5:01 Dinner Club

Quick, simple and versatile seared meat!

Serves 4 in less than 30 minutes

• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Oil (olive, canola…)
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Pound out the chicken breasts so that they are even in thickness (they will cook faster)
2. Rub chicken with oil and then season generously with salt & pepper
3. Heat a griddle or large non stick pan over high heat
4. Once griddle is hot, add chicken and sear on both sides cooking until chicken is no longer pink-about 6-8 minutes on each side
5. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes before eating

 NOW!!!  You can go in all sorts of directions.  Look around your kitchen/pantry while the chicken is cooking/resting and decide how to bring it all together.  

Here are a few suggestions (most of the recipes on in the blog):

• Slice chicken and put it on a salad-Caesar, Greek, strawberry balsamic…
• Dice chicken and make tarragon chicken salad/sandwiches
• Chop chicken and have BBQ chicken (or just coat in warm BBQ sauce)
• Slice chicken and serves with pasta (cream sauce, marinara sauce, or just olive oil, garlic, salt/pepper, and parmesan cheese)
• Pull chicken, toss in BBQ sauce for BBQ chicken pizzas
• Dice chicken and throw together a chicken pot pie
• Chop chicken and then toss with fresh grated ginger, honey, soy sauce, chopped green onions & rice for an easy “asian chicken & rice bowl”

This salsa also makes a great appetizer when served with chips!

At first, I paired this recipe for salsa with a nut coated chicken breast and it didn’t take me long to realize after I began to eat this light & lively dish that the salsa was the super star-that really just about any grilled meat would make a great summer time companion for the salsa. 

For the fastest preparation, pair with a rotisserie chicken and canned black beans.  If you do choose to grill your meat at home, grill it simply with olive oil, salt & pepper-just make sure the grill is hot -400+ degrees, don’t overcook, and allow the meat to rest before cutting into it-

Mojo Chicken & Pineapple Salsa

Serves 4 people in 10 minutes

• 1 (2 if you have all white meat loving guests) Store bought “Mojo” rotisserie chicken (or 4 pieces of grilled chicken, 4 grilled tilapia fliets, 2 lbs grilled shrimp, 1.5 lbs of grilled pork tenderloin…)
• 2 C Fresh pineapple, cut into ¼ “cubes
• ½ C Sweet onion, chopped fine
• 3 Jalapenos, seeded & chopped
• ¼ C Fresh cilantro, chopped
• Salt & pepper to taste

1.  In a medium bowl, mix last 5 ingredients
2. Arrange chicken on platter and garnish with salsa

Plain wheat bread becomes fancy toast with no crusts and a brush of olive oil!

This is another recipe that utilizes one of every last minute cook’s best friends:  the rotisserie chicken!  It is so easy and so delicious when fresh- and even better when left over.  Use is as an appetizer on toast points (as I have pictured above) or on the end of an endive leave for a fresh serving tool that will leave you virtually carb free!  Or serve it up on the bread of your choice for a lunch, brunch, or dinner sandwich.

 Makes 4-6 sandwiches or appetizers for 6-8 adults in about 10 minutes

•  1 Rotisserie chicken cut into cubes
• ½ Medium sweet onion, chopped fine
• Heaping 1/3 C Mayo
• ¼ C Sour cream
• 2 Tsp Dried tarragon
• Salt & Pepper to taste (I use very little salt and a ton of fresh cracked pepper)

 In a large bowl, mix all ingredients and serve!

Make that quick, cheap & EASY!

Serves 4 in about 20 minutes

• 1 -10oz package yellow rice mix, cooked according to package directions
• 1 Rotisserie chicken, pulled & shredded
• 1 C BBQ Sauce
• 2 -16oz cans black beans, drained (or 4 C  cooked black beans )you can cook & freeze yourself if you want))
• For garnish:  Any or all of the following-2 Sliced jalapenos, ½ C cilantro, chopped, 3 green onions, chopped, sour cream, hot sauce, cheese

1.  In a medium saucepan, heat black beans
2. In another sauce pan mix the chicken and BBQ sauce and heat through
3. Arrange yellow rice on a serving dish
4. Top the rice with the black beans
5. Arrange chicken on top of the black beans & garnish as you wish!

Hold the chips-this is a turkey sandwich that satisfies!

• Bread (2 slices per sandwich)
• Chipotle Mayo (store bought or mix 1 minced chipotle with 3 tbs mayo)
• Sliced Smoked Turkey
• 1 ½ Slices crispy bacon (per sandwich)
• Slice of cheese-your choice-I like american, cheddar, jack, manchego
• Fresh guacamole (or store bought) –recipe in earlier post

1.  Spread chipotle mayo on 1 slice of bread
2. Add as much turkey as you want
3. Top with 1 ½ slices bacon
4. Top with 1 slice of cheese
5. Place both loaded up ½ of sandwich and plain piece of bread in toaster/oven and toast until cheese in melted and bread is toasted
6. Remove sandwich, put as much guac as you want on the the toast ½ of the sandwich, put the 2 halves together and make a whole-EAT!

A Rich & Satisfying 1 Dish Meal!

Looked in my fridge today and saw leftover chicken & pasta and decided to throw this little experiment together with some frozen broccoli that I always have in the freezer.  It was very easy and really yummy!  Oh yeah, if you want, you could use a jar of Alfredo sauce and cut your ingredient list down to only 4 ingredients and your prep time down to about 16 minutes-A big time 5:01 Dinner Club favorite!

