Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

**Unless otherwise stated, I take NO credit for the creation of these recipes! I can cook, but I'm not usually inclined to experiment on my own!**

Baked Cheesy Chicken Penne

3 tbsp butter
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 pound penne rigate
1/2 tsp olive oil
1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups milk
5-8 oz. white or cremini mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained
3/4 cup shredded provolone/Italian cheese mixture
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 400. Spray/butter shallow 2-quart baking dish. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes short of al dente; drain pasta and set aside. While pasta is boiling, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Season chicken with salt and pepper; cook until opaque throughout, 3-5 minutes per side. Halve each piece lengthwise; then thinly slice crosswise. While chicken pan is still hot, toss the mushrooms in and saute until golden brown (3-4 minutes). Use a little extra olive oil if needed. In a 5-quart DUtch oven or heavy pot, melt butter over medium. Add flour and garlic; cook, whisking 1 minute. While whisking constantly, gradually add milk; bring to a simmer. Keep whisking frequently as sauce thickens about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and tomatoes; cook 1 minute. Take the pan off the heat and gradually stir in provolone and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Add chicken and pasta to pot; season with salt and pepper to taste and pour into baking dish. Sprinkle top with the rest of the parmesan cheese and bake, uncovered, until top is golden and bubbling; about 25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

THE VERDICT: we made this without the tomatoes since Jake isn't a huge fan of them, and it turned out AWESOME! We are definitely going to be making this again.

BBQ Chicken Roll-Ups

**Unless otherwise stated, I take NO credit for the creation of these recipes! I can cook, but I'm not usually inclined to experiment on my own!**

BBQ Chicken Roll-Ups

This is a recipe that I originally found on the Pillsbury website, but took and modified so it was a little bit cheaper and less messy!

YOU NEED:
1 batch prepared Bisquick biscuits
Frozen fully cooked chicken breast strips (like Tyson Grilled + Ready)
Cheddar cheese, you decide the amount
BBQ sauce for dipping

Preheat your oven to 375 F and prepare the biscuits according to the Bisquick packaging. Take each biscuit and roll it flat with a rolling pin or with your hands, and fill with one piece of chicken (or several very small ones) and cheddar cheese. Roll up like a burrito, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Repeat with rest of biscuits, and bake 14-16 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, and serve with BBQ sauce for dipping.

Chicken Fried Chicken

**Unless otherwise stated, I take NO credit for the recipes I post! I can cook, but I'm not usually inclined to experiment on my own!**

Chicken Fried Chicken

Chicken Fried Chicken
4 skinned and boned chicken breasts
2 tsp. black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
Oil
1 tsp. salt
1 sleeve saltine (or Ritz) crackers, crushed
1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 large eggs

Place chicken breasts between 2 sheets plastic wrap and flatten to 1/4" thickness using meat mallet/rolling pin. Sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, remaining salt and pepper in one bowl. Whisk together milk and eggs in another. Dredge chicken in cracker crumb mixture, dip in milk mixture, and then back into the cracker mixture. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2" in a 12" skillet (don't use a non-stick skillet). Over medium high heat (a little more hot than medium) fry chicken, in batches, 10 minutes, adding oil as needed. Turn and fry 4-5 more minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack/cookie sheet. Keep chicken warm in a 225 degree oven.

THE VERDICT: Jake was OBSESSED with this chicken. I honestly think he would have married it, if he didn't already have me. He ate his first piece before I was even halfway through mine, and gobbled up his second one almost as fast.