scaloppini and Roasted Potatoes

Snow has found its way to the Carolinas! It is so beautiful outside! The quiet beauty of snow makes everything so peaceful and makes the tired winter landscape new again. Winter is not always my favorite time of year, I do love Christmas but generally the dreary, cold winter days are not my favorite. Snowy days are different though! I am like a giddy school girl on snow days. Playing in the snow with my dog is great! Griffin seems so confused when it snows; but he absolutely loves it! He snuffles through it like a pig looking for truffles. This snowfall was not typical for us here in the south. We usually only get an inch or two, but this time we got nearly six! It was odd to step into snow and not see the grass in my foot print. Living down here I have never owned a sled in my life, but I absolutely wished I had one these last couple days! It looks like so much fun! Instead I settled for throwing a ball for Griffin and watching him root it out in the snow. He is so funny. I love that dog!

After battling a bad cold for a couple weeks now I felt I should actually cook something. For dinner instead of going for the obvious option of soup I decided to make some quick and easy Chicken Scaloppini and roasted potatoes. I paired the two with some frozen field peas with snaps I had on hand. For so long I have been trying to “eat out of the freezer” but it is so difficult to do sometimes, especially when you go to the store and see all the tantalizing fresh stuff! I am actually really thankful for that freezer being pretty full this week as I have not been able to make it out of the house  due to the frozen sheet of ice outside(I live on a hill). Freezing rain after a good snow is not a good combination!

Obviously the recipe below is adjustable based on how many you are going to feed. Since I am usually just cooking for me or one or two other people I tend to buy in small portions.

Quick and Easy Chicken Scaloppini

Ingredients:

· Thin Chicken Breasts (I buy the singles by Purdue and for this use the White Wine and Garlic marinated ones)

· Panko Bread Crumbs

· Plain Bread Crumbs (though you could easily use Italian Bread crumbs if you prefer)

· Lemon Juice (one whole lemon)

· Salt and Pepper

· Garlic

· Olive Oil

· ½ cup of Chicken Broth

How To:

1. In a shallow dish I mix the Panko bread crumbs (I like the extra crunch and texture they give) and the plain bread crumbs with salt and pepper, and garlic. I eyeball it based on my taste.

2. Then the FUN part! I do not have a meat mallet, if you have one use it if not do what I do. I leave the Purdue “Singles” in their packet wrap them in a couple paper towels and using a small but heavy pan bash the ever living uh… stuff out of the chicken. (Great stress reliever!) You want the chicken to be flattened out, but not destroyed so keep an eye on it.

3. Immediately after the smash session I take the pre-marinated breast and dip/roll the breast in the bread crumb mix. Then I lay them on a platter until I am ready to cook them.

4. Heat about 2 tablespoons in a frying pan. You want the oil to get hot! It should sizzle when you place the chicken in the pan. Medium-high heat.

5. Lay the breasts flat in the pan, not touching. If you are doing more than will fit this way in the pan, be prepared to move them to a “resting place” where they can stay warm. Remember the chicken should sizzle when it goes into the pan!

6. The trick here is to leave them alone. I know you want to look to see if they are browning and not burning. But it is fine, leave them alone. After about three minutes slide a slotted spatula under the breast and lift; you can look underneath to make sure it is pretty and brown. Flip and cook another three minutes on the other side. If needed move them to a resting plate, I like to put them on a warm pan with a rack to keep them crispy.

7. Add broth and lemon juice to pan, stirring to deglaze (remove the brown bits) Cook about 2 minutes. Drizzle, the juices over the chicken to serve.

**Worth 6 Weight Watchers points**

Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

· Potatoes, I used regular white potatoes for this but any type of potato should work.

· Salt and Pepper, to taste

· Garlic Powder to taste, or chopped garlic cloves.

· Olive Oil

· Extra spices if you want… I used sprigs of Rosemary to just scent the potatoes.

How To:

1. Preheat oven to 400°

2. Peel your potatoes if you want, I did in this case because I just did not want to scrub them. Slice the potatoes, about ¼ to ½ inches thick depending on your preference.

3. Lay out potatoes in bottom of roasting pan I try to get them all flat but depending on how many I am cooking for sometimes they overlap or I have to use two roasting pans!

4. Drizzle with olive oil.

5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, garlic and any other spices you like.

6. I lay a few springs of Rosemary on top of the potatoes.

7. Place pan in oven and roast for about 30 minutes. Flip the potatoes, removing the springs of rosemary. And roast another 15 minutes or so. Until they are tender and brown around the edges.

ENJOY! As always be creative, and remember your preferences are always the best additions to a recipe! Make it your own and trust your instincts! Laugh if you mess up and try again the next time! Of course let me know how it turns out!