Simple Chicken Dinner

I think that some of you may think I spend hours in the kitchen every day, slaving away over a hot stove, concocting complicated dishes. In reality, that is far from the truth. Even though our kids are grown now, I am still working and have a couple of part time jobs. I also love to garden and read, and have a weird TV obsession with "Law and Order". Don't ask, I know it's weird.

Some days, I just want in and out of the kitchen in no time flat.  However, because I am a pretty good cook, expectations are high when it comes to dinner time. One of my very favorite short cuts,is this quick chicken that uses up frozen chicken breasts. They are great to have in the freezer, and we always keep them on hand. I buy them in huge bags at our big box store, and take out as many as I need for dinner. The only drawback that I can see to them, is that their size is often a little inconsistent. If you pull out 4, two of them may be huge and 2 may be on the smaller side. Other than that little issue, they are just what a busy woman needs. One of the simplest ways to cook them is to marinate them in Wishbone Lite Italian dressing and grill them. About 4 minutes on each side usually does the trick. You don't want to over cook them or they start to resemble rubber bands. And taste like them too. And YES, Wishbone is the dressing of choice for this meal at my house.

That's what we like when I am in a hurry. It only takes 15 minutes in the marinade once they are thawed -- and they thaw very quickly -- to make a difference in the taste. Be sure to drain them before adding the marinade to the chicken breasts. 

As far as side dishes go, my hub could eat a baked potato EVERY. DAY.OF. HIS. LIFE. Me, not so much. I like a good baked potato as much as anyone, especially with a rare steak ( See how I make them here.) but once a week is plenty for me. My go to , in a hurry side dish is what my family calls "Meemaw Noodles". We call them that because my Mom loved them. And since today should have been her 82nd birthday, here's the secret of "Meemaw Noodles".  This makes about 4 servings. Cook  about 10 oz. of egg noodles according to the directions on the bag. Drain them well. Put 1 T. butter into the hot pot while the noodles are draining When the butter is melted, put the noodles. back into the pot. Stir them to coat with the butter. Add 1 tablespoon lite Daisy Sour Cream and stir again. Sprinkle with 2  tablespoons Kraft Grated Parmesan Cheese. Yes, the kind in the green can, I officially give you my permission to use the green can when making this dish. That's how my mom did it and that's how I do it. 

Sprinkle the noodles lightly with salt, add a generous amount to pepper and stir it all together. Put the lid on, let them sit a few minutes to heat through. Serve with the grilled chicken. I usually put the water on to boil, start the grill., add the noodles, and grill the chicken kind of all at the same time. Add any vegetable or salad stuff you've got and call it dinner.  The dinner picture shown has some of my leftover ratatouille on the side (recipe here). 

So now  you know. I am just as time crunched as many women, and sometimes I am pretty lazy in the kitchen. I feel so much better now that I've confessed! Try this and don't feel guilty.