As I mentioned in my last blog entry, I'm going to be doing some new things on my blog. I never expected to be a food blogger, but I have to admit that from time to time, my family comes up with some pretty incredible recipes.
{to be read in a movie preview announcer kind of voice}
THEY NEED TO BE SHARED WITH THE WORLD!
I've put several things on allrecipes.com. They're a great website for searching for good things to make, but they have so many recipes to sort through that it can take a long time for something to go on their recipe list. I have a couple of recipes I submitted last November that have been listed as "Waiting for Review" for months! So between my blog and Pinterest, I think I can get some of our good stuff out there in faster time.
For the record, we do NOT claim to be some amazing chefs. Surfer Pirate has always dreamed of going to culinary school, but so far he has no formal training. We just like to tweak things and be creative, and sometimes the things we stumble upon are just too good to keep to ourselves.
Like this chicken recipe.
Surfer Pirate is really good at whipping up amazing things for himself late at night. He'll get a craving for chicken, and next thing I know, he's got some wonderful, juicy barbecue chicken deliciousness. I either am too full at the time to have more than a bite, or he eats this stuff after I'm asleep.
So I always miss out.
A couple weeks ago, I asked him to make one of his wonderful chicken creations for supper. He wasn't in the mood for something along the lines of what he usually makes. So he just started frying up some chicken breasts in a little oil with some seasonings. Then we went outside to enjoy the cooler evening air, and I started fussing with my basil plants on the back porch. I picked off a leaf and said "doesn't that smell amazing?"
Lightbulb!
He had me pick a few leaves for him for the chicken.
What came from that moment of inspiration was incredible! Juicy and flavorful and just plain amazing! My mom was visiting her sister in Colorado at the time, and when we were talking about our day over the phone that evening, I told her about the chicken. She had me email the recipe to her and they made it the next night. They agreed that it was To Die For!
So here you go. Surfer Pirate's amazing recipe:
Enough boneless, skinless chicken breasts to fill a large frying pan (we use 6-8 small pieces)
Oil
Seasoning to taste - in our case, we used salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and a little ground cumin
Basil leaves (1-2 leaves per piece)*
*Surfer Pirate wants me to stress that it's really important that you use FRESH, STRAIGHT OFF THE PLANT leaves.
Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil into your pan, enough to thickly coat the bottom.Add your chicken breasts to the pan and sprinkle with your chosen seasonings.
Turn the burner on to medium heat and put the lid on the pan.
Let simmer covered for about 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes are up, add your fresh basil leaves.*Again, from Surfer Pirate: Do NOT use this many basil leaves. These pictures are from the 2nd batch he made, and the verdict of most of the household members was the basil flavor was too overpowering. You only need 1-2 leaves per piece of chicken.
Cover the pan and let the chicken continue to simmer 20-30 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink in the middle. Your basil will now be dark and wilted.Add some wonderful, buttery vegetables on the side and ENJOY!
Soon to come, my cinnamon roll recipe, stuffed pepper casserole, and a very simple vanilla cream cheese spread for bagels.
2 comments:
Looks delicious. Do you eat the cooked basil leaves with the chicken, or pick them off?
Totally a matter of personal preference. I like to eat them, but with that batch, both the hubby and the older kiddo picked theirs off.
Post a Comment