Month-of-Chicken: Chickzza

Nobody doesn’t like pizza! (Apologies to SaraLee) This recipe is a nice alternative to the fat-heavy pepperoni/sausage combos, especially if you make the skinny Alfredo sauce. (recipe follows)

This is a great lunch. It packs well for school and work, too. If serving for dinner, allow two slices each and load the rest of the plate with fruits and veggies to fill up the family.

Chiczza (serves 6-1 slice each)

12-14” pizza crust (dough or pre-made)

¾ c Sorta-Skinny Alfredo sauce (or bottled Alfredo)

½ c Asiago cheese, shredded

½ c Fontina cheese, shredded

½ medium onion, cut into rings, separated

½ c Baby Bella mushroom slices

1 c shredded pre-cooked chicken (best if a combo of light and dark meat)

1 c spinach leaves, roughly chopped

Spread Alfredo sauce to the edges of the pizza crust. Mix together the two cheeses and evenly distribute over sauce. Layer onion rings on cheese. Add mushrooms, chicken, and spinach.

Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly and crust is browned.

DH’s Rating: 4 Tongues Up. He thought it needed spicing up a bit. (You know him!), so next time I’ll add some red pepper flakes into the Sorta-Skinny Alfredo Sauce. That should do it!

Sorta-Skinny Alfredo Sauce (~2 cups)

1 c low-sodium, low-fat chicken broth
1 c low-fat evaporated milk
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 T butter
3 T all-purpose flour

¼ c Asiago cheese

½ t nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat broth, milk and garlic until steamy hot (about 3-4 minutes). 

Melt butter in small skillet. Blend in flour then immediately add hot milk mixture. Whisk until sauce thickens (1-2 minutes).

Add cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes.

A Month-of-Chicken: La Manzana Chicken Quesadilla

Gotta serve up a little taste of the Southwest for Big Mama. After all, she’s been here a couple of days now. Dinner is tacquitos, black beans, and corn. And the main deal is the quesadilla.

A quesadilla is a kind of cheese sandwich. Well, admittedly it varies from your preconceived notion, but still . . . So, picture this, it’s hot, with melted cheese, and the cheese is melted between layers of flour tortillas. Other than that . . .

We frequently make a simple green chilies quesadilla for lunch, but I sometimes stuff it with leftover chicken or other stuff I find in the refrigerator. For this recipe, the stuffing includes chicken, of course, (in honor of the Month-of-Chicken recipe theme), but a sweet surprise makes this entrée one they’ll tell others about. That slight apple crunch and the hint of cinnamon-sugar, mmm mmm!

Fruit pairs so well with pork and chicken that I often include it. Try this one and see what you think. You could use fresh peaches when they’re in season. Put a nutmeg sugar combo on that one. Fresh mangoes are also a tasty fruit to try. Experiment. You’ll find some combo your family loves, too.

La Manzana Chicken Quesadilla (serves 1-2)

1 T butter

2 fresh flour tortillas (seriously--find these in your dairy area--amazing!)

¾ c grated Mexican cheeses; divided

½ small tart apple, cut into thin slices

¼ t cinnamon sugar

1 T diced green chilies

¼ c leftover chicken pieces

¼ c fresh spinach, packed

¼ c salsa (on the side)

Preheat oven to 400º.

Heat up butter in skillet or on griddle and quickly fry up the tortillas to cook and brown them. [Note: If you can’t find fresh tortillas, you can use the pre-packaged ones. Just eliminate the frying.]

On a baking pan, place the two tortillas and cover one with ½ cup cheese.

Distribute the apple over the cheese and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Layer on the chilies, chicken, and spinach. Put on remaining ¼ cup of cheese. Top with second tortilla and press down.

Put in hot oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melty. (Watch the tortillas so they don’t burn.)

Serve with salsa, beans, and corn.

DH’s Rating:  DH loves all things Southwest. This was an easy 5 Tongues Up. Big Mama liked it, too! This is not as weird as it sounds since Mexican cooking uses cinnamon in many dishes. And what doesn’t go with apples?