 Serves 4 In about 30 minutes

• 6 Tbs Butter
• 4 Cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 C All purpose flour
• 2 C Milk
• ½ Parmesan cheese, grated (plus cheese to garnish)
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 3 C Cooked chicken, cut up into bite size chunks (rotisserie maybe)
• 3 C Steamed broccoli (I buy this brand of frozen broccoli that comes in a bag with each piece of broccoli frozen separately so that when you steam it, it doesn’t get soggy.  To steam, I microwave the broccoli, with a little water in the bottom of the bowl, on high for about 4 minutes and then drain.)
• 1 1b Box penne pasta (I like the whole wheat pasta), cooked according to package directions and drained

1.  In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat
2. Add crushed garlic
3. Add flour and whisk constantly as you cook the flour for about 60 seconds
4. Gradually pour in milk while whisking constantly to keep it smooth and continue to heat sauce (while whisking) until it begins to bubble & thicken
5. Turn heat down
6. Add cheese, salt & pepper (taste and adjust seasoning if necessary)
7. Now toss chicken, broccoli, and pasta in sauce and garnish with ground black pepper and more cheese

Serves 4 in about 20 minutes

Quick, Easy & Delicious!

• 4-6 Whole wheat Mediterranean flatbreads
• ½ – ¾ C Basil pesto (I like basil pesto V tomato sauce because pesto doesn’t make the bread soggy)
• 1 ½ C Mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1 ½ C Rotisserie chicken, shredded
• 1 ½ C Spinach, shredded (optional)
• ½ C Sundried tomatoes, julienned (optional)

1.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Spread pesto evenly over flatbread pieces
3. Distribute cheese evenly over pesto
4. Spread next 3 ingredients over cheese
   

   Looks good even before it hits the oven!

5. Bake 10-12 minutes-until edges are golden brown, cheese is melted, and ingredients are thoroughly heated

Pair this with mashed potatoes for a bistro quality meal in no time!

Serves 4 in about 30 minutes

• ¼ C All purpose flour
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast “cutlets” (or boneless, skinless chicken breasts pounded out to ¼” thickness)
• 3 Tbs Olive oil
• 1-2 Tbs All purpose flour
• 1 C Chicken broth or chicken stock
• 3 Tbs Capers, rinsed
• Juice of 1 large lemon
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a pie plate, mix 1^st 3 ingredients (don’t be shy with the salt & pepper)
2. Evenly coat chicken in seasoned flour, shake off excess and set aside
3. Preheat oven to 375 degree
4. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium high to high heat
5. When oil is hot add flour coated chicken (you should hear a sizzle)
6. After about 3-5 minutes (when 1^st side is golden brown), flip chicken
7. Cook until golden brown on other side (3-5 min) and then place chicken in an oven safe dish and cook for an additional 10 minutes in the (preheated oven)
8. Meanwhile, Reduce heat on the stove
9. Sprinkle the flour over the hot sauté pan and whisk constantly as the flour absorbs the olive oil (that’s left in the pan)
10. While whisking constantly, gradually add the chicken broth and bring the mixture back up to a simmer to thicken the sauce
11. Once sauce has thicken slightly, add the capers and lemon juice and stir just to heat through
12. Season with salt & pepper to taste
13. Remove chicken from oven, allow it to rest just a couple of minutes before serving
14. Pour sauce over chicken and serve

Everything you need for dinner (protein, carb, veggie) in one little edible container!

Serves 4 in about 40 minutes

•  2 Tbs. Olive oil
• 1 Medium onion, chopped
• 1 ½ lbs Ground beef (or turkey breast)
• 1 Can tomato paste
• 1 Tsp. Curry powder
• ½ C Fresh basil, chopped
• 1 C + 2 Tbs. Parmesan cheese, grated
• 2 Tbs. All purpose flour
• 1 ½ C. Beef broth (or vegetable broth if using turkey)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 ½ C Instant white rice, cooked according to package directions
• 4 Large bell peppers, tops cut off and seeds and veins removed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Place peppers in a baking dish, sprinkle with a little kosher salt and bake while filling is prepared
3. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat
4. Sauté onion for about 5 minutes and then add beef and brown, reduce heat
5. Add tomato paste, curry, and basil-mix well
6. Add flour and stir until the beef mixture in evenly coated with flour
7. Add beef stock to mixture, turn up heat, and stir until mixture has thickened
8. Add Parmesan cheese and rice-mix well
9. Taste mixture and  then season with salt & pepper to taste
10. Remove pepper shells from oven & spoon beef mixture into the peppers to fill peppers
11. Sprinkle remaining cheese over peppers & bake peppers for 20 minutes

Great last minute main course!

Serves 4

Takes about 30 minutes to prepare

Costs about $2/person

• 4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts-rinsed and patted dry
• ½ C All purpose flour, seasoned to taste with salt & pepper
• 2 Eggs, mixed in a pie plate and seasoned with salt & pepper to taste
• 1 C Panko (Japanese style) breadcrumbs spread out in a pie plate seasoned with salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Coat chicken in flour, then eggs, and then breadcrumbs
3. Place breaded chicken in a baking dish (or on a baking sheet)
4. Cook until golden brown & done (about 25 minutes)- The oven temp is pretty high so the chicken cooks quickly-